The Saintess Ceremony

Inside the white fog space.

The scene inside the cave was not obscured by the mist and remained clearly visible.

This mist merely served to isolate him from the outside of the cave.

The cave itself no longer resembled a natural cavern; the stalactites that should have been there had vanished, and the pits and bumps on the floor, walls, and ceiling had been smoothed over and leveled out.

If Ning Rongrong hadn't known she was walking into a cave, she would have assumed she had entered some kind of research laboratory.

After all, along the smooth walls were stacked bottles and jars filled with liquids of various colors. The purple liquid, in particular, gave her an unsettling feeling.

At the very back was a meditation cushion, and sitting upon it was a person. The person's face was completely hidden by a mask, and their entire body radiated a potent, evil aura that left Ning Rongrong trembling with fear.

Looking closer, the cushion and the person were not real; they were stone carvings. In front of the stone carving sat a balance scale, with a purple stone on the left side and nothing on the right.

"Today is a momentous day."

"According to the guidance of the Holy God, today we shall welcome the first Holy Maiden of the Holy Spirit Sect! The Holy God will guide us, and the gates of the God Realm shall be thrown open to us!"

Donald, the Ninth Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect, stood before the scale, with a comatose young girl to his left.

The girl was about sixteen years old, dressed in rags, her skin beneath the tattered fabric delicate enough to break at a touch.

Black energy was erupting from her right hand, and upon closer inspection, a small black blade of grass could be seen.

"However, before we welcome the Holy Maiden, there is one more matter we must attend to."

Donald's voice was low as he turned and pressed his Martial Soul—a long, pitch-black sword—against the neck of a subordinate.

"Made, why did you leak our intelligence to the Martial Soul Hall!"

The man named Made had been struck with a mental-type Soul Skill that forbade speech; unable to make a sound, he could only look at Donald with a pitiful, feigned innocence.

"But it does not matter. The intelligence you thought you possessed was already anticipated by the Holy God. From the very beginning—I never gave you the correct information."

Donald gently let the blade of his sword graze Made's neck before revealing his other hand, which also held a small black blade of grass. His next words filled Made with fury:

"Firstly, the Holy Maiden was actually chosen by the Holy God long ago. Those 'large strongholds' you gave to the Martial Soul Hall were merely decoctions; the true Holy Maiden is right here, at this very moment!"

Made stopped pretending. His Scissors Martial Soul instantly cut the ropes on his hands, and he parried the black sword before rolling to the side.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his back.

A hand rested on his head.

Turning to look, he saw a bewitching woman with eyes full of excitement.

Made did not recognize her, but he recognized the Soul Rings at her feet.

Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black!

A four-ringed Soul Ancestor—a four-ringed Soul Ancestor who looked no older than twenty yet possessed a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring!

As an "observer" planted by the Martial Soul Hall in every corner of the world, he had never heard of such a person, nor could he understand what kind of mind-altering drug Donald or his so-called Holy God had used to make such a person willing to work by their side. Thinking back, it must have been this person who had cast the silencing curse on him.

Donald walked slowly toward Made, the sound of his flat-soled shoes hitting the ground exceptionally clear.

Tap, tap—

"You all thought the Holy Maiden was her, didn't you? Dark Blue Silver Grass, what an elegant Martial Soul."

Donald pointed to the girl in the corner, and Made's eyes widened.

Was it not her?

The next sentence completely extinguished the light in Made's eyes:

"This brings me to my second point. Actually—I am the one who is the Holy..."

"That is enough, Donald."

A cold female voice rang out from behind Made, and his body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Afflicted with multiple curse-based Soul Skills, he had been unable to resist or transmit the information in his hands.

"The Holy God's script does not include the perverse hobby of you becoming the Holy Maiden. I have fulfilled my promise to find the traitor; look after yourself and do not disappoint the Holy God."

The woman tossed Made aside and spoke, then brushed past Donald and walked toward the back of the stone statue.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded, and the stunned Donald finally regained his senses, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The long sword and black grass in his hands gradually dissipated, revealing the true form of Donald's Martial Soul—powder.

However, he quickly regained his composure and lifted the girl onto the cross in the center of the room.

"Believers, cease your cultivation and let us welcome the arrival of the Holy Maiden!"

"This is the Holy God's grace bestowed upon us."

"Welcome the Holy Maiden!"

Donald stood behind the girl, raising his hands high, while those who had been sitting in cultivation formed a circle to celebrate this great moment!

Flames rose around the girl—purple flames.

The flames rose higher and higher, reaching toward the ceiling!

"Welcome the Holy Maiden!"

"Welcome, Holy Maiden!"

The believers shouted, their emotions running high. Meanwhile, the young girl at the center of the flames saw her martial soul spiraling out of control, black grass spreading across her entire body.

"Ugh—ah—"

The girl whimpered, her expression beginning to struggle as if she were about to awaken at any moment.

No one noticed the cargo crate quietly drawing closer.

I want to go home, Sword Grandpa, come save me!

Ning Rongrong watched the ritual before her, her pupils constricting. Her worldview was being shattered; raised in a greenhouse, she had never known such things existed. This reality was even destroying that heart of hers that once thought, "I am the young mistress, whatever I say goes."

Ning Rongrong's desire to escape reached its peak.

"Hiss. Is this the backstory for this dungeon?"

Lu Ma controlled his perspective to scan the group.

12 Soul Grand Masters, 1 Soul Elder.

Backstory? What was that... Ning Rongrong looked at the "older sister" whose expression was becoming increasingly intense, and she grew afraid.

Her intuition told her that if she were discovered, she would be dead for sure.

Although she was also a Soul Grand Master, as an auxiliary-type soul master, she knew clearly that her combat ability was likely inferior to that of a mere Soul Scholar.

Bang!

The cargo crate was overturned, and this obvious disturbance drew everyone's attention.

Upon seeing that the intruder was a "little noble princess," the faces of the men radiated contempt and greed.

Ning Rongrong could only pray that someone would rescue her quickly.

"You are... a brat from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" The one whose expression was the most vivid was Donald. He remembered clearly that the last time someone offered a member of the Heaven Dou Empire royal family to the Holy God, their rank had been promoted by three levels immediately. How the other party had found them no longer mattered in the face of such a promotion.

"Go, capture her alive and offer her to the Holy God!" The powder transformed back into a sword, and Donald pointed at Ning Rongrong, ordering the crowd of believers.

Only one thought remained in Ning Rongrong's mind: she was finished.