Chapter 548: Scaring the Buddhas

"Why don't I sense the ten Yanluo Lords' aura on you, then?" one of the Buddhas demanded.

"Don't try to change the subject. Isn't it obvious to you that the ten Yanluo Lords would send someone?" Xiao Nanfeng called out.

"The ten Yanluo Lords? Ha! They've been restricted by the laws of the heavens, and they can't advance beyond the realm of a Heaven Immortal. Would they have been able to send a delegation like you?" the Buddha retorted.

"How long has it been since you last went to the Netherworld Palace? Or is all you know from hearsay?" Xiao Nanfeng asked coldly.

"Hm?" The Buddha narrowed his eyes.

"The ten Yanluo Lords are now in total cooperation. They've broken the restrictions imposed by the heavens and are about to conquer the world again. They were intending to destroy you, but the Dragon Yanluo spoke with one of the Buddhas of Three Aspects recently and decided to relent. I was sent to expel you, reclaim all the power you've stolen from the Netherworld Palace, and seek reparations," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"You're trying to trick me, aren't you? Have the ten Yanluo Lords meet me themselves!" the Buddha called out.

"Do you think you deserve to? You're nothing more than subordinates of the Buddhas of Three Aspects. Unless the Buddhas themselves were to appear, the ten Yanluo Lords won't deal with rabble like you. The day they show up against you is the day they take on all of the Three Buddhas' faction," Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

"You—!" the Buddha growled.

"What about me? Do you have a death wish?"

The Buddhas and arhats were frowning deeply.

Zhang Lingjun and Zhao Yuanjiao were taken aback. Xiao Nanfeng was attempting to scare the Buddhas and arhats—and, even more shockingly, it was working.

The Buddha who had been speaking was so mad that he seemed to be choking on his words. The Buddha beside him said calmly, "You claim to be an envoy of the ten Yanluo Lords? Curious."

"Who are you? What are you trying to imply?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"I am the Buddha of greed. You said that the Dragon Yanluo intended to show the Three Buddhas respect; in that case, the ten Yanluo Lords would never do anything against us. You're trying to extort us for your own benefit. The outlandish requests you make—we'll never agree to those. What's more, I don't sense any of the ten Yanluo Lords' aura on your body. You're not trying to trick us, are you?" the Buddha of greed said coolly.

"Do you intend to resist us?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, chuckling.

The Buddha of greed frowned. He had been trying to probe Xiao Nanfeng, but the latter didn't seem to be cowed. He continued, "We have nothing but your word that you are who you claim to be. To give in to you this easily would be to misplace the Three Buddhas' trust in us."

"Do you think any random cultivator could enter this Buddha's Grotto?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The three Buddhas frowned. Indeed, that was the reason they believed Xiao Nanfneg to some extent. A Buddha's Grotto wasn't easy to trespass into, especially without damaging the walls of the grotto at all.

"Let us assume that you are indeed an envoy. Even so, reclaiming all the power of the hidden realm is impossible," the Buddha of greed continued.

"Do you intend to resist?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, a warning tone evident in his voice.

"Rather, you should prove that you can reclaim all that power yourself. If you could suppress us, you would already have done so. You're trying to get us to do it for you because you can't, can you?"

"Do you think me useless?" Xiao Nanfeng scoffed.

"We'll find out. Disciple, get a sense of the three envoys' abilities," the Buddha of greed commanded.

"Understood!" an arhat called out from the side.

He stood up and strode forward, the golden lotus underfoot vanishing into his body. He leapt up and landed not far from Xiao Nanfeng, exuding a focused aura and scattering a plume of dust.

"Greetings." The arhat bowed.

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. He knew that this was the Buddha of greed's attempt to probe their strength. These Buddhas were old hands, and trying to trick them wouldn't be easy. Having them fight against an arhat would reveal their strength and probe indirectly at that of the ten Yanluo Lords.

Xiao Nanfeng was about to say something when Zhao Yuanjiao jumped in. "Sir, would you let me handle this?"

Xiao Nanfeng blinked in surprise. Considering the arhat's aura, however, he was clearly a True Immortal. Would Zhao Yuanjiao be up to the task?

"Go on. Don't shame the ten Yanluo Lords," Xiao Nanfeng said.

He had no choice; furthermore, Zhao Yuanjiao had to have some confidence if he was volunteering for the match. Of course, even if they lost, that was fine. Surely the Buddhas would at least allow them to slink out of the cave in retreat.

"Understood!" Zhao Yuanjiao replied.

He strode forward.

"Crouching Tiger's Palm!" the arhat shouted.

The arhat sent a huge palm strike at Zhao Yuanjiao, who thrust forward with his sword in a beam of red light that illuminated the space.

The sword blocked the palm strike and erupted in a flaming tempest, sending smoke and dust into the air.

"Broken Crescent!" Zhao Yuanjiao shouted.

