Wayfarer-Chapter 979: Friendship Forged Through Battle

From Yan Zhenhuo's words, Xiao Nanfeng could sense the protective care of an elder brother toward his younger sibling. It was a natural sentiment, and one he could respect.

"Where would you like to have this duel, Emperor Yan?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yan Zhenhuo's eyes lit up. "You are refreshingly straightforward, Emperor Xiao. Let's head to a secluded part of the Western Sea and engage in combat there."

"Lead the way," Xiao Nanfeng said, standing up.

"After you," Yan Zhenhuo replied, standing up as well.

"Brother, let me join you," Yan Zhenshui jumped in.

"Stay here and wait for me to return," Yan Zhenhuo replied firmly.

Yan Zhenshui was visibly agitated, but could only nod in frustration upon seeing his brother's resolute attitude.

Xiao Nanfeng and Yan Zhenhuo shot into the air and toward the depths of the Western Sea.

As he watched his brother leave, Yan Zhenshui's face turned dark. "This is your territory. Why won't you just capture Xiao Nanfeng directly?"

Eventually, Xiao Nanfeng and Yan Zhenhuo mutually identified a certain stretch of the Western Sea far from any sect or empire. Its remote nature left Xiao Nanfeng confident about Yan Zhenhuo's integrity and forthrightness—assuming, of course, that Yan Zhenhuo hadn't relayed this location to others through an avatar.

"Please join me, Emperor Xiao," Yan Zhenhuo said.

"And you as well, Emperor Yan."

Dazzling golden light erupted from both their bodies as they shot toward each other in beams of brilliance. Where they passed, massive waves formed in the sea from the sheer force of their auras.

Their fists collided with a deafening boom.

Yan Zhenhuo's immense strength forced Xiao Nanfeng to take a step back.

"Your Imposing Avatar of Rulai is impressive, but unfortunately, your cultivation is weaker than mine. Your strength can't compare to mine. At this rate, the outcome of our fight will be certain," Yan Zhenhuo warned.

"Don't worry. This is hardly my only trick," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

He waved a hand, and ten golden crows shot into the sky.

The ten golden crows let out loud cries. The sun suddenly winked out as they absorbed all the sunlight in the region. The ten golden crows now glowed like ten miniature suns in the dim darkness.

"Sky of Ten Suns?" Yan Zhenhuo narrowed his eyes.

The ten golden crows each shot a beam of light toward Xiao Nanfeng, enveloping his body in quintessential solarfire. Incredible aura radiated from his form.

"You've grown far stronger—the ten golden crows are absorbing solar energy and channeling it into your body!" Yan Zhenhuo exclaimed.

"Exactly. Now, let's continue!"

"Bring it on!" Yan Zhenhuo shouted as he charged forward.

The two cultivators' Imposing Avatars of Rulai shone with golden brilliance. They looked like two divine Buddhas clashing fiercely with each other. Their fists collided once more. With a thunderous boom, shockwaves rippled across the void. The terrifying force spawned towering tsunamis in the distance.

"Incredible. You've caught up in terms of strength. Again!" Yan Zhenhuo exclaimed with delight.

Neither man held back. Instead, their punches became faster and fiercer.

Neither employed qi barriers; their other defenses paled in comparison to their Imposing Avatars of Rulai.

All around them, the waves surged higher and higher.

Xiao Nanfeng discovered that Yan Zhenhuo's manipulation of his techniques were as precise and masterful as his own.

"Hegemon's Fist!"

"Flower-Plucking Fingers!"

Thousands of fists and fingers clashed in mid-air. The shockwaves distorted and folded the void around them.

"Emperor Wei's Hegemon's Fist? Remarkable. Yours is already on par with Emperor Wei's," Yan Zhenhuo remarked, astonished.

"You've seen Emperor Wei's Hegemon's Fist before?"

"Naturally! I even took him on back in the day. Though I couldn't defeat him, I still remember the prowess of his techniques. Your Hegemon's Fist is no weaker than his. It might even surpass his in some aspects."

"I wouldn't dare claim to have surpassed him. I've merely made some adjustments to the technique that better suit my body," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Their fists collided again with another boom.

Their battle grew fiercer with each passing moment, and their shockwaves destroyed islands and carved trenches into the ocean floor.

Yet Xiao Nanfeng noticed that both of them refrained from using their ultimate techniques.

Yan Zhenhuo stuck to his Imposing Avatar of Rulai and his other elementary techniques, leaving Xiao Nanfeng taken aback.

