Wayfarer

Chapter 449: A Kiss Farewell

Two types of Heaven's Hands existed within the Netherworld Palace: one remained on guard by the mouth of the abyss, preventing any cursed effigies from escaping. Another type floated around on clouds of annihilation, specifically targeting and annihilating cursed effigies.

Lady Yaoguang had lured over the second type of Heaven's Hand. The three Heaven's Hands, sensing the aura of the two Yanluo Lords, rushed right over.

"No!" the Tiger and Ox Yanluos exclaimed.

They turned to run, but the Heaven's Hands moved far too quickly. In a flash, two of them each caught one Yanluo Lord. The third one reached into the cloud of fog. After a loud crash, it emerged with a screaming Rabbit Yanluo.

The moment the three Heaven's Hands appeared, the cursed effigies blanched and fled.

Lady Yaoguang flew over herself. When she saw the wounds all over Xiao Nanfeng's arhat armor, she frowned in worry. "How are you, Nanfeng?"

Xiao Nanfeng clambered up and shook her head. This suit of arhat armor is the only thing that's damaged. I've retrieved your parents' physical bodies. We can leave right away."

"Got it!" Lady Yaoguang replied.

"Stop them!" Yin commanded.

"Understood!"

A group of tiger-headed humanoids shot toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Don't worry. They aren't a concern for me. Your parents' physical bodies are in the Divine Seal of Dazheng. You'll be able to claim it on your own," Xiao Nanfeng said.

He reached out and brought Lady Yaoguang within his suit of armor and into the seal.

Then, he turned and threw out a punch, sending a tiger-headed humanoid fleeing.

"Yin, shouldn't you be worried about your main body instead? Do you think you should be trying to take me down?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"I and the Ox Yanluo have grown much stronger, and these Heaven's Hands will only deal us serious injuries at worst. You won't be able to flee today!" Yin said coldly. He turned and howled at a group of his subordinates. "What are you waiting for? Catch Xiao Nanfeng!"

From within another Heaven's Hand, the Ox Yanluo roared, "Catch Xiao Nanfeng!"

"Understood!"

The tiger- and ox-headed humanoids all rushed toward Xiao Nanfeng.

Surrounded, he was unable to escape. The cracks on his arhat armor propagated.

"Xiao Nanfeng, you're trapped here now, haha!" Yin laughed as he pounced on him, attacking him along with the other cursed effigies.

Xiao Nanfeng, immobile, had no choice but to defend against the attacks.

Just then, the Rabbit Yanluo screamed from within the fog, "You damn monk, how dare you drag me into Heaven's Hand?! You despicable man! Even if I have to die, even if the other Yanluo Lords will benefit from my demise, I refuse to hand my possessions over to you. Explode!"

With a huge, resounding explosion, the cloud of black and white fog dispersed, revealing the Heaven's Hand within. It cracked from the force of impact, and a black shadow suddenly flew out.

"A Yanluo Court!" Yin exclaimed. He shot over in delight.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up. "Explode!" he echoed.

He caused his arhat armor to explode in a storm of fire and wind. The cursed effigies all around him were destroyed.

"Die, Xiao Nanfeng!" Yin howled.

The tiger- and ox-headed humanoids around him screamed.

After the explosion had passed, Yin and all the cursed effigies were sent flying. At the heart of the explosion floated the Divine Seal of Dazheng. Xiao Nanfeng had retreated into it once more.

The next moment, Xiao Nanfeng and Lady Arclight emerged from the Divine Seal of Dazheng. The two of them rushed straight toward the black shadow.

"Hold it!" Yin gritted out, bearing with the pain of his injuries.

Yin and the other cursed effigies flew toward Xiao Nanfeng and Lady Yaoguang, but in vain. The two of them had already made it to the black shadow.

Lady Yaoguang's blue moon barrier blossomed. The cursebane sword protected her, fending off the cursed effigies heading their way as she was flung back.

"Be careful, Nanfeng!" Lady Yaoguang called out.

By then, Xiao Nanfeng had already sent the Divine Seal of Dazheng careening toward the black shadow, which it absorbed in a flash.

The cursed effigies behind Xiao Nanfeng struck at him, sending him flying. His clothes became a pile of tattered rags, but his Imposing Avatar of Rulai kept him safe.

"How are you, Nanfeng?" Lady Yaoguang asked.

"I'm alright. Let's go!"

He summoned a pile of Immortal relics, which he tossed out in a huge explosion that caused the cursed effigies giving chase to falter.

Taking advantage of that window of opportunity, he and Lady Yaoguang fled to the mouth of the abyss. By the time the cursed effigies made it there, chains appeared out of thin air, binding them and forbidding them egress. This was a natural law of the Netherworld Palace.

"Get back here, Xiao Nanfeng!" Yin shouted, spitting out blood.

Xiao Nanfeng and Lady Yaoguang flew up through the cracks in Heaven's Hand and through the mouth of the abyss back overworld.

"We're safe now," Xiao Nanfeng said, breathing out a sigh of relief.

Just then, the Heaven's Hand that had captured the Rabbit Yanluo and the blood peach tree exploded in an intense conflagration of flame. Some of the flames even burst out of the mouth of the abyss, leaving superheated air behind.

