Volume 9, Chapter 637 – The Immortal Stele Is Not an Imperial Decree (Part 1)

“By the way, Elder Hua, there is still something I want to ask you. As everyone knows, once a cultivator reaches the Heavenly Retribution Realm, they must find Heaven-Deceiving Water to evade the heavenly tribulation. I want to know, what exactly is this Heaven-Deceiving Water? And where does it come from?”

Qi Huang followed up with another question. Her visit to Huarong Sect this time was not just to fulfill an appointment, but also to investigate the whereabouts of Heaven-Deceiving Water. For the sake of safety, before she fully grasped the power of assimilation, she absolutely could not let her true body be exposed under the watchful eyes of Heaven’s enforcers. Therefore, she had to gather as much Heaven-Deceiving Water as possible.

“What people call Heaven-Deceiving Water is actually a kind of ‘dew’ carried by certain comets from beyond the heavens.”

Hua Man spoke without reservation.

“Comets from beyond the heavens? What kind of comets? Elder Hua, can you explain it in more detail?”

Qi Huang pressed further, unsatisfied.

“On a clear night sky, we often see comets streak across in a flash. Many of them have surfaces covered in ice. As they rub against the atmosphere, the ice melts into liquid and then evaporates. Among these comets, there is a peculiar kind that carries a green tail. We call it the ‘Green-Water Star’. The ice layer on its surface, once melted, becomes Heaven-Deceiving Water.”

Hua Man patiently explained again.

“This kind of comet flashes by so quickly. Its ice would surely melt and evaporate at once. The difficulty of obtaining Heaven-Deceiving Water must be immense!”

A look of astonishment surfaced on Qi Huang’s face.

“Yes. To obtain Heaven-Deceiving Water, one must seize the fleeting moment when the Green-Water Star first enters the cultivation world’s atmosphere to collect it. The chance is gone in a blink, and even early-stage Heavenly Retribution Realm cultivators find it difficult to even keep up with it. That’s why Heaven-Deceiving Water is so scarce and costly.”

Hua Man shook his head in lament.

“Not only that, the Green-Water Star itself is something one may encounter only by chance, not by seeking. That makes collecting Heaven-Deceiving Water even harder.”

Hua Ruyi added.

“Then where do you usually obtain your Heaven-Deceiving Water? Didn’t you just say early-stage Heavenly Retribution Realm cultivators can hardly even chase after a Green-Water Star?”

Qi Huang asked curiously.

“Of course, we buy it. At present, the only person in the cultivation world capable of collecting Heaven-Deceiving Water is the Alliance Leader of the Immortal Alliance. Everyone acquires it through him.”

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Hua Man explained.

Qi Huang fell into silence. Her purse was not deep, and naturally she was unwilling to buy. Besides, since she had the strength, why waste money?

“Don’t force it. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten.”

Cheng Hongling advised from the side.

“I will never hand my fate over to Heaven.”

Qi Huang replied firmly, then asked again, “Is there no other shortcut to acquire more Heaven-Deceiving Water, faster?”

Hua Man thought for a moment, then said, “If your cultivation can reach the late Heavenly Retribution Realm, you can completely break through the atmosphere and enter the cosmos to search for the Green-Water Star. That way, your chances increase greatly. But nowadays, with spiritual energy in the cultivation world growing ever thinner, even reaching the mid Heavenly Retribution Realm is extremely difficult, let alone the late stage.”

“Really?”

Qi Huang was overjoyed. Wasn’t this tailor-made as her shortcut?

“What’s the matter?”

Hua Ruyi and Hua Man both asked in confusion.

“Nothing.”

Qi Huang forced the muscles on her face to twitch with difficulty, making herself look calmer.

“You’re planning to enter the cosmos to look for Heaven-Deceiving Water? That’s far too dangerous. They say that in the cosmos, there are other cultivation worlds like ours. If you were to encounter a true late Heavenly Retribution Realm cultivator, what would you do? A treasure like Heaven-Deceiving Water will surely have countless contenders.”

Cheng Hongling confirmed through a voice transmission.

“‘They say’? That’s all just rumors passed around. Our cultivation world has existed since time immemorial. Who has ever truly seen cultivators from another world? And even if it is dangerous, could it be more dangerous than Heaven’s enforcers themselves?”

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Qi Huang countered. Although from Lu Yao’s memories she knew that cultivators and immortals filled the Immortal Realm everywhere. But that was the Immortal Realm, not the cultivation world.

Cheng Hongling was left speechless, her heart unwilling, yet she could only remain silent.

“There is one more matter. The Immortal Stele confrontation will be extremely perilous, so I hope you’ll stay in Huarong Sect for now. That way, if anything unexpected happens, you can adapt accordingly.”

