Chapter 734: Lou Yujing

In the imperial study of Hongyue, the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue frowned as he perused a set of reports and articles. Beside him, Tu Jiuniang peeled him some grapes and tenderly fed them to him.

"Is there something on your mind, Husband?" Tu Jiuniang asked, seeing her husband's frown.

"The spies we sent to Shenfeng are useless," the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue spat out.

"Oh? But haven't they made their way into various cities all across the Shenfeng Empire? They'll easily be able to make a mess of the administration on your command, Husband. Could they all have been discovered?" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"No—it's a matter of the policies that Shenfeng devised. They're completely bound to their roles, and they're unable to do anything beyond what they're responsible for. What's more, the common people can report any officials they see acting suspiciously. Our spies can't do anything—no, they're only serving to help Shenfeng!"

"How does Shenfeng retain its officials, then?" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"Shenfeng is emulating the Dazheng Empire and grants its recruited officials high wages. They receive generous remuneration for fulfilling their roles and nothing beyond it."

"That damn Xiao Nanfeng," Tu Jiuniang gritted out. "He must have deliberately allied with the Divine Emperor. He's trying to go against us at every turn!"

"This isn't the worst of it. Xiao Nanfeng and Yang Chuan have convened a gathering of our enemies and are intending to take me on together."

"They would dare?!" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"They sent out invitations en masse. Have a look," the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue said, passing her a few documents.

Tu Jiuniang immediately began scanning the documents herself. "Husband, they're inviting the cultivators to take revenge, but the zombies were the ones responsible for their deaths, not us!"

The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue shook his head. "They're not fools. I may not have played an obvious role, but I was the first to lure them into the black coffin hidden realm. Many know that I'm likely the one to blame."

"What do we do, then?" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"Don't worry. They don't have any conclusive evidence—they wouldn't dare attack me out of nowhere. What's more, the strongest cultivators are the ones most likely to have perished. Those who remain are nothing more than weaklings. We'd easily be able to take them on," the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue said confidently.

"Of course, Husband. I can't imagine any of them would be a match for you!" Tu Jiuniang said with reverence.

"However, they intend to meet in the vicinity of the black coffin, which may prove troublesome. My zombies are still within the black coffin, after all." The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue narrowed his eyes.

"Husband, are you worried Yang Chuan is plotting something?" Tu Jiuniang asked.

The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue shook his head. "No. Yang Chuan isn't much of a concern. I'm worried about Xiao Nanfeng."

"Xiao Nanfeng?"

"I didn't expect someone like Xiao Nanfeng to emerge from the husk of the Taiqing Immortal Sect."

"He's only a True Immortal, isn't he? Why worry yourself over him?"

"Don't underestimate him. He took down a divine empire by himself."

"What? But—"

"No buts. Cultivators who are nothing but brawn aren't fearful at all, but Xiao Nanfeng isn't one such. He's far too intelligent and far too skilled. The divine empire of Dayin isn't particularly strong, but think about what limited reserves of strength Xiao Nanfeng possessed at the time! How could someone like him take down Dayin? Not long ago, Yuan Wudi and Li Qianjun personally attempted to destroy Yongding, only to return crippled. You can't underestimate someone like him. I then had Tu Feng compete for some of the new Martial Aspect openings, only to have Xiao Nanfeng claim them all. What's more, though the Divine Emperor's the one who leads Shenfeng, Xiao Nanfeng clearly plays an instrumental role in the empire. He's a particularly dangerous foe."

"Are you worried that Xiao Nanfeng's planning something?" Tu Jiuniang asked in worry.

The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue nodded. "He might only be a True Immortal, but he emerged unscathed from the black coffin hidden realm and even managed to steal the ancestral fire dragon's pearl from Ao Canghai. We can't leave him be."

"What do you want to do, Husband?" Tu Jiuniang asked.

"We should take him down first."

"You think so highly of him?" Tu Jiuniang exclaimed.

"Of course."

"I thought Yang Chuan or the Divine Emperor would be more pressing targets. To think it would be Xiao Nanfeng..."

"Yang Chuan and the Divine Emperor are threatening, but I know how to deal with their like. Xiao Nanfeng might look weak, but his decisions surprise and perplex me. I don't like such surprises. He's the most dangerous element at play, so I'll have to deal with him first. My intuition has never been wrong," the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue declared.

"I believe you. Xiao Nanfeng it is." Tu Jiuniang nodded firmly.

