Chapter 263: Yu'er Again

Outside the city of Yongding, where a mountain had collapsed, Emperor Tianshu's brother-in-law Cui Haisheng appeared.

During the fight yesterday, Cui Haisheng had been killed by You Jiu and then eaten by Croak and Warble, but that was only one of Cui Haisheng's avatars. Cui Haisheng's reappearance meant that he wouldn't take this insult lying down.

He could vaguely hear some noise coming from underneath the rubble that the mountain left behind. He waved a hand and cleared it away to reveal several Taiqing Demonic Sect elders.

However, the elders were in terrible shape. Their limbs were broken and contorted, and one had even been flatted until his body was like a pancake.

"You're finally here, Master!" one elder exclaimed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"None of you managed to get away?" Cui Haisheng frowned.

"When the two monks' staffs struck us all, my junior brother died instantly, and the rest of us were terribly injured. If not for the Pestilence Sage risking his life to save us, we might all be dead," the elder reported.

Tang blearily opened his eyes. "I must repay your trust, Division Leader. Everyone else here is your disciple. How could I run away on my own?"

Tang knew that Cui Haisheng was a schemer. Although he had publicly stated that the Pestilence Sage couldn't possibly be passing information to Xiao Nanfeng, it was still something that Cui Haisheng would look into. That was why he didn't choose to escape; rather, he pretended to risk his life for Cui Haisheng's disciples. After all, this body of his was just an avatar, and its death would not hurt him unduly.

Tang's terrible appearance now, along with the testimony of Cui Haisheng's own disciples and the well-known grudge that the Pestilence Sage had against Xiao Nanfeng finally dispelled the last of Cui Haisheng's suspicions.

Cui Haisheng immediately retrieved a large quantity of pills. "Thank you for your hard work, Pestilence Sage. Everyone, take these pills and recuperate."

"Thank you, Division Leader." Tang accepted the pills gratefully.

Just then, a figure flew toward Cui Haisheng.

"Division Leader, we've investigated matters thoroughly. All the Taiqing disciples have vanished from the ten cities that Xiao Nanfeng took down, and Xiao Nanfeng hasn't been seen in Yongding."

"Where could Xiao Nanfeng and all the Taiqing disciples have gone?" Tang asked weakly.

Cui Haisheng laughed. "Where else? He knows how to take advantage of victory. If I'm not mistaken, he's either trying to attack our base of operations here or the headquarters of the rogue soldiers that have infiltrated his territory. He's trying to augment his advantage from turning us against each other."

The disciples nodded. "As you say, Division Leader!"

Two more figures emerged.

"Division Leader, we've just confirmed that Xiao Nanfeng isn't heading to our base of operations."

"Division Leader, we've confirmed that Xiao Nanfeng isn't heading to the rogue soldiers' headquarters, either."

Cui Haisheng frowned. "What? Impossible. Are you certain?"

"We've had constant surveillance at these locations, Division Leader. There's no mistake about it," one of Cui Haisheng's subordinates reported.

Cui Haisheng's gaze clouded over before he suddenly opened his eyes wide. "I know where he is now. How bold, how audacious! He's attacking the Jingang Temple itself!"

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"That's where he is. There's a draconic vein under the Jingang Temple. That's why everyone's gone—they're all going to absorb the draconic vein!" Cui Haisheng exclaimed.

"Isn't he afraid that they'll take revenge?" Tang asked.

"Revenge? There's no treasure without risk. His father was just like him in his prime. When the Taiqing Immortal Sect was working to take down the Taiwu Empire, his father raided the Eastern Sea at dawn and the Taiwu capital at dusk, taking full advantage of the lag time before enemy troops could muster and retaliate to whittle them all down. Xiao Nanfeng's just like his father. He'll be a tough nut to crack," Cui Haisheng cursed.

"A draconic vein is quintessential to a sect's growth. It can gather spiritual aether to itself and enrich the land around it for generations. He's intending to drain the Jingang Temple's draconic vein for a one-time boost to his forces' strength?" Tang exclaimed.

"No wonder his cultivation has been climbing so rapidly. He has to be the mystery cultivator that's been excavating draconic veins across the Eastern Sea a few months ago!" Cui Haisheng continued.

"Division Leader, how should we deal with him?" Tang asked.

"If he wants to reclaim his titled lands, he'll need plenty of generals—but officials and administrators are even more important. It's hard to establish an empire and harder still to sustain it. Without outstanding officials, his governance would surely falter."

