Chapter 523: No Right to Speak

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost and Sage Yellowbrow fought each other fiercely. Each clash resulted in roiling flames that dyed the sky golden. The shockwaves from the explosions struck the ground and caused it to quake continuously.

Fortunately, Yongding was protected by a large number of draconic veins and formations that left the people unharmed.

Outside the city of Yongding, Yin Tianci, Mo Lengxuan, and the two Immortal spirit kings frowned.

"Why is the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost here?" Mo Lengxuan cried out.

Yin Tianci thundered, "This was an ambush! Damn it, we have to flee! Take me away!"

Just then, twelve golden beams of light shot toward the gathered cultivators—Ye Dafu and his crew.

"Die!" one spirit king shouted, throwing a punch.

Ye Dafu was sent flying. He smashed into a mountain peak in the distance.

The two spirit kings punched forward repeatedly, sending all twelve golden cultivators careening away.

"They can't even withstand a single blow," one of them said, smirking.

The next moment, Ye Dafu flew back.

"Oh, that was great! Again!" he shouted.

Ye Dafu was sent flying again, as were the golden cultivators that repeatedly charged over.

"It feels so comfortable! I've been itching for this for far too long. Spirits really are the best!" another golden cultivator shouted.

"Me first!" The other golden cultivators fought to be beaten up.

The two spirit kings frowned, glancing at their fists with no small amount of suspicion. Why weren't these cultivators dead?

"Ignore them. We have to flee!" Yin Tianci shouted.

The two spirit kings nodded. They ferried Yin Tianci and Mo Lengxuan into the air.

With a hum, beams of starlight descended from the heavens. Everyone looked up to see 361 stars shining brightly in the sky, surrounding Yin Tianci and a spirit king.

However, the spirit king was alert enough to block the starlit barrier from forming completely with a hand, preventing its body from being entirely enclosed.

"This starlit barrier again? Bring me out!" Yin Tianci shouted.

The spirit king shook its arm that was lodged in the barrier, causing it to crack.

"Use your full strength!" Yin Tianci demanded.

"Break!" the spirit king shouted.

The spirit king shattered the starlit barrier as it struggled furiously. Just then, a loop of red rope caught on Yin Tianci's neck and dragged him away.

"Save me!" Yin Tianci cried out.

"Damn it!" The spirit king quickly gave chase.

Yin Tianci was pulled into a cloud of white fog. He shouted, "My neck's about to snap! Help, help!"

The spirit king couldn't waste any time. It too shot into the fog.

Shouts immediately came from within the fog.

"Yin and yang, circulate!"

"Arhat armor, seal!"

"These are—purple-furred monsters? And red rope? No!" the spirit king cried out.

The spirit king seemed to have suffered grievous wounds. Then, a cauldron slammed shut. All was quiet within the fog—all, of course, save Yin Tianci's frenzied shouts.

"Save me, save me!"

Mo Lengxuan, whom the other spirit king had brought to safety, blanched. So did the spirit king beside him. "What do we do now?"

"It's clear that there's an ambush waiting for us in the fog. Didn't you see it? If we enter, we'll be trapped."

"So are we to rescue His Highness or not?" the spirit king asked.

Just then, Ye Dafu's crew of twelve golden cultivators shot forward again. The spirit king sent them flying in a fit of frustration.

Yin Tianci continued to scream for help, causing Mo Lengxuan to fall into paralysis.

Trying to save Yin Tianci now was akin to committing suicide. This was clearly a trap that Xiao Nanfeng had laid out.

Beams of starlight shot toward Mo Lengxuan from all over, but the previous experience allowed him to dodge them all this time.

However, the starlit beams didn't dissipate. They remained in the vicinity, forming a unique formation.

"Sir Mo, what should we do? Do we save him?" the spirit king called out. Ye Dafu's golden cultivators were still surrounding and annoying it.

Mo Lengxuan's eyes flashed. Eventually, he said, "This is clearly a trap. We'd only die if we headed into the fog, so it's better if we stayed out here and remained useful. That's only His Highness' avatar, after all. Even if he perishes, he can simply forge a new one. He has no choice but to self-destruct if he wants to remove all evidence of his involvement. Once we leave and His Highness knows that no help is on its way, he'll do so. Let's go!"

The spirit king was just about to nod when the starlit beams reverberated. Sound waves echoed across the land.

"Sir Mo, what should we do? Do we save him?"

"This is clearly a trap. We'd only die if we headed into the fog, so it's better if we stayed out here and remained useful. That's only His Highness' avatar, after all. Even if he perishes, he can simply forge a new one. He has no choice but to self-destruct if he wants to remove all evidence of his involvement. Once we leave and His Highness knows that no help is on its way, he'll do so. Let's go!"

