Chapter 912: Summoning Powerful Allies

Two days later, Xia Xingchen and Yang Chuan arrived in Yongding.

Both men had grim expressions on their faces. Yang Chuan looked particularly anxious.

"Father, I heard from Nanfeng that the Yuqing holy land is a mess right now. Did everyone really start fighting each other?" Yu'er exclaimed.

Xia Xingchen nodded solemnly. "The Yuqing holy land has split into two factions. One side is led by Shi Tianbei, who has the support of five Mountain Lords. The other side consists of the rest of us Mountain Lords. The conflict escalated into a fierce battle. In the end, we were outmatched and forced to escape."

"Outmatched?" Yu'er exclaimed.

Yang Chuan growled, "Outmatched? If I didn't have to protect my mother, I would have fought that traitor Shi Tianbei to the death!"

Xia Xingchen frowned. "You're no match for Shi Tianbei."

"Shi Tianbei might have opened his Heartgate, but I did the same recently! If you had helped me protect my mother, I could have fought him and come out victorious," Yang Chuan retorted indignantly.

"You've just opened your Heartgate, and you're far inferior to him when it comes to heart refinement. Besides, Shi Tianbei has hidden much of his strength," Xia Xingchen replied.

"How do you know that?" Yang Chuan frowned.

"Nanfeng told me. Shi Tianbei was once in possession of a pure yang pillar, which he likely used to secretly cultivate a group of powerful subordinates. If we had continued to fight, we might not have escaped so easily," Xia Xingchen warned.

Yang Chuan's expression darkened. He turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "Is Xia Xingchen telling the truth?"

After a brief pause, Xiao Nanfeng replied, "I suspect Shi Tianbei might still have some cards up his sleeve, but most of his power should have been exposed by now."

Xia Xingchen glanced at Xiao Nanfeng curiously. "Oh?"

"The pure yang pillar does contain a vast amount of pure yang energy that can help his subordinates reach the Boundless Immortal realm, but why would Shi Tianbei prioritize his subordinates over himself?" Xiao Nanfeng proposed.

Xia Xingchen frowned.

"If shi Tianbei truly had a hidden army of powerful subordinates, why would he leave you Mountain Lords in place? Why wouldn't he have eliminated you earlier and replaced you with his own people? This suggests that the Mountain Lords supporting him are precisely those subordinates he endowed with strength," Xiao Nanfeng conjectured.

"That makes sense. Shi Tianbei is merely putting on a tough front," Yang Chuan agreed.

Xia Xingchen remained skeptical. "Even if Shi Tianbei is bluffing, we're still no match for him. Have you forgotten about the five Mountain Lords supporting him? They've been slowly elevated to their positions over the years and are likely his loyal subordinates. Otherwise, why would they disregard the laws of the Yuqing holy land?"

Yang Chuan muttered angrily, "Damn it! How did such a scourge infiltrate the Yuqing holy land?!"

Xiao Nanfeng cautioned, "You should be wary of the disciples you brought out of the sect, too. Some may well be Shi Tianbei's spies."

Both Yang Chuan and Xia Xingchen nodded, frowning.

Xiao Nanfeng then turned to Yang Chuan. "Honestly, you were too impulsive. I had barely sent word to you before you acted—right away, and without a proper plan at that!"

Yang Chuan frowned. "The matter concerned my mother's safety. There was no time to waste. I was worried Shi Tianbei would kill her."

"Oh? I heard Senior Aunt mention that your mother was once in the running for Yuqing hierarch," Xiao Nanfeng began.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"She was. My maternal grandfather had been the previous hierarch. Unfortunately, he suffered some kind of injury and had been in poor health for years. He had been grooming my mother to take over the role, and was in full support of her. She had earned the recognition of the entire sect by then. One day, however, my grandfather suddenly passed away. My mother was expected to succeed him, but at that critical moment, she inexplicably went berserk. She was surrounded by an aura of cursed energy and began to attack and kill disciples. No matter what we did, we couldn't wake her. That's when Shi Tianbei stepped in and sealed her within the sect," Yang Chuan explained.

"Sealed her?" Xiao Nanfeng wondered.

"Indeed. He didn't dare kill her outright because my mother still had many followers even in her deranged state. The twelve Mountain Lords were different then; at the time, they unanimously agreed to seal my mother temporarily while an investigation was carried out to determine the cause of her madness. Publicly, she was announced dead, and Shi Tianbei seized this opportunity to seize the position of hierarch," Yang Chuan said.

"Did you manage to rescue your mother in time?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yang Chuan nodded. "I did, but it was close. By the time I got to her, I found that the seal suppressing her had weakened. Someone must have recently tampered with it. If I had been mere moments later, she might have perished."

"Thank goodness you managed to save her," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"I'd like to have your subordinate, Blue Lantern, inspect her condition," Yang Chuan continued.

"Hm?"

With a wave of his hand, Yang Chuan produced a jade coffin covered in restrictive seals.

The coffin was open, revealing a woman with a fox's head and a human body. Her eyes were open but lifeless, and her appearance was eerie and sinister.

