Volume 7, Chapter 433 – I Will Make You Despair (Part 3)

“Cowardice in battle? You think your previous performance was intimidating? Let me teach you what true battle cowardice looks like. We’ll settle this on the stage.”

Cheng Kang was proud and arrogant. Seeing the other party provoke him for no reason, he accepted the challenge almost without hesitation.

“Your cultivation is mediocre, but your mouth runs big! Good. Your Donglai Sect will be the third sect I ‘cure’ of their addiction to immortality.”

Lü Er smirked maliciously, looking at him as if he were a helpless lamb.

Qi Huang couldn’t be bothered with this fool. She simply led her fellow disciples off the stage without another word.

“That was so satisfying! Did you all see that? That Elder Zhou was so furious he nearly cried!”

Ruan Lingyu’s delicate face flushed with excitement.

“Pfft. And he calls himself the Grand Elder of the Huxiao Sect? Crying at the drop of a hat, just like Miao Xiang.”

Su Qingying’s sharp tongue struck again.

“Senior Sister Qingying, that’s not true! Who cries all the time?”

Miao Xiang pouted in embarrassment.

“The esteemed Grand Elder of the Huxiao Sect, humiliated by a few girls still in the Body Refining Realm. If it were you, you’d cry too.”

Yun Fei stepped in to mediate.

“Serves him right! That old bastard loves stirring up trouble and picking fights with our Honghua Sect for no reason!”

Shen Yuan cursed angrily.

“Exactly! Back then, we repeatedly begged the Immortal Alliance for help, but they turned a blind eye. Junior Sister had no choice but to disguise herself as an Incarnation Realm expert to scare off the demons and ghosts at Pingshan Mass Burial Ground and protect the people of Huangtian County. Yet that bastard lied outright, claiming Qi Huang wasn’t her doppelgänger, just to serve his own selfish interests. He put the entire county in danger, utterly despicable!”

Ruan Lingyu scolded, her voice filled with lingering resentment.

“Not only that, but the Huxiao Sect also colluded with the Immortal Alliance to make things difficult for us at every turn. Making him shed a few tears is letting him off easy. I’d love to bleed him dry!”

Shen Yuan, who loathed evil, added fiercely.

As Qi Huang listened to her martial sisters’ heated discussion, a deep sense of satisfaction filled her heart. Without her, these young sisters would never have dared to speak so boldly. They would have remained victims of endless bullying. Wasn’t this, in itself, a form of achievement?

Before long, Lü Er arranged for a match swap, ensuring that the Donglai Sect would face off against him the next day.

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Once the day’s matches concluded, the Honghua Sect returned to their inn to rest.

The Pingshan Mass Burial Ground was a place teeming with malevolent spirits and wandering ghosts. Yet, the area around the Nine Nether Demon Cats’ sanctuary remained eerily peaceful, no evil dared approach.

After two years, those once-starving demon cats had grown plump and healthy. Among them, the strongest was undoubtedly “Mimi”. Thanks to her younger sister’s deliberate care, she had recently broken through to the Incarnation Realm and could now take human form.

Because of this, Yaoyao could occasionally venture out, leaving her sister to watch over their kin with the assistance of Liu Yingyue’s father, Liu Zheng. So far, nothing had gone wrong.

Yaoyao hadn’t forgotten her promise to Qi Huang. Every day, she would make a round through the Honghua Sect to ensure no hidden dangers lurked nearby.

With the Evergreen Conference in full swing, discussions about the event were inevitable among the sect members.

On this particular day, Yaoyao overheard a crucial piece of news, the Donglai Sect’s Supreme Elder, Ye Donglai, had come to Yongning Prefecture to participate in the conference.

Her heart immediately stirred with unrest. Over the past two years, she had raided nearly every immortal sect in the Western Radiance Dynasty to rescue her kin, but a few powerful sects, including the Donglai Sect, had remained untouched due to the high risks involved.

But now, things were different. Ye Donglai, a Divine Realm expert, had left his sect.

“This might be the perfect opportunity!”

The more she thought about it, the harder it became to suppress her excitement. Without delay, she rushed back to the sanctuary at Pingshan Mass Burial Ground.

“Sister, pack your things. You need to infiltrate the Honghua Sect and stay there for a few days.”

Yaoyao issued the order urgently.

“Huh? Why?”

Mimi blinked in confusion. She looked identical to her sister, but since she wasn’t a ghost, her eyes were a normal shade of green, giving her an air of innocence.

“I heard that old bastard Ye Donglai went to Yongning Prefecture for the Evergreen Conference. With no real experts left in the Donglai Sect, this is our chance to save our kin. But I promised that damn poop-scooper I’d protect the Honghua Sect, so you’ll have to stand in as her bodyguard for a few days.”

Yaoyao explained concisely.

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“C-Can I not go?”

Mimi asked timidly.

“Sister, have you forgotten Father’s wish? And what about everything we’ve suffered? Can you really bear to leave our kin at the mercy of those cultivators?”

Yaoyao shot back.

“But… I-I’ve never protected anyone before. Am I really capable?”

Mimi lacked confidence.

“Of course you are! You’re an Incarnation Realm expert, barely weaker than Cheng Hongling herself. Protecting a minor sect like Honghua is more than enough.”

