Volume 9, Chapter 614 – She Alone Slaughters Through Four Nations (Part 1)

“She?”

Cheng Hongling looked at Qi Huang, her gaze soft and unwavering like still water. “Of course she can dress however she wants!”

“Why? Big Sis, you’re being biased!”

Cheng Jing retorted emotionally.

“Because she’s strong! If your cultivation surpassed mine, you could act freely too. I’ve said it before: in my eyes, strength equals freedom.”

Cheng Hongling once again enunciated each word deliberately.

Qi Huang smiled smugly upon hearing this, secretly thinking, ‘Ha, trying to drag me down with you? Do you even know how much you weigh in comparison?’

“Hmph! I’ll become the strongest doppelgänger one day!”

The three doppelgängers were furious but, at the same time, filled with a powerful sense of determination.

Qi Huang gave a dismissive smile. ‘If I let you guys surpass me, I might as well stop growing ghost tomatoes and start planting cabbages instead!’

“Alright, now that we know how to tell them apart, who among them is older and who’s younger?”

Jiang Linian continued pressing for details.

Cheng Hongling patiently explained, “Mother, people have three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls. The three ethereal souls are the Heavenly Soul, Earthly Soul, and Human Soul, while the seven corporeal souls are Strength, Spiritual Wisdom, Qi, Power, Central Core, Essence, and Vigor. Since souls come before corporeal spirits, among the four of them, Tian Soul Cheng Tian is the eldest sister, Qi Huang with the Spiritual Wisdom Soul is Fifth Sister, Qi Soul Cheng Qi is Sixth Sister, and Essence Soul Cheng Jing is Ninth Sister.”

“I see!”

Cheng Yuan and Jiang Linian both nodded in understanding.

“Fifth Sister? Why not Fifth Elder Sister?”

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Qi Huang protested. If they really had to address each other as sisters, she’d rather be called “Fifth Elder Sister” than “Fifth Little Sister.”

“Because I prefer it this way.”

Cheng Hongling replied with a faint, knowing smile.

Qi Huang was left speechless. ‘Are you teasing a child right now?’

“Big Sis, you’re really putting me in a tough spot. With you here, how could I dare call myself the eldest?”

Cheng Tian spoke tactfully. Previously, when the three souls and seven spirits were all dissatisfied with Cheng Hongling, they let her Heavenly Soul take the lead as the eldest sister. But now, with circumstances changed, she wouldn’t dare claim that title anymore.

“Exactly. Among us sisters, we’ve long acknowledged you, the Life Soul, as the true eldest sister, so now we internally call the Heavenly Soul Second Sister.”

Cheng Qi added in explanation.

“You’ve all given it some thought, huh? Very well, I’ll take on the role of eldest sister.”

Cheng Hongling didn’t refuse. After all, maintaining a good relationship with the three souls and seven spirits was essential.

“In that case, you’re Big Sis, the Heavenly Soul is Second Sister, Qi Huang is Sixth Sister, I’m Seventh, and the Essence Soul will be Tenth Sister!”

Cheng Qi declared excitedly. Perhaps she had never imagined a day when all the sisters could be this harmonious.

“Qi Huang’s Sixth Sister? Then what about Cheng Ling, the one bound inside Big Sis’s Sea of Consciousness?”

Cheng Jing asked cautiously.

“She’s unworthy of being my Spiritual Wisdom Soul. Remember this: Qi Huang is your sister.”

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Cheng Hongling’s gaze instantly turned cold.

The doppelgängers were startled and nodded nervously.

Qi Huang’s eyes reddened slightly. Cheng Hongling had cast aside her original Spiritual Wisdom Soul for her sake. This deep affection… how could she ever repay it? Perhaps only by offering her whole self.

“You three, listen carefully. I’ve exhausted myself this time and need proper rest at home. Starting tomorrow, whenever I need something done, whoever progresses fastest in cultivation will help me. That’ll also earn her more freedom. But whoever falls behind will stay at home in seclusion with me. And if someone refuses to improve, I’ll send her back into the Sea of Consciousness to face the wall and reflect. Understood?”

Cheng Hongling warned them sternly.

The three doppelgängers didn’t dare utter a single objection and nodded in unison.

Qi Huang shivered slightly. She had been through the same treatment once…

“Should we prepare rooms for the three of them too?”

Jiang Linian asked again.

“Better give each of them a separate room. They’re not like Qi Huang; their cultivation must be done in the real world.”

