Volume 8, Chapter 542 – Just How Many Fake Identities Do You Have? (Part 7)

“Immortal Might? So the Cao Family has chosen to preserve their dignity and suppress the Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect to death!”

“Ah, in that case, won’t the Huarong Sect fight them to the death?”

“Fight? With what? In terms of strength, the Cao Family has two Heavenly Tribulation Realm supreme experts, while the Huarong Sect only has one. In terms of background, the Cao Family’s Second Elder is the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, how can the Huarong Sect even compare?”

“Exactly. Though the Huarong Sect is also one of the Nine Great Immortal Forces, in the eyes of the Cao Family, they’re no different from the crawling insects of the mortal world. Today, we’re definitely witnessing the might of Immortal Might!”

“Sigh! What a pity! I heard the Huarong Sect’s new Holy Maiden is as beautiful as a flower, she wouldn’t lose out even compared to the top three fairies on the Sinking Fish Grand Ranking. To think she’ll meet such a fragrant demise!”

“You actually believe that? How could a woman of lowly bloodline compare to the descendants of immortals? This is all just hype from the Huarong Sect. I guarantee she’s not even half as captivating as the spectacle of Immortal Might. Just wait and see. Soon enough, your eyes will be dazzled.”

“Right, women are a dime a dozen in the cultivation world. How could they compare to the grandeur of Immortal Might? My congratulatory gift was well worth it.”

The guests in the courtyard grew increasingly excited. For onlookers who thrived on chaos, whether the Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden lived or died mattered little compared to witnessing the spectacle of Immortal Might.

“Esteemed guests, there are only a few Immortal Steles in the cultivation world. Many of you have likely never seen Immortal Might in action. Keep your eyes wide open, I promise this will be even more spectacular than a grand fireworks display!”

Cao Yang gazed proudly at the Immortal Stele as he made the announcement.

“Indeed. Tonight, our Cao Family will treat everyone to a fireworks show. Rest assured, it will be worthy of the invitations you hold. As for your gifts, we will return them all to you afterward.”

Cao Hui added.

“No need, no need! Patriarch Cao, you’re too kind. To witness the activation of Immortal Might, what’s a small gift in comparison?”

“Exactly! Young Master Cao, when will you take another concubine? We’ll definitely come again!”

“It should be soon, right? As the foremost genius of the younger generation in the cultivation world, Young Master Cao still doesn’t have a single wife or concubine, that’s far too modest! Lü Yi has already taken hundreds of concubines. I think you should at least surpass him by a few hundred to truly reflect your status!”

“Right! And if any concubine dares to refuse, we’ll get to witness Immortal Might again!”

The guests below voiced their opinions eagerly. Clearly, watching Immortal Might once wasn’t enough for them.

The Cao Family members frowned. Were these people seriously expecting to watch hundreds of “fireworks shows”? This was the Cao Family’s estate, not some traveling theater troupe.

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“You all jest. As long as one isn’t a fool, no one would dare defy the Immortal Stele. Later, Zhao Ling will use her life to teach everyone the meaning of fear. I guarantee that after seeing it once, you won’t dare watch it again.”

Cao Hui sneered.

“Really?”

The guests grew even more curious, their eyes unblinking as they stared at the towering Immortal Stele piercing the night sky.

Time passed, the first, second, and third watches ¹ Each watch is 30 minutes of the night slipped by, yet the Immortal Stele showed no reaction. The guests’ eyes grew weary, and impatience began to creep onto their faces.

“No need to rush. As I said earlier, though the Immortal Stele is mighty, it operates on principles. For it to activate, we must wait until today has completely passed. The first watch of the Chou hour ² 1:00-3:00 AM is when the grand fireworks display will begin!”

Cao Hui stepped forward to reassure the crowd.

The guests nodded in understanding, rubbing their sore eyes before resuming their intense scrutiny of the stele.

The first watch… the second watch… the third watch… Finally, the first watch of the Chou hour arrived!

The guests held their breaths, their eyes wide as copper bells, fixed unwaveringly on the Immortal Stele. The courtyard was so silent that the drop of a needle could be heard.

“A reminder, you can all breathe!”

Cao Yang spoke up smugly.

Only then did the guests snap out of it, hurriedly adjusting their postures before staring at the stele again.

The first watch of the Chou hour passed in the blink of an eye, yet the Immortal Stele remained utterly still!

“Strange… why hasn’t the Immortal Stele activated yet?”

Doubt began to surface among the guests.

