Volume 4, Chapter 241 – Can She Fight an Entire Sect?

The reason for Qi Huang’s nervousness was simple—her current state was undetectable by divine sense. As far as her main body was concerned, there should only be the brainless doppelgänger in the room. So, how could footsteps be explained?

‘If she sees that I have a doppelgänger, it’s over.’

Qi Huang was well aware of this. Without hesitation, she recalled the mindless doppelgänger and swiftly stashed the black waist-length ruqun that Yaoyao had transformed into into her spatial ring. These two items were essential for her “golden cicada molting” ¹ 金蝉脱壳 (jīn chán tuō qiào), An escape strategy where someone secretly gets away while leaving behind something or someone that appears to be them trick, best kept hidden to avoid arousing suspicion.

Fortunately, Yaoyao understood Qi Huang’s predicament and didn’t resist.

CRACK!

The very next moment, Qi Huang’s door was violently kicked open, the wooden latch shattering into splinters.

Startled, Qi Huang whipped her head toward the sound and saw her main body, clad in a white gauze dress, striding in with a frosty expression, a gleaming Blue Scale Sword gripped tightly in her hand.

“Y-Yes? What’s the matter?” Qi Huang asked nervously. For some reason, she felt that the killing intent radiating from her main body had grown even more intense lately. Even without relying on the Registry of Slaughter, it was enough to make her wary.

Cheng Hongling didn’t answer. Her sharp, blade-like gaze swept across the room, scrutinizing every corner.

“W-What are you looking for?” Qi Huang feigned ignorance, though her stammer betrayed her.

“Was there anyone else in your room just now?” Cheng Hongling finally withdrew her gaze and questioned.

“N-No, just me,” Qi Huang replied, forcing calm into her voice.

“Oh? Then why did I hear footsteps?” Cheng Hongling narrowed her eyes, the killing intent around her thickening.

“Th-That was probably just me!” Qi Huang’s breath hitched as she trembled.

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“You’re quite fast. One moment you were meditating on the bed, and the next, you’ve changed clothes, even disguising yourself as a man, binding your chest and tying your hair. Were you planning to sneak out and cause trouble again?” Cheng Hongling pressed, her willow-leaf brows furrowing.

“Cause trouble? Th-That’s slander! When have I ever—”

“Then why are you stuttering?”

“…”

Qi Huang had no retort. She had done something bad, she had hidden someone’s Spiritual Wisdom Soul.

“Hmph! Behave yourself from now on. If I catch you sneaking out again, you can say goodbye to those vegetable seedlings!” Cheng Hongling snorted coldly, sheathing her sword before turning to leave.

‘Whew…’

Qi Huang exhaled deeply. For some reason, in just a day, the killing intent emanating from her main body had intensified significantly. If this continued, she might not be able to handle her even without the Registry of Slaughter.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling didn’t rest upon returning to her room. Instead, she sat cross-legged on her bed, the Registry of Slaughter laid out before her.

Her eyes remained fixed on the artifact as she immersed herself in the overwhelming aura of slaughter it emitted, attempting to fully comprehend its essence and cultivate it. Her goal was simple, to gain enough control over her independent-minded doppelgänger within her means.

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A powerful doppelgänger was usually a good thing, but one with its own personality? That was a ticking time bomb.

Cheng Hongling had chosen to cultivate killing intent precisely because she knew that, in terms of raw power, she might soon be outmatched by her doppelgänger, who solely focused on divine sense. The sheer speed of her doppelgänger’s growth was absurd. Thus, she had to play to her strengths and exploit her doppelgänger’s weakness, her lack of resistance to killing intent.

As for the Registry of Slaughter? It was an external tool, unreliable in the long run. With her doppelgänger’s rapid progress, she could no longer guarantee her dominance over it. She needed another method.

A self-deprecating smile tugged at her lips. She had once mocked her doppelgänger for focusing solely on divine sense, calling it unorthodox. Yet here she was, walking the same unorthodox path by cultivating killing intent, throwing dignity to the wind.

Fortunately, her shamelessness paid off. She did have a talent in this, an impressive one at that. Through studying the Registry of Slaughter, she had grasped its fundamentals.

“Little doppelgänger, you’ll never escape this fairy’s grasp.”

A rare, smug smile graced Cheng Hongling’s usually icy expression. Only when thinking about her troublesome doppelgänger did she allow herself such undignified expressions.

