Villainous Emperor (12)
The second round of testing began quickly.
Everyone first drew lots to determine the order of going on stage one by one. On the table, there were many wooden boards placed in a messy way, and each board had various strange images carved on it. The candidates for the Holy Maiden had to pick one board and describe what they saw to Fu Sheng.
This has always been the tradition in Guozhou for selecting the Holy Maiden.
It is said that a Holy Maiden chosen by the Yin Shen will witness a miracle after giving a satisfactory answer to the Yin Shen.
If no miracle occurs, there is no need to worry. Fu Sheng will choose a woman who matches the qualities of a Holy Maiden from all the candidates to participate in the next round again.
In the teachings of the Yinyue Sect, it is recorded that when the first Holy Maiden appeared, there was an earthquake outside the city, mountain fires started, and the world experienced a disaster not seen in a hundred years. The most affected place was the capital of Jiang Kingdom. At that time, many high-ranking officials and nobles died in the disaster. The Yinyue Sect told its followers that this was the Yin Shen resisting evil and punishing the arrogant people of Jiang Kingdom, but they did not know that the Yin Shen itself was the greatest evil.
Song Xuyi was ahead of Jiang Ruoyu in line, and soon it was her turn to go on stage.
After Song Xuyi went on stage, she randomly picked a wooden board. She had already accepted that her appearance did not match and that she would be eliminated. However, looking at Fu Sheng, who was gently smiling and fanning himself, Song Xuyi suddenly had an idea—she wanted to take a risk and try to shake the deep-seated respect the people had for the Yinyue Sect.
What if there was a Holy Maiden completely different from what the teachings of the Yinyue Sect described?
Song Xuyi lowered her eyes. When Song Xuyi presented the chosen board to Fu Sheng, the previously calm sky suddenly became windy, and all the flowers beside the place suddenly bloomed…
Even though it was just a moment, it was already enough.
—Everyone inside the venue saw the appearance of the miracle.
The entire hall was in an uproar, and the casualness in Fu Sheng’s eyes disappeared at that instant. He lowered his gaze and quietly observed Song Xuyi, putting away his fan, and suddenly showed a smile: “This is indeed rare.”
Song Xuyi did not show any unusual reaction, she looked at him with a calm and smiling gaze.
Fu Sheng did not possess any spiritual power, while humans in the world also had cultivators. Although humans could not cultivate to become gods, they could perform basic spells. Just now, when Song Xuyi cast the spell, she completely hid her presence, so even the gods hidden in the dark places of Guozhou could not tell how this miracle came about.
Fu Sheng glanced at Song Xuyi, raised his hands, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down. He lowered his head to take the wooden board from Song Xuyi’s hand. After seeing the patterns on the board clearly, a noticeable hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He looked up at Song Xuyi again and spoke in a gentle voice: “What do you think about this pattern, young lady?”
This was an extremely strange pattern: vast black clouds covered the city, countless ghosts roamed through the city, and the soldiers guarding the city fell one by one, with rivers of blood flowing within the city. Above the clouds stood a lofty deity, coldly watching everything.
It seemed like a prophecy or a warning.
Song Xuyi looked at this scene and instinctively felt uncomfortable. Even though she knew what Fu Sheng wanted to hear, she had come with a probing intent. After thinking for a moment, she still spoke up: “Bloodshed and tyranny.”
“Oh?” Fu Sheng prolonged his tone as he spoke, giving Song Xuyi a deep look but said nothing more. He placed the wooden board back on the table and let Song Xuyi step down from the stage.
After a few girls took the stage, it was finally Jiang Ruoyu’s turn.
Almost the moment Jiang Ruoyu stepped forward, many people’s eyes in the audience were glued to her: Jiang Ruoyu was exceptionally beautiful, instantly becoming the most striking presence in the crowd.
Moreover, more than one person noticed the resemblance between Jiang Ruoyu and the previous Holy Maiden. The crowd began murmuring again, and Song Xuyi, listening to their discussions, learned that they referred to this type of appearance as “Holy Maiden features.” Undoubtedly, Jiang Ruoyu was considered the person with the Holy Maiden features, and she was regarded as the top example of this appearance.
In the city of Guozhou, there is an unwritten rule that the person with the most Holy Maiden features in the second round usually becomes the final winner.
