Wayfarer

Chapter 580: Xiao Nanfeng Lies in Wait

Within the Thunderclap Hall, fire and wind raged on.

Emperor Feng was exceptionally strong, but he was still much weaker than the Yin Shenhua of the present. Simple manipulations from Yin Shenhua were sufficient to render Emperor Feng helpless.

"Give up now. Don't make me have to kill you," Yin Shenhua laughed.

"Dream on. Explode!" Emperor Feng shouted.

A huge hole was blasted out of Thunderclap Hall as Emperor Feng attempted to flee. However, another golden formation barred his way. Lotuses bloomed all over, blocking sight from either direction and stopping Emperor Feng from leaving.

"You won't be able to get away. My Thousand-Lotus Formation is too strong for the likes of you at present, let alone when I'm here to empower it."

"Explode!"

Emperor Feng tossed another relic toward the Thousand-Lotus Formation and caused it to explode, but the formation barely trembled at all.

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?" Yin Shenhua slammed a palm down, causing a golden palm to manifest from the sky and slam down toward Emperor Feng. He had no choice but to destroy another relic to defend against the attack. His relics were rapidly decreasing in number, and he didn't seem as though he would be able to hold out much longer.

Neither party was paying attention to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng and the others had been scattered throughout the hall due to the repeated explosions. Xiao Nanfeng was largely unharmed owing to the strength of his physical body. He forged forward and headed straight for the draconic throne, which had become a black coffin by then. There was a lotus formation surrounding the coffin and preventing it from escaping.

Yin Shenhua had anticipated every step of Emperor Feng's moves, and Xiao Nanfeng had anticipated every step of Yin Shenhua and Emperor Feng's. He was waiting for precisely this moment.

Neither Yin Shenhua nor Emperor Feng were good cultivators; it wouldn't be in his favor to have either of them win. His plan had always been to support neither of them.

He quickly activated his candleflame powers, causing two red portals to form on either side of the lotus barrier. He reached out for the coffin, which teleported through the portals and appeared outside of the barrier.

Emperor Feng, suddenly sensing a connection that had been lost, smiled in surprise. He lifted his mace and smashed it down toward Yin Shenhua, attracting his attention.

"Stubborn fool!" Yin Shenhua called out.

He clawed at him with a golden palm, trapping him within his palm.

"Let's see how you intend to escape now!" Yin Shenhua roared in laughter.

Suddenly, a black shadow enveloped his back and devoured him whole.

"The coffin!" Yin Shenhua shouted.

The coffin's lid attempted to slam shut, but Yin Shenhua lifted a palm in time to stop it from happening. A tremendous suction seemed to be sucking him into its depths. He held onto Emperor Feng with one hand and defended against the coffin with the other, his face scrunched up into a scowl.

"Who dared ruin my formation?!" he thundered.

"It looks like it wasn't very strong at all, haha!" Emperor Feng laughed from within Yin Shenhua's palm.

"Die!" Yin Shenhua roared, suppressing Emperor Feng to the best of his ability.

The treasures that were protecting Emperor Feng began to crack as Yin Shenhua channeled more of his strength into his attack, while the coffin above his head shook as it began to slam shut.

"Yin Shenhua, you won't be able to hold it off for long, haha!" Emperor Feng roared in laughter.

Yin Shenhua narrowed his eyes. It was true that he would be unable to stop the coffin lid from closing forever. Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng seemed to be approaching his lotus of existence, causing him to panic.

"Reveal the hallowed lands of Thunderclap Hall!" Yin Shenhua shouted.

Golden fog seeped out of Yin Shenhua's body and poured out through the cracks in the coffin, flooding the area and submerging everyone.

"An illusory realm! Watch out!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Everyone's physical bodies fell motionless. As for Xiao Nanfeng, he had immediately switched to his True Yin body, which vanished from sight.

Simultaneously, the coffin closed completely, trapping Yin Shenhua and Emperor Feng within.

The Thunderclap Hall fell silent.

Xiao Nanfeng and the other cultivators' bodies were sent sprawling. When they caught their footing, they found that they were in Thunderclap Hall once more, but one with countless Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats.

"Nanfeng, are we in an illusory realm?" Zhao Yuanjiao exclaimed.

Seeing that Zhao Yuanjiao and everyone else was present, Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "That's right. Let's leave as quickly as we can."

"Who dares leave?" a Buddha called out.

With their palms, the arhats all struck at the cultivators, who retaliated in kind.

The cultivators were sent flying out of Thunderclap Hall, though they remained in the illusory realm. Although the Thunderclap Hall was exactly the same in the physical and illusory realms, the outside was completely different.

The hall opened up into a huge mountain surrounded by spiritual aether. There were other huge mountains in the vicinity and countless temples besides. The sound of chanting could be heard from all over.

