Chapter 517: Jade Emperor's Frame

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. The Heavenly Emperor's sight was incredible. He had been able to discern various types of cursed spiritual power around him with just a single look.

"Might I ask why you've summoned me, Your Majesty?" Xiao Nanfeng bowed.

Yu Fuli handed the cloth with which he had wiped his hands to an attendant. "You've noticed what's wrong with the purple-furred lifeforms of the Palace of the Moon, haven't you?"

"A little," Xiao Nanfeng replied, nodding, "but I don't know the full story."

"What have you realized?" Yu Fuli asked.

"Your Majesty, I suspect the princess was not involved in whatever rebellion transpired in the past. Rather, it was likely that a cursed effigy had been responsible. The golden lotus hood is the most likely suspect. I'm sure you must have realized what was going on, Your Majesty, but for some unknown reason, you couldn't or chose not to publicize the truth. In order to save those cultivators that had been possessed, you transformed them all into purple-furred lifeforms to seal those lotus hoods. The cursed king who controls those lotus hoods, the Past Buddha, was likely responsible for the death of the princess. You wounded it badly, Your Majesty, and locked it up in the Palace of thhe Moon," Xiao Nanfeng summarized.

Yu Fuli asked, "And?"

"I possess limited knowledge, Your Majesty, and this is all that I've surmised," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

He did have a few other hypotheses in mind, but they weren't particularly safe to reveal.

"Do you know why I trapped the Past Buddha within the Palace of the Moon?" Yu Fuli asked.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He had been perplexed about this himself. If Yu Fuli was able to watch over the Palace of the Moon at will, that meant he could also have killed the Past Buddha at any point in time. Why hadn't he made a move, then?

"Could the culprit behind the princess' death not be the Past Buddha?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yu Fuli shook his head. "The Past Buddha killed her itself, but it was only one of the culprits behind the entire affair. The mastermind remains to be found. I left the Past Buddha in the Palace of the Moon to use it as bait to fish out the true mastermind, but you destroyed my bait. How am I to fish out the true mastermind now?"

Xiao Nanfeng stilled. Was the Heavenly Emperor intending to blame him for this? He didn't think so.

"Your Majesty, you are the supreme cultivator in the world. Your heart is vast, your plans far-reaching. The whole world is yours to control. A mastermind able to escape even your grasp must be a dangerous opponent indeed. Perhaps my entry into the Palace of the Moon was only a contest between Your Majesty and the mastermind, and I but a pawn. I kept to my principles, Your Majesty," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Yu Fuli blinked, then laughed. "You elegantly absolve yourself of all responsibility."

"I speak only the truth, Your Majesty. I have no qualms about what I've done."

"Don't worry, I don't intend to cast blame on you." Yu Fuli smiled, then continued, "Who do you think the mastermind might be?"

"I have too little information to say, Your Majesty."

"And if I were to ask you to speculate?"

Xiao Nanfeng contemplated the situation. He was unlikely to be the target of Yu Fuli's unrelenting questions. Was he trying to target the black lotus, or perhaps the superior yin pearl?

He took a deep breath and replied without shrinking back. "Your Majesty, considering that you're the supreme cultivator of the world, there are only two types of entities who might stand against you."

"Oh?"

"The first: supreme cultivators of previous eras, in other words, cursed kings who have regenerated."

Yu Fuli smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "And the second?"

"The second: perhaps... heaven," Xiao Nanfeng replied, taking a deep breath.

Yu Fuli's expression grew slightly strained. He smiled again. "You've encountered many cursed effigies and uncovered some of their secrets too, it seems."

"Only on a superficial level, Your Majesty. I'm unaware of the deeper picture," Xiao Nanfeng demurred, shaking his head.

Yu Fuli asked his next question after a momentary silence. "I saw a cloud of black mist with a black lotus within. That cursed king still resides by your side, does it not?"

Xiao Nanfeng grew serious. As expected, Yu Fuli was here for the black lotus.

"Yes, the black lotus has provided me with tremendous assistance," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The black lotus flew out of Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape and hovered in the air, revolving slowly.

Yu Fuli's eyes lit up as he stared at it.

The black lotus, not to be outdone, continued to revolve.

The two entities stared at each other for some time, as though probing at each other.

Xiao Nanfeng waited patiently by the side.

After some time, Yu Fuli finally smiled. "You're rather injured, aren't you?"

"The supreme cultivator of this era—you live up to your name. The heavens will not tolerate you for long," the black lotus said hoarsely.

"You won't have to worry about how I intend to handle the heavens. As for you, well, I can't imagine your future will fare well." Yu Fuli smiled.

"You need not worry about my future, either," the black lotus replied coolly.

