Wayfarer

Blue light emanated from Xiao Nanfeng's body, suppressing the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar and preventing him from moving.

"To think I would ever end up in such straits, imprisoned by a mere cultivator at Yin Body... How am I to suffer such humiliation?!" the Dragon Yanluo raged.

"In your philosophy, you are a bandit, nothing more," Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

The Dragon Yanluo was silent for a moment before he took a deep breath. "You're right. I've lost. I'm upset that I lost, but I have to acknowledge your strength. I've seen countless cultivators at Yin Body, but none as strong as you are at this level. Losing to you is hardly unexpected."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "With just the power of a Heaven Immortal, you managed to suppress Blue Lantern despite his use of the Star Map of the Complete Heavens. You're a formidable person, but you killed Mr. Wen's direct relatives. For his sake, I can't allow you to go free. Go peacefully on your way. You don't belong in this era, not with me around."

Large quantities of blue light shot out of Xiao Nanfeng's palm and toward the Dragon Yanluo's scepter.

The Dragon Yanluo shrieked in pain and began to smoke.

Just then, the blood peach tree appeared by his side. Peach blossoms scattered and rapidly formed words.

"Xiao Nanfeng, don't kill him so rapidly. Didn't you want to understand the situation in the abyss outside Fengdu? It must know more than I do. Allow me to interrogate him on your behalf."

The peach tree's roots shot out and entangled the Dragon Yanluo.

"Senior, I would be happy to give him to you if you were to ask. Why snatch him from my grasp?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"I was worried you would strike too quickly and kill the Dragon Yanluo. Leave the rest to me."

The blood peach tree instantly thrust a large number of its roots into the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar, causing it to scream again.

"Who are you? How could you absorb my cursed spiritual power? You have the Snake Yanluo's cursed spiritual power in your body. You must be that senior who devoured the Snake Yanluo, the one Xiao Nanfeng was talking about. But which Yanluo Lord are you? Why don't I recognize you?" the Dragon Yanluo asked, shouting in pain.

The blood peach tree ignored the Dragon Yanluo and furiously absorbed its cursed spiritual power.

To the side, Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "Senior, weren't you going to help me interrogate the Dragon Yanluo? At this rate, you'll be the one to devour him."

Peach blossoms scattered and formed more words. "I'm just trying to drain him of all but the dregs of his spiritual power first. Once he feels fear, he'll naturally beg for mercy and tell you everything. If he remains stubborn, then there's nothing we can do. After all, if you were going to kill him anyway, you might as well let me devour him."

Xiao Nanfeng gave the peach blossom tree a complicated look. He could sense that something was amiss.

Suddenly, the Dragon Yanluo's eyes widened. "It's you! I know who you are, now. All you do is hide behind someone else and reap the benefits, but you walk around with a feigned air of mercy! Of us all, you're the most malicious and shameless!"

The blood peach tree didn't speak. It began to absorb the Dragon Yanluo more and more furiously. The Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar grew ever fainter.

The Dragon Yanluo gritted out, "You're trying to steal my Yanluo Court, aren't you? Dream on. I'd destroy it before giving it to you. Shameless scum like you don't deserve it!"

The Dragon Yanluo suddenly widened his mouth and spat a beam of black light at Xiao Nanfeng.

"You're intending to retaliate even though you're about to die?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

He swatted at the black beam with a palm glowing with blue light, but the beam passed straight through the light and landed on his palm.

The blood peach tree shook, as though infuriated by the Dragon Yanluo's actions. Its intensity ratcheted up, causing the Dragon Yanluo to swiftly grow faint and desiccated.

"It's useless to rage at me now. I'm going to hand my Yanluo Court to Xiao Nanfeng. At the very least, he took me down fair and square. As for you, all you do is hide behind others. You did that all the time with us—and now you've latched on to Xiao Nanfeng. I won't hand you anything!" the Dragon Yanluo shouted, laughing fiercely.

Then, with a pop, the blood peach tree absorbed him completely.

The Dragon Yanluo vanished in a cloud of smoke as the entire Yanluo Court trembled violently.

A black mole had appeared on Xiao Nanfeng's palm. He gave it an odd look. The black mole seemed to tether him to the Yanluo Court.

Just then, the blood peach tree conjured a few more peach blossoms. "Xiao Nanfeng, the Dragon Yanluo's trying to distort the relationship between us before he dies."

Xiao Nanfeng's brows furrowed slightly. "I won't fall prey to manipulation of this level, Senior. Don't worry."

"Would you hand his Yanluo Court to me? I can use it to help you deal with the other Yanluo Lords."

Xiao Nanfeng was silent for a moment. He refused the blood peach tree politely. "Senior, I'm still rather weak at the moment, and have quite a lot of enemies to handle. I'll need to use this treasure to fight against the other Yanluo Lords myself. In the future, once I grow strong enough to not need it for self-defense, I'll happily hand it over then."

The blood peach tree was silent for a time before it finally formed more words with its peach blossoms. "Very well."

Then, it vanished from sight.

Xiao Nanfeng considered the space where the peach tree had been. Was the Dragon Yanluo really only trying to drive a wedge between Xiao Nanfeng and the blood peach tree? Perhaps.

