Volume 1, Chapter 80 – I Released Her Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Souls

“One, two, three… eight, nine!”

Qi Huang instinctively counted and realized there were nine Cheng Honglings—each with the exact same face, the same attire, the same expression. The only difference was the tiny character inscribed on each of their foreheads: Heaven ¹ 天 , Earth ² 地 , Human ³ 人 , Strength ⁴ 力 , Qi ⁵ 气 , Essence ⁶ 精 , Vigor ⁷ 英 , Heavenly Surge ⁸ 天冲 , and Central Core ⁹ 中枢 .

“This… could these be Cheng Hongling’s Three Ethereal Souls and Six Corporeal Souls?”

Qi Huang quickly pieced it together. The reason it wasn’t Seven Corporeal Souls was because the Spiritual Wisdom Soul ¹⁰ 灵慧魄 among them was herself.

“Damn it, one of you bullying me wasn’t enough, so now you’ve called your sisters too?”

Qi Huang felt like crying but had no tears left.

At that moment, the souls began encircling her—nine identical, breathtakingly beautiful women. Any normal man would have shouted, “I’ll take them all!” But Qi Huang, like a startled bird, could only think, “Only a child would say ‘all’—I just want to survive!”

Seeing herself about to be surrounded, Qi Huang crouched down, hugging her head and trembling.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“No idea. Maybe she’s afraid we’ll beat her out of jealousy.”

“At least she has some self-awareness. Out of all of us, why did the Life Soul ¹¹ 命魂 choose her as the doppelgänger?”

“Enough bickering. If we want to escape, we must work together.”

The souls exchanged words that made little sense to Qi Huang.

Suddenly, she felt a light kick and looked up in confusion. The Heavenly Soul stood over her, gazing down imperiously.

“Since you’re back, keep helping us push the door.”

“Push the door? What door?” Qi Huang asked, bewildered.

“The door of the Life Soul’s heart, obviously. What else?” the Earthly Soul snapped impatiently.

‘Heart’s door? What the hell?’

Qi Huang was even more lost but didn’t dare ask further.

Meanwhile, the Three Ethereal Souls and Six Corporeal Souls had already moved toward one side of the grand hall. Following their path, Qi Huang saw a golden door embedded in the wall, intricately carved with lavish patterns, exuding solemnity and luxury.

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The nine souls pressed their delicate, jade-like hands against the door and began pushing with all their might.

Qi Huang, still clueless, stood frozen like an onlooker.

“What are you staring at? Come help!”

“Don’t tell me you’re satisfied just being a doppelgänger! She tosses you out when she pleases and locks you back in when she wants—how is that any different from livestock?”

“Exactly! If you ever upset her, she might just trap you in this Sea of Consciousness forever!”

The souls scolded her, their voices dripping with frustration.

‘So this is Cheng Hongling’s Sea of Consciousness—no wonder I heard ocean waves earlier. I must’ve formed a Soul Tether with her and got dragged in.’

Qi Huang had an epiphany—but then panic surged. ‘If we’re connected, won’t all my secrets be exposed?’

“Hurry up! Once we push this door open, we can escape!” the Heavenly Soul urged.

‘Really?’

Overjoyed, Qi Huang rushed over, thinking, ‘If I get out fast enough, that demoness won’t have time to read my memories!’

“Why call her? She’s the weakest among us anyway.”

“Yeah, relying on her is less useful than kowtowing to the Life Soul.”

“Not only is she weak, but she’s also gotten a taste of freedom—she’ll slack off for sure.”

“Slack off? She’s probably already betrayed us in her heart. If the Life Soul finds out she helped, she’ll never get out again.”

The other souls glared at her with hostility.

But Qi Huang was too desperate to explain. She pressed her hands against the door and pushed with all her might.

Creak… creak…

Miraculously, the door moved. The gap widened until it was large enough for a person to pass through.

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Peering outside, Qi Huang saw only endless white mist.

“How is this possible? She actually helped?! I could cry!” the Human Soul gasped in disbelief.

“Quit gawking! Run! We’re free!”

