Chapter 818: The Shangqing Grandmaster's Might

Within the Enlightenment Grounds, after Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates captured the spy, they quickly enveloped him in fog and began to interrogate him.

Even so, the man refused to reveal any information. When they attempted to use a secret technique to interrogate him, he even chose to self-destruct.

"Your Majesty, the spy was like those cultivators who ambushed the Shangqing hierarch the other day," You Jiu reported to Xiao Nanfeng's avatar.

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. "That means the Immortal Emperor of Daliang is likely waiting outside for us."

The others exchanged glances and nodded. They shared the same suspicion.

"Let's prepare ourselves for an impending attack, then," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

Meanwhile, fragments of the Enlightenment Grounds continued to pour into Xiao Nanfeng's main body, whose cultivation had reached a threshold.

An endless stream of energy infused with natural law surged into the ten golden crows' bodies, into his Imposing Avatar of Rulai, into his Jade Emperor's Frame, and even into a mysterious part of his body.

Xiao Nanfeng couldn't sense where it was going, either, only that there was a lone golden drop of fluid there.

Xiao Nanfeng had obtained that golden drop of fluid from the world away as he underwent his True Immortal tribulation.

It seemed to have vanished until now, but for some reason, he was suddenly able to sense it clearly.

It had absorbed some special articles of natural law from the energy of the Enlightenment Grounds, and was now starting to vibrate. It gave off ripples of aura that seemed connected to some arcane law. Xiao Nanfeng, fixated on the golden drop and its ripples, was drawn into a profound trance.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Suddenly, a massive storm of flame burst forth from his body.

The ten golden crows let out a resonant cry as they dove into the flames. The silhouette of a massive golden Buddha appeared, along with the faint glow of human bones.

Everyone was astonished by his sudden surge of power.

"The first stage of the Golden Immortal realm," Lan Yaoguang murmured. By then, she had awoken from meditation. She smiled in joy at Xiao Nanfeng's success.

"That's right. I'm finally a Golden Immortal now," Xiao Nanfeng's avatar said.

The entire Enlightenment Grounds had been reduced to fragments and absorbed by Xiao Nanfeng's main body, leaving only dense white fog in the vicinity.

Although the flames around Xiao Nanfeng's main body were slowly subsiding, he remained deep in meditation.

"Hasn't your main body already broken through? Why hasn't it awakened yet?" Lan Yaoguang wondered.

"I'm gaining insight into something very important," Xiao Nanfeng's avatar replied.

His main body was focusing on the golden drop and the mysterious place in which it resided. If he could capture the nature of that place, it would surely yield great rewards. As such, his main body remained deep in meditation.

Lan Yaoguang nodded, though she still seemed puzzled. Suddenly, she glanced upward as her expression shifted abruptly. "Nanfeng, the Shangqing Grandmaster is standing up and glancing over at your main body."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng's avatar quickly turned to the blue praying mat, which remained suspended in mid-air. It appeared empty to Xiao Nanfeng's eyes, which sent a shiver down his spine.

He looked toward Lan Yaoguang, who nodded in worry. The Shangqing Grandmaster was still observing his main body.

A surge of anxiety filled him. He wasn't certain just what secrets that golden drop of liquid contained, but he knew he didn't want to be scrutinized by others.

He hurriedly produced a black coffin, walked up to his main body, and sealed his main body within. Several black-robed subordinates followed him inside to guard him.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't know whether the Shangqing Grandmaster would be upset, but even if he was, Xiao Nanfeng had no intention of exposing his secrets to such powerful beings.

Just then, a powerful gust of wind blew through the area and dispersed the remaining fog in the vicinity.

A formidable aura descended; everyone immediately became alert. A group of black-robed cultivators hovered in the air, led by none other than the Immortal Emperor of Daliang.

The Immortal Emperor of Daliang narrowed her eyes as she considered the situation down below. "How lucky you are, Xiao Nanfeng. It appears both the overseer and the Shangqing hierarch perished, leaving you with the spoils."

Xiao Nanfeng smiled. "Luck? Who's to say I didn't defeat them myself?"

The Immortal Emperor of Daliang pursed her lips. She had claimed it was because of luck to see how Xiao Nanfeng would respond. If he confirmed it, she would have attacked without hesitation. On the other hand, if he were truly responsible, she would have to act with caution.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Xiao Nanfeng, does this blue praying mat belong to you?"

Her group had spotted the blue praying mat upon entering the territory and were certain that it was the artifact they sought. However, they remained cautious upon noticing that Xiao Nanfeng's group hadn't taken it.

