Volume 8, Chapter 524 – Tell Me, Who Is the Real Monster (Part 5)

“Huh?”

Qi Huang froze on the spot, thinking to herself, ‘Is this old lady putting on a monkey show? She wants to demonstrate her skills at every turn? Using Heavenly Tribulation Realm divine sense to drive true qi cultivation is my secret!’

“What’s wrong?”

Shi Yuqi asked in confusion.

Qi Huang didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she sent a mental transmission to her main body: “If the Anemia Paste hasn’t worn off yet, let’s put on another performance. Sect Master Hua Ruyi seems like a decent person, she probably won’t forcibly probe us with her divine sense.”

“We have no choice. Being overly cautious will only trap us in our own restraints,” Cheng Hongling agreed.

Only then did Qi Huang turn to her nominal master and say, “N-Nothing… I’ll give it a try!”

“Give it a try?”

Shi Yuqi was puzzled, and Sect Master Hua beside her also cast a questioning glance.

“Sect Master Hua, the cultivation technique I practice is a family heirloom. Our ancestors forbade us from sharing it, so I must ask you not to probe me with your divine sense,” Qi Huang added cautiously.

“Don’t worry. As a sect master, I would never stoop to stealing techniques,” Hua Ruyi immediately assured her.

Qi Huang finally relaxed and entered her main body’s Sea of Consciousness. Her physical body dissolved into a stream of essence blood, flowing into the main body’s heart.

Cheng Hongling inspected herself internally and found that the essence blood dispersed instantly, spreading through her limbs and bones. This meant the Anemia Paste had not yet expired.

The main body and the doppelgänger immediately activated the Character-Shifting Art, and Qi Huang began cultivating right in front of Hua Ruyi. Spiritual energy from all directions surged toward her, and the temperature in the hall plummeted rapidly.

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“How is this possible? A cultivator at the early Incarnation Realm absorbs spiritual energy faster than I do!” Hua Ruyi was dumbfounded.

“Sect Master, what do you think? With her cultivation speed, can she replace Hua Yu? Can she shoulder the future of the Huarong Sect?” Shi Yuqi asked smugly.

“What kind of technique is this? Its effects are unheard of!” Hua Ruyi murmured in amazement.

By now, Qi Huang could already feel her essence blood beginning to reform in her heart, a sign that the Anemia Paste was wearing off. She quickly stopped cultivating and switched places with her main body again.

Once she emerged from the Sea of Consciousness, Qi Huang turned to Hua Ruyi and declared, “Sect Master, remember when I mentioned replacing Hua Yu during the earlier discussion? This is my trump card!”

Hua Ruyi fell into deep thought. Though she didn’t know much about this little girl before her, as long as there was even a sliver of hope, she refused to let things escalate into a life-or-death struggle with the Cao Family.

Her expression gradually softened, and she commanded toward the hall’s entrance, “Someone! Relay my orders, the Huarong Sect’s Left and Right Protectors, all Elders, and the Ten Chief Seat Holders are to gather here immediately for a discussion!”

“Yes, Sect Master!” A disciple outside acknowledged the order.

Without wasting time, Hua Ruyi personally went to summon them.

Shi Yuqi and her two disciples exchanged glances, their faces breaking into relieved smiles.

Before long, the Huarong Sect’s high-ranking members arrived one after another, all wearing expressions of confusion as they speculated about the purpose of this sudden assembly.

“Strange. Didn’t the Sect Master order everyone to leave the Huarong Sect? We were already packing our belongings—why summon us now?” Chief Seat Jiang couldn’t help but ask those around her.

“Heh, she must have come to her senses. Sacrificing her life for Hua Yu isn’t worth it,” Elder Zhou asserted confidently.

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“Are you implying the Sect Master is afraid to die?” Chief Seat Jiang frowned.

“I never said that! Don’t twist my words. I’m praising the Sect Master’s wisdom, as long as the green hills remain, we’ll never run out of firewood.”

“Hmph! But those green hills are maintained by sect rules. Without them, what green hills would remain?” Shi Yuqi sneered in disgust.

At that moment, Hua Ruyi strode into the hall with her disciples.

Hua Yu immediately shot Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang a cold, mocking glance, clearly holding a grudge.

“Enough!” Hua Ruyi raised a hand to silence the crowd. “I’ve called everyone here today to announce a few matters. First, I’ve decided to allow Hua Yu to marry into the Cao Family, so there’s no need for us to relocate.”

“Ah! Just as Elder Zhou predicted, the Sect Master changed her mind!”

