Chapter 157: Journey to the Ruins Sea

“Two destinies?”

Miss Vilyric pondered the words from Swallow.

“What do you mean by destiny? Can you elaborate a bit more?”

“Uh… Did the young lady lose all memory regarding this matter? I see, this is what they call ‘no destruction, no creation.’”

“I’m saying, there’s no need to force yourself to say something comforting.”

With the Priestess removing her mask and rolling her eyes, the girl with the pigtails awkwardly chuckled and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem, destiny is actually the exclusive and unique power that naturally emerges after reaching the [Hidden Immortal] realm in the realm of beings.”

“Although I’ve only encountered one true Immortal Saint, I remember you once told me that only by condensing a destiny unique to oneself can beings transcend the shackles of the mortal world and transform into immortals.”

“Therefore, destiny can be regarded as the most important essence for every Immortal Saint, representing their most distinct characteristics and abilities. Do you understand this?”

“Oh…”

What she referred to should be the [Divine Spark], right?

But… do I really have two Divine Sparks now? That’s impossible.

Contemplating that, Vilyric called up the character panel visible only to her and put her mask back on to double-check.

This [panel] function had been with her since the beginning of her crossing over. Though aside from the most basic display of information and checking the time, it was mostly useless, it could indeed reflect Vilyric’s status changes and the equipment she was wearing in real-time.

And regardless of the fact that the [Divine Spark] is my only equipped item, if I really didn’t know why I possessed two, it should be clearly displayed on the character panel.

However, in reality, it still only showed the [Light] as the sole Divine Spark, even when wearing the Mask of the God Fox.

What went wrong here?

Well, whatever.

Regardless, even though Swallow’s appearance was a bit sudden and had uncovered a secret that few knew, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing for the Priestess.

With her around, perhaps I could gain a more intuitive understanding of Ming Xi’s past situation; if she truly bears her love consistently, then I could consider cooperating with her more in the future…

“Although there are still many things I’d like to discuss with you, to avoid worrying others by taking too long, let’s stop here for now… Swallow, is it alright if I call you that? Since we happened to meet, I plan to enter the Endless Ruins Sea with you all, but about my identity…”

The pigtail girl respectfully lowered her head.

“Miss, I understand, but please do not casually reveal my identity before those whom you cannot trust. Though the era of [Xuan Shu] has passed over a thousand years, there may still be some enemies lurking. So far, you are the only one I’ve told about it; even the other partners executing the plan are unaware.”

“Other partners, huh… Well, let’s talk about it another time; we should head back.”

“Indeed.”

…

A day later, Vilyric and the members of the Shock God Sect, having temporarily formed a traveling partnership, arrived at the entrance of the Endless Ruins Sea located in Xinchuan County.

Of course, the so-called entrance is merely a metaphor; the reality is far from simple.

“I mean… can we really enter the Endless Ruins Sea from here?”

Shangguan Hong, the chief disciple of the Shock God Sect with heterochromatic eyes, responded to the black-haired girl’s curiosity and doubts.

“Let’s say it’s a possibility. The Endless Ruins Sea does not belong to our world but exists in a realm completely detached from the Ancient Spirit Realm.”

“The points of intersection there are not only sporadic but also fluctuate randomly throughout the Xinchuan County region. We were only able to come early because the elders of the Shock God Sect calculated the location of this intersection in advance.”

“Eh…”

In this moment, the two groups, totaling over ten people, stood at the foot of a hill with an altitude not exceeding five hundred meters.

As the most common terrain in the Xinchuan County, these hilly slopes were almost everywhere; if not for Shangguan Hong and the others pointing out the location, one would hardly guess that the legendary entrance to the Endless Ruins Sea would appear in such an unremarkable place.

Moreover, the crowd waiting nearby extended far beyond just Vilyric and the Shock God Sect.

Casting her gaze from those who deliberately stood apart, scattered among more than ten to just a few or even some solitary individuals, the Priestess silently made her assessment.

There must be nearly a hundred people, and surely, there’s more than one entry point in this hill.

What in the world is drawing so many people to flock here?

As Vilyric voiced her curiosity, the representatives of the Shock God Sect, led by Shangguan Hong, exchanged strange looks.

“Miss Vilyric, you’re also here for the Endless Ruins Sea; didn’t you at least get to know the legends about it?”

“Legends?”

Quietly glancing at the silver-haired girl beside her, who seemed to have no intention of explaining, the Priestess could only speak vaguely.

“Our objectives are slightly different…”

“Indeed, Miss Vilyric, the Endless Ruins Sea is said to have been personally developed by the [Spiritual Fox Priestess], a realm that exists beyond the underworld and the mortal world.”

“That place is one of the few places confirmed to exist and is closely connected to the Spirit Hidden Saint Immortal, where secrets or legacies left by the Spiritual Fox Priestess might be buried. Just this alone is enough to attract all the strong practitioners from the world.”

Having answered before she could, Shangguan Hong looked a bit surprised at the pigtail girl beside him, probably not expecting her, usually quiet, to break her usual silence and actively explain at such length.

But considering Swallow and the others had just been rescued by this seemingly innocent yet exceptionally skilled mysterious powerhouse, he quickly understood and nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, although it hasn’t been explicitly confirmed that the Endless Ruins Sea was created by the Spiritual Fox Priestess, there have been several strong practitioners who successfully returned, claiming that the area is filled with many secrets intertwined with the Spirit Hidden Immortal, with some even acquiring unimaginable treasures and secret techniques from it.”

“Thus… although the survival rate in the Endless Ruins Sea is less than thirty percent, many who are in the know are willing to take the risk to seek opportunities in that borderland. After all, if one could really obtain the wealth left by the Spiritual Fox Priestess, even just a fragment of her scale or claw would be enough to elevate anyone to the peak of the Ancient Spirit Realm.”

Another Shock God Sect disciple then chimed in, his tone laced with undisguised yearning and anticipation.

“Yeah, she’s the true guardian of the Ancient Spirit Realm, beyond the four sacred beasts depicted in legends, leading souls to the other world—the Spiritual Fox Priestess! That lady hasn’t left behind any legacy to this day, and undoubtedly, she has hidden it in a more mysterious and unreachable place… like this Endless Ruins Sea.”

“Who wouldn’t yearn for a power that transcends life and death, transcending the boundaries of yin and yang?”

   

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