Volume 8, Chapter 486 – The Fifth Doppelgänger

“Hmph, your true colors are finally showing. You kept claiming assimilating her was for safety, but it was all for your own selfish desires!”

Cheng Hongling sneered.

“Spare me the sarcasm. Who doesn’t crave freedom?”

Cheng Ling replied matter-of-factly.

“Freedom? Don’t pretty it up! When I chose to cultivate you as a doppelgänger, that already meant granting you a degree of freedom. Yet you still chose to betray me.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head.

“Well, whose fault was it that you were so incompetent back then? You only gave me a single Human Skin Mask! The plan couldn’t even be executed properly. Once you regained consciousness, I’d just be shoved back into the Sea of Consciousness!”

Cheng Ling turned the blame around. The “plan” she referred to was Cheng Hongling’s original intention to defect to the Changhe Sect, leaving a doppelgänger behind to guard the Honghua Sect.

“We share the same soul. You know my temperament. If I promised to cultivate you as a doppelgänger, I would’ve done it. One failure doesn’t mean I’d give up. I never planned to imprison you all forever.”

Cheng Hongling’s expression remained unreadable.

“Next time? Easy for you to say. You exhausted your Incarnation Realm’s doppelgänger quota. To cultivate another, you’d need to reach the Divine Realm. How long would that take? A hundred years? Two hundred? Was I supposed to just wait?”

Cheng Ling shot back.

“Time… is no excuse for betrayal! As the Life Soul, and you as the Spiritual Wisdom Soul, we should have worked together to defy the heavens. Once our strength was sufficient, you’d naturally gain freedom. But you disregarded the bigger picture, acting selfishly to everyone’s detriment. You’ve only yourself to blame for this fate.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Cheng Hongling’s face before she turned to Qi Huang beside her. “Let’s go. No need to waste time on her.”

“Heh. Qi Huang, did you really think reaching the Heavenly Tribulation Realm in Divine Sense would solve everything? That Huang Jin freak is neither male nor female now, and worst of all, he betrays you at random, completely uncontrollable. Would you dare cultivate him into a doppelgänger?”

Cheng Ling couldn’t resist one last taunt.

Qi Huang frowned. She had realized the problem, if she turned Huang Jin into a doppelgänger, his rebellious nature could backfire. But leaving him in her Sea of Consciousness was no solution either, given his ambiguous state. Who knew if Yin-Yang Eyes would see through him?

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“Enough. We’re leaving.”

Cheng Hongling impatiently pulled Qi Huang out of her own Sea of Consciousness.

“Stop dreaming for now. First, cultivate the remaining male soul in your Sea of Consciousness into a doppelgänger. While Yin-Yang Eyes are rare in the cultivation world, you never know when you might encounter one.”

Cheng Hongling wasted no time in advising.

“But what about Huang Jin? As Cheng Ling said, his thoughts are uncontrollable. If he betrays us, the consequences would be disastrous.”

Qi Huang sought her opinion.

“Here’s what we’ll do. Cultivate Huang Ren into a doppelgänger first. As for Huang Jin… keep him in your Sea of Consciousness for now. I’ll look into Yin-Yang Eyes in the cultivation world. From now on, avoid anyone who has them.”

After a moment’s thought, Cheng Hongling added with slight unease, “But the cultivation world is vast. There’s no guarantee that the known Yin-Yang Eyes users are the only ones.”

“Don’t worry. Huang Ren is the only male soul left in my Sea of Consciousness. Cultivating him won’t take long. After that, I’ll keep searching for a way to reverse the assimilation in my dreams.”

Qi Huang reassured her.

“And if no solution is found? Or if Cheng Ling wasn’t lying, what if this assimilation is irreversible?”

Cheng Hongling countered.

“If Huang Jin is assimilated to this extent and still gets exposed by Yin-Yang Eyes… then I’ll just have to accept my bad luck.”

Qi Huang let out a self-deprecating laugh before her expression hardened.

“But given my growth rate, if I have just ten more years, even if someone sees through me, so what? By then, whoever dares scheme against us, I’ll kill them all. I’ll slaughter until no one dares even think of crossing me!”

