Chapter 223: The Lacking Taiqing

Xiao Nanfeng could sense that something was amiss from the expressions of the gathered elders. He immediately looked toward the four elders that had stepped forward to greet him.

"Didn't all of you accompany Elder Ku here? Where has he gone?" Xiao Nanfeng pressed.

"Elder Chen led us straight to the Crystal Hall. The moment we entered, however, a large group of skeletal dragons accosted us. In order to lure the dragons away, Elder Ku ended up being separated from us. Just as we were about to escape from the region around the Crystal Hall, Division Leader Zhao Tianheng suddenly showed up and led us here," one elder stated.

"Oh?"

"Division Leader Zhao said that he had been trapped by the skeletal dragons some time ago, and had sent Elder Chen back to the sect to request assistance while he was trapped. However, Mr. Wen of the Tianshu Empire rescued him while we were still en route. Mr. Wen also set up a huge formation around the Crystal Hall, which can be controlled with this altar. Mr. Wen ceded control over the altar to Division Leader Zhao, claiming that all treasures we obtain here would be the property of the Taiqing Immortal and Demonic Sects," the elder continued.

"The majority of the cultivators here are elders of the Taiqing Immortal Sect, and a few are from the Taiqing Demonic Sect," the elder by his side added.

"Where is my senior brother, Elder Zhao Yuanjiao, then?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

All the Ascended elders that had accompanied Elder Ku here were present and accounted for save Zhao Yuanjiao.

"Zhao Yuanjiao killed Elder Chen, and he's now being detained in that cage of white fog over there."

The elder pointed toward a dense cloud of white fog that was all but solid; Xiao Nanfeng would never have guessed that there was anyone within.

"What? Why would Elder Zhao kill Elder Chen?" Xiao Nanfeng gaped.

"We don't know either. We saw Zhao Yuanjiao suddenly go crazy. He killed Elder Chen and wounded countless others beside, and we barely managed to restrain him."

Xiao Nanfeng's brows furrowed as he stepped toward the cage.

"What are you doing, Xiao Nanfeng?" Zhao Tianheng suddenly shouted.

All the Taiqing elders looked toward him.

"Division Leader, I just heard that my senior brother, Elder Zhao, has been maligned. I wanted to check on him," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Maligned? Zhao Yuanjiao killed another elder in sight of us all. Who has maligned him?"

"Zhao Yuanjiao has hurt several other elders as well. His punishment is rightly deserved!"

"He's been controlled by a cursed effigy. If not for Division Leader Zhao's insistence that we detain him, we would already have killed him."

A number of elders defended Division Leader Zhao's decision.

"Division Leader, it is within my rights to request an audience even with prisoners and convicts. I would like to see my senior brother for myself," Xiao Nanfeng told Zhao Tianheng.

Zhao Tianheng stared at Xiao Nanfeng. "Do as you will. I too hoped that Yuanjiao was innocent, but everyone saw him commit the act."

Zhao Tianheng activated the altar, causing the white fog to disperse and revealing a pillar shining with red light. Zhao Yuanjiao, soaked in blood, was tethered to the pillar.

Beside him was an Ascended elder, which Xiao Nanfeng recognized. He was one of Zhao Yuanjiao's trusted confidantes. His hand was likewise on the pillar. Both his eyes and Zhao Yuanjiao's were shut. They stood motionless.

"What are they doing?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"Zhao Yuanjiao may be controlled by a cursed effigy. Elder Huang is detaining him within an illusory realm and simultaneously attempting to awaken his psyche," one elder replied.

"I want to look into the illusory realm," Xiao Nanfeng said, taking a deep breath.

"You'll be able to step inside if you make physical contact with that pillar. Senior Brother Xiao, I'll join you," the elder replied.

"And we'll guard you," the other three elders said.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded and reached out for the pillar. The red light from the pillar enveloped him as he suddenly felt as though he were falling. He landed in a foggy illusion.

Within the illusion, Zhao Yuanjiao was chained by a large boulder. His expression was fierce; he roared like a wild beast. Even when Xiao Nanfeng walked up to him, he showed no sign of recognizing him.

"What are you doing here?" a voice came from close by.

It was Elder Huang, who was responsible for guarding Zhao Yuanjiao. He held a whip in his hand and was looking toward Xiao Nanfeng and the other elder in surprise.

"Division Leader Zhao allowed me in to check on Zhao Yuanjiao's condition. Elder Huang, you may leave now," the elder accompanying Xiao Nanfeng stated.

Elder Huang didn't stop them, but he didn't leave the illusion, either. He stood close by and watched the two cultivators quietly.

Xiao Nanfeng noticed the whip wounds all over Zhao Yuanjiao's body. "Elder Huang, have you been whipping my senior brother?"

Elder Huang nodded. "Zhao Yuanjiao has gone crazy, and he may have been possessed by a cursed effigy. This whip is a treasure that unlocks this illusory realm and has the ability to agitate one's mind. I'm using it in an attempt to awaken him."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned, but he didn't argue with Elder Huang. He slowly walked toward Zhao Yuanjiao.

"You had better not get too close. He's chained up, but his spiritual power is immense. If you get too close, he may attack you," Elder Huang warned.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored him and walked straight up to Zhao Yuanjiao.

Zhao Yuanjiao roared, pouncing toward Xiao Nanfeng with chains in tow. He bared his teeth, as though intending to devour him.

"Be careful, Senior Brother Xiao!" the accompanying elder called out.

Elder Huang smirked coldly.

