Chapter 573: Where Did This Heavenly Punishment Realm Master Come From (3)
As soon as Qi Huang’s voice fell, her spiritual sense separated, then transformed into translucent threads as fine as hair, pouring down like a reversed Milky Way, fiercely impacting the earth. “Swish swish swish!” Countless fine spiritual sense threads deeply pierced the ravaged earth, dense and even, not leaving a single square meter of land untouched. Steward Leng, although he had reached the late stage of the Shentong Realm, could not resist the spiritual sense of the Heavenly Punishment Realm with his physical body alone, and was instantly turned into a beehive. “Ah!” Everyone only heard a faint scream, and in no time, Steward Leng’s life soul flew out from underground. Because Qi Huang’s spiritual sense storm had not ended, it was torn to shreds as soon as it emerged. Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction. Having powerful spiritual sense had its benefits. Not only could it be used for physical attacks, but it could also be used to destroy souls, making it a one-and-done solution. “All done! The trouble is resolved!” Qi Huang said, clapping her hands. “Thank you, senior, for your help. May I ask your name? Hua Rong Sect will surely repay you handsomely in the future!” Protector Yuan bowed respectfully. “No need to be so polite. I just couldn’t stand injustice. You all can go now, don’t mind me!” Qi Huang casually replied and flew towards the messy mountain range below. Firstly, she was afraid of being recognized by people from Hua Rong Sect, and secondly, she was eager to obtain the clothes made of Nine Nether Demonic Cat fur. Protector Yuan wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he wisely did not press the issue and signaled the Saintess Guard to continue. His subordinates were thoroughly terrified and had also suffered great losses, so they needed to find a small town to rest and recuperate. “Where are you going?” Cheng Hong Ling immediately used mind transmission to ask Qi Huang. “To dig for treasure, of course! You all go ahead, don’t mind me!” Qi Huang briefly explained, and under Mimi’s command, began to dig up Steward Leng’s corpse. Qi Huang’s spiritual sense was now powerful, and she easily moved away the thick rocks and soil on the ground, revealing Steward Leng’s corpse with his eyes wide open in death. Qi Huang observed and found that Steward Leng was indeed wearing a black long robe. Her spiritual sense couldn’t detect anything through it, so it was likely made from the fur of the Nine Nether Demonic Cat. Qi Huang excitedly took off the robe. Since she had used fine spiritual sense threads for the attack, the damage to the clothes was negligible. If there was any drawback, it was that it was stained with some of Steward Leng’s blood. “This is truly a good item! I’ve wanted one for a long time!” Qi Huang exclaimed with eager eyes. With these clothes, she wouldn’t have to trouble Yaoyao or Mimi anymore when she acted. Qi Huang picked up the clothes and soared into the sky, then found a nearby river to wash them clean before chasing after the Saintess Guard. The Saintess Guard members, after a fierce battle and being quite frightened, were proceeding very slowly. Protector Yuan had no choice but to order the Saintess Guard to camp in the wild. Qi Huang monitored them from afar and soon discovered that although the battle was over, it had unsettled everyone. “I was so scared today. I didn’t expect Cao to actually ambush us, and with so many masters!” “Yeah, twenty to thirty of them were all at the Huashen Realm or above. Any one of them could have fought Protector Yuan to a standstill. If not for the help of a hidden master, we would have all been annihilated!” “Thinking about it makes me angry. All this danger was caused because she wanted to see the Evergreen Convention.” “Be careful what you say. She’s the Saintess, what’s wrong with enjoying some privileges?” “Hmph, why did she get the position of Saintess as soon as she arrived? Is her cultivation higher than mine, or are her contributions greater? Is it just because she defeated Wan Min of the fourth layer of the Huashen Realm at the inauguration ceremony? I could do that with one hand!” “I heard she possesses a secret art and her cultivation speed is extremely astonishing.” “How astonishing? I only heard the teachers and elders boasting. Who knows if it’s true?” “Yes, they also say she can improve a small level in a few days. It doesn’t sound reliable at all! It’s probably something the high-level figures of Hua Rong Sect deliberately fabricated to maintain morale!” “Exactly. After losing a genius like Hua Yu, how else could they explain themselves if they didn’t boast about her?” Several genius disciples whispered among themselves. Because they were sufficiently frightened, their repressed resentments erupted. “It seems we were too low-key when we were in Hua Rong Sect, only focusing on cultivation and not on displaying it.” Qi Yin smiled helplessly, but she didn’t intend to argue. By the time they reached the Evergreen Convention, these so-called genius disciples would know their place. On the other side, the Cao family, not receiving a reply from Steward Leng after a long time, knew something