Stranger Danger

Chapter 283: Blood Demon

“Wait, Miss Chu.”

After teaching the naughty children a lesson, the duo resumed their journey toward the center of the Mountain of Demons. The deeper they went, the emptier the place became, and the darker and more oppressive the atmosphere became.

While they were walking past a gravestone, Ye Qing’s blood abruptly boiled as if attracted by something. At the same time, the inscription on the gravestone started bleeding bright red blood.

Ye Qing wheeled around immediately. The gravestone was black in color like most of the gravestones in this graveyard, and the inscriptions were just two short lines. The center of the gravestone was inscribed with the moniker, “Blood Demon”, and the bottom right hand corner of the gravestone was inscribed with the name “Shangguan Wuwo”.

The inscription was short, but Ye Qing could feel a terrible, oppressive power from it. It continued to bleed as if a river of blood ran beneath the gravestone, endless and eternal.

“Blood Demon? Shangguan Wuwo?”

Chu Qingge’s face bloomed with surprise and disgust when she saw the inscription on the gravestone.

Ye Qing noticed her odd reaction and asked curiously, “Do you know who this Shangguan Wuwo is, Miss Chu?”

The young woman answered, “Shangguan Wuwo the ‘Blood Demon’ is one of the titans of the Dark Ways six hundred years ago. Shangguan Wuwo was a member of the Blood God Sect of the Nine Demonic Ways, but he couldn’t stand their rules and ultimately left his sect. Shangguan Wuwo’s cultivation art is the ‘Blood Demon Sutra’, something he invented by combining the Blood God Sect’s ‘Blood God Sutra’ and the Demon Palace of Kunlun’s ‘Demons of Mountains and Rivers’.”

“The ‘Blood Demon Sutra’ is an incredibly powerful cultivation art that enables the practitioner to absorb and control other people’s blood to their heart’s content, pollute one’s mind, and slay enemies without a trace. One could also create the ‘Children of Blood Demon’ and use them like an army. So long as the Children of Blood Demon are alive, the Blood Demon is unkillable.”

“At his prime, Shangguan Wuwo created eighty one Children of Blood Demon and annihilated the Unliving Sect, one of the thirty six unorthodox sects singlehandedly. He also survived being surrounded and hunted by dozens of Grandmasters. He was incredibly powerful.”

“That sounds amazing!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up with excitement and interest. If he wasn’t mistaken, the reason he was drawn to the Blood Demon’s grave was because of his special blood.

Chu Qingge shot him a look and said, “Shangguan Wuwo was a man of dual nature. He acts and kills as he pleases. When he’s in a good mood, he could form brotherhoods with weaklings and enjoy long drinks with beggars. When he's in a bad mood, he could annihilate entire clans for the slightest offense. Not even their pets and livestocks are spared from his wrath. That was why he came to be known as the Blood Demon.”

“If you wish to accept his inheritance, my advice for you is to be very, very careful.”

Ye Qing’s smile was replaced by a deep frown. “Are you saying that Shangguan Wuwo might have prepared a trap for his ‘successor’?”

Chu Qingge replied, “I can’t possibly say, but I do know that Shangguan Wuwo was infamously cunning and ruthless. You would be wise to stay on your guard.”

“Besides that, ‘Blood Demon Sutra’ is a demonic art through and through. Fresh blood is needed for its cultivation, and the longer you cultivate it, the more it will warp your temperament. You may become tyrannical, bloodthirsty, and heartless.”

“If you ask me, my advice for you is to give up on it.”

“I see.” Ye Qing hesitated a little, but in the end he chose to disregard the advice. “There are no good or evil martial arts, only good or evil men. So long as I stay true to myself, what can it do to me?”

“Besides, there’s no telling if the ‘Blood Demon Sutra’ is what the Blood Demon left behind. It could be some other martial arts, right?”

“As for the risks, is there anything in the world that doesn’t come with risks and consequences? Don’t worry. I will be careful.”

