Chapter 1018: Evil Against Evil

Amidst the clouds, the figure whom the Immortal Emperor of Daru had mistaken as Xiao Nanfeng was, of course, the Superior. However, the Superior had no intention of revealing his true identity at this moment.

"Long time no see, Immortal Emperor of Daru." The Superior smiled slightly.

The emperor was just about to respond when a group of his ministers soared into the sky toward him.

Upon seeing "Xiao Nanfeng," they were all astonished, but before they could speak, the Immortal Emperor of Daru waved his hand and silenced them. He then gestured for them to retreat to a distance so they wouldn't interrupt the conversation.

"Xiao Nanfeng, are you here for me? What do you want?" the Immortal Emperor of Daru asked gravely.

"Haven't you always wanted my golden tree? I'm giving you a chance," the Superior replied.

"Oh?" The Immortal Emperor's eyes lit up.

"We will have a private duel. If you win, I will hand over the golden tree. If you lose, you must never covet the golden tree again."

The Immortal Emperor of Daru narrowed his eyes. He instinctively felt that Xiao Nanfeng might be setting a trap for him. After all, he had twice led people to cause trouble in Yongding. A private duel might well result in an ambush.

"May I bring some of my ministers to observe the battle?"

If Xiao Nanfeng were to fight him openly, he was confident that he would win. However, he worried that Xiao Nanfeng might have invited his three wives to ambush him. If his subordinates were present, their avatars could relay the battle to the world in real time, ensuring that Xiao Nanfeng wouldn't dare use underhanded tactics.

"At most three subordinates," the Superior replied.

"Very well. You are forthright, Emperor Xiao. It's settled."

He then summoned his ministers, selecting three who had avatars, and gave them instructions before leading his group of five into outer space.

Against an expert of the Immortal Emperor of Daru's caliber, the Superior couldn't afford to be careless. He knew that once the fight began, his identity would inevitably be exposed. Before obtaining what he sought, however, he did not want to cause too much commotion worldwide. Fighting in outer space would be ideal.

A day later, in Daru's capital, a group of Daru's ministers were waiting anxiously. As the Immortal Emperor of Daru's trusted aides, they knew what was going on. Some of them had avatars following the battle in outer space and could provide real-time updates.

"Xiao Nanfeng's only trump card is the golden tree. He's no match for His Majesty."

"His Majesty now wields three branches of the world tree, and he boasts immense power. How could Xiao Nanfeng possibly defeat him?"

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"His Majesty will surely achieve his wish and obtain the golden tree."

The ministers eagerly anticipated their Immortal Emperor's triumphant return.

Suddenly, however, one of them turned pale with fright. "His Majesty—His Majesty lost!"

"What?!" the cultivators cried out.

"Xiao Nanfeng's ruthless! He still won't stop? No—Your Majesty!" the person cried out in alarm.

At that moment, a sorrowful dragon's wail echoed from high above. The sea of fortune over Daru's capital collapsed.

"What? The golden dragon of fortune—"

"Could His Majesty have perished?"

"No—no!"

The entirety of Daru was thrown into chaos.

Some people rushed to gather information, while others furiously cursed Xiao Nanfeng. The news that Xiao Nanfeng had slain the Immortal Emperor of Daru spread like wildfire.

After slaying the Immortal Emperor of Daru, the Superior rushed straight for Daru's capital.

With the Immortal Emperor of Daru gone, there was nothing the rest of the cultivators could do against him. Before long, he located the entrance to a hidden realm in the imperial palace and stepped inside with a hum.

Amidst the shocked gazes of those within the hidden realm, he devoured the Heaven's Hand in one gulp. His aura rumbled fiercely, but he didn't advance any further.

"It's still not enough," the Superior muttered grimly.

He left the hidden realm and headed straight toward the capital of another divine empire.

He had already plundered all ordinary hidden realms. Only those controlled by supreme cultivators remained. Since he could no longer conceal his actions, he now intended to slaughter his way forth.

In a peach blossom grove in Danan's capital, Madam Rouge was awakened by her subordinates, who reported the urgent news to her.

"My husband killed the Immortal Emperor of Daru in order to devour the Heaven's Hand in the hidden realm in Daru's capital?" she clarified.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Many saw him. It's impossible to hide," an attendant replied.

"Then, all these days, these other hidden realms..."

"Many suspect that Emperor Xiao was responsible for the slaughter."

Madam Rouge frowned. "He would never be so tyrannical and cruel. Someone must have impersonated him."

