Free Web NovelChapter 89: Chapter 89: Celestial Bloom Rite
The morning sun filtered through the high jade windows of the Inner Sanctum, but Yue Yue didn’t feel like a holy servant of the temple.
She felt like hiding under her blankets forever. Two days had passed since that chaotic, heated night with Feng Yanshen, and she still hadn’t seen him.
He had disappeared right after that night, leaving her alone to deal with her own burning embarrassment.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered herself begging him, calling his name without a title, and acting like a complete seductress.
"I was so shameless!" she whispered, burying her face in her pillow.
"I should just dig a hole in the garden and stay there until the end of the world. How am I supposed to look at his God-like face again without turning into a tomato?"
In a way, she was thankful to the Beast God that he was gone. It gave her heart time to stop racing. But she had a bigger problem. freёwebnoѵel.com
According to the system, she had exactly four days left before she had to lay her egg. And she would be a mother.
And Han Soi? He was still stuck in that SS-level polluted zone. She felt like a nervous wreck, worrying about her husband and her secret baby all at once.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. It was Wei Han.
"Lady Yue Yue," his voice was as flat as ever.
"You must attend the gathering with the other females. The ritual has already been going on for many days, and your absence has been noted."
Yue Yue blinked. She had almost forgotten about the Temple Celestial Bloom Rite. While she was busy being "tutored" by the High Priest, the rest of the world was moving on.
The Celestial Bloom Rite was nearing its end. The competition between the male Orcs was already over.
They had spent days fighting and showing off their strength to impress the females.
Now, it was the final stage: the day where every female’s fertility and spiritual compatibility would be officially checked in front of everyone.
Once the results were out, the Orcs would boldly propose to the females they liked, and the females would choose their mates based on who was the strongest.
"Is it the last day already?" Yue Yue asked, standing up and smoothing her robes.
"There is one day left after this," Wei Han replied. "But today is the most important for the females. Please, follow me."
Yue Yue followed Wei Han out of the Inner Sanctum. This was the first time she had walked through the main gates in weeks.
As they stepped into the massive Main Hall of the Temple, the atmosphere changed instantly. The air was thick with the scent of powerful males and females scent.
The moment Yue Yue stepped into the light, the entire hall went silent.
Thousands of Orcs were gathered there, and every single pair of eyes snapped toward her.
In their eyes, Yue Yue didn’t look like a common girl. She looked like a fairy descended from the heavens. Her long, pastel-purple hair flowed down to her waist like a silken waterfall.
She wore a simple, long white robe provided by the temple. She had no jewelry, no makeup, and no fancy accessories, but her natural beauty was so bright it blinded the orcs.
The whispers started almost immediately, spreading through the crowd like wildfire.
"Who is she? I’ve never seen her before!" one Orc whispered, his eyes wide with awe.
"She came from the Inner Sanctum... is she the legendary noblest female?"
"No wonder she only appeared now. She must be so arrogant that she didn’t even care about the combat competitions."
"She probably disdains us. Look at that gentle expression... she looks like she belongs in a painting."
Some of the noble Orcs sneered, jealous of her beauty and her mysterious status, but even they couldn’t look away.
One tiger-beastman muttered to his friend, "Even if she only took me as a lowly servant, I would be willing to stay by her side forever just to see that face."
Yue Yue had no idea what they were saying. The seating for the females was on a high, distant platform, far away from the common Orcs.
She couldn’t hear their murmurs, but she could definitely feel the burning intensity of their gazes. It made her feel small and exposed.
She clutched her robes, her heart thumping. Don’t look at my belly, don’t look at my belly, she prayed, even though her bump was still hidden.
The Orcs with high capabilities...the ones with S-level senses could hear every word being whispered in the hall, and their eyes grew sharper as they watched her every move. They were like predators watching a rare treasure.
"Yue Yue! Over here!"
A familiar voice broke through her anxiety. Yue Yue looked up and saw Lin En, the female lead, waving at her from the seating area. Lin En had a seat reserved right next to her.
Yue Yue let out a long sigh of relief. She didn’t particularly like Lin En, but at least she was a familiar face.
Anything was better than sitting with those other high-and-mighty noble females who were already looking at Yue Yue with eyes full of daggers and jealousy.
She walked toward the platform, her white robes billowing gently.
"I thought you had disappeared!" Lin En whispered as Yue Yue sat down. "Everyone has been talking about the ’Hidden Goddess’ of the Inner Sanctum. You really know how to make an entrance."
"I wasn’t trying to make an entrance," Yue Yue grumbled, trying to make herself look as small as possible. "I just want this to be over."
Lin En giggled. "Well, get ready. The fertility testing starts soon. Once they see your compatibility levels, those Orcs down there are going to start a riot to get to you."
Yue Yue looked down at the sea of males and then at the high, empty throne where the High Priest was supposed to sit. He still wasn’t there.
She felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment. She needed to focus on surviving this day without anyone sensing the tiny winged-serpent egg inside her.
"Just four days," she whispered to herself. "Just stay calm for four more days."