"Are you trying to make a breakthrough during our fight?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"Have you noticed? Indeed. I've reached a bottleneck with my Imposing Avatar of Rulai, and I can't seem to break through no matter what I do. Unfortunately, there are too few people in the world who cultivate it, and I've never been able to find someone with whom to compare the technique. It was fortuitous that you showed up. Your Imposing Avatar of Rulai is different from mine, and I vaguely sense that I'll be able to benefit from your knowledge."

The two exchanged blows again, then retreated.

"Your Imposing Avatar of Rulai has elements that may benefit me as well," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Haha! Then let's fight to our limits!" Yan Zhenhuo boomed.

"Very well," Xiao Nanfeng replied enthusiastically.

Their battle intensified, tearing through sky and sea alike.

They fought all the way until sunset, when the ten golden crows' ability to draw in sunlight waned.

One final clash of their fists sent them both falling like meteors. They landed on separate islands and shattered them entirely.

They were both covered in wounds, weary and bleeding.

Considering that they both cultivated the Imposing Avatar of Rulai, which was all but immune to blades and which fortified their physical defenses beyond imagination, they had truly devastated each other.

Xiao Nanfeng's ten golden crows returned to his body. Now that the sun was setting, he prepared to switch to his yin body and take on Yan Zhenhuo using his Realm of the Nine Heavens.

Just then, however, Yan Zhenhuo shouted, "Why don't we stop here?"

"Hm?"

"I know you must have other tricks up your sleeve, as do I, but there's no need to escalate things. We'll end it as a draw—no, given the fact that your cultivation is weaker than mine, it should be your win. I'll concede."

Xiao Nanfeng glanced at Yan Zhenhuo in surprise. "Will you admit defeat just like that?"

"What's the harm? I'm a straightforward man. My reputation might take a blow, but that hardly matters. I only managed to fight you to a draw thanks to my more advanced cultivation."

Xiao Nanfeng laughed. "You're refreshingly honest, Emperor Yan. I admire your character. I think we could be friends."

"Haha! I'd be honored. Care for a drink, Emperor Xiao?"

"Very well," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.

The two injured men found a quiet island. They started a fire and chatted as they tended to their wounds.

Sitting by the fire, with wine being heated over the flames, the two conversed amicably.

"Xiao Nanfeng, you really hit hard. Look here—you even cracked my supposedly invincible Imposing Avatar of Rulai," Yan Zhenhuo joked.

"Your Flower-Plucking Fingers are just as nasty—they precisely targeted my weaknesses. If I hadn't been on guard, I might have lost right then and there."

"All's fair in a fight, after all." Yan Zhenhuo laughed.

"Well said. Cheers to that," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Each took a long swig from their flasks.

"Xiao Nanfeng, to be frank, I've admired you for a long time. Your victories against various divine empires are extraordinary, especially considering your humble background. You've achieved so much in a mere decade, and the policies in Dazheng are the best I've seen. I've been studying your work, and I'm glad to have met you in person. You've exceeded all my expectations. Let me give you a toast."

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"You flatter me. Your approach to governance is equally admirable," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The two drank and exchanged ideas on cultivation and statecraft, finding an unexpected kinship with each other.

"Do you truly have no ties to Yu Banruo?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Our paths are incompatible, and cooperation would be impossible. Rest assured. At dawn tomorrow, I'll help you retrieve your subordinates," Yan Zhenhuo said."

"My thanks," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"I keep my word," Yan Zhenhuo replied. "Be careful of going against Yu Banruo."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng replied curiously.

"If I'm not mistaken, Yu Banruo also cultivates the Imposing Avatar of Rulai, and he's far stronger."

"Indeed?" Xiao Nanfeng was astonished.

"I suspect your conflict with him will be inevitable. From what I've heard, he was the one who killed Emperor Wei back then."

"Really?" Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes.

"I learned of it from my brother. Emperor Wei had a meteoric rise. He promulgated Hegemon's Fist to the masses, earning widespread respect. Unfortunately, he caught Yu Banruo's attention. I don't know what caused the conflict between them, but you know what happened next."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "I owe Emperor Wei for his teachings. This is a debt I must repay."

"Yu Banruo is ambitious and dangerous. He hasn't dealt with you personally yet because he doesn't see you as a threat. The more setbacks his subordinates face at your hands, however, the sooner he'll come for you," Yan Zhenhuo cautioned.

"Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Come, let's drink!"

The two cultivators raised their cups again. As they talked and laughed, they felt as if they had found kindred spirits in each other.