Stranger Danger

“Sky Dragon Buddha Seal”

When the gold lotus reached full bloom, every Buddha raised their hands into the air.

A draconic roar resounded, and countless dragons took to the sky.

When a golden dragon made contact with the sky, they transformed into a mysterious Buddhist seal and sealed the cracks.

Ten thousand dragons made ten thousand seals, and ten thousand seals merged together to form a gigantic, lifelike hand of the Buddha. It spanned from one end of the sky to another.

The golden dragons mended the sky, and the hand of the Buddha exorcised the demon.

“You came too, old monk?”

It was at this moment a tall, brawny guy sporting an impressive appearance and even higher spirits appeared in the distance. He was carrying a sheathless long saber and striding toward the scene.

It looked like he was walking, but he was crossing an insane amount of distance with every step he took. One moment he was a speck of dust at the horizon, and the next, he was standing on the shore of the Black Water.

“Fuck off!”

In response, the brawny man yelled at the Black Water and shattered the rolling waves just like that.

Next, the big man smacked the surface of the river with the flat side of his saber. There was a loud thump, and the Black Water split in half.

With that done, the big man lifted the saber back to his shoulder and crossed over the Black Water with ease.

At the same time, a monk descended from the sky. He was wearing a patchwork monk’s robe and a five-colored monk’s crown. He looked both young and handsome.

The most conspicuous part of his appearance was his eyebrows, however. One of them was colored black, and the other white. They were about three meters long, and they floated in the air like they had a life of their own.

“I wasn’t expecting you to arrive before me, old monk!”

The big man looked at the long-browed monk and greeted him.

“Countless lives are at stake here. I have to be swift!” The monk answered. “What about you, benefactor Xia? Why have you come so early?”

“Well, this incident is happening in the realm of Wei, and the lives of countless Wei people are at stake. How can I not come and perform my duty?”

The big man’s name was Xiahou Zun, and he was none other than the Martial Sovereign of Wei.

Xiahou Zun harrumphed as he lifted his head and stared at the tall, sacred Radiant Tree before him. “So this is the Radiant Tree, and the sky above it the legendary Kunlun Ruins?”

“It’s a nice place. It’s too bad it’s going to be destroyed by those rotting parasites very soon.”

“My Buddha is merciful. These celestials really shouldn’t continue existing in this world,” the long-browed monk echoed in agreement.

“Huh? That’s surprising. I thought only secular people like us would wish for their death, not a thick-browed, big-eyed, and kind-hearted monk like you!”

Xiahou Zun made a joke as he cocked his head in the long-browed monk’s direction. “You’ve changed, old monk!”

“My Buddha is merciful, and all lives are equal.” The long-browed monk’s smile did not change as he replied, “But those celestials do not count among the myriad living, do they? They are merely vermins who steal from the world and sow calamity among the living.”

“Naturally, they deserve to die.”

Rumble…

It was at this moment a thunderous rumble interrupted their conversation. The gigantic Buddha hand in the air was shaking and growing dim.

“My Buddha is merciful…”

The long-browed monk looked up and raised both of his hands. He pushed up like he was attempting to lift the heavens.

Every time the Buddha hand rose an inch, its light would grow brighter as well. Three inches later, the Buddha hand was shining like the sun.

Unfortunately, the Buddha hand descended just a moment later. As it grew dimmer, the sky became shrouded by darkness and Nine Nethers Demonic Qi as well.

The long-browed monk’s long eyebrows flailed wildly. They were shortening inch by inch as the monk grew paler.

“You’ve grown old, old monk!” Xiaohou Zun snarked at the old monk. Then, he grabbed his saber in a reverse grip and dragged the blade across the ground.

Three steps later, Xiahou Zun swung his saber upward.

The saber beam he unleashed was sharp, but it did not feel domineering like before. In fact, its presence was completely concealed almost as if it did not exist in this corner of the world or the other side. It passed through the Buddha hand harmlessly and exploded only when it made contact with the Nine Nethers Demonic Qi.

When it was still, it was undetectable. When it awakened, it was like thunder.

The saber beam instantly spread across the nine heavens. It was dark but not heavy, covered but not dirty. Wherever the light touched, the Nine Nethers Demonic Qi disintegrated, and the taint disappeared into nothing.

