Chapter 311: The Fourth Clone (Part 1)
“A strand of hair? How can a strand of hair kill someone?” Consort Jin was stunned.
“Of course it can. Consort Jin should know that experts in the Heavenly Punishment Realm cannot manifest in the present world. Otherwise, even a strand of hair would trigger a Heavenly Punishment, albeit with varying intensity.” Empress Zheng explained.
“I still don’t understand. What does this have to do with killing Qi Huang?” Consort Jin was even more confused.
“Of course it’s related. If I order someone to place this strand of hair on that little fox spirit, what do you think will happen?” Empress Zheng’s smile grew more sinister.
“Ah? Then she would surely die! How terrifying is Heavenly Punishment? Even the Heavenly Punishment triggered by a single strand of hair cannot be resisted by anyone below the Heavenly Punishment Realm.” Consort Jin judged without hesitation, but then changed the subject, “But this is simply impossible, because no one can walk around with a strand of hair from a Heavenly Punishment Realm expert. If they did, they would be affected first.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Sister comes from an Immortal Sect in Zhongzhou. You must have heard how experts in the Heavenly Punishment Realm avoid Heavenly Punishment, right?” Empress Zheng retorted calmly.
“I have heard something about it. To avoid Heavenly Punishment, one must block the scan of the Heavenly Dao’s Will. The only way is to scatter something called ‘Heaven-Concealing Water’ on one’s body.” Consort Jin answered after a moment of thought.
“Yes, it is Heaven-Concealing Water. This thing is very magical. it can hide the aura of experts in the Heavenly Punishment Realm, thus evading Heavenly Punishment. However, because the quantity is too small, it is extremely precious, arguably the most expensive item in the entire Cultivation World. But, to shield the aura of a single strand of hair, a drop is enough.” Empress Zheng said, the corners of her rosy lips curving slightly, “Coincidentally, the martial arts noble family that my sister married into has both.”
“Judging by your expression, Sister, have you already obtained these two things?” Consort Jin’s eyes lit up.
“This is all thanks to my sister. She knew my situation was critical, so she went to ask the ancestor of that martial arts noble family. She finally managed to help me get a strand of hair and a drop of Heaven-Concealing Water. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that little demon this time.” Empress Zheng showed a trace of lingering fear on her face.
“It seems your sister has a very high status in that martial arts noble family if she can even obtain such things.” Consort Jin was very surprised.
“Of course. She is the lawful wife and the only suitable match for the young master of that martial arts noble family. As the sister of this Empress of the Xihui Dynasty, a royal relative, I naturally wouldn’t let her be wronged, would I?” Empress Zheng couldn’t hide her smugness.
“Then, Sister, how did you place the strand of hair on Qi Huang? She is now being watched by countless eyes, including masters like ‘Thousand Shadows’ and Eunuch Zhong.” Consort Jin inquired curiously.
“Although the strand of hair belongs to an unrivaled expert, once it’s coated with Heaven-Concealing Water, it looks no different from an ordinary person’s hair. Placing it on her only requires a bit of thought. And Sister Consort Jin, have you heard that His Majesty has bestowed a Wide-Sleeved Flowing Immortal Dress upon that little fox spirit this time?”
“Sister means to place the strand of hair on the Wide-Sleeved Flowing Immortal Dress?” Consort Jin asked in shock.
“Correct. This Wide-Sleeved Flowing Immortal Dress is manufactured by the Imperial Manufactory. It’s incredibly simple to add a strand of hair.” Empress Zheng slightly raised her blood-red, dazzling lips and said, “According to the timeline, the Heaven-Concealing Water should be losing its effect soon. I’d like to see who can save her in the face of Heavenly Punishment.”
“Sister, you have such a brilliant plan. Fortunately, you didn’t use this method against me back then, otherwise, I’m afraid it would have been difficult for me to enter the palace alive.” Consort Jin gasped.
“Sister is joking. With your intelligence and talent, how could I possibly scheme against you?” Empress Zheng said mockingly.
“So, my conditions were not enough to threaten Sister’s position, were they!” Consort Jin gave a self-mocking smile.
…
Qi Huang sat in the sedan chair, heading north. Hundreds of elite soldiers guarded her outside, Yaoyao by her side, and Cheng Hong Ling providing support from behind. However, she felt uneasy. Perhaps this was a woman’s sixth sense.
