Chapter 605: Eradicating the Bandit-Quelling Army

Within Luye, Blue Lantern trapped a Golden Immortal spirit in a formation as the black lotus pursued a second and Xiao Nanfeng struck at the third.

The third Golden Immortal spirit had been preparing to run when Xiao Nanfeng struck at it with his sword. Although it was uninjured, it immediately gave up any thought of retreating. Taking down Xiao Nanfeng would be a tremendous boon, and Xiao Nanfeng was but a Heaven Immortal. Taking him down would be easy, wouldn't it?

As it considered its options, Xiao Nanfeng struck at it again. "Die!"

"Come!" the Golden Immortal spirit shouted, clawing at him with a palm.

The palm met the blade in a clash that shattered Xiao Nanfeng's technique. Xiao Nanfeng was forced back as the palm continued toward him, but he leapt up and avoided the blow.

"Let's see just how long you can run for!" the Golden Immortal spirit shouted.

It swiped at Xiao Nanfeng again at maximum strength, flames in the arc of its wake. Its palm struck Xiao Nanfeng and sent him flying into a giant floating island, causing the entire city to rumble.

"What? How could you be alright?!" the Golden Immortal spirit shouted.

Despite the fact that Xiao Nanfeng's robes were now rather tattered, his body seemed just fine. He wiped at a trickle of blood by a corner of his lips, barely wounded.

"Again!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, raising his blade up high.

"How can a mere peak Heaven Immortal block my palm? Just what sort of technique do you cultivate?!" the Golden Immortal spirit exclaimed.

Xiao Nanfeng suddenly relaxed. He smiled. "I suppose you won't have the chance to figure that out."

The black lotus had finished off one of the Golden Immortal spirits in the blink of an eye. In the visage of the Past Buddha, it flashed to Xiao Nanfeng's front and protected him.

"Damn it," the Golden Immortal spirit cursed.

Without any hesitation, it made for the city gates.

"Do you think you can escape?" the black lotus demanded.

It caught up to the Golden Immortal spirit in no time.

"You can't kill me! The Immortal Emperor will be here in no time. If I die, the Immortal Emperor will never let you go!" the Golden Immortal spirit cried out anxiously.

However, the black lotus didn't waste any time. It struck immediately, a palm slamming into the Golden Immortal spirit's chest and causing the latter to strike the ground. Luye rumbled as if a huge earthquake had struck it. The Golden Immortal spirit spat out a mouthful of blood as it landed, its injuries worsening.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng had transformed into his True Yin body and was flying toward a certain formation within the city, the base of the Immortal spirits' bandit-quelling army. They had been trapped within the formation, and Ye Dafu's demon-slaying army was already making its way in. The two armies were at a stalemate, neither quite able to overcome the other.

As Xiao Nanfeng stepped into the formation, he was immediately discovered by countless Immortal spirits.

"Take down Xiao Nanfeng! He's right there!" a group of Immortal spirits shouted.

Almost a hundred Immortal spirits charged toward him.

"Hegemon's Fist!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Thousands of fists manifested all over the sky, sending the Immortal spirits flying like dandelion seeds from a puff of air. The sight was so shocking that the Immortal spirits who were rushing toward Xiao Nanfeng halted, shocked.

"The Golden Immortal spirits have fallen. Surrender now, and you won't be killed!" Xiao Nanfeng declared.

"The Golden Immortal spirits have fallen. Surrender now, and you won't be killed!" countless Dazheng Immortals echoed.

All the Immortal spirits currently in combat glanced over in shock to see that the black lotus had killed its second Golden Immortal spirit. It was now flashing into the air toward the final Golden Immortal spirit, which had been bound by a formation.

"No!"

The final Golden Immortal spirit screamed piteously as the black lotus' blow struck it directly in the head. Blood and bone sprayed out as it perished on the spot.

All the Immortal spirits froze. Upon hearing that they wouldn't be killed if they were to surrender, they lost whatever courage they had to keep fighting.

How were they meant to fight this battle? They were unable to suppress their enemies, without leadership, and trapped within a formation. They couldn't run even if they wanted to.

"I'll surrender!"

"I'll surrender too!"

Countless Immortal spirits surrendered at once.

Of course, some continued to resist, but they were easily and quickly overwhelmed by the Dazheng Immortals.

The vast majority of the Immortal spirits had surrendered, and the Dazheng Immortals rushed to seal their cultivation.

The battle of Luye ended quickly; the bandit-quelling army had been all but wiped out.

Back in Yongding, Ao Canghai rushed into the air alongside ten Martial Aspects to block their three Golden Immortal enemies. The roc was the strongest of them all. Without Ao Canghai present, he would easily have been able to escape—but Ao Canghai was present, after all.

"Endless is the sea!" Ao Canghai intoned.

With a wave of his hand, a flood of seawater materialized out of nowhere, forming a raging sea in the air that trapped the roc.

"Power over natural law? No!" the roc shouted in fear.

No matter how the roc struggled, he was unable to free himself from the raging sea.

Ao Canghai wasn't in too much of a hurry to kill the roc. He glanced down at Xiao Nanfeng, not having expected that Xiao Nanfeng really would have been able to lure Yin Peng to Yongding.