Not far from the huge mountain were two stone tablets. On one was written, "Spirit Mountain Holy Land", and on another, "Thunderclap Hall".

Xiao Nanfeng and his group smashed into a temple up on the mountain.

The Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats, however, didn't give chase. They were staring at the sky in shock.

A dark cloud had appeared there in the shape of a black coffin, emanating cursed spiritual power in the form of black smoke.

"Yin Shenhua, now that you're in my coffin, don't think I'll let you out. None of your subordinates in reality can save you, nor your subordinates in this illusory realm. Admit defeat!" Emperor Feng roared.

"That remains to be seen," Yin Shenhua replied. From within the coffin, he shouted, "Help me break this coffin!"

"Understood!" All the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats rushed into the air and struck the black coffin.

The cursed spiritual power that gathered outside the coffin managed to block some of the Buddhas' attacks, but it too seemed to decrease in extent.

"Well done. Continue!" Yin Shenhua shouted.

"Make your move, Xiao Nanfeng! Deal with these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats! Hurry!" Emperor Feng demanded.

"They'll hardly be able to do so," Yin Shenhua replied.

The black coffin-shaped cloud vibrated as the two Immortal Emperors within battled it out.

Emperor Feng's soul was much weaker than it had been, but his black coffin physical body was unharmed. He was well able to fight on equal terms with Yin Shenhua, and he even seemed to have the upper hand.

Zhao Yuanjiao looked toward Xiao Nanfeng. "Did we succeed?"

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "We did. Emperor Feng didn't disappoint me, after all. He does have the ability to take on Yin Shenhua."

"What do we need to do now?"

Xiao Nanfeng took a deep breath. "We'll have to kill Yin Shenhua's subordinates.

"Can we beat them?" Zhao Yuanjiao's voice was tinged with worry.

"You won't have to make a move."

"Oh?"

"Senior, I'll be counting on you!"

Behind Xiao Nanfeng, a cloud of black fog appeared. The black lotus within replied, "Very well. Allow me to disguise myself first."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

The black lotus slowly transformed into a golden lotus, and then an old man, an exact replica of the Past Buddha, whom Xiao Nanfeng had seen in the Palace of the Moon.

Roiling black smoke surged into the Past Buddha's body. It shone with golden light as the Past Buddha's aura was reproduced in full.

The golden light radiated through the air, causing the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats to all look over.

"The Past Buddha? How could you be here, ancestral Buddha?" one Buddha exclaimed.

"Amitabha. Are all of you well?" The black lotus sounded just like the Past Buddha.

Yin Shenhua called out from the air, "The Past Buddha is sealed in the Imperial Court. It couldn't have made its way here. Who are you to impersonate it?!"

Yin Shenhua was sealed within the black coffin and could only learn of what was going on outside through his subordinates' descriptions. He naturally frowned upon hearing about the presence of the 'Past Buddha'.

"I'm the Past Buddha. What's all this about impersonation? I've returned, Yin Shenhua, and it's time that you pay for your malicious deeds," the black lotus replied.

"The Past Buddha would never go against me. You can't be the Past Buddha!" Yin Shenhua cried out. "Divide yourselves up and have a group of you take it on. It's with Emperor Feng, so take it down quickly!"

"Die!" A group of arhats and bodhisattvas rushed over.

The black lotus stepped forward and intoned, "And so the lamps are snuffed out. Break!"

The arhats at the forefront exploded from the force of his seals, releasing an incredible quantity of golden spiritual power and the golden lotus hoods that were their spiritual avatars. The black lotus sent the golden spiritual power straight into Xiao Nanfeng's body, causing him to radiate with golden light, while it absorbed the golden lotus hoods.

"Xiao Nanfeng, fight alongside me. You can claim their cursed spiritual power while I claim their cursed spiritual avatars!" the black lotus shouted.

"Understood" Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"As for you, head out!" the black lotus continued.

With a wave of its hand, Zhao Yuanjiao and the five purple-furred monsters vanished from the illusory realm.

"Who are you? How can you manipulate my illusory realm?!" Yin Shenhua demanded from the coffin.

"I'm the Past Buddha. I can naturally manipulate your realm. Why shouldn't I be able to send a few cultivators out?"

"You're not the Past Buddha. Something's very wrong with you. Everyone, take it down, quickly!" Yin Shenhua demanded.

"But you're in trouble, ancestral Buddha!" a Buddha exclaimed.

"I may be trapped for the time being, but Emperor Feng won't be able to do anything against me in the short term. Go catch that impostor. Something's wrong with it. Hurry!"

"Understood!"

All the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats roared as they charged toward the black lotus and Xiao Nanfeng.