Chapter 458: The Netherworld Alliance

"Netherworld Pope, you are a man of your word," Xiao Nanfeng commended. "Worry not. I'll work hard to take down our mutual enemies."

"Very well!"

"We can finally emerge from this pool of lightning! We've had enough!"

"Save us, Your Majesty! We're going to go into shock!"

"Thank goodness we've been rescued!"

Ye Dafu and his lackeys were very excited to be free.

"Does this pool of lightning contain flames of lightning?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Indeed. It's part of the energy reserves left by the heavens, but unfortunately, the heavens are on guard against me as well. I can't use those flames at will; I only have access to a little at a time. The flames in this pool of lightning were collected bit by bit."

"Oh?"

"I initially planned to use these flames to destroy the gathered Yanluo Lords, only to discover that Ye Dafu and the others had adopted an unusual cultivation technique in which their cultivation would rise the more they were in pain. I ended up using these flames of lightning to help them advance."

"You have a careful eye, Senior," Xiao Nanfeng said, giving his subordinates an odd look.

As expected, Ye Dafu and his lackeys couldn't hide their secret.

"What's your cultivation like now, Ye Dafu?"

"We're all at late-stage Earth Immortal."

"Then you'll have to thank the Netherworld Pope."

"The flames of lightning were great at the start, and we found our cultivation rising rapidly. However, our cultivation recently began to stall. The flames of lightning don't do enough for us. It feels terrible to be shocked time and again! Our minds are constantly stimulated, so we can't even sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Right! Even though we can go a long time without sleeping, the fact that it keeps stimulating us means that we've been jumpy for far too long. I feel like I'm going to crash."

"I don't know whether I'm numb from pleasure or pain. I'm out of stamina..."

"I'm just numb."

Ye Dafu's lackeys complained to each other.

Xiao Nanfeng gave the cultivators an odd look. Were they really going to complain about the fact that the Netherworld Pope was helping them advance their cultivation?

"Netherworld Pope, I'm afraid their brains have gone a little dull from the constant shocks. Please don't mind what they've said. Would you release them now?"

The Netherworld Pope was silent for a moment. "Only a third of the flames have been consumed. Perhaps the remaining two-thirds will advance their cultivation further."

"They need flames of greater intensity, not greater quantity. Quantity is all but useless to them, I fear."

The Netherworld Pope sighed. "Forget it. Let them out, then."

A Heaven's Hand appeared out of nowhere and caught the cultivators within the pool of lightning, along with the copper pillars to which they were tethered. They were quickly dragged out.

"We've been saved. Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ye Dafu and the others cried out.

"Senior, did you advance their cultivation with these flames of lightning so that they could help you against the ten Yanluo Lords?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"That's right."

"In that case, would you allow me to distill the remainder of these flames of lightning? The stronger I am, the greater my chance of victory against the Tiger Yanluo and Peach Buddha," Xiao Nanfeng requested.

The Netherworld Pope gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look. "I remember hearing that you absorbed quite a few flaming seas. Could your technique be the same as theirs?"

"It's different, but any manner of fire is useful to me. Flames of lightning are a form of fire," Xiao Nanfeng asserted.

"Try it, then. These flames aren't particularly high-quality, but ordinary Heaven Immortals wouldn't be able to bear coming into contact with them."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

He transformed back into his physical body and waded into the pool of lightning. The flames of lightning burst in contact with his body.

"Be careful, Your Majesty!" Ye Dafu and the others cried out.

The next moment, a whirlpool formed around Xiao Nanfeng as he began to absorb the flames of lightning all around him.

"Is His Majesty alright?"

"Can he even absorb these flames of lightning?"

"What a terrifying cultivation technique."

Ye Dafu and his lackeys were astounded.

The Netherworld Pope narrowed his eyes at Xiao Nanfeng. "You cultivate the Imposing Avatar of Rulai? No wonder you aren't afraid of these flames. It's a difficult technique to cultivate, and requires an incredible amount of resources."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior. If you don't mind, I'll absorb all these flames."

With a wave of his hand, ten golden crows flew out of his body and into the pool of lightning. They bathed luxuriantly within. Eleven whirlpools formed and were furiously consuming the flames.

"The flames of lightning are rapidly decreasing!"

"I can see the pool shrinking visibly. That's crazy!"

"A tenth of the pool is already gone!"

The cultivators gaped.

After two hours, Xiao Nanfeng and his crows finally drained the pool of lightning completely.

A huge wave of flame emanated from Xiao Nanfeng's body as he steadily opened his eyes. He breathed out and smiled. "The fifth stage of Earth Immortal..."

He reined in his ten golden crows, only to see that countless formation runes within the pool of lightning had burst apart. Clearly, these runes had been used to bind the flames of lightning within the pool.

By the time he flew out of the pit, the cultivators were gobsmacked.

"It took us a full month to consume a third of the flames, but His Majesty only needed two hours to finish off the rest. That's unbelievable!"

"His Majesty's cultivation is truly frightening."

The Netherworld Pope asked, "You even cultivate the Sky of Ten Suns?"

"I do. Are you aware of this technique, Senior?" Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"In the past, I once destroyed a Buddhist holy land. The avatar of Rulai of that age descended, having cultivated a single golden crow in the form of a golden sun. He called himself the Rulai of the Sun, and was impressively strong. Before his death, he lamented that he hadn't managed to find the Sky of Ten Suns, or he wouldn't have lost to me."

"Oh?"

"No wonder the Peach Buddha was eyeing you. It must have been interested in your physical body."

"Indeed. It didn't want to cultivate on its own; it would rather take over my body and wrest away my gains."

"Its greed isn't entirely unfounded. The strongest cultivation techniques frequently have the most stringent requirements. For instance, your subordinates' strange cultivation technique requires incredible mentality, opportunity, environment, and spirit. Other cultivators might not be able to emulate their success at all. Your Sky of Ten Suns likely operates on the same principles. The Peach Buddha wouldn't be able to cultivate the technique itself."

"Truly?" Xiao Nanfeng seemed surprised.

"Let's not speak of such matters at the moment. Strike at the Tiger Yanluo and the Peach Buddha before they can fully attune to the pages of the Earthly Branches that they have absorbed."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.