Wayfarer

Chapter 508: Trapping Another Cursed Effigy

The moment he passed through the barrier, Xiao Nanfeng tossed the Yin-Yang Cauldron to the ground. The lid spilled open, releasing yin and yang energy in conjunction with fog.

Before the two cursed effigies could speak, Xiao Nanfeng immediately clutched his eyes in pain. "King, this lad had accomplices working with him. He even tried to melt me down with the yin and yang energies from this cauldron, and I barely escaped! I managed to kill his accomplices, but I was injured as well. Something's wrong with his physical body, and his soul keeps trying to evade me. I finally found it, but was unable to do anything to it. Tremendous cursed spiritual power is imbued within his soul, and I feel as though I'd be able to return to my peak if I swallow it."

"Return to your prime? You must be joking," Zhang Lingjun replied, frowning.

Although she didn't believe Xiao Nanfeng, she did very much want to return to her prime. Her curiosity was stoked.

"It's true, King! You can check his body yourself," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Let me have a look," the red-robed man suggested.

"You're unlikely to be able to suppress Xiao Nanfeng, either. Only the king can do it." Xiao Nanfeng walked toward Zhang Lingjun.

Zhang Lingjun frowned. She was interested and curious. After all, when she tried to possess Xiao Nanfeng, she had discovered something amiss about him. Could there really be something strange about his soul?

"Something's wrong! Xiao Nanfeng's soul is about to escape. I can't catch him. He opened up a portal into an illusory realm and is about to flee into it. Don't run!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, clutching his eyes.

"Could that be how he escaped in the past? Quick, show me!" Zhang Lingjun commanded, striding right up to him.

With a puff, a golden lotus hood appeared above Zhang Lingjun's head and floated over to Xiao Nanfeng's head. Just then, a large quantity of black fog formed about it.

The black fog shrouded the golden lotus hood as the black lotus within the fog struck.

"What? Did you trick me?" the Past Buddha demanded.

The red-robed man blanched and attempted to shoot forward when a burst of strength surged forth from behind. Xiao Nanfeng had induced him to walk straight up to where the Yin-Yang Cauldron was located.

"Yin and yang, circulate!" Chang Bing shouted.

A large quantity of yin and yang energy sprayed out from the cauldron and surged toward the red-robed man. Simultaneously, purple-furred monsters and golden arhats emerged from the cauldron, swinging around chains that trapped the red-robed man and dragging him toward the cauldron.

"You overestimate yourselves, fools! Break!" the red-robed man roared.

He shattered the chains binding him in a huge wave of energy that sent the gathered cultivators flying.

Xiao Nanfeng dragged Zhang Lingjun into the Divine Seal of Dazheng, then smashed that seal into the red-robed man.

The red-robed man turned and was struck with a direct hit from the seal radiating with golden light. He stumbled and took three steps back before stabilizing himself.

"Lad, you're not strong enough to suppress me yet!" the red-robed man shouted, withstanding the might of the Divine Seal of Dazheng.

Just then, the Yin-Yang Cauldron flew over and scooped up the red-robed man along with the dirt underneath his feet.

"What?" the red-robed man exclaimed.

With the Divine Seal of Dazheng overhead and the yin and yang energies surrounding him to prevent his escape, he knew that he wouldn't be able to escape once the cauldron's lid was sealed.

He clawed at Xiao Nanfeng. "I'll trap you with me, then!"

The cauldron sealed shut as Xiao Nanfeng and the Divine Seal of Dazheng were dragged into the Yin-Yang Cauldron as well.

"Division Leader!" Chang Bing cried out from outside.

"Don't worry about me. Use the yin and yang energies of this cauldron to melt us down!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

"Understood!"

Roiling yin and yang energy shot toward the red-robed man and Xiao Nanfeng.

"Are you crazy? You're an Earth Immortal! Do you want to die?!" the red-robed man roared.

The yin and yang energies struck the two cultivators like a storm of blades, inflicting tremendous pain all over their bodies.

"Lad, are you really an Earth Immortal? How can your physical body handle such force?"

Xiao Nanfeng stored his divine seal as he concentrated entirely on defense.

"I don't believe you're going to perish alongside me!" The red-robed man struck Xiao Nanfeng with a palm strike.

Xiao Nanfeng met the palm strike with his fist. He was sent flying and crashed against the side of the cauldron. Yin and yang energy surrounded him, ruining his clothes.

He wasn't badly injured; a small trickle of blood seeped out from his lips. His physical body glowed with golden radiance, and there was only a faint imprint of a palm on his chest.

"Impossible. How could your physical body block my blow?" the red-robed man cried out. Then, he narrowed his eyes. "Do you cultivate the Imposing Avatar of Rulai?"

"You know of it, do you?" Xiao Nanfeng said coldly as he continued to defend against the yin and yang energies around him.

"And so what? I'm possessing a True Immortal, so I'll surely be able to take you down. If one strike isn't enough, I'll do ten. I don't believe those cultivators outside will allow you to die without attempting to rescue you!"

"You're done for," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

He used his candleflame powers to flee from the Yin-Yang Cauldron.

"Impossible!" the red-robed man shouted.

He leapt toward Xiao Nanfeng, only to crash into the side of the cauldron.

