Chapter 473: The Taiqing Sect's Blessing

Yin Tianci and his subordinates scurried away from the mouth of the abyss and back into Fengdu.

As they stood up in the watchtower of Fengdu, Yin Tianci stared murderously at the departing trio of cultivators.

"Your Highness, now that Xiao Nanfeng is a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court, we'll have a hard time attacking him," one of his subordinates said.

"Why would we? We simply have to ensure that no one knows it was us."

"Do you really intend to kill him, Your Highness?"

"That's right. Why else would I depart? Not because I'm intending to give up, but because I couldn't have struck out in the open. I can't let the Imperial Court have any hold over me."

"Your Highness, you intend to wait until there's no one in sight before attacking?"

"Criminals who have escaped from the Imperial Court must have struck them down. It's none of our business," Yin Tianci replied.

"Of course, Your Highness! As long as we don't expose ourselves, we can control the narrative—but what about that Martial Aspect of Silverfrost?"

"The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost? He's one of the weakest Martial Aspects, and I intend to find helpers. If we can't handle it on our own, we can at least flee easily. The most important matter at hand is to kill Xiao Nanfeng and seize all that he possesses."

"Understood!"

"Let's chase after Xiao Nanfeng. As for his subordinates, we can't let them go, either. Send others to pursue and kill them—and do it cleanly, you hear?"

"Understood!"

Two days later, at sea, Zhang Feifan, Blue Lantern, and Ye Dafu's crew headed swiftly toward Taiqing Island.

"You can keep up with me? Could you all have become Earth Immortals?" Zhang Feifan exclaimed.

He had gradually been speeding up along the way. That Ye Dafu and his crew easily kept up shocked him.

"Earth Immortals? We reached that realm a month ago. It's hardly anything to be proud of."

"Right, wouldn't it be embarrassing if loyal followers of His Majesty like us failed to reach that realm?"

"Right!"

The cultivators preened under Zhang Feifan's attention.

Zhang Feifan wasn't envious of the cultivators because of the rate at which they advanced. Rather, he smiled in good cheer. "Good, very good! It's a true blessing that Xiao Nanfeng joined the Taiqing Immortal Sect. If you're all Earth Immortals, then there really is hope for the revival of the Taiqing sect."

Beside them, Blue Lantern suddenly frowned. "We're being followed."

"What?" Zhang Feifan widened his eyes.

The group of cultivators stopped short and looked all around them. However, they were high above the sea. There was nothing to be seen.

"Could you be mistaken?" Zhang Feifan asked.

"If Blue Lantern said that we're being followed, then we must be. He's stronger than all of us," Ye Dafu said.

"Oh?" Zhang Feifan was taken by surprise.

Blue Lantern suddenly pointed toward the sky. "Over there."

Everyone raised their heads at what seemed like a perfectly ordinary white cloud. Upon seeing Blue Lantern's gesture, however, and realizing that they had been exposed, those within the cloud flew down.

They appeared before the cultivators in the blink of an eye, surrounding them. They were all masked and radiating killing intent.

"Their auras—they're all Earth Immortals. Thirty of them?" Zhang Feifan blanched.

"You're Blue Lantern, aren't you? You've got good senses to be able to discover us. There's just one way out for you. Submit to us and we'll leave you alive," the leader of the masked cultivators said.

Blue Lantern sneered, ignoring him.

"We are officials of the Imperial Court. Do you intend to spark rebellion?!" Zhang Feifan demanded.

"Ha! Sir Zhang, don't you see that we're all masked? Who would be aware of your deaths?" Their leader laughed.

Zhang Feifan sent Ye Dafu and the others a mental transmission. "Let's run! We'll dive into the sea and scatter. Perhaps we'd be able to avoid them that way."

Ye Dafu seemed disdainful. "Division Leader Zhang, surely there's no need for such caution. Why should we flee from this ragtag bunch?"

"What?" Zhang Feifan replied.

"Brothers, take them down! Let's see what treasures they're hiding!" Ye Dafu commanded.

"Got it!" Ye Dafu's lackeys rubbed their palms with excitement.

Zhang Feifan: ...

The masked cultivators: ...

This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Just who was robbing whom?

"Attack!" the leader of the masked cultivators called out.

"Got it!" The masked cultivators shot toward Ye Dafu and the others.

Ye Dafu's lackeys glowed with golden light as they strode forward.

"Be careful!" Zhang Feifan cried out, drawing his blade.

"Division Leader Zhang, you enjoy a life of wealth and riches in the Imperial Court. You won't fight us for this pittance, will you?" Ye Dafu cried out, immediately holding him back.

Zhang Feifan: ...

