Volume 7, Chapter 401 – Charge! For Fairy Hongling’s Reward!

“Damn it, that nearly blinded me! Who the hell lights torches in broad daylight?”

“What kind of torch is blue? That’s a sword forged from Blue Scale Stone! Look at those densely packed patterns on the blade, just how much Blue Scale Stone did they use to forge it?”

“Where would a minor sect like the Honghua Sect get so much Blue Scale Stone? Is this a competition or a display of wealth?”

The cultivators below gasped in astonishment.

“Eldest Brother, are we still fighting? This is terrifying!”

On the arena stage, a disciple from the Yuanyuan Sect turned to their leader, a young man.

“Do you really think I have a say in whether we fight or not?”

The Eldest Brother gave a helpless look at the Honghua Sect disciples charging toward them.

“Screw it, let’s fight! For Fairy Hongling’s reward!”

Seeing no way out, the Eldest Brother gritted his teeth.

“Yeah! So what if they have Blue Scale Stone swords? For Fairy Hongling’s reward, I’d even dare to charge into the Gates of Hell!”

“Brothers, for Fairy Hongling’s reward—CHARGE!”

“Fairy Hongling, I’m coming! Hurry up and reward me with your fair hands!”

The Yuanyuan Sect disciples instantly revived, howling as they rushed forward.

The two sects clashed. Since Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling had no interest in participating in such a low-level skirmish, the two sides were evenly matched in strength, but the gap in equipment was insurmountable.

Ruan Lingyu and the other female disciples wielded Blue Scale Stone swords. Wherever their blades struck, any weapon blocking them was effortlessly sliced apart. It was as if nothing could withstand them.

The Yuanyuan Sect disciples wailed in despair. Those were their beloved swords, after all! Yet, even so, none surrendered. Everyone knew that only by earning Cheng Hongling’s “reward” could they make up for their losses.

“Hahaha! This is so cathartic! I never thought chopping up other people’s weapons could be this satisfying!”

“Fellow Daoists of the Yuanyuan Sect, bring out whatever weapons you’ve got left! I’ll chop them all!”

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“No weapons? No problem! Magic armor, artifacts, anything will do. If you’ve got nothing left, just strip off your clothes and let me slash those!”

Ruan Lingyu and the others grew more and more exhilarated, chasing after the Yuanyuan Sect disciples like obsessed maniacs. They didn’t harm anyone, they just destroyed everything their opponents took out.

“These Yuanyuan Sect guys are so stubborn. If they can’t bear to lose their weapons, why not just surrender? At this rate, they won’t even have clothes left.”

Qi Huang found the situation both amusing and exasperating. Still, it was for the best, letting her senior sisters indulge themselves now meant they wouldn’t interfere later, allowing her to act freely.

The battle ended swiftly. Though the Yuanyuan Sect disciples fearlessly charged toward Cheng Hongling, without their weapons, they stood no chance against the Honghua Sect’s elite disciples. Not a single one made it within ten feet of her.

“Huh? It’s over already? Aren’t you going to struggle a bit more?”

“Yeah! Junior Sister Hongling is right here! If you hold on a little longer, you might just get what you want!”

“You’ve suffered such heavy losses. If you don’t get some reward from her, isn’t that just a total loss?”

Ruan Lingyu and the others, still unsatisfied, eagerly cheered the Yuanyuan Sect disciples on.

“Please, noble ladies, spare us! You’ve already destroyed everything we have, we’re bankrupt!”

The Yuanyuan Sect’s Eldest Brother lay on the ground, trembling.

“I declare the winner… Number Sixteen!”

A disciple from the Immortal Alliance promptly announced the result.

The cultivators below exchanged uneasy glances, many showing fear. After all, those Honghua Sect women were downright terrifying.

The Honghua Sect sisters reluctantly sheathed their swords and stepped down, still craving more action.

Qi Huang also prepared to leave, the stage was littered with melon seed shells she had spat out, and leaving them there would be unsightly.

Though arrogant, Qi Huang had manners. Embarrassed, she called out, “Which fellow Daoist has a broom? May I borrow it?”

“Fairy Qi, no need to trouble yourself! Allow me!”

