Wayfarer

Chapter 946: Decisive Battle at Dachi

Dazheng's army surrounded Dachi's capital.

Their overwhelming presence created a suffocating atmosphere in the city. The citizens and soldiers of Dachi's capital were fleeing for their lives; everyone knew that a great battle was imminent.

Dazheng's army didn't prevent the civilians from leaving the city. Rather, they allowed them to escape freely. Days earlier, Dazheng had given advance warning of the date on which they intended to execute the vile demon Su Tianxin, giving the citizens of Dachi the opportunity to seek refuge beforehand.

"Su Tianxin, Dachi is done for. Come out and face your death!" Ye Sanshui shouted loudly.

"Su Tianxin, come out and face your death!" countless soldiers echoed.

Their shouts surged like a tidal wave, striking fear into the hearts of those in the imperial palace.

At this moment, Xiao Nanfeng stood atop a mountain outside the city, concealed by clouds and fog as he observed Dachi's capital from afar.

Beside him, Liu Miaoyin asked curiously, "Aren't you planning to take action?"

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Blue Lantern requested to face Su Tianxin alone to avenge his blood feud and release the hatred in his heart."

Liu Miaoyin frowned slightly. "It's true. Blue Lantern has suffered greatly—his thousand-year ordeal, his father's death, even the humiliation and death of his fiancée—all of it because of Su Tianxin. He must despise him from the bottom of his heart..."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "If Blue Lantern doesn't kill Su Tianxin with his own hands, he'll surely develop a heart specter."

"But hasn't Blue Lantern just become a Boundless Immortal? Su Tianxin's a mid-stage Boundless Immortal. Can Blue Lantern handle him?"

"Blue Lantern has already attuned to all eight bronze compasses and wields the perfected cursed artifact. Moreover, he has an innate constitution that boosts his affinity with formations. Without the support of imperial might and fortune, Su Tianxin shouldn't be a difficult foe for him. Of course, if Blue Lantern struggles, we'll step in," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Liu Miaoyin nodded. "That makes sense."

"I've been investigating Yu Banruo recently. He's a person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and he cares deeply about his reputation. Last time, you scared off his men, which tarnished his image. I'm worried he won't let it go and will cause trouble at a critical moment," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"You think he'll disrupt things?" Liu Miaoyin asked seriously.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded with certainty. "He will."

"Let him come, then!" A cold glint flashed in Liu Miaoyin's eyes.

At that moment, eight enormous golden beams of light suddenly shot into the sky from Dachi's capital. These beams exuded a massive amount of fog, enveloping the imperial palace.

"Has Blue Lantern made his move?" Liu Miaoyin exclaimed.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Dachi's capital was already in chaos two days ago. Blue Lantern has been setting up his formation since. It specifically targets Su Tianxin."

"Su Tianxin truly deserves this," Liu Miaoyin said coldly.

At this moment, Blue Lantern walked slowly into the dense fog. With every step he took, a phantom compass appeared beneath his feet, sending countless fine threads into the formation. The killing intent of the formation intensified with each step he took.

Blue Lantern walked through the gates of the imperial palace and headed deeper within.

"There's something wrong with this formation. I can't fly out of it!"

"There's lightning in the fog. My brother just entered the formation and was struck dead!"

"Look! Someone's heading into the palace over there!"

Su Tianxin's loyalists were starting to panic. They tried probing the formation but couldn't discern its secrets. All they could see were blue, phantasmal compasses in the air, unleashing lightning that filled them with dread.

"It's Blue Lantern! He's setting up a formation. Kill him!" someone shouted.

"Die!"

Hundreds of people armed with blades and swords charged at Blue Lantern.

His eyes glinting coldly, Blue Lantern waved a hand. The phantasmal compasses in the fog suddenly shone with countless bolts of lightning that struck down the attackers. With a deafening crack, hundreds of cultivators were instantly reduced to mutilated corpses.

The faces of those standing at the entrance of the grand hall turned pale.

"The Wild Wastes' Lightning Tribulation formation? Impossible! This was a formation passed down by the sect's founder himself. No one has been able to replicate it since!" someone cried out.

"Take him down, or we'll all perish!" one of them shouted.

He was the first to rush forward, his aura as vast and powerful as a mountain.

"A Boundless Immortal? Hmph!" Blue Lantern snorted coldly and waved his hand once more.

With a hum, countless blue threads suddenly appeared around the attacker, wrapping around him with a snap.

"The Blue Cocoon Formation?!" the attacker cried out in alarm.

He threw a punch, breaking many of the threads. However, there were simply too many of them, and he was quickly encased in a giant cocoon.

"Get me out of here!" the man shouted.

"Seal!" Blue Lantern intoned.

With a hum, the giant cocoon lit up with images of blue compasses that radiated dazzling light. The figure inside the cocoon fell silent.

"Li Two!" the others shouted, rushing forward.

