Volume 8, Chapter 548 – Where Did This Heavenly Tribulation Realm Expert Come From? (Part 2)

This Divine Sense was overwhelmingly powerful, descending like the might of an immortal, distorting even the fabric of space. Strangely, its target was solely the group from the Cao family.

Among the Cao family’s forces, aside from the two leaders, the rest were all cultivators below the Divine Realm. Under the crushing weight of such a formidable Divine Sense, they were rendered completely immobile, unable to even blink, as if turned into dozens of lifeless corpses, plummeting like shooting stars toward the ground below.

Falling from a height of several hundred zhang, their speed was terrifying. Combined with the suppression of the Divine Sense, the cultivators ignited from the friction with the air. Many were reduced to ashes before even hitting the ground, while those who managed to land were instantly pulverized by the immense impact. The moment their souls left their bodies, they were obliterated by that horrifying Divine Sense.

As for the two leaders of the Cao family, though their cultivation had reached the late-stage Divine Ability Realm, even they could not maintain their footing under this overwhelming pressure. Staggering unsteadily, they too began to fall.

The women of the Huarong Sect collectively exhaled in relief. They knew they had just narrowly escaped the gates of the underworld. Had it not been for this sudden intervention, they would have surely been wiped out.

“How is this possible? Where did this Heavenly Tribulation Realm expert come from?”

The usually arrogant Wu Hua now wore an expression of sheer terror. He had seen this kind of space-distorting Divine Sense before, only a Heavenly Tribulation Realm powerhouse was capable of such a feat.

“Could it be the Grand Elder of the Huarong Sect?”

Steward Leng instinctively guessed, considering that within the entire Huarong Sect, only Hua Man had reached the Heavenly Tribulation Realm.

But he was wrong.

At that very moment, a stranger appeared on the scene!

This person was tall, wore a mask, and was dressed in a light green robe. Judging by the slightly broad shoulders and the faint rise and fall of the chest, it was undoubtedly a “muscular man”.

The women of the Huarong Sect sighed in relief once more. They had just brushed shoulders with death. Had this expert not appeared, they would likely be drinking Meng Po’s soup ¹ 喝孟婆汤 (hē mèngpó tāng) = Drinking Meng Po’s soup (literal meaning), a euphemistic way to say someone has died or would have died. by now.

“E-Esteemed senior, may I ask how we should address you? We bear no enmity toward you. If you could spare us, this junior would surely repay you generously.”

Steward Leng struggled to maintain his posture as he pleaded.

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“Hmph! What ill-mannered juniors! Don’t you know it’s proper to introduce yourselves before asking for someone else’s identity?”

The unfamiliar Heavenly Tribulation Realm expert snorted coldly, his voice hoarse. Then he continued, “Speak! Who are you people? If you’re friends of an old acquaintance, I might let you off. After all, I’m just passing by. I simply couldn’t stand watching you bully a group of women!”

Hearing this, the women of the Huarong Sect, who had just relaxed, tensed up again. They quickly tightened their formation, shielding the holy maiden’s carriage within their ranks.

Inside the palanquin, Cheng Hongling’s expression remained unchanged. That’s because this “muscular man” was none other than Qi Huang. The slight rise and fall of the chest was not due to muscles but rather because certain assets were simply too large to be fully bound. The “firm” waist was the result of extra layers of bandages, concealing what would otherwise be a slender figure.

Steward Leng’s mind raced. If he chose to remain silent, death was certain. Lying was also risky, an expert of this level surely had vast connections. Only by telling the truth might he have a sliver of hope for survival. After all, in the cultivation world, no one dared to provoke the Cao family.

‘I’ll tell him first! Once I deal with this guy, I’ll handle the Huarong Sect.’

Steward Leng quickly made his decision. Compared to his life, secrecy meant nothing.

Just as he was about to speak, however, Wu Hua cut in first.

“Hmph! Want to know who I am? Keep dreaming! Do I look like a coward who fears death?”

Wu Hua wore a look of heroic defiance. After all, Steward Leng had already emphasized that their identities must not be exposed under any circumstances.

‘What a pig of a teammate! No flexibility at all!’

Steward Leng nearly coughed up blood in frustration.

“Then have it your way!”

With a mere thought from Qi Huang, a dark-red sword flashed before her eyes. This was one she had looted, it was best not to use her signature “Cicada Wing Sword” in front of so many witnesses.

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Under the manipulation of her Heavenly Tribulation Realm Divine Sense, the dark-red sword moved with terrifying speed. The air parted like tofu in its path, and even space itself was faintly scarred as the blade shot toward Wu Hua’s heart like a teleporting bolt.

