The Saintess Has A Showdown 301-302

Chapter 301: The Whole Realm Freeze Incident

In a certain mortal village in the Sea Region, a cute, blue-haired little girl was playing with mud at the village entrance.

Observing from a third-person, omniscient perspective, Gong Lianyue grew increasingly wary.

This Lost Scroll… it was showing her the past…

She didn’t understand the purpose of this test yet, but she continued to watch.

The little blue-haired Gong Lianyue had been born in an ordinary village on a small island near the Sea Concubine Palace.

On the day she was born, her mother died during childbirth, and the carriage carrying her ashes overturned. A series of misfortunes.

Due to her unusual teardrop-shaped eyes, she was shunned by the villagers, growing up alone and rarely speaking, like a mute orphan.

At this moment, at the village entrance, the little girl was drawing in the mud with a stick, four large characters slowly taking shape.

However, from this third-person perspective, Gong Lianyue couldn’t make out the characters. Their forms were blurry and indistinct, like a hazy dream.

[Do you remember these four characters?]

A sudden voice in her mind, and the scene froze, the little girl’s movements ceasing, leaving Gong Lianyue in silent contemplation.

So this was a Lost Scroll that could reveal the past, expose one’s weaknesses?

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten those four characters. Even on the day she officially became the Sorrowful Saintess, the message she had left on the Sea Concubine’s Love Tablet had been related to them.

[Do you remember these four characters?]

“I’ve forgotten. Can you tell me?”

Gong Lianyue replied calmly, her question unexpected.

A moment of silence, the atmosphere shifting, then calming.

Gong Lianyue continued, her tone persistent,

“Since it’s my weakness, why not just show me?”

“Are you afraid? Do you not dare?”

“I thought this Lost Scroll would be quite powerful, since it can show the past, but it seems even it fears those four characters. How disappointing.”

Lost Scrolls themselves were inanimate objects. What had a will was the trial spirit, a being formed from the residual spirit energy of a deceased spirit beast. They could interact with each other, but not with humans.

Therefore, even if Gong Lianyue shouted that she was a transmigrator, no one would hear, no one would know.

“If you don’t dare to show me, then I’ll just say it.”

“Those four characters are—”

“Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate!”

As the blue-haired girl spoke, the world within the scroll trembled violently, as if about to shatter.

The Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate, one of the Ten Sacred Domains, the apex of all water-type realms.

A six or seven-year-old girl, in a small village, knowing nothing of the spirit world, had carved those four characters in the mud. A disturbing and unsettling act.

The scroll’s spirit, upon seeing this, had panicked, but it had obscured the characters, continuing the trial as if nothing had happened.

These spirits, these fragmented beings of pure aura, feared the true names of powerful spirit beasts, especially those from the Ten Sacred Domains, where legendary beings resided.

The Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate and the Nether Snow Sacred Domain were not on good terms.

Legendary beings were commonplace there, Saint-ranks insignificant, and among them were two titled legendary beings…

Compared to the Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate, the Heavy Rain Realm was insignificant, the Ice Congealing Realm and the Yin Lake Palace even more so, not even worthy of being their vassals, let alone the tiny Sea Region.

Even the Empty Water Court, ranked above the Heavy Rain Realm, was merely a subsidiary of the Blood Sea Dragon Palace, which, in turn, was below the Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate. The difference in power was vast.

The Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate wasn’t even afraid of a full-scale war with the White Moon Lord, unlike the Heavy Rain Realm, which was panicking over the mere possibility of being affected by its awakening.

Why… had this little girl carved the name of the Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate…

Flip—

The next second, the scene within the trial space shifted, the world flipping like a page.

The village vanished, replaced by a scene within the Sea Concubine Palace, the timeline jumping forward several years.

The scroll’s spirit had changed the scene, avoiding the question…

Well, if it wanted to change the subject, so be it. Gong Lianyue also didn’t want to dwell on the past.

However, the scene before her was even more bizarre than her childhood memories.

