Volume 7, Chapter 449 – Immortal Might Descends, the Destruction of Shuiyu Valley (Part 2)

“Sorry, Big Brother! I underestimated her.”

Lü Er scratched his head awkwardly.

“Underestimated her? Didn’t you say Qi Huang’s divine sense was only at the peak of the Incarnation Realm? Even if you let your guard down, how could she possibly destroy your physical body?”

Lü Yi frowned.

“You might not believe this, but her divine sense has reached the Divine Realm.”

Lü Er said this almost as if presenting a treasure.

“What? Divine Realm?”

Lü Yi shot up from his seat.

“Yes. Otherwise, how do you think she managed to kill my physical form?” Lü Er explained.

“Are you absolutely certain you’re talking about Qi Huang and not her main body, Cheng Hongling?”

Lü Yi found it hard to believe.

“Of course it’s Qi Huang! That massive doppelgänger mark on her forehead. How could I mistake her?”

Lü Er nodded firmly.

“That’s impossible! Cheng Hongling only stepped into the Incarnation Realm less than three years ago. That means her doppelgänger is at most two years old. No matter what treasure or cultivation method she used, there’s no way her divine sense could reach the Divine Realm in such a short time.”

Lü Yi paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back.

“I don’t know either. I originally planned to follow your orders and investigate the Honghua Sect after the Evergreen Conference. But then she destroyed my body in one strike. Do you think she might have some heaven-defying treasure?”

Lü Er speculated.

“That was my initial thought too, but now I’m not so sure. Her growth speed is absurd, far beyond what any treasure could achieve. Besides, if such an overpowered artifact truly existed in the cultivation world, it would’ve long been seized by one of the major sects. There’s no way it would end up in the hands of a minor sect like the Honghua Sect, let alone in a backwater like the Western Radiance Dynasty.”

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Lü Yi shook his head as he analyzed.

“Big Brother’s reasoning makes sense.”

Lü Er nodded in agreement.

“But it doesn’t matter. With her performance, Cheng Hongling has already proven herself worthy of being my principal wife. Once I marry her, whether it’s a treasure or a cultivation method, it will all belong to the Lü family.”

A smirk curled Lü Yi’s lips.

“True. But she seems… unwilling.”

Lü Er coughed awkwardly.

“Unwilling? Our Lü family is one of the top cultivation clans in the world, backed by the Immortal Stele! Did you announce our lineage?”

Lü Yi was stunned.

“I did. But that woman is incredibly arrogant. She said that ‘immortal bloodlines are worthless’ and that we ‘aren’t worthy of her’.”

Lü Er let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Hah! Such audacity! It’s not like I’ve never met high-and-mighty fairies before. But mark my words. Any woman I set my eyes on, as long as she isn’t under the protection of an Immortal Stele, will never escape my grasp!”

Lü Yi clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.

“Exactly. And she destroyed my physical body. If we can’t subdue her, how will you save face?”

Lü Er chimed in.

“I’ll go see Grandfather right now. Once I get his approval, I’ll carve her name onto the Immortal Stele. I’ll make her understand, immortal bloodlines do decide everything.”

A trace of disdain flashed in Lü Yi’s eyes before he turned to his doppelgänger.

“As for you… since you lost due to your own incompetence, you’ll have to bear the consequences. Return to my Sea of Consciousness. We don’t have spare doppelgänger bodies right now. I’ll refine a new one for you once I reach the Heavenly Tribulation Realm.”

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Lü Er’s face twisted with resignation. He knew all too well that even with his main body’s talent, reaching the Heavenly Tribulation Realm wouldn’t happen overnight. At best, it would take fifty or sixty years. At worst, over a century.

“What? You don’t want to? You know full well that without a physical body, the Heavenly Dao’s suppression will only grow stronger the longer you stay outside.”

Lü Yi’s tone turned cold.

With a sigh, Lü Er finally obeyed and merged back into his main body’s consciousness.

Lü Yi stood and strode out of the room, heading straight for his grandfather’s quarters in the rear courtyard.

“Oh, I forgot to mention something. Cheng Hongling was previously engaged to a female disciple from a local sect. Her name was even engraved on that disciple’s ancestral tombstone. Strictly speaking, she’s technically a married woman.”

Lü Er suddenly transmitted this message via divine sense.

“What? Married? And to another woman?”

Lü Yi halted mid-step, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.

“If it’s just a woman, then it’s inconsequential.”

