Volume 8, Chapter 504 – The Shameless Elder Zuo

“That’s actually a pretty good idea. If it’s a purely female sect, then there’s no issue of bloodline inheritance, and they wouldn’t pose any threat to us.”

Cheng Hongling’s beautiful eyes brightened, and she continued, “Now, let’s talk details. How exactly do you plan to catch the attention of the Huarong Sect? If we want them to help us counterbalance the Lü Family, we’ll need to create a big enough stir.”

“By participating in the continent-level Evergreen Conference!”

Qi Huang declared, her words striking like a thunderbolt.

“What?! The continent-level Evergreen Conference?!”

Cheng Hongling was first shocked, then her willow-like brows furrowed. “But the problem is, I’ve already been stripped of my eligibility to participate by the Immortal Alliance. You too.”

“Relax, I know I can’t step onto the official stage, but what about outside the arena? Taking advantage of the Evergreen Conference to spar unofficially with those nine monsters should be fine, right? Ideally, I’d even beat the Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect to tears, that’ll make sure they take me seriously enough.”

Qi Huang smirked mischievously, clearly planning to be ruthless.

“You want to stir up trouble?”

Cheng Hongling immediately caught on.

“What do you mean ‘stir up trouble’? Didn’t I just say it? Sparring! Unofficial matches outside the arena aren’t against the rules. The Immortal Alliance can’t do anything about it. As long as I defeat those nine monsters and then immediately pledge myself to the Huazong Sect, they’d be more than happy to take me in.”

Qi Huang winked playfully.

“And then? You’ll just have them buy us a few years?”

Cheng Hongling asked thoughtfully.

“Exactly. As long as we dangle a big enough carrot in front of them, I’m sure they’ll be willing to help.”

Qi Huang confirmed.

“What if the Lü Family refuses to back down?”

Cheng Hongling pressed, still uneasy.

“Refuse? Then we’ll see whose Immortal Stele is stronger.”

Qi Huang grinned again, her expression full of mischief.

“Are you sure the Huarong Sect would actually go to war with the Lü Family over you?”

Cheng Hongling asked in astonishment.

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“Absolutely. Even an idiot would know what a disciple with the potential to ascend to immortality could bring to a sect.”

Qi Huang confidently raised the corner of her lips.

“Alright then. For now, there’s no better plan.”

After a brief consideration, Cheng Hongling agreed.

“Good. I’ll pack up and set off soon. Wait for my good news.”

Qi Huang was decisive as always.

“Wait, I think I should go with you.”

Cheng Hongling quickly stopped her.

“Why?”

Qi Huang instinctively asked, but then quickly backtracked. “Well, if you’re worried, you can come along. Think of it as a trip to Central Continent to unwind. You’ve spent half your life slaughtering evil spirits, you deserve a break.”

“It’s not about relaxing, it’s just…”

Cheng Hongling hesitated.

“Just what? Afraid the ‘Doppelgänger Method’ will fail?”

Qi Huang deliberately played along.

“Ah, yes, exactly! We’ve worked so hard to get to this point. If we regress, we’ll have to start all over again, and Anemia Paste isn’t cheap.”

Cheng Hongling quickly took the offered excuse, though her expression was slightly unnatural.

“Great! Then we’ll go together!”

Qi Huang eagerly agreed. Even though she found the excuse flimsy, she wasn’t about to pass up the chance to travel with her main body.

“But if we both leave, what about the safety of the Honghua Sect?”

Cheng Hongling voiced her concern.

“Did you forget? My doppelgänger is still here! He has Divine Realm-level divine sense. No one in the entire Western Radiance Dynasty can defeat him.”

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Qi Huang reminded her.

“Oh, right, right. I completely forgot about your doppelgänger.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head awkwardly.

Qi Huang frowned slightly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her main body was hiding something.

Once the discussion was over, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling decided to postpone their trip to Central Continent. The continent-level Evergreen Conference was held at the end of each year, still half a year away. Going too early would only disrupt their cultivation.

The next day, Wen Yunmei and her daughter came to visit.

“We’re planning to go to the Immortal Alliance’s headquarters in the capital to find Elder Zuo, so we came to say goodbye.”

Wen Yunmei explained.

“Elder Zuo? What for?”

Qi Huang asked, puzzled.

“The Lü Family treats human lives like weeds. They used their Immortal Stele to suppress Shuiyu Valley without cause, killing hundreds of thousands of our disciples. We must demand justice from the Immortal Alliance.”

Mu Ruoyi continued the explanation.

“Hah, you’re too naïve. The cultivation world operates on the law of the jungle. Besides, Elder Zuo has marital ties with the Lü Family, he would never offend them for your sake.”

Cheng Hongling bluntly pointed out.

“I know!”

