Chapter 183: You are not qualified to be my judge.
“Who is it?”
Elder Han, who always appeared unfazed, cried out in distress. After all, he wasn’t stupid. Even though he hadn’t used his spiritual sense to remain vigilant, his senses had never rested. For someone to approach so silently meant their cultivation level was not far off from his own.
“Can someone with such poor hearing be an elder?”
A female voice continued to resound.
The people of Tuzhiamen Sect looked towards the sound and saw a slender figure in red standing on the other side of the great formation. The sword, which was so blue it was almost green, was currently held at the neck of a disciple who was casting a spell. Due to the obstruction of the talismans, her appearance could not be clearly seen.
“Fairy, spare my life!”
The disciple’s trembling plea could be heard. His quivering figure was clearly visible from this side.
“Yay! It’s Sister Hong Ling, it’s my wife, we’re saved!”
Inside the great formation, Mu Ruoyi recognized Cheng Hong Ling at first sight and excitedly jumped up. If she hadn’t needed to protect the Nine Nether Demonic Cat, she would have pounced immediately. After all, it was a delicious “food.”
‘Wife?’
The people of Tuzhiamen Sect were confused. They couldn’t understand why one woman would call another woman ‘wife.’ Could it be that they were joking between good sisters?
“Are you Cheng Hong Ling? The twelve-year-old little girl who entered the top sixty of the Xihui Dynasty four years ago?”
Elder Han was not interested in the relationship between them. He asked tentatively.
“It’s me! I didn’t expect the cultivators of Tuzhiamen Sect to know me!”
Cheng Hong Ling’s expression was calm. She gently drew her long sword across the throat of the spell-casting disciple, killing him instantly. After all, the disciples of Shuiyu Valley inside the great formation were still being attacked.
With the loss of one disciple’s support, the rapidly rotating talismans began to tremble, and the great formation flickered.
“You court death! How dare you kill a disciple of our Tuzhiamen Sect!”
Senior Brother Pan roared, drawing his sword to attack, but he was stopped by Elder Han.
Senior Brother Pan didn’t understand, but he didn’t dare to question anything.
“Tuzhiamen Sect? You are from Tuzhiamen Sect in the Far North! This is outrageous. We Shuiyu Valley have no enmity with you, yet have you attacked us!”
Zhao Li was furious, conjuring her Ice Finger and launching a barrage of attacks at the great formation.
The great formation, already on the verge of collapse, was now being attacked from within and began to rapidly disintegrate.
“I wondered who it was? So it’s you, little girl! Since you know our identity, why do you still dare to meddle in our affairs?”
Elder Han was neither in a hurry nor impatient. Having learned of the other party’s identity, he was fairly certain that this woman posed no threat to him. After all, how much could a genius improve in three to four years?
“I’m sorry, I owe Shuiyu Valley a favor, and I can’t ignore it.”
Cheng Hong Ling extended her sword and wiped it a few times on the body of the deceased Tuzhiamen Sect disciple.
“Is that so?”
Elder Han remained noncommittal and then said, “I am truly curious, how did you manage to get past my men and approach here? Is there some secret technique?”
“Secret technique? I don’t need one! You think too highly of yourself.”
Cheng Hong Ling said disdainfully. In reality, she had descended from the sky, naturally causing no movement.
“No? Let me calculate. Four years ago, you entered the top sixty of the Evergreen Convention. Your cultivation was likely just entering the Guiyi Realm. Now, four years have passed. Even if you improved by one level every two years! At most, you are at the third level of the Guiyi Realm! If you don’t have any secret techniques, how can you approach here silently?”
Elder Han naturally did not believe her.
“How can you be sure that my cultivation is only at the fourth level of the Guiyi Realm?”
Cheng Hong Ling asked indifferently.
“Never mind! I’ll have someone personally test your strength!”
Elder Han lost his patience and said to Senior Brother Pan beside him, “Junior Brother Pan, go and spar with her. If her strength is above the third level of the Guiyi Realm, leave her alive. If it is below the third level, kill her.”
“Why? Elder Han! She just killed one of our disciples!”
Senior Brother Pan reminded him excitedly.
