Stranger Danger

Chapter 586: Blessing and Curse Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin

A Heart Demon was a human’s obsession. It was also a warrior’s greatest fear. If it was awakened, and there were chinks in the warrior’s mental armor, then it would be all too easy for them to suffer a deviation and “fall into eternal damnation” so to speak.

The description alone sounded scary, but he had neither fully grasped the Boundless Heart Demon Tribulation nor used it yet. Therefore, he could not be certain of its effects.

In conclusion, Ye Qing was certain that his Yin God could contend against Spirit Masters who had a decade or even decades to strengthen their Yin God. It was also why the Five Phases Tribulation, as strong as it was, could not threaten him.

On a funny note, he noticed that being struck by lightning was surprisingly beneficial. What was a Yin God? A Yin God was a warrior’s proof of accomplishment of the mind. A mind was afraid of yang and brute force, which was why it could only appear during yin hours. That was why it was called a Yin God.

The Spirit Master stage was the stage where the warrior strengthened their Yin God and refined it with origin energy. At a certain point, the Yin God would be able to shed their yin shell and become impervious to heavenly lightning or violent flames, hence becoming a Yang God. Once the warrior had successfully built a bridge between their inner world and the outer world and essentially became one with the world, they would enter the Trueman stage and become a Grandmaster.

The Five Phases Tribulation was a yang tribulation, so every lightning strike dealt a significant amount of damage to his Yin God. However, it also tempered his Yin God and made it stronger and tougher. It was the definition of blessing and curse being two sides of the same coin.

There was a quote in the “Martial Scripture” that went something like this: “A heavenly tribulation is both a blessing and a curse.The Way is both merciless and merciful.” It described the essence of a tribulation perfectly.

Of course, the Five Phases Tribulation was nothing to be scoffed at. Despite his Yin God’s extraordinary power, he still took quite a lot of damage when all was said and done.

It was also why he allowed Xie Taohua to escape.

Xie Taohua’s malice was as clear as day to Ye Qing. If given the opportunity, he would not mind killing the young man and ending the threat he posed. Unfortunately, Xie Taohua was no Skin Painting Gentleman, Limp Celestial or Tiger Sovereign.

Despite being middle-stage Spirit Masters, the trio’s spirit was surprisingly weak. He could tell at first glance that they were Dark Way practitioners who cared more about accumulating power in the shortest amount of time possible than honing their mind. That was why it took him barely any effort to exploit their greed and create an illusion that tricked them into thinking that they had obtained his martial arts manual. Then, he further amplified their greed and bloodlust using his demonic thought and pitted them against each other.

Xie Taohua was different though. For one, he was a Half-Step Grandmaster and much, much stronger than the trio.

Second, he could sense a strange aura and wisps of dark energies from Xie Taohua. He was almost certain that the young man also cultivated a demonic art, but unlike the trio, he was neither a small fry nor weak in the mind. The fact that he did not hesitate to leave as soon as he determined that Ye Qing was a great threat proved this.

Since his Yin God was damaged, and Xie Taohua had acted too quickly and decisively, Ye Qing had no choice but to allow him to slip away from right under his nose.

After confirming that Xie Taohua was gone, Ye Qing turned his attention back to the gasping trio—by now, they had injured each other so badly that all of them had one foot in their graves—and snapped his fingers, wiping their consciousness from existence just like that. Finally, he concentrated inward and began repairing his damaged Yin God earnestly.

The Sweet Rain of Blessing lasted about half a teatime or so. By the time it ended, the entire Peach Blossom Mountain had regained its former glory, and Ye Qing’s Yin God was almost back to optimal condition.

He did not hurry down the mountain though. Instead, he lingered in Peach Blossom Mountain for a couple more days and seized the opportunity to master the usage of his Heavenly Demon Yin God. Only then did he finally take his leave.

......

“So many things happened while I was in seclusion...”

At Number One, Ye Qing was enjoying a sip of tea as he eavesdropped on the conversations happening on the first floor. It didn’t take long before he figured out what had happened during the past couple months he had secluded himself from the world.

