Wayfarer

Chapter 694: You're My Wife

By then, Li Qianjun had emerged from the Taiqing burial pagoda. He glanced at the pagoda that had all but crumbled away in abject loss, but he knew there was little he could do given the situation. Pressing his lips together, he retreated behind the woman.

The woman narrowed her eyes as she stared at the figure within the black fog standing in front of Xiao Nanfeng, a Boundless Immortal. She was particularly wary of that unknown figure, but didn't have a clue as to who it was until Xiao Nanfeng mentioned the Imperial Court.

Was the figure a Boundless Immortal of the Imperial Court?

"Are you unwilling to show yourself?" the woman ventured.

The figure in the black fog didn't speak and instead continued to stare at the woman.

Xiao Nanfeng immediately commanded, "Everyone, retreat! We'll leave by sea. All cultivators of Taixu, if you don't want to be killed by Li Qianjun's helpers, you'd better leave at once!"

Countless cultivators who had been watching the fight unfold in the distance blanched. Heeding Xiao Nanfeng's warning, they scattered across the sea.

"Nanfeng, the blackguards found this storage bangle by the side of Sage Green Lotus's corpse. The Demon Child might have killed him, but he left this storage bangle untouched." Zhao Yuanjiao handed over the bangle.

Xiao Nanfeng took the bangle and nodded. "All of you should leave immediately, too."

Zhao Yuanjiao, the golden cultivators, and the blackguards fled at once. The dragon of water flew toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Xiao Nanfeng, I'm returning you the Eye of the Sea. See? It's in good condition. If you ruin it, it's not my fault."

The dragon of water transformed back into an orb, one that was laced through with white scars.

Then, Ao Zhou flew out of the orb, which began to gush water immediately.

"Hand me the Cage of the Sea. I'll help you seal the Eye," Ao Zhou said.

Xiao Nanfeng passed Ao Zhou a relic, which he quickly activated. Huge nails pinned the Eye of the Sea in place and prevented it from gushing water.

"It might not look like it's in good shape, but it hasn't broken yet. If anything happens, it's not my fault. I'm leaving now!"

Ao Zhou rushed off into the sea and vanished near-immediately.

The Eye of the Sea looked as though it would shatter at any moment.

Xiao Nanfeng hardly had the time to castigate him now. Rather, he shook his head and stored the Eye of the Sea in his gourd.

The Divine Emperor continued to face off against the unknown woman. The atmosphere was tense, but neither of them made a move.

"Let's go," Xiao Nanfeng urged.

The Divine Emperor nodded, grabbed Xiao Nanfeng, and flew away.

The woman watched on as Xiao Nanfeng and the Divine Emperor left, her eyes furrowed in thought, but she didn't give chase. Li Qianjun fretted anxiously by her side, but didn't dare comment.

Just then, a purple-robed woman flew toward her from close by. "Jiuniang, why did you allow them to leave? Even if there were a Boundless Immortal in that cloud of black fog, you're one too! It would be easy enough to hold them down until the Immortal Emperor got here."

The woman shook her head. "The figure in the black fog was incredibly strong. I couldn't be confident I would be able to do so, and the Immortal Emperor's unable to free himself at the moment."

The purple-robed woman pursed her lips, then turned to Li Qianjun with a frown. "Husband, didn't you say that everything was under control? Why did you suddenly send me a mental transmission? If I hadn't summoned the empress, you would have been done for!"

"I was careless," Li Qianjun replied, sighing.

"I told you not to keep that wench around, didn't I? I was right," the purple-robed woman said.

"Indeed. She deserved to die. Thank you for your assistance, Your Majesty," Li Qianjun said to the woman with nine tails floating behind her.

She was none other than the empress of Hongyue, Tu Jiuniang.

"I've shattered the Demon Child's demonic corpse body. Even if he lives, he'll be crippled," Tu Jiuniang informed him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Li Qianjun repeated.

"Do you know who that Boundless Immortal was?"

"I don't. If Xiao Nanfeng had a Boundless Immortal helping him out, why didn't the Immortal appear from the very beginning?"

"Xiao Nanfeng mentioned that he was returning to the Imperial Court. Are there any Boundless Immortals with whom he's familiar there?" Tu Jiuniang pressed.

"Not according to our information. He's only familiar with Ao Canghai, but they don't get along at all," Li Qianjun reported.

"You're confident?"

"Not entirely. Perhaps they just act that way—after all, when Xiao Nanfeng took down Dayin, Ao Canghai was helping out. When Xiao Nanfeng took down the Southeastern Aquatic Palace, Ao Canghai was witnessed there as well. Although it looked as though he had been tricked by Xiao Nanfeng after the fact, how could a Cardinal Aspect be tricked so easily? It really might be a manufactured feud, after all," Li Qianjun replied.

