Volume 3, Chapter 220 – Who Dares Call Themselves a Genius Before Me? (Part 6)

“Impressive combat instincts. First, you relied on the advantage of your weapon to wound Senior Wang unexpectedly. Then, you secretly channeled Profound Ice true energy to restrict his movement. Finally, you delivered the fatal blow—each step seamlessly linked, leaving no room for defense. Poor Senior Wang, once a peerless genius of the Honghua Sect, didn’t even have the chance to display his true strength before meeting such an unjust end at your hands.”

An Kang pointed and analyzed, speaking with an air of smug confidence.

“Oh, you’ve got it all figured out, huh?”

Qi Huang curled her lips in disdain.

“Thank you for the praise. But Senior Wang’s death wasn’t entirely in vain—at least he taught me one thing. Though the Sky-Piercing Sword is immensely powerful, its execution is highly restrictive. Without superb movement techniques, you can’t close the distance. Without a sharp blade, you can’t wound your enemy. And without heavenly thunder, it’s utterly powerless. So, as long as you break just one of these conditions, the Sky-Piercing Sword becomes nothing more than a useless prop.”

The more An Kang spoke, the more excited he became, as if thoroughly impressed by his own intelligence.

“Too much talk.”

Cheng Hongling’s figure suddenly vanished from her original position. The cold glint of her Blue Scale Sword flickered like starlight in the dim surroundings, each flash teleporting her several zhang forward in an instant.

“You reckless brat, where’s your martial etiquette? Attacking before I’ve even finished speaking?”

An Kang calmly mocked, then a surge of Yin energy erupted from beneath his feet, rapidly spreading across the frozen ground ahead. In moments, the Profound Ice was corroded into pockmarked pits of varying sizes.

With the friction beneath her feet increased, Cheng Hongling’s movement technique was disrupted, her speed dropping significantly. Yet she continued charging forward relentlessly.

An Kang effortlessly dodged her sword strike and swiftly retreated, Yin energy still gushing endlessly from his feet, corroding the ground wherever he stepped and leaving behind a trail of uneven pits.

“Just as I thought! Your movement technique requires a perfectly smooth ice surface to function!”

An Kang laughed triumphantly before shifting from defense to offense. His sword, wreathed in Yin energy so dense it was nearly tangible, slashed repeatedly at Cheng Hongling.

She retreated continuously, relying on her superior movement techniques to narrowly evade each strike.

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“Is this all you’ve got? As expected, Senior Wang only lost because of a momentary lapse in judgment. And here you thought you could defeat me the same way? Truly a naïve little girl, blank as an untouched sheet of paper. It seems I am the Honghua Sect’s one and only peerless genius—unmatched in history!”

An Kang roared with maniacal laughter, his frenzied sword energy reducing the already battered Profound Ice to shattered fragments. Even the granite slabs beneath were not spared—the entire ground was torn apart as if plowed open.

The onlookers gasped in horror, scrambling backward.

Qi Huang, however, remained perfectly still. The moment her main body was in danger, she would intervene without hesitation.

An Kang’s excitement grew wilder. “Every true genius has their ultimate technique! Senior Wang left too soon to show you his—but now, witness mine!”

“Sorry, not interested.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was devoid of emotion. “Corpse-Measuring Marsh.”

Before the words even fully left her lips, her body had already lifted lightly into the air. Meanwhile, the shattered Profound Ice beneath her melted instantly, seeping into the ground. With no granite layer to obstruct it, the liquid permeated the earth with terrifying speed.

In the blink of an eye, the entire area—spanning dozens of zhang—had transformed into a freezing, muddy quagmire.

An Kang instinctively tried to leap free, but the moment his feet touched the ground, they sank deep. The more he struggled, the further he was pulled under. Panic surged through him—he attempted to activate his Divine Sense to fly, only to remember with horror that he was already a soulless corpse. What Divine Sense did he have left to rely on?

“It’s over.”

Cheng Hongling’s figure flickered like a ghost as she closed the distance in an instant. The Blue Scale Sword flashed—An Kang’s head toppled from his shoulders.

“Thanks for loosening the soil for me.”

