Chapter 921: Battle at the Sieve of Heaven

Xiao Nanfeng and his party quickly arrived at the replica of the Sieve of Heaven within the purple moon illusory realm.

They lay hidden among the clouds as they observed the Eastern Heavenly Gate from afar.

Yuqing disciples flew toward the gate in small groups. The purple-furred monsters that had originally guarded the territory had been replaced with Yuqing disciples. The purple-furred monsters all seemed to have been finished off.

Just then, Yang Chuan returned from his reconnaissance.

"Did you uncover anything?" Xia Xingchen asked.

Yang Chuan nodded. "I disguised myself and headed into the Sieve of Heaven to investigate. Those Yuqing disciples supporting Shi Tianbei have all been summoned here. Allegedly, Shi Tianbei is granting them the Yuqing Grandmaster's blessing—they're all ecstatic."

"The Yuqing Grandmaster's blessing?" Xia Xingchen frowned. "As if Shi Tianbei would share it with all the disciples! What nonsense! How could those fools believe such lies?"

"I'm not sure about the details," Yang Chuan continued.

"It'd be best if we could sneak inside and have a look for ourselves," Xiao Nanfeng said.

After some deliberation, the group nodded in agreement.

"Follow me. I can get us inside unnoticed," Yang Chuan said.

"Hold on," Blue Lantern suddenly exclaimed.

"What's the matter?"

"I'd like to set up a formation first as a precaution."

"What formation?"

"It's rather unusual, and I don't know for certain whether it'll work within the purple moon illusory realm. Allow me to test it first. Your Majesty, could you follow me?" Blue Lantern asked.

Xiao Nanfeng was a little perplexed, but nodded. "Of course."

He turned to the group. "Wait here for a moment."

"Understood!" Everyone nodded.

Xiao Nanfeng followed Blue Lantern to a secluded area as the others waited patiently.

A while later, the two of them returned.

"Alright. Let's set off," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Let's go!" Yang Chuan called out.

As he spoke, a purple eye opened in the center of his forehead.

The eye emitted a flash of purple light that swept over the disciples guarding the Eastern Heavenly Gate. They were instantly dazed, as if hypnotized, and ignored Xiao Nanfeng's group as they passed through.

Once inside the Sieve of Heaven, they headed straight for the towering Mt. Kunlun. However, the twelve Yuqing yin pillars that once encircled it had vanished.

"This way," Yang Chuan said, leading the group into a fog-shrouded forest.

Inside a grand hall at the foot of Mt. Kunlun sat twelve meditating individuals. Their powerful auras rippled through the air in terrifying waves.

At the center was Shi Tianbei. One cultivator sat on either side of him—Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu, two other faction heads of the Supreme Sect of the Wild Wastes.

"Well? How do you feel?" Shi Tianbei asked, glancing at his two junior brothers.

The two men slowly opened their eyes.

"These Yuqing yin pillars are extraordinary. It's only been a few days, but my cultivation has already advanced significantly," one of them said.

"You're right, Junior Brother Zhang. They're amazing. Senior Brother, if we hadn't insisted, you wouldn't even have shared these pillars with us, would you?" Ge Tianyu chuckled.

Shi Tianbei furrowed his brows. "My single bronze compass wasn't sufficient to absorb all these pillars, after all. I needed your two compasses as well. Naturally, I wouldn't keep all the benefits for myself."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhang Tianshu smiled.

"Senior Brother, now that we've absorbed the Yuqing yin pillars, will you return our bronze compasses to us?" Ge Tianyu smiled.

"Don't you think the six Yuqing yin pillars I gave the two of you are worth your two bronze compasses?"

"What are you implying?" Zhang Tianshu frowned.

"Of the twelve Yuqing yin pillars, I only kept six for myself. The remaining six were distributed among you and your disciples. You should know how precious these pillars are. Isn't it a worthwhile exchange for your two bronze compasses?" Shi Tianbei said.

"You don't intend to return our compasses to us?" Zhang Tianshu's frown deepened.

"I've already shared such incredible benefits with you. Don't you think you should give something back to me in kind, too?"

The two cultivators exchanged glances.

"If you're so attached to these compasses, you can always retrieve more for yourself. You'll both soon reach the peak of the Boundless Immortal realm. At that point, seizing other bronze compasses will be trivial. There are five more out there—why focus on mine?" Shi Tianbei smiled.

Though Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu were frustrated, Shi Tianbei wasn't wrong. The Yuqing yin pillars were extraordinarily precious and would boost their cultivation to the peak of the Boundless Immortal realm in no time.

"Well? Don't you think it's a worthwhile trade?" Shi Tianbei continued.

Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu eyed each other again. In the end, they nodded grudgingly. "Fine."

"That's the spirit. Once your cultivation grows stronger, you won't have to worry about seizing a bronze compass for yourself."