Hua Ruyi suggested.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling understood the gravity of the matter, so they obediently returned to Biyu Peak.

Back at their residence, Qi Huang fell into deep thought, mainly weighing when it would be most suitable to venture into the cosmos.

“When do you plan on going?”

Cheng Hongling asked uneasily.

“No hurry for now. My divine sense is only at the seventh layer of the Heavenly Retribution Realm. Even if I force my way through the atmosphere, it would be like a spent arrow at the end of its flight. If I encounter danger, I might not even be able to protect myself. So I’d better wait until my divine sense advances another layer before going.”

Qi Huang made a steady decision. After all, the Immortal Alliance was currently helping her cultivate ghost tomatoes, and with the hundreds of thousands of seeds she had provided, she could almost count on her fingers how long it would take to advance to the eighth layer.

“That’s how it should be. You must only go when you have sufficient strength.”

Cheng Hongling let out a long sigh of relief.

Time flew by, and the sixth day of the sixth month arrived in the blink of an eye. By then, much of the Central Continent’s attention had already turned toward the Lü family. Lü Yi, the Lü family’s foremost immortal seedling, was about to be married. As one of the former Nine Great Monsters, this event naturally stirred great commotion.

The Lü family was confident that Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling would not dare to break their promise, so they sent out invitations a month in advance with great fanfare.

Relatives and friends who were invited all came gladly. No one thought any accident would occur.

At this time, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling were still calmly hiding in Huarong Sect. They had not carved their true names onto the Immortal Stele yet, deciding instead to wait until the very last moment at midnight. Right now, with so many eyes and ears in Huarong Sect, doing it too early would only increase the risk of exposure.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling were in no rush, but the concubines sent along as their dowry grew anxious. They didn’t dare gamble with their lives. So, they hurried to the Lü family early. If the Immortal Stele was activated and Qi Huang died, then they could only resign themselves to fate. But if Qi Huang survived, then they could still find a way to free themselves.

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Meanwhile, in an alley near the Lü family estate, several young women had set up a soundproofing talisman and were whispering among themselves. These were none other than the same women who had previously gone to Honghua Sect to trouble Qi Huang, Lü Yi’s concubines-to-be.

“Sister Xue, do you think Cheng Hongling will come today?”

The voluptuous beauty Fan E asked softly to the woman in white, Xue Jing. Of course, those weren’t their real names.

“Who knows? It’s only noon right now.”

Xue Jing smiled indifferently.

“Then what should we do? Just wait here? If she never shows, once the Immortal Stele’s Immortal Might descends, won’t we die without even a place to be buried?”

Fan E found herself caught in a dilemma.

“So, do you want to die? Or do you want to marry Lü Yi as his concubine? If you want to be a concubine, then go into the Lü estate right now. No one’s stopping you.”

The cold and aloof beauty Tang Yu, her hair tied in a ponytail, retorted sharply.

“I want neither to die, nor to marry Lü Yi as his concubine. What of it?”

Fan E shot back without yielding.

“You just want to take all the good things for yourself.”

Tang Yu rolled her eyes at her.

“Do you all still remember? When we parted ways, Qi Huang once said that after today, if we had the courage, we could try resisting. Of course, if any sister is too afraid of death, I won’t stop her. But you should know: once we step through that door, no matter the outcome, there will be no turning back.”

Xue Jing said solemnly.

“Don’t talk about the future. The problem is, what do we do now? She may have a way to resist the Stele’s might, but we don’t!”

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Fan E raised her doubts.

Xue Jing fell into thought. After a moment she said, “How about this, we disguise ourselves tonight at midnight and sneak in. Once the Immortal Stele is activated, we’ll find a way to slip out again. As long as we show up, that’s enough. If Qi Huang survives, that means she didn’t lie. And after that, we’ll finally be free.”

“Disguise ourselves? Do you think the Lü family’s people are fools? They even have a Heavenly Retribution Realm expert guarding the estate.”

Tang Yu immediately objected.

The women all fell into silence upon hearing this, their faces turning into bitter gourd expressions.

“Why don’t we use a Thousand-Mile Communication Tube  to ask Qi Huang? Maybe she has a solution. At the same time, we can confirm whether she’s even here.”

Xue Jing suggested, which immediately won everyone’s support.

“You have her Thousand-Mile Communication Tube?”

Tang Yu asked in delight.

“I asked for one before we parted.”

Xue Jing replied smugly.

“Then hurry up and ask her.”

The others urged anxiously.

And so, very soon, Qi Huang received Xue Jing’s call.

“Where exactly are you right now?”

As soon as the line connected, Xue Jing asked urgently.