Chapter 57 The Childhood Betrothal of a Miao Girl (Twenty-Seven)

Beside the boundary stone of Daobei Ridge, Wu Xing, basking in the praise from all sides, laughed and said, "This time, the Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu has been successfully extracted..."

Beside the boundary stone of Daobei Ridge, Wu Xing, enjoying the praise from all sides, laughed and said, "This time, the Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu won first place because I was lucky. Everyone, keep up the good work, and the next treasure might just be yours."

Li Shi also appeared on the spot and praised, "As expected of the sect leader, who else could possess such a treasure trove?"

"Hmph, Li Shi, I know you're also eyeing this treasure. Fine, if I have any Gu worms that I don't need, I can give them to you."

"The Sect Master is truly magnanimous!"

The crowd chatted joyfully, but Ning Xue looked thoughtfully at the boundary stone. Ever since Xin Fang was ambushed, she had disliked these people. In terms of strength, Wen Qing, herself, and Xin Fang working together might not be a match for them, but now the other two were nowhere to be found, and she was just an observer.

As the 24-hour countdown began, the disciples of Wuxing all shouted.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

With time running out, the final rankings were displayed on the boundary stone.

Wu Xing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still in first place. In order to maintain his first place, he had given a lot of good things to the Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu. Fortunately, he was still in first place.

"The treasure belongs to me!"

Everyone congratulated him, but the noise continued for a long time without anything happening. Eventually, they felt something was off, so everyone seemed to have been put on pause.

"What about the relics?"

"Sect Master, why hasn't anything changed?"

Ning Xue covered her mouth, wanting to laugh, but held it back.

Under the pine tree, the figures of two young girls appeared.

"They're there!" the crowd shouted.

Wu Xing's Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu immediately set the pine tree ablaze with flames. Shui Mingsheng, however, lightly touched the Crimson Flame with Jiang Yiqing and flew into the air. Their hair was bathed in the firelight. A red lotus was faintly visible between Shui Mingsheng's brows, and her figure already resembled that of an immortal. Jiang Yiqing was held in her arms, her eyes as clear as water, looking weak and frail.

This entrance was truly explosive, leaving everyone stunned for dozens of seconds.

Shui Mingsheng's voice came down from above, his body radiating immense immortal power, and there was a clear gap in strength between him and the people on the ground.

"The Crimson Lotus Nirvana Gu is the second treasure left behind by the Holy Maiden," Shui Mingsheng said. "I have come here specifically to announce this to you."

"Only power is everything. I want to have power to protect those around me from harm." Shui Mingsheng thought to herself, and the stronger this thought became, the smaller she felt herself became, as if she was making way for something more powerful within her.

When did this begin? Yes, it began when he displayed his divine healing power and rescued Elder Xinfang.

Jiang Yiqing took the opportunity to put the boundary stone into her spatial storage. When she saw that the boundary stone was under her control, Wu Xing and the others were shocked.

"When...did you take control of this boundary stone?"

"Shameless thieves, you are all too cunning!" Wu Xing's henchmen continued to shout, failing to recognize the difference in strength and believing that Wu Xing would intervene on their behalf: "You stole such a treasure, hand it over now, or we'll spare your lives!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Li Shi immediately tried to escape. Shui Mingsheng waved his left hand, and a spirit snake shot out, transforming into a huge black shadow that pinned him to the ground.

Wu Xing's rage ignited the Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu, turning the ground into a sea of ​​fire. The flames surged toward Shui Mingsheng: "Shui Mingsheng, you are merely one of the seventy-two village chiefs, under my jurisdiction, and subject to my orders! If you know what's good for you, hand over the relics!"

Shui Mingsheng scoffed, “To be under your jurisdiction and obey your orders? Wu Xing, you still haven’t grasped the situation. Things are different now. Do you think I, Shui Mingsheng, am afraid of you? Besides, you dared to touch Elder Xinfang. Today, I will seek justice for her from you.”

