Stranger Danger

“It’s time to go.” Ye Qing muttered to himself before casting the North Duke Consort, Lu Daoweng and the remnants of the North Duke Office a glance. “I don’t want to kill you, so don’t force my hand.”

Ye Qing charged toward the edge of the island after saying that. The path ahead was still barred by the Viewing Mound Heaven Locking Array, but for some reason, Ye Qing passed right through its red light like it did not exist. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

The remnants of the North Duke Office were all wearing complicated expressions on their faces. They wanted to stop him, but when they recalled how the young man had fought against the Chief Libationist and won—he might not have defeated the Chief Libationist himself, but he still overcame the Sage and killed Chu Wangsun in the end—it felt as if their feet were rooted to the ground. They could not and did not want to move even a little.

The sigh of relief they all released after Ye Qing left was the perfect description of their true feelings.

They did not know that, the instant Ye Qing left Lu Tai Yuan, his eyes suddenly turned murky and unfocused, and he collapsed head first into the sea.

The next moment, the space surrounding Ye Qing trembled unnaturally and devoured him. He was gone without a trace.

……

Back at Lu Tai Yuan, a tremor in space took place before the North Duke reappeared in front of his subordinates.

“Where are they?”

The North Duke uttered with an expression of dark anger as soon as he reappeared. When he noticed that his men’s eyes were flighty, he rebuked them harshly, “Are you deaf? Speak!”

The group exchanged glances with each other. In the end, Lu Daoweng mustered his courage and spoke up, “My lord, Chu Wangsun is dead, Su Bancheng is rescued by the Chief Libationist, and the guy named Ye Qing… he’s gone.”

“The Chief Libationist? What happened?” The North Duke frowned. Although he had sensed a terrifying presence earlier, he did not know who it was until he emerged from the illusion.

Speaking of illusion, the North Duke felt a surge of indescribable frustration. He could feel during the clash that his mysterious opponent was inferior to him in both cultivation level and power, but the martial arts she practiced were something else. Not only was she an expert manipulator in space and spiritual illusions, her combination of the two elements had annoyed him to no end. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he did not know how she looked, did not know what kind of martial arts she was using, did not even manage to lay a finger on her person. The only thing he found out after fighting her for so long was that she was a woman. This was the first time he felt so frustrated since becoming a Trueman.

“It’s like this, my lord…” Lu Daoweng saluted the North Duke and told him everything that happened during his absence succinctly.

“So, you just watched him leave and did nothing?!” The North Duke’s eyes grew dangerous when he listened until the end.

“I apologize for my failure and lack of capability, my lord. Please, forgive me.” Lu Daoweng and everyone else hurriedly dropped to one knee and pleaded for forgiveness.

“Useless!”

The North Duke’s complexion was dark, and killing intent rolled off of him like waves. Today could not have gone any worse. Despite all the effort they invested into today’s venture, they failed to obtain the Ten Directions Stupa and even suffered an unbelievable amount of losses. So stormy was the North Duke’s face that one could squeeze rain out of it.

A few breaths later, Lu Daoweng asked carefully, “What do we do now, my lord?”

“Do you even need to ask? Of course we’re going to—”

The Northern Duke snarled, but before he could finish, he looked up into the sky as if sensing something. As if on cue, an apricot yellow beam pierced through the Viewing Mound Heaven Locking Array as easily as cracking an egg. It kept going until it hit the ground like a meteor.

Boooom!!!

It felt as if a star had impacted the earth. Everything around the apricot yellow beam began disintegrating in earnest.

Lu Tai Yuan was in tatters to begin with, and the sudden eruption of power only worsened its condition.

Strangely, the crumbling earth came to a sudden stop right before it would touch the North Duke’s feet.

When the dust subsided, everyone saw an apricot yellow flag planted on the ground. Mysterious, apricot yellow lotuses could be seen floating around it.

The next moment, the flag shone brightly. A masculine silhouette stepped out of it.

The man was wearing a tall crown and a wide belt. He looked so handsome and divine he resembled a living celestial. He was none other than Chu Xunxian. R

“What is the meaning of this, Pacification King? Are you threatening me?”

