Volume 12, Chapter 787 – The Servant Willing to Follow Her Master

The Giant Image Vine, a super demon of the Heavenly Tribulation Realm, was not only ferocious in power but enormous in size, stretching across the earth like a long wall. Beside it, people were no better than ants. Now that it suddenly went berserk, how could the cultivators not be terrified?

“It moved! It moved!”

Elder Kang’s face went deathly pale as he stumbled backward after backward, clearly ready to run for his life.

“Run! Run quickly!”

Elder Bian was equally shaken, his spirit scattered, stuttering as he urged the Dao Alliance cultivators gathered there. Having been stationed here for years, he understood just how terrifying the Giant Image Vine could be.

The Giant Image Vine twisted its huge body like a python. One by one, its powerful roots wrenched out of the soil, whipping up a terrifying sandstorm across the plain that made the ground tremble violently. From a distance it looked like a monstrous centipede bursting from the earth.

“Hmph!”

Cheng Hongling snorted coldly and countered with a massive burst of Profound Ice sword qi.

The Profound Ice sword qi stretched long against the wind like a waning moon rising, emitting a pale blue light that dimmed the sunlight completely.

Crack!

That sword qi tore the air and struck the Giant Image Vine with brutal force, shattering like glass into a scattering of ice crystals that covered the thick vines. The frost then began to spread outward, quickly freezing the whole plant.

Crack! Crack!

The enormous vines froze, their struggling arcs becoming smaller and smaller.

Boom!

Just as everyone relaxed their guard, a barb suddenly forced its way through the ice’s sealing, thrusting out arrogantly. Its sharp tip even sliced the void; a lurid, blood-red bud sprouted on it and inflated like a balloon until it was as large as a house.

Swoosh!

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The bud’s petals snapped open like a beast revealing a bloody maw, exposing inner filaments as dense and jagged as fangs!

At the center of those filaments, a woman in a tight, blood-red phoenix-tail dress stood on empty air and stepped forth. Her long, shapely legs were partially revealed; her delicate feet were white and radiant, impossible to ignore.

Qi Huang stared in surprise. She found the woman genuinely beautiful: fair skin that seemed to outshine frost under the crimson dress, a finely shaped oval face lightly made up, a pair of narrow phoenix-like eyes that hinted at an alluring, seductive air, and lips like fire. The woman drew the gaze like a magnet, more tempting than a fox spirit.

Unfortunately, her beauty was marred by a twisted expression.

“Did you kill my master?” the vine spirit, transformed into the seductive woman, spat through clenched teeth.

“You’re saying this Giant Image Vine belonged to you! Surprise, surprised? Unexpected, right? You’re now an ownerless pet, want to find a new master?” Qi Huang said with a mischievous smile, showing no fear at all.

“Surprise my head! Die!”

The vine spirit flew into a rage, a blood-red trail marking her movement as she charged forward. The crimson phoenix-tail separated into countless barbed spines that tore through the air, aiming straight for Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling.

At the same time, the huge flower behind her opened again and vomited dense, enormous tendrils like venomous snakes that lunged toward Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“With strength, I break all laws!”

Qi Huang pressed down with her small hand, unleashing a torrent of overwhelming force that crashed forward like a flood, warping the very space around it.

The vine spirit trembled and then fell like a bird with broken wings, smashing into the ground and gouging out a deep pit. The surrounding spines and appendages wilted and dropped like frost-bitten eggplants.

“Who… who exactly are you?”

The vine spirit lay prostrate on the ground, her whole body caked with filth… an utterly humiliating sight.

“Leader of the Dao Alliance!” Qi Huang answered as she walked up casually with an air of calm menace. “Now you have two choices: first, submit and continue to guard this place in service to the Dao Alliance; second, die to prove your resolve—fight me for your master. You have three breaths to decide, one—”

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“I choose to submit, Master!”

The spirit struggled desperately but to no avail; self-preservation won out.

“Already surrendering so quickly? Not going to avenge your master?” Qi Huang frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure in her eyes. She truly disliked those who were faithless and ungrateful.

