Volume 3, Chapter 199 – Grinning from Ear to Ear

Those cat eyes were unlike any other—terrifying, as if they were the gates of hell. The pupils seemed dyed crimson by the blood of countless vengeful spirits, brimming with endless resentment. They resembled mountains of corpses and seas of blood left to fester for eons, devoid of life, saturated with deathly aura.

Qi Huang’s soul trembled. If the Registry of Slaughter had made her wary, then these eyes filled her with outright fear.

She couldn’t bear to meet its gaze, jerking her eyes away as if electrocuted. But then, her attention was seized by the dozen or so pairs of green feline eyes nearby.

“Am I seeing things? No whites—just pure, glowing green pupils. Isn’t this the exact trait of the Nine Nether Demon Cats?”

Her fear was gradually replaced by stunned disbelief. She could hardly trust her own eyes. The entire cultivation world would fight to the death over one Nine Nether Demon Cat—yet here before her were nine of them!

“Am I dreaming?”

Qi Huang dumbly rubbed her eyes, but the scene before her remained unchanged.

‘Heavens! Are you trying to make me a full-time cat caretaker for life?!’

Overcome with euphoria, she staggered forward. As the saying goes, men die for wealth, birds perish for food—right now, she completely ignored the red-eyed cat.

After a careful inspection, she confirmed that these nine were indeed Nine Nether Demon Cats. Her entire body trembled with excitement as she muttered to herself, “My cheap foster father was right—‘Are kings and nobles born superior?’ No matter how high your birth, you can’t compete with my explosive luck! Who says a country bumpkin can’t become a wealthy, fair-skinned beauty?”

What Qi Huang didn’t know was that when she uttered those words, the blood-eyed cat’s face twisted into a disturbingly human-like expression of confusion.

And rightfully so. What sane mind could comprehend the deranged logic of “a country boy turning into a rich, fair lady”?

Fidgeting like an overexcited child, Qi Huang paced around, rubbing her hands together. Faced with so many Nine Nether Demon Cats at once, she was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

The cats, clearly accustomed to human care, paid her no mind and simply curled up again, purring lazily.

After some thought, Qi Huang decided to craft another cat carrier and began stuffing the Nine Nether Demon Cats inside. But when she reached for the red-eyed one, she hesitated.

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“I’ve only heard of Nine Nether Demon Cats having green eyes. Is this red-eyed one even the same species?”

She murmured uncertainly, torn between capturing it or leaving it be.

“Whatever. Any cat with unnatural eye colors must be special.”

Deciding it was better to take it than regret missing out, she reached for the crimson-eyed feline.

Despite its unique appearance, the red-eyed cat behaved no differently from an ordinary house cat, sitting obediently in place.

The moment Qi Huang touched it, however, a bone-chilling cold shot through her fingers. Unlike the others, this cat’s body was icy—like a corpse stored in a freezing crypt.

Already uneasy, she grew even more unsettled and quickly shoved the cat into the carrier.

With her task complete, Qi Huang stroked her chin in satisfaction. With this many Nine Nether Demon Cats, not only would her fellow Honghua Sect disciples never lack for cat tears, but she would never be short on money again.

Of course, having weathered many storms, Qi Huang soon calmed down and began pondering the origin of these demonic felines.

“Could they have been drawn here by the ordinary cats I rescued?”

After a long while, she seemed to arrive at an answer—it was the only logical explanation.

“Hah! Good deeds really do get rewarded!”

She burst into smug laughter.

Now that she had figured things out, Qi Huang started planning her next steps. The sudden appearance of these Nine Nether Demon Cats had completely disrupted her original plans.

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Her initial strategy had been simple: use her main body and Mu Ruoyi to locate one Nine Nether Demon Cat, then leave immediately. But now, that was unnecessary. As the saying goes, “A wise person knows when to be content”. This place was a den of trouble—lingering for one more cat wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t naïve enough to think the other cultivators outside would just sit idle, and there was still that powerful cat demon lurking around.

With that in mind, Qi Huang decided to leave at once. But before that, she needed her main body to give up on the hunt.

After brief consideration, she pulled one of the Nine Nether Demon Cats from the cage and flew toward the Huxiao Sect’s encampment.

Hovering above the two dutiful “maids” below, she called out, “Listen up, girls! The Yuxiao Sect’s Nine Nether Demon Cat has already been found—no need for your help anymore. You’re free to leave.”

To emphasize her point, she lifted the cat in her arms for them to see.

Mu Ruoyi nearly jumped for joy. Being able to leave this place unharmed was nothing short of a miracle—”My ancestors must be smiling on me! My grandmother’s grave is an Earth-grade Feng Shui site, after all.”

Cheng Hongling, however, couldn’t bring herself to smile. Returning empty-handed was unacceptable—both for her and the Honghua Sect.

Without further delay, Qi Huang turned and flew back with the cat.

“Let’s go! Why are you still standing there? This place is a powder keg—who knows if Elder Zhou and the others will return? And who knows how many more experts are on their way?”

Mu Ruoyi tugged at Cheng Hongling’s hand, dragging her along.

Cheng Hongling bit her lip, her delicate face twisting with reluctance.

“Remember what I told you? ‘As long as the green hills remain, there’ll never be a shortage of firewood!’”

Mu Ruoyi pulled harder, forcing Cheng Hongling to follow as they prepared to regroup with their fellow sect sisters.

Cheng Hongling watched Qi Huang’s retreating figure but ultimately couldn’t muster the courage to act.

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When Qi Huang returned to the cave, she was stunned to find that the Nine Nether Demon Cats had opened the cage door themselves and escaped.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Have some respect! If you keep breaking out like this, what face does this mighty Divine Realm expert have left?!”

Sighing, she rounded them up one by one, lamenting her lack of carpentry skills.

Once all the cats were back inside, she dusted off her hands in satisfaction—only to freeze in horror.

The red-eyed cat was missing.

“Where did it go?!”

Just as she was about to search, a rustling sound came from behind. She turned stiffly to see the crimson-eyed feline striding gracefully into the cave.

“Why did you go outside?”

The cat, of course, didn’t answer. It simply slinked back into the cage like it understood her perfectly.

Exhaling in relief, Qi Huang prepared to gather her spoils and leave. But when she saw the group of ordinary cats, she hesitated.

Now that the Huxiao Sect had left, she could just release them and let them fend for themselves.

“No. I only got these Nine Nether Demon Cats because of these little guys. I can’t just abandon them.”

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Resolved, she decided to take them all—ordinary or not.

Using her divine sense, she lifted the two cages and hauled out the three sacks of treasures before taking flight.

Worried that her main body and the Shuiyu Valley group might be intercepted by other sects, she deliberately slowed down, shouting as she flew:

“The Yuxiao Sect’s Nine Nether Demon Cats are now in my possession! There’s no reason for you all to linger—leave at once!”

“I’ve never seen someone so stupid—flaunting their loot like this. Fine then, hand them over!”

Naturally, the Incarnation Realm experts weren’t about to let her go. They immediately gave chase.

Qi Huang smirked. This was exactly what she wanted.

Once she crossed the Sanyang County border, she suddenly accelerated, leaving the pursuers far behind.

“Hehe. Bunch of idiots.”

Her grin stretched ear to ear—until a powerful divine sense abruptly locked onto her.

“Fellow Daoist, since you’ve acquired so many Nine Nether Demon Cats, how about sharing half with me? You seem quite pleased—why not share the joy?”

A white-clad figure streaked across the horizon, closing in at terrifying speed.

Qi Huang’s face paled.

This person was faster than her at full speed—a true Divine Realm expert!