Chapter 717: Devouring the Dragon Pearl

In a valley in the black coffin hidden realm, Yang Chuan was recuperating with a group of his wounded subordinates. He was clutching a golden bamboo scroll with a satisfied expression on his face.

It had taken him tremendous effort and a bout of intense fighting alongside his subordinates to take down the zombie king of qilin cave and seize his golden bamboo scroll.

He was currently analyzing the relic when a black shadow flew into the valley.

The wounded cultivators recuperating in the valley were preparing to defend themselves when they saw that it was Black Dog. Only then did they relax.

Black Dog flew up to Yang Chuan. "Master, I've learned about the situation. Those cultivators aren't searching for us."

"Indeed. Considering I've claimed the golden bamboo scroll, I should hope they've given up on it." Yang Chuan nodded in satisfaction.

"All those cultivators are in search of Xiao Nanfeng," Black Dog continued.

"Oh?" Yang Chuan cocked his head in confusion.

"Ao Canghai and another Boundless Immortal were fighting over the ancestral fire dragon's pearl that the zombie king of the Dragon Cave possessed. In the end, however, Xiao Nanfeng managed to seize it. Countless cultivators have learned of the news and are in search of Xiao Nanfeng now," Black Dog continued.

"Xiao Nanfeng managed to claim the ancestral dragon's pearl? How can that be?" Yang Chuan exclaimed.

He knew that each of the three zombie kings had a Boundless Immortal relic of their own, which countless cultivators were eyeing. He hadn't expected that Xiao Nanfeng would have been able to nab one.

"It's true! And Xiao Nanfeng's only a True Immortal. That's why everyone's going crazy. It'll be far easier to steal a treasure from a True Immortal, after all."

Yang Chuan frowned and sighed. "Xiao Nanfeng really is lucky."

"Isn't he? I heard that the Boundless Immortal who was fighting with Ao Canghai over the ancestral fire dragon's pearl has become a zombie king himself. There are two such zombie kings in the Dragon Cave now!"

Yang Chuan frowned. "Another zombie king? Things aren't looking good..."

"Is something wrong, Master?" Black Dog asked.

"When I fought against the zombie king, though I managed to claim his golden bamboo scroll, a Boundless Immortal tried to steal the relic from me at the last moment. In the end, she became a zombie king herself. Though the zombie king might have lost its relic, it has since gained another helper. At this rate, the zombies will only keep growing stronger..."

Black Dog blanched. "As more and more cultivators filter in and become zombies themselves, the danger to us will only grow."

"Don't worry about anything else. Have everyone search for a way out of here immediately," Yang Chuan commanded.

"Understood!" Black Dog replied.

By a large mountain in the black coffin hidden realm, Xiao Nanfeng had secretly dug a cave and sealed its entrance. Then, he retrieved the Divine Seal of Dazheng and entered its internal space.

There, he transformed back into his physical body.

Although he boasted fearsome defenses in the form of his Imposing Avatar of Rulai, the simultaneous attacks of six Golden Immortals still caused him no small amount of damage. Fortunately, it was within the range of what he could tolerate.

He consumed a few pills to heal the bulk of his injuries.

The ancestral fire dragon's pearl floated before him. Black flames flared up all over its surface. The flames seemed to be filled with black hands that were grasping at their surroundings in a chaotic and erratic manner.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "Could the ancestral fire dragon's pearl be bound by some form of natural law? Now that it's within the Divine Seal of Dazheng, its connection to the outer world has been cut off, so these black hands are all in a frenzied state..."

He suddenly had the feeling that all the zombies and relics from the black coffin hidden realm were connected via a great web of conspiracies.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Even if that's the case, it doesn't matter. Now that I have the ancestral fire dragon's pearl in my possession, I'll use it to advance my cultivation," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

He swallowed the pearl and directed it into his dantian.

The ancestral fire dragon's pearl blazed with black flames, but he hardly feared flame.

His ten golden crows struck at the ancestral fire dragon's pearl simultaneously while he activated all his cultivation techniques and began to attune to the pearl immediately.

Countless black, grasping hands emerged from the pearl, attempting to resist his assault and destroy his dantian, but to no avail. His Jade Emperor's Frame shone with blinding light, causing the black hands to burst into clouds of black smoke and then dispelling that smoke.

A torrent of energy flooded his body.

Before long, the ancestral fire dragon's pearl burst apart and sent even more waves of energy gushing forth.

He was fully absorbed in the process of mastering that energy and directing it to his own purposes. He sat in meditation for hours before he managed to distill it all.

Then, his eyes opened wide. A burst of flame emanated from his body.

"The sixth stage of the True Immortal realm... I'm advancing rather slowly, aren't I?" Xiao Nanfeng grimaced.

His Imposing Avatar of Rulai, Jade Emperor's Frame, and Sky of Ten Suns all required a tremendous quantity of energy to enhance. Although even a Boundless Immortal relic was only able to advance his cultivation by a minor stage by now, his strength was incomparable to that of other cultivators within his realm.

He changed his clothes before stepping out of the Divine Seal of Dazheng, then kept the seal and reverted to his yin body. He uncorked the gourd he kept by his waist and shook out a spirit he had previously caught. The spirit was unconscious and sealed. After breaking the seal, he entered its mindscape, possessed it, transformed his appearance, then unblocked the entrance to the cave he had dug and finally emerged once more.

