Stranger Danger

“Phew... at long last, safety!”

Staring at the distant town, Yi Pin could not stop himself from opening his arms wide and yelling, “I’m never coming back to this heaven forsaken place again!”

Xu Kailu was grinning and wearing a look of excitement as well, but a few seconds later, the smile suddenly devolved into a loud, uncontrollable sob.

He smiled because he ultimately lived to see another day, and he was sobbing now because his friends did not.

“Don’t cry. You’re still alive, so you should be happy.” Old Man of Snowy Mountain gave Xu Kailu a pat on the shoulder while consoling him.

He could understand Xu Kailu’s complicated feelings. Even he, someone who secluded himself to the snowy mountains and had become desensitized to death and danger long ago, could not help but feel a sense of relief after everything.

“Moo...”

It was at this moment a long, thick moo came from behind them. When they looked, they saw that the black bull was lying flat on the ground and emitting a strange, mysterious light. For whatever reason, every hair on its body had turned as translucent as jade.

Its forelimbs crossed in front of it like a man would when they were meditating and closing its eyelids slightly, it breathed in and out until the entire world was rumbling like a thunderstorm.

There was one person still sitting on top of the black bull. He was none other than Ye Qing.

Right now, Ye Qing was sitting cross-legged on top of the black bull with his hands resting evenly on his knees. His eyes shut slightly, he was breathing slowly and evenly just like the black bull.

If the black bull’s breathing was thick, heavy, and rumbling like thunder, then Ye Qing’s breathing was so soft and gentle that it was almost non-existent. It was the same for his presence. Those who weren’t looking for him specifically could easily neglect or even forget his existence altogether.

The inconspicuousness was only surface though. A closer inspection would reveal that Ye Qing was, somehow, existing in every corner of the world.

Right now, he was as ephemeral as the fog, as fickle as the clouds, and as formless and intangible as the wind.

He wasn’t moving, but he was moving non-stop.

He wasn’t present, but he was present everywhere.

He did not exist, but everything that ever existed was him.

It was as if he was the fog, the clouds, the wind, the world itself.

Even the black bull was just one of the many living beings who was living in this corner of the world called Ye Qing.

“Moo...”

A few breaths passed, and the black bull suddenly lifted its head and let out a long, thunderous moo.

This one was much louder and high-pitched compared to the moo before, but it wasn’t noisy or disturbing in the slightest. On the contrary, it felt beautiful in the same way someone's melody was exquisite.

As the moo continued, the ambient origin qi began flooding into its body from every direction. Bull hair began falling off as the light it emitted grew brighter and brighter, but it was immediately replaced by new hair.

You would think that its new hair would be pitch black in color, but instead, it was white as snow and translucent like jade.

The bell on its horn had shedded its dirty, dark surface and become flawless white as well. Clear light transformed into mysterious runes on the surface of the bell, giving it a most profound appearance.

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Over time, the black bull’s presence grew stronger and greater than before.

“I can’t believe the stinky bull’s luck. It actually broke through his bloodline limit!” Yi Pin exclaimed wistfully.

“I know right?” Old Man of Snowy Mountain echoed in agreement and envy.

Strangers were naturally powerful, but almost all of them had very little room to grow because of their bloodline. Generally speaking, the stronger the Stranger, the harder it was to break through their bloodline limit and grow stronger.

But now, the black bull’s bloodline was rapidly growing in power. The black bull was already a powerful Disaster-class Stranger, and this ascension put it infinitely close to the level of an Ancient-class Stranger; the equivalent of a human Half Sage.

More importantly, this bloodline ascension gave the black bull the opportunity and possibility to grow and become an Ancient-class Stranger. This was why Yi Pin said it was lucky.

The bloodline ascension did not just happen out of nowhere, of course. In fact, it was all thanks to Ye Qing.

After they left the Myriad Buddha Plains, the group began heading toward the nearest town as planned. Since they encountered almost no danger or obstacle thanks to the black bull’s protection, Ye Qing decided to spend his time practicing.

At first, it was just a standard practice to recover his strength. However, at some point during their journey, his mind became one with the world, and his will blended with nature. As it turned out, he had entered a state of enlightenment.

“An inch of enlightenment, an eternity in heaven.” This was why enlightenment was a rare and mysterious condition all warriors dreamed of having.

Because Ye Qing was experiencing enlightenment, and his spirit and true qi became intricately mingled with the world, the Great Way, and the surrounding origin qi, it indirectly purified and nurtured the black bull’s body and bloodline as well. That was why the black bull was undergoing a transformation.

In summary, this was an opportunity belonging to the black bull alone. The rest of them could only watch in envy or jealousy. These days, even a bull could land on a better opportunity than a human, dammit!

Suddenly, Ye Qing opened his eyes. Inside his pupils, a black fish and a white fish who seemed to imbue the Great Way within them were chasing each other.

The next moment, Ye Qing disappeared and reappeared beside Yi Pin. The strange phenomenon occurring inside his pupils disappeared without a trace as well.

Sensing the profound presence Ye Qing was giving off, Yi Pin congratulated him, “Congratulations on making yet another advancement, brother.”

Ye Qing replied humbly, “It’s just a small advancement.”

“False modesty is unbecoming of you, brother. I can tell from your aura alone that you are not far away from the Half Sage stage!” Yi Pin snorted.

Ye Qing smiled but said nothing. Instead, he looked at the black bull. By now, the black bull was no longer a black bull because it had shedded all of its black fur and replaced them with white, translucent fur. It was also radiating pure, white light like a mini sun.

“It’s your lucky day today.”

Ye Qing flicked his fingers and sent a drop of dark yellow blood in the white bull’s direction. It landed squarely on its forehead before transforming into a circular mark, mysterious yet profound.

Yi Pin exclaimed in surprise, “That is quite the big investment, brother!”

Ye Qing shrugged. “What big investment? It’s just a drop of blood.”

Yi Pin disagreed. “Are you kidding me? That’s a drop of refined blood containing the Profound Yellow Mother Qi! Speaking of which, why didn’t you give me one?”

Ye Qing snorted. “I’m pretty sure you can’t use it though.”

“Maybe, but I can sell it for goods and services, can’t I?” Yi Pin asked matter-of-factly.

The old Taoist’s surprise did not come as a surprise to Ye Qing. “That is exactly why I can’t give you my blood.”

“Sigh. How has the world changed. It’s bad enough that the people are more corrupt than before, but even a bull has better fortune than a human now!”

Yi Pin sighed before turning serious. “Well, this damn bull’s future is now officially limitless!”

If before the white bull only had a chance of becoming an Ancient-class Stranger, now it was guaranteed to make the ascension as long as it didn’t die before then.

It wasn’t all thanks to the refined blood, of course. The white bull’s bloodline was fairly disposed toward the earth to begin with, which was why it was extremely compatible with Ye Qing’s refined blood. That was the main reason the Profound Yellow Mother Qim vitality, and power contained within the blood could refine and improve the white bull’s bloodline.

Had the white bull been any other Stranger, the blood might have been useless at best or detrimental at worst. Take a dark, evil type of Stranger for example. One drop of Ye Qing’s blood could have disintegrated it into dust.