Chapter 496: Melting True Immortals

Three days later, in the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm, a group of cultivators stood around the Yin-Yang Cauldron, waiting for the lid to be unsealed.

With a creak, the lid popped open with a great deal of fog. Ye Dafu and the others hurriedly shielded Xiao Nanfeng from any potential danger.

"Don't worry. The crocodile king and Iron Fist True Immortal are dead," Chang Bing said, smiling.

"Didn't it take a few days to melt Yin Tianci down? He wasn't even dead by the end! How could you have taken down a True Immortal so quickly?" Ye Dafu asked.

"Yin Tianci expended a great deal of relics and treasures to protect himself, while these two True Immortals barely had any relics to their name. How could they withstand the cauldron longer than he did?" Chang Bing smiled again.

He walked up to the cauldron and extended a hand. "Claim!"

Four golden Immortal pills flew out of the cauldron.

"Division Leader, we placed a large quantity of herbs in the cauldron and used the two True Immortals as catalyst to concoct four Heaven Immortal pills," Chang Bing reported.

By one side, Ye Dafu gaped, "A Heaven Immortal pill, with the ability to advance a late-stage Earth Immortal to a Heaven Immortal? Isn't that an incredibly precious treasure? Can you really make such a thing?!"

"Division Leader Ye, it looks like you might not be very familiar with the extent of the Taiqing Immortal Sect's knowledge, haha!" Chang Bing laughed in pride.

"Croak, Warble, test them out," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

A man and woman behind Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward and each swallowed one of the pills.

They suddenly reverted into their giant toad forms. After swallowing the pill, golden light radiated from them. In almost no time at all, twin shockwaves of energy emanated from their bodies.

"They're Heaven Immortals now! Are these pills that amazing?" Ye Dafu exclaimed.

"Xiao Nanfeng, we're Heaven Immortals now, but our bodies feel a little weak. Can we consume some of those Heaven Immortal spirits to shore up our reserves?" Croak suddenly asked.

"Talk to Blue Lantern. They're still trapped in his formation. Eat what you need."

"Got it!" Croak and Warble headed over.

Chang Bing suddenly cried out, "Don't eat them all up! Those Heaven Immortal spirits can be used to make Earth Immortal pills!"

However, he was too late. Croak and Warble were far away by then.

"Don't worry. You can have all the spirits they can't finish. I'll have to trouble you all to concoct more pills," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Of course, Division Leader! We'll do our best with this Yin-Yang Cauldron," Chang Bing promised.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"Right, Division Leader, the blazing shield didn't melt."

"Oh?"

"When the yin and yang energies assaulted the blazing shield, the restrictions on the shield cracked. Blazing flames surrounded the Iron Fist True Immortal, burning him and forcing him to discard the shield. The yin and yang energies then assaulted him quickly, causing him to perish before the crocodile king did. Because we're now able to control the Yin-Yang Cauldron to a very precise degree, we were able to isolate the shield and prevent it from taking any more damage. Unfortunately, the rest of the Iron Fist True Immortal and crocodile king's treasures were all melted into scrap."

"That doesn't matter. Show me the blazing shield." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

"We can't. With its restrictions damaged, flames are surging rapidly out of it. We've isolated it with the yin and yang energies, but if we were to allow it to come in contact with the environment, it would explode!"

"Let me have a look." Xiao Nanfeng walked right up to it.

The yin and yang energies in the cauldron surrounded a bundle of red flames. It sparked and hissed, as though it would explode at any moment.

"Division Leader, attempting to repair the blazing shield won't be easy. It requires a significant quantity of exotic materials that we likely won't be able to obtain in time. We'll be able to isolate these flames for another month, nothing more."

"Don't bother repairing the shield. Send this cauldron of flames to my manor. I have need of it." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

"Understood!" Chang Bing and the others replied.

They manipulated the lid shut once again.

"Are Chang Bing and the others headed for the Imperial Court? Why not let us guard them? We can't lose this cauldron," Ye Dafu volunteered.

Chang Bing smiled. "It's alright. We have measures to protect ourselves."

"You're all just Human Immortals. What if you encounter Heaven Immortal bandits? It would be better if I guarded you," Ye Dafu pressed, somewhat smugly.

"Don't worry. If you were to get in a fight with them, you might not even beat Chang Bing," Xiao Nanfeng commented.

"What? How could that be?"

Xiao Nanfeng turned to Chang Bing. "You can set off now. I'll send over any excess spirits."

"Understood!" Chang Bing and the others replied.

Xiao Nanfeng brought everyone out of the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm and had Chang Bing and his group secretly leave Yongding.

Of the two remaining Heaven Immortal pills, Xiao Nanfeng handed one to Ye Dafu. "Send this to Taiqing Island, to my senior brother Zhao Yuanjiao."

"Understood!"

After Ye Dafu left, Xiao Nanfeng summoned You Jiu to his study.

"Has your foundation stabilized?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"It has. Zhao Yuanjiao's blackguards found an Immortal tomb with a large number of opportunities within. Zhao Yuanjiao intended to share it with you, Your Majesty, but you gave me that chance instead. I've since advanced to late-stage Earth Immortal," You Jiu reported.