The Sea Concubine Palace’s buildings were covered in a thick layer of purple ice, all life frozen.

Gong Lianyue saw herself, around thirteen years old, having been brought to the Sea Concubine Palace by Shui Qinghou, wearing the distinctive blue uniform, regarded by many as a divine being.

Judging by the state of her eyes, it was the day of her awakening ceremony!

“Wait, could this be… that incident…?”

Gong Lianyue vaguely remembered something that had happened around the time she awakened her companion spirit beast, the Water Element.

It had been the Ice Shield Palace that first noticed it. The flow of time in the Sea Region had slowed down, lagging behind the rest of the spirit world by ten seconds. Even the time difference between realms had been altered.

They had suspected a passing legendary spirit beast had frozen the Sea Region’s spirit energy flow, hence the name—the Whole Realm Freeze Incident.

And the Sea Concubine Palace, encased in ice… it looked exactly like that incident!

Wait, had this happened right before her awakening ceremony?

As Gong Lianyue’s gaze shifted, she noticed a small purple dot in the sky above the Sea Concubine Palace.

Within the frozen world, only this purple dot showed any signs of life, easily visible.

A purple figure with two curved ram horns, radiating a chilling aura, as if capable of freezing one’s very soul.

This familiar yet strange aura puzzled Gong Lianyue. Suddenly, as if sensing her gaze from the future, the figure turned its head slightly…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Just as Gong Lianyue was about to see its face, the Cloud of Clouds trial space shattered.

The image fractured like broken glass, the dream world collapsing, a terrifying aura pressing down on the scroll.

Chapter 302: Legendary Origins

BOOM!!!

With a tremendous surge of aura, the trial space shattered like a broken mirror.

At the same moment, all the trial participants’ consciousnesses were ejected, and the misty area of the Cloud of Clouds trial closed.

The blue-haired girl’s consciousness returned to her body. She slowly opened her teardrop, snowflake-patterned eyes, gazing at the battered, ethereal spirit before her.

A hazy, translucent form, riddled with cracks, this was the true form of the Cloud of Clouds.

“Aaaaaaah, I knew this would happen! Those beings at the apex of the spirit world can perceive the past, the future, the slightest ripple in the river of time! Even speaking their true names invites disaster!!!”

The Cloud of Clouds wailed, its frantic cries echoing, its form writhing in agony.

That purple figure’s aura… it had filled it with despair.

Many legendary Spirit Masters, arrogant and naive, believed their power was absolute, unmatched in this post-mythical era.

However, they were gravely mistaken. The difference in power between legendary beings was far greater than the gap between a low-rank spirit beast and a legendary being!

And beyond the legendary rank, a realm unattainable even by ordinary legendary beings, was the titled legendary realm!!!

Titled Legendary > Titled Level ≥ Overlord Level > Ordinary Level.

These were the four stages of legendary beings:

Those who possessed a title, beings of unparalleled power (Snow Monarch, Dark Night Concubine, Illusion Sea Concubine).

Those whose lineage had produced a titled legendary being, essentially equivalent to Overlord Level (White Flower Moon-Treading Deer, Nether Spring Narcissus).

Those without titled ancestors, but whose power rivaled, or even surpassed, titled legendary beings (Jade Concubine of the Waterfall Lake, the Six Disasters).

And finally, those considered insignificant, only capable of dealing with beings below legendary rank (Mist-Born Sea Emperor, Hong Xiaoqianyu, Shadowlurking Blade, Night’s Executioner).

Of course, the Six Disasters were in a category of their own, rarely given titles, except for the White Moon Lord, born in the mythical era.

The most famous example was the World-Ending Azure Sky, Harbinger of the Destruction Calamity, which, thousands of years ago, had shattered the Tenth Sacred Domain with a single sword strike, killing a titled legendary being and three ordinary legendary beings.

Even the Seven Concubines had been defeated by members of the Six Disasters.

Therefore, the Six Disasters were considered taboo, their names rarely spoken.

Speaking of legendary rankings, everyone in the spirit world knew that the next Title Bestowal year was approaching.

