Chapter 93: The Black Lotus

The officials cried in sorrow, but the empress ignored them. She downed another cup of wine. After a prolonged period of time, the officials finally settled down and looked toward the empress with wet eyes.

"Even if he's dead, we are still around. Let not our empire fall to ruins. You have all served us for a thousand years. Have you been upset about doing so?" The empress looked toward the many officials of court.

"Serving you is our blessing, Your Majesty," the officials immediately replied respectfully.

"Very good. We are deeply pleased with your loyalty." The Red Emperor stared at each official,

none of whom seemed willing to meet her gaze. Clearly, compared to the other empress, the Red Emperor was far more practiced in exerting her strength.

"Blue Lantern has just reported the death of our consort, the Emperor of Great Wei. Before our consort's death, he established a deal with Blue Lantern. When this illusory realm is about to collapse, he will bring us to another such realm for a long-term stay, where an even larger empire awaits," the Red Emperor continued calmly, taking another sip of wine.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes flashed. Blue Lantern was able to hide from ordinary sight. Could he be nearby?

"Will you be leaving, Your Majesty?" Everyone looked toward the Red Emperor expectantly.

"We are used to your service, and will be made discomfited by your absence. Will you all accompany us to this other realm?" the Red Emperor asked.

The officials glanced at each other in hesitation.

"Well? Didn't you all claim that serving us was a blessing? Why do you now hesitate to depart with us?" The Red Emperor smiled coldly.

The officials murmured among themselves. An older official stepped forward out of their ranks.

"Your Majesty, although I am more than willing to serve, I bear gratitude and loyalty toward Emperor Wei. I have served for a millennium, and ask for the honor of serving as guard and gravekeeper to Emperor Wei to live out my life. Please grant me this honor, Your Majesty!" The old official kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, please grant us the honor of serving as guard and gravekeeper to Emperor Wei!" Suddenly, all the officials kowtowed as well.

"Five centuries ago, thinking that His Majesty was dead, you acted with disloyalty against us. Now, however, you claim to have regained sufficient conscience to serve as his gravekeeper? What a joke, what a joke!" The Red Emperor began to laugh.

"Please grant us this honor, Your Majesty!" the officials chorused once more.

At that moment, Xiao Nanfeng was suddenly filled with tension. He felt concentrated killing intent throughout the plaza. Although the court officials were kneeling in respect, many of them had reached out for their weapons, as though they were prepared to fight for their lives if they weren't granted their freedom.

The Red Emperor sneered at them. "Very well. We permit your request. If you wish not to serve, then scram! Leave this hill!"

The officials all glanced at each other, then at the Red Emperor, not having expected their freedom to come so quickly and at so slight a cost.

"We promised our consort not to kill a single one of you. Even You Shi, despite his grave crimes, has only been detained for five centuries. We keep our word!" the Red Emperor pronounced.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The officials were overjoyed.

They quickly left the dragon's head mountain, believing that they would be free the moment the Red Emperor left even if the illusory realm were to break down. Freedom, after an entire millennium!

After the officials left, the Red Emperor turned to You Shi. Her gaze was icy cold. "You Shi, you really have a lot of guts, don't you?"

"Your Majesty, I am a loyal servant of Great Wei, but I didn't want to be trapped in an illusory realm for eternity. I know I've done wrong, but please, understand my circumstances, Your Majesty!" You Shi begged.

The Red Emperor stared at You Shi for some time before taking a deep breath. "Leave. We don't want to see you ever again."

You Shi stilled. The Red Emperor was willing to let him go? He raised his head to meet the Red Emperor's icy gaze. He didn't dare to question her. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Ignoring the chains still hanging over his body, he rushed out of the plaza and to the foot of the dragon's head mountain.

A cold smile flashed over the Red Emperor's face as she watched You Shi leave. She downed the wine in her cup before looking toward Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er once again, her gaze having grown much warmer than before.

"You're Nanfeng? You preserved Bai Ruoyi's dignity before her death. She promised you to give you a dragon-quelling spike, but Blue Lantern took it? Let us reward you in her stead, then."

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes brightened, but rather than accept the reward immediately, he asked the question he had in mind instead. "Your Majesty, You Shi has done great wrongs, and those officials from before seemed to have harbored ill intent as well. Are you really going to let them off so easily?"

