Chapter 721: Assassins

Back in Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng and the Demon Child landed on the plaza. Xiao Nanfeng proclaimed, "Citizens of Dazheng, because of your support, I was able to repel those demons who dared to attack us. I am deeply grateful for your assistance. We were able to defend Dazheng together."

Tremendous fortune gushed out of Xiao Nanfeng's body, returning to the sea of fortune overhead and conveying his words to all the citizens of Dazheng.

"Have we defeated those demons? Wonderful!"

"Any invaders will have to step over my dead body. I'll definitely support you in the future too, Your Majesty!"

"Dazheng is invincible!"

The people of Dazheng began to cheer.

Meanwhile, the spies scattered across Yongding were amazed by the outcome of the fighting.

"Report back immediately. Xiao Nanfeng took down a Boundless Immortal!"

"Dazheng might only have an average quantity of resources as far as empires go, but the power he can draw on is that of a top-tier empire. Dazheng's developing too quickly. We have to let our sect know right away!"

A flurry of messages were quickly being sent out of Yongding.

After the fortune left his body, Xiao Nanfeng's strength returned to normal.

"Your Majesty is invincible! Long live Your Majesty!" the officials of Dazheng cheered.

Just then, from within the midst of the officials, Marquis Ye Sanshui suddenly shouted, "Take them down! They're assassins! Hurry!"

Ye Sanshui's shout surprised the cheering officials, who all turned in the direction of Ye Sanshui's arm. Two of Ye Sanshui's guards blanched, then quickly flew off.

"You won't be able to flee!" A group of imperial guards rushed into the air.

"Be careful. They're very strong," Ye Sanshui warned.

The two 'guards' were sent flying. They didn't seem to be very strong; they had even fallen unconscious in mid-air. However, two spectral figures emerged from their mindscapes.

The two yin bodies attacked simultaneously, freezing Dazheng's guards and sending them flying.

"Late-stage True Yin cultivators—comparable to Golden Immortals in strength!" Xiao Nanfeng murmured. He narrowed his eyes.

"Who dares attack Dazheng in my presence?!" the Demon Child demanded.

He flashed toward the two yin bodies and struck them with his demon-subduing golden hoop. One crashed into the ground.

"Xiao Nanfeng, if you don't release us, I'll kill all the citizens in Yongding!" The other True Yin cultivator pulled out a fortune in relics and threatened Xiao Nanfeng with the possibility of detonating them all.

Beams of starlight quickly rained down on the two True Yin cultivators, sealing them within two starlit barriers.

"Impossible!" They attacked the barriers in outrage, causing them to vibrate, but to no avail.

"Blue Lantern, let the Demon Child in to seal their cultivation," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Got it!" Blue Lantern replied.

The Demon Child flew into a starlit barrier and struck the cultivator within with his demon-subduing golden hoop. Blazing flames burst forth.

"I've knocked one down and sealed his cultivation. I'll do the next one too!"

Blue Lantern manipulated the barriers to allow the Demon Child out and into the other.

The True Yin cultivator there thundered, "Ye Sanshui, you asked for this. Now, die!"

Xiao Nanfeng blanched. Seemingly having guessed what was about to happen, he rushed toward Ye Sanshui, opened a portal to the red moon illusory realm, and was just about to push Ye Sanshui within. As he did so, Ye Sanshui's body ignited in flames and exploded. A wave of superheated air surged toward the officials, who were sent staggering back.

Xiao Nanfeng was furious. Even so, he hurriedly found a ball of light from what remained of Ye Sanshui's body, which he protected with his own spiritual power.

"Blue Lantern, come over and have a look!" Xiao Nanfeng called out.

Blue Lantern rushed over.

"Let's enter the red moon illusory realm and speak there," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!" Blue Lantern sat cross-legged as his yin body emerged from his mindscape and entered the red moon illusory realm.

Meanwhile, the Demon Child had knocked the second True Yin cultivator unconscious as well.

"Demon Child, help guard Blue Lantern's physical body. Spectral guards, protect Ye Sanshui's family!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

"Understood!" everyone chorused.

Xiao Nanfeng and Blue Lantern rushed into the red moon illusory realm.

The ball of light that Xiao Nanfeng had protected with his spiritual power was none other than Ye Sanshui's soul. However, cracks were spiderwebbing across its surface, as if it would shatter at any moment.

Blue Lantern inspected Ye Sanshui's soul carefully, submerging it within a shroud of blue light. Then, he frowned. "Ye Sanshui's soul has shattered. He's about to die."

"Save him, no matter what! You must save Ye Sanshui," Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

Blue Lantern activated a series of complex techniques, infusing blue light into Ye Sanshui's soul.

Ye Sanshui's shattered soul shook his head. "There's no need, Your Majesty. I expected this outcome. Dying in the red moon illusory realm is more than enough for me."

"What was going on, Ye Sanshui? Who were those two True Yin cultivators?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, frowning.

Ye Sanshui smiled wryly. "It's all my fault."

"What's the matter?"

"As you know, I married my wife this year."

"Of course. It was a joyous occasion, and I was there for the banquet myself. I never met your wife, but I heard that she was a beauty, one who's now pregnant. You're about to be a father, aren't you? I was waiting to bequeath a boon of fortune on your child."

