Chapter 268: Rivals Meet

The Supreme Holy Church is a unique religious sect found only in the southern regions.

In theory, after the Supreme Immortal Sect unified the universe, no religions were allowed to exist. However, many regions of the universe remained uncivilized, especially the southern territories, which were densely populated by indigenous peoples. Many planets were still in primitive, ignorant states, making it impossible for them to accept standard colonial governance.

Thus, the Senate established the Supreme Holy Church in the south, using religion as a means to control the populations of these planetary systems. Meanwhile, the system of planetary governors focused solely on heavy taxation and asset plundering.

However, after the Battle of Elder Mountain, the entire situation changed dramatically. The influential merchants who had served as pillars of the southern star systems were labeled as imperial traitors. The former planetary governors also split into opposing factions, some aligning with the Emperor of Heroes, others with Yang Hao, and became targets of purges.

The Senate had always been short on military forces, and after suffering heavy losses in the war, they no longer had the capacity to manage affairs in the south. Thus, they delegated the task of cleansing entirely to the Supreme Holy Church.

This allowed the Supreme Holy Church to dominate the southern regions, freely targeting and eliminating merchants.

The Holy Temple on the Yundujia Cluster was the largest among all the southern planetary systems, and was regarded as the pride of the Holy Church. Perched atop the summit of Lengjia Mountain, the temple fortress stood over one hundred meters tall, vastly different from other architectural styles. It was entirely constructed from massive stones. Atop the temple sat a gigantic meteorite that had drifted in from space, weighing over a thousand tons. The meteorite gave the entire structure a dark and oppressive aura.

The temple was built on a cliffside platform protruding from the peak of Cold Lengjia Mountain. One side faced several major cities of the Yundujia Cluster, while the other overlooked the vast Black Sea.

The sound of black sea wolves crashing against the cliffs echoed through the skies of the temple, creating a perpetual atmosphere akin to the crack of a whip.

Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun stood before this cold and terrifying temple. Hearing the crashing waves, Ling Ziyun instinctively frowned and covered her ears.

“Are you really going to oppose the Supreme Holy Church?” Ling Ziyun asked helplessly. “Miss, don’t forget you’re alone now. Don’t forget you’re no longer a knight of the Snow Night Star Lion Corps.”

“Can I just stand by and do nothing?” Kan Ling twirled the tip of her silver spear on the ground. “If you can bear it, I certainly can’t.”

Ling Ziyun pursed her lips. Her nature inclined her to first find Yang Hao and settle her child before anything else. But Kan Ling was the type who couldn’t resist intervening when she saw injustice. Along the way, she had already caused countless troubles.

As dusk approached, the sky gradually darkened. The sunset by the sea was always especially vivid, casting its glow upon the two women, making them seem like figures from a painting.

But the goddess of fate seemed to think the situation wasn’t chaotic enough. Before Kan Ling could make her move, a new group appeared from behind them.

Ling Ziyun nudged Kan Ling. “It’s the ‘Beauty Squad’ from the tavern.”

Kan Ling turned around and indeed saw Shi Mingyuan and her group of angelic beauties from Tianyushi Star. They were still clad in their battle armor, having just climbed up.

Kan Ling looked at the gloomy fortress ahead and then at Ling Ziyun beside her, hesitating. She hadn’t yet figured out the ways of these Tianyushi people. If she started fighting and they took Ling Ziyun hostage, it would be a major problem.

When Shi Mingyuan saw Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun, she was momentarily surprised, but quickly understood and smiled knowingly. “So you’ve come too.”

“What are you here for?” Kan Ling asked bluntly.

“The same thing as you,” Shi Mingyuan replied, her gaze shifting to the castle. The Supreme Holy Temple likely had detection radar and had already sensed the intruders. The castle was now in an uproar, with many black-robed church members rushing out. Shi Mingyuan smiled again, a captivating expression. “Kill all these bastards.”

Kan Ling stuck out her tongue. She hadn’t expected such a beautiful woman to be so bloodthirsty. But since they shared the same goal, Kan Ling felt a slight fondness for Shi Mingyuan.

“You’re from Tianyushi Star?” Ling Ziyun asked.