Tu Jiuniang snarled, "In that case, Ao Canghai was the Boundless Immortal who dared get in my way?"

"That damn Ao Canghai," Li Qianjun and the purple-robed woman echoed.

"Sister, let's return," Tu Jiuniang suggested.

The purple-robed woman nodded firmly.

They shot a glance at Taixu, which was by now nothing but rubble. No sign of vitality remained in the region; there was little to miss. The procession left quickly.

The Divine Emperor flew in a circle over the sea before returning to land. The two cultivators stopped in a secluded valley shrouded with fog, with ornate buildings within. There were shadow cursed effigies in the vicinity, who all bowed upon seeing the Divine Emperor's return.

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them all, leaving just her, Xiao Nanfeng, and the unconscious Demon Child behind.

By then, all the black fog around the Divine Emperor had dissipated, revealing her unparalleled beauty and long, luscious hair.

She was wearing form-fitting black robes that accentuated her body. Her beauty eclipsed even her incredible strength.

"Your cultivation has improved at a tremendous rate," the Divine Emperor commented. Her tone was casual, her eyes gentle.

"I've missed you too." Xiao Nanfeng didn't release her hand.

A faint blush appeared on the Divine Emperor's cheeks. "I'm hardly anyone to you. Why would you think of me?"

"You're my wife, and we lived together for an interminable period of time. We encountered all manner of affairs and overcame the challenges we faced. Do you consider me a stranger?" Xiao Nanfeng caressed her hand.

The Divine Emperor tried to free herself from her grip. "That was a dream, and we were both struck by a curse of affection! That can't count."

Xiao Nanfeng held up their hands and shook his head. "One person's delusions would be a dream, but two people's shared experience? Hardly. So what if we were under a curse of affection? Even without it, I would still consider you my wife."

"You!" The Divine Emperor was flustered, but her eyes remained as gentle as ever.

"Let's reminisce about the past later. Have a look at the Demon Child for now. He seems to be rather badly injured," Xiao Nanfeng said.

The Divine Emperor calmed down, then inspected the Demon Child alongside Xiao Nanfeng.

"His body's a mess, as far as I can tell," Xiao Nanfeng said, placing the Demon Child on the ground. "There are all sorts of chaotic energies ravaging his body."

The Divine Emperor inspected him as well, then frowned. "This isn't looking good."

"What's the matter?"

"Tu Jiuniang gave him a critical blow, shattering his demonic constitution. Demonic corpse aura is running wild throughout his body. Not only is his body in bad shape, so too is his mind. He has no will to live at all. If this drags on, his body might explode."

"It's because of his mother's death."

"He needs to regain the will to live in order to slowly master the rampant energies ravaging it."

"Can you awaken him?"

"I can, but it'll be meaningless if he doesn't do anything. He needs the will to live, too," the Divine Emperor said in worry.

"Awaken him, please. I'll try to persuade him."

The Divine Emperor nodded, sending a wisp of black energy into the Demon Child's mindscape. The Demon Child's body shuddered as he opened his eyes.

However, they looked like nothing more than soulless pits.

"Demon Child, are you awake?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The Demon Child didn't say anything. He might as well have been a dummy.

"Have you forgotten about your mother? What would she think of your actions?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

A glimmer of emotion appeared in the Demon Child's eyes. Tears began to leak instantly. "Mother's dead. Mother's dead!"

"She's watching over you from the heavens above," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The Demon Child suddenly turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "You're lying! She's dead. Her soul dissipated. I saw it with my own eyes. How could she be watching over me?"

"She died without any regrets, sacrificing herself for you. You can't let her efforts go to waste," Xiao Nanfeng advised.

"All I want is my mother! If she's dead, I'll die alongside her!" the Demon Child cried.

In the end, the Demon Child was but a child wracked with emotions.

"Your mother doesn't want you to die! She wants you to become a strong, independent man. Aren't you going to fulfill her last wishes? She spent her life being looked down on and bullied. Aren't you going to defend and uphold her legacy?"

The Demon Child continued to cry, but as a child, he was also easily manipulated. The despair slowly left his eyes.

"What's more, you haven't finished avenging your mother yet. Don't you want to take down everyone who hurt her?"

"I do. I do! I want to take revenge for my mother. She told me to listen to you until I was twenty. Xiao Nanfeng, you'll help me take revenge, won't you?" the Demon Child cried out.

A fearsome will to live had ignited in his eyes once more. Xiao Nanfeng's manipulation had quickly taken effect.