Xiao Nanfeng calmly struck Zhao Yuanjiao with a palm, sending him slamming into the ground. He was unable to move while Xiao Nanfeng held him down.

"What? How could this be? Is your spiritual cultivation more advanced than Zhao Yuanjiao's?" Elder Huang gasped.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored him. He held Zhao Yuanjiao down. "Wake up, Senior Brother! What's going on?"

Xiao Nanfeng had encountered far more than his fair share of cursed effigies, and it was apparent at a glance that Zhao Yuanjiao hadn't been possessed.

Zhao Yuanjiao roared at Xiao Nanfeng, but showed no signs of awakening.

"I told you, it's useless! You had better stay away from him," Elder Huang urged, seemingly growing more flustered.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to Elder Huang. "Lend me your whip."

Elder Huang gave him a look. "It's useless! I've tried it many times, but I was unable to awaken Zhao Yuanjiao at all."

"Let me have a try," Xiao Nanfeng repeated.

Elder Huang grimaced. He seemed unwilling, but ultimately passed the whip to Xiao Nanfeng.

The moment Xiao Nanfeng held the whip, he could sense how unusual it was. He infused a bit of his spiritual power into it, causing it to release a large quantity of red light.

"What? How can you activate this whip?" Elder Huang cried out.

"Hm? Senior Brother Xiao, we tried to use the whip as well, but it never released red light when we did it!" said the elder beside him.

"Quick, give me back the whip!" Elder Huang shouted, preparing to wrest it out of Xiao Nanfeng's hands.

Xiao Nanfeng sent Elder Huang flying with a flick of his wrist, then coiled the whip around Zhao Yuanjiao's spiritual avatar.

Zhao Yuanjiao suddenly shook. His bestial expression suddenly vanished, and he seemed to grow far more clear-headed.

"Xiao Nanfeng? What are you doing here?" Zhao Yuanjiao exclaimed.

"Thank goodness you've woken up, Senior Brother. It looks like I was right. Someone has put you under a compulsion." Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes.

Elder Huang panicked and attempted to run into the fog.

"Where do you think you're going?" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

He snapped the whip in his hand. The whip grew taut around Elder Huang's neck as Xiao Nanfeng dragged him close by.

"Let me go!" Elder Huang cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng punched Elder Huang, sending him crashing to the ground as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. His chest had collapsed; Xiao Nanfeng had crippled him with just a single punch.

"Watch over him," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

The elder beside him held Elder Huang's wounded body down with a foot as Xiao Nanfeng walked back up to Zhao Yuanjiao.

Without the red light from the whip, Zhao Yuanjiao had reverted to a bestial form once more. Xiao Nanfeng coiled the whip around him and restored his lucidity again.

"What's going on, Senior Brother?"

"Zhao Tianheng put me under a compulsion. He detained me here. When others visit me, I won't be able to control my spiritual avatar and will turn bestial and belligerent. Once they're gone, Elder Huang will restore my lucidity for a moment and interrogate me about how to control the blackguards. I've only managed to survive until now by not telling him anything."

"Oh?"

"Although I can't control my actions, I'm aware of everything that happens around me," Zhao Yuanjiao added.

"Zhao Tianheng compelled you to kill Elder Chen? Isn't Elder Chen one of Zhao Tianheng's confidantes?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"I was the one who killed Elder Chen. They struck at me together, and I resisted as much as I could. I managed to kill Elder Chen, but I was no match for Zhao Tianheng and fell prey to his compulsion. The fuss I made was enough to draw the attention of a large group of elders, and Zhao Tianheng took the opportunity to force me to injure some of them. Then, he took me down and detained me here."

"In that case, Zhao Tianheng deliberately requested the sect's assistance as part of a convoluted scheme to target you? Might he be responsible for Master's disappearance as well?" Xiao Nanfeng questioned coldly.

"I don't understand why he would go this far for these blackguards. Why would he do something so malicious, so underhanded?" Zhao Yuanjiao gritted out.

"Senior Brother, to clear your name, we need to remove this compulsion and expose Zhao Tianheng in public. This whip can only temporarily suppress the compulsion, and only in this illusory realm. Do you know how the compulsion can be removed?"

"It's useless. My spiritual cultivation technique is The Lacking Taiqing, a technique created by a grandmaster of the sect in ages past that derives from the Taiqing Yin Body. Others who cultivate the same technique and possess more spiritual power can forcibly compel those weaker than they are, a form of spiritual suppression. Zhao Tianheng cultivates the same technique, so unless my spiritual power can eclipse his, it would be impossible for me to free myself of his compulsion," Zhao Yuanjiao replied in vexation.

"The Lacking Taiqing? Based on the Taiqing Yin Body?" Xiao Nanfeng confirmed.

Zhao Yuanjiao suddenly frowned. "Hold on. This whip should only work for those who are acknowledged by Zhao Tianheng, and you certainly wouldn't have received that. Could it be that you also cultivate The Lacking Taiqing?"

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. He cultivated Body of Yin, from which the Taiqing Yin Body, and hence The Lacking Taiqing, derived.

"Senior Brother, if you have more spiritual power than Zhao Tianheng, will you be able to break free of the compulsion? What if I were to transfer my spiritual power to you? Would that work?"

Zhao Yuanjiao sighed and shook his head. "It won't be sufficient. He's already at Lunar Deluge, and you could hardly have more spiritual power than he does. You won't be able to help me unless you can bring Master back here."

"Lunar Deluge? I don't think it's impossible, then." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up with confidence.