On a normal day, Jiang Ruoyu would definitely be the most popular candidate for the Holy Maiden. However, because of Song Xuyi, who had a miraculous sign, people were now unsure who would win the title of Holy Maiden this time.
Jiang Ruoyu, however, did not pay attention to these minor discussions in the hall.
When she entered the place to draw the wooden boards, her heart suddenly gave a fierce jolt, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe…
It felt as if something had suddenly grown inside her body, and her whole body started to disobey her commands.
She originally intended to choose the nearest wooden board, but her hands seemed to move uncontrollably toward a board on the side.
Later, Jiang Ruoyu learned that she and Song Xuyi had picked the same wooden board. However, at that moment, Jiang Ruoyu was unaware of this. She only felt a strange sense of being out of control. Since she stood on the stage, it seemed as if an invisible force was secretly manipulating her body.
Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip tightly, and the sharp pain brought her mind back for a moment. When she regained her senses, she noticed that Fu Sheng was looking at her strangely: as if he was looking at her, yet also through her at someone else.
Jiang Ruoyu was stunned for a moment, and then that invisible force surged up again like a tide, overwhelming her. Jiang Ruoyu could clearly sense what she was doing, but her movements and body were no longer under her control. It was as if she had become an unrelated observer, standing by and watching her body move, yet completely unable to stop it.
After seeing the pattern, Fu Sheng lowered his gaze once more. After a moment, he regained his composure and asked the question again: “What do you think about this pattern, young lady?”
Jiang Ruoyu could feel Song Xuyi looking in her direction from below the stage. She initially had her own answer in mind and intended to respond in a way that Song Xuyi would approve of. However, as the words reached her lips, a certain voice, mixed with her deepest desires, involuntarily came out from her lips—
“Surrender.” Jiang Ruoyu heard her own cold, slightly hoarse voice, which seemed like hers but also as if it had become someone else’s.
After Jiang Ruoyu spoke these words, the force that seemed to be secretly enveloping her disappeared.
It felt like she had gone through a difficult struggle, and once she regained control of her body, Jiang Ruoyu’s heart was on edge. Almost instinctively, she looked toward the audience. Seeing the amusement in Song Xuyi’s eyes, Jiang Ruoyu finally took several deep breaths and relaxed completely.
After hearing Jiang Ruoyu’s response, a clear gleam flashed in Fu Sheng’s eyes. A smile appeared on his face, and he generously praised Jiang Ruoyu for her answer: “You have keen insight, young lady.”
Jiang Ruoyu curled her lips into a smile, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She bit her lower lip tightly and quickened her pace as she walked off the stage toward Song Xuyi. When she reached Song Xuyi’s side, she suddenly stopped and lowered her head sharply—
“You have quite the skill. You are the first human in many years to break free from my control.” A voice suddenly emerged in her mind, seemingly her own, yet filled with malice: “If you tell her about my existence, I won’t mind killing her in Guozhou—”
“Slaying a god, for me, is quite a boost!”
Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes turned sharp, and she clenched her fists tightly.
What exactly was the existence of this voice inside her body?
Song Xuyi noticed Jiang Ruoyu’s silence and turned to look at her: “Ruoyu, what’s wrong?”
On any other day, Jiang Ruoyu would have already discussed the wooden board pattern with Song Xuyi and wouldn’t have stayed silent for so long…
“It’s nothing.” Jiang Ruoyu carefully glanced at Song Xuyi and forced a smile. With trembling legs, she moved closer to Song Xuyi and lowered her voice: “I’m afraid you’ll blame me, sister. I just said something insincere.”
As soon as Jiang Ruoyu finished speaking, she heard a cold snort in her mind. However, Song Xuyi did not suspect anything and chuckled with a sigh: “Do you think I can’t tell right from wrong?”
Jiang Ruoyu tugged at the corner of her lips, secretly relieved: Fortunately, her sister didn’t notice the strange presence inside her body.
“The gods, born with spiritual bodies, stand high above, speaking of benevolence and morality, but in truth, they are hypocritical…” the voice in her mind mocked again.
Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip tightly, using all her strength to avoid showing any unusual expression, and smiled as she spoke to Song Xuyi: “In my heart, whatever you do is right, sister.”
