Volume 8, Chapter 553 – Cutting a Path Through (Part 2)

In stark contrast, Cheng Hongling moved with graceful poise, her delicate face as cold and unchanging as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice. Her entire demeanor was so aloof that it made others instinctively keep their distance.

Shi Yuqi and Protector Yuan quickly followed behind her. Though they had no desire to face the crowd outside, their concern for the Holy Maiden’s safety compelled them to stay close.

Next came Hua Meng and her disciple, their faces alight with schadenfreude, their steps just as “eager” as Qi Huang’s.

Bringing up the rear were the remaining members of the Huarong Sect, their expressions uneasy, their steps hesitant, clear signs of their inner turmoil.

From this, it was evident that even among these mere twenty to thirty disciples of the Huarong Sect, everyone harbored their own thoughts!

“Putting on makeup? Is that really necessary? Soon enough, your faces will be covered in blood anyway.”

“That’s right. Let me be blunt, today, the line of people waiting to teach you a lesson stretches all the way from Wuye City to the Immortal-Forging Platform. A single spit from each of them would drown you!”

“Hah! And you called us ‘rookies pecking at each other’? You probably won’t even make it to the Immortal-Forging Platform today.”

“Honestly, I was worried I wouldn’t find a good excuse to put you in your place. But you’ve gone and given us all the perfect opportunity. Once I defeat you, I can return to my sect in glory!”

“If I were part of the Huarong Sect, I definitely wouldn’t follow you. With so many people looking for trouble, even a casual brush with a real expert would send you straight to the afterlife. What a tragic way to die! You’ve really picked yourselves a fine Holy Maiden, haven’t you?”

The moment Qi Huang stepped out of the inn, the crowd outside immediately began hurling taunts.

“Seeking death! Do you even know who you’re speaking to?”

Protector Yuan erupted in fury, unleashing a crushing wave of divine sense.

“Y-You… So what if you’re strong? Th-This is the capital of the Xianlin Empire! F-Fighting is forbidden here!”

“Th-That’s right! I-I challenge your Huarong Sect’s n-new Holy Maiden! What k-kind of elder, a woman hundreds of years old, would stoop so low as to interfere?”

“Is this the Huarong Sect’s new Holy Maiden? Can’t even handle a little trouble without her elders stepping in? What’s the difference between her and an overgrown baby? She’s not even fit to lick Hua Yu’s boots! Your judgment is truly laughable!”

The troublemaking cultivators trembled under the overwhelming pressure of Protector Yuan’s divine sense, but emboldened by Wuye City’s strict laws, they stubbornly refused to back down.

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“……”

Protector Yuan was momentarily at a loss for words. She was indeed powerful, but even she couldn’t openly defy the laws of a superpower like the Xianlin Empire, especially when even ordinary martial artists here could be formidable.

“Since you know fighting isn’t allowed in the city, why are you all still loitering here? Shouldn’t you be waiting outside the gates? What if someone else gets to her first?”

Qi Huang, however, remained unperturbed, offering them a casual reminder.

“No need. I’ll just follow you. The moment you step outside, I’ll issue my challenge!”

“Offering help out of nowhere? Either a scam or a trap! You just want to lure us away so you can sneak off!”

“Save your breath. Right now, thousands of divine senses are locked onto you. Even if you grew wings, you wouldn’t escape!”

The group of cultivators refused to relent.

“Fine. Suit yourselves.”

Qi Huang had no interest in entertaining these attention-seekers. With light, unhurried steps, she walked forward, her divine sense subtly extending to keep the falling snow at bay. Now that she had decided to stir up trouble, there was no need to hide her strength any longer.

“Wait! At least take an umbrella!”

Shi Yuqi hurried after her with a parasol but froze mid-step, her eyes widening in shock. “Divine sense? It is divine sense! So you really can use it, I wasn’t mistaken that night!”

The other Huarong Sect disciples also wore expressions of surprise. Wasn’t the Holy Maiden’s doppelgänger only at the Spirit-Gathering Realm? How could she project her divine sense?

“Master, why the fuss? Divine sense projection is possible as early as the Unity Realm. My main body is already at the Incarnation Realm, is it really so strange to have a Unity Realm doppelgänger?”

Qi Huang brushed it off casually.

