Chapter 386: Yin
Xiao Nanfeng had imagined that the killer of the Martial Aspect was intending to kill him and prevent him from looking into the Martial Aspect's death—but the Martial Aspect turned out to be alive!
The Martial Aspect struck with the aura of a Heaven Immortal, forming a tempest around himself and causing dust to billow into the air.
The Martial Aspect was expressionless, but a demonic aura emanated from his body and caused everyone to feel uneasy.
Lan Jiguang rushed up toward Xiao Nanfeng, as did Ye Dafu and his lackeys. They were all on guard against the Martial Aspect.
However, the Martial Aspect didn't take advantage of the opportunity to strike. He turned toward Lie Yang. "You can't even handle such a trivial task?"
"I never expected Xiao Nanfeng to be so strong. His physical body is at the peak of a Human Immortal, while his spiritual cultivation is at late-stage Yin Body. He even destroyed one of my Heaven Immortal relics. I'm no match for him," Lie Yang replied.
The Martial Aspect considered Xiao Nanfeng coldly. "You're Xiao Nanfeng? Why have you been searching for me?"
Xiao Nanfeng hesitated for a moment. "How might I address you, Sir?"
Lan Jiguang glanced at Xiao Nanfeng in surprise. Xiao Nanfeng had all the information regarding this Martial Aspect; why was he asking such a question?
"You placed a bounty on me without knowing who I was?" the Martial Aspect demanded.
"I know who I'm looking for, of course, but you are not him. Who are you?"
The Martial Aspect's eyes narrowed.
"How bold you are to kill and possess this Martial Aspect. Do you know whom this body belonged to? aren't you afraid of dying?" Xiao Nanfeng continued.
A Martial Aspect was connected to the Imperial Court via its sea of fortune, which would show whether a Martial Aspect was dead or alive. That bond couldn't be faked, which meant that the person before him couldn't be that Martial Aspect. The obvious answer was possession.
Lan Jiguang understood all this in the blink of an eye. He breathed out and stared at the Martial Aspect.
"No one of this world can kill me," the Martial Aspect replied proudly. "You must be mistaken. I am not the person whom you seek. I simply look like the person in your bounty."
Xiao Nanfeng pursed his lips. He was certain that this was the Martial Aspect, but why was he avoiding his questioning? What sort of ridiculous excuse was 'lookalike'? Was he trying to probe what Xiao Nanfeng would do?
"Perhaps," Xiao Nanfeng replied, going along with things. "How might I address you?"
The Martial Aspect smiled, having gotten a sense of things. Xiao Nanfeng was here to investigate him, but only because doing so was profitable, not because of some grudge or enmity. He wouldn't insist on dragging things out.
"You can call me 'Yin,'" the Martial Aspect replied.
"Yin? I apologize for the bother."
Yin nodded. He didn't want to fight. He continued to stare thoughtfully at Xiao Nanfeng.
Lan Jiguang called out, "Yin, might I ask what you're doing in Fengdu?"
Yin didn't speak further. Commander Lie Yang immediately reported, "Lord, I specifically invited Senior Yin as an honored guest to help me handle the demons of the abyss. When I saw that Xiao Nanfeng had placed a bounty on him for some reason, I invited him here to explain the situation. Then, not only did he kill my disciple, he even ruined my Immortal relic. He's completely undisciplined and out of control. Lord, please help adjudicate!"
"And what say you, Commander Xiao?" Lan Jiguang asked.
"Commander Lie Yang wasn't here to ask me to explain the situation. He was preparing to kill me, and I was only acting in self-defense."
The seven commanders gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look. Xiao Nanfeng had been pummeling Lie Yang to a pulp. That was self-defense? Did he have a flawed understanding of what self-defense meant?
"Enough. There's no need to press things further," Yin suddenly said.
"Understood!" Commander Lie Yang immediately replied.
Yin continued, "I invited Xiao Nanfeng here as a guest. Since he's unwilling to remain, let's forget it. We'll end things here today."
The gathered cultivators were all taken aback. Was Yin ending the conversation here, then?
Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Jiguang eyed each other, each having come to a conclusion.
"In that case, we're done here," Lan Jiguang said.
The other cultivators were all perplexed, none having expected such an outcome.
Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Jiguang were the first to leave. Ye Dafu, Chang Bing, and the others followed closely behind. The seven commanders glanced askance at each other before following suit.
The atmosphere in Fengdu seemed to change somehow.
Not long later, within the Fengdu Hall, Xiao Nanfeng and Lan Jiguang discussed what had just happened.
"I never expected things to progress so smoothly. We found a clue this quickly—the Martial Aspect is dead and has been possessed. The culprit must have been this 'Yin,'" Lan Jiguang said.
Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "There's something wrong with him. He has the strength of a Heaven Immortal, so why did he hold back?"
"Why wouldn't he? He wouldn't want me to strike, after all. I might only be an Earth Immortal, but within Fengdu, I command the city lord's seal and can suppress even a Heaven Immortal. Even if he's able to beat me, the divine empire of Dayin will only send a stronger Heaven Immortal to get rid of him. He wouldn't dare attack us," Lan Jiguang said, smiling.
Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "He dared to kill even a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court. He wouldn't be worried about the city lord of a divine empire."
Lan Jiguang suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You're right. I was being conceited. What do you think the situation is?"
"I have two hypotheses."
"Oh?"
"The first hypothesis is that he possessed the Martial Aspect's body but can't reliably summon the power of a Heaven Immortal. There's something wrong with his body, so he didn't dare press things further. I suspect, however, that this is very unlikely. The second hypothesis is that there are other Heaven Immortals in Fengdu."
"Other Heaven Immortals?" Lan Jiguang exclaimed.
"Exactly. Yin is simply worried that other Heaven Immortals will launch sneak attacks on him if he does make a move—perhaps a nemesis or some other mortal enemy of his.
Lan Jiguang considered this possibility for a moment before ultimately nodding. "If not for your bounty, I would never have imagined that such affairs were taking place in Fengdu..."
"Senior Uncle, considering why that Martial Aspect came to Fengdu, the sudden appearance of Yin, and the Heaven Immortals that might potentially still be hidden, it's clear that there's something that has lured them all to Fengdu. You've been a city lord for many years, and are extremely familiar with the city. Has anything strange happened lately?"
"Nothing," Lan Jiguang replied. "I've been asking around these last two days. Nothing exceptional has happened while I was gone. Only Lie Yang's behavior seems to have changed."
"Oh?"
"Lie Yang used to be a cautious man who was unwilling to make anyone his enemy. Recently, however, he seems to have grown far more impetuous. He deliberately ambushed you despite knowing little of your capabilities—it's almost like he's a different man entirely," Lan Jiguang explained.
"Perhaps he is. Could he also have been possessed, Senior Uncle?"
Lan Jiguang's eyes widened. That was quite plausible!
"Something major is going to unfold in Fengdu," Xiao Nanfeng declared.
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