Chapter 1282: Night Celestial Shi Jiuyan

The woman looked to be twenty seven or twenty eight. Tall and slender, she was wearing a black outfit and a mask with black, draconic patterns on it. Her eyes were deep and dark like the night, giving her a cold and enigmatic presence. She was carrying a red lantern with her right hand.

Whatever material was used to forge the red lantern, it must be quite special. It looked as light as a feather and as transparent as cotton yarn, but it gave off a firm and unyielding impression.

It was at this moment the flame in the lantern flickered, and painful cries could be vaguely heard from it. It was quite chilling.

The woman was wearing a bracelet on her left wrist. It was covered in dust and seemingly a little rusty, except it wasn’t. The rusts were really bloodstains. They made the bracelet look mysterious and deadly.

“The Stranger Binding Chains and Night Patrol Lamp. Is that the Night Celestial, Shi Jiuyan?”

“I didn’t think she would show up!”

Shi Jiuyan was the twenty-seventh champion on the Earth Champions Ranking and a Half-Sage. Hailing from one of the three aristocratic families of Wei, the Shi Clan, she was one of the Four Supreme Beings of the Night Patrol. She was a true elite of Wei, a woman of great power and influence, and one of the most outstanding warriors among her peers.

The Night Patrol was an organization that functioned similarly to the Pacification Bureau of Chu. They were created to deal with all Stranger-related matters under the heavens. There were plenty of elite units in the Night Patrol, and they were named Two Kings, Three Dragons, Four Supreme Beings and so on.

The Four Supreme Beings were the River God, Flower Demon, Night Celestial, and Jade Buddha. Together, they watched over the entire realm of Wei.

The Night Celestial was Shi Jiuyan. The fact that she was so much younger than the other Supreme Beings was a testament to her skill, intelligence, and strength. Since Shi Jiuyan joined the Night Patrol, she had slain countless Strangers and saved even more people. Among her greatest achievements were slaying numerous Disaster-class Strangers, ruining the descent of an Ancient-class Stranger, eliminating a dangerous Anomaly and more. Her achievements were outstanding, and she was adored by both the Night Patrol and the people alike.

If she continued to improve and accumulate merits at this rate, she was likely to become the next head of the Night Patrol. One could say that her future was limitless.

Shi Jiuyan possessed two major Strange Artifacts. The first one was the Divine Stranger Binding Rope. It could increase or decrease its length at will, seal off an entire space, and bind any Stranger under the heavens.

The second Strange Artifact was the Stranger Burning Lantern. It converted a Stranger into fuel and burned them using the fire of humanity. It could purify any evil and burn any Stranger.

Because her arrival was often accompanied by the night, and her appearance was elegant like that of a celestial, the

jianghu

came to call her the Night Celestial.

“Greetings, Mad Lord!”

Shi Jiuyan saluted Ye Qing with one hand after coming to a stop thirty meters away from him.

“Well met, Night Celestial.” Ye Qing looked at her. “Have you come for me?”

“No. I am not interested in the Earthly Sovereign Bell or your life.”

Shi Jiuyan shook her head. “I came today solely for Ancestor Red Cloud and the Umbilical Mother.”

“For the past few years, the Umbilical Mother had been unusually active in Wei. She had created many worshipers and killed countless innocents. However, the Umbilical Mother is also incredibly cunning and well-hidden, so we were unable to root her out despite years of searching.”

“I decided that the best way to find her is to set my sights on the worshipers of the Umbilical Mother, and I have always suspected that Ancestor Red Cloud is one of them. The ring leader, in fact. Unfortunately, Ancestor Red Cloud’s disguise is excellent, and he is no less cunning than the god he worships. I was not able to find any chinks in his armor, nor was I successful in exposing him despite numerous attempts due to his extraordinary strength and sterling reputation.”

“However, not only were you able to expose him, you dealt him a grievous blow. To say that you did me a huge favor would be an understatement.”

Shi Jiuyan saluted him again. “Therefore, on behalf of all the citizens of Wei, I thank you for your aid.”

“I see.” Ye Qing nodded. “The stars just happen to align. He only has his own greed to blame.”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you helped me. So, thank you.”

Shi Jiuyan said candidly before asking, “I have one more favor to ask of you, Mad Lord. I hope you will accept it.”

Ye Qing did not agree to it immediately. “What is it about?”

Shi Jiuyan looked at the wisp of divine thought Ye Qing was holding between his fingers. “I desire the Umbilical Mother divine thought you’re holding.”

Ye Qing asked thoughtfully, “Are you planning to locate the Umbilical Mother’s true body through it?”

