Chapter 220: Tang's Appeal for Help
Within the draconic palace, Xiao Nanfeng flew within the fog toward a destination that he had planned out in advance. Because of the monotony of his surroundings and the density of fog that obscured his vision, it was very difficult to sense whether he was going in the right direction. It took him several days to arrive at his destination, the Crystal Hall.
The exterior of the Crystal Hall was similar to that of the Ancestral Dragon's Hall. From afar, one could see thick, roiling fog surrounding a hall that glowed with multicolored light. The sound of battle emerged from the fog from time to time.
Some cultivators happily left the fog with new Immortal relics in tow, while others escaped with wounded bodies.
Once again, Xiao Nanfeng put on a veiled bamboo hat as he headed deeper into the fog. He avoided the raucous fights all around and carefully proceeded alone.
Within moments, he encountered a skeletal dragon. As Xiao Nanfeng raised Long Jiu's token high into the air, the skeletal dragon bowed and retreated to the side.
Xiao Nanfeng continued heading deeper into the fog, but even after a prolonged period of time, he hadn't reached the Crystal Palace. He stopped short.
"Am I... going around in circles?" Xiao Nanfeng gaped.
He made a mark on the ground and continued on his way. Not long thereafter, he returned to the mark.
"There's a formation that's preventing me from getting close to the Crystal Palace!"
He retrieved the Mirror of Truth and shone it at his surroundings, but its potency was limited. Although it could clear away the fog in his surroundings, it wasn't able to get rid of it all, and neither could it help him deal with the formation.
He found a skeletal dragon and raised Long Jiu's token high up in the air. "Bring me to the Crystal Hall."
However, the skeletal dragon didn't seem to understand what he was asking. He could direct it forward, but it didn't seem to have an innate sense of location otherwise.
"These skeletal dragons really are just dummies," Xiao Nanfeng murmured, sighing.
He ambled around for almost an entire day without any success. Even when he took to the air, nothing happened. The formation around the Crystal Hall had to be incredibly strong.
He had no choice but to head to one of the fights in the vicinity, following the noise that could be heard through the fog, in an attempt to seek information from the cultivators nearby. He quickly found corpses strewn across the ground.
"Die!"
With a great explosion, a skeletal dragon burst into pieces. An Immortal relic and a length of red rope appeared from thin air.
"An Immortal sword—and of surprising quality, at that!"
"As per our agreement, I get the spoils this time!"
"Everyone in your sect is dead. Do you really think you can challenge us for the weapon? Die!"
"The Immortal sword should belong to whoever can keep it!"
Dozens of cultivators were embroiled in an internal feud; among them was a familiar face, Tang.
Tang didn't participate in the fight. He stayed crouched by the side, hugging a large banner as he swallowed a gulp of saliva.
Not long later, the fighting ended. They had all killed each other.
Tang walked up to the middle of the battlefield and picked up the Immortal sword. He didn't seem happy at all. Rather, he frowned in exasperation.
From within the fog, Xiao Nanfeng gave Tang an odd look. "How fortuitous..."
Xiao Nanfeng was just about to step forward when three more figures emerged from the fog. One of them was the Pestilence Sage, with two demonic disciples trailing by his side.
"Tang, you've cursed them all to death again!" one demonic disciple cried out.
"Tang, you really are an omen of calamity—and it's growing stronger and stronger! This is the fifth time you've managed to kill a team of dragon hunters without even doing anything, and you even get an Immortal relic each time!" the other demonic disciple exclaimed.
Tang ignored the two disciples. He bowed toward the Pestilence Sage. "Master, this is the Immortal relic I obtained this time."
The Pestilence Sage claimed the Immortal sword and looked at Tang with glowing eyes. "Well done, Tang."
"I didn't do anything, Master," Tang replied, almost wearily.
"That's what makes it even better. It means you truly are calamitous, haha!" The Pestilence Sage seemed to be in an excellent mood.
The more excited the Pestilence Sage became, however, the more worried Tang was.
"Master, please take this soul-claiming banner as well." Tang passed the black banner he had been wielding to the Pestilence Sage.
The Pestilence Sage handed the banner to one of the disciples, then considered the Immortal sword. It was an excellent weapon, and he decided to keep it for himself. Then, he laughed. "Let me examine your body."
"My body hasn't changed, Master," Tang replied, his face full of fright.
The Pestilence Sage ignored him and slapped his palm against Tang's shoulder. Tang's body suddenly glowed with ghostly blue light, as did his skin.
"Very good, very good! Your cultivation has reached the peak of Ascension. Providing you with countless treasures to aid your physical cultivation has been worthwhile." The Pestilence Sage nodded in satisfaction.
Tang tried to smile, but the overall effect was worse than if he had cried instead. The happier the Pestilence Sage was, the worse his future would be—the Pestilence Sage might be attempting to take over his body soon.
Just then, the Pestilence Sage glanced into the fog. "Do you think you can hide from me?"
The Pestilence Sage launched a palm strike that shot toward Xiao Nanfeng within the fog.
Xiao Nanfeng blocked the palm strike with one of his own, but his body was forced back.
