Stranger Danger

The picture looked peaceful and tranquil, but it was really crawling with danger.

It was because at least a dozen people were eyeing the old man and the ox cart from the shadows.

Some of the lurkers were hiding in the snow, some had become one with the scenery, and some were simply hiding behind a large rock. Regardless of their hiding spots, they were all eyeing the old man and the ox cart like hungry, bloodthirsty wolves.

There were two reasons why they hadn’t succumbed to their baser instincts yet. One, they hadn’t figured out their prey’s true strength. They weren’t blind; they too had seen the sleeping people by the roadside and did not want to suffer the same fate. Two, their prey hadn’t entered their ambush spot yet.

So, they were observing and waiting. They were observing their prey for weaknesses and waiting for their prey to fall into their ambush.

Eventually, it happened. The ox cart finally reached their ambush spot. The hidden attackers immediately rushed out of their hiding spots and charged the old man.

Although they hadn’t figured out their prey’s true strength yet, some opportunities appeared only once in a lifetime. If they missed this chance, their dreams of luxury and peace might pass them by forever. Sure, there was always the risk of failure, but you also miss one hundred percent of the shots you didn’t take. When it is time to act, you act. It was that simple.

But of course, just because one must act did not mean that one must act foolishly. They all understood the threat the old man posed, and they all knew that there was no chance they could monopolize the Three Perfections Troupe’s treasures. That was why they kept a tight rein on their greed and attacked the old man first.

If they did not eliminate the threat first, then they would most probably die. All the wealth in the world would not matter if they were dead, right?

Besides, it was exceedingly foolish to incite a fight among themselves before they even dealt with the threat yet!

Boom!

Wind and snow turned into dragons that shook all directions.

Sword qi cut through space and air like rainbows.

Thunder erupted from the clouds above and swept through everything.

Giant hands descended from the sky as if it would flatten the entire area.

Force and spirit interweaved to form all sorts of Magia and secret arts. Such was their power behind their combined attack that the world of ice and snow was shaking.

No one was saving their energy or hiding their skill. Everyone went all out right from the get go.

It was because this was a matter of fame and glory; life or death.

The ambush was perfect. Not even Ye Qing or Feng Qingyou could find any fault with it. The problem was that just because you did something perfectly didn’t mean that the outcome would be favorable.

The Magia, the secret arts; the force, qi and spirit, it all suddenly disappeared when they were one meter away from the ox cart. Yes, disappeared. The attacks weren’t dispelled and blocked. They just suddenly disappeared as if they had crossed a certain threshold and entered another dimension, leaving no traces behind.

The group was so stunned that they forgot to attack for a moment.

Some of them could not accept what they were seeing and attacked the old man again. This time, they were employing their Strange Artifacts as well.

Unfortunately, their attacks still produced no results whatsoever. No, it was worse. Not only did the attacks disappear, even the Strange Artifacts they threw at the ox cart disappeared when they came within one meter of it.

“Is that a Treasure Eating Box?”

Tens of meters away from the ambush spot, Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise when he saw what happened. He didn’t know if the attackers saw it, but he had seen the inconspicuous box on the ox cart opening slightly and letting loose an invisible tongue as clear as day. The tongue had swept through the air, caught all of the Magia, secret arts, and Strange Artifacts, and dragged it all into the box. Then, it licked its cover as if the attacks and items were a delicious meal.

In short, the attacks and Strange Artifacts hadn’t technically “disappeared”. It was really devoured by the box.

Ye Qing had read about a Stranger called the Treasure Eating Box[1] in a book before. A Treasure Eating Box was a treasure box that had somehow turned sentient and evolved into a Stranger. Born with a long tongue, it loved nothing more than to devour money and treasures and store them inside its box. Any thief who tried to steal its hoard would be devoured as well. This was why some wealthy people used a Treasure Eating Box to store their valuables.

Ye Qing wasn’t sure if his deduction was correct, however. On one hand, the box was very similar to the Treasure Eating Box he read in the books. On the other hand, nowhere in the passage did it mention that the Treasure Eating box could consume Magia and secret arts as well.

Besides, a Treasure Eating Box was a rare but fairly weak Stranger, and that box was anything but weak considering that it had consumed all the attacks and the Strange Artifacts in one go.

“It’s not a Treasure Eating Box. It’s a Treasure Eating Spirit.”

It was at this moment Feng Qingyou spoke up. “On the surface, it looked like the two Strangers were identical. Both of them were shaped like wooden boxes with long tongues, and their names were almost identical. In reality, they were very different existences.”

“A Treasure Eating Box’s tongue was visible to the naked eye, and it could only consume tangible objects such as gold and silver. However, a Treasure Eating Spirit’s tongue is invisible and capable of consuming both tangible objects and intangible objects such as secret arts and Magia. Not only that, it could reflect the attacks it consumed right back at its attackers without any loss of power.”

“Finally, there exists a pocket world inside the Treasure Eating Spirit’s body. Similar to how a mountain may exist between a pair of fingers, a Treasure Eating Spirit can be used to store both living and dead objects.”

“I see! The people of the Three Perfections Troupe are hiding inside the Treasure Eating Spirit!” Ye Qing cried out in realization. So that was why there was no one outside except the old man!

Seeing that their second attacks were useless as well, the attackers finally recognized that their prey was far above their level. They did not hesitate to turn around and run away.

It was the right call. Just as one should act decisively, one should let go without hesitation as well.

Unfortunately, the lazy black ox chose this moment to let out a moo. Its third eye abruptly flipped open, and an anomalous energy washed out to the surroundings. Every single one of the attackers abruptly stuttered to a stop as if someone had cast an immobilization spell on them. Then, their eyes slowly closed as if they had fallen asleep. Not only that, their tension-filled faces slowly relaxed into peace and tranquility as if they were experiencing a pleasant dream as well.

“The Three-Eyed Divine Bull! No wonder…”

They were at least tens of meters away from the bull, Ye Qing still felt a powerful wave of sleepiness when it opened its third eye. Of course, he dispelled it with his demonic thought as soon as it appeared.

He finally figured out how and why the victims had fallen asleep. It was the black bull, the Three-Eyed Divine Bull to be exact.

The Three-Eyed Divine Bull was a Disaster-class Stranger. Born with a third eye that was imbued with immeasurable power, it could unleash some sort of radiation that puts any living being into eternal sleep if it opened its third eye.

Maybe it was because the Three-Eyed Divine Bull was slothful, but its recorded appearances were few and far between. When it did appear though, it sent chills up even the bravest man’s spine. According to the Pacification Bureau’s records, the Three-Eyed Divine Bull had plunged tens of thousands of people into eternal sleep and destroyed many villages during the few times it appeared.

A Three-Eyed Divine Bull was extremely powerful, and its sleep-inducing radiation was irresistible to almost everyone below the Trueman and Grandmaster stage. This was why every single attacker had succumbed to its power even though a good number of them were powerful Spirit Masters.

1. It’s a Mimic. ☜

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