‘Could there be another master?’ Qi Huang couldn’t help but guess. But after thinking it over, she couldn’t think of anyone in the Xihui Dynasty who could threaten her safety in such a situation. Yet, the unease in her heart followed her like a shadow.
‘No, if I really encounter danger, what should I do? Should I let the main body summon me back? But summoning cannot be used under all circumstances. For example, killing intent can cause your spiritual sense to scatter, making it impossible to even contact the main body, thus you cannot be summoned. Or, for example, powerful spiritual senses can directly block the main body’s Soul Bond.’ Qi Huang began to ponder what kind of danger she might encounter.
‘If even summoning is useless, should I make a move? Once I make a move, my strength will be exposed, which is not conducive to participating in the Evergreen Convention later! What’s even more terrifying is, what if exposing my strength still cannot deal with the opponent?’ Qi Huang’s back grew colder as she thought about it, so she prepared to devise a countermeasure.
After much deliberation, Qi Huang’s mind once again recalled the “Cicada Shedding Shell” technique she had used several times, which was to release a clone to replace her, while she disguised herself as someone else for protection.
This method had two advantages: First, even if she made a move, her strength would not be exposed; Second, if she truly encountered an insurmountable enemy, she could immediately summon the clone to her side to escape. Because her spiritual sense was stronger than Cheng Hong Ling’s, her Soul Bond was harder to block.
After careful consideration, Qi Huang chose this method and discussed it with Yaoyao and her main body.
Yaoyao and Cheng Hong Ling both agreed to this method, so it was decided.
“There’s still one problem. I’m on the road and need to communicate with people around me at all times. Using that brainless Huang Tian is definitely not an option. She can’t move, and it would cause a commotion.” Qi Huang stated her difficulty.
“Can you still cultivate a clone now?” Cheng Hong Ling inquired.
“I can cultivate one more.” Qi Huang replied. After her spiritual sense reached the Shentong Realm, she could cultivate a total of four clones. The male clone Huang Tian, cultivated to deal with her family, was the first. Later, to deal with the people of HongHua Sect, she cultivated the female clone Huang Tian. Recently, she cultivated the male clone Huang Di to help Liu Yingyue. Therefore, she could still cultivate one last clone.
“Then cultivate one more. With your Shentong Realm spiritual sense strength, cultivating a clone shouldn’t take long, right?” Cheng Hong Ling suggested.
“But the problem is that those female clones don’t listen to me at all. As you know, they’ve all been assimilated by your Spiritual Wisdom. I haven’t found a solution yet.” Qi Huang hesitated.
“What does that matter? They are just rebellious, not unreasonable. We are all in this together now. You just need to explain the situation to them, and I believe they will help.” Cheng Hong Ling patiently explained.
After a moment of thought, Qi Huang realized she was overthinking and proceeded to act, controlling her Life Soul… which was her main consciousness, entering the palace within the Sea of Consciousness.
“Everyone has seen the situation outside. Those concubines will definitely not let me enter the palace easily. To be safe, I need one of you to replace me and stay with the team. Who is willing to be this fourth clone?” Qi Huang went straight to the point.
The several female spirit souls looked at each other, and none of them spoke. Although freedom was indeed good, they really didn’t want to cooperate with someone who had harmed their elder sister.
“Not speaking? Then I’ll decide. It’s you, Huang Ling.” Qi Huang pointed at the Spiritual Wisdom.
“Why me?” Huang Ling asked, confused.
“Because Huang Tian, this Tian Chongpo, is already a clone. Among the female spirit souls now, you rank the highest.” Qi Huang gave her reason.
“But why should I listen to you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll cause trouble after going out?” Huang Ling slightly raised the corners of her crystal-clear mouth.
“Because I believe you are only rebellious, not foolish. You should understand what’s important and the concept of shared prosperity and shared ruin.” Qi Huang reminded her sternly.
“Let me discuss it with my sisters first.” Huang Tian rolled her eyes and said.
“Okay.” Qi Huang generously agreed.
Thus, the several spirit souls began to discuss.
“Are you sure you want to do this? You need to think carefully, they are all unstable factors.”
“Yes, although I don’t understand the specific situation, I can be sure that Cheng Ling is not just a clone of Cheng Hong Ling. These assimilated female spirit souls are definitely not that simple.”
…
The remaining two male souls walked over to persuade them. They were the Human Soul Huang Ren and the Spirit Soul Huang Jing, whose body had already undergone partial feminization.