The North Duke wore a deep, unhappy frown on his face as he glared at Chu Xunxian.

“You may interpret it as such!”

Chu Xunxian’s face was blank, but everyone felt a suffocating pressure anyway. “I require an explanation from you regarding Chu Wangsun’s death!”

“Is this a joke?” The North Duke was so angry he burst out laughing. “Why should I explain myself? I’m not the one who killed Chu Wangsun!”

“If you want to know what happened, you should ask your Chief Libationist or the chief disciple of Qing Emperor! You can come back after you’ve gotten the full picture!”

“Save your sarcasm. I’ve already heard the full story.” Chu Xunxian said coldly, “I am not accusing you of killing Chu Wangsun. However, I suspect you are in cahoots with the man who killed Chu Wangsun.”

“Are you kidding me right now? I don’t even know that sonuvabitch, so how can I possibly be in cahoots with him?!”

The North Duke raged. “It was Chu Wangsun who brought this upon himself! He provoked someone he shouldn’t have and died for his sins! What does it have anything to do with me?”

“You don’t get to decide whether you’re innocent or not,” Chu Xunxian declared.

“Who, then? You?”

The North Duke meant that as an insult, but Chu Xunxian uttered, “That’s correct.”

“You…” The North Duke gritted his teeth. “You seem to think you can toy with me as you please, Chu Xunxian, but I am the direct descendant of the Northern Sea King and the North Duke appointed by the four empires! Do not think you can slander me just because you are a King of Chu!”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“One, I am not slandering you. I have proof.”

Chu Xunxian’s gaze was ice cold, and he was looking at the North Duke like he was no more but an ant. “Two, given a good enough reason, forget that you are the North Duke, I would kill you like a dog even if you are the Northern Sea King himself!”

“You…”

The North Duke wasn’t expecting Chu Xunxian to take such a domineering and aggressive stance against him. The storm brewing on his face deepened, but in the end, he had no choice but to swallow the indignity. They might both be Half Sages and an aristocrat, but the difference between their strength and status was like night and day. If Chu Xunxian really wanted to take his life today, he could have done it with the wave of a hand and without incurring any penalties whatsoever.

“Alright then, tell me, what ‘proof’ do you have? Just so you know, if your so-called ‘proof’ is simply more slander then I would rather fight you to the death than bear this unjust shame alive!”

“One, you have plotted this and kept it a tight secret for many years. So how did Chu Wangsun and Su Bancheng find out about this?” Chu Xunxian asked coldly, “Have you wondered, North Duke?”

“That…”

The North Duke paused. He hadn’t had time to consider this because he was busy searching for the Ten Directions Stupa earlier, but now that Chu Xunxian mentioned it, it was pretty suspicious. “Shouldn’t you askSu Bancheng how he and Chu Wangsun found out about our plot? He is still alive, right?”

Chu Wangsun answered, “Of course I’ve questioned him. He claimed that the murderer had lured them to this place using the Ten Directions Stupa.”

It was the truth. The chief disciple had contacted Chu Xunxian not long after Chu Wangsun had died and told him everything that took place at Lu Tai Yuan. That was how he was able to show up so quickly.

Unfortunately, he was still too late. He did not manage to arrive in time to capture Ye Qing.

Technically, he didn’t need to show up in person. Chu Wangsun was the Chief Libationist’s favorite disciple. If even the Sage decided to stay his hand, then why should he be a busybody and interfere?

The problem was that Chu Wangsun was one of the geniuses representing Chu and participating in the Four Seas Summit. If he ignored Chu Wangsun’s plight, it would be like ignoring the damage done to Chu’s dignity.

Not only that, Su Bancheng claimed that Fang Muyun’s death seemed to have something to do with Ye Qing as well. That was why he had to come.

“With that in mind, how did Chu Wangsun’s murderer find out about your plot and use it to lure Chu Wangsun and Su Bancheng?”

“Do you still think you don’t owe me an explanation?”