“It’s your choice. I’m just offering you my advice,” Chu Qingge replied indifferently.

“Thank you.” Ye Qing smiled.

He looked relaxed and fearless on the outside, but on the inside he engraved Chu Qingge’s warning into his heart.

Ye Qing produced an incense stick from his Nature’s Shell, lit it up, and prayed to Shangguan Wuwo’s grave. He muttered under his breath, “Bless me, Brother Incense. Grant me your protection, heavens. Be merciful, senior.”

Finally, he planted the incense stick on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Chu Qingge asked with obvious confusion.

“Nothing. I’m just praying to senior and asking for his blessing is all,” Ye Qing gave her a random excuse.

“Don’t you normally use three incense sticks instead of one?” Chu Qingge asked suspiciously.

“I only have one, and I’m sure senior wouldn’t mind as long as my prayer is sincere,” Ye Qing said smilingly.

He hadn’t lit a normal incense stick, of course. It was none other than the Incense of Fortune.

“Protect me, Fog Demon,” Ye Qing thought to the Fog Demon. Although he didn’t think that anyone could harm him while Chu Qingge was around, and his impression of Chu Qingge so far was quite favorable, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

“Boy, the girl’s right. I can feel a great evil buried in this grave. You might be better off giving up on this opportunity,” The Fog Demon advised.

Only the Fog Demon itself knew if it was handing out the advice out of good will or not, but in any case, Ye Qing’s mind was set. “I know what I’m doing. Just keep me safe.”

With that, he sat crosslegged on the ground and made contact with the gravestone with his spirit.

Boom!

Ye Qing’s mind shook violently as soon as his spiritual power made contact with the gravestone. A sea of blood abruptly appeared in front of him, and standing above it was an evil, handsome man with an ostentatious and violent aura. He had red hair and wore red clothes.

Shangguan Wuwo looked down on Ye Qing and guffawed. “Hahaha! I am Shangguan Wuwo! And who might you be?”

The sea of blood stirred violently as he laughed.

Ye Qing hurriedly replied, “This junior is Ye Qing. It is an honor to meet you, senior.”

“You possess a bloodline that is quite compatible with my ‘Blood Demon Sutra’. Are you willing to become my disciple?” Shangguan Wuwo asked amiably.

I knew it! It really is because of my blood! Ye Qing thought excitedly as he responded, “I am willing, senior. Thank you.”

Only a fool would reject such an opportunity.

“Hahaha, good. Now open your mind to me and do not resist,” Shangguan Wuwo extended a finger to Ye Qing as he said this. The sea of blood immediately surged toward Ye Qing.

Back in the real world, the Annon Sutra slowly lit up as blood red text appeared on its surface:

“Ye Qing discovered Shangguan Wuwo’s grave and was prepared to receive his inheritance, but he didn’t realize that the Blood Demon had an ulterior motive. Instead of passing down his inheritance to Ye Qing, he was planning to extinguish his mind, take over his body, and be reborn.”

“But right before Shangguan Wuwo would succeed, a sense of grave danger suddenly enveloped Ye Qing.”

Three silver dragon-serpent runes winked out of existence after the last word appeared.

Meanwhile, Ye Qing was ready to lower his mental guard and accept Shangguan Wuwo’s inheritance when suddenly, he was beset by a terrible sense of unease. It was like standing at the edge of a bottomless chasm, or dueling a powerful warrior who was a moment away from killing him. Such was his unease that even his mind was quaking in fear.

Not good!

Ye Qing abruptly recognized the danger and visualized the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”.

Right before the blood sea would overwhelm him, the dharma of Emperor Fuxi appeared above the blood sea and cast his golden rays like the sun. The bloody waves evaporated in just the blink of an eye.

