Stranger Danger

Inside the academy, Cheng Nuo and the rest of the disciples were watching the battle with shock and disbelief. The principal of White Horse Academy and one of the few Spirit Masters in all of Luo Shui, Zhang Lanjiang the “Righteous One”, was being beaten up by Wang Luori, his inferior! Not only that, the battle was so one-sided that he could only defend passively!

Just what the hell was going on?

“The Hill Lord is beating up a Spirit Master?!”

At the foot of the mountain, the Sunset Hill disciples were just as stunned as their White Horse Academy counterpart, though their surprise was the pleasant kind as a matter of course.

Although Sunset Hill was known as one of the three biggest sects in Luo Shui together with White Horse Academy and Blood Shadow Palace, they had always been viewed as inferior to their peers. The reason was very simple. White Horse Academy and Blood Shadow Palace were helmed by Spirit Masters, but their Hill Lord was only a Half-Step Spirit Master.

It might sound like their Hill Lord was only “half a step” behind his peers, but the actual difference was like night and day. It was why they were so impressed. The fact that Wang Luori, a Half-Step Spirit Master, was beating the crap out of Zhang Lanjiang, a veteran Spirit Master, proved that he was strong enough to transcend the cultivation level.

Assuming that Wang Luori did defeat Zhang Lanjiang, no one would ever dare to laugh at Sunset Hill claiming that they didn’t have a Spirit Master anymore. Not only that, they would never have to bow their heads to White Horse Academy either.

White Horse Academy: Our principal is a veteran Spirit Master!

Sunset Hill: So sorry, but our Hill Lord kicked his ass before.

White Horse Academy: Our principal can summon the wind and rain and spit lightning!

Sunset Hill: So sorry, but our Hill Lord kicked his ass before.

White Horse Academy: Our principal is a man of great erudition, scholarship, and talent! He’s even the student of a sage!

Sunset Hill: So sorry, but our Hill Lord kicked his ass before.

The imaginary catharsis alone was almost enough to make them cum.

The White Horse Academy disciples were confused, and the Sunset Hill disciples were overjoyed. As for Zhang Lanjiang himself? He was feeling extremely frustrated right now.

He was obviously stronger than Wang Luori, but the more he lingered within the purple qi, the weaker he became. At first, it was just his internal energies that were flowing sluggishly. Then, his astral qi started moving sluggishly as well. Later, even his consciousness and reflex were slowing down. It was like he was remotely piloting his body with incremental lag. Strong he might be, he was simply unable to unleash his full power.

Even worse, the Eight Directions Bell of Wind and Rain’s power was suppressed as well. Clearly, the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele was the culprit behind his woes.

This was the first time Zhang Lanjiang witnessed the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele’s power first hand.

The Eastern Purple Cloud Stele was the Strange Artifact that gave Sunset Hill their status and influence today, of course Zhan Lanjiang was aware of it. It was rumored that the founder of Sunset Hill had intercepted a wisp of natural purple qi and refined it into a Strange Artifact. Natural purple qi wasn’t included in the five elements despite being one because it was the symbol of sovereignty. All things must submit to it.

The Eastern Purple Cloud Stele wasn’t an offensive-type Strange Artifact like the Eight Directions Bell of Wind and Rain, but it could greatly weaken anyone who entered its range. It was said to be capable of suppressing as much as ninety percent of one’s power.

Zhang Lanjiang had never witnessed the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele in action before, much less faced it in person. That was why he thought that the rumors regarding the Strange Artifact were highly exaggerated. He even believed that it was a ploy by Sunset Hill to keep others from realizing that they were vulnerable. As a result, he was caught off guard, and Wang Luori never gave him the opportunity to regret his decision.

Back in the present, Wang Luori landed another punch against the Eight Directions Bell of Wind and Rain and caused it to screech like ripping metal. Sound waves rippled out to the surroundings as Zhang Lanjiang was flung helplessly into another hill. There was a loud boom as the entire hill collapsed on top of the principal.

“Zhan Lanjiang the “Righteous One” my ass! Hahahahaha!”

Wang Luori crossed his arms and let out a wild, unrestrained laugh after sending Zhang Lanjiang flying with a punch. And how could he not? He was trouncing a Spirit Master as a Half-Step Spirit Master thanks to the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele. It was only right considering that the principal had looked down on him earlier.

Also, it took a considerable amount of energy to use the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele, not to mention that the purple qi was suppressing him to a certain extent as well. It wasn’t nearly as bad as what Zhang Lanjiang was feeling right now, but it was one of the Strange Artifact’s biggest downsides.

That was why he had no choice but to pause his attack and take a moment to catch his breath.

“There is nothing to be proud of, Wang Luori. It is not your strength that has me cornered, but your sect’s treasure,” said Zhang Lanjiang as he slowly stepped out of the dust clouds. He was holding the Eight Directions Bell of Wind and Rain in his left hand, and the Strange Artifact was spinning slowly and pushing away the dust with wind and rain, “You don’t actually think you’re invincible under the heavens, do you?”

“Hahaha! I wouldn’t dare!” Wang Luori laughed arrogantly, “But I do believe I’m strong enough to defeat you.”

“Zhang Lanjiang, today is the day you learn that me and my Sunset Hill will not stand for humiliation!”

“You’re too arrogant, Wang Luori. You actually believe that the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele is all you need to do as you pleased in White Horse Academy.”

Zhang Lanjiang let out a cold hmph. “Today is the day I teach you that there are always people beyond this person, and skies beyond this sky [1]!”

