Chapter 58: Bai Ruyi
Meanwhile, at a distance of more than a thousand kilometers from where Li Ling was at the moment.
A dainty pink palanquin with purple highlights traveled along the plains of Huxian Province, seemingly moving at a normal speed but actually traveling far faster than Li Ling’s top speed, almost five times that.
The palanquin was manned by four bearers who were robust males with similar features, having what seemed like artificial or painted-on bronze-colored skin, thick muscles, shaved heads, and upper bodies completely bare with only a loose cloth covering their privates.
Each of these men was at the peak of Core Formation, and their eyes were filled with a certain dullness due to the red mark on their foreheads, an enslavement curse that completely subjugated their minds and wills in exchange for lower intelligence.
They moved rhythmically, taking steps at the exact same time and in perfect synchronization, as if they were of the exact same mind. Each step caused the ground to tremble strongly with their presence, but their sheer speed caused any being witnessing them to see only a vague pink blur.
The palanquin itself was not too large. It was about the size and length of a cognoscenti, large enough for three or four people to reside within in some form of comfort for any journey they embarked on.
Once one moved the pink drapes to enter, they would see two women seated in different styles, both of them unparalleled beauties who could cause the internet of Earth to shut down with just one picture, even fully clothed in conservative attire.
The older of the two was a regal woman with slightly mature features. She seemed to be somewhere in her late thirties, with a head of brown hair that was done up in a gaoji high-bun style, with a pinkish-red jade hairpin that kept it stable. Her skin was a healthy wheat color and her eyes were slanted in the phoenix style.
She wore a majestic set of big-sleeved robes that were the same color as her hairpin, with ornate designs on them that seemed to channel spiritual energy. Even a mortal wearing this robe daily would be able to outlive a Qi Refinement cultivator, even if they indulged in all the worst vices.
She was seated in an upright position on what was a mixture between a loveseat and a couch, her hands resting on her lap casually, displaying her small hands that were done up with red nail polish. Meanwhile, her piercing brown eyes were trained on the person seated opposite her, her rosebud red lips pursed slightly in dissatisfaction.
"Saintess, must we waste time on this side endeavor? Just let the Joyful Agony Hall handle this matter as they are supposed to." The woman said in a mature tone that was quite heavy, enough to make any young man kneel in front of her to be dominated.
"Heh, Elder Wen Caiyi, who said this is a side endeavor? If you ask me, this is rather more important than the wild goose chase we have been on for over a week." The Saintess replied cheekily, not at all afraid to say her mind.
And if you asked a clueless person, they would firmly advocate that this person deserved to be able to say what she wanted.
Unlike Elder Wen Caiyi, who was done up in a regal and matronly manner, this young girl was actually rather simple in comparison, but it was in this simplicity that her attraction value soared far beyond the level of her elder, being able to make ghosts and gods feel a pang of desire.
She seemed quite young, around the same age as Li Ling, in her early twenties. She looked mature enough that one wouldn’t doubt her physical development while retaining that youthful energy that showed she still had a bright future ahead of her.
She lay on her loveseat languidly, like a lazy cat, leaving her extremely voluptuous figure partly unconcealed. Glancing at her, one would be first enraptured by her wealth of silky white hair that spread out behind her like a lush wave, neither styled nor sealed in any way.
After that, one would be taken by her exquisite features, which were the absolute perfection of symmetry, coupled with perfectly shaped eyes, a button nose, and an angular chin that ended at a soft point. However, these did not stand out on her face, giving way to three features that were unforgettable.
The first was a pair of blood-red eyes that seemed to hold all the world’s charm within them. Next to that were a pair of pink lips that were thin yet luscious, concealing a set of perfectly shaped white teeth that gleamed in the sunlight.
Finally, there was the red mark on her forehead that uncontrollably drew the eye, making one wonder what purpose it served.
Aside from this was her figure, which was covered with a thin blue hanfu that was unremarkable. Even the poorest peasant woman had a hanfu with more layers and design than this, looking more like a casual nightgown or bathrobe on modern Earth with a silky fabric.
Because of this and her posture, huge patches of her pristine white skin were displayed, including the entirety of her supple thighs, her rather large and firm chest, and the curve of her hip which was like a moon viewed from the front.
This was the Saintess of the Boundless Joy Sect, Bai Ruyi.
Hearing Bai Ruyi’s response, Elder Wen Caiyi was even more unhappy. "We cannot take the Heaven Loving Sage’s words for granted! The prophecy was very specific, we can only find the source of fortune here in Huxian Province on this day!"
Bai Ruyi yawned. "Yes Old Cai, I am aware. I heard every single word of that desperate prophecy right before the old woman pegged off in a rather dramatic fashion."
