Chapter 373: Each With Its Strengths
Outside the city of Luoxing were gathered not just the disciples of the four divisions of the Taiqing Immortal Sect, but also all manner of cultivators from sects across the Eastern Sea. They were all amazed to see that Xiao Nanfeng was gradually gaining the upper hand.
"My senior brother misled me! I had suggested joining Dazheng, but he disagreed. We've missed out on too many opportunities. Xiao Nanfeng's ascension is imminent! We could have helped Dazheng while it was still in need!"
"All the sect masters of the various Immortal sects that initially joined Xiao Nanfeng have all become Immortals by now. Dazheng's victory draws near, and it commands an incredible sea of fortune! What a regret, what a regret! We would have joined Dazheng earlier if we had only known!"
"It's not too late to join Dazheng, is it? Xiao Nanfeng managed to reach this stage of development within just a few short years. Perhaps his empire will advance into a divine empire in a few more. We still have a chance."
"Xiao Nanfeng's growing far too quickly!"
Countless cultivators were discussing the aerial fight with each other as they watched on.
In terms of strength, Nalan Qiankun was the slightly superior because of his Arcane Heavens technique, but Xiao Nanfeng's fist technique was simply overwhelmingly strong. Whenever he used it, the sky would fill up with afterimages of his fist. He gradually began to suppress Nalan Qiankun. As the battle progressed, he even began to analyze and deconstruct Nalan Qiankun's own fist technique, and became far more skilled at suppressing him. If not for the dragon and phoenix helping out Nalan Qiankun, he would long since have been defeated.
"Nalan Qiankun, where's your Spirit Emperor's peerless treasure? Aren't you going to use it?" Xiao Nanfeng challenged.
Nalan Qiankun's face was cold. He knew that, although Zhang Feifan and Lan Jiguang appeared to be neutral observers, they hadn't warned him of their sudden appearance. They were surely biased in favor of Xiao Nanfeng, and he might have to fight them too.
The reason he hadn't yet used the Spirit Emperor's peerless treasure was because he was deliberately stalling for time and waiting for the paper figure to return.
Gradually, however, he was starting to fall behind Xiao Nanfeng. As Xiao Nanfeng's understanding of his combat style deepened, Xiao Nanfeng almost deeply wounded him several times. He didn't dare delay any longer.
"I don't need the Spirit Emperor's peerless treasure to deal with the likes of you!" Nalan Qiankun shouted, then shot forward.
The two cultivators struck each other once more. Unlike before, however, they continued fighting in a deadlock. The dragon and phoenix no longer circled Nalan Qiankun; rather, they shot toward Xiao Nanfeng from two different directions.
"Blizzard, rise!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
A raging flurry of snow emanated from Xiao Nanhfeng, instantly freezing the dragon and phoenix. Even so, they continued onward and smashed into Xiao Nanfeng's qi barrier.
Nalan Qiankun, the dragon, and the phoenix pinned Xiao Nanfeng in the air, rendering him immobile for a moment.
Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened. "Something's wrong!"
Just then, Nalan Qiankun's avatar shot out of the forest below them, a golden gourd in his hands. He activated it at the center of the battlefield. "Restrain, Gourd of Divine Flame!"
An incredible suction from the gourd surrounded the two cultivators and drew them toward the mouth of the gourd.
"What incredible strength!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed, struggling against the suction, but he was unable to break free.
Nalan Qiankun's avatar manipulated the gourd and left his main body, the dragon, and the phoenix out of range. Only Xiao Nanfeng was sucked within. Then, NAlan Qiankun quickly sealed the gourd.
The sudden attack surprised all the spectating cultivators.
"So that's the Gourd of Divine Flame. Nalan Qiankun managed to reverse his inevitable defeat," Zhang Feifan murmured.
"Xiao Nanfeng lost?" Lan Jiguang frowned.
"Nalan Qiankun, you're shameless!"
"Save His Majesty!"
Countless Dazheng Immortals flocked up to meet Nalan Qiankun in battle.
"Hold them back!" the Tianshu Immortals roared.
A group of Tianshu Immortals stood against the Dazheng Immortals.
"Scram!" Ye Sanshui roared.
"His Majesty did use his main body and avatar simultaneously, but he didn't receive any external support. This is a fair duel, and no one is to interfere," a Tianshu Immortal roared.
The two Immortal factions crashed into one another.
Just then, a huge seal appeared in the air, giving off a frightening aura as it shot toward the two Nalan Qiankuns.
"What a fearsome aura!" Zhang Feifan exclaimed.
"A purple divine seal? An impressive aura indeed," Lan Jiguang concurred.
"There's another Xiao Nanfeng at the top of the seal!" Zhang Lingjun shouted.
Xiao Nanfeng's avatar had rushed over and struck with his imperial seal.
"Seal, Divine Seal of Dazheng!"
"Break, Divine Seal of Tianshu!" Nalan Qiankun thundered.
A golden seal shot into the air and smashed into the Divine Seal of Dazheng.
The two imperial seals released tremendous energy as they clashed against each other.
A storm of fire and wind formed around them as shockwaves of energy reverberated through the sky.
"The Divine Seal of Dazheng only condensed recently and hasn't been tempered by fortune for a prolonged duration. It can't stand against the Divine Seal of Tianshu, can it?" one cultivator asked.
"Not quite. Imperial seals are strong because of the fortune they command. The fortune of the Tianshu Empire has been dwindling to a pitiful amount. How could the Divine Seal of Tianshu be a match for the Divine Seal of Dazheng?" another cultivator countered.
Within the heart of the flames, the Divine Seal of Tianshu cracked. Countless wisps of fortune shot out from within.