"I've seen the Yin-Yang Cauldron before in the past. No one can escape without unsealing the lid. You must have used some special technique to shroud yourself and remain within the cauldron. Come on, come out!" the red-robed man shouted.

Just then, Xiao Nanfeng's voice could be heard from outside the cauldron. "What are you waiting for? Activate the yin and yang energies fully to melt down the cursed effigy within!"

"Understood!" Chang Bing and the others replied.

The red-robed man blanched. "Did he really make it out? This can't be!"

The yin and yang energies within the cauldron increased by an order of magnitude, swamping the cursed effigy immediately. In no time at all, screams could be heard from the cauldron.

Just then, everyone had been shocked to see Xiao Nanfeng escaping from the Yin-Yang Cauldron.

"How did you escape, Division Leader?" Chang Bing cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng put on another set of robes. He didn't explain himself. "What are you waiting for? Activate the yin and yang energies fully to melt down the cursed effigy within!"

"Understood!" everyone replied.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to the black fog close by, where the black lotus was attempting to subjugate the Past Buddha.

"It's you? How could you still be alive? We Buddhas of Three Aspects destroyed you back then, so how could you have transformed into a cursed effigy? This can't be!" the Past Buddha howled.

A flash of golden light illuminated the black fog. The Past Buddha sacrificed a portion of its own body to blow a hole in the fog and escape, dashing into a pile of ruins in the palace and vanishing.

The black lotus didn't give chase. Rather, it returned to Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape.

"Senior, did the Past Buddha regain too much of its strength?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

The black lotus wrote out, "It did. I thought I would be able to take it down, but faltered at the last moment."

"What now?" Xiao Nanfeng asked in worry.

"Melt down the cursed effigy in this cauldron for now, then allow me to devour it. After that, we can think about how to deal with the Past Buddha."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

He waved a hand and brought Zhang Lingjun out of the Divine Seal of Dazheng.

She collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. He shot forward and grabbed her before she could fall.

"Wake up, Princess!" Xiao Nanfeng called out.

However, Zhang Lingjun remained immobile and unconscious.

"What happened to the princess?" the purple-furred monsters cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng replied, "She cultivates the Taiqing Yin Body. I suspect that her yin body hid in the red moon illusory realm when she was possessed."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry. The physical body is the anchor to the soul. Perhaps in a moment, when her yin body discovers that the state of her physical body is different, she'll return."

"Got it!" The purple-furred monsters breathed out in relief.

A day ago, in a small yard in the palace at Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar sat on a reclining chair and sipped on tea as he basked in the sun. The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost stood angrily beside him.

"I've sent the documents for nominating a substitute Martial Aspect to your manor. Why hasn't your main body made a move?" the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost demanded.

"How do you know I haven't made a move? Have you received word from within the palace?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, sipping on his tea.

Beside the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost, a cultivator murmured, "My main body received word that, of the three cursed effigies within the Palace of the Moon, one just headed out to catch Xiao Nanfeng. He found Xiao Nanfeng's body and raised an alert. A delegation left to hunt him down, but we don't have more information at the moment."

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost frowned. He turned toward Xiao Nanfeng. "I advise you to rescue Ao Shuai as quickly as possible, or else..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Wait patiently. How do you expect me to save him? Do you realize how strong those three cursed effigies are? They've possessed True Immortals, while my other body is only an Earth Immortal. Do you expect me to take them head-on? Of course I have to use my wiles instead!"

"You don't have to deal with them. You just have to rescue Ao Shuai," the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost replied.

"You do it, then!"

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost: ...

He waited for an entire day before finally giving in to his impatience and asking, "Why hasn't your other body gone to rescue Ao Shuai yet?"

"Aren't you tired of staring at me like this all day?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I need to ensure that you're working to rescue him."

Xiao Nanfeng turned around and ignored the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost.

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost frowned and was about to continue rushing Xiao Nanfeng when the cultivator beside him spoke up. "The latest news from the palace is that Xiao Nanfeng's main body was possessed by the cursed effigy from yesterday. He's returning to the Palace of the Moon with the Yin-Yang Cauldron to meet up with the other two cursed effigies."

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost frowned, then looked toward Xiao Nanfeng, who seemed completely unperturbed. "No. Xiao Nanfeng's main body hasn't been possessed. It's an act. Could he have dealt with one of them already?"

As expected, after a moment, the subordinate reported, "A fight broke out within the barrier. Xiao Nanfeng used a cloud of black fog to trick another cursed effigy from leaving its host and trapped it. A second cursed effigy was forced into the Yin-Yang Cauldron via a sneak attack—no, the cursed effigy trapped in the black fog ran off!"

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost gaped. "Really? Did he take down another cursed effigy?"

"I swear it!" the subordinate replied.

"Very good," the Martial Aspect of Silverfrost said. "At the very least, you didn't trick us. Since you can deal with them, take down the last one immediately!"

Xiao Nanfeng rolled his eyes. "Is this how you talk to others when requesting their assistance? If you speak to me in this manner again and ruin my mood while I'm trying to save Ao Shuai, you'll be responsible if I fail."

The Martial Aspect of Silverfrost stiffened. He glared at Xiao Nanfeng and had no choice but to suppress his anger and avoid speaking.