Being called ’Old Cai’ would have made Wen Caiyi immediately smash anyone to paste, even if they were her own disciples whom she cherished. However, against their sect’s Saintess, Wen Caiyi could only wring her lips and pretend that she had not heard such a rude form of address.
However, she was more focused on the specific words Bai Ruyi was saying. "If you heard the prophecy, you should know how important it is to your fate! To the fate of the entire Boundless Joy Sect!"
"Of course, but I’ve heard so many prophecies all my life from that old codger. Wasn’t she the one who decreed upon my birth that I shall be the greatest Saintess the sect has ever seen, the so-called ’Supreme Demon Saintess’?"
Bai Ruyi seemed nonplussed. "Because of that, you fellows not only sacrificed your last Saintess in the last war against the Qing Shan Sect to pave the way for me, but also ransacked all the suspected locations where I was born and seized me from my parents."
Elder Wen Caiyi frowned solemnly. "Saintess, you understand that the sect only had the best intentions at heart..."
Bai Ruyi waved her hand lazily. "Don’t preach to a pope. I will always be grateful to the sect for lifting me from my wretched fate of being the daughter of a pair of weak mortals. Without the path of cultivation, what point is there in existing as a mortal that is just food for someone in this world?"
Wen Caiyi went silent, remembering that indeed, their Saintess was nicknamed by all the disciples of the sect as the Empress of Cruelty. The sect, when taking her as an infant, even accommodated her parents in order not to breed resentment when she grew up, but who knew she would ritually sacrifice them to refine the famous Xieyuan Pill, a special Foundation Establishment pill in which the ingredients were one’s family members, guaranteed to allow a person to breakthrough by drawing on karmic ties.
This was something none in the sect expected, but no one stopped her. After all, their Saintess was a prodigious talent in their sect’s main art, the Joyful Union Sutra, able to breakthrough the entirety of Qi Refinement in three years and reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in five years.
This kind of talent, even placed in the Seven Sins Demon Sect or the Six Paths Demon Sect, would be core disciple level.
But her callous nature... even Wen Caiyi frowned. Were the higher-ups really sure that a person like this would care about their sect if she achieved her predicted fate?
"Why, what’s wrong Old Cai? Are you sulking because I said we should chase after that crazy guy? Don’t tell me you can still pout at your advanced age?" Bai Ruyi teased with a playful grin.
Elder Wen Caiyi was snapped out of her thoughts, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I am not peeved because we are wasting time chasing a mere fool at the Foundation Establishment level, but that we are purposefully holding back when we can simply swat him right away."
Bai Ruyi laughed. "Even if his attack on the market was foolish, did you not notice? The moment you spotted him, you saw him practicing some form of transformation art that allowed him to change his sex. Even our Boundless Joy Sect doesn’t have such a method, so if we could seize it, wouldn’t that be good?"
Elder Wen Caiyi was not impressed. "Our Joyful Union Sutra cannot be practiced with fake yin. No matter how good a transformation technique it is, unless it can reverse yin and yang from the source, it would fall apart when placed before our method."
Wen Caiyi sneered. "Even if we are to take a step back and say that he possessed such a miraculous heaven-defying art that can go against the natural order, how can a mere murder-crazed piece of trash like that actually have it? Even if he had it, how could he practice such an immortal art with such a low cultivation level?"
Bai Ruyi sighed. "I thought so too, but can’t we have some hope? Today is the final day of the prophecy and if we don’t find the target by then, wouldn’t that old codger have keeled over spitting blood for nothing?"
Wen Caiyi scoffed. "Hope? We are better off scouting for a sign of the real target, for nothing said that he was going to be a terrified dog fleeing for his life. The prophecy described our target as the Demon Emperor of Firmament Heaven, the Lord of Infinite Slaughter, the Asura War God. Such a person should be a distinguished and talented personage from the Six Paths Demon Sect at the least, not a rogue cultivator."
Bai Ruyi rolled her eyes. "Fine then, if you want to put it that way, he really doesn’t seem to be the one. However, I still say we pursue and monitor him for any changes because I know you noticed that at some point, it was as if he received divine foresight and began escaping away from the sect’s encirclement."
Wen Caiyi frowned at that, because that too had puzzled her. The change had been so sudden and unpredicted that even Wen Caiyi was only able to see the perfection of it by corroborating with the sect’s pursuers through communication.
If it weren’t for them chasing, this young man would have truly escaped the sect’s pursuit, something that both interested and displeased Wen Caiyi. However, due to Bai Ruyi’s fixation on him, Wen Caiyi found herself severely disliking this young man and wishing to smash him into paste to stop wasting their time on more important matters.
In a moment of decisiveness, Wen Caiyi secretly decided to use her abilities to kill Li Ling if he did not display any significant or meaningful changes in the next few hours, regardless of how the Saintess felt.