Stranger Danger

Zhao Yuanrong’s daggers flashed across Ye Qing’s throat faster than the eye could blink. However, the technique that could cut another man’s throat like paper only left two white marks on Ye Qing’s skin. He felt like an ordinary person trying to cut through tough leather with a pair of blunt daggers.

Not only that, the mental attack of the “Hidden Dragon Pierce” sank into Ye Qing’s mind like a clay ox entering the sea. It failed to elicit even the tiniest of reactions.

Shocked and afraid, Zhao Yuanrong attempted to step back into his fog and turn invisible once more. However, Ye Qing roared and threw a backhand swing that seemed to possess enough force to split heaven and earth in half.

Boom!

The space where Zhao Yuanrong had just disappeared into was torn asunder, and the old man shook like he had just been struck by lightning. The next moment, he found himself straining against a crushing weight so heavy that his knees hit the floor hard enough to crack it.

“Roar!”

It was at this moment Yu Longzi finally took action. He chose the exact moment Ye Qing finished using his breath and energy, and there was a lull in his movement. He took one step forward, transformed into a sky dragon with five claws, and rushed straight toward Ye Qing.

While Yu Longzi was transforming into a sky dragon, Ye Qing abruptly looked back at him with his wide eyes that were full of bloodthirst and violence. In one motion, he shoved the chi dragon’s head downward with his left hand and grabbed its throat with his right. Then, he bent his knees slightly—the floor crumbling bit by bit as if it could not withstand his weight—and his arm muscles swelled even bigger than before. It looked like he had mini mountain ranges for arms.

Crack!

When Ye Qing’s feet sank another half a meter into the floor, and the ground started undulating like a wave, the sixty meter long chi dragon was finally lifted into the air. It could not break free no matter how hard it struggled.

The next moment, Ye Qing swung the chi dragon at the incoming sky dragon.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Two dragons slammed into each other, and the sky dragon was flung back like a rag doll. The ice chi dragon itself finally shattered into smithereens.

The sky dragon transformed back into Yu Longzi in mid-air, and he looked nothing like the elegant master he was. His clothes were torn and disheveled, and his complexion was yellow like gold paper.

Even after he landed on the floor, Yu Longzi could not stop staggering backward. Every time he took a step, a mouthful of fresh blood would burst out of his lips. Three steps later, his back hit and sank deep into the wall of the Dragonslaying Hall, shaking the entire building in the process.

After the ice chi dragon exploded, Yu Ningxin let out a muffled groan and trembled like a leaf. Her aura also nosedived as if she had just suffered a huge blow.

The battle was over. It was clear that Ye Qing had won.

Ye Qing looked up into the sky and let out a mighty roar that cleared up every patch of cloud in an instant. The blue sky reappeared, and the sun shone brightly as if to celebrate his victory.

The people of Dragonrider Mountain stared at the demonic ape that was practically glowing under the sun. No one could say anything for a time.

As they watched, Ye Qing slowly turned back to human and shot Yu Longzi and the elders his signature smile once more. It was bright and clear just like the sky above their heads.

“See? I told you it would be your loss if you give me a turn!”

“Indeed… we have!”

While clutching his chest, Yu Longzi pulled himself out of the wall and walked up to Ye Qing. He said forlornly, “To the victor goes the spoils. You may take my life as is your right.”

“My lord…”

Yu Chaoyu, Zhao Yuanrong and Yu Ningxin called out weakly.

Yu Longzi raised his hand to silence them before continuing in a deathly serious tone, “However, I ask that you spare my men. They were simply following orders. If you must have revenge, then please let it end with my life.”

“Why are you begging him, my lord?” On the floor, Yue Hualong struggled to climb to his feet while glaring at Ye Qing. “It is an honor for any son or daughter of the jianghu to die in the jianghu. If I die because I am not strong enough, then so be it! Come get me, you bastard!”

“Silence.”

Yu Longzi waved his hand, and Yue Hualong was flung against the Dragon Subjugating Platform. This time, he did not wake up.

“I beg you, warrior. If you spare their lives, then I will be more than happy to give up my own! Please!”

Yun Chaoyu, Zhao Yuanrong and Yu Ningxin opened their mouths, but in the end, they could not say anything. Everyone bowed their heads in shame, humiliation, and helplessness as if their qi, essence and spirit had been completely sucked away.

