108 Maidens Of Destiny

—

"Not a bad feeling, is it?" A sneering voice woke Gou Zi from his stupor. The cloaked person had appeared from since who knows when.

Gou Zi's expression flashed with uncertainty, but was promptly replaced with a flattering smile. "This was all thanks to your help. If not for you, how could we have accomplished this so easily? However, to think that Linchong had already signed a Star Duel Covenant contract…"

"Do not worry, I will help you annul the contract." The other party said casually.

"How would we do that?" Gou Zi asks in shock.

"When Linchong is at her weakest and her master does not appear to interfere, the Star Duel Covenant will automatically annul itself."

Gou Zi was startled. He had heard that once two people have signed the contract, it would bind them more strongly than any shackles could, equally dividing all the joys and sorrows that comes with their bond. Once contracted, Star Knights must share with their Master a portion of their Star Energy, and at the same time Star Masters must also complete certain requirements. Things like abandoning their Star Knights who was in danger for whatever reason would cause the Covenant to annul itself.

Of course, whether the Covenant's judgement was based on the subjective betrayal of the Master or other objective measurement was still unknown. For the past nine generations of Star Duels, instances of annulled contracts were extremely rare, with any remaining records talking very vaguely about the subject.

"Basically, you must not let her Star Master get close to her or this will all fail."

"Hmm, Linchong's Star Master does not seem to have a very high cultivation. The two elders shall stand guard nearby. If he dares to get close, he will die instantly. Ha ha, I heard that killing the Star Master could also annul the contract, I don't know if that's true or not." Crown Prince Gou Zi laughed coldly.

"You are talking nonsense." The other person spoke without any emotion: "Since I can even give you Linchong to contract, I can also easily destroy you. Clearly you must understand this."

Gou Zi nodded repeatedly. From his pocket, he tooked out a single token. Even though he was somewhat regretful, he could see that the mysterious person in front of him was not exactly a saint. Someone who could easily deliver Linchong into his hands was not someone he would dare to provoke, even if he had eaten leopard galls for dinner.

The other person's arms swung up, causing the Token to disappear from sight.

"Linchong sis, I am truly sorry. I will take care of Young Master in your place." A stream of sound echoed directly inside Lin Yingmei's mind.

Lin Yingmei was currently constantly restrained by the Heavenly Cycle Northern Dipper Array absorbing all her Star Energy, her head was deep in confusion. However, she still recognised the clue in that voice.

"It's you!!!"

"Star Knights all only wish to serve a good master, and I have finally found my perfect one. I beg Lin sister to forgive me. It's a shame that Star Masters cannot make two contracts at the same time, if not, I would also be willing to serve Master alongside Linchong sis… At that time, I promise I will return you your freedom, though I will have to offend you for now." The calm voice in her head sighed resignedly.

Lin Yingmei's originally coldly protesting expressions suddenly became as still as stagnant water, turning silent. "Protect Master well!!"

"Un!"

"What are you talking about?" Gou Zi was confused.

The cloaked figure hmph coldly and then turned around and teleported far away.

In the courtyard, the only thing left was sounds of a long sigh.

She, the Panther Head Linchong, have also felt regretful about the timing of the situation.

"Hmph, Linchong, you should obediently become my Star Knight, I will not treat you unfairly!"

Bang!!

Loud tremors from all directions reverberated violently.

Lin Yingmei stood up, her Arctic Star Serpent Spear's piercing through the ground, almost breaking through the centre of the array circle. Gou Zi was so scared he thought his soul was leaving his body.

"This servant is the Majestic Star Panther Head Linchong, and in this life I will have only one master!!"

—

Several streams of lights shot by, stopping Shu Jing in his tracks.

After Shu Jing avoided the attack, around five metres away, the elder named Wen He slowly stepped out to stand before him. He appraised Shu Jing. Seeing the shining Star Symbol on his forehead, Wen He clicks his tongue: "You are Linchong's Master? You don't seem to be anything special. Linchong was truly blind to sign a contract with you. This truly makes one angry."

Finished speaking, he casually shot out an attack.

