Chapter 89: Hurting Them Is Hurting Yourself
The matter was urgent. Elder Ruan and the others couldn’t even bother with horses and instead endured the pain of using several Swift Wind Talismans, traveling thousands of miles a day. They departed in the morning and arrived at the Prefecture Capital by evening.
Upon arriving at the Immortal Alliance’s stronghold in the Prefecture Capital, Elder Ruan identified himself and requested an audience with Steward Cai. To his surprise, the gatekeeper disciples made things difficult and refused to let him in.
Elder Ruan had no choice but to spend money to grease palms everywhere. It wasn’t until noon the next day that he finally met Steward Cai, the old man who presided over the Evergreen Convention. To avoid another fruitless trip, he brought out the Hong Hua Sect’s most treasured items this time.
“Steward Cai, I have come once again regarding the matter of the fierce land in Meng County. The Yin energy within is expanding very rapidly, having already reached the size of a town. I hope the Immortal Alliance can provide assistance.” Elder Ruan pleaded in a humble manner.
“Elder Ruan, doesn’t your sect have a genius disciple who just broke through to the Huashen Realm? It should be that Cheng Hong Ling, right? With such a master, dealing with that fierce land should be more than enough,” Steward Cai said calmly.
“Steward Cai flatters me. That fierce land is truly too treacherous. It’s not something that a young girl who just broke through to the Huashen Realm can handle,” Elder Ruan quickly offered the prepared excuse.
“Elder Ruan speaks with such arrogance, calling a Huashen Realm expert a mere girl in your eyes!” Steward Cai said sarcastically before continuing, “I can understand your feelings, but the Immortal Alliance is indeed stretched thin. There are many fierce lands in Yongning Prefecture, not just in Meng County. Other sects don’t even have a single cultivator at the Huashen Realm. If we don’t help them with defense, what will they do?”
A trace of indignation appeared on Elder Ruan’s face. The last time he came, this Cai used the same excuse to refuse him, and his perfunctory attitude was so careless. But what could he do?
Elder Ruan took a deep breath, then knelt on the ground with a “thud” and pleaded, “Steward Cai, I beg you!”
“Oh? Elder Ruan, why must you be like this?” Steward Cai said, but his expression was unhurried. “How about this, you go back first and wait for notification. Once the Immortal Alliance is free, we will immediately send someone over.”
“Thank you, Steward Cai. I will take my leave then,” Elder Ruan said politely before standing up and leaving mechanically. He knew that the other party was still perfunctory with him, and he had returned empty-handed again.
“Hmph!”
As Elder Ruan left, Steward Cai let out a cold snort and said, “A mere disciple of the Hong Hua Sect, who publicly claimed to have lost to the rules at the Evergreen Convention last time and didn’t give me any face. Now they expect the Immortal Alliance to help? Dreaming!”
“But Master, we secretly investigated the fierce land in Meng County, and it is indeed quite dangerous. If it’s not cleared out as soon as possible, once it fully erupts, it might be difficult to control,” a disciple by his side weakly reminded him.
“Isn’t it better if it’s difficult to control? Have you heard the idiom ‘when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves’? A large portion of the Yin energy in Huang Tian Prefecture originates from that place. If it is completely cleared, will mortals still need cultivators in the future? Only if it continues to exist will our Immortal Alliance have value,” Steward Cai revealed his true reason for refusal.
“Even so, I fear it might breed something monstrous,” the disciple worried.
“A fierce land the size of a small town, what kind of monster can it breed? In this Cultivation World, there are fierce lands the size of a prefecture or even a country, and none of them have posed a practical threat to our Immortal Alliance,” Steward Cai said disdainfully.
…
Elder Ruan returned empty-handed and didn’t dare to delay. The next day, he returned to the Hong Hua Sect to deliver the bad news to Qin Quan.
“I still don’t understand, in what way did our Hong Hua Sect offend the Immortal Alliance? Why are they unwilling to lend a hand?” Qin Quan, usually calm, was so angry that his face turned red.