As soon as he said this, the principal put away the Eight Directions Bell of Wind and Rain and turned his back on Wang Luori. Facing toward White Horse Academy, he wiped away the dust on his clothes with his hand, and the bloodstains on his mouth with a handkerchief. His movements were relaxed, but strict, meticulous, and completely serious.

It was almost like he was facing the sage himself.

Zhang Lanjiang’s actions made no sense to Wang Luori. What kind of person would turn their backs against a deadly foe? But more importantly, he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

“Stop pretending and just die!” Wang Luori roared and pounced toward Zhang Lanjiang like a tiger once more.

The best way to deal with a trump card was to make sure that it couldn’t be played in the first place. However, Zhang Lanjiang continued his act as if he couldn’t sense Wang Luori’s movement, or he simply didn’t care. Face solemn, he clasped his hands together, bowed three times toward White Horse Academy, and performed the Three Rites.

One who knows the Three Rites knows the ancient customs of Confucianism. The Three Rites were the rites a child performed when facing their parents, a student performed when facing their teacher, and a Confucianist performed when facing a sage. They were a noble and respectable custom.

“Please come to my aid, Sage\'s Notes…”

A light suddenly flew out of the academy. It looked like nothing special, but it was so fast that it actually reached Zhang Lanjiang first before Wang Luori. The light faded away to reveal a tattered book, and Wang Luo’s fist landed squarely on its pages.

A soft white light rippled out of the tattered book. It looked fragile and completely powerless, but it ate away at Wang Luori’s fist force like acid. Before the Hill Lord could react, the white light pushed out an inch further and threw him back like he was nothing more but a speck of dust. He stumbled at least a dozen steps before he was finally able to catch himself.

Wang Luori’s expression turned ugly as he glared daggers at the tattered book. Although the white light hadn’t dealt any damage to him, he had felt a terrifying and unstoppable force when he was flung away.

It was only then Zhang Lanjiang turned around to catch the book. The white light slowly faded and revealed its true form.

The book looked wrinkled and tattered. Its cover was even covered in blotches of ink. Its title was, “A Commentary On The Sights Of Tian Yong”, and it was written using ancient seal scripts.

Frankly, the book looked like nothing special. It was just an old, tattered book that looked like it had gone through at least a thousand readers. However, it was this inconspicuous, ordinary-looking book that had pushed back Wang Luori.

“What the hell is that?” Wang Luori licked his lips grimly.

Zhang Lanjiang replied, “We call this the Sage’s Notes. Your founder left the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele behind to protect your Sunset Hill. Surely you don’t think that our sage would neglect to do the same to protect my White Horse Academy?”

“White Horse Academy is no place for ruffians like you, and we don’t stand for humiliation as well, Wang Luori!”

“Hahaha! Sage’s Notes my ass. It’s just a shitty book. Just watch me as I burn it into ash!”

Wang Luori’s expression and words were scornful, but his attack was as serious as it could get. One should scorn the enemy in strategy, but take them seriously in tactics.

Wang Luori took one step forward and threw a right punch. It looked like an ordinary punch at first, but every time it traveled an inch forward, his fist would raise a sixth of a meter higher, and his fist force and astral qi would grow a little denser. It was like a white sun slowly climbing over the horizon.

Three inches later, his fist was over his head, and the sun had risen to the middle of the sky. Floating at the center of the sun was none other than the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele. Shaking a little and releasing a thick amount of purple qi, it dyed the massive sun purple. Its light turned purple, and the entire eastern sky turned purple as well.

The rising sun rose to the center of the sky, and the purple qi came from the east.

The next second, the fist dropped, the sun descended, and the sky fell.

An all-encompassing, unimaginable pressure consumed the world. As the purple sun created by the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele shone an ominous light, everyone and everything in this corner of the world started shaking uncontrollably. Forget the Sunset Hill disciples, not even the White Horse Academy disciples hiding in the academy were exempt from its influence. Their breaths were stifled, their astral qis were stuttering, and their minds were quaking in fear. No one could muster the courage to resist—

—No one, except Zhang Lanjiang.

“Impudence.”

Zhang Lanjiang could feel the pressure coming from the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele as a matter of course, but he wasn’t afraid in the slightest. He simply raised the Sage’s Notes half an inch above his head to pay his respects to the sage.

“This student humble requests the sage to protect his academy.”

Flip flip flip!

The Sage’s Notes started flipping through its pages on its own. It was a soothing, melodious sound that reminded one of the wind and rain.

Wind, rain, sounds of reading; mountains, rivers, humanity in between.

Silhouettes of male, female, old and young stepped out of the book. They were smiling and chatting with each other as if nothing was happening.

Following behind the humans were many gorgeous mountains and hills surrounded by many rivers and streams. Animals and Strangers ran across the terrain while making all sorts of noises.

Together, they formed an ink wash painting that inspired countless imaginations, and what an epic world it was! [2]

The purple qi should’ve been able to suppress anyone and anything, and yet it could not suppress this pocket world. In fact, the painting was pushing away the purple qi, the fist force, and the all-encompassing terror. Before they knew it, peace and tranquility had returned to the world.

Wang Luori’s eyes bugged out as he exclaimed in disbelief, “How… is this possible? How can your shitty book possibly suppress my Eastern Purple Cloud Stele?”

He had not underestimated his opponent’s Strange Artifact. He had combined his strength with the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele and unleashed one of his most powerful attacks to crush it in one go. And yet, the Sage’s Notes had easily neutralized the attack and even the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele’s purple qi.

Clearly, the Sage’s Notes was also a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact, one that was even stronger than the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele.

1. Meaning that there’s always someone or something better out there. ☜

2. Summoning Jutsu: Jumanji. ☜