In his palm, an illusionary iron ball formed. The ball then disappears and then suddenly returns, this time right in front of Shu Jing.

A loud bang resounds; the ground was split open with a large gaping hole remaining.

"What a useless trash, so easy to kill." Wen He laughed heartily.

The sound of wind screeching echoed by his ears.

Wen He's pupil contracted. In a flash he instantly spun around, his Thunder Cry Sword used as a shield in front of his body. One could then only hear several sounds of gunshots rang out. The overwhelming force behind the attacks nearly pushed Wen He back, and even when he managed to defend against it, his hands still could not help but shake violently.

"How could this be!" Wen He looked at the empty hole on the ground, disbelieving that he was able to escape his "Annihilation Pearl".

Shu Jing spat. This Nebula Stage cultivator was on a totally different level then the cultivators he has met before. What's more crucial is that his Star Energy bullets was also not very effective.

But Shu Jing did not want to waste too much time struggling here, but instead his mind was focused on Lin Yingmei, for an ominous premonition was growing in his heart. Since the bullets did not work, Shu Jing used the Chaotic Tail Escape Technique.

"What kind of movement technique is this?" Caught by surprise, Wen He immediately felt ashamed and angry. He angrily laughed: "Just a small Stardust Middle Stage cultivator, yet you to want to play around with me?"

Wen He's body suddenly moved. As if he was an arrow leaving the bow, in a blink of an eye he almost caught up to Shu Jing.

Even though Shu Jing's Chaotic Tail Escape Technique was very formidable, there were downsides. Repeated uses will exacerbate the damage of his wounds. After going through it several times, Shu Jing was feeling pains that permeated through his bones.

"Thunder Cry Sword, go!"

The Nebula Stage cultivator shouted coldly.

A streak of light suddenly shot forward, its speed extremely fast. With just the first stage of the Chaotic Tail Escape Technique, there was no way for Shu Jing to avoid it. The sword stopped him in his path. A lightning symbol appeared, causing dark storm clouds to appear, summoning lightning and thunder.

The Thunder Cry Sword's sharp pointed blade made it hard for Shu Jing to escape.

Wen He pointed his finger, Star Energy circulating, a streak of lightning immediately shot through Shu Jing's shoulder. His entire body burning with pain, Shu Jing's feet slowed down at the same time.

Wen He used this chance to give orders to the "Thunder Cry Sword"

At that time, a shadow suddenly appears near the vicinity of the Thunder Cry Sword. Before Shu Jing could regain his sense, he was already caught tightly by someone. He could only follow as the other person threw out a talisman, causing a loud bang, shattering the entire earth beneath them. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Wen He stood still in shock. Using his Divine Intent to search, but was unable to find anyone. He retrieved the sword and turned over the talisman on the ground.

"Divine Ground Teleportation Talisman! Hmph, this damned rat!"

Wen He shouted a curse and shredded the talisman into pieces.

***

Shu Jing's body felt like it was moving through the ground, his mind deep in chaos. By the time he had regained his senses, he has already left the Grand Border Fortress far behind and had appeared on an empty patch of land in the middle of the grassland.

Shu Jing tightly gripped at the cloaked person's body, pulling down their hood. He tried his best to get a glimpse of the person's face, but his shoulders were still in pain from the continuous usage of Chaotic Tail Escape Technique. The pain made him feel as if his soul was being forced out of his own body, causing his mind to drift into unconsciousness. Before passing out, he vaguely saw the figure of a beautiful young girl wearing a short green skirt with braided ponytails, her face steeped in worries.

Some unknown time later, Shu Jing slowly opened his eyes.

He was enveloped in a comfortable and warm sensation. The figure of a ravishing body with soft smooth skin was currently clinging to him tightly. Shu Jing's heart moved as he looked at the girl's plain naked body gently wrapping around him, her fulfilling embrace causing his entire body to feel like it was on fire.

Of course, the girl was none other than Song Lu!

A cold glint of light suddenly appeared in Shu Jing's eye. He casually pushed her off.

