Chapter 803: Destroying the Enlightenment Grounds Again

Atop the southern wall of Qingyun, the city lord's stirring speech caused many cultivators to voice their support.

The city lord drew a longsword. "All Immortals, follow me into the Enlightenment Grounds!"

Countless cultivators cheered in response.

The city lord led a group of soldiers into the Enlightenment Grounds outside the city. They passed through the boundary of the domain in a flash and vanished within.

Back on the wall, quite a few cultivators hesitated as they weighed risk and reward. Meanwhile, a group of provocateurs—cultivators Xiao Nanfeng believed were in cahoots with the city lord—began riling up the crowd.

"What're you all waiting for? The city lord has already charged inside! Let's follow him too. Every person counts!"

"That's right. If we join forces, we're sure to succeed. Otherwise, we'll be picked off one by one!"

"If Qingyun falls, the surrounding Immortal sects will be next. When that happens, there'll be even less support."

"Let's charge!"

The provocateurs spurred the crowd into action.

Many cultivators ended up falling for the ploy.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang stood by the outskirts, unmoved.

"What do you think?" Lan Yaoguang asked, frowning.

"There's no rush. Let's wait and see what happens," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Got it!" Lan Yaoguang nodded firmly.

Indeed, there were quite a few cautious Immortals like Xiao Nanfeng who stayed back to observe the situation. Among them were cultivators with avatars providing real-time updates on what was happening within.

"There are an incredible number of blue-furred monsters within the Enlightenment Grounds. They're all crazy. They attack anyone they see!"

"It's an icy wasteland in there—like a separate world entirely."

"There's a superior yin pearl in the air, which the city lord of Qingyun and his followers are attacking."

Those with avatars described the chaos within.

Lan Yaoguang frowned. "It's just like what we encountered. I wonder how many superior yin pearls are in this one."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

A full day and night passed.

"We're about to win! It was a brutal fight, but the city lord and the strongest of the other cultivators are about to suppress the superior yin pearl. Victory is in sight!"

"I heard that superior yin pearls were the ones who controlled these Enlightenment Grounds. It looks like it'll be a massive victory for Qingyun…"

"The city lord and his followers are badly injured, but as long as we win, that's all that matters."

Those cultivators with avatars were excitedly describing the scene.

Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang glanced at each other in surprise. Would victory really be that easy?

Suddenly, a panicked shout rang out. "A horde of blue-furred monsters just arrived—a seemingly endless number of them!"

"And two more superior yin pearls? How can this be?!"

"There's a woman in green atop one of the pearls. She's incredibly strong—she sent the city lord flying with just one blow.

"They're too powerful. We can't hold them off!"

"We're surrounded. We're all going to die! Ah, my avatar's done for!"

Cries of terror filled the air.

The cultivators outside the Enlightenment Grounds felt a collective chill run through them. It was clear that the cultivators within were going to lose—and terribly, at that. Not even the city lord could stand against the onslaught.

Just then, a voice echoed throughout Qingyun. "Citizens of Qingyun, this is your city lord. My avatar has been killed within the Enlightenment Grounds. We won't be able to hold them off. The city's defensive formation might buy us a little time, but not much. All citizens, prepare to flee through the eastern, western, and northern gates immediately!"

"No!" Cries of despair erupted throughout the city.

While the southern gate remained sealed, the other three gates were thrown open. Countless civilians and cultivators began to flee in panic.

The cultivators atop the southern wall were equally gripped by fear. They turned to flee in droves.

"This Enlightenment Grounds seems to be weaker than the one we dealt with earlier. Four superior yin pearls—one queen and three subordinates," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

"You want to enter?" Lan Yaoguang asked curiously.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Just as before, you'll take down the blue-furred lifeforms. My spiritual moon will handle the superior yin pearls. I'll deal with the queen."

"Got it!" Lan Yaoguang nodded firmly.

The two cultivators charged into the Enlightenment Grounds, causing the fleeing crowd to gasp in surprise.

"Who's heading into the Enlightenment Grounds? Are they crazy?"

"They're just going to get themselves killed!"

Many cultivators turned to stare at them in disbelief, unable to comprehend their boldness.

Even so, the two cultivators flew on, undeterred.

Once inside, they felt as if they had entered a brand-new world—a realm of endless snow and ice, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Those who had entered before them had all died. Their bodies littered the ground. Blue-furred monsters roamed about as three superior yin pearls floated in the sky. Above them hovered a woman in green.