“Yes,” Shi Mingyuan nodded. Ling Ziyun looked at her strangely, but Shi Mingyuan still failed to recognize her.

Kan Ling, however, couldn’t wait any longer.

Approximately five hundred members of the Supreme Holy Church had emerged and formed a defensive formation on the grassy area in front of the castle.

Kan Ling raised her silver spear toward the sky, releasing a silver orb that shot into the air. Soon, a strange mythical beast resembling a fire meteor descended from the sky, landing with a thunderous boom and kneeling before Kan Ling.

This was the sword spirit from the Dan Ding Sect, once the divine soul of the sacred beast Qilin. Previously, it had remained on Copper Furnace Mountain, protecting the Jian family. During the Battle of Elder Mountain, the sword spirit had rescued Kan Ling and had followed them ever since.

Kan Ling lightly soared onto the head of the sword spirit, her silver spear pointing at the formation of five hundred church members. She tossed a final message to Shi Mingyuan: “I can handle this alone. No need for you to get involved. Just take care of my friend.”

With that, the sword spirit shot forward like a rocket. Kan Ling, standing on the spirit’s head, charged toward the church members.

“She really does seem like a knight,” Shi Mingyuan remarked.

Ling Ziyun smiled mysteriously. “She was one.”

“Can she really handle this alone?” Shi Mingyuan found herself liking Kan Ling’s bold and fearless personality.

“She was once the youngest holy warrior in the empire. Killing a few church members is nothing to her,” Ling Ziyun’s smile deepened.

Indeed, the battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre.

Though the Supreme Holy Church had many members and quickly surrounded Kan Ling, the duo of Kan Ling and her sword spirit moved through the crowd like wolves among sheep, cutting down enemies with ease. Her silver spear was razor-sharp, unstoppable.

From a distance, Kan Ling was like a bolt of lightning in the night sky, embodying all the virtues of a knight.

The blood of the church members splattered across the dark crowd. Though they charged forward without fear of death, they merely added more souls to the tip of Kan Ling’s spear.

“It should be over before sunset,” Ling Ziyun said smugly, as if she were the one doing the fighting.

Indeed, given Kan Ling’s current display of holy warrior power, Ling Ziyun’s words weren’t far off. A few hundred ordinary-level church members were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter.

But Shi Mingyuan didn’t see it that way. She had witnessed Kan Ling’s unmatched sharpness and holy domain power, but she had also seen the danger that loomed ahead.

This danger was hidden among the masses rushing toward Kan Ling’s spear.

Kan Ling herself didn’t realize how close the danger had become. As a kind-hearted person, she could never conceive of a strategy that used human lives as bait to distract a powerful opponent.

Kan Ling was kind, but the Supreme Holy Church was evil.

The current leader of the Supreme Holy Church was an extremely wicked figure. Worse than his evil nature, this leader was an Elder.

The religious leader had only arrived in the south two weeks prior. Previously, he had been a reclusive Elder within the Senate, but due to the shortage of personnel, he was reassigned to the south.

As a survivor of the Battle of Elder Mountain, the religious leader recognized Kan Ling and understood her strength. In a direct confrontation, he might not be able to defeat Kan Ling and her sword spirit, especially with hidden masters like Ling Ziyun lurking nearby.

Thus, when he saw Kan Ling from the temple, he devised a cunning plan.

The religious leader ordered all the church members to go out and surround the blue key. He knew that with their strength, they would only be slaughtered by Kan Ling.

But this was exactly what he wanted. He himself donned a common church member’s black cloak and blended into the crowd of weaklings. He watched as Kan Ling pierced each church member, their blood staining the grass.

He was waiting for an opportunity, and it was about to come.

Kan Ling was, after all, human. Humans tire. Even if the five hundred church members stood still and let themselves be killed, it would be exhausting, let alone fighting fiercely.

So Kan Ling occasionally showed slight openings, though these openings were far too small for the church members to exploit. But for a holy warrior, it was entirely different.

The religious leader saw this opening. When Kan Ling exposed her entire back to him, he knew the moment had come.

He clenched his hands, and a milky-white aura surged forth. This palm technique had been passed down to him by an Elder. In the past, the founder of the Holy Order, Situ Hai, had died from this very palm.

