Volume 10, Chapter 694 – A Surprise That Brings No Joy, An Unexpected Twist (Part 1)

“If we choose to back down, we’ll still die! But if we do what you’re suggesting, won’t the Immortal Alliance go mad?”

Jin Xue’s face showed deep fear. After everything she had experienced during this period, her fear of the Immortal Alliance had reached an extreme.

“You’re wrong,” Qi Huang countered calmly. “If you stay silent, the Immortal Alliance kills you to silence witnesses. But if you speak out, what reason would they have left to kill you?”

“The fairy’s words are indeed reasonable.”

Jin Xue’s father, Jin Ze, finally reacted and nodded.

“That’s not necessarily true though. They could still kill us purely out of spite!”

Tang Yuning voiced her doubt.

“Indeed,” her father, Tang Cong, agreed with a solemn nod. “The people of the Immortal Alliance are arrogant and utterly without limits. They will never tolerate anyone provoking them.”

“That is exactly why you must make this matter as big as possible,” Qi Huang explained, her voice calm but firm. “The bigger it gets, the better. If they want to kill you then, they’ll have to risk being questioned by the entire world. The Immortal Alliance may be arrogant, but they’re not stupid. They know how to weigh the pros and cons.”

“That’s true,” Cheng Hongling interjected. “Among you, there are four emperors from four nations, and the rest are imperial kin or members of renowned sects. Stirring up public opinion shouldn’t be difficult, should it?”

“But don’t forget this,” Tang Cong interrupted cautiously. “Even if the Immortal Alliance killing us would draw the mortal world’s suspicion, they can still act in secret. The loss to their reputation could be minimized, and they could even use it to establish their authority. Whether this benefits or harms them is still uncertain, so we cannot rule out the possibility that they’ll strike against us.”

Everyone around them fell silent at those words, worry resurfacing on their faces.

“Scared?” Cheng Hongling snapped impatiently. “Then crawl into some corner and keep your tails between your legs.”

Qi Huang frowned slightly and added coldly, “Understand this, I’m merely showing you a possible path forward. I never said it was guaranteed to be a path to survival. If you don’t even have the courage to try, then you might as well sit here and wait for death.”

The group exchanged uneasy glances, but in the end, they agreed to try. After all, ever since they had been targeted by the Immortal Alliance, there had been no path of retreat left for them.

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“Where are we now? How are we supposed to get back? The Immortal Alliance must be searching everywhere for us!”

“Exactly! The moment we show ourselves, they’ll find us. With our strength, there’s no way we can make it back.”

“This is cursed… are we doomed no matter what?”

The group of bait and their families looked around in panic before breaking into fresh wails of despair.

Qi Huang sighed helplessly and shook her head. “Forget it. I might as well finish what I started. Just like before, hide inside the spatial rings. Once we’re done handling this matter, we’ll send you back.”

“Thank you, fairy! Thank you, fairy!”

The group instantly broke into joyous cries.

“Don’t you think you’re being too nice to them?”

Cheng Hongling’s voice came through a mental transmission.

“Letting these people return alive and tarnish the Immortal Alliance’s reputation serves us better,” Qi Huang replied telepathically. “If they die halfway, saving them would have been pointless.”

Then she called Jin Xue, Tang Yuning, and Ouyang Yi aside.

“I’ll repeat this once more, under no circumstances are you to reveal our true identities. Not even to your families. If any of you disobey…” Her tone turned cold and sharp. “…don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

The three women nodded rapidly, not daring to protest.

Qi Huang then separated everyone into groups and stored them safely in the rings before heading toward Changming Kingdom in the Central Continent. She was someone who valued fairness, since she owed the Wenren family a Golden Fate Blossom seed, she intended to return it. Of course, anyone who owed her would also have to repay their debts.

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Her speed was terrifying. In less than fifteen minutes, Qi Huang reached the vicinity of the Wenren residence and released her true body along with several senior sisters.

“Already back? So soon?” Shen Yuan asked with disappointment. “I haven’t even had enough fun yet!”

“Fun?” Ruan Lingyu frowned. “Don’t forget why we went to the Kapok Valley Treasure Land in the first place. We still haven’t found the Golden Fate Blossom seed. How are we supposed to explain that?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Our little junior sister is so strong. What could they possibly do to us?” Shen Yuan replied nonchalantly.

“Strong or not, we still have to act reasonably. We’re cultivators, not bandits,” Ruan Lingyu scolded her.