Shi Yuqi was left speechless, though inwardly she grumbled: ‘This isn’t about cultivation levels, it’s about honesty! You even lied to your own master. Don’t you owe me an explanation?’

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The Huarong Sect disciples, however, quickly dismissed their doubts. Divine sense projection wasn’t anything extraordinary, so they saw no reason to dwell on it.

As for the onlookers, since they knew nothing about Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling, the exchange left them utterly confused.

Qi Huang led the group, her main body and the Huarong Sect disciples, north toward the city gates. The crowd of troublemakers and spectators grew larger by the minute, eventually forming a procession over a li ¹ 0.5 km/~0.31 miles long trailing behind them. The commotion was so disruptive that Wuye City even dispatched soldiers to maintain order.

Qi Huang glanced back at the massive crowd following her and, far from feeling ashamed, actually swelled with pride. She felt like a leader commanding an army of thousands, and the thought amused her.

The others, however, were far less at ease. Though the Huarong Sect was powerful, they were still vulnerable to sheer numbers. If this mob rushed them all at once, it would be disastrous.

“Disciple Hua, do you remember what I said to you the other day? Once we leave the city, if anyone provokes us, I’d like you to shield the Holy Maiden.”

Sensing the danger, Protector Yuan approached Hua Meng and her disciple, speaking in a low voice.

“And what does she think about that? Aunt Yuan, surely you haven’t forgotten my condition? If you want my help, you must carry me back to the Huarong Sect!”

Hua Meng reiterated her demand firmly.

“Uh…”

Protector Yuan was momentarily stumped. If the Holy Maiden had been willing to compromise, she wouldn’t be resorting to last-minute pleas.

“So she refuses? Then there’s nothing to discuss. I’m no Holy Maiden, and certainly no saint!”

Hua Meng’s tone was merciless.

“Disciple Hua, we’re all part of the same sect. Must you be so confrontational? Can’t we negotiate?”

Protector Yuan sighed in frustration.

“Aunt Yuan, when you ordered me to carry her palanquin, you didn’t seem interested in negotiating then!”

Hua Meng seized the opportunity to twist the knife.

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Left with no options, Protector Yuan could only retreat in defeat.

“Hmph! She actually refused. I’d love to see how she plans to deal with all those challengers.”

Hua Meng sneered.

“Isn’t it better this way? Once she humiliates the Huarong Sect, her position as Holy Maiden will crumble. You can take her place!”

Her disciple, Ping Yan, chimed in, her tone indifferent as if the Huarong Sect’s reputation meant nothing to her.

As they neared the city gates, Protector Yuan called out to Qi Huang in desperation.

“Holy Maiden, wait! Have you thought about how you’ll reach the Immortal-Forging Platform?”

Protector Yuan’s voice was urgent.

“By cutting a bloody path forward. What else?”

Qi Huang answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“If only it were that simple!”

Protector Yuan shook her head helplessly before lowering her voice in warning. “You must understand, once we step outside these gates, the most I can do is ensure your survival. If they challenge you to a duel, I won’t be able to interfere. You’ll be on your own. If you lose… the consequences will be severe.”

“Relax. When have I ever let you down?”

Qi Huang reassured her with a faint smile, then turned to stride forward.

The moment the challengers saw her approaching the gates, they surged forward like a pack of wolves, each scrambling to be the first to crush this so-called “rookie”.

“Wait!”

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A voice cut through the chaos, Cheng Hongling’s.

“What is it?”

Qi Huang turned, puzzled.

“Don’t forget, I’m the main body. How can I let you take the lead?”

Cheng Hongling stepped forward, her stride unwavering.

“Fine. You go first.”

Qi Huang chuckled and moved aside.

“Jiang Ling, I’ll give you one last chance. Agree to my terms, and I’ll deal with these people for you.”

Hua Meng spoke up again.

“Unnecessary. I told you, if I made you carry my palanquin once, I can make you carry it for the rest of your life.”

Without so much as a backward glance, Cheng Hongling marched toward the city gates.

“Such arrogance! It seems I overestimated you. The Huarong Sect will always belong to the Hua family.”

Hua Meng’s lips curled in disdain.

The challengers, seeing Cheng Hongling step outside, immediately swarmed out of the city like a tide.

“Well? Will you come at me one by one, or all at once?”

Once on the main road, Cheng Hongling turned to face them, her voice icy.