Upon seeing the newcomers, the green-clad woman sneered. "More lambs to the slaughter, I see!"

Xiao Nanfeng transformed to his True Yin body. He summoned his spiritual moon and had it take to the air, then possessed the Immortal Emperor of Dahan.

"Same as always, Senior," Xiao Nanfeng called out.

"Very well," his spiritual moon wrote.

"Die!"

Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang charged forward.

"Insolence!" the green-clad woman scoffed.

Xiao Nanfeng, in the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body, collided with the green-clad woman in a titanic explosion. This time, she was sent flying instead of him.

"A Boundless Immortal?" the woman thundered.

She was clearly weaker than the woman in white whom Xiao Nanfeng had fought earlier. Despite being in her domain, the Immortal Emperor of Dahan could overpower her.

"Well? Come on!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng shot forward and continued to attack her from melee range.

Blow after blow rained down on her as Xiao Nanfeng relentlessly drove her back. Even when she tapped into the power of the white pillar of light, she couldn't turn the tide.

Meanwhile, his spiritual moon seemed to have the upper hand even while taking on the three superior yin pearls simultaneously, and Lan Yaoguang was slaughtering the blue-furred monsters with ease.

After a day of intense battle, Lan Yaoguang was the first to finish, just like last time. Then, she impaled one of the superior yin pearls with her Cursebane Sword, allowing Xiao Nanfeng's spiritual moon to devour it, then another.

Very quickly, it swallowed all three superior yin pearls.

Then, Lan Yaoguang and the spiritual moon headed to help Xiao Nanfeng against the woman in green. While the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body restrained her, Lan Yaoguang pierced her body, and the spiritual moon stripped her of control over the pillar of white light.

"No! Who are you people? My master will never let you go!" she shouted.

Unfortunately for her, her cries were in vain. With her connection to the pillar severed, she became a superior yin pearl once more—one that Xiao Nanfeng's spiritual moon quickly severed.

After that, it once again produced a fragment of white jade that it handed to Xiao Nanfeng, then returned to its mindscape. Xiao Nanfeng put away the Immortal Emperor of Dahan's body. The Enlightenment Grounds was his now.

"We've won again, then." Lan Yaoguang smiled.

"I'll guard you while you digest your gains," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Lan Yaoguang nodded. Countless fragments of insight and spiritual power poured into her body. She sat in meditation for four hours, until a tremendous wave of spiritual power emanated from her. She opened her eyes as a snowstorm roared across the landscape.

"You're a late-stage True Yin cultivator now? Excellent. I'm even more assured of your safety now," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"My turn to guard you now," Lan Yaoguang replied.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. He transformed to his physical body and sat cross-legged as he swallowed the white jade fragment.

Immense power surged through his body. The surrounding space shook as if it were about to collapse.

Given her past experience, Lan Yaoguang merely waited patiently.

Two hours later, the entire world was sucked into Xiao Nanfeng's dantian. Light distorted as fog filled the air.

Xiao Nanfeng was brimming with energy as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Well?"

"No breakthrough, I'm afraid. There wasn't enough energy in these Enlightenment Grounds."

"What? Did you do all that for nothing, then?" Lan Yaoguang sighed.

"It's a bit of a pity, but we still have plenty of opportunities ahead."

"Alright!" Lan Yaoguang nodded.

The fog faded away as they reappeared by the south of Qingyun, surrounded by a large group of cultivators.

The cultivators who had fled over the past two days had all returned. They witnessed the Enlightenment Grounds collapse with their own eyes before Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang walked out.

"They were the last to enter the Enlightenment Grounds."

"Could they have won? They defeated all the superior yin pearls and seized control of the grounds?"

"The grounds shrank and vanished just now. They must have attuned to them!"

The crowd buzzed in excitement and disbelief. Many stared at the two cultivators in greed.

Many of those who had fled hadn't been weak. There were some particularly strong cultivators among them, but they had been waiting to see how things would play out before making a move.

Now that Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Yaoguang had emerged victorious, they wondered if they had won easily—or if they had incurred significant damage from the battle.

Even the city lord of Qingyun was eyeing them now.

"I am the city lord of Qingyun. I apologize for any disrespect, and I thank you both for saving this city from disaster," he said cautiously, attempting to probe their strength.