Chapter 1022: Reward and Punishment

Several days later, after multiple tests, Xiao Nanfeng had gained a rough understanding of his situation.

The white life hidden realm was vast, almost as large as the entire planet. Countless white-furred monsters inhabited it.

The weaker white-furred monsters were covered entirely in white fur and lacked intelligence. They were not specifically monitored by the Superior but obeyed its commands without question. They frantically searched for Xiao Nanfeng, and as soon as they spotted him, they used some secret method to notify the Superior. Only those white-furred monsters at or above a certain level of strength would regain their intelligence, form their own silver moon, and subsequently fall under its surveillance.

After repeated battles, Xiao Nanfeng noticed that the strongest white-furred monsters were growing even stronger. On one occasion, he even encountered one that matched him evenly in combat, almost preventing him from escaping.

It was only because his parents suddenly rushed in that he was able to break free. Of course, his parents were also fighting intensely, but whenever they were about to inflict serious harm on him, they would suddenly make small mistakes, weakening their attacks significantly before they could land.

"Catch him! Don't let him escape, you idiots!" the Superior roared in anger.

By that time, however, Xiao Nanfeng had already fled and left his pursuers far behind.

In a secluded valley, as Xiao Nanfeng recuperated, he analyzed the current situation.

"My parents are being watched and can't send me any messages, but they seem to be getting stronger. Some of the others are, too. Is the Superior helping them grow stronger? All the ones growing in strength are the ones who fought most fiercely against me..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

Gradually, he deduced what was happening. The Superior was operating on a system of rewards and punishments. Any white-furred monster that valiantly fought him would be generously rewarded, while those who were passive in their pursuit were gradually eliminated.

"If that's the case, I'll have to help my parents become even stronger." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes flashed expectantly.

His giant nine-colored tree was constantly absorbing the unique spiritual energy of the realm and helping him grow stronger as well. The more of these white-furred monsters he killed, the faster his growth.

He suddenly shot forward and slew a white-furred monster, instantly exposing his whereabouts. Soon, he was once again surrounded by a large group of them.

Against the stronger ones, he fought even more ruthlessly. When he encountered his parents, they all exchanged fierce attacks with each other. Though they said nothing, their eyes conveyed a great deal. His parents' gazes were filled with appreciation and approval, reinforcing his guesses.

When he was injured and about to be overwhelmed, he once again fled.

"He's growing stronger. He keeps growing stronger!" the Superior roared.

The next moment, the Superior continued rewarding the most aggressive white-furred creatures. Due to their fierce fighting, Xiao Hongye and Tan Xianzhi were among their number—they were allowed to consume a group of other white-furred monsters, further strengthening themselves.

"Master, isn't there a way we can grow stronger more quickly? That way, Xiao Nanfeng won't be able to escape next time," a white-furred monster asked.

The Superior glared at him and said coldly, "You know nothing. Your truesouls are incredibly weak—how could you possibly withstand more of my divine power? If I enhance you too much at once, your bodies will collapse completely. You must first adapt before I can confer more strength upon you and allow you to consume additional white-furred creatures."

The white-furred monster bowed. "Forgive my ignorance, Master. Thank you for your kindness. But... Xiao Nanfeng is getting stronger and stronger. The longer we drag this out, the harder he will be to deal with."

The Superior fell into deep thought. After a while, it finally said, "You have a point. Very well—we'll halve the number of white-furred monsters who have silver moons."

The white-furred monsters eyed each other in shock.

"Those who actively hunt Xiao Nanfeng will be rewarded. Those who are passive will be punished. As for those who haven't participated in the battles—it'll be based on luck," the Superior declared.

"Understood!" The white-furred monsters trembled in terror but dared not protest. They knelt respectfully.

Xiao Hongye and Tan Xianzhi's eyes twitched. They understood that the Superior alone decided which monsters had been aggressive and which had been cowardly. Halving their numbers in half meant that half of the white-furred monsters would be slaughtered.

All across the white life hidden realm, white-furred monsters began to devour each other.

Where he lay hidden in a remote valley, Xiao Nanfeng reined in his aura and watched as two white-furred monsters fought to consume each other in the distance. His heart thumped.

"So this is how the Superior strengthens them—damn it! The next time I fight, I can't flee too quickly. I need to make sure my parents get more credit in battle."

His injuries healed within a day. He set out once more to hunt more white-furred monsters. Soon, another large group was on his trail.

This time, the monsters were stronger than ever. Xiao Nanfeng maneuvered strategically until his parents arrived. Only then did he go all out, engaging them in a battle that ended with seemingly mutual defeat before he escaped.

