Stranger Danger

Chapter 727: Leave The Rest To Me

“What’s wrong? You were talking a good game just now. Cat got your tongue?” Six Yins Boy sneered.

Shangguan Hongjin instinctively licked her lips, palms completely covered in sweat. Although she entered this knowing full well that she would die, this sheer magnitude of her opposition still surpassed her expectations.

She had anticipated facing a couple of Half-Step Grandmasters and elites on the Human Champions Ranking, but where did these Grandmasters spring from? There were even two Earth Champions Ranking Grandmasters among the group!

She could confidently say that the number of Grandmasters standing here today exceeded the total number of Grandmasters she had ever seen in her life until now. Since when did Grandmasters become as common as cabbages?

It’s just a wisp of Profound Yellow Mother Qi, people. Where’s your dignity?

Despite her complaints, Shangguan Hongjin wasn’t really all that scared. After all, she never planned on walking away from this alive. If even death couldn’t scare her, then how could a bunch of Grandmasters possibly break her resolve?

Not only that, a trickle of excitement was seeping into Shangguan Hongjin’s veins. How many people in this world dared to challenge this many Grandmasters at the same time?

There’s no chance I’ll ever be able to beat these people, but get on their nerves? Hah!

And so Shangguan Hongjin straightened her back and gripped her sabers in a reverse grip, laughing, “Hahaha! You must be joking. Not even death can steal my resolve, and you think I would cower before you lot?”

“You’re just a bunch of shameless, vulgar, and pathetic bunch of rats who have to resort to underhanded tactics to continue their martial way. Well, fine, I’ll grant the talentless, useless fucks who have no hope of advancing their cultivation without resorting to shameless methods a pass, but what about the rest of you? You’re either heaven-born geniuses, top ten rankers of the Human Champions Ranking, Grandmasters, and even Grandmasters on the Earth Champions ranking, and yet you’re doing the same scummy shit as those third-rate warriors. You’re such scum you can’t help but abuse your power and numbers to steal something you know deep down in your hearts that you will never deserve.”

“If you had any shame at all, you would not have shown your faces today. Better yet, you would’ve crawled into a hole and stayed there like the rats you are. Truly, you lot are the shame of all Grandmasters. Pooey!”

Shangguan Hongjin spat in the group’s direction before taunting, “What’s wrong? Feeling angry and murderous already? Then come at me then! If I so much as furrow my brows, then I am your mother!”

......

“Holy mother of heavens! What a woman!”

At the edge of the basin, Zhang Lingyang gasped at the audacity of Shangguan Hongjin. Her strength was one thing, but her mouth was definitely Grandmaster stage. He only needed to look at Six Yins Boy, Blood Rakshasa, Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket’s blue faces to know it was the truth.

“Unfortunately, the honor of a Grandmaster must not be sullied. A shame!” Yun Qingxiao lamented. Frankly, he quite disdained the Grandmasters who had chosen to take part in this robbery as well.

No one was surprised when Six Yins Boy abruptly appeared in front of Shangguan Hongjin and launched a palm strike. In response, Shangguan Hongjin brought down her saber in an attempt to cut Six Yins Boy’s hand in half or force him to cancel his attack.

Unfortunately, the gap between their strength was just too much. Six Yins Boy easily caught “Evil Slayer”, a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact with his bare hand and snapped it into several pieces. At the same time, his cold, yin-type palm force invaded Shangguan Hongjin’s body and sent her flying. In the air, ice was rapidly growing over her hair and eyebrows, and her complexion turned an unhealthy bluish purple.

“Run, Miss Shangguan! I’ll hold them back!”

Seeing this, Pedant Earth took one step forward and crossed his fingers together. He drew a profound rune in the air and yelled, “Rise!”

Killing intent burst out of the ground, and the wind howled like an enraged god. Everyone was in range of the attack.

“Foolish cur!”

A cold glint flashed in Mountain Tunneling King’s eyes as he waved his hand casually. A thunderclap erupted out of nowhere, and both the killing intent and the wild gale instantly disappeared into nothing. At the same time, Pedant Earth was sent flying by the terrifying blast of force. Blood spilled out of his lips, and his face looked as white as paper.

