Chapter 432: Massacre
The Yin Moon Prince led a group of Yin Moon disciples closer. Qiurong Wanxue immediately became alarmed after seeing this. His arrival was definitely not a coincidence; she finally understood why the Black Cloud Young Lord showed no fear.
Li Qiye smirked as he noticed the approaching Yin Moon Prince and his fellow disciples. He was not angry at all; trivial schemes and plots like these couldn't enter his sight. Li Qiye had once plotted against this entire world, so this little play from the Yin Moon Prince was merely a trivial trick to him.
Qiurong Wanxue revealed a chilling flash in her eyes as she asked in a grave manner: "Yin Moon Prince, your Yin Moon Tribe wants to interfere with this matter as well?"
The Yin Moon Prince smiled with the confidence of a self-proclaimed cool romanticist and said: "Miss Qiurong, I am the descendant of the Yin Moon Tribe so I will not be biased towards either side. I have heard the conversation between you two. Although Miss Qiurong might think the accusation is merely a one-sided allegation from the Black Cloud Young Lord…
"If someone actually stole the Black Cloud Tribe's treasure, then I cannot easily let this go. Right, Miss Qiurong?" The Yin Moon Prince confidently said: "It is also understandable that Miss Qiurong doesn't want to let the Black Cloud Young Lord take him away since Young Noble Li is a guest of your tribe."
At this point, he coughed and continued on: "However, this situation has conflicting claims from both sides, so it is very difficult to decide. How about this, I am willing to be the mediator. If Young Noble Li didn't steal anything from the Black Cloud Tribe, then please take out something as assurance."
"What do you mean take something out for assurance!?" A Snow-shadow disciple couldn't help but interject. The situation was not favorable for Li Qiye with the sudden involvement of the Yin Moon Tribe.
The Yin Moon Prince smiled and said: "Since this is Necropolis, we should use something from Necropolis as assurance. Young Noble Li caught some Yang Nightfish and that turtle earlier, so we can use them as the items. If you are innocent, then the items will be returned to Young Noble Li. Of course, if you escape due to guilt, then they will be used as compensation for the Black Cloud Tribe while Miss Qiurong won't have to shoulder the responsibility."
He then smilingly asked Qiurong Wanxue: "Do you agree, Miss Qiurong?"
As a tribe chief, Qiurong Wanxue immediately understood that the whole notion of theft was only a trap set up by the prince and the young lord. After walking around a large circle, their ultimate goal was still Li Qiye's turtle. There were only Yang Nightfish in Nightsea so this turtle had to be something amazing, inciting the Yin Moon Prince's greed.
Qiurong Wanxue shook her head and said in a serious manner: "Yin Moon Prince, we can't just take Young Noble Li's precious possessions based on the Black Cloud Young Lord's words alone. If you really want to be the mediator, then our Snow-shadow Tribe is ready to bear the consequences. Young Noble Li is our guest so the Black Cloud Tribe can come to our tribe to find him when they have iron-clad proof."
"Miss Qiurong, you should not be doing this." The Yin Moon Prince shook his head and said: "I trust you, but this doesn't mean that I trust the human. If he doesn't want to take out something as assurance, then he has to follow me."
Peng Zhuang's young group of six were outraged as they glared at the prince. The prince clearly wanted to frame Li Qiye.
Qiurong Wanxue then moved in front of Li Qiye with a firm attitude: "Yin Moon Prince, our tribe will take responsibility for our guest's safety. We will not allow anyone to take him away!"
The Yin Moon Prince's expression became more aggressive as he said: "Miss Qiurong, I like you and want to help, but this matter is not trivial. If you keep on wanting to protect a human thief, then even if my heart was willing, the elders of my tribe would question me. If your tribe keeps on opposing the entire ghost race, then there will be no place for it in the Sacred Nether World. At that point, it would be even more difficult to settle this matter, and you would have to pay an even greater price!"
"Are you threatening me?" Qiurong Wanxue angrily exclaimed. Although the Snow-shadow Tribe was weak, this didn't mean that they didn't have their own dignity.
