Chapter 859: Madam Rouge's Eidolon

Where the primordial altar was located, after Yu Fuli hooked Saint Lun Hui's body away, Han Gucheng's main body gained full control of the entire space.

Unwilling to let others continue managing the Enlightenment Grounds, he stepped into one and coldly commanded, "Transfer the control of this Enlightenment Grounds to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the master of the Enlightenment Grounds replied.

With a boom, a pillar of white light descended from the sky and enveloped Han Gucheng.

Han Gucheng's body radiated with white light. The aura of the Superior exploded forth from him, causing the entirety of the Enlightenment Grounds to glow in white.

"All the Enlightenment Grounds shall be merged into this one," Han Gucheng commanded.

"Understood!" came shouts from all the Enlightenment Grounds in the vicinity.

One after another, the Enlightenment Grounds merged together. Amidst the rumbling, the central Enlightenment Grounds expanded and grew larger and larger.

Within the Enlightenment Grounds, the superior yin pearls sensed that something was amiss and attempted to flee, but they were all quickly sealed within Ice Caskets. Before long, all the Enlightenment Grounds had fused together.

Han Gucheng emerged from the pillar of white light, his aura surging rapidly.

Around him, his subordinates stood respectfully, thrilled by his growth in strength.

Even so, Han Gucheng had a dark expression on his face. He was staring at an Ice Casket in the vicinity, in which Saint Lun Hui's overseer avatar was trapped.

"Han Gucheng, how dare you betray me! You're truly despicable," Saint Lun Hui shouted.

Han Gucheng's gaze was icy. "Despicable? Not as much as you are. If I hadn't contacted Yu Fuli, you'd already have killed me, wouldn't you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Saint Lun Hui snapped.

"You pretended not to recognize that mountain of ice earlier in order to bait me, didn't you? You intended for me to summon the Superior's cursed effigy and help you fuse the Enlightenment Grounds together—and once that was all done, you'd kill me and steal the Superior's power for yourself. Am I wrong?" Han Gucheng sneered.

"You're just making things up! All I wanted was the power of the Enlightenment Grounds, that's all!" Saint Lun Hui replied.

"Do you still intend to lie to me at this point? Do you think I'm a fool? The combined Enlightenment Grounds does have considerable power, and I can multiply my strength by tapping into it—but it pales in comparison to the might of your heavenly laws. Would you risk exposing your main body just for it? I think not," Han Gucheng retorted coldly.

"What do you know?" Saint Lun Hui's expression turned grim.

"You and I share the same goal: to acquire the Superior's cursed effigy. He's weaker now as a result of past battles and the primordial altar's cleansing, but the Enlightenment Grounds can help nurture it. Isn't that right?" Han Gucheng continued, smirking.

"You—" Saint Lun Hui's eyes flashed.

"That's enough talk. Saint Lun Hui, today is the day you die," Han Gucheng said icily.

"Hold on! Listen to me—" Saint Lun Hui cried out, but Han Gucheng ignored him. He swung his hand toward the Ice Casket, unleashing a blade of icy energy that shot toward Saint Lun Hui's avatar.

"No!" Saint Lun Hui screamed.

With a thunderous boom, the Ice Casket and Saint Lunhui's overseer avatar were both cleaved in two.

Saint Lun Hui's eyes opened wide as the fragments of his soul dispersed into thin air.

Having eliminated all potential threats, Han Gucheng now stood silent, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Beloved wives, Bing'er, rest assured. I'll help all of you take revenge on Xiao Nanfeng. Xiao Nanfeng shall die," Han Gucheng declared, his voice resolute.

Just then, a subordinate called out, "Your Majesty, Xiao Nanfeng's here!"

"Oh?" Han Gucheng's eyes lit up with surprise.

With a wave of his hand, a projection appeared before him. Xiao Nanfeng was leading a group of black-clad figures into the primordial altar's domain.

Upon seeing Xiao Nanfeng, Han Gucheng's eyes lit up. He extended a hand. The massive Enlightenment Grounds shot straight toward Xiao Nanfeng, who attempted to dodge. Unfortunately, for him, the massive Enlightenment Grounds moved too quickly. It engulfed him and his subordinates within moments.

"Han Gucheng? Are you the master of this Enlightenment Grounds now?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

Han Gucheng's aura was several times more potent than when Xiao Nanfeng had seen him last. He immediately tensed as he prepared for a difficult battle.

"We meet again, Xiao Nanfeng. Did you forget what I told you in the Sieve of Heaven? Yet you walked right into my trap," Han Gucheng said, his voice seething with hatred.

"Han Gucheng, remember this: I wasn't the one who killed your wives and son. It was you, Han Gucheng!"

