Chapter 224: Laying a Trap for Zhao Tianheng

Chapter 224: Laying a Trap for Zhao Tianheng

Xiao Nanfeng tentatively sent a burst of spiritual power into Zhao Yuanjiao's body.

His spiritual power surged like a roaring river. It flooded Zhao Yuanjiao's body and caused him to tremble. Red light gushed out of his body, and an arcane rune seemed to flare in its depths.

"How could this be? Your spiritual cultivation is at Lunar Deluge, too?!" Zhao Yuanjiao exclaimed.

"Focus, Senior Brother!" Xiao Nanfeng urged.

Zhao Yuanjiao held back his shock as he sent the spiritual power straight at the rune, cracking and dispelling it with the sudden surge of energy. Zhao Yuanjiao's body trembled and relaxed.

"Well?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I've broken the compulsion. It's all gone now." Zhao Yuanjiao gaped at Xiao Nanfeng. "How could your spiritual cultivation be at Lunar Deluge?"

"If Zhao Tianheng can reach Lunar Deluge, why not me?" Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.

"He has two hundred years of cultivation under his belt, along with a significant influx of fortune from the Tianshu Empire to wipe out his karmic consequence! That's how he made it to Lunar Deluge. How many years have you been a cultivator?"

"What, can't I get some fortune of my own?" Xiao Nanfeng's smile widened.

Zhao Yuanjiao shook his head in disbelief.

"Senior Brother, Zhao Tianheng has maligned you of attempting to hurt fellow sect members. It's a huge crime, and you have to prove your innocence," Xiao Nanfeng urged.

"The situation's against me right now. Even if I were to argue against Zhao Tianheng immediately, it wouldn't be effective. It might even alert him and cause him to retaliate. We have to find Master. I'll continue pretending to be crazed. You have to find him as soon as possible."

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Zhao Tianheng will learn of Elder Huang's injury in no time at all, considering how alert he is. He might notice that something is amiss sooner than you think. If I still haven't found Master by then, you'll be in danger."

"There's no other choice. How else can we go against him? You might be superior in terms of spiritual cultivation, but he's the division leader. If you make a move against him, he'll decry you and use it as an excuse to kill you!"

"Don't worry too much about it. Let me think up a strategy. Stay here for a moment," Xiao Nanfeng suggested.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked, perplexed.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped into the thick fog until he was far from sight.

"Madam Rouge? Are you here?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Madam Rouge suddenly popped into existence before him.

"What's the matter?"

"I'd like to enlist your help."

Madam Rouge was silent for a moment. "Do you really intend to treat me like a hired thug?"

"No, Madam Rouge! You won't have to attack anyone at all. I'm eyeing your superior control over illusory realms and your ability to lock them down, in particular. If I bring a group of people into this illusory realm, could you trap them within so I can put on a show?"

"Do you intend to lay a trap for that Zhao Tianheng?" Madam Rouge asked, suddenly far more animated.

"I do. He's tried to scheme against me multiple times, and I intend on crippling him. However, I'm acting without any justification. I have some plans in mind, but I need someone to vouch for my innocence," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling. New novel chapters are published on

"Shameless, aren't you?" Madam Rouge replied.

"Where are we? Shouldn't we be outside the Crystal Hall?"

"Look down there. That's Xiao Nanfeng and Zhao Yuanjiao, and Zhao Tianheng as well! Is this an illusory realm?"

"We've entered the illusion too?"

The elders quickly recognized where they were, but there seemed to be a transparent barrier beneath them that prevented them from drawing near.

"What's going on? Why is this illusion so strange? I can't seem to get down there!"

"Division Leader Zhao, we're over here!"

"Can't they hear us or see us?"

"Have we been trapped here in the middle of the air?"

No matter how loudly or vigorously the elders shouted, Zhao Tianheng didn't seem to hear a thing. However, strangely enough, they could hear the conversation unfolding down below.

The moment Zhao Tianheng entered the illusory realm, he saw that Elder Huang had been knocked unconscious.

In addition, the chains around Zhao Yuanjiao's body had been taken down. He was already clear-headed. Xiao Nanfeng stomped on Elder Huang with a foot, as though still in rage.

When the two cultivators saw Zhao Tianheng enter the illusion, they were instantly on guard.

"You've awoken?" Zhao Tianheng narrowed his eyes at Zhao Yuanjiao.

"Zhao Tianheng, I'm your nephew! Not only did you gang up on me, you even compelled me and manipulated me in an attempt to kill the other elders! You're vicious and cold-hearted. Don't our familial bonds mean anything to you?" Zhao Yuanjiao gritted out.

Zhao Tianheng stared at Zhao Yuanjiao for some time, then turned toward Xiao Nanfeng. "The rune of compulsion is gone. Were you the one who did it?"

Zhao Tianheng's question shocked the elders. Had he been the mastermind of Zhao Yuanjiao's madness?

Xiao Nanfeng snorted, not providing an explanation.

"How could you possess more spiritual power than I do? It hardly looks as though you have such strength. I suppose I'll find out for myself," Zhao Tianheng said.

He cocked his arm as he prepared to punch Xiao Nanfeng.

"Be careful!" Zhao Yuanjiao warned.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward and struck at him with a palm. His spiritual technique cracked and almost shattered; it was evident he was no match for Zhao Tianheng. Just then, Xiao Nanfeng's body shook as spiritual power suddenly welled up around him. His technique glowed with blinding light as it dispersed along with Zhao Tianheng's own. He stumbled back a few steps before he regained his footing.

"You possess two types of spiritual power? I get it now. You must have some spiritual treasure that allows you to store someone else's spiritual power and make use of it. And here I thought you were strong! But your cultivation's only at Stellar Lake, and you were only able to remove Zhao Yuanjiao's compulsion because of that spiritual treasure." Zhao Tianheng sneered.

Having tested the limits of Xiao Nanfeng's strength, he was confident in his own victory.

"Senior Brother, we have to escape and expose Zhao Tianheng's scheme!" Xiao Nanfeng urged.

He tried to activate the whip, but it seemed to have lost its effect. They were trapped in the illusion.

"What?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"While you were exchanging blows, Zhao Tianheng did something to the whip. It won't let us leave the realm anymore. He's trapped us!" Zhao Yuanjiao said.

"What?" Xiao Nanfeng immediately grew alarmed.

"What could you do even if you were to escape? Do you think the elders would believe me, the division leader, or two arrogant upstarts? Don't be fools!" Zhao Tianheng said disdainfully.