Chapter 880: A Decisive Holy Maiden!
Sylvia stood silently not too far away from Yuveil; however, when she heard the guardian's words, she was left stunned.
In order to properly cultivate their Order's techniques, their disciples could not ever be with a man. Otherwise, the imbalance would cause irreversible damage. In other words, their strength would revert to a level that was just as weak as before they even started training!
"How could Aunt Yuveil entertain such an outrageous offer? Who does not know about the unique circumstances of our Order? It is obvious these people came here with no good intentions. I have to warn master, but..." Sylvia thought to herself as she furrowed her brows.
BANG!
Without warning, the doors to the main hall blew open, causing a momentary scene of panic among the disciples.
"What's this? You're already throwing me a celebration so soon? My, you really shouldn't have." A familiar voice echoed throughout the main hall.
When Yuveil heard this voice, it caused her expression to darken.
"I heard something very interesting just now regarding my Order's disciples. Tell me-" Seina suddenly appeared at the center of the main hall as a gentle breeze of cherry blossoms flowed around her.
"Who is so brazen as to make such a bold suggestion?" Seina's voice turned cold as her aura swept out and flooded the entire main hall!
As the aura washed over them, Avia and Balugon's expressions immediately changed.
Avia glared over at Yuveil, who felt shivers run down her spine.
Balugon also had a displeased look on his face in response to Seina's arrival.
"It's the Holy Maiden..." One of the disciples of the Order whispered.
"The Holy Maiden is walking about...?"
"The rumors were true. The Holy Maiden was being cured..!"
"Insolent!" Jade's voice erupted from behind Seina as she stepped next to her master.
"The Holy Maiden stands before you, and this is your greeting?!" Jade scowled.
When Jade revealed herself, a look of panic appeared on the face of the disciples.
As the Thousand Blossom Saintess, Jade was responsible for the safety and well-being of the disciples. But, more than that, she was also in charge of the day-to-day disciplinary actions. Therefore, the young disciples present had an almost natural sense of fear and respect towards her.
"This disciple greets the Holy Maiden!" One of the disciples shouted as she fell to her knees and kowtowed.
"This disciple greets the Holy Maiden!" The remaining young disciples followed their lead and wasted no time properly greeting Seina.
When Yuveil witnessed that sight, she quietly grit her teeth in frustration.
"What's going on? Don't tell me she was faking this entire time..! It has not even been half an hour since I've last seen her, yet she is able to display that type of aura...!" Yuveil thought to herself as she became restless.
To Yuveil, it did not make any sense. Even if Izroth managed to craft a pill that had undergone Pill Rebirth, in the end, he was just an inexperienced young man. What could he possibly accomplish in something that a grade-eight Apothecary has already failed? Therefore, the only logical conclusion was that Seina had been faking all along!
But, despite it being the logical conclusion in her mind, Yuveil found it difficult to accept. After all, she knew her junior sister and they were not the type to put on an act in front of others.
"How did she do it? How? She'll ruin everything. All my plans—I can't let them go to waste after coming this far. I can't! I can't! Fate cannot always be on her side!" Yuveil's thoughts spun out of control as an overwhelming sense of panic washed over her.
"Senior sister-" Seina's voice sounded.
Gasp!
Yuveil gasped for air as she snapped out of her spiraling state. Without realizing it, she had become drenched in sweat and Seina had walked to the table before her.
However, Yuveil could not meet the Holy Maiden's eyes. It was not that she did not want to, but for some reason, Yuveil felt that if she met her junior sister's gaze, she would be driven into a state of absolute madness!
Yuveil had been affected by the overwhelming scent of Seina's cherry blossoms directed at her.
To ordinary people, this particular scent was something pleasant and even somewhat soothing. But, to one who had practiced the techniques of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, it was unbearable.
That's because the deeper one's understanding was of the technique, the stronger the scent of cherry blossoms they emitted. With it, they could directly suppress another member of their Order without lifting a single finger.
It was also why even if Sylvia full-on rebelled earlier and tried to openly retaliate against her elder, it would have been useless due to the unique nature of the scent.
Of course, it was against the rules of the Order for anyone to abuse the suppressing scent.
It was originally made to protect the Order's hierarchy and ensure that there were no internal conflicts that could not be "solved".
Unfortunately, the Living Poison that once contaminated Seina also caused her suppressing scent to stop working. But, now that the poison had been removed, there was no longer anything to obstruct her path!
Seina glanced over at Sylvia. When she saw the bruise on her disciple's cheek, she narrowed her eyes as the aura around her became cold.
