Chapter 669: The Second Coffin

Just then, outside Crystal Hall, Long Er, Long San, and Long Si simultaneously looked toward a domain of white fog by the palace, where Long Yi resided.

The three cultivators watched as black smoke gushed out of the domain, billowing outwards until it covered up the entirety of the Southeastern Aquatic Palace.

All that smoke swirled around the palace before congealing into a hemispherical dome that locked the palace down.

The sea spirits within the palace found themselves sealed by layers of black barriers that sealed them in. Long Si rapped on the surface of the barrier and found it sturdy enough to pose a challenge even to him.

Long Er and Long San seemed to have seen this sight before; they weren't particularly taken aback.

The three cultivators continued to look toward Long Yi's residence. The white fog had entirely vanished, leaving only the black smoke behind. Suddenly, a transparent blue aqueous sphere with a diameter of roughly 300 meters emerged from the smoke, furiously gushing out water at such a rapid pace that it was as if the heavens themselves were flooding.

"The Eye of the Sea!" Long Si exclaimed.

An ivory dragon shot toward the Eye of the Sea, merging together with it. The Eye of the Sea transformed from a sphere to a transparent dragon of water.

The dragon roared, causing the black barriers to vibrate violently. A fearsome aura caused Long Si's heart to thump.

"A Boundless Immortal's strength..." Long Si exclaimed, his eyes twitching.

"Let's go!" the dragon shouted.

It broke through the layers of black barriers and toward the sea at large.

Long Si and the other cultivators followed swiftly behind. In no time at all, the shattered layers of black barriers restored themselves until they were as good as new.

The entire palace was sealed within those barriers.

The dragon of water led the charge. Water gushed out along its trail to such an extent that the burgeoning pressure caused the sea to roil.

"Lead the way, Fourth Brother," the dragon of water commanded.

"Follow me, Eldest Brother!" Long Si replied.

Long Si led them toward the island in which Ao Canghai was located. As they reached that island, the dragon of water induced the seawater all around the island to flood it.

Waves of seawater covered up the sky, forming a huge cage of water that surrounded the island.

"A branch current!" Ao Canghai flew toward the source of the current in excitement.

The moment he did so, however, he saw a flood of water rise up around him, forming a three-kilometer-long dragon of water snapping its snout and waving its claws about. It spat out a burst of howling frost and storm.

"No—that's Long Yi! He's controlling the Eye of the Sea!" Ao Canghai exclaimed.

"Xiao Nanfeng told us about this place. Let's see if you can escape now!" Long Si shouted.

Ao Canghai thundered, "Xiao Nanfeng told you about the Eye of the Sea? How could he divulge such secrets so easily?"

By then, the dragon's breath was about to strike Ao Canghai. He didn't dare underestimate the attack. Transforming into a golden dragon, he shot forward with all the water he could control.

"Endless is the sea!" Ao Canghai intoned.

"Die!" the dragon of water shouted.

The two floods of water smashed into each other in a storm of ice and hail.

The island quickly became a glacier, and the sea froze over for miles on end.

Ao Canghai and the dragon of water began to take on each other. Chips of ice filled the sky as the two dragons fought each other vigorously.

"Brothers, let's help Eldest Brother out! Be careful of the Golden Immortals on the enemy side!" Long Si shouted.

"Got it!" Long Er and Long San replied.

They charged toward two Golden Immortal Martial Aspects.

The four Golden Immortals began to fight each other as Long Si launched himself toward Ao Zhou and Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates.

Fierce fighting unfolded all around as the entire stretch of the sea rose up in turbulence.

Within the Southeastern Aquatic Palace, in the torture chamber where Xiao Nanfeng's main body was located, he was naturally aware of what was happening outside. He smirked. "Finally. It's time for the malicious to pay a price for their misdeeds."

He stood up, wiped away the 'wounds' on his body walked up to the wall of the torture chamber, and used his candleflame powers to pass right through.

"Xiao Nanfeng's breaking out! Get him!" a warden shouted.

The wardens rushed straight toward him.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes flashed in distaste. He blurred away, drawing his divine undying blade and slicing apart the gathered wardens in the blink of an eye.

Then, he walked toward the other torture chamber in the vicinity.

Within, Ye Dafu and the other cultivators were hanging in the air, their skin bruised and mottled. They looked moments away from death.

"How are your injuries?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The four golden cultivators immediately opened their eyes. Ye Dafu sighed. "Your Majesty, they weren't strong at all. Those two Golden Immortals from before made us feel far more comfortable."

Xiao Nanfeng cut the ropes binding the cultivators.

"And how about the seals on your cultivation?"

