Chapter 267: At the Foot of Mt. Swallowtail

The rogue soldiers' headquarters within the Xiao lands was located at Mt. Swallowtail, and countless soldiers were always milling about the region.

The abbot of the Jingang Temple and Xu Ming had just arrived at the foot of the mountain in a rush. However, there was no sign of any ambush by Xiao Nanfeng.

Xu Ming asked his subordinates if anything had happened, but none of the cities under their control had been attacked.

"Wasn't Xiao Nanfeng going to raid this area? Or could he have been trying to mislead us to raid Cui Haisheng's headquarters instead?" the abbot of the Jingang Temple asked.

"I've had spies keeping an eye on Cui Haisheng's headquarters, and they haven't reported anything amiss. I don't think they've been attacked by Xiao Nanfeng, but just in case, I've sent some scouts to check again," Xu Ming said.

Both monks were rather disturbed by the fact that Xiao Nanfeng's actions weren't what either of them had expected.

A Jingang disciple quickly approached them to report on the situation at Yongding.

"You're certain that one of Cui Haisheng's avatars headed to Yongding before being chased away by Hong Lie?" Xu Ming asked, frowning.

"Yes, Senior. I didn't dare tarry, so I rushed back immediately to report the news. All the Taiqing disciples are gone, too."

Xu Ming shot up with a frown. "Something's wrong. Xiao Nanfeng said he was going to attack this place. He wouldn't have done that for nothing. If he hasn't gone to attack Cui Haisheng, where could he be? Could he have attacked the Jingang Temple?!"

"What?!" the abbot exclaimed.

"I'm not certain, but doesn't it look like that could be the case?" Xu Ming began to panic.

Just then, a red-clad monk flew over.

"Master, Abbot, something's wrong!" The red-clad monk was clearly agitated and panicked.

"What's wrong? Why have you come?" Xu Ming grew more and more worried.

"After I split up with you, I went to spy on Taiqing Island. When I suddenly saw the Taiqing disciples I had kidnapped and brought to the Jingang Temple returning to the Taiqing Island to recuperate, I knew that something had to be amiss. I rushed back to Jingang Temple and saw... I saw..." the red-clad monk shuddered in fear.

"What did you see?!"

"The Jingang Temple has been destroyed and reduced to rubble. All the disciples are dead. The mountain peaks of the temple have collapsed. Everything's a mess, and it looks like the draconic vein has been excavated," the red-clad monk rattled off in a frenzy.

"Xiao Nanfeng really was there!" Xu Ming's body grew ice-cold.

"Did you see Xu Fa?" the abbot pressed.

"No. Senior Uncle Xu Fa wasn't in the ruins of the temple. Even his corpse was nowhere to be found," the red-clad monk whispered.

"Xiao Nanfeng, you've gone too far. Forever do I brand you an enemy of the Jingang Temple!" Xu Ming roared out, so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!" The red-clad monk rushed forward to support Xu Ming.

Xu Ming was about to head off to seek revenge when the abbot held him back. "What are you trying to do, Xu Ming? Head to Yongding? Hong Lie might be waiting there for you. Do you intend to magnify the losses of the Jingang Temple?"

Xu Ming wilted. His expression was one of grievance, rage, and despair.

"Be not anxious. Xiao Nanfeng will pay for what he's done to Xu Kong and Xu Fa, but you can't let anger overwhelm you. We're worried about the Immortals that are backing up Xiao Nanfeng, but we have Immortal backers of our own. We just have to wait until Xiang Pojun leads secluded cultivation," the abbot of the Jingang Temple said.

"But Xiang Pojun lost to Hong Lie! He—"

"He may have, but he can easily seek the aid of more members of his clan. The Xiang clan's reserves are deep, whereas we are in rather dire straits," the abbot replied.

"Xiang Pojun's still in secluded cultivation, and the other members of the Xiang clan refuse to acknowledge us. Are we just going to wait?" Xu Ming demanded.

"What's wrong with a little wait? Xiao Nanfeng has excavated the draconic vein that serves as the roots of the Jingang Temple. In that case, let's take advantage of the opportunity to dig up his roots as well. We can excavate the draconic vein within his lands," the abbot replied.

"Excavate a draconic vein?" Xu Ming gaped.

"You've chosen to make Mt. Swallowtail your headquarters. This place is rife with ambient spiritual aether, and it's very likely that there's a draconic vein here. It used to be where a sect had been encamped before it was destroyed by the Tianshu Empire and these lands passed to the Xiao clan. Xiao Hongye was reluctant to excavate the draconic vein here—well, we'll do it for him. Xiao Nanfeng strengthened his subordinates with the draconic vein of the Jingang Temple, so we'll do the same on his territory. The majority of the disciples are right here, after all," the abbot said.

