Chapter 917: All A Ploy

Outside Dajing's capital, three black-robed Boundless Immortals lay in wait.

Another black-robed cultivator rushed forward to deliver some news. "Senior Brother, Master was killed by a white-robed figure in Yongding!"

"What?" the Boundless Immortal exclaimed.

"What happened in Yongding?" the other two Boundless Immortals asked urgently.

The junior disciple quickly recounted everything that had just transpired.

Moments later, a disciple from another faction arrived and announced, "Master commanded us to destroy Dajing's capital immediately!"

"Understood!" two of the Boundless Immortals replied.

The final Boundless Immortal frowned. "My master has fallen—I don't have time for this right now. Farewell!"

With that, he swiftly led his subordinates away.

The remaining two Boundless Immortals exchanged glances with each other and ultimately decided to carry out their master's orders. They rushed toward Dajing's capital.

As they flew into the sky and struck at the defensive formations around Dajing's capital, two figures rushed out from the city—the Demon Child and Tu Feng.

"You bastards dare show your faces? Take this!" the Demon Child shouted.

A flurry of green lotus swords surged into the sky and clashed with one of the Boundless Immortal's palm strikes. The Demon Child shot forward, transformed into a green sword himself, and slashed at one of the attackers.

"Demon Child? What are you doing here?!" the Boundless Immortal exclaimed in shock.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, nine ethereal fox tails materialized in mid-air and struck at the other Boundless Immortal.

With a deafening blast, the four powerhouses engaged in a fierce battle above Dajing's capital. Fiery shockwaves illuminated the skies.

Back in Dachi's capital, Xiao Nanfeng's ten golden crows detonated as his main body and Xia Xingchen escaped into the air, wounded.

Roiling golden flames receded into Xiao Nanfeng's dantian. Down below them, smoke cleared to reveal Dachi's devastated imperial palace.

Outside a large hall stood Su Tianxin, who had severely wounded them moments before.

"What's he doing here? Didn't you say that he headed to Yongding?" Xia Xingchen asked Xiao Nanfeng.

"This is his avatar," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Xia Xingchen frowned. "His avatar? Why did he wait until now to show himself?"

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. "Su Tianxin was pretending not to be here. I suspect he's scheming for more pieces of the bronze compass."

"Oh?"

"We need to leave now. Let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

He activated his candleflame powers. A portal of red light appeared before him as he and Xia Xingchen bypassed the defensive formations around Dachi's capital.

Understanding his urgency, Xia Xingchen whisked Xiao Nanfeng away at high speed. They vanished across the horizon.

"Your Majesty, you've returned! Thank goodness!" A crowd of Dachi officials rushed toward Su Tianxin's avatar.

Su Tianxin ignored his officials as he watched Xiao Nanfeng and Xia Xingchen leave.

"If I hadn't prepared thoroughly, Xiao Nanfeng, you might have succeeded in your scheme," Su Tianxin murmured to himself. "Hmph!"

Back where Dazheng and Dachi's armies were facing off, Ye Sanshui quickly beat back the three early-stage Boundless Immortals. He crippled one and sealed his cultivation; the other two took the opportunity to flee.

Ye Sanshui didn't give chase. He rushed to join Yang Chuan in taking on Ling Tianyu, who wielded a bronze compass of his own.

"Hell's Descension!" Ling Tianyu intoned.

Blue light enveloped a field around him, accompanied by a surge of heart force. Specters emerged in the form of malevolent ghosts from the depths of hell. They swarmed toward Yang Chuan.

"Heavenly Eye of Yuqing!" Yang Chuan shouted.

A massive purple eye appeared above his head, emitting a beam of purple light that shattered the blue glow and dispelled the specters.

"You've opened your Heartgate too?" Ling Tianyu exclaimed.

He coughed up blood as he suffered a backlash from the failed attack. His spirit faltered.

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Sanshui closed in on him and struck his chest with a devastating punch. Ling Tianyu spat out blood as his chest caved in and he was sent flying.

"Die!" Yang Chuan's fan slashed downward.

"Die!" Ye Sanshui's fist followed suit.

"No!" Ling Tianyu screamed in terror.

With a thunderous explosion, the combined attacks blasted Ling Tianyu into the ground, leaving him in a grievously wounded state.

"Die!" Yang Chuan and Ye Sanshui dove toward him once more.

Ling Tianyu's eyes widened as he grabbed his bronze compass and shouted, "Teleport!"

The void twisted around him. In a flash, he vanished.

Yang Chuan and Ye Sanshui struck the empty ground where Ling Tianyu had been just moments ago, causing a massive crater to form.

"Where is he? He's gone!" Ye Sanshui exclaimed.

"He must have activated a formation and teleported away," Yang Chuan murmured.

