Wayfarer

The Dragon Yanluo freed himself just in time to see all the cursed effigies around him vanish.

A few draconic specters of light flew over from the back of the Yanluo Court, surrounded the Dragon Yanluo, and quickly recounted what had just happened to him.

The Dragon Yanluo narrowed his eyes. "Lad, how dare you! Are you Mr. Wen's newest helper? Do you intend to go against me?"

"My name is Xiao Nanfeng, not 'lad'," Xiao Nanfeng replied coolly. [1]

He retrieved the Star Map of the Complete Heavens from Blue Lantern's back and activated it. The star map began to give off radiant light.

"Blue Lantern, hide!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Blue Lantern was momentarily surprised to see that Xiao Nanfeng could command the star map himself, but he rapidly reacted and turned to hide.

"Even that formations expert controlling this treasure was no match for me. What do you think you'll be able to do?" The Dragon Yanluo sneered at Xiao Nanfeng, then launched himself at him.

"Seal!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

The starlit beams shot toward Xiao Nanfeng, forming a barrier that protected him.

The Dragon Yanluo smashed into the starlit barrier in a tempest. Xiao Nanfeng and the barrier were simultaneously flung back, but he was unhurt.

"Hiding in a tortoise's shell again?" the Dragon Yanluo demanded.

"The starlit blades can't catch up to your speed, and the starlit barrier can't trap you any longer. However, it can still protect me," Xiao Nanfeng said. Then, he waved a hand. "Starlit infusion!"

Starlight surged into his body, allowing his aura to rapidly grow stronger.

"What a potent treasure. It's growing more and more appealing to me." The Dragon Yanluo's eyes flashed with greed.

It shot forward without any hesitation, punching at the starlit barrier. A crack appeared.

"Restore!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

Starlit energy surged toward the crack and repaired it.

"You won't be able to break through the barrier. Once I've charged up enough energy, I'll deal with you then," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The starlit energy continued to fill his body as his aura grew stronger and stronger.

"I was unable to take advantage of my subordinates' strength while I was trapped in the barrier, but now that I'm freed, I'll easily be able to break this tortoise's shell of yours. Dragons, I summon you!" the Dragon Yanluo shouted.

Countless streams of seawater shot toward the Dragon Yanluo, transforming into a water serpent thirty thousand meters long. It was infused with draconic aura. As the Dragon Yanluo waved a hand, the serpent roared and shot toward the starlit barrier

in a huge explosion that forced Blue Lantern and the others to stumble back in shock. The serpent's entire bulk smashed into the starlit barrier, which cracked and looked as though it would break apart at any moment.

Just then, the Dragon Yanluo appeared by the side of the barrier and threw a punch forward, shattering the barrier and sending an explosion of force toward Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng, surprised, defended with a punch of his own. The two fists met in an explosion that sent Xiao Nanfeng flying.

"What strength!" he exclaimed.

"As you can see, I broke through the starlit barrier." The Dragon Yanluo sneered.

"So what? I'll just do it again!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.

With another wave of his hand, he surrounded himself with starlit beams, whose intersection formed another barrier. He continued to grow stronger by drawing on the power of the stars.

"Hiding in a tortoise's shell is pointless. It looks like I didn't use enough strength just now—take this!"

Even more serpents emerged from the water—not one, but ten thirty-thousand-meter-long serpents that shot forward as the Dragon Yanluo waved his hand. The ten serpents shot toward the starlit barrier from ten different directions. Xiao Nanfeng knew that he couldn't withstand their combined might.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned and stepped into the red moon illusory realm, vanishing from sight.

The ten serpents smashed into the starlit barrier in a tempest of titanic proportions, causing huge waves to swell over the surface of the sea.Once everything settled again, the Dragon Yanluo raised his head and looked up at the skies, only to see the stars shining faintly.

"Did he die?" the Dragon Yanluo wondered.

Shortly thereafter, in a flash of light, Xiao Nanfeng reappeared. The dim stars grew bright once again as their starlight surrounded Xiao Nanfeng.

"Oh? You have plenty of tricks to save your life, lad. Did you enter some special illusory realm just now?"

"Worry not. Once I grow as strong as you are, I won't have to rely on these tricks. We can fight head-to-head then," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Not only did he have to draw on the stars' strength, he even had to make sure the Dragon Yanluo's attention was focused on him. Otherwise, he would surely strike at Mr. Wen and the others.

"Oh? Should I thank you, then?" the Dragon Yanluo replied disdainfully. "Come, Yanluo Court!"

The Yanluo Court flew toward the Dragon Yanluo's back.

"Seal!" the Dragon Yanluo commanded.

The Yanluo Court immediately released countless rays of black light that shrouded the heavens above, dyeing everything black. Only a few faint beams of starlight filtered down toward Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng instantly sensed that something was amiss. He attempted to call on the red moon illusory realm once again. This time, however, he failed to summon a portal within.