The sound echoed time and again. Mo Lengxuan realized what was going on now. The starlit beams around him were part of a formation that amplified sound. It had magnified their voices until they could be heard from within the fog.

Yin Tianci had been howling in despair after being caught by loops of red rope when he heard Mo Lengxuan's voice. He quickly learned of the truth.

Had Mo Lengxuan discarded him again? This was just like what had happened before.

He belatedly realized that, when Mo Lengxuan last tried to leave him behind, Tang had risked his life in order to save him. Not only that, in the process of doing so, Tang had lost an arm and a leg. Even so, he remained fiercely loyal.

This time, Mo Lengxuan had sent Tang into the prison in Dayin's capital. He wasn't around to save him any longer.

"Wretched fool! Whose body are you trying to save? If you dare run, I swear I'll make you die a terrible death!" Yin Tianci roared.

Afar, Mo Lengxuan froze. He knew that Xiao Nanfeng had tricked him once again. The starlit formation's sound amplification didn't occur in real time. Instead, it had selectively played back parts of what Mo Lengxuan had said. If Mo Lengxuan hadn't said what he did, his words wouldn't have been amplified at all.

Mo Lengxuan blanched as he realized the truth. He shouted, "Your Highness, my words were deliberately distorted! This is a scheme. Xiao Nanfeng's trying to trick you so as to free Tang!"

However, Mo Lengxuan's shouts suddenly dimmed in volume. This time, the starlit formation canceled his voice and prevented it from spreading.

"Xiao Nanfeng, you're shameless!" Mo Lengxuan howled.

He knew that Xiao Nanfeng had tricked him again. He was only allowing Yin Tianci to hear whatever was beneficial for Tang, not for him!

Just then, Xiao Nanfeng's voice could be heard from afar. "No one will leave today. All of you will remain behind!"

Lengths of red rope shot toward Mo Lengxuan again. Beside him, the spirit king continued to send the twelve golden cultivators flying as it blocked the red rope coming at them from all over. The situation was dire.

"We have to flee. Xiao Nanfeng tricked us! Take me away. Leave Hi His Highness behind!" Mo Lengxuan shouted.

His words were amplified once again.

Mo Lengxuan: ...

Within the fog, Yin Tianci, who had almost suffocated to death, howled, "Mo Lengxuan, I'll kill you!"

"This isn't my fault! Xiao Nanfeng's preventing my words from reaching you with a formation!" Mo Lengxuan roared back.

However, his explanation was muted once again.

Mo Lengxuan cursed inwardly. Xiao Nanfeng had to have planned all this in advance!

There was no way he could explain himself now.

"Come on! We have to leave His Highness behind. Let's go!" He roared.

His voice was amplified again.

Mo Lengxuan: ...

"It's too late! You'll all remain behind," Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng approached Mo Lengxuan. With a wave of his hand, the lengths of red rope around him magnified.

The spirit king beside Mo Lengxuan narrowed its eyes and punched at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng roared, meeting its fist with a fist of his own.

"Explode!" the spirit king roared, intending to blow him apart with just one punch to end this fight.

Just then, Xiao Nanfeng hurriedly raised the treasure in his hand. A void portal formed.

"Be careful. That's the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm!" Mo Lengxuan shouted.

The spirit king missed and stumbled. Half its body fell into the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm. Just as it was about to break free, the twelve golden cultivators smashed into it simultaneously, causing it to fall fully into the hidden realm. The twelve golden cultivators entered the hidden realm alongside him.

Then, the portal vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only Xiao Nanfeng and Mo Lengxuan behind.

Mo Lengxuan blanched and turned to run. With a wave of Xiao Nanfeng's hand, countless lengths of red rope surged toward him and tangled around him.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

"No!"

Mo Lengxuan was torn into pieces by the red rope. Blood fountained into the air.

A bolt of red light blurred by as a figure of light attempted to escape. More lengths of red rope quickly surrounded it. This was, of course, none other than Mo Lengxuan.

"Last time, your yin body managed to escape into the red moon illusory realm. Do you think you'll get away this time too? Die!" Xiao Nanfeng declared.

"No!" Mo Lengxuan's yin body cried out.

Even his yin body was torn apart. He vanished in a puff of smoke.

At the same time, within the fog, Yin Tianci likewise cried out.

He too had been torn apart and had died on the spot.

As for his identity, Xiao Nanfeng had no intention of revealing it. After all, this was only Yin Tianci's avatar. The divine empire of Dayin could easily refuse to admit it and claim that Yin Tianci had been a fake. He didn't want to bother with a war of words.

"Blue Lantern, enter the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm. There's still a spirit king within," Xiao Nanfeng called out.

The starlit beams winked away as Blue Lantern shot forward.

Xiao Nanfeng opened up the portal into the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm again as the two cultivators stepped within and vanished from sight.