Volume 7, Chapter 451 – Immortal Might Descends, the Destruction of Shuiyu Valley (Part 4)

Lü Yi solemnly gripped the dagger and began carving Cheng Hongling’s name into the Immortal Stele. Each stroke was painstakingly precise, a stark contrast to his usual arrogant demeanor.

It took a full quarter of an hour before Lü Yi finally finished inscribing Cheng Hongling’s name.

“Cheng Hongling? Who is Cheng Hongling?”

“No idea! Never heard of her. She definitely can’t be a descendant of an Immortal. There isn’t a single prominent Immortal lineage with the surname Cheng.”

“Then why does she get to be the main wife?”

“Exactly! We’ve been in this household for years, if not decades. Even if we haven’t contributed much, we’ve at least put in effort. Yet not a single one of us has been granted the position of main wife. And now this woman, who hasn’t even shown her face, gets to claim it? Is this fair to us?”

“This is outrageous! I want to see just what kind of woman she is. If she’s just some pretty vase who knows how to please a man, I’ll make sure the only place her name ever appears is on the Lü family stele!”

The moment the dozens of concubines saw the name, they erupted in discontent. Being suddenly overshadowed by an unknown woman from nowhere was something none of them could stomach.

The rest of the Lü family also began whispering among themselves, skepticism written across their faces. After all, none of them had ever heard of Cheng Hongling.

Of course, Lü Ying and her husband were the exceptions.

Lü Yi then proceeded to carve Qi Huang’s name. To be safe, he first added parentheses, intending to annotate it with the words “Doppelgänger.”

“Why is he still carving? Shouldn’t there only be one main wife?”

“Right? Does he actually plan to take two main wives? Greed knows no bounds. If he does this, how many spots will be left for us and our descendants?”

“It’s pointless. A man can only have one main wife. That’s the rule in the mortal world, and it’s also the law of the Immortal Stele. He won’t be able to carve it in.”

The surrounding relatives broke into murmurs once more.

But contrary to expectations, though Lü Yi’s knife moved slowly, he successfully carved the characters “Qi Huang” inside the parentheses, following the word “Doppelgänger”. This meant that, in the eyes of the Immortal Stele, both Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang were now recognized as his wives. Neither could betray him in any way, or else they would immediately face suppression by the Immortal Stele’s might.

“He actually succeeded? How is that possible?”

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“A Doppelgänger? So this Qi Huang is Cheng Hongling’s duplicate? If that’s the case, then it makes sense that it could be carved, they’re essentially the same person.”

“But if that’s true, why bother carving it separately? It’s taking up so much extra space on the stele. What a waste!”

“Exactly! He knows how limited the space on the stele is. Doing this shows he doesn’t care about us relatives at all!”

The expressions of the onlookers darkened, the previous sycophantic smiles completely gone.

“Father! Could you tell us more about this future daughter-in-law? After all, she’s going to be the future matriarch of the Lü family.”

A voluptuous middle-aged woman spoke up, her tone inquisitive. The others also looked on with curiosity.

“Let your elder brother and his wife explain. They must know more than I do.”

Lü Dao motioned to his son and daughter-in-law.

“Cheng Hongling is a female cultivator from the Honghua Sect in the Western Radiance Dynasty. Though she isn’t descended from an Immortal lineage, her appearance and talent are exceptional.”

Lü Gao, Lü Yi’s father, spoke up.

“Western Radiance Dynasty? Where is that? Never heard of it.”

“I think it’s some backwater country in the Western Continent, bordering Xitong Kingdom.”

“What? The Western Continent? And some remote minor kingdom? What kind of girl could possibly come from there?”

“Right? Even though there are nine state-level Immortal Seeds in the cultivation world, none of them are from the Western Continent.”

“The Western Continent has never produced an Immortal before. Naturally, there wouldn’t be any outstanding talents.”

The Lü family relatives voiced their doubts one after another.

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“Elder Brother, don’t take this the wrong way, but Lü Yi is the future of our Lü family. The main wife bears the responsibility of continuing the lineage. She must excel in every aspect!”

The voluptuous woman pressed on. Her name was Lü Fei, Lü Yi’s eldest aunt.

