Wayfarer

Chapter 423: Barging into the Wu Capital

Xiao Nanfeng cleaned up the battlefield and reclaimed his divine undying blade as he made to leave with the Heaven Immortal's yin body in tow.

The cultivators in the distance watched on, stupefied. Upon seeing that Xiao Nanfeng had completely won the fight, they jumped out of hiding.

"City Lord Xiao, we're right here!" they called out.

Xiao Nanfeng flew toward them. "Let's go!"

"Understood!" the cultivators replied.

They flew off into the distance.

Not too long later, entities of tremendous strength arrived. Heaven's Hand, sensing their presence, shot toward them.

"Something has happened here. Fellow Yanluo Lords, let's split up this cloud of annihilation evenly and add it to our own Yanluo Courts' control," one of them suggested.

"Very well!" the other Yanluo Lords replied.

The Yanluo Lords struck simultaneously, tearing apart the blood-colored cloud of annihilation. Heaven's Hand dissipated—but the blood-colored cloud began to resonate, as though preparing for a stronger blow.

"We'll be escorting the pieces of this cloud back to our capitals. The rest of you, scour this area and figure out what happened!" the Yanluo Lords commanded, then flew off.

"Understood!" The countless effigies that had flocked toward the valley began to search their surroundings, but Xiao Nanfeng and his group had long since flown off. They wouldn't be discovered by the cursed effigies.

In the city of Wuliu, Xiao Nanfeng and his party returned to find the city in mourning.

After some interrogation, Xiao Nanfeng and the others found out that the Heaven Immortal had killed dozens of cultivators from the alliance in order to force them to reveal Xiao Nanfeng's whereabouts.

"You really are evil, aren't you? Couldn't you have found an excuse? Just say you're my friend—did you have to kill and forcibly interrogate them? Even if I don't kill you, the heavens would never forgive someone like you," Xiao Nanfeng spat out.

"City Lord Xiao, please avenge us!" the alliance's cultivators cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng took a deep breath as he nodded. He looked toward the Heaven Immortal's yin body with killing intent.

The yin body shuddered. "You can't kill me! I only killed a few insignificant cultivators. Their lives aren't worth the same as mine! I know lots of information. I can tell you about the crown prince and his subordinates!"

"There's no need. I don't trust your information, and I have no interest in trying to sift out fact from fiction. These cultivators have worked hard to help me, and I intend to avenge them. It's time you paid back the karmic debt for your misdeeds," Xiao Nanfeng said coolly.

As he clenched his palm tightly, the yin body began to shatter.

"No! You can't kill me. I'm an official of the divine empire of Dayin. If you kill me, the empire won't forgive you. They won't let you go!" the yin body threatened.

"Then let them come for me. It's past time you paid for your actions," Xiao Nanfeng declared.

He crushed the yin body. Spiritual power drifted across the land.

The cultivators gaped at Xiao Nanfeng, then bowed down in gratitude. "Thank you, City Lord Xiao!"

"No need for thanks," Xiao Nanfeng replied brusquely. "If anyone's searching for me and you can't defeat them, just send them my way. There's no need for you to sacrifice your lives."

The cultivators were silent. They nodded, momentarily choked by emotion.

"City Lord Xiao, we've received word about Lady Yaoguang, whom you were looking for," one cultivator suddenly said.

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

The next moment, he suddenly realized something. Why hadn't the cultivator mentioned that news from the start? He must have been worried about Xiao Nanfeng's personality, about his ability to deliver on what he had promised them. Someone might have informed him of the news in a few days' time, but learning about the information now could very well be crucial.

"Where is Lady Yaoguang?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"She's been captured and brought to the capital of Wu," the cultivator replied.

"The capital of Wu? The territory that the Horse Yanluo controls?" Xiao Nanfeng clarified.

"Yes, City Lord Xiao! My brother was the one who passed me the information, and he's waiting for you in the city of Wusan at the moment. He barely missed the opportunity to inform you of the news himself. He told me that he witnessed Lady Yaoguang being captured by the Horse Yanluo personally. She had a blue moon floating around her; a sinister sword within protected her from the Horse Yanluo's attacks. He was unable to do anything against her and had no choice but to bring her into his capital. We don't know what happened after that."

"When was this?"

"Two months ago."

"Bring me to the capital of Wu immediately," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"City Lord Xiao, there are countless cursed effigies within the capital of Wu, and the Horse Yanluo's seat of power is there. It's particularly dangerous," the cultivator warned.

"That doesn't matter. Take me there," Xiao Nanfeng requested.

"Understood!"

Half a day later, that cultivator led Xiao Nanfeng to the capital of Wu. They hid within a forest some distance away from the capital and watched the goings-on within the city.

There were no walls around the territory, only a huge signboard on which was written "Capital of Wu."

There were no mortals around, only a large number of demons and horse-headed humanoids. Plenty of the horse-headed cursed effigies' residences exuded a gloomy aura that made the city feel cursed.