"There really was someone hiding there!" a demonic disciple exclaimed.
"What? How could that be? Tang, shouldn't you have cursed everyone to death?" the other demonic disciple asked curiously.
Tang: ... He hated being called an 'omen of calamity', but at this point, it wasn't worth his breath to explain himself.
Xiao Nanfeng's veiled hat prevented anyone from realizing who he was. He didn't intend to stay; he crept away into the fog.
"Do you think you can leave after seeing our secrets?" the Pestilence Sage suddenly shouted.
He flew toward Xiao Nanfeng and launched another palm strike, which glowed with blue light. This was the technique that allowed him to grab at another cultivator's soul.
Xiao Nanfeng didn't dare take this technique lightly. Crimson moonlight surged from one palm as he released an ethereal length of red rope with his other.
The ghostly palm struck the palm of crimson moonlight in a wave of energy that sent Xiao Nanfeng's hat flying. The Pestilence Sage's palm was ultimately unable to overcome the crimson moonlight, and he was forced to cancel the technique.
"It's you, Xiao Nanfeng!" the Pestilence Sage shrieked.
"Senior Brother Xiao?" Tang's eyes suddenly lit up.
Xiao Nanfeng's ethereal red rope struck at the Pestilence Sage's neck, causing him to blanch. He immediately attempted to dodge and pull away the red rope around his neck, but it tangled around his arm instead. Xiao Nanfeng tugged sharply on the rope, causing him to stumble.
The Pestilence Sage slashed at the red rope with the Immortal sword he had just obtained, but the sword passed cleanly through without hitting a thing.
"Impossible!" the Pestilence Sage cried out. He ignored the pain radiating from his arm as he slashed at Xiao Nanfeng. "Xiao Nanfeng, die!"
"Do you think you're the only one with an Immortal relic?" Xiao Nanfeng also retrieved an Immortal sword radiating with multicolored light, which he swung at the Pestilence Sage.
"You have an Immortal sword too? But you're weaker than I am!" The Pestilence Sage continued his slash, confident in his imminent victory.
"Explode!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
"What? That's an Immortal relic. Don't you intend to keep it?!" the Pestilence Sage cried out.
He would never have expected that Xiao Nanfeng would waste an Immortal relic on trying to kill him. Was he crazy? With his arm tangled up by the ethereal red rope, he couldn't get away!
The explosion that struck the Pestilence Sage mushroomed into a cloud of dust and debris. The resulting shockwave sent Xiao Nanfeng reeling back.
He fell to the ground in a plume of dust. The shock from the explosion caused him to spray out a mouthful of blood, but the Pestilence Sage fared far worse. Caught in the center of the explosion, he had perished without leaving any trace of his body behind.
Xiao Nanfeng wiped at his mouth disdainfully. He had no interest in fighting opponents equivalent to him in strength when he could run instead. Dying was too great a risk. This, on the other hand—he had destroyed his Immortal sword, but was able to claim the one that belonged to the Pestilence Sage instead. He hadn't lost out at all!
Xiao Nanfeng walked over and picked up the Immortal sword, then turned to his surroundings. To his surprise, Tang had killed the other two disciples.
Xiao Nanfeng ignored Tang and was just about to leave.
"Hold on, Senior Brother Xiao!" Tang cried out. "I know about Elder Ku and Zhao Yuanjiao."
Xiao Nanfeng whirled around. "What did you say?"
"Senior Brother Xiao, please save me. If you don't, I'm going to be dead!" Tang pleaded.
"Do you know where Zhao Yuanjiao and my master are?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"Senior Brother Xiao, I heard the Pestilence Sage state that Zhao Tianheng set up a trap for Zhao Yuanjiao and Elder Ku," Tang immediately reported.
"Oh?"
"I have no other choice but to ask you for help, Senior Brother. Please, save me! I'll do anything!" Tang begged.
"What's the matter? Aren't you free to do what you want?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"Not at all!" The Pestilence Sage wants to forge me into one of his avatars. He's sealed my entire body with all sorts of secret techniques, and he can find me no matter where I go. He's about to kill me and take me over, I'm certain! What you exploded was just one of his five avatars. He still has two bodies left!" Tang continued.
"Why would the Pestilence Sage want to take over your body?"
"He claims that I'm an omen of calamity, that I have a rare constitution that he wants!"
Xiao Nanfeng gave him a strange look. "Are you really an omen of calamity?"
"I..." Tang didn't know what to say.
Anyone who had teamed up with him recently had perished, after all...
"Senior Brother, as long as you save me, I'll listen to you for good! I'll be loyal to you and do anything you want," Tang pledged.
"What? Are you going to try to curse me to death, too?"
Tang stiffened. Indeed, considering his... status... it would hardly make sense for Xiao Nanfeng to want to take him up on his offer, but what else could he give him? Tang didn't know what to do.
"I can help you deal with the Pestilence Sage, but you'll have to tell me everything you know about the draconic palace, including any information about my master and Zhao Yuanjiao," Xiao Nanfeng finally said.
Tang's eyes brightened. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xiao!"
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