Volume 13, Chapter 828 – Sorry, I Was Hiding My Strength (Part 1)

Qi Huang returned to the Lingxi Sect and continued assigning the nominal disciples and grand-disciples to rebuild the sect.

“When are you going to let me out?”

Cheng Hongling was growing impatient after being stuck inside the storage ring.

“After I kill Sha Hai. If you show up now, wouldn’t he immediately flee?”

Qi Huang responded.

“So when are you going to kill him?”

Cheng Hongling pressed.

“In three days. Didn’t he say he wants to kill all Divine Realm cultivators on Kaiyuan Planet within three days? Once I win these people over, that’ll be his death day.”

Qi Huang revealed her plan.

Hearing it would only be three days, Cheng Hongling quietly stayed in the ring.

The news that the Immortal Alliance’s leader had been defeated and turned into a zombie by the evil creature spread like a storm, throwing the entire cultivation world into panic.

By sunset that very day, sects began arriving at the Lingxi Sect  one after another to seek protection, and of course, they came bearing ample “sincerity”.

Zhong Qin was both excited and deeply anxious, having never dealt with such matters before.

“Tell them that if they want protection from the Lingxi Sect, then they must become our affiliated sects.”

Qi Huang issued the order directly.

“Uh… is that really appropriate? Won’t they accuse us of taking advantage of the situation?”

Zhong Qin hesitated, feeling the demand was overly harsh.

“It’s fine. Just deliver the message. How they choose is up to them. We won’t force them.”

Qi Huang waved it off.

“Yes!”

Zhong Qin respectfully accepted the command, though she left hesitantly. But to her surprise, not a single sect objected. On the contrary, they competed to become affiliated with the Lingxi Sect.

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“Sect Leader, now that our ancestor has descended, the Lingxi Sect is destined to dominate the cultivation world. Even without the evil threat, they would still scramble to join us. Especially now, when they have nowhere else to turn.”

Elder Fang reminded her.

“That’s true. The cultivation world is all about the law of the jungle. To survive, one must attach themselves to the strong. How did I not realize such a simple truth?”

Zhong Qin gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“That’s because you hold your dignity too highly. But the reality is, sect leaders with your level of pride are exceedingly rare in the cultivation world.”

Elder Fang looked at her with admiration.

“Sect Leader Zhong, now that we’ve agreed to become an affiliated sect of the Lingxi Sect, how do you plan to guarantee our safety? That evil creature vowed to kill every Divine Realm cultivator. We don’t dare return.”

“Exactly! Can’t we stay here at Lingxi Sect permanently?”

“But staying here long-term won’t work either. If there’s no one left to manage our sects, won’t things fall into complete chaos?”

Several Divine Realm cultivators voiced their concerns.

Zhong Qin’s expression grew increasingly awkward. In truth, she didn’t know how to guarantee their safety. Keeping them all here was clearly not feasible. They were merely affiliated sects, after all.

“Go back, all of you. I swear on my honor that so long as you belong to an affiliated sect of the Lingxi Sect, none of you will be in danger.”

Qi Huang’s voice echoed across the sect.

Hearing her speak, the representatives from the affiliated sects finally left, albeit reluctantly.

The next morning, Sha Hai stepped out of his tent, flying eastward across the sky with steady steps.

Qi Huang remained calm, unhurried, because she knew exactly where he was headed: the Aofeng Sect, the second-largest sect in the Tianyuan Empire.

“Alright, time to bring this to a boil.”

With those words, Qi Huang vanished.

The Aofeng Sect, second in the Tianyuan Empire, housed three Divine Realm cultivators: Grand Elder Gu Yingshan, Sect Leader Gu Liren, and Elder Zhao Zichun.

Now that the Immortal Alliance was practically dissolved after its leader’s defeat, the Aofeng Sect, like all other sects, was gripped by fear and unrest.

Feeling the danger looming, Gu Liren had long since summoned all senior members of the sect for an emergency council and had even called in the Grand Elder.

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“Everyone, I’ll keep this brief. By now, I’m sure you all know that yesterday, Alliance Leader Wei lost his battle against the evil leader from beyond. He’s now been turned into a zombie. The Immortal Alliance is finished.”

Gu Liren began summarizing the current situation, then added, “Worse yet, that evil creature has threatened to wipe out every Divine Realm cultivator in the entire cultivation world. I gathered you all here today to hear your thoughts, how can the Aofeng Sect survive this crisis?”

“That’s right. Some of you may think your cultivation is too low to matter, but have you forgotten the old saying? When the nest falls, no egg is left unbroken. Do you really think that monster will spare you?”

The Grand Elder continued.

“I’ve heard some are considering fleeing the Aofeng Sect to avoid this disaster. But have they considered that outside the Jinshan Empire’s capital, there are still tens of thousands of evil troops camped out? Many of them are powerful. If they launch a full-scale attack, and there are no Divine Realm cultivators to resist, who in the cultivation world will survive? Where do you think you can run?”

Gu Liren warned sternly.