"The Divine Seal of Tianshu has been shattered!"
"Is the Divine Seal of Dazheng that strong? This is crazy!"
"The Divine Seal of Tianshu is about to be ground to powder!"
The cultivators watching the fight from below cried out in shock.
The pieces of the Divine Seal of Tianshu shot down to the ground like meteorites.
"Impossible!"
With his imperial seal shattered, Nalan Qiankun suffered significant backlash. His main body sprayed a mouthful of blood from his mouth.
By then, the Divine Seal of Dazheng had reached the heads of the two Nalan Qiankuns.
"Seal!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted again.
Blinding rays of golden light, edged with purple, flared from the seal and honed in on the two Nalan Qiankuns. The strength of the seal shocked them both.
At the very last moment, Nalan Qiankun pushed his avatar out of the way. His main body, controlling the Gourd of Divine Flames, resisted the Divine Seal of Dazheng with all his remaining strength. However, he was smashed into the ground.
The ground quaked and rumbled. Its surface was covered up with shimmering golden light as the Divine Seal of Dazheng sealed both Nalan Qiankun's main body and the land pressed against it, preventing him from even attempting to escape. He was barely able to stop the seal from crushing him with his Gourd of Divine Flames, but even so, he was rendered immobile.
Xiao Nanfeng's avatar stood in the air and glared down at Nalan Qiankun below him. "You haven't been crushed by the Divine Seal of Dazheng? The Gourd of Divine Flame is truly a treasure!"
Not far away, Nalan Qiankun's avatar escaped from the seal. Shocked, he exclaimed, "Even if imperial seals are bolstered by fortune, yours shouldn't be so destructive. How could it have crushed my imperial seal? Just what is yours made of?"
Xiao Nanfeng didn't explain. His eyes shone with killing intent. "The Gourd of Divine Flame has sealed my main body, and the Divine Seal of Dazheng has sealed yours. It's just our avatars left, now! Come, fight me!"
A red moon appeared behind his head as a frightening aura emanated from him. Howling gales blew.
"Xiao Nanfeng's avatar is at late-stage Yin Body too?" Zhang Feifan gaped from afar.
"How did he manage such a feat? Reaching such advanced stages of cultivation in no more than a few years..." Lan Jiguang was incredulous as well.
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar summoned a red cloud above his head. Countless lengths of red rope, like chains of law and order, shot down from the cloud straight at Nalan Qiankun.
"What potent cursed spiritual power these lengths of red rope possess. What sort of technique is this?" Zhang Lingjun exclaimed.
Zhang Feifan shook his head. "I'm not sure."
Nalan Qiankun blanched. As though facing an incredible foe, a red moon emerged from his mindscape. His yin body likewise appeared.
"It's too late for you!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
Countless lengths of red rope bound Nalan Qiankun's avatar and began to tear.
"No!" Nalan Qiankun's yin body screamed as he attacked the red rope.
The red rope was blasted apart, but only after his physical body had been torn apart by the ropes, stretched from limb to limb. He reached out to catch his body, but all he managed to store were bloody shreds of flesh.
"Xiao Nanfeng, for destroying my physical body, you'll die!" Nalan Qiankun's yin body thundered.
He flashed in front of Xiao Nanfeng and slammed a palm at him.
"You're the one who's going to die." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes grew cold as he punched forward.
The fist and palm met each other in a storm of flame and wind.
"Late-stage Yin Body? No, there's something wrong with your yin body. You should only be at mid-stage Yin Body, but you must have used some strange treasure to augment your spiritual power for the time being," Xiao Nanfeng stated calmly.
"No one has ever caused me as much of a problem as you have. Today, I'll make you die a terrible death! Red moon, illuminate!" Nalan Qiankun roared.
The red moon behind his head released beams of crimson light.
Xiao Nanfeng did the same thing.
The skies turned bright red as the two cultivators' bodies vanished in a burst of crimson light. Then, all that light dissipated along with the two cultivators themselves.
"Where have they gone?" the gathered cultivators exclaimed.
"The red moon illusory realm," Lan Jiguang said seriously.
"Nalan Qiankun deliberately pulled Xiao Nanfeng into the red moon illusory realm. What if he has an ambush waiting there? Would Xiao Nanfeng be in danger? Should you go have a look, too?" Zhang Lingjun asked.
"There's no need," Zhang Feifan replied. "Considering Xiao Nanfeng's strength, even if it's dangerous, he'll be able to leave the illusory realm himself."
"Good." Zhang Lingjun nodded.
"Lingjun, when I initially asked you to witness this ceremony, you refused me. Why do you care so much about Xiao Nanfeng now?" Zhang Feifan suddenly asked with a smile.
"I don't care about him. I'm just asking," Zhang Lingjun replied immediately, her face subtly changing.
"Is that so? Just asking? Very good," Zhang Feifan replied. His smile widened.
Zhang Lingjun felt a little gloomy upon seeing her father's strange smile.
At that moment, her surroundings were silent. The Divine Seal of Dazheng continued to suppress Nalan Qiankun's main body at the south of Luoxing, and he was having a very hard time defending himself with his Gourd of Divine Flame.
"Everyone, immediately strike at the Divine Seal of Dazheng!" Nalan Qiankun's main body commanded.
"Understood!" Countless Tianshu Immortals shot toward the Divine Seal of Dazheng.
"Everyone, block them! Protect the Divine Seal of Dazheng!" Ye Sanshui roared.
"Understood!" The gathered Dazheng Immortals all struck at once.
Outside the city of Luoxing, the gathered Immortals fought furiously as the ground quaked and dust rose into the air. A windstorm descended on the land.
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