Chapter 422: I'm Alright

"A dragon's head, a human's body, draconic robes and a crown—is that really the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar?"

"Is City Lord Xiao controlling the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar?!"

The cultivators gaped as they came to an unbelievable conclusion.

The dragon-headed humanoid slowly stepped forward and looked at the white-robed Heaven Immortal. "Indeed, it seems rather unfair to fight you as an Earth Immortal. In that case, I'll do so as a Heaven Immortal."

The dragon-headed humanoid flashed into existence in front of the Heaven Immortal so quickly he was like a beam of light. The white-robed Heaven Immortal blanched as he defended himself, only to be sent flying by dozens of punches.

"Hegemon's Fist!" the white-robed Heaven Immortal exclaimed.

"Indeed so."

Another barrage of punches left the Heaven Immortal vomiting blood as he was flung back.

The Heaven Immortal wasn't weak, but his opponent was Xiao Nanfeng. The Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar was a tremendous boost in his strength.

"Die!" The white-robed Heaven Immortal drew his sword and slashed at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Hegemon's Fist!"

His Immortal sword exploded as he was sent flying again.

A one-sided flurry of attacks ensued, just like before but with their roles reversed. Xiao Nanfeng sent the Heaven Immortal flying time and again. His white robes were quickly drenched in blood. If he weren't a Heaven Immortal, he would already have perished.

"Xiao Nanfeng, don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you now possess the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar. Possessing a cursed effigy will cause your own yin body to decay. You'll suffer for this!" the white-robed Heaven Immortal thundered.

"You don't have to worry about me. You should think about saving yourself instead!" Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

The Heaven Immortal blanched as he saw Xiao Nanfeng flying over. A thirty-meter-tall golden statue emerged out of nowhere, meeting Xiao Nanfeng's fist with its own in a huge explosion that forced even Xiao Nanfeng back.

"This is... a temple's statue?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

The thirty-meter-tall golden statue was of an arhat, his hands clasped together and radiating a holy aura.

The white-robed Heaven Immortal stood on the statue's head as he continued to cough out blood. Then, he smiled. "Do you really think you'll be able to do as you please just because you've taken over the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar? We made plenty of preparations for entering the Netherworld Palace. This treasure was meant to be used against the Yanluo Lords. I suppose I can test it out on you first."

"Is this the arhat armor of the divine empire of Dayin?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. Have a taste of its strength!"

He clasped his hands together just like the statue. His body somehow melded into the statue's, causing it to come to life. A raging aura manifested around it.

"Arhat armor—this is just a mecha, isn't it? It's been rumored that the divine empire of Dayin has a battalion of troops equipped with arhat armor, but they're really just a group of Immortals fighting in mechas!" Xiao Nanfeng murmured inwardly.

The golden arhat punched at him with a fist.

Xiao Nanfeng counterattacked with a fist of his own. The resulting explosion unleashed a tremendous tempest as even the Dragon Yanluo's avatar was forced back.

"What incredible strength!" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"I'm no weaker than the Goat Yanluo was, am I? Even the Yanluo Lords, peak Heaven Immortals, won't be able to do anything against me. Lad, you're dead!" the golden arhat seethed.

He shot toward Xiao Nanfeng's draconian avatar again.

The draconian avatar's strength seemed lacking compared to the golden arhat's. It was only because of the supremacy of Hegemon's Fist that Xiao Nanfeng was able to keep from losing outright.

His fists smashed into the golden arhat's body with the clank of metal on metal, but he was unable to even cause a dent.

"The arhat armor easily trumps a Heaven Immortal's strength and can even kill cultivators beyond that level. Do you think you can break this armor? Dream on—now, die!"

Xiao Nanfeng was struck down and sent flying into a mountain range in the distance, causing it to collapse.

Xiao Nanfeng seethed in rage. How could he be on the losing end even after possessing this draconian avatar? This was no fun at all!

"Xiao Nanfeng, you're done for now. No one will be able to save you, haha!"

Xiao Nanfeng sucked in a deep breath. "I suppose I only have one final recourse."

He shot toward the pit which had hosted the sea of karmic flame.

"Trying to flee? Do you think you can succeed?" The golden arhat gave chase with a smile.

Xiao Nanfeng jumped into the pit and punched at the design of the Yanluo Court at the bottom of the pit. It exploded.

