Chapter 1600: Spring Wind's Pride Defeats the Holy Emperor, Stepping on the Coffin to Receive Surrender, Who Can Be the Enemy?

"Bang!"

The coffin lid was securely nailed shut.

With Bai Yu's slight tremble, one side of the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

The Feng Shen Guan, a signature spiritual technique of Feng Tian Sheng Di, represented the pinnacle of sealing arts.

It sealed not just the physical body, but also the soul and consciousness. Once inside this coffin, all became utterly still.

Mo Mo had practiced this technique for a long time and been scolded for it just as long. Now, while not yet mastered to perfection, she could at least be considered proficient.

But to think that with the aid of the Sheng Di's image, she could so easily subdue an ancient Jian Sheng...

"Am I... this strong?"

Mo Mo clenched her fist, a strange expression crossing her delicate face.

Feng Yu Jin had often nagged her that in this world, the most troublesome opponents weren't Ban Sheng or Sheng Di, but ancient Jian Xiu—especially once they were called "Jian Dao Wang Zuo."

A mere Jian Dao Wang Zuo... Mo Mo had asked why.

That guy, who always referred to himself as "this emperor," had replied:

"In the end-of-law era belonging to ancient Jian Xiu, anyone who reaches the Jian Dao Wang Zuo level is a freak of talent."

"Facing a Lian Ling Tai Xu or a Lian Ling Ban Sheng, you at least know their limits—there's a line, a constraint."

"But some Jian Dao Wang Zuo have lost all limits."

"You can never predict if that battle will be their claim to fame, if you'll become their stepping stone, or if they'll suddenly soar to new heights..."

"The next step for a Jian Dao Wang Zuo could be the Qi Jian Xian, or Jian Sheng, and some even aim straight for the Di Jing realm, skyrocketing to overlook the Zu Shen."

As he said this, Feng Yu Jin seemed to have a fixed image in his mind.

Mo Mo figured he only said this because he'd been thoroughly beaten by some ancient Jian Xiu named Ba, leaving him with a deep psychological scar.

Feng Yu Jin didn't deny it, but continued:

"Moreover, the ancient Jian Xiu who have survived the era's selection can be divided into three types, simply by age."

"The young ones, don't mess with them—they're bold and full of spirit, most likely to make a stunning breakthrough."

"The old ones, don't mess with them either—they're fiery despite their age, hiding depths within; push them too far, and they might flip their cards, force their way to the Zu Shen gate, and take you down with them."

"If you must provoke someone, go for the middle-aged Jian Xiu. That group has lost their youthful edge but hasn't gained the wisdom of age. Even if they've been famous for years, they're trapped in worldly troubles, at the lowest of lows... You'll find they have many hesitations and can't fully let loose."

Middle-aged dilemmas... Mo Mo thought of some Qi Jian Xian and asked what if it wasn't a Jian Dao Wang Zuo, but a Jian Sheng?

Feng Yu Jin shook his head firmly and said they were untouchable—Jian Sheng were wolves in sheep's clothing, each starting with power rivaling a Sheng Di.

"Jian Sheng are invincible!"

This belief was instilled in Mo Mo.

And today, she had shattered that belief herself.

Middle-aged, a Jian Sheng, seemingly able to open a second realm... This suddenly appearing ancient Jian Xiu sat between "low valley" and "invincible," full of uncertainty.

Yet, Xu Xiao Shou had only helped with a single sword from afar, and that sword didn't even seem that powerful, and he was sealed into the Feng Shen Guan by her.

He must be a novice among Jian Sheng, just like her as a novice Lian Ling, except she had Feng Yu Jin's help, while he had just lived a bit longer and looked somewhat imposing... Mo Mo gripped the Feng Shen Guan and turned to Bai Yu, confirming:

"Do you know him?"

Bai Yu shook his head in fear.

He had been subdued by Feng Tian Sheng Di before, but this was his first time seeing the little girl Mo Mo in action.

How could she be so strong, strong enough to take down an ancient Jian Sheng who was unbeatable in his realm in one go?

That sword that suddenly descended from the sky—where did it come from? Was it one of her trump cards?

Of course...

Feng Tian Sheng Di knew the eighth Jian Xian.

That sword must have been left by the eighth Jian Xian for this girl to save her life.

But it didn't seem that strong—how could it suppress that ancient Jian Sheng to death?

—Or was it just that Mo Mo was too strong?

"I don't know him."

Though Bai Yu wondered why that ancient Jian Sheng seemed to have many ways to resist but didn't use any, he still said with certainty:

"I know all the ancient Jian Sheng, but I've never seen this one!"

Just some obscure nobody... Mo Mo concluded that she hadn't gotten that strong after all; she had only caught an unknown figure.

But that strange feeling in her heart wouldn't go away.