“Yes, we are, after all, a prominent sect of the Immortal Alliance. Aren’t they afraid of chilling our hearts by doing this?” Elder Ruan also sighed.
“Forget it, it’s better to rely on oneself than to beg others. Now, we can only let Hong Ling hide well. I hope that clone contacts her soon,” Qin Quan shook his head helplessly.
“Why don’t we let her go out and hide?” Elder Ruan suggested.
“How can she go out? The Hong Hua Sect is now full of disciples from other sects, including true Huashen Realm experts. As soon as she appears, she will be discovered!” Qin Quan retorted.
Elder Ruan was stunned for a moment and could only give up dejectedly.
…
Meanwhile, at the HeYi Sect’s residence, Sect Leader Lin Feng was chatting with his son.
“Father, what is the Hong Hua Sect up to? For so many days, they’ve insisted on not letting us see that Cheng Hong Ling.” Lin Chao was baffled.
“I also find it strange. Even if she needs to stabilize her realm, it shouldn’t take this long, right? The entire Hong Hua Sect is already overcrowded. Don’t they even give face to the Hu Xiao Sect? At least they should let the clone come out to see guests!” Lin Feng also pondered, stroking his chin.
“Could it be fake?” Lin Chao voiced his thoughts again.
“Fake? A Huashen Realm cultivator needs a clone, how can it be disguised?” Lin Feng asked.
Lin Chao was speechless, and silence fell in the reception hall.
“Sect Leader, I have something to report.” Just then, a disciple’s voice came from outside the door.
“Come in, speak your mind,” Lin Feng instructed.
After entering, the disciple cupped his hands and said, “Sect Leader, today I received news from a Hong Hua Sect disciple. Not long ago, someone impersonated that Cheng Hong Ling. It is said that she looked exactly like her. Later, news spread that Cheng Hong Ling had cultivated a clone.”
“What?” Lin Feng stood up abruptly, then smiled with realization. “Speak of the clone, and here it is.”
“Father, you mean her so-called clone is actually that imposter?” Lin Chao quickly reacted.
“It must be so. Otherwise, why would the Hong Hua Sect be hiding her meticulously? If that’s the case, it makes sense. A fake Huashen Realm genius, whether her true body or her so-called clone, naturally cannot be seen by others.” Lin Feng deduced confidently.
“But why would she impersonate a Huashen Realm expert?” Lin Chao couldn’t quite understand.
“Do I even need to ask? The Hong Hua Sect is struggling to survive, unable to even recruit disciples. If a Huashen Realm genius appears, their reputation will soar, and then they won’t lack talented individuals to join them. That’s the first reason. Second, with a Huashen Realm expert in charge, who among the demons and monsters within Huang Tian Prefecture would dare to cause trouble?” Lin Feng answered without hesitation.
“That makes sense. Then what should we do?” Lin Chao sought his father’s opinion.
“Better safe than sorry. First, leak this news to people from other sects. They will help us confirm its authenticity,” Lin Feng decided after a moment of thought.
“Yes, they’ve been holding back these past few days because of Cheng Hong Ling’s cultivation. If they get this news, some of the bolder ones will have the courage to act forcefully,” Lin Chao said with a mischievous smile.
…
Qi Huang, after great effort, managed to subdue the few feminized spiritual souls and tie them up in a corner.
“What should I do with them now? Is there a way to solve this once and for all?” Qi Huang sought the opinions of her four normal souls beside her.
“No. Although they have been feminized, they are still your spiritual souls. Hurting them is equivalent to hurting yourself,” Heavenly Soul replied.
“Heh! They’ve truly become a stubborn ailment,” Qi Huang was somewhat helpless. Thinking that time was pressing, she didn’t dare to waste any more time. So, she asked the normal souls to help her push open the Heart Door.
With the help of the four normal souls, Qi Huang finally pushed open the Heart Door and hurried out. She didn’t know how much time had passed in the outside world, nor did she know if Cheng Hong Ling’s Spiritual Wisdom soul had caused any trouble.
