Volume 8, Chapter 567 – One Against Seven (Part 7)

“My heavens, so that was her goal all along? She came here to topple those prodigies from their pedestals and take the throne for herself!”

“Those are all descendants of immortals with bloodlines at nine points of purity! Every single one of them is destined to become a dominator of the cultivation world, each with the potential to shatter space and ascend in broad daylight, each one a figure we can only look up to. And she dares to take on all seven at once!”

“She has already defeated four of them. Facing seven at once isn’t impossible. Besides, don’t forget, her main body hasn’t even appeared yet. The main body’s cultivation is surely stronger than this doppelgänger.”

“If an eight point bloodline genius defeats seven nine point bloodline peerless prodigies, then the argument for bloodline supremacy collapses completely. The exalted status of immortal descendants will plunge into disrepute!”

“Yes… Perhaps that is exactly why Fairy Ning had no choice but to step in. For them today, no matter what means they use, they must win.”

The crowd of cultivators watching all felt their hair stand on end. They had never imagined there existed someone this insane in the world, and that she would be a woman.

The women of the Huarong Sect were no exception. None of them had dreamed that Qi Huang came here with such a purpose.

“Disciple, didn’t you say you only came to the Evergreen Conference to broaden your horizons?”

Shi Yuqi asked Cheng Hongling in shock.

“Yes, to broaden horizons, but not just for us. For everyone here.”

Qi Huang interjected calmly.

“Elder Yuan, forgive my ignorance, but… in the long history of the cultivation world, has there ever been such a prodigy that required the top seven peers combined to bring down?”

Shi Yuqi asked Protector Yuan nervously.

“Never! Absolutely never! That I can guarantee!”

Protector Yuan shook his head firmly.

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“Heavens above… What kind of disciple did I end up accepting?”

Shi Yuqi looked toward Qi Huang in the arena. As her teacher, there was even a hint of reverence in her eyes now. That earlier disdainful air of “a petty person flushed with success” had completely vanished.

“Vice Alliance Leader, did you hear? That new Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect did not come with good intentions! If she succeeds, it won’t just be this Evergreen Conference, our Immortal Alliance’s very foundation will be shaken.”

Elder Ma reminded cautiously.

“Indeed. Our elevated status as cultivators has always been because of the talent brought by our bloodlines, especially the descendants of immortals. If she wins, the principle of bloodline supremacy will be questioned, and with it, our standing will surely falter.”

Another elder’s face showed panic. After all, most who had reached Divine Realm or higher carried at least a trace of immortal blood.

“What’s all this panicking for? The fight hasn’t even begun! Wait for the outcome before you start your wailing!”

Cao Hong barked impatiently, silencing the elders at once.

“Where in the world did this monstrous genius come from? Never before have I heard of anyone needing all the nine points of bloodline prodigies combined just to be dealt with!”

Cao Hong muttered to himself, face growing grim.

“Hmph, such bold words. But if this is all you’ve got, then this farce should end here! In the past, no monster ever appeared that required seven immortal descendants combined to subdue, and today will be no different!”

Tang Long declared gruffly. At the same time, his Divine Sense didn’t stop, sending streams of dense runic script toward Ning Wuxia, intending to cloak this last-arriving teammate in a set of Stone Armor as well.

“There’s no need.”

Ning Wuxia refused with a wave of her jade hand, dispersing the runes.

“To force the seven of us to join hands, you should already take pride in that.”

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Yang Jin’s whole body surged with wood-element True Qi, its verdant energy turning nearly black, radiating a strange aura. Compared to her usual mischievous air, she now looked like a completely different person.

“Junior Sister Jiang, rest assured, even if you lose today, you will still rank as the tenth Great Monster of the cultivation world. At least, I acknowledge that.”

Ning Wuxia’s voice sounded from within her armor.

“Did you ask for our opinion?”

Hua Yu frowned and challenged.

“Fairy Ning, I appreciate your goodwill. But I’ve never been one to share a pedestal. I only enjoy standing alone above all. So I’ll repeat myself, after today, there will be only one monster in the cultivation world, and that is me, the new Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect.”

Qi Huang’s eyes curved like gentle crescent moons, yet her words were as sharp as blades, cutting without mercy.

“In that case, forgive me.”

