Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 411 397: The Mutual Reckoning of the 2 Great Sacred Lands' Saintesses

In the dim and vast Saintess Hall, the only sound was the crackle of ghostly flames, their flickering light casting eerie shadows on the stone walls.

In the center of the hall, countless members of the Red Lotus Guard had been waiting for a long time. They were all kneeling on one knee, heads bowed, like a wolf pack awaiting the alpha's command.

Fan Ya watched a tall figure in practical attire walk in. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the woman's slightly weak and trembling legs, and she said softly,

"Miss Jiu, have you found yourself a lover in the Dao Sect recently?"

"Piss off... I just sustained some internal injuries from my cultivation."

Jiu snorted impatiently and walked straight past Fan Ya.

Fan Ya wasn't angered by the curse. She calmly followed behind Jiu and said, "Since you're not feeling well, Miss Jiu, I'll take charge of the upcoming work."

"We need to escort the Holy Daughter to the Ghost Lotus Valley now to prepare for her Tribulation Crossing in three days. A matter of this importance cannot be delayed."

Jiu's eyes, hidden beneath her mask, glanced at Fan Ya. "Then do as you wish."

As she spoke, Jiu handed a token to Fan Ya. It was imprinted with the intertwined symbols of a honglian and the Yin Yang Sacred Land.

Fan Ya took the token, walked slowly to the Gilded Phoenix Throne at the highest point of the Saintess Hall, and pressed the token against it.

RUMBLE...

The ten-meter platform around the Gilded Phoenix Throne began to descend, and Fan Ya's figure sank underground along with it.

Jiu knew she was going to retrieve the Holy Daughter from her secluded cultivation.

At this thought, she let out another soft sigh.

'I actually... gave in to that man after all.'

'I swore I would be loyal to the Holy Daughter forever, that I would never betray her again.'

'But I never thought... I would act so immorally again.'

'But Pei Yuhang swore an oath on his Divine Soul to me, promising he wouldn't take advantage of Shang Miaoyan's Tribulation Crossing to harm her.'

'Given his character, he probably wouldn't lie to me.'

'Perhaps Pei Yuhang just wants an honorable fight with the Holy Daughter after her breakthrough. If that's the case, then it probably doesn't count as betraying her.'

...

...

「Three days later.」

In front of the gates of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, a mountain breeze swept up fallen leaves, making them swirl at the pair's feet.

Lin Qianyan stopped, the wind brushing her dark hair past her ears. She gazed at the towering sect gate in the distance, a trace of resignation flashing in her amber eyes as the corners of her lips drooped slightly:

"Brother Pei, you don't have to come... This is a feud between Shang Miaoyan and me. Having you nearby will affect my focus."

"No, I have to go with you."

Pei Yuhang said in a tone that left no room for argument.

He even took her hand and said stubbornly, "If you don't let me go with you, then you're not leaving the Sect either."

"..."

Lin Qianyan gave a resigned smile, her eyes filling with doting affection as she looked at Pei Yuhang.

"Alright."

"Then let's go see Shang Miaoyan holding hands... and let her see our bond clearly."

The two boarded a Spiritual Ship and rode the wind for a thousand li, watching the vast, clear sky gradually give way to roiling black clouds.

Feeling the dense aura of the Celestial Tribulation, Pei Yuhang knew they were about to reach the Ghost Lotus Valley.

"Let's stop here. If we go any further, we might run into the Red Lotus Guard."

Pei Yuhang said softly.

Lin Qianyan nodded and had the Spiritual Ship stop in place.

She looked toward the horizon at the rolling, brilliant golden celestial thunder and the enormous, lotus-shaped cloud formation surrounded by a sea of lightning, saying,

"Legend has it that the Ghost Lotus Valley is the place where a lotus-related Innate Divine Spirit fell during the Divine Desolate Era."

"Shang Miaoyan chose this as the site for her tribulation, perhaps because she found some ancient fortuitous encounter here. She wants to take advantage of the celestial thunder's tempering to refine some divine object all at once..."

"I can feel that the aura of her tribulation is incredibly powerful, much stronger than that of an ordinary Void Refining cultivator."

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang looked at Lin Qianyan and asked, "How does it compare to when I had mine?"

