Chapter 476: Zhang Lingjun's Amazement

Zhang Lingjun watched on as her green barrier burned even more brightly. Another crack appeared over its surface as Xiao Nanfeng told her that these flames weren't particularly impressive. She gave him an odd look. "Are you really an Earth Immortal?"

"Let's talk later. Those three beasts have been lured over by the sound of our voices."

Three three-headed serpents emerged from close by.

"Xiao Nanfeng's able to withstand these flames with nothing but his physical body? We cultivate quintessential purpleflame, and even we can't remain in these flames for long. How can an Earth Immortal like him be alright?"

"He must possess some incredible treasure. No wonder Yin Tianci wants to kill him so badly. Our king saw through everything and is giving us the opportunity to seize it all. Now, let's strike together."

"We'll take him on and claim his treasures for ourselves!"

The three three-headed serpents surrounded Xiao Nanfeng.

"You damned beasts! I'm a princess of the Imperial Court. If anything happens to me, none of you will live," Zhang Lingjun roared.

"We'll deal with you later, lass. Don't worry. Neither of you will be able to escape," one three-headed serpent replied, sneering.

Zhang Lingjun attempted to charge forward with her sword, but the moment she moved, more cracks appeared on the surface of her barrier. She blanched.

"Don't move. If you do, your barrier might shatter. Let me have a go," Xiao Nanfeng volunteered.

"How are you going to take on three of them at once?" Zhang Lingjun replied in clear disbelief.

An aura of strength emanated from Xiao Nanfeng's body as chilly air suppressed the quintessential purpleflame around it.

"You're a Heaven Immortal?" Zhang Lingjun exclaimed.

"I'm not a Heaven Immortal, just an Earth Immortal," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

He stepped forward and slashed at one of the three-headed serpents with his blade.

Realizing that something was wrong, that serpent shot toward him with a howl, claws extended like long, black spears that thrust toward Xiao Nanfeng's chest.

The other two three-headed serpents struck simultaneously.

Xiao Nanfeng's attacks grew sharper and more vicious as the fight dragged on. A sheen of blue light appeared surrounding the edge of his blade, illuminating the sea of flames and cutting apart one of the serpents before him.

"Killing a Heaven Immortal in a single blow...?" Zhang Lingjun exclaimed.

The other two serpents to his back raked at his body with sharp claws, sending him flying.

Xiao Nanfeng somersaulted in the air before he shot back over at them.

"He's fine? Impossible!" one of the three-headed serpents shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng cut off two of its heads with a single slash of his blade. The remaining head ran off in fear, but Xiao Nanfeng easily took it down as well.

The final three-headed serpent fled into the flames.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"You won't be able to get away!" Xiao Nanfeng roared as he gave chase.

Zhang Lingjun's eyes were twitching. "You call this an Earth Immortal? Who do you think you'd fool?"

The flames shuddered in time with a shout. Very quickly, Xiao Nanfeng returned with the carcass of a three-headed serpent in tow.

Zhang Lingjun gave him an odd look. "Are they all dead?"

Xiao Nanfeng retrieved and kept the carcasses of the three three-headed serpents. He gave Zhang Lingjun a serious look. "Please don't reveal what you just saw."

"Why not?"

"You saw that the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost was trying to take advantage of the serpents' assault to kill me, and they seem to bear me great enmity even though I've never interacted with them before. There may yet be a mastermind behind all this, and I expect I'll have to suffer plenty of such attacks without any backers in the Imperial Court. Being too exposed would be disadvantageous to me."

Zhang Lingjun met his gaze and nodded. "I understand. I won't reveal your secrets."

Xiao Nanfeng inclined his head toward her with a smile. "You have my gratitude."

"That said, my barrier won't last for much longer. I don't know if we'll even be able to make it out." She smiled wryly.

The cracks on Zhang Lingjun's barrier were spreading and spiderwebbing, and it seemed as though it would fail at any moment.

"Leave the rest to me."

Xiao Nanfeng transformed back into his physical body, which seemed to form the eye of a whirlpool. The flames all around him were quickly being absorbed into his body. At the same time, he released his ten golden crows that devoured the nearby flames like ten black holes.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Lingjun exclaimed.

"Hold on. I'm going to absorb all the flames around here so you'll be safe."

"How can that be? There's so much fire in this gourd. Surely you can't..." Zhang Lingjun trailed off upon seeing the rate at which the ten golden crows and Xiao Nanfeng were absorbing the flames. Was Xiao Nanfeng telling the truth?

"Just how can you cultivate so rapidly?!"

The first time she met Xiao Nanfeng, he was nothing more than a mortal at Acquisition, and had but the barest shred of spiritual power. After a few years, by their second encounter, Xiao Nanfeng had already become an Immortal. Now, after a few months, his cultivation had again advanced by leaps and bounds. How had he done it?

"I do cultivate rather quickly, but only because I've been putting my life on the line."

"Oh?"

"As for you, aren't you a princess of the Imperial Court? Your father claimed that the Heavenly Emperor treated you particularly well, so what's with this getup? Don't you have a stronger artifact?"

Zhang Lingjun frowned with displeasure.

"And what about the inheritance of the Taiqing Grandmaster, and his praying mat? Why aren't you using that? What's with this weak barrier?"

"What do you mean, weak barrier? I obtained this relic with hard work. It's a True Immortal relic! And you don't have to be concerned with my affairs," Zhang Lingjun retorted with a frown.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

He ignored Zhang Lingjun and focused on his own cultivation.

Zhang Lingjun fumed, but quickly came to her senses. She sighed briefly before considering Xiao Nanfeng curiously once again. As he absorbed all the flames in her vicinity, her barrier slowly began to repair itself.

Just then, a sudden shout came from afar. "Haven't you finished dealing with Xiao Nanfeng yet? Why haven't you reported in?"

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes shot open. He turned to her. "I'm afraid more serpents are going to show up. Hold on just a bit. I'll go deal with them."

He rushed deeper into the flames.

Not too long later, shouts and the sounds of combat came from within.

"Quick, report to our king immediately. Xiao Nanfeng's no Earth Immortal. He's a Heaven Immortal, and a late-stage one at that! No!" a spirit shouted.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng roared.

Shrieks resounded from the sea of flames for quite a while before Xiao Nanfeng returned.

"Have you finished them off?" Zhang Lingjun asked curiously.

"I did. The Heaven Immortal three-headed serpents that were dealing with the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost all entered the gourd, and I slew them all. There shouldn't be any further issue in the short term. Hold on just a bit and I'll bring you out."

Zhang Lingjun frowned. "You killed a dozen or so Heaven Immortal spirits in that short span of time?"

"They're mostly early-stage Heaven Immortals, and only two of them were mid-stage. Not only that, their techniques were mediocre—all they could do is snap their tails, smash their heads, and swipe with their claws. I don't know how they managed to become Heaven Immortals in the first place."

Zhang Lingjun gave him an odd look, trying to decide whether he was intentionally bragging. She continued, "How did you pretend to be an Earth Immortal? Why didn't I notice that anything was amiss?"

"I am an Earth Immortal. There's no disguise."

Zhang Lingjun glanced at him dubiously.

Xiao Nanfeng returned to his physical body, releasing his ten golden crows as he began to cultivate anew. Quintessential purpleflame surged into his body like rivers flowing into the sea. In just about two hours, the huge space within the gourd had turned barren. Xiao Nanfeng had absorbed all that fire, and the ten golden crows had likewise returned to his body. His body brimmed with golden light.

Zhang Lingjun was astonished. "Just what sort of monster have I recommended to be a Martial Aspect? The rate and strength of his cultivation—it's incredible..."

A flaming tempest erupted from Xiao Nanfeng's body as he opened his eyes. "The sixth stage of Earth Immortal..."

"Hm? Your aura is potent, but it really is that of an Earth Immortal. Are you truly an Earth Immortal?" Zhang Lingjun gaped.

"That's what I've been saying."

"But your aura just now was that of a Heaven Immortal! No, perhaps it was because the flames disrupted my senses, and you didn't release your spiritual moon. Could that be your spiritual aura? You've reached the realm of True Yin?!" Zhang Lingjun's eyes twitched.

"I was lucky to have advanced my spiritual cultivation beyond that of my physical cultivation," Xiao Nanfeng replied, nodding.

"True Yin? Truly? At your age? Spiritual cultivation is far harder than physical cultivation. How did you do it?!"

"I had a chance encounter within the Netherworld Palace. It's nothing too impressive, is it? Didn't you acquire the inheritance of the Taiqing Grandmaster? You've had plenty of opportunities, too. Your spiritual cultivation can't be too far off," Xiao Nanfeng consoled.

Zhang Lingjun smiled wryly. "It did improve the rate of my cultivation, but I've only just reached the realm of Yin Body. I'm far from True Yin."

"It's only been half a year. You're cultivating at a rapid clip, and those around you must be envious, I'm sure."

Zhang Lingjun: ...

If anyone else had praised her in that manner, she would have been quite happy about the compliment, but why did it sound so odd coming from Xiao Nanfeng?