Chapter 923: The Invincible Shi Tianbei

"A blood sacrifice?" everyone exclaimed.

"That's right. Only with three bronze compasses can a perfect blood sacrifice be carried out. I was wondering why Shi Tianbei summoned all the Yuqing disciples over. Now I understand—he's after their lives," Blue Lantern murmured, sighing.

"Mountain Lord Xia, Mountain Lord Yang, save us! We don't want to die!" the Yuqing disciples beside them cried out desperately.

Shortly thereafter, they all revealed expressions of despair. "Our avatars are all dead!"

The disciples' faces were filled with fear and hopelessness.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to Blue Lantern. "Is there a way to use this opportunity to severely injure Shi Tianbei?"

Blue Lantern shook his head. "A formation created by three of the bronze compasses would be impenetrable to me. I suspect no one here would be able to break through."

"I might succeed," Xiao Nanfeng said confidently.

His candleflame powers would allow him to enter the formation.

Blue Lantern shook his head. "I believe in your abilities, Your Majesty, but Shi Tianbei will discover us the moment we enter the formation, and I won't be able to defend against three bronze compasses. He will have the advantage of the formation he wields."

"But if Shi Tianbei succeeds in killing Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu, it's very likely he'll end up seriously injured in the process. We can't afford to miss this chance," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Blue Lantern considered this for a moment. "Why don't we have a look within the formation for ourselves? I can't break Shi Tianbei's formation, but I can peer through it with my bronze compass.

Everyone nodded.

The cultivators flew toward the Eastern Heavenly Gate, where a blue membrane blocked their way. Blue Lantern waved his hand, gathering the membrane's energy and sending it into his bronze compass.

The bronze compass trembled as it picked up vibrations from within the formation.

Suddenly, horrific screams emerged from the compass.

"Ah, don't kill me! No, please!"

"Master, spare me!"

"Master, we helped you kill Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu! Don't kill us!"

"No, Master, don't devour us!"

Anguished cries echoed endlessly from within the formation.

"Those are the voices of five Mountain Lords! Why would Shi Tianbei kill them?!" Yang Chuan exclaimed in disbelief.

The five Mountain Lords present within the formation were Shi Tianbei's own disciples, who had taken down Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu alongside him. Now, Shi Tianbei was even turning on them!

"Just what is Shi Tianbei trying to do...?" Yu'er exclaimed.

"He's not satisfied with just the Yuqing yin pillars within Ge Tianyu and Zhang Tianshu. He wants to absorb the ones inside the five Mountain Lords' bodies as well," Xiao Nanfeng said grimly.

"How ruthless!" everyone exclaimed.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Blue Lantern, can you sense Shi Tianbei's situation through the formation?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Blue Lantern closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, he opened his eyes gravely. "I can sense the energy inside. Let me allow all of you to do the same."

He retrieved another bronze compass and channeled energy from the blue membrane into it.

An oppressive force surged outward and washed over everyone.

Yang Xingyan's eyes widened. "Five powerful sources of energy, one strong and four weak. They must be Shi Tianbei and the four Mountain Lords—Shi Tianbei's now a late-stage Boundless Immortal, and his cultivation is still advancing!"

"Don't devour me!" a desperate scream echoed from within.

One of the weaker sources of energy vanished, leaving just three behind.

"Shi Tianbei ate another Mountain Lord, and he's grown even stronger!" Yang Xingyan shouted.

"Save me!" There was yet another shout as one more source of energy was snuffed out.

"Another Mountain Lord dead..." Yang Xingyan murmured.

The two remaining sources of energy vanished with two more screams, leaving only Shi Tianbei's raging aura. Everyone shivered.

"A peak Boundless Immortal... There's no way we can fight him now," Yang Xingyan said in despair.

"Shi Tianbei has gathered all twelve Yuqing yin pillars within his own body. Who can stop him now?" Xia Xingchen murmured.

The cultivators glanced at each other in dread. Shi Tianbei was now essentially invincible. Any attempt to face him would be suicidal.

"Your Majesty, we should leave immediately," Blue Lantern suggested, sighing.

"Hold on," Xiao Nanfeng said, narrowing his eyes. "Does this energy feel somehow... familiar... to you?"

"Hm?" Everyone seemed puzzled.

Yang Chuan's eyes widened. "This aura..."

"What's the matter? Whose aura is this?" Yang Xingyan asked.

