Chapter 98: Clone, are you crazy?
“Elder Zhou, if I remember correctly, the rules of the Evergreen Convention were set by the Immortal Alliance, not your HuXiao Sect!” Qi Huang calmly asked, not offended, as she was now a quasi-Huashen realm cultivator.
“Why ask what you already know? Why do you think the Immortal Alliance suddenly changed the rules last time? Young people, being able to fight is useless. No matter how much you can fight, you can’t overcome the rules,” Elder Zhou said proudly, implying something.
“Elder Zhou, do you know what the biggest inspiration I got from my main body’s defeat last time was?” Qi Huang countered.
“Oh? I’m all ears!” Elder Zhou’s face showed curiosity.
“That is, I wasn’t strong enough. If I were strong enough, I could even break the rules for you to see.” Qi Huang’s gaze became sharp; this was the confidence the Ghost Tomato had given her.
Elder Zhou was stunned for a moment, then sneered: “Your ambition is good, but without resources, how can you get stronger?”
“That’s none of your concern, Elder Zhou,” Qi Huang smiled politely.
“Alright, the next Evergreen Convention is more than two years away. I’ll wait for you to break the rules for me to see,” Elder Zhou said dismissively, then continued: “Of course, if you change your mind during this period, our HuXiao Sect will still welcome you! As I said, if you’re willing to come, our HuXiao Sect will do its best to cultivate you.” After saying this, Elder Zhou called a few disciples and left triumphantly.
“Heh, more than two years? At that time, let alone ten people, what about a hundred?” Qi Huang muttered dismissively, then went back to report to her main body. Cheng Hong Ling was very satisfied with Qi Huang’s performance, as she felt that even if she had gone personally, she couldn’t have refused as decisively.
Next, Cheng Hong Ling inquired in detail about the Blue Scale King Snake. Qi Huang naturally told her everything she knew, as long as her true identity was not revealed, her fate was tied to that of the Hong Ling fairy in front of her.
“As my clone, you should understand that the biggest drawback of cultivating Water True Qi is insufficient attack power, so facing male cultivators of the same realm is very difficult,” Cheng Hong Ling first stated her own shortcomings.
“Insufficient attack power? Isn’t that ‘Thunderclap Sword’ quite strong?” Qi Huang subconsciously asked, recalling what she had seen and heard in her dreams.
“‘Thunderclap Sword’ is indeed very strong, but it has a prerequisite, which is that the user must first injure the opponent for the lightning to strike. If you can’t break the opponent’s defense, it’s useless even if you unleash it, so the requirements for weapons are even higher,” Cheng Hong Ling explained in detail.
‘So ‘Thunderclap Sword’ has such a huge drawback!’ Qi Huang was somewhat caught off guard, but it made sense when she thought about it. If such an incredible sword technique could be unleashed at will, wouldn’t the person who mastered it be invincible?
“And weapons forged from Blue Scale Stone are indestructible and exceptionally sharp, which can greatly compensate for this shortcoming. If they really exist, no matter how many, we will obtain them,” Cheng Hong Ling said, biting her teeth slightly.
Qi Huang knew what to do, and her determination to obtain the Blue Scale Stone grew stronger. Coupled with those Ghost Tomatoes, she wanted them all.
Not long after, Sect Leader Qin convened a meeting of high-level figures. As the clone of the sect’s “number one genius” and a firsthand witness to this event, Qi Huang was naturally required to attend. Walking behind her main body, Qi Huang couldn’t help but be pointed at and discussed, as her main body was a prominent figure in the HongHua Sect. Qi Huang felt a faint sense of pride in addition to her embarrassment, after all, who doesn’t like to be the center of attention?
Upon arriving at the main hall, Qi Huang walked in and saw that most of the sect’s high-level figures were present, and Senior Brother Ma from the HeYi Sect was also brought in for interrogation.
“Alright, everyone is here. The matter is urgent, so I won’t beat around the bush. We originally sent disciples on a mission, but we encountered an unexpected event,” Qin Quan began, then turned to Qi Huang: “Uh… Qi Huang, tell everyone what you saw and heard.”
Qi Huang generously stepped forward two steps and then recounted in detail what she had seen and heard in Bajiao Village.
“This HeYi Sect is truly insane. Not only do they violate the rules of the Immortal Alliance, but they also harm civilians.”
“The HeYi Sect is considered a righteous sect under the Immortal Alliance. For the Blue Scale Stone, they have no bottom line, which proves how enticing this item is to them.”