"If you want it, go ahead. There's no need to ask me," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The Immortal Emperor of Daliang narrowed her eyes again as she gestured to one of her subordinates to approach the blue praying mat.

The man extended his hand. Just as he was about to touch the blue praying mat, his body froze. Suddenly, it exploded into a shower of blood and gore as he died on the spot.

Everyone was shocked by the sight.

"How could this be?" the Immortal Emperor of Daliang exclaimed.

She instinctively turned to one of the black-robed cultivators behind her as she awaited guidance.

Xiao Nanfeng noted her strange behavior. It seemed as if that black-robed cultivator was the true leader of that group.

"Immortal Emperor, could you introduce your black-robed companion to me?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

He suddenly sensed that this man wasn't someone to be taken lightly.

The Immortal Emperor of Daliang tensed as she realized that she had inadvertently exposed a secret. The black-robed man stepped forward, no longer hiding behind his consort.

"You have sharp eyes, Xiao Nanfeng," he said coldly.

The Immortal Emperor fell silent as she stood deferentially behind him.

"And who might you be, sir?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The black-robed man didn't answer. He stared intently at the blue praying mat and Xiao Nanfeng's group.

Eventually, he said, "You must all be scared of this blue praying mat. It's more dangerous than your entire group, then?"

"What are you trying to get at?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

"Capture Lan Yaoguang and interrogate Xiao Nanfeng," the black-robed man ordered.

"Understood!" his subordinates replied.

They shot toward the cultivators, the Immortal Emperor of Daliang fastest among them. Not only did she want to interrogate him about the blue praying mat, she had to take Lan Yaoguang as hostage in exchange for her son, the Immortal Emperor of Dahan. Of course, if she could catch Xiao Nanfeng as well,that would be even better.

"Your Majesty, I've largely restored the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body," Tu Feng said from within the fog.

He passed it over to Xiao Nanfeng, then shot into the air toward the Immortal Emperor of Daliang.

Their fists collided with a tremendous clash, sending shockwaves in all directions.

The remaining black-robed figures took on Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates in a fierce battle, but their leader remained still. He merely hovered in the air.

Xiao Nanfeng's avatar possessed the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body, causing the Immortal Emperor of Daliang to narrow her eyes. She glanced at the black-robed man from afar.

"Come at me, then!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, bracing himself.

Considering the black-robed man's influence over the Immortal Emperor of Daliang, Xiao Nanfeng was certain that he was someone extraordinarily dangerous.

The black-robed man paused for a moment. He eyed the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body, not wanting to risk harming it—it was his own son's body, after all.

He took a deep breath and sent a stream of frigid energy toward the blue praying mat instead.

He had given up on dealing with Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang. What was most pressing now was figuring out just how dangerous the blue praying mat was.

The black-robed man was particularly careful. All that frost manifested in the form of a snow giant hundreds of meters tall. Shockingly, it gave off the aura of a Boundless Immortal.

The snow giant reached out for the blue praying mat, only for Lan Yaoguang's Cursebane Sword to tremble as it flew into the air. It appeared beside the blue praying mat in a streak of light.

"The Shangqing Grandmaster's wielding the Cursbane Sword—and now he's swinging it!" Lan Yaoguang exclaimed.

The black-robed man, realizing that something was wrong, hastily urged the snow giant forward.

The Cursebane Sword, quick as lightning, slashed downward with blinding blue light that illuminated the heavens. For a moment, everyone present was blinded.

"Impossible!" the Immortal Emperor of Daliang shouted.

As she collided with Tu Feng, her vision returned. She was struck by a scene of pure horror.

The snow giant looked to be frozen in place. The next moment, a vertical line bisecting its body gleamed, and the two halves of its body fell to the ground.

High in the air, a cloud of fog was likewise bisected. The black-robed cultivator in the lead, who stood between the cloud of fog and the snow giant, was suddenly rendered motionless as well.

"Husband!" the Immortal Emperor of Daliang screamed.

Dread filled her body. She had a horrible premonition as she rushed toward him.

His hood had split down the middle, as did his robes.

All the cultivators felt their skin crawl. They realized that the man had been cleaved by an impossibly swift strike, one so fast that his body was only belatedly registering the damage.

The hood peeled away to reveal a man's face, split with a line of blood down the middle.

"No!" the Immortal Emperor of Daliang cried out.

Though the man's body was split in two, he didn't seem to be dead quite yet. He muttered weakly, "Run!"