Shui Mingsheng's naturally radiating power caused Wu Xing to waver. His expression was frantic: "Impossible! I've refined so many rare and precious materials, how did you manage to become number one?"

"Then I must thank you for your True Word Gu and Soul Searching Gu." Of course, that's not all. In order to get first place, Jiang Yiqing used everything she could in her space. The White Emperor Dream Gu barely defeated the Crimson Flame Jade Emperor Gu.

However, now that she has obtained the Crimson Lotus Nirvana Gu, Wu Xing is no longer her match.

As Shui Mingsheng took a step in the air, a red lotus flower bloomed beneath her feet, its heart radiating golden light. Around her, a pair of phoenix wings materialized, and with each flap of the wings, countless dark red beams of light descended.

The beams of light slammed down on the crowd; some immediately resisted, while others remained still.

"Thunder and rain are both blessings; this is the true essence of the Red Lotus Nirvana Gu," Shui Mingsheng said coldly.

Wu Xing, Li Shi, and the others were trapped by the beams of light. The more they resisted, the deeper the red lotus, aided by the power of the White Emperor, became. In contrast, Ning Xue and the others were completely unharmed.

Having witnessed Shui Mingsheng's strength, the crowd immediately split into two factions. Some resisted stubbornly, while others said to Shui Mingsheng on the spot, "Lord Shui, we are willing to obey your decree and will obey your orders from now on."

Such a great opportunity allowed Shui Mingsheng to obtain immortal Gu such as the White Emperor Dream Gu and the Red Lotus Nirvana Gu, which made everyone bow down in worship.

This is the saintess's legacy; it is indeed powerful.

Shui Mingsheng was very disdainful and said, "Once I obtain all of the Holy Maiden's relics, I will distribute the rewards according to my merits. Don't think that just because I, Shui Mingsheng, am not senior enough, you can fool me. Miao Jiang Wanqiu will sooner or later be under my control. From today onwards, you should think carefully about what you should do to help me achieve my great cause."

These words, spoken with youthful vigor and extraordinary grace, were utterly captivating, causing Jiang Yiqing to tremble slightly in her arms. However, she had a feeling that something about Shui Mingsheng had subtly changed after she used the Saintess's power.

"Lord Shui is mighty! We will obey your orders!" the crowd shouted in unison.

Wu Xing fought Shui Mingsheng for several rounds in front of everyone. Shui Mingsheng, holding Jiang Yiqing, was also in control. After the red lotus beam cut into the skin of several villains who were still fighting, a strange power originating from the Soul Searching Gu was activated.

This included the Gu Master who used the Soul-Searching Gu against Xin Fang. Under the immense power of the Red Lotus Nirvana Gu, he was immediately deprived of his mind by the Soul-Searching Gu, went mad on the spot, and died bleeding from all seven orifices.

Seeing the man's death, Wu Xing and Li Shi were also frightened. Even though they gathered their divine souls to fight back, some information was still leaked out.

"Sect Master, I have something to report to you."

Shui Mingsheng glared at Li Shi: "It really was you, you beast!"

Shui Mingsheng used all his power to mobilize the Soul-Searching Gu, forcing out more information from Li Shi's sea of ​​consciousness.

Shui Mingsheng saw a scene of mysterious conversation with a man in black robes appear in his mind.

"Ignorant child, Shui Mingsheng will be the next Miao holy maiden. Why don't you take advantage of her not yet becoming powerful and send her to her death before dawn?"

"Lord in black robes, is what you say true? And how do you know?"

"This is a secret of heaven, and cannot be revealed. Just do it. Have I made any mistakes? Who do you think made you the chieftain of Jade Mountain Village?"

"...Thank you for your instructions, sir."

The figure in the black robe in the picture is surrounded by a cloud of black mist, making it impossible to discern his face.

Shui Mingsheng tried to find more information about the man in black robes, but found nothing.