“I’ll be taking their heads, thank you. I was hoping to add some new decorations for my basket.”

Mrs. Basket threw her basket into the air, and it fired a pair of bloody beams at Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth.

Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth exchanged glances with each other. They knew that there was no chance they would be able to survive this attack, and they were annoyed that they couldn’t buy more time for Ye Qing.

But they never once regretted their decision. Together, they burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! I may die, but I leave no regrets behind!”

“Hahaha! The afterlife greets me, but I shall enter it with a clear conscience!”

Suddenly, the bloody beams disappeared right before they would destroy Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth. At the same time, the two warriors felt something arresting their momentum, and their pain vanishing rapidly from their body somehow. They were... healing?

“Thank you both.”

A warm voice rang beside their ears.

“Warrior Ye!”

“You’re awake!”

Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth exclaimed in pleasant surprise as they looked behind their backs and met a refreshing smile.

“I’m awake.” Ye Qing smiled and patted their shoulders. A tremendous amount of true qi entered their body and rapidly restored their damaged organs and veins. “Now, go catch some rest and leave the rest to me!”

“What are you doing, warrior Ye?”

Pedant Earth was surprised by Ye Qing’s declaration to say the least. It didn’t sound like he was planning to make a great escape with them.

“I’m going to take revenge for you and Miss Shangguan, of course!” Ye Qing was smiling, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

“Are you crazy? Now is hardly the best time!” Miss Shangguan said hurriedly. We just barely managed to keep you from dying, dude! Do you want to die that badly?

Although Ye Qing was now a Grandmaster, it hadn’t even been a minute since the young man fully ascended. Meanwhile, everyone here was at least a veteran Grandmaster with years of experience under their belt, not to mention that they outnumbered him many times to one. While she liked her revenge served hot as well, she wasn’t that impatient that she would risk her life for it!

Sure, she and Pedant Earth were ready to give their life in defense of their honor and belief, but now that life was an actual option, why the hell would they choose to die?

“Relax. You’re the one who said that they’re a shameless, vulgar, and pathetic bunch of rats who have to resort to underhanded tactics to continue their martial way.” Ye Qing shot her a reassuring smile. “Why would I be afraid of such a worthless lot?”

“I...” Shangguan Hongjin couldn’t say anything. I was just taunting them, dude!

“Arrogant boy. Die!”

Enraged, dozens of bloody heads flew out of the floating bamboo basket and flew toward Ye Qing. They were all snarling or howling or weeping as if they were alive. As they grew closer to Ye Qing, their voices grew increasingly shrill and disturbing.

“The Life Stealing Heads and Mind Bending Screech...”

The flying heads were called the Life Stealing Heads, and they were Strangers Mrs. Basket had refined using her Bonded Strange Artifact[1], the Head Basket. The Head Basket was a Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact that could fire beams of blood that could shackle a victim’s mind, sever their head, and subsume it to the bamboo basket. Hence the name. Once a head had been subsumed into the basket, Mrs. Basket would be able to command them as she pleased.

If the head was refined into a Life Stealing Head, it could produce a sound wave known as the Mind Bending Screech. The coalescence of all of the victim’s resentment when they were still alive, the Mind Bending Screech could attack the mind, kill a person, and even steal their soul. It was a most malevolent power.

It was worth noting that the class of a Life Stealing Head was the victim’s cultivation level when they were still alive. The Life Stealing Heads currently stored inside the Head Basket were all Spirit Masters Mrs. Basket had killed throughout the years, so every one of them was equal to a Phenomenon-class Stranger.

The Mind Bending Screech produced by dozens of Phenomenon-class Life Stealing Heads were no joke. Most Grandmasters would choose to dodge out of the way against such an attack.

However, Ye Qing simply took one glance at the Life Stealing Heads and threw a punch.

BOOM!

An entire chunk of space caved inward like it was a physical object, and the vortex at the center drew the flying heads in before they could react.

The next moment, every Life Stealing Head exploded into smithereens.

1. Raw is 本命诡器. An example of this is Xiao Yang’s lifesaving infant Strange Artifact, which is bonded to him by flesh and blood. If a Bonded Strange Artifact, the warrior usually suffers as well. ☜