Stranger Danger

The platform seemed to be made from some sort of black, mysterious rock. It looked ancient, rough, and grave. Each side of the platform—east, south, west and north—had a massive stone pillar that was colored blue, white, red and black respectively. The Azure Dragon was circling above the blue pillar, the White Tiger was sitting on the white pillar, the Vermillion Bird was flying above the red pillar, and the Black Tortoise was crouching on the black pillar.

There were also sharp, rusted blades standing upside down at the center of the platform. The ground beneath it was coated in a layer of dark red that looked like dried blood. Even stranger was the fact there was a straight crack at the center of the platform that stretched all the way to the bottom and seemingly split the platform in half.

The platform was without a doubt old and broken. The signs of wear and tear and the erosion of time were everywhere. However, Ye Qing had a feeling that the platform was deadlier and scarier as a result.

Dragon Subjugating Platform? Did they change the name to make it more child-friendly or something? This is obviously an execution ground!

Ye Qing was quite impressed when he saw the platform. In fact, Dragon Subjugating Platform wasn’t its original name. At the beginning, it was called the Dragon Scaffold. That’s right. This was the blueprint Innocent Miao had based her Dragon Scaffold Magia on.

Legend had it that the ancient Heavens owned a Dragon Scaffold that was specifically used to punish vile true dragons both above and under the heavens. The Dragon King himself had been one of the victims. It was said that the first cut would strip them of their scales, the second cut would remove their skin, the third cut would sever the tendons, the fourth cut would crush their flesh into paste, and the fifth cut would enfeeble the soul.

Regardless of the authenticity of the legends, there was no doubt that a true dragon who entered the Dragon Scaffold would suffer the cruelest of punishments. At best, their scales would be stripped clean. On average, their bones were broken, and their tendons were severed. And at worst, their very mind and soul would be extinguished.

The Dragon Scaffold Ye Qing was seeing right now was an imitation Trueman Dragonrider had built based on the original, and he had definitely used it to kill more than one true dragon. It was why the Dragon Scaffold was world famous for a time.

That was until a woman in white had entered Dragonrider Mountain when Trueman Dragonrider was still alive, and Dragonrider Mountain was still at its prime. Shockingly, not a single person in the entire mountain was able to stop her, not even Trueman Dragonrider himself.

Unwilling to admit defeat without giving it his all, Trueman Dragonrider had transformed into a dragon himself and activated the Dragon Scaffold. The entire Dragonrider Mountain was transformed into a Dragon Scaffold as he did everything in his power to slay the woman.

Unfortunately, neither human punishments, scorching wind and fire, or soul extinguishing lightning and thunder could harm even a hair on the woman’s person. When she finally arrived at the Dragon Scaffold, she pressed her index and middle finger together and swiped down like she was wielding a sword. As a result, the platform was split into two, and the entire Dragonrider Mountain fell as still as death.

After cutting the Dragon Scaffold in half, the woman looked at Trueman Dragonrider and said, “You would compare such an ugly thing to the Dragon Scaffold of the ancient Heavens? Don’t make me laugh[1].”

She left the mountain after saying that, her clean, white robes not tainted by even a speck of the destruction she wrought.

Trueman Dragonrider sighed in defeat after the woman was gone, and more than once he had nearly succumbed to his darker impulses and destroyed the Dragon Scaffold. In the end though, he was unwilling to destroy his magnum opus and remade the Dragon Scaffold into the Dragon Subjugating Platform, one of the three great arrays that protected Dragonrider Mountain.

That was why most people knew the Dragon Subjugating Platform, but not the Dragon Scaffold.

As for the mysterious woman who had split the Dragon Scaffold with two fingers, she disappeared after leaving Dragonrider Mountain. No one had ever heard of her again.

Ye Qing took a moment to admire the ancient Dragon Subjugating Platform and the crack that split the Dragon Subjugating Platform. He felt like he could almost see the true Dragon Scaffold that could make even Sages quake in their boots several centuries ago, and the amazing woman who had ended it all with two fingers.

“Are you afraid, young man?”

Maybe it was because he took too long, but the voice appeared with a taunt, “If you’re afraid, then why don’t you surrender? If you kowtow nine times and apologize sincerely for your mistakes at our Founders Hall, then maybe we’ll let you live.”

“Hahaha… and why should I be afraid of this pale, neutered shadow of past glory?”

Ye Qing barked out a laugh. “In the past, a celestial had split the Dragon Scaffold in one strike. Today, Joyless Ye shall attempt to emulate her example!”

“The audacity!”

“You are courting death!”

As soon as Ye Qing made the declaration, multiple flustered and enraged voices erupted throughout the platform at the same time. If there was one thing that triggered the disciples of Dragonrider Mountain like nothing else, it would definitely be the woman who had singlehandedly defeated the Dragon Scaffold with barely any effort. That incident was their biggest shame and reverse scale so to speak.

