Volume 14, Chapter 883 – Fifth Layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling rushed toward the Immortal Realm and soon arrived at Minghou Planet.

Inside the princess’s palace on Minghou Planet, Qi Huang summoned Duan Qing for a private discussion.

“Duan Qing, pass on my order: have the ghost clans under Minghou Palace who are stationed outside release a message: someone will, on the sixth day of the sixth month of the Immortal Calendar, return the evil spirits rescued from the Ziji Immortal Emperor three years ago on the planet Xiannu Planet in the Caiyun Star System, in exchange for a reward. Any relatives of the rescued can come to claim them.”

Qi Huang issued this command directly to the steward.

“Ah?”

Duan Qing was stunned.

“What is it?”

Qi Huang asked knowingly.

“Honored National Preceptor, you went through great trouble to seize those evil spirits, it’s only natural to ask their families for a reward. But I’m afraid this method won’t work. Who would believe such a groundless rumor?”

Duan Qing raised a concern.

Qi Huang paused to think for a moment, then said, “Duan Qing, you’re absolutely right. In that case, just release the message directly under my name.”

“Is that really okay? Wouldn’t that be indirectly telling the world that you’re the ghost clan member who robbed the Ziji Immortal Emperor four years ago?”

Duan Qing hesitated immediately.

“You’re really going to do this?”

Cheng Hongling, standing nearby, asked seriously for confirmation.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just an identity. Even if I deny it, would the Immortal Alliance really let someone like me, the National Preceptor of Minghou Planet, go unscathed? If you want gains, you have to pay a price. At the very least, we can’t let this information be dismissed as mere rumor.”

Qi Huang explained.

The women glanced at each other and then slowly nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

“But even so, there’s no guarantee all the ghost clans will show up. They know that once this message spreads, the Immortal Alliance will definitely prepare its troops. Those with weak resolve will back down.”

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Duan Qing added.

“That only proves they’re not truly sincere. As for me, I only need to deal with the ghost clans already in my storage ring. Who ends up buying them doesn’t matter.”

Qi Huang responded with a light smile.

“But what if the Immortal Alliance sets a trap and just waits in ambush? I still think it would be better if you went directly to their families to make deals. We zombies can absorb memories through blood, so you don’t have to worry about not knowing where the corpses came from. This would significantly reduce the risk.”

Duan Qing quickly suggested.

“Go door-to-door selling?”

Qi Huang laughed aloud. Then she said, “Duan Qing, do you know how many ‘accessories’ I took from Ziji City last time? Living and dead combined, over two hundred thousand. They come from all over the Immortal Realm. If I go door-to-door selling them, how long do you think it’ll take me to sell them all?”

“Uh…”

Duan Qing was speechless.

“Relax. Since I dared to take this step, of course I’ve already thought it through.”

Qi Huang offered calm reassurance. The countermeasure she referred to, naturally, was An Xuan. If that woman truly meant no harm, she would definitely lend a hand when the time came.

Duan Qing shook his head helplessly and asked again, “But what exactly do you mean by ‘in exchange for a reward’? If you don’t make it clear, what if they can’t meet the terms when the time comes?”

“Just follow orders. When the time comes, we’ll tell them in person.”

Cheng Hongling interjected impatiently.

“…Alright.”

Duan Qing had no choice but to keep quiet.

With everything in place, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling began flying toward Xiannu Planet. To ensure there would be no mistakes, they still had several preparations to make.

Because of the Universal Communication Tube, the news quickly spread to every corner of the Immortal Realm. Those ghosts who had long since given up hope now saw a glimmer of light again. Since the message was personally released by the National Preceptor of Minghou Planet, they didn’t doubt its authenticity.

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The Immortal Alliance also quickly received the information. Alliance Leader Yin immediately convened the high-ranking members for a discussion.

“Everyone, I’m sure you still remember what happened four years ago in Ziji City. Some evil spirits forcibly snatched all of Ziji Immortal Emperor’s spoils of war. I’ve been having people investigate ever since, but three years have passed and we haven’t found a single clue. And now suddenly this rumor breaks out, saying the National Preceptor of Minghou Planet plans to sell those evil spirits on Xiannu Planet on the sixth day of the sixth month. Do you think this is true?”

The plump Yin Wan looked around at the gathered leaders.

“Rumors from the streets… Who knows if they’re true or not?”

A hush fell over the group.

“Alliance Leader, I believe it’s very likely to be true. That National Preceptor hasn’t come forward to deny it. That suggests the message was indeed authorized by her.”

The Grand Elder of the Immortal Alliance, Yan Yi, offered his thoughts.

“I think so too. If she allowed people to slander her without refuting it, she’d basically be giving up her place among the ghost clans.”

Yin Wan nodded in agreement and added with emotion, “Who would have thought? The ghost-haired woman who raided Ziji City turned out to be the National Preceptor of Minghou Planet. No wonder Sea Queen and Crab Queen both met their end there.”

“Alliance Leader, shouldn’t we investigate this matter further? We can’t rely on speculation alone.”

Another elder voiced his concern.

“No need. There are only three months left until the sixth of June. Even if we wanted to investigate, we wouldn’t find anything. Besides, true or not, to us in the Immortal Alliance… it has to be true.”

Yin Wan shook his head.

“What do you mean, Alliance Leader?”

Yan Yi seemed to grasp something but wanted to confirm.

“The Celestials gave us only a little over twenty years. But evil spirits in the Immortal Realm are like cockroaches in a latrine, impossible to kill off. If we don’t find a way to lure them out and carry out a thorough purge, we might not complete our task. This move of hers has undoubtedly handed us a great opportunity.”

Yin Wan’s eyes lit up.

“You mean to strike during the transaction and wipe them out all at once?”

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Yan Yi frowned and then questioned, “But with the Immortal Alliance watching so closely, how many of those evil spirits will actually dare show up?”

“Relax. Evil spirits are still people. And people are ruled by emotion. What happened in Ziji City is the best example.”

Yin Wan gave a cold laugh, then ordered, “Also, to make this message even more convincing, post notices saying this rumor is baseless. Forbid anyone from spreading it.”

“Huh? Why? Don’t we want the evil spirits to believe it? Why would we squash the rumor?”

“Exactly, I suggest we confirm it publicly and stir the waters further.”

Several elders questioned.

“Have none of you thought it through? The Alliance Leader is doing the opposite. By appearing to suppress the rumor, those evil spirits will believe it even more. If we publicly encourage it, they’ll just see it as a trap.”

Yan Yi couldn’t hold back his scolding.

The elders suddenly understood and fell silent.

“Everyone clear now? Make sure your disciples are prepared. This time, we must eradicate those evil spirits completely. Opportunities like this won’t come again. If the Celestials hold us accountable later, we’ll all suffer.”

Yin Wan emphasized the gravity of the matter again.

“Alliance Leader, what happens if we reach the deadline and still can’t exterminate all the evil spirits?”

A worried elder asked.

“Who knows? But it definitely won’t be anything good.”

Yin Wan chuckled bitterly.

“It’s strange though. I’ve never heard of Celestials giving Immortals a deadline to eliminate evil. What exactly are they trying to do?”

Yan Yi glanced around, asking aloud.

“Only the Tianjizi might know what the Celestials are planning.”

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After thinking for a moment, Yin Wan said, “Elder Yan, I’m putting you in charge of this. Make sure to question every Tianjizi in the Immortal Realm and get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.”

“Yes!”

Yan Yi accepted the order respectfully.

“Alliance Leader, when should we take action? Should we send someone to Xiannu Planet first to scout?”

An elder suggested.

“No. To avoid alerting them, no disciples of the Immortal Alliance are permitted to go near Xiannu Planet before the sixth of June. Is that clear?”

Yin Wan gave the order.

“Yes!”

The high-ranking members below clasped fists in unison.

After returning from Xiannu Planet, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling wandered around the Cultivation Realm for a while before heading home.

“Sometimes I wonder… is this plan of ours too risky? What if An Xuan doesn’t help us…”

Cheng Hongling suddenly spoke.

“She will. Within these three months, I’m confident my Divine Sense will break through to the fifth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Even if An Xuan doesn’t lend a hand, I’ll still be able to buy us enough time.”

Qi Huang smiled with unwavering confidence.

Cheng Hongling seemed to want to say more, but ultimately chose to trust her.

Over the next three months, Qi Huang moved swiftly and decisively, harvesting everything she could. Just before departure, her Divine Sense broke through to the fifth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm—undoubtedly a huge boost to her confidence.

As the sixth of June approached, Qi Huang took Cheng Hongling and set off. This time, they didn’t head straight to the Immortal Realm, but instead began teleporting toward a specific location in the Cultivation Realm.