"My wives and son wanted you dead—and die you will. Where's your Madam Rouge? If it's just you and these subordinates of yours, you're done for," Han Gucheng declared.

Right then and there, Xiao Nanfeng produced a peach blossom petal, the one Madam Rouge had given him right before she left. She had mentioned that the petal could summon her eidolon to assist him once.

Xiao Nanfeng quickly channeled energy into the peach blossom petal. It exploded in a surge of pink energy that surrounded him. Then, it quickly absorbed energy from the void to summon a tempest of peach blossom petals that surrounded him. They swirled faster and faster as energy radiated from them.

"Impossible. What have you done?!" Han Gucheng cried out.

He lashed out with another icy blade, which shattered upon impact with the petals around Xiao Nanfeng.

The petals condensed into an eidolon hundreds of meters tall.

The eidolon looked like Madam Rouge, but it was just a facsimile. Xiao Nanfeng melded with her eidolon and gained control of it.

"Impossible. An eidolon? Why would Madam Rouge lend you her eidolon?!" Han Gucheng cried out.

"Han Gucheng, if you want a fight to the death, then stop wasting time. Come at me!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

The eidolon shot right up to Han Gucheng and punched him. "Die!"

"I'm several times stronger than before. You're no match for me. You die!" Han Gucheng also threw a punch at Xiao Nanfeng.

Their fists collided in midair with a thunderous boom. A massive firestorm erupted at the point of impact and swept across the surroundings.

Madam Rouge's eidolon was unmoved, but Han Gucheng was sent flying. Blood sprayed from his mouth in mid-air.

"Impossible! How can you be stronger than I am? Could Madam Rouge have held back last time?" Han Gucheng cried out, then snarled, "Enlightenment Grounds, I invoke your strength!"

With a rumble, streams of energy surged into Han Gucheng's body through a pillar of white light, causing his aura to grow stronger and stronger.

Xiao Nanfeng shrank Madam Rouge's eidolon until it was about the same size as Han Gucheng's body, then closed in on him.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

"Die!" Han Gucheng echoed, throwing another punch.

Their fists clashed again, sending Han Gucheng flying backward once more.

Even with the power of the Enlightenment Grounds at his disposal, Han Gucheng seemed outmatched.

"Impossible. Die!" Han Gucheng roared.

"Hegemon's Fist!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Countless fists hammered Han Gucheng's body, sending him flying again. He spat out more blood in mid-air.

Snowflakes scattered from Han Gucheng's body as the Superior's cursed effigy helped him neutralize part of the attack—but it too was in a weakened state and couldn't provide too much support, leaving him at a clear disadvantage.

"Han Gucheng," Xiao Nanfeng growled coldly. "I once admired your willingness to reconcile for the sake of your family. I even thought you might be a man worth befriending. But you're just a hypocrite, selfish to the core—offering up your wives and son as sacrifices to secure your own survival through the calamity of the era. You disgust me. Worse, instead of feeling guilt, you shift the blame onto others, hoping they'll carry the burden of your crimes? Despicable! Today, I'll rid the world of scum like you!"

He rushed forward once again.

The two cultivators clashed furiously. Madam Rouge's eidolon completely suppressed Han Gucheng.

"No! I did nothing wrong. You're the one who deserves to die!" Han Gucheng snarled.

The fighting grew even more intense as storms of destruction were unleashed high overhead. The Enlightenment Grounds was torn apart by their strength and riddled with deep cracks. Those within fled as quickly as they could; then, Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates and Han Gucheng's subordinates began to clash with one another in an all-out conflict.

Chaos reigned.

Xiao Nanfeng could sense that Madam Rouge's eidolon was gradually weakening. After all, it wasn't his own eidolon, and he could only use it once. It couldn't continuously draw power from the void—but once was good enough. Han Gucheng's injuries were far more severe than he was. Before long, his entire body was drenched in blood.

Han Gucheng realized that he was on the verge of defeat. His eyes flashed with madness as he raised his hand to summon yet another icy blade of energy. "Enlightenment Grounds, full power! Die!"

Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon raised the divine undying blade up high and slashed forward. "Eidolon, full power! Die!"

The two techniques, infused with the cultivators' full strength, collided with a deafening boom. The clash generated a storm of chaotic energy—peach blossoms, green light, white light, ice, and fire—that rippled violently in all directions.

The ground was torn open, leaving a deep chasm that stretched far into the distance.

Madam Rouge's eidolon cracked and shattered, its energy dissipating as it disintegrated. Xiao Nanfeng emerged from its dissipating form.

Opposite him, Han Gucheng had been cleaved in two. Blood sprayed everywhere as his lifeless body collapsed, dead on the spot.