Volume 8, Chapter 554 – I’ll Make Her Shut Up with My Strength

“Hmph, that woman is all breast and no brains. With her meager cultivation, she dares to provoke others? Among these people are even eliminees from the continental-level Evergreen Conference!”

Hua Meng’s disdain grew even more pronounced as she watched the scene unfold.

“She’s not brainless, she’s just paving an escape route for herself!”

Ping Yan, standing beside her, had a different perspective.

“What do you mean?” Hua Meng asked, puzzled.

“It’s simple. By provoking them like this, if those cultivators take the bait and gang up on her, even if she loses, she’ll still retain some dignity. And if they win, their victory will be seen as dishonorable. Isn’t this the perfect way to resolve her current predicament?” Ping Yan explained.

“What a cunning woman. I underestimated her.”

Hua Meng finally understood.

“All of you at once? Aren’t you afraid of choking on your own words? Do you think this is a bed?”

“Hah! If it were a bed, we’d definitely need to gang up to handle you!”

“Tch, what a waste of space. I feel sorry for your wife.”

“Do you even know who I am? I’m Yao Xiao, the top immortal seedling of the Kaichun Sect, a participant in the continental-level Evergreen Conference! In the cultivation world, no one has ever been worthy of making me resort to a group fight!”

“You’re really sly, huh? If we all attack at once, even if you lose, you’ll still save face. And if we win, our victory will be tainted!”

“Right, right! We almost fell for her trap. We have to take turns!”

The group of troublemaking cultivators began chattering among themselves, critiquing and mocking.

“Heh…”

Qi Huang wasn’t angered. Instead, she stoked the flames of discord. “So, which one of you will go first? Whoever comes later will still have a dishonorable victory. After all, it’s just a war of attrition!”

“Of course, it should be me! I participated in the Evergreen Conference. In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme!”

“Tch, if you were really strong, you wouldn’t have been eliminated!”

“Just because you participated doesn’t mean anything! At best, it proves you’re somewhat notable among those under thirty. But for those above thirty? A brat like you has no say!”

“I think we should respect our elders. Let the oldest go first, that would be me!”

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“An old thief like you has no right to demand courtesy!”

“You little runt! What did you just say?!”

“You got a problem? Let’s settle it with strength. Whoever wins gets to fight her first!”

Just as planned, the dozens of cultivators fell into infighting. In the blink of an eye, their arguments escalated into armed brawls, leaving Cheng Hongling completely ignored.

“Let’s go. No point wasting time on these idiots.”

Qi Huang beckoned with a small wave.

The women of the Huarong Sect were stunned. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that such a perilous situation could be resolved with Qi Huang’s simple ploy.

Especially Hua Meng and her disciple, their faces were twisted with resentment, as if the words “traitor” were carved on their foreheads.

“Leave? Once they calm down, they’ll just chase after us again! And after insulting me, they must pay the price!”

Cheng Hongling shook her head firmly. She wasn’t the type to endure humiliation quietly.

“I was only asking for your opinion, not that I’d follow it. Since you can’t decide, I’ll take you all on at once!”

The moment she finished speaking, she vanished from her original position. Her figure fluttered like a butterfly, flickering in and out of sight, her speed akin to teleportation. Wherever she passed, the snow on the ground froze solid.

‘Such speed!’

The disdain on Hua Meng’s face was instantly replaced by shock. While this speed meant little in her eyes, for a cultivator at the mid Incarnation Realm, it was an extraordinary feat.

“It seems to be some kind of profound movement technique, and it’s connected to the ice on the ground.”

Ping Yan, observing closely, quickly discerned the trick. With her deeper cultivation, she grasped the mechanics faster.

“If that’s the case, then this movement technique has a fatal flaw. If the opponent takes to the air, she won’t be able to pursue, right?”

Hua Meng concluded.

“Theoretically, yes.”

Ping Yan agreed.

By now, Cheng Hongling had already plunged into the brawling crowd like a tiger among sheep. Her Blue Scale Sword slashed out streaks of blue lightning, and with every strike, another cultivator fell. In just a few dozen breaths, the entire group was sprawled on the ground, howling in pain. Their blood stained the pristine snow in stark, grotesque patterns.

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Only Yao Xiao, the Evergreen Conference eliminee, remained standing. His higher cultivation had spared him.

“How is this possible?! You’re only at the mid Incarnation Realm! How can you be so fast?!”

Yao Xiao gripped his sword warily, his eyes locked onto Cheng Hongling.

“Do you really think I’d tell you?”

Cheng Hongling replied coldly.

“Hmph! You think such petty tricks can defeat me? In the Incarnation Realm, even a minor difference in cultivation is like heaven and earth, not just in strength, but in speed! Let me show you what real speed looks like!”

Confident in his analysis, Yao Xiao lunged forward with an intricate footwork technique, his movements too fast for the naked eye to follow.

“Wow! Such incredible movement!”

The onlookers gasped in awe.

