Volume 7, Chapter 416 – Fifth Layer of the Incarnation Realm? How Is This Possible?

“What’s wrong with this Qi Huang? That’s the third-largest immortal sect of the Western Radiance Dynasty, the same one that once eliminated her! Not only is she not taking this seriously, but she’s even actively lowering the difficulty for her opponent!”

“She’s always been a lunatic. Words cost nothing, and if things go south, she can always just shamelessly backtrack. No wonder she’s so brazen!”

“True. But why isn’t Cheng Hongling, the main body, speaking up to clarify? Could it be that she tacitly agrees?”

“Hard to say. She’s already publicly backed her doppelgänger before.”

“That was then, this is now. I refuse to believe she’d dare to support her this time.”

The cultivators below whispered and pointed fingers.

“Cheng Hongling, does that doppelgänger of yours speak for you? If she so much as leaves her seat, the Honghua Sect will forfeit?”

Jin Hu seized the opportunity to press Cheng Hongling, thinking to himself, ‘Let’s see how you handle this. If you try to weasel out of it, you’ll only prove that your doppelgänger is an unreliable madwoman.’

“Of course she does. Her words are mine. From now on, there’s no need to confirm such things with me.”

Cheng Hongling answered without hesitation. In a situation like this, even if Qi Huang truly were insane, she would have to grit her teeth and nod. Otherwise, she’d only be slapping her own face.

“Everyone heard that, she said it herself! I ask all of you to bear witness!”

Jin Hu took advantage of the moment, cupping his fists toward the various sects below the stage.

“Rest assured. Since this is a mutual agreement between both parties, I, as an official of the Immortal Alliance, will serve as witness. No one will be allowed to renege!”

Steward Cai spoke up like a cat that had caught the scent of prey.

“Oh? Trying to pick on the weak?”

Cheng Hongling, however, remained unfazed.

“What’s wrong? Scared? Too late for regrets now!”

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Jin Hu smirked with ill intent.

“Oh, I am scared… Scared that you won’t even make it past me.”

A look of pity flashed across Cheng Hongling’s delicate face.

“Third Junior Brother, I’ll handle Cheng Hongling. You and the others deal with that Qi Huang. The moment she flees or gets recalled into the consciousness space, we win!”

Jin Hu turned to a short, stocky, dark-skinned youth beside him, Bao Gang, the second-ranked immortal seedling of the Jinliu Sect.

“Qi Huang, don’t forget your promise. When you’re sent flying off this stage later, you’d better announce your name change in front of everyone. As long as I, Jin Hu, am around, no phoenix will ever take flight from Huangtian County. It’ll forever remain a nest of rats!”

Jin Hu then reminded Qi Huang with a sneer.

“No problem. But since this is a wager, don’t you think it’s unfair if I’m the only one with stakes? How about this—if you lose, you change your name too. ‘Jin Hu’ ¹ Golden Tiger doesn’t suit you. ‘Jin Shu’ ² Golden Rat would be more fitting.”

Qi Huang countered.

“Deal!”

Jin Hu, now thoroughly provoked, agreed without hesitation.

“Master, why do Cheng Hongling and her doppelgänger look like they’re about to get serious? Didn’t you say she was playing some kind of scheme?”

Among the Donglai Sect’s ranks, Cheng Kang asked uncertainly.

Ye Donglai stroked his snow-white beard and pondered for a moment before replying, “She probably failed to trick us. Seeing that only the Jinliu Sect is competing, she’s decided to turn her pretense into reality. After all, in a direct confrontation, it’s hard to say who’d win.”

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“Is it really worth it for just one lot? Without overwhelming strength, even if she wins by luck, she’ll pay a heavy price. So what if she gets the lot? During the actual matches, she’ll just be taken advantage of in her weakened state!”

Cheng Kang voiced his doubts.

“It doesn’t matter. Her opponent will still be the Jinliu Sect. As for the other competitor, judging by her arrogance, she’s just from some minor sect, completely negligible. So there’s no fear of others exploiting any weakness.”

Ye Donglai analyzed.

“Makes sense!”

