Chapter 902: The Crown Princess

After Xiao Nanfeng destroyed Sage Qingyun's soul, he approached the remains of his body. A faint white glow still emanated from the rest of his corpse, as if some treasure were protecting it.

At that moment, golden runes appeared around the corpse. The void trembled as a spatial portal opened. A giant hand reached out, aiming for Sage Qingyun's remains.

"How bold!" Xiao Nanfeng's eye turned cold as he reached out to grab the body.

Xiao Nanfeng managed to retrieve his remains, but the hand snatched a glowing token of white jade from the corpse. With a whoosh, the hand retreated into the portal, which closed instantly.

"You're unworthy of this protection token," a voice said from the void, neither demonstrably male or female, followed by a mocking laugh.

Xiao Nanfeng scanned his surroundings, his expression icy, but the speaker remained hidden from sight.

Though Xiao Nanfeng hadn't seen the speaker, he could deduce their intentions. The jade—this "protection token"—must have been how Sage Qingyun had bypassed the heavens' restrictions. Clearly, the true mastermind behind his presence here was the mysterious speaker who had just retrieved the token. Sage Qingyun was nothing more than a pawn.

He quickly returned to the protective barrier and asked Blue Jade, "Can you trace the person who just spoke and acted?"

Blue Jade shook her head. "I can't, but it's obvious that someone must have tampered with that protection token. Otherwise, the area couldn't have been suddenly sealed, and the token snatched away."

Yu'er's eyes widened in realization. "In other words, even if Sage Qingyun had managed to obtain the bronze compass, the mastermind could have removed the protection token, exposed Sage Qingyun to the heavens, and caused his death?"

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "The mastermind is truly insidious."

"Indeed, but even the mastermind didn't dare face you, Emperor Xiao. Your strength is truly extraordinary. With you around, no matter what tricks that mastermind pulls, Senior Brother won't be harmed."

Just then, a cold laugh echoed from the void. "Oh, little Blue Jade, aren't you being overly confident?"

"It's the mastermind!" Xiao Nanfeng's brows furrowed. He scanned his surroundings again.

"You—who are you?" Blue Jade demanded, her tone sharp.

Only a select few dared call her "little Blue Jade." Was this mastermind someone she knew?

"I won't waste my time. I want the bronze compass. Tell Blue Lantern to give up on attuning to it if he doesn't want to die."

"Dream on. Come seize the bronze compass yourself if you dare!" Blue Jade thundered.

"It's been quite a while, little girl, but your temper has only grown more feisty. Do you really think I can't do anything against you? In that case, I'll be making my move."

Suddenly, a deafening boom erupted from afar. The void trembled as a massive golden pillar appeared in the distance. The pillar radiated dazzling golden light and stretched from the heavens to the earth.

"The Fenghuang faction's pure yang pillar? How did you find it? What are you doing?!" Blue Jade shouted.

"Toppling it, of course! Break!" the voice commanded.

With a thunderous crash, the pure yang pillar trembled violently and tilted to one side.

Dark clouds rolled in from the heavens. An overwhelming aura of divine judgment descended on the realm.

"The heavens are making a move! What a frightening aura!"

"Heaven's Hands—and so many of them at once!"

Everyone murmured to each other in shock.

Over a dozen Heaven's Hands had appeared, exuding an aura of annihilation as they descended.

"What happened?!" someone shouted.

"The pure yang pillar has been toppled, exposing the bronze compass to the heavens! These Heaven's Hands are here to target it!" Blue Jade cried out.

"Senior Brother, toss the bronze compass away! That person's insane!" someone urged.

Even Xiao Nanfeng couldn't withstand the assault of a dozen Heaven's Hands.

Just then, from a nearby house, Blue Lantern's voice rang out, "Formations of the wild wastes hidden realm, obey me! Resonate!"

A massive blue compass seemed to shimmer in the air above Blue Lantern's location.

Countless golden runes surged from the void, converging upon the blue compass.

The first Heaven's Hand struck, shattering the protective barrier that Blue Jade's group had set up.

The projection of the blue compass rose to block the hand. Though it trembled under the blow, it held firm.

More and more golden runes surged into the blue compass, strengthening it as the second Heaven's Hand descended.

The compass trembled but endured.

Then, the third, fourth, and all remaining Heaven's Hands descended at once.

The blue compass shook wildly until it was on the verge of shattering.