He didn't want to think too poorly of the blood peach tree, but not being on his guard at all. The blood peach tree had helped him out, but he had helped it out as well. He had acted generously and magnanimously, and he didn't owe the blood peach tree anything.

Just then, shouts came from the distance.

"Don't die, King!"

"King, what a wretched death!"

The dragons began to shriek and wail.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to see Ao Zhou's body falling to the ground and surrounded by Ao Zhou's subordinates.

Xiao Nanfeng flew down toward the ground. "What's wrong?"

Croak frowned. "When the cursed effigies took over the gathered dragons, they preserved the dragons' consciousness, which is why they could all be rescued. Ao Zhou is different. When the Dragon Yanluo took him over, he extinguished Ao Zhou's consciousness."

"Ao Zhou's been killed by the Dragon Yanluo?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

He immediately checked Ao Zhou's body. Indeed, his mindscape was completely empty, as though only Ao Zhou's body remained.

Had Ao Zhou really died?

Just then, Warble walked forward. "Since Ao Zhou's dead, let's split up the treasure on his body. I'm sure he carries a bunch around."

The gathered dragons glared angrily at Warble.

Suddenly, Ao Zhou opened his eyes and thundered, "Who dares steal my treasure?!"

"King, you're still alive?!" The dragons gaped in shock.

"Warble, were you deliberately trying to provoke Ao Zhou and awaken him?" Croak asked.

Warble stiffened, not realizing that Ao Zhou was actually still alive. It immediately pretended as though all this was planned, however. "That's right. I guessed that Ao Zhou had some trick to save himself. Considering how greedy he is, if anyone were to try to steal his treasure, he would awaken even if he were dead. As you can see, I was right."

The dragons bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Senior! You're amazing!"

"Naturally," Warble said.

However, a little regret seemed to be mixed in with Warble's expression.

"Thank goodness no one stole my treasure." Ao Zhou sighed in relief.

"Ao Zhou, you aren't dead? But there wasn't even a trace of spiritual power left in your mindscape!" Croak exclaimed.

"It's a secret technique passed down to me by my ancestors. What would you know about it? I'm not going to share it with you." Ao Zhou preened.

"Who cares? We have one of our own, too," Croak replied disdainfully.

Ao Zhou suddenly inspected his body. "What's going on? How did I break through? I'm an Earth Immortal now—and there's tremendous vitality running through my body! I can even break through again. What is this?"

"King, we've all grown stronger too."

"King, I'm about to experience my tribulation!"

"King, I'm almost an Earth Immortal myself. Once I distill the vitality running through my body, I'm sure I'll make it too!"

The dragons were all very excited.

"Haven't we been possessed by a group of cursed effigies? Could they have been trying to help us cultivate?" Ao Zhou wondered.

"You just got lucky," Croak said. It recounted the situation briefly.

"Truly? Haha! Xiao Nanfeng, I'm stronger than you are now!" Ao Zhou cried out.

"King, you're likely no match for Emperor Xiao just yet. While the Dragon Yanluo possessed your body, you were badly beaten by Emperor Xiao," one of the dragons whispered.

Ao Zhou: ...

"Ao Zhou, you couldn't even beat me just now," Croak added.

Ao Zhou gaped in disbelief. He turned toward the dragons, only to see them nodding.

Ao Zhou fell silent. He didn't know whether to be upset or desolate. Although he had broken through, he wasn't even able to beat Croak! What was there to be happy about?

"Let's get out of the Yanluo Court," Xiao Nanfeng suggested.

The spirits had no objections. Staying here made them feel unsafe.

Xiao Nanfeng brought the spirits toward where they had initially entered.

"How do we get out? There isn't even a door around here!" Ao Zhou said.

Xiao Nanfeng infused qi into the black mole on his palm. It gave off a large cloud of black smoke, forming a door out of the hall.

The door creaked open.

"How did you do that, Xiao Nanfeng?" Ao Zhou exclaimed.

Xiao Nanfeng was the first to step out of the Yanluo Court, followed quickly by the other spirits.

Then, the door creaked shut once again.

Xiao Nanfeng held his palm out. The giant Yanluo Court shuddered and shrunk in size as it flew toward the black mole.

At that point, even Ao Zhou realized what was going on. "You obtained the Yanluo Court? Xiao Nanfeng, we said we were going to split all treasure evenly. I have a share of this Yanluo Court too!"

It was obvious that the Yanluo Court was an immense treasure; how could he let it slide through his claws?

"King, the Dragon Yanluo gave the Yanluo Court to King Xiao. It's not part of our spoils from the ancient draconic palace," one dragon advised.

"You don't know anything! If I don't ask him for it, of course it wouldn't be part of my spoils. However, what if I do ask, and for some inane reason he agrees?" Ao Zhou chastised his subordinate. He then turned to Xiao Nanfeng again. "Xiao Nanfeng, you can't claim it all for yourself!"

Xiao Nanfeng ignored Ao Zhou. How would he even be able to share the Yanluo Court with others? He turned to look at Mr. Wen and the others, who had just flown over.

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