Chapter 227: The Turning Point of Destiny

After being flatly denied and coldly ignored, Miss Vilyric, with a face full of question marks, could only return to the table, clutching the thick folder she had just received from Mu Ze today. She exchanged a glance with Miss Hen, who seemed to be quietly stifling a smile at the corner of her mouth. With a helpless shrug, she resumed flipping through the pages.

Her “peak showdown” with Miss Xiao Kong had naturally ended in the Priestess’s victory.

Even if both sides were just playing around and wouldn’t employ their real killer moves, Miss Xiao Kong was still not in her best state, and the various restrictions placed upon her far outweighed those on Vilyric. In a head-to-head clash, her strength was certainly no match for the Priestess.

This astonishing battle brought great shock not only to Xingyuan City but to a much wider area. Vilyric and Xiao Kong deliberately made the fight flashy and spectacular, and in the end, that grand spectacle even erupted from the open platform of the venue, directly ascending into the city’s skies and stirring up storms and waves of clouds. It was said that it could be seen clearly within a hundred miles.

The news that “immortals appeared in the Four Saints Selection Tournament” circulated rapidly under the deliberate promotion of the authorities, soon becoming a hot topic that completely overshadowed previous negative information. Vilyric and Xiao Kong, or rather, “Miss Baihong” and “Silver Cat,” were being recognized by an increasing number of people across the Ancient Spirit Realm.

Most ordinary people didn’t grasp the concept of “Hidden Immortals.” To them, a being powerful enough to transcend the mundane, extraordinary beyond imagination, was an immortal. The epic clash between Xiao Kong and Vilyric far surpassed any previous battles, perfectly meeting those criteria.

Insiders know the details; outsiders see the spectacle. Judging by the momentum and influence generated by this final match of Qiguo, it was already deemed a tremendous success.

Thus, the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch, Shangguan Qiuming, would naturally not be stingy with the promised rewards.

The top three from the final of Qiguo could randomly select their desired treasures from the Sacred Sect Alliance’s treasury, with the champion allowed to pick three items, the runner-up two, and the third-place contestant just one chance.

As soon as the daytime competition concluded, when Vilyric and Xiao Kong returned to the resting area amidst an unprecedented deafening cheer, Mu Ze had already personally delivered the detailed folder documenting the treasury’s catalog to them.

“Speaking of which… the Sacred Sect Alliance is quite wealthy, huh?”

This thick folder recorded at least hundreds of various unique treasures, each with several pages dedicated to their origins, functions, and various advantages and disadvantages.

Although the item levels in the Ancient Spirit Realm differ from those in the “Phantom World” or the original places and cannot be directly substituted, judging by the described effects, the treasures in the treasury could at least be considered above purple-grade equipment and of a high standard.

Vilyric turned her gaze toward a certain Princess Ling, who had been studying the folder for a long time.

“Hen, is there anything you want?”

Though these treasures looked quite nice, they were relatively limited in usefulness for Vilyric. She could manage to find something interesting to play with, but to be honest, there was nothing she absolutely needed. If Xiao Kong and Hen had needs, they could choose first.

What Vilyric truly cared about was the special gift the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch mentioned he had prepared for her. Since he thought the Priestess was related to the Spiritual Fox Priestess, the “gift that will surely satisfy you” could very well relate to Ming Xi.

That intuition… was incredibly strong.

It was said that this gift would also be presented with the award for the champion the next day, making everything else seem trivial in comparison.

Closing the thick folder that she had flipped to the end, the silver-haired girl shook her head.

“The Sacred Sect Alliance has indeed put in a lot this time; it seems they want to curry favor with you all as much as possible… I don’t need anything; the more useful parts of these treasures have been marked. You can choose for yourselves. I still have to participate in the literary competition finals tomorrow, so I will head back first.”

After saying that, without waiting for Vilyric to respond, Princess Ling suddenly stood up and pushed the door open, walking into her own room next door.

“Huh?”

Vilyric exchanged confused glances with Miss Cat Daughter, who was lying on the bed, her head full of question marks again.

“What’s up with her? What’s got her all sulky?”

“How should I know?”

The Priestess replied, her silver-blue eyes spinning.

“Hey, hey, could it be… that time of the month? I’ve heard that there are a few days each month; even though she’s a Spiritual Princess and has a slightly mysterious background, she’s still a girl, so it seems completely possible, right ~”

Although it sounded a bit strange, Vilyric, with her divine race body, didn’t undergo those physiological activities, so she had never experienced what that feeling was like. But when Liliya used to come during that time, her mood was always rather poor…

“No way…”

“Bang!”

Just as Miss Cat Daughter blinked and was about to say something, a sudden loud bang came from the adjoining room, like a heavy object striking the wall. The two shameless girls discussing peculiar circumstances jumped in fright, awkwardly exchanging glances before they dared not make any more wild guesses.

However, out of respect for privacy, Vilyric, who hadn’t inquired further about the situation next door, was unaware that the silver-haired girl giving a warning was not angry; she merely wore a bittersweet smile tinged with loneliness and helplessness, glancing down at her slightly ethereal hand, which was already beginning to fade as she pounded against the wall…

With a soft sigh, she fell silent.

…

On July 1st, Year 1000 of the Four Saints Calendar, over 300 of the most outstanding elites selected from a pool of millions of participants, under the protection of 50,000 elite Wuling troops and Eastern Yuan Guards, departed from Xingyuan City, heading towards a location in the Western Spirit Nation where the Four Nations Finals would be held.

The Eastern Yuan Kingdom, Western Spirit Nation, Southern Holy Kingdom, and Northern Cosmic Kingdom were sending their most elite representatives from these four major realms dominating the Ancient Spirit Realm to gather at the finale location designated by Lingyin Fairy Island, where they would engage in the final contest, vying for a total of 100 spots to ascend to the Fairy Island.

At least publicly, that was the narrative.

However, some keen observers had already noticed that this time the “escort” sent by the four nations to protect the contestants was even more numerous and elite than in any previous event.

“We’re taking such a big detour, and now we’re heading back to where we started.”

Gently stroking an ancient wooden zither that had never appeared before, the black-haired girl seated in a luxurious carriage couldn’t help but express her feelings.

“Not exactly the starting point; Jinggu, you’ve never been there before, right? Though it is indeed quite close to Cangyun Mountain…”

Listening to Miss Cat Daughter’s complaints beside her, Vilyric merely smiled noncommittally.

“I wonder if I can see Ling Feng and the others over there; we initially agreed to meet in the capital of the Spirit Nation, and now here we are heading to the finals of the four nations.”

If she missed this opportunity, it might be a long time before they would meet again.

Even… it was uncertain if there would be another chance to see each other.

As someone with a special identity, Vilyric naturally understood far more information than the ordinary contestants. This special “Finals of the Four Nations” was not as wonderful as it seemed.

Why would the four ancient nations reinforce their military presence heading to Jinggu? Is it merely to showcase their strength to the world?

The answer, of course, is negative.

This is a war, one that is imminent, one that will inevitably arrive, a life-and-death battle concerning the survival of the Ancient Spirit Realm. Those who survive this battlefield and claim victory will become heroes, while many more will perish.

On July 26th, Year 1000 of the Four Saints Calendar, this is the date Lingyin Fairy Island has announced it will descend into the world.

At that time, everything will come to a final conclusion.

   

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