"There's no need to keep trying. My Yanluo seal can prevent any manner of illusory realm from being opened. Prepare to die, lad!" the Dragon Yanluo crowed.

Another ten thirty-thousand-meter-long serpents rose out of the sea.

This time, Xiao Nanfeng wasn't able to hide in the red moon illusory realm any longer. He had no choice but to take on the serpents head-on.

"Starlit blades!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

With a hum, starlit blades formed across the heavens. The blades, 361 of them in all, shot straight toward the ten serpents.

"The starlit blades again?" The Dragon Yanluo frowned.

Afar, Mr. Wen gaped. "I was only able to summon the starlit blades because I had obtained one of the Spirit Emperor's secret techniques. Without that technique, it would require immense accomplishment with formations to be able to summon the starlit blades. Could Xiao Nanfeng be gifted with formations, too?"

Blue Lantern was equally shocked. "I thought I was the only one who could manage such a feat. How could Xiao Nanfeng do so repeatedly?"

The starlit blades struck the ten serpents in a tempest. The resulting shockwave, along with the Dragon Yanluo's follow-up attack, ended up shattering the starlit barrier, sending Xiao Nanfeng flying once more.

Mid-flight, Xiao Nanfeng twisted his body and stabilized himself.

"You're unhurt?" the Dragon Yanluo remarked in shock.

"Dragon Yanluo, you won't be able to hurt me any longer," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The starlight had continued to infuse his body throughout the entire fight, and his aura had grown stronger and stronger. The Dragon Yanluo felt a tremendous sense of danger.

"I don't believe you're already my equal in strength. Serpents, come!" the Dragon Yanluo commanded.

"Starlit blades!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out, directing them toward the Dragon Yanluo.

The serpents rose into the air; the starlit blades fell from the heavens. The two attacks clashed against each other once more, and the resulting shockwave battered the starlit barrier in conjunction with the Dragon Yanluo's fist. The starlit barrier shattered yet again,

but Xiao Nanfeng met the Dragon Yanluo's fist with his own. Both parties skidded hundreds of meters through the air.

"Impossible. How could you have grown so quickly?"

"I'll be able to kill you soon enough."

The Dragon Yanluo's eyes twitched as it belatedly realized that Xiao Nanfeng was telling the truth. If he dragged out the fight any longer, it would only turn irreversibly in Xiao Nanfeng's favor. His eyes glinted fiercely.

"Serpents, come!" the Dragon Yanluo shouted again.

"Starlit blades!" Xiao Nanfeng countered.

The same techniques struck each other again in a huge explosion, and the two parties exchanged blows once more.

"Something's wrong!" Xiao Nanfeng realized.

The Dragon Yanluo knew that this wouldn't work; why would he repeat the same actions? He had to be planning something.

As expected, just as they were about to strike each other, the Dragon Yanluo sneered maliciously. "Explode!"

"You're self-destructing? Are you crazy?!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

The Dragon Yanluo exploded in a wave of fire and wind that swallowed up Xiao Nanfeng instantly.

"Your Majesty!" You Jiu cried out.

"The Dragon Yanluo's intending on killing Xiao Nanfeng along with itself!" Blue Lantern murmured.

"No," Mr. Wen replied, his pupils contracting. "He's trying to destroy the Star Map of the Complete Heavens and break off Xiao Nanfeng's link with the firmament!"

As the explosion dissipated, Xiao Nanfeng was revealed at its heart, protected by a red moon that was pitted and perforated as a result of the massive explosion. Within the red moon, Xiao Nanfeng had been grievously injured. He was a bloody mess and extremely weak. The Star Map of the Complete Heavens had dissipated in a pile of fragments.

The starlight vanished; Xiao Nanfeng was no longer able to draw on the power of the stars.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and thundered, "Dragon Yanluo, don't you want the Star Map of the Complete Heavens?"

Not far away, by the entrance to the Yanluo Court, a humanoid shadow slowly manifested—none other than the Dragon Yanluo. He chuckled coldly. "A treasure that commands natural law is valuable, but that doesn't mean I would discard everything else for it. As long as I kill you, I'll be able to secure other such treasures in the future. Furthermore, by crippling you, I don't lose out. To think that you would be able to survive my self-destruction... But don't worry, I'll finish you off now. Even after losing my body, I'll be able to revive within my Yanluo Court. Just you wait, haha!"

The Dragon Yanluo shot toward the Yanluo Court, but a length of red rope suddenly curled around his specter.

"I won't let you go," Xiao Nanfeng said, weakly grasping onto the red rope.

"If you want to die, come at me!" the Dragon Yanluo's specter shouted.

He passed through the doors to the Yanluo Court. Xiao Nanfeng, holding on to the length of red rope that bound him, was dragged within as well.

1. Just like the Dragon Yanluo, he refers to himself as an emperor. The closest English analogue is the use of the royal we: 'Our name is Xiao Nanfeng, not 'lad'.' But I don't want to do this because it sounds particularly pretentious. ☜

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