Chapter 10: The State of Xuanwu

Xu Liguo, hiding within Wang Lin’s magical treasure, stretched his back and let out a yawn. He focused his gaze, and his eyes widened instantly.

"Is this your master? What a great beauty."

For some reason, Wang Lin’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this. Clearly displeased, he reached out and flicked the magical treasure.

Inside the artifact, Xu Liguo wobbled and collapsed instantly. "Master, I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again!"

Wang Lin believed everything he did was discreet, little knowing that none of it had escaped Fang Zhiyi’s eyes.

Yet, Fang Zhiyi knew well that the man before her was not her obedient disciple, Ma Liang. While Wang Lin appeared submissive and compliant, his inner nature was anything but.

It was no matter that he had his own little secrets; perhaps it was because Fang Zhiyi did not truly hold Wang Lin in any regard.

After all, he was still too weak.

...

On the other side, once the crowd had retreated, the Great Locking Array of the Fire-Burning Kingdom was fully activated.

Because of the numerous volcanoes in the Fire-Burning Kingdom, the events of today were what the ancestors had feared from the very beginning. Thus, they had long since prepared the Great Locking Array around the borders, specifically for this day.

This formation required Nascent Soul cultivators to voluntarily entrust their Nascent Souls to the edges of the barrier. It was only by relying on these many Nascent Soul cultivators that the formation could seal the entire kingdom airtight.

Led by the War God Palace, various sects offered up Origin Pills. Attracted by these rewards, many Nascent Soul cultivators chose to join the formation. Although the operation carried risks, the potential gains were commensurate.

Once the array was activated, only mortals could pass through freely; neither cultivators nor spirit beasts below the Spirit Severing stage could enter or leave.

The moment the array was activated, the Nascent Soul cultivators sent their physical bodies to their respective families, while those without families entrusted their bodies to the Luohe Sect.

The Luohe Sect gave its guarantee: "Rest assured, everyone. It will only take three months. Three months from now, once we have established ourselves in the Xuanwu Kingdom, we will certainly come to bring you all back and eradicate every single fire beast."

As the array activated, a layer of red mist enveloped the entire Fire-Burning Kingdom.

The fire beasts that had been preparing to pursue the retreating cultivators were trapped within. They did not give up, however, and began to strike at the red mist like madmen.

Fortunately, the red mist remained sturdy, showing no signs of change regardless of how the beasts pounded against it.

Seeing this, the cultivators outside the barrier breathed a sigh of relief and bowed respectfully to the Nascent Soul cultivators maintaining the array within.

"Rest assured, we will surely come back for you."

With that, they stepped onto their magical treasures. Unlike the group that had retreated earlier, their expressions were significantly more solemn, for they had witnessed the brutality of the fire beasts with their own eyes.

On the other side, Fang Zhiyi and Feng Luan stood side by side on a carriage, with Wang Lin standing behind them.

They were now drawing ever closer to the Xuanwu Kingdom.

Feng Luan turned to look behind her. The Fire-Burning Kingdom was no longer visible, but it was the place where she was born and raised; it was her home.

Had it not been for the volcanic eruptions and the rampant fire beasts, she would never have wished to migrate. But for the sake of survival, there was no other choice.

"Full speed ahead!"

As Feng Luan’s telepathic command echoed, all the cultivators of the Fire-Burning Kingdom pushed themselves to their fastest speed.

Feng Luan turned to Fang Zhiyi and asked, "Zhiyi, do you think we will turn this misfortune into a blessing?"

Fang Zhiyi had already calculated this. When she arrived to stop the confrontation between Feng Luan and the fire beasts, Feng Luan’s destiny had shifted—from a looming bloody disaster to a steady, peaceful path.

However, it was Fang Zhiyi who had altered that fate. She did not yet know what kind of heavenly retribution would follow.

At this thought, Fang Zhiyi’s expression turned solemn. If she were truly to face divine retribution, she hoped it would fall upon her alone.

Fang Zhiyi stared intently at Feng Luan for a long while before eventually giving a silent nod.

Seeing this, Feng Luan let out a sigh of relief. As long as everything would be alright, that was enough.

After only half an hour, the people of the Fire-Burning Kingdom reached the borders of the Xuanwu Kingdom.

The border guards of the Xuanwu Kingdom were stunned to see the sky darkened by a massive swarm of cultivators; they blocked out the last remaining light.

Soon, someone recognized them as cultivators from the Fire-Burning Kingdom.

The mortal guards watched the scene, paralyzed with fear. Forgetting everything else, they dropped their swords and shields, shivering as they scrambled to hide.

Before cultivators, they were but ants. A casual wave of a hand could reduce a mortal to a puddle of water. No mortal would be foolish enough to stand in their way.

It was unclear who took the lead, but the cultivators of the Xuanwu Kingdom flew into the air and rapidly formed a defensive barrier. "Fellow Daoists of the Fire-Burning Kingdom, what is the meaning of this?"

Fang Zhiyi and Feng Luan were at the front in their carriage, but neither of them moved.

Instead, Yang Sen from the War God Palace flew out from the carriage behind them. He, too, was a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Before a Nascent Soul cultivator, the formation the Xuanwu cultivators had just erected was insignificant.

Yang Sen reached out and gave a light pinch in the air. Instantly, the barrier they had just formed crumbled into ashes.

"You... you..."

Because the formation was shattered, the cultivators coughed up blood and fainted, while those with weaker cultivation directly met their ends.

Wang Lin watched this, his pupils contracting slightly. This was the power of the Nascent Soul stage.

His gaze fell discreetly on Fang Zhiyi. If a Nascent Soul cultivator was this powerful, he wondered what it would be like if Fang Zhiyi, a Spirit Severing stage expert, were to strike.

Just then, an old woman flew into the air, her gaze fixed directly on Fang Zhiyi.

"Elder Fang of the War God Palace, what are you planning to do? Are you going to just stand by and watch this Fellow Daoist Yang Sen slaughter us?"

As soon as the old woman finished speaking, the people of the Fire-Burning Kingdom nearly burst out laughing.

They could not fathom where this old woman found the confidence to scream at Fang Zhiyi. A Spirit Severing stage powerhouse was not someone she could command.

As expected, Fang Zhiyi looked at the old woman with a flicker of annoyance, then raised her slender hand and pointed at her.

The old woman shuddered and fell backward, blood streaming from her eyes—a terrifying sight.

Fang Zhiyi, however, felt a touch of disappointment. The old woman must have been carrying some sort of protective artifact to withstand her strike, even though she hadn't used her full strength.