Volume 10, Chapter 673 – A Sack of Qi-Leaking Powder

Qi Huang flew high into the sky, then spread out her Divine Sense to quickly scan the small town below. Yet, she found nothing unusual; no suspicious individuals, nor any powerful cultivators or martial artists.

“This doesn’t make sense. Half the day has already passed. By right, Immortal Alliance’s reinforcements should have arrived long ago.”

Qi Huang knitted her delicate brows and muttered to herself. Once again, she extended her Divine Sense to sweep across several thousand li of land, but still, there was no sign of anything.

“How strange.”

Unable to figure it out, Qi Huang decided not to act rashly.

Meanwhile, in the inn below, the girl whose arm had been severed by Zheng Chi continued to cry out in agony. After the initial numbness had worn off, the pain of her wound became unbearable.

Through the time spent together, Qi Huang had already learned that the girl was called Zhao Xi, and she seemed to be a princess from some kingdom.

“What the hell is all that screaming? Can’t people sleep at night?”

“This is an inn, not a medical hall! If you want to give birth, go to the clinic!”

“How do you know she’s giving birth and not making one instead?”

“What kind of woman makes sounds like a slaughtered pig when making one?”

“My wife cries worse than a pig being slaughtered. Does your wife not make a sound? That only means you look good but are useless in bed!”

“Is that so? Brother, why don’t we try it out? I guarantee you’ll scream worse than she does.”

The guests, unable to sleep from the noise, began shouting curses.

Qi Huang’s attention was drawn to the commotion. She used the Shadow-Retaining Mirror to observe Zheng Chi, to see if he still had any shred of humanity. The Immortal Alliance might not have pills capable of regenerating severed limbs, but they certainly had pain-relieving medicine.

Yet at that moment, Zheng Chi was leisurely sipping tea in his room, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.

“Master!”

A respectful voice came from outside the door. It was Fu Xin, the one in charge of registering the bait for the Immortal Alliance.

“Come in.”

Zheng Chi spoke casually.

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Fu Xin pushed open the door and entered, complaining: “Master, Zhao Xi’s screams are too miserable. Now the whole inn’s guests are complaining. Shouldn’t we send her to a medical hall?”

“What’s this? Soft-hearted? Want to send her to a medical hall? Fine, you pay for it.”

Zheng Chi threatened.

“Uh…”

Fu Xin froze awkwardly. ‘It wasn’t me who cut off her arm, so why should I be the one paying?’

“You really have no awareness of what it means to be a disciple of the Immortal Alliance. They’re just a bunch of mortals. So what if they make a fuss? What, are you afraid of them?”

Zheng Chi scolded him in disappointment.

“But Master, her wailing is irritating even to us. Why don’t we just paste a few Sound-Blocking Talismans on her room?”

Fu Xin argued helplessly.

“Irritating is good. If even you feel irritated, then imagine how much worse her father must feel.”

Zheng Chi said calmly.

“Master, what do you mean?”

Fu Xin asked, confused.

“Do you really think I severed her arm just to make an example? Mind your own duties. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. In time, you’ll understand.”

Zheng Chi reprimanded him coldly.

“Yes, yes…”

Startled, Fu Xin quickly retreated from the room.

“What exactly is this old fox planning?”

Qi Huang’s brows furrowed deeply. She had assumed he had only acted to make an example of someone, but now it seemed there was more to it.

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She pondered endlessly but found no clue. All she could do was continue observing. After all, she was confident she could handle any situation.

The next morning, her Divine Sense finally detected over a hundred figures flying from the northern horizon. Most of them wore the Immortal Alliance’s standard robes, clearly reinforcements.

Not wanting to alert them, Qi Huang switched to the Shadow-Retaining Mirror to observe.

The reinforcements entered the town and directly joined the Immortal Alliance group at the inn.

From her spying, Qi Huang quickly gauged their strength. The leader was an elder in the late stage of the Divine Realm, while the rest were all at the Incarnation Realm or higher.

Qi Huang frowned slightly. Something felt off. First, though this force seemed decent in strength, for the Immortal Alliance, it was strangely stingy. Second, since they were supposed to be reinforcements, they should have stayed hidden, waiting to ambush enemies. Why reveal themselves so openly? Were they trying to intimidate and deter their opponents into retreat?

“Am I just overthinking it?”

Qi Huang couldn’t figure it out, so she kept watching.

At dawn, with their ranks now bolstered by a third, the Immortal Alliance continued escorting the bait forward.

Five days passed. The group had already left Central Continent, yet no more relatives of the bait showed themselves.

