Stranger Danger

“By the way, where is this place?” Ye Qing asked.

Yi Pin looked at him with surprise. “You don’t know?”

Ye Qing countered, “Is there a reason I should know about this place?”

Yi Pin slapped his forehead as if he just remembered something. “No, you’re right. I should’ve known from the dumb look on your face that you got roped into this by accident just like me.”

“Quit keeping me in suspense and tell me already. Just where is this place?” It sounds like you’re patronizing me, but I’ll forgive you temporarily since I’m a magnanimous man.

Yi Pin answered, “We’re currently trapped in a blessed and cursed place.”

“A blessed and cursed place? What?” Ye Qing frowned harder. Dude, I just told you not to keep me in suspense!

Instead of answering, Yi Pin asked Ye Qing a question, “You came here after you saw nine dragons pulling a coffin, am I right?”

“That’s right.” Ye Qing nodded.

Yi Pin replied, “We’re inside that coffin right now.”

“Right. That makes sense.” Ye Qing wasn’t surprised. He suspected it was something like this after recalling what had happened to him. “So, what do you know about this coffin?”

Yi Pin fell silent for a moment before asking, “Have you heard of the Earthly Sovereign, brother?”

“Earthly Sovereign?” Ye Qing blinked. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a name he had heard before.

“Legend says that the Earth Sovereign was an almighty being who was born with the Profound Yellow Mother Qi in him. Immortal since birth, he, the Heavenly Sovereign and the Human Sovereign were known as the Three Sovereigns. In ancient times where the evils seemed infinite, and Strangers were everywhere, the Three Sovereigns were born to save the human race from extinction.”

“The Heavenly Sovereign commanded the heavens, the Earth Sovereign reigned the earth, and the Human Sovereign governed the humans. Together, they killed the Strangers, repelled the evils, and slew the demons to give this barbaric world a heart, establish a life for the weak and powerless, and forge a lasting peace for humanity. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they are the reason humans still exist—and even thriving—tens of thousands of years later.”

Yi Pin continued, “It shouldn’t need to be said, but humanity and the world itself owes the Three Sovereigns a great deal. As such, they are blessed by the world, worshiped by the people, and respected as indomitable supremes by everyone.”

“When the Earth Sovereign passed away, it was said that heaven and earth wept, and countless races mourned for his death. He was so virtuous that the sons of the ancient dragon volunteered to protect his body and pull his coffin so he might explore the world he fought so hard to protect for eternity. Henceforth, the coffin was named the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin.”

“The Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin?” Ye Qing was astonished. He had no idea this coffin had such an ancient and prestigious origin. “But why are we dragged into this coffin?”

Yi Pin didn’t answer his question, however. He smirked and curled his index finger at him. “My throat’s feeling a little dry. Care to offer your storyteller a jar of wine?”

“And you call yourself a Taoist?” Ye Qing raised an eyebrow but didn’t hesitate to toss Yi Pin a jar of wine.

After Yi Pin caught the wine jar and enjoyed two deep gulps, he defended himself, “My Temple of Divination only cares about the cultivation of the heart, not the mouth. As long as the heart is pure, we don’t restrict our members from doing anything. We can even get married and have kids if we want to, much less something as mild as drinking wine!”

Ye Qing couldn’t be bothered to argue about this. “Sure, whatever. Can you answer my question now?”

Yi Pin took another two gulps before finally answering, “Obviously, the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin is imbued with great power, and as I’ve told you, it is always exploring the world and traveling everywhere. If someone who was adored by the world, protected by great karma, and blessed with incredible luck were to run into the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin, then they have a chance of entering its inner space and obtaining its opportunities.”

“To put it in simpler terms, this is the gift the Earthly Sovereign had left behind for humanity’s future.”

“... A gift? Are you sure?” Ye Qing seriously doubted Yi Pin’s words. The gift of death, maybe.

“It hasn’t been that long since we parted, has it? Since when did you become so impatient? If you’re going to interrupt me like this, then I would rather not finish my answer!” Yi Pin complained.

“Fine, fine, I was wrong,” Ye Qing grumbled while motioning Yi Pin to continue.

“It is said that everything in the world is predestined. If you want something, then you must give something in return,” Yi Pin said. “In this case, everyone who wishes to receive the Earthly Sovereign Coffin’s blessing must overcome its trials.”

“So, the Faceless Buddha we encountered earlier is the trial?” Ye Qing asked.

