Wayfarer

Chapter 1038: The Superior's True Form

In his yin body, Xiao Nanfeng bowed to the void. "Please guide us, primordial altar."

The void rumbled as billowing black smoke appeared out of nowhere and blanketed their surroundings. A massive edifice emerged from within the smoke—the primordial altar.

"Grandmasters, please follow me."

"Understood." The three Qing Grandmasters inclined their heads.

Xiao Nanfeng waved his hand. A small crack in the void seemed to appear before the primordial altar, one so narrow he could barely squeeze in. The crack continued to shrink bit by bit. The three Qing Grandmasters eyed each other before hurrying through without further hesitation, right as the crack vanished from sight.

Xiao Nanfeng followed the roots of his giant nine-colored tree to return to the white life hidden realm.

With a loud boom, they appeared beside the tree.

Zhang Lingjun, Xia Yu'er, and Lan Yaoguang, who had been near the tree, sensed their arrival and instantly turned to them. They let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the four figures.

"Nanfeng, you're back!" Yu'er exclaimed, rushing over to his side and caressing his arm.

Lan Yaoguang and Zhang Lingjun rushed toward him as well, though their behavior was rather more reserved. They immediately bowed toward the three Qing Grandmasters.

The three Qing Grandmasters nodded. Rather than engage in small talk, they each took a step forward and looked in three different directions. Their colored moons floated behind their heads as they scanned the white life hidden realm.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng briefly explained what had happened in the outside world.

Zhang Lingjun's eyes widened. "Dazheng's now the Imperial Court? And you've crowned us all as empresses?"

Xia Yu'er nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder I felt something intangible around me—I thought the Superior was attacking us from afar, but it was actually your boon!"

Xiao Nanfeng was taken aback. "You felt the effects of being appointed as empresses of Dazheng?"

The three women all nodded.

Xiao Nanfeng was deep in thought. He knew that even the consciousness of the primordial altar couldn't enter the white life hidden realm, but the links of fortune had easily gotten past this barrier. The fact that the cultivation of fortune had spread across the universe was a hint that it was truly extraordinary.

Xiao Nanfeng immediately continued, "Right, there are a few people I'd like to introduce you to.

With that, he sat down in meditation as he retrieved his physical body from his mindscape. His yin body merged with his physical body as he awoke once more.

He retrieved a storage treasure and opened it. A group of cultivators poured out from within: Madam Rouge, Liu Miaoyin, and the Divine Emperor, along with a large group of ordinary Dazheng officials.

Madam Rouge, Liu Miaoyin, and the Divine Emperor looked curiously around them, only to quickly notice the other three women.

Xia Yu'er, Zhang Lingjun, and Lan Yaoguang also exchanged glances with each other upon catching sight of Madam Rouge, Liu Miaoyin, and the Divine Emperor. They nodded at each other, but didn't exchange any greetings otherwise.

Xiao Nanfeng understood that getting them to accept each other wasn't something that could happen overnight. The fact that they weren't tearing into each other was already a sign of respect for him.

He quickly began, "I assume you all know each other, so I'll dispense with the introductions. Please get used to the environment. We can't afford any mistakes in what comes next."

The six women nodded. They all knew that the next step was to rescue Xiao Nanfeng's parents, and this battle would be extremely dangerous. They couldn't afford any mistakes, and they all wanted to leave a good impression on their future in-laws.

Seeing the frowns on Madam Rouge, Liu Miaoyin, and the Divine Emperor's faces, Xiao Nanfeng asked, "Is something the matter?"

Madam Rouge said gravely, "The white life hidden realm isn't as we expected. It's constantly trying to erode our physical bodies and weaken our strength. We won't be able to summon our three world trees, either."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "That's natural. This place is a realm of extreme yin. Even my physical body is affected to some extent. Since your World Trees haven't fully materialized, without the support of external laws and rules, you naturally can't summon them. However, dealing with the white-furred lifeforms here shouldn't be difficult for you."

Madam Rouge, Liu Miaoyin, and the Divine Emperor all nodded.

Xiao Nanfeng made a few more arrangements and then walked over to the three Qing Grandmasters. "Grandmasters, have you sensed anything?"

The Yuqing Grandmaster said, "The Superior has fused his world of the heart with the primordial altar's prison, isolating its interior from its exterior. He has put his physical body into a deep sleep and integrated his own spiritual power into the souls of outsiders to create the white-furred monsters in an attempt to extract the primordial altar's power. However, we suspect that he is also consuming a vast amount of heart force to do so."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "I agree. Moreover, I suspect that since his true form is integrated into this space, reviving his true form would come at great cost. That's why he only used an avatar to fight me before. Over the past few months, he must have been fusing the white-furred lifeforms together to prepare for another battle with me."

