Volume 8, Chapter 573 – Do You Want the Immortal Stele, or Do You Want Me? (Part 3)

“Holy Maiden, you really know how to joke! The Immortal Stele isn’t some wine cup you can just pick up and clink together whenever you like!”

Hua Ruyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Uh…”

Qi Huang looked a little embarrassed, thinking to herself, ‘Do I really come across as someone who jokes around so much?’

“When has the Sect Master ever seen me joke? If you agree, then no matter the outcome, I will still be the Holy Maiden of Huarong Sect. If you refuse, then I will simply have no choice but to become the Holy Maiden of another sect.”

Cheng Hongling carried the conversation forward. She had always acted with steadiness and composure, and as the true body, her words naturally carried heavier weight.

“You’re serious?”

The smile on Hua Ruyi’s face gradually stiffened.

“Of course. Sect Master Hua, haven’t you ever seriously wondered why I joined Huarong Sect so conveniently and timely? Surely you don’t actually believe it was all thanks to the ancestors’ blessings?”

Cheng Hongling countered with a question.

Hua Ruyi was taken aback, then gave a self-mocking smile. “Heh, of course. Dreams don’t last forever, eventually, one always wakes up.”

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling exchanged a glance, both inwardly impressed. Clearly, the woman before them had long suspected their motives weren’t pure.

Taking a deep breath, Hua Ruyi’s expression darkened instantly. “You’ve been holding back for so long, but in the end you still couldn’t resist. Out with it, who are you really, and what do you want?”

“I wonder if Sect Master has ever heard of Cheng Hongling from the Western Radiance Dynasty of the Western Continent?”

Instead of answering, Cheng Hongling posed her own question.

“Cheng Hongling? The name sounds familiar, but I can’t recall exactly.”

Hua Ruyi thought carefully before replying.

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“As long as you’ve heard of her, that’s enough. Allow me to remind you: about half a year ago, Elder Zuo of the Immortal Alliance went to Central Continent to promote potential brides and concubines to those few male monsters. Among them was this very Cheng Hongling.”

Cheng Hongling gave a brief reminder.

Recognition dawned on Hua Ruyi. “Ah, yes. I heard about her, an extraordinary talent, said to have even slain a doppelgänger of that Lü Yi. Later, that brat inscribed her name onto the Immortal Stele without permission. I remember now, Hua Yu was the one who told me. She often mingles with those prodigies.”

“Correct. That Cheng Hongling is me.”

Cheng Hongling openly revealed her true identity.

“You are that Cheng Hongling?”

Hua Ruyi’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips murmuring: “Unbelievable… that such a peerless genius would emerge from a backwater like the Western Radiance Dynasty. I had always harbored doubts. Now I see how ignorant I was, and how narrow the vision of those so-called Immortal factions truly is!”

“Sect Master Hua once asked me why I joined Huarong Sect. Do you remember the answer I gave then?”

Cheng Hongling steered the topic forward.

“Yes… You said you didn’t wish to be entangled in matters of men and women, so you chose our all-female sect.”

Hua Ruyi recalled.

“What I meant by matters of men and women was Lü Yi. I refused to become the Lü Clan’s daughter-in-law. Yet you know the Immortal Stele’s function, once your name is carved upon it, you cannot refuse. Not unless you are shielded by another Immortal Stele.”

Cheng Hongling explained steadily.

“So you joined Huarong Sect in hopes of borrowing our Immortal Stele to counter the Lü Clan’s? Your dazzling contributions, the way you solved the Hua Yu affair, and how you shone at the Evergreen Conference, all of that was just to prove your worth?”

Hua Ruyi suddenly pieced things together.

“As expected, Sect Master Hua is perceptive and wise.”

Cheng Hongling praised sincerely.

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“But I fear you’ll be disappointed. Not long ago, our sect’s Immortal Stele was suppressed by the Cao Clan. Its strength has dropped to Master-grade Four Tribulations. The Lü Clan’s stele is Master-grade Five Tribulations. I’m afraid ours cannot shield you.”

Hua Ruyi thought for a moment, then gave her assessment.

“That’s fine. I don’t need the stele to protect me forever, just long enough to buy a few years. I already asked my master: if two steles differ by only one tribulation, and they clash with full force, even if the Lü Clan’s stele wins, it will enter a period of exhaustion, unable to be used for years. That buffer is all I need.”

Cheng Hongling explained calmly.

“And what then? What could you possibly accomplish in a few years?”

