Volume 11, Chapter 726 – I Must Save Her

Qi Huang returned cheerfully with hundreds of thousands of ghost tomatoes, but from afar she saw dense clusters of people gathered both inside and outside her courtyard.

Qi Huang had long since grown accustomed to such scenes. After all, she and Cheng Hongling were already famous throughout the Western Radiance Dynasty, with admirers flocking to see them every day. Normally, it was something to be ignored.

That was what she thought at first, until she clearly saw their faces. These were not strangers drawn by admiration, but high-ranking members and disciples of the Honghua Sect. Each of them wore a grim expression, whispering amongst themselves.

More importantly, Qi Huang noticed that a corner of her house had collapsed. That was precisely where Cheng Hongling’s bedchamber was located.

A strong sense of foreboding welled up within her. She immediately quickened her pace, and in the blink of an eye appeared in the courtyard. Looking around with confusion, she asked: “What happened here?”

“Is that you, Little Huang?”

At that moment, Cheng Yuan and his wife stumbled out from the main hall, followed closely by two of Cheng Hongling’s doppelgängers.

“You’re finally back. Hongling has been taken away.”

Jiang Linian spoke with reddened eyes.

“What? Taken away? By whom?”

Qi Huang’s eyes widened. It was almost impossible for her to believe that anyone in the Western Radiance Dynasty would dare abduct Cheng Hongling, her main body. Not to mention, she should have been able to sense any distress signals from her.

“We don’t know. That person’s strength was terrifyingly overwhelming. When we heard the commotion and rushed to help, a powerful Divine Sense barrier blocked us outside.”

“Yes, their battle lasted only a few breaths before Elder Sister was captured.”

Cheng Hongling’s soul fragments, Cheng Qi and Cheng Jing, spoke in turn.

‘It seems the main body really encountered a supreme powerhouse.’

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Qi Huang’s mood grew unbearably heavy. With her help, Cheng Hongling had already reached mid-stage Divine Realm. Coupled with her many artifacts and deadly techniques, even against a late-stage Divine Realm expert, she would not have fallen so quickly. This meant the enemy was most likely at the Heavenly Tribulation Realm or higher.

‘There are only a handful of Heavenly Tribulation experts in the cultivation world. On the surface, we haven’t offended anyone except the Lü Clan. Could it be that old monster from the Lü Clan? Or… has my identity in the Central Continent been discovered?’

Her thoughts were in chaos, her heart growing anxious. If her main body were male, she might not be so worried. But being a delicate beauty, what if something terrible befell her?

“This was left behind by that person.”

At that moment, Cheng Yuan shakily handed over a slip of paper.

Qi Huang quickly took and read it. On it was a single line:

“If you want to save Cheng Hongling, come to the Dragon Fortune Mine in the Yiyun Mountains of Shiye Kingdom, North Continent.”

It was a precise address, brimming with provocation.

“Take care of yourselves. I must go save her.”

Leaving those words, Qi Huang prepared to depart.

“Wait, Junior Sister! Are you sure what’s written here is true? What if it’s a trap?”

Yun Fei quickly tried to stop her.

“Or perhaps the opponent is so powerful that they don’t fear Qi Huang at all.”

Cheng Jing spoke gravely.

“Which means we must be even more cautious. If that person truly only wanted Hongling, why leave an address so kindly? This shows you are also his target. We shouldn’t rush blindly, let’s think of a strategy first.”

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Cheng Yuan, too, anxiously reminded her. Though the girl before him was not his daughter’s doppelgänger, she carried the Cheng family’s bloodline. He had long regarded her as his own.

“There’s no time to waste. Even if it is a trap, I must leap straight in.”

Qi Huang shook her head firmly and soared into the sky.

Everyone in the courtyard rushed out, eyes reddened. Jiang Linian even burst into tears. Even a fool could see how dangerous this journey would be. Who knew if her daughter would return with the main body safe?

Qi Huang sped toward the Shiye Kingdom of the North Continent, her expression more solemn than ever. It wasn’t fear of the enemy, but the knowledge that whether she succeeded or failed, this was a road of no return.