Qi Huang wasn’t surprised. To deal with the Immortal Alliance, one had to be fully prepared. No one would be foolish enough to rush to their deaths.

Another ten days went by. The group neared the Kapok Valley Treasure Land, while Zhao Xi’s condition worsened. Since Zheng Chi deliberately denied her treatment, her wound festered with infection, leaving her in a coma.

Qi Huang remained nearby, concealed by Heaven-Deceiving Water, without fear of discovery.

That night, the Immortal Alliance camped in a wilderness. The girls were let out for some air. Because of the heavy Yin energy, fog pressed down around them, reducing visibility to two or three zhang.

Qi Huang, wary of malicious spirits, circled the area. Just then, her Divine Sense caught several figures flying from the northern sky.

She looked closer and recognized three of them: the fathers of Jin Xue, Tang Yuning, and Ouyang Yi. Another well-dressed middle-aged man, whom she had once seen at the gates of the Immortal Alliance headquarters, was clearly also a father of one of the bait. Though not cultivators themselves, they used Flight Talismans to soar through the sky like cultivators.

The last figure, however, was a true cultivator, flying with Divine Sense.

“So they’ve come to rescue their daughters. But why only bring one cultivator? Could he be some kind of peerless master?”

Qi Huang frowned tightly. She wasn’t surprised someone dared oppose the Immortal Alliance. Many rogue cultivators wandered the world, unaffiliated with sects.

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As the five neared the camp, she discovered they all wore garments made from the fur of Nine Nether Demon Cats, explaining their boldness.

The group hovered above the camp, and the cultivator swiftly laid down a Sound-Blocking Talisman.

The emperor of Taiping Kingdom, Jin Xue’s father, immediately spoke to him: “National Preceptor Yang, please check if the Fourth Princess is within that Immortal Alliance group below.”

“National Preceptor Yang, I beg you to also search for my Twelfth Princess.”

Tang Yuning’s father, emperor of Leiting Kingdom, requested earnestly.

“And my eldest princess, Ouyang Yi. I will see you richly rewarded afterward.”

Ouyang Yi’s father, emperor of Dayu Kingdom, quickly added.

“Don’t forget my Fourteenth Princess, Zhao Xi. If she can be saved, you will also become the National Preceptor of my Xuanwu Kingdom.”

The dignified middle-aged man finally spoke, Zhao Xi’s father, emperor of Xuanwu Kingdom.

“Please rest assured, Your Majesties. This minister will do his utmost.”

The cultivator, addressed as National Preceptor Yang, cupped his fists and swept his Divine Sense below. His expression darkened. “Reporting to Your Majesties, the four princesses are indeed present, but…”

“But what?”

The four emperors pressed him urgently.

“But the Fourteenth Princess of Xuanwu Kingdom is in grave danger. Somehow, she has lost an arm. With no proper treatment, her wound festered and she is already in a coma.”

“What?!”

The emperor of Xuanwu Kingdom turned pale and almost rushed down.

“Brother Zhao, restrain yourself. If you charge recklessly, not only will you fail to save her, you’ll throw your life away.”

Jin Xue’s father quickly held him back.

“He’s right. Such rashness will ruin everything. If we lose the chance to save our daughters, do not blame us three nations for declaring war on Xuanwu.”

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Tang Yuning’s father warned coldly.

The emperor of Xuanwu snapped back to his senses. He hurriedly said: “Then let us begin quickly! Your daughters may still endure, but mine cannot wait!”

“National Preceptor Yang, bring out the Qi-Leaking Powder. Proceed as planned.”

Jin Xue’s father ordered.

‘What? Qi-Leaking Powder?’

Qi Huang’s heart jolted. She had once suffered bitterly because of it, and the mere mention filled her with dread.

“As you command. Please, Your Majesties, step back.”

National Preceptor Yang clasped his fists again. When the four emperors retreated a hundred zhang away with their Flight Talismans, he waved his hand, summoning dozens of massive water vats from thin air.

He then drew out a bulging sack, releasing its contents into the vats. The powdery substance fell like flour, dissolving into the water.

“Where did they get so much Qi-Leaking Powder?”

Qi Huang’s eyes widened in shock. These emperors truly spared nothing for their daughters.

After pouring the powder, National Preceptor Yang shook the vats with his Divine Sense.

“All right. Tip them over. Let them drink their fill this time.”

Jin Xue’s father’s face twisted with ferocity.

“Yes.”

National Preceptor Yang obeyed, flipping the vats over with his Divine Sense.

Whooosh—!

Dozens of waterfalls poured down in an instant, cascading onto the Immortal Alliance’s camp below.