Seven days later at the Celestial Paradise.
The auspicious atmosphere had returned to this place. Even the collapsed peaks have been rebuilt by someone with an amazing technique. Spirit springs gave birth to trees of different colors - purple, green red…
Bells could be occasionally heard again among the ninety-nine peaks. Huge beasts were flying in the clouds and issued their wild roars. Handsome cultivators rode their swords into the sky. Some old men with gray hair and beard came with their cranes.
In just seven days, the smoke-filled battlefield had turned into a scene of immortals.
A proverb fits this situation perfectly: Small a mountain may be, with an immortal it shall be famous. Shallow a river may be, with a dragon it shall be glorious.
The appearance of an Enlightened Being was enough to turn the Celestial Paradise into a true holy land for cultivation. Due to the spirit vein underground, the energy here grew thicker by the days.
The central peak was even more magnificent with many jewel-carved palaces. They have been built recently in a majestic and imposing style.
In the last several days, virtually all famous cultivators in the Grand Southern Prefecture came to pay their respect to the Enlightened Being. This place became quite lively as a result.
Meanwhile, the big shots who wanted to take advantage of the situation a few days ago lost all and more. They were frightened by the Enlightened Being and had to join the Feng. For example, the Qin Clan, First Heaven Gate, Violetcloud Cave, and Grand Development Gate…
The ten closest powers became tributaries of the Feng after the threat of Feng Mo.
Some of these powers had Giants. The Qin had two ancestors at the Giant level. The Grand Development Gate had one and First Heaven had one as well.
Alas, these Giants didn’t dare to resist at all. On the second day when the Enlightened Being came out, all voluntarily ran here and prostrated before him.
When an Enlightened Being wanted to kill a person, even if they were a Giant at tens of thousand miles away, they would still be killed. The only exception was if they could hide their aura from the Enlightened Being’s divine intent.
After the emergence of the Evil Woman, these great powers suffered a terrible setback. Thus, they had no way to resist the Feng at this moment so they had to join the Feng banner.
Among them, only the Ji Clan retreated earlier and escaped having to join the Feng.
There were twenty-eight counties in the southern prefecture. Twenty-two have been invaded by the corpses and were under the control of the Evil Woman. The remaining six became the Feng Clan’s territory.
The great powers here rarely united. It had happened in the past but only Enlightened Beings were able to carry this out. After they died, the great powers would separate again.
At this moment, the Feng had nine Giants. Even though this wasn’t a match for the four great clans in the capital, it was enough to oppose any hall of the Senluo Temple. Furthermore, they had an Enlightened Being as well. Even the Evil Woman would have to be wary of this new behemoth.
The corpses have withdrawn instead of invading the remaining six counties.
This was the new political climate of the southern prefecture, one Evil Woman and one nefarious being. The entire dynasty sensed a terrorizing aura coming from the south. This was no longer the desolate frontier.
***
Feiyun sat in the cold and pitch-black prison cell. There was nothing above him but a formation board with a diameter of six meters. It poured down black rains and trapped him inside.
Feng Mo personally created this formation. Feiyun had tried ten different methods to no avail and couldn’t break it. He had been imprisoned here for more than a month.
He still kept up with his cultivation and had fortified his first-level Heaven’s Mandate. As for Yama’s spine on his back, he preferred to suppress it instead of using it.
After all, it didn’t belong to him. If he fused it into his body like Feng Mo did, he might not be able to suppress it later on. It would be nothing but trouble.
Feng Mo also visited twice during this period but Feiyun didn’t yield. It wasn’t because he enjoyed staying in this prison or he was too foolish to act submissively for now. He simply disliked Feng Mo’s conducts so he couldn’t pretend even if he wanted to.
The Evil Woman wouldn’t kill corpses on her side but Feng Mo treated the Feng members’ lives like trash. How could he yield to this type of person?
Feng Feiyun would call the Evil Woman, “Her Excellency”, and the Divine King, “master” but he would never refer to Feng Mo as “ancestor”.
“Haha, bro, look what good stuff Lil’ Qingqing is bringing you this time.” A sweet laughter came first before her voice.
