Chapter 225: A Mouthful of Blood in Anger
Xiao Nanfeng throttled Elder Huang's neck and threatened, "Zhao Tianheng, let us out of the illusory array, or I'll break his neck!"
"You're not a cursed effigy. Even if you break his neck, only his spiritual power will be affected—he won't die. Do you think that this is enough to threaten me? Don't make me laugh!" Zhao Tianheng shot forward.
"Be careful!" Zhao Yuanjiao exclaimed. He struck in defense.
Xiao Nanfeng blanched. He had no choice but to drop Elder Huang and punch at Zhao Tianheng.
Zhao Tianheng sent Zhao Yuanjiao flying with a single blow. As Zhao Yuanjiao struck the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
As for Xiao Nanfeng, he fared even worse. His fist technique was demolished instantly. Zhao Tianheng's palm technique grabbed ahold of Xiao Nanfeng's body and lifted him up into the air. It seemed as though he would be able to crush him in an instant.
Xiao Nanfeng looked heavily wounded and had even 'fainted'. He hung motionless in the air.
"Ha! Do you think you ever had a chance against me? Don't bother leaving. I'll send you on your way!" Zhao Tianheng laughed.
"Hold it. Let go of Xiao Nanfeng!" Zhao Yuanjiao roared, clutching his injured chest.
"And why should I? He knows my secret. He has to die!" Zhao Tianheng replied.
"No! He's a Taiqing sectstarter, and you'll cause problems for yourself if you kill him. You can't kill him. No one would believe him, and he can't threaten you. Let him go and I'll promise you everything," Zhao Yuanjiao said.
"Oh? Anything?" Zhao Tianheng suddenly narrowed his eyes. "How about your blackguards?"
Zhao Yuanjiao's face contorted. His eyes sparked with vengeance, and he seemed incredibly unwilling to agree.
"Didn't you say you would promise me anything? You won't even hand over the blackguards? If you had done so earlier, the relationship between the two of us wouldn't have grown so tense," Zhao Tianheng replied.
"Why are you so insistent on taking control over the blackguards? They might be a potent organization, but you surely have far more power as the Ascended division leader of the Taiqing Sect. Why do you care so much about it?" Zhao Yuanjiao spat out.
"You don't know anything. Well? Are you going to agree? If you don't, I'll destroy Xiao Nanfeng's spiritual avatar right now. Then, I'll find an opportunity to ruin his physical body as well, not giving him any opportunity to revive. Sectstarter or not, it doesn't matter. I'm the mastermind here. I can make him die without leaving a trace behind, and no one will ever know what happened," Zhao Tianheng promised.
"I know you won't let me go, and I don't expect you to. If you're willing to let Xiao Nanfeng go, however, I might agree with your request. Before that, you need to tell me why you care so much about the blackguards that you're willing to kill your own nephew. I won't be satisfied without knowing that much."
Zhao Tianheng glared at Zhao Yuanjiao, his eyes cold. Sensing victory at his fingertips, however, he seemed to relax.
"If there's anyone to blame, it's Emperor Tianshu," Zhao Tianheng replied.
"Emperor Tianshu?"
"Your father, Zhao Tianjue, was the leader of the blackguards and helped Emperor Tianshu expand his empire. He perished in battle. In addition to providing some fortune to the Taiqing Immortal Sect annually, Emperor Tianshu specially sets aside a portion of fortune for the leader of the blackguards. He told me this himself. You and I are both successors to Zhao Tianjue, and whichever one of us becomes the leader of the blackguards can claim a Marquis-level parcel of fortune from the capital of the Tianshu Empire annually," Zhao Tianheng replied.
"A parcel of fortune? You'd kill me for that?" Zhao Yuanjiao roared.
"Do you know how much fortune there is? It's been accumulating for decades. It's a tremendous amount of fortune, far more than you can imagine. It would suffice to bring me straight to a spiritual cultivation of Yin Body. Do you know what that's like? Immortals are the peak of physical cultivation—and deities the peak of spiritual cultivation! If I manage to reach Yin Body, I'll be on the level of an Immortal myself. That's not just a parcel of fortune, but an opportunity to become a god myself. Do you understand now?" Zhao Tianheng replied coldly.
"Don't you get an allowance of fortune every year already? It's only a matter of time before you become a god regardless. Why the hurry?" Zhao Yuanxiao asked.
"The Tianshu Empire does provide a significant amount of fortune to the Ascended division annually, but that has to be divided among a large group of elders. How much of that would I be able to obtain? How long would I have to wait? You make it sound easy, but do you realize how much time it would take? Furthermore, without absolute strength, even someone like Ku Jiang dares to go over my head. I have to imagine I'm the worst off among all the division leaders of the Taiqing Sect! I must obtain the blackguards at any cost. Zhao Yuanjiao, do you intend to hand them over?" Zhao Tianheng asked coldly.
"Where is my master?" Zhao Yuanjiao pressed.
Zhao Tianheng shook his head. "You've asked too many questions. I've already answered you and explained why I wanted the blackguards. Do you still not intend to cede control, or tell me who your direct subordinates are? In that case, I'll crush Xiao Nanfeng in an instant.
"You!" Zhao Yuanjiao hesitated.
"Tell me!" Zhao Tianheng roared.