At least one thing didn't make sense:

If he's not strong, how did he reach Jian Sheng? Could that be piled up with spiritual elixirs?

She stopped overthinking and turned her head to the other side of the battlefield.

Feng Yu Jin was staring blankly at her, at the Feng Shen Guan in her hand, with an expression like he had been about to rush back to help but realized it wasn't needed.

That look was one part stunned, one part shocked, and four parts doubtful, as if saying, You've reached this level, able to take on an ancient Jian Sheng alone?

Mo Mo's eyes curved into a smile as she lifted the Feng Shen Guan in her hand and said cheerfully:

"Got him."

The turtle shell cracked.

All its spirituality was lost, its power completely sealed.

As her state slowly shifted to this protective divine artifact, the "Substitute Little Turtle," personally refined by her sister, Yue Gong Li, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes.

Boom—

Purple evil energy surged out. Without needing to form seals, as Yue Gong Li rose from the dust, a massive figure instantly solidified.

"Descend! Sui Yin Xie Shen!"

The enormous three-headed, six-armed purple-furred monster appeared again, but instead of attacking immediately, it reached out to protect Yue Gong Li.

"Feng Yu Jin, who gave you the guts to mess with me?" Yue Gong Li shouted loudly.

Back on the battlefield, with the Sui Yin Xie Shen at his back, he was like a fox borrowing the tiger's might. He waved his hand and commanded:

"Hua Yuan, give me one sword and cut him down, show them that ancient Jian Xiu aren't to be trifled with!"

Mo Mo looked at him.

Bai Yu looked at him.

Feng Tian Sheng Di, Feng Yu Jin, also looked at him.

No one spoke, and the scene became awkwardly silent for a moment.

Yue Gong Li opened his mouth, about to angrily scold this new "servant" for ruining the mood, but after scanning the area, his gaze finally fell on the coffin in Mo Mo's hand:

"Hua Yuan!!!"

This incredulous roar nearly popped his eyes out.

Yue Gong Li was dumbfounded.

Completely dumbfounded.

I was just caught off guard by a palm from the Sheng Di and fell for a moment— in such a short time, you got sealed?

"You're even more ridiculous than me!"

He roared at the coffin again, then regained his composure, casually brushing his fingertips through his hair, and calmly pointed at the coffin:

"This young lady, you play with coffins too?"

No response, just a bit of awkwardness... Yue Gong Li kept his composure and got straight to the point:

"May I ask, young lady, is my friend in there?"

Whether he's a friend or not, I don't know... Mo Mo replied: "An ancient Jian Sheng."

"Ha ha ha!" Yue Gong Li threw his head back and laughed, his face twisted in disbelief that a super powerhouse who had helped him escape the Si Ming Shrine could be captured by a Tai Xu.

After three laughs, Yue Gong Li's face returned to calm, with a touch of strangeness:

"He's not my friend anymore; I don't know him."

Hua Yuan, go ahead.

Getting caught by a little girl, what's the point of you living? You'd only bring shame to Hua Chang Deng.

This guy... Mo Mo had a moment of daze, almost thinking he was Xu Xiao Shou in disguise.

He could innocently go mad, turn his back on people, and act so erratically that everyone would believe him if he said he was Xu Xiao Shou.

"Though he's no longer my friend, I still have to warn you..."

In the end, Yue Gong Li sighed and said:

"He's from Yun Shan Di Jing, the shadow of Sheng Di Hua Chang Deng, named Hua Yuan."

"Though he's weak and destined to be nailed to the pillar of shame in the ancient Jian Xiu world, you'd best not take his Ban Sheng status—it could bring disaster upon you."

People from the five great Sheng Di families... A flash of shock crossed Feng Yu Jin's face, followed by an even more incredulous look at Mo Mo.

You took him down too?

But compared to the completely clueless Yue Gong Li, Feng Yu Jin had been on the attacking side just now.

Even fully focused, his sacred thoughts could still catch that Feng Du sword aiding from afar.

It seemed there was even Xu Xiao Shou's voice...

But another problem arose.

"How could Xu Xiao Shou be this powerful?"

"That good-for-nothing admitted he needed a whole day to deal with a new Qi Jian Xian like Bei Bei—how could he rival an ancient Jian Sheng?"

Thinking this way, Feng Yu Jin's gaze at Mo Mo grew even stranger.

Because, excluding external factors, and with Bai Yu being a weak fighter...

Was it really you who did it?

One person, one strike, sealing an ancient Jian Sheng?

The issue of Mo Mo's drastically changed combat strength wasn't suitable for deep discussion right then.

Soon, Feng Yu Jin turned back to the guy protected by the massive Sui Yin Xie Shen monster, his brows furrowing tightly:

"You're Yue Gong Li?"

With Mo Mo securing the key to her sealing, the appearance of Yun Shan Di Jing, and such vast ancestral source power on display...

