Wayfarer

Chapter 426: The Horse Yanluo's Might

Within the Yanluo Court, Lady Yaoguang flew out from the black lake. She discovered that the rock of fate by the side of the lake had conjured a spiritual image of her with Xiao Nanfeng. Realizing something, she waved a hand and uprooted the rock.

She stored it in her storage bangle, then retrieved a gourd relic. She motioned at the lake, sucking all the water into the gourd.

"Yaoguang, you're taking even the lakewater with you? Why does it feel like you're trying to destroy some sort of evidence?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Nonsense! I'm not destroying evidence!" Lady Yaoguang replied, flushing red again. She continued, "Also, you should address me as Lady Yaoguang. Don't be rude."

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Lady Yaoguang really was every bit the tsundere she used to be.

"You've grown so quickly! You're already at Yin Body—comparable to me!" Lady Yaoguang considered Xiao Nanfeng carefully.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't know how to respond. His spiritual power had already eclipsed Lady Yaoguang's back then. How was he supposed to respond?

"I simply got a few chance opportunities, but you're clearly stronger than I am," Xiao Nanfeng replied, chuckling wryly.

Lady Yaoguang lifted her head high, revealing her snowy-white neck as she smiled. "Naturally!"

For some reason, she seemed to have forgotten the crisis they were in. Interacting with Xiao Nanfeng was so pleasant an experience that she couldn't keep a smile off her face.

She quickly absorbed the entire lake's worth of water. Then, she considered her surroundings and confirmed that she had left nothing behind before she made to leave.

"That peach tree vanished in a blink. Is that another cursed effigy that's been hounding you?" Lady Yaoguang asked.

"The blood peach tree, you mean? I suppose it counts," Xiao Nanfeng replied, nodding.

Lady Yaoguang immediately clucked. "What a strange constitution you have. Others might not encounter a cursed effigy in their lifetime, but you seem to find yourself with a neverending string of them! How unlucky you are."

Xiao Nanfeng blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Right, we're in a Yanluo Court! How did you make it here? And how did you enter the Netherworld Palace? How did you know I was here?" Lady Yaoguang shot a barrage of questions at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Now's not the time for this. The Horse Yanluo is conveniently away from the capital of Wu. We had better escape while we can! I'll explain everything to you afterwards."

"Got it," Lady Yaoguang replied, clearly putting a lot of trust in Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng retrieved the Divine Seal of Dazheng. "This relic has an internal space within it. Enter it and I'll bring you out."

"What about you?" Lady Yaoguang asked.

"I have the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar, and I'll be able to defend myself. Please, hurry!" Xiao Nanfeng brought out the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar.

Lady Yaoguang was momentarily taken aback, but she nodded immediately. "Very well. We'll talk later. If you encounter any difficulty, let me know and I'll help you. I might only be at late-stage Yin Body at the moment, but my divine sword's particularly strong. Even the Horse Yanluo can't do anything against it."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

He held on firmly to Lady Yaoguang's hand. She flushed again, but didn't struggle, as he brought her into the interior of the Divine Seal of Dazheng.

Time was pressing. Xiao Nanfeng immediately retreated from the seal and headed back into the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar.

The draconian trembled, as though returning to life. He immediately headed toward the darkness.

Very quickly, Xiao Nanfeng reappeared by the doors of the Yanluo Court. He had marked the entrance when he entered; after finding the right spot, he activated the power of the Spirit Emperor. The void before him blazed with candlelight.

With a whoosh, he stepped out of the Yanluo Court. He was feeling particularly relieved at his success, and was intending to leave immediately.

Just then, an aura of tremendous strength surged toward his body, encapsulating him.

"The Dragon Yanluo? You're finally back after all these years? What brought you here to my capital?" a booming voice asked.

A particularly strong horse-headed humanoid was slowly walking toward him, a crown on his head and robes of black brocade with gold-edged draconic motifs on his body. He considered Xiao Nanfeng appraisingly.

"Horse Yanluo, you've returned surprisingly quickly," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

He thought he had made a speedy escape, but he was still too late to avoid a confrontation. This was a dangerous situation.

"I only just made it back myself. You appeared out of my Yanluo Court before I could head inside to find you. Didn't you claim that you would never return to the Netherworld Palace? What are you doing back here? The first thing you did was to barge into my Yanluo Court. Are you really here to snatch my woman away?" The Horse Yanluo narrowed his eyes at Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng focused, body taut with nerves. He knew that if he were to shrink back from the argument, the Horse Yanluo would instantly realize that something was amiss.

He was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a glimpse of ridicule in the Horse Yanluo's eyes. He knew that something might have given him away.

"Why aren't you speaking, Dragon Yanluo?" the Horse Yanluo asked, laughing in a sinister fashion.

Xiao Nanfeng took a deep breath. Despite knowing that he might have been exposed, he had no choice but to continue acting. There might yet be an opportunity to escape, but only if he played his part.

