Chapter 75: Only the weak need teammates
A few days later, Cheng Kang, the top Immortal Seed of the Donglai Sect, arrived in Yongning Prefecture with his nine fellow disciples. However, he did not join any sect but participated directly under the banner of his own sect.
This immediately made the Donglai Sect a hot favorite to win. After all, they were the number one Immortal Sect in the Xihui Dynasty’s Cultivation World. No sect in Yongning Prefecture could match them, not even the HuXiao Sect.
Elder Zuo heard the news as soon as he returned and was immediately annoyed. The other party had actually been able to stay so calm, causing him to make a wasted trip to Zhongzhou.
‘Never mind, the trip to Zhongzhou can be considered buying myself some insurance.’
Elder Zuo then comforted himself. Cheng Hong Ling’s strength should not be underestimated. What if she miraculously broke through? Then Lü Yi would be his last resort. This is what is commonly known as being prepared.
“Elder Zuo, your competition rules in Yongning Prefecture seem to be a ten-person team battle, but I’ve only brought one person. What should we do?” Lü Er, Lü Yi’s Heavenly Soul Clone, inquired.
“You can choose to temporarily join a local sect of the Xihui Dynasty and then participate as their disciple. Anyway, the Evergreen Convention in Yongning Prefecture this time does not consider household registration or sects.” Elder Zuo offered advice.
“Then what sects are there in the Xihui Dynasty?” Lü Er pressed.
“The largest Immortal Sect in Yongning Prefecture is called the Donglai Sect…” Elder Zuo then introduced the situation of the major sects in the Xihui Dynasty.
“What are all these mediocre sects? Let alone geniuses in the Shentong Realm, they don’t even have a single disciple in the late Guiyi Realm. How can they be worthy of me joining?” Lü Er’s thick eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter.
“Grandson, I’ve told you long ago that the Xihui Dynasty is not as good as those great countries in Zhongzhou.” Elder Zuo explained again.
“Do we have to participate with a team of ten? Can I go alone?” Lü Er asked after some thought.
Elder Zuo was stunned by this request. After a moment of hesitation, he said hesitantly, “But the Immortal Alliance clearly stipulates that the Evergreen Convention in Yongning Prefecture is in the form of a ten-person team battle.”
“Did you explicitly prohibit individuals or a few people from participating?” Lü Er confirmed carefully.
“The rules were formulated by the person in charge of the Yongning Prefecture branch hall. I’m not very clear about the specific details, but I don’t think so. After all, if ten people can participate, who would be foolish enough to seek abuse by going alone? So, such a prohibition seems redundant,” Elder Zuo replied.
“Since it’s not explicitly prohibited, then my participating alone shouldn’t be a violation of the rules. It’s decided then!” Lü Er said forcefully.
“Are you sure you want to participate alone? There are quite a few geniuses coming to Yongning Prefecture this time. It’s always good to have a few more helpers,” Elder Zuo tried to persuade.
“Only the weak need teammates. If you don’t trust my strength, why did you even come to the Lü Family?” Lü Er retorted.
Elder Zuo was immediately speechless. He was also scared by Qi Huang, which was why he was so cautious.
“This time, I will form a team of one. Not only will I make that Cheng Hong Ling prostrate herself, but I will also let the cultivators of the Xihui Dynasty know what true genius is!” Lü Er gazed into the distance with his hands behind his back, showing an air of looking down on the world.
…
As the date of the Evergreen Convention approached, Qi Huang was still wholeheartedly focused on growing Ghost Tomatoes, ignoring all external affairs. Although she couldn’t break through immediately, once she broke through in the future and Heavenly Punishment descended, the demand for this item would double. Therefore, collecting more was considered being prepared.
The other disciples of the HongHua Sect who were participating in the Evergreen Convention were sharpening their weapons and preparing for battle. It was too late to cultivate now, so it was better to warm up and get their bodies into the best condition.
Cheng Hong Ling also emerged from seclusion with unwillingness. At this final moment, she still hadn’t broken through to the second layer of the Huashen Realm, and she was not a little bit short. Therefore, she could only give up for the time being.
On the tenth day before the Evergreen Convention began, Qin Quan convened a mobilization meeting.
“I’ve tried to investigate that person’s background over the years, but I haven’t gained anything. Combined with his attire and accent, I suspect he’s from another country. If it were from the super powers in Zhongzhou, everyone knows how powerful their backing is. So, even with Qi Huang here, we can’t let our guard down this time.”
Qin Quan’s tone was extremely serious this time, and everyone’s expression was solemn because everyone understood that this was the HongHua Sect’s last chance. If they couldn’t get the seeds of the Golden Life Flower, they wouldn’t be able to report to the owner of the seeds. Using them as bait was just their wishful thinking; the other party might not agree.