“It’s fine,” Yun Fei interjected quickly to smooth things over. “Worst case, we’ll find another chance later. Besides, the Wenren family was probably hoping we’d die in Kapok Valley anyway. I’m sure they’ll happily accept this outcome.”

“No need,” Qi Huang said casually. “I already found the Golden Fate Blossom.”

“You did? Then why did you say you hadn’t before?” Ruan Lingyu asked, confused.

“Because I plan to bring the seed back and cultivate it myself,” Qi Huang explained patiently. “But the Immortal Alliance forbids bringing living specimens back to the mortal world. Elder Kang was present at the time, so I had to lie. Otherwise, once the seed sprouted, the Immortal Alliance would suspect I was the one causing trouble.”

“Exactly,” Yun Fei nodded. “As long as we keep this quiet, even if we successfully grow the Golden Fate Blossom, we can claim the seed was purchased from the mortal realm. If we say it grew by sheer luck, the Immortal Alliance won’t have any proof and can’t touch us.”

“Right. Since someone else has grown it before, why can’t we?” Qi Huang smiled proudly.

“Junior sister,” Shen Yuan said curiously, “you’re this strong, and yet you’re still afraid of the Immortal Alliance?”

“I’m not afraid,” Qi Huang replied calmly. “But I have people to protect. Until I’m absolutely certain I can destroy the Immortal Alliance, I’ll act carefully.”

The senior sisters all nodded in agreement, showering her with praise for her wisdom.

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Pleased, Qi Huang led them up to the Wenren residence and knocked loudly, planning to give the old man inside a little “surprise”.

“Who is it? This is the Wenren estate, no loitering! Get lost!”

A servant opened the door slightly and barked impatiently.

“Go tell your master that the people he sent to the Kapok Valley Treasure Land have returned,” Qi Huang ordered coldly.

The servant’s face darkened in anger, but knowing he couldn’t afford to argue with this group of women, he grumbled and retreated inside.

Meanwhile, inside the Wenren family study, Wenren Jun was deep in discussion with his son.

“Wenren Qing, it’s been long enough. The stand-ins we sent to the Immortal Alliance should be dead in Kapok Valley by now, right?”

“Yes,” Wenren Qing replied respectfully. “Based on the timing, they should’ve been inside the Kapok Valley Treasure Land for days. There’s no way they survived.”

“Good,” Wenren Jun said with satisfaction, stroking his beard. “This way, our Wenren family’s daughters won’t be targeted by the Immortal Alliance anymore.”

“Father is truly wise,” Wenren Qing praised sincerely.

“Find time to visit the Immortal Alliance,” Wenren Jun instructed. “Once you confirm the stand-ins are dead, demand the compensation immediately. If they refuse, make a scene. Understood? Those women were hard to find, and we must squeeze out every last bit of value from them.”

“Understood,” Wenren Qing replied with a small smirk.

“Master!”

At that moment, the gate servant hurried to the doorway.

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“What is it?” Wenren Jun asked, straightening his robe.

“There are several young women at the door,” the servant reported nervously. “They claim to be the ones you sent to the Kapok Valley Treasure Land.”

“What?”

Wenren Jun shot to his feet, his face full of disbelief. He looked to his son, but Wenren Qing’s expression was just as baffled.

“Could it be the girls from the Honghua Sect?” Wenren Jun muttered cautiously.

“That’s impossible! None of them are at the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. Even if they somehow survived Kapok Valley, they couldn’t have returned this quickly!” Wenren Qing protested, then added, “Unless… something unexpected happened and they failed halfway? Wouldn’t that mean our entire plan has fallen apart?”

Wenren Jun fell silent for a moment before replying gravely, “It’s not about the plan anymore. Plans can be redone. What matters is whether these women are truly from the Honghua Sect. If they’re not… then it means our scheme has been completely exposed.”

Wenren Qing finally realized the gravity of the situation, his face growing tense. “I’ll use Divine Sense to investigate right now.”

“No need,” Wenren Jun interrupted sharply. “It’s them. I recognize their voices.”

With his cultivation at the late stage of the Divine Realm, nothing at the gate escaped his senses.

“This makes no sense,” Wenren Qing said, stunned. “With their strength, there’s no way they should’ve survived.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Wenren Jun said darkly. “Our plan to sacrifice them may have failed, but as long as they’re alive, we’ll just restrain them again and send them back to the Immortal Alliance as bait. I want to see just how many times fate will spare them.”

A cold, ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes.