Volume 9, Chapter 638 – The Immortal Stele Is Not an Imperial Decree (Part 2)

“Elder sister, who are you?”

Qi Huang asked instinctively. The other party’s voice sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t recall exactly who it was at that moment.

“Me? I’m Xue Jing, Lü Yi’s concubine-to-be. Last year, I even went to Honghua Sect to give you trouble. Didn’t you go home before we did?”

Xue Jing hurriedly explained.

“Oh, oh, oh, I remember now! My apologies, hehe!”

Qi Huang gave an awkward laugh.

“Enough laughing, where exactly are you now?”

Xue Jing was so anxious that she was breaking into a sweat.

“Of course I’m out sightseeing, enjoying myself!”

Qi Huang replied with a light and carefree tone.

“Do you even know what day it is today? You still have the leisure for that? Aren’t you afraid of the Immortal Stele’s suppression?”

Xue Jing warned her seriously.

“Didn’t I already tell you? I have a way to deal with the Immortal Stele.”

Qi Huang repeated firmly.

“That method only works for you, doesn’t it? What about us? If you don’t show up at the Lü residence today, we’re all finished.”

Xue Jing asked with a sliver of desperate hope.

“Oh! I really overlooked that.”

Qi Huang suddenly realized. Up until now, she had only considered what would happen after withstanding the Immortal Stele, not what would happen during the confrontation itself. She herself had the protection of Huarong Sect’s Immortal Stele, but what about these women?

“You…”

Xue Jing was furious.

“Don’t worry, let me think of something.”

Qi Huang also realized the seriousness of the situation. Her mind spun rapidly.

“What happened?”

Cheng Hongling, standing beside her, asked in puzzlement.

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Qi Huang briefly explained the situation.

“That’s easy. Concubines don’t need to go through the full marriage ceremony. As long as they arrive at the Lü residence, it counts as fulfilling the agreement. Have them disguise themselves and sneak inside. Once the Immortal Might descends, they can think of a way to slip away.”

Cheng Hongling suggested without thinking too much.

Qi Huang found the reasoning sound, so she passed along the suggestion.

“I had thought of that too, but the problem is our cultivation is weak, and there’s a Heavenly Tribulation Realm powerhouse guarding the Lü family. How could we possibly sneak in and then out again under their watch?”

Xue Jing said helplessly.

“That’s true!”

Qi Huang admitted, but in the next instant, she came up with a countermeasure. “Don’t panic. When it comes to sneaky work… well, covert infiltration, I’m an expert. Those of you unwilling to be Lü Yi’s concubines can just hide inside spatial rings and let someone bring you in.”

“Ah? That’s actually a brilliant idea, you’re so clever!”

Xue Jing was stunned for a moment, then clapped in delight. She immediately shared this method with her sisters.

“But what if the Lü family forcibly inspects the rings?”

Tang Yu still wasn’t at ease.

“They won’t. When has a host ever forcibly searched a guest’s ring?”

Qi Huang immediately rejected the idea, then added another suggestion: “If you’re really worried, spray some Heaven-Deceiving Water on the rings. If you don’t have that, then wrap them in Nine Nether Demon Cat pelts. As long as the aura is concealed, there’s no fear of detection.”

“Wonderful! You really are our savior!”

Xue Jing was overjoyed and shared these measures again with the group. This time, everyone finally felt at ease.

“You’re not going to use this trick yourself to deal with the Immortal Stele, are you?”

Xue Jing suddenly realized.

“You fool, I’m the principal wife. I have to go through the formal wedding rites. If the ceremony doesn’t happen, I’m not considered a Lü family daughter-in-law, and the Immortal Might will suppress me no matter where I hide.”

Qi Huang said helplessly. If the Immortal Stele were so easy to fool, she wouldn’t have such a headache.

“Hehe, that’s true.”

Xue Jing smiled awkwardly.

“Remember this: after today, you’ll all be free. From then on, the sky is vast and the seas are wide, you can soar and swim as you wish.”

Qi Huang reminded them once more. After all, she had interacted with them, and she didn’t want these beautiful women to become someone else’s playthings.

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Taking Qi Huang’s advice, Xue Jing and the others immediately gathered a few companions who didn’t want to become Lü Yi’s concubines and whom they trusted. They prepared several rings and Nine Nether Demon Cat pelts, planning to act at night. Entering too early would only increase the risk of exposure.

Of course, women like Xue Jing, who refused to accept fate, were only a tiny fraction of the over one hundred concubines-to-be. The majority either resigned themselves to it or were eager to cling to wealth and power, so they had long since entered the Lü estate. They were now eagerly awaiting the arrival of Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling.

But as the sun set, neither Cheng Hongling nor Qi Huang appeared.

“Where’s the bride? Did any of you see her?”

“No. I’ve been watching the main gate the whole time, and she hasn’t entered.”

“It’s already dark. Could it be she’s not coming?”

“That’s possible. I heard she never wanted to marry into the Lü family.”

“Don’t be stupid. She’s hardly the only one unwilling to marry Lü Yi. But who has ever successfully resisted? The Immortal Stele isn’t something mortals can oppose, it’s like an imperial decree in the cultivation world. Either you accept it, or you die!”