The pit shuddered as a Yanluo Court seemed to manifest in the air, though it was only an illusion. It represented the energy that the Dragon Yanluo had invested in the formation meant to resist the cloud of annihilation in the air and vanquish all cursed effigies within—all for the purpose of hiding its own cursed spiritual avatar.

Now that Xiao Nanfeng had destroyed the formation, the natural law that had been bound was unleashed once more.

The cloud of annihilation was no longer trapped. It exploded in a howling tempest that caused heaven and earth to quake.

Tremendous might rained down. A Heaven's Hand appeared from within the cloud of annihilation, pressing down on the land.

The golden arhat thought that the attack was headed straight for him. "No!" he shouted in fear.

However, the Heaven's Hand ignored him and shot off in another direction entirely.

The golden arhat gaped. "It's attacking Xiao Nanfeng!"

The Heaven's Hand, sensing the cursed spiritual power emanating from the draconian avatar, headed straight for Xiao Nanfeng. It seemed as though he had nowhere to flee.

"Are you trying to commit suicide, Xiao Nanfeng?" the golden arhat exclaimed.

He simply couldn't understand what Xiao Nanfeng was trying to do.

Naturally, Xiao Nanfeng didn't intend to commit suicide. He hurriedly ran straight for the golden arhat.

"Stay away!" the golden arhat shouted, punching at him with a fist.

Xiao Nanfeng allowed the fist to strike him—but he wasn't sent flying. He hugged the golden arhat's fist tightly, refusing to let go.

"Is this a kamikaze attack?!" the golden arhat exclaimed.

Heaven's Hand seized the golden arhat and the draconian avatar and held them both in its palm. Fearsome power was unleashed within the palm, shattering the draconian avatar and golden arhat simultaneously.

"Xiao Nanfeng, are you crazy? You'd give your life just to kill me?!" the golden arhat screamed.

Lightning flashed within the palm of Heaven's Hand. It was so intense that the draconian avatar and golden arhat began to crack. The cracks propagated quickly as the golden arhat screamed in despair. Any resistance was hopeless. The draconian avatar shattered into powder, as did the golden arhat. The Heaven Immortal within burst apart as he was struck by heavenly lightning.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng hid within the Divine Seal of Dazheng.

The Goat Yanluo's Yanluo Court was also within the seal, and he would be able to sense how the seal was doing based on his link to Dazheng's fortune. If even the seal was unable to survive Heaven's Hand, he would sacrifice the Yanluo Court as a distraction.

Fortunately, the Divine Seal of Dazheng was able to hold out against the heavenly tribulation. He didn't have to do anything.

After some time, when it seemed as though all the commotion had finally subsided, he stepped out of his imperial seal.

By then, the draconian avatar and the golden arhat had been smashed into smithereens. The Divine Seal of Dazheng had landed right atop their ruined forms.

Afar, a cloud of blood hovered in the air. Heaven's Hand hadn't vanished; it shot into the distant forests and crushed all the cursed effigies that had approached to investigate.

When Heaven's Hand struck, it destroyed the cursed effigies on a fundamental level, preventing them from regenerating at all. Those killed by Heaven's Hand would suffer true death.

Suddenly, Xiao Nanfeng seemed to sense something. The ruins shifted to reveal the corpse of a white-robed Heaven Immortal whose body had been mashed into meat paste. Even so, he wasn't completely dead. Out of a shattered jade pendant to the side of his body rose a Heaven Immortal's yin body in an incredibly weak state.

The Heaven Immortal who had been his opponent had managed to save his life, though at tremendous expense.

"Xiao Nanfeng? You aren't dead?!" the yin body exclaimed in fear.

"Why would I be dead?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted coldly.

He squished the Heaven Immortal's yin body in his palm.

"How could you be alright? That can't be. How could you have survived Heaven's Hand intact? This is unfair!" the yin body howled.

"Who said I'm alright? You ruined the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar that I just acquired."

Just then, a flurry of paper fragments appeared from within the ruins to his feet. They gathered around the fragments of the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar and restored it to its original form, as though it had never taken any damage.

The yin body: ...

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Afar, Heaven's Hand paused as it sensed a huge source of cursed spiritual power nearby.

In alarm, Xiao Nanfeng hastily stored the Dragon Yanluo's cursed spiritual avatar within his seal, isolating it once again. Heaven's Hand returned to slaughtering the cursed effigies in the vicinity.

"You're right," Xiao Nanfeng replied, correcting himself. "I really did survive intact."

The yin body: ...

He was so enraged that he coughed out blood.