Stranger Danger

“What?” Ye Qing blinked in confusion. This wasn’t the reaction he was expecting at all.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I was whisked to this place against my will?” Yi Pin asked in an aggrieved tone, “I was foraging herbs in the mountains that day. After I reached the peak, I decided to catch a break and enjoy the passing clouds in the sky. Oh, it was such a great time.”

“Suddenly, the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin appeared in the sky, and I blacked out. The next thing I know, I was trapped in this heavens-forsaken place!”

If he had a choice, he would never come to this place. After all, who in their right mind would choose death and suffering when they could be enjoying tea in their courtyard, or reading palms or faces for cute girls and sexy housewives?

I was wronged, brother!

Ye Qing felt a sliver of sympathy for the old man. He thought Yi Pin had voluntarily entered this place considering how much he knew, but no, he was “volunteered” into this place just like him!

Yi Pin had it worse than him though. He didn’t know why, but apparently the Profound Yellow Qi was useless to him. This meant the old Taoist was literally suffering for nothing. On the other hand, he desperately needed a miracle to treat his wounds, and the Profound Yellow Qi sounded exactly like what he needed.

“You came here by accident too, didn’t you brother?” Yi Pin asked, hoping that Ye Qing was a fellow comrade who could partake in his sorrow.

“Yeah,” Ye Qing nodded, “but I’m starting to think that this place isn’t too bad.”

Yi Pin: “...” You’ve changed, brother!

“Now that I think about it, you are a body-tempering warrior. The Profound Yellow Qi is very beneficial for you.”

It was then Yi Pin noticed something and exclaimed in astonishment, “You’re hurt, brother?”

He hadn’t noticed earlier because of the predicament they were in, but now he realized that Ye Qing’s aura was weak, his vigor was in decline, and his body was covered in various wounds. There were also traces of blood on his clothes and body, blood that reeked of a kind of vicious, tyrannical energy.

“You fought a Grandmaster? Are you crazy, brother?!”

He immediately realized that the foreign energy belonged to a Grandmaster.

Ye Qing: “...” Who taught you how to talk? You’re crazy, your whole family’s crazy!

“Ahem... my apologies.” Yi Pin noticed the flash of annoyance on Ye Qing’s face and asked hurriedly, “So, who’s the one who injured you, brother?”

It must be quite the juicy gossip!

Ye Qing shot Yi Pin a glance before replying, “You don’t need to know that. All you need to know is that I’m still alive.”

“Haha, fair enough. I’m impressed that you managed to survive a Grandmaster.” Yi Pin wisely changed the subject. “Your injuries are quite serious. If you don’t receive treatment in time, there is a good chance your martial foundation would be damaged. But luckily for you—seriously, your luck is some of the best I’ve ever seen—the Profound Yellow Qi is exactly what you need to heal your wounds and recover your body.”

“Where can I get the Profound Yellow Qi, brother?” Ye Qing asked.

Yi Pin smiled mysteriously. “Don’t worry. You’ll find out in a moment.”

You’ve gotten a lot naughtier since the last time we met, haven’t you? Ye Qing rolled his eyes but didn’t press for an answer. After all, Yi Pin’s reply seemed to suggest that he would find out very soon.

A dozen or so breaths later, Ye QIng suddenly felt that the air inside the room was heavier than usual, but not in an unpleasant manner. His demonic thought told him that two wisps of dark yellow colored energies were swimming round and round inside the room like a dragon-serpent. As they swam, the air turned heavy and dark yellow almost like they were sitting in the middle of a yellow sandstorm.

“This is the Profound Yellow Qi,” Yi Pin said. “You should refine them now, brother. I’ll guard you.”

“There are two wisps of Profound Yellow Qi though. Are you sure you don’t want it?” Ye Qing shot Yi Pin a meaningful look. Generosity was not a trait the Yi Pin he knew possessed.

“I told you earlier that this is completely useless to me. I would rather have a sip of wine.” Yi Pin waved his hand uncaringly. “Anyway, just ignore me and refine the qi already. You’re going to regret it if you take too long.”

“Hmm? You make it sound like there are other dangers in this place.” Ye Qing frowned. Yi Pin mentioned that the trials would happen only once every twenty four hours, so he thought that the place would be safe after the trial was over. It would seem that wasn’t the case.

