Inside the White Mist Space.
The scene inside the cave wasn't covered by the mist; everything was clearly visible.
The mist merely separated him from the outside of the cave.
And this cave no longer looked like a cave. The stalactites that should have been there had disappeared, and the uneven spots on the floor, walls, and ceiling had been filled in, while the protrusions had been shaved away.
If Ning Rongrong hadn't known she'd walked into a cave, she would've thought she'd entered some kind of research institute.
After all, bottles and jars were piled along the smooth walls, filled with liquids of all different colors. The purple liquid in particular gave her an uneasy feeling.
At the innermost part sat a person on a meditation cushion. The person's face was completely hidden behind a mask, and a powerful aura of evil radiated from them, making Ning Rongrong tremble with fear.
Looking closer, she saw that the cushion and the person weren't real at all—they were stone carvings. A scale stood before the statue. On the left was a purple stone, while the right side was empty.
"Today is a momentous day."
"Under the guidance of the Holy God, today we will welcome the first Saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult! The Holy God will guide us, and the gates of the Divine Realm will open to us!"
Tang Donald, the Holy Spirit Cult's Ninth Elder, stood before the scale. To his left lay an unconscious girl.
The girl looked about sixteen. Her clothes were tattered, but the skin beneath them was as smooth as silk.
Black smoke billowed from her right hand. Looking closely, there was also a little black plant there.
"But before we welcome the Saintess, there's one more matter we need to deal with."
Tang Donald's voice was low. He turned and pressed his Martial Soul—a pitch-black longsword—against the neck of one of his subordinates.
"Made, why did you leak our intelligence to Spirit Hall?!"
The man named Made had been silenced with a mental Soul Skill. He couldn't make a sound, and could only put on an innocent, pitiful look as he gazed at Tang Donald.
"But it doesn't matter. The wisdom you thought you possessed was within the Holy God's expectations from the start. From the very beginning, I never gave you the correct information."
Tang Donald gently let the blade brush against Made's neck. Then he revealed his other hand, which also held a little black plant. His next words made Made furious:
"First, the Saintess had actually been chosen by the Holy God long ago. Those 'large strongholds' you gave Spirit Hall were nothing but a disguise. The real Saintess is right here, at this very moment!"
Made dropped the act. His Scissors Martial Soul snipped through the ropes around his hands in an instant, and he knocked the black sword aside before rolling away.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his back.
A hand settled on his head.
He turned around and saw a gorgeous woman whose eyes were alight with excitement.
Made didn't know her, but he recognized the Soul Rings beneath her feet.
Yellow, purple, purple, black!
A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor—a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor who looked no older than twenty, yet possessed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
As a "watcher" Spirit Hall had planted in every corner of the world, he had never heard of anyone like her. He couldn't understand what kind of mind-bending drug Tang Donald—or the Holy God he spoke of—had used to make someone like her willingly work at their side. Come to think of it, this woman must also have been the one who'd silenced him.
Tang Donald slowly walked up in front of Made. The sound of his canvas shoes touching the ground rang out with unusual clarity.
Tap, tap—
"You all thought the Saintess was this one, didn't you? Dark Blue Silver Grass—a truly elegant Martial Soul."
Tang Donald pointed at the woman in the corner. Made's eyes widened.
Wasn't she?
The next words extinguished the light in Made's eyes completely:
"This is the second thing I wanted to say. Actually—I was the Saint..."
"That's enough, Tang Donald."
A cold female voice rang out from behind Made. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
He'd been subjected to multiple silencing Soul Skills. He couldn't fight back, nor could he pass on the information in his hands.
"The Holy God's script doesn't include your little perversion of turning yourself into the Saintess. I've fulfilled my promise to find the traitor. Look after yourself, and don't disappoint the Holy God."
The woman tossed Made aside and spoke, then passed Tang Donald and headed behind the statue.
Her footsteps gradually faded away. At last, Tang Donald snapped out of his daze, breaking into a cold sweat.
The longsword and black plant in his hand gradually dissipated, revealing the true form of Tang Donald's Martial Soul—powder.
But he quickly regained his composure and carried the girl to the cross in the center.
"Believers, stop your cultivation and join me in welcoming the Saintess!"
"This is a blessing from the Holy God!"
"Welcome, Saintess!"
Standing behind the woman, Tang Donald raised both hands, while the people who'd been sitting in cultivation gathered into a circle to celebrate this great moment!
Flames rose around the woman. They were purple flames.
The flames climbed higher and higher, reaching straight for the ceiling!
"Welcome, Saintess!"
"Welcome, Saintess!"
The believers shouted, their excitement mounting. In the center of the flames, the girl's Martial Soul gradually fell out of control, black grass spreading over her entire body.
"Ugh... ah..."
The girl whimpered, her expression growing more and more strained. It seemed she would wake up soon.
No one noticed the cargo crate quietly drawing closer.
I want to go back. Sword Grandpa, come save me!
Ning Rongrong watched the ritual before her, her pupils contracting. Her worldview was under assault. Raised in a sheltered environment, she'd never known anything like this existed. This sight was even shattering her belief that "I'm the young miss, so whatever I say goes."
Ning Rongrong's desire to run away reached its peak.
"Whoa. So this is the backstory of this instance?"
Lu Ma swept his view across the group.
Twelve Soul Masters, one Soul Elder.
Backstory? What was that supposed to mean... Ning Rongrong watched the "big sister" grow more and more animated, and began to feel afraid.
Her instincts told her that if she was discovered, she was done for.
Although she was also a Soul Grandmaster, as an auxiliary-type Soul Master, she knew full well that her fighting ability might not even match that of a Soul Scholar.
Bang!
The cargo crate was flung open. The obvious commotion drew everyone's attention.
When they saw that the newcomer was a "little noble princess," their faces filled with contempt and greed.
Ning Rongrong could only pray that someone would hurry up and rescue her.
"You're... a brat from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Tang Donald's expression was the most animated of all. He clearly remembered that the last time someone offered the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family to the Holy God, they'd been promoted three ranks on the spot. Under the temptation of promotion, how the other girl had found her way here no longer mattered.
"Get her! Take her alive and offer her to the Holy God!" The powder turned back into a sword. Tang Donald pointed it at Ning Rongrong and ordered the believers.
Only one thought remained in Ning Rongrong's mind: She was done for.
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