Volume 10, Chapter 715 – Almost Fell Completely into Corruption

“I? Of course I am Qi Huang!”

Qi Huang blurted out. Compared to the hesitant, uncertain way she had spoken earlier when she was unwell, she now seemed like a completely different person. It was not that her condition had improved, but rather that she felt she should leave herself a way out. If things went badly, she could still save Cheng Ling. There was no need to follow her main body blindly into destruction.

“Qi Huang? That only refers to this outer shell of yours. But underneath this skin? Is your soul Huang Qi, or is it… Cheng Ling?”

Cheng Hongling pressed her step by step.

“Am I Huang Qi? Or Cheng Ling?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Huang’s brows furrowed.

‘I am Huang Qi, of course. It was only after putting on that mask that I became like this.’

‘No, no, I should be Cheng Ling, the Spiritual Wisdom Soul that was locked away inside the Sea of Consciousness by the main body since childhood. That endless, sunless darkness is something I will never forget.’

Once again, two voices began to quarrel inside her mind, leaving her dizzy, her thoughts in chaos.

“Ah!”

Unable to endure, Qi Huang clutched her head in pain.

“Hmph! Just as I thought!”

Cheng Hongling snorted coldly. She reached out imperiously, grabbing the back of the doppelgänger’s head, leaned forward, and fiercely pressed her lips against the lips that were identical to her own.

Qi Huang felt a soft, fragrant sweetness on her lips, and her entire body trembled. The male mindset began to dominate, the inner quarrel gradually subsided, and her beautiful eyes cleared once again.

Having returned to her male self, Qi Huang naturally could not resist the main body’s sudden embrace. Boldly, he reached out to encircle her slender waist, and his lips turned domineering.

Cheng Hongling instantly noticed something was wrong. She shoved the doppelgänger away, her pretty face flushed red, though she still forced herself to act stern: “Seeing that lecherous look of yours, you should know who you are now, right?”

Qi Huang licked her lips reluctantly. Remembering how she had just acted, fear lingered in her heart. “What just happened to me?”

“You’re asking me? I’d like to ask you the same!”

Cheng Hongling wiped her lips casually, pretending to be indifferent.

Qi Huang thought briefly, then exclaimed in horror: “It must be the result of assimilation deepening. When I woke up, I heard a voice just like yours telling me to let her out. Thinking back now, it must have been Cheng Ling. If you hadn’t discovered it in time today, I might have completely fallen.”

“She can already transmit thoughts to you?”

Cheng Hongling’s shock was evident.

“Because I only vaguely heard two sentences, it should have been temporary.”

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Qi Huang analyzed.

“Regardless, this shows your assimilation has reached the critical point. If we don’t find a solution soon, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

Cheng Hongling’s expression grew unusually grave.

“I know. Last night, I also saw Lu Yao’s memories. But this dream was utterly ridiculous. Just as she was about to absorb the blood of that foreign Heavenly Dao, I suddenly woke up.”

Qi Huang was nearly frantic.

“Since success was within reach, you must seize your chance. Otherwise, once Cheng Ling fully assimilates you, she will certainly order you to let her out. I won’t be able to stop her then. At that point, you won’t even have the chance to be a woman anymore. You understand this without me saying it.”

Cheng Hongling reminded firmly.

“Don’t worry. I will not slack off.”

Qi Huang gritted her teeth in determination.

Meanwhile, at the Immortal Alliance headquarters, Alliance Leader Lu Lin had grown impatient and summoned Cao Hong for questioning.

“Vice Alliance Leader Cao, didn’t you go investigate the person who rescued the bait’s family? Still no leads?”

Lu Lin demanded.

“Reporting to Alliance Leader, that person’s cultivation is formidable, and they left no obvious flaws. Truly difficult to trace.”

Cao Hong answered awkwardly.

“Forget it. Seems we can only proceed slowly. Among those bait, perhaps someone knows her identity. Question them all one by one, quickly.”

Lu Lin’s anger simmered, but he restrained himself and gave the order.

“Yes, sir!”

Cao Hong obeyed.

Lu Lin then asked: “And Wenren Qing’s matter? Didn’t I send Elder Jiang to the Aoshi Sect to request that Yin-Yang Eyes Grand Elder? Still no word?”

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“Elder Jiang said that the Yin-Yang Eyes Grand Elder is in seclusion and may need more time.”

Cao Hong relayed.

“That decrepit fool, what arrogance! To make an Immortal Alliance Elder wait for him?”

Lu Lin could no longer endure. He barked: “Tell Elder Jiang to deliver this message: that Yin-Yang Eyes Elder must come to the headquarters immediately. Otherwise, their Aoshi Sect can forget about receiving any cultivation resources in the future. Aoshi? I’ll send them to Chishi ¹ 傲 (Ào) = proud, 世 (shì) = world > 赤 (Chì) = red, 石 (shí) = stone. I don’t really get what red stone means, my best guess would be something along the lines of “sending them down to the mines” instead!”