“Sect Leader, are those evil beings really planning to launch an all-out assault? Didn’t they just want that girl with the blood tear mole on her face?”

One elder asked naïvely.

“If you were in their position, would you abandon such a juicy piece of meat?”

Gu Yingshan retorted.

“Then what do we do? Even Alliance Leader Wei, blessed with thirteen Immortal Steles, couldn’t stop him. We’re not even close to his level.”

“Maybe we should ask the Lingxi Sect for help. Didn’t their immortal go toe-to-toe with that evil creature?”

“But we don’t have much of a relationship with them. Why would they help us?”

The council quickly fell into chaos.

“Everyone, the immortal of the Lingxi Sect is willing to offer protection to the cultivation world, but only under one condition: you must become an affiliated sect.”

Gu Liren explained.

“What? Become their affiliated sect? Isn’t that taking advantage of a crisis?”

“That condition is far too harsh! It’s practically asking us to betray our lineage!”

“It’s not that serious. Affiliation isn’t assimilation. At most, it’s like… finding an elder brother.”

“Elder brother? More like a master! Coward. Don’t forget how our sect got its name!”

“You think your backbone is stronger than the evil creature’s fists? Just wait till he shows up, let’s see who begs first!”

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“Ridiculous! You think everyone’s as scared of death as you? I’ll be the first to fight. You go hide in the back like a scared dog.”

The Aofeng Sect split into two factions: one ready to submit, the other prepared to die with honor.

Gu Yingshan and Gu Liren exchanged a glance, both visibly helpless. They had expected this outcome.

“Enough arguing. You’ll all be dead soon anyway.”

A rough male voice suddenly cut through the bickering.

Everyone blinked. In the next instant, a man radiating ghostly energy stood at the center of the hall. His eyes glowed crimson, sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, and his nails were pitch black… classic signs of a zombie.

Gu Yingshan and Gu Liren instantly stood, fully alert. The rest of the council backed away in alarm.

“Who are you? Why have you trespassed into the Aofeng Sect?”

Gu Liren tried diplomacy first.

“Weren’t you just talking about me?”

Sha Hai, the general of the evil spirits, replied with a mocking grin.

“You’re that evil leader? I’ve been waiting for you! Let’s see what you’re really made of!”

One of the previously outraged elders, still furious and eager to vent, charged forward without a second thought, even though he was only in the late stage of the Incarnation Realm.

Qi Huang could have stopped him, but she didn’t. If someone was determined to die, why bother interfering?

“A mere insect in the Incarnation Realm dares raise a hand against this general?”

Sha Hai’s face twisted with rage. The man’s attack didn’t harm him in the slightest, but the insult stung.

“Die!”

With a casual sweep of his hand, a wave of black, ink-like ghostly energy surged forth, engulfing the elder.

“AHHH!”

The elder screamed hysterically as his flesh rapidly corroded. Then his soul. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, vanished from existence as if he’d never been born.

“AAAHH!”

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The other elders were so terrified they nearly lost their minds, scattering in panic.

“You dare kill a member of the Aofeng Sect?”

Gu Yingshan and Gu Liren roared in fury, drawing their weapons and launching themselves at Sha Hai.

But Sha Hai vanished like a wisp of smoke, reappearing with both hands wrapped around their necks. He slammed them backward with tremendous force straight into the thick back wall of the hall.

BOOM!

The solid wall exploded like fragile paper, sending debris flying everywhere.

“PFFT!”

The father and son grew dizzy from the impact and coughed up blood. When they came to, they found themselves still clutched in Sha Hai’s grasp.

Sha Hai slowly loosened his grip. His black zombie nails detached, transforming into two black “collars” that locked around their necks and embedded them deep into the wall.

Once done, Sha Hai turned slowly to the panicked Aofeng Sect elders.

“So many insects in your sect dared to disrespect this general. It’s time for a purge.”

“Stop! Stop! Didn’t you say you’d only kill Divine Realm cultivators?”

Gu Yingshan and Gu Liren shouted and struggled wildly, but the collars were like iron clamps. When they tried probing with Divine Sense, they were horrified to discover the collars weren’t embedded in the wall, but into the spatial barriers themselves. Their panic deepened.

“This general did say that. But that doesn’t mean I won’t kill other insects, especially the ones without eyes.”

Sha Hai’s face twisted into a cruel smile. He opened his mouth wide, revealing four sharp fangs, and an overwhelming suction force burst forth.

Inside and outside the hall, everyone felt their bodies pulled backward. Every inch of their skin ached. When they looked down in horror, they saw their flesh peeling away, flying straight toward the zombie.

“AHHH!”

The cultivators of the Aofeng Sect screamed like victims of death by a thousand cuts.

“Kekeke… General Sha Hai… you sure have quite the appetite. Mouth wide open, eating everything in sight. I just saw someone get so scared they soiled themselves. Aren’t you afraid you’ll swallow that too? How’s the flavor?”

Just then, Qi Huang appeared in the hall while giggling lightly, knowing the moment had come.