Chapter 648: The Wastrels

Xiao Nanfeng could see that Zhang Lingjun was enraptured by the idea of reuniting with her parents. If he hadn't interceded, she would have agreed to the plan instantly. With the Heavenly Emperor's violet granule guarding her, however, he too could relax. He sighed and raised no further objections.

"Please take care of Princess Lingjun, Grandmaster." Xiao Nanfeng bowed to the praying mat as well.

"Worry not," Yu Fuli said. "You need not appeal to the Taiqing Grandmaster. I shall ensure Lingjun's safety. Lingjun will likely be gone for quite some time, so you won't be able to meet each other for the short term. You have three days to say farewell to each other. After that, come back here and see her off."

"I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty," Xiao Nanfeng said, bowing gratefully to Yu Fuli.

"The praying mat will remain with me for the time being. I intend to have a serious discussion with the Taiqing Grandmaster. You may leave."

"Understood!" The two cultivators bowed and left the study.

Over the next three days, Xiao Nanfeng didn't leave Zhang Lingjun's side. Zhang Lingjun almost couldn't bear to leave him behind, but ultimately made up her mind owing to her parents' circumstances.

Three days later, they returned to Yu Fuli's study.

"I've already had a discussion with the Taiqing Grandmaster. Lingjun shouldn't be in any danger in this excursion into the red moon illusory realm, but should nevertheless remain careful," Yu Fuli said.

Zhang Lingjun nodded. "I understand!"

"Go on, then," Yu Fuli said.

The praying mat trembled as a burst of red light emerged from it, illuminating a red passageway.

Only when Xiao Nanfeng nodded did Zhang Lingjun leave him behind. With a hum, even her physical body made it into the illusory realm.

The praying mat flew into the realm with Zhang Lingjun before the portal winked shut.

When everything settled once more, Yu Fuli said, "Alright. They're gone now."

Xiao Nanfeng sighed and nodded.

"What did you talk about with Lingjun over the last three days?" Yu Fuli asked.

"Your Majesty, I was able to have a heartfelt conversation with Lingjun thanks to your diverting the Taiqing Grandmaster's attention. I told her to be wary of the Taiqing Grandmaster, to trust him but not to trust him fully."

Yu Fuli nodded at Xiao Nanfeng. "Careful indeed. If Lingjun manages to seize this opportunity, however, it would be an incredible feat that may well shake the world."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"The selection for the five new Martial Aspects is about to end soon, isn't it?" Yu Fuli smiled. "Interesting ploy on your part. You should have a look."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Xiao Nanfeng bowed, then headed straight for the violet drill grounds.

Among the competitors, there were two Golden Immortals among Ao Canghai's faction, along with quite a few True Immortals. Meanwhile, the Demon Child was working with two Golden Immortals and a few True Immortals as well.

Both parties had eyed each other viciously, neither able to claim a decisive upper hand. In the end, the four Golden Immortals had each claimed a banner, while the Demon Child made off with the last one.

Both parties were wounded, but neither could gain any further advantage over the other.

"Demon Child, is the Southern Quadrant going to meddle in the Eastern Quadrant's affairs?!" a Golden Immortal howled.

"As if! I just wanted to beat you all up and mess up your plans. You shouldn't have manipulated me!"

"Do you think I'm a fool? The Martial Aspect selection is about to end. Just you wait—see what happens when we all make our way out!" the Golden Immortal retorted.

The Demon Child refused to budge. He glared at the cultivators fiercely. The two Golden Immortals behind him sighed regretfully at their inability to acquire more of the banners, but there was little they could do.

While they couldn't see what was going on outside, the spectators outside could see everything going on inside.

Ao Canghai's face had only grown darker and darker throughout the tournament. "Have you uncovered what's going on?"

"We have, Eastern Aspect. The two Golden Immortals behind the Demon Child were nominated by different Martial Aspects, but they ultimately seem to answer to Martial Aspect Tu Feng," a Martial Aspect reported.

"Martial Aspect Tu Feng from the Southern Quadrant?" Ao Canghai exclaimed.

"Yes, Eastern Aspect!" the Martial Aspect replied. "We also found that, after Xiao Nanfeng beat up the Demon Child, he mistakenly believed that we were responsible for instigating the conflict between him and Xiao Nanfeng. Martial Aspect Tu Feng took the opportunity to install two of his Golden Immortals by the Demon Child's side."

Ao Canghai frowned. "The Demon Child is just an immature boy. He's being hoodwinked by Martial Aspect Tu Feng, as is Black Dog. Tu Feng, is it? Tired of being suppressed by Yang Chuan, so he's setting his sights on my quadrant instead?"

"Eastern Aspect, what should we do?" the Martial Aspect asked.

Ao Canghai sneered. "Tu Feng might be malicious, but he can't trump Yang Chuan. Does he think I'm an easy target to bully? Does he fancy himself Xiao Nanfeng? He'll regret provoking me soon enough."

"Yes, Eastern Aspect!"

Just then, another anomaly occurred within the drill grounds.

Ye Dafu and his group had rushed forward at the last moment.

"Hand over the banners, or we'll beat you to death!" Ye Dafu shouted.

