Chapter 680: Gathering for a Feast

Within the Yuqing holy land, at the foot of Chiyang Peak, Xia Lan had been forced to listen to Xiao Nanfeng's lectures at the foot of the mountain by his mothers. Although Xiao Nanfeng was very skilled at lecturing, Xia Lan had been betrayed too many times by the dear sister he doted on to have a good impression of Xiao Nanfeng. He couldn't help but be suspicious of Xiao Nanfeng's every move.

As Xiao Nanfeng finished lecturing on a certain scripture, one Yuqing disciple suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, now that we've had some success in cultivation, we'll soon be headed toward various empires in the vicinity to earn fortune as officials. One of my seniors said that you had founded an empire of your own, Senior Brother Xiao. Do you have any advice for us when we choose which empires to serve?"

"Right!" another disciple added. "Should we found our own empires, or should we serve directly under higher-ranking empires and even divine empires? Divine empires give the best starting wages, but have the least opportunities for earning merit. Ordinary empires might not provide a lot at the beginning, but being instrumental in the advancement into a divine empire would be a windfall. Of course, the chance of success for that is minimal."

Parched after the lecture, Xiao Nanfeng took a sip of tea, then smiled. "I wouldn't want to nudge you one way or another, but here's a piece of advice from me: Don't join the divine empire of Hongyue."

"Why not?" The Yuqing disciples leaned in curiously.

"Because the divine empire of Hongyue is my enemy, and I intend to take it down. I wouldn't want to fight against any of you," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.

The Yuqing disciples roared in laughter as well.

Xia Lan, who remained dubious as to Xiao Nanfeng's intentions, suddenly had a flash of insight. He murmured to himself, "Could Xiao Nanfeng be trying to found a new empire here in the south, one specifically for targeting the divine empire of Hongyue? Is he trying to recruit Yuqing disciples for that purpose—could he be trying to drag in all of the Yuqing holy land?"

After reaching this conclusion, Xia Lan glanced at the over ten thousand disciples gathered around Xiao Nanfeng with newfound insight. Perhaps Xiao Nanfeng wouldn't be able to recruit any of them at present, but the more lectures he gave, and the more gratitude he amassed, the more likely it would be that these Yuqing disciples would fall prey to him.

Xia Lan's eyes widened as he left the plaza, flew up to Chiyang Peak, and got ahold of a Yuqing disciple.

"Yes, Senior Uncle?" the Yuqing disciple asked.

"Your avatar's by my second brother's side, isn't it?" Xia Lan asked.

"Yes, Senior Uncle. My master's currently attacking an Immortal city, but victory's already in sight. Is there something you need?"

"Tell him to return right away. The fish he's been growing in his pond are all about to be scooped up!" Xia Lan shouted.

"Ah—sorry, Senior Uncle, what fish pond?" the Yuqing disciple asked, perplexed.

"Don't ask so many questions. Tell my second brother exactly what I said. He'll understand!"

"Yes, Senior Uncle!" the Yuqing disciple replied immediately.

Over a stretch of the sea outside the Yuqing holy land, countless Yuqing disciples had gathered in the distance to watch the Demon Child take on the twelve golden cultivators. Huge waves raged across the sea as howling winds swept overhead.

The Demon Child was a Golden Immortal, but even an early-stage Golden Immortal wasn't someone the golden cultivators could take on. The Demon Child clearly had the upper hand as he sent the twelve golden cultivators flying time and time again.

"Smash that hoop right over my head—don't miss!"

"Make me submit if you can! I'm not even going to groan in pain!"

"Kid, did you not have breakfast this morning? You can't be that weak!"

The twelve golden cultivators continued to taunt the Demon Child, one after another.

"You fools! You wretched idiots! I'm going to beat you all to death!" the Demon Child roared.

He ripped off his robes in frustration, revealing a green lotus tattooed onto his chest.

"Oh? Kid, don't you think you should be a little older before you start playing with tattoos?" Ye Dafu exclaimed.

"Tattoo? This is a green lotus totem that old geezer gave me. With its strength, I'll take you all down!"

The green lotus totem radiated with light. A green aura surrounded the Demon Child, significantly boosting his strength and speed. Ye Dafu and the others were sent flying once more.

"You damn brat, it looks like we have to beat some sense into you! Don't get tattoos at such a young age!" Ye Dafu and the other golden cultivators shouted.

Another huge fight ensued.

The cultivators fought until noon. By then, the Demon Child was so exhausted that he was panting, while Ye Dafu and the other cultivators were heavily wounded once more, with bruises blooming all over their bodies.

"Hold it!" a voice shouted.

The cultivators paused and turned to find Xiao Nanfeng flying over.

"Your Majesty?" The twelve golden cultivators rushed over to him immediately.

The Demon Child thundered, "Xiao Nanfeng, what are you doing here? Why are you interfering? Come on, I'll take you on too! I'll beat you up until you're crying out for mercy!"

Xiao Nanfeng shot the Demon Child a glance. "Aren't you tired of fighting like this?"

"Hm?" The Demon Child clearly didn't understand what Xiao Nanfeng meant.

Of course he was tired! These twelve golden cultivators were all battle-crazed maniacs. They got more excited the more they were beaten up. His arms were throbbing from smashing his golden hoop against their bodies!

"Even if you want to fight, you need to know when to stop. You're never going to make any progress like this, and you'll all be exhausted afterwards. Isn't that crazy?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The Demon Child, clearly thinking that Xiao Nanfeng was referring to him, thundered, "Who did you say was crazy?!"

