Chapter 178: The Cooperative Tang
When Tang saw Xiao Nanfeng looking his way, he blanched and fled.
However, he was far too slow for Xiao Nanfeng, who stored the golden serpent's inner core and leapt up the mountain. He appeared before Tang in an instant.
"Spare me, Senior Brother! I did nothing. I even tried to persuade everyone else not to provoke you. It's none of my business!" Tang cried out.
The divine undying blade halted before Tang's face. The resulting gust of wind caused his clothes to shake.
"Tang? It really is you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, frowning.
"I'll tell you everything, Senior Brother, everything!" Tang cried out.
Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Tang with an odd look on his face. He hadn't begun his interrogation, had he? Why was Tang being so cooperative?
"Who else is with you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"There's no one left. You killed them all, Senior Brother," Tang replied, shuddering.
Xiao Nanfeng inspected his surroundings with spiritual power and confirmed Tang's assertion.
Even so, he didn't relax. He placed his blade by Tang's neck as he looked all around. "Do you have rope?"
"I've tied myself up," Tang replied.
Xiao Nanfeng looked behind him to see that Tang had bound his wrists with a tight knot.
"Senior Brother, I've restrained the qi in my dantian, and all you have to do to seal my cultivation is to strike me here. Go on, seal my cultivation," Tang urged.
Xiao Nanfeng was growing more and more shocked. What had happened to Tang?
"What was going on just now? I was the one who killed them, so why did they call you an omen of calamity? Why do they blame you for their deaths?"
Vexed, Tang began, "They're maligning me, Senior Brother! Don't believe what they say!"
Xiao Nanfeng's face grew stony. "Answer what I ask."
"They said that I'm an omen of calamity, having cursed..." Tang didn't dare hide anything from Xiao Nanfeng. He recounted all that had happened. When he was finished, he added, "Senior Brother, considering how wise and knowledgeable you are, surely you won't fall prey to such mysticism too?"
Xiao Nanfeng was silent for some time before he finally nodded. "They do have a point. You did curse all those around you to their deaths. Perhaps you are an omen of calamity, after all."
Tang: ...
"Stay right there. I have more to ask you in the future. If you dare run, I'll break your legs," Xiao Nanfeng threatened.
"Of course, Senior Brother! It's safest around you considering the situation unfolding around the island. I won't go anywhere else," Tang vouched.
Xiao Nanfeng ignored him as he surveyed the battlefield from his vantage point high above the ground.
The sea serpents of the island, seeing that Xiao Nanfeng had easily killed the giant golden serpent, were so scared that they were fleeing instinctively without putting up any form of defense.
Zhao Yuanjiao, despite fighting two giant golden serpents by himself, seemed to have the upper hand. Croak and Warble were taking on three giant golden serpents and not losing out. By the other two valleys of the island, Ye Dafu and Ye Sanshui were leading the fighters of the Isle of Xiao in a melee, and they had made it as far as the serpents' lair. The Taiqing disciples were staying back and providing aid where necessary. Although the three thousand fighters were somewhat weak in terms of cultivation and fighting technique, their military training and formations allowed them to take on stronger foes without incurring much damage.
Just then, Xiao Nanfeng saw a group of sea serpents gather by a faraway valley, prepared to ambush the fighters. He sent a bolt from the Immortal's Destruction over, decimating the group and forcing them to flee. The fighters charged forward and took down any stragglers remaining.
The entire island seemed to be mired in combat.
The cultivators fought from dawn to dusk. In the end, Zhao Yuanjiao was the first to seize victory. With a resounding bang, he killed the second golden serpent. Meanwhile, Croak and Warble had finished dealing with two serpents. They each bit an end of the last serpent and tore it apart in an explosion of blood.
The fighting finally came to a close at dawn the next day.
At that point, the weary but victorious fighters helped Xiao Nanfeng bring the serpent carcasses up onto their ships, heaping them as high as mountains.
Xiao Nanfeng and Zhao Yuanjiao began to interrogate Tang.
"Senior Brother Xiao, Elder Zhao, this really has nothing to do with me! I've only just reached Immanence, and I'm only a minor player in the politics of the Taiqing Demonic Sect. There are many secrets I'm not privy to, and I wouldn't know about the spies that have infiltrated the sect, either. I only left with the Pestilence Sage because he suddenly told me he admired my abilities!" Tang cried out.
Unfortunately, what he did know was rather useless.
"At the very least, it's clear that these repeated assassination attempts on you were no coincidence, Elder Zhao. The Pestilence Sage must know the truth."
