Chapter 309: Arrival at the Heavy Rain Realm
–Endless Cloud Sea, Cliff of the Clouds area–
At the top of the steep, towering Cliff of the Clouds, a faint, ethereal aura lingered.
A blue-haired, teardrop-eyed girl sat alone in meditation, the surrounding emptiness amplifying the silence.
After the Sea Shadow Purple Smoke and the Frozen Throne’s… interruption, most of the trial participants had been eliminated, the area now deserted.
Gong Lianyue, alone in the Cliff of the Clouds trial area, sensed the faint, ethereal aura in the air, then sighed, a touch of boredom in her voice.
This trial was too easy. All she had to do was detect the trial spirit’s aura.
The Cliff of the Clouds, supposedly the most difficult of the five trials… this was it?
Not just for her, a legendary Spirit Master, but even a Saint-rank spirit beast could easily clear this, all attempts at concealment useless.
Casually capturing the fleeing trial spirit, crushing it into a ball, then releasing it after its pathetic pleas for mercy, Gong Lianyue had passed.
She would use the remaining ninety-plus hours to cultivate the Lost Scroll.
With that decided, Gong Lianyue retrieved the Lost Scroll given to her by the Cold Court.
[Flower Moon Chapter of the Heavenly Full Cold Moon]. The twin chapter to the Steel Moon Chapter, obtained by the Ice Shield Palace and the Cold Court from a secret realm hundreds of years ago, both now in her possession.
After centuries of research, although no one in the Cold Court had mastered it, they had a general understanding of the Flower Moon Chapter’s abilities.
It seemed to enhance a Spirit Master’s burst potential, the maximum amount of spirit energy they could unleash in an instant.
As a Dual Soul Body, both her potential and manifested spirit energy were already greater than others’. The Flower Moon Chapter, for her, was merely a minor boost, far less useful than the Steel Moon Chapter, which tempered her will and strengthened her soul cores.
And so, she began to cultivate, the first trial participant to reach this final area.
Heavy Rain Realm
The Heavy Rain Realm, a dominant power among the hundreds of surrounding realms, boasted three powerful, long-established legendary beings.
The Mist-Born Sea Emperor of the Star River Bathing Rain Sect, the Ice Yin Sword Princess of the Grand Yin Concealed Rain Pavilion, and the Umbrella Immortal of the Three Lives Gate, all ancient beings, thousands of years old.
The Heavy Rain Realm had been designated as the second disaster zone for the Moon Calamity, but its Spirit Masters weren’t particularly worried. After all, they had three legendary beings, while the Moon Calamity was just one.
At this moment, at the exit of the Endless Cloud Sea secret realm, a group of Spirit Masters waited to greet the trial participants.
They wore three different types of uniforms, some radiating powerful auras, even Saint-rank among them.
Saint-rank spirit beasts, rare even among the Saintesses of the Sea Region, were common here in the Heavy Rain Realm’s welcoming party…
And countless wild Saint-rank spirit beasts roamed nearby, seeking suitable Spirit Masters to contract with.
The Heavy Rain Realm’s… hospitable environment, its culture of showering gifts and tributes upon powerful beings, had attracted countless spirit beasts. Even taking a midnight stroll could result in a feast.
This was the birthplace of the Variant Water Emperor and Shui Huangyou.
However, the Variant Water Emperor hadn’t returned. Its master, the Nether Spring Narcissus, having declared that it needed its help to obtain a title, had kept it in the Sea Region.
“The hundred hours are almost up. How many do you think will pass?” one of the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters asked casually.
“Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered from the various realms, about 55.”
“Will the Ice Condensing Saintess be among them? I hope so~~”
“The Ice Condensing Saintess? That’s just a barbarian village girl!!”
“Fuck you!”
“Be quiet! Did you hear? The Cangsheng Palace’s legendary being entered the trial.”
“Huh!?”
Just as the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters were arguing, the gate to the Endless Cloud Sea secret realm opened.
As a brilliant light shone, the first participant emerged.
A beautiful girl with a sorrowful face, her water-blue hair styled in an old-fashioned manner, her eyes wide with wonder, like a country bumpkin seeing the big city for the first time.