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At that moment, a short, shifty-eyed cultivator rushed onto the stage with a broom.

“This… isn’t appropriate!”

Qi Huang was flustered by the unexpected favor.

“Nonsense! Serving Fairy Qi is an honor!”

Without another word, the cultivator swiftly swept up the shells.

“Well… thank you, then!”

Unable to refuse such enthusiasm, Qi Huang accepted and turned to leave.

“Hey, you! With so many women in the cultivation world, why stoop to being a bootlicker?”

“Yeah! If you’re going to lick boots, at least lick Cheng Hongling’s! Why waste time on a lowly bloodline clone? You’re an embarrassment to men!”

“Pfft! No matter how much you lick, do you think she’d ever fancy you? She didn’t even spare a glance for the Emperor!”

The crowd erupted in condemnation, mostly out of jealousy. The men envied the bootlicker for acting first, while the women envied Qi Huang for receiving such attention.

The shifty-eyed cultivator ignored them, meticulously gathering every single shell into a handkerchief as if collecting treasure.

“What’s he doing?”

Qi Huang, still below the stage, felt something was off. Why was he treating melon seed shells like priceless artifacts?

Then, the cultivator gleefully held up the shells and shouted:

“Fellow Daoists! These are the melon seed shells spat out by Fairy Qi herself! They may still carry traces of her divine saliva, a fragrant nectar even the Emperor has never tasted! Only one tael of silver per shell! One tael! Fair price for all!”

“Pfft—!”

Qi Huang nearly choked. She glanced around, the entire Honghua Sect was staring at her with strange expressions. Even Cheng Hongling looked mildly annoyed.

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“Don’t worry! No one’s gonna buy that!”

Qi Huang tried to reassure herself.

“I’ll take one! Give it to me!”

“Save one for me! I’ll pay two taels!”

“Three taels! I want ten! No, I’ll take them all!”

“Back off! Anyone who dares compete with me, I’ll annihilate their sect!”

A frenzy erupted as male cultivators stampeded toward the seller like zombies drawn to fresh blood.

“Heh…”

Qi Huang forced a smile. Even as someone who had once been a man, she found this utterly mortifying.

“These people have no shame. They disgrace all cultivators!”

Cheng Hongling gritted her teeth in disdain.

The others could only watch awkwardly. From their perspective, this behavior was… understandable. After all, who didn’t love beautiful women?

“Wait… If melon seed shells are this valuable, why let some reseller profit? I should sell them myself, cut out the middleman!”

Qi Huang suddenly had an epiphany.

“If you dare, I’ll drag you down with me.”

Cheng Hongling glared murderously.

“Haha, just kidding! Just kidding!”

Qi Huang laughed nervously.

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And so, an utterly absurd match came to an end. Ruan Lingyu and the others not only stole the spotlight at the Evergreen Conference but also helped Cheng Hongling, leaving them all satisfied.

“Happy now? Since you’ve had your fun, from now on, you all follow my orders!”

Qi Huang seized the opportunity. She had lain low these past few days precisely to avoid overshadowing her senior sisters. Now that they’d had their fill, it was her turn.

“Your orders… or mine?”

Cheng Hongling tilted her head, her tone calm.

“Uh… yours, of course!”

Qi Huang chuckled awkwardly, thinking, “I’m a madwoman anyway, who cares if I go back on my word?”

“Master, the Honghua Sect passed the first round! Shouldn’t we do something?”

At the entrance of a distant hall, Steward Cai spoke anxiously to Elder Zuo.

“No need to panic. I’ve already spoken with Lü Er. He promised me, Cheng Hongling will never leave the Evergreen Conference alive in Yongning Province. Just as I suspected, Lü Er has already claimed her. He wants to keep her caged like a pet.”

A smirk of schadenfreude crossed Elder Zuo’s face.

“If that’s the case, then I can rest easy. Even if Cheng Hongling defeats all other opponents, she’ll never overcome Lü Er, that insurmountable mountain.”

Steward Cai exhaled in relief.

“To be honest, Lü Er is just insurance. Even if we do nothing, that brat doesn’t stand a chance of reaching the final round.”

Elder Zuo’s lips curled in contempt.