Li Qiye looked at Qiurong Wanxue who was protecting him like a mother hen protecting her baby and smiled. He then tapped her shoulder and leisurely said: "Chief Qiurong, leave this small matter to me."
"But…" Qiurong Wanxue worriedly said.
Li Qiye waved his hand to stop her, then he stepped forward and lazily stared at the Yin Moon Prince's group. He began to slowly speak: "I give you two options, scram or I'll personally kill you! Be smart and run away because if you truly anger me, I'll massacre your entire tribe!"
Peng Zhuang's group was astounded. Li Qiye was too arrogant and overbearing. Meanwhile, Qiurong Wanxue was also taken aback and started to worry. Li Qiye had completely dropped all formalities in front of the enemy.
To Qiurong Wanxue, the Black Cloud Tribe was nothing, but the Yin Moon Tribe was not easy to mess with. The prince didn't only represent himself, behind him was a powerful tribe — the force of a country.
The Yin Moon Prince snapped after being provoked by a human junior: "Fool! You chose to ignore the path towards heaven and picked the unwelcoming gate of hell…" With that, his blood energy soared along with the aura of an expert.
But before he could finish his words, his neck was already gripped by Li Qiye and was propped up high.
Li Qiye's speed was too fast and no one saw his actions clearly. They only noticed the prince being suspended by Li Qiye's hand.
"Stop!" The Yin Moon disciples shouted in horror after seeing their prince in trouble. All the disciples took out their weapons and attacked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye didn't bother to look at the vanguard and simply stretched out his palm. A sky-covering palm instantly caught all of the attacking disciples.
"Zzzhh!" The disciples who had their weapons ready didn't even know what had happened before they and their treasures were rendered into a puddle of blood by Li Qiye.
This sudden development shocked everyone. The Yin Moon Prince was suspended by the neck and was deathly pale as he pissed in his pants.
"If you… you… oppose the ghost race, the Sacred Nether World will… not tolerate you…" The Yin Moon Prince's heart was pumping with fear as he stuttered.
Li Qiye stared at him blandly and leisurely smiled: "Oppose the ghost race? A little tribe like your Yin Moon Tribe is not qualified to be my enemy. Moreover, so what if I oppose the ghost race? Not to mention mere ghosts, even if they were gods and immortals, I would still kill them without mercy if they blocked my path!"
"You—" The Yin Moon Prince was scared out of his wits, but the words couldn't come out in time. "Poof!" Li Qiye's five fingers came together and crushed him, leaving behind a bloody pool.
"Oh mother… We… need to run, now!" The Black Cloud Young Lord and the dozen Black Cloud disciples were scared out of their minds. They immediately ran the moment they understood the situation.
"Since you are already here, don't leave." Li Qiye lazily spoke with that same smile. He then flicked his finger, and the escaping group couldn't make it further than two steps before they were turned into a bloody mist.
"Opposing me is not a wise decision." After taking care of his opponents, Li Qiye patted his palms and smiled. To him, this was only a trivial matter.
Qiurong Wanxue and the group of youths were horrified. So many were instantly annihilated by Li Qiye in just the blink of an eye. The young lord and the prince did not have the power to resist Li Qiye's might. They were mere ants, no, they weren't even ants before him.
Even after a deep breath, Qiurong Wanxue still struggled to calm her shivering heart.
The Black Cloud Young Lord was one thing, but the prince was a real Royal Noble. He was a bit weaker than her, but not by a lot.
Such a powerful Royal Noble was not even an ant and was without the ability to resist before Li Qiye, who crushed him by hand.
How could Qiurong Wanxue not become shocked? They were with Li Qiye for more than a month. Although his Yang Nightfish catching ability was very magical and she indeed felt that he was very mysterious, this was limited to Nightsea. From multiple angles, he looked nothing like an invincible expert.
Li Qiye's appearance was very ordinary and he seemed even younger than Peng Zhuang's group. However, despite not looking like an expert, today, he easily crushed a Royal Noble, so one could easily imagine how formidable his cultivation was.
