Stranger Danger

But not now. Right now, one man was trekking through the forbidden zone whose name alone elicited terror on most people’s faces.

As if that wasn’t enough, he was just a young man.

The young man’s gait was even, unhurried, and as steady as Mount Tai. The black wind shattered against his presence, the Strangers avoided him like the plague, and the villains hid in their holes when they heard of his arrival. His journey was so peaceful it was almost as if the terrors that haunted Bei Mo were just empty rumors and fanciful stories.

The young man was standing on top of a ridge when he looked up at the burning sun and muttered to himself, “It’s March now… the Death Sea should surface any moment now.”

The young man was Ye Qing, of course. He made a beeline for the inner regions of Bei Mo after leaving Dragonrider Mountain.

The Death Sea was located at Bei Mo, and it appeared once every sixty years. However, it was impossible to say exactly when and where in the Death Sea it would appear.

Judging from its previous appearances though, the Death Sea most likely would appear at the inner regions. That was why he went there.

Sure, he was relying on luck to a certain extent, but Ye Qing wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t be able to find the Death Sea. While the location and timing of the Death Sea’s appearance was uncertain, when it did appear, the environment would warp in a way that it was visible from tens, maybe even hundreds of kilometers away. Even if he was unlucky, he should be able to find it eventually.

“Hahaha…”

Suddenly, a sand dune behind Ye Qing rustled unnaturally, and Giggle popped out of the sand. It was giggling while carrying a porcelain bottle on its head.

Ye Qing was feeling a little anxious before this, but Giggle’s happy giggles wiped it all away like a cool, refreshing breeze.

“Oh well. I might as well catch some rest.”

Ye Qing shrugged and sat down on the sand just like that. After producing a jar of wine from his Nature’s Shell and pouring some for Giggle, he began drinking at his leisure.

It was certainly an experience to drink with the yellow sand in the backdrop, and the burning sun above his head.

Ye Qing’s cheeks were slightly reddened by the time he and Giggle had down the jar of wine. Giggle in particular looked as red as an apple, swaying left and right while hugging the porcelain bottle against its chest.

Suddenly, Giggle stopped swaying and stared in a certain direction. Ye Qing too sensed something and slowly got to his feet.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…

Ye Qing had no words to describe the strange noise coming from the horizon. It sounded like something in between a cavalry charge composed of at least ten thousand troops and rushing sea waves.

Slowly, the noise grew louder and louder. Both the earth and the sky were shaking violently. It was at this moment a vast, deep blue that stretched from end to end emerged from the line that separated heaven and earth. It looked like some sort of haze, but grand and majestic.

It wasn’t until the blue came closer that Ye Qing realized that it wasn’t a haze. No, it was the sea. Even more stunning was the fact that this was no landlubbing sea. Oh no, it existed in the sky.

Imagine a vast ocean of water pouring down from the skies above. How incredible and inspiring was that?

In ancient times, a celestial poet once said, “You do not know until you have seen the Yellow River pouring down from the heavens and becoming one with the sea, ceaseless and unending.”

The imagery that line evoked was pretty amazing, but compared to the literal sea-in-the-sky before his eyes? It was the difference between a river and a sea. Literally.

The sea rages above the heavens, red dust churning within its gargantuan body. Ye Qing was still stunned when the sea waters rolled over his head and spread behind him.

He had never felt smaller than he had now.

“... No wonder they call it the Sea Above The Sky. I didn’t think it would be so literal,” Ye Qing murmured in a daze.

The “Sea Above The Sky” was the Death Sea’s other name. However, this name was only seen in certain older books, and it was probably one too many syllables compared to Death Sea. Long story short, most people preferred to call it the Death Sea.

In fact, Ye Qing had seen the name “Sea Above The Sky” in an old book. At the time, he wondered how it was possible for a sea to appear in the sky and tried to imagine how amazing it would look.