Where the Southeastern Aquatic Palace had once been, all sorts of halls and buildings had been rebuilt around the black coffin. Yang Chuan's subordinates and the golden cultivators were welcoming the guests and invitees who were streaming in. Meanwhile, Yang Chuan and Xiao Nanfeng were having tea in a nearby hall.

"Do you really think we'll be able to fish out the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue this way?" Yang Chuan asked curiously.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Don't worry. I'm confident," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"You'd better be careful. You can only cast that heart sword twice, and you're only a True Immortal. Boundless Immortals can evade your attack if they're really so inclined," Yang Chuan warned.

"I'll keep that in mind." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"I've only managed to gain the support of a few allies who are willing to take on the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue, whereas you're already making a move. No wonder the Heavenly Emperor thinks highly of you. You really do act quickly," Yang chuan murmured.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Don't think too much of your supposed allies, or even the cultivators here today. They're acting largely for their own benefit. If the situation goes well, they'll fight over the rewards; if it goes poorly, they'll be the first to flee."

Yang Chuan's brows furrowed. "I know, but surely it's better than nothing?"

"We'll see. Let's hope we can get something out of this." Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes.

Yang Chuan nodded. "I'm happy to support you to the best of my ability as long as I can avenge my brothers-in-arms."

"In that case, let's wait for the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue to show himself."

Yang Chuan nodded. The two sipped at their cups of tea as they waited patiently.

Just then, Black Dog rushed into the hall. "Master, the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue is here!"

"Oh?" Yang Chuan's eyes lit up. He turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "It's as you predicted."

Xiao Nanfeng smiled. "Let's go greet him, then."

Yang Chuan nodded. He stood up and strode out of the hall, Xiao Nanfeng following quickly behind him.

As they emerged, the two Martial Aspects saw that all manner of cultivators were already present. The official meeting was slated to start the next day; all of them had arrived early.

Some were fortunate to have escaped from the black coffin hidden realm, while others were friends and relatives of those who had perished. They were all eyeing a group of red-armored cultivators, led by the Immortal Emperor of Hongyue, coldly.

"Lou Yujing, how dare you show yourself?!" Yang Chuan demanded.

The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue, Lou Yujing, smiled. "I heard that you were inviting those friends and relatives of the cultivators who perished in the black coffin hidden realm to take revenge. Why didn't you send me an invitation, too? There are plenty of cultivators in Hongyue who perished to the zombies. I'm more than happy to take revenge alongside you."

"The pot calling the kettle black, I see. Aren't you the mastermind who caused the deaths of so many cultivators?" Yang Chuan demanded.

Everyone turned toward Lou Yujing with dark expressions on their faces.

"Southern Aspect Yang, I advise you to choose your words wisely. Do you have any proof of your claims?"

"I witnessed it myself in the valley containing the altar. You were in cahoots with the zombies. You even backstabbed them in order to gain full control over them!" Yang Chuan accused.

"Can anyone else corroborate these claims?" Lou Yujing demanded.

"Who else would have seen it?" Yang Chuan demanded.

"I know there must be a misunderstanding between us, Southern Aspect Yang. We can't just trust you blindly. What if I were to claim that you were the mastermind?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Yang Chuan's gaze grew colder than ever.

"Of course, if you insist on defaming me, I can't stop you—but I'll request that you not mislead other cultivators. The zombies were the ones who killed the cultivators in the black coffin hidden realm. I'm not to blame."

"I'll find evidence," Yang Chuan declared.

"I await the very day," Lou Yujing replied, smiling.

The cultivators around them frowned as they fell deep in thought.

Then, Lou Yujing turned to Xiao Nanfeng, who was standing by Yang Chuan's side. "Martial Aspect Xiao, I heard that everyone else suffered heavy losses in the black coffin hidden realm except for you. You even acquired an ancestral fire dragon's pearl!"

Everyone turned to Xiao Nanfeng with a frown. They had all lost friends and relatives; how could Xiao Nanfeng have escaped unscathed? They couldn't help but feel a sense of antipathy toward him.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Your information must be outdated. I did obtain the ancestral fire dragon's pearl, but was forced to return it in self-defense. The locations of all the treasure within the black coffin hidden realm could be sensed by the zombies, you see. Surely you don't expect that I was able to safeguard such a relic?"

The cultivators nodded. That was a far more reasonable conclusion, and one that made them feel much better.

Lou Yujing frowned. He knew that Xiao Nanfeng was lying, but could hardly prove it.

He glared at Xiao Nanfeng, who met his gaze without flinching. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to grow tense.