A gust of killing intent emanated from him, forcing Zhao Yuanjiao to retreat.
Zhao Yuanjiao stepped back with pursed lips, but he didn't speak.
"You don't intend on saying anything? Don't blame me for this, then. Explode!" Zhao Tianheng commanded.
He squeezed his projected palm together, attempting to crush the 'unconscious' Xiao Nanfeng.
The explosion he expected, however, didn't materialize. Not only was Xiao Nanfeng perfectly fine, Zhao Tianheng's projected palm even made a cracking noise.
"What? You're not unconscious?" Zhao Tianheng gaped.
Xiao Nanfeng had opened his eyes and stretched out his hands as he slowly pushed Zhao Tianheng's palm open.
"Who said I was unconscious?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"What? How could your spiritual power have increased to such a degree? And there's only one type of spiritual power! Is it yours? Wasn't your spiritual treasure providing you with spiritual power? That's impossible. Aren't you at Stellar Lake?" Zhao Tianheng exclaimed.
"Who told you that?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
He ripped apart Zhao Tianheng's projected palm, sending him stumbling back.
"Impossible. You've only cultivated for a couple of years! It's impossible for you to be at Lunar Deluge. You have to be tricking me somehow!" Zhao Tianheng howled.
He shot toward Xiao Nanfeng once again.
Xiao Nanfeng's eyes turned cold as he punched at Zhao Tianheng. A mountain-sized fist launched straight at him. Even if Zhao Tianheng refused to believe it, the truth was irrefutable—Xiao Nanfeng's spiritual power was so strong that he had to be at Lunar Deluge.
"I get it now. You made use of two different types of spiritual power to feign weakness and trick me. That spiritual power came from the elder conspiring with you. This was all a scheme!" Zhao Tianheng punched at Xiao Nanfeng again.
His fist met Xiao Nanfeng's in an explosion of red light that formed a mushroom cloud in the air, dispelling the clouds in the sky and causing the mountain peaks in the vicinity to collapse. The ground quaked; the sky shook.
The elders in the air stared gobsmacked at the sight below them.
"Xiao Nanfeng's at Lunar Deluge too? Impossible!"
"Even Zhao Tianheng can't stand against him. His spiritual cultivation is stronger than Zhao Tianheng's?"
"Impossible!"
The gathered cultivators all cried out in surprise.
They watched on as Xiao Nanfeng barrelled through the flames that resulted from the explosion, then punched forward once more. Zhao Tianheng was forced to defend himself hastily as another red cloud mushroomed into the air.
Zhao Tianheng screamed shrilly. The punch had sent him crashing into the ground, which cratered beneath him. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Xiao Nanfeng, just you wait. Once I leave this illusion, you'll be dead. Illusion, break!" Zhao Tianheng commanded.
However, the illusory realm that was reinforced by Madam Rouge herself wouldn't give way so quickly. Red light flashed around Zhao Tianheng, but he was unable to step out of the illusion. He remained standing right where he was.
"What? I can't get out?" Zhao Tianheng exclaimed.
"You'll stay right here!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, leaping forward at him.
Zhao Tianheng was sent flying with another punch. He crashed straight through a mountain before coming to a halt.
His body was bruised, battered, and bleeding.
"You're at mid-stage Lunar Deluge? I understand now. You must have obtained countless amounts of fortune in that hidden realm that enabled you to raise your spiritual cultivation to such an extent. How could you have been so lucky?" Zhao Tianheng exclaimed.
"Zhao Tianheng, for your own selfish desires, you've schemed against the elders of the sect, your own nephew, and various Taiqing disciples. You have committed grave crimes and don't deserve the position of the Ascended division leader. I shall expose your crimes and sins to the Taiqing sect and have you be stripped of your position and sentenced!"
Xiao Nanfeng punched forward again, sending Zhao Tianheng flying through the air and smashing into the ground in a furrow.
Despite the grievous injuries, despite his battered spiritual avatar, Zhao Tianheng grinned maliciously.
"Expose my actions? Haha, who would believe the likes of you? I'm the Ascended division leader. It's my word against yours. So what if you destroy my spiritual avatar? There are dozens of elders outside who will protect my physical body. Once I wake up in reality, I'll place an internal bounty on you in the Taiqing sect. You'll be pursued no matter where you run. As long as I deny what I've said, who would be able to sentence me to my crimes? Who would serve as your witness? Haha!" Zhao Tianheng roared in laughter.
Xiao Nanfeng raised his head to the air. "Elders, would you serve as my witnesses?"
"What?" Zhao Tianheng blanched. Something was wrong.
The air, which was empty moments ago, suddenly flashed with red light. Dozens of elders appeared within sight, all of them falling down to the ground.
"What are all of you doing here?!" Zhao Tianheng exclaimed.
The elders were staring at Zhao Tianheng with naked disdain.
"Elder Zhao Yuanjiao, I apologize for having maligned you."
"None of us could have imagined that Zhao Tianheng was so malicious."
"Such a cultivator is like a festering tumor for the sect. We will surely take him down and report this matter to the sect leader himself!"
The elders vouched for Xiao Nanfeng and Zhao Yuanjiao.
Zhao Tianheng suddenly felt the world spin around him. He understood that he had truly fallen prey to Xiao Nanfeng and Zhao Yuanjiao's scheme. He grew so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood in anger.
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