Chapter 1012: The Three Women Defend Their Husband

With the entire world now aware that the new heavens were descending, nothing could halt the Dazheng Alliance's march toward unifying the world. One by one, kings and emperors submitted to Xiao Nanfeng. Even some Immortal Emperors who valued humanity over their own ambitions willingly joined the Dazheng Alliance, further expanding its territory.

This territorial expansion did not require Xiao Nanfeng's direct involvement. His civil officials, along with numerous strategists newly integrated into Dazheng, were more than capable of handling matters with great efficiency.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng diligently focused on improving his own strength and cultivation.

Within a grand hall in Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar attempted to intuit a branch of the world tree.

He didn't initially expect anything to come out of it; after all, these keys were like the charms of heavenly law that the saints had possessed, which had always repelled him.

However, when he activated one of the keys, he was suddenly engulfed in red light that enveloped him without any sign of rejection. An inexplicable sensation washed over him, an ethereal experience beyond description—almost as if his spirit had wandered into the void.

His eyes widened. "I can comprehend heavenly law now!"

He immediately calmed his mind and sat down in meditation, activating all nine keys one by one. Somehow, he seemed to have stumbled upon a profound secret. Rather than peruse the keys further, he glanced at all nine together with a frown.

Just then, seven esteemed guests arrived at Yongding, all supreme cultivators who commanded a branch of the world tree.

They were among the strongest individuals of the world, so Xiao Nanfeng personally received them in another grand hall.

Palace attendants served them Immortal tea as Xiao Nanfeng smiled and asked, "What brings all of you here today?"

The seven supreme cultivators exchanged glances with each other. Given Xiao Nanfeng's intelligence, they knew that beating around the bush would be futile. It was better to be direct.

The Immortal Emperor of Daru spoke up first. "Emperor Xiao, we are here today with an earnest request."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng replied curiously.

"After the battle beyond the heavens, we exchanged keys to our respective branches of heavenly law with each other. In the past, we were each hegemons of our era. Although we may not have Yu Fuli's intuition, we've all successfully grasped several additional branches of heavenly law."

"That's good news," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The Immortal Emperor of Daru nodded. "It is. We've gradually gained control over new branches of the world tree, but after the third branch, a problem arose. The three branches began to repel each other, making it increasingly difficult for us to contro lmore."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"The new heavens will soon descend, bringing even greater peril. The three Qing Grandmasters may be formidable, but even the Yuqing Grandmaster nearly perished due to Sibyl's scheming. We all wish to do our part for the world. To that end, we want to master all nine branches—but we can't do that with the tools available to us. I recall that your golden world tree can combine the power of all nine branches. We ask for your assistance—that you either lend us your golden tree for a time, so that we may comprehend its power, or provide us with a key encapsulating its fundamentals."

The other cultivators nodded and bowed deeply. "For the good of the world, we ask this of you, Emperor Xiao."

Xiao Nanfeng considered the request, but ultimately shook his head. "I apologize. My golden world tree has no corresponding key, and may not be able to help you secure more branches of heavenly law."

"Might we test it?" the Immortal Emperor of Daru asked anxiously.

"Yes, Emperor Xiao, please allow us to try! We're doing this for the good of the world."

"Emperor Xiao, please grant us this opportunity."

"Allow us to witness your world tree once more!"

The cultivators held their ground.

Xiao Nanfeng considered the request again. "In that case, I shall test it with my three wives. I will inform all of you about the results of our testing."

The seven cultivators frowned.

They had planned to pressure Xiao Nanfeng using the moral high ground, but he hadn't fallen for it, leaving them frustrated.

"Emperor Xiao, time is of the essence! Each additional cultivator studying the golden tree will increase the chance of success. If the new heavens descend earlier than expected and we remain unprepared, wouldn't it spell disaster for all mankind? For the sake of the world, please reconsider." The Immortal Emperor of Daru bowed once more.

"Emperor Xiao, we implore you!" The other cultivators bowed as well.

Xiao Nanfeng sneered inwardly. How much more shameless could these cultivators get? Just as he was about to respond, a voice echoed from outside the hall. Madam Rouge had arrived. "Didn't you hear my husband? The golden tree belongs to him. How he handles it is up to him. Who are you to dictate these terms?"

Madam Rouge, the Divine Emperor, and Liu Miaoyin made their way into the hall, their expressions cold and unyielding.