"Young Master, you have woken up?" Song Lu's eyes opened, half-awake, paying no mind to their intimate positions.

Shu Jing looks towards the sky. It was already twilight, which means hours must have passed. Thinking about Lin Yingmei, Shu Jing immediately put on his clothes and planned to leave.

"Young Master, please don't go!"

Song Lu anxiously clung onto Shu Jing.

Shu Jing pushed her arms off him. He stared at her coldly.

"Are you done?"

Song Lu appeared shocked. "Young Master, what do you mean?"

"Song Lu, do you really think that only you are capable of coming up with clever schemes?" Shu Jing's eyes have never been so brutal. His fingers curled around Silver Blade's trigger: "Just as Yingmei encountered a difficult situation, you show up to rescue me. Are you just going to say this was all a coincidence? Sorry, I don't buy it." Ever since meeting her for the first time, Shu Jing has always been suspicious of her true identity.

Only because she has shown genuine sincerity towards them did Shu Jing chose to ignore this. He has heard Lin Yingmei talk about the Star Maidens who did not possess amazing strength, and thus needing to always keep a low profile. He had thought perhaps Song Lu was one of such cases.

When the situation with Crown Prince Gou Zi's man happened, Shu Jing was once again suspicious, but before he could delve into it, Lin Yingmei was already distracted by the Relic Blade Sand.

Thinking back, the Relic Blade Stone was clearly all part of her plan, a bait for Lin Yingmei. Needless to say, with Lin Yingmei's real strength, two Nebula Stage cultivators was not enough to cause Lin Yingmei and him to become completely separated. The only explanation would be that the Crown Prince Palace had set up a trap specifically for Lin Yingmei, causing the Majestic Star to be caught off guard.

As his eyes moved towards the surrounding, he recognised that this was the Mountain Lake Labyrinth.

"Do you still plan to deny it?"

After being silent for awhile, Song Lu slowly recovered her calm. She revealed a weak smile, her eyes staring at him: "Young Master is so formidable. I had thought that this was a flawless plan that did not leave behind any traces. You are indeed worthy of being the Master I want to spend the rest of my life serving!"

"Exploiting the trust you have built with others and then betraying them, this doesn't really require any especially cunning plans." Shu Jing looked at Song Lu coldly, "If something were to happen to Lin Yingmei, I will personally kill you!"

Just as Shujin turned around to leave, Song Lu suddenly spoke: "Young Master, if you wish to save Linchong sis, I have a very good method!"

"What did you say?"

"All you need to do is willing annul the contract with Linchong, and then sign a new Star Duel Covenant contract with me. That small Heavenly Cycle Northern Dipper Array will no longer be able to hold the Majestic Star!" Song Lu's tightly pulled on her coat, her two long slender legs pressing together.

Shu Jing gave her an indifferent glance before ignoring her.

Song Lu called out: "Young Master, if you really want me to make it clear to you, Grand Border Fortress has over ten thousands soldiers and two Nebula Stage cultivators. Young Master, if you leave, you will die. Isn't it a much smarter idea for you to just sign a contract with me? This maiden can guarantee that if Young Master knows my real identity, you would understand that I am much more promising than Linchong!"

"Is this all part of your plan?" Shu Jing turned, his voice fascinated: "You orchestrate a hopeless situation that put your target at a dead end, then you offer them hope to achieve your goals… This is quite heartless, you really are making me view you in a different light than before.

"Seems like nothing gets past the Young Master. This is making me all the more excited to contract with you."

Song Lu revealed a smile, her body slowly radiated a hazy green light aura. In the dark, it looked almost dream-like. This was Song Lu's Star Knight's State.

A green feather fan appears in Song Lu's hands along with a powerful aura of authority overflowing.

Someone who had sophisticated schemes, was cunning and intelligent, with plans that had everyone eating from her hands. Without even needing Song Lu to introduce herself, Shu Jing could already guessed her true identity.

In Liangshan, there could be only be one person like her.

The Liangshan Continent's number three Star Knight.

"Knowledge Star",

Wu Yong The Mastermind!