Chapter 612: Prepared Countermeasures

Back in Yongding, in the hall in which Ao Canghai was currently situated, Ao Canghai and his Martial Aspects were deep in discussion when a shout rang out from outside. "Martial Aspect Xiao, you can't barge in!"

Xiao Nanfeng ignored the command and entered the hall.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Martial Aspects, Yin Shenhua's eldest son has arrived in the city of Linsha in Dazheng. It's likely a peak Golden Immortal. Please kill him. Dayin may be mobilizing in force, and we cannot afford to back down now," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The Martial Aspects all turned to Ao Canghai, who smiled. "That peacock, you mean?"

"Are you aware of him, Eastern Aspect?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Quite so. This attack involves more than that peacock—there are a group of True Immortal cursed effigies, too. Unfortunately, we'll have to keep a close eye on Yin Shenhua, so we can't help. You're on your own. Be careful, now," Ao Canghai said.

Xiao Nanfeng grimaced. He turned to leave, not interrogating Ao Canghai as to how he knew of the enemy's plans in such detail. There simply was no time to lose.

Only after Xiao Nanfeng had left the hall did the Martial Aspects begin to laugh.

"Eastern Aspect, has Yin Shenhua made up his mind to crush Dazheng?" the Martial Aspect of Violetfrost asked expectantly.

Ao Canghai nodded. "That's right. Yin Mingwang's appearance is only the tip of the iceberg. Just wait patiently."

"Understood!" the other Martial Aspects replied.

They clearly understood Ao Canghai's meaning. This time, they wouldn't let Xiao Nanfeng manipulate them. Let those cursed effigies destroy every city of Dazheng! All they had to do was defend Yongding and fulfill the Heavenly Emperor's orders. As for killing Dayin's Golden Immortals, that could wait until Dazheng was entirely destroyed.

The Martial Aspects waited expectantly for Dazheng to be destroyed, not knowing that Xiao Nanfeng was headed toward a nearby hall in the vicinity.

Moments after he entered the hall, about a dozen male cultivators rushed out, their robes almost the same as the Martial Aspects'. However, fog surrounded their faces.

Subsequently, one of Ao Canghai's subordinates rushed into the hall in which the Martial Aspects were located. "Eastern Aspect, Martial Aspects, there were cultivators impersonating you in a nearby hall!"

"What?" the Martial Aspects exclaimed.

Then, the Martial Aspects suddenly heard a voice from the outside, one that sounded exactly like Ao Canghai. The fake Ao Canghai shouted, "Everyone, with me! We'll kill Yin Mingwang!"

Within the hall, Ao Canghai shot up, thundering in outrage, "Damn it, Xiao Nanfeng's planning to impersonate us and force his foes to show themselves!"

Indeed, the next moment, Yongding was suddenly pitch-black. Dark clouds covered the air as a frightening aura manifested.

"All of you, die!" a voice roared.

A giant palm descended from the heavens, radiating with golden light, imbued with speed and strength. A single blow might crush Yongding.

"It's Yin Shenhua!" Ao Canghai exclaimed. He had no choice but to defend himself with a counterattack.

He shattered the hall he was in, launching a palm technique of his own to take on the radiant golden palm in the air.

The two giant palms clashed against each other in a flaming tempest.

Yin Shenhua wasn't the only one who had made his move. There were plenty of strong cultivators attacking Yongding, causing its defensive formation to shatter. The Martial Aspects finally rushed out of their hall, holding the cultivators of Dayin back.

There were several defensive formations layered around Yongding. After the first few had shattered, the last few were barely able to defend the city. Even so, they flickered as if they would collapse at any moment.

Yin Shenhua and his subordinates were taken aback.

"Where did those other Martial Aspects come from?" a monk exclaimed.

In the other hall not too far away, the fake Martial Aspects who had been making a big fuss quickly slunk away.

"Xiao Nanfeng, how dare you have cultivators impersonate us?!" Ao Canghai demanded.

"They're my subordinates, and all they said was that they would kill Yin Mingwang. They never claimed to be Martial Aspects. How have they impersonated you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Ao Canghai: ...

Yin Shenhua: ...

"At any rate, Martial Aspects," Xiao Nanfeng continued. "Since Yin Shenhua's here, I'll leave the situation in Yongding to you."

The Martial Aspects' eyes twitched. Had Xiao Nanfeng tricked them again? Though fuming and exasperated, they had no choice but to obey the Heavenly Emperor's orders and protect Yongding.

Yin Shenhua scowled as well. He had no choice but to take on Ao Canghai again.

"Ao Canghai, for killing my son, I'll kill you," Yin Shenhua gritted out.

"I didn't kill Yin Peng. You've found the wrong culprit," Ao Canghai retorted.

The two cultivators struck at each other, their attacks forming a tempest around them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Martial Aspects continued to take on Dayin's cultivators. Explosions rang out through the air.