Wu Hua’s Divine Sense could barely track the sword’s trajectory, but his body was immobilized under the crushing pressure. His ringed blade couldn’t even be raised in time. He could only “watch helplessly” as the weapon pierced toward his chest.

“Damn it! Go all out!”

At the brink of death, Wu Hua summoned four doppelgängers, each identical to him, with leaf-shaped marks on their brows. They wielded various defensive treasures: shields, ancient bells, cauldrons…

“Struggling even when death is certain, how pointless.”

Qi Huang’s lips curled in disdain.

And indeed, though her sword was far from a top-grade treasure, under the enhancement of her overwhelming Divine Sense, it was unstoppable. It pierced through Wu Hua’s four doppelgängers and their artifacts as if they were paper, then continued unimpeded to stab straight through his heart.

Wu Hua’s face twisted in disbelief before his body stiffened and plummeted downward. His Life Soul soon left his body, but since he was still within the range of Qi Huang’s Divine Sense, escape was impossible.

Without mercy, Qi Huang condensed her Divine Sense and crushed Wu Hua’s Life Soul into nothingness.

Steward Leng was so terrified his soul nearly fled his body. He couldn’t even muster the courage to run.

Protector Yuan’s face was deathly pale. Though she had witnessed the Grand Elder of her sect in action before, even her tall frame trembled slightly under the pressure. After all, this was the same opponent who had been suppressing her earlier!

The rest of the Huarong Sect members were in even worse shape. Many had their Divine Senses scattered from sheer terror, needing support from their peers just to stay airborne.

“Now it’s your turn. Talk or die?”

Qi Huang turned her gaze to Steward Leng.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! We’re from the Cao family! We were sent to test the Huarong Sect’s holy maiden, to see if she had the protection of Immortal Might!”

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Steward Leng blurted everything out in one breath. His mind was blank, survival his only thought.

“Hmph! As expected, the Cao family!”

Qi Huang smiled faintly. Truthfully, with a bit of deduction, their identities were obvious. Who else but the Cao family would dare move against the Huarong Sect with such strength?

“They wanted to confirm whether the holy maiden had engraved her true name on the Immortal Stele!”

Protector Yuan quickly grasped their intention.

“Senior, I’ve told you everything. Could you spare me out of respect for the Cao family?”

Steward Leng ventured cautiously.

“Sorry, but if it were any other faction, I might have let you go. But since it’s the Cao family, I won’t spare a single one of you.”

Qi Huang’s smile turned icy.

“How dare you! The Cao family is the number one force in the cultivation world! We have two Heavenly Tribulation Realm experts, one of whom is the deputy leader of the Immortal Alliance! Kill me, and you’ll die without a burial site!”

Seeing that soft words didn’t work, Steward Leng resorted to a vicious threat.

“The problem is, if all of you die, how will the Cao family know it was me?”

Qi Huang calmly recalled her sword, then sent it shooting toward Steward Leng once more. Though the motion seemed casual, no one dared underestimate it.

Steward Leng wasn’t about to wait for death. With a thought, a set of heavy armor materialized on his body. The armor was engraved with intricate runes, gleaming ostentatiously gold under the sunlight, clearly no ordinary artifact.

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Clang!

Qi Huang’s sword slammed violently into the armor, producing a piercing metallic screech.

Crack!

The breastplate fractured under the impact, but it managed, barely, to block the strike. The force of the collision sent Steward Leng hurtling downward at breakneck speed, crashing like a meteor into the mountain range below.

BOOM!

Though his body was small, the velocity was so extreme that it carried terrifying kinetic energy. The point of impact erupted in a violent explosion, sending plumes of dust skyward. Two nearby peaks collapsed, burying his body under layers of rubble.

The women of the Huarong Sect were petrified. Many collapsed on the spot. This was their first time witnessing a Heavenly Tribulation Realm expert in action, the sheer destructive power of Divine Sense alone was no different from a miniature version of “immortal might”.

Qi Huang extended her Divine Sense downward, scanning through the debris, but Steward Leng was nowhere to be found!

“Strange, where did he go?”

Qi Huang muttered to herself. She was certain he hadn’t been reduced to ashes, which meant he had some means of shielding himself from Divine Sense detection.

“Sister, he’s still in the ground below. He’s wearing clothes woven from the fur of our Nine Nether Demon Cats.”

At that moment, Mimi suddenly spoke up. Though her intellect was only equivalent to that of an eight or nine-year-old human child, her voice was thick with hatred. After all, it would take more than one or two pelts to weave such a garment.

“Oh? Likes hiding in the dirt, does he? Then he can stay buried forever!”

Qi Huang smirked coldly.