Chapter 243: Farewell

Madam Rouge stepped into the illusory realm and looked at the red rope cursed king that was slowly being hung to death.

"Ha! I bet it would never have imagined losing to its own technique." A trace of surprise flashed through Madam Rouge's limpid eyes.

"What should we do now that it's trapped? Strangle it directly?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Leave it to me," Madam Rouge replied.

"Madam Rouge, just what did you do to my cursed spiritual avatar? Why is he in control of it?!" the red rope cursed king raged.

"Break!" Madam Rouge commanded, snapping her fingers.

Dozens of lengths of red rope were sliced apart with a mirror as thin as a cicada's wing. They absorbed all the avatars of the cursed king into their surfaces.

"No, no! What are you doing?!" the cursed king demanded.

"Red Rope, your era is over," Madam Rouge declared.

The mirrors exploded in clouds of mist and were absorbed through Madam Rouge's mouth.

"No, no!" the cursed king yelled out in despair.

It seemed to have realized something, but was unable to resist at all. Madam Rouge swallowed it up, then began to shine with pink light once again.

"Alright. All the cursed spiritual avatars of the red rope cursed king have been handled. This spiritual avatar is yours from now on." Madam Rouge smiled at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Why are you looking at me funny?" Xiao Nanfeng gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean, funny? I do have to praise you, Xiao Nanfeng. You're the first cultivator I know of that's managed to pilot a cursed spiritual avatar without actual spiritual possession." Madam Rouge smiled.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"In the past, others also tried to meld cursed spiritual avatars to the moons they cultivated through spiritual cultivation. No one had succeeded, but your red moon is as sinister as expected. Of course, I have the cursed smoke to thank for that as well. You've enhanced my understanding of cursed spiritual avatars again," Madam Rouge remarked.

Xiao Nanfeng's face grew stiff. "You didn't know whether it would work, either? You really were experimenting on me? Madam Rouge, I saved your life and helped you reclaim your cursed spiritual avatar! How could you treat me like this?"

"It was for your own good," Madam Rouge replied seriously.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Why does Madam Rouge's expression seem so familiar? Did I use this exact expression when trying to hoodwink her in the past? Is she learning from me?

"What happened to those cultivators who failed?" Xiao Nanfeng pressed.

"I don't know if anyone managed to succeed, but all the failures I knew of ended up having their moons explode, as did their bodies," Madam Rouge recalled.

Xiao Nanfeng's frown deepened.

"Don't be too worried. Didn't you succeed? Furthermore, this is just an avatar of yours. Even if you were to fail and your red moon destroyed, you would still have your main body. I was just trying to help you. I have my own principles." Madam Rouge patted Xiao Nanfeng on the shoulder.

"You really are a good friend, aren't you?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes twitched.

Madam Rouge suddenly laughed in a particularly exuberant fashion.

"Why are you laughing now?" Xiao Nanfeng grumbled.

"I learned it all from you. Xiao Nanfeng, when you tried to trick me, this was the exact expression you wore. I feel great now that I've been able to do the same to you."

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Although Xiao Nanfeng was a little upset, he knew that Madam Rouge no longer bore him any enmity.

"Are there any side effects to the red rope's cursed spiritual avatar being melded to my red moon?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I don't know. You'll have to investigate on your own," Madam Rouge replied, shaking her head.

Xiao Nanfeng was silent. He continued to console himself. "Forget it. At the very least, I've grown stronger again. That can't be a bad thing."

"Lunar Deluge is a rather awkward stage of cultivation. Only in an illusory realm can you display your full power; in reality, you are often encumbered. Reaching Yin Body would unlock a tremendous amount of flexibility and power. That is what you have to strive for," Madam Rouge suddenly said.

"Ah?" Xiao Nanfeng gave her a strange look. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Madam Rouge rolled her beautiful eyes at him. "I'm giving you some advice on how to improve before I leave. Otherwise, you might become too self-absorbed."

"Before you leave? You're leaving?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"What's wrong? Haven't you been wanting me to leave? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm finally doing so?" Madam Rouge laughed.

"I was joking. Why would I ever be upset to have you around?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Madam Rouge's smile widened. "I know what you're thinking, so your tricks won't work on me. As I said, if you were to bring me to the draconic palace and allow me to claim what I wanted, I'd leave you be. I'm saying farewell to you now."

"This quickly?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, shocked.

"I need to return to my own hidden realm and reclaim what belongs to me." Madam Rouge's eyes turned stern.

