Stranger Danger

The Dragon Binding Stakes and the Dragon Binding Chains, eh? They certainly deserve their reputation.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked as if Ye Qing was handling the trials of the Dragon Subjugating Platform with insulting ease. However, Ye Qing himself knew that wasn’t the case.

The Dragon Binding Stakes and the Dragon Binding Chains were already immensely powerful, but the ambient origin energy on the platform was completely isolated as well, meaning that he couldn’t borrow energy from his surroundings. On top of that, the platform was heavily suppressing his mind and body. If his body wasn’t on the level of a Half-Step Grandmaster, and his strength was almost equal to one sky dragon, he would’ve been shackled by the Dragon Binding Chains already.

Of course, the biggest reason he was still standing on the platform was because the Dragon Subjugating Platform itself was so, so much weaker than before. If this was several hundred years ago, it was highly likely he would have been bound and lifted into the air like a pinata from the get go.

“The golden truncheon strikes eight directions…”

Suddenly, a drawn out chant entered his ears. He saw a streak of golden light cutting across the sky from the east and landing on top of the blue pillar. It was a square-shaped, metallic truncheon with nine sections.

“The longsword seals heaven and earth…”

Another streak of light appeared from the west, and it landed on top of the white pillar. It was an ancient-looking sword with a dragon’s head and a snake’s tail.

“The blue lamp boils mountains and rivers…”

The sky turned fiery red after the ancient sword descended. A blue lamp with the image of a chi dragon painted on its surface flew over from the south and landed on the red pillar.

“The old bottle suppresses the four seas…”

Finally, a long, crisp cry came from the north, and a cascade of black water poured down from the sky. It landed on top of the black pillar and transformed into an old, black bottle with a panlong[1] circling around it.

The Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragon Ending Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle. They’re finally getting serious.

Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows when he saw this. Just like the Dragon Nursing Nest, the Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragon Ending Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle were all inheritances that had been passed down in Dragonrider Mountain for at least a hundred years. They were all Phenomenon-class Strange Artifacts.

The Dragonbeating Truncheon was an offensive weapon that specialized in beating the physical body. It possessed a massive attack range and could shatter bones and muscles like nothing.

The Dragonsealing Sword was a sealing weapon that specialized in sealing origin qi. It could seal heaven and earth and remove all origin qi from a certain area in one swing.

The Dragon Ending Lamp was a murder weapon that specialized in ending the mind and soul. Any soul burned by its fire would disintegrate into nothing and be denied from reincarnation forever.

And finally, the Dragon Suppressing Bottle was a suppressive weapon that specialized in suppressing the qi, essence and spirit. It could suppress anyone’s power to a ludicrous degree.

Besides their individual functions, the four Strange Artifacts were also important items that protected the luck and destiny of Dragonrider Mountain.

Trueman Dragonrider was famous for his Dragonslaying Art, and Dragonslaying Art was both a killing art and a qi nurturing, qi accumulating art. It possessed the power to steal natural luck and gather them at once place. The more luck they farmed, the brighter and more prosperous Dragonrider Mountain would become.

This was why Innocent Miao and other Dragonrider Mountain disciples scoured the world for natural spirits and objects such as Giggle. It was to steal their luck and empower Dragonrider Mountain’s own. The Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragonbinding Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle and the Dragon Nursing Nest were the keys behind Dragonrider Mountain’s luck farming.

Considering Dragonrider Mountain had brought their destiny securing Strange Artifact to bear, it was clear that they had resolved themselves to kill him with everything they had.

Buzz!

As expected, Dragonrider Mountain began to shake imperceptibly. The clouds gathered in the sky, vast amounts of energy began flowing in the air, the sun and moon were flipped upside down[2]; the stars were falling, dragons were flying, tigers were running, flowers were flying, snow was falling… all sorts of fantastical illusions sprung to life like weeds. False they might be, there was no denying the power behind them.

“Roar!!!”

It was at this moment a dragon’s roar filled the world and shattered all the illusions like glass. At the same time, a twin-horned true dragon appeared in the sky of Dragonrider Mountain.

The true dragon was impossibly massive. Hidden behind the clouds, it was so massive that only the head was visible.

This was the true dragon of destiny Dragonrider Mountain nurtured. Formless it might be, its divine might reminded all enemies of the pain of hell. Practically everyone inside and outside the mountain was quaking in their boots right now.