Jiang Ruoyu tried hard to ignore that voice in her mind and discussed the wooden boards with Song Xuyi, only to discover that they had both drawn the same pattern.
The strange voice in her mind offered an explanation: “This is a divine token, only those with a divine nature can choose it…”
Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip again.
Even though she didn’t want to admit it, it was clear that the evil god of Guozhou had possessed her.
Previously, Song Xuyi had warned Jiang Ruoyu that there was something strange about the Holy Maiden of Guozhou and advised her to be cautious. Jiang Ruoyu originally thought it was just the Yinyue Sect playing tricks, but she hadn’t expected an actual evil god to exist.
Thinking of how Song Xuyi had looked when she was seriously injured before, it was clear that her sister Xuyi couldn’t defeat this evil god. Now, being in the territory of the evil god, Jiang Ruoyu could only suppress her disgust for the evil god and pretend to be calm.
Fortunately, the evil god suddenly quieted down.
By this time, the entire event was coming to an end. Fu Sheng chose ten candidates for the position of Holy Maiden from among everyone, and as expected, Song Xuyi was among the candidates.
It was clear that Song Xuyi did not have the so-called appearance of a Holy Maiden of Guozhou.
But due to the divine nature of Song Xuyi, she appeared gentle and kind, making it hard for people to feel any dislike towards her.
Song Xuyi and Jiang Ruoyu were both popular candidates for becoming a deity this time.
“I favor that girl with the surname Song. The world is getting worse, and at a glance, she seems calm and could help drive away famine and disease…”
“But she doesn’t have the appearance of a divine maiden. That girl Jiang truly has the look of an immortal and makes people want to bow at her feet…”
Amid the lively discussions, Song Xuyi noticed that her divine power had slightly recovered, with some weak power of faith slowly flowing into her body. Fu Sheng also announced the timing for the third round of selection: “In three days, all the girls are to go to the Cave of Testing Deities on Zijing Cliff.”
Song Xuyi nodded in agreement, but suddenly, an unexpected event occurred: almost as soon as Fu Sheng finished speaking, Song Xuyi heard the anguished cry of the Emperor of Jiang Kingdom in her mind: “Goddess, save me…”
Countless wails from members of the Jiang Kingdom’s royal family echoed in Song Xuyi’s mind, and images appeared: the royal palace of Jiang Kingdom had become a hell, with seas of fire consuming everyone. People tried to escape the flames, but they could not…
Song Xuyi clenched her fists, almost wanting to rush back to the capital from Guozhou immediately. However, the barrier over Guozhou once again took effect, and her spiritual essence could not leave.
At the same time, that strange voice appeared again in Jiang Ruoyu’s mind, accompanied by the same cruel and absurd scenes—
In the face of death, no one obeyed royal authority anymore. The guards and palace maids scattered in all directions, and the Emperor, terrified and stumbling, was protected by a few loyal attendants as they ran around desperately, even going so far as to push his daughter Jiang Huan, who was about to be married, into the sea of fire…
Jiang Huan’s body was half engulfed in flames, and her mother, Lady Wang, looked at her once and then left, gritting her teeth…
In the palace, which had turned into a living hell, the only place untouched by the fire was the Temple of the Goddess. Under the goddess’s statue, Jiang Ruoyu’s mother, Dong Rou, slept peacefully.
“Only I am the best god for you in this world! This useless Goddess Xuyi will only bind you,” the voice sounded in Jiang Ruoyu’s mind with pride and temptation: “Don’t you disdain the Jiang Kingdom’s palace?”
“To celebrate our meeting, I made a special trip to the capital. Though it took some effort, I burned down the palace. Once everyone is dead, you will be the only emperor…”
“At that time, when the whole nation worships me, I will become the most powerful god in the world, breaking through the Three Realms, and no one will be able to stop us! Once you have supreme power, will you still worry that Song Xuyi won’t want to be your friend?”
“Enough!” Some of the words from this voice indeed touched a hidden part of Jiang Ruoyu’s thoughts. However, when Jiang Ruoyu turned and saw Song Xuyi’s pale face, she realized how anxious her sister must be, having been struck at her weakest point…
How could Sister Xuyi be harmed because of her?
Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip tightly.
“What do you want to extinguish this fire?”
LP: Re-translated on December 08, 2024
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