Chapter 969: Ao Zhou, the Showoff

Several days later, in the morning, Xiao Nanfeng sat by the window, painting Liu Miaoyin's eyebrows. Liu Miaoyin watched him quietly, her eyes filled with affection.

"What a wonderful life. If only we could stay like this forever..." Liu Miaoyin sighed.

"When we eliminate the new heavens, our lives will always be like this," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Liu Miaoyin nodded. "Have you broken through?"

"Naturally. With your help, I'm now a second-stage Boundless Immortal. What about you?"

"Me? I haven't yet regained all my strength, but I've made significant progress. I feel that there really is a world tree within the heavenly law of reincarnation, and I wish to comprehend it."

"Take your time. I'll be leaving in a few days."

"What's the matter?"

"Ye Dafu's group—the twelve golden cultivators—have gone missing." Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Oh?" Liu Miaoyin frowned. "Do you know who's responsible?"

"I haven't discovered anything just yet, but I suspect Yu Banruo's responsible."

"Yu Banruo?" Liu Miaoyin said gravely.

"It's just a guess based on Chu Tianban's death. Yu Banruo will surely continue to target me to avoid discouraging his subordinates. Since Ye Dafu and the others are the ones who have gone missing, however, I suspect Yu Banruo wasn't acting personally. He would have come directly for me. Of course, there are also others who might be responsible for this entire affair. I'll need to investigate."

"Be careful. Let me give you something." Liu Miaoyin reached out and summoned a mass of black energy that condensed into a black lotus petal. She handed it to Xiao Nanfeng. "If you encounter any danger, crush this petal to invoke my eidolon. I'll also be able to sense your whereabouts when you do."

"Thank you." Xiao Nanfeng gratefully accepted the lotus petal. "Now, stay still. Let me finish painting your eyebrows."

Liu Miaoyin nodded, her features relaxed.

In the imperial study at Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar glanced at Ye Sanshui. "Haven't they contacted you yet?"

Ye Sanshui shook his head bitterly. "Not yet. I don't know where those brats have run off to."

"Now that Dazheng's a divine empire, the sea of fortune above Yongding allows us to sense whether key officials of the empire have perished. I just confirmed that Ye Dafu is still alive," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Ye Sanshui heaved a sigh of relief. "Your Majesty, perhaps they've been delayed by some affair or another. There's no need for you to worry. Let me handle this matter."

"They are my officials. How can I ignore them if they're in danger? I've already deployed the spectral guards to investigate their disappearance across the world. It won't be long before we receive news," Xiao Nanfeng reassured him.

"Understood!" Ye Sanshui nodded firmly.

After comforting Ye Sanshui and giving instructions to other important officials, Xiao Nanfeng dismissed everyone save Blue Lantern.

"Your cultivation has advanced again, Blue Lantern," Xiao Nanfeng remarked in surprise.

Blue Lantern nodded. "The sect founder passed down countless secret techniques to me, as well as access to much of his reserves. My cultivation has advanced rapidly as a result."

"That's good news. Will you still have time to head to the undying realm soon?"

"I checked out the situation there a few days ago. There are traces of the heavens there, but over the past millennium, the undying cursed king has introduced complications into those heavenly restrictions. I'm afraid you won't be able to absorb the Heaven's Hands there easily, Your Majesty."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Don't worry. I've already sent my fellow disciples to work on deconstructing the undying cursed king's modifications. The matter should be resolved soon."

"Good. I'll leave this matter to you, then."

"Of course, Your Majesty. It's my duty. Please dispatch others to search for other hidden realms as well."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. He had confirmed that he could benefit from these heavenly restrictions, and he was certainly going to take advantage.

While the two were talking, a guard entered the imperial study.

"Your Majesty, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, Ao Zhou, seeks an audience."

"Oh? Let him in," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"Ao Zhou has just gone to the Hall of Divine Beasts. He will be over shortly," the guard replied.

"The Hall of Divine Beasts? He went to find Croak and Warble, then?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, puzzled.

The next moment, a powerful aura swept across Yongding.

"A Boundless Immortal's aura? Has Ao Zhou become a Boundless Immortal?" Blue Lantern exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Nanfeng pondered the situation briefly before bursting out into laughter. "He must be showing off to Croak and Warble."

"Showing off?" Blue Lantern gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look.