Xiao Nanfeng was growing more and more formidable, as were the strongest white-furred monsters. Xiao Hongye and Tan Xianzhi, who fought fiercely and consistently injured Xiao Nanfeng in battle, earned the Superior's favor. Again and again, they were allowed to consume the other white-furred monsters.

"Damn you, Xiao Nanfeng! You won't be able to escape forever!" the Superior roared.

Just like that, ten days later, Xiao Nanfeng had grown stronger than ever before. The power he had received from the giant nine-colored tree had boosted him to the level of a mid-stage Deific Yin cultivator. He felt that another breakthrough was imminent.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hongye and Tan Xianzhi had rapidly grown stronger as well.

The one most infuriated by all this was the Superior.

"Keep searching! Find him!" the Superior bellowed.

Beyond the white life hidden realm, atop a mountain peak, Madam Rouge, the Divine Emperor, and Liu Miaoyin suddenly noticed a series of purple ripples before them. The Yuqing Grandmaster emerged.

The Yuqing Grandmaster was surprised to see the three women before him. "Is something the matter?"

Madam Rouge began, "Yuqing Grandmaster, I apologize for disturbing you. We need your assistance."

"Oh?"

"Do you still recall the Superior? We need to learn everything we can about him."

"The Superior?" The Yuqing Grandmaster narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed. The rumored cultivator who taught you about the Body of Yin," Madam Rouge replied.

"Why are you asking about him?" the Yuqing Grandmaster frowned.

The three women eyed each other, knowing that they wouldn't be able to keep things hidden. They explained that Xiao Nanfeng had been possessed by the Superior.

The Yuqing Grandmaster's eyes widened in alarm. "Again? This quickly?"

"Yuqing Grandmaster, please assist us. We must learn all that we can about him."

The Yuqing Grandmaster nodded. "Ten thousand years ago, I, Taiqing, and Shangqing all received a copy of Body of Yin from the Superior. Not only that, he spread the technique across the world. Countless cultivators learned it. I, Taiqing, and Shangqing, cautious about this unearned gift, researched it without studying it outright. We arranged for some of our trusted subordinates to study our revised versions instead as we worked on perfecting our own hidden realms. Gradually, we discovered that something was badly amiss. There was a big problem with Body of Yin, and those who cultivated the technique gradually went missing. Even those who cultivated our revised techniques were in trouble—as were we, with our respective illusory realms.

"Then, after continued research, we discovered that something was wrong with the Superior as well. He had escaped from the primordial altar, intending to rain destruction on the world.

"That was when we three Qing Grandmasters worked together to destroy everything about the Body of Yin in the world. With great effort, we managed to defeat the Superior and send him back into the primordial altar."

"Why do so? Couldn't you kill him outright?" Madam Rouge frowned.

"We could not. When we tried, another copy of the Superior would revive elsewhere. We attempted to use all sorts of techniques against him, but nothing worked. We had no choice but to seal him in the primordial altar and do our best to wipe away all remaining traces of him in the world."

"What happened next?"

"Every now and then, he would manage to escape. Once he grew above a certain level of strength, the three of us would be able to detect him and deal with him, but before that point, he would be able to avoid our detection."

"Did this happen frequently?" Madam Rouge asked.

"Three times in all, and he grew more and more cautious each time. Rather than focus on growing stronger, he seemed to pick out those cultivators with unique constitutions, then vanish alongside them."

"And my husband was one such cultivator? Dazheng's fortune persists. We're worried that the Superior has our husband's truesoul in his clutches," Madam Rouge explained.

The Yuqing Grandmaster took a deep breath. "From your description, it seems like Xiao Nanfeng was aware of the Superior's schemes. He is likely prepared. There's a good chance his truesoul is safe."

"We don't dare take that risk," Madam Rouge replied wryly.

"Indeed. You are his wives, after all, and you may be in danger from the Superior as well. Stay hidden. I shall meet with the Superior. I have no bonds of affection to Xiao Nanfeng, and the Superior cannot threaten me with his life. Allow me to probe him."

The three women eyed each other. In the end, Madam Rouge said, "Thank you for your assistance, Yuqing Grandmaster. Please protect my husband."

"Thank you, Yuqing Grandmaster!" The other two women bowed as well.

"Let's go."

The three women nodded and flew off in a certain direction following behind the Yuqing Grandmaster.

At the Yuqing Grandmaster's level of strength, he was naturally able to perceive disturbances in the world and hunt down the fake Xiao Nanfeng. Before long, the Superior, in Xiao Nanfeng's physical body, appeared in sight.