The Ice Condensing Saintess? No, wait, she wasn’t wearing the Ice Congealing Realm’s uniform.
The first participant’s beauty stunned everyone. In the Heavy Rain Realm, even moderately attractive Spirit Masters walked with their noses in the air. They had never seen such a beautiful, yet innocent-looking, village girl.
Those unique teardrops, those downcast eyes… so captivating. It was a revelation.
Gong Lianyue was actually shocked by the Heavy Rain Realm’s gravity. The spirit energy density here was more than thirty times greater than the Sea Region’s. A mortal would likely suffocate here. No, there probably were no mortals here.
Constantly bombarded by such dense spirit energy, it would be difficult not to become a Spirit Master. This was a world of universal cultivation.
This was caused by the lingering aura of a legendary spirit beast, its spirit energy saturating the environment. The Ten Sacred Domains must be even more extreme.
However, the moment Gong Lianyue entered the Heavy Rain Realm, her spirit energy absorption stopped. She couldn’t feel any boost to her cultivation.
So the Nether Spring Narcissus was at it again.
Gong Lianyue didn’t mind. It could absorb as much as it wanted. She just hoped it would stay materialized for a bit longer next time.
She had expected the Nether Spring Narcissus to seek revenge against the Ice Soul Cold Star for sealing it, but it seemed to have no animosity towards it. In fact, the two spirit beasts often snuck snacks from her storage bracelet, their relationship surprisingly amicable.
“Hey, you there! Come and register!”
Hearing the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Master’s call, Gong Lianyue walked over and accepted the form.
Her identity had been revealed by the Frozen Throne, but it shouldn’t have spread that far, and with the Sea Region’s borders sealed, even if she lied, it wouldn’t be discovered.
[Name: Shui Qingyue]
[Realm: Sea Region]
[Faction: Sea Concubine Palace]
[Attributes: Water, Moon]
[Cultivation Level: Samsara Stage, Second Cycle]
[Spirit Beasts (at least two, may conceal others): Ice Soul Cold Star, Sacred Water, Lover]
“Hmm…?” The Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Master, after reading the information, paused, a flicker of surprise in its eyes.
An Ice Soul Cold Star and Sacred Water, Lover? This village girl must be quite powerful among Saint-rank Spirit Masters.
Unfortunately, the purpose of this trial was to recruit Lord Attendants. Even Saint-rank Spirit Masters were just secondary.
Chapter 310: The Unremarkable Sea Region Villagers
–Heavy Rain Realm
At the exit of the Endless Cloud Sea trial secret realm, Spirit Masters emerged sporadically from the spirit gate.
The ravaged trial areas, devastated by the battles between legendary beings, had been automatically repaired by the spirits, but the eliminated participants couldn’t re-enter.
As the number of emerging Spirit Masters increased, the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters frowned.
What was going on…?
Only sixteen or seventeen so far, unlikely to exceed twenty. This was far fewer than they had anticipated.
Were the Heavy Rain Realm’s standards too high for the other realms? This thought brought a smug sense of superiority.
The fewer participants who passed, the more resources for them.
Then, as a woman with ice flower tattoos emerged from the secret realm, everyone’s breath hitched.
Such a powerful, chilling aura… It was her, the favored one of the Frozen Throne, the Ice Condensing Saintess!
However, the Ice Condensing Saintess’s current state was disheveled, her aura weak and exhausted.
Summoning the Frozen Throne had depleted all her spirit energy. She had barely managed to clear three trials within the 100-hour time limit.
“Ice Condensing Saintess, correct? Come and register your information.”
Even facing a Lord Attendant from the Ice Congealing Realm, the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Master’s tone was dismissive.
This drew disapproving glances from some of the other Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters. Many here admired the Ice Condensing Saintess. Such disrespect was unacceptable.
Unfazed, the Ice Condensing Saintess walked over, her gaze fixed on the blue-haired, teardrop-eyed girl sitting quietly nearby, Gong Lianyue.
“Wait, did the legendary Yin Robe Saintess not pass?” a Spirit Master suddenly asked.
According to the information they had, the Yin Robe Saintess was a Lord Attendant of the Harmonious Voice. Even if she couldn’t unleash its full power, she shouldn’t have failed this trial.
