Chapter 823: Borrowed but Not Returned

The Invincible Nascent Soul dared not disobey the Immortal Fairy's command.

The Invincible Nascent Soul conjured a hundred-foot sword aura that swept across the crowd, stirring up a gale. Leaves rustled incessantly, their sound unsettling everyone.

"Can a Nascent Soul really unleash such a terrifying sword aura?" Witnessing it, the onlookers were shocked by Lu Yang's mastery of the sword and quickly took control of their own Nascent Souls. They all, without a word, chose to make their Nascent Souls dodge the attack. Unlike the Invincible Nascent Soul, ordinary Nascent Souls cannot fight autonomously; cultivators must dedicate a portion of their energy to controlling them.

This presented a golden opportunity for the Immortal Fairy. The Immortal Fairy seized the moment everyone was preoccupied with their Nascent Souls and struck decisively. If she was a ravenous wolf, these young nobles and officials' children were mere lambs; a wolf in a sheep pen, she attacked anyone in her path.

"Take this!"

The Fairy's boxing appeared gentle, but it was remarkably versatile and immensely powerful.

"So this is indeed how the Invincible Nascent Soul is used. I guessed right all along," the Immortal Fairy muttered to herself.

"What did you say, Fairy?" Lu Yang hadn't caught the Immortal Fairy's words.

"Oh, nothing. I was just saying you should cultivate diligently and defeat your Invincible Nascent Soul as soon as possible."

"...Doesn't this count as me defeating the Invincible Nascent Soul?" Lu Yang recalled the Immortal Fairy once stating she was his second Nascent Soul. If his second Nascent Soul had defeated his first, wouldn't that mean he had also defeated it?

"You can't look at it that way," the Immortal Fairy explained, displaying a rare moment of logical clarity. "See, I helped you defeat the Invincible Nascent Soul, so now it obeys my commands, not yours. And since you have to listen to my commands, you and the Invincible Nascent Soul are in a parallel relationship; there's no question of who commands whom."

Lu Yang understood. To control the Invincible Nascent Soul, he had two options: either make the Immortal Fairy obey him, or personally defeat the Invincible Nascent Soul. Comparatively, the second option seemed more likely to succeed.

In the real world, the crowd was overwhelmed. The Invincible Nascent Soul's attacks were too fierce; to protect their own Nascent Souls from harm, they had to concentrate fully on controlling them. But as soon as they focused on dealing with the Invincible Nascent Soul, the Immortal Fairy was left unchecked.

"Half of us deal with Lu Yang's Nascent Soul, and half of us deal with Lu Yang himself!" one person shouted. To break this stalemate, they needed to unite and follow commands. This person was Lin Zhongren, the son of the Dali Temple Minister. Although not on par with Zhong Yi and others, he was considered quite accomplished among his peers in the Imperial City. With Zhong Yi, Luo Wushuang, and Sun Chuanxian successively defeated, and An Nanner remaining seated beside Meng Jingyu with no intention of joining the fight, someone had to step up and take charge. When Lin Zhongren came forward to direct them, the crowd reluctantly acknowledged his leadership.

"Wait, where's Lu Yang's Nascent Soul now?"

To their astonishment, the Invincible Nascent Soul had vanished right before their eyes. Suddenly, Lin Zhongren was struck by an unseen force, sent flying backward, and ended up stuck in an ancient tree.

"It's Lu Yang's Nascent Soul! It's invisible!" someone quickly realized, deducing what had happened. The Invincible Nascent Soul could utilize most of Lu Yang's techniques. During his Foundation Establishment stage, Lu Yang had experimented with a skill called the "Invisibility Spell," which only concealed the body, not clothing. Because of its limited utility, Lu Yang rarely used it. The Invincible Nascent Soul, however, had no clothes, so it could use the spell without any reservations.

