Chapter 377: Slaying Nalan Qiankun

Zhang Feifan and Lan Jiguang were sent flying with a crash. They were bloody all over and heavily injured.

Zhang Lingjun caught Zhang Feifan in midair, while Zhao Yuanjiao caught Lan Jiguang.

"Thank you, division leaders. Allow me to handle the rest," Xiao Nanfeng said from high in the sky.

Everyone turned to look at him. Golden radiance illuminated his body; a tempest of aura trailed his steps.

"Xiao Nanfeng, be careful. He's become a Heaven Immortal as well, and the power of the stars is still raising his strength," Zhang Feifan called out.

"It doesn't matter!" Xiao Nanfeng replied confidently.

He looked coldly toward Nalan Qiankun, who met his gaze with equal emotion. A tempest spun up into existence around Nalan Qiankun's body as well.

The two cultivators' auras clashed against each other explosively.

"Xiao Nanfeng? I planned for everything, not expecting that the largest threat would be a kid like you."

"Today's karma is a result of yesterday's actions. Your evil won't be wiped clean just because you're calculative; rather, you'll have to pay it back tenfold, hundredfold, in the days that follow. Nalan Qiankun, I've detailed enough of your misdeeds in my proclamations to the world. Today, on behalf of all those you've hurt, I shall take revenge. You'll have to pay for what you did," Xiao Nanfeng shouted coldly.

Nalan Qiankun shot toward Xiao Nanfeng, eyes cold.

The two cultivators clashed in a storm of fire and wind.

Nalan Qiankun was sent flying with a punch. He shattered a whole mountain as he fell.

This shocking sight left countless cultivators with wide eyes. They couldn't believe that Xiao Nanfeng could be so strong.

The next moment, Nalan Qiankun emerged from the ruins of the mountain and shot forward, howling, "Impossible. How could you be so strong after channeling the might of Dazheng? I've tried it once, and I received less than a tenth of your strength! And your current borders aren't even as large as mine were."

"An empire's strength is dependent not on the size of its borders, but the loyalty of its people. The nature of a monarch is neither status nor authority, but responsibility. The people are those who govern the empire, and the monarch is only one such person, bearing the responsibility of guiding the people toward wealth, prosperity, and strength. You've governed the Tianshu Empire for decades, but you don't understand your people. All you care about is authority and ability; all you know is to wring the people dry. Why would they assist you in your time of need?"

Xiao Nanfeng punched Nalan Qiankun once more.

"And how long have you been governing those people? What right do you have to criticize me?" Nalan Qiankun roared, striking at Xiao Nanfeng once more.

"The strength of the people gives me that right. Now, break!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Nalan Qiankun was sent flying into the ground, which rumbled on impact.

"How could this be? I'm in shadow form. You shouldn't be able to hit me. How can you strike me so heavily?" Nalan Qiankun finally began to panic.

Xiao Nanfeng appeared in front of him once again and punched forward. Nalan Qiankun was sent flying. He smashed into another mountain and into a heap of rubble.

The cultivators all around Yongding goggled at the sight.

"This is a one-sided fight!"

"Is Dazheng so strong?"

"Nalan Qiankun's a Heaven Immortal right now. How could he be so helpless against Xiao Nanfeng?"

Countless cultivators were shocked by the sight, including Nalan Qiankun himself. He would never have expected to suffer to such an extent against Xiao Nanfeng.

"Your physical body is truly impressive, as expected of an Immortal body. It hasn't even cracked despite the force I'm using... Well, let's try my blade," Xiao Nanfeng said.

He was getting a little impatient. The strength that the people loaned him was finite and draining at every moment. He didn't want to drag this fight out, lest he consume all of Dazheng's strength.

He slashed downward with his blade. The skies gleamed blue. The blade boasted such strength that he seemed as though he would bisect Nalan Qiankun in one strike.

Nalan Qiankun blanched and shouted, "Barrier!"

A blue barrier formed around him courtesy of the star map in his possession. He fell; the mountain beneath him shattered. However, the barrier did manage to block a single blow from the divine undying blade.

"Nalan Qiankun, you knew you wouldn't be able to defeat me just now, so you feigned serious injury as you continued absorbing more stellar energy in hopes that it would elevate you above me. Isn't that so?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

Within the blue barrier, Nalan Qiankun wiped at the fresh blood seeping from his lips. "An empire's strength will only drain with time. Xiao Nanfeng, I can't compare to you just yet, but your strength will weaken, while mine will grow. Soon enough, I'll be the one taking revenge on you. Just you wait, haha!"

"Do you think I won't be able to do anything against you just because you're hiding in this barrier?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"This is the barrier formed from the star map of the complete heavens, the concentrated form of the corresponding heavenly formation. It won't augment my strength, but it can block your attacks. Your slash couldn't cut through it, could it? Haha, just you wait! I'll give you a fate worse than death!" Nalan Qiankun sneered.

The spectators watching the fight frowned. They agreed with Nalan Qiankun: if the fight were to drag out, Xiao Nanfeng really would suffer.

"The Star Map of the Complete Heavens, combined with a cursed body, really does make him all but invincible," Zhang Feifan murmured.