The “Nine Blades That Melt The Sun” could melt even the sun, much less the heavens.

By the time the saber beam was gone, the sky had become as clear as a mirror.

It was at this moment a terrible boom came from above, and the sky ruptured once more. Nine Nethers Demonic Qi poured down from above like a waterfall, and mixed within it were countless Nine Nethers Demons.

“Ugh, just how much longer is this going to continue?”

Xiahou Zun yelled in annoyance as he swung his saber downward.

A saber descended, and countless sabers rose.

The saber beams overlapped with each other like tidal waves and annihilated all of the pouring Nine Nethers Demonic Qi. The countless Nine Nethers Demons mixed within the black qi were slain as well.

However, the outpour of Nine Nethers Demonic Qi was endless. The sky simply wasn’t strong enough to withstand the battle between two celestials. For every crack they managed to block, more were appearing. As if that wasn’t enough, the chaotic currents of space were whipping up a storm that felt like it could annihilate this entire corner of the world.

“It looks like the two of us alone are not enough to handle this tribulation,” the long-browed monk said heavily.

Xiahou Zun abruptly planted his saber on the ground in front of him and looked sideways. “Hey you. Are you done watching yet? If you are, then come out and help us already. You lot will suffer as well if the Nine Nethers Demonic Qi manages to escape the Kunlun Ruins.”

“You should stop, monk. If they don’t give a shit, why should we? I don’t know about you, but I do not have the habit of doing someone else’s dirty and exhausting work for them!”

It was at this moment a feminine voice responded, “We didn’t say we wouldn’t help. Do you know how long the journey was? Can’t I drink some wine before I start working?”

A woman stepped out of thin air. She looked to be in her thirties and boasted a dainty, refined countenance. However, her clothes were patched in many places, and she wore a grass rope around her waist. She was carrying a bamboo pole behind her back and carrying a wine gourd in her hand. She looked slovenly in dress and manner and unfettered by social expectations and customs.

“Martial Sovereign, Long-browed Divine Monk. Long time no see.”

After the woman emerged, an old and decrepit man slowly walked over from a different direction.

The old man was wearing a dark red-colored shroud. His back was crooked, and he was carrying a black willow branch in one hand. The willow branch was covered in lush leaves, and each leaf sported what looked like a human face. There were male, female, old and young. The faces were vague and unclear. When a breeze blew across the branch, the leaves would rustle like countless people were whispering, weeping, or laughing at the same time.

The old man looked positively ancient. His skin was loose, wrinkled like a tree’s bark, and covered in liver spots. His flesh was giving off the thick stench of rot and decay one normally smelled from a corpse.

The old man’s face was completely different from his body, however. Young and handsome, it was the face of an adult male in his thirties. His eyebrows were as straight as swords, and his eyes were as bright as stars.

It felt incongruous for such a young, handsome face to appear on such an old, dying body.

“Why are you here, Ghost Taisui?”

Xiahou Zun’s eyes narrowed with murder and scorn when he saw the old man. “What are you plotting this time?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Martial Sovereign. This old one is simply doing what he can for the good of the world, that’s all.” The old man, a.k.a Old Taisui, did not get angry despite Xiahou Zun’s accusation. He simply smiled like a kind old man would.

“You of all peoplewant to do good?” Xiahou Zun scoffed. “I thought the color of your heart is tar black?”

“There is no need to harbor so much malice and caution toward me, Marital Sovereign. I truly just want to assist you.”

Ghost Taisui replied smilingly, “After all, my Taisui Mountain is located on this land as well. If the Kunlun Ruins are destroyed, and an outbreak of Nine Nethers Demonic Qi were to happen, then this old one would suffer as well.”

“Hmph. You best pray that is the case.” Xiahou Zun let out a cold hmph. “I’m warning you, if you so much as try to lift a finger against our efforts, I will do everything in my power to see you dead!”

“But of course, Martial Sovereign. This old one really just want to help.” Ghost Taisui beamed at him.

“And we welcome it, benefactor,” the long-browed monk, a.k.a Long-browed Divine Monk replied in a much kinder voice.

It was at this moment the woman interrupted impatiently, “Are you guys done yet? It’s going to be too late if we don’t act soon!”

“Right. Let’s do this.”

Xiahou Zun nodded, and each warrior occupied one corner of the land. They attacked.