The Earthly Soul shouted, darting into the mist first. The others followed.

Seeing them take the lead, Qi Huang didn’t hesitate—she stepped into the fog, and everything went black.

When her vision returned, she was back in Cheng Hongling’s bedroom. The nine souls, now free, were frantically fleeing toward the door.

“Hmph! With the Soul Tether in place, do you really think you can escape?”

Cheng Hongling, her robes disheveled, let out a cold snort. Nine translucent pink ribbons shot from her head, wrapping around the fleeing souls and yanking them back into the Sea of Consciousness.

Qi Huang, realizing she’d messed up, stood frozen in terror.

“You… you actually pushed open my Heart’s Door?”

Cheng Hongling stared at Qi Huang, her beautiful face a mix of shock and horror. That door was how she had sealed away her Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Souls. If Qi Huang could open it, then she couldn’t be contained.

Qi Huang stammered, unable to explain.

“And even though we’ve formed a Soul Tether, why can’t I read your memories? What secrets are you hiding?”

Cheng Hongling advanced step by step, her voice icy.

‘She can’t read my memories?!’

Qi Huang exhaled inwardly in relief.

“Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll uncover them eventually.”

Cheng Hongling didn’t press further. Instead, she changed the subject.

“Now that we’re linked, I can pull you into my Sea of Consciousness anytime, no matter the distance or situation. So if you’re ever in danger, warn me immediately. I refuse to die because of your stupidity.”

‘Wait… that’s OP! Does this mean I can go wild now?’

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Qi Huang was ecstatic—but then a thought struck her.

“What if we’re too far apart? How would I reach you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Our telepathic link is strong enough now. No matter the distance, just channel your Divine Sense into the Doppelgänger Mark on your forehead, and we can communicate mentally.”

‘Seriously?’

Curious, Qi Huang focused her Divine Sense into the mark and thought, “Can you hear me?”

“Obviously. Did you think I was lying?” Cheng Hongling’s mental voice snapped back.

‘Haha! Now I’m invincible!’

Qi Huang was thrilled—but then another question arose.

“How do you contact me, then?”

“Same method. But it only works if you’re within range of my Divine Sense. Otherwise, only you can initiate the connection.”

“I see. A minor flaw, but nothing major.”

Qi Huang wasn’t one to fuss over small details.

“Don’t think this means you can act recklessly. The Soul Tether can be severed or blocked. Understood?”

Cheng Hongling saw right through her and issued a stern warning.

“Understood! Understood!”

Qi Huang nodded obediently. She knew when to be content.

“Good. Now get out—I need to bathe.”

Cheng Hongling dismissed her.

“Don’t need help scrubbing your back?”

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Qi Huang offered “helpfully”. Now that her memories were safe, why not tease a little?

“No. Now that I know the telepathic link wasn’t because my body smelled, a quick rinse will do.”

Cheng Hongling brushed her off.

‘Wow, cold.’

Disappointed but unable to argue, Qi Huang slunk out of the room.

“What a strange doppelgänger… why would she have thoughts about her former body?”

Cheng Hongling murmured to herself, her lips curling slightly.

Meanwhile, in the Honghua Sect’s Main Hall…

Qin Quan had gathered the elders for a meeting.

“Everyone, our sect has too many unresolved ghost incidents. If we don’t send disciples to investigate soon, the Honghua Sect will lose face in Huangtian County.”

The elders and protectors exchanged uneasy glances. Their reserves of cat’s tear solution—used to detect spirits—were nearly depleted.

Xu Mei’s expression was the worst. She had used up her last drops verifying Qi Huang’s identity. Sending disciples out now would be sending them to their deaths.

“I know it’s difficult, but we must act. We cultivate to slay demons and vanquish evil—since when did we become cowards?”

Qin Quan’s voice was firm. He ordered Elder Ruan to distribute the backlog of ghost cases equally among the elders.

When Xu Mei received her stack of reports, her heart sank.

“Why was I so stupid? Why did I waste all my cat’s tears that day? How am I supposed to face my disciples now?”

She wished she could slap herself.