432 Teaser [collapse]Chapter 433: Follow Me
The young group of six were stunned for a long time. The Yin Moon Prince, a Royal Noble, was crushed to death. This was too terrifying. They stared at Li Qiye witlessly without being able to say a word.
"So it seems that I was being a busybody. With your abilities, Young Noble Li had no need for our tribe's protection." Qiurong Wanxue calmed down and wryly smiled. 1
"No, I appreciate your affection." Li Qiye looked at the elegant and beautiful woman before him and smiled. 2
Qiurong Wanxue only smiled bitterly at his teasing, no longer becoming angry. She now understood that her caution towards Li Qiye was redundant because they didn't have anything worthy of him plotting against.
With her most conservative estimate, Li Qiye should be an Ancient Saint. This was a power capable of instilling fear in all as opposed to the small Snow-shadow Tribe.
With his power, he could just directly seize whatever he wanted from the tribe. She then knew that he only followed them for one reason — the Prime Ominous Grave.
She then gently sighed; her initial caution towards Li Qiye was only self-imposed and unnecessary. Li Qiye had no malicious intents and moreover, their strength was insignificant even if they were wary of him.
The group of the Yin Moon Prince was the best example. The prince was the descendant of a second-rate sect, a powerful Royal Noble, but he became nothing in an instant in Li Qiye's hands.
The group of six calmed down while still feeling a bit restless. Peng Zhuang stuttered to say: "This… Brother Li, no, Fellow Daoist Li…" To them, a Royal Noble was already very strong. One would definitely be an expert in the Snow-shadow Tribe, yet this was nothing before Li Qiye.
Before this, they were calling Li Qiye "brother." Not to mention them, but even the elders and the chief of their tribe would respect a master of this magnitude.
There was only confusion left in their minds as the entire group was a chaotic mess.
"You can just act like before." Li Qiye noticed Peng Zhuang's stuttering and said.
"Well… Okay." Peng Zhuang scratched his head and let out a silly smile. He thought that it was not a bad thing to befriend such an expert.
"Who on earth are you?" Qiurong Wanxue took a deep breath and asked Li Qiye.
The six also stared at Li Qiye. Before, they thought that he was only a vagrant cultivator with his home being the four directions. But now, this didn't seem to be the case. How could a vagrant cultivator be so strong at such a young age?
"Me?" Li Qiye pointed at his nose and asked, then he answered with a smile: "I am a human cultivator from the southern Distant Cloud. The truth is that who I am is not important, the pertinent matter is that I have no ill will towards you guys."
Qiurong Wanxue could only force a smile. Li Qiye was right, someone with his power definitely had a heaven-frightening origin. It was not important whether a small tribe like the Snow-shadow Tribe knew his identity or not. It could be said that the two sides were not on the same level; they were people from two different worlds.
She then solemnly said with her hands clasped together: "In that case, Young Noble Li, goodbye for now. We'll cross paths again if it is meant to be." She intended to escort him for a while, but now it seemed that it was completely unnecessary.
"No." Li Qiye shook his head and said: "Qiurong, you follow me."
These words out of nowhere left everyone speechless, including Qiurong Wanxue. The group of six were completely stunned with their mouths wide open. The moment they calmed down, they started peeking at each other. This development was a little bit too fast! Suddenly telling the chief to follow him… Could this be a… happy event? 3
Qiurong staggered for a bit as her beautiful face blushed. After a while, she calmed down and replied in a serious manner: "Young Noble Li's joke is a bit out of line."
Li Qiye looked at their expressions and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They misunderstood his intentions.
"Ah… You misunderstood." Li Qiye shook his head and said: "I didn't mean it like that. It is fate that we have met, and you are trying to find the thing your tribe lost, correct? Right now, it is no longer important whether you find it or not. Follow me in Necropolis, and I shall give you a new creation. Your tribe will obtain great benefits from this."
