Volume 3, Chapter 181 – Danger Approaches

To avoid alerting the enemy, Cheng Hongling refrained from releasing her divine sense to probe their movements. Instead, she relied solely on her physical senses to monitor their every action.

After a whole night of surveillance, Cheng Hongling had learned the identities of these people. They were from the Tujiang Sect of the far northern lands, a force that ranked at least within the top two in Yongning Province and held some renown throughout the Western Radiance Dynasty. It was precisely because of this that they had the audacity to plot a robbery against Shuiyu Valley.

The members of the Tujiang Sect were well aware that their actions were underhanded. Though they tried to move cautiously, their numbers made it impossible to avoid making noise. Naturally, they couldn’t escape Cheng Hongling’s notice.

Knowing in advance that Elder Han was at the Incarnation Realm, Cheng Hongling didn’t dare follow too closely. Only when the group had moved about a hundred zhang away did she open the window and soar into the sky, tailing them from above.

A distance of one or two hundred zhang was nothing to a cultivator at the Incarnation Realm like Cheng Hongling—it was no different from observing something within a single zhang. Thus, maintaining a slight gap had no impact on her surveillance.

Under Elder Han’s leadership, the Tujiang Sect members left the small town and headed north. Since this was a robbery, they had all changed into plain clothes.

As they approached the Yuxiao Sect, Cheng Hongling noticed an increasing number of cultivators along the way. Many major sects had even cordoned off territories, forbidding outsiders from entering—naturally, this also prevented the Nine Nether Demon Cat from escaping. The area within dozens of li around the Yuxiao Sect had been turned into an impenetrable blockade.

Of course, such actions required strength. Without it, this would be nothing more than a suicidal endeavor.

“Halt! This area has been claimed by our Gaoyuan Sect. No outsiders are permitted to enter!”

At that moment, four disciples in blue uniforms leaped out from the dense forest, blocking Elder Han and his group.

“What? The Gaoyuan Sect? Never heard of it!”

Elder Han didn’t immediately resort to violence, as he wasn’t yet sure of the other party’s background.

“Frogs at the bottom of a well! Our Gaoyuan Sect ranks tenth among the immortal sects of Yongning Province! Look at your attire—all mismatched and dirt-yellow. Did you just crawl out of the fields?”

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“Must be. They heard about the Nine Nether Demon Cat and rushed over in such a hurry they didn’t even have time to change.”

“The cultivation world doesn’t operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Strength is what matters. What’s the point of running here if you can’t even get in? The Nine Nether Demon Cat isn’t something country bumpkins like you can hope to touch.”

The four blocking disciples wore mocking expressions, growing more and more smug with their taunts.

“The words of you fellow cultivators are most enlightening! Indeed, the cultivation world values strength, not seniority! This old man has learned much!”

Elder Han spoke with exaggerated politeness, his white hair and beard giving him an air of humility.

“Since you understand, then scram!”

“Of course, if you insist on entering, it’s not impossible—just leave enough toll money behind.”

The blue-uniformed disciples burst into laughter, thoroughly pleased with themselves.

“A pity, then. It seems you lack the strength to demand such a thing!”

Elder Han sighed, then suddenly unleashed his immense divine sense, crushing down upon the four disciples.

The divine sense of an Incarnation Realm cultivator was incomparably powerful—far beyond what mere Body Tempering cultivators could withstand. The bodies of the four blue-uniformed disciples instantly collapsed as if their bones had been sucked dry, their flesh melting like mud figures struck by a flood, leaving behind only puddles of bloody pulp.

“Hmph! Tenth in Yongning Province? In my eyes, the only sect worth mentioning in Yongning is the Huxiao Sect!”

Elder Han snorted coldly, his expression turning sinister—a stark contrast to his earlier humble demeanor.

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“A bunch of fools who don’t know their place. With strength like that, they still dared to play king of the mountain?”

“Not surprising. Yongning Province is a land of barbarians. The cultivators here are all frogs in a well. Over the years, you could count the number who’ve made it into the top hundred of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s Immortal Seed Ranking on one hand.”

