Chapter 578: Curse

Within the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm, after long hours, as Ye Dafu blocked the final wave of the tribulation, the dark clouds above transformed into radiant clouds that shot into his body.

Ye Dafu howled in excitement, a wave of energy spreading all around him.

"He became a True Immortal that easily? What an interesting technique..." Emperor Feng murmured, a complicated expression on his face.

"Thank you for your assistance, Emperor Feng." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Emperor Feng asked curiously, "Can they advance just by getting beaten up? Aren't there any other restrictions?"

"Not as far as I'm aware. You should know that I'm asking you to help them raise their cultivation because it'll be part of my plan for dealing with Yin Shenhua with you, though."

Emperor Feng glared at Xiao Nanfeng. "Please. It's obvious you're just trying to get some benefits for yourself. Don't try to involve me in everything."

Just then, Ye Dafu rushed back from afar. "Your Majesty, now that I'm a True Immortal, I'm ready to get beaten up again!"

"We'll have to continue troubling Emperor Feng, then." Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Emperor Feng, whose face turned dour.

He scowled. "Are you all treating me like a tool?"

"Your Majesty, we've all recovered as well, and we're late-stage Heaven Immortals now! We want to become True Immortals, too!" The other golden cultivators all stood up expectantly.

"Thank Emperor Feng, then," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Thank you, Emperor Feng!" the golden cultivators chorused.

Emperor Feng: ...

In order for Xiao Nanfeng to hurry up and deal with Yin Shenhua with him, he waved a hand and sent the golden cultivators into the golden bowl.

"Lion, we're back! Come beat us up!"

"Eat me, eat me! The corrosion from your stomach acid feels great!"

"I want to be eaten too! Come at me!"

The golden cultivators leapt eagerly toward Sage Blue Lion.

"You insolent brats! I'll kill you!" Sage Blue Lion roared.

"Good, good! Use all your strength!" Ye Dafu shouted eagerly.

Sage Blue Lion attacked more and more viciously as the twelve golden cultivators moaned and screamed. The fight within the golden bowl seemed to be progressing in a sinister direction.

Outside the golden bowl, Emperor Feng watched on in shocked silence. "They might be able to advance their cultivation by getting beaten up, but their ardent desire is something intrinsic to them. Could the technique have distorted their spirit? What exactly do they cultivate?!"

"Indomitable Body," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Indomitable Body? Surely not. I've seen other such cultivators in the past, but none were as perverse as they are. Could there be multiple versions of Indomitable Body? Did they get the one with the more severe side effects?" Emperor Feng frowned.

"I don't know myself, Senior. Shall I have them impart the technique to you?"

Emperor Feng stiffened. He was very interested in the idea of being able to raise his cultivation just by being beaten up, but he didn't want to become a masochist. What would it do to his public image as an Immortal Emperor if he were to, say, let himself get whipped by his officials all day long? He shuddered at the very thought.

"Forget it. It's not anything I'd be able to use," Emperor Feng said, shaking his head.

This time, the golden cultivators lasted even longer than before. Sage Blue Lion worked up a sweat as the cultivators tumbled out, their heads swollen and bruised, streaks of blood all over their bodies.

As they healed up, two more cultivators headed off for their True Immortal tribulation.

Then, the golden cultivators entered the bowl for a fourth time.

"Don't dilute the training. Those of you who have undergone the True Immortal tribulation aren't allowed to enter again," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Ye Dafu and the other two True Immortals could only watch on as the remaining nine golden cultivators got beaten up.

This time, Sage Blue Lion initially refused to attack the cultivators, but was ultimately frustrated by their underhanded taunts and provocations.

He struck them so furiously that they were almost paste by the time they were dragged out.

Five more cultivators headed off for their True Immortal tribulation.

The remaining golden cultivators entered the golden bowl for a fifth time after they finished recuperating. By then, Sage Blue Lion was pale and clearly devoid of strength.

"Lion, I still need another beating to break through! You can't collapse just yet!"

"If you really can't handle it, why not eat me up? That'll do!"

"I have a pill that can replenish your strength."

"Right, have a pill and let's go again!"

The four golden cultivators hurriedly offered Sage Blue Lion a dizzying selection of pills.

One fed the sage, while the other three massaged his prone body.

"Damn it! I'm not going to do anything even if you beat me to death!" Sage Blue Lion roared.

"Prod his eyes."

"Strike the back of his head."

"Cut his chest muscles open!"

The four golden cultivators made their move.

Sage Blue Lion growled in fury. "You bastards! I'll kill you all!"

"That's right, that's the spirit!" the four golden cultivators shouted eagerly.

Emperor Feng watched on, grimacing. "The pride of a Golden Immortal..."

By the time Sage Blue Lion exhausted himself again, all four remaining golden cultivators were also all but done for.

This time, however, after they recuperated, they were all ready for their own True Immortal tribulation.

