Chapter 1896: Nangong Elder

Long Kun's fiery temper was uncontrollable. He had just failed to break through the city wall outside the gate and had instead been dealt a blow by dozens of archers. This left him feeling frustrated and seething, with nowhere to vent his anger. So, when these three figures suddenly presented themselves, Long Kun immediately found a great interest in engaging them.

As soon as he finished speaking, the phoenix totem on his back ignited once more. His entire body was enveloped in crimson flames, and he resembled a moving fireball as he charged towards the three disciple-level experts before him.

His powerful flame attack immediately targeted the foremost of the three individuals. However, the opponent did not seem to be flustered by Long Kun's overwhelming power. Their hands quickly moved, beginning to channel powerful martial arts energy within.

Soon, a delicate Butterfly Love Flower totem appeared behind the leading silver-robed disciple. Xu Yang was no stranger to this plant-based totem. He had previously experienced the unique and powerful allure of this type of flower during a battle in the Myriad Flower Forest of the Lost Mountain Range.

It was clear that the appearance of these three individuals was intended to divide Xu Yang's team formation. And as expected, their specialty was mental manipulation, designed to break up Xu Yang's complete team formation.

Xu Yang did not personally intervene from beginning to end. He simply wanted to see what their true objective was, hidden behind this elaborate show of force and deceptive formation.

Indeed, Long Kun fell victim once again.

When his true body charged into the triangular formation occupied by the three millenia-old silver-robed martial artists, he unleashed an incredibly fierce flame punch. But it was like punching cotton; all his immense power instantly vanished into nothingness. Clearly, the disciple with the Butterfly Love Flower totem, whom he had targeted for attack, was merely a decoy.

When Long Kun's forcefully delivered punch missed, he fell into a dream specifically crafted for him.

"How can this be? I missed again!" Long Kun instinctively flew into a rage. Little did he know, his irritable and fiery temperament made him all the more susceptible to martial arts techniques that targeted the spiritual realm, exploiting his weaknesses.

"Oh no, Long Kun is too reckless! It seems he's been controlled by their technique again. I'll go rescue him." Po Xiao, standing nearby, rushed forward without hesitation.

From Xu Yang's perspective, even if the girl also joined the fight, it wouldn't have any positive impact on Long Kun's current situation. On the contrary, Po Xiao herself would surely be drawn into that exclusive dream space.

Indeed, everything unfolded slowly, just as Xu Yang had predicted. Only Little Mushroom, perched on Xu Yang's shoulder, remained unaffected by the current situation because she was too timid to actively engage.

Although the Old Emperor did not choose to take the offensive, with his teammates progressively falling into the enemy's trap, the Old Emperor's position became increasingly vulnerable.

In the blink of an eye, only Xu Yang and Little Mushroom on his shoulder remained still. It was at this very moment that a Martial God-level devotee, cloaked in a golden robe, suddenly appeared overhead.

Without further ado, the opponent raised a hand, unleashing a powerful mental force. The Battle Soul totem blazing behind this Martial God-level devotee was also a plant-based totem with powerful alluring abilities.

Xu Yang sneered and decisively chose to play along with their scheme. He had no intention of resisting and simply allowed the golden light and shadow above him to surge towards him. Little did they know, while he appeared to have no contingency plans, he had already subtly released another phantom body into the surrounding space.

Moreover, once his main body entered the dream state, he immediately activated his meditation mode. A sufficiently powerful soul origin ensured that even if Xu Yang entered the dream woven by this Martial God-level devotee, he would absolutely not suffer any harm from the opponent. Instead, the phantom body he had secretly released outside the battlefield began to silently take effect.

Indeed, everything unfolded just as Xu Yang had predicted. After his teammates one by one entered the dream state, Lan Ling'er, whose gaze had constantly drifted around, suddenly found a figure in black standing not far behind her. The moment the figure's aura appeared, Lan Ling'er became noticeably excited. According to Xu Yang's observation, this black-clad figure who suddenly appeared behind her also possessed Martial God-level strength.

"Uncle Nangong! I knew you would come to save me!"

The man, whom Lan Ling'er called Uncle Nangong, made no movement. He simply stood there expressionlessly, waiting for Lan Ling'er to rush into his arms. Little did they know, Xu Yang, who remained absolutely clear-headed within the dream, a faint, cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, and then he suddenly opened his eyes.

In that instant, he tore apart the dream space that had sealed his soul origin, causing the soul world of the millenia-old disciple before him to instantly collapse. For Xu Yang, the Ninth Human Emperor, tearing apart an opponent's soul suppression technique was as simple as a single glance. Ridiculously, the opponent believed they had easily subdued Xu Yang, whom the High Priest did not consider a formidable enemy. Little did they know, this was merely Xu Yang playing along with their charade.

His soul and phantom body reintegrated into his main body. Xu Yang's movement speed instantly reached its peak. Transforming into a streak of light, he appeared before Lan Ling'er, blocking her contact with the black-clad Nangong.

"You cannot go with him."

Xu Yang landed in front of Lan Ling'er. His tone was calm, but his gaze remained fixed on the black-clad figure before them. Lan Ling'er immediately looked flustered. She suddenly stared at Xu Yang beside her with an expression of disbelief.

"Why are you stopping me? He's one of the Seven Great Elders of our Changyun Heaven Sect. Didn't you say you'd let me go once people from my sect came to pick me up in the imperial city?"

The naive girl foolishly thought Xu Yang was trying to forcibly keep her as a hostage. However, Xu Yang merely chuckled softly. He abruptly swung his palm forward, and a powerful martial arts aura suddenly surged towards the black-clad figure.

And this Nangong, truly worthy of his Martial God-level strength, had a dark shadow suddenly appear beneath his feet, lifting him directly into mid-air. From an elevated vantage point, he gazed down at Xu Yang and Lan Ling'er behind him.

"If he were truly an Elder of your Changyun Heaven Sect, I would naturally let you leave with him. But the person standing before you right now has been brainwashed and controlled by those disciple forces. If I don't stop him, you'll be torn to shreds by him in an instant. If you don't believe me, I'll reveal what's hidden beneath his disguise and show you."