“Until then, I’ll keep a low profile. The Western Radiance Dynasty has no Yin-Yang Eyes users. If I stay within the Honghua Sect, the odds of encountering one are practically zero.”

She spoke with absolute confidence.

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“A low profile? That depends on whether Elder Zuo can buy us those ten years. If we’re forced to the Lü Family, crossing countless nations along the way, we’ll become a spectacle. Exposure would be inevitable.”

A glimmer of hope flickered in Cheng Hongling’s eyes.

“That old man will do everything he can. After all, his granddaughter’s future is at stake.”

Qi Huang had no doubts about that.

“Fine. Stick to the plan. Leave the assimilation countermeasures to me.”

Cheng Hongling delegated the tasks.

“How exactly do you plan to stop the assimilation? Can’t you tell me?”

Qi Huang couldn’t resist asking again.

“No. Just follow my lead when the time comes.”

Cheng Hongling remained tight-lipped.

“So secretive. It’s not like we’re doing anything indecent, why the mystery?”

Qi Huang rolled her eyes.

To her surprise, Cheng Hongling’s cheeks faintly colored at the remark.

With that settled, Qi Huang began cultivating her fifth doppelgänger. But first, she needed to inform Huang Ren in her Sea of Consciousness.

“Thank you, Big Brother… Thank you… Wuwu… I’ve wanted this for so long!”

Huang Ren burst into tears upon hearing the news. Only he knew the torment he’d endured in the Sea of Consciousness. When Huang Jin wasn’t rebelling, the female souls would bully him. Humiliating, if not physically harmful.

Nearby, Huang Jin watched with undisguised envy. But knowing his own situation, he wisely stayed silent.

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“Don’t be too jealous. I’ll find a way to reverse the assimilation soon. You’ll have your freedom too.”

Qi Huang couldn’t help but console him.

“Thank you, Big Brother!”

Huang Jin’s expression brightened slightly.

“And as for you all—”

Qi Huang turned to the six female souls. “See? This is the reward for loyalty. It’s not too late to turn back. Following Cheng Ling is a dead end.”

The six souls exchanged glances… then ignored her completely.

“Such devotion. You don’t even remember who your Life Soul is anymore.”

Qi Huang scoffed before exiting the Sea of Consciousness. Her curiosity about the assimilation ability only grew. If she could master it, the possibilities were terrifying.

Qi Huang began the doppelgänger cultivation. She had already decided: this fifth doppelgänger would safeguard the Honghua Sect. No more scrambling to find someone to “house-sit” whenever she and Cheng Hongling left.

The process took an entire day, far longer than necessary. The reason? She endowed Huang Ren with peak-level Divine Realm Divine Sense. A guardian needed power.

“So this… is the feeling of breathing?”

Huang Ren greedily inhaled the world’s air, overwhelmed by his newfound strength. Tears streamed down his face.

“Happy now? The earlier doppelgängers may have enjoyed freedom sooner, but my strength back then was limited. You’ve received far more than they did. That’s fairness.”

Qi Huang reminded him.

“I understand, Big Brother! My suffering wasn’t in vain.”

Huang Ren was utterly convinced.

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“Good. From today onward, live in the Honghua Sect as an ordinary disciple. Your primary duty is protecting this sect, especially when I’m away.”

She issued the command.

“I won’t fail you.”

Huang Ren agreed without hesitation. Even a lifetime in the Honghua Sect beat imprisonment in the Sea of Consciousness.

“One more thing. Should I conceal my identity as Huang Qi? The sect has people who know you, your master, He Chao, Liu Keqian…”

Huang Ren sought guidance.

“Keep it hidden. Explanations would be tedious.”

After consideration, Qi Huang affirmed. To those who knew “Huang Qi”, he should be at home, not here as a doppelgänger.

“Understood. I’ll cover my face outside. With over 100,000 disciples now, avoiding familiar faces shouldn’t be hard.”

Huang Ren accepted the order.

Elder Zuo had arrived in the Wuyun Empire of the Central Continent. This colossal nation housed an immortal sect even mightier than the Lü Family.

If he could successfully “market” Cheng Hongling to this sect’s prodigies, Lü Yi would have no choice but to withdraw.

And with that… his granddaughter’s crisis would be resolved.