Chapter 129: Each Faction for Itself

In the Middle Earth, many immortals and demons held a deep suspicion: the casual cultivator Qinghong was none of other than the heir of the Supreme Palace.

First, he possessed the Yin-Yang Dragon-Bearded Fan, a supreme treasure of the Supreme lineage. His efforts to restore the orthodoxy of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion bore all the hallmarks of a Supreme Palace heir living under an alias to preserve the Supreme orthodoxy.

Second, his cultivation techniques and methods mirrored those of the Supreme Palace. Both followed a path of a heart as still as stagnant water, practicing non-action and natural transformation. Moreover, the "Eight Vistas and Twenty-Four Diagrams" bore distinct traces of the Cleansing Dharma. Even Fairy Yuzhi had been initially deceived, let alone anyone else.

Third, he possessed strength that could rival the heirs of the Three Palaces. The Three Palaces were supreme powers that had suppressed the Xuanzheng Prefecture for ages. For an unknown loose cultivator to suddenly emerge with such strength naturally aroused suspicion.

However, Ji Feichen knew the truth himself. He had little to do with the Supreme Palace. At most, he had once received guidance from a Supreme immortal.

Although he did not know the identity of that mysterious person, if that individual hailed from the Supreme lineage, they must be a profoundly wise Celestial Immortal, not far from the realm of the Three Dao Venerables.

Just as Ji Feichen was about to explain this to the fairy, the two of them suddenly looked into the distance in unison, where Cao Yu was approaching with a snow lotus cradled in his hands.

"Your injuries... How is it possible for you to appear here?" Ji Feichen was well aware of his own attack. Having struck with three consecutive punches, how could an ordinary person remain completely uninjured? Furthermore, the power of Weak Water was not something just anyone could handle.

Seeing him bring up his injuries, Cao Yu felt a surge of anger: If not for this person, he would never have been reduced to someone else's captive!

"Yet now is not the time to fall out with him; he still has his uses." With thoughts racing through his mind, Cao Yu burst into wild laughter on the surface. "Haha, brat, you injured me, but today someone is naturally here to settle scores with you!"

He raised the lotus. "Senior, they are the right ones." A wisp of white light emerged from the snow lotus, condensing into an eyeball. Upon seeing Ji Feichen and Fairy Yuzhi, a deep voice echoed from within: "Hmm... Two Human Immortals. The aura of one is obscured and unclear, but the foundation and dao methods of the other are indeed those of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion."

Ji Feichen's aura was shielded by dragon scales, allowing outsiders to perceive only what he wished to reveal. Standing upon the water, his waterway was profound and vast, like a dragon lurking in a great marsh, and his aura remained obscure and unfathomable.

Fairy Yuzhi, on the other hand, possessed a solid foundation as a true inheritor of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion's orthodox tradition—gathering qi and refining pills, practicing yin and yang, and operating the primordial chaos. Therefore, the fiend could easily spot the traces of her cultivation.

Likewise, when the two of them sensed that formidable power emanating from the snow lotus, their complexions paled instantly.

An Earth Immortal! The aura exuding from this snow lotus unmistakably belonged to an Earth Immortal!

Ji Feichen had seen many Earth Immortals and possessed an exceptionally high horizon. According to his estimation, while the person before him might not match the caliber of Feng Qianli or the Lord of the Ashen Nether Palace, they were certainly not much weaker than Matriarch Chen.

"Why is it an Earth Immortal again?" Ji Feichen's expression turned helpless. Ever since he began his cultivation, why did he constantly run into these Earth Immortals wandering about?

Weren't Earth Immortals supposed to be the top-tier combat forces of the Xuanzheng Prefecture, each of them living in reclusion and in closed-door cultivation?

"Sigh, when other people transmigrate, it's just like playing a leveling game—taking it step by step and fighting opponents of the exact same rank from the weakest upward. High-tier combat forces like Earth Immortals and True Demons shouldn't appear until you change maps, right? Even if they're supposed to give away treasures, shouldn't they wait until the protagonist's cultivation level is higher? How come I bump into these things every single day? It seems I truly lack the protagonist's fortune."