The reason was simple: her feminization had reached its final stage. If she did not hurry to the dreamscape to find a way to control the power of assimilation, within five days she would be completely transformed into a woman. But that was not the most terrifying part, the true horror was that she would then become Cheng Ling’s puppet. Once Cheng Ling seized her body, Qi Huang would lose the qualification of holding the Life Soul. No matter how strong her Divine Sense was, death would be inevitable. This was doomed to be a one-way path.

Yet so what? For Cheng Hongling, she would hesitate for nothing.

She raced northeast, nearing Shiye Kingdom, but decided to first inform her three male doppelgängers and soul fragments. After all, they deserved to know.

“Everyone, Cheng Hongling has been taken. The opponent is likely at Heavenly Tribulation Realm or above. I must leave immediately to rescue her.”

Qi Huang sent her Divine Sense transmission to the four soul fragments.

“What? Taken? How could I not notice?”

The Huang fragment stationed at Honghua Sect cried out in shock.

“I suspect he was cloaked in Heaven-Deceiving Water.”

Qi Huang speculated.

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“How long will it take you to rescue her?”

The soul fragment Huang Jing asked urgently.

“I don’t know. The enemy deliberately left an address for me. There are only two possibilities, either it’s a trap, or they’re confident enough to handle me.”

She answered truthfully.

“Then either way, you’ll waste a lot of time! Do you realize my feminization has advanced so far that in at most three days my body will show female traits? At that point you’ll become a complete woman, and worse, Cheng Ling’s puppet!”

Huang Jing reminded her anxiously.

“It doesn’t matter. If that happens, only I will die. Once she seizes the Life Soul, you will all become her three souls and seven corporeal souls. Your safety will not be threatened. The only price to bear is becoming women forever.”

Qi Huang tried to reassure them.

“Have you thought that for us, becoming women might be worse than death? How would I ever face my parents then?”

The fragment in Ping’an County, Huang Tian, spoke bitterly.

“But for me, if anything happens to Hongling, that would be worse than both becoming a woman and dying.”

Qi Huang’s voice was resolute.

“Since you, the Life Soul, have already decided, then as your souls and fragments we can only support you unconditionally. We cannot drag you down.”

Huang Tian took a deep breath and declared. The others voiced their agreement as well. For Cheng Hongling, they too felt deep affection.

“Thank you, brothers, for your understanding!”

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Qi Huang said, moved.

“Don’t call us brothers. Call us sisters instead. I don’t even feel like a man anymore.”

Huang Jing muttered with resignation.

Qi Huang smiled helplessly, then continued flying northeast.

Soon she crossed into Shiye Kingdom. Being a newcomer, she was unfamiliar with this country and had to stop in a small town to inquire about the Dragon Fortune Mine.

She entered an inn, ordered a table full of dishes, and took the opportunity to ask the waiter.

“From your accent, guest, you must not be from Shiye Kingdom. No wonder you don’t know the Dragon Fortune Mine.”

The waiter chuckled, then explained: “Because our land is so cold, we can hardly grow any crops. Luckily, where the east fails, the west prospers. Our country is rich in mineral resources. The largest mine lies in the Yiyun Mountains of Xuelin Prefecture to the north. Every year, it produces more than half of our nation’s high-grade spirit ores. It is tied to the entire kingdom’s fate, so people call it the Dragon Fortune Mine. The dragon, naturally, refers to the royal family.”

At this point, the waiter swallowed hard, clearly parched.

Qi Huang, perceptive, pushed a teacup toward him.

“Thank you, guest!”

The waiter, overjoyed, gulped it down before continuing: “But good fortune never lasts. After the Great Horror outbreak, the place was repeatedly occupied by fiendish specters due to its remoteness. The court had no choice but to abandon it. For hundreds of years it has lain in ruin. That’s why people now call it the Dragon Fortune Pit.”

“Thank you.”

Qi Huang tossed down a tael of silver, then sped north toward Snow Forest Prefecture, not even tasting the food she had ordered.