“Li Shi, your crimes are unforgivable. Today, I will make an example of you in front of everyone.”

Li Shi trembled all over, and no matter how he silently called out to the black-robed master, the master no longer appeared.

Why is that? Is he the fool who's being used?

The shadowy serpent and the crimson lotus pillar together tore Li Shi to pieces. After a loud bang, only scorched earth remained on the ground.

Wu Xing was horrified and knelt down to beg for mercy, showing no trace of his former sect leader.

"As for you, Wu Xing, considering you've ruled Miao territory for so long, you've certainly put in the hard work, even if you haven't achieved anything great, I'll spare your life. You can go to the underground prison of Tiantong Academy to reflect on your mistakes." Shui Mingsheng snorted and waved his sleeve as he left.

Everyone watched Shui Mingsheng leave, still somewhat dazed.

Who is that person in black robes? Is Shui Mingsheng actually the next Miao Holy Maiden?

However, there seems to be a third layer of relics. It is said that the power of the third layer of relics is even greater, and it is also known as the Saintess's true relics.

But nowadays, who can rival Shui Mingsheng?

Shui Mingsheng and Jiang Yiqing returned to Xia Yi's home.

The Saintess's second layer of treasures contained the Crimson Lotus Nirvana Gu and a Binding Immortal Gu. Named Binding Immortal, it naturally possessed power exceeding that of an Immortal Gu.

Shui Mingsheng handed the Immortal Binding Gu to the Tree Gu, saying, "With this Gu, you can become an Immortal Gu, even more powerful than that. Keep your promise and release Aunt Xia."

"...I didn't expect you to actually possess such a fortuitous destiny." The tree worm's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible greed: "If I were to obtain Xia Yi's wisdom and possess the power of the Immortal-Binding Tree Worm, could I also become the number one in Miao territory?"

“No, you will be refined by me,” Shui Mingsheng said.

Having obtained the second layer of the treasure, she once possessed the holy power of the saintess, capable of refining the tree worms in an instant. At that time, her strength would surpass everything. However, Shui Mingsheng was not blinded by the power; she would not become like Wu Xing.

The tree worm had obviously guessed that she had this strength, so it only tested her before obediently taking the Immortal Binding Gu and transferring it from Xia Yi's body, gradually penetrating deeper into the earth and disappearing without a trace.

Xia Yi looked at the tree worm that had been with her for so long, and felt a little lost as it left. Now, she was finally just an ordinary person.

Fortunately and unfortunately.

She looked at Shui Mingsheng with a hint of sadness and said, "Mingsheng, with great power comes great responsibility. I really don't know whether taking charge of Miao territory is a good thing or a bad thing for you."

“Aunt Xia, the feeling of having power is so wonderful, why resist it?” Shui Mingsheng asked in return.

Xia Yi was startled, but did not question her. Instead, she asked, "Ming Sheng, do you know where the third level of the relics is?"

“The Holy Maiden only told me this, saying that the third layer of relics is on her body, and all that’s needed is to find her coffin.” Shui Mingsheng said, “The Holy Maiden’s coffin is also located in Daobei Ridge.”

She pressed her forehead, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in. But the saintess's coffin contained her power, and only she, with the power of the Holy Hand, could open it; it shouldn't be stolen.

Shui Mingsheng could have set off immediately to find the third level of the relics, but for some reason, she didn't.

Xia Yi said, "Ming Sheng, I want to see you become like the Saintess, but I'm also a little afraid."

What are you afraid of?

"The Holy Maiden was an immortal, while her partner was a mortal. After losing her partner, the Holy Maiden became irritable and easily angered, which is why she ultimately committed suicide, burying her body in this Miao land. I don't know if you will bear the same fate as her."

Shui Mingsheng looked at Jiang Yiqing and said, "It's different. Yiqing is bound to the cultivation system, so we will always be together."

"I hope I'm just overthinking it," Xia Yi said. "Ming Sheng, I wish you success."