Yaoyao encouraged her.

“O-Okay…”

Mimi reluctantly agreed, then added worriedly, “Should I go with you?”

“No. If you come, who’ll protect the Honghua Sect? We can’t break our promise. Most humans are scum, but that poop-scooper isn’t so bad.”

Yaoyao shook her head firmly.

“Alright… but you… you have to be careful. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

Mimi repeatedly urged her sister before letting her go.

And so, that very day, Mimi disguised herself as an ordinary girl and infiltrated the Honghua Sect, taking up the role of protector.

Meanwhile, Yaoyao swiftly made her way to the Donglai Sect, ready to seize the opportunity to rescue their tormented kin.

For the Huxiao Sect in the provincial capital, this day would forever be etched in their memories as one of utter humiliation. Their prized immortal seedling had been eliminated by an eighteen-year-old girl, a disgrace beyond compare.

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Sect Leader Guo Rong couldn’t comprehend it. He immediately summoned the sect’s top experts to interrogate Zhou Ming and the disciples who had participated in the Evergreen Conference.

“Zhou Ming, for two years, we’ve carefully laid our plans to suppress Cheng Hongling and force her to join the Huxiao Sect. And what do you do? Lead our immortal seedlings to a crushing defeat at the hands of a single girl, forever branding our sect with the mark of shame. Who’s suppressing whom now?”

Guo Rong gnashed his teeth as he demanded answers.

“Suppression? That’s putting it lightly. Our immortal seedlings were single-handedly eliminated by a mere girl. Such a pathetic performance will go down in history, dragged out and ridiculed at every future Evergreen Conference.”

A nearby elder sternly corrected.

“Indeed. Their failure has dealt a devastating blow to the Huxiao Sect’s reputation. Someone must be held accountable.”

Another elder chimed in.

“Everyone, our defeat wasn’t due to incompetence, but a lack of intel on that girl. Her doppelgänger’s divine sense has reached the peak of the Incarnation Realm. No matter who led the team, victory was impossible.”

Zhou Ming suppressed his anger as he explained.

“What? Her doppelgänger’s divine sense is at the peak of Incarnation Realm? Are you saying Qi Huang’s cultivation is already at that level? Elder Zhou, are you joking?”

“Elder Zhou, didn’t you previously claim Qi Huang was only at the Spirit Gathering Realm? In just two or three years, how could a lowly bloodline doppelgänger leap multiple major realms?”

“Elder Zhou, if you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it. Don’t insult our intelligence. Why not just claim Cheng Hongling herself has reached the peak of Incarnation Realm?”

“That’s impossible too! A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with no divine bloodline, how could her cultivation reach such heights?”

The elders took turns berating him, refusing to believe Zhou Ming’s words.

“I’m only referring to her divine sense, not her cultivation.”

Zhou Ming frowned in correction.

“Hah! So you’re saying her divine sense far surpasses her cultivation? A Spirit Gathering Realm doppelgänger with peak Incarnation Realm divine sense? What a fantasy!”

The elders scoffed in unison.

“If you don’t believe me, go ask around.”

Zhou Ming retorted impatiently.

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“Elders, Uncle-Masters, Elder Zhou speaks the truth. I can vouch for him. If even a single word is false, I’ll leave the sect myself.”

Seeing the situation turning dire, Lu Zhen quickly stepped forward to corroborate. The other immortal seedlings followed suit.

“Even if that’s true, what does it matter? Victory is victory, defeat is defeat. How do we recover from this loss? You were in charge, yet you claim ignorance about that girl, that’s negligence. You must take responsibility.”

After a brief silence, Guo Rong declared coldly.

“Heh…”

Elder Zhou laughed in extreme anger. “If you want a scapegoat, at least wait until this matter is fully resolved.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t it already over?”

Guo Rong frowned slightly.

“Sect Leader Guo, have you forgotten? The Evergreen Conference has only reached the third round. There are still several more to go. Cheng Hongling has already revealed all her cards. With the Immortal Alliance interfering, she might not make it to the end. If she’s eliminated and forced to join the Huxiao Sect, then it’ll be our disciple defeating our own disciple, instantly negating the negative impact. Am I wrong?”

Zhou Ming sneered darkly.

The surrounding elders fell into contemplation, murmuring among themselves before nodding in agreement.

“That may be so, but as you said, her doppelgänger’s divine sense is at the peak of Incarnation Realm. Even with the Immortal Alliance’s interference, she’ll surely advance to the finals, and then she’ll belong to that Lü family monster.”

Guo Rong countered again.

“Not necessarily. Strong divine sense but weak cultivation is like having a missing limb. A single protective talisman can neutralize it.”

Zhou Ming reminded.

“But that’s peak Incarnation Realm divine sense! Where would you find a talisman stronger than that?”

Guo Rong shook his head.

“Sect Leader Guo, have you forgotten? Elder Zuo of the Immortal Alliance is still in the prefectural capital, and he despises Cheng Hongling. Do you think he’ll intervene? A Divine Realm protective talisman, do you really think Qi Huang can break through that?”

A smug smile crept onto Zhou Ming’s face.