She sheathed her sword indifferently.

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“I refuse to accept this! I didn’t even get to use my ultimate technique! Otherwise, I would never have lost to a lowborn like you from Huangtian County!”

An Kang’s disembodied head continued to rant. As a zombie, decapitation wasn’t immediately fatal—but without the nourishing Yin energy from his body, true death was only a matter of time.

“Keep talking. Maybe your ‘ultimate technique’ was just hot air.”

Cheng Hongling snorted coldly.

“Wow! Junior Sister Hongling won! She truly is the Honghua Sect’s greatest genius—unrivaled in history!”

“Who dares call the people of Huangtian County lowborn now? We’ve proven that even we can produce a phoenix among us!”

“Junior Sister is incredible! She’s destined to become the first in our sect’s history to ascend to immortality!”

“You’re underestimating her! With her here, I bet our entire sect can ascend together!”

“After this, who in the Honghua Sect would ever dare call themselves a genius in front of her?”

At some point, RuanLingyu and several other senior sisters had arrived on the scene. Without restraint, they showered Cheng Hongling with praise, their voices chirping like a flock of cheerful larks. The others quickly joined in the chorus of admiration.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang cheerfully flitted over and stashed An Kang’s head and body into her spatial ring. This is a Silver Zombie—if those Nine Nether Demon Cats aren’t picky eaters, she might just get herself a cat demon soon.

Cheng Hongling frowned and shot Qi Huang a suspicious glare, wondering what bizarre scheme she was up to now.

“Heh. Two old men who’ve lived for centuries can’t even defeat a sixteen-year-old girl, yet they dared call themselves geniuses of the Honghua Sect. Seems like the title isn’t worth much.”

Li Hua sneered, showing no signs of anger despite losing two of his men.

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“Whether it’s worth anything or not, you’re welcome to test it yourself.”

Cheng Hongling pointed her sword at Li Hua. Even after battling two experts, she stood tall and unshaken, her heroic aura undiminished.

“I’d love to spar with the Crown Princess, but as a soldier, my mission takes priority. Forgive me for not engaging in a fair duel.”

Li Hua offered a polite—yet mocking—explanation before turning to his troops.

“All troops, listen! Once I neutralize the Heavenly Thunder Sword, you will advance together and escort our Crown Princess to her final rest. Remember—be swift. Ensure she feels no pain. If any of you fail in this, you will answer to me.”

“What? You plan to gang up on me?”

Cheng Hongling’s expression tightened slightly.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? Your doppelgänger said it herself—‘every single one of you can come at me’.”

Li Hua shamelessly shifted the blame to Qi Huang.

“How shameless can you be? Taking the words of a young girl so seriously? You were once a general of the previous dynasty—have you no dignity?”

Xu Mei immediately lashed out in fury.

“Ah, but this esteemed elderl is mistaken. She is no mere ‘young girl’—she is our future Crown Princess. As her subordinates, we naturally obey her every word.”

Li Hua’s face remained utterly unrepentant.

“You—!”

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Xu Mei was left speechless, hopping in frustration.

“See what your big mouth got us into? Now what? They’re really going to swarm us!”

Cheng Hongling transmitted her thoughts to her doppelgänger, exasperated.

“Relax. Did you forget? I’m an excellent actor.”

Qi Huang reassured her.

“You’re still thinking about acting? Open your eyes and look! What kind of cultivation do these fiends have? Most of them are zombies and skeletons—creatures with high resistance to Divine Sense! To scare them off, you’d need the King of Hell himself!”

Cheng Hongling snapped back.

“Oh? The King of Hell can’t do it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t.”

Qi Huang’s lips curled into a faint smirk as she slowly levitated into the air.

“General Li, I must say—I’m quite pleased with you. You obey my words without question, just like an obedient little dog.”

“I’m glad to have earned the Crown Princess’s satisfaction. Once you meet your end and become the true Crown Princess, you’ll have this loyal dog forever.”

Li Hua’s tone grew even more deferential.

“Who said you have to wait until then to keep this dog? Since you’ve delivered yourself to me today, there’s no need for you to leave.”

Qi Huang’s smile turned sinister.