Chapter 565: None of Your Business

All the competitors participating in the martial tournament frowned in anger. No one wanted to be interrogated by Xiao Nanfeng, after all.

The spectators watching from outside the barrier were agog, none having expected Xiao Nanfeng to participate in such a power play. Did he intend to take on all the Heaven Immortals at once? Were all Martial Aspects of the Imperial Court so arrogant?

Just then, an official responsible for the tournament warned from outside the barrier, "Martial Aspect Xiao, you're currently taking part in Dayin's martial tournament. Please be cognizant of that."

Xiao Nanfeng turned and glared at the official. "It's none of your business."

The official frowned.

"As for the rest of you, listen up. I've shown Dayin plenty of respect by going through the tournament proceedings—I registered, I allowed you to inspect me, I followed your rules, and I stepped within this barrier. You set the rules, and I'm following them. This tournament is slated to last three days. If any of you dare to interfere in the tournament within these three days, don't blame me for what happens. Whoever dares to interfere with an Imperial Court investigation shall be deemed a traitor and killed!"

The spectators gaped. Who would have thought that this was Xiao Nanfeng's plan when he registered for the tournament?

The officials in charge twitched. Finally, one said, "Please relax, Martial Aspect Xiao. We don't intend to ensconce any criminals."

"Good!" Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

Then, he turned toward Monk Jinguang again. "Aren't you going to confess?"

"Please spare me, Martial Aspect Xiao. I really am unaware of this business dealing with the princess, and I never wrote you a letter. I'm innocent!"

"My subordinates have already headed to your temple. The truth will be revealed before long. I hope you don't intend to cause more problems for yourself."

"I swear it, Martial Aspect Xiao, I swear it!" Monk Jinguang exclaimed.

"And you?" Xiao Nanfeng turned toward the three tiger spirits.

"Please spare us, Martial Aspect Xiao. None of us know anything about it either!"

"I shall believe you for the time being. Now, I invoke my position as Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court to conscript you into investigating the disappearance of the princess. Have you any objections?"

"We're willing to obey, Martial Aspect Xiao!" the tigers immediately shouted.

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Nanfeng had his golden crows drop them on the ground. Monk Jinguang had lost an arm and was badly wounded, while the three tiger spirits were rather injured in their own right too. However, they were all relieved to have escaped certain death. The tigers caught their breath and glanced at each other furtively, as though prepared to run.

Xiao Nanfeng shot them a look. "You may try to escape, but if I catch you, you'll die."

The three tigers blanched and loudly proclaimed that they wouldn't dare.

Xiao Nanfeng retrieved his golden net, causing the pagoda of quintessential solarfire to fall in a plume of dust.

He made a grabbing motion with his hand, but the pagoda didn't respond at all.

"Hm? It's not straightforward to attune to." He glanced at Monk Jinguang. "How were you able to use it?"

"I don't know. I had full control of the relic the moment I acquired it, as though someone had attuned it for me in advance."

Xiao Nanfneg guessed that this was another of Mo Shanhe's tricks. There had to be some technique applied to this pagoda beforehand—but now, someone had remotely sealed the pagoda from attunement.

He ignored the pagoda and turned to the competitors gathered around him. "Everyone, listen up. There may be a traitor or a group of traitors among you. To prove your innocence, I'd like all of you to step forward and be inspected."

All the competitors frowned. Was Xiao Nanfeng really intent on inspecting them all?

"Xiao Nanfeng, do you really think of yourself that highly? You only defeated a monk. You're a Heaven Immortal, just like us! Do you really think you can interrogate all of us? Who do you think you are?"

"Right, do you think this is your backyard?!"

"So what if you're a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court? You're only a Heaven Immortal—you must be the weakest Martial Aspect in history!"

The competitors taunted Xiao Nanfeng, who sent his ten golden crows flying into the air, burgeoning in size until they were a few hundred meters large.

The skies suddenly darkened as they absorbed all the sunlight from their vicinity, condensing into facsimile solarfire and releasing a frightening wave of heat.

"A sky of ten suns, bringing drought to the world!"

"As expected, this is the legendary Sky of Ten Suns. Xiao Nanfeng's ten golden crows bear an illustrious history..."

"They've absorbed all the sunlight from hundreds of kilometers around!"

The spectators watching the tournament gaped.

Monk Jinguang gulped in shock. He cultivated an inferior version of the technique; though he had thought himself skilled, it was nothing compared to what Xiao Nanfeng had managed. The ridiculous power contained within Xiao Nanfeng's golden crows left him unable to resist at all.