Reality proved stranger than fiction when he finally saw it with his own eyes. Not even his wildest imaginations was a pale shadow compared to the sight in front of him.

There was a reason why people said it was better to be well-traveled than well-read. He could explore the world for a couple thousand years, and he doubted he would find another scenery that could surpass this.

The Death Sea was known as the Sea Above The Sky because it literally existed in the sky. Naturally, the Death Sea was known as the Death Sea for a good reason.

Ye Qing could sense an unbelievable concentration of death qi from the waters above his head. He could not sense any signs of life from the sea whatsoever.

Moreover, he could feel himself losing vitality by the second as he stood under the death sea. It was quite powerful too. All around him, he could sense the already barren desert being stripped of its remnant vitality.

While the inner regions of Bei Mo were a wasteland, that didn’t mean it was completely devoid of life. There were at least some creatures who stubbornly weathered the harsh environment and clung to life.

Now, those creatures were dying en masse.

It felt as if the entire region was plummeting toward death.

Of course, the Death Sea’s debilitating effects were nothing to him. With his body and vitality, he could stay under the Death Sea for a very long time.

Most others could not claim the same, however. In fact, the weak ones would have died and turned into a pile of skins and bones already.

As if that wasn’t enough, the death qi was still increasing in power. It probably wouldn’t stop until the Death Sea was done spreading.

This explained why Death Sea was by far the more common name.

“This is a problem. If the Death Sea is in the sky… does that mean I have to fly up there to search for the Dark Overlord’s inheritance?”

Ye Qing finally recalled his objective after his shock subsided. He could not help but frown deeply as he stared at the deathly sea above his head.

“Hahaha! Finally! It feels like I’ve waited for an entire season! Damn if this sea isn’t gorgeous.”

Ye Qing was still thinking when a haughty, unruly laughter interrupted his train of thoughts. It was so loud that it lingered in the area like thunder.

“That’s Madman Chu’s voice!” Ye Qing lifted an eyebrow and looked in the direction where the voice had come from.

The owner of the voice was none other than Madman Chu, the guy who had happily insulted Mistress Qu of the Li Hentian Palace and more in the Ghost Tower.

He could only hear his voice though. The man himself was nowhere to be found.

It was because he was a good few kilometers away from Ye Qing.

“You’re early, Brother Chu!”

As soon as Madman Chu finished, an innocent yet cold voice of a child boomed throughout the area.

It was none other than Six Yins Superior, the one who had joined in on the mockery of Mistress Qu. “Superior” was an honorifics though. His actual moniker was Six Yins Boy.

“What can I do? If I’m late, I won’t get even a cold fart when all is said and done!”

Madman Chu laughed loudly before asking, “By the way, has that old hag from Li Hentian Palace arrived yet?”

“Of course! I ran into her just a few days ago!” Six Yins Boy answered.

As if on cue, flower petals rained from above and assaulted everyone’s nostrils with flowery fragrance. Women dressed in white robes and tulle flew over from the distance like celestials.

“See? Speak of the bitches!” Six Yins Boy cackled derisively. “Did they think this is a temple fair or something? Look at the number of people they brought! There are even two monks among them!”

Madman Chu and Six Yins Boy had come alone, but Li Hentian Palace? They numbered at least a few dozen people, and their leader was one other than Mistress Qu.

Besides Mistress Qu herself, there were two people that caught everyone’s attention not because they were dressed flamboyantly, but because they were monks.

One of the monks had a large head and a pair of big ears. He was wearing a red monk’s robe with an open collar. He was also smiling from ear to ear.

The second monk had an ordinary face and a wooden expression. One glance was all anyone needed to know that he was the introvert type.

“Huh. I actually know these two! What a coincidence!” Ye Qing exclaimed with surprise as he stared at the two monks[1].

“I already know that you’re a degenerate, but monks? Your taste really is quite something, old hag!”

Madman Chu mocked Mistress Qu without any reservation or hesitation whatsoever.

1. Can you guess who these two are? ☜