Stranger Danger

Chapter 431: Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art

“Qingge, watch out!” The Harmony cried out suddenly and drew everyone’s attention. When they looked, they saw Ye Qing piercing through a river of yellow sand with a single punch.

Like a lone cavalry, Ye Qing continued forward despite the ungodly amount of sand crashing down on him. Why would he fear some sand when he didn’t fear even an army of thousands?

“Break Through”

The technique pierced through layer after layer of sand and brought Ye Qing to Chu Qingge as swift as the wind. Chu Qingge couldn’t help but frown a little when she saw this. Her senses were telling her that Ye Qing’s energies were weak, and his essence was inconspicuous. If not for the fact that he was piercing through her sand like it was paper, she could’ve mistaken him for an ordinary person.

“Rise!” Chu Qingge commanded and raised her arms. The ground shook, and the yellow sand churned like a drake rolling on his back.

The shaking ground did nothing to stop Ye Qing’s rush, however. He continued to race forward like he was treading on flat land. That was because the rolling sand would calm down right before his foot would hit the ground. It was as if he had cast some sort of suppression magic on his feet.

When he was about twenty meters away from Chu Qingge, Ye Qing abruptly leaned forward and kicked off the ground with both feet. His jump was so powerful that the sand within three meters of him deflated and inflated like it was a cushion.

Chu Qingge flinched when Ye Qing took his leap. It was because she couldn’t see Ye Qing anywhere.

Chu Qingge instinctively wanted to put some distance between herself and Ye Qing, but she had just taken a step backward when suddenly, she froze and zoned out like her consciousness just suddenly decided to take a break. At the sametime, Ye Qing reappeared in front of Chu Qingge and threw a powerful punch that broke down the Black Tortoise Force surrounding her like paper.

“Break Through” was the best technique he possessed when going up against a powerful defense. Ye Qing had already been caught off guard by the “Black Tortoise Force” once. He wasn’t the type of person to make the same mistake a second time.

The punch was infused with his qi, essence and spirit, and they were all focused on a single point. A set of metal armor could block a sword strike with ease, but not a bullet. The “Black Tortoise Force’s” ability to switch states made it incredibly difficult to overcome, but not even it could defend against a full-powered attack that was focused on a single point.

After the punch pierced through Chu Qingge’s “Black Tortoise Force”, Ye Qing suddenly withdrew most of his strength. His full-powered punch could potentially overwhelm even an ordinary Spirit Master, much less a late-stage Spirit Purifier. Chu Qingge was strong, but she wasn’t a body-tempering warrior. Her physical strength was average at best. If she took a full-powered punch from him, she would be lucky to escape with her life.

They were colleagues working for the same department, and they had fought together at the Demon’s Tomb before. Of course she didn’t want to kill her or put her in a bad spot. That was why he withdrew most of his strength and left just enough to scatter the energies in her body and incapacitate her.

He flinched when his fist finally touched Chu Qingge’s body, however. An invisible ripple suddenly washed out of the warrioress, and the next thing he knew, his force had been reflected right back at him!

A muffled grunt escaped Ye Qing’s lips as he staggered away from Chu Qingge. Every time he took a step, the sand beneath his foot would shudder a little.

As if on cue, Chu Qingge’s eyes regained their focus as she said, “Thank you for showing mercy, Brother Ye.”

She didn’t press the attack, and she wore a meaningful smirk on her face as she briefly glanced at the ground.

“Heh. You too,” Ye Qing replied just as meaningfully while hanging his arms close to his body.

Chu Qingge was talking about the fact that he had withdrawn his strength at the last minute, and Ye Qing was talking about the fact that Chu Qingge hadn’t pressed the attack while he was recovering. That was just the surface-level subtexts, however, and both participants knew about it.

Chu Qingge must have broken out of the “Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul” since nearly the beginning, but she pretended that she hadn’t to bait him into attacking her with all his might. If he hadn’t pulled his punch, he would probably be rolling back and forth on the ground and screaming in pain right now.

Unfortunately, Ye Qing withdrew his strength at the last moment and unintentionally saved himself from much self-inflicted pain. Otherwise, it would’ve been very bad for him.

Chu Qingge wasn’t the only one who had set up a trap for their opponent, however. After Ye Qing was pushed back by his own force, he neutralized the reflected attack by redirecting it toward the underground using the “Nine Impetus of Tai Chi”. While doing so, he put on a convincing act of weakness to bait Chu Qingge into pressing the attack. Had she fallen for his ruse, Ye Qing would’ve dealt her a huge blow and potentially won the fight there and then.

“You’re already an extraordinary warrior, but that Strange Artifact makes you outright invincible.” Ye Qing sighed. “It looks like this is where my journey ends.”

“No need to test me, Brother Ye,” Chu Qingge said with clear eyes that looked like they could see through any deception. “The Strange Artifact I used to reflect your attack is called Reflection. It is a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact that can reflect any attack below the Spirit Master stage back to my enemies.”

“However, I can only use it once every half a teatime, so you don’t need to worry about it, at least not now.”

“Ahem... Is that so?” Ye Qing coughed. He was trying to sound out Chu Qingge earlier, but he hadn’t expected her to just divulge her secret so easily. In fact, he had heard of Reflection before and suspected that that was the Strange Artifact she used to reflect his attack back to him, so he knew for certain that she hadn’t lied. “I suppose I can struggle a little longer then.”

Chu Qingge bloomed into a bright, dazzling smile when she heard his reply. “Good, because I’m going to turn serious now, Brother Ye. Don’t hold back.”

As soon as she finished, Chu Qingge stomped the ground. The force Ye Qing had redirected underground immediately exploded into a shower of sand.

At the same time, Chu Qingge and Ye Qing charged into the sand. The sand that just fell to the ground were blown up so high that it blotted out the sun.