"Since you've returned, I suppose the rest of them are here, too." Xiao Nanfeng continued to pretend to be the Dragon Yanluo.

"Hmm? Who could you mean?"

Xiao Nanfeng pretended to be calm as he sucked in a breath and shouted, "Everyone, if you're already here, why are you still hiding? Do you need me and the Horse Yanluo to invite all of you out?"

The horse-headed humanoids weren't the only ones present in the capital of Wu. There were other cursed effigies here in the capacity of guests, and they had surely gone to report to their respective Yanluo Lords upon witnessing the Dragon Yanluo.

Xiao Nanfeng was betting that the other Yanluo Lords had made their way to the capital of Wu as well. If he tried to run, he wouldn't be able to escape. Why not gather the other Yanluo Lords and see if he could cause some sort of schism? That might give him an opportunity to flee.

The Horse Yanluo scanned his surroundings. Then, as though discovering something, he laughed coldly. "Everyone, I thought we had just decided to part ways. Have you all chosen to join me once again? Do you need me to tender you an invitation?"

A figure flew toward them from afar, causing a windstorm to rise up as he landed. The horse-headed humanoids all around stumbled back. The figure that had just descended was an ox-headed humanoid with a crown on his head and robes of black brocade with gold-edged draconic motifs on his body. It wasn't difficult to guess his identity.

"I hope you've been well, Ox Yanluo," Xiao Nanfeng called out, feigning calm.

"Dragon Yanluo, what are you doing back here? Not only that, you caused a huge mess with the cloud of annihilation on your return. We had to deal with it on your behalf. How are you going to repay this favor?" the Ox Yanluo asked.

Just then, another Yanluo Lord flew over. This one had a monkey's head and was dressed in white robes. His descent likewise sent the horse-headed humanoids all around stumbling back.

"Monkey Yanluo? Long time no see," Xiao Nanfeng greeted politely.

The Monkey Yanluo was wearing a white draconic robe. He narrowed his eyes at Xiao Nanfeng before suddenly starting to laugh. "You're not the Dragon Yanluo. To think the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar would have been possessed! Who could you be? Why are you trying to impersonate the Dragon Yanluo? How bold you are!"

"You dare mock me?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted coolly.

The Monkey Yanluo scoffed disdainfully. "Lad, we've known the Dragon Yanluo for a hundred thousand years. We've schemed against each other for that long. We know each other better than we know ourselves. The moment I saw you, I knew you couldn't be the Dragon Yanluo. It'd be one thing to try to trick our subordinates, and another thing entirely to trick us. The Horse and Ox are only playing with you. Can't you tell?"

Indeed, the Horse and Ox Yanluos were narrowing their eyes at Xiao Nanfeng.

Clearly, the Horse, Ox, and Monkey Yanluos had all sensed that something was amiss. No matter how good Xiao Nanfeng's impersonation had been, it wasn't sufficient.

He stared at the three Yanluo Lords, confirming that the Monkey Yanluo was telling the truth, before he reached out into his mindscape and retrieved several Immortal relics.

"Oh? What's this? You want to fight?" The Monkey Yanluo laughed.

Xiao Nanfeng activated several Immortal relics and tossed them at the three Yanluo Lords, then soared into the air.

The relics exploded.

"You're trying to run? Do you take us for fools?" The Horse Yanluo laughed.

The three Yanluo Lords struck simultaneously, each launching a palm strike at Xiao Nanfeng. The exploding relics were sent flying. The Horse Yanluo slammed a palm down at Xiao Nanfeng, the attack descending straight from the heavens.

Xiao Nanfeng retaliated with a punch of his own. The fist and palm strikes met in a howling tempest. The fist burst; the palm strike struck his body,

causing him to still. He felt powerless, as though he was unable to resist. The palm strike was far stronger than even the arhat armor he had recently faced.

"How could a Heaven Immortal be this strong?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

His body was smashed into the ground, forming a huge pit. The palm strike hadn't yet dissipated. It continued to press down on him, rendering him immobile.

"The Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar isn't that easy to command. Lad, you can't draw out its full strength. Now, quake!" the Horse Yanluo commanded.

Xiao Nanfeng was forced out of the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar as he coughed out mouthfuls of blood. He was sent flying from the impact.

A Heaven Immortal horse-headed humanoid pressed down on his shoulders. Tremendous force was infused into his body to seal his spiritual power. He couldn't move.

"Just a puny cultivator at Yin Body!" the Horse Yanluo exclaimed.

"King, it was him! He was the one who repeatedly slew us at the mouth of the abyss!" a horse-headed humanoid reported.

"It was him! He somehow managed to clear away the sea of karmic flame and killed so many of our brethren. There was a peach tree cursed effigy working with him as well!" another horse-headed humanoid shouted.

The Horse Yanluo smirked. "You've really made a mess, haven't you? It's too bad you're done for now."