Chapter 633: The Five Flags
Chapter 633: Chapter 633: The Five Flags
Suddenly, Tian Xiao\'s eyes snapped open, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. A group of fifty people was flying toward them from afar, led by a domineering man wearing a flat-topped crown and a robe adorned with nine dragons.
"Xing Taidou?" Yin Luori squinted his eyes.
Upon arrival, Xing Taidou scanned the crowd, nodding slightly when he saw Yin Luori. Yin Luori returned the nod before Xing Taidou\'s gaze shifted to Tian Xiao.
"Xing Taidou? You\'ve finally arrived?" Tian Xiao smiled.
It turned out that the person Tian Xiao had been waiting for was none other than Xing Taidou, the Emperor of the Dayan Dynasty.
"And you must be the genius young master of the Tian family, Tian Xiao?" Xing Taidou landed on a mountaintop with his entourage, gazing solemnly at Tian Xiao.
"You\'re too kind, I wouldn\'t call myself a genius," Tian Xiao shook his head.
"Five hundred and forty years, and you\'ve reached the Sky Realm. If you aren\'t a genius, who is? Three years ago, when you broke through to the Sky Realm, your family held a grand banquet. I regretted not being able to attend to witness such a prodigy. To meet here now is truly a fated opportunity!" Xing Taidou said with a smile.
"Fated opportunity? Perhaps. Are you here for the \'Earth Book\'?" Tian Xiao asked directly.
"Aren\'t you here for the same reason?" Xing Taidou replied.
The conversation between two Sky Realm masters naturally left no room for their subordinates to intervene. The surrounding onlookers also remained silent, fixated on the two top figures in the underworld, both in terms of status and power.
"Of course I am!"
"Then why haven\'t you made a move yet?" Xing Taidou stared at Tian Xiao.
"I was waiting for you," Tian Xiao stared back.
"Oh?"
"In the Unaging Realm, Ye Qingcheng fought Nangong Sheng with the Slaying Immortal Sword. What do you think the outcome was?" Tian Xiao asked.
"Ye Qingcheng lost?" Xing Taidou frowned slightly.
"Nangong Sheng only used a few chess pieces. Ye Qingcheng couldn\'t even touch him and was forced to retreat!" Tian Xiao said solemnly.
Xing Taidou\'s pupils contracted, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
"Let your subordinate explain it to you," Tian Xiao said calmly.
At that moment, a subordinate who had arrived earlier quickly handed over a memory crystal from a nearby peak.
Xing Taidou examined the crystal, his brows furrowing deeper as he watched. Not far away, Zhong Shan frowned as he noticed something peculiar. Xing Taidou allowed three black-robed men behind him to watch the memory crystal simultaneously, which was highly unusual. These three did not appear to be mere subordinates. What was their identity?
It wasn\'t just Zhong Shan who noticed this; Tian Xiao also cast a curious glance at the three. According to the Tian family\'s intelligence, there was no information on these three individuals.
After finishing the memory crystal, Xing Taidou took a deep breath, his eyes filled with gravity. Handing the crystal back to his subordinate, he looked at Tian Xiao again.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Xing Taidou tossed the ball back to Tian Xiao.
"You tell me."
"After waiting so long, you must have more to say than just that," Xing Taidou chuckled.
"The Emperor of Dayan is indeed straightforward. Since that\'s the case, I\'ll be direct. Ye Qingcheng\'s strength should be on par with ours, and with the Slaying Immortal Sword, he possesses power comparable to that of an immortal."
"Indeed," Xing Taidou nodded.
"Yet, Nangong Sheng still defeated him effortlessly. If we face Nangong Sheng one force at a time, we won\'t stand a chance," Tian Xiao analyzed.
"Hmm. Do you think our cooperation could overpower Nangong Sheng?"
"Haha, there\'s no need to beat around the bush, Emperor. You should understand my point. In the past, when the Heavenly Dynasty from the Great Thousand World invaded, your Dayan and my Tian family repelled them together. We seized a set of immortal artifacts called the \'Five Flags.\' My family obtained three, and you obtained two."
"The Five Flags?" Xing Taidou raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the Five Flags. A set of five immortal artifacts that can confine space and time within the array," Tian Xiao said seriously.
"And how do we divide the Earth Book?" Xing Taidou frowned.
"Nangong Sheng is not yet subdued. Isn\'t it premature to discuss the Earth Book? Let\'s deal with Nangong Sheng first and then decide," Tian Xiao suggested with a smile.
"How can I trust you?"
"Does the esteemed Emperor of Dayan fear me?" Tian Xiao smiled confidently, certain that Xing Taidou would accept his proposal.
"Fear? Haha, fine, the Five Flags Array it is!" Xing Taidou was not afraid of Tian Xiao.
Immortal artifacts? A set of five? The countless powerful figures around them widened their eyes in amazement. Although the strongest treasures in this world were only of the ninth grade, the barrier between the underworld and the Great Thousand World was not very strong. Every few thousand years, invaders from the Great Thousand World would bring immortal artifacts, causing devastating defeats to the underworld armies.