"I don't want to, but there are always flies around that annoy me. Since you've swallowed up the Past Buddha, the Present and Future Buddhas will soon find you. Fortunately, my Martial Aspect, Xiao Nanfeng, is soon to be tasked with dealing with them. Why don't you cooperate?"

"And why should I listen to your plans?"

"There's no need to refuse my kindness. I can guess at your personality. You might have accumulated an endless supply of grudges and demonic energy, but your heart is pure and your personality warm. You're able to suppress the malice that lurks all around you. You truly are one of the most unique cursed kings I've ever seen—that's why I'm willing to cooperate with you."

"You don't have the authority to command me."

Yu Fuli smiled. "I don't command you; we're in cooperation. I intend to task Martial Aspect Xiao with quelling the Buddhas of Three Aspects. I do not mean to denigrate you."

The black lotus fell silent, but didn't refute the Heavenly Emperor further.

Yu Fuli then turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "Xiao Nanfeng, are you willing to wage war against the Buddhas of Three Aspects on my behalf?"

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I am, Your Majesty." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

He had dealt with the Past Buddha; the Present and Future Buddhas would eventually seek him out. Rather than face those two cursed kings alone, it would be far better to receive the Heavenly Emperor's assistance.

"Very good. I'll grant you the authority to do so. If you encounter any difficulties along the way, let me know," Yu Fuli said.

"Understood!" Xiao Nanfeng nodded, then asked curiously, "Your Majesty, were the other two Buddhas the masterminds behind the princess' death?"

"You may ask them that question on my behalf when you meet them."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"The Buddhas of Three Aspects have been around for many years. The Past Buddha was only easy to deal with because I had grievously wounded it beforehand. The other two Buddhas won't be so simple. This black lotus fought with them in the past, and should be aware of how powerful they are."

"As overlords of their era, they naturally boasted incredible strength," the black lotus replied."

"Allow me to grant you the Jade Emperor's Frame," Yu Fuli said.

With a wave of his hand, a tome of scripture appeared before Xiao Nanfeng. The words alone were wreathed with an air of divinity.

The Heavenly Emperor's attendants turned their heads away to avoid catching sight of the tome.

"What's your intention behind this?" the black lotus demanded.

"This is a technique that I myself cultivate to forge my bones into an Immortal frame. Consider it a token of my sincerity for our collaboration."

The black lotus wasn't one for grudges, and now that Yu Fuli was granting it his own cultivation technique, it could hardly ignore him.

"Thank you, then."

Yu Fuli smiled, then turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "You're at the peak of Earth Immortal, aren't you? You need to forge an Immortal frame as well. Since you're taking on the Buddhas of Three Aspects on my behalf, let me grant you this tome as well."

"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor," Xiao Nanfeng said in surprise.

He quickly recorded down the Jade Emperor's Frame.

Human Immortals cultivated qi, Earth Immortals the body, and Heaven Immortals the frame. The realm of a Heaven Immortal was one in which the entire body was reconstructed with bone as the fundamental element.

He had prepared a few Heaven Immortal techniques for himself, but they were far inferior to the Jade Emperor's Frame.

Xiao Nanfeng quickly memorized the technique, then began to contemplate it. He fell into deep meditation, standing stock-still and not noticing even when the black lotus flew into his mindscape.

After an indeterminate period of time, he slowly opened his eyes. It wasn't until then that he realized the true potential and power of the technique.

However, he seemed to have been meditating for too long. By the time he woke up, it was already dark.

Yu Fuli had departed, leaving only him within the pavilion, as well as an attendant of the Heavenly Emperor outside.

"Martial Aspect Xiao, are you awake?" the Heavenly Emperor's attendant ventured, smiling.

"I apologize. I was engrossed in contemplating the technique." Xiao Nanfeng smiled wryly.

"His Majesty said that everyone reacts the same way when first encountering the Jade Emperor's Frame. He bade me not to disturb you, to allow you to come to of your own accord. He said that this first encounter would be of particular importance to intuiting it."

"Oh?"

"His Majesty has already departed, and you may leave when you are ready, Martial Aspect Xiao. The giant strider that he caught has been prepared. He said that it was a gift for you, Martial Aspect Xiao. You really are lucky!" The attendant smiled.

He retrieved a jade box glistening with golden light, as if countless seals were wrapped around some treasure brimming with spiritual power.

"This is the nethernorth strider?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, happily accepting the box.

"Indeed, a giant strider from the oceans of the deep north. It's a treasure difficult to best in the world at large, and has already been brewed into a divine soup. Drink it quickly while it's warm, Martial Aspect Xiao, to prevent the spiritual power imbued within it from fading away," the attendant explained, glancing enviously at him.

Xiao Nanfeng had seen for himself just how strong the giant strider was. Its primal aura had terrorized all the other spirits around and made them keep their distance—but that fearsome beast had now become a soup.

He nodded. "Thank you for the advice. I'll consume it immediately."