Chapter 498 - 299: Witch Palace Language Side Story: The Maiden and the Divine Beings (4)

The dark shadow dragged a long tail, its face a mass of wrinkled flesh that crushed its facial features together.

Suddenly—

Countless blood-red eyes, like slits in its flesh, opened and glowed with a crimson light. The shadow’s face split into a grin, revealing deathly white, sharp teeth, as if it were smiling.

Her eyes could see the true forms and souls of Demon Fiends.

In a sense, what she saw was their very essence.

"What are you looking at?"

An indifferent voice reached her ears. Witch Palace Language snapped back to her senses and said calmly,

"Nothing."

She didn’t know how to describe what she had just seen; it was simply too bizarre.

Something that could not be described with words.

Unnamable.

"When it is time for you to receive the blessing, I hope you will not look up at the Divine Beings with such an expression. Otherwise, you will be in grave danger."

The Priest, for the first time ever, was offering a reminder.

A premonition washed over her. Witch Palace Language felt as if she had touched upon some taboo.

The ritual proceeded quickly.

Witch Palace Language kowtowed repeatedly, holding her posture without moving. An icy sensation crept up her spine, as if she was being watched by some terrifying presence.

「An incense stick’s time later.」

"The ritual is over. Please check yourselves for the mark."

"If you have no mark, it means you have not been chosen by the Divine Beings."

As the Priest’s voice faded, everyone finally stood up and inspected their bodies.

"What a pity. I wasn’t chosen. I guess my potential wasn’t enough."

"This is a divine blessing! If I’d received it, a breakthrough would’ve been just a matter of time..."

After it was over, some were joyful, while others were dejected.

Witch Palace Language, however, felt an itch on the back of her hand. A black sigil had emerged.

From that moment on, she was a Divine Envoy candidate.

....

After becoming a Divine Envoy candidate, Witch Palace Language received a set of loose-fitting black robes. They were imbued with magical power that could amplify her strength to one hundred and twenty percent—an exceptionally rare Treasure.

Only candidates were qualified to wear them.

She discovered that after she became a Divine Envoy candidate, the way people looked at her changed. There was much more respect in their eyes.

Even the High Priest from before no longer dared to casually scold her.

’I have to tell my brother about this,’ she thought.

’I want to show off a little.’

And so, she waited.

For three years.

「Three years passed.」

The great war between the Central Plains and the Holy Netherworld had raged for three years with no end in sight.

Her brother had not yet returned.

But she had already become a true Divine Envoy, the word "candidate" no longer attached to her title.

「Until one day.」

News of Young Master Ye Niu reached the tribe.

"What?! The Young Master betrayed the Witch Race!"

"He actually made an enemy of the Ten Underworld Races for a woman from the Human Race!"

"Just how beautiful is this Human Race woman to have bewitched the Young Master like this?"

When Witch Palace Language heard this news, it was like a bolt from the blue. She hurriedly asked,

"Where did you hear this from?"

Seeing her, the person beside her showed a respectful expression. "Lord Divine Envoy, the news came from the Central Capital. It’s said the Young Master let an important Human Race woman escape and is now being held accountable by the Great Nether Court."

The moment he finished speaking, Witch Palace Language vanished from his sight, soaring away.

"Lord Divine Envoy! Where are you going?"

Witch Palace Language paid them no heed. She would travel thousands of miles if she had to, just to get to the Central Capital Court’s Capital City.

「One month later.」

Thanks to her esteemed status, she was able to see the utterly haggard Young Master Ye Niu in the Central Capital’s great prison.

At once, Witch Palace Language rushed to the front of the cell and cried out,

"Brother, just admit your mistake to the Court! Tell them where the Human Race woman is and make amends! Mother is a Priest in our tribe; she’ll plead for you!"

When the numb-faced Young Master Ye Niu saw Witch Palace Language, his first reaction was a smile he hadn’t shown in a long time.

"You’ve really grown up after becoming a Divine Envoy."

Apparently, he had been keeping up with news about her over the years.

But upon hearing his sister’s words, he just shook his head. "This matter isn’t as simple as you think. There are too many powers involved. It’s better that you don’t know for now."

"Even Mother could lose her position as Priest because of me. Don’t make things difficult for her."

"You should go back. I’m already very happy that I could see you one last time."

"From now on, the Wild Bull Race is in your hands."

"I truly wasn’t a worthy Young Master."

No matter how she tried to persuade him, he refused to change his mind.

Witch Palace Language truly didn’t understand.

Her brother himself had once told her that no matter what happened, she must always prioritize her own life.

He told her not to have a compassionate heart.

So why was he suffering such a fate, all to save a woman from the Human Race?

...

「The day of the execution.」

From within the crowd, Witch Palace Language gazed at Young Master Ye Niu, who was bound to a cross.

In the Holy Netherworld,

anyone who betrayed the Divine Beings would be sentenced to Divine Punishment.

They would depart from this world by the hand of the Divine Beings.

On this day,

a brilliant meteor appeared in the sky.

The meteor’s trajectory resembled the flesh of a colossal beast, descending with the weight of a great mountain and covered in a multitude of dark substances.

Everyone moved far away from the area, intending to witness the Divine Punishment unfold.

Seeing that her brother was about to be killed, his very Divine Soul obliterated,

she ignored her brother’s warnings and ran toward the cross.

"No one is allowed to hurt my brother!!"

A Blood Race Elder standing nearby said indifferently,

"No one can interrupt the Divine Punishment. Leave at once!"

What ultimately stopped her from advancing further

was a Divine Venerable from the Eastern Capital, who sent her flying with a mere wave of his hand.

The fiery light of the meteor engulfed the cross. In an instant, a hundred-mile radius was transformed into a forbidden, desolate zone.

Staring at the ruins before her, at the towering smoke and blazing fire,

Witch Palace Language was instantly plunged into despair.

In that moment, she recalled all of her brother’s teachings. From the day she was born, her very existence had been a source of controversy. It was her brother who had protected her, allowing her to make it this far.

But now, she had to walk this path alone.

"Do you also feel despair and regret?"

Just then, a mysterious whisper echoed in Witch Palace Language’s mind.

A crimson-red message materialized before her eyes.

[Every past is a new beginning.]

[Why not devote yourself to the Great Dao of Reincarnation and let everything return to dust?]

"Who?"

"Who’s speaking?"

Witch Palace Language was surprised to find that the god-given sigil on the back of her hand was emitting a faint glow.

’Could it be the Divine Beings talking to me?’ she wondered.

Although she had become a Divine Envoy, she had never come face-to-face with the Divine Beings, not even through telepathic messages.

’Lord God?!’

Witch Palace Language called out in her mind, half-believing and half-doubting.

The voice rang out again:

"We need you to become the spokesperson for the Divine Beings. To act in our stead, to rule this world, and to enter the places we cannot reach."

Witch Palace Language retorted, "But aren’t I already a Divine Envoy?"

"This is merely the first step."

"We will give you instructions and grant you even greater power. You will be able to do anything you wish."

Hearing this, Witch Palace Language thought for a long time.

Her brother’s smile appeared in her mind. She clenched her fist and said,

"Fine, I agree!"

The whisper sounded once more:

"From this day forward, you are the future master of this nation."

"Take this Divine Object for now."

Witch Palace Language discovered that, at some unknown point, a jet-black Turtle Shell had appeared in her mind, suspended in the air and covered in intricate symbols.

...