In addition to horse-headed humanoids, there were other types of cursed effigies present. Not far away, an ox-headed humanoid led a group of chained cultivators deep into the capital. The cultivators were despondent, but none of them could break free.

"Why are there ox-headed humanoids in the Horse Yanluo's territory?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"The subordinates of friendly Yanluo Lords are welcome here. That ox-headed humanoid is likely an envoy bearing gifts for a noble personage within. The fact that he's being so ostentatious is likely intentional, but I'm not sure what his motive might be."

"Perhaps they're simply trying to keep an eye on their allies' strength," Xiao Nanfeng guessed.

"I couldn't say, City Lord Xiao. However, it's clear that it's far more dangerous here than the sea of karmic flame." The cultivator was visibly anxious.

"There's a cloud of annihilation in the sky around here too. What lies underneath the Horse Yanluo's Yanluo Court? And what's that pit of red flames over there?"

"One of the eighteen layers of hell involves being burned alive in a wok of oil, and another involves a volcano. Those red flames were formed from the fragments of that layer of hell."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

He had obtained a tremendous boost to his cultivation from the sea of karmic flame, and was naturally interested in related phenomena. However, he turned his attention away quickly. There were more important tasks at hand.

"City Lord Xiao, the moment you step close to the capital of Wu, those cursed effigies will be able to sense your human presence. It'll be extremely dangerous," the cultivator warned again.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "You should return for now. I'll be fine."

"But..."

"Go on. Don't worry."

The cultivator could only nod as he retreated.

After he did so, Xiao Nanfeng emerged in the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar.

In a cloud of black fog, the draconian flew toward the capital of Wu.

"Who are you? Hold it!" a shout came from afar.

Xiao Nanfeng ignored the shout and continued flying forward.

"I said, hold it! Didn't you hear me? And what's with this black fog all around you? What's with the cloak and dagger?!" a horse-headed humanoid shouted, rushing forward.

Xiao Nanfeng casually sent a huge palm strike toward the horse-headed humanoid.

"No!" he cried out.

He was slammed into the ground, forming a pit around him.

"Enemy assault!" voices thundered from all around.

A large number of horse-headed humanoids and the demons they controlled charged forward.

"Truly a group of insolent fools. I've only been absent for a hundred years. Don't you recognize me any longer? As if I have to contend with the likes of you to meet with the Horse Yanluo." The black fog dissipated to reveal a dragon-headed king.

The horse-headed humanoids gasped.

"The Dragon Yanluo? How could this be?" a horse-headed humanoid cried out.

"Where lies the Horse Yanluo?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

The horse-headed humanoids glanced at each other in confusion, as though trying to determine whether the Dragon Yanluo before them was the real thing. The commotion that Xiao Nanfeng had caused quickly attracted the attention of many. When they saw Xiao Nanfeng, they too were astounded.

"Are you all deaf?" Xiao Nanfeng shouted again.

Just then, a horse-headed humanoid stepped forward. "Don't be tricked! He's not the Dragon Yanluo. He possessed the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar. I was on guard by the sea of karmic flame, and he almost killed me!"

"What?!" the horse-headed humanoids exclaimed.

"The Horse Yanluo's subordinates are truly growing more and more insolent. What, didn't you learn your lesson from the human I possessed? Do you intend to continue provoking me? Step forward, then. I'll make an example of you and show the Horse Yanluo how to instruct his subordinates," Xiao Nanfeng said coldly.

The horse-headed humanoid blanched. He tried to defend himself, but was hastily pulled into the crowd by a group of others. Perhaps they still doubted the Dragon Yanluo's identity, but they wouldn't reveal their suspicions in front of him.

"Dragon Yanluo, my subordinate tends to shoot his mouth off. Please accept my apologies. The situation with the sea of karmic flame led to a commotion. My lord has sent a portion of the cloud of annihilation from your Yanluo Court back to the capital, and he's conferring with the other Yanluo Lords at the moment. All the Yanluo Lords are gathered by the sea of karmic flame. If you seek a meeting urgently, you may head there directly," one horse-headed humanoid reported, bowing to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes brightened. The fact that the Horse Yanluo wasn't present was a piece of welcome news indeed.

"There's no need. I have business with the Horse Yanluo, not the others. I don't intend to head over. I'll wait right here for the Horse Yanluo to return."

He flew straight toward the Horse Yanluo's Yanluo Court.

Some of the horse-headed humanoids flew to report the news to the Horse Yanluo. The others hovered anxiously around Xiao Nanfeng, worried that he would cause trouble.

Although they were rather doubtful about his identity, they were erring on the side of caution. After all, who but the Dragon Yanluo could have retrieved the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar from within the sea of karmic flame so easily? Who would dare impersonate a Yanluo Lord and enter the heart of another Yanluo Lord's territory?