Zhao Yuanjiao looked at the skin of the Pestilence Sage's avatar, which he had claimed. He gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look. "I heard that the Pestilence Sage's ghostly arts are particularly difficult to deal with. How did you manage to defeat him?"
"Was he? Those might just have been rumors." Xiao Nanfeng shook his head.
The ferocious beast within his storage ring had taken the Pestilence Sage down in one fell swoop. How could he be strong? The beast only boasted tremendous strength against spiritual avatars, not physical bodies.
"Is the Pestilence Sage actually weak, then?" Zhao Yuanjiao wondered.
Tang glanced askance at them. He was aware that the Pestilence Sage was as strong as he claimed to be, but he didn't dare contradict their words. If he were to draw their ire, he was worried that they would simply kill him. Better to be quiet and invisible.
"Elder, let's not worry about the Pestilence Sage at the moment. How much longer can we stay on the island?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
Zhao Yuanjiao hesitated. "I received word that the serpent king of the Thousand-Serpent Island left for the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace with a large retinue of golden serpents, and they likely won't return for the short term. We should still have plenty of time, but the serpent king will be a difficult foe. I heard that it's already reached Wingform."
"Wingform?"
"The realm that lies above Spiritsong. The four division leaders of the Taiqing Immortal Sect are at Wingform," Zhao Yuanjiao explained.
"Tang mentioned just now that the Pestilence Sage came here for discussions with the serpent king to take us down. We made the right choice in coming here today."
Zhao Yuanjiao nodded, then continued, "What should we do with Tang? Kill him?"
"Elder, Senior Brother, I'm innocent! Don't kill me. I'm a Taiqing disciple too!" Tang cried out in fear.
Xiao Nanfeng peered at Tang. "Keep him."
"Thank you, Senior Brother! I'll be obedient, I swear!" Tang couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
"Why not kill him?" Zhao Yuanjiao frowned.
"He's an omen of calamity, and I'm going to have him curse our opponents," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
Zhao Yuanjiao: ...
Tang: ...
"An omen of calamity? It's just a coincidence. You're not that superstitious, are you?" Zhao Yuanjiao gave Xiao Nanfeng a skeptical look.
"I know it might well be a coincidence, but this world has deities and the divine, doesn't it? Who's to say that an omen of calamity can't exist? If he really is one, we might save significant effort in our future ventures. More importantly, he hasn't hurt us in any way, and as a Taiqing disciple himself, I'm willing to be lenient. Wouldn't it be better to treat him as an omen of calamity and hand him to our opponents?"
Zhao Yuanjiao's skeptical look deepened, but he didn't say more.
"Are you an omen of calamity, Tang?" Xiao Nanfeng asked Tang.
Tang stiffened. He very much wanted to deny the accusation, but his life was on the line! He had no choice but to cooperate. As his face twitched, he said, "Senior Brother Xiao, I'm shocked you were able to tell so readily. That's right. I'm an omen of calamity."
Zhao Yuanjiao: ...
He could see that Tang was deliberately trying to please Xiao Nanfeng, but Tang had only reached Immanence and didn't seem as though he would be a danger. Zhao Yuanjiao intended to let matters slide this once.
"Tang, I expect you to make use of this curse on my enemies," Xiao Nanfeng informed him gravely.
Tang's face twitched. "Of course, Senior Brother."
"Alright, then. You can leave now," Xiao Nanfeng continued.
"Ah?" Tang stilled. He was being freed?
"Or do you want to stay?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"I'll leave, I'll leave! Thank you, Senior Brother!" Tang cried out gratefully.
Tang walked out of the hall disbelievingly. When some Taiqing disciples saw him leave, they made to catch him when he shouted, "Senior Brother Xiao let me go! Don't stop me!"
Indeed, upon hearing that it was Xiao Nanfeng's decision, no one barred his way.
"You're letting him go just like that?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked.
Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "I wanted to free him, but I couldn't think of a better excuse to do so than to play into the whole 'omen of calamity' affair."
"That was intentional, then?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked curiously.
"I only managed to defeat an avatar of the Pestilence Sage by luck. The next time, he'll be prepared. I need to be ready for him as well."
Zhao Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes. "You intend to have Tang describe our attitude to the Pestilence Sage and make him think that we're underestimating him?"
Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Far safer to have the Pestilence Sage treat us like we're fools. Even if Tang fails, we don't lose anything by trying."
Zhao Yuanjiao gave Xiao Nanfeng another odd look, but he nodded.
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