Chapter 719: Punching Yuan Wudi

Two figures stood above the clouds overlooking Yongding.

One was Li Qianjun, with the Taiqing burial pagoda in hand. The other was a white-robed man who looked youthful but had snowy-white hair.

"Her Majesty is far too cautious. She had the two of us come to destroy Yongding together, despite the fact that you have a Boundless Immortal's strength when melded with your pagoda, and I'm a Boundless Immortal myself. Isn't it ridiculous for the two of us to strike at an ordinary empire's capital?" the white-haired man asked.

"General Yuan, don't forget that my wayward son is with Xiao Nanfeng at the moment," Li Qianjun remarked.

The white-haired man raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Haha, indeed. That said, the Demon Child only has a Boundless Immortal's strength thanks to a relic. He's not one in truth. I, Yuan Wudi, will kill him at any cost!"

"We just received word that one of Xiao Nanfeng's bodies and Ao Canghai are within the black coffin hidden realm. We have two objectives: destroy Yongding, and kill Xiao Nanfeng's body here," Li Qianjun summarized.

"I'm aware. Both are straightforward. Do you want to strike first, or shall I?" Yuan Wudi asked.

"Xiao Nanfeng destroyed the ghostfire battalion housed in my pagoda. It's time that I replenish their numbers. Let me go first."

"Very well." Yuan Wudi shrugged.

Li Qianjun activated the Taiqing burial pagoda and sent a cloud of black smoke billowing forth from it. Then, he tossed it forth.

The Taiqing burial pagoda grew larger and larger as it fell from the heavens, swiftly reaching the size of a mountain peak. It gave off a tremendous aura. The citizens of Yongding glanced up in shock.

"Enemy attack!" someone shouted.

An incredible suction emanated from the underside of the Taiqing burial pagoda, targeting the citizens of Yongding. With the force of a raging wind, it lifted even a few carriages around Yongding into the air.

However, a golden light flashed over Yongding. A giant barrier shimmered as it blocked the incredible suction.

"Oh? Yongding's defensive formation, is it? It won't last long against my Taiqing burial pagoda!" Li Qianjun shouted disdainfully.

The pagoda's suction suddenly grew multiple times stronger. Dust rose into the air in clouds, and the barrier vibrated violently. Even so, it managed to block the pagoda's power.

"Activate all subsidiary defensive formations. Everyone, await orders. Stay alert!" a soldier called out.

All sorts of lights flashed as one defensive formation after another was activated.

A tense atmosphere befell the city as countless Dazheng soldiers prepared to defend their city.

Li Qianjun scowled upon seeing that the pagoda hadn't managed to break through Yongding's defenses. He shouted, "Suppress!"

The Taiqing burial pagoda smashed into the barriers as raging winds sprung up all around it. The outermost layer shattered, but there were still plenty of other barriers in place around Yongding.

Just then, 361 giant stars appeared in the air. Beams of starlight descended from the heavens and infused the barriers with their strength.

"How can this be? Yongding's defensive formations are strong enough to block my Taiqing burial pagoda! Could it already have a superior draconic vein?" Li Qianjun exclaimed.

"We've lost the element of surprise. It's my turn!" Yuan Wudi shouted.

Yuan Wudi drew a gleaming golden rod and sent its tip smashing against the barriers down below.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar emerged from the palace with a group of subordinates behind him. They glanced up into the air with serious looks on their faces.

"As you predicted, Your Majesty, they're here," Blue Lantern said.

"Will the defensive formations be able to hold them back?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"For a time, Your Majesty. I've reconfigured the defensive formations around the city. Combined with the Formation of the Complete Heavens, the defenses are incredibly strong," Blue Lantern replied.

"That's good enough."

Yuan Wudi's rod smashed into Yongding's barriers with incredible momentum, causing yet more barriers to shatter. Even the mountains around Yongding began to rumble. Clouds of dust rose into the air as the buildings within the city quaked. Even so, a number of barriers remained.

"Impossible. How can the defensive formations around Yongding be so strong?" Yuan Wudi exclaimed.

"We'll strike together. The most important thing right now is to break all those barriers," Li Qianjun said anxiously.

"Very well!" Yuan Wudi nodded.

Though they were surprised by Yongding's resilience, they had no doubt they would be able to break through its defenses eventually. They were just about to make a move when a beam of golden light shot toward Li Qianjun.

"The demon-subduing golden hoop? Who dares?" Li Qianjun demanded, retaliating with his fist.

The fist struck the hoop in a flaming tempest. Li Qianjun was knocked back.

He grimaced as he defended himself with the Taiqing burial pagoda, which blocked further attacks from the golden hoop.

"Die, my wayward son!" Li Qianjun shouted.

The Demon Child was standing at the peak of a mountain outside of Yongding. His face was a mask of fury. "I'm no son of yours, you bastard! I'll kill you!"