All of it quickly cooled Feng Yu Jin's emotions, making him realize this wasn't just some random Ban Sheng—he was connected to many things.

Most importantly, this guy had the surname Yue!

Yue Gong Li saw the Sheng Di finally looking panicked, showing the respect due to a Sheng Di's heir, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, without hesitation, he began to throw his weight around:

"I am Yue Gong Li, heir of Han Gong Di Jing... My father is Yue Gong Sheng Di, my sister is Yue Gong Nu, Ba Zun An is my brother-in-law, Dao Qiong Cang is a family friend, I spanked Hua Chang Deng from childhood to adulthood, and I have no real connection with Bei Huai."

"From young to old, no one has ever dared to give me a dirty look, let alone slap me."

"I once went with my uncles to Xu Kong Dao; they regularly clear out ghost beasts on the inner island, and I glanced at the list—you were on it, and I crossed your name off."

"The only thing I'm baffled about now is: earlier, what gave you the right to hit me?"

Yue Gong Li sat on the palm of the Sui Yin Xie Shen, resting his fist on his head, tilting it as he sneered.

He was really quite funny... Mo Mo felt like laughing.

Though it was a serious situation, and he was seriously flaunting his connections.

It was Mo Mo's first time seeing someone get beaten and then awkwardly pull strings like this—who knows how much of it was fake.

She felt like a spoiled young master from storybooks had come to life. In those refining spirit tales from the streets, guys like him shouldn't survive past the innate or master stages, right?

At the Wang Zuo level, everyone is dark and scheming.

But when she glanced back at Feng Yu Jin...

Mo Mo's face stiffened.

This usually arrogant Feng Tian Sheng Di now looked just like a minor character in those stories, actually intimidated by this spoiled brat's words!

"Apologize." Yue Gong Li dangled his legs from between the fingers of the hairy, disgusting Sui Yin Xie Shen, saying unhurriedly.

The gray mist figure of Feng Yu Jin parted his lips.

Mo Mo panicked, about to speak, but then darkened her face and held back.

If Feng Yu Jin apologized, he might as well never speak to her again or hold his head high in front of her!

Truth be told, for a moment, Feng Yu Jin really wanted to apologize and be done with it.

Yes, he was that cowardly!

Apologizing was easy—just move your mouth, save your life; even inner island ghost beasts were used to it.

He wouldn't mention Ba Zun An.

Back on Xu Kong Dao's inner island, Feng Yu Jin, as a Sheng Di, couldn't even secure second-in-command of the Black Pulse; the Mo Di Hei Long dominated it.

So, he had apologized countless times to the Bai Mai San Zu, to Mo Di Hei Long, and even to Tian Ji sorcerers like Wu Ji Lao Zu, whose actual combat power was a fraction of his, but whose status was slightly higher.

Yes, Feng Yu Jin didn't believe that the unfamiliar Yue Gong Li would be kind enough to cross his name off the ghost beast purge list.

But the "purge" was real—something even Mo Mo didn't know.

Anyone who could mention these things must be from the upper echelons of the Sheng Di families.

Thus, Yue Gong Li's background, including those unrelated people he mentioned, probably had some connection to him.

But none of that mattered!

The most important thing was... this guy said Ba Zun An was his brother-in-law!

Feng Yu Jin was truly terrified.

Who was Ba Zun An?

The Zun of the Black and White Pulses, stepping on Mo Di Hei Long, pointing his sword at Bai Mai San Zu—a bloodthirsty monster guilty of countless crimes.

Even Sheng Di could only scream and beg for mercy in front of him—the pig-like squeals of Mo Di Hei Long still echoed in Feng Yu Jin's memory!

As for the others, Feng Yu Jin could ignore them once out of the forbidden formations, but this guy knew Ba Zun An...

"I can't afford to gamble—I absolutely can't!"

Feng Yu Jin's pupils darted left and right, then his peripheral vision caught Mo Mo's stern expression, and his heart steadied.

"Ba Zun An?"

Gray mist burst forth as Feng Yu Jin spread his hands and laughed wildly with trembling shoulders:

"Jie jie jie jie..."

"Yes! Ba Zun An steps on Mo Di Hei Long and points his sword at Bai Mai San Zu, but on Xu Kong Dao, he still has to respect me and give me some face!"

"If not for my abilities surpassing all on the inner island, overpowering Hei Long and overlooking the San Zu, would he have bothered to let me out first?"

His voice weakened for a moment, then rose again:

"But on Xu Kong Dao, I still need to respect him; back in Sheng Shen Continent, have you seen me pay him any mind?"

You did pay him mind—after the Ba Gong battle, you were almost scared witless... Mo Mo remembered that scene, but now, hearing his words, her lips curved into a smile.

Good.

