Chapter 681 - 399: The Overlooked Big Brother
Furthermore, that last strike was clearly a Skill cast with the intent to kill him in a single blow.
Nangong Chu, however, hadn’t expected that his guaranteed killing blow would only injure Zou Feng, and not even that severely.
This surprised him, so he decided to reveal himself. He wanted a closer look at the man who had caused him to glimpse a star of ill omen, to see what was so special about him.
Su Qingyu knew of Zou Feng’s conflict with the Purple Cloud Association, and she was also well aware that the True Disciple backing them was none other than True Monarch Tianyan, Nangong Chu.
So, upon deducing his identity, her expression inevitably turned grim.
Ever since they had discovered that truly powerful figures from the Tribulation Cultivator camp were in the vicinity, the two had been walking on eggshells.
But who would have thought that instead of reinforcements, they’d run right into their nemesis?
There was no signal from the Celestial Dao Cauldron here, which meant there was nowhere to appeal for justice.
Zou Feng had to admit he had been careless. He had been so focused on dealing with Tribulation Cultivators that he’d forgotten about the high-ranking True Monarch Tianyan and his mastery of the Stargazing Skill.
Without a doubt, this ambush was a logical conclusion of his enemy’s Stargazing Skill.
’He probably can’t calculate my current situation with perfect accuracy. Otherwise, Nangong Chu would have had no reason not to stop the plot to breach the Celestial Hearing Tower. After all, foiling it would have been a massive contribution.’
’Then again, the Tribulation Cultivator Camp must know someone in the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect can perform divination, so they would have surely deployed countermeasures long ago.’
’So Nangong Chu must have waited until he learned the Celestial Hearing Tower was breached, then calculated the location where he’d have the highest chance of running into me, and lain in wait.’
"Brother Nangong, are you sure you want to kill a fellow disciple without reason?" Zou Feng had caught his breath by now, his mind racing to find a way out.
He could only hope that Nangong Chu, like most villains who believed victory was assured, would choose to gloat instead of attacking again immediately.
"Without reason?" Nangong Chu chuckled. "Do you take me for a fool? You’ve clearly cultivated the Evil Arts of the Ninefold Celestial Court and the Yama Underworld. You could fall and become a Tribulation Cultivator at any moment. If I kill you, no one can say a thing!"
Hearing this, Zou Feng actually breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as he doesn’t attack right away, I have a chance.’
"The affair with the Purple Cloud Association had no real impact on you, Brother Nangong. Our grudge hasn’t reached a life-or-death stage. Why go out of your way to make things difficult for a mere Core Disciple like me?" Zou Feng feigned weakness, posturing as if he were still trying to reason with him.
At these words, Nangong Chu laughed again, his eyes filled with derision. "Do you really think stalling for time is going to work?"
"Jiang Wanzhao might be nearby, true, but I guarantee she can’t save you!"
"The only reason you’re still standing here is that I wanted to see how the man destined to be my star of ill omen would handle this hopeless situation."
"But so far, your performance has been deeply disappointing!"
With that, Nangong Chu shook his head, looking genuinely regretful.
He truly was disappointed. He had thought the one fated to be his star of ill omen would be a bit more surprising.
Yet, aside from withstanding a blow from his "Celestial Eye’s Gaze," Zou Feng had brought him no further surprises.
’Whatever,’ he thought. ’It doesn’t change the fact that I saw my star of ill omen. A threat that must be eliminated, will be eliminated.’
Just as he was about to strike again, Nangong Chu noticed a strange look on Zou Feng’s face. His aura had also changed distinctly. It seemed he was planning to...
"What’s this? You don’t actually intend to fight me, do you?" Nangong Chu’s interest was finally piqued again.
In any case, daring to challenge him at the mere Dao Foundation Realm... that kind of courage was worthy of praise.
"You just said Senior Sister Jiang can’t save me?"
Zou Feng’s expression grew savage. "But can you... save yourself!"
Before his voice had even faded, a massive Golden Lotus bloomed with Zou Feng at its center.
A poisonous miasma, so dense it seemed to solidify the very air, erupted outwards. It was accompanied by waves of a bizarre, spreading fragrance that caused dizziness, confusion, and vivid hallucinations.