The religious leader placed his palms on Kan Ling’s back. As soon as he released his power, the toxic force would surge into her body, shattering her meridians.

He could already see Kan Ling coughing blood and dying.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three lightning bolts, as thick as arms, suddenly appeared and struck the religious leader’s head. Even as a holy warrior and an Elder, he couldn’t withstand such a powerful attack.

The religious leader screamed, his body smoking and severely injured.

More troubling was that Kan Ling had already noticed him and realized how close she had come to being ambushed. The sword spirit roared and shot toward the religious leader. Before the Elder could recover from the lightning strike, Kan Ling’s silver spear pierced his life.

The religious leader’s body was impaled and thrown high, landing heavily in front of the temple plaza.

Kan Ling’s cold gaze swept over the stunned church members. These people, no matter how stubborn, now understood the vast power gap between them and her.

Even their god-like religious leader had been killed. Continuing the fight would only be a pointless sacrifice.

With this thought, the church members lost their will to fight. At first, a few fled, but eventually, wherever Kan Ling’s silver spear struck, a crowd of people scattered in panic. The five hundred church members left over a hundred corpses and the religious leader’s body behind, fleeing down the mountain.

Shi Mingyuan and her subordinates merely protected Ling Ziyun and did not pursue the church members. In the south, the Supreme Holy Church had at least millions of followers; it was impossible to kill them all.

Kan Ling still stood high atop the sword spirit, the last rays of the setting sun illuminating her from the front, making her appear as if she were gilded in gold.

Her silver spear dripped blood, forming a pool in the grass.

The sword spirit surveyed the area, finding no more enemies, and finally carried its master back to Ling Ziyun.

Kan Ling’s fierce gaze softened, and she playfully looked at Shi Mingyuan. “Was that lightning bolt from you?”

Shi Mingyuan lifted her chin, neither confirming nor denying.

“You’re not bad,” Kan Ling said.

“You’re not bad either,” Shi Mingyuan smiled.

These two young, beautiful women, both reaching the holy domain, sparked a mutual competitive spirit.

“Oh, heavens,” Ling Ziyun groaned, looking helplessly at her son. “Don’t ever take after your aunt. She’s violent.”

Kan Ling and Shi Mingyuan paid no attention to anyone else. They gazed at each other, as if trying to see through each other’s ultimate techniques and strength.

In this moment and place, it seemed inappropriate for the two to engage in a duel.

Kan Ling fixed her gaze on the monstrous giant temple in the distance.

“Oh?” Shi Mingyuan also noticed it.

“Let’s see who can destroy it first,” Kan Ling said with a charming smile.

“Fine!” Shi Mingyuan nodded enthusiastically, readily accepting the challenge.

Ling Ziyun was almost driven mad. She had never seen such women, both holy domain experts, yet still eager to compete.

The competition itself was bad enough, but they had to challenge such a difficult task. Before them was no small hut, but a massive stone temple built from giant stones.

Such a large temple, let alone tearing it down, even prying a single stone loose would be no easy feat.

But the two women were serious.

Kan Ling remained atop the sword spirit, her silver spear pointing at the castle, ready for a knight’s charge.

Meanwhile, Shi Mingyuan’s armor shifted into battle mode, a unique electrical energy swirling around her.

Shi Mingyuan’s armor had a significant backstory. In fact, the current unrest in the east was related to it. Initially, several hidden immortals brought Shi Mingyuan back to Tianyushi Star, raising the banner of rebellion. However, they soon realized their strength was insufficient, and their technological capabilities were weak, making it nearly impossible to resist the imperial army.

To change this situation, the elders utilized the strongest technological advancement in the east—”mecha.” The original mecha was merely a defensive equipment for individual warriors, divided into normal and battle modes. In battle mode, the mecha would transform, completely enveloping the warrior.

This technology wasn’t particularly impressive, offering only a slight increase in defensive capabilities for the eastern female warriors.

However, after slight modifications by the elders, the situation changed dramatically.

Tian Xuanzi, the most creative genius ancestor of the Dan Ding Sect, added a secret array to each mecha. This carved array allowed the mecha to absorb a small amount of star energy during battle.

Though only a small amount, this change was powerful enough to double the warrior’s strength.

It was precisely with these mechas that the Star Spirit Republic was able to withstand several imperial suppressions and even defeat the Glory Legion.

Now, as Shi Mingyuan’s mecha transformed into battle mode, perfectly enveloping her body, she was completely different. The surging power made her float in the air like a deity, with arcs of blue lightning swirling around her.

Ling Ziyun quickly moved away with the Tianyushi warriors. She had already predicted that these two would soon go crazy with their attacks.

Indeed, the final result was even worse than Ling Ziyun had imagined.

Kan Ling lightly kicked off, launching herself from the sword spirit. She and her silver spear merged into a silver dragon, gently touching a point on the temple.

At the same time, the snake-like lightning summoned by Ling Ziyun struck the temple with a thunderous boom.

The final outcome was that the massive, terrifying temple was shattered into pieces by the combined power of the two holy domain experts. With a deafening roar, it collapsed. The shattered stones rolled down the cliff like boulders from a mountain peak, plunging into the Black Sea below.

“I’m really impressed by you two…” Ling Ziyun patted her chest, watching the two women return hand in hand, smiling happily.

Just a joint attack had made the two women become close friends, like sisters.

Shi Mingyuan smiled and walked back to Ling Ziyun, as if the collapse of the mountain and the destruction of the temple were ordinary events. She extended her hand toward Kan Ling and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Shi Mingyuan, the Chief Executive of the Star Spirit Republic.”

“The Star Spirit Republic?”

“Shi Mingyuan?”

Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun reacted very differently.

Lan Hu was slightly surprised but extended her hand to shake with Shi Mingyuan:

“My name is Kan Ling, and this is Ling Ziyun. We are imperial rebels.”

“Ling Ziyun?” Shi Mingyuan was stunned and looked at Ling Ziyun again. She stared for a long time but couldn’t connect this plain, approachable woman holding a baby with the image of the charming brothel owner she remembered. “You’re Ling Ziyun?”

Ling Ziyun finally recognized Shi Mingyuan. She was speechless and couldn’t even speak.

In this world, coincidences were common, but could there be any more coincidental than this? The three women of Yang Hao had met in one place and formed a deep bond of battle friendship.

Even more surprising to Ling Ziyun was that Shi Mingyuan had become the Chief Executive of the Star Spirit Republic.

Was this still the same Shi Mingyuan? Was this the same top courtesan who had been ridiculed by customers for her electrical defenses, the one who was said to have never been desired by anyone? Was this the same woman who had often been bullied by Ling Ziyun?

Ling Ziyun’s face paled. She sensed some suppressed anger from Shi Mingyuan, and her mecha was already preparing for battle.

Ling Ziyun knew she had a history with Shi Mingyuan. If this were to be addressed today, it could be disastrous. She acted decisively, quickly hugging her child and saying a sentence that could save her: “Yang Hao’s child is almost as heavy as his father.”

This was a completely meaningless statement. A newborn baby could never be heavier than its father.

But the key to this sentence lay in the first two words—”Yang Hao.”

As Ling Ziyun had expected, Shi Mingyuan’s anger quickly subsided. Instead, a sense of confusion enveloped her.

Ling Ziyun, the little fox carefully cultivated by the Senate, had gambled again and won. Though she didn’t know Yang Hao’s current whereabouts, Shi Mingyuan’s relationship with Yang Hao was clear. As long as she brought up Yang Hao’s son, she would surely soften.

Kan Ling was somewhat puzzled. She noticed something unusual between Ling Ziyun and Shi Mingyuan. “What’s going on? Do you two know each other?”

“No,” Shi Mingyuan quickly and firmly shook her head. “We don’t know each other at all.”

Ling Ziyun had a slight smile on her lips. “That’s right. We don’t know each other.”

Though they claimed not to know each other, an awkward tension lingered among the three.

Now Ling Ziyun knew the identities of all three and their relationships with Yang Hao, making her the most informed. Shi Mingyuan only knew that the child in Ling Ziyun’s arms was Yang Hao’s son, and she had heard of Kan Ling’s name—she was the woman Yang Hao had found in the imperial capital. The most innocent was our beautiful Kan Ling, completely unaware of the deep sorrow in Shi Mingyuan’s gaze.

“Miss Leader, you should be very busy. Let’s part ways here.”

Ling Ziyun finally broke the awkwardness, hinting at something.

“No!” To her surprise, both Kan Ling and Shi Mingyuan shouted in unison.

Especially Kan Ling, who grabbed Shi Mingyuan’s hand and clung to her. “Don’t go. Sister Shi’s martial arts are so high-level. I still want to study with her more.”

Ling Ziyun rolled her eyes dramatically. Study what? If they kept studying, even the husband would be studied away.

But no matter how many times she rolled her eyes, Kan Ling didn’t notice at all. Instead, she enthusiastically discussed holy domain cultivation methods with Shi Mingyuan.

Ling Ziyun could only sigh into the wind. This kind of life was too wild.

But regardless, history rolled forward, straight and unyielding.

After leaving Lengjia Mountain, Shi Mingyuan directly invited Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun onto her spaceship.

After all, Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun had nowhere else to go. It wasn’t convenient to hitchhike on smuggler ships everywhere. So they boarded Shi Mingyuan’s pure white, extremely beautiful ship named Twin Star.

Speaking of this spaceship, it was quite famous in the universe—not because of its technological capabilities, but because of its appearance. This was a twin-hulled ship, with two cabins connected by a corridor, and the main control cabin below. The entire ship was lightweight, looking like a soaring white swallow.

Generally speaking, whether it was a merchant ship or a combat spaceship, they all tried to blend in with the background of the universe. At the very least, they tried to look the same as other ships of the same configuration. Everyone knew that an important rule in warfare was that the prominent target gets shot first.

The more noticeable and conspicuous you were, the more likely you were to be targeted.

The Twin Star, with its pure white color, stood out like a star against the blue cosmic background, which was naturally very dangerous. However, Shi Mingyuan never worried about this. As a woman, her pursuit was always beauty in appearance. Other matters could wait.

Inside the control cabin, Ling Ziyun sat in the captain’s seat, lost in thought.

The ship already had an automated flight route, requiring no manual control. Ling Ziyun was just staring at the navigation chart, pondering something.

Meeting Shi Mingyuan in the south was a great surprise to Ling Ziyun. Although she had known a little about Shi Mingyuan during her time as a Senate spy, she hadn’t expected this woman to become the Chief Executive of the Star Spirit Republic.

However, Shi Mingyuan’s current identity wasn’t Ling Ziyun’s main concern. What she was most preoccupied with was Yang Hao’s whereabouts and whether they were related to Shi Mingyuan.

She and Kan Ling had never returned to the Shenyu Autonomous Territory. Their only purpose was to search for Yang Hao. Since the Battle of Elder Mountain, Yang Hao had fought against the Supreme Heavenly Sect and then disappeared without a trace. He hadn’t returned to Shenyu, nor could he have gone to the already destroyed northern territories. Therefore, Kan Ling and Ling Ziyun came to the south to search.

But after searching for so long, they found no trace. Could Yang Hao have gone to the east where Shi Mingyuan was?

The more Ling Ziyun thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Earlier, when Shi Mingyuan heard that she was holding Yang Hao’s son, her expression was definitely not that of a former lover.

Yang Hao was drifting in space, not returning to Shenyu or coming to the south. The only option left was to go east to find Shi Mingyuan.

As Ling Ziyun was deeply engrossed in guessing Yang Hao’s whereabouts, she suddenly heard a scream, seemingly from Kan Ling.

Startled, Ling Ziyun turned around. Kan Ling had just taken some clothes to the nearby bathroom to take a shower. With her abilities, nothing should have scared her so much.

She waited for a while, but the sound from the bathroom stopped. Then Shi Mingyuan was forcefully pushed out of the bathroom by Kan Ling.

Shi Mingyuan, soaked and disgruntled, left the bathroom and walked to the control cabin where Ling Ziyun was.

“What were you two doing?” Ling Ziyun asked, already dreading the answer.

Shi Mingyuan grinned mischievously. “I just rushed into the bathroom, wanting to catch a glimpse of a naked girl, and she chased me out.”

“Peeping on Lan Yue taking a bath?” Ling Ziyun was speechless, shaking her head helplessly. “You’re really something. If you want to know about a rival, just ask me. Why peep at her?”

