Chapter 239: Underground Fighting
In the subterranean space, Xiao Nanfeng could sense Blue Lantern shielding him against the invasive black smoke.
"What's this black smoke? It feels a little like the smoke that cursed skeletal dragons give off when they die," Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"This is cursed smoke. The skeletal dragons are manifestations of cursed smoke, which possesses tremendous corrosive strength. This underground space is a source of cursed smoke that I made by consuming all the treasures in the draconic palace. It's been two centuries since. I was trying to make use of this space to corrode away the red rope cursed king's spiritual avatar, but it's useless. Its cursed spiritual avatar can regenerate," the dragon king spat out.
"It won't work, Dragon King. If cursed effigies were that easy to destroy, they wouldn't be called cursed effigies," Blue Lantern said.
The dragon king looked toward Blue Lantern. "Blue Lantern, you said that there was hope. Are you referring to him? I'm grateful that he saved my son, but you can't joke about these things. We don't have many chances left."
Blue Lantern was silent for a moment. "He's weaker than I am when it comes to formations, but I can't compare to his understanding of fist techniques. He might still need more combat experience, but I'm certain few could surpass him in that domain. He has obtained the true inheritance of Emperor Wei. You're aware of the fist technique that he created, aren't you?"
"Emperor Wei? That combat-addicted freak?" The dragon king was taken aback.
Blue Lantern nodded.
The dragon king turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "Lad, I'm counting on you, then."
"Xiao Nanfeng, we'll need your help," Blue Lantern said.
Xiao Nanfeng gave them a strange look. "Elder Blue Lantern, the white jade compass is a pledge that you'll assist me, isn't it? How did I end up helping you?"
"We have no choice. I'll make up for the compass at a later date. You must defeat the red rope cursed king," Blue Lantern said.
"I'm not familiar with the specifics. Could you explain what's going on to me?"
"In the past, the dragon king used the three halls of the draconic palace to suppress the spiritual avatars of all the cursed effigies within. The skeletal dragons could corrode the spiritual avatars of the ordinary red rope cursed effigies, whereas the dragon king's truesoul would take over the cursed king's spiritual avatar and bring it to the cursed source in preparation for destroying it. Unfortunately, this cursed king is particularly skilled. It was the top cultivator in the world from thirty thousand years ago, after all, and has plenty of extraordinary techniques. Despite the suppression of its strength, it has been resisting us," Blue Lantern said.
"Oh?"
"Despite the suppression, it's been able to control this cursed spiritual avatar, causing its cursed spiritual power to seep out and exacerbate the grudges that the dragon king's truesoul bears. The dragon king effectively went mad and was left with his basal instincts. That was why he instinctively grasped all Immortals entering the draconic palace. I too was caught, and I almost died at his hand. It took me a tremendous amount of effort to cleanse all those grudges and restore his rationality."
"And what about now?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"The moment the dragon king's rationality was restored, the cursed king's soul was freed from suppression. Aware of the situation around here, it immediately killed everyone in the draconic palace and seized their souls to bolster its spiritual power. Then, it sent all the cursed spiritual power it gathered from its subordinates here in an attempt to snatch back its cursed avatar. We've been defending against its incursions. Thanks to the dragon king's permission, I now have the ability to control the cursed smoke in the region and manifest myself in the form of this black giant to fight against the cursed king, but the cursed king itself has manifested its gathered strength in the form of a red giant."
"From what I saw of the fight just now, it's no match for the two of you," Xiao Nanfeng said.
"The dragon king can't participate in the fight. His truesoul resides in the red rope's cursed spiritual avatar. The moment it comes in contact with the red giant, its strength will be sapped away, strengthening the red giant further. It had no choice but to seal its entire body with cursed smoke to prevent the same thing from happening again. These last few days, I've been the one fighting against the red giant."
"I saw the red giant get dragged away by a Whip of Order. Was that the dragon king's attack?"
"That's right. The dragon king did so in order to protect you and send the red giant away. The red giant's probably trapped aboveground right now, but it'll free itself in no time and absorb its restraints. It'll come back stronger than before," Blue Lantern explained.
"You mean..."
"We'll pass the cursed smoke here to you and have you fight the red giant. Your fist technique is stronger than mine, and you'll be able to suppress it," Blue Lantern said.
Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He was in a rather unenviable condition. If he didn't agree to Blue Lantern's request, then Blue Lantern could kill him just by inaction.
"Let's do it quickly, then," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
Blue Lantern and the dragon king traded glances. The dragon king's eyes brimmed with red light as the black fog all around them suddenly grew active.
"Go!" Blue Lantern commanded.
With a rumble, the black smoke around Blue Lantern's body surged toward Xiao Nanfeng. The cursed smoke surrounded Xiao Nanfeng's body as he transformed into a black giant that grew ever larger. He felt his whole body coursing with strength, and he was growing stronger every second as more smoke gathered around him.