"This is a Heaven Immortal pill and can help you advance to that realm. However, your cultivation will be unstable if you rely on pills, so you'll have to work hard to shore up those deficiencies in order to keep going further," Xiao Nanfeng warned.

You Jiu gaped at the pill. He bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Please don't worry. I've gained the Specter King's inheritance. He collected countless techniques while a subordinate to Emperor Wei, and I know what I need to do to strengthen my foundation."

"Very good. The spectral guards contributed greatly during the war against the five neighboring kingdoms. I've already distributed the rewards in advance, though, and won't be providing more." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"As you will, Your Majesty. The blood peaches distributed to the spectral guards have been a tremendous boon, let alone this Heaven Immortal pill."

"Go absorb it," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!" You Jiu left the study.

Of the four Heaven Immortal pills, Xiao Nanfeng consumed none. He knew how potent his cultivation technique was, and these Heaven Immortal pills would likely be useless to him. He cultivated the Imposing Avatar of Rulai, and he would need to accumulate an endless quantity of flames. Even if he were able to advance with these pills, he would end up in an unusually weak state while he replenished his energy.

In the Sieve of Heaven, within Xiao Nanfeng's manor, Chang Bing and the others placed the Yin-Yang Cauldron back in the spirit prison as Xiao Nanfeng's main body stepped within.

"Seal the lid," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!"

With a creak, Chang Bing and the other Taiqing disciples activated the Yin-Yang Cauldron and shut the lid. They spurred on the flames emanating from the blazing shield so that Xiao Nanfeng could absorb them all. Loud pops could be heard from the cauldron.

"What frightening flames..."

"Of course! Those are flames from a True Immortal relic, and they were strong enough to burn a True Immortal to a crisp."

"Once the division leader absorbs those flames, do you think we might be able to forge a Heaven Immortal relic with what remains?"

The disciples waited expectantly.

Two hours later, a bang caused the cauldron to shudder.

"Alright. Unseal the cauldron!" Xiao Nanfeng called out.

With a creak, the cauldron opened up and Xiao Nanfeng walked out from within.

"Ah... Where are the flames from the blazing shield?"

"How could they all have vanished?"

All the cultivators were surprised.

"I absorbed them, of course. There wasn't as much as I expected, but I made do," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Chang Bing and the other disciples were gobsmacked. Those flames were able to burn a True Immortal to a crisp. How had Division Leader Xiao absorbed them all? He was just an Earth Immortal!

"It's a pity... I'm advancing far too slowly." Xiao Nanfeng sighed. He had reached the eighth stage of an Earth Immortal.

Chang Bing and the others gave Xiao Nanfeng a strange look. They didn't know what to say.

"How's the batch of arhat armor you repaired?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"On the way back from Yongding, we tested it out on each other in an isolated stretch of the sea. They're as good as we could have hoped for. Wearing that armor makes our combat strength on par with late-stage Heaven Immortals."

"Good!" Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"We managed to repair twenty-one suits in all. The remainder are unable to be fixed with the materials we have on hand." Chang Bing proffered a storage bracelet.

Xiao Nanfeng inspected the storage bracelet to find twenty-one suits of arhat armor within.

He retrieved a suit for himself, then returned the bracelet to Chang Bing.

"You can all use these twenty suits for the time being. You'll be part of my forces on official Imperial Court duty, after all. I should hope you'll be able to display your strength." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

The disciples' eyes brightened. "Thank you, Division Leader!"

"Familiarize yourself well with the armor. You'll have to fight in them on Imperial Court missions."

"Yes!" the cultivators replied in excitement.

They did enjoy making pills and forging relics, but they were simultaneously interested in combat. Being able to fight in armor that they had repaired themselves was a dream come true, and they were like unstoppable machines in those suits of arhat armor.

"Of course, don't just count on those suits of armor. As impressive as they are, they're just relics external to your own cultivation. You should aim to raise your cultivation quickly as well," Xiao Nanfeng instructed them seriously.

"Don't worry, Division Leader! Once the spirits from Yongding arrive, we'll start concocting Earth Immortal pills immediately. With the Yin-Yang Cauldron and the methods of Taiqing forgecraft, our cultivation won't be neglected."

"Very good. Make more pills and have the entirety of the Earth division advance together."

"Understood!" everyone replied.

In a large hall on Thousand-Spirit Island, Mo Lengxuan stared at several of his subordinates.

"Sir, you want us to investigate Tang's background?" one subordinate confirmed.

"That's right. All we know about Tang came from Tang himself and the master of the Taiqing Demonic Sect. I think that there's something wrong with his background. Check it thoroughly."

"But all the left division disciples are dead! How would we confirm it?"

"Go see if any left division disciples yet remain. Perhaps some avoided the slaughter. Find whatever information you can. Ignore everything that was conveyed to us beforehand. I'm worried that Tang deliberately got close to me," Mo Lengxuan said.

"Understood!"