Stranger Danger

The huge dark yellow cauldron in the sky shook a little as if it could hear Ye Qing’s mental challenge. A profound, indescribable sound reverberated throughout the area like an endless field of spring.

To others, the sound was the sound of the Great Way: profound, enlightening, and impossible to ignore. But to Ye Qing, it was like a million thunderclaps erupting inside his headspace at the same time. It threatened to rip the earth apart and tear a hole in the sky.

Ye Qing looked inward. Sitting high above the nine heavens, his Heavenly Demon Yin God slowly rose to its feet and grew infinitely tall and wide. It wasn’t long before its feet were planted on the ground, and its head towering over the heavens.

His crumbling headspace immediately stopped deteriorating and started mending itself. No world shall crumble while Man becomes the pillar that supports both heaven and earth!

While his headspace was still recovering from the assault, the dark yellow cauldron began rotating and emanating waves of dark yellow qi. They were thick and heavy like nothing Ye Qing had ever felt. From his perspective, it felt like the world above the heavens had tipped over, and infinite stretches of mountains and rivers were falling right on top of him.

“Hmph!”

A muffled groan escaped his lips as the earth beneath his feet split into giant cracks. It truly felt like the weight of an entire world was sitting on top of his shoulders.

Every time the dark yellow light descended an inch, the world would darken a tad, and the burden on his shoulders would double in weight.

Strange sounds were reverberating throughout the area. It was a mixture of Ye Qing’s muscles and bones straining under the weight they were bearing and the sound of crumbling earth.

The young man did not collapse, however. No matter how heavy his burden grew, his neck remained straight, his waist remained strong, his legs did not bend, and his heart did not succumb to fear. He stood like a spear or a sword—straight and unbending.

The dark yellow light was stretching from one end of the horizon to another by the time it was merely one meter away from Ye Qing’s head. Not only that, mountains and rivers were manifesting into existence here and there.

The dark yellow light was transforming into a literal world to suppress one man.

If the profound sound of the Great Way from before was an attack against Ye Qing’s mind, then the dark yellow light and the world it was transforming into was an attack against his body.

Ye Qing opened his mouth and sucked in a small breath. His muscles and bones popped, and his energies soared high.

The mountain wind flowed into one’s abdomen like rumbling thunder.

The muscles and bones popped and cracked like a tiger’s roar.

And the vigor rolled in like a raging river.

The one whose qi, essence and spirit were united as one could not be stopped.

And the one whose heart held no fear would dare to challenge the heavens themselves.

Ye Qing looked up and punched upward. Like a raging tide defying gravity to touch the skies, his raging fist force and vast fist intent exploded like a volcano.

The roar. The roar was unending. The vast world that threatened to crush Ye Qing shook like a leaf as cracks spread out from the center and toward everything. At the same time, the mountains and rivers began crumbling bit by bit.

When the false world had fully disintegrated, a clear, blue sky greeted Ye Qing’s vision once more, and the dark yellow cauldron fell completely silent.

“That was fun!”

Ye Qing barked out a laugh and stared at the motionless cauldron for a couple of seconds. When nothing happened, he wiped away the bloodstain on his lips and declared, “If you’re not coming to me, then I’m coming to you!”

His words were still lingering in the air when Ye Qing pushed off the ground in one swift motion. He looked like he would crush the dark yellow cauldron before it could launch its next attack!

Ye Qing was about halfway to the cauldron when suddenly, it spat out a dark yellow spiritual light.

The spiritual light was practically puny compared to the all-encompassing Profound Yellow Qi from before. However, the presence it gave off was another story. Although it was just a wisp, it felt immense, vast, heavy, profound, and unstoppable. It felt like the virtuous earth that bore all living things on its shoulders and nourished all living things with its rich soil.

“The Profound Yellow Mother Qi!”

By now, many warriors were already gathered at the edge of the basin. Their eyes widened with all kinds of thoughts when they realized what the spiritual light was.

No one made a move though. It was because they knew that the Profound Yellow Mother Qi Tribulation wasn’t over yet. Acting now would only be a waste of breath and energy.

The next moment, the wisp of Profound Yellow Mother Qi took the form of a huge man. He wore a tall crown and a huge dark yellow silk robe. He had a dignified and upright countenance and a noble bearing. Anyone could tell at first glance that he was born to rule. However, unlike a normal emperor, he was neither lofty nor overbearing. If anything, he gave off the kind, warm, grandfatherly feeling of an elder, a senior, or a close friend.