With Lin Zhongren, who had attempted to take command, knocked away by the Invincible Nascent Soul, the crowd fell into disarray once more. Some tried to fight the Immortal Fairy, others searched for the invisible Nascent Soul, and anyone who attempted to rally the group was also swiftly defeated by the invisible entity.

In the mental space, Lu Yang mused, "Capture the leader first to capture the bandits." It seemed that even without intelligence, the Invincible Nascent Soul could rely on instinct to make the most strategic moves.

The Invincible Nascent Soul, unleashing techniques as if they cost nothing, simultaneously used its "Heaven Devourer" ability to absorb the spiritual energy from Luo Tian Forest. Others couldn't replenish their spiritual energy as quickly as the Invincible Nascent Soul consumed it, and soon the forest's spiritual energy was completely depleted. The crowd's spiritual energy dwindled with each use, with no means of replenishment. Anyone who tried to take out spirit stones to absorb energy would also have them snatched away by the Invincible Nascent Soul.

Watching from a distance, Meng Jingzhou slapped his thigh in amusement. "Lu Yang's Nascent Soul is practically a carbon copy of him!" he exclaimed. He honestly admitted that he couldn't bring himself to do something so morally questionable.

The combined pressure from the Invincible Nascent Soul and the Immortal Fairy, both mental and physical, was immense. Even if someone ignored the Invincible Nascent Soul and focused solely on the Immortal Fairy, it was futile; she was simply too powerful. The Immortal Fairy strode powerfully, surveying all with disdain, knocking down opponents with single punches. "I told you all before," she declared, "you are no match. A great calamity is upon the world, and I was born in response to it, the destined one. How could mere mortals like you possibly contend with me? Nevertheless, given your meager talents, you might just be worthy enough to become citizens of the Great Bean Dynasty."

Both those already on the ground and those about to fall froze simultaneously at her final words. "The Great Bean Dynasty? What in the world is that? We've never heard of it!"

"The Great Bean Dynasty is the empire I intend to establish. It will be the true orthodox rule of the world. You may address me as the Bean Emperor."

It was the first time anyone had ever so brazenly declared their intention to establish a new dynasty. This was a blatant disregard for the Great Xia Dynasty. Lu Yang's audacity was simply too great; his lawlessness even surpassed that of Daoist Master Buyu!

Lu Yang, gazing wistfully at the ceiling of his mental space, felt his reputation taking a hit.

"Is no one willing to join my dynasty?" The Immortal Fairy asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. It seemed only the "Second-in-Command" was willing to join her Great Bean Dynasty. What a loyal subject.

The crowd had no heart left to fight. Beaten thoroughly by the Immortal Fairy, they retreated in utter defeat, having lost their armor and weapons. The Immortal Fairy recalled the Invincible Nascent Soul, then stood with her hands on her hips, proudly watching the fleeing noble youths. Pointing at them, she scoffed, "Hmph, hmph, you are still far from being able to contend with me!"

In the mental space, Lu Yang, with a fawning expression, began to negotiate with the Immortal Fairy, who sat imperiously above him.

"Your Majesty, if you please, the fighting is over, and your subject's body..."

Unexpectedly, the Immortal Fairy wore an expression of longing. "This Imperial City seems quite amusing," she said. "Little Yang, let's discuss this: Can I have your body for a bit longer?"

"Ah? That... might not be a good idea," Lu Yang hesitated. If he let the Immortal Fairy use his body again, how much worse would his reputation become?

Seeing Lu Yang's reluctance, the Immortal Fairy changed tactics. "Yun'er promised me a year as acting Sect Master," she declared. "I've decided to use that privilege now. Therefore, as the acting Sect Master, I command you: hand over your body."

Upon returning from the East Sea, Yun Zhi had acknowledged the Immortal Fairy's significant contributions by offering her the position of acting Sect Master for a year. At the time, the Immortal Fairy had said she would save the opportunity for later.

Lu Yang was speechless. "So you kept the acting Sect Master position just to order me around later, didn't you, Fairy?"

"Your subject obeys your command."