Within the barrier, the ten golden crows glowed with light. Waves of heat buffeted the competitors until they felt as though they were drowning in a sea of flames.

"Enough nonsense. Whoever is willing to be inspected, stand over here lest my golden crows accidentally injure you later. Whoever is unwilling shall be deemed a traitor, whom I will kill."

Even from afar, many of the competitors' qi barriers were already cracking from the heat. If the golden crows were to descend upon them, they would be immolated on the spot.

"Martial Aspect Xiao, I'm willing to be inspected!" one competitor volunteered immediately.

He was only an Earth Immortal who wouldn't be able to place under normal circumstances. He had entered the tournament in hopes of trying to get lucky, but he certainly didn't want to die.

A group of Human and Earth Immortals quickly volunteered to accept an inspection as well. They headed toward the designated area that Xiao Nanfeng was pointing to.

"Guard them," Xiao Nanfeng told the three tiger spirits.

"Understood!" The three tigers headed over immediately.

However, many of the competitors refused to cooperate. They were prideful Heaven Immortals in their own right.

"Xiao Nanfeng, don't think you can get away with this!" a Heaven Immortal roared.

"If you don't want to accept an inspection, so be it. Come on!" Xiao Nanfeng charged forward.

At the same time, his ten golden crows swooped down with a veritable wave of flames, hovering protectively around Xiao Nanfeng.

"Take this!"

"Die!"

Countless sword slashes struck the ten golden crows, but they burned the attacks to a crisp with facsimile solarfire. The cultivators' weapons melted from the heat before they could reach Xiao Nanfeng.

"Impossible. Break!" A peak Heaven Immortal shot forward.

Facsimile solarfire surged forth as the golden crows' claws tore the Heaven Immortal to shreds. Then, as fire blazed, what remained of the Heaven Immortal turned to ash.

The golden crows continued to corral the stubborn Heaven Immortals, none of whom were even able to overwhelm the golden crows' defenses, let alone Xiao Nanfeng himself.

Where Xiao Nanfeng went, the Heaven Immortals cried out. He suppressed all the competitors with his own strength, shocking the gathered spectators.

"Is this how strong a Martial Aspect from the Imperial Court is? Undefeated among his realm? This is ridiculous!"

"What Heaven Immortal could stand against Xiao Nanfeng?"

"Is he really only a Heaven Immortal...?"

"I almost want to become his follower myself."

The spectators continued to murmur to each other in shock.

Within the tournament grounds, countless competitors finally realized the extent of Xiao Nanfeng's strength.

"I surrender. I'm willing to accept the inspection," a Heaven Immortal shouted, unable to bear the attacks any longer.

"Wait over there," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"Understood!"

That Heaven Immortal had been intending to overwhelm Xiao Nanfeng with numbers, but Xiao Nanfeng had decisively proven that approach useless. They couldn't even damage Xiao Nanfeng's clothing, let alone hurt him.

"I'm willing to accept the inspection as well!" another Heaven Immortal shouted.

"All those who are willing to be inspected can head over there," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Understood!" the Heaven Immortals replied.

More and more of the Heaven Immortals conceded defeat. Of the thousands of competitors, only a few dozen stubborn ones remained. They frowned, their eyes glinting.

"In that case, it's very likely that whoever sent me the letter is among you. If you're unwilling to subject yourself to an inspection, you'll have to die!" Xiao Nanfeng warned.

The ten golden crows flew toward them. A sea of flames was poised to burn the cultivators to a crisp.

Suddenly, three blue-clad figures emerged from among the resisting competitors.

One sent a palm strike at a golden crow, which struck the crow in a burst of flames and caused it to retreat.

"What? Those golden crows were able to take on even peak Heaven Immortals easily! How could someone have forced it back?"

"Could that be a True Immortal? Only a True Immortal would have such strength."

"A True Immortal? Impossible!"

The spectators watched on in surprise.

Then, the two other blue-clad figures did the same, sending two golden crows stumbling back and creating an opening.

The three figures immediately shot toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Two more True Immortals? How could this be? Why are they in the tournament?!"

"Isn't this meant to be a tournament for the three lower grades of Immortals? True Immortals aren't allowed to participate. Are people cheating?"

"With True Immortals making their move, Xiao Nanfeng is done for!"

All the spectators held their breaths as the three True Immortals approached Xiao Nanfeng and struck at him from three different angles. His life hung in the balance.