Stranger Danger

Chapter 893: Yin God Lures A Heart Demon

What he did not expect was Ye Qing’s generosity. He actually gave it over twenty days of practice time. It was a pleasant surprise and a gift horse he wasn’t going to look in the mouth.

In the end, he did not disappoint himself. He was able to push the Skin Painting Soul Sealing Technique to the adept level before his time was out.

What delighted him even more was the fact that he would be leaving the Six Livestocks Market sooner than Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou, meaning that he didn’t even need to think of a way to escape from them. He would be a thousand kilometers away by the time they came out.

Just in case Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou decided to chase after him, he had already come up with a countermeasure. He would spread the word that it was them who kidnapped the disciples of the Nine Nethers and the Seventy Two Water Land Alliance. Knowing how vengeful those two sects were, they would hunt down Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou if it was the last thing they did. He would be free to go wherever he wanted then.

It was a perfect plan.

So perfect, that he couldn’t help but be a little excited about it.

Buzz...

Tao Chong was still dreaming about a beautiful, free future when suddenly, he felt a terrifying wave of energy. Just feeling it was enough for it to breach his defenses and inflict him with all sorts of illusions.

‘What just happened? Did someone break through? But this still shouldn’t have happened!”

The Six Livestocks Market ran by its own laws, and each residence was akin to an independent space. No matter how big a commotion one caused while practicing, it could not go beyond the boundary and be detected by those outside.

Besides that, the Six Livestocks Market was isolated from the outside world. Therefore, those who broke through inside its compound—not even those who entered the Trueman stage or Grandmaster stage—would trigger a tribulation. The fact was, nothing like this had ever happened before. What on earth was going on here?

It wasn’t just him. Everyone practicing within the Six Livestocks Market had felt the energy as well. Puzzled, they decided to leave their residences and check out what was happening.

It was at this moment heaven and earth suddenly became chaotic and formless. Existing in the middle of this chaotic, formless space was a silhouette.

Paradoxically, the silhouette was faceless and shapeless, but also many-faced and many at the same time. Everyone who saw the silhouette grew wide-eyed with infinite shock and terror.

Some people turned as pale as a sheet and began sweating like the rain.

Some people shook in their shoes with unfocused eyes.

Some people seemed to be thinking hard about something and panicking.

Some people had bloodshot eyes and looked both angry and sorrowful.

Some people went taut as a spring and looked both wary and afraid.

......

Why were these people acting like this?

It was because one man saw an old woman with a cat face. She was the Cat-faced Grandma, a Stranger who ate ghosts and devoured infants, and she was the person he feared the most in his heart.

One woman saw a white-haired, white-bearded butcher who was covered in blood. He was the enemy who massacred her entire family and the man she hated the most in her life.

One man saw a dignified, gentle, and soft woman. She was his mother and the woman she loved the most.

One man saw a young boy. He was his son, but he had died because of him. He was the one he felt the most guilt toward and missed the most.

One man saw a tall, forthright man. He was his older brother, but he had killed him because he desired his wealth. It was the man he feared the most and did not want to face under any circumstances.

......

The victims were all seeing the person that had inflicted the most shock, terror, and fear, guilt, or other emotions upon them; the one who had etched the deepest impressions in their hearts.

They thought that they had buried the memories deep within their subconscious, but now, the person was standing right in front of them. That was why they were afraid, happy, sad, angry, regretful...

The fearful became afraid, the joyful grew yearning, the sorrowful bred resentment, the angry turned wrathful, and the guilty felt hatred. Slowly, surely, everyone was trapped within the illusion of their deepest memories, unable to break free. Their breathing grew erratic, and heart demons sprouted inside their hearts.

As for the silhouette sitting higher than the nine heavens, he was wearing a half-smile on his face. He manipulated heart demons and desires and toyed with the masses.

“Hmm... it looks like someone is purifying their yin god and manifesting their yang god.”

“To think that this yin god could draw out a person’s desires and induce a heart demon... It feels extremely similar to the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon, and yet something isn’t right. The Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon is secretive, dark, anomalous, and evil, but this yin god gives off a grand, overwhelming, and thick impression that reminds one of the mountains, the rivers, and the earth. How strange!”

“It’s quite strange.”

“To think that the breakthrough to Trueman stage could trigger such a phenomenon! Who is this junior, and what does he practice?”

There was a small group of people who weren’t affected by the phenomenon, however. They were watching the silhouette with great interest and conversing with each other. It was clear that they knew each other.

Finally, someone noticed the group of entranced people and asked, “Should we save them, Eccentric Yao?”

“What’s the point? They are trash who couldn’t even withstand a heart demon. They might as well die here.”

“Tsk tsk... says the guy who is way higher than them in terms of cultivation.”

“Bullshit! This is at best an imitation of the real Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon, and they couldn’t even resist this! Do you seriously think people like them can climb to the pinnacle of the martial way? No, they’re at most a laughingstock who will bring shame to our kind!”

“Keke... Eccentric Yao is right. They are just a bunch of worthless trash. If we’re outside, I would have steamed them and eaten them where they stood!”

“Cut your sarcastic nonsense, Mo Luo. They’re all outstandingly talented children. At this rate, they’re going to be crippled in the mind and become truly useless. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ll do it...”

One person stepped forward and summoned a bone flute. They held it to their lips and began blowing softly.

The flute music was mellifluous and sweet-sounding like a cleansing rain. The people trapped within the illusions of their heart demon quickly awakened one after another.

“Return to your residences, tighten your mental defenses, and do not attempt to spy on that thing in the sky, get it?” The flute owner warned after everyone had awakened.

“Thank you so much for saving our lives, senior.”

The group hurriedly gave their thanks before recalling what just happened with trepidation still. “If I may ask, what on earth is that thing, senior?”

“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. Just return to your residences and focus on your own practice.”

The flute owner advised, “I know you feel uncomfortable, but this is actually an opportunity to temper your mind and hone your will. If you can uproot your heart demon and achieve purity of mind, then you may find the road of your martial way much smoother in the future.”

“We will!” “Thank you for your guidance, senior!”

The group did not dare to test the flute owner’s patience further and hurried back to their residences. Immediately, they could feel the silhouette’s influence on them lessening by a great degree—it was probably because the residence was protected by some sort of restriction. It couldn’t block it completely, but it was now well within their limits of endurance.

Still, no one was able to settle down and resume their practice immediately. They were all thinking about what was happening outside.

Eccentric Yao, Mo Luo and the others were no different. They were deep in discussion regarding the silhouette in the sky.