Chapter 999: Ten Supreme Cultivators

Yu Banruo had fallen and been sealed. In the process, however, the Divine Emperor, Liu Miaoyin, and Madam Rouge came face-to-face with each other. They all stood by Xiao Nanfeng's side. Despite his best efforts, Xiao Nanfeng hadn't been able to prevent the encounter.

He could already sense the peculiar tension in the air. He was just about to say something when a surge of killing intent struck him.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

The three women raised their eyebrows and turned their heads. They, too, clearly sensed the killing intent.

The four cultivators gazed into the distance, where an old man with a blackened face slowly rose into the air. He was dressed in draconic robes, with a calm expression on his face. His aura was immense.

"The Dragon King of the Northern Sea..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

He had seen portraits of this elder before. He was a reclusive figure who rarely appeared, but his aura was overwhelmingly strong. It was no weaker than Yu Banruo's.

"I greet Immortal Emperor Xiao, and the three other Immortal Emperors besides." The Dragon King of the Northern Sea smiled.

"What do you want?" Xiao Nanfeng asked coldly.

"A favor, Emperor Xiao."

"Hm?"

"Despite his grave sins, Yu Banruo is still the son of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor gave his life for the world, and I cannot stand idly by while his son is imprisoned. Please hand Yu Banruo to me. I assure you: he will not trouble you again."

Madam Rouge sneered. "Who do you think you are to make such a request?"

The Dragon King of the Northern Sea smiled faintly. "I am aware of your prowess, Immortal Emperors. If you doubt my strength, feel free to challenge me."

Madam Rouge scoffed. "How foolish! I shall challenge you, then."

Xiao Nanfeng suddenly grabbed Madam Rouge by the arm, who turned back in surprise. Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Let me ask him a few questions first."

Madam Rouge frowned, but ultimately nodded.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward.

He could sense that something was amiss. The three women had already demonstrated their power to the world by subduing seven Immortal Emperors, and with Xiao Nanfeng's recent dominance over Yu Banruo meant that few would dare provoke them now. Even so, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea had come forward.

"Are you here alone, Dragon King?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The Dragon King smiled faintly. "What do you think, Emperor Xiao?"

Xiao Nanfeng scanned his surroundings. "Since you've come to challenge me, isn't it a bit cowardly to hide in the shadows?"

The Dragon King of the Northern Sea furrowed his brows, but made no comment.

The next moment, with a rush of wind, a figure in black draconic robes took to the air and landed before them.

"Greetings, Emperor Xiao," the man said.

His aura was imposing, and everyone tensed when he appeared.

"Ah, the Immortal Emperor of Dajiang, from the south. I've heard much about you. Greetings."

Another gust of wind swept by. A man in white robes appeared, his aura no less overwhelming than that of the Immortal Emperor of Dajiang.

"Greetings, Emperor Xiao," the white-robed man said.

"And this must be the Immortal Emperor of Daru, from the west. Well met," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

More figures soared into the sky, one after another.

Altogether, ten supreme cultivators had arrived. Though Xiao Nanfeng hadn't ever met any of them in person, he knew about them from the intelligence he had gathered across the world. These ten individuals were among the world's top elites. Many were cursed kings, and each was formidable in their own right.

They all surrounded Xiao Nanfeng, each emanating an aura of pride and majesty. Their eyes were fixed intently on him and his companions.

After scanning the group, Xiao Nanfeng quickly deduced their motives.

"Are you all here for Yu Banruo?" Xiao Nanfeng asked with a smile.

"What do you think?" the Immortal Emperor of Daru replied.

Xiao Nanfeng's gaze swept across the ten of them once more. "You are all Immortal Emperors, hierarchs, spirit kings, and former hegemons of past eras. I know that Yu Banruo approached all of you seeking your allegiance, but you paid him no mind. Clearly, you looked down on him too."

"All assumptions," the Dragon King of the Northern Sea replied, shaking his head.

Xiao Nanfeng mirrored the gesture. "If any of you truly cared for Yu Banruo. You would have intervened earlier when I fought him, instead of waiting until now. I suspect you're here for my three wives instead."

"Your three wives?" The ten supreme cultivators' eyes widened.

They knew Xiao Nanfeng had a close relationship with the three women, but none of them expected them to be his wives. How could this be? Why would three unparalleled female Immortals simultaneously choose Xiao Nanfeng?

The three women frowned slightly at Xiao Nanfeng's words but chose not to refute him at that moment.

Seeing their lack of objection, the cultivators were even more astonished.

At the same time, their apprehension grew. If the three women were truly united under Xiao Nanfeng, they would be far harder to deal with than if they acted independently.