“Yes!”

Cao Hong cupped his fists in compliance.

“Alliance Leader… Alliance Leader… disaster! Terrible news!”

At that moment, Elder You, who was in charge of interrogating Wenren Qing, burst into the hall stammering.

“What’s wrong? So flustered, is the death calamity upon us?”

Lu Lin frowned.

“No! Not that! Wenren Qing is dead!”

Elder You steadied himself before reporting.

“What?”

Lu Lin shot up from his seat, demanding: “How did he die? Wasn’t he imprisoned? I assigned so many experts to guard him, are they all useless?”

“He blew himself up!”

Elder You replied quickly.

“Blew himself up? What about his Life Soul?”

Lu Lin was momentarily stunned, then pressed further.

“He detonated so thoroughly that not only did his Qi Sea explode, but also his Sea of Consciousness. His three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls were completely annihilated.”

Elder You explained helplessly.

Lu Lin’s expression twisted even further.

“Was this because he could not endure the torture and chose to end himself?”

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Cao Hong speculated.

“That was my thought as well. We did use every cruel method we could to force the truth from him.”

Elder You agreed.

“There is another possibility. The killer may be so powerful that Wenren Qing feared he might implicate his family if he confessed. So he sacrificed himself to protect the Wenren clan.”

Lu Lin suggested after pondering.

“Alliance Leader is wise!”

Cao Hong responded perfunctorily.

“Yes, Alliance Leader is wise. That murderer killed three Immortal Alliance Elders; the Wenren clan could never resist him. Wenren Qing keeping silent merely offended the Immortal Alliance alone. If he confessed, both sides would be offended. If I were him, I’d likely do the same, sacrifice myself to protect the entire clan.”

Elder You nodded in agreement.

“In any case, this matter cannot be allowed to end here. The Wenren family must still be investigated.”

Lu Lin decided firmly.

“Alliance Leader, is that necessary? Wenren Qing is dead. The Immortal Alliance has already made an example.”

Cao Hong objected, reluctant to probe further since he had taken benefits from the Wenren family.

“Vice Alliance Leader Cao, how could the death of one Wenren Qing compensate the Immortal Alliance’s loss?”

Lu Lin rebuked sternly.

“Of course, Alliance Leader is right.”

Cao Hong once again responded with empty words.

“Then send more people to investigate the Wenren family. The culprit must be rooted out. Anyone who dares defy the Immortal Alliance will never escape justice.”

Lu Lin ordered.

“Yes. Leave this matter to me.”

Cao Hong seized the task, for only this way could he manipulate it and shield the Wenren family from exposure.

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Meanwhile, in the Taiping Kingdom of the Central Continent, because the royal clan had offended the Immortal Alliance, the nation was already gripped with terror. Nobles and commoners alike fled abroad. Those who could not flee armed themselves desperately. The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

As emperor, Jin Ze dared not slacken. He ordered the military to full alert, and even carried Qi Huang’s Thousand-Mile Communication Tube on his person at all times. At the first sign of danger, he would immediately “summon” Qi Huang.

One noon, while Jin Ze was dozing in his study, a eunuch reported that Elder Zhang of the Immortal Alliance requested an audience.

Startled, Jin Ze thought: so the feared has arrived. Instinctively, he wanted to dismiss the visitor. But he reconsidered, if the man intended to kill him to make an example, he would not have come so openly. That would only hand others the advantage.

“Bring him in.”

Jin Ze forced himself to give the order.

“Yes.”

The eunuch’s voice trembled as he obeyed, his steps unsteady.

Moments later, light footsteps sounded outside, clearly not a man’s.

Jin Ze looked up to see his daughter, Jin Xue.

“What are you doing here? Go back quickly.”

Jin Ze urged anxiously.

“This all happened because of me. The Immortal Alliance comes to cause trouble, how can I stand aside?”

Jin Xue ignored his words and came to stand beside her father.

Before Jin Ze could argue further, footsteps sounded again, and a eunuch opened the door to usher in a gray-haired, grim-faced elder.

“Elder Zhang of the Immortal Alliance, please sit.”

Since the two sides had not yet torn apart relations completely, Jin Ze could only extend courtesy, inviting Elder Zhang to sit.

Elder Zhang sat down arrogantly and said domineeringly: “So you are Jin Ze? Your kingdom and others have openly slandered the Immortal Alliance. If you cannot give us a satisfactory explanation, this matter will not be settled!”

“Slander?”

Jin Ze and his daughter exchanged looks of shock. They had not expected the other party to brazenly lie and even turn the accusation against them.