Soon, Ye Luo arrived at the highest main hall of the Demon Clan’s Sacred Temple.

And those who managed to successfully reach here had dwindled down to only five people.

As expected, apart from Ye Luo, the remaining four were all from the Eighth Region.

And the final trial was about to commence.

After all, the temple only had one Saintess, so the decision about who she would marry would naturally be considered carefully.

Logically speaking, Ye Luo had the least chance.

After all, the temple’s upper echelon was not fond of Ye Luo.

Moreover, the strength of the Da Yue Empire could in no way compare to the four powers of the Eighth Region.

Yet Ye Luo stubbornly insisted on trying, not that he actually cared for the so-called Saintess of the temple, but he simply refused to back down.

On this day, the five were invited to a rather luxurious banquet hall where the temple’s Saintess would make her own choice.

It was precisely because of this that Ye Luo had his only chance.

After all, if the choice wasn’t made by the Saintess herself, the first person to be eliminated by the temple’s upper echelon would likely be Ye Luo.

No matter how one looked at it, Ye Luo was not the appropriate choice.

In a secret chamber, Feng Ling was receiving her master’s instructions.

The temple’s Saintess? No, Feng Ling was merely an attendant by the Saintess’s side.

The temple had only one Saintess, and such a Saintess’s identity was extremely noble. Even in marriage, she would definitely seek a power that could greatly aid the temple.

So, this time, the so-called marriage of the Saintess was just a facade. Six months ago, Feng Ling was merely a maid following by the Saintess’s side.

Of course, Feng Ling herself was also a disciple of the temple, and her strength and character were far from ordinary.

This opportunity was actively pursued by Feng Ling; the so-called temple was far from what’s imagined by the Demon Clan, as there were countless intrigues, making her life miserable.

From an early age, Feng Ling was taken in by the temple as an orphan, but she endured bullying all her life!

Feng Ling was stunningly beautiful, but her identity was never defined. Logically, each race in the Demon Clan had their own traits, but Feng Ling was somewhat special. She had two long tails, a clear trait of the Fox Clan, yet her bloodline also contained the Wolf Clan’s blood. Moreover, on her forehead, there was even a single horn, usually hidden, but unleashed at her full strength, it always surfaced!

That horn was speculated to be a Dragon horn, but the Dragon Clan was so proud, they would never take a fancy to the Demon Clan.

So the origin of Feng Ling’s horn was left undetermined.

What Feng Ling endured throughout her life was unimaginable to outsiders, and these hardships forged her into a wise and shrewd person, always managing to avoid danger. However, she never spoke of these things to anyone.

In others’ eyes, Feng Ling was just an obedient attendant, willing to marry in place of the Saintess.

...

"Yan’er, have you found out the information?"

At this time, Feng Ling asked the maid who was dressing her. Yan’er was perhaps the only person Feng Ling trusted; they shared the same master, though their master’s status in the temple was extremely low as well.

"Sister Ling’er, I found out that there are five candidates, three princes and two princely heirs. One you’ve met before, the fifth heir of the Ling Tian household. Except for that Ye Luo, the others have some ties with the temple’s powers."

"Oh, Ye Luo, where is he from?"

Feng Ling slightly raised her eyebrows and asked.

"That Ye Luo, he is from the Ninth Region. Forget it, Sister Ling’er, you don’t need to worry about him. This time, you must choose a husband and leave directly with him. The Ninth Region’s land, in any case, wouldn’t be suitable." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Feng Ling was slightly silent, understanding Yan’er’s meaning. The Ninth Region, with its spiritual power concentration and resource quality, was too backward. With her current strength, going there could mean not just failing to improve further, but possibly losing her power!

In the eyes of others, Feng Ling was just a First-Order Spirit Martial servant, but few knew she had actually reached the Eighth Rank of Spirit Martial!

This wasn’t solely due to her diligent cultivation, but her bloodline was extremely unique as well.

Of course, Feng Ling hadn’t even told her master or Yan’er about this. The temple’s cruelty was unknown to outsiders; in fact, there was a very cruel alchemy method in the temple, extracting bloodline power using anyone as an ingredient!

If not for her careful concealment, Feng Ling might have long been refined into Elixirs.

Feng Ling knew well, likely there were still people secretly monitoring her.

After all, now carrying the title of Saintess, no matter how lowly her status in the temple, since she was replacing the Saintess in marriage, she had to bring enough benefits to the temple.

However, what Feng Ling truly desired was freedom; her real objective for proposing to be a stand-in bride was to escape the temple.

One could say if not for her meticulous schemes to win the favor of the Saintess, she might have already become a plaything for some temple’s powerful figures.

A spark of wisdom flashed in Feng Ling’s eyes. She did not speak further, for from Yan’er’s few words, she already knew the answer she sought.

The upcoming assessment was set by Feng Ling herself. The true Saintess had sought this for her, perhaps wishing for her to find a husband she truly desired.

At this moment, the main hall was filled with music and dance; Ye Luo and the other five candidates were watching the performances while enjoying the feast prepared by the temple.

Beside them, priests of the temple accompanied them.

However, in Ye Luo’s heart, a sense of strangeness loomed. After all, logically, this temple was the faith center of the Demon Clan, but their reception standards and some incidents Ye Luo encountered earlier made it seem as if the temple was like a separate realm!

It wasn’t just Ye Luo’s suspicion; this was the impression the temple gave!

Of course, this was just Ye Luo’s doubt, he wasn’t sure about the reality. Furthermore, if the temple turned into a separate realm, the possibility seemed slim.

After all, the temple was respected and revered among the demon powers because of its transcendent status and its non-involvement with the affairs of any nation or sect. If the temple were to transform into a nation?

It wouldn’t just be metamorphosing into a nation; even becoming a sect power might instantly tarnish the temple’s prestige.

So, anyway, Ye Luo didn’t think the temple would be that foolish.