After leaving Nightsea, Li Qiye initially wanted to part ways with Qiurong Wanxue's group. However, in order to protect him, she didn't mind opposing the Yin Moon Prince — this act moved him. A member of the ghost race was willing to protect a human. He really liked her attitude so he suddenly had the urge to take her along.
"Of course, if you are willing to follow me forever, then I can think about it as well." Li Qiye looked at her elegant figure and smiled.
The group of six winked at each other. Just before this, they wanted to bring the two together, and it seemed like this was becoming very promising.
In a temporary stupor, Qiurong Wanxue thought about many things. Outside of training the young ones and broadening their horizons, she did indeed come to Necropolis to find something that their tribe had lost.
They lost it a long time ago back in an undated era. Before Qiurong Wanxue, many chiefs had come to Necropolis to search to no avail since there were no clues at all.
She didn't have a lot of hope coming to Necropolis because, after all, miracles rarely occur. However, after catching so many fish with Li Qiye's lead, the sliver of hope began to increase. She thought that a lot of fish could be traded for a lot of information at Necropolis, and this could result in clues.
Despite this blooming hope, she was still not very confident or assured. This was Necropolis; everyone knew that there were a lot of treasures here, including divine weapons, but very few ever managed to bring this level of treasure out from the city.
Even experts from emperor's lineages had to return empty-handed, let alone Qiurong Wanxue.
But now, Li Qiye confidently declared that he would give her a creation, making her hesitate. She knew that he would not do something without a goal.
"Chief should go with Brother Li." Peng Zhuang urged: "Maybe Brother Li can help you find our lost item."
The other disciples also started to encourage her: "Yeah, Chief, with Brother Li's protection, you will be able to go to more places inside Necropolis. Maybe our lost item is inside a particularly dangerous area."
The six young ones wanted to match Li Qiye and Qiurong Wanxue together.
Qiurong Wanxue then stared at them and asked: "What about you guys?" She was very tempted since she needed such an opportunity. The current state of the Snow-shadow Tribe was quite undesirable.
For a while now, the Snow-shadow Tribe and the Black Cloud Tribe had been in constant conflict regarding control over territory. In recent years, even the Yin Moon Tribe had been eyeing them from the sidelines.
The Yin Moon Tribe was a second-rate sect that wanted to join the ranks of the first-rate orders, so they wanted to swallow up the surrounding territory. However, as fellow ghost tribes, they had no pretext to deploy troops.
The Yin Moon Prince wanted to marry Qiurong Wanxue, but she knew that outside of liking her, he also wanted the Snow-shadow Tribe's territory. If this marriage came to fruition, then the Snow-shadow Tribe would surely fall into the grasp of the Yin Moon Tribe.
Thus, if Li Qiye could actually give a great creation to the Snow-shadow Tribe, then Qiurong Wanxue would be willing to go with him.
Peng Zhuang immediately said: "Chief, you can rest assured, we will just go around the towns and look around to gain more experience and see if there is anything we can buy."
Qiurong Wanxue pondered for a bit and felt that this made sense. Although Necropolis had treasures, Peng Zhuang's group of six were too weak and there were many places that they couldn't go to. Walking around town was also an opportunity. Moreover, they had a lot of Yang Nightfish so maybe they would also meet a great fortune.
"Then you guys have to be careful. Make sure you don't show off your wealth and let people know that you have Yang Nightfish." Qiurong Wanxue warned: "Remember to send the help signal when in danger."
"Chief, don't worry and go with Brother Li, we will definitely not start any trouble." The six of them spoke in unison.
Okay, this part requires some explanation to make some sense. "Busybody" here is a prose meaning 'to shower affection on an uninterested party.' The second part of this prose means to think that your love is reciprocated. But the entire prose here is saying that she was interfering when it wasn't needed. I think picking busybody makes more sense than using the original prose in the translated version. Perhaps even without the footnote, 'busybody' and 'affection' in the next line still work. ↩ Here, Li Qiye used the second half of that prose to imply that he doesn't mind her 'affection.' ↩ Happy event here can also mean wedding/pregnancy. ↩Chapter 434: Penta Realm Gate
Li Qiye looked at the group of six and said: "There are indeed a lot of opportunities to buy good stuff in Necropolis, but it requires luck and keen eyes. It was not easy for you guys to catch the fish so don't spend them carelessly. I will introduce you all to a place. There is a small town on the east side. If you see a symbol like this, then pay up with some fish. Repeat this several times. Whether you get anything or not will depend on your own luck." Li Qiye drew a symbol and then handed it to Peng Zhuang.