“That’s right,” Shi Jiuyan admitted honestly. “If I am successful, then we would be able to eliminate her once and for all. It will be an act that benefits countless lives. So, please.”

“I see no reason to deny you your request.” Ye Qing nodded. “I must remind you that your efforts might turn out futile though. It is just a wisp of divine thought.”

Shi Jiuyan replied calmly, “We can only do our best.”

Ye Qing spoke no longer and tossed the Umbilical Mother’s divine thought over to Shi Jiuyan.

The Stranger Binding Divine Rope around Shi Jiuyan’s waist immediately shot out and formed a cage in mid-air. After imprisoning the divine thought, it flew into the Stranger Burning Lantern instead of returning to Shi Jiuyan’s wrist.

The Stranger Burning Lantern immediately burned brighter after that.

Shi Jiuyan saluted Ye Qing a third time as gratitude entered her eyes. “Thank you, Mad Lord.”

“You’re welcome,” Ye Qing answered. “You know, I have a favor to ask of you as well.”

Shi Jiuyan responded, “Ask away. I will fulfill any request so long as it is within my capabilities to do so.”

Ye Qing walked up to the Blind Hero, Xie Loulan and said, “Miss Xie seemed to have suffered quite the damage to her psyche due to Ancestor Red Cloud’s secret art. Even now, she is still unconscious. I am a good killer, but not a good healer. Could you please save her?”

Shi Jiuyan looked impressed. “You are a kind man, Mad Lord. It is my duty to save lives, so I must declare your request invalid.”

“Besides, this isn’t the first day I met Miss Xie. Not only do I respect her, you could say that we are good friends. I would have saved her even if you hadn’t said anything.”

“That’s good.” Ye Qing nodded. Shi Jiuyan might have a cold temperament, but she was deserving of respect just like Xie Loulan.

Shi Jiuyan walked over to Xie Loulan and inspected her for a moment. Then, she removed a wisp of orange flame from her Stranger Burning Lantern and planted it on Xie Loulan’s forehead.

The flame quickly vanished into her forehead. The next moment, orange yellow flames burned throughout Xie Loulan’s body. It did no damage to her though. It was soft, warm, and completely harmless.

As the fire burned, the thick, dark qi surrounding her gradually faded. A bit of color had returned to her pale complexion as well. She was still unconscious, but her breathing was gradually stabilizing.

A few breaths later, Shi Jiuyan rose back to her feet and said, “The taint within Miss Xie’s body has been eliminated. However, it will take time for her to recover from her mental damage. For this reason, I will not wake her yet.”

Ye Qing nodded again. “I’m glad to hear that. Since you are friends with Miss Xie, I trust you to take care of her while she is incapacitated.”

Right now, both the orthodox and the unorthodox were gathered at East Radiance Mountain. Considering that Xie Loulan’s injuries were significant, there was a huge chance something bad would happen to her if no one watched over her during this time. As he respected Xie Loulan, he did not wish for her to perish in the hands of a petty villain.

As for Shi Jiuyan, he believed that she was a trustworthy character. He thought that she would be a good protector of Xie Loulan.

Besides, Shi Jiuyan hadn’t woken Xie Loulan up probably because she was planning on guarding her in the first place.

Shi Jiuyan replied affirmatively, “It is only natural.”

With that said, Shi Jiuyan lifted Xie Loulan into the air and got ready to leave the Unbounded Platform. As she turned away, Ye Qing found himself asking, “Say, would you like to exchange pointers with me? You are here after all.”

“It’s fine.” Shi Jiuyan smiled. “I am no match for you, so I shan’t embarrass myself.”

“We haven’t fought before. How can you be sure?”

Someone else answered before Ye Qing could say anything. It was impossible to say if he was defending Shi Jiuyan’s honor or plotting something.

“The Mad Lord had singlehandedly suppressed Ancestor Red Cloud, the Nine Sons Mother Spider, and a wisp of the Umbilical Mother’s divine thought just now. I do not think I could have done what he did.”

Shi Jiuyan replied calmly, “If the Mad Lord can do what I cannot do, then it only stands to reason that he is stronger than me. Why fight when the outcome is already decided?”

“In conclusion, my surrender came from the bottom of my heart. You do not need to feel offended on my behalf. And if you are saying this because you are plotting something, then I ask that you enter the arena yourself. I, Shi Jiuyan, am not a weapon for you to wave around!”

The space directly in front of Shi Jiuyan abruptly turned as dark as the night. She stepped inside and vanished just like that.