Ji Feichen silently complained in his heart while operating his magic power to the fullest on the surface, displaying all sorts of magic treasures one by one. Fairy Yuzhi also weighed the Golden Dragon Scissors in her hand, remaining on high alert.

Opposite them, the ancient fiend wished to capture them alive, and thus refrained from using lethal methods; instead, relying on the power of his Dao fruit, he utilized celestial phenomena to lock down the space.

Between the sea and the sky, the air froze inch by inch. Snowflakes and frost swirled wildly, and ribbons of blue and white winds, storms, and icicles filled the heavens.

The complexions of Ji Feichen and Fairy Yuzhi shifted slightly, and they reacted in unison: "Let's go!" Jointly channeling their magic power, they urged the spirit boat to fly at top speed, rushing toward the location designated by the female Gilded Corpse Immortal.

"Go? Where do you think you're going?" An Earth Immortal was vastly different from a Human Immortal, the greatest disparity lying within their comprehension of the Dao. In terms of commanding heaven and earth, a Human Immortal couldn't catch up to an Earth Immortal even if they whipped their horse.

Ghoulish laughter echoed from within the snow lotus, followed by ice dragons blocking their path. Every single ice dragon contained the power of a Human Immortal, rolling and churning amidst the clouds.

Complex emotions stirred within Ji Feichen's heart as he recalled the last Earth Immortal who had perished at his hands.

"That Blood Sea Earth Immortal was suppressed with a single glance by the mysterious person back then, but now, where on earth can I find someone to help?" He touched the letter tucked inside his robes. "Under the current circumstances, my only option is to follow Matriarch Chen's instructions and seek out her friend."

However, their speed was inferior to that of the ancient fiend behind them. The snowflakes between heaven and earth condensed into streams of ice dragons, and this was merely casually conjured. The person had no intention of killing them outright; rather, they were toying with them like a cat playing with a mouse, torturing them slowly.

The Cerulean Tide Bead shattered the ice dragons one by one, yet the biting cold between heaven and earth remained undiminished, and new ice dragons continuously formed.

"This won't do! Dragging this out will only exhaust your magic power and mine!"

Standing upon the spirit boat, the two produced the Demon-Subduing Banner to protect their bodies.

The dragon maiden hid behind the two of them, trembling slightly with regret blooming in her dark thoughts: She had known the Black Sea was perilous, but never had she imagined that even Human Immortals would find it difficult to preserve their lives here.

And wasn't it true? Fiend cultivators and Earth Immortals frequently walked the Black Sea. Moreover, even Earth Immortals faced the risk of falling, let alone the three of them—juniors who knew neither the heights of heaven nor the depths of the earth.

Ji Feichen glanced beyond the skies, seeing no Earth Immortal rushing to their rescue. Hardening his heart, he said, "Senior Sister, I will consume another Hidden Spirit and Khitan Pill. In a moment, Senior Sister must lead me to break through."

To swallow two Hidden Spirit and Khitan Pills in succession clearly showed he was prepared to fight to the death.

"Forget it, I'll do it. Your foundation is inferior to mine, so my success rate will be higher. By the way, lend me the Dragon-Bearded Fan." Seeing Ji Feichen voluntarily step forward to shoulder such a risk, Fairy Yuzhi placed greater trust in what he and Matriarch Chen had said. Yet, recalling Cao Yu's situation, she still dared not trust him completely, terrified lest Ji Feichen fall into the demonic path in the future and bring a massive scandal upon the Cloud Firmament Pavilion.

Realizing time was short, Ji Feichen did not stand on ceremony and stuffed both the medicinal pills and the Dragon-Bearded Fan into the fairy's hands. As for himself, he stepped forward to intercept Cao Yu, buying them time.

Since everything had been laid bare to the fairy, he no longer needed to conceal his cultivation. Unleashing his strongest methods directly, dragon-scale armor sprouted across his surface, while twin rivers of the Heavenly River and the Underworld River coalesced behind him to form twin protective dragons.

