Chapter 494

Chapter 494: Can You Take a Message For Me
Dark clouds churned as lightning snakes danced wildly across the sky, and the thunder grew louder and louder.

All the cultivators of Xiao He Realm were startled by the huge commotion and rushed toward the altar, fear and unease written on every face.

Inside the palace.

Yu Zhao and the other three were still stunned.

The Divine Maiden had tried to seize their fortune before, and now she was immediately struck by backlash.

This just happened to prove that everything the Divine Maiden said earlier had been true.

Although she had absorbed the fortune of those believers, she also gave them a corresponding return, so she had not suffered Heavenly Lightning Punishment.

But now she had broken the rules.

The Heavenly Dao was enraged and sent down Heavenly Lightning Punishment.

Among them, Yu Zhao was the most shocked.

Since the Heavenly Dao could notice the Divine Maiden breaking the rules the moment it happened, why could it not sense Ye Cong Xin doing evil?

Countless cultivators had died at Ye Cong Xin’s hands, yet the Heavenly Dao did nothing.

As she thought of this, something flashed quickly through Yu Zhao’s mind, but she could not quite grasp it.

While she was still dazed, the thunderclouds in the sky suddenly gathered. A huge bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, shooting straight toward the Divine Maiden.

With a deafening boom, the white light scattered. The Divine Maiden was nowhere to be seen, and a pit several meters deep was left where she had been standing.

Covered in soot, Ancestor Sui Bian pointed at the sky, his voice shaking as he said, “I saw that bolt of lightning hit her with my own eyes. It turned her to dust.”

As soon as he finished speaking, another loud boom sounded above their heads.

Through the gaping hole in the palace roof, they could see the thunderclouds in the sky still rolling and gathering, as if they were brewing an even more terrifying bolt of lightning.

This time, the target of the clouds was clearly the Stone Idol beneath Yu Zhao.

Ancestor Sui Bian’s face changed sharply as he shouted, “Yu Zhao! Get out of the way! It’s about to strike the Stone Idol!”

At his words, Yu Zhao immediately released her hold on the Stone Idol. Her figure blurred as she quickly retreated to the side.

As soon as she moved away, countless runes suddenly lit up on the surface of the Stone Idol.

These runes were exactly the same as the ones they had seen in the underground room.

The runes linked tightly together, wrapping completely around the Stone Idol.

The thunderclouds in the sky grew even more terrifying. Lightning snakes darted wildly through the clouds, and the thunder shook the heavens.

Yu Zhao’s scalp tingled.

This bolt of lightning was far more frightening than the last one. If it fell, it would probably level the entire palace.

Just as she was hesitating over whether she should retreat even farther, the cultivators gathered outside the palace suddenly dropped to their knees.

They pressed their hands together in sincere prayer, murmuring under their breath.

Then faint balls of light flew quickly from their bodies toward the Stone Idol and merged into a huge light screen that spread out above it.

“Could those be their fortune?” Black Daoist blurted out.

Yu Zhao was deeply shaken.

The thunderclouds in the sky seemed enraged by this sudden change. The lightning they had been brewing suddenly crashed down.

When the bolt struck the barrier, it exploded into dazzling light, and for a moment the whole world seemed to fall into silence.

By the time Yu Zhao and the others came back to their senses, the thunderclouds in the sky had already scattered, and the sky had returned to calm.

“Is it over?” Ancestor Sui Bian let out a long breath.

He had not been the one to withstand the Heavenly Lightning Punishment, but being so close still made the fear feel very real.

Black Daoist, his hair sticking up like a bird’s nest, smacked his lips and said, “Exciting!”

Yu Zhao and Senior Xiu Yu said nothing.

Both of them were staring at the Stone Idol in the great hall.

It was completely unharmed, just as it had been when Yu Zhao and the others first saw it.

The believers’ fortune had really blocked the Heavenly Lightning Punishment.

At that moment, a faint shadow slowly drifted out from above the Stone Idol.

The Divine Maiden’s Primordial Spirit looked extremely weak, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

She looked toward the believers outside the palace, her eyes filled with complicated emotion.

She had not expected those cultivators to actually give up their fortune to protect her.

She had only planned to stay here for a while, gather fortune, and then move on to the next place.

But in this moment she truly felt a sense of belonging to this place.

“All four of you, I was the one who made a move against you first. Now that I have suffered Heavenly Lightning Punishment, can you spare my life? I am willing to swear a Dao oath that I will never again use the Luck Devouring Art to harm others.”

There was a hint of pleading in the Divine Maiden’s expression.

Her physical body had been destroyed. Now she had only her Primordial Spirit left, with very little ability to protect herself, and for a long time to come she would only be able to reside within the Stone Idol.

After she finished speaking, she seemed afraid that Yu Zhao and the others would refuse and added, “I am willing to offer my Jade Scepter, as well as my flower carriage and my spirit beast, to show my apology.”

Ancestor Sui Bian rubbed his hands together, looking a little embarrassed for once as he asked, “Then do you have any extra Jade Cores on you?”

The Divine Maiden gave a bitter smile and said, “That flower carriage and the Jade Scepter were gifts from my mother. Other than that, I have nothing of value left on me.”

They instantly understood why the Divine Maiden’s flower carriage and the palace were so different in quality.

“We don’t need the flower carriage,” Ancestor Sui Bian said, “but the Jade Scepter is useful to us, so we’ll take it. After that, the grudges between us will be written off.”

“Thank you, fellow Daoists.” The Divine Maiden felt that being able to keep her life this time was already the greatest blessing. She had nothing else to ask for.

However, when she saw that Yu Zhao was about to leave, she suddenly called out to her.

“Yu Zhao.”

Yu Zhao turned back to look at her.

“You are a Heaven’s Chosen who carries great fortune. You are also the person most likely to find Eastcoming Immortal Island.”

Yu Zhao tilted her head slightly, signaling for her to continue.

The Divine Maiden hesitated for a long moment. Then she drew out a Jade Token from within the Stone Idol. It was carved with the image of an Immortal Island shrouded in mist. She slowly held it out in front of Yu Zhao.

“This is the Token of Eastcoming Immortal Island. If you are able to enter Eastcoming Immortal Island, can you help me pass on a message?”

“You want to send a message to your mother?”

“Yes.” The Divine Maiden nodded. “I want you to ask her whether she still remembers a girl named Ming Zhu who is waiting for her.”

Yu Zhao was silent for a moment, then reached out to take the Jade Token and asked, “May I ask what your honored mother’s name is?”

“She refuses to tell me,” the Divine Maiden said, “but once you see her, you will definitely recognize her.”

As she spoke, the Divine Maiden lifted her faint veil, revealing a face as pure and graceful as a lotus blooming in clear water.

“I inherited my mother’s looks. Seeing me is the same as seeing her.”

Yu Zhao gazed deeply at her, as if she wanted to carve her features into her memory.

“All right. If I ever get the chance to enter Eastcoming Immortal Island, I will deliver your message.”

“Thank you.” The Divine Maiden gave Yu Zhao a solemn bow.

She kept staring in the direction they had gone long after the four of them disappeared from sight.

She did not know how much time had passed before a rustling sound woke her from her daze.

When she looked up, she saw that the cultivators of Xiao He Realm were repairing her damaged roof.

Her gaze dropped.

Another group of people was filling in the deep pit in the ground.

They worked with great energy, showing no sign of exhaustion.

The Divine Maiden’s restless heart instantly settled.

She thought that maybe she no longer needed to chase after her mother’s tracks. She had already found the place she wanted to guard for the rest of her life.