However, seeing the others staring intently at the Ice Condensing Saintess, she understood.
So that was it. No wonder the Ice Condensing Saintess looked so exhausted. She had summoned the Frozen Throne and fought the Yin Robe Saintess, even eliminating her…
Surrounded by curious and surprised gazes, the Ice Condensing Saintess forced a smile.
Since everyone had been fleeing, no one had witnessed the final moments of the battle, assuming the destruction had been caused by their fight.
And feeling a cold, warning gaze upon her, she couldn’t speak, a lump forming in her throat.
A moment later, a blood-soaked figure crawled out of the gate, startling everyone.
The Endless Saintess, covered in blood, her spirit energy in tatters, her form barely recognizable, emerged from the secret realm.
The Nether Princess Bai Xue’s aura had almost killed her, but her experience with near-death situations, combined with the timely unconsciousness induced by her legendary token, which had protected her from the Nether Spring Narcissus’s subsequent attack, had allowed her to survive.
Her contract with the legendary Thousand Threads granted her a perception of auras a million, perhaps even ten million, times greater than an ordinary person’s.
This gift, however, came with a curse.
The passing of the Myriad Volt Phoenix, Harbinger of the Boom Calamity, the shockwave from the battle between the Thunder Prison Lord and the Dark Night Concubine, the arrival of the Ice Forged Decapitator, one of the Ten Sacred Waters, and the terrifying presence of the Snow Monarch, all of these had almost killed her.
But she had survived them all and finally reached the Heavy Rain Realm, earning the right to witness the Moon Calamity!
The Endless Saintess, her heart filled with a strange sense of accomplishment, promptly fainted and was carried away by the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters.
“The gate is closing. Are there any other survivors?”
“It seems there’s one more…”
As the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters watched, a crimson figure slowly emerged from the gate.
A terrifying, fiery aura, a deafening roar, echoing for miles.
Hong Xiaoqianyu, a legendary-rank spirit beast!
Pretending to be unaffiliated with Gong Lianyue, she had deliberately waited until last, finally arriving in the Heavy Rain Realm.
After a moment of stunned silence, a Heavy Rain Realm woman, like a starstruck fan, rushed towards her.
“My lady, my lady, please notice me! I love you!!!”
“Bullshit! You said the same thing to that Saint-rank spirit beast last time!!”
“So what? Isn’t she my… wife now…?”
“Seriously? And you’re still buying all those aphrodisiacs?”
“Yeah, you couldn’t even handle a Saint-rank! And you think you can win the favor of a legendary being? Don’t make me laugh!!”
Hong Xiaoqianyu was instantly surrounded by Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters.
The air filled with the scent of rare and precious elixirs, many elite Spirit Masters showering her with gifts.
A wild legendary being! The fourth in the Heavy Rain Realm, an incredibly rare creature.
They didn’t care about its attributes, its type, or its preferences. They just wanted it!
And all these… were free…?
Hong Xiaoqianyu, staring at the mountain of offerings, was stunned. Although a legendary being, she was penniless, without any cultivation resources.
She was overwhelmed by the Heavy Rain Realm’s generosity, tempted to take everything, but also slightly embarrassed.
Not just Hong Xiaoqianyu, but even Gong Lianyue couldn’t tear her eyes away.
The spirit energy density in the Heavy Rain Realm was more than thirty times greater than the Sea Region’s, the quality of its treasures far superior, many of them completely unknown to her.
She should have asked the White Flower Moon-Treading Deer for some. She wondered if the Hegemony Moon Realm had a similar gift-giving culture…
“Hmm?”
Suddenly sensing a request from the Nether Spring Narcissus within her, Gong Lianyue paused, a puzzled expression on her face.
Even the Nether Spring Narcissus was tempted. It wanted to come out and show off… and perhaps… enjoy some of the offerings.
As its master, she couldn’t allow such unseemly behavior. How could it be so shameless? Such behavior… she couldn’t… she couldn’t… she couldn’t resist!!!
But it would have to wait.
A legendary being appearing right after the trial would be too suspicious.
She would let the Nether Spring Narcissus out later, after things calmed down.
Question: How would you describe these unrefined villagers from the Sea Region?