"Why don't I join you?" Xiao Nanfeng offered.

Madam Rouge shook her head. "You? I'm afraid not. You haven't become a deity via spiritual cultivation or an Immortal via physical cultivation. Some zones are forbidden to mortals; you would perish there."

Xiao Nanfeng gave Madam Rouge an odd look. Was he still that weak?

"As for the cursed kings in your orbit, I can sense that they all want something from your body. However, you haven't matured, so they can't strike just yet. All cursed kings obtain something different from the world away, and the nature of their cursed spiritual power is different. I'm unfamiliar with these ones, but if you don't want to live under their shadow, you had better ascend to Yin Body quickly."

"Yin Body?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"You must become a deity in order to gain the qualifications to communicate with them. This Whip of Order you possess can only be used in illusory realms before you reach Yin Body; once you do, you'll be able to use it even in reality."

"I will." Xiao Nanfeng nodded seriously.

"In that case..." Madam Rouge reached out with a slender finger and placed it by the underside of Xiao Nanfeng's jaw.

"What're you doing?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"See you next time, lad." Madam Rouge smiled.

Her finger scratched at Xiao Nanfeng's lower jaw, causing him to shiver. Was she teasing him?

Then, the illusory realm shattered into fragments. Xiao Nanfeng woke up in reality.

"Wait, Madam Rouge!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

However, there was only a barrier holding back the water above him. Madam Rouge was nowhere to be seen. Blue Lantern gave him an odd look.

"Where's Madam Rouge?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"She said she was going to leave, and she did. Didn't she bid you farewell?" Blue Lantern asked.

"Has she really left? She shouldn't have..." Xiao Nanfeng sighed in vexation.

In the past, Madam Rouge had tried to kill him daily, and he would naturally be relieved to be rid of her. Now, however, their circumstances had changed.

"Are you implying that I'm the one who should have?" Blue Lantern replied grumpily.

He didn't have to shield Xiao Nanfeng from the elements. Who would be happy to hear Xiao Nanfeng criticizing them so?

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "No, no, I'm not talking about you. What's more, you're different from Madam Rouge. She's a beauty, and you're just an old man!"

Blue Lantern's face twitched.

"Has the dragon king's truesoul dissipated?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"It has. It's a pity. He never got to see Ao Zhou a final time," Blue Lantern replied, sighing.

"Better that they didn't. They might regret it more if they did right before the dragon king's death," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Blue Lantern was silent for a moment before nodding.

"What do you intend to do next, Blue Lantern?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Blue Lantern gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look. "You seem to have become rather disrespectful."

"I'm of the same generation as Madam Rouge now, so it'd be unsuitable to call you Elder. Furthermore, I do believe you owe me a tremendous favor for my help," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Blue Lantern frowned.

"We've fought together multiple times, Blue Lantern, and suffered through life-and-death struggles together. Since you don't have a place to stay, why not be a guest at my place?" Xiao Nanfeng offered.

Blue Lantern was silent for a long moment before he asked, "You're preparing to take over the world, aren't you? Do you intend to enlist my help as support?"

"Of course not! I'm just inviting you to join me as a guest," Xiao Nanfeng replied with a smile.

Blue Lantern stared at Xiao Nanfeng. He was well aware of Xiao Nanfeng's plan—to invite him over as a 'guest', and then to ask for his help while he was there. Did Xiao Nanfeng think he was that easy to trick?

"I'd rather not, thank you. This is compensation for your white jade compass. When you smash it, I'll assist you with one task within my capabilities." Blue Lantern handed him another white jade compass.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. He wasn't yet strong or charismatic enough to enlist Blue Lantern's help for his own goals, but he had forged a stronger connection with him. The fact that Blue Lantern was willing to accept casual address from him was a good sign.

"Very well. Please feel free to find me at any time." Xiao Nanfeng was already satisfied with this outcome.

Blue Lantern seemed a little surprised, having expected Xiao Nanfeng to try to push things further. Xiao Nanfeng was more decisive than he had thought.

"Until next time, then," Blue Lantern said.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

Blue Lantern waved a hand, causing the bubble surrounding Xiao Nanfeng to pop. Huge quantities of seawater gushed down.

Xiao Nanfeng and Blue Lantern were cultivators of considerable strength, and they were easily able to deal with the seawater. They swam quickly toward the surface of the sea. Blue Lantern shot up, broke through the surface, then disappeared from sight.