Chapter 342: Stop Arguing With Heaven
Several days away from Damian’s group, Serina, Miona, and Helena finally reached the outskirts of a small cultivation city.
Their destination wasn’t actually the city itself.
According to the information Serina and Miona had gathered over the years, one of the people connected to their parents’ deaths had once worked for a merchant organization called the Silver Current Merchant Association.
The organization had already collapsed years ago, but several of its former members were apparently still alive.
More importantly, the sisters believed one of those merchants had secretly sold information about their parents to unknown cultivators shortly before their deaths.
𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Miona clenched her fist. "Finally."
Serina remained much calmer, though the coldness in her eyes was obvious. "If our information is correct, we should be able to find one of them here."
Miona immediately stepped forward, but Helena grabbed the back of her robe and stopped her.
She jerked to a stop. "What?"
Helena gave her a flat look. "You’re not going anywhere yet."
Miona frowned. "Why the hell not?"
Helena folded her arms. "Because both of you are still Peak Foundation Establishment."
Miona opened her mouth.
Helena cut her off immediately. "Master gave you Core Formation Pills and enough resources to attempt your breakthroughs."
She pointed toward both sisters. "So before we start chasing people who may have cultivators protecting them, you’re breaking through to Golden Core."
Miona’s expression darkened. "We don’t have time to..."
Serina immediately placed one hand on her shoulder. "She’s right."
Miona turned toward her sister in disbelief.
Serina sighed softly. "If something goes wrong while we’re investigating, being stronger could be the difference between escaping and dying."
Helena gave an approving nod. "At least one of you uses her head."
Miona’s eyebrow twitched. "I use my head."
Helena glanced at her. "Mostly for hitting things."
Miona raised her middle finger. "...Fuck you."
Helena almost smiled.
They soon found a secluded valley that same afternoon.
Serina prepared first.
She arranged several formation flags around herself, carefully placed the pills Damian had given her within reach, and spent hours stabilizing her breathing before finally swallowing the Noble Grade Core Formation Pill.
Water Qi slowly gathered around her, and unlike ordinary violent breakthroughs, Serina’s was strangely peaceful.
Thin streams of water circled her body in perfect spirals as she compressed her spiritual energy layer by layer.
Helena watched from nearby and quietly nodded. "She’s cautious... very good."
Miona crossed her arms. "She overthinks everything."
Helena glanced at her. "Which is exactly why she isn’t exploding."
Miona glared at her.
Several hours later, Serina’s aura suddenly surged as a Golden Core successfully formed within her dantian.
Serina slowly opened her eyes and exhaled, a satisfied grin spreading across her face.
She had finally become a Golden Core Realm cultivator.
Miona immediately stood up. "My turn."
Helena’s expression turned suspicious. "Don’t rush."
"I know," Miona replied.
Contrary to her words, however, she did exactly that.
The moment she swallowed the pill, she recklessly dragged far more water qi into her body than necessary.
Her aura immediately became unstable as water qi exploded outward from her body.
Serina’s expression changed. "Miona!"
Miona raised a hand. "I fucking got it!"
"You clearly fucking don’t," Helena snapped.
Miona gritted her teeth and forced even more Qi inward, and cracks of unstable energy began appearing around her forming core.
Helena’s face darkened as she immediately stepped in and smacked Miona on the head.
"OW! WHAT THE FUCK?!" Miona cursed loudly.
"Stop forcing it, you fucking idiot!" Helena shouted back.
Helena grabbed her shoulder and forced her posture steady. "You’re forming a Golden Core, not trying to win a fucking argument with Heaven."
Serina nearly laughed despite herself.
Under Helena’s guidance and several more threats of physical correction, Miona finally stabilized her breakthrough.
Hours later, Miona’s own Golden Core finally formed successfully.
The moment it stabilized, she collapsed backward, breathing heavily.
Helena looked down at her. "Congratulations. You survived yourself."
Miona weakly raised her middle finger.
Helena simply stared at it for several seconds before letting out a quiet chuckle.
Serina noticed it immediately.
Helena had been far more guarded when they first left Damian. Now, she was lecturing them, protecting them, and even joking with them from time to time.
Perhaps somewhere along the journey, she had stopped seeing them as troublesome outsiders.
After all, if everything went well...
These two ridiculous sisters would eventually become her junior sisters in the [Forbidden Immortal Harem].
---
The next morning, Helena stood beneath a large tree with her arms crossed while Serina and Miona finished stabilizing their newly formed Golden Cores.
Once both sisters were ready, Helena finally asked, "Alright. Who exactly are we killing?"
Miona immediately looked toward Serina.
Serina calmly pulled a folded piece of paper from her storage ring and opened it.
On it was a rough portrait of a middle-aged man with narrow eyes and a thin mustache.
Helena glanced down at the portrait. "Name?"
Serina’s expression turned colder. "Darrick. He was one of the senior managers of the Silver Current Merchant Association before it collapsed."
Miona clenched her fist. "That bastard was responsible for handling information sales."
Serina nodded. "Several years ago, someone paid the association for information about our parents: their location, cultivation, habits, and even where they usually traveled."
Helena’s eyes sharpened slightly. "And you’re certain he was involved?"
Serina shook her head. "Not completely."
Miona frowned. "Which is why we’re not killing him immediately."
Helena looked mildly surprised.
Serina continued, "First, we capture him. Then we make him tell us who bought the information."
She tapped the portrait. "Darrick currently lives inside the city under a different identity. He owns a small auction business and keeps several guards around him."
Helena shrugged. "Cultivation?"
Serina calmly replied, "Early Golden Core."
Miona immediately grinned. "Perfect."
Helena gave her a warning look. "You broke through yesterday. Don’t get cocky."
Miona’s grin disappeared slightly. "Yeah, yeah."
Serina put away the portrait and explained, "We’ll enter separately. Miona will create a disturbance near the auction house."
Miona cracked her knuckles. "I’ll use the confusion to enter through the rear and disable the formations."
Serina then looked toward Helena. "You stay outside."
Helena raised an eyebrow.
Serina continued, "If anything goes wrong, stop anyone strong enough to interfere. After all, this is our revenge."
Helena stared at both sisters before giving a small nod. "Simple enough."
Miona immediately started walking toward the city. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?"
Serina followed.
Helena sighed and stepped after them. "Try not to destroy half the city."
Miona glanced back with a grin. "No promises."
Helena’s eye twitched. "Damian really did choose troublesome women."