When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 220 : The Flying Prophecy

220: The Flying Prophecy

The prophetic characters carved into the massive stone wall began to glow with golden light, and one by one, they tore free from the rock. Where each character had been, the stone turned smooth and black. The golden text wove itself into ribbons that floated toward Yuyin, still held immobile by the Asura phantoms. The ribbons of prophecy started to coil around her wrists, her ankles, her throat, even slipping beneath her robes.

"Yuyin!" Lianyue's will stirred, the Moon Blade on her back ready to fly.

"Hold!" Jiang Yun's voice cracked like a whip. "This is a divine miracle, a grand opportunity! The mysterious depths of this Sacred Ground are testing Yuyin's aptitude."

"What!?" Lianyue, Jing, and the Ghost Princess all started. A mysterious zone? Even the Ghost Princess had never heard of such a thing.

"Testing aptitude?" Hua Yuanjing grabbed Lianyue's hand without thinking. They could see Yuyin wasn't being harmed, only held immobile, while the golden ribbons of prophecy traced across her skin beneath her robes, touching her everywhere, though what exactly they were testing remained unclear.

Jiang Yun spoke with solemn reverence. "Since the Sacred Ground's discovery, only the geniuses of our Ghost Clan have ever triggered divine miracles. Xia Yuyin is the first Xia woman to evoke such fortune. The descending Immortal Fairy is truly no ordinary Xia."

Jiang Yun had brought the Ghost Princess because she had just turned sixteen, hoping she might trigger a miracle. She never expected it would be Yuyin. And the power of this miracle far surpassed anything before.

Yuyin wanted to move but couldn't. She could only endure as the golden ribbons slid over her like silken ropes, sending tremors through her, her face flushing crimson.

"Hold still. Don't resist. Relax..." This voice came not from the miracle, but from the female will.

Why would the female will speak to her now? But Yuyin trusted it completely, so she let go.

Gradually, the smooth stone wall behind her, now empty, began to ripple and distort, as though it had become a vertical pool of black water.

The Asuras held her, the golden ribbons of prophecy coiling and tugging, drawing Yuyin toward that liquid wall. And then, impossibly, they pulled her through the stone, leaving only ripples in their wake.

"Yuyin!?"

Lianyue rushed forward, but the stone wall was solid once more.

The ancient golden characters flowed back onto the rock, their light fading, becoming weathered carvings again.

"Yuyin! Your Majesty, what's happening? How was she pulled into the wall?" Lianyue's voice rose in panic.

"The Sacred Ground has recognized her aptitude. It has taken her into the mysterious depths." Jiang Yun's chest heaved.

"The mysterious depths... what lies within?" Hua Yuanjing's clear eyes reflected the ancient prophetic wall.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Yuyin found herself transported to a cave dwelling by that strange spatial ripple. The Asura phantoms and golden text had vanished.

She looked around. Strange rock formations, the sound of clear water echoing everywhere, vines hanging from the ceiling, mist swirling, it had the aura of an immortal's sanctuary.

"Where am I?" Yuyin sensed nothing else, no other Primordial Energy ripples. She walked slowly forward. Ahead, an ancient stone bridge spanned a subterranean stream, looking both natural and crafted, strangely beautiful.

Yuyin stepped onto the bridge and looked down. The water was crystalline. Were it not for her circumstances, she would have loved to bathe in it.

She crossed the bridge. Ahead, a deep cave yawned. On a boulder beside it, words were carved: "First Trial: Thirty percent danger. If you wish to turn back, take the Green Jade Gourd Vine from within. It grants immunity to venomous insects. Drink from the stream to increase your cultivation, then depart. You may never return."

Yuyin understood. Enter the cave, face a trial, gain a reward, but risk was involved. Or take the safe path: the vine, the water, and leave.

"Thirty percent danger?" Yuyin mused. She had faced far worse in the Prison Abyss. How could she turn back now?

Nothing to fear. Just be cautious.

She tossed her hair back and stepped into the cave without hesitation.

The passage was lightless. Yuyin felt her way forward until she emerged into a vast, gloomy, damp cavern. It stretched long, lined with layered ancient bronze statues, like Arhats, yet like demons too. They glared with round eyes, ferocious, armed with every kind of weapon.

At the far end, a water gate trickled.

Yuyin didn't need hints to understand. The trial was clear: fight through the cavern to reach that gate.

She counted hundreds of statues. They were no mere decoration.

"Fine..."

"You don't move, I'll just sightsee."

She strolled forward casually.

The cavern was spacious, but with so many statues, the path was narrow. As Yuyin passed two of them, a three-meter-tall Demon-Subduing Arhat, its foot planted on a ghost, thrust out a massive palm to block her way. The hand opened right before her face, nearly blinding her.

Behind her, two more Arhats struck, one with a tiger-subduing staff, the other with a hammer, both aimed at her delicate back. No mercy, no quarter.

But Yuyin was ready.

Shing!

A flash of cold light, Yuyin drew Tears Exhausted, Sky Clear.

Clang!

She ducked as she drew, deflecting both staff and hammer.

Then she whipped the blade free in a silver arc.

Crack! Crack!

The two statues went flying.

The Arhats had no Primordial Energy ripple. She couldn't gauge their power or what drove them.

But in that clash, she sensed their strength: Perfection-Stage of Purple Domain Realm.

"Perfection-Stage of Purple Domain Realm? The same as my Primordial Energy realm?"

Now the surrounding Arhats stirred. The Demon-Subduing Arhat ahead clenched its massive fist and unleashed a flurry of blows.

This time Yuyin knew what to expect. She leaped, landing on the statue's thick arm, her long leg snapping out.

Boom! She kicked the Arhat's huge head, sending it crashing down.

"Ow..." Despite her strength, her heavenly silk garments and reinforced boots, the statue was unscathed while her foot throbbed with pain.

Yuyin leaped, evading a spear and staff from two more Arhats, and slashed down as she landed.

Clang!

The blow was powerful. The spear-wielding Arhat crumpled, its face grinding into the stone. Yet its ancient bronze form was unmarred.

Yuyin understood. "These Arhats are only Perfection-Stage of Purple Domain Realm in strength, but their defense is monstrous!"