Chapter 883: The Immortal Emperor of Dachi

The blood rain continued for three days and nights, a mournful farewell to Yu Fuli from the world at large. However, instead of causing a flood, the rain turned into surging spiritual energy that nourished the land.

Under this baptism, countless cultivators broke through bottlenecks in their cultivation. It was a reward from the world at large, a reminder that Yu Fuli had gifted them a new lease on life.

Afterwards, the Demon Child returned to Shenfeng's capital, and Tu Feng to Dajing's capital, as the Divine Emperor and Liu Miaoyin continued attuning to their respective charms of heavenly law.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng returned to Yongding and interrogated the captured Golden Immortal who had attacked him. That questioning eventually bore fruit.

Xiao Nanfeng stood in the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm as he gazed at a white-robed man whose cultivation had been sealed, leaving him in a frail state.

"Have you figured out who sent him?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"It was the Immortal Emperor of Dachi," Wen Zhong replied.

"The Immortal Emperor of Dachi?" Xiao Nanfeng's expression turned grim.

"Indeed. Back when we dealt with Dayin, the Immortal Emperor of Dachi was watching from the sidelines. Thankfully, Your Majesty's strategy to destroy Dayin was so effective that he didn't dare intervene. Dachi bordered Dayin, so if he had acted back then, it would have been a major complication," Wen Zhong said.

"How did the Immortal Emperor of Dachi end up targeting me?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"He, too, brought a group of subordinates to the Sieve of Heaven to bid farewell to the Heavenly Emperor. It was then that he set his sights on you, Your Majesty—but he was eyeing the Heavenly Emperor's relics and couldn't target you himself. That was why he arranged for three of his subordinates to pursue and ambush you," Wen Zhong explained.

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes.

"The divine empire of Dachi managed to secure some of Dayin's Immortal cities back then, but the Immortal Emperor of Dachi wasn't satisfied. Over the years, he's been plotting against us. He even planted spies among the forty Immortal cities we acquired from Dayin and has been trying to turn their city lords against us," Wen Zhong continued.

"So he's targeting me directly now? He intends to assassinate me?" Xiao Nanfeng's tone turned icy.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Moreover, he's exceptionally secretive. The three Boundless Immortals he sent to attack you had no records in our database."

"How many more Boundless Immortals does the Immortal Emperor of Dachi command?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"We don't know, Your Majesty. This Boundless Immortal used to be one of his personal guards. The Immortal Emperor of Dachi used some sort of formation to help him ascend into a Boundless Immortal. He doesn't know how many Boundless Immortals are in the Immortal Emperor of Dachi's employ, either."

"Oh? A formation?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He turned to Blue Lantern. "Blue Lantern, are you aware of any formations that would be able to accomplish such a feat?"

Blue Lantern furrowed his brows in thought. "There are indeed formations capable of this, but all of them require an enormous amount of energy. I'm unsure which one the Immortal Emperor of Dachi used."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded thoughtfully.

After a moment of silence, Blue Lantern added, "Don't underestimate the Immortal Emperor of Dachi, Your Majesty. His mastery of formations is extraordinary."

"How does he compare to you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Blue Lantern sighed. "To be honest, I believe he's one of my senior uncles. His proficiency with formations is at least on par with mine."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise.

"I apologize for keeping this a secret, Your Majesty, but I swore an oath upon leaving my sect that I would never reveal its secrets."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Very well. You need not elaborate."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Blue Lantern sighed in relief.

"Since this Boundless Immortal is one of the Immortal Emperor of Dachi's personal guards, does he know how many personal guards there are in total?"

"Many, Your Majesty," Wen Zhong began, "but he doesn't know which have become Boundless Immortals. His name is Li Six. The two that ran off are Li Four and Li Five."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng was taken aback.

He suddenly had a bad feeling. The fact that these guards simply had numbers for names made it sound like they were merely expendable pawns. Perhaps the five others before Li Liu had also advanced to the realm of Boundless Immortals using similar methods.

"Keep a close eye on him," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

"Understood!" Wen Zhong replied, nodding. "Your Majesty, now that the Immortal Emperor of Dachi has moved against us, we should prepare our own countermeasures."

"That would be prudent. As for Li Six, if we can't get more information from him, separate his soul from his body," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Li Six's physical body might prove useful for him for possession purposes.

