Wayfarer

Chapter 629: Xiao Nanfeng's Rulai Eidolon

"Ao Canghai, I've destroyed the Heaven's Hand, and Yin Shenhua won't be able to activate it for the time being. He looks unharmed, but I've actually grievously wounded him. Aren't you Martial Aspects going to seize him now? What are you waiting for? For Yu Fuli to punish you for dereliction of duty?!" the black lotus demanded.

Afar, Ao Canghai's eyes twitched. He shouted, "Martial Aspects, accompany me in taking down Yin Shenhua!"

"Understood!" the Golden Immortal Martial Aspects replied.

"Will you take the Venerable Buddha's word for the extent of my injuries? Die!" Yin Shenhua roared.

Yin Shenhua and Ao Canghai slammed their palms into each other in an explosion of fire and wind. The ten Buddhas and bodhisattvas shot toward the Martial Aspects, but seemed to be no match for them. They were quickly sent flying.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng rushed over to where the black lotus was. "Senior, are you alright?"

The black lotus floated in the air, its lotus form filled with cracks. The outer layer of its petals suddenly dissipated into ash that the wind blew into the air. New lotus petals grew out from within the black lotus, only to begin to crack as well. They too dissipated into ash; the cycle repeated again and again. The black lotus seemed incapable of preventing its own demise.

"Xiao Nanfeng, I won't be able to last any longer. This is the end of my life," the black lotus said.

"Senior, aren't you a cursed effigy? You ought to be unkillable!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"This is the end of my current life, but I may be able to revive during the next era. As for whether or not that era will come, however—that remains to be seen. Xiao Nanfeng, I don't have time to talk. I'll use the last vestige of my truesoul to assist you. Follow my instructions at once," the black lotus commanded.

Xiao Nanfeng seemed to have much he wanted to say, but he took a deep breath, visibly clamped his mouth shut, and nodded. "Very well, Senior."

"Activate your Imposing Avatar of Rulai fully."

Xiao Nanfeng did so. Brilliant golden light emanated from him.

"Fragments of Rulai, condense and revive. With Xiao Nanfeng as master and I as support, reforge a Rulai eidolon."

The fragments of the black lotus' Rulai eidolon began to vibrate. The countless fragments, as though summoned, rushed straight toward Xiao Nanfeng's body. Golden light radiated from his body and formed the outlines of an image, as if he too were condensing a Rulai eidolon himself. His Rulai eidolon was but a mirage without any strength at all, but as the countless fragments of the black lotus' eidolon infused itself within it, Xiao Nanfeng's Rulai eidolon grew larger and and more solid, until it too became a giant in its own right.

Xiao Nanfeng's actions roused the attention of many cultivators.

Afar, the fighting Yin Shenhua blanched.

"Damn it, Xiao Nanfeng cultivates a Buddhist technique too? He's manifesting his eidolon! A True Immortal doesn't deserve such a technique. Don't bother with me. Go stop Xiao Nanfeng, now!" Yin Shenhua roared.

"Understood!" the ten Buddhas and bodhisattvas shouted. They charged straight toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Hold it!" the Martial Aspect of Lightseeking exclaimed.

The Martial Aspects were about to give chase when Ao Canghai commanded, "All Martial Aspects, take down Yin Shenhua alongside me! This is His Majesty's orders!"

The Martial Aspects stopped short and gave up on suppressing the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, all save the Martial Aspect of Lightseeking and three other Martial Aspects. They continued to charge straight toward Xiao Nanfeng. They had never been Ao Canghai's confidantes to begin with, and Xiao Nanfeng and the Venerable Buddha had saved their lives. They naturally had to repay this debt.

Ao Canghai cursed as he saw the four Martial Aspects depart.

"Die!" the four Martial Aspects shouted.

They shot straight toward the cursed effigies, stopping six of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas by themselves.

Even so, four bodhisattvas continued to head toward Xiao Nanfeng—until Zhang Lingjun and the others stepped forward.

"Praying mat, seal!" Zhang Lingjun intoned.

The praying mat suppressed two of the bodhisattvas.

Croak, Warble, Ao Zhou, and the twelve golden cultivators shot forward as well.

The two bodhisattvas sent the golden cultivators flying, but the pain didn't faze them. They continued to rush forward, risking their lives to hold the bodhisattvas back. Meanwhile, Croak, Warble, and Ao Zhou each attacked using a Golden Immortal relic they had obtained from the peacock's body. Finally, they too held back the final two bodhisattvas.

Xiao Nanfeng remained safe.

Just then, a black figure shot over from a forest in the distance, intending to stop Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon manifestation.

At the same time, a golden bowl shot out of another part of the forest, straight for the figure.

"You dare?" The black figure slapped at the golden bowl, but the moment the figure did so, the bowl detonated. A huge explosion rang out, filling the air with flames. The black figure was sent flying, spitting out blood in mid-air.

"What? Detonating a Golden Immortal relic...?" the black figure exclaimed.

He would never have expected Xiao Nanfeng's hidden guards to be willing to go to such lengths to protect him. Were they even willing to sacrifice Golden Immortal relics just like that?

Just then, a bolt of red light shot into the air. Crescent-shaped projectiles of sword energy shot over, slicing an arm off the black figure.