Lin Qianyan poked her cheek with a fingertip, tilting her head as she pretended to think.

Finally, a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes, and she smiled. "Shang Miaoyan's is still a notch stronger. So, Brother Pei, you must hide well behind me and let Qianqian stand up for you."

...

...

Above the Nine Heavens, the Cloud Sea churned.

Shang Miaoyan stood suspended in the air, her bright red Immortal Skirt fluttering wildly, like a karmic fire honglian blooming in the firmament.

She lightly lifted a slender fingertip. Streaks of golden lightning roared down, only to shatter abruptly upon coming within three zhang of her. They dissolved into a sky full of fine golden specks, illuminating her creamy skin and making her eyes glitter like cold stars.

The celestial might was vast and the tribulation clouds pressed down, yet she merely lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes filled with indifference.

If Pei Yuhang, who was intimately familiar with Shang Miaoyan's body, had been present, he would have noticed a new, charming beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Upon closer inspection, however, it was a blooming lotus pattern that emanated an ancient aura, one powerful enough to intimidate even the Celestial Tribulation and its immense might.

'The remnant soul of the Innate Divine Spirit has finally been refined by me. Now... I lack for nothing.'

'Among all the Void Refining cultivators of the major Sacred Lands, no one is my match! Lin Qianyan, your realm advantage is gone. Let's see what you have left to fight me with!'

Shang Miaoyan raised her head, the corners of her lips curling up. A crazed smile appeared on her stunning face, beautiful and dangerous to a heart-stopping degree.

'Back when Lin Qianyan returned from the Northern Desert, she had conquered Pei Yuhang's body and soul. She was a Void Refining Great Cultivator at the height of her power, forcing me to avoid her prowess... to give up my Xiaohan.'

'For the arrogant Shang Miaoyan, this was undoubtedly a humiliation! A humiliation that had to be washed away!'

'During her seclusion, she couldn't help but think every day of that wretch Lin Qianyan toying with the man she loved most, imagining them mocking her together for being a weak woman.'

'It was infuriating, so damn infuriating!'

Shang Miaoyan had nearly developed a Heart Demon in her Dao Heart because of it.

To her, nothing was more infuriating than being surpassed by a low-class woman she had once looked down upon.

'A mere village girl. Does she really think a few fortuitous encounters can turn a sparrow into a phoenix and put her on my level? Ridiculous! I'll snatch away everything you're so proud of! Snatch it all away!!'

RUMBLE...

Golden lightning illuminated the horizon.

It was the Trial Heart Tribulation Thunder. For Shang Miaoyan, this was perhaps the most difficult part of the Thunder Tribulation.

After all, her Dao Heart was flawed; her inability to win Pei Yuhang's love was her Heart Demon.

Her pride made her unable to face her own shortcomings directly.

This was also why she had delayed her breakthrough to the Void Refining realm for so long.

But now, she no longer needed to worry about this mere Trial Heart Tribulation Thunder.

The cinnabar mole at the corner of Shang Miaoyan's eye twitched slightly, transforming into a bewitching honglian. As its petals unfurled, an ancient and majestic aura spread out, causing even the roiling celestial thunder to pause and retreat slightly as if in fear.

Before the Trial of Heart Tribulation could even descend, it dispersed on its own!

After all, the Celestial Tribulation was a curse left behind for later generations by the Innate Divine Spirits. Now that Shang Miaoyan had devoured and refined the remnant power of a Divine Spirit, her own aura was tinged with its essence, naturally granting her a degree of immunity to the tribulation's curse.

The magnum opus of the Yin Yang Sacred Land—the culmination of a thousand years of research into ancient secrets—was finally embodied in Shang Miaoyan.

If this Magic Technique for evading and weakening the Celestial Tribulation were to spread, it would surely drive the entire Cultivation Realm into a frenzy.

It might even be enough to overturn the era and multiply the number of experts in the Human Race!

However, that was all a matter for the future. Right now, the most important thing for Shang Miaoyan was to settle a long-entangled feud!

"Lin Qianyan, you lowly village girl, and... my Xiaohan~"

"You've been watching for long enough. Isn't it time you came out!"