Very quickly, all twelve golden cultivators had become True Immortals.

"Thank you, Emperor Feng! Can we enter again?" Ye Dafu and the others asked expectantly.

Emperor Feng: ...

Within the golden bowl, Sage Blue Lion shivered in fear. Again?

"Let's stop here. Sage Blue Lion has exhausted all his strength," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!" the twelve golden cultivators replied.

"Emperor Feng, please seal Sage Blue Lion's cultivation so that he can continue being their sparring partner in the future," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

Emperor Feng gave him an odd look. Just who were these people? Did they have no respect for Golden Immortals at all?

In the end, however, he did seal Sage Blue Lion's cultivation and handed him over to Ye Dafu and the others. Then, he retrieved the golden bowl relic within which Sage Blue Lion had been imprisoned.

"It's time for you to help me," Emperor Feng said.

"Of course. Let's go immediately," Xiao Nanfeng said.

He brought Emperor Feng out of the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm alongside him.

Just then, a spectral guard stepped forward to report to Xiao Nanfeng again.

"Your Majesty, Dayin has sent more cultivators around to probe at Yongding."

"Senior, I'll have to trouble you once more."

Emperor Feng fumed. "You really have a lot of requests, don't you?"

"Once you deal with this group of cultivators, we can make our move."

Emperor Feng hmphed.

Annoyed, he allowed the spectral guards to guide him toward the new group of Dayin cultivators, whereupon he took them all down. There weren't any Golden Immortals this time, so he finished them off quickly.

"I'm heading off in search of Zhao Yuanjiao now. The rest is up to you," Emperor Feng said.

"I'll do my best." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

Emperor Feng nodded as well, but he didn't leave right away. He suddenly stared at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Is something else the matter, Senior?"

"Before you leave, I'm going to leave a mark on your body so it'll be easy for me to contact you."

He sent a burst of black smoke straight toward Xiao Nanfeng's body.

"Senior!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed, trying to stop the black smoke, but it had come too quickly. It shot into his body, manifesting a particularly complicated formation on his back before vanishing from sight.

"Don't worry. It's an ordinary curse that won't be able to hurt you," Emperor Feng continued.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Very well!"

"I'm leaving now, then."

Emperor Feng soared into the air and flew off toward the capital of Dayin.

At the same time, Xiao Nanfeng hurriedly released his spiritual power and manifested the curse on his back.

"Copy this pattern down," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

A spectral guard stepped forward and traced out the pattern with a technique.

"Ask the demonic sect master what he knows about it," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"Understood!"

At the same time, in a forest outside Dayin's capital, Zhao Yuanjiao and a spectral guard looked toward a black-robed figure before them.

"What does Xiao Nanfeng want to know?" the black-robed figure asked hoarsely, gender indeterminate.

The spectral guard manifested the pattern of the curse that he had traced. "Demonic Sect Master, my avatar is with His Majesty. Emperor Feng has just left Yongding and is likely heading over here. Before he left, he struck His Majesty with a curse. This is what it looks like. His Majesty would like you to take a look."

"Sorry to trouble you, Demonic Sect Master," Zhao Yuanjiao murmured.

The black-robed figure, the Demonic Sect Master, shook his head. "We're all part of the Taiqing Sect. There's no need for such politeness. Let me see."

"You're the best expert in spiritual matters across both Taiqing Sects. I begged for your help to deal with the curse that Emperor Feng left on me, not expecting that Nanfeng would be struck with the same." Zhao Yuanjiao smiled wryly.

The demonic sect master inspected the curse carefully. "Xiao Nanfeng's curse is a little different from yours, but the fundamental effect is the same."

"Oh?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked curiously.

"The curse contains part of Emperor Feng's strength. Once he activates it, he can detonate that power to produce a blow on par with his strongest attacks. It'd likely kill you both instantly," the demonic sect master said.

"Oh?"

The demonic sect master frowned. "It's clear that he's a malicious man. If I'm not mistaken, he's intending to take advantage of the two of you and kill you once he accomplishes his goal."

"What? How dare he!" Zhao Yuanjiao exclaimed in shock.

"It's no surprise, I suppose. He's planning to take over a monarch of a divine empire! How could he let that secret be known to others? Once you die, no one will be able to expose him," the demonic sect master replied.

"But isn't Zhang Lingjun aware that he's been freed, too?" Zhao Yuanjiao frowned.

"Zhang Lingjun does know that he's been freed, but not what he's about to do. Don't underestimate him, or you'll die without realizing it," the demonic sect master warned.

"Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Sect Master."

"Xiao Nanfeng cultivates the Shangqing blue moon and can dispel this curse himself. As for yours, leave it to me. However, since Emperor Feng's about to arrive, I won't dispel your curse for the time being. Let's follow Xiao Nanfeng's plan for now."

"Very well!" Zhao Yuanjiao nodded.