had happened even if they were fools, and immediately sent people to investigate. A few days later, the investigators returned, bringing with them the corpses of Steward Leng and Wu Hua. Cao Hui was both shocked and furious, and questioned the investigators: “What about their souls?” “Reporting to the master, they were not found. It’s likely they were scattered!” The investigator speculated. “How is that possible? They were both late-stage Shentong Realm experts! Who could have done this?” Cao Hui gritted his teeth. He knew that Steward Leng and Wu Hua’s strength was comparable to the elder ranking high in the Immortal Alliance, so even the Cao Mansion could not afford such a great loss. Cao Meng, after a long while, recovered and immediately informed his father, who was in seclusion. Cao Meng was so angry that he immediately came out of seclusion and shattered a few more teacups in the main hall. “What’s going on? Can someone tell me? Didn’t you say that the Saintess Guard only had Protector Yuan, a late-stage Shentong Realm cultivator?” Cao Meng questioned his son through gritted teeth. “I don’t know either! Logically speaking, with the Saintess Guard’s setup, they shouldn’t be able to kill them. And in such a small country, they wouldn’t encounter any decent experts.” Cao Hui replied carefully. “Could they have died under Immortal Might?” Cao Yang speculated. “Impossible, Wu Hua’s corpse has fatal sword wounds, and Steward Leng’s death was not a simple suppression by Immortal Might.” Cao Hui shook his head. “Could it be that the Grand Elder of Hua Rong Sect was secretly protecting that little b*tch?” Hua Yu also voiced her thoughts. “That’s possible! If it were her, killing Steward Leng and Wu Hua would be none too difficult.” Cao Hui nodded thoughtfully. “It’s all my fault for not considering everything carefully, I naively thought Hua Man would be stationed at Hua Rong Sect.” Cao Meng shook his head helplessly. “Father, what do we do now? Steward Leng and Protector Ma were loyal and made significant contributions to our Cao family. We can’t just let them die in vain!” Cao Hui said emotionally. “What can we do? If they really died at Hua Man’s hands, even if I went personally, I might not get any benefits. After all, my lifespan is nearing its end, and I’m old and weak!” Cao Meng sighed powerlessly. “Alas! To think our Cao family is the number one power in the cultivation world, yet we can do nothing about a mere Hua Rong Sect.” Cao Hui’s face showed dejection. “It’s because we are disunited internally! Various factions scheme against each other for the position of Clan Leader. Otherwise, let alone a small Hua Rong Sect, even if all the other eight immortal powers combined, I wouldn’t care.” Cao Meng said with regret for their lack of ambition. “It’s also because of the new Saintess of Hua Rong Sect. This little brat is extremely cunning at such a young age and has played us all for fools. If we had known her true identity from the start, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome!” Cao Yang’s eyes revealed a hint of hatred. “Alas! It seems we won’t be able to confirm if that brat has used her real name for a while. We can only hope that those sent to North Continent will have some gains.” Cao Hui’s face showed a flicker of anticipation. “Don’t sigh. At least we’ll have a chance to vent our anger soon!” Cao Meng comforted them, then said to his grandson and granddaughter-in-law, “Cao Yang, Hua Yu, the continent-level Evergreen Convention is to be held in a few days. When do you two, my little couple, plan to depart?” “Reporting to Grandfather, it’s in these two days.” Cao Yang replied respectfully. “Very good. This time, besides retaining your first-place title, I also want to arrange another mission for you. When you get to the Evergreen Convention, you will provoke that new Saintess of Hua Rong Sect with all your might and force her to spar with you!” “Why is that?” Cao Yang asked doubtfully. “Of course, to make Hua Rong Sect lose face in full view of everyone, so we can vent our anger!” Cao Meng reminded him. “That’s indeed a good plan, but what if she doesn’t accept the challenge?” Cao Yang retorted. “Yes, Grandfather, she doesn’t have the qualifications to participate in the Evergreen Convention. She’s just here to make up the numbers this time, so she can refuse us legitimately.” Hua Yu explained. “Who said you have to provoke her on the arena? Can’t you curse her at the entrance? Outdoor sparring is not under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Administration Bureau! If she is afraid to fight then, she will be branded as one who surrenders without a fight. If she accepts the challenge, she will surely lose. No matter what she chooses, it will be a disgrace to Hua Rong Sect!” Cao Meng sneered repeatedly. “Grandfather, you’re brilliant! I will definitely beat her to her knees and beg for mercy, and make the high-level figures of Hua Rong Sect realize they were blind and crying for me to return as the Saintess!” Hua Yu’s eyes lit up. “Indeed, let’s see who is more qualified to be the Saintess of Hua Rong Sect. You will tell the entire cultivation world with your strength at the Evergreen Convention!” Cao Meng smiled with satisfaction.
