Volume 3, Chapter 166 – The Nine Nether Demon Cats (Part 1)

With the main body’s permission, Qi Huang no longer held back. She spent all her time in the greenhouse growing vegetables, practically living there day and night. Her blatant disregard for secrecy once again drew the ire of the sect’s higher-ups, and she was summoned for another lecture.

“I heard you’ve started growing vegetables again?”

Sect Leader Qin Quan cautiously probed.

“What do you mean ‘again’? I’ve never stopped!”

Qi Huang was visibly displeased, as if the implication that she had been sneaking around was an insult.

“You brat! So everything I said to you before went in one ear and out the other?”

Her nominal master, Xu Mei, scolded her with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

“Master, even though I’m growing vegetables, I haven’t neglected my cultivation! I’ve already reached the sixth layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm!”

Qi Huang boasted, not lying in the slightest. Thanks to the main body’s “Feminine Descent Mask”, even though she treated cultivation as a side gig, she had still made significant progress over the past few months.

Xu Mei opened her mouth to retort but ultimately shook her head helplessly. After all, this speed wasn’t exactly slow—what more could she ask for?

“Does your main body know you’re this obsessed with farming?”

Sect Leader Qin pressed for confirmation.

“Of course! She gave me her approval. Now that she’s reached the Incarnation Realm, she thinks she’s invincible, so she told me to do whatever I want.”

Qi Huang spoke with absolute confidence.

“Qi Huang, listen—”

Qin Quan took a deep breath and spoke earnestly:

“Hongling may have reached the Incarnation Realm, but she’s still just one person. There will be times when she’s stretched thin and needs you to handle things for her. But you’re only at the sixth layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm—even if your divine sense is strong, you can’t contribute much in a fight. If something happens to you, won’t it affect her as well? That’s why I think you should focus on cultivation.”

‘Who says divine sense can’t contribute to combat?’

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Qi Huang grumbled internally before responding with the stubbornness of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water:

“I am cultivating diligently! You just don’t see it!”

“Oh? Then why are you getting thinner and paler? I’ve never heard of someone growing weaker from ‘hard training’!”

Qin Quan smirked skeptically.

“Thinner? I’m on a diet! Don’t you know all the girls are doing it these days? And ‘pale’? This is called fair skin! Natural beauty! Do you even understand women’s affairs?”

Qi Huang retorted with sophistry.

Qin Quan opened his mouth but could only shut it again in defeat. Women’s affairs were beyond his comprehension.

Once again, the discussion ended in futility. Qi Huang continued doing as she pleased, and soon, rumors spread far and wide about how the Honghua Sect’s top genius’s doppelgänger was obsessed with farming. It became so well-known that practically everyone in the cultivation world was aware. But since the main body turned a blind eye, no one could do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling was busy stabilizing her cultivation. Although she had reached the Incarnation Realm, she had already created one doppelgänger prematurely, meaning she couldn’t cultivate another until she reached the Divine Realm.

As for Qi Huang? Her divine sense had already reached the Divine Realm, so theoretically, she could create three more doppelgängers and free her Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Souls. But given her current circumstances, she had to put those plans on hold. After all, she was “living under someone else’s roof”—it was best to keep a low profile.

Liu Lei’s face was dark as he surveyed the sect’s assembled elders and protectors. After a long silence, he finally spoke:

“Honored protectors and elders, several months ago, I ordered you to search far and wide for cat’s tears. Why have I still not received any news?”

“Sect Leader, for my part, I haven’t found a single seller”,

Protector Fang hesitated before speaking up.

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“Same here. I’ve inquired with the Gathering Gold Auction House—they haven’t auctioned cat’s tears in half a year. Who knows when the next batch will appear?”

“We’re in the same boat. The Nine Nether Demon Cats have been hunted to near extinction because of their tears. They’re practically wiped out in the wild. There’s no way to find them on the market now.”

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, each voicing their struggles.

“Then what do you propose we do? Our sect’s stock of cat’s tears is completely depleted. Our disciples can’t carry out missions—forcing them to go would be sending them to their deaths and tarnishing our sect’s reputation!”

Liu Lei’s voice was sharp with accusation.

“Sect Leader Liu, this is a question for Elder An. He’s the one in charge of raising the Nine Nether Demon Cats. Why has the yield of tears dwindled so much? Because of this, I’ve already lost two or three disciples to demons and ghosts!”

Protector Fang turned his gaze toward a burly elder with a rough appearance.

“Protector Fang, are you blaming me for this? Even if you slaughtered a Nine Nether Demon Cat and drained its blood, it wouldn’t be enough to supply the entire sect!”

Elder An’s voice boomed like thunder. His broad shoulders and towering frame exuded an intimidating aura.

“Why is there only one cat left? The dungeon had two—how did the other one go blind? You still haven’t given us an explanation!”

Protector Fang’s tone was cutting.

“Are you picking a fight with me? I said I don’t know!”

Elder An took a threatening step forward, fists clenched.

“Hmph! You’re in charge of raising them—if you don’t know, who does?”

Protector Fang sneered.

“You live with your mother every day—do you know what color undergarments she’s wearing right now?”

Elder An shot back with a cold laugh.

“You’re looking for death! A mere peak Unity Realm dares to challenge me?”

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Protector Fang’s rage flared, and he moved to strike.

“ENOUGH!”

Liu Lei’s voice thundered, cutting through the tension.

The two men didn’t dare disobey, but their glares remained locked in mutual hatred.

“Elder An, while Protector Fang’s words were harsh, you are responsible for the Nine Nether Demon Cats. I hope you’ll find a solution soon. If this continues, our sect will truly be finished.”

Liu Lei’s tone was almost pleading.

“Understood, Sect Leader!”

Elder An took a deep breath and bowed.

With that, the meeting dispersed.

As the elders filed out, Elder An shot one last venomous glare at Protector Fang before storming toward the back mountains with a face like thunder.

The Yuxiao Sect’s back mountains housed a dungeon where demons and ghosts were imprisoned. The deeper one went, the more dangerous the creatures—and the stricter the security.

Elder An marched straight to the very last cell.

Logically, this should have held the most fearsome fiend in the dungeon.

But instead, the cell door bore a sign:

“BEWARE—FEROCIOUS CAT INSIDE. DO NOT APPROACH.”

Elder An peered through the iron-barred window, taking in the scene inside.

Two thick chains, each as wide as an egg, were bolted to opposite walls. At the end of one chain was a small, shadowy figure. The darkness made it hard to discern its features—except for two glowing green eyes, burning like ghostly flames.

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“Master!”

The disciple guarding the door saluted.

“Open it.”

Elder An’s voice was a growl.

The disciple hurried to comply, even grabbing a torch to light the way.

As the flames illuminated the cell, the two shadowy forms finally became visible—

They were two small, huddled-together cats.

Emaciated, covered in scars, their fur pitch-black—so dark they blended into the shadows.

If not for those eerie green eyes, they would have been nearly invisible.

At the sound of intrusion, the two cats jolted awake in terror, scrambling toward the corner.

But one of them staggered blindly, crashing into walls—

Because its eyes were gone.

Only empty, bloody sockets remained.

Elder An strode to a nearby rack of torture instruments and selected a spiked iron whip.

Then he yanked the chain—

Dragging the cat with intact eyes toward him.

“You wretched beast! Have I not beaten you enough? Your tears have been pitiful lately. Today, I’ll make you cry until you’re dry!”