"Taiqing's Crescent Sword? Another Golden Immortal relic?" the black figure exclaimed.

With a shout of panic, he clutched his wounded arm and ran off, not daring to interfere further.

Xiao Nanfeng's preparations were far too complete. How many ambushes had he prepared in the forests all around? He was even willing to give up on Golden Immortal relics, just like that! Who would be able to challenge him now?

The black figure rushed off, while Zhao Yuanjiao, wielder of the crescent sword, likewise retreated back into the forest.

The hidden cultivators in the vicinity sucked in deep breaths, suddenly recalling that Xiao Nanfeng had taken Dayin's capital by storm with the help of five superior draconic veins. Could those five superior draconic veins be hidden in the forest too? Were they poised to attack any who dared interfere?

All the concealed cultivators lay hidden, not daring to show themselves.

Just then, with the help of the black lotus, Xiao Nanfeng's Rulai eidolon grew larger and larger. It was rapidly dozens of kilometers tall. The eidolon looked like him, and it radiated with golden light. The sound of scripture could be heard all around him. His body melded with the eidolon, and he began to manipulate it in earnest. However, his eidolon remained cracked.

"Your Rulai eidolon was formed from the shards of my shattered eidolon, and won't be perfect just yet. Take down the nearby Buddhas and bodhisattvas and devour them. I'll help you distill them into energy that can refine your eidolon.

"Got it!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon caught a bodhisattva in its hand.

"No! Release me!" the bodhisattva cried out.

He struggled furiously, but was unable to escape from Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon. The eidolon swallowed him whole.

"No!" the bodhisattva shouted, but its cries were quickly stifled.

Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon continued to take down the nearby bodhisattvas. He caught two more, one in each hand, and crammed them in his mouth.

The eidolon's strength was comparable to that of a Boundless Immortal, and it was trivial for him to take down these Golden Immortal cursed effigies. Within mere moments, he had gobbled up all ten Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Just then, with the black lotus' assistance, those ten Buddhas and bodhisattvas were quickly distilled into special energy that filtered into Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon. The cracks in it vanished, as though the eidolon had been restored to perfection.

Afar, Ao Canghai and the Martial Aspects found out that they had been tricked by Yin Shenhua. He wasn't injured at all, and defeating him would prove to be a troublesome challenge. Even so, the Martial Aspects working together were able to suppress him.

Yin Shenhua gritted his teeth. He shouted, "Immortal Emperors, aren't you going to make your move? How long are you going to wait?!"

Unfortunately for him, no support came from the forests in the vicinity.

He cursed, knowing that the Immortal Emperors had chosen to discard him. They didn't intend to become enemies of the Imperial Court just yet; they were simply waiting for him to erode the Imperial Court's strength, and to benefit as a result.

His features turned wretched. What shocked him more, however, was Xiao Nanfeng. After Xiao Nanfeng's Rulai eidolon devoured ten Buddhas and bodhisattvas, it had grown even stronger.

He knew that the situation wasn't in his favor. If he were to drag things out, he would be the one who suffered.

"Forget it. I don't need the Heaven's Hand anymore, and I don't have time to wait for it to be restored. All fragments of the Heaven's Hand, merge with my Rulai eidolon and restore it!" Yin Shenhua commanded.

The shattered Heaven's Hand rumbled. It reformed with Yin Shenhua's eidolon at its center. Incredible heavenly strength surged into the eidolon.

The eidolon's cracks sealed themselves as its original appearance was restored.

Then, with a hum, it flew toward Yin Shenhua.

"Unite!" Yin Shenhua intoned, melding his body with the eidolon.

"Damn it, stop him!" Ao Canghai shouted.

Ao Canghai transformed into a giant golden dragon. A boundless sea manifested in his surroundings.

"Scram!" Yin Shenhua's eidolon shouted.

The eidolon threw out a punch, sending the Martial Aspects flying in a series of frenzied shouts.

Yin Shenhua wasn't satisfied just yet. He then attacked Ao Canghai, who was surrounded by a floating sea.

"The Boundless Sea!" Ao Canghai howled.

"Rulai's Divine Palm!" Yin Shenhua retorted.

His eidolon attacked the raging sea and dealt it a heavy blow.

The void itself trembled as the raging sea burst apart. The golden dragon in the sea was struck by a gleaming golden palm and sent flying.

In mid-air, the golden dragon spat out a mouthful of blood. "How could you have grown so much stronger? That can't be!"

"My Rulai eidolon is infused with heavenly strength. It's naturally stronger than it was before. Ao Canghai, you fool! You're not skilled at all, but you've ruined my plans multiple times. I'll have you perish!" Yin Shenhua's eidolon called out.

It chopped at the golden dragon's body with a palm. The barrier surrounding the dragon shattered, and Yin Shenhua's strength chipped off a large swathe of its scales. The cultivators could almost hear a bone crunch and break.

The golden dragon was sent flying, its maw bloodier than ever.

"Flee!" Ao Canghai shouted.

"It's too late!" Yin Shenhua called out, ready to give chase.

Suddenly, however, Yin Shenhua stopped short. He whirled around to see Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon hovering in the air. It was radiating with golden light, as well as a shroud of sinister black smoke.

Yin Shenhua couldn't help but feel a sense of incredible danger coming from Xiao Nanfeng's eidolon.