Volume 3, Chapter 174 – The Second Doppelgänger is Cheng Hongling (Part 3)

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul stood before the Window of the Heart, observing the outside world with cold detachment. Prideful as she was, being imprisoned in this Sea of Consciousness by a country bumpkin like Qi Huang had long filled her with simmering rage. Now, she was determined to seize this opportunity to rid herself of this clueless fool once and for all.

Qi Huang, seemingly oblivious to any danger, meticulously sculpted a new body for the Heavenly Surge Soul.

Time passed slowly. As the Heavenly Surge Soul’s body neared completion, the curve of the Spiritual Wisdom Soul’s lips grew sharper. Though she still couldn’t fathom why Qi Huang would dare release a soul already assimilated by her, it no longer mattered. What mattered was the result.

After an entire day of work, Qi Huang finally exhaled in exhaustion, admiring her second doppelgänger with satisfaction. It was a perfect replica of Cheng Hongling—down to the last detail. She was especially pleased with one particular aspect…

“Done!”

Qi Huang reluctantly tore her gaze away and clapped her hands in satisfaction.

“Which means your death is now assured.”

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the Spiritual Wisdom Soul snorted coldly and immediately sent a telepathic command:

“The moment you’re out, inform my master, Xu Mei, of her true identity.”

“Understood, Elder Sister!”

The Heavenly Surge Soul agreed without hesitation, as though she had completely forgotten she was once part of Huang Qi’s soul. But before she could expose Qi Huang, she needed to first adapt to her new body. For nearly thirty years since her birth, this was the first time she had a physical form of her own.

Her first instinct was to open her eyes and behold the world. She willed her eyelids to part—but nothing happened.

‘What’s going on?’

Baffled, she tried moving her arms and other limbs, only to find the same result. It was as if she were paralyzed—trapped in her own body.

“Elder Sister, I don’t know what’s wrong! I can’t control my body!”

Panicked, the Heavenly Surge Soul cried out for help.

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“You can’t move?”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul was caught off guard. Frowning, she pondered for a moment before ordering:

“Perform an internal inspection. Check every part of your body.”

The Heavenly Surge Soul obeyed, meticulously examining herself—and soon discovered the horrifying truth.

That damned Qi Huang hadn’t given her a brain.

Her skull was completely hollow.

“Are you kidding me?! Is this it? Where’s my brain?!”

Furious, she lashed out through the doppelgänger mark on her forehead.

“Brain? Oh… I forgot!”

Qi Huang’s face lit up with feigned realization.

“Then hurry up and give me one!”

“Ah, sorry. Once the doppelgänger’s body is formed, the process can’t be altered.”

Qi Huang spoke with mock solemnity.

“You useless waste! How dare you even attempt doppelgänger cultivation? Why didn’t you qi deviate and die the last time?!”

The Heavenly Surge Soul, now utterly enraged, hurled insults without restraint.

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“Alright, alright! I’m trash, happy?”

Qi Huang, ever self-aware, meekly conceded.

“Then what am I supposed to do now? I can’t move, can’t even open my eyes—I’m practically in prison!”

“Does it matter? You don’t need to move. I just need a stand-in. Sit there quietly, and that’s good enough.”

Qi Huang shrugged, entirely unbothered.

“So that’s it! She planned this all along—no wonder she dared release you!”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul finally pieced it together.

The Heavenly Surge Soul, now realizing the deception, glared at Qi Huang—only to catch her smirking.

“What are you grinning at?! You did this on purpose, didn’t you?! Give me a brain right now, or I swear—”

“Can’t. You don’t need one.”

Seeing she’d been exposed, Qi Huang dropped the act entirely.

“You’re despicable.”

“Heh, thanks for the compliment! Just covering my bases. Behave, and maybe I’ll give you a brain someday. Otherwise… well, consider it eaten by zombies.”

Qi Huang coughed lightly, her tone dripping with false sympathy.

“This thick-browed, wide-eyed wretch is far more cunning than I thought. I assumed she was the brainless one—turns out it’s me.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul’s face darkened. Not only had her plan to expose Qi Huang failed, but she’d also lost the Heavenly Surge Soul—a severe blow to her faction’s strength.

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Meanwhile, in the real world, Qi Huang had no time for further bickering. She dressed the brainless doppelgänger in her own robes, propped her onto the bed in a meditative pose, and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“Perfect.”

She patted the doppelgänger’s shoulder.

“Stay put—well, it’s not like you can move. Once I return, I’ll recall you to the Sea of Consciousness. Got it?”

“You’d really bring me back?”

The Heavenly Surge Soul couldn’t believe it. From her perspective, Qi Huang had every reason to abandon her—permanently weakening the Spiritual Wisdom Soul’s faction.

“You want to go back?”

Qi Huang raised an eyebrow. Despite everything, she wasn’t ruthless enough to sever ties completely. Not yet.

“Of course!”

The Heavenly Surge Soul answered instantly. In her current state, even the Sea of Consciousness—where she could at least move freely and peer through the Window of the Heart—was preferable.

“Then behave. Fulfill your duty. If anything happens here, report to me immediately. You don’t want the Honghua Sect to fall into chaos, do you?”

Satisfied, Qi Huang began packing. The Wang family’s funeral was tomorrow—she had no time to waste.

After organizing her belongings, she headed downstairs to brief Yuan Jie. With her absence spanning several days, she couldn’t afford any mishaps.

“Sister Yuan, I’ll be in secluded cultivation for five or six days. Two things: First, no one disturbs me—not even you. No meals, no interruptions. Second, no one approaches the greenhouse. Water the seedlings if you have time. Understood?”

“Understood.”

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Yuan Jie, ever perceptive, asked no questions.

Still uneasy, Qi Huang repeated her instructions to her master and senior sisters—knowing Yuan Jie alone couldn’t stop certain… enthusiastic individuals.

Only after ensuring everything was in order did Qi Huang return to her room. Before departing, however, she had one final task.

Her divine sense seeped out, probing the main body’s quarters below. She scoured every inch, searching for the Registry of Slaughter. If she could destroy or steal it, she’d no longer need to fear Cheng Hongling.

After a thorough search yielded nothing, Qi Huang scoffed at her own naivety.

“As if the main body would leave such an obvious weakness.”

Shaking her head, she opened the window and vanished like a ghost.

Now at the Divine Ability Realm, her flight speed had increased tenfold. At full power, even low-level cultivators would struggle to detect her.

In less than half a shichen ¹ 时辰 (shíchén), 1 shichen = 2 hours , she arrived at Huatian Village—a feat unimaginable in the past. By her old standards, her current power was nothing short of divine.

Landing outside the village, she donned a veil. She couldn’t risk her family recognizing her—Cheng Hongling had spared them precisely because they’d never seen her true face.

As she walked into the village, an odd sense of pride swelled within her. She was no longer the same helpless girl. Now a pseudo-Divine Ability Realm expert, no problem was beyond her reach.

Except, of course, money.

Her funds had long been drained by the Soul-Stabilizing Elixir—hence the unnaturally rapid growth of her Ghost Tomatoes.

This time, only one fear gnawed at her:

Someone asking her for money.