“It is fast. But speed is relative.”

Cheng Hongling remained calm, her divine sense firmly locking onto Yao Xiao’s figure.

In an instant, Yao Xiao closed the distance, thrusting his sword toward Cheng Hongling’s chest without a shred of mercy, a sneer playing on his lips.

Just as he came within striking range, Cheng Hongling unleashed a burst of divine sense, two whole layers above her actual cultivation, blasting Yao Xiao’s mind and freezing him mid-motion. Then, like a ghost, she vanished, reappearing behind him in a flash.

“H-How?! You’re only at the mid Incarnation Realm! How is your divine sense so strong?!”

Yao Xiao trembled as he stared at his wrist, now stripped of flesh, his sword clattering to the ground.

“Let’s go.”

Cheng Hongling had no interest in explaining herself. She strode forward without another glance.

Qi Huang flashed an approving smile before skipping after her.

“Haha! My disciple won!”

Shi Yuqi cheered as she hurried to catch up.

“Holy Maiden, you’ve proven yourself worthy!”

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Protector Yuan sighed in admiration before following.

The rest of the Huarong Sect disciples finally snapped out of their daze and trailed behind, their faces a mix of shock and disbelief.

“Master… did I see that right? Did she just use divine sense at the seventh layer of the Incarnation Realm?”

Hua Meng asked, struggling to believe her eyes.

“Yes. Though Yao Xiao was also at the seventh layer, he let his guard down and was caught off guard. Between experts, victory and defeat are decided in an instant, that’s why he lost.”

Ping Yan explained.

“But she’s only at the mid Incarnation Realm! Even if we assume she cultivated at the fastest possible speed, there’s no way she could reach the seventh layer by now.”

Hua Meng frowned skeptically.

“The power behind her strikes didn’t reach the seventh layer. She must have some kind of artifact that specifically enhances divine sense. Such treasures are rare, but they do exist in the cultivation world.”

Ping Yan speculated.

“That makes sense.”

Hua Meng nodded thoughtfully before sneering. “But if that’s all she has up her sleeve… today, she’s destined to become someone else’s, no, my stepping stone.”

The Huarong Sect continued forward. Cheng Hongling’s display of strength had cowed the onlookers, none dared provoke her now. If even a genius who had participated in the continental-level Evergreen Conference had been defeated, what chance did they have?

After traveling another two miles, several figures blocked the road ahead, their cold gazes signaling ill intent.

“Move.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was icy.

“I’m afraid not. Whether I, Fu Xin, can return to the Leiming Sect with glory depends entirely on you!”

A pale-faced young man stepped forward, his smile dripping with malice.

“Oh-ho, now we’re in for a show! I recognize him. Fu Xin, the top immortal seedling of the Leiming Sect, the second-largest sect in the Yuxuan Empire! Even I wouldn’t be 100% confident of beating him!”

Hua Meng deliberately raised her voice, ensuring Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling heard her.

“Isn’t that Fu Xin? The Leiming Sect’s top immortal seedling?”

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“Who else could it be? Rumor has it he’s already at the eighth layer of the Incarnation Realm, with terrifying combat prowess. If he hadn’t run into Hua Yu in the second round, he might’ve made it to the third or even fourth round!”

“Him blocking the road now… he’s not just looking for a stepping stone. There’s probably some revenge involved too.”

“This’ll be fun. Fu Xin was eliminated by the Huarong Sect’s previous Holy Maiden. If the current one can’t beat him… well, the humiliation will be unbearable.”

“‘If’? Fu Xin’s strength is easily within the top thirty of the continental Evergreen Conference! This new Holy Maiden is only at the mid Incarnation Realm, how could she possibly win?”

“Heh, if she loses, it won’t just be her face that’s ruined. The entire Huarong Sect’s higher-ups will be shamed for their poor judgment!”

The spectators once again began chattering excitedly.

“This guy seems like a bigger deal. Want me to take over?”

Qi Huang sent a mental message to her main body.

“No need. Save your strength for the real monsters. If I can’t even clear these ‘roadblocks’, what right do I have to be your main body?”

Cheng Hongling refused with confidence.

“Hua Meng, you know this man’s strength best. Our new Holy Maiden is no match for him. For the sake of the Huarong Sect’s reputation… will you step in for her?”

Protector Yuan’s heart was in her throat as she turned to Hua Meng for help once more.

After a brief pause, Hua Meng called out to Cheng Hongling, “Jiang Ling, for the Huarong Sect’s dignity, I’ll give you one last chance. Agree to my terms, and I’ll handle him for you.”

“Haha, Holy Maiden Jiang, it seems even your fellow disciples don’t trust you!”

Fu Xin mocked.

“It’s fine.”

Cheng Hongling replied calmly.

“I’ll make her shut up with my strength.”

“Good! Then let’s see how you compare to the Huarong Sect’s last Holy Maiden. Don’t disappoint me!”

Fu Xin’s gaze sharpened like a blade.