To their credit, they were keeping silent not because they were cowards, nor because power and position had ground away their spirit like so many others. It was just that they understood that with great power comes great responsibility.

If they gave in to a moment of passion and riled their enemy up completely, it was entirely possible that he might slaughter them all. He might even wipe out every Dragonrider Mountain disciple on this mountain.

No one here was a coward who was afraid of death, nor did they think that they were too important to die. However, they could neither drag a thousand innocent lives down to the grave with them, nor become the sinners who led Dragonrider Mountain to extinction. If Dragonrider Mountain ended here, how could they ever face their ancestors in the underworld?

It was clear what Yu Longzi was trying to do. He was offering his own life so that everyone would survive, and Dragonrider Mountain would live on.

Therefore, no matter how humiliated they felt, no matter how reluctant they were at bowing their heads before their destroyer, they could not allow their passion to get the better of themselves no matter what.

They could only be silent.

Sometimes, people cherished their lives not because they were afraid of death, but because their death would have repercussions no one could bear.

“Do you want to die that badly?”

Ye Qing asked smilingly, “Or do I look like a monster who would massacre innocents to you? Come on, man.”

Whatever Yu Longzi was expecting, it wasn’t this. He looked up in surprise.

“What… What do you mean by that, scion?”

Ye Qing’s smile turned into a smirk. “I told you why I’m here. One, I’m here to pay you a visit. And two, I’m here to take revenge for this little guy. Since I’ve accomplished both of my objectives, I’m content. So why would I kill anyone?”

“Ah…”

Frankly, Yu Longzi couldn’t quite process what was happening. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Ye Qing—there was no need for the young man to lie in this situation—but… You really caused all this commotion and wreaked all this havoc… just for that?

It was at this moment Ye Qing spoke up again. “Well, I guess there is one thing I’d like you to do for me.”

“What is it?” Yu Longzi asked.

“I would like to borrow Trueman Rider’s ‘Dragons Memoir’ for a read. Is that okay?” Ye Qing asked.

“You want to borrow the ‘Dragons Memoir’?!”

Yu Longzi hesitated. “Dragons Memoir” sounded like someone’s travel notes, and in fact it was. “Dragons Memoir” was a record of Trueman Dragonrider’s experience while he was wandering the jianghu.

If this was all “Dragons Memoir” was, then Yu Longzi would not hesitate to lend it to Ye Qing. The problem was that “Dragons Memoir” didn’t just record the sights, customs, and interesting events Trueman Dragonrider encountered during his journey, but also his discoveries while he was seeking to enter the Grandmaster stage. In short, it contained his martial insight and understanding regarding the breakthrough.

It was said that the martial way was wide and varied, and you could not find two paths that were the same even among a thousand warriors. Therefore, Trueman Dragonrider’s insights really only applied to himself. However, they also said that the three thousand ways all ended up at the same place in the end. Just because no two men shared the same path didn’t mean that one couldn’t glean something useful from another’s experience. As a reference material, “Dragons Memoir”’s value was immeasurable.

“What’s wrong? Are you unwilling?” Ye Qing noted Yu Longzi’s expression and asked.

Yu Longzi shook his head after a moment. “No, it’s fine. You may have it.”

“Dragons Memoir” was undoubtedly valuable, but compared to the many lives living on Dragonrider Mountain and the sect’s continuation? It was nothing at all.

Besides, it wasn’t like the young man would definitely become a Grandmaster after he read the “Dragons Memoir”. It might contain valuable martial insight and understanding, and one that pertained to the step to enter the Grandmaster stage no less, but in the end, the notes were just a reference material, and it was ultimately up to the man to make that final leap.

He himself was a living example of that. As the successor of Trueman Dragonrider’s line, he had full access to the “Dragons Memoir” and knew its contents like the back of his hand. However, he remained stuck in the Spirit Master stage for over a decade. If even he was unable to make a breakthrough, how could an outsider possibly do better?

Again, it was ultimately up to the person to make that final leap. Anyone who attached too much importance to a reference material and believed that it would surely carry them to the top was foolish and delusional. In fact, people like that specifically could never make it to the top.

Finally, Ye Qing specifically said that he was only borrowing it for a read. He wasn’t demanding ownership of the travel notes. Therefore, it was no loss to Dragonrider Mountain.

So, Yu Longzi agreed.