The two remained silent. After all, given the situation, they had no choice but to play along. It was better not to make a fuss—at least for now.

Suddenly, Shi Tianbei frowned. "They've come after all."

"Oh?"

"A group of rats has arrived. Would you like to join me in testing the power of your newfound Yuqing yin pillars?" Shi Tianbei asked.

His two junior brothers exchanged knowing glances and nodded.

With a resounding boom, the doors to the grand hall swung open. The twelve figures stepped out.

Deep in the forest, Yang Chuan led the group onwards as they concealed themselves in a cloud of fog.

"Shi Tianbei and the others should be in the hierarch's hall. Let's approach quietly and assess the situation before we make a move," Yang chuan said.

"Understood!" Everyone nodded.

Suddenly, Blue Lantern frowned. "Stop."

"What's wrong?" The group halted and turned to him.

Blue Lantern waved his hand. Glowing blue threads appeared all around them, forming a web that stretched into the fog. After a moment, he released the threads, which disappeared.

"There's a high-level formation over this area, set up using a bronze compass. It's sensitive to the presence of Boundless Immortals. It detected us as soon as we entered," Blue Lantern said grimly.

"We've been exposed?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

Blue Lantern nodded.

Just then, a cold voice echoed from a distance, "Where are you, rats? Do you need me to drag you out myself?"

The cultivators looked toward the source of the sound to see twelve figures standing in a grand plaza near the hall—Shi Tianbei and his group.

"We've been discovered, after all," Yang Chuan muttered, his expression grim.

Xiao Nanfeng's group emerged from the fog as they dissipated the fog around them.

"Shi Tianbei, how dare you defy the Yuqing Grandmaster's decree and seize the Yuqing yin pillars for yourself! Where are the holy maidens?" Xia Xingchen demanded.

Shi Tianbei ignored Xia Xingchen and instead turned to Yang Xingyan. He smiled. "Senior Sister, you've returned."

"I'm unworthy of such a title. Tell me, Shi Tianbei—did you murder my father?" Yang Xingyan demanded.

Shi Tianbei gave her a wry smile. "Does it matter?"

"It was you, then!" Yang Xingyan thundered.

Shi Tianbei turned to his two junior brothers. "Yang Xingyan is likely a mid-realm Boundless Immortal, and you know the rest. Have your disciples give their newfound strength a try."

"Very well," Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu replied.

They each motioned for two of their disciples to step forward.

Purple energy crackled around the four cultivators as they advanced toward Xiao Nanfeng's group.

"Go test their strength," Ye Sanshui ordered.

Four zombie kings roared in unison as they too charged forward.

Over the last few days, they had learned about the remaining faction heads of the Supreme Sect of the Wild Wastes. Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu's four disciples were all just early-stage Boundless Immortals, and should have been on par with the zombie kings in strength.

The cultivators and zombie kings exchanged blows.

With a tremendous boom, the four zombie kings were struck down and sent flying. They crashed heavily to the ground.

Xia Xingchen's eyes widened. "How is this possible? They were unable to withstand even a single blow!"

"These four cultivators are now mid-stage Boundless Immortals," Yang Chuan murmured, frowning.

"They all seem to have Yuqing yin pillars embedded in their bodies—but they've only had theirs for a few days! How could they be growing stronger more quickly than I am?" Yu'er exclaimed.

Just then, the four disciples all turned simultaneously to Xiao Nanfeng's group.

"Yang Chuan, Yu'er, Ye Sanshui, fight with me!" Yang Xingyan commanded.

"Understood!" the three cultivators replied in unison.

These four cultivators were all mid-stage Boundless Immortals themselves, and the strongest cultivators of the group. They naturally shot forward to protect the others.

"Die!" the four disciples shouted.

"Die!" Yang Xingyan's group of four shouted back.

They each launched a fist or sword technique at their opponents in a tremendous clash of power that triggered a blazing storm. The void rippled, forming shockwaves that disrupted the space all around them.

Both sides were blasted backwards by the impact. Their strength seemed to be evenly matched.

"Die!" all eight combatants roared, launching themselves into battle once more.

Fiery storms filled the sky. The combatants' attacks rippled through the void. For the moment, neither side seemed able to gain the upper hand.

Afar, Shi Tianbei turned to Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu. "Junior Brothers, why don't you test your own strength as well? You should be far stronger than your disciples. Besides, Blue Lantern is right up ahead. Don't you want a bronze compass? His is right there waiting for you."

Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu's eyes lit up instantly.

"Fine. I'll go!" Zhang Tianshu declared.

"No, I'll do it!" Ge Tianyu replied eagerly.

The two powerful cultivators leapt into action, charging toward Xiao Nanfeng and Blue Lantern with overwhelming force.