“Second Sister, while it’s true that Cheng Hongling comes from a remote kingdom and isn’t of Immortal descent, her qualifications are outstanding. You know of the Phoenix Selection Token, right? She scored full marks in all six categories.”

Lü Gao elaborated patiently, knowing that his sister was genuinely concerned for her nephew.

“What? Full marks in all six? Including appearance and fertility?”

Lü Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief. The other relatives also looked stunned.

“Yes. Full marks in all six, including appearance and fertility.”

Lü Gao reaffirmed firmly.

“Well, that certainly is impressive. But the Phoenix Selection Token only evaluates fertility, not pure bloodline. We still don’t know the actual quality of her lineage.”

Lü Fei’s tone softened slightly.

“Don’t worry, Second Sister. We’ll arrange for her bloodline to be tested as soon as possible.”

Lü Gao reassured her.

“Elder Brother, there are still two things I don’t understand.”

At this moment, an elderly man with graying hair and beard stepped forward to stir trouble. He was Lü Ze, Lü Dao’s younger brother and the father-in-law of Elder Zuo.

“First, if we still don’t know the specifics of Cheng Hongling’s bloodline, why rush to carve her name into the Immortal Stele?”

Lü Ze questioned sharply. He was aware of Cheng Hongling’s background and wanted to sabotage this arrangement.

“Second Brother, while the Phoenix Selection Token only tests fertility, a perfect score means her bloodline must be at least an eight. You know this well.”

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Lü Dao frowned slightly as he answered.

“An eight? An eight isn’t nearly good enough to be the main wife of my eldest grandson!”

Lü Ze scoffed.

“That was just a conservative estimate. I’ll inform everyone once we have the exact details.”

Lü Dao forced himself to remain patient.

“Fine! But if it turns out her bloodline is only an eight, I hope you’ll prioritize the family’s interests and not let some lowborn girl taint our Lü family’s Immortal bloodline.”

Lü Ze’s words dripped with sarcasm before he pressed on: “Second, this Qi Huang is Cheng Hongling’s Doppelgänger, right? If so, why did my grandson bother carving her name separately? You know how limited the space on the Immortal Stele is. This is nothing but wasteful excess!”

“I have my reasons. No need for you to concern yourself.”

Lü Yi sheathed his dagger dismissively.

“What reasons?”

Lü Ze refused to let it go.

“Second Brother, you’re overstepping! Who gets carved into the stele and how much space they take is the decision of the family head, me. Do I really need to explain myself to you?”

Lü Dao’s patience finally snapped.

“Elder Brother, you must understand. I’m asking on behalf of everyone!”

Lü Ze sneered, clearly trying to rally the crowd.

“And you must understand, if the stele allows the carving, then the ancestors have permitted it. Or do you need them to personally descend and explain it to you?”

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Lü Dao shot a cold glance at the Immortal Stele.

“That won’t be necessary. I was merely thinking of the Lü family’s future.”

Lü Ze had no choice but to back down, for now.

“Good. From this moment on, Cheng Hongling is my grandson’s wife. I’ll select an auspicious date for the wedding and bring her into the family. Until then, I hope everyone will assist with the preparations.”

Lü Dao smoothly shifted the topic.

“Grandfather, there’s one more thing I’d like your permission for. As you know, while my name is carved alongside over three hundred concubines on the stele, several dozen of them haven’t yet been formally wedded due to various reasons. I’d like to arrange a grand ceremony to marry them all at once, so we don’t have to deal with it later.”

Lü Yi made another request.

“Very well. Though you are the young master of the Lü family, frugality is still a virtue. Setting an example is commendable.”

Lü Dao agreed immediately.

The surrounding relatives nearly choked hearing this. Their faces twisted as if they’d swallowed a fly. ‘Your grandson has taken hundreds of concubines. What kind of example is that?!’

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Shuiyu Valley.

Disciples frantically urged the common folk to evacuate, while the elders used spatial rings to transport the elderly, women, and children to safety. The range of the Immortal Stele’s suppression spanned dozens of miles, there was no time to waste.

Yet, the moment Lü Yi finished carving Cheng Hongling’s name, an overwhelming pressure began to descend upon the entire valley.