“Is that… the Earthly Sovereign?”

Someone murmured in both shock and disbelief.

“Most likely,” another person declared with confidence. “But of course, it’s not the real deal. It’s just a copy conjured by the Heavenly Way.”

The explanation was unnecessary. Everyone knows that the Earthly Sovereign before their eyes was just a copy since the real Earthly Sovereign had passed away a long, long time ago. They were shocked and in disbelief despite knowing this.

Who was the Earthly Sovereign? He was the powerhouse who slew the Strangers, exterminated the evil, and killed the demons back in the olden days. He was one of the Three Sovereigns who had forged a heart for this heartless world, gave humanity a life, and established a longstanding peace for humanity that still hadn’t been broken to this day[1]. It was no exaggeration to say that every man and woman in this world owed their life to the Earthly Sovereign. That was why his appearance, even if it was just a copy, was enough to steal everyone’s breath away.

“Mother of heavens, now this is what I call an eye-opening experience. Who would’ve thought that that man would be strong enough to summon the Earthly Sovereign?”

Zhang Lingyang was sitting on a rock looking like a complete slouch while calling out to a man standing next to him, “Who do you think that guy is, Young Yun?”

Yun Qingxiao sighed. “Brother Zhang, my name is Yun Qingxiao. You may call me Dao Brother, Qingxiao, Brother Yun, or even address me by my full name. Just please don’t call me Young Yun.”

Yun Qingxiao could not help but shake his head when he saw Zhang Lingyang slouching on the rock like he was a street hooligan or worse. What would the jianghu warriors think if they knew that this unsightly man was none other than the one they called the living god of Heavenly Master Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Little Heavenly Master?

“Cultivation is a matter of the heart and the Dao, not names or titles. So what if I call you Young Yun? It’s not like it’ll cost a hair on your skin, no? You’re still too attached to the pointless stuff, Young Yun!”

Zhang Lingyang tilted his head to one side and sighed. “It’s okay though. He who keeps company with the good becomes good. Now that you’re in my company, I promise you that your Dao heart will surpass your temple master in a couple of years at most.”

“Speaking of which, when it is finally time for you to succeed the old bastard, do remember to repay your old buddy’s kindness, okay? Though, I would become the Heavenly Master of my Heavenly Master Mansion by then, so I wouldn’t need your favor anymore.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m pretty sure that the only thing I’ll pick up from you is the loss of my integrity and shame.” Yun Qingxiao sighed again while palming his forehead. It truly was a miracle that this guy managed to survive this long without being beaten to death by the old Heavenly Master.

“Say, do you know who that guy is, Young Yun? I thought it was Beiqiu at the beginning, but clearly I was wrong.”

“Unfortunately, I have no idea.” Yun Qingxiao shook his head.

“I guess I asked a stupid question. If even I, a man of vast experience and knowledge, have never heard of the guy, then how could you?”

Zhang Lingyang scratched his head in puzzlement. “And for whatever reason, that guy isn’t on the Human Champions Ranking either. What the hell is White Jade Capital doing? How can someone like him not appear on the Human Champions Ranking?”

“It might just be my imagination, but I’m pretty sure the guy’s body is on par with the bald donkey’s Mahāvairocana Body or Beiqiu’s Heavenly Demon Tribulation Body of Primordial Beginning.”

“I am weaker than him.”

Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted their conversation. A woman covered in black from head to toe emerged from the distance.

“Beiqiu! I knew you would come! Here, I purposely reserved this seat for you. I even warmed it so you wouldn’t catch a cold.”

Zhang Lingyang’s eyes lit up like a pair of light bulbs. He immediately leaped to his feet and ran toward Mo Beiqiu.

“Get out of my sight.”

Mo Beiqiu uttered icily.

“Flirting with me already, Beiqiu? Do you miss me that much? We are in the presence of others though. Let’s reserve the banter for a more private setting, alright?” Zhang Lingyang beamed at her.

Yun Qingxiao frowned deeply. He did not understand why Zhang Lingyang was happy at the abuse. Was he a masochist or worse?

As if he could hear Yun Qingxiao’s inner thoughts, Zhang Lingyang shot him a disdainful look. “And that’s why you’re single, and I’m not. Don’t you know that harsh words are a sign of affection?”

Yun Qingxiao’s eyes widened a little. By the Heavenly Sovereign, I’ve never seen such a shameless man in my life.

1. Because the world used to be dominated by Strangers until they overturned the hierarchy. ☜

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