Everyone turned to them, including the Demon Child and four Golden Immortals.

"Ha! We defeated you at the very beginning. What's the point of jumping out now? Do you want another beating?" the Demon Child called out.

"You little brat, your punches don't even hurt! You might as well be trying to scratch an itch for me. Hand over your banner, then go back home and keep playing with mud!" Ye Dafu bragged.

"If you weren't a Yuqing holy child, I'd long since have beaten you up!"

"Go on, little brat!"

"Go home and play with mud instead!"

The arrogant voices of the golden cultivators had the Demon Child raging in no time.

"Damn it, I'll kill you all!" the Demon Child thundered. "Kill them!"

"Understood!"

His subordinates rushed toward the five golden cultivators.

"They're nothing but piles of trash! Beat them up!" Ye Dafu roared.

They quickly sent a pack of ordinary cultivators flying.

"Ha!" Ye Dafu shouted. "Do you think the likes of you could take me on?"

By then, he had already flown close to the Demon Child.

"Did you forget how I beat you up at the start of the selection? Die!" a Golden Immortal shouted as he flew forward. As he closed in on Ye Dafu, however, he exclaimed in shock, "A Golden Immortal relic?"

Ye Dafu shot forward with a golden bowl in his hand, clearly an exceptional treasure given its radiance.

If the Golden Immortal had been in peak condition, he wouldn't have feared the relic at all. After three days and nights of fighting, however, he was already badly injured. He instantly grew more careful than before, but tried not to show it. "You True Immortal can't draw out the full strength of such a relic. Die!"

He clutched at Ye Dafu with a palm technique, causing Ye Dafu's golden bowl to fly toward him.

"You can't even hold onto your relic? I suppose this treasure's mine, now!" The Golden Immortal reached out for the golden bowl in surprised glee.

"Explode!" Ye Dafu shouted.

The golden bowl exploded with such strength that the Golden Immortal and Ye Dafu were instantly drowned in intense, raging flames.

The shrieks coming from the cultivators within took everyone by surprise.

"That was a Golden Immortal relic—and Ye Dafu detonated it just like that! Is he crazy?"

"Even a Golden Immortal can't withstand the explosion of a Golden Immortal relic, let alone such a wounded one. Was Ye Dafu trying to kill his opponent?"

"Doesn't he want to live? Is he intending to die alongside that Golden Immortal?"

The spectators murmured to each other in shock.

The Demon Child and other three Golden Immortals were taken aback as well. No one had expected Ye Dafu to make such a play.

The flames and dust dissipated to reveal charred, smoking ruins, along with the scorched-black form of the Golden Immortal who lay paralyzed on the ground with severe injuries. Meanwhile, Ye Dafu was wrapped in a kasaya that was glowing with golden light, which had absorbed the majority of the impact. What little struck him, he was able to withstand.

"Ye Dafu had two Golden Immortal relics? One to detonate, and one to protect himself with?" someone cried out.

Ye Dafu grabbed the banner in the Golden Immortal's hands.

"So what if you're a Golden Immortal? I can take you on!" Ye Dafu shouted.

He punched the Golden Immortal in the head, smashing it into the dirt.

"Hold it right there, you bastard!" another Golden Immortal shouted.

"No, I'm your opponent!" Another golden cultivator shot forward.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Scram!" The Golden Immortal slapped at the golden cultivator, only to find the golden cultivator tossing a wooden fish shining in resplendent gold at him.

"Another Golden Immortal relic?" the Golden Immortal exclaimed.

Golden Immortal relics were particularly rare. None of the four of them had any such relics. How could these True Immortals have so many?

"Explode!" the golden cultivator cried out.

"No!"

The second Golden Immortal relic exploded in a ball of raging flame.

The spectators watched on in shock.

"What sort of situation is this? They're willing to give up Golden Immortal relics just like that?"

"Could they each have two Golden Immortal relics, one to detonate and the other to protect themselves with? What a waste, what a waste!"

"They're all wastrels!"

The cultivators watching from the outside were all in an uproar.

The other three golden cultivators all shot toward the Demon Child and remaining two Golden Immortals.

The Demon Child and two Golden Immortals blanched, not knowing how to respond to this ridiculous style of fighting. Who among them could tolerate the explosion of these Golden Immortal relics?

"Don't come over!" a Golden Immortal cried out.

"Explode!"

The third Golden Immortal relic detonated in a ball of flames, as flashy as fireworks in the night.

The cultivators both inside and outside the barrier were astounded by what was happening.

"Just how many relics did Xiao Nanfeng manage to retrieve from Dayin? He's willing to give up Golden Immortal relics just like that!" Quite a few Martial Aspects watching from the sidelines were staring at Ye Dafu and the golden cultivators enviously.

Ao Canghai furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Xiao Nanfeng again?"

Black Dog watched on anxiously. Not far from him, a handsome man's features contorted in anger. He cursed inwardly, "That damn Xiao Nanfeng, ruining my plans!"

The cultivators on the outside watched on as the flames dissipated. A threat could be heard from within.

"Demon Child, your golden hoop can't save you now. Hand over your banner, or I'll detonate this relic in your face!"