Chapter 560: Rescuing the Women

Within the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's Grotto, Xiao Nanfeng wielded the crescent sword as he inspected his surroundings. There were only a few ordinary relics in sight, nothing special. He knew that Emperor Feng had to have claimed everything good for himself.

"That scumbag," Xiao Nanfeng cursed.

The best thing to do now was to leave immediately lest another incident occur. Even so, he turned toward the prisons as a series of complex emotions flashed through his mind. In the end, he sighed.

He walked toward the prisons.

The women within trembled as they saw him.

"Please don't worry. I've handled all the demons around here," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The women reacted differently. The majority didn't believe him, knowing how vile and frightening their captors were, but a few watched him hopefully.

"I'm sure you're aware of your captors' strength. They have many accomplices, so despite the fact that I've taken care of them all, their accomplices will surely seek revenge. I didn't want to meddle, but I can't bear to leave you all trapped. I intend to rescue you, but I ask that you cooperate with me."

"Do you mean it?"

"What do you want us to do?"

A few of the women drummed up their courage and hoped that this was no lie.

"I don't want to cause trouble for myself, and I don't want any of you to reveal what has happened. I need to seal your cultivation temporarily. Relax: I will not imprison you. I can arrange for all of you to live within a hidden realm, and I'll unseal your cultivation there. Once the immediate danger is over, I'll retrieve all of you from that hidden realm and allow you to go free. Will that be satisfactory?"

The women glanced at each other. They analyzed that the Buddha of Dual Cultivation wouldn't need to come up with such an elaborate joke to torment them.

Eventually, they nodded. One woman ventured, "If this is the truth, I thank you, Benefactor."

"Thank you, Benefactor!" the women chorused.

"Very good. I'll free you one group at a time. There are a few women deeper in who are in varying states of undress and mental distress. I leave them in your care."

He slashed at the cells with his crescent sword, shattering their locks and freeing the women who had been chained. Some already had their cultivation sealed; others didn't.

As they emerged from their cells, they rushed around the prison to investigate what had happened. After confirming the truth of Xiao Nanfeng's words, they began to cry—some in joy, others in relief, yet more in misery. In anger, they trashed what remained of the temple.

Xiao Nanfeng waited patiently as he arranged for the nearby spectral guards to gather where he was.

After the women had vented their emotions, they returned to help out those in particular distress, clothing and awakening those deeper within the prison, whose mental faculties had been damaged.

Perhaps because of the death of the Buddha of Dual Cultivation, those women responded quickly. As they regained consciousness and learned of the truth, they too began to cry.

Once all the women had settled down, they walked up to Xiao Nanfeng and bowed deeply. "Thank you again, Benefactor."

"It was the right thing to do. I ask for your cooperation in what follows," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Please seal our cultivation, Benefactor!" one woman began.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Hold on for a moment. My subordinates will be here right away. You'll leave alongside them," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!" the women replied.

Just then, Xiao Nanfeng glanced at his crescent sword with a frown. Emperor Feng had hidden within to meditate, but could he still spy on the world at large?

If he were to use his candleflame powers, would Emperor Feng sense them?

He pursed his lips. How was he to leave?

Just then, a huge rumble came from close by. The entire Buddha's Grotto shook, as though a huge hole had opened up in it. Water began to rush in.

Xiao Nanfeng belatedly saw the praying mat.

It hadn't left with Zhang Lingjun; rather, it had been devouring the entire Buddha's Grotto. A huge hole had appeared as a result, causing the lakewater to rush in from the outside.

The praying mat continued to absorb the grotto with so much suction that everything was shaking.

The women massed together around Xiao Nanfeng, worried that the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's accomplices had returned.

Just then, dozens of figures flew in from the hole the praying mat had created—the spectral guards that Xiao Nanfeng had summoned.

"We greet His Majesty!" the spectral guards shouted, bowing.

Xiao Nanfeng pacified the women. "Don't worry. These are all my subordinates."

The women considered these so-called spectral guards curiously.

"Seal their cultivation, take them into the undying realm, and unseal their cultivation there. I'll have Mr. Zheng handle the rest," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

The spectral guards stepped forward and sealed all the women's cultivation again.