"Everyone, assist me with your life compasses!" Blue Lantern shouted.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

The cultivators of the Fenghuang faction each spat out a transparent compass. They tossed it into the air, sending it into the blue projection. The blue compass radiated with light and stabilized.

With the Heaven's Hands descending all around the valley, those cultivators within couldn't see what was happening outside. The blue compass continued to tremble and reverberate every now and then; the situation remained dire.

"Has Blue Lantern managed to block all these Heaven's Hands? He's grown incredibly strong!" Ye Dafu exclaimed.

"No. It's only because we're in the wild wastes hidden realm that I'm able to do such a thing. I'm using the bronze compass to activate all the formations in the realm that I can. Outside the realm, I would hardly be able to muster such a defense," Blue Lantern called out.

"As long as you can hold them off for the moment," Xiao Nanfeng replied. "Have you managed to attune to the bronze compass?"

"Not yet. I'm only halfway complete. If I move now, I'll lose all my progress."

"Can you continue attuning to it?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"It's troublesome. The Heaven's Hands are growing stronger. Even if I attune to it now, it'll be difficult for me to handle the Heaven's Hands. I'll have to trouble Your Majesty to assist me," Blue Lantern said wryly.

"What do you need me to do?"

"It'll be difficult for whoever's manipulating the pure yang pillar from afar to claim it quickly. If you head to where the pillar is located and manage to gain control over it, you'll be able to nullify the danger here, Your Majesty."

"I'll head out immediately. As for you, if you can't hold off the Heaven's Hands any longer, give up the bronze compass immediately. Don't risk your life for it. Even if it's destroyed, I can help you seize another piece."

"Understood. Thank you, Your Majesty!" Blue Lantern exclaimed.

Yu'er immediately said, "Nanfeng, letm e accompany you!"

The golden cultivators volunteered as well.

"Yu'er, follow me. Everyone else, stay here and guard Blue Lantern and the Fenghuang cultivators, lest others strike while we're weakened," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"Understood!" the golden cultivators chorused.

"Got it!" Yu'er's eyes lit up.

Xiao Nanfeng formed a red portal before him as he activated his candleflame powers.

"Let's go!"

He pulled Yu'er through the portal.

As they emerged, they found dozens of Heaven's Hands unleashing their wrath on the gigantic projection of a blue compass. All the golden runes of the wild wastes hidden realm were surging toward the compass. The void continued to vibrate and reverberate. If not for Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er's outstanding cultivation, they might well have been killed from the void fluctuations alone.

"One more Heaven's Hand has formed," Yu'er murmured, glancing up at the heavens.

"Don't worry. Blue Lantern knows his limits. Let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Yu'er nodded.

The two cultivators rushed toward where the gigantic pure yang pillar was located.

There, a group of black-robed cultivators surrounded the pillar. As they channeled qi into a formation, the gigantic pillar was growing smaller at a steady rate. Though it was still massive in size, only about half its bulk remained.

"Xiao Nanfeng? How did they make it out?" a black-robed cultivator cried out.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng roared, slashing at them with his blade.

"No!" the cultivator shrieked, but he was killed in an instant.

Xiao Nanfeng shot toward the other black-robed cultivators. Some of them launched themselves at Yu'er, whose eyes grew cold. "Do you think I'm an easy target?"

Yuqing waved a hand. Dozens of purple swords materialized around her, shattering the fist techniques directed her way and shooting toward one of the cultivators attacking her.

"No!" the black-robed man screamed.

He was cut apart by the swords in an instant.

"What? She can kill Golden Immortals that quickly too?"

"Aren't those Yu Fuli's heart swords? They're just different in color! How could she know that technique?"

The other black-robed cultivators reared back in shock, but Xiao Nanfeng wasn't too surprised. Yu'er had told him that she had received the Yuqing Grandmaster's inheritance, and she had an Yuqing yin pillar in her body that she could control. As a result, she was able to manifest countless techniques that no one would have anticipated, such as the Yuqing purple swords that were reminiscent of Yu Fuli's heart swords.

"Die!" Yu'er shouted. The Yuqing purple swords, obeying her commands, scattered and shot toward the other black-robed cultivators.

Xiao Nanfeng, meanwhile, slashed at one cultivator after another. The black-robed cultivators found themselves being reaped like grain for the harvest.

Meanwhile, the remaining black-robed cultivators continued to infuse their energy into the formation around the pure yang pillar.

One of them called out to their leader, "Crown Princess, something's wrong! Xiao Nanfeng and Xia Yu'er are too strong. We can't hold them off!"