"Before we left, Blue Lantern infused a formation restriction into each of our bodies, giving us the ability to nullify others' seals while giving off the impression that we've been sealed. We're just fine," Ye Dafu said.

Golden runes poured out of the golden cultivators' bodies as their cultivation was quickly restored.

"Blue Lantern really is amazing." Xiao Nanfeng nodded in relief.

"What now, Your Majesty?" Ye Dafu asked.

"We'll act according to plan."

"Understood!" everyone replied.

The moment they stepped out of the dungeon, they were discovered by some guards stationed around the perimeter. Fortunately, Xiao Nanfeng had been thoughtful enough to shroud himself and his subordinates in fog.

"Who are you?" a guard demanded. "Why are you hiding yourselves?"

The four golden cultivators rushed forward and finished them off.

Without any hesitation, Xiao Nanfeng rushed toward the source of the black smoke.

There were plenty of black smoke barriers along the way, but they might as well have been useless against Xiao Nanfeng.

With his candleflame powers, he was able to quickly pass through them with the four golden cultivators in tow. They headed straight for what lay at the very center.

Those cultivators trapped by the barriers were shocked to see a cloud of white fog zip through the barriers, but they were unable to do anything against it.

Very quickly, Xiao Nanfeng and his party reached the epicenter, where Long Yi had merged with the Eye of the Sea.

Thick black smoke hung cloying in the air, gushing out and maintaining the strength of the barriers that filled their surroundings.

"This black smoke contains tremendous cursed spiritual power," Ye Dafu exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Nanfeng forged forward with his divine undying blade in hand, cautiously wading into the smoke while a procession of people followed closely behind him.

Deep within the smoke, a black coffin could be seen. It had been uncovered, its lid having been nudged aside. Incredible bursts of black smoke billowed out.

"This black coffin..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

He had one such coffin himself, the one that had melded with Emperor Feng's physical body and was subsequently claimed by Yin Shenhua and forged into his throne. It had been in Thunderclap Hall for a century; after Yin Shenhua was defeated, Xiao Nanfeng had claimed his storage bangle, and the coffin was sealed within.

Xiao Nanfeng had yet to unseal the coffin, believing it too dangerous to interact with. He hadn't expected to see another such coffin, especially one that was unsealed. Cursed spiritual power billowed from it.

"Your Majesty, this coffin is making me fearful," Ye Dafu said, frowning.

"It's a particularly dangerous relic, and can even trap Boundless Immortals within. Be careful. Place the lid properly over the coffin for now," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but the coffin lid surely had to be of some importance.

"Understood!" Ye Dafu was just about to step forward when a figure suddenly sat up from within the coffin.

"Who's there?!" Ye Dafu demanded.

Black smoke emanated from the figure in the coffin, shrouding his features from sight. He gave off a chilling aura.

"Xiao Nanfeng? To think you would have escaped..." The figure in the coffin was shocked to see them.

Although the figure's features were obscured, his voice wasn't. Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "Are you Long Yi's avatar?"

He struck at the figure with his blade in a penetrating thrust.

Within the coffin, Long Yi defended with a fist. The two attacks met in a shockwave of energy that spawned a flaming tempest, disturbing the black smoke all around them.

"What tremendous strength. Despite being a True Immortal, you're almost as strong as a Golden Immortal. Xiao Nanfeng, what secrets are you hiding?" Long Yi hissed.

Surrounded with black smoke, he flew out of the coffin with lethal killing intent.

"It's a pity that you're only a True Immortal—you can hardly best me. Now, die!" Long Yi roared, leaping toward Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng slashed at Long Yi with his blade. Ten golden crows emerged from his body to harass Long Yi.

"Overconfident fool! Die!" Long Yi shouted.

He batted away the golden crows and dashed toward Xiao Nanfeng, striking his chest with a palm. Xiao Nanfeng was sent flying, but his Imposing Avatar of Rulai protected him from injury.

In the air, Xiao Nanfeng used his golden crows to block Long Yi's line of sight as he continued to slash at him.

"What a strong body—but even so, a True Immortal will only ever be a True Immortal. You're hardly fast enough for me," Long Yi thundered.

The two cultivators began to fight once more.

As for the four golden cultivators, rather than help Xiao Nanfeng, they reached out for the coffin lid nearby and attempted to place it over the coffin.

Just then, another black hand emerged from the coffin, preventing the lid from closing over the coffin.

"There's another person within?" Ye Dafu exclaimed.

Another figure billowing with black smoke sat up from the coffin.

"So this is what you're planning. You really do want me to kill you, don't you?" The figure in the coffin smirked.

Ye Dafu gaped in astonishment. "Another avatar?"