"What I'm saying is, if you're tired, you should rest a little. Why make things harder on yourself? You've been fighting for the whole morning, so it's time to take a break. I've brought some nice food—go eat your fill."

"Understood!" the twelve golden cultivators replied.

The Demon Child gaped. Resting in the middle and having a feast? Why hadn't he thought of that? He hadn't prepared anything!

"You can come, too," Xiao Nanfeng offered.

The Demon Child pursed his lips and was just about to refuse when Xiao Nanfeng continued, "What, are you afraid I'll poison you? Don't be such a coward!"

The Demon Child sniffed. "Who's being a coward? I'll join you!"

Xiao Nanfeng hid a smile as he led the cultivators toward an island not far away.

The Demon Child was, after all, still a child. He was very easy to fool.

The cultivators arrived at the island to find that a feast had been prepared for them by the best chefs.

The Demon Child couldn't help but drool.

He was only eight years old; what would he know about food? Before him was laid out a wide expanse of sugar paintings, cotton candy, candied hawthorns, fried chicken, fries, and roast meat. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Dig in!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

Xiao Nanfeng picked up a stick of candied hawthorns and began to eat it.

The Demon Child hesitated awkwardly.

"If you're worried that it's poisoned, you don't have to eat anything," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Who's worried? No poison can harm my body. Watch me!" The Demon Child picked up a stick of candied hawthorns and bit into it.

His eyes widened. He might have been a genius at cultivation, but he was still a child. The feast laid out before him might as well have been a fantasy come to life.

"This is wonderful! It's way better than what my cook makes. What's this?"

"Ice cream? It's amazing!"

"This cotton candy is really sweet."

The Demon Child rushed around the table, sampling everything in turn.

Ye Dafu and the others had already tried these snacks and desserts before within the Dazheng Empire, but they still enjoyed the feast.

In addition to the food, there were even all sorts of drinks.

The cultivators spent two hours devouring the entire table's worth of food. Then, the Demon Child groaned as he leaned back on his chair, rubbing his bulging tummy.

"As thanks for this feast, I'll go easy on you when we fight in the afternoon," the Demon Child offered.

"Don't!" Ye Dafu shouted. "You'd better use all your strength, or we'll look down on you!"

"Fine!" The Demon Child rested a little longer, then shouted, "Come on, let's get going!"

"Let's go!"

The cultivators began to fight again.

Raging waves filled the sea, but the Demon Child, now aware that this island contained plenty of delicious treats, deliberately avoided damaging it during the fight.

Xiao Nanfeng watched the fight unfold with anticipation.

Just then, Xia Lan's voice piped up from behind. "Xiao Nanfeng, are you eyeing the Demon Child?"

"Of course. If he's a Golden Immortal at eight, think about what his future would be like," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

Then, feeling as if he had revealed too much, he frowned. "What are you doing here? Why are you asking me such questions?"

"Hmph! Don't dream of it. He's a little demon lord in his own right—he won't work for anyone," Xia Lan said disdainfully.

Xiao Nanfeng glanced askance at Xia Lan, then ignored him. How he chose to convince the Demon Child to join him was none of Xia Lan's business.

"What's more, the Demon Child is Sage Green Lotus's disciple. He won't let you succeed," Xia Lan continued.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I've found out that the Demon Child doesn't respect his master at all. His master can't do anything to him."

"Even so, it's hardly as if you'll have an opportunity to make a move. Trying to secure the loyalty of the Demon Child is futile," Xia Lan said.

"None of your business," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Xia Lan's face turned dour.

"Well, let's go. I had a good lunch, and it's time to head back to lecturing."

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Xiao Nanfeng flew back toward the mountain pass leading into the Yuqing holy land.

Xia Lan glanced at Xiao Nanfeng's back anxiously. "Second Brother, Xiao Nanfeng's planning to run off with all the Yuqing disciples, even the Demon Child! You'd better rush back now, or you won't be able to get reinforcements for your army!"

That evening, the Demon Child and the twelve golden cultivators returned to the island for a meal.

The Demon Child, holding a gigantic hamburger in one hand and a supersized ice cream cone in the other, was humming as he returned to Taiyi Peak.

Sage Green Lotus, who had just emerged from secluded cultivation to see his overjoyed disciple, was taken aback. "Disciple, where did you get... whatever that is?"

"Xiao Nanfeng's side prepared dinner," the Demon Child replied, smiling in satisfaction as he licked at his ice cream.

Sage Green Lotus stiffened. What sort of situation was this? Why did it feel like his disciple was being bribed by Xiao Nanfeng after just a single day?

"Disciple, don't be tricked by Xiao Nanfeng's deception. He's surely trying to bribe you by giving you all this food. He's a terrible man. You have to avoid such bribes in the future," Sage Green Lotus warned.

"What? I think Xiao Nanfeng's a rather good person. Don't teach me the wrong things, old geezer!" the Demon Child cried out.

"What?" Sage Green Lotus gaped.

Xiao Nanfeng's brainwashing went further than he thought!

"I'm going to go cultivate now. I have to keep fighting them tomorrow, after all. Xiao Nanfeng promised that there'd be chocolate, gummy candy, jelly, pudding, bubble tea, whatever that is—all sorts of things tomorrow!" The Demon Child gulped down his saliva as he pictured an endless supply of treats.

Sage Green Lotus: ...