"This is... the Underworld Sect? This brat is quite interesting." The ancient fiend engaged Ji Feichen in combat using ice dragons. With a cold laugh, Ji Feichen sent the Heavenly Chart flying from behind the back of his head: "Diagram of Dao Balance!" Once again, he catalyzed the Dao of Yin and Yang Creation, causing a pair of giant scissors in heaven and earth to sever the frozen skies.

"Oh? This method is not bad." Watching from within, roots grew from the base of the snow lotus and instantly embedded themselves into Cao Yu's body, intending to use Cao Yu's physical vessel to deal with Ji Feichen.

Yet Cao Yu reacted swiftly, decisively severing his own right arm and shouting to Ji Feichen, "Help me break free and lift the Weak Water, and I can help you kill him!"

Outwardly, Cao Yu had resigned himself to his fate and brought the snow lotus over, but in secret, he harbored his own hidden designs—to use borrowed strength to eliminate the threat and seize the chance to break free.

Seeing him disobey, the ancient fiend silently dissolved the ice-lightning within Cao Yu's body, subjecting him to the dual torment of both Weak Water and ice-lightning.

"Junior, with merely your abilities, you dare resist this seat?"

All of this occurred within the span of a breath.

Watching the two turn on each other, Ji Feichen decisively manipulated the Weak Water, using it to wrap around the icy soul lightning and helping Cao Yu break free temporarily. Of course, Ji Feichen harbored no benevolent intentions; he intended for Cao Yu to charge forward and become entangled with the ancient fiend. Cao Yu harbored similar designs, while the ancient fiend hoped to sit back and reap the fisherman's profit amidst their conflict.

Consequently, the three of them reached a temporary deadlock.

Seeing this scene, the dragon maiden felt a weight lift from her heart, temporarily putting away the Sea-Suppressing Pearl and the conch, and turning her gaze toward Fairy Yuzhi beside her. Having swallowed the pill, the fairy held the Dragon-Bearded Fan and began gathering her strength.

Noticing the stalemate among Ji Feichen and the others, she stepped through the void, brandished the fan, and shouted, "Junior Brother, come over here quickly!"

She swept the treasured fan fiercely, and a gale of yin and yang swept across the heavens and earth.

At the sight of the black and white hurricane, panic flashed across Cao Yu's face. The fiend had clearly suffered under the might of this fan before, and hurriedly used the snow lotus to raise an ice mountain, blocking the raging winds entirely.

Hesitating for a moment, Cao Yu retreated once more beneath the icy slaughter, communicating with the ancient fiend: "Senior, lift the ice-lightning for me, and you and I can bind ourselves with a blood oath. Afterward, I will help you capture them."

Hesitation crossed the ancient fiend's countenance as he looked back toward the distance. Within the howling wind, the spirit boat flashed with azure light and gradually drifted further away.

Fairy Yuzhi's goal in wielding the treasured fan was not to strike the enemy, but propel themselves away. Propelled by the recoil of the howling gale, the dragon maiden steered the spirit boat straight toward the region designated by Matriarch Chen.

Witnessing this, Cao Yu sneered, "Senior, I possess methods to track them. But if Senior insists on pressing me, we'll simply perish together!"

Finding this person unruly and unyielding, and with his own true body trapped and unable to arrive in person, the ancient fiend had no choice but to lift the ice-lightning and dissolve the Weak Water within Cao Yu's body.

Even so, he struck him a fierce blow, forcing Cao Yu to experience the "agony of a thousand blades piercing the bone," before threatening him: "Go capture them first! Do not forget, your secondary primordial spirit remains in my hands! If you dare to flee, just wait and see how I curse you to death!"

Cao Yu agreed readily on the surface, feeling a wave of relief once the ancient fiend removed the ice-lightning and the Weak Water.

"Freedom is truly wonderful. Once this is over, I'll find some place to toss this snow lotus of his. With heaven and earth so vast, I shall naturally follow my own desires. As for that so-called secondary primordial spirit, I'll discard it if I must!"

Ruthless to the core, he understood the fable of the gecko breaking its tail.

Naturally, on the surface, he still hurried off to capture the targets.