Yi Pin let out a cold chuckle. “But of course! You and I aren’t the only ones who are receiving the Earthly Sovereign Coffin’s trials, you know.”

“There are other humans in this place besides you and me?!” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise.

“Naturally.” Yi Pin explained, “Each time a survivor survives the trial, they would receive a wisp of Profound Yellow Qi. It’s a handsome reward, but greed is bottomless. That is why some people decided to rob their fellow humans to enrich themselves. There is no low they wouldn’t stoop to, the bastards!”

Yi Pin was gritting his teeth when he said this. He sounded like he had gone through the experience first hand.

“Did someone steal your Profound Yellow Qi?” Ye Qing asked with a poorly suppressed smirk.

“Naw! Never! Who do you think I am?” Yi Pin immediately executed his triple denial protocol. “Who in their right mind would dare steal my stuff?”

His words sounded confident, but they weren’t convincing coming from the mouth of a Vessel Augmentor at all.

“Sure. I believe you,” Ye Qing declared with faux seriousness. “You said that there is no low they wouldn’t stoop to. Can you describe their methods to me? So I can be ready when they come for me?”

Yi Pin: “...” You think I don’t know what you’re plotting? You just want to get my story and laugh at my misery, you bastard!

Yi Pin grunted. “What else? They used threats and promises, of course.”

Ye Qing stopped teasing Yi Pin and asked seriously, “Who among these people are worth paying attention to? How strong are they?”

Yi Pin thought for a moment. “I’ve only been here for two days, so my knowledge may not be comprehensive. There are three people who robbed the others for their Profound Yellow Qi. The first one was a young Spirit Master named Sun Xuanzhen. He hails from a place to the north called Sword King City, and they all call him the Little Sword King. The second person is the current Fire Princess of the Earthfire Palace of Demons. She’s also a Spirit Master, and her name is Huo Linglong.”

“The last person is just a Half-Step Spirit Master, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve our attention. On the contrary, he is a bigger problem than the two Spirit Masters combined.”

“Interesting. Who is he? What is his origin?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“His name is Yue Juejiang, and he is a descendant of the Earthly Sovereign Hall,” Yi Pin answered. “As its name might imply, the Earthly Sovereign Hall is a sect composed of the descendants of the Earthly Sovereign. The ancient blood of the Earthly Sovereign flows in their veins, and most of the power in the sect is held in the ones with the surname Yue. It is said that the Earthly Sovereign Hall has existed since ancient times.”

“The Earthly Sovereign Hall?” Ye Qing muttered under his breath.

“Yep.” Yi Pin continued, “Of course, no one knows if they are actually the descendants of the Earthly Sovereign. Such things can be easily fabricated after all. However, it is true that the sect has existed for a very, very long time.”

“The Earthly Sovereign Hall views the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin as their sacred object, and they would die before they allow an outsider to ‘defile’ it so to speak. To put it in more secular terms, they view the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin as their exclusive property and refuse to share its Profound Yellow Qi with anyone. Since ancient times, the Earthly Sovereign Hall has never stopped trying to assume control over the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin and monopolize the Earthly Sovereign’s body, the Profound Yellow Mother Qi and the Profound Yellow Qi. However, they never succeeded because of the immense power the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin possesses.”

“That doesn’t stop them from viewing the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin as their exclusive property and forbidding everyone from laying their hands on its Profound Yellow Qi though. Earlier, that Half-Step Spirit Master fought Sun Xuanzhen and Huo Linglong precisely for this reason. Surprisingly, he was strong enough to fight two Spirit Masters to a standstill, but of course he wasn’t able to get the upper hand either. Since he couldn’t defeat his opponents, he had no choice but to allow them to claim a share of the Profound Yellow Qi.”

Ye Qing nodded in understanding with a serious expression.

“Don’t worry, brother. Worse comes to worst, we can just give up our Profound Yellow Qi to them.” Yi Pin noticed the serious expression on Ye Qing’s face and consoled him, “The Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin only bestows the Profound Yellow Qi to the living, so if they kill us all, they’ll only obtain one wisp of Profound Yellow Qi per trial. They have a vested interest in our survival.”

“In certain cases, assuming that their lives won’t be in danger, they would even protect the weak so they could obtain even more Profound Yellow Qi.”

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