Chapter 481: Slaughtering Spirits and Entering the Manor
"They're all Earth Immortal spirits? Hmph!" Xiao Nanfeng snorted.
With a wave of his hand, ten golden crows emerged from his body. They scattered, their sharp claws like burning lances, their feathers like formations of fire. They easily struck the ten leopard finches down.
The ten finches roared and flew toward the golden crows again, but the golden crows easily defended themselves. Fierce fighting ensued.
"What's that? Ten suns, and a golden crow within each one? What technique does he cultivate?"
"He cultivates the Sky of Ten Suns? Several of the strongest cultivators in the Sieve of Heaven do the same."
"Xiao Nanfeng's no ordinary cultivator, is he?"
All sorts of murmurs filled the realm as ten blazing suns took to the air, turning the air scorching. Xiao Nanfeng relaxed as he retreated alongside Zhang Lingjun and her bodyguard. The ten golden crows displayed tremendous strength.
In just a few short moments, the leopard finches had all been torn apart in showers of blood.
The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost and the golden-clad youth's eyes widened.
"Sky of Ten Suns? Isn't he from one of those weak, aether-deprived territories? How could he boast such a high-class technique?" The golden-clad youth frowned.
"I underestimated him." The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost frowned. "Might this end up boosting his reputation instead?"
"The show's just starting. Let's see how long he can withstand the spirits' attack," the golden-clad youth said coolly.
Another group of spirits emerged from the manor comprising dozens of different species.
The ten golden crows cawed in unison as they shot over, raking the spirits with their sharp claws and tearing them apart in blazing flames.
Now that the ten golden crows were attacking offensively, rather than defensively, they were exhibiting tremendous strength. The rampaging spirits had no choice but to group up as a firestorm descended on the manor.
Each golden crow was easily taking on multiple spirits at once and even managing to retain the upper hand while doing so.
"One against dozens? No, Xiao Nanfeng himself isn't even making a move—and he's easily taking down dozens of Earth Immortal spirits! Isn't this ridiculous?"
"Is he really an Earth Immortal? That can't be!"
"Sky of Ten Suns looks like an invincible technique! What Earth Immortal could challenge his dominance?"
The spectators were all taken aback by Xiao Nanfeng's strength.
Just then, within the Martial Aspect's manor came a series of ferocious howls that startled the spectators.
A gust of crimson flame rose into the air and exploded, scattering the spirits and golden crows. At the heart of the crimson flames rose a gigantic bird, sixty meters wide from wing to wing. Its feathers were puffed up as it exuded incredible killing intent.
"That's a Heaven Immortal phoenix! I heard that plenty of cultivators died to take it down!" someone shouted.
"A Heaven Immortal spirit? Xiao Nanfeng's done for now."
Just then, a beam of golden light descended from the heavens and squashed the head of the phoenix. Its flames sputtered and almost went out.
"The phoenix was suppressed by an imperial seal?" a cultivator exclaimed.
A blue sword slash glimmered as the phoenix's head was cut in half with a wide spray of blood.
The cultivators all around: ...
That was a Heaven Immortal spirit! How could it have died so easily? It hadn't even shown off any of its strength!
The golden-clad youth blanched, not expecting that Xiao Nanfeng would be able to deal with the problem he had caused so easily. Was it all useless? Had he just helped Xiao Nanfeng show off his strength?
"I forgot to tell you—Xiao Nanfeng slew a Heaven Immortal three-headed serpent when we were ambushed, and even managed to obtain a relic, the Purpleflame Gourd, as a result. He used it to store a group of Heaven Immortal three-headed serpents, and even a True Immortal one as well. However, because that True Immortal serpent is sealed within the gourd, I suspect he won't dare to use it in case it gets free," the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost added.
The golden-clad youth: ...
"Right, in addition to this Heaven Immortal phoenix, which other strong spirits did you release from captivity?"
"There are eight other Heaven Immortal spirits. Xiao Nanfeng only succeeded just now because he executed a sneak attack and suppressed the phoenix with his imperial seal. He should find the other eight Heaven Immortal spirits far harder to deal with," the youth continued.
"Oh?" The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost continued to watch on.
Just then, spider silk emerged from the cracks in the formation and stuck to the phoenix's carcass. At the same time, a huge mantis' scythe swiped across the air and struck it. Claws speared the phoenix as a number of spirits fought over its carcass and dragged its pieces into the formation.
"There are so many Heaven Immortal spirits—are they all fighting over the phoenix?"
"What could have happened to the spirit prison? Have all the Heaven Immortal spirits been freed?"
"Xiao Nanfeng's really going to suffer now. His imperial seal can only suppress one such spirit at a time. How's he going to deal with a group of them at once?"
Countless cultivators were analyzing the situation as tremendous auras flared from the cracks in the formation. It seemed as though a number of Heaven Immortal spirits were about to rush out.
