Chapter 1599: I Believe In You

Translator's Note: My creator mission posts are up. Check it out if you want to. In this case I basically wrote a small fanfic from the perspective of Ye Qing's storage artifact, Nine Heavens. He never stopped carrying it, you know?

https://forum.wuxiaworld.com/blogs/entry/13-chapter-7-i-am-nine-heavens/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ4fMW2kqKS/?igsh=MXFkbGt2cmh2cndlZA==

The Earthly Sovereign challenged Ye Qing, “And why not? Green is born out of blue, but beats blue[1]. You are my disciple. If you do not even have the courage to compare yourself to me, how can you bear the heavy responsibility of slaying the four ancient Evils? How can you shoulder the heavy burden of saving everyone’s lives? How can you take up the mission of killing that refuse-to-die, Taishan?”

“Er...”

Ye Qing rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly, saying nothing.

I think you’re thinking a little too highly of me, senior.

“Anyway, enough of that. Take a seat.” The Earthly Sovereign gestured for Ye Qing to sit down. “You can’t get comfortable as long as you’re standing, and I have to look up to you as well. That’s kinda annoying, don’t you think?”

“If you insist, senior.” Ye Qing hesitated for a moment but ultimately took a seat on the futon. For now, he couldn’t sense any malice from the Earthly Sovereign.

Plus, did it really matter if he was standing or sitting? The situation wouldn’t change one bit, would it?

“Now we’re talking!”

The Earthly Sovereign nodded in satisfaction. When he noticed that the young man was still tensed up, he chuckled and said, “Relax, I won’t do anything to you. I’m not a treacherous little schemer like King Taishan.”

“Besides, I’m already dead. What can I possibly do against you in this state?”

Ye Qing was caught off guard by that. “Didn’t you say you’re still alive?”

“Heh! That was just a trick to fool Taishan.”

The Earthly Sovereign confessed with a smile, “I’ve been dead a long time ago. I’ve been dead since the olden days. Can’t you see it yourself? My body is completely devoid of vitality, and my soul is long dead. How can I still be alive in this condition?”

“The one talking to you right now is a wisp of my spiritual intent. Originally, I wasn’t even going to leave this wisp of spiritual intent behind, but Mu Yue, that brat, insisted on being buried with me and keeping vigil for me. Oh, Mu Yue is the one you call the Soul Collector.”

“Unlike you, the brat is as stubborn as a donkey. No matter how I tried to persuade him or trick him, he absolutely refused to listen to my wisdom. I knew he would keep vigil for me anyway even if I commanded him not to, so in the end I caved to his request.”

“I was worried that the days would stretch beyond his endurance, so I left behind this wisp of consciousness to keep him company.”

Ye Qing was taken aback. “Wait. You didn’t leave this spiritual intent behind to deal with King Taishan?”

“Like I can be bothered with such things.”

The Earthly Sovereign’s tone was casual, but his words kept surprising Ye Qing. “Besides, I’m not a petty little schemer like Taishan. I cannot stomach filling my head with conspiracies, and my stomach with plots all day and night. Why in the world would I go through all these hoops and set up such a grand trap just to handle someone I’ve long defeated in the past?”

“Seriously, I can’t be bothered.”

Ye Qing was feeling a little dizzy. “So... what happened today is just a coincidence?”

“Yep. It was a complete accident that I ran into you two.” The Earthly Sovereign chuckled. “I happened to sense King Taishan and the Earthly Sovereign Bell’s aura, so I got curious and decided to check it out. That is how it led to your rescue.”

Ye Qing’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

He had imagined various possibilities before this conversation, but this was the one possibility he hadn’t considered. After all, it was simply too outlandish and far-fetched—or so he thought.

Ye Qing couldn’t quite accept this answer though. “Did you know that King Taishan had done something to the seals you placed on the Four Evils way back in ancient times? Did you know that he intends to use them to ravage humanity, gather souls for Fengdu, and rebuild the old Fengdu?”