Cheng Hongling thought briefly before answering. As the top-ranked immortal seedling of the Honghua Sect, her residence wasn’t a grand three-entry mansion, but it was still a proper courtyard house. Accommodating three more people wasn’t an issue.

“Alright! I’ll go make arrangements with your father right now.”

Jiang Linian said energetically and left with her husband.

“You shouldn’t stay idle either. Since your cultivation’s reached the Incarnation Realm, you can now perform the techniques I taught you. Go try them out.”

Cheng Hongling reminded Qi Huang.

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“Got it!”

Qi Huang responded eagerly and hurried out. She’d been itching to try out the main body’s secret arts. After all, Divine Sense wasn’t omnipotent. Having another life-saving skill was always a good idea.

Qi Huang soon arrived outside the Honghua Sect and began practicing in a small forest. She mainly focused on the Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique and the Heavenly Thunder Sword. Since she was already extremely familiar with them, it only took a few days for her to master them proficiently.

From that point onward, Qi Huang was finally a true cultivator. With her late-stage Incarnation Realm cultivation, she now stood among the top-tier elites within the Western Radiance Dynasty.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling diligently enforced her cultivation incentive plan: whoever improved their cultivation even slightly got to run errands for her, effectively gaining more freedom.

After being trapped in the Sea of Consciousness for nineteen years, the doppelgängers longed for freedom desperately and thus trained harder than ever.

News of Cheng Hongling reaching the Divine Realm spread quickly, causing a huge sensation in the cultivation world of the Western Radiance Dynasty. A nineteen-year-old at the Divine Realm was a prodigy on par with the descendants of the nine immortals of the Central Continent. She was practically a mortal who could rival deities! Had it not been for the emergence of a peerless genius from Huarong Sect last year, her breakthrough would’ve shocked the entire cultivation world.

Qi Huang felt somewhat relieved that she had caused chaos at the continent-level Evergreen Conference last year; otherwise, Cheng Hongling’s breakthrough to the Divine Realm would’ve drawn unnecessary attention. She wasn’t afraid of anyone, but she preferred avoiding unnecessary trouble.

A few days later, Jiang Feng came knocking, hoping Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang would fulfill their promise to help him find the descendants of the Jiang Clan.

“I’ve just created three doppelgängers. The energy drain was immense. Wait two months, and I’ll help you then.”

Cheng Hongling explained patiently. She didn’t want to appear untrustworthy.

Though anxious, Jiang Feng knew he couldn’t pressure her and left disappointed.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang received a distress call from Lin Ran. As she had suspected, several neighboring nations were exploiting the situation, refusing peace talks unless granted outrageous demands.

“The worst is the Beiling Kingdom! Everyone knows there’s an unspoken rule not to harm envoys during wartime, yet they used fabricated charges to execute my peace ambassador! Now, no minister dares accept this mission. It’s utterly humiliating!”

Lin Ran was furious. Out of respect for Qi Huang, she refrained from calling herself “We” as the empress.

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“Bold, aren’t they?”

Qi Huang raised a brow in surprise.

“And then there’s the Gaosheng Kingdom! They said they’d consider peace… if I agreed to marry their emperor first!”

Lin Ran’s voice trembled in anger and frustration.

“Heh, I told you before. In their eyes, the Western Radiance Dynasty is a fat piece of meat. They’re confident they can swallow you whole. Why would they bother negotiating for scraps?”

Qi Huang was utterly unsurprised.

“I know that! But what can I do? We can’t beat them!”

Lin Ran sighed heavily, then choked up. “They’re pushing harder by the day, devouring our northern territories rapidly. The land I could bear losing, but the common people… they’re being displaced and left homeless because of war. And me… me, this so-called empress… I can only watch helplessly! I can’t even find a single envoy willing to negotiate anymore… wuu…”

Lin Ran broke into genuine tears, overwhelmed by frustration and grief.

“Didn’t you ask the cultivators from Poyun Peak for help?”

Qi Huang asked curiously.

“The Immortal Alliance forbids cultivators from intervening in mortal disputes.”

Lin Ran replied between sobs.

“Is that so? Then let me, your National Preceptor, go ‘negotiate’ with them instead. I’ve never revealed my true identity anyway, just a wandering rogue cultivator. What can the Immortal Alliance possibly do to me?”

Qi Huang said with a dangerous glint in her eye.