Wayfarer

At daybreak, under the gaze of countless cultivators, Xiao Nanfeng flew back into Fengdu.

Everyone could see that Xiao Nanfeng had claimed almost all the Immortal relics from beneath Yin's watchful gaze, a windfall of dozens of Immortal relics at once. The cultivators' eyes turned red with envy.

Xiao Nanfeng flew toward the plaza outside Fengdu Hall and instructed the others, "Guard Fengdu Hall until I leave it."

"Understood!" Ye Dafu and Chang Bing replied, despite not knowing what he was planning.

The door to Fengdu Hall slammed shut.

A huge blood peach tree appeared within the hall out of nowhere.

"Senior, thank you for taking the time to watch over the city while I was gone. Did anything happen in the meantime?" Xiao Nanfeng asked expectantly.

The blood peach tree's branches shook. Many peach blossoms fell to the ground; the petals formed words. "As you expected, one of Yin's rivals was hiding in Fengdu. While Yin was absorbing the abyssal demons, it almost moved to attack Yin several times, but ultimately resisted the temptation to do so."

"Oh? Is it another of the ten Yanluo Lords?"

The blood peach tree formed more words. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the goat zodiac. It too has possessed a Heaven Immortal."

"They really are everywhere, aren't they? Where is it?"

"It followed Yin out of the city when you barred Yin access. It's likely going to launch a sneak attack on Yin."

"It's already left Fengdu? Wonderful. That'll save me some work, then." Xiao Nanfeng nodded, then asked, "Senior, do you know how dangerous that abyss is?"

"I've been gone from that illusory realm for too long. The situation within is likely completely different from how I remember it, but without any exception, the most dangerous entities within are the Yanluo Lords."

"Do you have any means of dealing with them, Senior?"

"Deal with the Yanluo Lords in the world at large. I'll absorb their cursed spiritual power and grow strong enough to handle those within the illusory realm."

"I've roused Yin's ire, Senior, and it's sure to seek revenge on me once it digests the cursed spiritual power it absorbed. How might I deal with it?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The blood peach tree was silent for a moment. "I am no match for it. You will have to handle it yourself."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned as he nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Senior."

The blood peach tree shook as it vanished from sight, returning to Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape once again.

Xiao Nanfeng sat in the Fengdu Hall, deep in thought. Finally, he released a breath and opened the door.

The moment he did so, he heard a hubbub outside.

"All of us obtained those Immortal relics together. You can't just take them all!"

"Right, all our forces suffered injuries and deaths. We deserve a portion of the Immortal relics too."

"Hand over the Immortal relics!"

The seven commanders were arguing with Ye Dafu and the others for their share of the Immortal relics.

When Xiao Nanfeng left the hall, everyone turned toward him.

"Xiao Nanfeng, are you intending to claim all the spoils for yourself?"

"Xiao Nanfeng, no one but the divine empire of Dayin can declare you the acting city lord!"

"The Immortal relics don't belong to you!"

The commanders all began to make a fuss. No one was satisfied with Xiao Nanfeng being the acting city lord.

Xiao Nanfeng was in no rush. He turned to the gathered commanders. "I claimed these relics from Yin's possession myself. It's unrelated to any of you."

"We participated in the battle too. Of course the spoils ought to be divided with us!" the commanders replied.

"That said, I would be amenable to distributing these Immortal relics," Xiao Nanfeng continued, smiling.

"Oh?" The commanders quieted down as they looked toward Xiao Nanfeng in anticipation.

"As acting lord of Fengdu, I'll give you one opportunity to obtain these Immortal relics. Consider it a bounty I'm issuing."

"A bounty?" The commanders didn't understand what Xiao Nanfeng was trying to get at.

"If you want the Immortal relics, claim them with your own skill. Do you see my twelve subordinates here? If any of you can make them surrender to you in a fight, all the relics here will be yours. I won't take a single one."

"What?" The commanders gaped at Xiao Nanfeng.

Ye Dafu and his lackeys glanced toward Xiao Nanfeng in astonishment. This was an amazing boon!

"Ye Dafu, how many Immortal relics did we claim during this expedition?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Eighty in all," Ye Dafu immediately replied.

"Very good. I'll issue a bounty with these eighty relics in store. Whoever can beat Ye Dafu into submission will obtain twenty-five, while each of his eleven subordinates will be worth five. Is this acceptable to everyone?"

The commanders had seen Ye Dafu and the others fight before, and they were at most Human Immortals in terms of physical cultivation. Quite a few among their number had yet to become Immortals themselves. Wouldn't it be easy to take them down?

"Is it a one-on-one fight, or are we ganging up?" Ye Dafu asked immediately.

"Ganging up? Who against whom?" one commander immediately asked, alert. He thought that Ye Dafu was laying a trap for them.