Blue Lantern's giant form quickly dissipated away as all his smoke was transferred to Xiao Nanfeng.
"Make sure you can control this cursed smoke," Blue Lantern advised. Blue light shone around him, defending against the black smoke that encroached from all around.
By then, Xiao Nanfeng had transformed into a three-hundred-meter tall giant. Black smoke solidified around him. As he stomped on the ground, a frightening surge of energy erupted around him.
"What tremendous strength!" Xiao Nanfeng gasped.
"Well?" the dragon king asked in concern.
"I'm fine. I just need to take some time to get used to this."
Xiao Nanfeng slowly began to invoke Hegemon's Fist. He was somewhat unable to control all this energy well; the excess energy sent Blue Lantern flying. As he continued practicing, however, he gradually acclimated to his newfound strength.
"It's coming back!" the dragon king called out.
The red giant returned with a vengeance, howling gales blowing away the black smoke around it as it charged toward the dragon king.
Xiao Nanfeng shot forward and threw a fist at him.
The giants' attacks unleashed a shockwave of tremendous strength at the point of impact. Both the red giant and Xiao Nanfeng stumbled back.
"It's you, you damn brat! Haha, are you all crazy? Passing the cursed smoke to a wimp like him?" The red giant laughed.
"Is your strength already on par with that of the cursed smoke?" Blue Lantern gasped.
The dragon king gritted out, "How are you growing so quickly?"
"I've only reclaimed the strength that I've dispersed. I'm only going to grow stronger from here. On the other hand, your cursed smoke is dissipating more and more with every moment, and you're only going to get weaker. Don't worry. I don't intend to let go of any of you," the red giant threatened.
"That remains to be seen, doesn't it?" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
He shot forward again. The red giant's eyes turned cold. "You brat, you've caused me to lose my subordinate avatar. I'll crush your head!"
The fight between the two giants continued in earnest. Countless fists emerged from the black fog. The red rope cursed king, once the top cultivator of its era, naturally possessed a fist technique of commensurate strength. Each of its blows would have been able to kill an Immortal.
Even so, Xiao Nanfeng's fist technique was no trifling affair. He had reached quintessence with Hegemon's Fist, and could take on the giant without any fear whatsoever. In the tempest that rose up around the two giants, Xiao Nanfeng manifested more and more arms around him.
The entire underground space began to fill with wind and flame. Mushroom clouds formed and dispersed where their fists struck. Fire flared up; shockwaves of frightening might shook the region.
Blue Lantern was forced back time and again. If not for the dragon king shielding Blue Lantern, he would have been grievously injured just from being in close proximity to the fight.
"He really has gained Emperor Wei's true inheritance. Good, very good!" the dragon king murmured.
"I'm afraid things aren't looking good," Blue Lantern suddenly said.
"Why not?" the dragon king asked.
"Xiao Nanfeng's fist technique might be comparable in strength for now, but it's not mistaken, either. The cursed smoke is just going to keep dissipating, and Xiao Nanfeng will gradually weaken over time. He's going to be on the losing end once that happens."
The dragon king glanced at the two combatants carefully. Indeed, at the heart of the explosion, although Xiao Nanfeng was able to block the red giant's fist techniques, because of the gradually weakening power of the cursed smoke, his defense slowly seemed to falter.
"How could this be? Everything I've done—is it all going to be for naught?" The dragon king was clearly unwilling to accept this outcome.
Just then, the red giant suddenly shouted, "Hold on, what's going on? Why is everything filled with red light? Lad, what have you done?!"
"Red light?" The dragon king and Blue Lantern looked toward Xiao Nanfeng in surprise.
Only the dragon king and the red giant were shining with red light; Xiao Nanfeng's surroundings were black with cursed smoke. Where was this supposed red light coming from?
The red giant stumbled back as it exchanged blows with Xiao Nanfeng, escaping from his grasp.
"No, this is hypnosis! You brat, you've hypnotized me! I'll break this compulsion!" the red giant roared.
Xiao Nanfeng certainly wasn't going to allow him to do so. He rushed forward and pummeled the red giant, sending him flying with every punch. Red energy pulsed from its body as the red giant attempted to dispel the hypnosis, leaving it vulnerable to Xiao Nanfeng's attacks.
From afar, it looked as though Xiao Nanfeng was beating the red giant to a pulp, causing the dragon king and Blue Lantern to gape in shock.
"What did Xiao Nanfeng do? What hypnosis?" the dragon king asked Blue Lantern.
"I don't know either. All I know is that he's a disciple of the Taiqing Immortal Sect." Blue Lantern shook his head.
"The Taiqing Immortal Sect? Could it be the Taiqing red moon? Has he already reached Lunar Deluge?!" the dragon king exclaimed.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel