Wayfarer

Chapter 454: Provoking the Peach Tree

Many of the blood peach tree's roots were bitten off, but a storm of paper fragments caused them to quickly regrow.

"Pearl, do you intend on protecting him? You won't succeed!" The blood peach tree shot up into the air again.

The silver moon didn't back down. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a series of spiky teeth, and bit down. However, part of the blood peach tree's roots extended and curled toward the moon from the back.

The next moment, the moon formed another mouth and set of teeth at its back, then bit down on the roots again.

Shocked, the blood peach tree turned to run. It had lost much of its branches and roots, and appeared to be in particularly bad shape.

"Pearl, are you set on going against me? All you can do is control Xiao Nanfeng's moon at present. Can you guard the rest of his body?" the blood peach tree roared.

The silver moon returned to normal after digesting its meal. It hung high in the air, immobile, not deigning to speak with the blood peach tree.

"In other words, you can't do anything against my moon, or the rest of my body?" Xiao Nanfeng smirked.

"Do you really think I don't have any other means of dealing with you? Just because you can harmonize doesn't mean that I can't. You won't be able to escape. Sea of flowers!" the blood peach tree shouted.

A veritable sea of flowers exploded forth, cloaking everything in sight. Peach blossoms spawned everywhere snowflakes did, and in even greater quantity besides. Xiao Nanfeng's deific domain was completely enclosed.

"An overlapping peach blossom domain..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

"You won't be able to run anymore. Now I just have to exhaust your spiritual power and make your domain fade. I'd like to see how you harmonize then! Even the superior yin pearl won't be able to save you," the blood peach tree spat out.

"Blizzard!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

Countless snowflakes struck the peach blossoms with incredible frost, causing them to shatter. However, the peach blossoms regenerated quickly.

Next, Xiao Nanfeng commanded his silver moon to attack the blood peach tree, but the superior yin pearl didn't seem willing to help him out. The moon didn't develop any mouths, much to Xiao Nanfeng's chagrin.

The snowflakes and peach blossoms nullified each other, neither giving way to the other.

Xiao Nanfeng grimaced. This sort of attack would be particularly detrimental to him in the long run.

He manipulated his deific domain as he flew toward the distance.

"Our domains are tangled up in each other's, and you won't be able to get free from me. Where you go, I'll go as well. As long as you remain in your deific domain, you'll be consuming a great deal of spiritual power. You'll be fully drained in no time. Xiao Nanfeng, I recommend that you give up. If you surrender to me, I'll fulfill some of your final wishes for you." The blood peach tree cackled.

"It looks like the Dragon Yanluo was right. You're a despicable cursed effigy who hides behind and takes advantage of others. I shouldn't have rescued you to begin with."

"You shouldn't have been so foolish as to rescue a cursed effigy," the blood peach tree retorted.

"I only did so because you wrote down 'Madam Rouge'. How do you know her?"

"There were traces of her aura in your mindscape, which I identified immediately. Where is she?"

"I won't tell you."

"Ha! I'll be able to find her even if you don't tell me anything. She left a special aura behind in your mindscape—has she fallen for you? You must have tricked her, just like you tricked the Divine Emperor. Casanovas like you ought to die!"

The blood peach tree seemed unable to rein in its emotions upon speaking of Madam Rouge. It was incensed.

"You weren't enemies with Madam Rouge? Aren't you afraid that she'll take revenge on my behalf?"

"You don't deserve someone like Madam Rouge. All men who have tangled with her ought to die. They all ought to die!"

"In that case, you must want to pursue Madam Rouge. Did she disdain you? Is that why you want to kill all the men by her side? You're perverse!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"Oh, she'll be interested in me. Once I recover the Records of Life and Death in full, I'll be her equal. She'll treat me differently then."

"Aren't you a monk? Shouldn't monks be celibate?" Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully.

"That's none of your business!"

"How could it be none of my business? Madam Rouge is my woman. A despicable being like you must be shameless to attempt to interfere in our relationship!" Xiao Nanfeng declared.

He was trying to occupy the blood peach tree's attention to hide his true intentions.

"Nonsense! Madam Rouge is the paragon of an empress, prideful and haughty. No man in the world could ever be her equal, not even the cursed kings of any era. How could she be your woman?!" the blood peach tree roared.

"Don't you believe me? You can ask the cursed kings by my side. They witnessed my love for Madam Rouge. We knew each other intimately. We loved and guarded each other, and even swore vows for all eternity. Long is our love!"

"Nonsense. You don't deserve her!" the blood peach tree howled.

"Whether you like it or not, it's the truth."

"Why would she leave you, then? Liar!"

"She simply had urgent affairs to take care of. A short separation makes reunion all the sweeter. Do you know anything about love at all?" Xiao Nanfeng continued to provoke the blood peach tree.

"You're lying. You don't deserve her!" The blood peach tree visibly shook.

"You're only a monk. What would you know about the nature of our love? Save your breath."

He found that the blood peach tree had become inordinately jealous. As Xiao Nanfeng continued to flex his romantic relationship, the blood peach tree seethed on the brink of rage. It didn't seem to notice Xiao Nanfeng's plan at all.

"Right, I even wrote Madam Rouge a song while we were together—The Moon Represents My Heart. Shall I sing it to you?" Xiao Nanfeng continued. [1]

"Impossible. You already have a few women. How could she accept you as her lover?!"

"Love triumphs over all. Why does it matter to a third party like you, anyway? She looks down on you and wouldn't have been with you, regardless."

"Xiao Nanfeng, once all your spiritual power is drained, I'll torture you in all eighteen layers of hell! Your fate shall be worse than death!"

"Beat me first. As for now, I forbid you from bringing up the name of my woman. You have no right."

The man and tree bickered for almost two hours as they flew.

"Xiao Nanfeng, not only will I kill you, I'll kill all your women as well. They'll suffer ignominious deaths!"

"That's enough. Here we are. It's time for you to die." Xiao Nanfeng immediately changed his tone.

The blood peach tree belatedly realized that they were right outside a large capital. Countless cursed effigies were staring at them in shock, and a Yanluo Court was roiling with black smoke.

"This is—the capital of Chou!" the blood peach tree exclaimed.

"Ox Yanluo, I have the monk who instigated the rebellion a hundred thousand years ago by my side. Are you interested?" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

The doors to the Yanluo Court in the distance creaked open as the Ox Yanluo stepped out in a burst of black smoke.

"Xiao Nanfeng? You dare return?" the Ox Yanluo thundered.

"Ox Yanluo, I bring you a princely gift. This blood peach tree was that monk, and it has even swallowed up the Rabbit and Snake Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatars. Do you want it?"

"You're lying to me, aren't you?" The Ox Yanluo frowned.

Upon seeing the snow and peach blossoms scattered throughout the air, he could guess that Xiao Nanfeng and the blood peach tree had turned on each other. However, whenever Xiao Nanfeng appeared, Yanluo Lords would die. He couldn't help but worry that this too was a scheme against him.

"I'm enemies with the Tiger Yanluo. If I had to choose between him or you, it'd be you. Now that I've delivered this generous gift to you, you owe me a big favor, alright?"

1. A very famous Chinese ballad. ☜