Volume 2, Chapter 88 – The Junior Sister Has Disappeared

Before Qi Huang could take a closer look, five identical “Cheng Honglings” suddenly rushed out from the corners, their expressions hostile as they seized her limbs, as if intending to devour her alive. The characters on their foreheads read Strength, Qi, Vigor, Heavenly Surge, and Central Core—clearly, these were five of the seven corporeal souls.

“What are you doing?!”

Qi Huang was horrified, struggling desperately. Though she felt she was slightly stronger than these souls, she was still outnumbered and couldn’t break free.

Just then, four identical “Huang Qis” rushed out from another corner. The words on their foreheads read Heavenly Soul, Earthly Soul, – Human Soul, and Essence—clearly, these were the three ethereal souls and the Essence soul.

The three souls and one corporeal soul immediately began pulling at the five “Cheng Honglings”, obviously siding with Qi Huang.

“What the hell is going on?!”

Qi Huang fought back fiercely, shouting in hopes that someone would explain.

“This is your Sea of Consciousness. Cheng Hongling’s Spiritual Wisdom Soul devoured your own as soon as it entered, then assimilated these five corporeal souls. Now, only we three ethereal souls and the Essence soul remain,” the Human Soul managed to explain amidst the struggle.

‘This is my Sea of Consciousness?’

Qi Huang was stunned. No wonder she kept seeing Cheng Hongling and Huang Qi here.

“Then why are they attacking me?”

She glared at the five relentless corporeal souls clinging to her.

“You are the Life Soul, the dominant consciousness that controls the body! Right now, Cheng Hongling’s Spiritual Wisdom Soul is in control of our body. If she wants to permanently become the Life Soul, she must imprison you!”

The Human Soul’s explanation was frantic.

“So you’re saying a person’s dominant consciousness is the Life Soul?”

Qi Huang seemed to be piecing it together.

“Yes. The three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls together form the ‘Life Soul’—what we call life. The three souls govern the spirit, while the seven corporeal souls govern the body. Look at your forehead—do you see the character Life ¹ 命 – mìng ?”

The Human Soul confirmed while wrestling with one of the “Cheng Honglings”.

“If the seven corporeal souls govern the body, why is my body completely feminized while the Essence soul remains male?”

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Qi Huang glanced at the Essence soul in confusion.

“Because the Essence soul governs desire. Subconsciously, you still see yourself as a man and are attracted to women, which is why he was spared. If he were feminized, even your consciousness would fully become that of a woman. From then on, you’d lose all attraction to women and start liking men instead.”

The Human Soul explained patiently—after all, they were one and the same.

A shiver ran down Qi Huang’s spine. “What should I do now?”

“Push open that Heart’s Door and leave. Regain control of the body. After that, whether you stay feminized or not will be up to you.”

The Human Soul gestured toward a large gate nearby.

“If there’s still a chance, I won’t give up.”

Qi Huang was overjoyed. She had thought her dominant consciousness would vanish completely, but if she could still turn things around, she had to seize the opportunity.

No longer caring about being gentle, Qi Huang—with the help of the three ethereal souls and the Essence soul—fought free of the five assimilated corporeal souls and rushed toward the Heart’s Door.

“Remember, your external form is already female. Do not let yourself be feminized further! Otherwise, we won’t be able to oppose the Spiritual Wisdom Soul, and your Life Soul will disappear forever!”

The Human Soul shouted after her.

Qi Huang nodded repeatedly, then placed her hands on the door and pushed. If she guessed right, the Spiritual Wisdom Soul was currently controlling it.

But the door was unbelievably heavy. Even with all her strength, she could barely make it budge.

“Damn it! Why is it so heavy?!”

Qi Huang panicked. If she couldn’t get out, her consciousness might not vanish, but she’d be imprisoned here forever.

“What if I make Cheng Hongling summon me back?”

She had a sudden idea and used her Divine Sense to inspect herself. But all she found on her forehead was the character Life—the pink lotus tattoo was gone.

“The Doppelgänger Mark only exists on the physical body?!”

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She cursed her luck. Looking around, the only ones who could help were the “Huang Qi” souls. Gritting her teeth, she rushed back. She knew that unless she subdued those feminized corporeal souls, escaping would be nearly impossible.

At the inn, Ruan Lingyu and the others, hearing no movement from Qi Huang’s room, stealthily pried open the door—only for their grins to freeze.

“Qi Huang” stood calmly behind the door, staring at them.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She smiled faintly.

“N-Nothing!”

Ruan Lingyu stammered.

“Nothing? Then why break into someone’s room in the middle of the night?”

The corner of “Qi Huang’s” lips curled slightly.

“I just… I just…”

Ruan Lingyu flushed, at a loss for words.

“Just what? If you don’t feel awkward, she will! Let’s go!”

Su Qingying rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

The other junior sisters, realizing their plan had failed, could only retreat in disappointment.

“A man turning into a woman… If word gets out, it’ll cause an uproar. I’d better reinforce the Heart’s Door—no one can be allowed to pry.”

“Qi Huang” murmured to herself.

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Undercurrents of tension were rising. Over the past two days, disciples from four different sects had come to “offer congratulations”—though their true intentions were obvious.

Qin Quan, feeling the pressure, summoned Xu Mei to discuss the matter.

“They’re refusing to leave! This time, they’re determined to see Hongling!”

Pacing anxiously in the hall, Qin Quan’s expression was grim.

“What do they really want?”

Xu Mei’s face twisted in disgust.

“They’re clearly looking for a chance to test her strength! If she’s truly as strong as rumored, most sects will try everything to recruit her. Of course, a few with ill intentions might just try to eliminate her.”

Qin Quan sneered.

“What do we do? Her actual cultivation is only at the sixth layer of the Unity Realm. If she appears, she’ll be exposed immediately. And the Immortal Alliance refuses to deal with the cursed land in Meng County. If it erupts, the entire prefecture will suffer!”

Xu Mei, now grasping the severity of the situation, grew restless.

“The only way out is to recall that doppelgänger to resolve the Honghua Sect’s crisis. But she still hasn’t contacted Cheng Hongling.”

Qin Quan frowned, lost in thought. After a moment, he clenched his teeth.

“No! We can’t just wait! Elder Xu, relay my orders—every disciple not on a mission is to descend the mountain and search for that doppelgänger. We must find her as soon as possible!”

“Understood!”

Xu Mei cupped her hands in acknowledgment.

“As a precaution, I’ll send Elder Ruan to the prefectural capital. If the Immortal Alliance agrees to handle the cursed land in Meng County, it won’t matter even if Hongling is exposed.”

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To cover all bases, Qin Quan secured another lifeline for the Honghua Sect.

Thus, the sect split into two groups—most disciples went to search for Qi Huang, while Elder Ruan headed to the prefectural capital to plead with the Immortal Alliance’s higher-ups, hoping to convince them to cleanse the cursed land.

When Ruan Lingyu and the others woke up and went to check on their junior sister, they found her room empty.

“Where’s our junior sister?”

Ruan Lingyu was stunned.

“We searched the whole town—she’s nowhere. The innkeeper didn’t see her either. She must’ve left last night.”

Shen Yuan sighed helplessly.

“Why would she leave without a word?”

Ruan Lingyu pressed.

“Who knows? Maybe we scared her off?”

Yun Fei speculated.

“What do we do now? Continue the mission? Or look for her?”

Miao Xiang was at a loss.

“Are you serious?! What mission is more important than our junior sister?! We have to find her! With all the wandering ghosts out there, what if she’s in danger?!”

With a wave of her hand, Ruan Lingyu led her junior sisters out of the inn in a flurry.