“That’s true. Unless she wants to die, she’ll definitely arrive before midnight.”

The guests began murmuring. Although the situation was unusual, nearly all of them believed that Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang would surely appear.

Most of the Lü family thought the same, so they weren’t worried at all.

But the current patriarch, Lü Dao, was different. After living for centuries, he had witnessed too many strange events. A vague sense of foreboding gnawed at him.

“Lü Gao, has my grandson’s bride not arrived yet?”

Lü Dao personally sought out his son and grandson to inquire.

“Not yet.”

Lü Gao responded while tending to the guests, a broad smile plastered on his face, showing no hint of concern.

“Could something have gone wrong?”

Lü Dao muttered to himself.

“Grandfather, don’t worry! What could go wrong? This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. All those other women who didn’t want to marry me still dragged it out until the last moment before entering. If she dares not to come, then she must be tired of living.”

A slightly drunk Lü Yi boasted arrogantly nearby.

“Yes, Father-in-law! Besides, the road is long. It’s normal for her to arrive a little late. I’ve already informed the guest, the wedding will be held at the hour of Hai ¹ 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM . They just need to wait patiently.”

Lü Yi’s mother, Lady Zhuo, chimed in as well.

Perhaps reassured by his family, Lü Dao’s vigilance eased slightly. After pondering, he asked again: “And what about those concubines-to-be? There were over a hundred of them. How many have arrived?”

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“Most are here.”

Lady Zhuo answered.

“So, some haven’t arrived yet?”

Lü Dao frowned again.

“If they haven’t, then let them be. If they want to die, so be it. As long as Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang show up, that’s all that matters.”

Lü Yi replied indifferently.

Lü Dao could only shake his head helplessly. Although he wasn’t afraid of a few concubines causing trouble, their absence would still mar the Lü family’s face. Even if they died, it would still mean someone dared resist.

Night deepened. When the Hai hour arrived, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling had already reached the Immortal Stele of Huarong Sect. The area had been cleared long beforehand.

Qi Huang personally set up a Divine Sense barrier before she and her main body carved their real names onto the Stele.

“Elders, I leave this place in your care. Make absolutely sure no one sees the names carved here, or the consequences will be disastrous.”

Cheng Hongling entrusted the matter to Hua Man and her disciple.

“Don’t worry. We would never gamble with Huarong Sect’s fate.”

Hua Ruyi reassured her.

Still uneasy, Cheng Hongling walked up to the Stele, placed her jade-like hand upon it, and unleashed her Profound Ice True Qi. In no time, the entire Stele was encased in ice. With the opaque ice covering, even artifacts like the Shadow-Retaining Mirror could not reveal the words carved beneath.

Seeing this, Qi Huang finally felt reassured.

Originally, Cheng Hongling had only wanted to conceal her own and her doppelgänger’s names. But that would have been far too obvious, so she had simply frozen the entire Stele instead.

“Elder Hua, do you think Heaven-Deceiving Water could block the Immortal Might?”

Qi Huang suddenly asked.

“Of course not. Others have tried it before, you don’t need me to spell out the result.”

Hua Man shook her head.

“That’s right. If the Immortal Stele could be tricked so easily, it wouldn’t strike fear into every woman in the cultivation world.”

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Hua Ruyi added.

“That’s strange. Heaven-Deceiving Water can even block the senses of Celestials. Why can’t it work against a mere Stele left behind by Immortals?”

Qi Huang muttered.

“Celestials? What Celestials?”

Hua Ruyi asked, puzzled.

“Celestials are beings stronger than Immortals. Above the Immortal Realm lies the Celestial Realm, the domain of the Heavenly Dao. The subordinates of the Heavenly Dao are the Celestials.”

Qi Huang gave a simple explanation. It wasn’t exactly a forbidden secret.

“There’s such a thing?”

Hua Man looked astonished.

“Yes, I always thought the Immortal Realm was the ultimate destination for cultivators.”

Hua Ruyi was equally shocked.

“I suppose it’s because the Immortal Steles are usually erected at Feng Shui sites blessed by Heaven and Earth. Immortals don’t locate those who defy them with their own Divine Sense, but through Heaven and Earth itself. After all, Feng Shui sites are places especially favored by Heaven and Earth.”

Hua Man pondered and gave her conclusion.

“That makes sense.”

Qi Huang nodded in sudden understanding.

“All right, it’s getting late. Let’s go.”

Cheng Hongling called out.

With that, she and her doppelgänger soared away from Huarong Sect. The Immortal Stele’s confrontation would be earth-shaking. Staying here would arouse suspicion, and if they failed, Huarong Sect would be dragged down with them.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling flew several hundred li away, landing in a barren desert where not a soul was in sight, waiting for midnight to arrive.

Meanwhile, outside the Lü residence, twenty to thirty concubines unwilling to accept their fate hid inside two spatial rings. These were wrapped in Nine Nether Demon Cat pelts and entrusted to someone they trusted to carry them inside. Although the plan seemed flawless, their hearts still pounded nervously. After all, the Lü family had a Heavenly Tribulation Realm powerhouse sitting in command.