"Who said I'll let them off? They've been acting this way for a few days by now, though they were trying to feign innocence. You Shi must have informed them that the copper doors were about to open, and that the power we control in this realm will be weakened. We expect he was the one who encouraged them to fight us to the death. As thanks for their millennium of service, we had been planning to grant them their freedom, but they chose not to seize that opportunity. To go against us now—they've truly squandered our gift." The Red Emperor sniffed disdainfully as she continued to drink.

"You intend to kill them, Your Majesty?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"We have better things to do with our spiritual power than waste it on these fools. If we want them killed, we hardly have to strike ourselves," the Red Emperor replied proudly.

"Ah?" Xiao Nanfeng didn't quite understand.

"Didn't you bring a cursed effigy with you when you entered? It devours spirits, and it's waiting for them right at the foot of the mountain. We imagine it'll enjoy the feast," the Red Emperor replied, draining another cup of wine.

She intended on having Xiao Nanfeng's cursed effigy devour them all.

Xiao Nanfeng suddenly blanched. "Your Majesty, do you know where that cursed effigy is located?"

"You don't know where your own cursed effigy is?" the Red Emperor retorted.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

The Red Emperor's senses were incredible. Could she identify every being in the illusory realm so keenly, even Madam Rouge?

"Your Majesty, that cursed effigy is anathema to me. Do you know how I might rid myself of it?" Xiao Nanfeng pleaded.

The Red Emperor glanced at Xiao Nanfeng for a moment. "Cursed effigies cannot be killed and may at most be sealed. Bai Ruoyi owes you a gift—so let us bequeath you with a black lotus. We and our consort obtained this in a hidden realm, and it should be more than sufficient to seal it away."

With a twist of her fingers, the Red Emperor caused a pitch-black lotus to appear on her palm. It revolved slowly, a black hole in miniature.

"We've removed any trace of myself from this black lotus. If you infuse your spiritual power into it, you should be able to perform a preliminary attunement. Activate the black lotus with your spiritual power to seal that cursed effigy. This black lotus has a mysterious origin. We know not where it comes from, and neither could we fully attune to it. Discover its intricacies for yourself," the Red Emperor instructed, handing over the lotus.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xiao Nanfeng replied gratefully.

The black lotus seemed mysterious, and it appeared to be absorbing something all around it. Even Xiao Nanfeng's vision was unable to penetrate its depths. As Xiao Nanfeng fed it his spiritual power, it trembled in recognition, melding into his arm. A black lotus pattern appeared over his skin, which Xiao Nanfeng could activate with spiritual power.

"Your Majesty, when will you leave this realm?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"We are not in a hurry. We can wait for those spirits to perish and for you to seal that cursed effigy. It's very sly, having disappeared from sight immediately after entering the capital, but we are sure it'll be lured out by the thousands of spirits around. Search for it carefully. We will be waiting," the Red Emperor replied.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned a little.

What does she mean, she'll wait for me?

"Go, then!" The Red Emperor drained another cup of wine.

Though she put on a calm facade, the fact that the Red Emperor hadn't stopped drinking made Xiao Nanfeng guess that she was trying to numb herself from pain, that she was far more emotional than she appeared about the death of Emperor Wei. The fact that she was handing over such a precious artifact as the black lotus made it seem as though she were preparing to give it all up.

However, this wasn't any of Xiao Nanfeng's business. His foremost foe was Madam Rouge, and she had to be his top priority.

"Your Majesty, might I ask if Elder Blue Lantern is around?" Xiao Nanfeng continued.

"Are you looking for me?" A voice suddenly spoke from an otherwise empty patch of space.

Blue Lantern's figure slowly appeared. As Xiao Nanfeng had anticipated, he had indeed been present in hiding.

The Red Emperor peered at Blue Lantern in an unfriendly manner, then turned away.

"Elder, this is my senior sister, Yu'er," Xiao Nanfeng introduced.

"Hmm?" Blue Lantern glanced at Xiao Nanfeng, perplexed.

"My senior sister likewise holds a dragon-quelling spike. May she also make a wish to you?" Xiao Nanfeng inquired.

"That's right," Blue Lantern nodded.

"Very well. If my senior sister encounters any danger, Elder, please step in. We ask that you act for the cost of a dragon-quelling spike." Xiao Nanfeng bowed.

Blue Lantern stared silently at Xiao Nanfeng, apparently having guessed what he was about to do.