“What’s going on, husband?”

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Madam Cao turned to her husband with a worried expression.

Cao Hui frowned, deep in thought, before raising his voice to save face:

“Rest assured, everyone. Since the Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden is meant to be my son’s concubine, perhaps the Immortal Stele is giving her a little more time. Don’t be impatient, you’ll all see it soon enough!”

“That makes sense!”

The guests below nodded in sudden understanding, their spirits lifting as they resumed their observation.

Unbeknownst to them, time continued to slip away, the Chou hour… the Yin hour ³ 3:00-5:00 AM … the Mao hour ⁴ 5:00-7:00 AM … Soon, the eastern sky began to brighten with the first light of dawn, yet the Immortal Stele remained lifeless.

By now, some of the guests had grown too impatient and left, while others had dozed off at their tables.

“Esteemed guests, if you’re too tired, please retire to the rear courtyard. Our Cao Family has prepared guest quarters for you. I assure you, the Immortal Might will manifest very soon.”

Cao Hui forced an explanation.

“How soon is ‘very soon’? Today? Tomorrow? Or perhaps a year or two? The path of cultivation is long and arduous, I don’t have time to waste here!”

“Let’s go! What kind of Immortal Stele is this? It’s nothing special. The Huarong Sect has made fools of them twice now, and it hasn’t reacted at all!”

“Exactly. I truly feel sorry for all those women Lü Yi forcibly took as concubines!”

“Could it be that the Cao Family’s Immortal Stele is malfunctioning?”

“That’s possible. If that’s the case, without the protection of the stele, their decline will be swift!”

The remaining guests also left in disappointment, now convinced that the Cao Family’s Immortal Stele had lost its power. No longer did they watch their words as carefully as before.

Once again, the Cao Family had suffered a humiliating blow. Their faces were as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Cao Family’s Grand Hall

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Inside the opulent main hall of the Cao Family, Cao Meng swept his gaze over his descendants, his expression as cold as a corpse. The age spots on his face seemed to darken like spilled ink, making him appear terrifying.

CRACK!

Cao Meng suddenly hurled his teacup to the ground, causing his descendants to tremble violently.

“Speak! What in the world is going on? Weren’t you all so confident that the Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden would deliver herself to our doorstep?”

Cao Meng’s voice was icy as he interrogated his cowering descendants. At this moment, he was so furious that even the thought of shattering the void held no appeal, he’d much rather shatter a few more teacups.

“……”

None of his descendants dared to speak, their heads bowed in fear.

“Silence? Then tell me this, why did the Immortal Stele remain inactive when she failed to appear?”

Cao Meng pressed further.

“Father… could it be that the Immortal Stele is malfunctioning?”

Cao Hui ventured cautiously.

“Nonsense! What could possibly be wrong with a Monarch-grade Immortal Stele? I should be asking you, is the Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden really named Zhao Ling? If not, then we’ve been fooled again. Do you understand?”

Cao Meng retorted sharply.

After a moment of contemplation, the group turned their gazes toward Hua Yu.

“I’ll make inquiries again!”

Hua Yu took a deep breath before stepping out with the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube. Soon, she contacted Elder Zhou.

“What? Zhao Ling hasn’t arrived? How dare she! Once the Immortal Stele activates, she’s dead for sure! The Huarong Sect’s stele won’t save her!”

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Elder Zhou was utterly baffled.

“Activate my ass! The Cao Family’s stele didn’t even twitch!”

Hua Yu roared in fury.

“That’s impossible!”

Elder Zhou fell into stunned silence.

“There’s only one explanation, the name you obtained was fake. That’s why she’s so fearless. Verify it again! If you mess this up, you’re on your own!”

Hua Yu threatened.

“Yes, yes, of course!”

Elder Zhou hastily complied.

At the same time, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling returned to the Huarong Sect and stealthily approached the Immortal Stele. There, they altered the inscribed name from “Zhao Ling” to “Qian Ling.”

“Hmph. The ‘Hundred Family Surnames’ aren’t limited to just a hundred, there are four to five hundred in total. Let’s take our time playing this game.”

Qi Huang smirked as she gazed at the stele.

When Elder Zhou noticed Qi Huang’s return, she realized she’d been deceived. Frantic, she sought information once more.

“Elder Zhou, the name on the stele is now Qian Ling.”

The informant quickly replied.

“You told me earlier it was Zhao Ling!”

Elder Zhou was both shocked and enraged, her liver nearly exploding from fury.