"We didn't believe it either, Your Majesty, but his aura is unmistakable. He's attacking the Immortal Emperor of Dajiang now."

"How could that be?" Madam Rouge frowned in shock.

"Ah, my avatar has just received urgent news—the Immortal Emperor of Dajiang is dead! Dajiang's sea of fortune has collapsed."

"Impossible. He would have kept me updated about his plans," Madam Rouge murmured.

"What should we do, Your Majesty?" the attendant asked.

"How fares Yongding's sea of fortune?" Madam Rouge asked.

"Allow me to find out, Your Majesty," the attendant replied immediately. Quickly, she widened her eyes. "Nothing happened to Yongding's sea of fortune. Daru's and Dajiang's seas of fortune aren't flowing toward it. Could the killer be someone else?"

"It has to be. Yongding's sea of fortune is linked to Nanfeng's truesoul. If his sea of fortune remains tranquil, then the killer must be an impersonator."

"But the killer's aura is identical to Emperor Xiao's!" the attendant exclaimed.

Madam Rouge didn't respond further. She soared into the air and headed straight for Yongding.

Before long, she arrived—only to find that Liu Miaoyin and the Divine Emperor were there as well. They rushed toward where Xiao Nanfeng was in secluded cultivation.

"Ye Sanshui, where's my husband?" Madam Rouge demanded.

Ye Sanshui had heard about the news from the outside world. He had suspicions of his own, but he couldn't simply disobey Xiao Nanfeng's express orders, either.

"Step aside. I want to see my husband for myself!" The Divine Emperor strode forward.

"Immortal Emperors, His Majesty's orders—" Ye Sanshui continued to bar their way.

Liu Miaoyin reached out and summoned a black lotus that formed a barrier around Ye Sanshui, trapping him.

The three women knew how loyal he was, and didn't want to make things difficult for him. Since he was trapped and couldn't find a way out, he stopped struggling as well. He knew that the three women surely had Xiao Nanfeng's best interests in mind.

While the Divine Emperor held back Xiao Nanfeng's other subordinates, Madam Rouge pushed open the door to the hall—revealing that no one was in sight.

"As expected." Madam Rouge grimaced.

Liu Miaoyin dispelled the barrier trapping Ye Sanshui as well.

"Ye Sanshui, tell us everything that has happened," Madam Rouge demanded.

"I..." Ye Sanshui hesitated.

The Divine Emperor shouted, "Don't hesitate! You know that the killer's impersonating Nanfeng and running rampant. We need to know everything!"

Liu Miaoyin added, "Someone's trying to hold Nanfeng accountable for these massacres. The killer's aura is just like our husband's. We're worried that he's been possessed. Tell us everything!"

Ye Sanshui blanched. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he immediately complied.

The three women frowned as they listened to Ye Sanshui's account of events.

Madam Rouge's face soured. "He's been possessed."

The Divine Emperor's eyes widened in fear. "Doesn't that mean that he's in danger?"

Liu Miaoyin looked up at the sky. "Dazheng's sea of fortune remains serene. His truesoul is safe."

The three women sighed in relief.

Madam Rouge said, "I suspect Nanfeng expected something of the sort to happen."

"Oh?"

"Remember when he forbade us from studying his golden tree together?"

The other two women frowned. Indeed. Xiao Nanfeng had seemed to be omitting things from them, but that was the extent of his unnatural behavior.

The Divine Emperor frowned. "Who would be able to possess Nanfeng? Why would he not inform us about the danger?"

Then, the three women's eyes widened as they simultaneously thought of a possibility. "The superior yin pearl—the Superior!"

They eyed each other in growing anger. They had long thought that something was wrong about the Superior, and had tried to warn Xiao Nanfeng to be on guard against him. Xiao Nanfeng had consoled them each time. Now, they understood that he had essentially been held hostage all along.

Liu Miaoyin muttered, "The Superior was mentor to the three Qing Grandmasters. He's undeniably strong. No wonder that even Nanfeng..."

The Divine Emperor gritted out, "We'll take him down immediately and rescue Nanfeng!"

Liu Miaoyin shook her head. "No, we can't. We know nothing about the Superior. What if we accidentally injure Nanfeng's soul?"

The Divine Emperor froze. Her lips stiffened in anger.

Madam Rouge suggested, "Let's find the three Qing Grandmasters. They know more about the Superior than any of us. Let's request their help in saving Nanfeng."

The other two women agreed immediately.