Volume 8, Chapter 549 – Where Did This Heavenly Tribulation Realm Expert Come From? (Part 3)

As soon as Qi Huang finished speaking, her Divine Sense dispersed, transforming into countless translucent threads as fine as hair. They cascaded down like an inverted Milky Way, violently crashing into the earth.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Countless threads of Divine Sense pierced deep into the ravaged ground, dense and evenly distributed, leaving not even a single square meter untouched.

Though Steward Leng had reached the late-stage Divine Realm, his physical body alone was no match for the Divine Sense of a Heavenly Tribulation Realm expert. In an instant, his body was riddled with holes like a beehive.

“Ah—!”

The crowd heard a faint, agonized scream before Steward Leng’s life soul emerged from the ground. But since Qi Huang’s Divine Sense storm had not yet ended, it was torn to shreds the moment it surfaced.

Qi Huang smiled in satisfaction. One of the benefits of having powerful Divine Sense was that it could not only launch physical attacks but also annihilate souls, killing two birds with one stone.

“Alright! The nuisance is dealt with!”

Qi Huang clapped her hands lightly.

“Many thanks for your intervention, Senior. May we know how to address you? Huarong Sect will surely repay this kindness!”

Protector Yuan bowed respectfully.

“No need for formalities. I merely acted out of righteousness. You may go, don’t mind me!”

Qi Huang waved them off casually before flying toward the devastated mountain below. Her first concern was avoiding recognition by Huarong Sect members; her second was her eagerness to retrieve the garment woven from the fur of the Nine Nether Demon Cats.

Protector Yuan hesitated but wisely refrained from pressing further. She then signaled the Holy Maiden’s guard to continue their journey. The shaken and exhausted group needed to recuperate in a nearby town.

“Where are you going?”

Cheng Hongling immediately transmitted her question through mental communication.

“Of course, to dig up treasure! Go ahead without me!”

Qi Huang replied offhandedly before beginning to excavate Steward Leng’s corpse under Mimi’s guidance.

With her formidable Divine Sense, Qi Huang effortlessly shifted the thick layers of rock and soil, revealing Steward Leng’s lifeless body, his eyes still wide open in death.

Upon inspection, she confirmed that he was indeed wearing a black robe impervious to Divine Sense, undoubtedly woven from Nine Nether Demon Cat fur.

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Excited, Qi Huang stripped the robe from the corpse. Since her attack had utilized ultra-fine Divine Sense threads, the garment remained nearly undamaged. The only flaw was the bloodstains left behind by Steward Leng.

“What a treasure! I’ve wanted one of these for so long!”

Her eyes burned with fervor. With this robe, she would no longer need to trouble Yaoyao or Mimi for concealment during her operations.

Qi Huang grabbed the garment and soared into the sky, washing it clean in a nearby river before catching up with the Holy Maiden’s guard.

After the fierce battle and the lingering terror, the women of the guard were moving at a sluggish pace.

Protector Yuan had no choice but to order the group to camp in the wilderness.

Qi Huang observed from the shadows, quickly realizing that while the battle had ended, it had left deep unrest among the ranks.

“That was absolutely terrifying! Who would’ve thought the Cao Family would ambush us with so many experts?”

“Right? Two or three dozen, all at least Incarnation Realm cultivators, any one of them could’ve fought Protector Yuan to a standstill. If not for that senior’s intervention, we’d all be dead!”

“Just thinking about it makes me furious. Just because she wanted to see the Evergreen Conference, we all had to risk our lives!”

“Watch your words! She’s the Holy Maiden, she’s entitled to privileges!”

“Hmph! What makes her so special? Higher cultivation? Greater contributions? Just because she defeated Wan Min, a fourth-layer Incarnation Realm cultivator, during the inauguration? I could’ve done that with one hand!”

“Rumor has it she possesses a secret technique that accelerates her cultivation at an astonishing rate.”

“How astonishing? All we hear are exaggerations from the elders, who knows if it’s even true?”

“Exactly! They claim she can break through a minor realm in just days—how is that believable? Probably just propaganda to maintain morale after losing a genius like Hua Yu!”

A group of elite disciples whispered among themselves, their grievances boiling over after the harrowing ordeal.

‘It seems we were too low-key back at Huarong Sect, too focused on cultivation, not enough on proving ourselves.’

Qi Huang sighed inwardly but saw no point in arguing. Once they reached the Evergreen Conference, these so-called “elites” would learn their place.

