Volume 8, Chapter 574 – Do You Want the Immortal Stele, or Do You Want Me? (Part 4)

“No need to check any further. My divine sense just scanned you, which proves you haven’t used Heaven-Deceiving Water.”

Hua Ruyi did not waste more time and continued, “Last question. What if you go back on your word? If you pull out the Lü Clan’s Immortal Stele and then simply leave, wouldn’t my Huarong Sect suffer both the loss of a saintess and the weakening of our power?”

“I already said this before, so long as I live, I’ll always be Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden. Of course, you’re free not to believe me, but let me remind you, your sect has already lost Hua Yu. If you lose me as well, even if you keep that Immortal Stele, it will only lead to slow death. As for me, at worst I’ll just move to another sect and continue being their Holy Maiden. I’m sure some sect will accept my terms. After all, the Lü Clan isn’t the only immortal force around.”

Qi Huang spoke in a relaxed, unbothered tone.

Hua Ruyi fell silent at these words. After a long pause, she finally said, “I’m sorry, but this concerns the fate of our sect. I can’t make the decision alone, I must consult with the other elders.”

“The other elders? Who exactly? If you delay too long and my true identity is leaked, then even if you want to agree, it’ll be too late. You haven’t forgotten that the Cao Clan is still watching us like wolves, have you?”

Qi Huang reminded her sharply. She had no intention of ending up worse off for her gamble.

“If I were to make such a decision on my own, and anything went wrong, I would go down in history as Huarong Sect’s eternal sinner.”

Hua Ruyi expressed her difficulty.

“So, what you mean is, if anyone disagrees, you won’t cooperate?”

Cheng Hongling shook her head in disappointment. “Honestly, if you’re so afraid of taking responsibility, why bother being sect master?”

Hua Ruyi froze at that, then fell into thought. After a long moment, she clenched her teeth and said, “At the very least, I must discuss this with the Grand Elder. Don’t worry, within the Huarong Sect, she is absolutely trustworthy.”

“Suit yourself. Just know that we don’t have much time to waste!”

Cheng Hongling threw down those words and turned to leave. She knew that the more impatient she acted, the more others could string her along.

Qi Huang followed behind. She, too, understood the same principle.

Back in their quarters, Qi Huang muttered with some frustration, “This Hua Ruyi truly is old and shrewd, not so easy to fool.”

“Obviously. The Immortal Stele is Huarong Sect’s lifeblood. No one would be stupid enough to casually agree to give it up. Lucky for us, your performance at the Evergreen Conference was impressive enough. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even have sat down to talk.”

Cheng Hongling, however, looked calm.

“No matter. You should know why I attended the Evergreen Conference. The ones trying to poach me will apply pressure on her.”

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Qi Huang’s tone carried full confidence.

“And if… I’m just saying if, she refuses? Then our goal won’t be achieved, but our identities will be exposed. Wouldn’t that mean we lose both ways?”

Cheng Hongling’s smile was tinged with irony.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t believe she would ever reveal our true identities. That would only be helping the enemy. As for our main goal, if not here, we’ll just try another immortal sect. Worst case, I deal with some lustful men stringing me along. Either way, there will be a way.”

Qi Huang laid out her thoughts.

Cheng Hongling remained silent. In truth, this was exactly what she was thinking too.

Meanwhile, Hua Ruyi wasted no time reporting the matter to Grand Elder Hua Man.

“Heh! I always thought it suspicious that girl joined our sect. Sure enough, she came with ulterior motives. What I didn’t expect was that such a monster would appear from a remote place like the Western Radiance Dynasty!”

Hua Man sighed after hearing the story, but showed little surprise, she had clearly been prepared.

“Yes. With only an eight point bloodline, her cultivation speed is practically monstrous. She makes the other immortal descendants look like crawling turtles. Seems this so-called theory of bloodline supremacy isn’t as unshakable as people think.”

Hua Ruyi sighed as well.

“Let’s set the bloodline talk aside. Tell me your thoughts. Do we agree to this deal or not?”

Hua Man steered them back to the main issue.

“The Immortal Stele is our sect’s very lifeline. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even discuss it. But this Jiang, no, this Cheng Hongling, she’s the undisputed number-one genius of the entire cultivation world… no, not just a genius, the only true monster. I think we must carefully consider this, which is why I wanted your opinion, Master.”

Hua Ruyi explained solemnly.

“Leave her hanging for a few days. If she remains firm, then we’ll agree.”

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Hua Man thought for a moment before giving her answer.

“Master, you must think this through. To shelter her, we would have to sacrifice our Immortal Stele completely!”

Hua Ruyi pressed her.

“I’ve thought it through. We can’t rely on Hua Yu anymore. If we also lose Cheng Hongling, Huarong Sect will only be waiting for death. Rather than sit idle, better to risk it all.”

