Volume 7, Chapter 376 – She Only Wanted to Defeat Cheng Hongling

“Is it funny?”

The woman’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly.

“You’re the one telling jokes, can’t we laugh?”

“Exactly! Our Longchang Sect might not be a top-tier sect, but we’re still a prefecture-level immortal sect. Every elder here has at least reached the Unity Realm. What makes you think you can just waltz in and become an elder?”

Several disciples mocked her openly. Coming from a weaker sect, they had never seen much of the world. In their limited understanding, reaching the Unity Realm required at least forty or fifty years of cultivation. There was no way a woman in her twenties could possibly be a true expert.

“I think she didn’t finish her sentence. She’s not here to be an elder, she’s here to be an elder’s concubine!”

“If you want to join the Longchang Sect, you don’t need to be an elder’s concubine. You can just be mine!”

“How clever of you. Seeing the long line, you decided to act crazy to skip ahead, didn’t you?”

The disciples continued their relentless taunts, completely ignoring the others still waiting in line.

“Seeking death!”

The woman’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly. The four Longchang Sect disciples in front of her suddenly felt as if an immense weight had been pressed upon them. Their legs buckled, and they crashed to their knees, their kneecaps slamming hard against the yellow granite-paved ground.

Crack!

The crisp sound of bone breaking echoed clearly.

The four disciples instinctively tried to scream, but no sound escaped their throats. Their faces twisted in agony, tears and snot streaming down uncontrollably.

The onlookers were terrified, scrambling backward to put as much distance between themselves and the scene as possible.

“For now, I’ll let you keep your heads on your shoulders. Whether I take them back or not depends on my mood.”

With light, graceful steps, the woman walked past the four kneeling disciples.

It wasn’t until she was far away that the four finally broke free from the Divine Sense suppression. They immediately clutched their shattered knees, howling in pain.

The commotion naturally alerted other Longchang Sect disciples, who rushed over to confront her. Yet, before they could even get close, they all collapsed to their knees, following the same fate as the gatekeepers.

“Esteemed Fairy, this old man is Zhu Yan, an elder of the Longchang Sect. Has our sect offended you in some way? Why resort to violence?”

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An elderly man with white hair and beard stepped forward cautiously. Knowing he was no match for her, he refrained from drawing his weapon. The level of spiritual pressure she had exerted was far beyond what a Unity Realm cultivator could achieve.

“Then you should ask those gatekeeping dogs! This fairy came here with good intentions to seek employment, only to be insulted. Tell me, should I not have acted?”

The white-robed woman’s tone was sharp, but since she was here for a purpose, she didn’t want to escalate things further.

“Such a thing happened?”

Zhu Yan was skeptical.

“With my strength, do I need to lie to you?”

Her dominance left no room for doubt.

Realization struck Zhu Yan, this woman was at least at the Incarnation Realm. If she wanted to leave, no one could stop her. There was no reason for her to deceive him.

“My apologies, Fairy! On behalf of the Longchang Sect, I sincerely apologize! I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If those disciples truly disrespected you, they will be punished severely.”

Zhu Yan bowed deeply. In the world of cultivators, strength commanded respect, there was no shame in yielding to a superior.

“Enough talk. Take me to your sect leader. I wish to become a guest elder of the Longchang Sect.”

The woman’s patience was clearly wearing thin.

“What? A guest elder?”

Zhu Yan’s eyes lit up with excitement. Having such a powerful cultivator join their sect, even as a guest elder, was an incredible boon.

Without delay, Zhu Yan led her to the grand hall atop the mountain peak, where the sect leader resided, and explained the situation.

The Longchang Sect’s leader, Xiang Yang, was over a hundred years old, yet his cultivation had stagnated at the first layer of the Unity Realm. While this paled in comparison to true prodigies, it was still an impressive achievement for most cultivators.

“Esteemed Fairy, you seem familiar. Have we met before?”

Xiang Yang studied the white-robed woman thoughtfully.

“Never.”

Her reply was icy.

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“Fairy, while our Longchang Sect may not be among the top sects in Yongning Prefecture, the position of elder holds great weight. If we appoint you without proper testing, it may cause unrest among the disciples. I hope you understand.”

Having failed to strike up a conversation, Xiang Yang got straight to the point. He couldn’t make a decision based solely on Zhu Yan’s word, he needed to see her strength for himself.

“Then how do you propose to test me?”

The woman remained unshaken.

“How about a friendly spar with Elder Zhu? If you can last thirty exchanges, you may become our guest elder.”

Xiang Yang stroked his beard, assigning Zhu Yan as the sacrificial lamb. He didn’t dare test her himself, not knowing her true abilities.