"There's no solution," Lan Jiguang added, almost frantic with worry.

"Is Dazheng's strength so short-lived?" Zhang Lingjun frowned as well.

Afar, Xiao Nanfeng only smiled coldly. "Is that so? That barrier doesn't seem like much to me."

"Break it, then!" Nalan Qiankun roared in laughter.

"I don't need to!"

He reached out toward the barrier. His hand passed straight through the barrier and around Nalan Qiankun's neck.

"What?!"

With a gasp, Nalan Qiankun was dragged out of the barrier.

The spherical barrier remained floating behind Nalan Qiankun, but now with nothing inside. Only the Star Map of the Complete Heavens trembled within, suddenly growing faint as it lost contact with the cultivator controlling it.

At the same time, beams of stellar energy stopped being transmitted through the skies. The barrier slowly vanished.

The spectators gaped at this astonishing sight.

"Just what did Xiao Nanfeng do? How did he manage to grab Nalan Qiankun and bring him out of the barrier?!" Lan Jiguang exclaimed.

"I'm not sure either. I didn't clearly see what happened..." Zhang Feifan replied in shock.

Everyone was confused.

Nalan Qiankun himself couldn't believe it. "How did you penetrate my barrier without touching it? This can't be!"

"Nalan Qiankun, it's time for you to die," Xiao Nanfeng said.

He squeezed his hand, infusing a tremendous quantity of energy into Nalan Qiankun's body and suppressing his ability to move.

"You won't be able to kill me. I'm a cursed body right now. Just like a cursed effigy, I won't be able to be killed or destroyed!" Nalan Qiankun shouted.

"Indeed? Not for long."

A candle flame suddenly emerged from Xiao Nanfeng's palm and shot into Nalan Qiankun's body. A great deal of black smoke was emitted, the barest hint of screaming human faces appearing from within their depths.

"You peeled the shadow cursed effigies from my Immortal body and obliterated them? How could you do so? Why can you counter my cursed body? No—you have the power to specifically counter these shadows! How could this be?!" Nalan Qiankun cried out in despair.

Even so, there was nothing he could do. He had been fully suppressed by Xiao Nanfeng. He was rendered immobile as the shadows that he had absorbed into his body disintegrated, leaving Nalan Qiankun's pitted and bleeding physical body behind.

"Nalan Qiankun, it's time to pay your karmic debt!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

He tossed Nalan Qiankun to the ground and swung down with his divine undying blade.

"No!" Nalan Qiankun cried out in despair.

The divine undying blade cut him in half. As though a sliver of truesoul were manifesting, an old memory suddenly appeared in his head.

"I, Nalan Qiankun, swear to the remnant possessions of the Taiqing grandmaster, that I shall never countenance any traitors to the sect, that I will seek revenge for my masters and forefathers who perished in vain. I, Nalan Qiankun, am willing to accept the position of sectstarter for the Taiqing Immortal Sect and ensure its longevity. If I betray the sect, I am willing to suffer the punishment of having my body torn apart or struck down by heavenly blades."

This long-since-forgotten memory drifted back into Nalan Qiankun's mind moments before his death. Indeed, his vow truly had come to fruition. He suddenly appeared regretful: regretting that he had lost his original beliefs as a Taiqing disciple, that he had forgotten his vows. Unfortunately for him, it was too late. His soul shattered into a million fragments, his mind scattered, and he fell dead on the spot.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Xiao Nanfeng won?!" The cultivators of the Taiqing Immortal Sect could barely believe their eyes.

"His Majesty is invincible!" came a shout from within Yongding.

"His Majesty is invincible!"

Countless officials, soldiers, and the common people all took up that refrain. The cheers coming from Yongding echoed into the heavens.

At the same time, above the city of Beidou, the sea of fortune for the Tianshu Empire collapsed with Nalan Qiankun's death. The remaining fortune rapidly flowed toward Yongding.

The officials of Beidou shuddered in fear until one of them called out, "His Majesty has perished!"

In Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng's body trembled as the strength that he had temporarily borrowed left his body and floated back up into the sky. The remnant fortune from the Tianshu Empire melded with it; Xiao Nanfeng had laid claim to it by killing Nalan Qiankun.

"Everyone of the Dazheng Empire, I am grateful for your strength. Using that gathered strength, I was able to kill Emperor Tianshu. The Dazheng Empire has emerged wholly victorious. Let us celebrate!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

The sea of fortune roiled once more, spreading Xiao Nanfeng's voice to the whole of the empire. When the people heard the pronouncement, they all began to cheer.

This wasn't Xiao Nanfeng's own victory, but rather the combined victory of all. It had taken all their strength to defeat Nalan Qiankun, and they had all played an important role. They would share in this victory.

"Long live the Dazheng Empire!"

"Long live His Majesty!

"The Dazheng Empire is invincible!"

"His Majesty is invincible!"

All manner of cheers and congratulations could be heard from Yongding—and, in addition to that, gusts of fortune. In nearly losing their way of life, the people had come to appreciate what the Dazheng Empire had brought them all the more. The resulting fortune was like a vast river that surged into Yongding, causing the sea of fortune above it to grow ever wider in its expansion.

The spectators watched the phenomenon unfold in shock.