Volume 10, Chapter 691 – Golden Fate Blossoms (Part 6)

“Heavenly Web Spider? What about the Heavenly Web Spider? Stop making such a fuss!”

Qi Huang glanced at Elder Kang with slight irritation. Having just lost her little chick, her mood was already sour, and she was eager to find someone to vent her frustration on.

“It’s terrifying! That Heavenly Web Spider ranks among the top three of the ten Heavenly Tribulation Realm fiendish specters within the Kapok Valley Treasure Land, and you actually managed to kill it?”

Elder Kang’s face was full of shock. Then, after carefully examining Qi Huang again, his expression became even more incredulous: “And you’re completely unscathed! Even our Alliance Leader might not have been able to handle it so easily!”

“What’s your Alliance Leader’s cultivation level, anyway?”

Qi Huang asked curiously.

“Heavenly Tribulation Realm, sixth layer.”

Elder Kang’s expression carried a trace of pride, as though he were talking about himself.

“Pfft, hardly worth mentioning. He’s not even close to my level, there’s a gap of at least ten Deputy Alliance Leaders between us.”

Qi Huang said with disdain. And she wasn’t exaggerating; if it weren’t for that Heaven-Deceiving Water incident, in an open and fair fight, she could now defeat several Immortal Alliance Leaders on her own.

“Ah, yes, yes, of course…”

Elder Kang gave a half-hearted compliment, then cautiously probed: “Teacher, could it be that you possess some particularly powerful Divine Sense-type artifact?”

“Why do you think that?”

Qi Huang asked, puzzled.

“Because, considering your age, it should be impossible for you to have such strong Divine Sense. Even the new Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect, who’s known as the only true prodigy in today’s cultivation world, only displayed late-stage Divine Realm Divine Sense during the Evergreen Conference.”

Elder Kang voiced his reasoning.

“Are you kidding me? Can’t you tell whether my Divine Sense comes from within my own body?”

Qi Huang retorted unhappily.

“There are plenty of artifacts that can be stored within one’s body; that’s nothing special.”

Elder Kang casually brushed it off, continuing to analyze on his own: “Besides, I’ve never heard of anyone whose Divine Sense could suppress a cultivator wearing clothes crafted from the fur of the Nine Nether Demon Cats. That alone strongly suggests that you must possess some extraordinary Divine Sense-type artifact.”

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“You—!”

Qi Huang was left speechless and nearly started scolding him.

“Yes, yes, yes, my junior martial sister does rely on a powerful artifact. But don’t you dare tell anyone.”

At that moment, Yun Fei, standing nearby, spoke with a faint, knowing smile.

Elder Kang fell silent instantly. He hadn’t expected such a straightforward confirmation, which threw him completely off balance.

Qi Huang realized that her senior sister was trying to conceal her true strength and decided not to ruin the cover. She teased Elder Kang instead: “Exactly, I rely on an artifact. So if you ever think you have a chance, you can always try to run away. I won’t stop you!”

“Teacher must be joking. But aren’t artifacts also considered part of a cultivator’s strength?”

Elder Kang wisely replied. After all, if an artifact couldn’t be countered, the result would be the same.

“Heh, you’re quite clever.”

Qi Huang said mockingly.

“Now that this Lightning Hawk is dead, what are you planning to do?”

Tang Yuning hurried over to ask anxiously.

“What else can I do? I’ll have to trouble you all to continue helping me lure the Lightning Hawks.”

Qi Huang shamelessly made her request.

The bait group murmured among themselves for a while before Tang Yuning finally said to Qi Huang: “As long as you help us find our relatives after we get out, we’ll follow your lead.”

“That’s more like it.”

Qi Huang smiled in satisfaction.

At this moment, Cheng Hongling sent a thought transmission, sounding surprised: “It’s a good thing you didn’t let them leave earlier. Otherwise, we’d be completely helpless right now.”

“Just trust me.”

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Qi Huang replied smugly, then added: “I’ll tell you a secret, when I killed that spider just now, I got something very strange.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Cheng Hongling’s interest was piqued instantly. She knew this doppelgänger had seen much of the world; ordinary items wouldn’t even catch her eye.

“A dark red stone, looks like the fossilized heart of some creature. Its hardness is incredible, even my hair couldn’t leave a single mark on it. It can probably be used as an offensive artifact.”

Qi Huang explained.

“Not even your hair could leave a mark?”

Cheng Hongling was thoroughly shocked. She knew how terrifyingly strong this doppelgänger’s hair was; even the fearsome Fiendish Specter Zhen Feiyan had been helpless when bound by it.

“Exactly. I’m giving it to you to use as a weapon.”

Qi Huang took out the dark fossilized “heart” and handed it to her main body.

“Why give it to me? Wouldn’t it be better if you kept it?”

Cheng Hongling hesitated to accept it.