In a small garden in the Hall of Divine Beasts, Croak and Warble were leisurely grilling and eating meat when Ao Zhou suddenly swaggered in. "Oh? Is this what Xiao Nanfeng feeds you? Haven't you had enough of this stuff yet?"

Croak and Warble rolled their eyes at him dismissively.

"Tsk, tsk! As I've told you, following Xiao Nanfeng will get you nowhere. Look at what you're eating! And your cultivation is pathetic," Ao Zhou said with a smirk.

"Shoo! Stop bothering us," Warble warbled.

Unfazed, Ao Zhou continued, "Come on, I'm just stating facts. Look at me—Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, on par with an Immortal Emperor. You should go out and carve out your own empires! How about I take you under my wing?"

"Ao Zhou, are you insane? Why don't you go say that to Xiao Nanfeng's face and see if he doesn't beat you senseless!" Croak retorted.

"He wouldn't dare! Without imperial might, he's no match for me. I could defeat him with one hand alone!" Ao Zhou declared arrogantly.

Croak and Warble exchanged incredulous looks before giving him a thumbs-up. "You've got guts! Just head out to the right. That's where Xiao Nanfeng's fists are waiting."

"I'm serious! Look!" Ao Zhou said as he released a surge of violent energy. The gust scattered the garden's flowers and toppled its trees. It even knocked over the grill and caused the meat to fall to the ground.

Croak and Warble stared at their ruined meat, their anger boiling.

"Did you see that? I'm a Boundless Immortal now!" Ao Zhou bragged.

Over the years, Ao Zhou's envy toward Croak and Warble had only grown. While he toiled away, risking his life to improve his cultivation, Croak and Warble simply sat back and relaxed. Xiao Nanfeng gave them the best resources and benefits, while Ao Zhou got nothing, leaving him fuming every time. Now that he had finally surpassed the two by a significant margin, he naturally wanted to show off. He felt incredibly smug at this moment.

"Ao Zhou, are you out of your mind? My roast meat!" Warble shouted angrily.

"Are you here just to mess with us? I worked so hard to perfect this honey cumin roast. You ruined it all!" Gugu yelled, just as enraged.

Ao Zhou froze. What was wrong with these two? Why were they so fixated on the barbecue?

"Are you blind? I'm a Boundless Immortal now!"

"So what if you're a Boundless Immortal? Who isn't? Give me back my roast meat!" Croak roared.

"What do you mean?" Ao Zhou was baffled.

The next moment, he saw Croak and Warble's eyes flare with fury. After finishing off what meat they had left, they each unleashed their own terrifying auras.

"Both of you are Boundless Immortals too? That's impossible!" Ao Zhou exclaimed.

He quickly guessed that Xiao Nanfeng had helped both of them ascend, but how? Becoming a Boundless Immortal wasn't supposed to be this easy!

"Impossible, my foot! You destroyed the barbecue Croak and I worked on all morning. You're asking for it. Attack him!" Warble roared in anger.

"Attack him!" Croak echoed.

The two spirits struck simultaneously, punching Ao Zhou into the sky. They had no intention of causing any trouble within Yongding. Instead, they chased him into the air before striking again.

Ao Zhou was sent flying.

"This can't be! You're lying! How could you possibly become Boundless Immortals? It makes no sense!" Ao Zhou's indignant shouts echoed from the horizon.

Clouds of dust and flying debris erupted in the distance.

Countless cultivators of Yongding flew into the air, anxiously watching as the two spirits pummeled Ao Zhou in the distance.

Fortunately, Xiao Nanfeng had made arrangements in time. He sent officials to inform everyone that it was just a friendly sparring match with no real danger. Only then did the confused cultivators disperse.

In the distance, after taking a beating, Ao Zhou finally learned from the two spirits that Xiao Nanfeng had taken advantage of Chu Tianban's mid-stage Boundless Immortals and treasures. Some of the stronger cultivators had been refined into zombie kings, while others had been used to help Croak and Warble ascend into Boundless Immortals.

When the battle ended, Ao Zhou, battered and limping, yelled at the two spirits, "Damn it! Why do the two of you get all the benefits? I worked my butt off, signed so many agreements, endured so much humiliation, and barely became a Boundless Immortal—while the two of you can ascend without even doing any work! Xiao Nanfeng is way too stingy! Couldn't he spare me a little help?"

"That's what you get for being disloyal," Croak said.

"Exactly! Serves you right," Warble agreed.

Ao Zhou's pride took a second beating. Damn it, these toads were rubbing salt into his wounds!