Chapter 372: Slaying the Paper Figure
By comprehending the star maps on the Dazheng Code of Laws, Xiao Nanfeng had rapidly reached late-stage Yin Body in just a few months, and he was now able to access the red moon illusory realm with greater control.
He sent the paper figure flying with a punch. Unresigned, the paper figure shot toward Xiao Nanfeng again, but his Hegemon's Fist was simply too potent. He struck the paper figure once and again.
"Sea of snakes!" the paper figure howled.
Countless paper snakes appeared out of nowhere and struck at Xiao Nanfeng.
"Sea of ropes!" Xiao Nanfeng waved a hand, causing countless lengths of red rope to appear and counter the paper snakes.
Xiao Nanfeng shot forward with another punch. Countless fists struck the paper figure in a dizzying bevy of blows.
"Xiao Nanfeng, if I hadn't fallen prey to your tricks, if we were still in my Yanluo Court, you would never be able to suppress me to this extent. Fight with me there if you dare!" the paper figure roared.
"Ha! What a poor taunt. There's no reason for me to cripple myself so, especially when I'm already about to win. Just accept your fate and die!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted disdainfully.
The paper figure was sent flying once more, having reverted back into its original form. The paper that made up its body was torn and cracked, as though it was about to be torn apart at any moment.
"In my era, this illusory realm of yours would have been nothing but a petty trick. Among all illusory realms of the world, those of hell dwarfed all. The ten Yanluo Lords ruled the world, and the eighteen layers of hell held all foes at bay! I, the tenth Yanluo Lord, have always rued my defeat to heaven itself. I refuse to lose again to a brat like you!" the paper figure screamed.
Xiao Nanfeng threw another punch at the paper figure, tearing apart one of its arms and sending it flying. Black smoke seeped out of the paper arm as countless lengths of red rope surrounded it.
Suddenly, a peach branch appeared from thin air and struck at the red rope with its roots.
"Senior, do you want this paper arm?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.
The peach branch nodded immediately.
"Please enjoy it, then, Senior!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
He manipulated the red rope away from the paper arm. The peach branch's roots shot into the arm, causing it to crumple and wither away.
"You're distilling my cursed spiritual power? You intend on stealing my Yanluo Court? No! Stop it!" the paper figure cried.
If Xiao Nanfeng were to kill it, it would eventually be able to revive and regain control of its Yanluo Court. If the peach branch were to distill its cursed spiritual power, however, it would simultaneously lose possession of its Yanluo Court!
Xiao Nanfeng countered the paper figure's attack with a punch. "You should have considered what might have happened to you when you brought a group of spirits over to Yongding in an attempt to kill its people. Blame yourself for your failings."
"No!" Xiao Nanfeng, this peach branch is also a Yanluo Lord, though currently a very weak one. Once it regains its cultivation, it will surely become a parasite to your empire. It'll transform your Xuanhuang Hall into its own Yanluo Court and your Dazheng Empire into its own kingdom of hell! It'll take advantage of you, and you can't let it grow stronger!" the paper figure howled.
"As if I would believe your claims," Xiao Nanfeng spat out, chuckling.
"It's true! The ten Yanluo Lords will all revive in such a fashion. My initial plan was to transform the Tianshu Empire into a kingdom of hell and Nalan Qiankun into my puppet. All ten Yanluo Lords share the same goal. You can't let that peach branch grow any stronger, or it'll end up killing you!" the paper figure shouted.
It wasn't worried for Xiao Nanfeng; it just didn't want to die at the peach branch's hands and lose its own Yanluo Court.
"Senior Peach Branch has helped me tremendously, and it's only appropriate for me to return the favor and help it grow stronger. It hasn't done anything evil to me, so should I simply take your claims at face value? You're heartless and malicious, and you view all things in a negative light. Not everyone's like you," Xiao Nanfeng asserted.
With a punch, he blew the paper figure into smithereens, then tied up each piece with the red rope and brought them all over to the peach branch.
"You'll regret this, Xiao Nanfeng!" the paper figure's head screeched shrilly.
"I never regret my actions," Xiao Nanfeng replied coldly.
He had absolute confidence that, even if the peach branch were to turn against him, he would be able to suppress it.
Not far away, the peach branch trembled as though touched by Xiao Nanfeng's words. Rather than reply, however, it continued to thrust its roots into the pieces of the paper figure.
It didn't take much time for the peach branch to absorb all the pieces of the paper figure and the countless paper snakes all around. The peach branch rapidly grew larger into the blood peach tree that was its original appearance.
Finally, the blood peach tree's roots wrapped around the paper figure's head.
"No! I won't take this lying down. Who are you? Which Yanluo Lord are you?!" the paper figure's head shouted.
The blood peach tree ignored it as it absorbed the paper figure fully.
Xiao Nanfeng waved a hand, dismissing the red rope all around. Then, with another wave, he summoned a door of light before them.