It looked as if Zou Feng had been preparing some kind of Big Move and was now unleashing it to fight Nangong Chu to the death.
Nangong Chu, however, just snorted coldly, his eyes still filled with disappointment.
"This is what you came up with while stalling for time?! Is that it?!"
Shaking his head slightly, a sharp light flashed in the vertical eye on Nangong Chu’s forehead. An invisible, monstrous wave of energy immediately radiated outwards.
This wave was both offense and defense, pressing toward Zou Feng with the power to crush everything in its path.
Unfortunately for Nangong Chu, Zou Feng hadn’t made such a commotion to fight him head-on.
The "Big Move" he’d prepared was actually intended to make himself more... "appetizing."
That’s right. He was releasing his Mixed Poison for any Poison Cultivators to see. Even a Golden Core Realm Poison Cultivator would covet his body for it.
Flaunting the poison was only one part of it. Zou Feng was also demonstrating just how nourishing he would be as an "External Pill"—the very picture of a supreme-grade External Pill.
In short, he was revealing his immense value to the Tribulation Cultivators, holding absolutely nothing back.
He was certain that the "Great Sedan Chair" and the Elder General on the stage, who couldn’t have gone far, would be instantly alerted. They would then rush over frantically to see what kind of "peerless Great Medicine" had just appeared.
Now that he’d been cornered and trapped by True Monarch Tianyan, his only way out was this extremely dangerous gamble.
The presence of powerful Tribulation Cultivators nearby had suddenly become a stroke of luck he could exploit.
After all, once they arrived and found True Monarch Tianyan here as well, things were bound to get interesting.
’They wouldn’t ignore the famous True Monarch Tianyan and insist on coming after me first, right?’
Of course, the risk was enormous, but Zou Feng had to take this chance.
After a moment, Nangong Chu sensed something was off. Zou Feng’s so-called "Big Move" felt like all bark and no bite.
"You..."
Just as he was about to speak, the piercingly festive sound of a suona horn echoed with perfect clarity.
The group of Tribulation Cultivators with the "Great Sedan Chair," the very same ones Zou Feng had encountered earlier, appeared like phantoms a short distance away.
"My perfect groom... My perfect groom!!"
A piercing shriek erupted from the sedan chair, and the female Judge within instantly locked her gaze onto True Monarch Tianyan.
She had subconsciously assumed that the source of such a wondrous Great Medicine aura must be the Golden Core Realm expert, Nangong Chu.
At this, Nangong Chu, who had until now maintained an air of complete control, finally revealed a look of shock.
Clearly, he could not calculate everything; he had no idea such powerful Tribulation Cultivators were in the area.
But the appearance of the female Judge from the sedan chair was only the beginning.
At that moment, disturbances arose from all directions as more and more Tribulation Cultivators arrived on the battlefield.
They were like madmen, their eyes bloodshot, as if they had sensed something here that they desired to their very core.
Nangong Chu had not cultivated any Skills involving replenishment, so he found it difficult to understand the rabid eagerness of these Tribulation Cultivators upon discovering a supreme-grade Great Medicine.
Of course, while many Tribulation Cultivators were rushing over, they were far weaker than the Judge from the sedan chair and posed no real threat to him.
What truly turned his surprise to a flicker of panic was the large white cloud that swiftly drifted over, carrying a stage upon which the "Elder General" was preparing to personally begin his performance.
"Everyone, this is one of the most outstanding True Disciples of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, True Monarch Tianyan, Nangong Chu!"
Zou Feng shouted, simultaneously using the auras of the Outer Alchemy Dao and his Soul-Seizing Blood Eyes to create a dual disguise. He now looked as if he had completely blended in with the Tribulation Cultivator Camp.
The advantage of this dual disguise was that when Tribulation Cultivators from the Yama Underworld saw him, they would assume he belonged to the Ninefold Celestial Court.
Meanwhile, Tribulation Cultivators from the Ninefold Celestial Court would think he was an Impermanence from the Underworld...
A chaotic battle was about to erupt. With True Monarch Tianyan as an incredibly conspicuous target, the Tribulation Cultivators would surely be too preoccupied to question which side a mere Dao Foundation Realm Cultivator like him belonged to.