The silhouette of a majestic-looking man wearing a tall crown and a dragon robe appeared into view. It was the silhouette of the Son of Heaven himself.

As soon as it appeared, a vast, majestic aura encompassed both heaven and earth.

When the emperor descends, the four seas shall bow to his might.

Bang!

The silhouette made a fist and threw a punch. The sand scattered like panicking civilians hurrying away from the Son of Heaven’s wrath and revealed Ye Qing.

Ye Qing’s energies were being suppressed by the terrifying silhouette. His mind was quaking against his will as well. Having no time to come up with a plan, he had no choice but to force himself to unleash “Break Through”.

As soon as their forces met, Ye Qing’s fist force crumbled like an egg against a rock. The powerful punch sent him flying to the distance.

“The ‘Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art’?!”

“She’s a woman, and yet she managed to master the ‘Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art’ to this extent? Unbelievable!”

“Indeed. She’s a true genius!”

Outside the platform, everyone who saw the silhouette of the Son of Heaven—so solid that it might as well be real—was stunned. Some people had even risen to their feet before they knew it.

They weren’t overreacting. If the “Four Symbols of Supremacy” was a secret art that only members of the imperial family could learn, then the “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” was a forbidden art that only a handful of imperial members were allowed to learn. Specifically, only those who shared blood with the emperor were allowed to learn it.

The reason wasn’t just political but also practical. Only those who shared blood with the emperor were blessed with a rich amount of the Will of the Dragon and protected by the Will of the Empire. They were also the only ones who could withstand the cost of executing the “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” and unleash its full power.

For obvious reasons, the large majority of people who managed to grasp the “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” were male. But not only did Chu Qingge manage to learn the martial art, she could even manifest the Son of Heaven’s silhouette.

Forget the others, even Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun were astonished by Chu Qingge’s accomplishment. Although Chu Wangsun was also a member of the imperial family, he was born under a collateral family and one of the disciples of the Chief Libationist, head of the Jixia Academy. Therefore, even he didn’t qualify to learn the martial art.

“When the Son of Heaven observes qi, it is like he is there in person. The four seas are calm, and the world is at peace.” Fang Muyun glanced at the Harmony King and sighed. “Miss Chu truly is one of a kind. Congratulations, Your Highness.”

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

Everyone else was congratulating theHarmony King with mixed expressions as well.

Although the Harmony King was a marquis and the current emperor’s uncle, he was considered incompetent and powerless. His only son was also ignorant, incompetent, slothful, and generally unbecoming of a marquis’ son. That was why a lot of people looked down on him in secret.

Chu Qingge’s performance was starting to change minds, however. It was rare for a woman to grasp the “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” to this extent. Barring exceptional circumstances, Emperor Jin Run was bound to regard her highly. To say that her future was bright would be an understatement. So long as Chu Qingge was still present, the court of the Harmony King would remain strong for at least a century.

“Thank you, thank you!”

The Harmony King was all smiles. He had no idea what the people were thinking, of course. He was just happy that his colleagues were complimenting his daughter.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? The Qing Emperor Junior is charging Chu Qingge. That’s not very smart, is it?”

On the screen, Ye Qing kicked off the ground and charged even faster toward the Son of Heaven’s silhouette as soon as he landed on his feet. Such was his strength that a pit appeared where he was standing.

The “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” was a grand, orthodox martial art belonging to the imperial family. Anyone within its influence would be severely weakened because the emperor stood above all strata. The last thing it feared was a head-on battle, which was why the best way to deal with the “Son of Heaven Qi Observing Art” was usually avoiding it.

Instead, Ye Qing was rushing forward to meet Chu Qingge at the center. It confused the spectators to say the least.

On the way, Ye Qing kept growing bigger and bigger while large patches of black fur grew out of his face, his arms and other parts of his body. At the same time, a violent, bloodthirsty, and maverick aura washed out and pushed back against the Son of Heaven’s majestic aura.

The contrast was stark. If the Son of Heaven’s silhouette bespoke of greatness and majesty, wisdom and courage, then Ye Qing’s aura was one thousand percent that of a lawless, unfettered rebel.

Chu Qingge sensed Ye Qing’s aura, of course. She clenched her fists and threw a straight punch in his direction. In the sky, the Son of Heaven’s silhouette did the same thing, except that there were dragons swimming around his body, and a terrible pressure encompassed both heaven and earth. Anyone and anything within its range wished to submit to the emperor.

Chu Qingge was executing the Stunning Dragon Fist, but the difference before and after she manifested the Son of Heaven’s silhouette was like night and day. This punch felt like it could stun the nine heavens and suppress the four seas.

Ye Qing wasn’t afraid, however. As he responded to the attack with his own punch, a demonic ape appeared behind him, let out a thunderous roar, and threw a punch as well.

BOOM!!!

Wind and thunder erupted from the point of impact. The ground where they were standing collapsed, and astral qi spun the surrounding sand into a yellow cyclone that was at least sixty meters tall. The world shook like it would fall apart at any moment.

The first clash went to Chu Qingge. She didn’t move an inch, but Ye Qing was pushed back a few steps.

Ye Qing was relentless, however. He let out another full-throated roar, bent his knees slightly, and leaped into the air with his fists clasped together and raised over his head. He brought down his hand as if he would flatten Chu Qingge like a pancake.

The Son of Heaven raised with his right hand and gathered the surrounding energies. He was able to catch Ye Qing’s wrists at the last second.

Then, the silhouette exerted its strength and smashed Ye Qing into the ground instead.

Before the Son of Heaven could withdraw his arm, Ye Qing abruptly leaped out of the deep pit he had created and caught the arm. Then, he pulled the silhouette toward him before smashing his shoulder into his chest.

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