Ye Sanshui smiled wryly. "It was all a scheme, a scheme targeted at me."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know who's trying to harm you, Your Majesty, but someone must have tried to target me after being unable to get close to you. Whoever it was tried to take advantage of your trust in me. I don't even know if my wife's working with them. At any rate, they snuck into my manor disguised as my wife's family. Just now, when Yongding was being besieged by the two Hongyue cultivators, they found their opportunity to strike. They suddenly revealed themselves and forced me to get them close to you."

"Hm?"

"They threatened me by taking my wife and unborn child hostage, then cast some sort of secret technique on me with which they can detonate my body. If I refuse to listen to them, they'll kill off my family. Those two cultivators were allegedly my wife's brothers. They said that, as long as I cooperated, my family would be able to live," Ye Sanshui continued.

"Those two cultivators approached you claiming to be your wife's brothers? If your wife weren't in the know, it wouldn't matter, but if she did... That's a considerable price to pay," Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"They hoped that you would lose against the Boundless Immortals. If you won, you'd return injured—or at least having dropped your guard. You wouldn't be prepared for an assassination from a loyal subordinate. Given your trust in me, Your Majesty, you wouldn't have feared my two guards. That's why they were trying to attack you then. Of course, it would be best if they struck during a private audience between the two of us."

"Why did you expose them in advance, then?"

Ye Sanshui shook his head. "Your Majesty, my family is deeply indebted to you, and Ye Dafu and his group are loyal subordinates of yours. How could I ever betray you, even at the cost of my life? I would never be able to live down the shame."

Xiao Nanfeng couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth. Ye Sanshui had been resolute even when his family's lives were on the line. He would give up his own life, even his unborn child's life, to foil an assassination attempt on Xiao Nanfeng...

"Worry not. Blue Lantern has incredible means, and I believe he should be able to save you. The spectral guards are protecting your family. I promise you that they'll be safe."

Ye Sanshui shook his head. "My soul is cracked. It's useless. I don't mind dying here and transforming into a red-furred monster."

"Don't be nonsensical! I don't want you to give up until the end. You're the first marquis of the Dazheng Empire. You must live on!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ye Sanshui whispered.

"How's the situation, Blue Lantern?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Blue Lantern frowned. "It's useless. With his soul shattered, Ye Sanshui is all but doomed. Otherwise, Emperor Wei wouldn't have had to seek coexistence with a cursed effigy back in the undying realm. The most I can do now is temporarily seal Ye Sanshui's shattered soul and truesoul, then nurture them with draconic aura in preparation for subsequent transferral."

"Transferral?"

"There are two options. The first is to let Ye Sanshui die here and become a red-furred monster. The second is to find some cursed effigy that can be controlled, then to transfer Ye Sanshui's soul into it after suppressing the cursed effigy's will. This would be a form of coexistence, but it's not a trivial one."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "Let's seal Ye Sanshui's shattered soul and truesoul for the time being, then. I'll think of a way to save him."

"Got it!" Blue Lantern replied.

"Ye Sanshui, I'll keep working on a solution to this. If there's no other choice, we'll have you become a red-furred lifeform," Xiao Nanfeng told Ye Sanshui.

"As you will, Your Majesty!" Ye Sanshui replied.

Blue Lantern cast a secret technique, encapsulating Ye Sanshui's shattered soul in a ball of blue light.

"Your Majesty, let's head out. Leave Ye Sanshui's shattered soul to me for the time being. I'll nurture it with a draconic vein.

"I'll leave Ye Sanshui to you, then," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood, Your Majesty!"

The two cultivators emerged from the red moon illusory realm as Blue Lantern's yin body returned to his physical one. Blue Lantern immediately uncorked a small bottle and transferred Ye Sanshui's soul within.

Just then, the Demon Child cried out, "Xiao Nanfeng, something's wrong! Those two assassins whose cultivation I sealed are melting!"

Everyone looked over to see that the two True Yin cultivators that the Demon Child had wounded, who were still trapped in their starlit barriers, had been surrounded by ice and snow. Their bodies had turned snow-white, as if they were two unconscious snowmen. Then, their bodies rapidly began to melt into puddles of icy water.

"This is..." Xiao Nanfeng gaped.

"This is—the snowmelt technique of the Snowborne!" Blue Lantern exclaimed.

"You're aware of it?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Blue Lantern nodded. "Snowborne is an organization of assassins. Its assassins have all been implanted with this snowmelt technique so that they can be killed remotely to prevent them from giving away any information."

"How vicious. They're even willing to give up on late-stage True Yin cultivators?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"A thousand years ago, I met the head of Snowborne in the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace. He was meeting with the Eastern Sea Dragon King alongside the previous Southern Sea Dragon King. I don't know if it has any relationship with this affair, though," Blue Lantern recalled.

"Could Ao Canghai have sent these two assassins?" Xiao Nanfeng's brows furrowed.

"I don't know, Your Majesty, but I believe this has to be investigated," Blue Lantern replied.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. Personally, he was largely confident that Ao Canghai was responsible. Killing intent flared in his gaze.