"Is this your mother? Do you suspect Shi Tianbei was responsible for leaving your mother in this condition?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yang Chuan nodded. "Shi Tianbei and Blue Lantern are from the same sect, so perhaps he may be able to help."

"You'll have to wait for some time, then. Blue Lantern is trying to break through at the moment," Xiao Nanfeng warned.

Yang Chuan nodded. "Very well. There's no rush."

The group settled in Yongding for the moment.

Three days later, a potent surge of energy erupted from the celestial observatory in Yongding, causing the city's defensive formations to glow radiantly.

At the entrance of a hall within the celestial observatory, Xiao Nanfeng and Blue Jade were waiting for the source of the commotion to reveal himself. Soon, the doors to the hall opened, and Blue Lantern stepped out.

"Senior Brother, are you a Boundless Immortal now?" Blue Jade asked anxiously.

The Fenghuang disciples were likewise watching with anticipation.

Blue Lantern smiled and nodded. "I succeeded."

"Congratulations, Senior Brother!" his juniors cheered.

"Congratulations, Blue Lantern." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Blue Lantern bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty. As a formations master, I have to undergo rather strenuous breakthroughs. My success was thanks to the pure yang pillar you gifted me."

"You've done well. Now, I have a task for you."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Xiao Nanfeng led Blue Lantern to another hall, where Yang Chuan and the others were waiting.

"Sir Blue Lantern, this is my mother. Please examine her."

Yang Chuan produced a jade coffin and explained his mother's circumstances to him.

Blue Lantern stepped forward before suddenly narrowing his eyes. "A curse of false transformation...?"

"You recognize it?" Yang Chuan's eyes lit up.

After careful examination, Blue Lantern nodded. "Without a doubt. Shi Tianbei must have cast this curse, right?"

"Indeed. Can you break it, sir?" Yang Chuan exclaimed.

Blue Lantern frowned. "This is one of the most advanced curses in my sect. It requires at least two bronze compasses to cast—and to break."

"You can't break it?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I'll need another bronze compass to do so," Blue Lantern replied.

"Another bronze compass? Doesn't that mean that Shi Tianbei had an accomplice while cursing my mother?" Yang Chuan furrowed his brows.

Blue Lantern nodded. "That's correct. I can't do anything to resolve this curse at the moment."

"Let's wait, then," Xiao Nanfeng replied. "Dazheng is currently at war against Dachi. The Immortal Emperor of Dachi has his own piece of the bronze compass. If we win and gain his bronze compass, we may be able to break your mother's curse."

Yang Chuan grimaced, but could only nod reluctantly.

"Why don't you help us fight Su Tianxin, Yang Chuan?" Xiao Nanfeng suggested. "That way, we can save your mother more quickly."

Yang Chuan frowned. "Are you just trying to get me to help you expand your borders?"

"No—to save your mother," Xiao Nanfeng corrected.

Yang Chuan hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. I'll do my best."

He was intent on saving his mother as quickly as he could; there really was no other choice. He didn't even bother to negotiate about the terms.

Beside him, Xia Xingchen said, "Why don't we take down Shi Tianbei instead? Won't we get two bronze compasses that way, too?"

Yang Chuan: ...

Had he fallen for Xiao Nanfeng's trap? He hadn't even considered such an obvious possibility!"

"I'm already facing Su Tianxin and a group of compass-wielding enemies," Xiao Nanfeng began. "If I were to take on Shi Tianbei with you now, I'd be in greater danger—and Su Tianxin might be able to take advantage of my distraction."

"Father, don't harm Nanfeng! You should stay and help him deal with Su Tianxin first," Yu'er immediately interjected.

Xia Xingchen's face darkened. Ever since discovering that Yu'er and Xiao Nanfeng had consummated their relationship, he had found Xiao Nanfeng increasingly irritating. He had always known that this day would come, but now that it had arrived, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Yu'er's complete devotion to Xiao Nanfeng only made things worse.

"Hmph!" Xia Xingchen let out a low grunt of displeasure.

The Yuqing holy land's entrance was a mess, but Shi Tianbei seemed unbothered. He stood at the entrance of a grand hall as he waited.

Before long, two groups of black-robed cultivators arrived, flying through the air.

"Shi Tianbei, what's going on with the Yuqing holy land? How did it become such a mess?"

"Has your identity been exposed? Why call us here?"

The two black-robed leaders smiled mockingly as they addressed Shi Tianbei, who glanced at the two of them and replied coolly, "I have an extremely important task to complete. I'm worried that Yang Chuan, Xia Xingchen, and others may interfere at this critical moment. I've invited you two junior brothers to guard me."

"To help you? And what's in it for us?" one asked.

"Afterwards, I'll give you a bronze compass each," Shi Tianbei replied.

"What?" the two cultivators exclaimed.

"You might not be able to seize Blue Lantern's bronze compass on your own, but once I accomplish my task, I can help you do so," Shi Tianbei replied.

The two black-robed cultivators exchanged glances with each other. Their expressions began to brim with anticipation.