Immortal artifacts, treasures of immortals, were coveted by all, and everyone fixed their eyes on the two leaders.
"Before coming, I pinpointed the exact locations. Here\'s the layout for the Five Flags," Tian Xiao produced a jade slip, which recorded the positions for placing the Five Flags.
"Good!" Xing Taidou examined the jade slip and nodded.
With a flick of his wrist, two strange small flags appeared in Xing Taidou\'s hands. One was fiery red, the other pitch black. He handed the jade slip and the two flags to his subordinates.
On the other side, Tian Xiao took out three small flags: one was earth-yellow, another pure white like clouds, and the last was green like grass. He handed them to three Tian family disciples.
"These are the so-called immortal artifacts?" Everyone stared intently.
"Go."
"Begin!"
At the commands of Xing Taidou and Tian Xiao, the five strong men quickly flew in all directions. Centered on the Sea of Blood, one artifact-bearer flew to each of the cardinal points. The one with the yellow flag ascended high into the sky, heading straight for the blood-mist-shrouded sea.
Throughout this, Nangong Sheng did not appear, as if he didn\'t have the time or concern for the minions outside.
"Rise!" Tian Xiao shouted.
"Raise the treasure flag~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" came a loud shout from the east.
Immediately, everyone saw the eastern flag, a cyan-colored banner, rapidly expand. In an instant, it grew from palm-sized to a towering height of 100,000 feet, emitting countless rays of cyan light.
"Flame Light Flag, rise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" came a loud shout from the south.
"Cloud Realm Flag, rise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" came a loud shout from the west.
"Water Control Flag, rise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" came a loud shout from the north.
Following these three shouts, the southern, western, and northern immortal flags also expanded wildly, each reaching 100,000 feet in height in the blink of an eye. They radiated countless rays of red, white, and black light.
Countless beams of light shot straight into the entire Sea of Blood. The sea\'s surface, roiling with blood mist, suddenly calmed under the pressure of the four intense lights.
"Bastards~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
A roar echoed from the depths of the Sea of Blood, and everyone recognized the voice as Nangong Sheng\'s. Had Nangong Sheng been provoked? Was he about to emerge? The once calm sea erupted into violent waves, sending a surge of malevolent intent in all directions.
"Apricot Yellow Flag, rise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Another loud shout came from above the Sea of Blood.
Then, everyone saw a dark yellow flag rise with the wind, growing to a height of 100,000 feet. The dark yellow energy quickly surged into the Sea of Blood.
The five different energies suddenly fused, forming a gigantic, multicolored energy barrier that suppressed the entire Sea of Blood.
A strange phenomenon occurred.
At the moment the energy barrier formed, the entire Sea of Blood stilled, as if time had frozen. Everything inside was immobilized; the skyward blood waves stopped mid-air, and the surging blood mist halted.
Time and space had been sealed?
Everyone recalled Tian Xiao\'s earlier words about sealing time and space. Sealing space was within the capabilities of some powerful figures in this small world, but sealing time too? What kind of immortal artifact could do this? It seemed exaggerated. Even the immortal artifacts they\'d heard of in the past weren\'t this absurd.
The Five Flags? This was the power of the Five Flags Array? Even the world\'s top formation masters were powerless against it?
Countless gasps of astonishment arose from the surrounding crowd, marveling at the formidable power of the Five Flags. Were the immortal artifacts of the Great Thousand World truly this powerful?
In the distance, Zhong Shan stared at the Five Flags, taking a deep breath. The Five Flags Array? It was insanely powerful. This was the foundation of the Heavenly Dynasty and the Tian family? The Four Swords of Immortality, the Slaying Immortal Flying Dagger, the Rivers and Mountains Map, the Heaven-Opening Axe, the Five Flags Array—each was an incredibly formidable treasure. Did his Dazhao possess anything comparable? Compared to these well-established powers, Dazhao still had a long way to go.
Nangong Sheng, along with the Earth Book inside, was immobilized in an instant. This flag array was ridiculously powerful, even capable of subduing an immortal.
Satisfied with the scene, Tian Xiao turned to look at Xing Taidou.
The two men stared at each other thoughtfully.
"Alright, Nangong Sheng is subdued. Now let\'s discuss the Earth Book," Xing Taidou said gravely.
"How does the Emperor of Dayan propose we divide it?" Tian Xiao asked with a smile.
"You suggested using the Five Flags to subdue Nangong Sheng, so naturally, you should make the proposal," Xing Taidou responded.
"Very well. Since the Emperor has spoken, I\'ll make a humble suggestion. I\'ve heard that the Emperor of Dayan is incredibly powerful, one of the strongest in the Sky Realm. I, a mere junior who broke through the Sky Realm three years ago, propose a duel. The winner gets the Earth Book," Tian Xiao stepped forward confidently.
"Hahaha! You, a mere newcomer to the Sky Realm, wish to challenge me?" Xing Taidou laughed, both amused and angered by Tian Xiao\'s proposal.