When the true dragon roared, the Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragonbinding Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle shone brightly. Radiant light entered the Dragon Binding Stakes and solidified the image of the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermillion Bird and the Black Tortoise, increasing their power.

Soon, the lightning chain was bursting with lightning, the sharp white chain became sharper than ever, the fiery chain burned like an inferno, and black water flooded the black chain. The next moment, they engulfed Ye Qing at once.

When the four elements gradually subsided, the four elders hiding in the sky saw that the seemingly immovable Ye Qing was finally suspended in the air. For the first time, smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.

At the same time, inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yu Longzi abruptly rose to his feet and summoned a seal into his hand. Then, he brought it down with a forceful swing.

Back at the Dragon Subjugating Platform, the word “Cut” appeared in the sky and bled profusely as if it was living flesh. The sky immediately darkened, and the cold air of murder filled one’s lungs before they knew it. It felt like the calm before the storm; the false respite before the true horror showed up.

The Dragon Cutting Seal commanded the cutting of a true dragon, and its will would not be denied. Ghastly screams filled the air, and vigor churned as the executioner’s blades standing on the Dragon Subjugating Platform abruptly detached themselves from the floor and pointed toward Ye Qing.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh…

Enveloped by bloody, fiendish qi, the executioner’s blades circled around Ye Qing for an instant before shooting toward him at great speed.

The Dragon Scaffold was an execution ground for true dragons. Every time a blade was swung, a dragon’s scale would surely be removed.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Subjugating Platform was but a pale shadow of past glory. The executioner’s blades succeeded in cutting Ye Qing’s shirt and leaving a number of white marks on his skin, but that was it. Forget hurting him, they couldn’t even pierce his skin.

“Acceptable. Continue.”

In the air, Ye Qing remarked with a smirk on his face.

Inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yu Longzi was narrowing his eyes with an unfriendly expression on his face. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence on the bloody “Cut” in the sky, causing it to grow increasingly bloody and terrifying. At the same time, the dancing blades on the Dragon Subjugating Platform transformed into oddly-shaped knives that looked rather similar to a butcher’s skinning knife. They landed on Ye Qing’s neck, joints and other weak points.

The second punishment of the Dragon Scaffold was skinning, which meant that the knives were attempting to skin Ye Qing alive. For a time, the knives fell like the rain, and the man swayed left and right like a palm leaf. The sounds of blades thudding against flesh were disturbing to say the least.

Unfortunately, when nine breaths had passed, and the punishment had run its course, Ye Qing was still unharmed and smiling like nothing had happened.

This time, Yu Longzi did not wait for Ye Qing to taunt him. He shoved his power into the Dragon Cutting Seal once more and caused the skinning knives to transform into four boning knives.

The four boning knives glittered like they had just been sharpened on a grinder. They scattered in four different directions before hacking at Ye Qing’s wrists and ankles.

The third punishment of the Dragon Scaffold severed the tendons and broke the bones.

Compared to the downpour of knives before, the four lonely boning knives looked almost pitiful. They did not seem to be particularly powerful either. All notions of weakness fled when they landed the fist strike on Ye Qing’s wrist and ankles, however. It sounded like a powerful champion was attempting to snap a mountain in half. A seemingly endless wave of blood and violence washed out of the Dragon Subjugating Platform and rattled the four Dragon Binding Chains.

The impact was such that countless Dragonrider Mountain disciples were beset by an onslaught of dizziness, and blood would not stop pouring out of their orifices. As for the weaker ones, they blacked out immediately and had to be carried to the healing hall for emergency treatment.

However, when the wave of blood finally subsided, and Yu Longzi and the four elders looked, what they saw both disappointed and chilled them greatly. The impudent bastard wasn’t screaming his lungs out, nor were his arms and legs severed from his body. While he wasn’t unscathed this time—a bone deep wound now marred his wrists and ankles—but that was it.

“Oh! You finally managed to hurt me.”

In the air, Ye Qing shot his bleeding wrist one glance before sighing. “It wasn’t easy, was it? Well, keep it coming.”

Physically, his words harmed no one. Mentally?

Inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yu Longzi took one step forward, and the entire Dragonrider Mountain plunged into a sea of bloodthirst.

1. Panlong is an aquatic dragon resembling a jiaolong 蛟龍 "river dragon; crocodile" in Chinese mythology. ☜

2. The moon I can understand, but IDK how anyone can tell if the sun had flipped upside down lol. ☜