"Nanfeng, what danger could I come across?" Yu'er frowned.

"Senior Sister, I'll be heading down the mountain to deal with that cursed effigy. The situation might be messy, and I won't be able to help you if anything happens. You're still lacking spiritual power, and it'll be safer for you here!" Xiao Nanfeng advised.

Yu'er's physical cultivation was more advanced than Xiao Nanfeng, so she was vexed that he had to take care of her owing to the disparity in their spiritual cultivation. She knew, however, that Xiao Nanfeng was only acting for her own good. "You take care too," she replied.

"I will, Senior Sister!" Xiao Nanfeng then bowed to the Red Emperor and Blue Lantern again.

"Elders, please help me take care of my senior sister. I'll return shortly."

Xiao Nanfeng zipped down the mountain through the mists that covered its top.

At the foot of the mountain, Xiao Nanfeng glanced up at the mist above him. The capital seemed to be shrouded in mist, forming a sealed barrier that prevented anyone from leaving the capital.

Within the city, the illusory citizens had all vanished from sight, leaving just a few scattered officials around. They glanced at Xiao Nanfeng from afar.

They were surprised to see Xiao Nanfeng descend from the mountain, then glanced at him somewhat maliciously. They knew the Red Emperor's personality, and it was strange that she would allow them to go so easily. Furthermore, it appeared as though she had sealed the capital grounds with mist. They grew more and more wary, then thought back to the dragon-quelling spike that Xiao Nanfeng had described. If they possessed his body, would they be able to leave the illusory realm in advance?

Just then, Xiao Nanfeng felt a premonition of impending danger. He instinctively punched forward.

A plume of dust rose into the air as Xiao Nanfeng and his assailant stumbled back.

"You Shi?" Xiao Nanfeng glanced coldly at his attacker.

You Shi's chains had already vanished. He was surrounded with dark aura.

"Last time, did your spiritual power increase so dramatically because Blue Lantern gave you some?" You Shi asked coldly.

"What are you trying to get at?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

You Shi smiled. Twelve golden characters appeared on the ground around him, then crumbled as twelve giant beasts crawled out from each one: a black snake, a black tiger, a black dragon, a black ox, and so on. Each possessed the strength of a spiritual cultivator at Stellar Lake. They howled, the waves of energy seeping off their bodies causing Xiao Nanfeng's clothes to shake.

"I want your body. Kill him!" You Shi cried out.

The first time You Shi saw Xiao Nanfeng, he had wanted to possess his body and escape from the illusory realm via the dragon-quelling spike that Xiao Nanfeng possessed. Clearly, he hadn't given up on this notion.

The twelve beasts howled as they pounced toward Xiao Nanfeng, intending to tear him apart. To You Shi, victory was as good as secured.

"Why do you think you'll be victorious?" Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully. He stepped forward. Burgeoning spiritual power surrounded him in the form of blue flames, causing the nearby houses to shake. His punch was like a comet that struck the black beast in the lead, the black serpent.

The black serpent's body dematerialized in a cloud of black smoke, and the resulting energy that it gave off caused all the nearby buildings to collapse.

"What?!" You Shi cried out.

The court officials that had been waiting for an opportunity to strike all gaped at the terrifying power of Xiao Nanfeng's punch.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored their looks and continued to punch at You Shi's remaining beasts. All that spiritual power he had consumed last time was only a third of the qi within the frozen mountain in his mindscape, and he still had plenty he could make use of.

The black tiger exploded, then the black dragon, then...

You Shi's eyes widened as yet another beast burst apart. Sensing that the situation wasn't in his favor, You Shi turned and attempted to flee.

Xiao Nanfeng punched the last beast until it dissipated, then turned toward You Shi.

"It's too late to flee now!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

A huge first of spiritual power, charged with the power to destroy heaven and earth, smashed toward the fleeing You Shi.

"Haven't you used up the spiritual power that Blue Lantern gave you? No!" You Shi screamed.

With a huge bang, You Shi dissipated in a cloud of black smoke, leaving a large crater where he had been. The resulting wave of energy caused all the officials nearby to stumble back.

They all sucked in a deep breath. They had been planning to ambush Xiao Nanfeng to claim his dragon-quelling spike, but their faces suddenly twitched upon seeing his actions. If they really were to target him now, wouldn't they end up being destroyed themselves?