You think I'm trying to get a portion of the loot? This is a fight to the death! They're all Earth Immortal experts. Are you all trying to kill yourselves?!

The two groups of cultivators faced off against one another.

The masked cultivators' weapons struck the golden cultivators.

"Be careful!" Zhang Feifan cried out.

With a metallic clank, the weapons gave off a flurry of sparks as they slid across the cultivators' bodies. The golden cultivators were completely uninjured; the masked cultivators were taken aback.

"You tore my clothes apart! I'll kill you!" the golden cultivators raged, punching at the masked cultivators.

They broke through their qi barriers immediately, and their punches headed right for the masked cultivators' heads. Eleven masked cultivators' heads exploded in a shower of blood and gore.

"In one blow? How can this be?" The remaining masked cultivators gaped as the eleven golden cultivators charged toward their opponents.

The leader of the masked cultivators raged, "Were you all pretending to be weak? Damn it!"

An overwhelming aura spread out around him as the eleven golden cultivators were forced back.

Zhang Feifan blanched. "He's a Heaven Immortal! None of us are a match for him. Hurry. We have to flee! I'll destroy one of my Immortal relics to hold him off while we dive into the sea."

"Don't worry, I'm right here," Ye Dafu said. He strode forward and shouted, "Who's pretending to be weak? I never feign weakness!"

He punched at the leader of the masked cultivators, a howling tempest forming around him.

"Ye Dafu's a Heaven Immortal, too?" Zhang Feifan gaped.

Ye Dafu's punch shattered the enemy leader's qi barrier and caved his head in. Blood splattered all over.

"You're still alive? Damn it. My brothers can each kill a cultivator with a single punch to the head. How could I have failed? Again!" Ye Dafu roared, charging forward once more.

"No!" the enemy leader cried out.

After a barrage of punches, Ye Dafu finally caused the enemy leader's head to explode. He died on the spot.

Meanwhile, the golden cultivators struck down the remaining masked cultivators. The few that remained turned and fled. They dove into the sea, making use of the strategy that Zhang Feifan had planned to adopt. They knew that they wouldn't be able to escape through the air; only by fleeing via sea, where their pursuers' vision would be obstructed, could they have any chance of escape.

Most of the golden cultivators gave chase, diving into the sea as well. The few that remained began to clean up the battlefield in search of spoils.

"Boss, we're rich! Look at how wealthy these cultivators are!"

"Don't reveal that! Division Leader Zhang's right here," Ye Dafu hollered.

"Oh, right. Sorry, let me repeat myself. Boss, these people are so poor! There's nothing in their storage treasures, nothing at all!"

Zhang Feifan fell silent.

Do they think I'm deaf?

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Division Leader Zhang, don't mind them, will you? They haven't been cultivators for long, and they're a little rough around the edges still. These masked cultivators are exceptionally poor. There's no need for you to check their storage treasures," Ye Dafu said.

He seemed very worried that Zhang Feifan would steal his loot.

Zhang Feifan was silent for a moment, but then couldn't resist asking, "Are you a Heaven Immortal now? And are the rest of them all peak Earth Immortals?"

"That's right. His Majesty prepared some cultivation resources for us. I was able to reach the realm of Heaven Immortal directly, but they're a little less talented and just barely missed the breakthrough. It's quite alright, though. Once we get back to Taiqing Island, I'll beat them daily until they become Heaven Immortals themselves.

Zhang Feifan didn't understand what beatings Ye Dafu was talking about, but he was overjoyed. "We have Heaven Immortals in the Taiqing Immortal Sect now. That's wonderful news!"

"There'll be more," Ye Dafu promised.

"Right, now that you're a Heaven Immortal, you must be stronger than Xiao Nanfeng, too."

Ye Dafu gave Zhang Feifan a strange look. "Are you joking? I would never be able to beat His Majesty."

"What's wrong? Isn't Xiao Nanfeng an Earth Immortal still?"

"His Majesty is an Earth Immortal, but his realm could hardly be compared to ours. Even if we all ganged up against him, we would be no match for him. It took me several punches to pummel that masked Heaven Immortal to death, but if His Majesty wanted to, he could easily deal with him in just a single blow," Ye Dafu said.

"Could Xiao Nanfeng have reached the realm of True Yin?" Zhang Feifan exclaimed.

"Ah, I didn't say anything. You didn't hear it from me. You guessed it yourself—don't say I told you, either!" Ye Dafu distanced himself from Zhang Feifan.

"True Yin? Impossible. How could he have..." Zhang Feifan trailed off before he began to beam. "This is incredible, an incredible blessing for the Taiqing sect!"