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Meanwhile, back at the Cao Family, the lack of response from Steward Leng made it clear something had gone wrong. They immediately dispatched investigators.

A few days later, the investigators returned, bringing back the corpses of Steward Leng and Wu Hua.

Cao Hui, both shocked and furious, demanded, “What about their souls?”

“Reporting to the Patriarch, none were found. They must have been annihilated.”

The investigator speculated.

“Impossible! Both were late-stage Divine Realm experts! Who could’ve done this?”

Cao Hui gnashed his teeth. Losing Steward Leng and Wu Hua, both comparable to top-tier Immortal Alliance elders, was a devastating blow even for the Cao Family.

After a long silence, Cao Hui hurried to inform his father, Cao Meng, who was in seclusion.

Enraged, Cao Meng emerged immediately, smashing several teacups in the hall.

“What happened? Who did this? Didn’t you say the Holy Maiden’s guard only had Protector Yuan as a late-stage Divine Realm cultivator?”

Cao Meng snarled at his son.

“I don’t know either! Logically, the guard shouldn’t have been capable of killing them. And in such a minor nation, encountering a true expert is unthinkable.”

Cao Hui answered cautiously.

“Could they have fallen to Immortal Might?”

Cao Yang speculated.

“Unlikely. Wu Hua’s corpse bore fatal sword wounds, and Steward Leng’s death resemble mere suppression by Divine Sense.”

Cao Hui shook his head.

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“Could it be Huarong Sect’s Grand Elder secretly protecting that little wench?”

Hua Yu offered her own theory.

“That’s possible! If it were her, killing Steward Leng and Wu Hua would indeed be effortless.”

Cao Hui nodded thoughtfully.

“My mistake was assuming Hua Man would remain at Huarong Sect.”

Cao Meng sighed regretfully.

“Father, what do we do now? Steward Leng and Wu Hua were loyal servants who contributed greatly to our family, they can’t have died in vain!”

Cao Hui said heatedly.

“What can we do? If Hua Man truly killed them, even I might not prevail against her. My lifespan is dwindling, my body weakens by the day!”

Cao Meng exhaled wearily.

“Tch! Our Cao Family, the foremost power in the cultivation world, helpless against a minor sect like Huarong Sect?”

Cao Hui’s face twisted in frustration.

“Blame our fractured unity! The internal strife over the patriarch’s seat has left us vulnerable. Otherwise, not just Huarong Sect, even the other eight major immortal factions combined would be nothing to us!”

Cao Meng lamented their disunity.

“That new Holy Maiden of Huarong Sect is also to blame. That little vixen played us for fools! Had we known her true identity from the start, things wouldn’t have gotten so messy!”

Cao Yang’s eyes burned with resentment.

“At this rate, confirming whether that brat carved her true name will take time. Our only hope lies with the agents we sent to the Northern Continent.”

Cao Hui clung to that sliver of expectation.

“Enough gloom. At least we’ll soon have a chance to vent our anger!”

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Cao Meng reassured them before turning to his grandson and granddaughter-in-law.

“Cao Yang, Hua Yu, the continental Evergreen Conference is just days away. When do you two depart?”

“Reporting to Grandfather, we leave within the next two days.”

Cao Yang answered respectfully.

“Good. Aside from defending your championship, I have another task for you. At the conference, provoke Huarong Sect’s new Holy Maiden relentlessly, force her into a duel!”

“But why?”

Cao Yang frowned.

“To humiliate Huarong Sect in front of the entire cultivation world! Only then can we properly vent our grievances!”

Cao Meng reminded him.

“A sound plan, but what if she refuses?”

Cao Yang countered.

“Exactly, Grandfather. She isn’t even qualified to compete, she’s just there to spectate. She can easily decline without consequence.”

Hua Yu added.

“Who said anything about challenging her onstage? Provoke her at the gates! Unsanctioned duels aren’t under the Immortal Alliance’s jurisdiction! If she backs down, she’ll be branded a coward. If she accepts, she’ll lose miserably. Either way, Huarong Sect loses face!”

Cao Meng chuckled darkly.

“Grandfather is brilliant! I’ll make her beg on her knees, force Huarong Sect’s elders to realize their mistake and beg me to return as Holy Maiden!”

Hua Yu’s eyes gleamed with malice.

“Indeed. Use the Evergreen Conference to show the entire cultivation world who is the true Holy Maiden of Huarong Sect!”

Cao Meng smiled in satisfaction.