“Oh, that? Yes, I do, in fact, know about his petty schemes. I more or less guessed his reason as well.”

The Earthly Sovereign declared in a domineering tone, “It’s why I purposely visited Fengdu and beat the absolute crap out of him after the fact. Hmph! I would have already killed him if someone hadn’t begged for clemency on his behalf.”

“Seriously, that piece of shit is like a smelly rat lurking in the drain. So annoying!”

This time, the Earthly Sovereign’s answer fell within Ye Qing’s predictions. It also fit his imagination of an ancient champion like him.

He was an ancient one who had invented a new era and led humanity toward unprecedented glory. It would be embarrassing if he couldn’t even detect such a simple plot.

“In that case, you must have prepared a countermeasure, right?” Ye Qing prodded.

“Of course I did.” The Earthly Sovereign looked Ye Qing in the eye. “The countermeasure I prepared is you.”

Ye Qing looked puzzled. “Me?”

“Yeah?” The Earthly Sovereign explained, “As long as you take out the Four Evils, then Taishan’s conspiracy would automatically fail. Isn’t that right?”

“Er...” Ye Qing wasn’t expecting such an answer, and he allowed surprise to color his tone. “Have you prepared anything else besides this junior?”

The Earthly Sovereign countered, “You alone are enough, aren’t you?”

“That means you haven’t prepared anything else then.” Ye Qing could not help but let out a bitter chuckle. “My apologies, senior, but I can’t help but think that you think too highly of me.”

As if the four Evils were easy to kill. Although he was now a Sage, he frankly wasn’t confident that he could handle them at all.

Worse, a greater enemy, King Taishan, had appeared before he even dealt with the Four Evils. It turned out that he was aligned with the Four Evils as well. Just how was he expected to deal with all this? “You are my successor and the possessor of the Earthly Sovereign Bell. You should be more confident in yourself.”

The Earthly Sovereign chuckled. “It’s just the Four Evils and King Taishan. I’m sure you can handle them like chicken and sheep!”

“...”

Wow, that is surely the most insincere motivational speech I have ever heard in my life.

Ye Qing let out a helpless chuckle. “Oh, I get it now. You’re just playing a joke on me. You are the Earthly Sovereign. It’s one thing if you didn’t know about King Taishan’s conspiracy, but since you did, there is no way you would stand by and do nothing. If only for the sake of the people, I’m sure you have prepared other countermeasures besides me!”

But once again, the Earthly Sovereign shook his head resolutely. “No, seriously, I didn’t!”

Ye Qing insisted, “No, seriously, can you please think a little harder?”

The Earthly Sovereign obliged. “Oh! Now that you mentioned it, I did have one extra countermeasure.”

Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

The Earthly Sovereign answered, “The Earthly Sovereign Bell!”

Ye Qing: “...”

You serious?

The Earthly Sovereign replied matter-of-factly, “The Earthly Sovereign Bell is my Dao Artifact and my ultimate treasure. It has fought countless wars with me during ancient times. Wherever it shone and rang, Strangers bowed their heads in submission, and evils dissolved into ash without resistance. No one and nothing has ever been able to match its power. Is it not a great help?”

Ye Qing opened his mouth to refute him, but he really couldn’t. After all, the Earthly Sovereign was right.

“In summary, you want me to face down the four Evils and King Taishan with just the Earthly Sovereign Bell?”

The Earthly Sovereign nodded. “That is correct.”

It didn’t look like the Earthly Sovereign was lying, so Ye Qing could only fall into stupefied silence. This was a little too much, wasn’t it?

After taking a moment to gather himself, Ye Qing looked up and asked the Earthly Sovereign, “Aren’t you afraid that I would fail, senior?”

The Earthly Sovereign’s smile remained warm and kind. “Don’t be. I believe in you.”

“You believe in me? I don’t even believe in myself though!” Ye Qing sighed. “So, why did you choose me, senior?”

The Earthly Sovereign smiled. “I didn’t. You’re the one who chose this yourself.”

1. Meaning the disciple surpasses the master. ☜