“Correct. To be specific, that Faceless Buddha’s is today’s trial.” Yi Pin explained, “Every twenty four hours, the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin would test its participants with a random trial. It could be a Stranger, an illusion meant to test a certain quality, so on and so forth. Those who overcome its trials—and by that, I mean survive—would receive a reward, and those who don’t... would just die.”

“That is why I called this place a blessed and cursed place.”

Ye Qing looked thoughtful. It was an apt description. Those who survived would see this as a blessed place that keeps giving, and those who died would of course view this place as cursed.

“Oh right. What is the reward you’ll receive for overcoming its trials?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“The Profound Yellow Qi!” Yi Pin answered.

“What’s a Profound Yellow Qi?” Sorry, never heard of it.

Yi Pin explained, “As I told you earlier, the Earthly Sovereign is said to be born with the Profound Yellow Mother Qi in him. The earth is yellow, and the heaven is a profound color that can’t be described. The Profound Yellow Mother Qi is a type of karmic qi that is derived from the creation of heaven and earth. It is the origin of all qis and the mother of all creations, so you can imagine just how strong its karma is, and how profound.”

“It is said that a single wisp of Profound Yellow Mother Qi can transform a mortal with no foundation or cultivation whatsoever into a Sage and grant them eternal life. Their body would become flawless, undying, impervious to the natural elements, and immune to all tribulations. Those who obtained it would be able to reach the dao in a single step.”

“But of course, the Profound Yellow Mother Qi is extremely rare since it is born from heaven and earth. Only those with great karma and destiny may obtain it.”

“Holy shit...” Ye Qing couldn’t help but gasp when he heard this. A kind of qi that could transform an ant into a Sage? Just how overpowered was that? If only he could get his hands on some of that shit...

“What is the relation between the Profound Yellow Qi and the Profound Yellow Mother Qi?”

Yi Pin answered, “The Earthly Sovereign was born with the Profound Yellow Mother Qi in him, so his body remains unchanged even long after he is dead. The qi leaking from his body is the Profound Yellow Qi.”

“Obviously, the Profound Yellow Qi isn’t nearly as potent as the Profound Yellow Mother Qi. It cannot transform you into a Sage in the blink of an eye. Even so, it is nothing to scoff at. As it is derived from the Profound Yellow Mother Qi, it is overflowing with karma and possesses a near infinite amount of uses. You can use it to improve your cultivation, forge Strange Artifacts and more.”

“A strange Artifact created using the Profound Yellow Qi can protect one’s luck, defend the body, and shield them from all tribulations. If you cultivate using the Profound Yellow Qi, you’ll receive twice the results for only half the effort. It is especially useful at nurturing the body.”

“The Profound Yellow Qi can nurture the body?” That got Ye Qing’s attention.

“But of course!” Yi Pin replied, “The Profound Yellow Mother Qi is born from heaven and earth, but it is far more rooted in the earth than the heavens. A wisp of Profound Yellow Mother Qi can turn a mortal into a Sage and grant them eternal life, so of course the Profound Yellow Qi, while far, far weaker in terms of potency, possesses a similar effect.”

“The Profound Yellow Qi can purify one’s marrows, improve one’s foundation, nurture one’s vigor, temper one’s body and more. It is a priceless treasure.”

“Legend says that the descendants of the Earthly Sovereign know of a body-tempering divine art called the ‘Profound Yellow Art of Heaven and Earth’ that specifically uses the Profound Yellow Qi to temper one’s body. At the adept level, the practitioner would gain a body known as the ‘Profound Yellow Body of Heaven and Earth’ that was adored by the world, overflowing with good karma, impervious to evils and immune to tribulations. In other words, they would gain a body that resembled a Sage’s body.”

“So long as their feet remain in contact with the ground, they would enjoy titanic strength and infinite endurance. If they somehow find a way to revert the Profound Yellow Qi into the Profound Yellow Mother Qi, then they could even become a Sage on the spot.”

Ye Qing was overjoyed when he heard this. Assuming that Yi Pin wasn’t exaggerating the effects of the Profound Yellow Qi, then this might just be exactly what he needed to treat his ailments.

“Is that why you’re here, brother? You’ve come to obtain the Profound Yellow Qi?” Ye Qing forced himself to calm down and asked.

To his surprise, Yi Pin grimaced like he had swallowed a piece of shit. “Not at all. In fact, the Profound Yellow Qi is completely useless to me. For almost everyone else, this place is a land of opportunity assuming they are strong enough to survive its trials. But for me? It might as well be the gates of hell itself.”

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at f(r)eew𝒆bnovel.com Only