Feiyun opened his eyes while sitting in the meditative pose on the ground. Both of his arms were chained so he issued metallic clanking while moving them. He saw the exquisite body and thin waist of this pure girl and smiled: “I have a pretty good guess.”
He sniffed and said: “You broiled the wings of a six-hundred-year glaring lentigo for me?”
“Correct! Guess again, again!” Little Demoness had both hands postured behind her back with a charming smile on her face. Her black hair draped down to her waist like a waterfall.
The crazy little girl that used to follow Feng Feiyun by grabbing his sleeve has grown into a beautiful lady. Even her chest had grown a bit with a tempting curve.
Feiyun happily guessed again: “Don’t tell me you really found a five-hundred-year sparkling wine?”
“Haha, right again.” Little Demoness took out both things and entered the prison then placed them in front of Feiyun.
She squatted down in front of Feiyun while wearing a white-snow fox fur coat. Her tiny hands held up her chin as she stared straight at him with her round and beautiful eyes.
He had been imprisoned here for one month. The person he saw the most often was Little Demoness. The girl would come here nearly every day to give him food and even sing for him to drive away the boredom. However, she only sang children’s songs such as the little tadpoles trying to find its mom; skipping around, round and round. Then there was another song that goes, I’m a little kitty, a little kitty…
He felt that she was extremely bored having nothing to do. Others were busy with cultivating unlike her. If it wasn’t finding bones for Whitey, it would be coming here to play with Feiyun. Nevertheless, her cultivation speed was still frightening. He could sense her growing stronger each day. Even though it wasn’t by a large amount, it was still very impressive.
He made a joke yesterday about wanting to drink five-hundred-year sparkling wine yet she actually brought it here today to his astonishment.
She also told him new information, such as the changes in the Grand Southern Prefecture along with his relatives’ current status.
Of course, the thing that garnered the most attention from him was that Feng Mo had taken Feng Chi to a secret location. He felt that something was wrong, especially about Feng Mo’s intention.
He even thought that Feng Chi’s death back then at Mount Banda might have had something to do with this older brother of his, Feng Mo.
One thing was beyond doubt, Feng Mo’s ambition. After one thousand years of reclusive training and refinement of Yama’s heart, he was climbing on the big stage the second time. No way he would be satisfied with only the six counties here.
***
It was the dark of night.
The breeze was cold, accompanied by the evening mist and leaves fluttering to the ground. A woman dressed in black was walking on the old road.
There were other passengers along the way but they couldn’t see her.
When the breeze stopped, Ji Cangyue stopped as well. She stood before a beautiful pavilion. Inside were people coming and going with dances. A plaque was on top with the title, Supreme Beauty Pavilion.
She disappeared with a flash and re-emerged at the top of the pavilion the next second. There was a palace floating in the sky.
The gate to the palace also opened for her. A wave of fire rushed out and illuminated her face hidden behind a black veil.
“Who are you, to be so bold as to intrude my cultivation abode?” A beautiful and natural voice came from the palace.
Ji Cangyue coldly said: “Who I am does not matter. What matters right now is that I know who you are. Nangong Hongyan, I have been looking for you for a long time now, didn’t expect for you to be hiding here.”
“What’s your business?”
It was indeed Hongyan inside this palace. After obtaining the Nine Doves Gown, she had been hiding here in order to refine the gown with a special technique.
Others couldn’t refine the five divine garments but she had a way. She was halfway done with the gown right now and successfully suppressed the evil energy within.
Ji Cangyue said: “Just to tell you something. Feng Feiyun is stricken with Yama’s Decay Blood and imprisoned in the Celestial Paradise. He doesn’t have long to live so he wants to see you one last time.”
“What?!” Hongyan threw the gown to the side and rushed out of the palace in the form of a crimson wave. She grabbed Ji Cangyue and threatened: “What did you just say?!”
Cangyue was not afraid at all and ignored her neck being gripped. She smiled coldly: “This was a big event two months ago, you are too cut off in here. Feng Feiyun told me himself, that he doesn’t want to die in a cold prison, only in your embrace.”
Hongyan was seemingly struck by thunder. Her soul wavered with her eyes becoming dazed as she stumbled backward and nearly fell on the ground.