Red rays of light emanated from his crescent sword, manifesting in the form of crescent blades that shot toward the arhat from all directions.

The arhat frowned and quickly activated a barrier around himself.

The crescent blades were impossibly sharp. They shattered the arhat's barrier and struck him, lacerating his body. By then, Zhao Yuanjiao himself had shot forward to attack the arhat directly.

The arhat hastily defended and was sent flying by a thrust from the sword. Zhao Yuanjiao retreated as well.

Zhao Yuanjiao remained perfectly poised, not even a speck of dirt or dust on his body. On the other hand, the arhat was in a wretched state. There were open wounds and cuts all over his skin, and he stumbled and flushed red as he fell to the ground.

"My thanks for the exchange." Zhao Yuanjiao bowed as he retreated.

Xiao Nanfeng gave him a dubious look. Zhao Yuanjiao sent back a mental transmission. "The arhat was stronger than I expected, and I suffered some internal injuries as a result. If we keep fighting, I'd lose."

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Was this the limit of Zhao Yuanjiao's strength? And here he thought that his senior brother had grown far stronger!

"Again!" the arhat thundered.

The arhat looked particularly wretched, with cuts spurting blood all over his body. However, his injuries were largely superficial, and he was raring to take revenge when Zhao Yuanjiao decided to concede.

"Buddha, isn't your disciple making a spectacle of himself?" Xiao Nanfeng called out, frowning.

The Buddha of greed turned sharply to his disciple. "That's enough. Return."

The arhat frowned. "Master, I was only caught off-guard. I can still fight; victory hasn't been decided yet. There's something wrong with his sword. It almost feels like a deliberate counter to us cursed effigies. Let me try again!"

The Buddha of greed had noticed something fishy as well, but what could he do? Zhao Yuanjiao had already conceded. If his disciple were to make a fuss and win, there wouldn't be an issue, but on the off-chance that he lost and the situation escalated to the point that the ten Yanluo Lords themselves would descend...

"Return," the Buddha of greed repeated firmly.

"Understood!" The arhat was aggrieved, but could hardly refuse.

The Buddha of greed turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "My disciple is yet too hot-headed. Buddha of hatred, I ask you to test the envoys of the ten Yanluo Lords."

The Buddha of greed could sense that there was a problem. He decided to dispense with his disciple; it would be too slow. This time, he would have a Buddha go up against the envoys instead. How strong the envoys were would be revealed immediately.

"Understood, Senior Brother!" the Buddha of hatred replied.

His golden lotus vanished into his body as he walked up between the Buddhas and the envoys. Golden light radiated from his body, accompanied by a tremendous aura.

Zhao Yuanjiao gulped. He wasn't able to beat even a True Immortal; what would he do against a Golden Immortal? And once his true strength (or lack thereof) was exposed, he might well be killed on the spot.

"I represent hatred, one of the minor Buddhas that serve the Three Buddhas. The three of you may strike me simultaneously," the Buddha of hatred began.

Xiao Nanfeng gave Zhang Lingjun an inquiring look.

She nodded seriously, allowing Xiao Nanfeng to relax.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored the Buddha of hatred. "Are you attempting to test our strength, Buddha of hatred? Do you intend to kill us if we can't withstand your blows?"

The Buddha of hatred smiled. "Of course not. This is only a means to get to know each other better. If you don't intend to make a move, allow me to begin."

"Is that the proper attitude you should display when making such a request?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"What sort of attitude do you suggest, then?" the Buddha of greed replied, not backing down.

"It looks like we're at an impasse, then. I don't have time to play such games with you, but if you're sending out such a minor Buddha, then I'll have my junior sister take the stage. She will use but a single blow. If this Buddha can defend against it, we'll leave immediately. Otherwise, you'll hand over all the power of the hidden realm that you've stolen right away," Xiao Nanfeng declared.

The Buddha of hatred frowned. He had declared himself to be a minor Buddha only out of modesty; this self-centered 'envoy' was being obnoxiously pretentious.

Beside him, the Buddha of greed narrowed his eyes. Xiao Nanfeng's junior sister was able to defeat a Golden Immortal with a single blow?

If these envoys were really that strong, what was the point of continuing to fight? But if they weren't, what would be the point of such bragging?

"Buddha of hatred, do not grow overconfident," the Buddha of greed warned.

The Buddha of greed seemed to have tacitly agreed to Xiao Nanfeng's proposal, but not explicitly. He intended to wait until the outcome of the fight was revealed.

"Don't worry," the Buddha of hatred replied.

Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Zhang Lingjun. "Junior Sister, please make your move."

"Understood!" Zhang Lingjun nodded and strode forward.

Xiao Nanfeng watched on expectantly. He had beckoned for Zhang Lingjun to use her praying mat. If it were sufficient to deal with the Buddha of hatred, that would be best. Otherwise, they would oblige by the terms of the 'agreement' and leave.