First things first, it was clear that Joy Bodhisattva’s plan was progressing smoothly. Not only did she manage to trick Sword King City and Earthfire Palace of Demons, she was able to lay claim to all the profits and territories of Endless Sand, Tower of Cornucopia etc while the two sects were enacting their vengeful crusade. As a result, she was able to assume control over all the forces of Bei You. Ye Qing had no doubt Joy Bodhisattva was behind the newly arisen forces and gangs.

Bei You might look no different from before, but it had really become Joy Bodhisattva’s possession.

Of course, the reason she was able to control Bei You this quickly was probably thanks to Sakyamuni Myriad Shadows and the Way of Taiping. But what were those bastards plotting? Why did they try so hard to control Bei You?

Knowing the Way of Taiping, it could only be something bad.

“It feels like the calm before the storm.”

Ye Qing sighed, a bad feeling circulating in his heart.

The good news was that he managed to make a friend out of Joy Bodhisattva. No matter what happened to Bei You, Joy Bodhisattva should be able to keep him out of trouble.

It was nice being under an umbrella again.

But of course, it wasn’t a permanent solution. The Way of Taiping and Sakyamuni Myriad Shadows’ appearance also made him feel a sense of urgency. In the end, he still wasn’t strong enough.

Now that he had created a Yin God and entered the Spirit Master stage, it was unlikely he would experience another major boost in this area in the short term. Therefore, he should focus on honing his body instead. Specifically, he should refine his stock of Profound Yellow Qi, reach the adept level in the “Chaos Demon Ape Body Tempering Sutra”, and perfect his “Chaos Demon Ape Body” so his physical body would enter the Grandmaster stage.

Only then did he possess the ability to protect himself—albeit barely.

“Sigh. The grind is neverending, is it?”

Ye Qing drained his wine in one gulp. He was about to pay the bill and leave when suddenly, he saw two men walking through the entrance.

The man leading at the forefront wore a purple robe. His appearance was lofty, noble and dignified, and his face was devoid of emotion. He attracted everyone’s gaze as soon as he set foot inside the restaurant.

“Chu Wangsun?!”

Ye Qing’s pupils contracted a little. At the same time, his wine cup crumbled into powder without a sound.

Yes. The newcomer was none other than Chu Wangsun.

“Chu Wangsun? It can only be...”

“Is that him? Is he Mister Nine?”

“Yeah. He’s Mister Nine, disciple of the Chief Libationist of the Jixia Academy. I saw him once during the Hidden Dragon Conference, so there can be no mistake.”

“Heavens above... I can hardly believe that I’m seeing the Mister Nine with my own eyes!”

“But why is he here? Bei You is no place for a man like him...”

......

Loud murmurs filled the restaurants after a moment of silence. Seemingly immersed in his own world, Chu Wangsun paid them no attention whatsoever. It was almost as if he wasn’t at the center of the gossip.

What the hell is that bastard doing here? He can’t possibly be here to kill me, can he?

Ye Qing rejected the thought just a second later. Oh right! The Dark Overlord’s inheritance!

Suddenly, Ye Qing recalled something he had pushed to the back of his mind a while ago; the Dark Overlord Token and the Dark Overlord’s inheritance to be exact.

The Death Sea was located in Bei Mo, and it appeared once every sixty years. Assuming that his calculations were correct, next year March would be the year the Death Sea was open to the world once more. However, the Death Sea was only open for a month. Once a month had passed, it would sink back into whatever abyss it came from. Anyone who missed this opportunity would have to wait another sixty years.

It was the end of the year right now, and there were only three or so months left before the Death Sea appeared. Bei You was the closest city to Bei Mo, so it made sense for Chu Wangsun to come here.

In fact, he reckoned that everyone with a Dark Overlord Token would soon arrive at Bei You and other locations that were close to the Death Sea.

The Death Sea only appeared once every sixty years after all. If they missed this opportunity, then they would have to wait another sixty years to obtain it. Not even a warrior could afford to waste sixty years like it was nothing, not to mention that there might only be one Dark Overlord inheritance. If someone obtained it first, then that was it. The opportunity would be lost to them permanently.

Naturally, no one with the Dark Overlord Token would allow a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this to slip through their grasp.