“You may expose others, but not their shortcomings. You may hit someone, but not their face.” It was one thing to press someone’s buttons, and another to press that big red button that should never be touched. Ye Qing had done just that, so of course the voices were furious.

“Save your breath. Will you set foot on the Dragon Subjugating Platform, or will you surrender? Decide, now.”

“As you wish. I shall enter your platform.”

Ye Qing smiled and entered on the Dragon Subjugating Platform. The next second, as if the Dragon Subjugating Platform was a pot of oil, and someone had just added a drop of water into it, the entire platform began shaking violently. Red, fiendish qi began rising from the ground and condensing into waves, and gleaming within the waves were sharp, sinister-looking blades. Wherever the red waves rolled, the blood of true dragons were shed, and their flesh were laid bare for all to see. The horrifying illusions were accompanied by high-pitched, spine-chilling screams as well.

The four spirits residing on the blue, white, red and black pillars of the platform came alive at this moment.

The Azure Dragon roared in anger and let loose waves of destructive lightning and thunder.

The Vermillion Bird circled the sky and unleashed white hot flames that could cook mountains and boil seas.

The White Tiger roared and fired sharp, metallic qi that could split the sun and shatter the moon like nothing.

And the Black Tortoise hissed and summoned a black flood to freeze anything and everything.

The next moment, the lightning, fire, sharp qi and black water transformed into four chains and wrapped around Ye Qing’s limbs. At the same time, the four divine beasts began pulling the chain in four separate directions. They looked like they were attempting to tear him asunder or, at the very least, lift him into the air.

Ye Qing did not move, however. In fact, his feet hadn’t shuffled even half an inch.

“ROAR!!!”

All four divine beasts roared at the same time. Every time the chains made contact with the surrounding space, it would make this terrifying, clattering noise. Not only that, the surrounding space was vibrating, and the entire Dragonrider Mountain was shaking a little. As the origin energy surged, one could even hear the faint roars of dragons.

None of it seemed to have anything to do with Ye Qing, however. He was still smiling and standing on the platform as if nothing was happening. His feet still hadn’t moved an inch, and his smile didn’t falter even a little.

“This is… my lord…”

Inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yue Hualong, Yun Chaoyu, Zhao Yuanrong and Yu Ningxin had all left their seats to look in the direction of the Dragon Subjugating Platform with wide, terrified eyes.

The four stone pillars on the Dragon Subjugating Platform were called the Dragon Binding Stakes. Built with a mimicry of the four divine beasts at the helm, they drew power from the four directions of the Dragonrider Mountain and conjured four spirit chains representing the eastern Azure Dragon, the western White Tiger, the southern Vermillion Bird and the northern Black Tortoise. Capable of isolating origin energy and sealing one’s mind and vigor, it could entrap and bind even a true dragon. That was why the chains were named the “Dragon Binding Chains”.

The Dragon Binding Chains could bind even a true dragon, much less a mere human. In reality, the chains had failed to budge the young man even a little. This should not be possible even if the Dragon Subjugating Platform was far weaker than what it was at the beginning due to centuries of neglect, and it was seriously damaged by that mysterious woman.

In fact, Ye Qing wasn’t the first person to intrude into the mountain. A good number of them were heaven-favored geniuses or famous jianghu warriors as well. However, no one had ever managed to overcome the Dragon Subjugating Platform, and they definitely did not possess the strength to ignore the Dragon Binding Chains as if they didn’t exist.

Throughout their history, there was one and only one person who had utterly crushed the Dragonrider Mountain’s defenses, and she was that mysterious woman from several hundred years ago.

Several hundred years had passed since that day. Were they going to suffer the same humiliation their ancestor had today?

Absurdity and fear gripped the four elders then. They thought it was absurd that they were even entertaining the thought, and yet they were afraid because they all felt the possibility residing within the young man.

If there was anyone who could do it… it would be him.

The clash of emotions made them increasingly anxious. Before they knew it, they were all looking at Yu Longzi.

“Hualong, Chaoyu, Yuanrong, Ningxin, bring forth the Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragon Ending Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle. With all our power, we will revive the Dragon Subjugating Array!”

Yu Longzi suddenly rose to his feet and declared solemnly, “Dragonrider Mountain will tolerate no atrocious-behaving villain on its grounds!”

1. It’s possible that this mysterious woman was one of the Eight Legions. Equally possible is that she’s an actual celestial who’s been tasked to punish Trueman Dragonrider for his blasphemy or something. Or she could be a certain character in the story who still hasn’t resurfaced yet, and no, I’m not telling you who. One thing for certain, women in Stranger Danger are stupidly dangerous unless you’re the MC lol. ☜