The Yuqing Grandmaster asked, "What's your plan?"

Xiao Nanfeng bowed. "Grandmasters, I would like you to force the Superior's main body out, engage him, and keep him occupied. I will deal with the white-furred lifeforms in the meantime. Once I've finished, I will come to support you."

The three Qing Grandmasters exchanged glances. "Very well."

They flew into the air. Red, blue, and purple moons rose into the air behind their heads, causing the void to tremble violently. Their moonlight illuminated the entire realm as three world trees, thousands of meters tall, appeared behind their backs.

Once they appeared, the fluctuations in the void grew even more violent. The three trees seemed to possess overwhelming power, and were voraciously absorbing energy from all directions. The endless snow in the void surged toward the three world trees as ripples spread out from them through the void.

The three Qing Grandmasters were forcing the Superior to show himself.

Within the white life hidden realm, in a fog-shrouded forest, a silver moon floated in the air, observing the white-furred monsters it oversaw. They had all been devouring each other under its command. Now, only a few dozen white-furred monsters remained, their combined strength and spiritual power rendering them extraordinarily formidable.

The silver moon glanced down at the white-furred monsters. "Good. The curse within your bodies has stabilized. Continue devouring each other. Those chosen will die!"

Beams of white light shot down at the pack of white-furred monsters, who blanched as they cried out in panic, "No, Master! We've served you well!"

The white-furred monsters' heads exploded. Blood splattered everywhere as they died on the spot.

The remaining half of the pack trembled in fear, not daring to speak. Under the Superior's command, they began devouring the carcasses of those who had just been killed.

Xiao Hongye and Tan Xianzhi were among their number. They were filled with anxiety; the remaining few dozen white-furred monsters had all contributed to the Superior's cause. They had only been spared until now because of their greater contribution. They didn't know when their turn to die would come.

The Superior clearly didn't care about their lives. He had more silver moons in the world at large, and had witnessed Xiao Nanfeng's reappearance and Dazheng's ascension into the Imperial Court.

He wondered to himself, "Why would Xiao Nanfeng leave the realm and establish an Imperial Court? Why hadn't he brought his three women with him? Just what was he planning?"

At that moment, three beams of colored light pierced through the fog and trees as they shot toward the silver moon.

"Red, blue, and purple moonlight—but how can this be? Those three wenches have been steadily growing stronger, but their moons wouldn't have such immense power."

The void suddenly rumbled. Three world trees seemed to manifest as they drew strength from the entirety of the white life hidden realm.

"No—it's the three Qing Grandmasters!" the silver moon exclaimed in outrage. "Damn it, Xiao Nanfeng must have brought them here!"

The void continued to shake and shudder. The snow of the white life hidden realm was quickly sucked toward the three Qing Grandmasters.

"You think you can drain my heart force? Dream on!" the silver moon thundered. The Superior glanced down at the white-furred monsters. They might work against Xiao Nanfeng, but surely not the three Qing Grandmasters...

After a moment, he gritted his teeth. "Damn it. I'll have to rely on my main body."

Not far from the three Qing Grandmasters, Xiao Nanfeng eyed their world trees, then his giant nine-colored tree. Though they were roughly similar in size, theirs were far more solid and exuded greater strength.

"No wonder the three Qing Grandmasters don't envy my nine-colored tree. Theirs might well be stronger," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

Madam Rouge consoled him. "Don't be too upset. The three Qing Grandmasters' world trees derive from the golden tree, and the Superior, despite his golden tree, was trapped within the primordial altar. Once your nine-colored tree matures, it'll surely be even stronger."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded with a smile. "Indeed."

Madam Rouge inclined her head. "But will the three Qing Grandmasters really be able to lure the Superior here?"

"He already is here, it seems," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

Countless dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, covering the skies and causing the world to darken in an instant. The clouds swirled, and the world itself seemed to turn dark. A howling blizzard formed, shattering one mountain peak after another.

The apocalyptic conditions bore down on the gathered cultivators.

Madam Rouge's eyes widened. "What incredible aura..."

Xia Yu'er exclaimed, "Look at that figure! It's deep within the blizzard and thousands of meters tall."

"That must be the Superior's main body," Xiao Nanfeng surmised.