"Do you think I'll allow you to make a fuss in my manor? Dream on!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out, rushing forward.
The ten golden crows tore apart the Earth Immortal spirits and flew through the cracks in the formation alongside Xiao Nanfeng.
The formation exploded in a sea of roaring flames, a tempest.
"Is Xiao Nanfeng crazy? He's going to get himself killed!" Many cultivators watched on in astonishment.
Steam and fog hissed from the cracks in the formation. Violent fighting seemed to be taking place within.
Everyone watched as limbs were ripped off the Heaven Immortal spirits and tossed out through the cracks in the formation. Shrill howls and screeching could be heard from within.
After about half an hour, everything quieted down and fell silent.
Xiao Nanfeng flew out of the cracks in the formation.
"Is he alright? What happened to those Heaven Immortal spirits?"
"Could he have won? How can that be? He's just an Earth Immortal!"
"Is he really an Earth Immortal?"
Many of the cultivators were astonished.
Xiao Nanfeng's clothes were without even the slightest speck of dust. He looked toward Zhang Lingjun. "Princess, the manor is rather chaotic at the moment. If you don't mind, however..."
"I don't. Let's go have a look," Zhang Lingjun said in excitement.
"Very well. Please enter, then. It should be safe inside now." Xiao Nanfeng beckoned her forward with a smile.
Xiao Nanfeng took the lead, followed swiftly behind by Zhang Lingjun and her bodyguard. The cultivators gaped.
"Did he really finish off all the Heaven Immortal spirits? This isn't a prank, is it?"
"This is Xiao Nanfeng's first time in the Sieve of Heaven. Why would those ferocious spirits cooperate with him? It looks like the news we got was quite flawed."
"Xiao Nanfeng's no easy opponent. He's a fearsome foe!"
"Those soldiers and generals who resigned must be regretting their decisions now."
Everyone seemed to be talking about the new Martial Aspect, Xiao Nanfeng.
The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost frowned. He thought to himself, "That can't be. There's a True Immortal trapped in his Purpleflame Gourd, so there's no way he would have used it against those spirits. Just how did he take down a group of Heaven Immortals, and in such a short period of time, too? Could the True Immortal in the Purpleflame Gourd have died?"
"Damn you, Xiao Nanfeng!" the golden-clad youth hissed. "Count yourself lucky this time."
Not only had he failed to make life difficult for Xiao Nanfeng, Xiao Nanfeng had even taken the opportunity to establish his own reputation. There would surely be some cultivators interested in hedging their bets with a brand-new Martial Aspect who showed the potential to rise up in a meteoric fashion. He had worsened his own situation.
In the manor, within the formation, Zhang Lingjun and her bodyguard found Heaven Immortal spirits strewn all across the ground. They seemed to have died pitiful deaths.
"I apologize for the mess, Princess. I didn't have time to deal with them just now," Xiao Nanfeng said.
He immediately began clearing away the spirit carcasses.
Zhang Lingjun's bodyguard's mouth was wide open. He had met Xiao Nanfeng months ago, and Xiao Nanfeng was hardly as impressive then.
"You were able to kill a group of Heaven Immortal spirits this easily? Aren't you ridiculously strong?" Zhang Lingjun exclaimed.
"They've been trapped for years and only have a fraction of their full power. There's nothing to fear from them. You obtained the Taiqing Grandmaster's inheritance, and I believe you'll be able to accomplish the same feat in no time."
Zhang Lingjun nodded, firmly believing that she could advance her own cultivation rapidly. Even so, she was shaken by Xiao Nanfeng's strength.
"I'm not too familiar with this manor. Could you bring me to that spirit prison and see if there are other beasts remaining?" Xiao Nanfeng asked expectantly.
These carcasses might seem like walking disasters for others, but to him, each carcass might as well be a blood peach. As long as he could preserve them well and send them back to Yongding, then bury them underneath the blood peach tree that Madam Rouge had gifted him, they would immediately blossom into blood peaches. Each would be a boon for the nascent Immortals of the Dazheng Empire.
"The spirit prison's over there, but it looks like someone has messed around with it. You have to be careful," Zhang Lingjun warned, pointing in a certain direction.
Xiao Nanfeng immediately retrieved the manor key, which was able to manipulate all formations in the Martial Aspect's manor. He was able to pass through the entire manor without any interruptions.
Very quickly, Zhang Lingjun brought him to the foot of a large mountain. A deep cave could be seen, and carved words to its side revealed it to be the Spirit Prison. Red smoke drifted out from the cave.
"Is that rampaging powder? No wonder those spirits were so vicious. This powder magnifies their rage and sends them into a rampant state. Be careful not to breathe it in," Zhang Lingjun warned.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Nanfeng sent a gust of icy wind into the cave, forming a great deal of frost and snow that washed away any remaining traces of rampaging powder.