After the mobilization meeting, everyone began to pack their luggage. Qi Huang took the opportunity to find her cheap father, Cheng Yuan, and made a promise: “Dad, you wait at home. This time, I will make everyone recognize your words. Are kings and generals born with a silver spoon?”
“Don’t force yourself. Although the Evergreen Convention is just a competition, there are swords and spears without eyes. My greatest wish now is for you to return unharmed, understand?” Cheng Yuan replied calmly. What was his ambition compared to the safety of his children?
“Don’t worry, those opponents aren’t qualified to injure me yet, so I want both the fish and the bear’s paw.” Qi Huang was as confident as ever.
The next day, the group from the HongHua Sect set off. After all, it was two thousand li to the Prefecture Capital, and even cultivators couldn’t get there in a moment. Setting off earlier would give them enough time to rest upon arrival.
Before departing, Qi Huang did not forget to notify Yaoyao using the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device. After all, this Cat girl went out on raids every few days, and she, as her Cat Owner, had to ask for leave. Otherwise, who knew how Yaoyao would deal with her if she couldn’t find her later?
The several Senior Sisters were the most excited because, except for Ruan Lingyu, it was their first time representing the HongHua Sect in the Evergreen Convention. What an honor! Of course, more importantly, they had the chance to avenge their Junior Sister.
“Junior Sister, do you know? Three years ago, you were defeated by the HaiZhi Sect using the advantage of numbers, and you vomited blood. I vowed then that if I had the chance to participate in the Evergreen Convention, I would definitely avenge you!” Senior Sister Yun Fei stated with a firm tone.
“Yes, I thought so too,” Wang Zong, the most outstanding among the male disciples, quickly agreed. He had always had a crush on Cheng Hong Ling, which was obvious to anyone.
“Come on, Senior Brother Wang. Weren’t you on the arena back then? Why was it only Junior Sister who was left to face those people in the end?” Shen Yuan, being outspoken, taunted mercilessly.
“Uh…” Wang Zong was immediately speechless. When he looked at Cheng Hong Ling and Qi Huang again, guilt was evident on his face.
Cheng Hong Ling glanced at Wang Zong casually, her beautiful face showing no joy or sorrow, as if she was thinking about something.
“Senior Sister Shen, you can’t blame Senior Brother Wang. I know he did his best,” Qi Huang said, trying to smooth things over. After all, Wang Zong had helped her a lot, and could even be considered her savior. She remembered the first time she impersonated Cheng Hong Ling to steal the Tooth Token at the HongHua Sect. If he hadn’t blocked that Iron Corpse, she would have been instantly killed.
Hearing this, Wang Zong seemed to have grasped a lifeline. His eyes lit up with surprise, and he quickly assured her, “Junior Sister Hong Ling, rest assured. Senior Brother has learned from his mistakes over the past three years, and my strength has greatly improved. This time, I definitely won’t hold you back.”
“Okay, I look forward to your performance,” Qi Huang encouraged.
Hearing this, Wang Zong became even more excited, smiling happily like a child encouraged by an adult.
“Can you stop speaking on my behalf all the time?” Cheng Hong Ling’s Mind Transmission was unbearable. She was a cold and aloof Immortal, but this clone was like a saintess, almost ruining her persona.
“What? Are you afraid I’ll ruin your image? I’m just worried that your constant silence will alienate you from the masses. As the future Sect Leader of the HongHua Sect, you must wield both grace and power to win over the crowd. So, you play the good cop, and I’ll play the bad cop. This is the most suitable arrangement,” Qi Huang explained.
“So, I should thank you?” Cheng Hong Ling retorted.
“No need. What’s there to distinguish between us!” Qi Huang said shamelessly.
Hearing this, Cheng Hong Ling’s beautiful face showed a hint of unnaturalness, and then she fell into unexpected silence.
“Actually, the person we should truly take revenge on is not the HaiZhi Sect. Although they defeated Junior Sister, they didn’t insult her with words. In a competition, bumps and bruises are inevitable,” Senior Sister Ruan Lingyu suddenly said. She continued, “I still clearly remember that six years ago, when she first participated in the Evergreen Convention, she drew the top Immortal Seed of the HuXiao Sect. This person actually publicly mocked her, saying she wasn’t worthy of being his opponent, and then gave his sign-up to someone else.”
“Yes, and then there was Jin Hu, the top Immortal Seed of the Jinliu Sect. Not only did he injure Hong Ling, but he also called her a vase and taunted that phoenixes don’t fly out of pigeon nests,” Xu Mei added.
“Don’t worry, everyone. This time, I will let him know that Huang Tian Prefecture is not a pigeon nest, but a phoenix nest,” Qi Huang said firmly.