After accepting the symbol, Peng Zhuang cheerfully smiled and said: "Brother Li, we'll go ahead then. We'll leave our chief in your care." He then winked at Li Qiye and revealed an ambiguous and mischievous expression.
Li Qiye only laughed at Peng Zhuang's group's encouragement. How could he not know what these kids were thinking?
They happily said goodbye and left in excitement. Qiurong Wanxue sighed while looking at them leave. These six were the young seeds of the Snow-shadow Tribe, so she was not without worries, letting them go off alone. However, under her constant protection, they would never become independent.
"Where are we going now?" She composed herself and asked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said: "We'll go to the Penta Realm Gate to test our luck."
"The Penta Realm Gate?" Qiurong Wanxue nervously said: "It is quite a dangerous place. Out of the five entrances, four of them are located in extremely ominous locations."
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Without taking a risk at Necropolis and putting it all on the line, Chief Qiurong will never discover the fortunes that await you."
Qiurong Wanxue nodded without objecting. Since she had decided to follow Li Qiye, she would go wherever he wanted to.
Although Necropolis was a city of ghosts and had wandering spirits everywhere, it was not disorderly at all. On the contrary, it was just like the outside with ghosts cultivating instead.
They were remnants of the dead, sentiments without memories of their previous life. It was a new life without assured immortality. If these sentiments did not grow stronger, then they would disappear as time went by.
Ever since an unknown era, these ghosts had started to cultivate in Necropolis. There were sects in Necropolis that were even more ancient than the ones in the Nine Worlds. Their origins were untraceable as well.
The sects that occupied the best locations in Necropolis were also considered the most dangerous places.
It was true that Necropolis had treasures, but these treasures for cultivators were not worth a coin in the eyes of these ghosts because they were only sentiments. They cultivated a certain power given to them by Necropolis itself; it was completely different from cultivators absorbing worldly energy.
Cultivation in Necropolis comes from having faith in the city itself. The more these ghosts harmonize with this land and take root, the longer these sentiments could survive and the more powerful they would become.
Because of this, cultivators' treasures were useless to the ghosts. However, the ghosts occupied the areas with treasures and took ownership of them. Any cultivator who wanted treasures or adventures must pay Yang Nightfish to these ghosts before entering their sect.
Cultivators wanted treasures while Necropolis' ghosts wanted Yang Nightfish; it was a beneficial relationship.
The Penta Realm Gate was a lineage in Necropolis, a very ancient lineage. It occupied five mountain passes in the northern area. Rumor has it that there were many amazing things in these passes, and the key to the Prime Ominous Grave was once found inside.
This was why many cultivators wanted to enter and see if they could find anything.
Once Li Qiye brought Qiurong Wanxue to the Penta Realm Gate, there were already two long lines right outside the mountain passes. They were all cultivators from outside of all sorts — guys and girls, ghosts, humans, demons, heavenly devils…
"Necropolis has been quite lively recently." Qiurong Wanxue was slightly surprised after seeing the long line and told Li Qiye.
Li Qiye looked at the line, then the two also joined in.
The lines were filled with young people from many different races. Outside of the passes were two guardian ghosts, or two sentiments, rather. Anyone who wished to enter must pay Yang Nightfish.
While they were waiting in line, a sudden explosion could be heard as the earth shook with rumbling noises. Everyone saw the arrival of a giant. Despite his huge stature, he was not slow at all and quickly joined the line.
This was a young man three times the size of an ordinary person, someone with quite a healthy appearance. He exuded a fierce aura and had a three-colored halo above his head.