Shi Mingyuan’s eyes rolled around a few times. Indeed, she approached and sat down, asking curiously, “Sister Ling Ziyun, tell me, who is more beautiful, me or Kan Ling?”

“Sister?” Ling Ziyun muttered to herself. Shi Mingyuan had truly grown up. To gather information, she was even willing to use such a shameless title. Still, she answered seriously, “Kan Ling and you are equally beautiful. However, she has a bigger chest, and you have longer legs. Both are things Yang Hao likes.”

“Oh.” Shi Mingyuan blushed slightly, nodding. But she suddenly became alert. “Why does it matter what Yang Hao likes? What does it have to do with him?”

“Isn’t Yang Hao in your territory?” Ling Ziyun pretended to be casual, asking an unexpected question.

“How do you know?” Shi Mingyuan was shocked. This matter had never been disclosed outside the core members of the Star Spirit Republic.

“Oh!!” Ling Ziyun cunningly smiled like a little fox. “So it’s true. He really is with you.”

“You tricked me?” Shi Mingyuan pouted. Although she had matured and become the Chief Executive, compared to Ling Ziyun’s intelligence, she was still somewhat inferior.

“Did Yang Hao really go to the Star Spirit Republic? When did he arrive? Was he injured?” Ling Ziyun asked in quick succession.

However, Shi Mingyuan kept her mouth tightly shut, adopting a stubborn attitude of “I won’t say anything no matter how much you ask,” determined to make this woman anxious.

But how could she possibly outwit Ling Ziyun, the female strategist even Yang Hao himself would consult?

Ling Ziyun raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled. “Since you won’t tell me, I’ll just tell Kan Ling about your relationship with Yang Hao and let her ask you.”

“No!” Shi Mingyuan was horrified. “No, no, no, Sister Ling Ziyun, please don’t tell Kan Ling.”

“Why not tell her? She is Yang Hao’s current fiancée, after all.”

“I’m still Yang Hao’s official first wife,” Shi Mingyuan pouted. “Hmph, that fickle man.”

“If you don’t want me to tell Kan Ling, then you have to first tell me where Yang Hao is. I don’t want the child to grow up without a father. Even if he loses an arm or a leg, it’s not good,” Ling Ziyun said with a smirk.

Shi Mingyuan was completely defeated and reluctantly lowered her head. “He’s fine. He’s in the Star Spirit Republic, undergoing special training from the elders.”

“Special training?”

Shi Mingyuan briefly told Ling Ziyun about her experiences and the matters of the hidden immortals, deliberately omitting the dangerous parts about the Great Dan Cultivation, as she wasn’t sure whether Yang Hao would accept the training and didn’t want to worry too many people.

Hearing that Yang Hao was not only safe but had also benefited from special training by several golden immortals, Ling Ziyun felt reassured. However, she secretly glanced at Shi Mingyuan and asked:

“When you reunited with Yang Hao, did he mention anything about Kan Ling?”

“Hmph!” Shi Mingyuan sat in the captain’s seat, sulking. After a long while, she turned her head and asked, “Ling Sister, is that child really Yang Hao’s?”

“Yes,” Ling Ziyun nodded.

“He already has such a big son and an engaged wife. That womanizer, Yang Hao!” Shi Mingyuan grew angrier, blue arcs of electricity flying around her, scaring Ling Ziyun.

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry,” Ling Ziyun tried to soothe her. “Anyway, I won’t get involved in your relationship. Let Yang Hao explain everything to you when the time comes.”

In fact, considering the current situation, Ling Ziyun was actually the most stable one. After all, she had already given birth to Yang Hao’s child, giving her a unique advantage that others could hardly catch up to. Naturally, she was happy to watch the others’ drama unfold.

Regardless of how angry Shi Mingyuan was or how relaxed Ling Ziyun remained, the two women shared a common decision: to temporarily keep the complicated romantic relationships between them from Kan Ling.

Given Kan Ling’s personality, which couldn’t tolerate any injustice, if she found out Yang Hao had other women, she would surely rush to the Star Spirit Republic to confront him.

History continued to roll forward, straight and unyielding.