Chapter 832: I Want Her to Pay the Price
“Heavenly Punishment?” The onlookers exchanged glances, not understanding what Qi Huang meant.
“Everyone knows that one’s gender is determined by heaven. If you make someone change their gender midway, aren’t you going against heaven’s will? Aren’t you afraid of heavenly punishment?”
Qi Huang explained the gravity of the situation. She wasn’t trying to scare them. Everyone’s life was planned by the Heavenly Dao. Forget about changing gender; even sudden increases in strength could attract attention.
The members of the royal family looked at each other with doubtful expressions upon hearing this.
“Alliance Leader Qi isn’t crying wolf. Going against heaven’s will will indeed result in heavenly punishment.”
“Yes, whoever wants to change into a woman midway must be prepared to face the heavenly tribulation.”
“Alas, it seems that transforming into a woman through secret arts is not feasible.”
The cultivators’ voices began to sound out. As cultivators, they naturally understood this aspect.
A group of ordinary people finally showed looks of fear. Even if they hadn’t seen a heavenly tribulation, they had heard of it. It was something that even experts in the Heavenly Punishment Realm couldn’t deal with.
“But Alliance Leader Qi, why haven’t you been subjected to heavenly punishment?”
Someone suddenly asked. The others reacted and looked at Qi Huang with questioning eyes again.
“Me? I sprinkle Heaven-Concealing Water on myself every day, otherwise, I would have been targeted by the Heavenly Dao long ago. What about you? Do you have enough Heaven-Concealing Water to waste?” Qi Huang retorted.
“Heaven-Concealing Water? That’s the most precious treasure in the cultivation world. Every drop is worth a thousand gold. We don’t have it, so how could ordinary people have it?”
“Why is this item so expensive?”
“Because Heaven-Concealing Water can only be obtained from meteors that have just entered Lishui Star. Everyone knows how terrifying the speed of meteors is. It is said that only masters who have reached the mid-stage of the Heavenly Tribulation Realm can fly that high and fast.”
“So that’s why only the Immortal Alliance Leader used to sell this item!”
The cultivators discussed again.
Upon hearing this, everyone completely abandoned the idea.
“Everyone, go back. As I said, I will eliminate all evil spirits on Lishui Star within a year. If anyone is still harassed by lone ghosts and wild spirits by then, I will give you the secret art of gender change as promised.”
Qi Huang impatiently dismissed them, but she still reminded them, “Of course, that’s only if you’re not afraid of death.”
“Alliance Leader, if you eliminate all the evil spirits on Lishui Star, how will we cultivators make a living in the future?”
Just then, a cultivator raised an objection.
Qi Huang looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Zheng Wei from Supreme Peak.
“Yes, the vast majority of our income as cultivators comes from subduing demons and catching ghosts for ordinary people. Once there are no evil spirits, where will this income be replenished?”
“Alliance Leader, you cannot only consider mortals and neglect us cultivators! Even a three-year-old child understands the concept of ‘shared sorrow for the same fate’.”
“Alliance Leader, why don’t you leave behind some evil spirits? It could be considered as leaving a way out for us cultivators.”
The other cultivators were incited by Zheng Wei.
“Alliance Leader Qi, please don’t listen to them!”
“Alliance Leader Qi, isn’t the Dao Alliance supposed to seek welfare for the people of the world? If you do this, what’s the difference between you and the Immortal Alliance?”
“What good cultivators! So they are all like this, only doing things for their own benefit.”
Tens of thousands of ordinary people heard this and became furious, cursing without regard for their lives.
At this moment, Cheng Hong Ling’s cold snort suddenly sounded. She appeared like a ghost in the sky above the Dao Alliance and looked down condescendingly, “Being selfish and profiting from ordinary people by raising monsters is something only the Immortal Alliance would do. That is not the style of our Dao Alliance. As I said, the original intention of establishing the Dao Alliance was to seek welfare for the people of the entire cultivation world. This will never change. If I hear such voices again, I will directly silence them.”
The cultivators who had spoken were intimidated by the oppressive aura and closed their mouths in fear.