Hua Ruyi countered.

“I can uproot the Lü Clan’s Immortal Stele entirely.”

Qi Huang’s confident voice rang out at just the right moment.

“What? Uproot it completely? You can’t be serious. Do you even know how powerful an Immortal Stele is? Only Immortals themselves could hope to pull one out.”

Hua Ruyi stared in disbelief.

“And do you know how powerful I am right now? Sect Master Hua, if I’m not mistaken, your cultivation is at the peak of the Divine Realm, correct?”

Qi Huang’s lips curved into a smile as she released a trace of her Divine Sense. It was at the early Heavenly Tribulation Realm, though she used only a fraction of it.

In an instant, Hua Ruyi was frozen in place. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t move an inch. Even her facial expression was locked, the only sign of strain being beads of sweat forming at her brow.

Qi Huang had no intention of flaunting her might, so she quickly withdrew her Divine Sense.

“Huff!”

Hua Ruyi exhaled deeply, then looked at her in horror. “The Heavenly Tribulation Realm! No wonder you were able to deal with those so-called prodigies so easily!”

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“That’s right. My current strength has reached the early Heavenly Tribulation Realm.”

Qi Huang smiled with confidence.

“And what about her?”

Hua Ruyi instinctively glanced at Cheng Hongling.

“My cultivation is indeed only at the sixth level of the Incarnation Realm.”

Cheng Hongling didn’t conceal it. She knew it was pointless to try.

“How could that be? How can a doppelgänger be so much stronger than the main body?”

Hua Ruyi’s shock only deepened.

“That is simply the fact. And from the moment I became a doppelgänger until now, only three years have passed. In just three years, I’ve already reached the early Heavenly Tribulation Realm. So tell me, if I’m given another ten or so years, do you think I could become an Immortal?”

Qi Huang asked with firm conviction.

“So what you’re really proposing is for Huarong Sect to sacrifice its Immortal Stele in exchange for your freedom. But tell me, what do we gain in return?”

Hua Ruyi took a deep breath and asked.

“I already told you. As long as you agree, I will remain the Holy Maiden of Huarong Sect, and I always will.”

Qi Huang repeated firmly.

“Forever? Heh… you should know that only with Immortal strength can one pull out an Immortal Stele. But the moment someone ascends to immortality, they are passively drawn into the Immortal Realm. An Immortal body’s sheer power collapses the mortal world’s space, making it impossible to remain. So what good does it do us if you’re forever our Holy Maiden? Once you ascend, you can no longer intervene in the cultivation world. Without the stele, our sect would decline to ruin.”

Hua Ruyi sneered slightly, then added, “And don’t even suggest leaving us another Immortal Stele. Who knows how strong such a stele would be? No, if that’s the case, we’d rather hold onto our current one. It’s safer than gambling on such a risk.”

“You’re wrong. I don’t intend to leave you another Immortal Stele. I intend to leave you a living land-bound Immortal, one who will never ascend.”

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Qi Huang’s lips curved into a mysterious smile.

“What do you mean?”

Hua Ruyi’s confusion deepened.

“To tell you the truth, my Divine Sense is immensely strong, but my actual cultivation is only at the Spirit Gathering Realm! With such meager cultivation, how could I possibly shatter space and ascend?”

Qi Huang mocked herself lightly.

“You’re serious?”

Hua Ruyi asked in disbelief.

“You can see for yourself, can’t you?”

Qi Huang lifted her Divine Sense protection without hesitation. After all, Hua Ruyi didn’t have Yin-Yang Eyes; she couldn’t peer into her Sea of Consciousness.

Probing with her own Divine Sense, Hua Ruyi froze on the spot, utterly dumbfounded. Her lips muttered, “Impossible… a Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator possessing the Divine Sense of the Heavenly Tribulation Realm? Just what kind of cultivation method did you use?”

“How I cultivated is none of your concern! Sect Master Hua, we’ve laid everything bare. Doesn’t this prove our sincerity? So, what will it be, do you want the Immortal Stele, or do you want me?”

Cheng Hongling pressed.

“There’s something I still don’t understand. How can you be sure that once your Divine Sense reaches the Immortal Realm, you won’t be forced to ascend?”

Hua Ruyi asked again, still uneasy. This matter was too grave to be taken lightly.

“Because after reaching the Heavenly Tribulation Realm, I did not trigger a heavenly tribulation. That alone explains everything. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself whether I’ve used Heaven-Deceiving Water.”

Qi Huang offered generously.