Hua Man’s tone was grave and resolute.

“Master, I feel the same. But there’s a serious problem, once our Immortal Stele’s Immortal Might is spent, how do we keep our sect safe until she fully matures? And how do we prevent unrest among our people?”

Hua Ruyi voiced her biggest worry.

“These two issues can be solved.”

After thinking briefly, Hua Man said, “Once we reach an agreement, we tell no outsiders. Next year, near the date when the Lü Clan’s Stele activates, she will carve her name. Then we go to a remote, uninhabited place and wait for the immortal might to descend. As long as the clash between the two Steles doesn’t happen inside our sect, no one will ever know.”

“That’s actually a good plan!”

Hua Ruyi’s eyes lit up, though she quickly frowned again. “But still, there’s no guarantee unforeseen events won’t occur. What if we face a crisis later that can only be solved using the Stele’s immortal might? Then we’ll be helpless!”

“I understand your worries. But to achieve great things, one cannot hesitate. If you really can’t make the decision, I’ll make it for you. If Huarong Sect suffers misfortune because of this, I alone will bear the blame.”

Hua Man promised firmly.

“Master…”

Hua Ruyi bit her lip, feeling deeply moved. She quickly clarified, “It’s not that I fear becoming a sinner. I only wonder, can we really trust Cheng Hongling?”

“At this point, what choice do we have but to trust her? Do you want Hua Yu back as Holy Maiden? Or wait for another nine points bloodline genius to appear? Guarding a Stele alone won’t save Huarong Sect.”

Hua Man reminded her again.

“Fine… let’s do it this way. We’ll leave her waiting for a few more days, then decide.”

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Hua Ruyi finally nodded.

The following days, Huarong Sect remained immersed in joy, completely unaware that their Holy Maiden was merely here to strike a deal, ready to abandon them at any moment.

Qi Huang wasn’t anxious. She knew the poachers would pressure Hua Ruyi.

Sure enough, since she and Cheng Hongling returned, sects came one after another to “pay visits”, each offering attractive conditions.

“See? This was the whole point of me attending the Evergreen Conference. If it was just about showing strength, I never needed to make such a spectacle of myself.”

Qi Huang boasted proudly.

Cheng Hongling didn’t argue, she too felt a touch of admiration. Without these poachers, she might have lost her confidence by now.

Hua Ruyi hadn’t expected the poachers to be so aggressive either. Unable to hold out, she quickly agreed to the deal.

The heavy stone in Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling’s hearts finally lifted. With the protection of Huarong Sect’s Immortal Stele, they had bought themselves at least five to six more years of growth.

“Girl, this matter concerns the fate of our sect, so don’t mind if I speak bluntly. Everyone has witnessed your cultivation talent so far, but who can predict the future? Therefore, there must be a condition. Before the sixth day of the sixth month next year, your doppelgänger’s divine sense must reach the second layer of the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. Only then can you carve your true name on our sect’s Immortal Stele. This request isn’t too much, is it?”

Hua Man stated her single condition.

“Indeed. Our Immortal Stele can only buy you seven years at most. You must prove your doppelgänger can reach the Immortal Realm within that time. Otherwise, we can’t take the risk.”

Hua Ruyi added.

‘Seven years? Better than I expected! I thought I’d only get five or six.’

Qi Huang felt a surge of joy.

“I understand. This is only natural.”

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She agreed right away. The pressure was real, but even without their condition, she would have needed to move that fast.

“In that case, we’ll be taking our leave tomorrow.”

Qi Huang announced.

“Leave? Where to? Back to the Western Radiance Dynasty?”

Hua Ruyi asked in surprise. She didn’t even question Qi Huang’s use of “we”—she was long used to it.

“Yes. We’ve been away for months. It’s time we returned.”

Qi Huang explained.

“When will you come back? Our sect may not match the Cao Clan, but we can still provide some cultivation resources.”

Hua Ruyi pressed.

“No need. My cultivation is different from others, I don’t require ordinary resources. By the sixth of next June, I’ll return as promised. If anything urgent happens in the meantime, just send word, and we’ll come at once.”

Qi Huang politely declined.

“Sect Master, Grand Elder, you know very well, the entire cultivation world has eyes on me now. If we linger here, once our identities are exposed, this cooperation will be impossible.”

Cheng Hongling offered a convincing reason.

“You’re right. In that case, safe travels. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Hua Ruyi relented.

The next day, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling set off home. For Qi Huang to reach Heavenly Tribulation Realm level two by the sixth of June, she would need to start planting and harvesting immediately.

‘I wonder if Elder Zuo has been helping me grow ghost tomatoes. If he planted them, how big is the crop now?’

Qi Huang couldn’t help but think to herself.