“Wonderful! I’ve been losing sleep over this. If we antagonize the Cao Family, even if we moved elsewhere, we’d still be targeted.”

“Exactly. This is the home we’ve built over generations, who would want to leave?”

The high-ranking members all sighed in relief.

“Master, you’re so wise!” Hua Yu fawned, her fox-like face twisting into a smug grin.

“Hmph! A bunch of cowardly, shortsighted fools,” Shi Yuqi cursed under her breath.

“Sect Master, please reconsider. If we compromise now, our sect’s rules will become meaningless. There could be a second, third, or even fourth Hua Yu in the future. Even ordinary disciples will stop fearing the consequences, and our sect will decline rapidly.” Chief Seat Jiang warned gravely.

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“Chief Seat Jiang, let me clarify. I’m not the first Holy Maiden to marry out. Yet the Huarong Sect remains one of the top ten powers in the cultivation world. You’re blowing things out of proportion.” Hua Yu retorted.

“Don’t you understand? Precisely because several Holy Maidens have already married out, you cannot be allowed to do the same! Otherwise, we’ll never curb this destructive trend! With cultivation resources growing scarcer, how many more Holy Maidens like you can we even nurture?”

“Oh? My apologies, then. But if you let me remain Holy Maiden even after marrying into the Cao Family, and amend the rules to allow it, wouldn’t that solve everything?” Hua Yu shamelessly reiterated her plan to “eat from two bowls.”

“What a shameless woman!” Cheng Hongling couldn’t hold back her disgust.

“Yeah, not only does she want to have her cake and eat it too, but she also wants future Holy Maidens to do the same. She’s treating the Huarong Sect like a fool! Sect Master Hua really raised an ungrateful wretch.” Qi Huang transmitted mentally.

“Enough! Silence! My decision is final, no more arguments.” Hua Ruyi suppressed the uproar with a frown before continuing, “The second matter concerns Hua Yu’s marriage. Starting today, the Huarong Sect will prepare decorations and select an auspicious date by the end of the month to send her off to the Cao Family in grand fashion.”

“Congratulations, Holy Maiden!”

“Indeed, marrying into the Cao Family is a union of powerhouses! You’ve contributed immensely to our sect!”

“That’s right! Cao Yang’s second granduncle is the Immortal Alliance’s deputy leader. Allying with them will bring us endless benefits, only the narrow-minded would oppose it.”

Elder Zhou and others chimed in with congratulations.

“I see now. This Elder Zhou must be hoping to gain something from the Cao Family through Hua Yu,” Qi Huang transmitted.

“Hmph, who knows what shady deals they’ve struck behind closed doors?” Cheng Hongling snorted.

“Thank you, Master!” Hua Yu exclaimed excitedly.

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“Don’t thank me yet, I’m not finished.” Hua Ruyi didn’t even glance at her disciple before announcing, “Third, effective immediately, Hua Yu is stripped of her title as Holy Maiden.”

“Wh-What did you say?” Hua Yu’s smile froze.

The hall plunged into dead silence.

“Sect Master, what are you doing? If you’re allowing her to marry into the Cao Family, why revoke her title? This is like losing the battle and the war!” Elder Zhou protested.

“Elder Zhou, if we don’t strip her title as a warning, who will respect our sect’s rules in the future? What future does the Huarong Sect even have left?” Hua Ruyi countered calmly.

“Future? The only future we can see right now is Hua Yu! Her proposal was perfectly reasonable. If we amend the rules to let Holy Maidens retain their titles after marriage, we resolve both our current crisis and future dilemmas!”

“Elder Zhou, have you lost your mind? My disciple already proved that Hua Yu only suggested this ‘two-bowl’ scheme to smooth her way into the Cao Family. She doesn’t care about the sect at all, yet you still defend her? What did she promise you?” Shi Yuqi lashed out.

“Promises? Ridiculous! If anything, you’re the one colluding with our enemies! Without her as Holy Maiden, who will lead our sect? Your precious disciple?”

“You’re absolutely right. The Huarong Sect’s future does rest on my disciple.” Shi Yuqi smirked.

“On what? Her eight-point bloodline? Then my disciple could also be the sect’s future! So could everyone else’s! Don’t overestimate your disciple, compared to Hua Yu, she’s nothing!”

Just as Elder Zhou finished mocking her, Hua Ruyi declared:

“Fourth, from this moment onward, Shi Yuqi’s disciple, Jiang Ling, is the Huarong Sect’s new Holy Maiden!”