"Search for him! We can't let him escape!" Ye Sanshui called out.

Yang Chuan activated his heavenly eye and scanned his surroundings.

Ling Tianyu emerged in a remote forest.

The formation he had invoked to escape hadn't brought him to a random location—he had to set up the endpoint beforehand, and the formation could only be activated with the help of the bronze compass.

Only he and a select few disciples were aware of where he had set up his formation. He hadn't intended to use it—he never expected to be crippled to such an extent.

Ling Tianyu dropped his guard as he found himself in the familiar forest landscape.

"Thank goodness," he wheezed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The next moment, he tensed up again.

Three swords hurtled toward him with overwhelming Boundless Immortal strength. Severely injured, Ling Tianyu was unable to block the blow.

"No!" he screamed.

He tried to defend himself, but it was useless. The swords pierced his defenses, cleaving his body and severing his head.

His soul escaped, only to be impaled by another sword.

Only then did he notice the bodies of his disciples among the carnage.

Standing nearby were Su Qingchan and two of the Boundless Immortals who had fled from Ye Sanshui earlier.

"Su Qingchan? You betrayed me!" Ling Tianyu roared.

Of the three Boundless Immortals who had attacked Ye Sanshui, two were merely doing so as a facade. The moment things turned awry, they would leave immediately—and Su Qingchan had apparently masterminded all this.

Su Qingchan smiled. "Betrayed you? How did I do so, Senior Uncle?"

"You and Su Tianxin were plotting against us all along! You used us to fight Xiao Nanfeng while you schemed to steal our bronze compasses. You're despicable!" Ling Tianyu spat out.

"You had an agreement with Xiao Nanfeng, didn't you? You'd sit back and watch the war between Dachi and Dazheng unfold while you waited to reap the benefits. You tried to seize my father's bronze compass, so you should have been prepared for this outcome," Su Qingchan said with a cold smile.

"How malicious you are—how malicious you all are!" Ling Tianyu cursed.

"Malicious? As if you're any better," Su Qingchan replied.

He reached out and grasped the bronze compass that emerged from Ling Tianyu's soul.

"No, this doesn't make sense! I set up a defensive formation in this valley. Only my official apprentices can enter it. How did you get in?" Ling Tianyu demanded.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Tang, who was standing silently nearby.

"Tang—you? Were you the one who betrayed me?" Ling Tianyu exclaimed. "How dare you! I took you in as my disciple!"

Tang took a deep breath. "Ling Tianyu, I served as an official of Dachi. Do you really think he failed to recognize my unique constitution?"

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ling Tianyu's eyes widened. "Was it fake? You must have approached me intentionally—Su Tianxin planted you there!"

Tang didn't respond. He turned to Su Qingchan. "Your Highness, I've accomplished my task."

"Well done. I'll ask Father to reward you," Su Qingchan replied with a smile.

Ling Tianyu's eyes widened in shock. A look of grief and rage overtook his face. "From the very beginning, it was all a trap... Su Qingchan, I curse you! May you meet a miserable end!"

Su Qingchan shook his head and whispered coldly to him, "You brought this upon yourself, you fool. Back when you forced my hand, did you ever imagine that this day would come?"

Ling Tianyu's head suddenly shot up. He stared at Su Qingchan in astonishment, as if she had uncovered some earth-shattering secret.

But Su Qingchan didn't intend to waste any more time with him. With a single slash of her sword, she obliterated Ling Tianyu's shattered soul.

In another valley, Zeng Tianqi had just used his own bronze compass to teleport out of Yongding.

His injuries were severe—so severe that he could barely move.

"Master, what happened?" exclaimed several disciples guarding the array. They were glancing at him in alarm.

"I—" Zeng Tianqi was just about to speak when his eyes widened.

Su Tianxin had somehow arrived in the valley alongside him.

"Su Tianxin, how did you bypass my formation?!" he exclaimed.

"Was it supposed to be difficult?" Su Tianxin smiled.

He waved his hand. Blades of flame shot out in all directions, striking Zeng Tianqi's disciples and sending them falling to the ground.

Zeng Tianqi cried out in alarm, "Su Tianxin, what's the meaning of this?!"

"I'm about to kill you, of course." Su Tianxin smiled coldly.

Like a bolt of lightning, Su Tianxin flashed forward and drew his sword. Zeng Tianqi's head flew into the air, cleanly severed.

His soul emerged from his mindscape and attempted to flee.

"Senior Brother, as you well know, you won't escape from me in your current condition. I'll be taking your bronze compass and pure yang pillar." Su Tianxin smiled as he reached out and grasped at Zeng Tianqi's soul.

"No!" Zeng Tianqi shrieked.

With a resounding explosion, Su Tianxin crushed Zeng Tianqi's soul to reveal a piece of a bronze compass.