"Do you intend to attack his officials, Division Leader?" Tang exclaimed.

"That's right. All his officials must be in Yongding right now. Perhaps his chief official, Zheng Qian, is in his manor right now. He's off destroying the Jingang Temple's foundations. Why shouldn't we do the same to his?"

Cui Haisheng flew toward Yongding.

He reached out and conjured a cloud of fog to hide himself, intending to kill as many of Xiao Nanfeng's officials as he could before Xiao Nanfeng returned.

He approached the Xiao manor from the air, spreading his spiritual power in order to get a sense of the Xiao manor and its surroundings. He quickly sensed a large number of officials and conjured a gigantic palm to squash them all flat.

Just then, he saw a red-clad figure in the Xiao manor looking up at him. "Cui Haisheng? You've come, after all."

"What?!" Cui Haisheng exclaimed.

He soared into the air and immediately activated his defenses, as though a threat of unparalleled danger lay below.

"And you've even shrouded yourself in a layer of fog as well. That isn't like you." The red-clad figure smiled.

"Xiao Nanfeng? You haven't gone to the Jingang Temple? What are you doing here?!"

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Could his hypothesis have been wrong? Xiao Nanfeng wasn't at the Jingang Temple. He had been preparing an ambush for him! Cold sweat broke out on Cui Haisheng's back.

"This is my home. Where would I be if not here?" Xiao Nanfeng countered.

This wasn't Xiao Nanfeng's main body, but rather his avatar. He had guessed that Cui Haisheng might attempt to take revenge, so he had left his avatar in the Xiao manor as a deterrent.

"Is this an ambush?" Cui Haisheng's eyes sparked with frost.

"An ambush? Of course not. I'm just welcoming you. For Marquis Cui himself to make an appearance—why, I should be honored. Would you like to join me for a drink?" Xiao Nanfeng offered generously.

Cui Haisheng had titled lands of his own within the Tianshu Empire, and was likewise a marquis in his own right.

Xiao Nanfeng's shout boomed throughout the city. The common people raised their heads and looked up at the sky curiously.

"You're mistaken, Xiao Nanfeng," Cui Haisheng replied, his voice cold.

As long as he refused to admit his identity and had plausible deniability on account of the fog disguising his appearance, Ku Jiang wouldn't be able to use it as an excuse to cause trouble for him.

"Am I mistaken? Then who might you be, sir, to be hovering around my city of Yongding? Who might you be to impersonate Marquis Cui and attempt to raid my manor?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

Cui Haisheng glared at the manor below him. He was certain that there was an ambush waiting. He couldn't stay here any longer.

Hold on. What if this is only his avatar?

Cui Haisheng wondered. Cui Haisheng rapidly came up with a new hypothesis. What if this was Xiao Nanfeng's avatar and all this was a ploy to get him to leave?

"Who are you, sir? Why are you refusing to respond to my questions? What are you doing here in Yongding?" Xiao Nanfeng continued.

Cui Haisheng very much wanted to swoop down toward Xiao Nanfeng, but he was worried that Xiao Nanfeng's three Wingform-realm subordinates would be in his manor waiting for him. Even so, he didn't want to leave, either. What if all this was just a trick?

Cui Haisheng retrieved a guqin, deciding to test the waters a bit longer. He would remain some distance away and attack the Xiao manor with his guqin from afar.

As he plucked at the guqin's strings, a giant ethereal stork manifested and flew toward the Xiao manor.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. Cui Haisheng wasn't an easy opponent. A single stork would be easy to dispel, but Cui Haisheng would only grow more and more aggressive as time passed. If that happened, the lack of cultivators in the Xiao manor would be exposed.

However, Xiao Nanfeng had no choice but to play along. All he could do was hope that he could delay things long enough that his main body would be back in time to repel any potential ssault.

Just then, a flute could be heard from close by.

A phoenix's cry emanated from within the city of Yongding as a magnificent ethereal phoenix soared into the skies to meet the giant stork.

The two ethereal birds struck each other in the air and dissipated. Their bodies vanished in a howling gale that buffeted the city.

"Who's that?" Cui Haisheng exclaimed.

Xiao Nanfeng jumped up to a rooftop and saw a red-robed woman playing a flute not far from the Xiao manor. She had been the one to summon the phoenix and block Cui Haisheng's blow.

"Yu'er?!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.