"All of you against me, of course," Ye Dafu said.

The gathered commanders: ...

Had they misheard? Wasn't there something wrong with this proposition?

"How about this? Only one among Ye Dafu's crew will be available to fight at once. Ye Dafu and the others will choose how many people they want to face—after all, they're the ones who'll be beaten up. They can choose to face your cultivators in a one-on-one or many-on-one. You'll choose your fighters, and they'll choose how many of them they want to face. Isn't this fair?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The commanders goggled. They could very well send a whole battalion of soldiers to beat up Ye Dafu's crew!

"What counts as surrender?" one commander asked guardedly.

"When they beg for mercy," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The commanders gaped at Xiao Nanfeng. Was he deliberately handing them those eighty Immortal relics? These terms were far too favorable for them!

Meanwhile, Ye Dafu and his lackeys were eagerly awaiting their upcoming massages.

"Commanders, do you consider these terms fair?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Of course! I support your terms, Acting Lord Xiao!"

"Acting Lord Xiao, you'd better keep your word!"

"You won't renege on your promises, will you, Acting Lord Xiao?"

The commanders grinned, thinking that these terms were overwhelmingly in their favor.

"Today, I intend on dealing with city management and the distribution of work for officials throughout the city in the short term. Some officials may refuse to heed my orders, so I'll need Ye Dafu and his crew for the day. All of you can erect a stage outside the city beforehand in preparation for Ye Dafu's crew's fight against all of you tomorrow. What do you think?"

"Acting Lord Xiao, all the officials in the city naturally have to listen to your orders!"

"Right! If anyone dares to go against your orders, I'll take them on myself!"

"It's settled, then!"

The commanders all promised to cooperate with Xiao Nanfeng; there was no longer any dissent about him becoming the acting city lord.

"I'm counting on all of you, then." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"It's our duty!" the commanders replied.

After they left, Chang Bing gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look. "Xiao Nanfeng, do you intend on stabilizing the situation in Fengdu at the cost of eighty Immortal relics? Isn't that too high a cost to pay? We held back against Ye Dafu and his crew because we're from the same sect, but the seven commanders won't do any such thing. They'll strike hard and harsh."

Xiao Nanfeng smiled. "The Green Battalion is welcome to participate as well. You don't have to hold back, either."

"What?"

"Rather than hand these Immortal relics to outsiders, why not keep them among ourselves? If you can beat Ye Dafu's crew to the point where they surrender, you'll be able to win the Immortal relics on the same terms as well."

"You must be crazy. You're all but giving away eighty Immortal relics!"

"You'll still have to be skilled enough to claim the prize," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.

Chang Bing: ...

"I'm assigning you two responsibilities. First, immediately have all the important officials of Fengdu gather outside Fengdu Hall. As acting city lord, I need to understand what's going on within the city and assign them responsibilities. You're the most familiar with the region, so I'm leaving this to you."

Chang Bing frowned. Although he was unwilling to accept orders from Xiao Nanfeng, he still nodded. "Very well."

"Next, immediately dispatch a messenger to the capital of Dayin and explain that a Yanluo Lord from the abyss has been freed. Disaster is imminent in the city of Fengdu; request that the Immortal Emperor of Dayin send someone strong to suppress the cursed effigy. In addition, request comprehensive support to head into the abyss and rescue Lan Jiguang."

"Understood!" Chang Bing replied.

Once Chang Bing and the others left, Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Ye Dafu and the others. "You'll be able to withstand the seven commanders' attacks, won't you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty! The more we get hit, the faster our cultivation will rise. The stronger they are, the more comfortable we'll be!" Ye Dafu cried out.

"I'm aware of how... interesting... your cultivation technique is, which is why I've used those eighty Immortal relics as bait to help you train faster. I hope you'll all take advantage of this opportunity to become Immortals," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. There are seven of us who aren't yet Immortals, but they're just one step away. We'll all become Immortals quickly!" Ye Dafu promised.

"You should take advantage of the opportunity to raise your cultivation as well. Become an Earth Immortal as quickly as possible."

"Understood!" Ye Dafu replied.

"Furthermore, all of you really need to start being more circumspect. Whenever you're in a fight, you look as though you're enjoying your beating. Do you want others to discover what's up with your cultivation technique?"

"Your Majesty, we're doing our best to restrict ourselves. We're aware of what we should be doing, that we should display expressions of pain rather than pleasure, but we simply can't control ourselves. Being beaten simply feels so good!" Ye Dafu cried out.

"Right, Your Majesty, this is simply a side effect of Indomitable Body," Ye Dafu's lackeys added.

Xiao Nanfeng pressed his lips together. Was something truly wrong with Indomitable Body itself, or with Ye Dafu and his lackeys? Indomitable Body was first developed in a Buddhist monastery; how had it become so... corrupted?

Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience