Stranger Danger

Ye Qing teased him. “Are you saying that you would marry her if she turned out to be beautiful?”

“Do I look like such a shallow person to you?” Yi Pin rolled his eyes at him. “At most, I will consider it!”

“As expected of you!”

Ye Qing shrugged and stopped joking around. “Seriously though, that ghost bride is no joke. Are you sure she won’t be able to catch up to us?”

“I think so.” Yi Pin answered, “The clothes she forced upon me are no more, so I’m assuming the mark she pinned on my person is completely gone. It should be impossible for her to track me down anymore.”

“Even if that isn’t the case, she is busy fighting the two Sages right now. She can hardly spare the time or energy to track me down!”

“Oh right!” Yi Pin recalled something as soon as he said this. “I almost forgot to ask you, but who are those two Sages, Joyless? Are they your helpers or something?”

Uncertain Monk was also watching Ye Qing curiously. He too wanted to know what kind of relationship the young man shared with the two Sages.

“You think way too highly of me if you’re thinking that little old me can recruit a Sage, much less two of them.”

“West Kunlun?” Yi Pin said thoughtfully. “You didn’t force your way into West Kunlun to find out about the Kunlun Ruins, did you?”

“Of course I did!” Ye Qing said matter-of-factly. “How else did I manage to locate you two in such a short time?”

“Does that mean you intentionally lure them over on purpose?” Uncertain Monk interrupted.

“Yep! They are Sages. It would be a waste not to use such useful dirty workers, right?”

Ye Qing shrugged. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Yi Pin opened and closed his mouth. In the end, all he could say was, “You’re amazing.”

“Indeed!” Uncertain Monk echoed in agreement.

The Kunlun Ruins weren’t just directly connected to the origin of East Kunlun and West Kunlun, it was a matter of absolute secrecy and taboo. However, the secret was much less a secret to sects that had existed for a very long time. Having survived since ancient times, the Lanke Temple was one such sect.

But of course, even Lanke Temple only knew that the Kunlun Ruins existed. They had no idea how to locate or enter the place.

After Uncertain Monk had escaped Lanke Temple, he spent decades researching clues regarding the Kunlun Ruins. It was to restore his strength.

East Kunlun and West Kunlun shared a direct connection with the Kunlun Ruins, so of course they were on his checklist. He spent years observing their activities and trying to think of a way to slip in. Alas, his time and efforts were all for naught, though it was mainly because he didn’t dare to try anything too radical for fear of offending the two giants.

It was only recently that he finally found a way to enter the Kunlun Ruins via alternative means.

Naturally, he was shocked to find out that the young man had used the method even he did not use to enter the Kunlun Ruins; offended those even he did not dare to offend.

As if that wasn’t enough, he managed to escape unscathed while being pursued by two Sages and even used them to save him and Yi Pin.

Ye Qing’s courage, adaptability, skill; all of it impressed them to the bottom of their hearts.

Frankly, they did not possess his courage or determination.

A moment of silence later, Uncertain Monk spoke up. “Amitabha. Benefactor, I would like to amend something about your story. I believe that your pursuers do not just entail West Kunlun. East Kunlun is involved as well.” РΑ𝐍őΒË𝒮

“You know them, Zen Master?” Ye Qing asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, the two Sages pursuing you earlier are the Supreme Origin Profound Sovereign, Temple Head of the Yu Qing Temple of East Kunlun, and Silver Moon Sacred Lord, Deputy Sacred Lord of West Kunlun.”

Uncertain Monk had infiltrated East Kunlun and West Kunlun before, so of course he was quite familiar with their elites. “As for the remaining two Sages, I believe that one of them is Jiang Yunlai, Sacred Lord of West Kunlun, and the other one is Cyan Radiance Superior Celestial, Temple Head of the Shang Qing Temple of East Kunlun.”

“Heavens… they’re that prestigious?”

Ye Qing couldn’t help but gasp. Assuming that Uncertain Monk was correct, he had had a tail composed of the Sacred Lord and Deputy Sacred Lord of West Kunlun and two temple heads of East Kunlun. Every single one of them was a titan of the jianghu and a champion on the Heavenly Champions Ranking. It was terrifying to say the least.

He had a feeling that the four Sages hot on his tail were prestigious figures, but he did not realize East Kunlun to be involved as well, much less their two temple heads. To give an example, this group was more than enough to wipe out a sect or an aristocratic family with over a thousand years of history.

“It is rumored that East Kunlun and West Kunlun greatly detest each other. I don’t believe that they would set aside their grievances just to pursue me, am I right?”

“I am inclined to agree.”

Uncertain Monk responded, “Their goal is probably the Kunlun Ruins or more accurately, the celestials of the Kunlun Ruins.”

“Legend has it that the members of East Kunlun and West Kunlun were cursed by the celestials. Although they all possess the potential to become a Sage, it is marred by the fact that their lifespan is much shorter than even the average person. As a result, East Kunlun and West Kunlun spent ten thousand years searching for a way to enter the Kunlun Ruins and resolve their generational curse to no avail.”

“You are probably the reason they managed to enter the Kunlun Ruins today despite ten thousand years of failure, benefactor. It is a once-in-ten-thousand-years chance, and one they might never have again in the future. Naturally, they are going to give it their highest priority and consideration.”

“Knowing this, it is not surprising that East Kunlun and West Kunlun would choose to work together.”

“I see!”

Ye Qing nodded in understanding before asking, “I still don’t understand one thing though. If what you say is correct, then they should be investing all their manpower in seeking out the celestials of the Kunlun Ruins. Why would they spare not one, but two Sages to come after me?”

“Amitabha. That, I cannot give you an answer.” Uncertain Monk shook his head.

It was at this Yi Pin interrupted, “Seriously? Isn’t it obvious? They’re just worried that Joyless would ruin their grand plans.”

“What do you mean?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“All luck and opportunity are decided by fate. The fact that you are able to find the Kunlun Ruins and enter proves that you are a man of immense fortune. You might even have the blessings of the celestials. That is why you have the best chance out of everyone to find the celestials first and receive their favor.”@@novelbin@@

Yi Pin explained, “East Kunlun and West Kunlun have always viewed the Kunlun Ruins as their exclusive property. They would not allow anyone to lay a hand on it. On top of that, this is a once-in-ten-thousand-years chance to neutralize their curse. If you were in their shoes, you would probably do everything in your power to remove all the obstacles and ensure your success. That is why they are going so far to kill you.”

“Makes sense.” Uncertain Monk nodded in agreement.

“So, there is no chance they might overlook me!” Ye Qing frowned deeply as he said this.

“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.” Yi Pin gave Ye Qing a pat on the shoulder before comforting him, “For now though, you don’t need to worry about them. That ghost bride is far, far more troublesome than they realize. They will be busy for a good amount of time.”

“Even if that isn’t the case, this pond should conceal you from all detection. I’m sure you’ve already noticed how it inverts size and hides an entire world underneath its innocuous exterior. Besides that, it is perceptually cut off from the outside world. Unless they jump inside the pond, there is no way they could find out that an entire world exists inside of it, nor could they perceive what is happening here. With that in mind, I don’t believe they could track you down.”

“Speaking of which, what on earth is this place?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“I’m not sure.”

Yi Pin shook his head. “The monk and I found this place by complete accident. We have no idea why it possesses the power to invert size, power, and other things.”

Before Yi Pin and Uncertain Monk encountered the ghost bride, they were hunted by a Nine Nethers Demon called the Red Powder. The Red Powder was a very special kind of Nine Nethers Demon that was shaped like red powder. Unbelievably scary and anomalous, it was unkillable like the Cloud Mother of Nothingness and could convert all animate or inanimate objects into red crystals in a short time. The victims would then be absorbed into its body.