Ning Wuxia observed proper courtesy before battle. She didn’t wish to waste further words. Instead she chanted softly: “Though the Five Elements restrain each other, water remains the foundation of all things, the source of all life. It nourishes everything… and can destroy everything.”

As she finished, Ning Wuxia’s jade hands blurred in front of her, forming a sequence of intricate seals. Water-element True Qi erupted wildly from her body, condensing into a rapidly spinning vortex between her palms.

Qi Huang instantly felt a strange force dragging her toward Ning Wuxia. Though the pull was not too great and she forced herself still, her body was wracked with bizarre stings, as though needles pierced every inch of her flesh.

Startled, she looked down. The mortal skin she wore was cracking into countless hair-thin fissures. Blood and True Qi were being drawn out by a strange force, rushing toward Ning Wuxia like rivers flowing into the sea. Her already meager cultivation plummeted rapidly.

“What secret art is this?”

Qi Huang was horrified. She tried to resist, but the searing agony made it impossible to muster her Divine Sense.

“Look quickly! That’s Ning Wuxia’s ultimate technique, ‘Water-Severing Art’! She actually unleashed it without holding back from the very start!”

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“Of course she did! That Holy Maiden of Huarong Sect already defeated the other four, how could Ning Wuxia dare hold back now?”

“By the looks of it, the Holy Maiden has been caught. The situation looks grim.”

“Indeed. The ‘Water-Severing Art’ strikes suddenly. Once ensnared, the opponent’s True Qi and blood essence are stripped away. The pain is so unbearable that no matter how strong one’s Divine Sense is, concentration becomes impossible. The victim can only grit their teeth and fight with brute flesh.”

“You mean the kind of men with insane endurance. But this Jiang Ling’s incarnation is just a delicate little girl. Endure that pain? Not a chance.”

Around them, the watching cultivators’ expressions grew sympathetic.

‘Hah. Delicate I may look, but my mind is far from that of an eighteen-year-old girl!’

Qi Huang gritted her teeth, struggling to focus her Divine Sense.

“This is bad. The ‘Water-Severing Art’ is Ning Clan’s ancestral secret technique. Only their most gifted descendants with thick immortal blood can learn it. Its essence is to sever all vitality, anything containing moisture will be sucked dry into a husk! How could I have forgotten to warn the Holy Maiden?”

Protector Yuan slapped his thigh in regret.

“Then how can one defend against this art?”

Cheng Hongling pressed urgently.

Just through Soul Resonance alone, she was already feeling unbearable pain. How much worse must it be for Qi Huang herself?

“She is suffering such agony right now, her Divine Sense cannot be used. The only way is to rely on her cultivation base to stop Ning Wuxia from fully unleashing the Water-Severing Art!”

Protector Yuan offered grimly.

Cheng Hongling’s face changed. She knew well the state of her doppelgänger, her true cultivation was only Spirit Gathering Realm. How could that possibly oppose Ning Wuxia, who stood in mid-stage Divine Realm? And even her own cultivation, though at sixth layer of the Incarnation Realm and high compared to most, was still inferior to those six monsters…

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“As expected of Senior Sister Ning, your Water-Severing Art is exquisite. She didn’t even realize before she was caught.”

Hua Yu praised quickly.

Yet Ning Wuxia’s face was troubled. Though she had acted openly, against someone unfamiliar with the Water-Severing Art, it amounted to a sneak attack.

“Now that her Divine Sense is sealed, our speed is unrestricted. Bring out your strongest techniques.”

Tang Long cracked his joints, preparing.

“Is there truly no other way?”

Cheng Hongling pressed again from the sidelines.

“None.”

Protector Yuan shook his head bitterly, guilt heavy on his face. He muttered, “I failed in my duty. I’ve wronged you…”

“Disciple, if it comes to it, recall her. That doppelgänger has already performed admirably.”

Shi Yuqi suggested gently.

Cheng Hongling did not respond. She knew her doppelgänger’s temperament, there was no way Qi Huang would willingly surrender so easily. Otherwise, their deal with Huarong Sect would lose much of its weight.

‘Wait, that Water-Severing Art strips blood and vitality, its core is extinguishing life. But my Water Exquisite Art nourishes all things… In theory, it should be its perfect counter!’

A sudden thought flashed in Cheng Hongling’s mind. She immediately sent a mental transmission to Qi Huang: “Hurry, circulate the Water Exquisite Art and try!”