“Besides, the strongest cultivator in Yongning right now is the Grand Elder of the Huxiao Sect. I hear he’s only at the eighth layer of the Incarnation Realm. Unless he personally shows up this time, who here can match our Elder Han? That Nine Nether Demon Cat is as good as ours!”

Witnessing Elder Han’s display of power, the disciples all wore expressions of utter disdain.

“Speaking of the Evergreen Conference, I just remembered something. Six years ago, wasn’t there a twelve-year-old girl who broke into the top sixty of the Immortal Seed Ranking? If I recall correctly, she was from Yongning Province.”

Elder Han stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Yes, Elder! I remember that girl. Her name was Cheng Hongling, wasn’t it?”

Disciple Pan answered respectfully.

“Why do you remember her so clearly?”

Elder Han asked in surprise.

“Because she’s from Huangtian Prefecture! In the entire Western Radiance Dynasty, there might be people who don’t know where Yongning Province is, but no one would fail to recognize Huangtian Prefecture.”

A mocking smile crept onto Disciple Pan’s face.

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“Huangtian Prefecture? That infamous rat’s nest? I’ve heard that whether men or women, everyone there is a stunted midget with terrible cultivation talent.”

One of the disciples gasped.

“I passed through there a couple of days ago. It’s exactly as the rumors say. Even someone of my height would stand out like a giant on their streets, haha…”

“What’s so funny? It’s because of those rats that the Western Radiance Dynasty is looked down upon across the Western Continent!”

“True. Sometimes I really wish a great calamity would strike that place. If Huangtian Prefecture just disappeared, our dynasty’s reputation would skyrocket overnight.”

The disciples chattered away, their words dripping not only with contempt but outright hostility toward Huangtian Prefecture.

“And yet, a place like that somehow produced a genius like Cheng Hongling. Breaking into the top sixty of the Immortal Seed Ranking at twelve years old—that’s almost on par with our Tujiang Sect’s top immortal seedling. I wonder how she’s doing now? I didn’t see her at last year’s Evergreen Conference.”

Elder Han mused.

“I heard she didn’t even qualify for the provincial-level Immortal Seed ranking last year. Seems like she was just a flash in the pan. Talents like her aren’t rare in the Western Radiance Dynasty.”

Disciple Pan explained, clearly having done his homework before coming to Yongning.

“Well, not entirely a flash in the pan. I heard she’s grown into a stunning beauty now. In Yongning, she and Mu Ruoyi are known as the ‘Twin Moons of the Western Radiance Dynasty.’”

Another disciple chimed in.

“That’s hilarious! Huangtian Prefecture? A phoenix rising from there? Impossible!”

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“No need to be surprised. I’ve always said the people here are frogs in a well. Most have probably never even seen Mu Ruoyi. Any slightly pretty woman they stumble upon must seem like a celestial beauty to them.”

“Exactly. I’ve been here for so long and haven’t seen a single true beauty.”

The Tujiang Sect disciples quickly devolved back into mocking Yongning Province.

“Still talking about women? Aren’t the female disciples in our sect enough for you? Have you forgotten why we’re here?”

Elder Han scolded impatiently, then sighed regretfully.

“I was thinking that if Cheng Hongling had truly excelled, we might have taken her back to Tujiang Sect for training. But since she didn’t even make the provincial ranking last year, there’s no point.”

And so, the Tujiang Sect members continued on their way, chatting as they headed toward a nearby gorge. As they neared it, they all pulled out masks, preparing to launch a surprise attack without a trace.

Meanwhile, inside the gorge, a group of female disciples from Shuiyu Valley slept soundly in their tents. Even the four assigned to guard duty were nodding off, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Just then, a series of “meows” came from one of the tents—the very Nine Nether Demon Cat that Shuiyu Valley possessed. It had been brought here by Mu Ruoyi to lure out the Yuxiao Sect’s female cat. Though the risks were high, the rewards for success would be equally staggering!