Meanwhile, an official hurriedly flew toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Your Majesty, Linsha has been razed to the ground. All the civilians have been devoured by that peacock!"

"Yin Mingwang will die for this!" Xiao Nanfeng thundered.

He raised his head, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Listen up, citizens of Dazheng! I am your emperor, Xiao Nanfeng! I know that you've all seen the attacks from Dazheng's cursed effigies by now. If we want to live, we'll have to take them down. Otherwise, we'll die! Just now, the city of Linsha was wiped from the world, its citizens devoured to the last by a cursed effigy. I ask for your support in these trying times. Raise your right hand and channel your power into me! I will take on the perpetrators myself, protect Dazheng, and avenge our fallen!"

The sea of fortune above Yongding roiled. Xiao Nanfeng's words were transmitted into the ears of each citizen.

All across the five thousand cities of Dazheng, countless people were raising their heads and staring at the arhats outside their cities' defensive formations. The arhats were fierce. Every attack caused the formations to shake violently, as did the cities themselves. The citizens shrank back in fear, but even so, heeded the proclamation.

"Your Majesty, take my strength and kill those demons!"

"Your Majesty, my strength is yours!"

"Everyone, raise your right hands, now!"

Countless people across the five thousand cities of Dazheng raised their hands. The people's strength, absorbed by the sea of fortune, rushed toward Yongding.

At the same time, those from the undying realm and the Netherworld Palace, likewise hearing Xiao Nanfeng's summons, also raised their right hands and pooled their strength together.

In the Immortal city of Luye, which had recently been seized by Dazheng, many people heard Xiao Nanfeng's cries as well. Many of them had lost their relatives and were stewing in hatred of Yin Shenhua and his cursed effigies. They too raised their hands.

The power of countless people across the world surged toward Yongding's sea of fortune, causing a dragon to rise up from within it, howling.

Incredible fortune and incredible strength surged into Xiao Nanfeng's body.

With a boom, golden light shot out of Xiao Nanfeng's body as an incredible aura emanated from him. The void itself trembled as his strength reached its peak.

He rushed into the air, out of Yongding, and toward the city of Linsha.

"Xiao Nanfeng's escaping! Don't let him get away!" Yin Shenhua commanded.

Two bodhisattvas immediately ignored their opponents and gave chase after Xiao Nanfeng.

The Martial Aspects they were fighting allowed them to do so with a smirk.

Three beams of light vanished over the horizon.

In the city of Linsha, the peacock was dissatisfied even after having devoured all the civilians in the city. He raised his head and looked toward the distance. His astounding sight revealed a city in that direction.

An arhat had been attacking the defensive formation for some time, but had still yet to break through.

"Something's wrong. How can such an ordinary city have a defensive formation that can resist a True Immortal?" the peacock exclaimed.

He flew toward the city, his subordinates following swiftly behind.

"What's going on?" Yin Mingwang demanded.

"I don't know. This formation's particularly strong, and I can't break through," the arhat replied.

The peacock narrowed his eyes and asked his subordinates, "Go see if the situation is the same across Dazheng."

"Understood!" his subordinates replied.

They closed their eyes and mobilized their avatars. One quickly replied, "I don't have information from all the cities I'm responsible for, but over half the cities have managed to repel the arhats thus far."

"More than half? Then we might as well assume it's like that for all the cities. Just where did Xiao Nanfeng find a relic that can support the cities' defensive formations all across his empire? Someone must be lending aid to Dazheng. Could Xiao Nanfeng have predicted our attack in advance?" the peacock exclaimed in shock.

He flapped its wings and sent a gust of black wind toward the defensive formation before him, which shattered.

With another gust of his wings, the peacock sent more black wind surging toward the city.

"No!" the civilians cried out.

Just then, a huge palm scattered the wind.

The peacock turned to see a cloud of black fog in the distance, which slowly dissipated to reveal the Past Buddha. Clearly, the black lotus had arrived.

"You bastard! You devoured all the people of Linsha? I'll kill you!" the black lotus cried out.

The peacock demanded, "Have you taken over the Past Buddha? Are you the Venerable Buddha?"

"I should have killed you in the past. You won't get away this time!" the black lotus roared, sending a palm toward the peacock.

"For killing my brother, even if you're the Venerable Buddha, I'll kill you!" the peacock screeched.

The two cultivators' attacks caused a flaming tempest to form in the air.

"I've already taken down the defensive formation around this city. Slaughter the people within," the peacock ordered his subordinates as he fought.

"Understood!" the arhat and the peacock's subordinates replied.

Just then, another beam of golden light flashed by from afar. Ye Dafu and his subordinates were the first to arrive on the scene.

"Kill them!" Ye Dafu commanded.

The fighting began anew in this ordinary city by Dazheng's borders.