The Demon Child caught the demon-subduing golden hoop and waved it about. It duplicated itself again and again. Tens of thousands of golden hoops shot toward Li Qianjun all at once.

Li Qianjun cursed and motioned for the Taiqing burial pagoda to absorb them all. The copies of the golden hoops were all sucked in via the underside of the pagoda, but none were real. The true golden hoop had stealthily appeared behind Li Qianjun. It smashed into his body and sent him flying.

"You!" Li Qianjun fumed.

Then, he entered the Taiqing burial pagoda himself and melded with it.

Yuan Wudi didn't attempt to help Li Qianjun. Rather, he continued smashing his rod into the barriers shielding Yongding. The might of a Boundless Immortal rained down on the land.

Xiao Nanfeng watched on coldly. He called out, "Citizens of Dazheng, I am your emperor, Xiao Nanfeng. Demons are attempting to assault Yongding and destroy Dazheng. I ask that you raise your right hand and lend me your strength so that we may take down our common enemy and protect Dazheng together!"

Within the sea of fortune overhead, a dragon roared. Xiao Nanfeng's words were transmitted to all the citizens of Dazheng.

The people of Yongding immediately raised their right hands—considering that the danger was right before them, they could hardly do anything but.

The people of the five thousand cities of Dazheng raised their right hands in unison and loaned Xiao Nanfeng their strength.

As for the forty Immortal cities that Dazheng had recently acquired, though it had no control over their standing armies, Dazheng handled all the administration for those cities. The major clans might not support Xiao Nanfeng, but the ordinary people were beneficiaries of Dazheng's policies and fully supported him. They too raised their right hands.

The strength of the common people, in the form of white light, rushed toward Yongding from all corners of the Dazheng Empire. All that strength was absorbed by Xiao Nanfeng, causing him to grow so strong that even Yuan Wudi was shocked.

"There's no way he could have obtained such tremendous strength even with forty Immortal cities—unless 80% of Dazheng's people were willing to support him. But how can that be?!"

Yuan Wudi tried to attack the fortune with his rod, but his attack passed straight through the ethereal wisps of fortune.

Xiao Nanfeng's body suddenly grew larger. An intense aura emanated from him. A whirlwind formed with him in its eye.

"Damn it, break!" Yuan Wudi howled.

He smashed his rod down on Yongding once more.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes flashed with frost. He shot into the air and threw out a punch.

His fist met Yuan Wudi's rod in a storm of flame and wind, one which buffeted at Yongding's defensive barriers.

The defensive barriers around the city were one-way, permitting exit but not entry. Xiao Nanfeng stepped out of the formation and looked toward the astounded Yuan Wudi.

"Demon Child, you can take revenge now. I'll take on Yuan Wudi. You take on Li Qianjun!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

"Got it!" The Demon Child had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

If not for Xiao Nanfeng warning him not to charge forward recklessly lest the two enemies gang up on him, he would already have done so.

"I'll kill you for hurting my mother!" the Demon Child shouted, taking to the air.

He smashed his demon-subduing golden hoop into the Taiqing burial pagoda, causing sparks to fly and flames to flare where the two relics clashed.

"Die!" Li Qianjun roared back.

The Taiqing burial pagoda crashed into the Demon Child.

Meanwhile, Yuan Wudi shot toward Xiao Nanfeng and shouted, "Without your defensive formations to protect you, you might as well be dead meat. Die!"

"I knew Hongyue would send assassins over, but I'm disappointed by the fact that there's only the two of you," Xiao Nanfeng retorted. "Hegemon's Fist: Skyshatter!"

Fists filled the air and rained down on Yuan Wudi like a meteor shower.

Yuan Wudi attempted to defend with his rod, but Hegemon's Fist was a peerless technique, and he could hardly block all the fists. The fists rained down and overwhelmed him, sending him flying. His clothes were left as tattered rags, and his skin turned blotchy and red.

"You've just reached the Boundless Immortal realm, haven't you? You're no match for me!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

Yuan Wudi was furious. "And yet I'm a Boundless Immortal! You would be a weakling if you weren't bolstered by imperial might!"

He transformed into a giant white ape, from whose body incredible aura gushed out. He swung his golden rod in a blow of incredible strength.

"There are no ifs in the world. Hegemon's Fist: Skyshatter!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out again.

Countless fists rained down on Yuan Wudi. Fire and wind roared into existence around them. Yuan Wudi's golden rod cracked in half. He was sent flying as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Impossible. I'm a Boundless Immortal!" Yuan Wudi cried out.

He couldn't believe that he was being beaten back in his first battle as a Boundless Immortal by a True Immortal opponent.

"Hegemon's Fist: Skyshatter!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted for a third time.

Yuan Wudi was sent flying as he bellowed in rage.

Blood sprayed out from his wounds. He was a terrible sight to behold.

Xiao Nanfeng shot forward once more. He had to take down Yuan Wudi before his imperial might drained away.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng roared.