Chapter 1378: Tea and Talk

The trio were about to run out of power when suddenly, three arrows appeared out of nowhere.

The first arrow appeared in the sky, slaying gods and Buddhas.

The second arrow appeared between heaven and earth, wiping out humans and civilizations.

The last arrow appeared underground, ending ghosts and monsters.

The heavenly arrow was called Celestial Slaying.

The second arrow was called World Slaughtering.

And finally, the third arrow was called Ghost Killing.

The three arrows came from Yao Tianyi, Grand Chief of the Pacification Bureau. They were his ultimate technique. In the past, he had only used it against Strangers, evils, and villains. He had never unleashed all three arrows either.

But today, he had broken his own rule. Not only did he aim his arrow at the Earthly Sovereign Hall—people who were neither Stranger nor villainous—he had unleashed all three arrows at the same time.

He knew he was doing the wrong thing, but he still did it.

Twang twang twang!

Three bell chimes appeared in rapid succession.

It was the sound of Celestial Slaying, World Slaughtering, and Ghost Killing striking against the Profound Yellow Bell.

The Celestial Slaying Arrow pierced the Profound Yellow Bell’s Profound Yellow Qi.

The World Slaughtering Arrow slammed into its walls and slowed down its speed dramatically.

And the Ghost Killing Arrow also slammed against its metal and stopped it dead in its tracks.

“Tyrant supporter! You do not deserve to be the ministers of mankind!”

An angry roar erupted, and a giant thousands of meters tall and surrounded by dark yellow auspicious clouds manifested into existence.

Even the mountain-sized Profound Yellow Bell looked small compared to the giant.

The giant lifted the Profound Yellow Bell into the air and glared down on Li Chengzhong, Wan Bainian, Yao Tianyi, and Zhou Dongchao. His eyes hung high in the sky and shone brightly like the sun and the moon, and his presence was even scarier.

“Treasonous fools! You do not deserve to be human!”

“Die!”

As soon as the giant finished, he brought down the Profound Yellow Bell on the four men.

The four men did not dare to take the attack lightly. They unleashed their powers respectively and fought a great battle against the giant.

The battles between Haotian Hong and Emperor Jingrun, Xuanyuan Wang and Chu Xunxian looked grand and terrible. The simplest gesture cracked the sky, sundered the earth, fell the sun, and destroyed the moon. In fact, they were grand and terrible. However, they made sure to keep their battles to the sky and within their martial domains so as not to harm the imperial capital or the innocent people of Chu. Otherwise, the shockwaves alone would have destroyed the entire imperial capital and killed its hundreds of thousands of citizens without fail.

They did this not because they were feeling merciful, but because the karma from destroying the capital city of a major empire was far, far too great for any one of them to bear. That was why they strictly fought in the sky and within their martial domains.

Because of this, the large majority of the citizens had no idea what was happening. In their eyes, the colorful, flowing lights taking place high above the nine heavens looked gorgeous and magnificent, dangerous and terrifying.

As for those who knew what was happening, they were terrified and panicked. That said, no one dared to make the slightest move.

As the capital city and central power of Chu, the imperial capital was guarded by countless elites as a matter of course. However, only a handful of people were fighting in the sky.

The reason was very simple. It was because the participants were all Sages.

Not only that, Haotian Hong with the Clear Sky Mirror, Xuanyuan Wang with the Human Sovereign Sword, the regent of this country and king of a people, Emperor Jing Run, were among the strongest of Sages.

If they recklessly got involved with the battle, the only fate they would welcome was annihilation. There was no other possibility.

That was why the knowers could do nothing despite being terribly worried and afraid.

Actually, that wasn’t quite accurate. There were two people who were generally unperturbed by the epic battle waging above their heads.

They were none other than Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou.

Right now, the two warriors were walking shoulder-to-shoulder on a street.

Feng Qingyou was holding a tanghulu in one hand and taking a bite. A pleased, satisfied smile spread across her face when the sweet and sour taste of the treat bloomed across her taste buds.

“I heard that the tanghulu of the imperial capital of Chu is one-of-a-kind, and I am pleased to find that the rumors are true. Would you like a taste, Joyless?”

“Is it really okay for us to just... openly walk on the streets like this?”