Despite being huge, he was not a brute and, on the contrary, was quite handsome. The three-colored halo above his head gave him a somewhat sacred atmosphere.
The huge young man came closer and looked around coldly before lining up. Those who recognized him obediently gave way, and this giant walked forward without any reservation.
A young cultivator from the Distant Cloud emotionally exclaimed: "Mo Lidao!"
Li Qiye glanced at the three-colored halo above the young man's head and said with surprise: "The Sky-devil Tribe."
The Sky-devil Tribe was a branch of the Heavenly Devil race. Meeting such a rare tribe was not easy in this place. 1
Qiurong Wanxue noticed that Li Qiye didn't know who the giant was, so she reminded him: "He is Mo Lidao, the descendant of the Sky-devil Gate."
She then whispered: "I heard that he has the reputation of being a ruthless man in the southern Distant Cloud."
Despite being part of a small tribe, as the chief, Qiurong Wanxue had always paid attention to the news of the world, so she was quite knowledgeable about famous people in current times.
Li Qiye smiled. People also called him a ruthless man back at the Mortal Emperor World, so he wondered just how fierce this Mo Lidao was to be addressed as such.
After a long wait, it was finally their turn.
The guardian ghost looked at them and said without any trace of emotion on his face: "Fifty fish per person, two is one hundred. You can only pick one mountain pass each time."
Necropolis' ghosts really knew how to do business with the price of fifty fish per entry. It didn't matter whether the person obtained a treasure or not, they had to pay fifty fish to enter.
Li Qiye and Qiurong Wanxue paid one hundred fish and were allowed to enter.
"Pick one mountain pass out of the five." The ghost told them.
"We pick the Shifting Mountain Pass." Li Qiye looked at the five entrances and responded with a smile.
Many people looked at him after they heard his choice. A young human cultivator kindly reminded him: "Brother, this is your first time here, right? Although the Shifting Mountain Pass is the safest one, it is also the most hopeless one. You two won't be able to go through the entire mountain since even Heavenly Sovereigns cannot do so. How about you guys pick the first pass? It's very low-risk and there are a lot of opportunities as well. Even if you don't get anything, there will be very minimal losses, and if you are lucky, maybe you will get one or two amazing treasures."
This young human cultivator was quite kind. After all, the human race was very weak here, so those away from home should help each other.
"Thank you, Dao Brother." Li Qiye said with a wide smile: "I wish to obtain a great fortune, maybe we'll be able to find one."
"Great fortune? You guys? Forget it." Another young cultivator shook their head and said: "Even if you make it through the entire pass, you wouldn't necessarily be able to find anything."
Li Qiye only smiled and led Qiurong Wanxue into the fifth pass, the Shifting Mountain Pass.
"These two wasted one hundred Yang Nightfish, what a shame." A person said with pity after seeing the two enter the pass.
Li Qiye and Qiurong Wanxue were met with hot, dry air the moment they entered. Unknowing travelers would think that they made a wrong turn after seeing the scene ahead.
Before them was a vast desert. The strange part was that this desert was completely flat, and its dried land appeared to have been burnt.
If the entrance was not right behind them, anyone who saw this desert would think that they were lost. This place did not resemble Necropolis at all.
"Shifting Mountain Pass?" Qiurong Wanxue couldn’t prevent herself from being dazed after seeing the desert before her. She had never been here before, but she had heard of a few things about it.
"Can we actually do this?" She asked without confidence: "I heard that there are practically no treasures here, but it is also the pass with the highest requirements among the five passes."
"It is a gamble." Li Qiye smiled and said: "Although the other four passes indeed have a higher chance of obtaining treasures, they are all ordinary treasures. If you want to gamble, you have to bet something huge. If we are lucky, then it will be a true fortune."
Heavenly Devil, Devil Heavenly; they literally flipped the words for this tribe and race, but Devil Heavenly sounds silly. It could be Evil/Devil Celestial Tribe too, but it doesn't fit with the devil theme, so I picked Sky-devil. ↩