Zhu Yan’s face instantly darkened. ‘You spineless coward! Is this how a sect leader behaves?’

“He’s not qualified. You do it yourself.”

The woman saw right through Xiang Yang’s ploy. Disgusted by his cowardice, she unleashed her Divine Sense, pressing down on him without warning.

Caught off guard, Xiang Yang hastily gathered his own Divine Sense to resist. At first contact, he sensed that her spiritual power wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than his, and he sighed in relief, at least he wouldn’t be humiliated.

Still, he was shocked. This woman couldn’t be older than thirty, still within the age range of a “young immortal seedling”. For someone so young to reach the Incarnation Realm was unheard of, even in the entire Western Radiance Dynasty, such geniuses could be counted on one hand.

‘Then… which one is she?’

Xiang Yang mentally ran through the list of known prodigies.

But just as he was lost in thought, the woman’s Divine Sense suddenly intensified. Panicking, Xiang Yang poured all his energy into resisting.

To his horror, no matter how hard he struggled, her Divine Sense remained a step ahead, as if boundless.

Cold sweat beaded on Xiang Yang’s forehead. He wanted to surrender, but as a sect leader, pride held him back. He gritted his teeth, praying she would soon relent.

But fate was unkind. Even as his head throbbed with splitting pain, the woman showed no signs of stopping.

“Stop, stop! I admit defeat!”

Xiang Yang finally yielded, dignity be damned.

“Hmph.”

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With a cold snort, the woman “reluctantly” withdrew her Divine Sense.

‘She’s stronger than the sect leader?! What kind of monster is she?!’

Zhu Yan stood frozen, his mind blank with disbelief.

“Esteemed Fairy, your skills are truly extraordinary. To surpass this old man at such a young age is remarkable.”

Xiang Yang wiped his sweat, his heart still pounding.

“Well? Do I qualify as a guest elder now?”

The woman’s impatience was palpable.

“Your strength is undeniable, but your identity… May I ask for your esteemed name?”

Xiang Yang treaded carefully. While he craved talent, he couldn’t recklessly recruit just anyone. What if she was some notorious criminal?

After a brief pause, the woman flicked her wrist, and a waist token materialized in her hand. She tossed it to Xiang Yang.

Catching it, he instinctively read the inscription aloud:

“Poyun Peak… Lin Ran?”

The next moment, Xiang Yang’s eyes bulged like copper bells.

“Y-You… You’re the top immortal seedling of Poyun Peak… the Sixth Princess of the Western Radiance Dynasty… Lin Ran?!”

“Do you think anyone in this dynasty would dare impersonate me?”

Lin Ran’s rhetorical question was answer enough.

Xiang Yang and Zhu Yan exchanged horrified glances, their legs trembling violently before they dropped to their knees.

“We pay our respects to Her Highness!”

“Rise. We are all cultivators, there’s no need for mortal courtesies.”

Lin Ran waved dismissively.

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“Forgive me, Your Highness! Had I known your identity, I wouldn’t have dared oppose you even with a bear’s courage and a leopard’s daring!”

Xiang Yang stood up, bowing repeatedly, though inwardly he was resentful. ‘If you’d just revealed who you were from the start, none of this would’ve happened! Did you really have to play the pig to eat the tiger?’

“I didn’t want to rely on my status to get my way.”

Lin Ran’s tone made it clear she disdained such shortcuts.

“Might I ask why Your Highness has graced our humble sect?”

Xiang Yang inquired cautiously.

“I wish to become a guest elder of the Longchang Sect so that I may represent you in the Evergreen Conference one year from now. I hope Sect Leader Xiang will grant me this request.”

She stated her purpose plainly.

“As Your Highness commands!”

Xiang Yang wouldn’t dare refuse, nor would he pry further. Whether as a royal or a disciple of Poyun Peak, Lin Ran was far beyond the Longchang Sect’s ability to oppose.

Soon after, Xiang Yang summoned a female disciple to escort Lin Ran to her quarters.

“It seems the Immortal Alliance’s rewards have attracted many outsiders.”

Xiang Yang sighed.

“But I don’t understand. With her status, she could easily join any major sect in Yongning. Why choose our humble, low-ranking sect?”

Zhu Yan was baffled.

“Who knows?”

Xiang Yang shook his head helplessly.

The truth was simple, Lin Ran wanted to compete with Cheng Hongling on equal footing. Victory achieved through the backing of a powerful sect would prove nothing.

In the end, Lin Ran had come to Yongning Prefecture for one purpose: to defeat Cheng Hongling and prove herself. The Immortal Alliance’s rewards were secondary, the imperial palace had no shortage of such treasures.