"Madam Rouge, you're going too far. We're doing this for the good of the world," the Immortal Emperor of Daru stated.

Madam Rouge scoffed. "What a noble excuse! Is my husband to be considered a criminal against the world just because he doesn't hand you his golden tree? Without his efforts, this world would already have perished."

The Immortal Emperor of Daru retorted, "We also contributed to defeating Sibyl. Without the nine branches of the world tree, how could Emperor Xiao have won?"

Madam Rouge snapped coldly, "Your assistance is no longer necessary. I, the Divine Emperor, and Liu Miaoyin each wield three distinct branches of the world tree. Together, we can manifest the world tree in full. We don't need you anymore."

The Divine Emperor and Liu Miaoyin nodded.

"We only had to deal with a single foe this time around: Sibyl. What if multiple Darkborn descend next time?" the Immortal Emperor of Daru demanded.

"That is no excuse for demanding my husband's treasure. If you're really doing this for the good of the world, why didn't you inform us before you showed up? You avoided us and secretly banded together to pressure my husband. Dream on!"

"You!" the Immortal Emperor of Daru thundered.

"Furthermore, if you're truly acting for the good of the world, why not disseminate your insights about the branches of the world tree you've mastered? Share it publicly for one and all," Madam Rouge continued.

"Would others even understand our insight?" the Immortal Emperor of Daru retorted.

Madam Rouge laughed sharply. "I won't bother bickering with you. We shall be sharing our insights publicly so that everyone may benefit. You may not be skilled enough to master more branches of the world tree, but someone surely will succeed."

The Immortal Emperor of Daru gaped, while the other supreme cultivators frowned in anger. Though they didn't think there were others in the world who could comprehend the branches of the world tree, Madam Rouge's assertion had stymied them from asking for Xiao Nanfeng's golden tree, at least for the time being.

"Now, if you have no other matters, please leave," Madam Rouge stated.

The seven supreme cultivators exchanged dark looks. Fighting for Xiao Nanfeng's golden tree now would put them at a disadvantage. With the golden tree and the nine branches of the world tree collectively mastered by the three women, they would surely suffer losses.

After a long, weighty silence, the Immortal Emperor of Daru finally said, "Forgive our intrusion, Emperor Xiao."

"Farewell," the others said coldly as they left, resentment flickering in their eyes. Clearly, they hadn't yet given up on the golden tree.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't see his seven guests off. Rather, he turned to the three women. "What are all of you doing here?"

The Divine Emperor grumbled, "Why didn't you tell us about these 'guests'?"

Madam Rouge nodded. "What would you have done if we weren't here? Would you really have shared your golden tree with them?"

Liu Miaoyin frowned as well. "They really were overreaching."

Xiao Nanfeng couldn't help but smile at the three women's unified front. This was a good sign indeed.

"I would have sent them away, naturally. That said, I need to contemplate on my golden tree for some time, and I can't share it with you for the time being," Xiao Nanfeng said seriously.

The three women were puzzled, but they all nodded.

"Are none of you able to master more branches of the world tree, either?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

The Divine Emperor nodded. "It's strange. Three seems to be our hard limit."

Liu Miaoyin nodded as well. "I'm experiencing the same issue."

Madam Rouge began, "It really does seem as though we'll need the golden tree's help to master more branches. At the very least, none of us have any other ideas at the moment."

Xiao Nanfeng inclined his head in understanding. "Once I finish with the golden tree, I'll assist all of you."

The Divine Emperor suddenly said, "Now that you're a ninth-stage Boundless Immortal, it must be difficult for you to make further breakthroughs."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "I need more Heaven's Hands. I've issued a bounty on them to the world at large, so I may have access to more shortly."

The Divine Emperor suggested, "If you can't raise your physical cultivation further, you can try merging your soul first."

"Oh?"

"At the peak of the Boundless Immortal realm, you'll have to merge your soul and physical body to become a Primordial Boundless Immortal. At the moment, your soul is split. You can make headway at the moment by merging your avatar and main body's souls together. The more perfect your unified soul, the stronger your power as a Primordial Boundless Immortal."

Liu Miaoyin agreed. "The primordial transformation is instrumental. You cannot treat it lightly. I agree with the Divine Emperor's suggestion."

"And I as well," Madam Rouge added.

Xiao Nanfeng glanced at the three women and nodded. "Very well."