Ye Qing shook his head and turned down Feng Qingyou’s offer with a bitter smile on his face[1].

“Of course it is. Can’t you see that they’re too busy with their fight to notice us?” Feng Qingyou giggled at Ye Qing’s nervous expression. “What is there to be afraid of?”

“How can I not be afraid?”

Ye Qing gave her a half-smile, half-grimace. He could think of several reasons to be afraid. One, the people waging war above their heads were all Sages. Two, they were all victims of his and Feng Qingyou’s scheme. If they found them out, he had no doubt that he would break them piece by piece to vent the pure hatred flowing in their veins.

As if that wasn’t enough, he and Feng Qingyou were planning to play the oriole and steal back the Earthly Sovereign Bell. Actually, scratch that, they were planning to steal the Earthly Sovereign Bell

and

the Heavens’ Eye as well. To say that the audacity of their plan was off the charts would be an understatement. It was like dancing on a person’s grave or singing to a pile of corpses. They were literally asking for trouble.

Seriously, how on earth was he expected to stay calm like this?

Compared to him, Feng Qingyou was the picture of relaxation and composure. Even as he glanced at her, Ye Qing could not help but shake his head in disbelief. Just how did she have the composure to eat a tanghulu while the world was literally breaking above their heads, he didn’t know.

“You really should relax. Aren’t you tired tensing like a spring the entire time?”

Feng Qingyou felt amused looking at Ye Qing’s taut, sweaty expression. “It’s going to be a while before their battle reaches the end stage. Let’s find a place to sit as we wait, shall we?”

What else could Ye Qing say? He could only follow her like a servant.

Ironically, the ignorant citizens were the least worried and afraid out of everyone. Sure, the extraordinary phenomena taking place above their heads were scary, but so what? If the sky fell, the tall ones would be hit first. If not even the tall ones could prevent the sky from collapsing, then what could they short, powerless citizens possibly do? Die?

That was why it took them little effort to brush off their worries and focus on whatever task they were supposed to be doing. Who had time to worry about some fireworks when there was tomorrow’s meal to worry about?

In short, it was business as usual in the capital.

Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou found a small, secluded teahouse in an alley. They ordered a pot of flowering tea named Dragon Phoenix Clash and drank in leisure.

Okay, that wasn’t completely true. Feng Qingyou was the one doing most of the drinking. Ye Qing wasn’t in the mood at all.

“Who do you think would win, Qingyou?” Ye Qing asked while staring at the colorful sky outside the window. Through the many levels of the heavens, he could clearly see the shockwaves created by the clashes between Xuanyuan Hong, Emperor Jing Run and more. The unfathomable power of the Sages was such that he could even see the sunrise, the moonfall, the world, the primal chaos, and other magnificent spectacles.

Only one thing would happen to him if he were to get involved in that battle as he was: death.

He would die thoroughly and unquestionably. No other outcome was imaginable.

“Neither side will win, and both sides will suffer considerable losses.”

Feng Qingyou took a sip of tea and looked at the sky as well. “If this battle had taken place elsewhere, then there is no way Emperor Jing Run and Chu Xunxian are a match for Haotian Hong with the Clear Sky Mirror, and Xuanyuan Wang with the Xuanyuan Sword. They wouldn’t even be able to hold out for long.”

“However, we are at the imperial capital right now; the center of imperial authority and the hub of the Will of the Empire. For now, Chu’s fate had not yet run its course. So long as the battlefield does not move elsewhere, Emperor Jing Run is invincible, and the officials are several times stronger than normal. That is why they are going about even right now.”

“About even, huh?”

Ye Qing mused thoughtfully when a sudden thought struck him. “Say, where is the Chief Libationist? Why isn’t he acting?”

The Chief Libationist was immensely powerful. He alone could decide which side would emerge victorious and end the battle swiftly. Knowing his temperament, he would not feign ignorance and allow this state of things to continue either.

Since he hadn’t made an appearance, it could only mean that he wasn’t in the imperial capital right now.

1. Bro is so nervous he didn’t even realize FQY offered him an indirect kiss. Or maybe it’s precisely because he’s so nervous that FQY dared to make the offer. These two... ☜