The black coffin hidden realm was fraught with danger, but also opportunity. There might yet be more chances to acquire treasure.

Xiao Nanfeng walked out of the cave and headed toward where a number of cultivators had gathered. There were only a scant few cultivators around, exchanging the treasures they had obtained as part of small groups.

He was a little confused, but nevertheless walked over and asked, "What are all of you still doing here?"

He had turned his head so as to avoid giving off any signs of possession. However, none of the cultivators before him were particularly advanced in terms of cultivation, and they didn't notice a thing.

"We'd have liked to hunt down Xiao Nanfeng too, but we aren't skilled enough to. We'd be useless," a cultivator sighed.

Xiao Nanfeng blinked. Had all those cultivators left in search of him?

He asked again, "Do you know how many cultivators are trying to hunt down Xiao Nanfeng?"

"How many? Ao Canghai's going crazy. He's even issued a bounty for Xiao Nanfeng. You don't even need to catch him—just catching sight of him and reporting it will earn you a Golden Immortal relic. Just about everyone's hunting him down now."

Another cultivator said, "What's more, if you can defeat him, you'll even earn a Boundless Immortal relic. Many are going crazy trying to hunt him down. If we weren't so weak as to be afraid of even ordinary zombies, we'd be participating too."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned and sighed. "Ao Canghai really is set on catching Xiao Nanfeng, isn't he?"

"Just so. I heard that plenty of cultivators ended up zombified because they were too engrossed in the hunt," the cultivator replied. "Right, are you interested in trading some treasure?"

"I obtained a Heaven Immortal relic a few days ago. Have any of you got anything in trade?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The cultivators weren't particularly enthused about it, but Xiao Nanfeng managed to get a trade as cover for the information he was seeking. Then, he left.

Atop a mountain in the black coffin hidden realm, Ao Canghai was pacing around the peak as he glared at his surroundings, as though in search of something.

Just then, a Martial Aspect flew up to him and sighed. "Eastern Aspect, Xiao Nanfeng's far too crafty. We can't find him at all. He must be in hiding."

Ao Canghai glared. "That damn Xiao Nanfeng. He killed my son and stole my treasures countless times. I won't let him get away with it this time—he won't leave the black coffin hidden realm!"

"Eastern Aspect, is it alright for us to be taking on Xiao Nanfeng in such a public fashion? He is still a Martial Aspect, after all," the Martial Aspect worried.

"We'll disguise it behind reclaiming the ancestral fire dragon's pearl. No one will be able to say anything about that. Then, we'll find an excuse to toss Xiao Nanfeng into the mouth of a zombie king. If a zombie king finishes him off, it's none of our business."

"But Xiao Nanfeng has an avatar. What if—"

"Don't worry. Xiao Nanfeng's avatar will die as well. We'll have a convenient alibi, since we're in the black coffin hidden realm," Ao Canghai said.

"Ah? Understood!" the Martial Aspect exclaimed.

"Keep on searching for Xiao Nanfeng's whereabouts, and keep an eye out on the exit to the black coffin hidden realm. The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue can enter and exit at will, so we must be able to do the same. Hurry! I have a bad premonition." Ao Canghai frowned.

"Yes, Eastern Aspect!"

In a hall in Hongyue's capital, Tu Jiuniang and Tu Siniang were staring at an official before them. Tu Siniang's eyes brightened. "Is that true?"

"Absolutely! My avatar was in the black coffin hidden realm. I personally witnessed the fight and saw Xiao Nanfeng seize the ancestral fire dragon's pearl from Ao Canghai," the official reported.

"Very good. Dismissed," Tu Jiuniang said.

"Understood!" The official swiftly retreated.

"What do you think, Jiuniang?" Tu Siniang asked.

Tu Jiuniang smirked. "Xiao Nanfeng's only a True Immortal. How can he escape from the clutches of a group of Golden Immortals, especially with a Boundless Immortal relic in his possession?"

"Do you think Ao Canghai and Xiao Nanfeng are in cahoots with each other again?" Tu Siniang frowned.

"It's not the first time they've done something of the sort, after all. Do you think a Cardinal Aspect of the Imperial Court would really issue a bounty on a Martial Aspect? Ao Canghai wouldn't dare. What's more, Xiao Nanfeng has an avatar. Wouldn't Ao Canghai be worried about reprisal from the Imperial Court? It has to be a ploy." Tu Jiuniang chuckled to herself.

"You really have a good mind for these things, Sister. What do you intend to do?" Tu Siniang asked curiously.

"There are only entrances, not exits, to the black coffin hidden realm. Except for my husband, no one will be able to get out. He's busy handling affairs within the hidden realm, so let's help him take care of what lies beyond it," Tu Jiuniang said.

"Are we going to make a move? I'll summon all the spirit kings, then," Tu Siniang said.

"That won't be enough. If we're going to strike, we might as well take down our enemies cleanly. Call Li Qianjun and Yuan Wudi over as well," Tu Jiuniang commanded.

"Very well!" Tu Siniang replied.