“You do realize that if we carve Cheng Hongling’s name onto the Immortal Stele, that sect will be annihilated, right?”

Lü Er added.

“So what? A woman I’ve taken a liking to, and someone else dared to claim her first? This is the fate they deserve. As my doppelgänger, you should know my temper well enough.”

Lü Yi’s voice was icy.

“I do know your temper. But I also know Grandfather’s, he dislikes being kept in the dark about anything.”

Lü Er warned gravely.

Lü Yi didn’t respond, quickening his pace toward the rear courtyard.

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A short while later, he knocked on his grandfather’s door.

“Grandfather, your grandson has something to discuss.”

“Enter, child.”

The voice of Lü Dao, the strongest cultivator of the Lü family, came from within. His gentle tone made it clear how much he doted on this grandson.

“Grandfather, I hope you’ve been well?”

Lü Yi offered a rare display of respect, something he only ever showed in front of the family’s patriarch.

“No need to worry. Your grandfather is, after all, a cultivator. I’m not so fragile.”

Lü Dao rose from his bed and asked, “Didn’t your Heaven Soul doppelgänger go to the Western Radiance Dynasty for the Evergreen Conference? Judging by the timeline, the competition should be halfway through by now. How did it go?”

“That’s precisely why I’ve come to disturb you. My doppelgänger engaged in a life-and-death duel with that female cultivator Elder Zuo mentioned… and his physical body was destroyed.”

Lü Yi explained.

“What? Your Heaven Soul doppelgänger was at the peak of the Incarnation Realm! How could some backwater country like the Western Radiance Dynasty produce an immortal seedling capable of killing him?”

Lü Dao was equally shocked.

“Grandfather, that female cultivator isn’t as simple as Elder Zuo made her out to be. While her own cultivation is only at the early Incarnation Realm, she has a doppelgänger whose divine sense has reached the early Divine Ability Realm.”

Lü Yi elaborated.

“Are you joking with me? Not only is it impossible for a doppelgänger’s divine sense to surpass the main body’s, but given her cultivation level, that doppelgänger can’t be more than a few years old. How could its divine sense possibly reach the Divine Ability Realm?”

Lü Dao voiced the same doubts.

Lü Yi naturally had no concrete answer and could only vaguely attribute it to some treasure or technique.

“In my centuries of life, I’ve never heard of such an overpowered treasure or cultivation method. But nothing in this world is absolute. We can send people to investigate that girl discreetly. If we can obtain this method of strengthening divine sense, it would bring immeasurable benefits to our Lü family.”

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Lü Dao shared his thoughts.

“No need. I’ve taken a liking to Cheng Hongling. Once I marry her, whether it’s her, her treasures, or her techniques, they’ll all belong to the Lü family. But I need your permission first, which is why I’ve come to you.”

Lü Yi seized the opportunity to state his intentions.

“That girl only reached the early Incarnation Realm at eighteen. While her talent is merely above average, the fact that she has a doppelgänger with Divine Ability Realm divine sense makes her the strongest beneath the eight great prodigies. Moreover, she possesses some unknown method of enhancing divine sense. She barely qualifies as your principal wife.”

Lü Dao assessed before adding, “However, you know I’d prefer you to marry a descendant of an immortal. That would be a proper match.”

“Grandfather, you know how those three women are, each more arrogant than the last. They won’t be easy to obtain.”

Lü Yi sighed helplessly. The “three women” he referred to were three of the Nine Great Monsters, all descendants of immortals, making it impossible to force them.

“But when it comes to wives and concubines, who would complain about having more? Marrying Cheng Hongling doesn’t mean I can’t marry others. I’ll keep striving until all three of those women become your granddaughters-in-law.”

Lü Yi declared with grand ambition.

“Good spirit!”

Lü Dao praised before nodding. “Very well. I grant you permission.”

“Thank you, Grandfather! To avoid complications, I want to carve Cheng Hongling’s name onto the Immortal Stele as soon as possible. But before that, there’s something else I must tell you.”

Lü Yi then recounted Cheng Hongling’s past entanglement with Mu Ruoyi.

“Since it’s just a woman, it’s not a big deal. But marrying someone who’s technically already married would still stain our Lü family’s reputation. So don’t concern yourself with the fate of Shuiyu Valley. Do what you must.”

A cold smile played on Lü Dao’s lips.

“Understood! I’ll inform Father and Mother, then head straight to the Immortal Stele to carve her name.”

Lü Yi bowed excitedly before turning to leave.