How could Yin Peng have been such a fool as to come to Yongding knowing that Ao Canghai was present? Was he to kill Yin Peng now and deal with the commander of the bandit-quelling army for Xiao Nanfeng? He didn't want to help Xiao Nanfeng out, after all.

"Trap but don't kill them. Wait for Yin Shenhua to come provide assistance." Ao Canghai sent out a mental transmission to his loyal Martial Aspects.

By then, the Martial Aspects had crippled the lion and elephant spirits. When they heard Ao Canghai's commands, the frequency of their attacks immediately slowed.

Down below them, Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes, seemingly having predicted Ao Canghai's intentions.

"Leave now, Princess," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"No. Let me accompany you," Zhang Lingjun refused, shaking his head.

Moments before, within Dayin's imperial study, Yin Shenhua had been discussing a few matters with his subordinates when a guard rushed into the study.

"Your Majesty, there's trouble at Luye. Dazheng's army has made it into the city!"

"Into the city? Did Peng'er not do his job adequately?" Yin Shenhua frowned mightily.

Another guard rushed toward the study. "His Majesty, His Highness brought the lion and elephant Golden Immortals with him on a sneak attack of Yongding. He's been trapped by Ao Canghai and his ten Martial Aspects, and his life's on the line."

"Those incompetent fools! Who had them head to Yongding?!" Yin Shenhua shouted. He stood up immediately.

Then, beams of light shot into the air and toward the south.

Back in Yongding, despite the Martial Aspects going easy on their opponents, the lion and elephant Golden Immortal spirits had fallen, leaving only the badly injured roc.

Ao Canghai narrowed his eyes. "Looks like even you can't lure out Yin Shenhua. Forget it, then. Die!"

With a wave of his hand, the raging sea in the sky froze and turned into countless icicles that shot toward the roc. The icicles chipped off the roc's feathers in spurts of blood.

"No! Save me, Father!" the roc howled in despair.

Just then, a golden palm struck at Ao Canghai from the back.

"Is he here?" Ao Canghai frowned as he retaliated with a palm of his own.

A loud boom caused intense flames to light up the night.

Ao Canghai retreated, his endless sea having shattered in the aftermath of the attack. The roc had been saved. A golden figure stood before the roc, protecting him.

The Martial Aspects surrounded the enemy who had just arrived as they drew their relics and trapped him in a formation.

"So you've come, Yin Shenhua," Ao Canghai said, smiling coldly.

"Father!" The roc lowered his head in shame.

"Who had you come to Yongding?!" Yin Shenhua shouted.

"Xiao Nanfeng tricked me! He lied to me and made me think that Ao Canghai and his Martial Aspects had gone to Luye. That was why I decided to launch a sneak attack on Yongding," the roc replied.

"You fool!" Yin Shenhua replied.

The roc grimaced, but didn't dare retort.

Yin Shenhua glanced at the Martial Aspects all around him. "The Imperial Court's Ten Absolutes formation? It won't be able to trap me."

"With my assistance, it'll be enough," Ao Canghai declared. "Die!"

"Die!"

The Martial Aspects all activated their relics simultaneously, forming a stellar river that surged toward Yin Shenhua.

"Rulai's Golden Body!" Yin Shenhua shouted.

A giant Buddha in gold appeared over Yin Shenhua's body, with his precise features. The Buddha struck with a palm, immediately making a tear in the stellar river of the Ten Absolutes formation.

Ao Canghai struck with his palm clenched in the form of a dragon's claw as he struck at the Buddha's golden body.

The void itself pulsed, and flames roared up even more brightly into the air.

Yin Shenhua himself wouldn't be able to escape, but he threw the roc out through the tear he had formed.

"You're wounded. You leave first!" Yin Shenhua roared.

Then, he engaged in a heated battle against the eleven Martial Aspects.

High in the air, what was going on was shrouded from those below. Fire and wind raged around the combatants, and all the spectators could see were glimpses of a golden Buddha taking on a giant golden dragon.

The shockwaves resulting from the battle flung the roc into the distance. The roc grimaced. He didn't dare join in the fight, but he didn't want to flee having accomplished nothing, either. He lowered his head and looked toward Yongding.

Though Yongding was protected by a defensive formation, the shockwaves from the fight high above were battering it. It shuddered as if it might collapse at any moment.

Xiao Nanfeng and Zhang Lingjun were standing before Xuanhuang Hall and observing the fight from down below. Suddenly, as though sensing something, Xiao Nanfeng's gaze swung toward the roc.

"Xiao Nanfeng, look at what you've done to me! Even if I have to flee, I'll take you with me!" the roc shouted.

He swooped straight toward Xiao Nanfeng.

The Martial Aspects and Yin Shenhua saw what the roc was doing, Yin Shenhua frowned, but didn't stop the roc.

Ao Canghai narrowed his eyes. This turn of events would only benefit him. He made to cooperate. "Capture Yin Shenhua on His Majesty's orders!"

"Understood!" the Martial Aspects replied.

No one stepped forward to help out Xiao Nanfeng; everyone thought he would be done for.

Indeed, the roc easily broke through the formation above Xuanhuang Hall and dove down toward him. He shouted, "Xiao Nanfeng, die!"