"Holy Maiden Seina, I do not know what internal matters your Order has, but is it not rude to humiliate your own people in front of guests?" Avia frowned.
"That's right! Even if you are the Holy Maiden, you and your Order must still show respect to a High Enforcer of the Eight Heavens! Or, do you want to risk offending-"
Smack!
Out of nowhere, Balugon was sent flying across the room as his body slammed harshly into the wall of the main hall.
Rmmmble! Crrrrck!
Despite being reinforced with magic, the walls could not endure the pressure and crumbled under the might of the collision.
With a single move by the Holy Maiden, Balugon was rendered completely unconscious!
After witnessing what happened to Balugon, Avia immediately bit her tongue and swallowed her words as her face turned pale from fright.
That was a High Enforcer of the Eight Heavens! Not even her Fifth Great Clan would take offending them so lightly, yet she struck him without the slightest amount of hesitation!
In Avia's eyes, if Seina did that to a High Enforcer, who could be seen as her equal in terms of status, what was to stop the Holy Maiden from doing the same to her?
If Seina had been serious just now, forget being knocked unconscious. Balugon would not even know how he died!
This was the insurmountable difference in strength between someone at the primary and peak stage of the legendary realms!
"The Thousand Blossoms Peak is not a place where you can speak and act however you wish. Even your heads would not dare behave so arrogantly in front of me. If I killed the two of you now, tell me, do you think those old monsters will personally make a move on your behalf?" Seina stated with a clear air of authority around her.
As Izroth watched the events that unfolded before him, he was taken aback by Seina's vast change in personality from when he first met her.
When she looked at her disciples, there was always a protective and stern yet warm feeling that encompassed her.
Even when she spoke with him, Seina maintained a gentle and blossoming smile on her face.
However, right now, it was as if an entirely different person had possessed the Holy Maiden.
There was an overbearingly suffocating aura of authority about her and a bone-piercing coldness that seemed to seep into the deepest depths of one's skin.
'Well, after enduring for so long, I guess it's no surprise she's this furious. Still, to not be afraid of offending not one but two powerhouses—she must be quite confident in her abilities. Though, with this, I suppose my original plans are useless.'
Izroth did not expect Seina to take such a strong-handed and straightforward approach to deal with her "guests".
By the time she arrived and made a move, one of the main guests had been knocked unconscious and the other had suddenly turned into a mute.
As for Yuveil, she did not even have the courage to make eye contact with Seina!
"Sylvia, step forward," Seina said calmly.
"Yes! Sylvia greets the Holy Maiden!" Sylvia declared as she stepped forward and kneeled down on one knee with her fists cupped respectfully.
The commanding aura her master gave off caused Sylvia to unconsciously refer to her as the Holy Maiden.
"I have never seen master this angry..! Senior aunt Yuveil really went too far this time..." Sylvia thought to herself.
"Tell me what happened from the beginning," Seina stated firmly.
"Yes, reporting! It is as follows..." Sylvia responded as she went on to explain what took place from the moment the guests arrived.
The more she spoke, the uglier Yuveil's expression became. She wanted nothing more than to jump out of her seat and silence Sylvia; however, she felt as if she would be devoured the moment she made any sudden movement.
Once Sylvia finished explaining what occurred, Seina's gaze became fixated on Yuveil.
"First Guardian Yuveil, is there anything you have to say for yourself?" Seina asked.
"..."
Seina was met with silence. Even if Yuveil wanted to speak, she was still under the influence of the suppressing scent. How could she properly defend her actions?
"Then, you will have no problem facing the consequences of your actions," Seina said coldly as she slowly reached her hand towards Yuveil.
"Since when did the honorable Holy Maiden bully others?!" A voice suddenly thundered.
"Indeed. It is impolite to bully those weaker than oneself. Should we not talk things over as friends?" Another voice sounded; however, this voice contained a trace of elegance to it.
The next moment, two figures suddenly emerged at the entrance to the main hall.
Seina halted her hand as she turned to face the entrance.
"So you two finally decided to show yourselves. I was wondering how long you were going to hide. But, even if you're here, it changes nothing. If it were those old monsters, I may have considered giving them some face. However, with just the two of you-" Seina stated as her gaze landed on the two who just arrived in the main hall.
NPC Name: Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, Devil's Hand Louven(???)
NPC Level: ???
NPC Name: Sacred Leaf of the Fifth Great Clan, Pelyria(???)
NPC Level: ???
"I'm afraid you are overestimating yourselves," Seina said without mincing her words.