"Senior, we're in the outskirts of the red moon illusory realm. It's far more dangerous deep within, and we'd better leave quickly just in case."
He stepped through the door of light and left the realm. The blood peach tree twisted its body as it too did so. Then, the door of light vanished.
The next moment, they reappeared in a dark hall.
"This is... the Yanluo Court? We've come back?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned at his surroundings.
The Yanluo Court was so dark it was impossible to determine which direction was which. The paper snakes that had initially been present had all vanished. He felt a significant threat radiating from deep within the darkness and chose not to make his way inside. Rather, he curled his fingers into a fist and punched forward.
His surroundings trembled, but showed no sign of breaking apart.
"The paper figure's right. This Yanluo Court really is mysterious. It can trap a Yin Body cultivator, and perhaps even a True Yin cultivator as well. Senior, after absorbing that paper figure, are you able to open a way out of this Yanluo Court?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
The blood peach's countless tendrils twisted, then stabbed into the ground. With a huge rumble, the black smoke in the air roiled. The smoke seemed to condense into a large door.
With a creak, the door swung open to reveal the outside world. The blood peach tree shook as a large number of peach blossoms fell to the ground and formed a series of words with the scattered petals.
"I've yet to attune to this Yanluo Court, and it's difficult to control its abilities just yet. I'll only be able to keep the door open for a limited amount of time, so get out now."
Xiao Nanfeng did so immediately, along with the blood peach tree.
Then, the door to the hall swung shut.
"Thank you, Senior!" Xiao Nanfeng said.
"With the hellsnake Yanluo Lord's death, the Yanluo Court is about to scatter into a pile of ashes. I'd like to claim it," the blood peach tree wrote with another scatter of petals.
Indeed, the papier-mache hall was already starting to burn with ghostly flames from one corner.
"Please do so, Senior!" Xiao Nanfeng urged immediately.
It would be a waste for the Yanluo Court to burn to ash. If the blood peach tree were able to attune to the Yanluo Court, he would be able to indirectly access the Court's powers when requesting aid from the blood peach tree.
The blood peach tree's tendrils stabbed toward the Yanluo Court. The roots pierced straight through, as though the walls were really made of papier mache. The peach tree's roots sucked up the hall—and the Yanluo Court vanished from sight.
"My thanks," the blood peach tree formed words again.
"It's no problem at all, Senior. I'll be troubling you more in the future, I'm sure."
The blood peach tree vanished in a blink.
Xiao Nanfeng knew that the blood peach tree must have entered his mindscape. He turned and looked all around him.
The fighting continued to rage outside Yongding. The crow and crane spirits had suffered many casualties, leaving only the eight spirit Immortals struggling against a relentless assault. The dragons were likewise bloodied and with significant injuries, but they still had the upper hand.
"How could you be the one who emerged?!" the crane king shouted.
"What did you do to the paper figure, Xiao Nanfeng?" the crow king cried out.
They instantly felt that something was amiss. The paper figure had to have failed! They tried to turn tail and run,
but Xiao Nanfeng glared at the spirit Immortals coldly. He turned toward the city. "Blue Lantern, use your formations to help Ao Zhou take down these spirits quickly."
"Understood!" Blue Lantern replied.
The next moment, Ao Zhou flew toward the horizon, leaving Yongding behind.
Not far away, Ao Zhou, blood splattered all over his body, stiffened. "Xiao Nanfeng, why don't you let down some red rope and bind all these spirits? They want to run away, and it'll be more taxing for us to hold them back. Come back!"
However, Xiao Nanfeng was already out of sight. Ao Zhou hadn't managed to save himself any effort at all. He grimaced and scowled.
Xiao Nanfeng was heading toward Luoxing, where his main body's fight with Nalan Qiankun was about to end. He guessed that Nalan Qiankun's avatar was lurking around Luoxing and would launch a sneak attack against his main body at any moment. The situation could be dangerous, so he had to reach Luoxing as quickly as possible and meet up with his main body so as to take on Nalan Qiankun and his avatar as well.
Within the clouds outside the city of Luoxing, a dragon and phoenix encircled Nalan Qiankun's body. Spiritual energy radiated from him in a halo of golden light. Opposite him, Xiao Nanfeng unleashed his deific domain. Where it spread, a blizzard began to fall. The two cultivators struck each other once and again in the air; the combination of golden beams, afterimages of fists, and a howling blizzard was a sight to behold.
Xiao Nanfeng's main body gradually gained the upper hand. As he punched at Nalan Qiankun, the latter staggered back.
"Xiao Nanfeng's fist technique is very impressive, and few among the Taiqing Immortal Sect would be able to go against him. How did he manage to derive such an advanced technique in just a few years?" Zhang Feifan exclaimed.
"To think Nalan Qiankun would be no match for Xiao Nanfeng..." Lan Jiguang's eyes flashed with astonishment as well.
Zhang Lingjun was likewise unable to believe that the young lad whose neck she had almost snapped a few years ago could have grown to such an extent.
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