As Shangguan Wuwo was standing at the forefront, he suffered the full brunt of the mental attack and let out a bloodcurdling scream. His expression was savage with anger as he retreated together with the waves, “What... What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Ye Qing’s lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach the eyes. “I’m the one who should be asking you that.”

“What are you talking about? I just want to pass on my inheritance to you is all. Now lower your defenses and let me in already!” Shangguan Wuwo said urgently.

Ye Qing sneered. “Come now, senior Shangguan. It’s a bit too late for the theatrics, don’t you think? I know you’re plotting to take over my body.”

There was a chance he was just being paranoid, but Ye Qing grew certain that that wasn’t the case after seeing Shangguan Wuwo’s reaction. The guy was just too desperate.

A few breaths later, Shangguan Wuwo laughed loudly. “You’re smarter than those idiots who came before you, it seems. As soon as they heard that I was planning to pass them everything I know, they immediately became blinded by greed and were taken over by me without trouble.”

“Unfortunately, their bodies were too mediocre and untalented. My future would’ve been limited if I took over them permanently.”

“You are a different story though. Your body is so perfect it’s practically a creation of the heavens. Your vigor is rich, your physique is strong, your aptitude is flawless, and you bear the blood of the Blood God in you. You are the most perfect specimen I’ve ever encountered in my life.”

“If I could take over your body, I would return to my former glory—no, I would surpass it! I would become a Sage[1] and live forever and ever...”

“When the time comes, I will track down those who participated in that hunt back then and annihilate them to the nine generations! Ahahahaha...”

Shangguan Wuwo laughed like a madman as he narrated his dream. He could practically envision that future already.

Heh. That’s another bastard who’s lusting after my body, Ye Qing sneered inside his head. It was true that his body was unbelievably OP after it was baptized by the Burning Wind and the Water of Life, but that was not an excuse for these old fuckers to covet it like disgusting perverts!

Seriously, who the fuck do you think I am? The last person who coveted my body got refined into my Artifact Spirit, you know that?

“Surrender and give me your body, boy. If you do, I promise to preserve a sliver of your consciousness.”

Shangguan Wuwo attempted to tempt Ye Qing, “When I have attained Sagehood, I promise to reforge your body and take you as my disciple.”

“You really think I’m stupid, don’t you?” Ye Qing sneered. Only a total retard would believe such a promise, not to mention that his tone and words were almost the same as the Fog Demon’s. Was this some sort of disease that afflicted all champions regardless of their race?

“Remember, you’re the one who rejected me. You don’t actually think you can resist me, do you?” Shangguan Wuwo scoffed disdainfully, “This is my world. It takes but a sliver of effort for me to kill you.”

As soon as Shangguan Wuwo said this, countless Blood Shadows poured out of the sea of blood, wailing.

“The Children of Blood Demon...”

The next moment, the Children of Blood Demon rushed toward Ye Qing in unison.

“Heh. You can certainly try!” Ye Qing sneered as he visualized the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method” once more. The dharma abruptly shone much brighter until it looked like the sun itself. Like an inferno, its piercing golden rays burned all of the Children of Blood Demon into dust before they could even get close.

The next moment, the dharma itself cut a brilliant arc through the air and vanished abruptly. Before Shangguan Wuwo could find out where it went, he was crushed into bits by its fiery chariot.

After the dharma was gone, the sea of blood shuddered and split in half to reveal a bottomless chasm. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea, but with a splash of gore.

“Phew...”

Ye Qing’s spirit was far stronger than what it used to be. Although he hadn’t unlocked his Xuanguan point yet, his spirit was as strong as a Spirit Purifier’s. In fact, it was better than some late-stage Spirit Purifiers.

Of course, his spirit was incomparable to that of a Grandmaster’s, and Shangguan Wuwo was a Grandmaster. However, the Blood Demon only possessed a wisp of soul and consciousness right now, so Ye Qing didn’t believe that he could threaten him overly much.

1. cultivation level everyone. It’s the one above Half-Sage. ?

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