“My strength is enough to protect myself. You should hold onto it.”

Qi Huang said gently.

Cheng Hongling understood the doppelgänger’s intentions and accepted the stone, but the moment she did, her delicate body trembled slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Huang asked curiously.

“This is strange… the moment I held it, my heart started pounding violently. It feels… connected to my bloodline somehow.”

Cheng Hongling frowned slightly.

“What? You feel it too?”

Qi Huang was stunned. She had thought it was just her imagination before.

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“You too? You mean you felt it as well?”

Cheng Hongling’s cherry lips parted in shock.

“Yes. When I first held it, I felt the same thing. I thought it was just an illusion.”

Qi Huang smiled bitterly.

Cheng Hongling furrowed her brows in thought, then speculated: “Could this thing somehow be related to us?”

“That’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it? Maybe everyone feels this way when holding it.”

Qi Huang guessed. After all, she had already obtained one Heaven-Mending Crystal before. Surely they couldn’t possibly find another object tied to them, right?

“Why don’t we just have someone else hold it?”

Cheng Hongling had an idea and handed the “fossil” to Ruan Lingyu: “Senior Sister, do you recognize this stone?”

Ruan Lingyu examined it carefully. The others gathered around too, passing it from hand to hand, but no one could make sense of it.

Cheng Hongling took it back and sent a thought transmission to Qi Huang: “Judging from their expressions, this thing only has some kind of connection to us.”

“No way… we actually found another object tied to us?”

Qi Huang said in astonishment.

Cheng Hongling instinctively felt that this item wasn’t simple, so she carefully stored it in her spatial ring.

Because of the corrosive Yin energy, everyone’s protective talismans were nearly depleted. Qi Huang didn’t want to waste any more time, so she led everyone out of the heavily Yin-infested area and distributed fresh talismans.

“Don’t worry, everyone. If we lure another Lightning Hawk, I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong this time.”

Qi Huang promised with slight embarrassment. She had learned her lesson and wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

The disciples of the Honghua Sect didn’t mind at all; they were treating this like a sightseeing trip anyway. The other bait group members also didn’t object, they were counting on Qi Huang to rescue their families.

Cheng Hongling was growing increasingly impressed with this doppelgänger. Not only was her strength reliable, but she also planned for every contingency. Aside from flirting around, having occasional outbursts, and lacking elegance, she was practically the perfect doppelgänger.

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Qi Huang led the team on another “random stroll”, hoping to lure a second Lightning Hawk. Unfortunately, her luck wasn’t as good this time. Three days passed without any results.

‘Don’t tell me we really have to wait for the next cycle…’

Qi Huang thought bitterly. She had so many matters to deal with; she didn’t have the time for endless delays.

Just as she was growing frustrated, a pleasant surprise appeared: a second Lightning Hawk entered her Divine Sense range.

Qi Huang’s lips twitched with excitement. This time, she had no patience for waiting around. She immediately stored all her teammates into her spatial ring and launched a direct attack, swiftly capturing the adorable Lightning Hawk. She quickly attached a tracking talisman and released it, the entire process seamless and precise.

“What happened?”

Cheng Hongling’s thought transmission was filled with confusion.

“I caught another Lightning Hawk. This time, I must get the Golden Fate Blossom seeds.”

Qi Huang gritted her teeth. Without them, Huangtian County would forever be looked down upon by the entire cultivation world, she wouldn’t allow that.

The Lightning Hawk, now freed, screeched sharply and darted away in a frenzy, flying around like a headless fly, behaving exactly like the last one.

This time, Qi Huang stayed a full mile behind, keeping a safe distance so she could intervene instantly if anything went wrong.

Eventually, the Lightning Hawk calmed down and began searching for sunny spots to feed.

Qi Huang followed patiently, even encountering several fiendish specters along the way, all of which she silently and efficiently eliminated.

After half a day, the Lightning Hawk descended into a large sunlit area and darted straight toward a small sapling, about the height of a person.

Qi Huang examined it closely and discovered it resembled a chestnut tree sapling, except its entire body was pale gold. Its leaves were covered in long, sharp spines, densely packed like a massive hedgehog. Between the lush foliage, four or five dark-golden nuts, each about the size of a chestnut, gleamed brilliantly. Since it was autumn, the ripened nuts emitted a rich, fragrant aroma, intoxicatingly sweet.

“Finally found you… the Golden Fate Blossom seeds!”

Qi Huang exhaled deeply in relief. From Cheng Hongling’s memories, she was certain these four or five dark-golden nuts were exactly what she had been seeking, and the sweet fragrance confirmed it.

“Hahaha, another feast for me today!”

Suddenly, the ground near the Golden Fate Blossom tree erupted with a loud “BOOM” , and a massive black shadow burst out, lunging straight at the unsuspecting Lightning Hawk.