Wayfarer

Outside the Immortal city of Fengdu, Huo Qing had no choice but to retreat. He vanished from everyone's sight.

Atop the watchtower, Xiao Nanfeng commanded, "Pay close attention to the villa that the Goat Yanluo's in."

"Understood!" the cultivators replied.

Only then did Xiao Nanfeng step away.

Rather than leave the outskirts of Fengdu, Huo Qing was hiding amidst a patch of forest as he glared at Xiao Nanfeng, who slowly vanished from sight.

"You brat. How dare you strand me out here! Do you think I won't be able to do anything against these cursed effigies without Fengdu's help? I've killed countless cursed effigies in the past."

Huo Qing turned toward the huge villa outside the city as his face turned dark. "It took the crown prince tremendous effort to secure me this appointment as city lord. If these cursed effigies cause me to lose that position, it'd ruin the crown prince's plans. They have to die."

Huo Qing lay in wait within the forest, in no rush to strike. Two days later, after everyone thought that he had left, he snuck into the villa.

The moment he entered, he found himself surrounded by cursed effigies. However, they had just emerged from the abyss and were initially quite weak. The cultivators they had possessed weren't particularly strong, either, and they would be no match for a Heaven Immortal like Huo Qing.

Rather than attack recklessly, Huo Qing reined in his aura as he headed toward the central hall of the villa.

He was able to be so arrogant and domineering by the city gates because the Immortal Emperor's edict meant that no one could touch him. Here, however, he might easily end up in a battle to the death. He had no choice but to be alert.

He lay hidden outside the hall, watching the cursed effigies in the area patrol it. He smirked. "I saw the Goat Yanluo within yesterday. He must be in secluded cultivation. I'm sure he doesn't expect me to strike at him."

He retrieved a blue spike and shot it at the gathered cursed effigies in a beam of light.

"Something's wrong!" One cursed effigy, noticing that something was amiss, tried to cry for help,

but the spike instantly pierced through its forehead. It stiffened, pupils dilated, and died on the spot. The blue spike shot out of the back of its head and toward the next cursed effigy, rapidly killing a group of them.

Huo Qing didn't stop there. He shoved open the doors to the hall and rushed within, intending to slaughter them all as quickly as possible.

However, the moment he tried to dash into the hall, he smashed against a transparent barrier. It was particularly sturdy and even managed to block his charge.

Knowing that something was amiss, he rapidly slashed at the barrier. The resulting shockwave caused the hall to shatter—but the only damage to the barrier was a small crack.

"Bind!" a voice came from the other side of the barrier.

With a snap, the transparent barrier suddenly twisted, trapping Huo Qing in its middle. The top and bottom sealed shut, forming a spherical barrier with Huo Qing at its center.

"Impossible!" Huo Qing roared.

He repeatedly struck at the sphere with his longsword, but only managed to cause a small crack each time. The moment he drew back his longsword for another strike, the crack healed.

Outside the sphere, the Goat Yanluo smirked. "I thought you would have waited a few more days before you launched a sneak attack, but it looks like you're far more impatient than expected. You only lasted two days!"

"Goat Yanluo, you're going to perish. You only have the strength of a Heaven Immortal, and you don't even have a cursed spiritual avatar! How are you going to take on the divine empire of Dayin? It won't end well for you!" Huo Qing roared as he struck the spherical barrier.

"Do you think I would fear the divine empire of Dayin? My own empire back then was far larger than the divine empire of Dayin. The fact that a puny Heaven Immortal like you dared to strike at me—do you really think I'm so weak I can't even kill the likes of you?"

He extended his right hand and swung his palm like a blade. A transparent crystal knife seemed to manifest in the air.

"Crystalline annihilation!" the Goat Yanluo shouted.

With a hum, the crystal knife extended straight into the spherical barrier as though it weren't present at all. It struck toward Huo Qing.

"No!" Huo Qing exclaimed, feeling the threat of death.

He defended with his longsword, which shattered from the impact. The crystal knife continued undeterred.

It bisected the spherical orb, then vanished from sight.

Within the orb, Huo Qing had been cut in half. Blood sprayed all over in a gruesome scene.

"A Heaven Immortal? In the past, it would have sullied my hands to kill a Heaven Immortal myself," the Goat Yanluo said disdainfully.

Just then, a bolt of blue light shot toward the spherical orb and pierced through it.

At the same time, Huo Qing's yin body appeared from his mindscape, caught the blue light, and shot back out. His yin body fled from the villa.

"Die!" the Goat Yanluo thundered.

He sent a palm strike at the light. The blue light vibrated, instantly turning much fainter, but began to move even more quickly. It brought Huo Qing's yin body into a patch of forest far away and vanished from sight.

The Goat Yanluo watched the blue light vanish. "A cursed armament? Count yourself lucky."