And the two most promising candidates were the Jade Concubine of the Waterfall Lake, from the Black Tide Ancient City, and the Ice Antelope Grand Concubine of the Nether Snow Sacred Domain, both overlord-level legendary beings, followers of the Dark Night Concubine and the Snow Monarch, respectively.

The Jade Concubine, born less than two thousand years ago, already known as the Martial Empress, had once fought a titled, combat-type legendary being to a standstill.

And the Ice Antelope Grand Concubine was said to be the fastest legendary being in the spirit world, also the third target on the White Flower Moon-Treading Deer’s list, simply because their combat styles were similar.

The White Flower Moon-Treading Deer, casually mentioning names that would terrify ordinary beings, had given Gong Lianyue a good understanding of the current power structure of the spirit world.

“But why would a legendary being of that level appear in the Sea Region… on the day of the Sorrowful Saintess’s awakening ceremony…?” Gong Lianyue asked, frowning.

Judging by the aura alone, it was either a Titled Level or an Overlord Level legendary being, a power far beyond that of ordinary legendary beings.

The Cloud of Clouds’ spirit, hearing the question, trembled, its aura flickering, seemingly terrified, unable to speak, or perhaps afraid to speak.

This Cloud of Clouds trial could reveal a trial participant’s weaknesses and inner demons, but the ones it feared the most were those who had been traumatized by legendary beings. Their shared terror within the dream would be unbearable.

However, this blue-haired girl was an exception. She hadn’t been traumatized by legendary beings, but had lived alongside them, her memories filled with awe-inspiring and terrifying encounters.

“Then do you know its true name?” Gong Lianyue asked.

“I can’t say. I mustn’t say…”

The Cloud of Clouds trembled even more violently, its aura fading.

It believed that speaking the being’s true name would invite unimaginable disaster, perhaps even destroying the entire Heavy Rain Realm.

Seeing its pathetic state, Gong Lianyue sighed.

Well, as long as her own secrets remained hidden.

In its current state, the Cloud of Clouds wouldn’t dare reveal anything.

She didn’t even bother mentioning her own cliché backstory, being an abandoned infant from the Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate, one of the Ten Sacred Domains. Having transmigrated into this world with all her memories intact, she knew the truth but didn’t care.

And the story about her mother dying during childbirth and the carriage carrying her ashes overturning… that was just a fabrication by the villagers to prevent her from visiting a nonexistent grave.

“Alright, since you’ve lost, hand over the Lost Scroll.” As she was about to leave, Gong Lianyue addressed the illusory figure before her.

“…”
“…”

“I… I don’t have the actual scroll. I’ve only mastered its abilities. The real scroll is in the Star River Bathing Rain Sect of the Heavy Rain Realm,” the Cloud of Clouds replied, its voice trembling.

“Is that so?”

With a disappointed sigh, the blue-haired girl turned and left the Tablet of the Clouds trial area.

At the same time, the aura behind her dissipated, the humanoid figure vanishing like an extinguished candle.

The Cloud of Clouds trial, disrupted by a terrifying, unknown being, had been canceled, and Gong Lianyue was the only one who had cleared it.

However, the aura of that purple figure, the one responsible for the Whole Realm Freeze Incident… it was strangely familiar, but thinking about it gave her a headache, so she put it aside for now.

Having cleared the Tablet of the Clouds trial, Gong Lianyue had been forced to revisit her past, a past she preferred to forget.

The Cold Waterfall Heavenly Gate, one of the Ten Sacred Domains… that was where she had been born.

At the time, she had known nothing of the spirit world, nor the reason for her abandonment. Now, she understood.

From the fragmented memories, it seemed it was because of her… constitution…

As an infant, she hadn’t been able to absorb spirit energy, considered incapable of cultivation. Now she realized it was because the Nether Spring Narcissus had been absorbing all of it.

The theory that companion spirit beasts existed even before the awakening ceremony had been proven long ago.

But after all these years… it didn’t matter anymore…