"Emperor Xiao, you're the first person in this world that I can claim to admire," the Immortal Emperor of Daru said, giving him a strange look.

The other supreme cultivators exchanged glances as well. They looked back at Xiao Nanfeng, grudgingly impressed.

"There's no need for flattery. I know why you're all here. You're after the charms of heavenly law in my wives' possession, aren't you? You want to seize control of their world trees."

"Since you're aware of our intentions, Emperor Xiao, we'll be blunt. I need to study a world tree to make a breakthrough. Will you give up one of yours?"

"Indeed! Emperor Xiao, don't you think it's rather excessive for you to hoard three all by yourself?"

"Emperor Xiao, you won't be able to protect all three trees. Why not let us study one together?"

The ten supreme cultivators no longer hid their intentions. Their earlier claim about Yu Banruo was clearly just a ruse to provoke the three women.

The Divine Emperor's eyes turned cold. "Let's see if you have the ability to claim my tree, then."

Liu Miaoyin and Madam Rouge also glared icily at the ten supreme cultivators.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward to address the group. "My wives earned their charms of heavenly law by taking on saints themselves. Are you all so shameless as to seize those charms, their rightful spoils of combat? If you desire these charms so badly, you should claim them from the saints yourselves!"

"Easy for you to say! Do you think those saints are fools? They're all hiding like rats now."

"If we could find these saints, would we be here now?"

"If you can find us these saints, we'll leave immediately and compensate you with gifts for our rudeness," the supreme cultivators replied, visibly irritated.

Their immense strength would easily allow them to overpower the saints—if they could find any. All the saints had gone into hiding. They could only watch as the three women cultivated their world trees, a critical resource that they couldn't obtain.

After a moment of thought, Xiao Nanfeng waved his hand and shrouded the region in fog.

"Do you plan to fight?" the Dragon King of the Northern Sea asked coldly.

"No. I have something to say to all of you, and I don't want it to leak out," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Oh?"

"If I can point out the saints' locations to all of you, what would you do?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"What?"

"You know where the saints are?"

"Impossible! Those saints aren't idiots. Why would they expose themselves?"

The supreme cultivators were clearly skeptical.

"Do you think I'd lie to you about something like this?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The supreme cultivators exchanged glances again. All agreed that he had no reason to deceive them. Any falsehood on his part would only prompt their retaliation.

"What do you want?" the Dragon King of the Northern Sea asked.

"I have two conditions," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Oh?"

"First, I was the one who defeated Yu Banruo. Everything he possesses—his fortune, subordinates, and resources—belongs to me. None of you will interfere when I claim them."

"Of course." The cultivators nodded immediately.

No one cared about Yu Banruo's possessions when they could acquire their own charms of heavenly law instead.

"Second, I want each of you to provide me with the location of a hidden realm imbued with heavenly might."

"A hidden realm imbued with heavenly might—what for?" the Dragon King of the Northern Sea asked.

"Everyone takes a different path to cultivation. Focus on the saints you're targeting, rather than prying into my secrets. I'm sure finding one hidden realm each is trivial for cultivators of your capabilities," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The ten cultivators considered the proposal in silence. It was clear that Xiao Nanfeng had some important secret, but the saints were more important to them at present.

"Fine. I shall provide the location of one hidden realm."

"As will I."

"And I!"

The ten supreme cultivators agreed to the proposal immediately.

"In that case, I'll thank you in advance." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"Where are the saints?" the Dragon King of the Northern Sea asked.

"There are ten of you, but only six remaining saints. Are you sure there are enough to go around?" Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"That's not your concern. Just tell us where they are," the Dragon King replied.

"Agreed!" the others chimed in.

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Nanfeng conjured a map.

"The six glowing points on this map mark the saints' locations. This map is of this region of the sea. The saints are located..." Xiao Nanfeng explained the details.

With Tang monitoring the saints, Xiao Nanfeng had precise information about their whereabouts.

Strong as he and his companions were, taking on ten supreme cultivators would be impossible. It was better to sell out the six remaining saints in exchange for information he urgently needed.

The ten powerhouses examined the map with disbelief.

"You aren't lying, are you?" the Dragon King asked.

Despite their best efforts, they couldn't even locate a single saint. How did Xiao Nanfeng have such precise information about the whereabouts of all six?

"Time is of the essence. I don't know how much longer these saints will remain at the locations I've pinpointed. Why hesitate now?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The ten supreme cultivators eyed each other. It would be pointless for Xiao Nanfeng to lie when they could track him down easily. Without any hesitation, they shot into the air and rushed toward the six marked locations on Xiao Nanfeng's map.