Chapter 118: The Divine Vessel

“Why did you let Princess Lingyu leave with those two men?”

Zhou Tian and Mu Su were eating the food prepared for them—more precisely, Zhou Tian was, as his mouth was glistening with grease. Mu Su merely watched silently, perhaps influenced too deeply by the Holy Spirit Church, subconsciously harboring distrust toward the Spider Sect, which made him wary.

A commotion arose near the statue of the deity. Zhou Tian and Mu Su exchanged a glance, sensing some drama unfolding. They quickly set down their food and moved toward the source of the noise.

Beneath the statue, most of the believers had gathered.

“She is my daughter!” Ishaa’s face was stern, her voice low and restrained with anger.

“She is not only your daughter, but also… aren’t you afraid of the Spider Goddess Queen’s wrath?” The woman arguing with Ishaa was unknown, her words vague, as if hiding some secret.

“Are you questioning me? I am the High Priestess!” Ishaa’s tone turned icy, radiating a queenly aura. Whether it was just an illusion or not, Zhou Tian felt as though the statue itself cast its gaze downward upon them.

The woman opposing Ishaa snorted coldly, her face darkening under the weight of Ishaa’s imposing presence.

“Don’t get us killed!”

“I have my measures. The Spider Goddess Queen watches over me.” Ishaa’s eyes flickered with deadly intent. After some hesitation, she seemed to hold back, as if troubled by some concern.

“Lingyu seems to be hiding a secret.”

Mu Su stood firm, sword in hand, speaking softly.

Zhou Tian’s eyes gleamed. This Spider Sect was indeed intriguing. He had sensed that Lingyu carried something within her—perhaps this was why Ishaa sought their cooperation.

The woman opposing Ishaa cast them a sharp, sinister glance. Naturally, Ishaa and she had already noticed their arrival.

“Disperse!” Ishaa commanded. The believers scattered as Ishaa approached Zhou Tian.

“Sorry to have you witness such a farce,” she said.

“No matter. Can we leave now?” Zhou Tian asked casually.

“Of course. Lingyu is waiting for you,” Ishaa replied with a nod. When mentioning Lingyu, her expression remained unchanged, as if the earlier incident had never occurred.

“Very well.” Zhou Tian did not press for details.

Soon after, Zhou Tian and his companions left, with Lingyu following them.

After their departure, Ishaa stood before the statue for a long time. Her jade hand reached out as she whispered softly. The statue of the Spider Goddess Queen emitted a radiant glow, accompanied by hymns of praise. Gradually, the statue shrank until it was no larger than a palm, which she cradled in her hand before instructing the followers to leave the place.

…

“Tell me, do you have any other special identity?”

In the quiet forest, the crisp sound of a foot stepping on a dry branch rang out clearly. Zhou Tian asked Lingyu, who had remained silent since they left.

Lingyu glanced at him but gave no answer.

Zhou Tian laughed softly, not offended.

“That’s your base; without permission from certain people, how could we overhear such secrets, especially ones involving the Spider Goddess Queen?”

“Speak. Your mother must have told you something.”

Lingyu looked at Zhou Tian in surprise, seemingly not expecting this lunatic to be so perceptive. After a moment’s thought, she spoke.

“I am the chosen vessel of the Spider Goddess Queen.”

“What?” It was Mu Su who exclaimed, his face full of astonishment. He understood well how precious a divine vessel was.

“Then why would your mother let you follow us? What if you...” Mu Su’s voice trailed off.

Divine vessels were rare. A deity’s strongest power manifested within its realm, the divine domain. But in this forsaken land, believers were scarce. If the deity were to descend in person, their power would be limited, and they would be in grave danger. Hence, the deity chose to manifest through a vessel.

Finding such a vessel was difficult, requiring many conditions.

“I don’t know. Mother just told me to stay with you and to be honest if you asked about certain secrets. She said there was no need to hide anything.”

Lingyu’s cherry lips parted slightly as she spoke slowly.

Zhou Tian pondered before asking, “After the deity descends, does your own soul cease to exist?”

“Yes. The deity’s mind is immensely powerful. Even an avatar is too much for me to bear. The moment the descent happens, my soul will vanish.”

Lingyu’s expression darkened. After all, she was still just a girl. Due to her mother’s influence, she had no strong faith in the Spider Goddess Queen, and thus felt reluctant and not honored to be the deity’s vessel.

It seemed Ishaa was determined to rebel against the Spider Sect and even intended to kill the Spider Goddess Queen. Zhou Tian guessed that by revealing this information through Lingyu, Ishaa was declaring her resolve.

He wondered what had offended the Spider Goddess Queen to provoke such a reaction from Ishaa, the High Priestess.

Having resolved this mystery, Zhou Tian felt much relieved. Though he suspected that Lingyu’s role as the divine vessel wasn’t the root cause—after all, Ishaa had also risen to High Priestess, and complete disbelief was unlikely.

Although Ishaa knew Zhou Tian was an outsider and of considerable status, she seemed unaware that Zhou Tian was currently unable to contact his own people and could not count on their aid for now.

“Don’t worry. See that little brother of yours? He’ll definitely crush the Spider Goddess Queen and save you from peril.”

Zhou Tian reassured Lingyu.

Mu Su and Lingyu exchanged awkward looks; the words sounded strange coming from him.

Checking the time without activating his system, Zhou Tian realized the next update was approaching, and that he had wasted quite some time with the Spider Sect.

Just as he was about to undress, he remembered that now it was not just two men but also a woman present, and sighed inwardly. Having a woman around complicated matters.

“Miss Lingyu, could you please turn around?”

“Why?” Lingyu looked puzzled.

“Because I’m about to take off my clothes.”

“...” Lingyu was at a loss for words. Was this man crazy to want to undress for no reason? Seeing Zhou Tian already starting to remove his pants, she quickly turned her back.

Moments later, Mu Su’s voice came.

“He’s gone. You can turn around now.”

Lingyu cautiously faced them again, careful not to glimpse an embarrassing sight.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Lingyu asked, exasperated, casting a suspicious glance at Mu Su. After spending so much time with such a pervert, had he also gone mad?

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