“Fellow Daoists, although the evil spirits are gone, the skills you possess have not disappeared. You can provide services such as pills, protection, and medical treatment to ordinary people in exchange for rewards. How can you worry about not having a way to make a living? Conversely, if we allow evil spirits to run rampant, the population of the mortal world will become smaller and smaller. Who will you find to exorcise spirits then?” Qi Huang asked sentence by sentence.
The cultivators lowered their heads and remained silent. They naturally understood this logic, but most of them were selfish and unwilling to give up this source of income easily.
Qi Huang continued to reason with them, “I’m saying all this to tell you that on Lishui Star, the mortal world is like the foundation, and the Immortal Sects are like the houses. If the foundation is unstable, the Immortal Sects will not be far from collapse. Do I make sense?”
“Alliance Leader Qi is wise! Long live Alliance Leader Qi, we fully support you!”
“Alliance Leader Qi considers the worldly people so much, we believe you are genuinely doing this for everyone’s good. We don’t want the gender change secret art anymore. We will go back and wait for your good news.”
“Yes, even if you cannot completely eliminate the evil spirits, we will have no complaints.”
Hearing this, the royal family members, who had been questioning Qi Huang just now, were all deeply grateful and expressed their attitudes.
Qi Huang slightly raised the corner of her mouth. This could be considered a blessing in disguise.
As for the cultivators who had spoken, they all buried their heads in their chests, muttering something, and appeared unconvinced.
“I warn some people, my plan concerns the future of the mortal and immortal worlds. If anyone dares to obstruct it, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Qi Huang issued a stern warning at the end. She had already been patient and explained so much, which could be considered the utmost courtesy. From now on, she would resort to thunderous means.
Qi Huang’s performance convinced the royal family members present, so they left the Dao Alliance without hesitation.
Some cultivators were still not resigned, but they did not dare to speak again. With ugly expressions, they all left.
Qi Huang knew that these guys would not give up so easily, so she specifically monitored them with her spiritual sense. Her purpose was simple: to catch a typical example and warn the others. Her target was Supreme Peak, which had taken the lead in causing trouble.
“Father, do you think Qi Huang can really eliminate all the evil spirits in the cultivation world?” On the way back, Zheng Wei of Supreme Peak couldn’t help but ask his father Zheng Qian.
Zheng Qian made a shushing gesture and then transmitted his voice via thought transmission, “That woman… man… forget it… Qi Huang can even take down the师-level immortal of the Cao family, let alone these mere evil spirits? As long as she has enough time, not to mention lone ghosts and wild spirits, even people who commit crimes in the cultivation world might disappear.”
“Then what should we do? Father, you should know that most of Supreme Peak’s income comes from exorcising demons and subduing monsters for ordinary people. If she achieves her goal, won’t we suffer heavy losses?” Zheng Wei also replied worriedly through thought transmission.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? Do I need you to remind me?” Zheng Qian glared at his son.
“Then should we think of a countermeasure?” Zheng Wei urged impatiently.
“What’s the rush? No matter how strong Qi Huang is, so what? Does she know how many evil spirits there are in this cultivation world? Let’s just catch a couple and hide them in our storage rings. After a year, we’ll release them. Then let’s see how she explains herself to those ordinary people!” Zheng Qian sneered.
“Father is wise! This way, we preserve the seeds of evil spirits. As long as we help them grow stronger, our source of wealth will not be cut off,” Zheng Wei said joyfully.
“The source of wealth is a minor issue. Qi Huang removed our Supreme Peak’s Immortal Tablet, so I will definitely make her pay the price.” Zheng Qian’s eyes showed fierceness, extremely ferocious.
“Then shall we take action immediately? Evil spirits are everywhere.” Zheng Wei was eager.
“Use your brain, will you? You were the one who questioned her first, and we just left the Dao Alliance. She might be monitoring us right now. Let’s talk about it later. It’s best to find a way to get some Heaven-Concealing Water first. We must not be careless,” Zheng Qian reprimanded.
“Father thinks of everything,” Zheng Wei nodded repeatedly.
Qi Huang, who was in HongHua Sect, let out a cold laugh. Although she didn’t know what the Zheng father and son said during their thought transmission, their cautiousness clearly indicated a guilty conscience.
“Heh heh, I’d like to see what tricks you guys are up to.” Qi Huang’s lips curved slightly, and then she began to continuously monitor them. She knew that any fox would eventually show its tail.