"Very well. We'll excavate the Xiao vein while waiting for the Xiang clan," Xu Ming replied, gnashing his teeth.

A month later, Xiao Nanfeng's main body and Yu'er had arrived by the outskirts of Mt. Swallowtail. They glanced at the fog-shrouded mountain and forest from far away.

"Nanfeng, are you certain that this is the place?" Yu'er whispered.

"The Red Emperor left far too little information. My troops have taken down another thirty cities over the last month, but they never found a location similar to that of your description. I considered taking a different approach. All the dragon-quelling spikes had been located by draconic veins. Can't we just search for the draconic veins in the Xiao lands? Perhaps there's one by this mountain," Xiao Nanfeng suggested.

"But isn't this mountain the rogue soldiers' headquarters? Do you intend to fight your way in? They've surrounded the mountain with a powerful formation. We can't get in!" Yu'er frowned.

"They're trying to excavate the draconic vein over here."

"Oh?"

"My spies reported that there hadn't been a formation here until a month ago, when the Jingang Temple's abbot brought the majority of the temple's disciples here and dispatched the other rogue soldiers to the frontlines. They're clearly trying to take revenge for what I did," Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully.

"You really are beset by enemies on all fronts, aren't you? Cui Haisheng's eyeing the city of Yongding, and he's forcing you to keep Croak and Warble in reserve in case of an attack. You claim to be here to search for a dragon-quelling spike—but you're really trying to save your draconic vein, aren't you?" Yu'er teased.

"Cui Haisheng's a maniac. Not only has he been eyeing the city of Yongding, he frequently attempts to dress up in black and probe its defenses. Don't worry. I'll be able to rid myself of him soon."

"What now, then? What if they've already excavated the draconic vein by Mt. Swallowtail?" Yu'er asked.

"They can't have. I've had my scouts surveying the area. There haven't been any earthquakes or anything of the sort recently, so they must not have found where it is."

"But how are we going to make it through that formation?" Yu'er asked worriedly.

"Why would we? We're just here to search for the draconic vein and the dragon-quelling spike. There's no need for us to enter."

"Oh?" Yu'er was rather surprised by Xiao Nanfeng's response.

Just then, a pile of earth and rock was upturned, revealing a tunnel dug by a giant pangolin. The pangolin's head appeared from the near end of the tunnel.

"Is the tunnel ready?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The pangolin nodded rapidly, as though attempting to please Xiao Nanfeng.

"This is a pangolin spirit! Why does it listen to you?"

"About half a year ago, Croak and Warble had nothing to do in the undying realm, so they took over the spirits' domain. Of course, they only did so because they were hungry and wanted to eat more roast spiritbeast meat. Some spirits, afraid that they would end up as food, chose to submit and serve Croak and Warble. This pangolin spirit is one of the Ascension-realm spirits that did so, and it leads a group of Immanence-realm small pangolin spirits that are particularly loyal."

"They're helping you dig tunnels through the mountain, then?" Yu'er exclaimed.

"That's right. Over here and by Cui Haisheng's headquarters." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Yu'er gaped. "You really are evil!"

"I'm simply dealing with bandits in my territory. It's nothing but self-defense," Xiao Nanfeng replied primly.

"But they've already laid down the formation. Won't they sense any tunnels being built in their vicinity?" Yu'er asked, worried.

"I had the pangolins dig the tunnels two months ago, so their tunnels predate the formations."

"Oh?" Yu'er was taken by surprise once again.

"Come on. Let's head inside!"

Yu'er nodded, allowing the pangolin to lead the way deep into the tunnel. They even passed by an underground aquifer along the way.

"We're likely right below the enemy encampment—but far deeper below the surface than I'd expect. We must be hundreds of meters, maybe even kilometers, underground!" Yu'er frowned.

"That's how we can avoid detection for sure," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The two cultivators arrived at a large underground cavern, a round hall about thirty meters tall and three hundred meters in diameter.

"Have the surroundings been reinforced?" Xiao Nanfeng asked the pangolin.

The pangolin nodded. "Even an earthquake won't cause a cave-in. There's a large formation up above. If we dig further, we might trip it."

"This is more than sufficient, thank you. It's going to get dangerous around here, so you and all the others should leave immediately. I'll take care of things."

"Yes, King Xiao!" The pangolin left via another tunnel.

"You've treated these pangolins' throats to allow them to talk?" Yu'er exclaimed.

"Of course. Otherwise, it'd be difficult to communicate."

"If you aren't going to continue digging upwards, what's the point of hollowing out this space?" Yu'er seemed confused.

"We're going to excavate the draconic vein before they do, of course." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

He retrieved the Immortal's Destruction.

"You're going to excavate the draconic vein from underground?"

"Don't worry. The surroundings have been reinforced, so we'll be safe. It's just that things might be problematic when we leave here later." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.