"There's a trace of the Heavenly Emperor's aura in Shi Tianbei. I used to serve as the Southern Aspect of the Imperial Court, so I'm very familiar with the Heavenly Emperor's aura. Somehow, it's mingling with Shi Tianbei's."

"What?!" everyone cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Now that Yang Chuan has confirmed it, I'm certain. The Heavenly Emperor's aura is intermingled with Shi Tianbei's."

"But how can that be?" Yang Xingyan exclaimed.

"I might know why," Yu'er suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh?" Everyone turned to her.

"I was wondering why my cultivation wasn't advancing as quickly as Zhang Tianshu and Ge Tianyu's, despite having acquired my Yuqing yin pillar sooner—but I understand everything now."

"What do you mean?"

"The Yuqing Grandmaster passed down a secret technique to me, one specifically designed to purify the energy of the Yuqing yin pillars and remove the trace aura of the Yuqing Grandmaster embedded within, allowing their full power to become my own."

Everyone listened intently as she continued.

"The reason I progressed slower than they did was because this purification takes time. Shi Tianbei and his disciples didn't use this technique. They rapidly absorbed the energy from their respective Yuqing yin pillars, concentrating the Yuqing Grandmaster's aura within themselves. The more energy they absorbed, the stronger that aura became."

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. "So what we're sensing isn't the Heavenly Emperor's aura, but rather the Yuqing Grandmaster's?"

Yu'er nodded. "I don't know what the relationship is between the Heavenly Emperor and the Yuqing Grandmaster. Perhaps they're the same person, perhaps not—but it's clear they're linked. I suspect their auras may be very similar as well."

The cultivators nodded as they contemplated this revelation.

"If Shi Tianbei lacks the secret technique the Yuqing Grandmaster imparted to you, will he be able to remove the Yuqing Grandmaster's aura?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yu'er shook her head. "He can't. The more energy he absorbs, the more the Yuqing Grandmaster's aura will concentrate in his body. Without this technique, he's essentially a vessel for the Yuqing Grandmaster's power."

Beside him, Xia Xingchen interjected, "Even so, what does it matter? Shi Tianbei is overwhelmingly strong in his current state. We can't defeat him."

Yu'er frowned. "He's our enemy, and he's greedy and ruthless. He'll definitely target my Yuqing yin pillar next—and the bronze compasses in Blue Lantern's possession."

Everyone frowned. They wouldn't be able to avoid a fight.

Shi Tianbei would only grow stronger. When he came for them, they wouldn't be able to escape.

"Your Majesty, what if I consume the final portion of black blood?" Ye Sanshui suggested.

His ancestral zombie's body was formed from three portions of black blood. If he consumed the last one, his power would increase dramatically.

"No," Xiao Nanfeng said, shaking his head. "If you do, the cursed king you share your body with might awaken."

"It doesn't matter. I'd rather lose this body than let Shi Tianbei win. Besides, the chance of the cursed king awakening is slim," Ye Sanshui said resolutely.

If the ancestral zombie cursed king were to awaken, Ye Sanshui's soul would be irrecoverably lost. Even so, he was loyal to Xiao Nanfeng and was willing to sacrifice his life.

Xiao Nanfeng was touched by his devotion, but he still shook his head. "That's a last resort. We won't take that route just yet. Shi Tianbei is now a peak Boundless Immortal. Even if you consume that final portion of black blood, and even if the ancestral zombie cursed king doesn't awaken, you might not be a match for him."

"But if we delay, he'll only grow stronger. Soon, we won't stand a chance!" Ye Sanshui argued.

"Wait," Xiao Nanfeng said firmly. He turned to Blue Lantern. "Is there any weakness to this blood sacrifice? Will Shi Tianbei be subject to any restrictions?"

Blue Lantern thought for a moment. "There is. By devouring others and absorbing their energy, Shi Tianbei has flooded his body with foreign energies. With his bronze compasses, though, he'll be able to purge foreign elements from his body and soul with about a month's worth of effort."

"In other words, for the short term, he's forced to stay here and cleanse his body of impurities. Is that so?" Xiao Nanfeng clarified.

"Yes, Your Majesty—but even so, he's all but invincible at the moment."

Xiao Nanfeng hummed thoughtfully. "I may have a way to guarantee his death."

"Oh?"

The cultivators glanced at Xiao Nanfeng in shock. Shi Tianbei was now a peak Boundless Immortal. Even the Divine Emperor or Liu Miaoyin wouldn't dare make such a bold claim.

"It's an exceedingly dangerous strategy, and I will need your assistance," Xiao Nanfeng told the gathered cultivators.