In the following days, Qi Huang behaved much better, busying herself between the greenhouse and the shop, tending to her vegetables.

During this time, she noticed that her main body would often stare blankly at the Registry of Slaughter, sometimes even leaving it out in the open.

Qi Huang’s eyes gleamed. If she could get her hands on that artifact, she’d never have to fear her main body again. But she hesitated, what if this was a trap?

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A few days later, Yaoyao prepared to leave again.

“Are you going after the Nine Nether Demon Cats again?” Qi Huang asked instinctively.

“Enough. I might as well tell you my plan.” Yaoyao took a deep breath. “You already know how tragic the fate of the Nine Nether Demon Cats has been. My father often told me that if he had the power, he’d save every last one of them in the cultivation world. Now that I have the strength, I’ll fulfill his wish.”

“So back in the Yuxiao Sect, when you rescued those cats from various sects, including the last time you left, that was all for this purpose?” Qi Huang finally understood.

“Exactly. That’s why I sought you out as a poop-scooper. If it were just about feeding a few, I could’ve managed alone.” Yaoyao paused, then tested the waters. “So? Scared now? I’ve already offended plenty of sects, and there are many more to come. If you’re afraid, you don’t have to force yourself. I can always find another poop-scooper.”

“Scared? Me? The only ones who should be scared are the people who cross me!” Qi Huang boasted without hesitation. She knew that high risks came with high rewards. If she parted ways with Yaoyao now, her plans for growth would collapse entirely.

“Good. You might be a braggart, but at least your mindset’s solid. I promise, before you die, you’ll be a qualified poop-scooper.” Yaoyao spoke with the gravitas of an elder.

“Before I die?! You expect me to do this for life? Can’t I just be a temporary one?!” Qi Huang’s face stiffened.

“Sure. But just so you know, my poop-scoopers have lifetime contracts. The position only opens upon death. How short-term do you want it?” Yaoyao teased.

“O-Of course I’d be honored to serve you for life!” Qi Huang broke out in a cold sweat.

A disciple entered and bowed before Sect Leader Guo Chao and Elder Zhou Ming.

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“Elder Zhou, after staying near the Honghua Sect’s territory and gathering information, we’ve confirmed the situation. The Pingshan Mass Burial Ground did experience an outbreak. Several minor evil spirits even went to the Honghua Sect to cause trouble, but Cheng Hongling dealt with all of them.”

“What? She handled them alone? How pathetic!” Zhou Ming scoffed in disbelief.

“Then why has the Pingshan Mass Burial Ground stopped its outbreak? Did the evil source there get scared off by Cheng Hongling?” Guo Chao pressed.

“Correct. Not only did she repel the evil spirits that came to provoke her, but she also went alone to the burial ground and issued a stern warning to the evil source. Since then, the yin energy has ceased spreading.”

“No way… That’s just weak! All those evil spirits cowed by a little girl?” Guo Chao frowned before turning to Zhou Ming. “Elder Zhou, you made the Pingshan Mass Burial Ground sound like some terrifying place. What’s going on?”

“Ah… I didn’t expect it to be all bark and no bite!” Zhou Ming grumbled.

“If a mere girl who just stepped into the Incarnation Realm can intimidate it, that evil source must be at most at the Incarnation Realm. We overestimated it.” Guo Chao shook his head mockingly.

“Indeed. It seems using those evil spirits to pressure her into joining our sect won’t work.” Zhou Ming sighed in disappointment.

“No matter. We still have a backup plan. At the Evergreen Conference in two years, she’ll learn that rules are far more terrifying than any demon or ghost.” Guo Chao smirked coldly.

“I wonder how Steward Cai will alter the rules this time. If it’s still a five-person team battle, even our five strongest young geniuses might struggle against her. Even if we win, it won’t be glorious. And with two years left, given her growth rate, if we miscalculate…” Zhou Ming trailed off.

“Elder Zhou, relax. Even if she can defeat five, can she defeat ten? And if she can defeat ten, can she defeat an entire sect? With Steward Cai here, the rules are ours to manipulate. Changing them on a whim is as easy as speaking. Two years means nothing.”

Guo Chao’s expression was one of utter disdain as he added,

“Even among the top-tier sects of the Central Continent, there are geniuses stronger than her. But have you ever heard of anyone overturning the Immortal Alliance’s rules? No matter how fast a tree grows, can it pierce the heavens?”