“That’s natural. Weapons made of Blue Scale Stone can greatly compensate for the lack of attack power in female disciples, which is a rare treasure for any sect.”
“Since this heavenly treasure has appeared within our Huang Tian Prefecture, we must claim it for ourselves and not let other sects benefit.”
… The high-level figures discussed animatedly, determined to obtain it.
“Yes, I have called you all here to discuss these two matters. First, since the HeYi Sect has committed such heinous acts, they must provide a reasonable explanation to the victims; second, how to obtain the Blue Scale Stone,” Qin Quan summarized.
“Sect Leader Qin, since the HeYi Sect has been eyeing the Blue Scale Stone for a long time, they must be very familiar with the situation there and probably already have a specific plan. Why not ask this fellow surnamed Ma?” Elder Wu suggested.
“Ma Wen, right? Introduce the specific situation there to everyone.” Sect Leader Qin turned and commanded Senior Brother Ma. Ma Wen dared not conceal anything and recounted the situation he had told Qi Huang and the others.
“What? That Blue Scale King Snake is a thousand feet long? Coiled in the clouds? What realm is this monster?”
“Flying through the air, this is at least a demon of the Huashen realm or above! Combined with its size, it’s not much less than the Shentong realm.”
“Shentong realm? Then aren’t we courting death by trying to get the Blue Scale Stone?”
… The high-level figures exploded, their faces filled with fear.
“Don’t panic, everyone. That’s just a rumor. Rumors usually exaggerate things, so we don’t need to take it too seriously,” Sect Leader Qin quickly comforted them.
“Sect Leader Qin, I saw that snake with my own eyes. It was definitely not exaggerated,” Ma Wen corrected, dispelling everyone’s侥幸心理.
“Even so, why did you still dare to covet the Blue Scale Stone?” Sect Leader Qin’s expression turned displeased, and he asked coldly.
“We weren’t planning to confront it head-on. We intended to use the Ghost Tomatoes to lure the tiger away from the mountain and then send people to stealthily infiltrate its lair to steal the Blue Scale Stone,” Ma Wen weakly argued.
“Luring the tiger away from the mountain? That’s a good method. Perhaps we can do the same,” Sect Leader Qin stroked his beard.
“It won’t work. You only have four Ghost Tomatoes, and their scent is too weak to lure the Blue Scale King Snake away from a safe distance. Unless someone is willing to lure it away at close range with the Ghost Tomatoes, but that would be suicide for cultivators below the Huashen realm,” Ma Wen shook his head.
The hall fell into silence. The high-level figures looked at each other and gradually their gazes fell upon Cheng Hong Ling and Qi Huang.
“Sect Leader Qin, Cheng Hong Ling’s cultivation has reached the Huashen realm. I think she can shoulder this important task,” Elder Wu said, eager to push the responsibility.
Cheng Hong Ling’s beautiful eyes narrowed. This guy knew that most people now believed she was a fake Huashen realm expert, yet he still made such a suggestion. It was clearly personal revenge. Qi Huang, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. Wasn’t this exactly the outcome she wanted?
“No!” Qin Quan refused without thinking.
“Why? How much effort and resources has our HongHua Sect spent on cultivating her? It’s time for her to repay everyone,” Elder Wu insisted, determined to harm Cheng Hong Ling. Qin Quan couldn’t tell the truth, and his expression turned grim.
Cheng Hong Ling also fell into turmoil. She did want to repay everyone, but now her strength was insufficient, and rashly going there would only be a meaningless death, harming the HongHua Sect instead.
“Elder Wu, you should understand that my disciple is the future of the HongHua Sect. If something happens to her, who will we rely on in the future?” Xu Mei tried to excuse her disciple.
“People eventually have to wean themselves. If she’s still useless at this point, what’s the difference between her and a giant baby? Cultivating her further will only be a burden to the HongHua Sect, not its future,” Elder Wu insinuated sarcastically.
“Elder Wu is right! The Huashen realm is already a top cultivator. If she still continues to demand, without any contribution, what will the other disciples think?” some high-level figures echoed in a low voice.
“Isn’t she, as Elder Zhou said, a fake Huashen realm master?” Elder Wu made a malicious conjecture. Cheng Hong Ling gritted her teeth in anger, but she couldn’t refute it, only gnashing her teeth.
“Fine! I’ll take this mission.” Qi Huang’s voice suddenly rang out, completely without consulting her main body’s opinion.
“Are you crazy?” Cheng Hong Ling asked, dumbfounded.
