The rain of swords stopped less than half a foot from the Second Emperor's head, as if it had been paused. After a moment, with a ding, the dense rain of swords disappeared, and Youyou's figure reappeared in front of the Second Emperor, holding in each hand a person covered in sword wounds—it was Yongqing and the Third Emperor.
With a flick of his wrist, You You tossed the two men forward. The Second Emperor was startled and not only dared not catch them, but also dodged to the side. The two half-dead emperors landed on the ground, covered in mud, unable to even utter a sound of pain, their cultivation likely almost completely destroyed.
The Second Emperor desperately suppressed the fear in his heart, straightening his back and kneeling upright. To distance himself from the two, he even moved aside, completely losing his previous air of a high-ranking emperor. He was almost scared to death, and immediately knelt down, pleading, "Grandpa, please let me explain! He really isn't with them!"
Youyou's lips twitched. "..." Who the hell is your grandpa! That was just a skill announcement, you know what an announcement is?
Besides, her sword strike just now wasn't actually stopped because of the "Grandpa" comment. The "Mountain-Splitting and Sea-Severing" skill grants a shield to allies while attacking. Due to its dual offensive and defensive nature, its range is limited. The "Sword Sea" attack just now was simply because it was her first time using it, and she didn't know its exact attack range, so she stopped when it exceeded that distance!
"Grandpa, I'm telling the truth!" The Second Emperor thought she didn't believe him, and he was so eager to acknowledge her as a relative that he desperately explained, "If Yongqing hadn't threatened me with my friend Yuntian's primordial spirit, I wouldn't have come here to oppose you, Grandpa! You have to believe me, Grandpa!"
"Shut up!" You You was speechless. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the ordinary sword again and placed it directly against the neck of the only remaining intact second-level emperor.
The Second Emperor froze, looking fearfully at the weapon around his neck. It was clearly just a low-grade spirit sword, yet he felt as if his neck would split open at any moment.
"Don't give me that nonsense!" You You asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Tell me, where did you hide Nie Zheng?"
"Grandpa, I really don't know him... Huh?" The Second Emperor subconsciously wanted to beg for mercy, but suddenly realized something and raised his head sharply. "Nie Zheng! You...you're looking for Nie Zheng?!" He looked surprised and delighted, as if he was about to get up and say something.
"You know?" You You's face darkened, and with a shove of her sword, she forced him back down. "Speak!"
"No! Grandpa, you've misunderstood. Nie Zheng... Nie Zheng is with me!" The Second Emperor looked like he'd won the lottery, and hurriedly explained, "If I'd known you knew him, I wouldn't have come all this way, really!"
"What do you mean?" Youyou tightened her grip on the sword, still showing no intention of letting him up.
Feng Rong and the others flew over, and Ning Hui also heard those words. She immediately asked anxiously, "What happened to Nie Zheng?"
"Fellow Daoist Nie is temporarily unharmed, but a month ago, he was seriously injured by that treacherous Yongqing and lost a part of his soul." The Second Emperor turned to look at Yongqing on the ground and continued to explain, "Yongqing is ruthless. I was afraid that if Fellow Daoist Nie stayed in the First Heaven, he would be found sooner or later, so I hid him in the Second Heaven for the time being. The reason I came here this time, besides Yongqing threatening me with the primordial spirit of an old friend, is also to find Nie Zheng's missing soul."
"You mean... you not only know Nie Zheng, but you also helped him?" You You glanced at him suspiciously. Even Feng Rong and the others didn't believe it; how could it be such a coincidence?
"It's true! He was healing at my place." The Second Emperor nodded frantically. "You're also friends of Fellow Daoist Nie, right? Grandpa, believe me, I really am a good immortal!"
Seeing their continued skepticism, the Second Emperor grew anxious and quickly explained the whole story to them in detail. Only then did they understand what had happened to Nie Zheng.
The Second Emperor's name is Huan Yan. He said that a few years ago, the First Emperor was not originally Yong Qing, but an immortal named Yun Tian.
Among the Nine Heavens Emperors, those in the first and second heavens do not hold high positions. Huan Yan and Yun Tian have known each other for many years and have always had a good relationship. Yong Qing and Nie Zheng were originally just ordinary immortals under Yun Tian's command.
When Qiu Yue stole the divine artifact, Yun Tian was severely injured and sent Nie Zheng to the mortal realm to find it. However, Nie Zheng was ambushed and killed by Yong Qing shortly afterward, who then became the new emperor. Not only that, he also imprisoned Yun Tian's primordial spirit to threaten the immortals loyal to the former ruler.
Hengyan originally wanted to seek justice for his friend, but Yongqing colluded with the Three Emperors and threatened Yuntian's primordial spirit, so he had no choice but to endure it.
Later, Nie Zheng returned to the First Heaven with the divine artifact. Yong Qing initially lied to Nie Zheng, saying that Yun Tian had died in an accident, in order to obtain the artifact. After obtaining the artifact, he then wanted to eliminate any future troubles.
"Alas, Fellow Daoist Nie had already sensed something, and I even sent someone to meet him on his way to the Second Heaven." Huan Yan sighed, somewhat puzzled. "But for some reason, he insisted on going to the Immortal Scripture Pavilion, saying he needed to look up some important information, which is why he was severely injured and lost a part of his soul. I wonder what it is that is so important."
"..." You You's grip tightened, and Feng Rong and Yuan Qi's expressions also turned grim. Others might not know what he was looking for, but they knew very well that Nie Zheng was there to help them find information about the God Clan, and he truly kept his word.
Suddenly, she understood why Nie Zheng's communication with her that day had been so strange; he was being chased at that time. And Yongqing probably learned about the other divine artifacts they possessed from Nie Zheng's fragment of soul power.
"How is Nie Zheng now?" Ning Hui couldn't help but ask anxiously.
"He is currently in my Heavenly Palace," Hengyan continued. "However, he has lost a soul, so his mind is not very clear at the moment. Although the primordial spirit of an immortal is powerful, the long-term absence of a soul is also very dangerous. If it is not found in time..."
"Take us to see him!" Before he could finish speaking, You You interrupted him, "Quickly!"
Hengyan was taken aback, but immediately nodded and said, "Okay... okay, Grandpa! No problem, Grandpa!"
"..."
Hengyan acted swiftly, immediately pulling out several teleportation talismans and leading them to the Second Heaven. The group had initially been somewhat skeptical of his words, but they discovered that Nie Zheng was indeed in the Second Heaven. Even without Hengyan's guidance, Feng Rong had tracked his aura and directly located him.
However, he looked similar to that of the other soul, except that he was even more haggard and had no reaction at all, his face blank like a puppet.
“Feng Rong…” You You winked at the little turkey and handed him the soul tablet containing a fragment of his soul.
Feng Rong nodded and, without delay, made a hand seal to summon the phantom in the soul tablet, mobilizing divine power to perform the resurrection spell.
"So, you had already found a fragment of his soul!" Hengyan was overjoyed. He looked at the illusory figure with delight, then glanced at Youyou, and blurted out flattery, "As expected of Grandpa!"
Youyou: "..."
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