“He… he was indeed my master… but I was never his pet. I was his slave… his slave. He imprisoned me here for over a hundred years, never granting me freedom. Since he showed me no mercy, I cannot be blamed for showing none in return.”

“I see. Clear grievances, then it’s somewhat understandable.”

Qi Huang’s expression cleared a bit, and she withdrew her divine sense. “What’s your name?”

“Teng Man.”

Teng Man answered obediently.

“Good. Teng Man, right? Now this alliance leader will give you two more choices. First, become my pet and continue to guard this place, no one except Dao Alliance members may enter. But unlike Lu Lin, I will assign people to take shifts with you so you will have some personal freedom. Second, if you don’t want to be my pet, you may leave on your own; I won’t stop you.”

Qi Huang offered two options again, as she disliked forcing people.

“Can I really leave?” Teng Man asked, her mouth agape in astonishment.

“Of course. Forced melons aren’t sweet.”

Qi Huang replied decisively, then added, “But before you go, I want to give you a welcome gift.”

“A welcome gift?”

Teng Man’s lovely face showed caution. After all, enemies exchanging gifts was suspiciously like a weasel paying respects to a chicken.

Cheng Hongling stepped forward, tore open the skin of her palm with sharp nails, and ordered, “Hold out your hand.”

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Though hesitant, Teng Man had no choice against overwhelming force. She obediently held out her hand and caught a few drops of blood.

“What is this?”

Teng Man looked puzzled, but as the blood seeped in she quickly stared in shock: “Your blood actually enhances my cultivation?”

“Yes. My blood is of great benefit to plants. If you become my pet, you’ll receive such rewards whenever you want.”

Qi Huang tempted.

“I, this servant, am willing to follow my master!”

This time Teng Man hesitated no longer and prostrated herself on the ground.

“Excellent!”

Qi Huang rejoiced, helping Teng Man to her feet and assuring her again, “Don’t worry. I’m a woman of my word, I will arrange shifts for you.”

“You seem quite excited,” Cheng Hongling transmitted mentally.

“Of course. I’m fond of talent,” Qi Huang quickly replied.

“Not fond of talent… lustful, probably,” Cheng Hongling bluntly exposed without sparing her.

Qi Huang coughed awkwardly.

“Hmph, you’re still better behaved at night. I should have had Cheng Ling assimilate you completely,” Cheng Hongling said with a touch of regret, but of course she only meant it in jest.

Qi Huang didn’t dare retort, so she vented at the nearby Elder Bian instead. “The Giant Image Vine has already submitted, are you still going to resist? Do you want to die?”

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“Leader, spare us! We will join the Dao Alliance!”

Elder Bian and the others were frightened half to death and knelt to beg for mercy.

Thus, the Kapok Valley treasure site was completely brought under Qi Huang’s control.

“Seizing this place alone isn’t enough. The corrupt spirits here are too many; the Yin energy is so heavy that areas of sunlight are shrinking. That squeezes the space where heavenly materials and earthly treasures can grow. If we don’t solve this, this place will soon become a purely deadly land; then even if you didn’t forbid people from staying, nobody would want to come in,” Cheng Hongling analyzed.

“No problem. It’s just a proliferation of evil spirits, let us kill some of them. Leave it to me.”

Qi Huang patted her “broad” chest and charged into the Kapok Valley treasure site. For a time she moved like a tiger among sheep; wherever she went, the cries of the corrupted spirits filled the air.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Cao family’s estate, the Cao Clan was discussing how to take revenge on Qi Huang.

“How unbelievably powerful is that little demoness? She annihilated the Dao Alliance, and Leader Lu was practically powerless in her hands.”

“No matter how powerful she is, Uncle Cao Hong’s vengeance must be settled. Otherwise how can our Cao family’s brothers and sisters face people in public?”

“Of course, but how to take revenge?”

The Cao family chattered on.

“Clan leader, why not directly mobilize the Immortal Stele to suppress that Cheng Hongling and kill her by surprise?” Cao Kun suggested to Cao Meng, the clan leader.