Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 116

[Vol. 6] Chapter 116: A Story Unknown to the World

After becoming the Spirit Maiden, Hen naturally came into contact with many powerful figures within the [Yin-Yang Division], an organization of extraordinary individuals.

Astrologers, diviners, and starcasters, regardless of their specific expertise, all of them fundamentally relied on calculation, observation, and analysis to peer into the [Heavenly Secrets]. They used these methods to uncover hidden truths about the past or predict the future yet to come.

Although Hen did not practice divination, her mind seemed to innately harbor profound mysteries and secrets.

In a sense, she already knew everything. More than anyone else could ever know.

Fragments of understanding began to piece themselves together in her mind. She remembered why the world revered the title of [Spirit Maiden]. She suddenly grasped the true nature of her mission and understood the source of the urgency that had been pressing on her heart all this time.

There was no more time. No time at all.

The [Ancient Spirit Realm] was teetering on the edge of destruction.

And she, Hen, was born into this world for precisely this reason, a contingency plan not inherently human in nature.

The moment she realized this, everything around her seemed to shift.

Guided by the [Heavenly Secrets], Hen felt as though she could hear the furious roars of feral beasts, the mournful cries of the earth and spiritual veins as they fractured, and the deafening chaos of a world on the brink of collapse. She envisioned prosperity reduced to rubble, sorrow spreading across the land, and the countdown to inevitable ruin.

Amidst this vision, a deep, ancient will seemed to call out to her from afar, resonating with her very being. Although it didn’t physically change her, it sharpened her thoughts and made her fragmented memories clearer than ever. It felt as though the world was unfolding before her like a grand chessboard, and every move had already been played.

The true prelude to destruction would begin on the final day of [Year 999 of the Four Saints Era], at the very end of that year.

At that moment, there was exactly one year left.

Hen began her preparations in earnest.

This was a calamity that would engulf the entire [Ancient Spirit Realm]. The Western Origin Spirit Kingdom alone was nowhere near strong enough to face it. Following the guidance of the [Heavenly Secrets], Hen first sent a secret message to the faraway Peach Blossom Sage, Tao Mu, the master of Peach Blossom Peak located in the central region of the continent near Cangyun Mountain.

Tao Mu, one of the true hidden guardians of the [Ancient Spirit Realm], wielded unmatched power in this world. As the Spirit Maiden, Hen regarded her as her most trustworthy ally.

Tao Mu knew many ancient secrets passed down through generations. With just a few hints in her letter, the Peach Blossom Sage quickly understood Hen’s identity and situation. The two immediately aligned their goals, and Tao Mu began to fully assist her in preparing for what was to come.

Over the course of the year, the two communicated frequently through secret letters, meticulously planning their next steps. At the same time, Hen discreetly selected a group of capable and loyal individuals from her subordinates to form a secret agency. This group worked in the shadows, helping her manipulate events and make preparations behind the scenes.

However, Hen kept this from her personal maid, He Zhu, who was her foster sister and childhood companion. It wasn’t because Hen didn’t trust her. Rather, He Zhu was an ordinary, untrained person who would be far too easy to monitor or extract information from. The more she knew, the greater the risk to her safety.

Hen cared deeply for He Zhu, but it was precisely because she wanted to protect her that she chose to maintain some distance and keep her in the dark.

As the preparations progressed, time steadily ticked down.

According to the [Heavenly Secrets], the first disaster that would lead to the destruction of the [Ancient Spirit Realm] was set to occur on the last day of [Year 999 of the Four Saints Era], in a small village in the Yangyuan County of the Western Origin Spirit Kingdom.

On that night, using the power of millennia-old yin energy, a powerful and malevolent demon would be born in that location, causing devastating casualties. This would act as a catalyst, spawning more demons and plunging the Four Kingdoms into chaos, reminiscent of the demonic upheaval that occurred a thousand years ago.

To mitigate this, Hen subtly alerted the [Yin-Yang Division], directing their attention to the abnormal convergence of yin energy in that area and prompting them to send experts to investigate.

However, this was all Hen intended to do regarding the matter. Or rather, it was all she needed to do.

Through her understanding of the [Heavenly Secrets], Hen knew her position as the Spirit Maiden had already drawn the attention of many ill-intentioned parties. If she interfered too overtly, it could disrupt the predicted course of events and jeopardize her long-term plans.

After addressing the issue of the yin energy, Hen requested permission from the Saint to leave the capital under the guise of a royal inspection tour.

The “inspection tour” was merely a cover. Her true goal was to escape the protection of the capital, using herself as bait to lure out the enemies who had been watching her. By doing so, she hoped to force them into the open and minimize the damage they might cause to her future plans.

Moreover, leaving the capital would allow her to operate in the shadows, free from many restrictions, and take action with greater freedom.

She had one objective in mind: to find a person.

A person known as the “Heaven’s Chosen One”.

Though the [Heavenly Secrets] did not reveal this individual’s identity, Hen had a powerful intuition that finding this person was her most important mission in this world. Her very existence seemed tied to this purpose.

She would use her knowledge of the [Heavenly Secrets] to guide the Heaven’s Chosen One and ensure they fulfilled their destined role.

The Heaven’s Chosen One was the key to changing the fate of destruction and was destined to arrive in the [Ancient Spirit Realm] on the final day of [Year 999 of the Four Saints Era].

However, Hen did not know in what form or specific location this chosen individual would appear. During her inspection tour, she sent letters far and wide, asking officials across various provinces and districts to report any strange occurrences, hoping to uncover clues.

A report from Wen Fu, the Prefect of Yangyuan County, caught the Spirit Maiden’s attention.

Though brief, the report described two events. A sighting of the Western Holy Beast, the Qilin, in the depths of [Tidal Deep Valley], and a mysterious phenomenon on the final night of Year 999, when a beam of golden light shot into the sky, accompanied by an otherworldly spectacle that made day and night seem reversed.

The first event was something Hen already knew through her insights from the [Heavenly Secrets]. It foretold the imminent unsealing of the ferocious beast, Yazi, buried beneath Yangyuan County. If released, the beast would cause the land to sink into the sea and result in the deaths of millions. This catastrophic event was one of the many disasters predicted to occur.

Hen had already taken steps to address this situation.

While still in the capital, she had used her noble status as the Spirit Maiden to meet with Lord Dingyuan, the uncle of the current Saint and a member of the royal family with the same sacred bloodline.

Lord Dingyuan had three sons and one daughter. While the three sons were stationed in the capital and unable to leave their posts, his youngest daughter, aged sixteen, was at the perfect age. Curious, rebellious, and eager to prove herself as someone special.

Her surname was Yuan, and her given name was Zhi.

On one occasion, Hen had a private conversation with Princess Yuan Zhi, who was bored out of her mind while embroidering at home. Discovering that the princess had been secretly practicing her family’s ancient mystical arts and was confident in her abilities, Hen casually mentioned the wonders of the outside world, particularly emphasizing Yangyuan County.

Hen hinted that Yangyuan County might hold relics closely tied to the first Spirit Saint.

This wasn’t a lie.

The [Tidal Deep Valley], where Yazi was sealed, was indeed guarded by the Holy Beast Qilin and the first Western Origin Spirit Saint, Yuan Qianqiu. However, due to the limitations of mortal lifespans, the Spirit Saint had long since passed away and could no longer intervene to prevent Yazi’s rampage.

If left unchecked, the disaster was inevitable.

But what if a descendant who inherited the Spirit Saint’s bloodline, someone who could serve as a temporary vessel for the Saint’s power, were to arrive there? How would the outcome change?