Wen Yunmei smiled bitterly. “But even so, we can’t just do nothing. At the very least, we need to make our stance clear to the Immortal Alliance. Otherwise, the entire cultivation world will think Shuiyu Valley is an easy target, to be bullied at will.”

“Fine. Be careful on your journey. If the Immortal Alliance refuses to act, don’t push it. Like I said, within ten years, I’ll personally help you seek justice.”

Qi Huang advised.

“Understood!”

The Mother and daughter clasped their fists in salute before heading straight for the capital.

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A few days later, the two arrived at the Immortal Alliance’s branch in the capital, intending to lodge a formal complaint against the Lü Family’s atrocities. But who could have expected that this old fox would be like a malevolent spirit. His name was known, but he himself was nowhere to be seen.

“He definitely knows our purpose and is deliberately avoiding us.”

Wen Yunmei and her daughter weren’t fools. They immediately guessed the reason. But they had come for the sake of the unjustly dead, how could they give up so easily?

Wen Yunmei’s heart hardened. She cast aside her dignity and wrote a placard pleading for justice, placing it outside the Immortal Alliance’s branch. Naturally, this drew the attention of passersby, and the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger.

Seeing the situation escalate, Zuo Bo could no longer remain indifferent. He finally had someone summon the two women inside.

“Elder Zuo, you truly are a busy man! Getting an audience with you is harder than ascending to immortality.”

The moment they met, Wen Yunmei’s tone was laced with sarcasm.

“What can I do? This elder is responsible for all matters concerning the cultivation world in the Western Radiance Dynasty. Constantly running around, if I’ve been neglectful, I hope Valley Master Wen can forgive me.”

Zuo Bo shamelessly deflected.

“Elder Zuo, you’ve worked hard. Given how much you’ve been ‘running around’, you must be aware of what happened at Shuiyu Valley, right?”

Wen Yunmei seized the opportunity to press further.

“Of course! How could I not know of such a major incident? I deeply regret what happened to Shuiyu Valley!”

Elder Zuo feigned sympathy.

“Regret is all you have to say? The Lü Family knew full well about Cheng Hongling’s relationship with my daughter, yet they still engraved her name on their Immortal Stele, directly causing the suppression of Shuiyu Valley and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. We are all under the Immortal Alliance’s banner, will Elder Zuo really do nothing?”

Wen Yunmei suppressed her rage.

“Valley Master Wen, let me correct you. When Lü Yi engraved that name, he genuinely didn’t know about Cheng Hongling’s connection to your daughter. This was an unintentional mistake!”

Zuo Bo defended, though inwardly he sneered. His granddaughter’s faction and Lü Yi’s were locked in a struggle for the position of family head, but that was an internal conflict. He wasn’t foolish enough to side with outsiders against the Lü Family.

“Hah! Lü Yi’s doppelgänger lingered in Yongning Prefecture for nearly a month. Are you saying he didn’t know?”

Mu Ruoyi was so angry she laughed.

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“Did you personally tell him? How could he have known for sure?”

Zuo Bo countered calmly.

“You—!”

Mu Ruoyi never imagined that an Immortal Alliance elder could be so shamelessly unreasonable. Her chest heaved in fury, her delicate frame trembling.

“Even if it was unintentional, hundreds of thousands still died under the Lü Family’s Immortal Stele. They must be held accountable.”

Wen Yunmei spoke firmly.

“Fine! But as the saying goes, ‘To catch a thief, you need evidence; to catch adulterers, you must catch them in the act.’ If you want the Immortal Alliance to intervene, you must provide proof. Otherwise, there’s nothing we can do.”

Elder Zuo’s tone was icy.

“What proof?”

Wen Yunmei instinctively asked.

“Must I spell it out? Evidence that the Lü Family’s Immortal Stele bears Cheng Hongling’s name! How else can you prove Shuiyu Valley was suppressed by their stele?”

Zuo Bo scoffed.

“Does this really require proof? You already know about it, don’t you? And given the scale of the incident, surely many in the Weiyuan Empire are aware as well?”

Wen Yunmei asked in disbelief.

“This elder has only heard rumors. How can hearsay be considered evidence? If you want to accuse the Lü Family, you need witnesses and tangible proof. Unless you bring the Immortal Stele to the Alliance’s headquarters, how can we act on your behalf?”

Elder Zuo lazily replied.

“What?! Bring the Immortal Stele to the Alliance headquarters?!”

Wen Yunmei and her daughter stared in shock, their pupils trembling violently. With their cultivation levels, they couldn’t even step foot inside the Lü Family’s gates, let alone move an Immortal Stele.

“Exactly. The Lü Family is an immortal lineage. To convict them, you must present the stele before the Alliance Leader himself.”

A trace of mockery flashed in Zuo Bo’s eyes.