Chapter 1075
Chapter 183: The Prelude to the Grand Event
“Source Land?”
Hearing Ming Lan mention such a term, the expressions of several other Lingyin Ethnics, including Ming Yue, subtly changed, showing surprise or contemplation, their joking demeanor fading away.
Ming Yue pondered for a moment.
“Wasn’t the Source Land sealed off not long ago? Even we find it difficult to go back and forth, could it be that this Miss Vilyric…”
Shaking his head, Ming Lan answered nonchalantly.
“She didn’t come here through the Lingyin Merchant Association’s passage, and the Cross-Dimensional Long-Distance Space Teleportation Array only has one. I just used it to return and report to Miss, so there’s no way it’s activated again in such a short time. She must have come here by her own means, just like that person from over three hundred years ago.”
“And not to mention, this Vilyric, I heard about her grand name while I was working in the Source Land. Though she has only appeared for a little over two years, she has continuously made achievements that astonished the world, displaying considerable strength to the extent that even the Lingyin Merchant Association’s intelligence network could not uncover all her secrets, making her quite mysterious.”
“But probably about a year ago, she mysteriously disappeared after leaving the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons with friends and entering the Holy Empire, just as inexplicably as her sudden appearance.”
“Many have been searching for her in secret but found nothing. It’s only now that I learned she quietly arrived in the Ancient Spirit Realm… I wonder what her true purpose is.”
Ming Yue and the others exchanged glances, unable to suppress their astonishment.
“Then are you really going to let her approach the Abyss? If she has ulterior motives and releases those sealed destructive forces, we can’t report back to the higher-ups!”
Mr. Ming Lan looked at the companions who were nodding their heads in agreement and twitched his lips a bit, directly entering a ruthless mockery mode.
“I mean… who was it that kept shouting No! No! This one is definitely a monster! Do you feel that terrifying aura? It’s absurd! We’re just delivering meals, right? Looks like we can only wait and see! And then, when things were resolved smoothly, grabbed someone and ran off? Now you come to blame me?”
“Uh…”
Seeing the Lingyin Ethnic girl called Ming Yue immediately turn her head awkwardly, Ming Lan sighed, seemingly not intending to blame her, instead switching topics.
“Alright, the decision was made after everyone discussed it together, so no one can escape responsibility. The reason I agreed to wait and see was actually due to various considerations.”
“This Miss Vilyric may be a mystery regarding her origins and her strength is unfathomable, but every time she acts, it tends to maintain order and save lives, preventing disasters. While she might seem cynical, based on the intelligence gathered by the Lingyin Merchant Association, her nature doesn’t seem bad; she slightly resembles Miss in character.”
“Moreover, the two companions with her have rather impressive backgrounds. That girl who seems to be a cat demon—I can’t see through her, but I can feel the terrifying power within her like an abyss. And the silver-haired girl should be the new Spirit Maiden born in the Ancient Spirit Realm not long ago; I was just pretending not to recognize her.”
One of the Lingyin Ethnic members showed surprise.
“She’s actually this generation’s Spirit Maiden? But how could a Spirit Maiden casually mingle with outsiders? And this generation should… wait, could that Vilyric be…”
Ming Lan shook his head, interrupting him.
“Hard to say, hard to say… The intricacies of this matter are too deep, only the Seven Hidden Stars are truly involved in the core part. For us, who only know one side and not the other, it’s meaningless to speculate recklessly.”
Once again lightly sighing, the fox-eared young man raised his head, looking towards the gradually clearing sky, seemingly having made a decision.
“Let’s return to the Immortal Island and talk about this. I need to report this matter to those in charge. The situation here still has room for maneuverability, but if the matter about to begin goes awry… it could truly spell disaster for the entire Ancient Spirit Realm.”
…
Half a month later, outside Xingyuan City, the capital of Dongyuanzhi Kingdom.
The carriages came to a stop, and a group of over ten people jumped down from the cargo-laden covered wagon. Among them, a black-haired girl in a white robe, weary from the long journey, immediately stretched and couldn’t help but mutter.
“Finally arrived, wasn’t this journey a bit too long…”
The middle-aged man in white beside her chuckled.
“Not far, Miss Vilyric, it’s just over a thousand miles. Among the four kingdoms, this is considered one of the closest.”
“What a magnificent city… Humans have developed quite well recently.”
Actually, the cat daughter miss, whose real age likely surpasses the thousand-year history of the four kingdoms, and who had probably taken refuge on Peach Blossom Peak long before they were established, stood still, taking her pet white cat out from the cart, looking up at the towering city walls that loomed like a giant beast sprawling across the plains, her expression slightly satisfied.
“Though it doesn’t compare to the peak periods of the few cities back then, it’s still quite grand, fitting for a nation’s capital.”
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Miss Xiao Kong… everyone, since we’ve arrived at Kaiyuan City, let’s part ways here for now.”
Mu Ze, the leader of the Jing Shen Sect, stepped forward along with his group of disciples, raising a hand to bid farewell to the other four—a group of three females and one male.
Vilyric turned and looked at these sect members who had accompanied them since leaving the Endless Ruins Sea, seeming a bit surprised.
“Aren’t you going into the city together?”
Mu Ze chuckled and shook his head.
“The Jing Shen Sect’s base is not within Xingyuan City. The trial is over now; with the Four Saints Selection Tournament coming up, we need to hurry back to report our safety and prepare for the competition. We’ll meet you again inside the city later.”
“Don’t worry, we will definitely meet again.”
“Alright then.”
Seeing their intent, the Priestess didn’t mind much.
Although they had interacted quite a bit already, during their time at the Open Heaven Gate ruins, she heard that the Jing Shen Sect had helped Miss Hen, who stayed in the outside world, to thwart those so-called powerful beings trying to break in and take a share; but in Vilyric’s view, they were just repaying the favor for the assistance they once received.
Gratitude repaid, there’s no feast that doesn’t disperse; leaving or staying is simply optional.
The disciples of the Jing Shen Sect came forward one by one to bid farewell, especially the girl known to have been reborn from Xuan Shu a thousand years ago, who discretely exchanged a few glances with the Priestess, but it seemed she didn’t want to reveal her identity, so Vilyric wouldn’t say anything more at such a time.
Connections coming together and parting ways quickly, the members of Jing Shen Sect headed towards the outskirts of Xingyuan City, gradually disappearing from sight.
Watching their companions depart once more, leaving just the four of them, Murong Yun couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.
“The Ancient Spirit Realm is vast with abundant resources, and strong practitioners abound. From their expressions, the Jing Shen Sect is likely to participate in the Four Saints Selection Tournament as well. The scale of this grand event and the intensity of competition will likely far exceed any previous session, not to be underestimated.”
The Priestess shot him an amused glance.
“Anyway, it’s not like there’s only one final spot. If this freak over here can’t make it through, they’ll stand no chance.”
“Alright, let’s talk about these trivial matters later. We should enter the city; more and more people are gathering here. If we delay, we might not even find an inn ~”