The flames were incredibly potent, but they were unable to break through Lady Yaoguang's blue moon barrier, nor Xiao Nanfeng's Imposing Avatar of Rulai. They only singed what remained of his clothes. Xiao Nanfeng and Lady Yaoguang exchanged a smile within the flames.

Right before the flames completely dissipated, the blood peach tree rushed out of the mouth of the abyss, flashed by their side, and vanished into Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape.

"Could you put on some clothes?" Lady Yaoguang asked, flushing red.

Xiao Nanfeng looked at his body, only to find that the scraps that remained were rapidly being burned up. He scratched his head in embarrassment. "Hold on."

He dressed himself in another set of clothes as Lady Yaoguang's flush deepened.

"Alright. Let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng said.

However, Lady Yaoguang didn't make a move. She stared at Xiao Nanfeng, unwilling to let him go so quickly.

"What's the matter?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Suddenly, Lady Yaoguang hugged Xiao Nanfeng and pushed him to the side of the abyss. His back pressed against its cold wall.

"What are you doing, Yaoguang—" Before Xiao Nanfeng could finish, his mouth had been plugged.

Lady Yaoguang had drummed up her courage and kissed Xiao Nanfeng right by the mouth of the abyss.

Xiao Nanfeng widened his eyes. When had Yaoguang become so daring?

There were cultivators up above and cursed effigies down below. This passionate kiss right in the middle made his heart thud.

He enjoyed this single moment of respite even in the midst of his shock, hugging Lady Yaoguang tightly and sharing in their resonant feelings.

After a moment, a voice emerged from outside the abyss. "The flames have vanished. Let's go down and have a look!"

Lady Yaoguang released Xiao Nanfeng. Her heart was thudding, her face red like a tomato.

"Yaoguang, that—" Xiao Nanfeng was about to say something.

"I'm leaving!" Lady Yaoguang shouted, not looking back. As though she were shy, she shot right up into the air.

"Ah, hold on! Let's leave together!" Xiao Nanfeng called out from behind, then chased her out.

He and Lady Yaoguang flew out of the mouth of the abyss, one after the other.

"The holy maiden is out!"

"Xiao Nanfeng? You made it out, too?"

"Division Leader Xiao!"

"City Lord Xiao is safe!"

Shouts came from all around them.

Only then did Xiao Nanfeng discover that there were crowds of cultivators gathered around the mouth of the abyss.

Some were soldiers and forces of Fengdu, led by Chang Bing. He looked at Xiao Nanfeng in excitement.

Some were cultivators radiating with holy light. They were guarding Yin Tianci, who was glaring at Xiao Nanfeng.

Another group wore robes the same shade of blue as the Shangqing blue moon. They seemed furious at Yin Tianci, as though some altercation had taken place between them right before. Qu Jianfeng was among them.

Qu Jianfeng headed for his niece, Lady Yaoguang, with radiant excitement. A group of blue-robed cultivators surrounded her as well.

"Yin Tianci, how dare you lie to us! You said that there were a few Yanluo Lords attacking each other down below and forbade us from entering. Were you trying to harm Lady Yaoguang?" Qu Jianfeng demanded.

Lady Yaoguang saw Yin Tianci's avatar in the vicinity. She understood what was going on now. Yin Tianci's avatar had to be the one scheming to prevent the cultivators from the Shangqing holy land from entering the abyss in search of her.

"I greet the elders of the Shangqing holy land. I was steeped in danger within the abyss, and Yin Tianci attempted to capture me many times. He even conspired with the Rabbit Yanluo against me in an attempt to master my soul and make me his slave. Elders, please assist me!" Lady Yaoguang exhorted.

"What? Yin Tianci, how dare you!" the Shangqing cultivators thundered.

Yin Tianci frowned. "Qu Jianfeng can bear witness that I entered the Netherworld Palace in order to rescue Holy Maiden Yaoguang. However, she was tricked by Xiao Nanfeng and hoodwinked into maligning me."

"Hm?" The Shangqing cultivators frowned as they looked toward Qu Jianfeng.

"And how should I know what you've done in the abyss? I can hardly attest to your claims!" Qu Jianfeng retorted.

The cultivators then turned to Xiao Nanfeng. Many Shangqing cultivators stared at him warily, as though worried that she really was in love with him.

Lady Yaoguang continued coolly, "Xiao Nanfeng saved me, and I thank him for it. However, I am a holy maiden of the Shangqing holy land, with a grand future ahead of me. There yet lies an incredible gap between me and Xiao Nanfeng. How could I be interested in him? Yin Tianci, how dare you besmirch my name!"

The Shangqing cultivators exhaled in relief. They looked toward Xiao Nanfeng with far more gentle gazes than before.

"Could you have been taking advantage of Xiao Nanfeng all this time?!" Yin Tianci exclaimed.

"Honored elders, please guard my innocence," Lady Yaoguang exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Holy Maiden!" a Shangqing cultivator replied. He turned toward Yin Tianci. "Yin Tianci, explain yourself for preventing us from rescuing our holy maiden and besmirching her name. Otherwise, we'll bring this matter to the Immortal Emperor of Dayin!"

Yin Tianci: ...