Not long later, within a patch of forest, Huo Qing's yin body stumbled to the ground, paralyzed. The Goat Yanluo's hasty blow had grievously wounded his yin body.

He clutched onto a blue spike in his hand and cursed. "If not for this copper spike, I might have perished completely there. Goat Yanluo, you'll pay for what you've done."

Vexed, Huo Qing's yin body, clutching the copper spike, again headed to the gates of Fengdu.

"I'm in the form of a yin body now, and it should be obvious I haven't been possessed by a cursed effigy. Now, let me in! Ahem!" Huo Qing shouted even as he began to cough.

The guards were shocked to see Huo Qing's translucent yin body. Rather than act independently, however, they hurriedly informed Xiao Nanfeng of the situation.

Xiao Nanfeng quickly approached the city gates.

"Xiao Nanfeng, I attempted to defeat the Goat Yanluo, but he schemed against me. Now, let me in!" Huo Qing cried out anxiously.

Afar, the cursed effigies noticed and shot toward Huo Qing's yin body. "Quick! That bastard's over there. Don't let him run!"

"Let me in, or I really am going to die! Hurry!" Huo Qing exclaimed.

"Let him in," Xiao Nanfeng instructed. "Coincidentally, I do want to know more about the situation with the Goat Yanluo.

"Understood!"

The city guards manipulated the formation to reveal a small opening in the barrier. Huo Qing immediately rushed within as the hole vanished.

The cursed effigies were vexed to see Huo Qing make it into the city, but they didn't pursue him further. Rather, they turned and left.

"Huo Qing, shall we speak of the Goat Yanluo in Fengdu Hall?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Very well. Let's go," Huo Qing said immediately.

Xiao Nanfeng and Huo Qing set off toward Fengdu Hall.

At the entrance to the hall, Huo Qing suddenly said, "The Goat Yanluo's situation is a secret. I'd like to speak to you about it privately."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Have your subordinates wait outside the hall."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded after a moment's consideration. "Very well."

He could sense that something was amiss with Huo Qing, but was confident enough in his strength to not refuse him.

The moment they stepped within Fengdu Hall, Huo Qing shut the door with a wave of his hand.

"We're alone in here. What do you want from me? Why did you want to talk to me alone?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I'd like to borrow your body." Huo Qing's eyes glinted.

He sent a beam of blue light straight at Xiao Nanfeng.

"You think you can possess me despite only being at early-stage Yin Body? You really are reckless, aren't you?" Xiao Nanfeng retaliated disdainfully with a palm strike.

The palm strike struck the blue light, but mysteriously, it shattered Xiao Nanfeng's palm strike immediately.

"I might be weak right now, but this copper spike is no ordinary relic. It can even counter a Heaven Immortal's technique and is specialized against souls and cursed effigies. It'd be a piece of cake to shatter your yin body. Now!" Huo Qing shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He slashed toward the copper spike with his blade, causing it to stop short as it resonated intensely.

"Impossible. How could you block my copper spike? It was able to break through even the Goat Yanluo's crystalline barrier!"

"What could a slave do against its master?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted coolly.

"What?"

"To think you would have a dragon-quelling spike... I had countless subordinates of mine search for them to no avail, but you've just handed me one." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

The dragon-quelling spikes were condensed from the undying cursed king's cursed spiritual power, whereas his divine undying blade was his cursed spiritual avatar. How could the dragon-quelling spikes hope to harm the divine undying blade?

Xiao Nanfeng caught the copper spike in one hand. As expected, it stopped resisting and allowed Xiao Nanfeng to claim it.

"Impossible. Return my dragon-quelling spike to me!" Huo Qing shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes turned cold. With a palm strike, he slammed Huo Qing into the ground. Huo Qing's yin body spiderwebbed with cracks; he was grievously injured.

"It's time to reveal what you saw and heard within the Goat Yanluo's villa," Xiao Nanfeng said, stepping on his body with one foot.

"You dare attack me? I'm an official of the divine empire of Dayin, and countless cultivators saw me step in here with you. If I were to die, you'd have to bear the blame," Huo Qing warned.

"You really do overestimate yourself, don't you? If I want to kill you, I can do so without worrying about others' actions. The divine empire of Dayin can't suppress me," Xiao Nanfeng said disdainfully. To the blood peach tree, he said, "Senior, would you help me interrogate him about what he saw? You're familiar with the Goat Yanluo, and should be able to judge the accuracy of his testimony. After that, please feel free to claim his yin body."

The blood peach tree suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Its roots thrust toward Huo Qing.

"Another cursed effigy? No! Xiao Nanfeng, I'll reveal anything you want. Don't kill me!" Huo Qing shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng only glanced coldly at Huo Qing. Huo Qing had tried to possess him; he had no intention of letting that slide. As for his testimony, it would be convenient if Huo Qing had any useful information, but it didn't matter much either way.

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