Blue Lantern waved his hand. The cocoon flew into the fog, eluding their grasp.

"This Boundless Immortal is now His Majesty's property," Blue Lantern announced.

The cocoon flew out of the formation and landed before Ye Sanshui with a thud.

It unraveled to reveal a Boundless Immortal whose cultivation had been sealed..

Dazheng's army was astonished. Someone exclaimed, "Isn't that the imperial astronomer fighting within? He's incredibly strong!"

Ye Sanshui stepped forward to reinforce the seals on the captured Boundless Immortal.

"Blue Lantern, do you need our help?" Ye Sanshui shouted into the fog.

"There's no need!" Blue Lantern replied.

Moments later, two more blue cocoons flew out and landed with a thud.

They unraveled to reveal two more Boundless Immortals, their cultivation likewise sealed. Ye Sanshui quickly stepped forward to reinforce the seals and secure them. @@novelbin@@

The Dazheng soldiers gasped.

Boundless Immortals, captured so easily? These had to be Su Tianxin's strongest remaining subordinates!

More lightning crackled from within the fog.

Blue Lantern annihilated all of Su Tianxin's loyalists in one fell swoop. They deserved no mercy given the extent of Su Tianxin's crimes.

After eliminating them all, Blue Lantern walked toward the grand hall, his voice icy. "Su Tianxin, you really are quite patient, aren't you? I've killed all your subordinates, yet you still won't come out. Have you given up, or are you waiting for someone to save you?"

As he spoke, more images of blue compasses unfolded beneath his feet, extending toward the grand hall and wrapping it in a web of light.

The grand hall now resembled a cage, one that imprisoned Su Tianxin within.

When he sensed no immediate danger, Blue Lantern stepped into the hall.

Inside, Su Tianxin sat on his draconic throne.

The two locked eyes across the hall.

"All dressed up, are you? Su Tianxin, a man without virtue does not deserve to rule. Even if you managed to steal the mandate of heaven, you would have been destined to lose it. But I won't waste words on a heartless scoundrel like you. I'm here today to seek justice for Qingchan and my father. You'll pay for the sins you've committed!" Blue Lantern declared coldly.

Su Tianxin showed no sign of panic. He furrowed his brows slightly. "I thought Xiao Nanfeng would come to settle this. I didn't expect you."

"You thought the emperor would sully his own hands dealing with the likes of you? Dream on!" Blue Lantern sneered.

With a wave of his hand, he enveloped the entire hall in a green glow. The surroundings vanished, leaving them in a vast space dominated by two colossal blue compasses—one above, one below—emitting killing intent that locked onto Su Tianxin.

"Eight compasses, resolved into two that represent heaven and earth? Impressive. Though you might not be Xiao Nanfeng, you aren't a bad substitute," Su Tianxin said, drawing a sword.

"What are you talking about?" Blue Lantern asked, puzzled.

Su Tianxin suddenly turned the sword on himself, driving it into his chest with a sharp thrust.

Blood spurted from the wound, shocking Blue Lantern. He had envisioned many ways in which Su Tianxin might resist, but had never expected him to commit suicide.

"What are you doing?" Qing Deng exclaimed.

Su Tianxin smiled faintly and pulled the sword from his chest, then plunged it into his dantian.

With a loud explosion, his dantian shattered, releasing a torrent of Immortal qi. His power and cultivation drained away.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Blue Lantern asked, his unease growing.

"Does it scare you?" Su Tianxin asked with a smile.

"Scare me? Why would I be afraid of your suicide?" Blue Lantern frowned.

"Then watch closely. You don't often get to see something like this. You might only witness it once in your lifetime," Su Tianxin said with a cold grin.

He twisted the sword in his dantian and utterly destroyed it, reducing his cultivation to ruin.

"Dream on! I'm not letting you die so easily. Seal him!" Blue Lantern shouted, activating the compasses.

The compasses began to rotate, generating immense pressure that concentrated around Su Tianxin.

Just then, Su Tianxin spat a mirror out of his mouth.

"I knew you'd resist, but you won't get the chance!" Blue Lantern sneered.

The compasses began to rumble as they shot toward Su Tianxin, only for the mirror he spat out to fly into the air. It was mirrored on both sides, and both cultivators suddenly eyed their own reflections.

Then, it suddenly shone with black light, enveloping the area and engulfing both Su Tianxin and Blue Lantern.

Blue Lantern felt a sharp pain spreading throughout his body and screamed in agony.

As the black light faded, the mirror shattered into fragments. The pressure from the compasses disappeared as well.

Blue Lantern stood with a strange smile on his face. "It's done. From now on, I am Blue Lantern."

Across from him, Su Tianxin, still seated on his draconic throne, clutched his heart and dantian in horror. He glanced at "Blue Lantern", then at himself. "No! How did I become you, and you become me? What have you done? How did we switch bodies? This is impossible!"