“Are you foolish? If her strength has already reached the third level of the Guiyi Realm or above, then what is that disciple compared to her, given her talent? As long as she can join Tuzhiamen Sect, she will be a great guarantee for our sect’s future! Of course, if she hasn’t even reached the third level of the Guiyi Realm in four years, it means this woman is just a flash in the pan. It is understandable that she didn’t qualify for the Prefecture-level Immortal Seed Ranking last year. We can just kill her then.”
Elder Han explained impatiently.
“I understand, Elder Han is indeed far-sighted!”
Senior Brother Pan suddenly realized and then cupped his fists respectfully, “Elder Han, please rest assured! Whether she lives or dies today, I will be a just judge.”
After saying this, Senior Brother Pan drew his treasured sword and disappeared from his original spot like a ghost. He then skirted around the dilapidated great formation and charged towards Cheng Hong Ling on the other side.
Cheng Hong Ling remained indifferent, not even bothering to turn around to face him. From her small feet, a chilling cold spread outwards, pushing forward like waves.
With every step Senior Brother Pan took, a deep pit appeared on the ground. His speed was incredibly terrifying, and in an instant, he was close by. However, at this moment, he felt as if his foot had stepped on cast iron. Not only was his foot numb, but it also felt slippery, and his body staggered.
‘What sort of ghost thing is this hard?’
Senior Brother Pan was greatly alarmed. He swung his sword backward to stab the ground, trying to stop himself.
“Clang!”
A sound of metal collision echoed. Senior Brother Pan frightfully discovered that sparks flew when his sword tip touched the ground, and it couldn’t be inserted even a bit.
‘How is this possible? Even if it were really cast iron! My precious sword could pierce it!’
Senior Brother Pan was greatly bewildered. He glanced at his side vision and saw a thin layer of ice spread on the ground at some unknown time.
‘Ice! How can it be this hard?’
Senior Brother Pan’s worldview was instantly subverted, and this was the last thought in his mind. Because at this moment, a pleasant fragrance entered his nostrils, and then he saw a red shadow flash past his eyes. Afterward, he felt an icy, itchy sensation on his neck.
Senior Brother Pan reached up to touch it in confusion. The wound on his neck then split open completely, and blood gushed out. It was obvious that his aorta had been severed.
“You…”
Senior Brother Pan, with an unwilling look on his face, slowly fell to the ground.
“You want to be my judge? You’re not qualified yet.”
Cheng Hong Ling spoke coldly, and the blood-stained “Blue Scale Sword” was once again wiped on Senior Brother Pan’s clothes.
“It seems everyone has underestimated you. Now, I’ll give you a chance to turn back now and obediently join my Tuzhiamen Sect. I can pretend that nothing has happened. Otherwise, entering the top sixty of the Immortal Seed Ranking at twelve years old might be the only highlight of your life that people will remember.”
Elder Han’s face showed surprise, and he immediately threw out an olive branch again. After all, everyone cherishes talent.
“I’m sorry, my highlights are far more than that. But I don’t know if you’ll be able to see them.”
Cheng Hong Ling replied indifferently.
“Ignorant fool! Even if you are in the late Guiyi Realm, so what? To a powerful cultivator in the Huashen Realm, you are still like a crawling insect on the ground, easily crushed! I gave you enough opportunities. Since you don’t cherish them, then become a ghost to serve Junior Brother Pan!”
Elder Han finally completely lost his patience. His powerful spiritual sense passed through the great formation, directly transforming into a large mountain and suppressing Cheng Hong Ling from above.
Cheng Hong Ling’s beautiful eyes turned cold. She neither dodged nor blocked. Her powerful spiritual sense also rushed out of her Sea of Consciousness, transforming into a giant palm that shot up into the sky and grabbed the giant mountain peak in her hand. For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate, neither able to prevail over the other.
“How is this possible? How can a cultivator in the Guiyi Realm have such powerful spiritual sense?”
Elder Han gasped in shock.
“Who told you that my cultivation is only at the Guiyi Realm?”
Cheng Hong Ling replied nonchalantly. If she were just an ordinary cultivator who had just entered the Huashen Realm, her spiritual sense wouldn’t be able to contend with Elder Han. But she had been using the Tongming Comb since she was young.
“Could you have already reached the Huashen Realm? This is absolutely impossible. a sixteen-year-old genius in the Huashen Realm has never appeared in the Cultivation World of our Xihui Dynasty!”
Elder Han said almost hysterically.
“Since that’s the case, then let me be the first.”
Cheng Hong Ling said proudly.