Feng Yu Jin hadn't chosen to back down!

But it wasn't entirely good.

In that moment, across the entire first heaven, only Mo Mo was smiling.

"Ah?"

Before the space mirror, Xu Xiao Shou, who had just sent that sword from afar, stared blankly at the blustering Feng Yu Jin.

What? How dare he spout such nonsense?

After the Ba Gong incident, Ba Zun An's single word made him obediently become his bodyguard, right? And that was still on Xu Kong Dao's inner island, when Ba Zun An was in a sealed sword state, like a cripple...

Feng Yu Jin, why are you bragging like this?

Xu Xiao Shou was stunned, glancing at Sang Lao, Shui Gui, and even Dao Qiong Cang with a questioning look.

Everyone was baffled, unable to understand.

Even Dao Qiong Cang frowned in thought, his usually mysterious demeanor stumped by this complex issue for once.

"Something's up."

At least... Xu Xiao Shou "click" saved that spatial image snippet, deciding to show it to Ba Zun An later for his own evaluation.

On the Sui Yin Xie Shen's palm, Yue Gong Li looked utterly puzzled.

What? Does this Feng Tian Sheng Di have some illness?

Ba Zun An was just the most insignificant one in the list I mentioned, right?

What I meant was...

I'm the son of Yue Gong Sheng Di, a close buddy of Hua Chang Deng, and I have some vague but imaginable ties with Bei Huai Sheng Di.

I named three Sheng Di in one go, and you're bringing up that eight-fingered cripple? He's probably out of breath just walking now!

"You don't have to apologize."

Yue Gong Li chose to concede.

He wasn't here for Feng Yu Jin anyway; no need to start a pointless fight and let Xu Xiao Shou spy on his abilities.

Apologizing was just his opening negotiation tactic—it could be bargained.

Yes, Feng Yu Jin's irrational behavior in Yue Gong Li's eyes could only be seen as bargaining. He stated calmly:

"Given you're a Sheng Di, I'll respect you a bit, let that slap slide, and not pursue it."

"But you can't hit someone and then take my friend, can you? Even though he's no longer my friend..."

Yue Gong Li pointed to the Feng Shen Guan in Mo Mo's hand, pinching his cheek as he said:

"I'm the Hong Yi Zhi Dao main executor now; I have to save face. If you push it that far, it's hard for me to handle."

"If I can't handle it, your ghost beast host won't have peace either, since I've already said I'm the Hong Yi Zhi Dao main executor."

Yue Gong Li spoke as he draped on that red robe, which he'd altered multiple times because it was ugly and still wasn't satisfactory.

He knew how to play the game well...

Feng Yu Jin felt relieved.

Having his dignity considered was better than embarrassing himself in front of Mo Mo.

But glancing at Mo Mo, Feng Yu Jin's eyes wavered, his face a knot of conflict, summing up to one sentence:

"He's backed down, so should we?"

Everyone could see that for a mere Ban Sheng, offering a slap followed by a sweet date wasn't really "backing down."

If a Sheng Di hit a Ban Sheng, based on Feng Yu Jin's earlier arrogance, he should've just obliterated him with a palm—ten breaths and he'd lose.

Mo Mo knew all this.

This was her first time so reluctant to hand over a Ban Sheng status, even entertaining the radical idea of sealing him right there to deflate that spoiled brat's ego.

But she also knew Feng Yu Jin was in a tough spot.

So, Yue Gong Li's background intimidation had worked—he was someone even Feng Yu Jin couldn't afford to provoke...

Mo Mo felt a hint of disappointment.

This didn't match the "Feng Tian Sheng Di" image Feng Yu Jin had always pushed.

But curious onlookers had already gathered nearby, and Mo Mo didn't want to hurt his pride in public, so she nodded obediently and tossed the Feng Shen Guan out.

Feng Yu Jin opened his mouth, clenched his fist, not daring to look at Mo Mo or stop the coffin's departure.

So be it.

"Hua Yuan, remember, your life now belongs to me, not Hua Chang Deng!"

Yue Gong Li, now the victor, laughed as he stood up from the Sui Yin Xie Shen's palm, reaching to summon the Feng Shen Guan, riding high on his success.

But at that moment...

A massive boom echoed from the sky.

A black shadow stomped heavily on the Feng Shen Guan, kicking it forcefully into the ground, creating massive spiderweb cracks in the earth.

He burst into the battlefield's center like this, standing atop the upright coffin, black clothes fluttering and black hair whipping in the wind.

With his back to Yue Gong Li, ignoring whether the ferocious three-headed, six-armed purple-furred monster might strike him, he even dared to face Feng Yu Jin and mock the Sheng Di without restraint:

"Oh, so this is the guy who doesn't even respect Ba Zun An—how come you're cowering before a little Ban Sheng?"