Cheng Kang nodded in agreement before adding, “Looks like she’s betting everything on this round. But whether she walks away with double rewards or suffers the humiliation of being eliminated twice remains to be seen!”

“Such is the tragedy of minor sects. To gain greater rewards, they must take risks. Expecting gains without danger? The world isn’t so kind.”

Ye Donglai sighed.

“Very well! Since both sides are ready, the lot-drawing battle… begins now!”

Steward Cai declared.

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Jin Hu vanished from his original position. Despite his towering physique, his explosive power was terrifying. He shot toward Cheng Hongling like a cannonball, a massive broadsword appearing in his grip. Though the weapon was enormous, he wielded it effortlessly, his movements unimpeded.

Cheng Hongling held nothing back. Her killing intent materialized into countless sharp arrows, surging toward Jin Hu.

Jin Hu neither dodged nor could he. He allowed the killing intent to engulf him entirely, yet he didn’t even flinch. Charging through like a tempest, he closed the distance in an instant, his broadsword swinging toward Cheng Hongling like a massive door panel. Before the blade even arrived, the sheer force of the swing sent a gale roaring forth.

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Cheng Hongling tapped her toes lightly, her delicate form fluttering aside like a butterfly. A flicker of confusion crossed her face.

“You’re completely unaffected by my killing intent?”

Qi Huang was equally shocked. She knew better than anyone how potent that killing intent was, yet this man had outright ignored it. What method did he use?

“As everyone knows, human emotions and desires reside in the Essence Soul. So long as I have no Essence Soul within me, I cannot feel fear. To deal with you, I’ve already exiled my Essence Soul.”

Jin Hu smirked triumphantly.

‘So that’s how it is! Why didn’t I think of this before?’

Qi Huang suddenly understood, inwardly kicking herself. Had she known, she could have cultivated her Essence Soul into a doppelgänger and expelled it, then she wouldn’t have suffered so many losses against killing intent.

“Bold, I’ll give you that. But you must know that without a physical vessel, a lone soul is vulnerable to the Heavenly Dao’s suppression. You can’t keep it exiled for long. And the longer it’s gone, the worse your headaches will become.”

Cheng Hongling warned.

“Doesn’t matter. This is more than enough time to deal with you. Remember, even a single layer’s difference in cultivation is an insurmountable chasm for someone like you.”

Jin Hu’s face twisted into a vicious grin as he unleashed the divine sense pressure of the Incarnation Realm’s third layer, roaring:

“Get down from there!”

Sure enough, Cheng Hongling’s body shuddered, and she wobbled like a butterfly with broken wings, plummeting downward.

‘After all this time with me, I never thought you’d learn to act too.’

Qi Huang’s eyes widened in surprise. She knew this level of divine sense couldn’t possibly affect the main body, which meant this was all an act.

Jin Hu, of course, remained oblivious. A victorious smirk spread across his face as he kicked off the ground, launching himself upward. His broadsword carved a crescent arc through the air as he swung with brutal force, bellowing:

“Fly away!”

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“Not a chance!”

In that instant, Cheng Hongling’s faltering figure abruptly vanished. Before she even reappeared, an overwhelming divine sense, equivalent to the fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm, crashed down like the descent of an immortal.

Jin Hu’s third-layer divine sense shattered instantly. His powerful body staggered under the pressure, his balance failing him. His face twisted in disbelief.

“How is this possible?!”

“Fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm?!”

Below the stage, Cheng Kang, Lin Ran, Lü Zhen, and the other geniuses of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s cultivation world shot to their feet. Even the elders of their respective sects did the same.

Of course, Lü Er was the exception, though the greed in his eyes only deepened.

“Little concubine… just how many more surprises do you have for me?”

And then—

Cheng Hongling materialized right in front of Jin Hu.

Her slender, jade-like leg lashed out, striking straight for his abdomen.

“Not good!”

Jin Hu’s face paled as he frantically circulated his golden true qi, forming an armor-like barrier over his stomach.

BAM!

Leg met abdomen.

Jin Hu’s towering body was sent flying.