Before long, they were ready.

As the praying mat continued to devour the Buddha's Grotto, it began to shake more and more violently.

"Now, let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng said.

With a wave of his sleeves, he sent everyone out of the grotto in a burst of air.

In the world at large, the lake had vanished, replaced by a huge pit. The cultivators flew out of the pit and emerged in the valley.

"These grounds—bone ash, blood-stained earth..." One of the women had startling eyesight and discovered the secret of the valley immediately.

"My senior sister, my master's wife..." Many of the women began to cry.

Clearly, they hadn't been caught alone. Many of the women they had been close to had been captives alongside them, but all of them had perished. There were no traces of them left behind save the rusty-red earth.

The women were chilled. Faced with what lay before them, they knew very well what would have happened had Xiao Nanfeng not rescued them.

"Thank you, Benefactor!" The women found themselves bowing to Xiao Nanfeng again and again.

"Leave quickly. It's dangerous here," Xiao NAnfeng warned.

"Understood!" the women replied.

The spectral guards surrounded the women and themselves with fog as they flew off.

Xiao Nanfeng stared into the pit, as though awaiting the praying mat.

After some time, when the praying mat had devoured the Buddha's Grotto completely, Xiao Nanfeng bowed as it flew out of the pit. "I greet the Taiqing Grandmaster."

The praying mat ignored Xiao Nanfeng and vanished as it flew into the skies.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

He headed back into the pit and found several trace remnants of the grotto that he destroyed. After ensuring that nothing was left behind, he too flew out of the pit and vanished from sight.

He didn't immediately return to the capital of Dayin. Rather, he found a secluded forest up on the mountains far from the area, dug a cave, sealed it, and entered secluded cultivation.

He checked the treasures he had obtained from the Buddha's Grotto thoroughly again, along with those from Mo Lengxuan's corpse. After he was certain there were none that could track him, he relaxed.

Within Mo Lengxuan's storage treasure were a few manuals and tokens that he considered particularly important, but no relics of the sort that would astound him. The only one which he eyed was the orb of earthflame that he had seized from Mo Lengxuan's hand.

After careful inspection, he discovered that the orb was a Golden Immortal treasure.

If not for Mo Lengxuan's carelessness, and if not for his access to his candleflame powers, the outcome of the fight could have been very different.

The orb of earthflame contained incredible fire-attuned energy, and a flaming dragon's soul lay within. It seemed to possess boundless might.

He understood that if he were to use that treasure, it would be akin to revealing that Mo Lengxuan had died at his hand.

In that case, he would simply absorb the flames that lay within. Countless fire-attuned energy rushed out of the orb and surged toward his body.

The flames contained incredible energy, precisely what he needed.

The ten golden crows within his body were furiously gulping down those flames and distilling them into pure energy. Golden radiance seeped out from him as his Imposing Avatar of Rulai grew stronger and stronger, as did his Jade Emperor's Frame.

It took him four hours before he exhausted the energy within the orb of earthflame, and his body resonated as a gust of energy emanated from it.

His eyes were ablaze when he opened them. "The sixth stage of the Heaven Immortal realm!"

He released a breath, happy with his progress. Only then did he stand up, push aside the rocks that had sealed the cave, and emerged.

He flew toward a nearby city, shrouded himself with fog, and bought robes similar to those that Zhao Yuanjiao had worn. Then, he finally flew back to the capital of Dayin.

He made one loop along the outskirts of the capital before showing himself, having disguised his appearance as Zhao Yuanjiao's. He recruited a few purple-furred monsters to help him get back into the capital and his guest island there.

When Zhao Yuanjiao saw Xiao Nanfeng return, he asked, "Was everything successful?"

"Indeed." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Just then, Emperor Feng emerged from the crescent sword. He glared at Xiao Nanfeng. "You really are sly. Hmph!"

Then, he possessed Zhao Yuanjiao and ignored Xiao Nanfeng as he headed to a nearby hall to continue his secluded cultivation.

Xiao Nanfeng sighed in relief. He had just confirmed that Emperor Feng had been hiding in the crescent sword, waiting for him to reveal some of his secrets. Fortunately, he had been on guard and revealed nothing.