Stranger Danger

The woman at the center of the ambush, Wen Anran, was just as calm and collected as he was.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky. It was only as thick as a human finger, but it was pitch black in color and overflowing with death energy.

When the black lightning descended, the entire world suddenly turned pitch black as if someone had turned off the lights. Not even Ye Qing could see anything, and his spine crawled at the power oozing from the lightning.

If even Ye Qing felt threatened by the black lightning, Nail Grandma and Tiger Master Gong could only fare worse. Alarms bells screeching inside their heads, they abandoned their original plan instantly and tried to escape.

But of course, humans could never outrun lightning. In just the blink of an eye, the black lightning struck them and disintegrated them into ash. They never even managed to scream.

Ye Qing gasped in shock and trepidation when he finally recognized the black lightning, “Heavens… the Heavenly Capital Dark Thunder? She truly is daddy heavens’ favorite daughter!”

Due to her cultivation art, Wen Anran was more or less an agent of the heavens’ will. She was favored by the heavens and protected by the world itself, and yet these two idiots thought they could steal her opportunity. This was the equivalent of lightning a lantern inside a toilet—suicide.

Ye Qing knew from the beginning that the Heavenly Way would intervene to save Wen Anran, but he failed to predict the lengths it would go to protect her.

The Heavenly Capital Dark Thunder was one of the most terrifying lightning in the world. Absolutely yin and dark, it was devoid of light and overflowing with the power to extinguish life. Such was its power that not even a Sage would dare to face it head on, much less the likes of Nail Grandma and Tiger Master Gong. It was the definition of using a bull butcher cleaver to slaughter a chicken.

In this world, it was very important to have a pair of discerning eyes. After all, there were some people that you could not afford to offend no matter what!

Random thoughts were flitting through Ye Qing’s mind when the Purple Qi of Beneficence finally landed on the old book still floating above Wen Anran’s head. It glowed a dark, purple light for a moment before returning to normal—no, that wasn’t right. The transformation was subtle, but it was definitely more profound and mysterious-looking than before.

The ancient book returned to Wen Anran’s headspace, and her unstable, somewhat erratic energies gradually calmed down. At the same time, it was growing richer and richer.

Ye Qing clicked his tongue in admiration. “Tsk tsk… I can see why this martial art hasn’t gone extinct despite its many flaws.”

For most warriors, they needed days or even months of hard work to stabilize their energies and root themselves in their new cultivation level. However, Wen Anran’s foundation had solidified immediately after the Purple Qi of Beneficence entered her body, meaning that she did not need to go through the process. This characteristic alone was something most people could only dream of.

Despite its many flaws, the “Supreme Demon Subjugation Scripture of Beneficence” was definitely a powerful and mysterious martial art. Not even its cons, which were beyond terrible, could overshadow its pros.

“Congratulations on becoming a Trueman and taking another step toward the pinnacle, Anran!”

“Congratulations, Miss Wen.”

Feng Qingyou and Ye Qing congratulated Wen Anran after she came back.

“Thank you, Miss Feng, warrior Ye.”

Smiling, Wen Anran returned a salute. “If it wasn’t for the two of you, there is no way I could have slain the Fortune Beckoners or become a Trueman so quickly.”

“You’re welcome. We are all friends here.” Feng Qingyou smiled before casting a glance at her Xuanyang Demonic Ascension Furnace. “Besides, it’s not like we got nothing out of this. It’s a mutually beneficial transaction.”

While the two women traded pleasantries, Ye Qing was staring at the tattered Goddess City and the surviving civilians with a worried look on his face, “I don’t regret slaying the goddesses, but what will happen to the people, Qingyou? Without the goddesses’ protection, their misfortune would surely…”

“Don’t worry. They will be fine,” Feng Qingyou assured him. “The moment the Fortune Beckoners are dead, the fortune they plundered would return to nature. It is why I did not seal the fortune they leaked into my Xuanyang Demonic Ascension Furnace as soon as they perished. Long story short, enough fortune has spread to the people of Goddess City that they would not perish from misfortune.”

“Good. Good.” Ye Qing sighed in relief.

“You are a kind and benevolent man, warrior Ye. You have my deepest respect.” Wen Anran saluted him.

Ye Qing shook his head. “You flatter me. I just want a clear conscience, that’s all.”

He was no saint, and he never held back against people who deserved to die. However, he had no desire to kill innocents.

Wen Anran smiled. “There is great wisdom in your statement, warrior Ye. Do we not decide and act precisely because we seek a clear conscience? If our conscience is clear, then we are never astray.”

“You’re making me blush, Miss Wen. Thank you.” Ye Qing waved off the compliment before recalling something. “Oh right, where is Leng Tianjue, Miss Cang and the others? Are they alright?”

“They are safe. We made sure to send them to safety from the beginning,” Feng Qingyou replied.

“Glad to hear that.” Ye Qing nodded before a mysterious smile suddenly flitted across his lips. “Why don’t you girls go meet up with them first? I have a little something I need to do. I’ll come find you after my business is done.”

He was dashing away even before he was done speaking.

“What is warrior Ye doing?” Wen Anran was confused by Ye Qing’s sudden departure.

“It’s nothing. He is simply going to the treasury,” Feng Qingyou answered smilingly. “Would you like to join him, Miss Wen?”

“It’s fine.” Wen Anran shook her head. She hailed from True Martial Sect, and she was the disciple of a Sage. What treasure hadn’t she seen before? It wasn’t like she was lacking in Strange Artifacts or pills either, which was why she wasn’t too interested in looting.

“In that case, let us meet up Qingmei and Feifei as Ye Qing suggested. They must be worried,” Feng Qingyou said.

“Very well.”

With that, the two women turned around and took their leave.

……

“W-We are at the Dragon Radiance Pavilion, senior!” A Goddess City elder dressed in purple robes stuttered.

“Is this where you store your treasures, Strange Artifacts and martial arts manuals?” Ye Qing asked.

He had run into this elder by pure accident. He was just wondering where he might find the treasury of Goddess City when the man suddenly stumbled upon his path. Naturally, he was going to make good use of him.

“That is correct, senior,” the purple-robed man answered while bowing his head and trembling like a leaf. He did not possess even the strength to meet Ye Qing’s eyes.

Although he was a Half-Step Trueman and a powerhouse in most eyes, the purple-robed man knew full well that he was nothing before the young man. After all, he had witnessed him transforming into a demonic ape and waging war against the three goddesses just a while ago. Even now, the power and tremors from that moment sent chills to his very core.

But how did he run into Ye Qing in the first place? Shouldn’t he be hiding far, far away from the battlefield? Well, it was a sorrowful story. He was attacking Ye Qing with his fellow elders when he took a serious blow from the young man. After Ye Qing transformed into a demonic ape and waged war against the goddesses, he was caught up in one of the shockwaves and knocked out. He tried to sneak away after he woke up from his impromptu slumber, but as soon as he rounded a corner, he came face to face with the grinning devil. The rest was history.

Ye Qing examined the building in front of him for a moment before kicking the ground. A single limestone brick shot toward the entrance like a ball, but right before it would make contact with its wooden door, a gust of wind blew and disintegrated it into dust.

“An array.” Ye Qing wasn’t surprised by this in the slightest. “What is this array?”

The purple-robed man answered in a hurry. “It is the Origin Annihilating Divine Wind Array, senior. It is a powerful array that can instantly disintegrate any intruder into ash in both mind and body.”