"Understood!"

In the divine empire of Dachi, within a dark palace, the Immortal Emperor of Dachi sat on his draconic throne. Before him stood two men, the Boundless Immortals Li Four and Li Five, who had tried to attack Xiao Nanfeng days ago.

"Your Majesty, our informants confirm that Li Six was captured and taken to Yongding, but we haven't heard from him since," one of them reported Within the darkness, the Immortal Emperor of Dachi frowned. After a moment's thought, he waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. Don't concern yourselves about the issue for now."

"Understood!" the other two cultivators replied.

"Make sure that no one disrupts the upcoming imperial examinations. Oversee them personally," the Immortal Emperor instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the two Boundless Immortals replied.

After they departed, the Immortal Emperor of Dachi sat in silence on his throne for some time.

Before long, a shadowy figure appeared in the hall. The Immortal Emperor of Dachi rose respectfully. "I greet the saint."

"Why have you summoned me so urgently?" the saint demanded.

"Saint, three days ago, I sent my subordinates to kill Xiao Nanfeng, but they fell into his trap. I seek your assistance in eliminating him."

"You intend to command me to clean up your mess?" the shadow replied icily.

"I wouldn't dare, Saint. The deaths of Saint Lun Hui and Saint Chi Hai are both related to Xiao Nanfeng, and I was attempting to defend your reputation, Saint. I underestimated Xiao Nanfeng, and now seek your assistance."

"My reputation?" the shadow scoffed. "Is that why you went to pay homage to Yu Fuli?"

"I didn't pay homage to him, Saint. I was there to investigate his death and attempt to fight for his relics. However, Yu Fuli tampered with everything in the Sieve of Heaven beforehand, and we all came away empty-handed."

"If you can't even handle Xiao Nanfeng, you have no right to call yourself my follower. Why should I waste my resources on you? Do you treat me as your helper?"

"I wouldn't dare, Saint!"

"And yet you lent Yu Fuli your empire's fortune and imperial might despite your promise to the contrary," the shadow said pointedly.

The Immortal Emperor of Dachi smiled wryly. "Saint, the Covenant of All Under the Heavens forced my hand. If I hadn't made a move, I would have been slaughtered."

"You know full well what you're thinking," the shadow replied.

"Please forgive me, Saint," the Immortal Emperor of Dachi replied immediately.

"Your task is to root out supreme cultivators hidden across the world. If you can't even handle Xiao Nanfeng on your own, you have no right to call yourself our follower. What need would we have of you?" the shadow concluded.

The Immortal Emperor of Dachi grimaced. "Understood. I'll handle things myself, Saint."

"Good. I know you have many trump cards up your sleeve. Use them. As Yu Fuli mentioned, the heavens may soon revive. Without Yu Fuli to defend against the heavens' wrath, your trump cards will be nothing but a joke. You might as well help us out and secure our favor."

"Understood, Saint!" The Immortal Emperor of Dachi bowed.

"Very well. If there's nothing else, don't bother me," the shadow replied.

It vanished, leaving the emperor to brood in silence.

Meanwhile, across Dachi's capital, preparations for the imperial examinations were underway. Thousands of candidates had gathered in the central plaza, though the hasty organization of the event had led to some confusion. At one point, a quarrel about a certain registration number even sparked a fistfight between two candidates.

A man firmly grabbed the two candidates by the wrists, halting the brawl.

"Gentlemen, it's just a number. If you find yours inauspicious, why not swap it with mine? My number is 66, an auspicious number for smooth-sailing success."

Embarrassed, the two candidates quickly calmed down, realizing the commotion had drawn the attention of the crowd and examiners. They were forced to back down.

"Very well. Thank you for stepping in, sir," one said.

"He should thank his lucky stars you interceded," the other spat out.

In the end, the man's timely interruption had defused the feud, and he exchanged his registration number, 66, with one candidate's 4.

"You're truly willing to make this trade, sir? You must be confident. How might I address you?" the candidate asked. [1]

"Well met. Call me Tang," Tang said.

"Tang? You must truly be a gentleman of renown."

Not far away, the chief examiner observed the situation with approval. "He defused the situation skillfully. Such composure is rare, and Dachi has need for talent. His name is Tang, he said? Mark him for special consideration."

1. 4, which sounds like 'death' in Chinese, is generally considered unlucky. ☜