Three three water droplets were called Single Heavy Water.

Single Heavy Water was the essence of all water and the spirit of all ocean. It took thousands and thousands of tons of seawater just to refine one drop of Single Heavy Water. That was also why it was unbelievably heavy. Without exaggeration, a single drop was enough to form a lake or flood an entire city. It was potent to say the least.

It had taken the North Duke over a decade to refine just three drops of Single Heavy Water, and he was using all of it on Ye Qing. It showed just how angry and bloodthirsty he was feeling.

Right before the three drops of Single Heavy Water would land on Ye Qing’s body, he abruptly opened his mouth and

swallowed

them all in one gulp. The Single Heavy Water that supposedly weighed like mountains and could have flattened almost any other Trueman like pancakes.

“Ooh, it tastes pretty good.”

Ye Qing smacked his lips and opened his eyes. “Too bad it’s a little salty.”

It’s seawater. Of course it’s salty,

the comment flashed through the North Duke’s head even as his heart was overtaken by shock. This was the Single Heavy Water, a drop of water that weighed like mountains, and the guy just swallowed not one, not two, but

three of them

like nothing? How was this even possible?

“It really is you!”

Now was not the time to be shocked, however. The North Duke restrained his bewilderment and uttered coldly, “I underestimated you!”

“Would you believe me if I said it wasn’t me?” Ye Qing got up to his feet.

“What do you think?” The North Duke glared at him with unbridled bloodthirst.

“Fine, fine, it was me.” Ye Qing shrugged.

Neither the North Duke nor Chu Wangsun were idiots. No amount of sophistry was going to rescue this situation.

Besides, he had already achieved his goal: to wear down both the North Duke’s group and Chu Wangsun’s group.

He thought that his plan had ended before it even began, but as it turned out, the North Duke thought that Chu Wangsun had stolen his Ten Directions Stupa and was trying to capture him. This gave him the opportunity to resurrect his plan.

So, he secretly used his demonic thought to stir the North Duke group’s anger and impatience while ordering Ding Buren to feign being injured by Chu Wangsun. The North Duke was already pissed off that his prize possession was claimed by another, and Chu Wangsun staunchly refused to cooperate with him. Then, the scholar even “injured” his subordinate. How could he possibly stand such a slight?

His top steaming from all the anger boiling under his skull, the North Duke ultimately succumbed to his impulse. So, that happened.

Of course, the ideal situation was for the North Duke to Chu Wangsun and save him a whole heap of trouble. Unfortunately, the North Duke proved to be weaker than he thought. Not only did he fail to kill Chu Wangsun, he even allowed the guy to make a getaway.

Left with no choice, Ye Qing had to request for Feng Qingyou’s intervention.

That’s right, the one who stopped Chu Wangsun and Su Bancheng from escaping through the Chu Gate was none other than Feng Qingyou. He could not have done it even if he was in tiptop condition.

Feng Qingyou had arrived even before the North Duke and Chu Wangsun were fighting. She remained hidden so that she wouldn’t disturb Ye Qing’s plan, but Su Bancheng summoned the Chu Gate in the end. So, she had no choice but to take action.

He had no idea how Feng Qingyou did it. Su Bancheng had claimed that even a Sage could not harm them or the Chu Gate, so logically speaking a Great Trueman like Feng Qingyou should be even more powerless to interfere. And yet she did, so that was that.

Although her interference successfully prevented Chu Wangsun and Su Bancheng from escaping, it also exposed him.

That was just how life was. There were rarely such a thing as a perfect solution, much less a perfect outcome.

Still, Chu Wangsun was seriously injured, and the North Duke was fatigued despite sporting minimal injuries.

At this point, his plan counted as a success, so it did not matter if he was exposed anymore.

“You did well. Very well. I had never been swindled this badly until today. You have thoroughly impressed me.”

A cold, maddened sneer slowly spread across the North Duke’s face. “So, how would you like to die?”

“I didn't mean to use you. I just want him dead.” Ye Qing looked at Chu Wangsun and said, “How about this. I’ll pay you what you’re due if you stay your hand and allow me to kill him first. What do you say?” Ṟ

The North Duke soundlessly turned his head in Chu Wangsun’s direction.

“You want me dead?” Chu Wangsun was caught off guard. “I don’t think I recognize you, scion.”

“It doesn’t matter if you recognize me. What matters is that I recognize you, and that I want to kill you,” Ye Qing replied.

He had changed his appearance, and his aura was very much different compared to who he was when he escaped Tian Yong. That was Chu Wangsun had failed to recognize him.

“One does not commit murder without a reason,” Chu Wangsun replied.

“You want a reason?” Ye Qing chuckled. “Sure, I’ll give you a reason. I don’t like your face, so I want you dead. Do you like my reason?”

“Not really,” Chu Wangsun commented clinically. “I think you’re trying to hide your identity and buy time.”

“North Duke, this man has shown himself to be quite cunning so far, and it sounds like he’s plotting. The consequences would be severe if you don’t kill him now.”

Before the North Duke could react, Chu Wangsun continued, “I’m seriously hurt and out of escape options anyway. I’m sure you know what’s the best option to take here.”

“I don’t need you to teach me what to do.”

The North Duke shot Chu Wangsun a look but turned to Ye Qing. “So, have you finished thinking? Have you chosen a way to die?”

As Chu Wangsun said, he was a turtle trapped inside a jar. It was completely up to the North Duke whether he lived or died. The mysterious stranger though, he was a different story. He was a

threat

.

That was why the North Duke had already sentenced the mysterious stranger to death in his heart whether he was telling the truth or not.

His unease would persist so long as the man was still alive.

“So, the negotiation is a failure?” Ye Qing sighed. “What a shame.”

“What is?” The North Duke asked.

“Your wrongful decision, of course,” Ye Qing answered.

“Hmph! Pretentious cur!” The North Duke harrumphed and stopped wasting his breath. He took a step forward, and twelve small axes appeared beside him.

Each axe was only as big as a human palm, and they were dark-colored. The next moment, they all flew in Ye Qing’s direction.

Strangely, the twelve small axes conjured gusts of yin wind and mind-bending wails as they rotated.

The twelve small axes were called the “Twelve Weeping Axes”. A Disaster-class Strange Artifact, the sound of the yin wind created by the Twelve Weeping Axes sounded like the wails and cries of a million ghosts. Anyone below Trueman stage would suffer a mental breakdown and go insane the instant they heard the noise.

That wasn’t the scariest characteristic of the Twelve Weeping Axes, of course. It was the fact that each axe boasted an ability of its own. One axe could break swords, another could break sabers, a third could break whips; sticks, fists, palms, qi, body, soul and more.

Long story short, anyone below Trueman and Grandmaster stage would perish if they encountered the Twelve Weeping Axes, and even Trueman and Grandmasters would find the Strange Artifact difficult to fend off.

The North Duke had not used the Twelve Weeping Axes even when he was fighting Chu Wangsun, but now, he was. It showed how seriously he was treating Ye Qing.

Ting tong…

It was at this moment a qin sound interrupted the wailing.

The twang was quiet like a dark orchid blooming in an empty valley: clear, but not high-pitched; melodious, but not loud. And yet, it somehow overwhelmed the wails of the Twelve Weeping Axes.

At the same time, the qin music rippled the surrounding space like it was water until it was split open. Then, both the Twelve Weeping Axes and the North Duke slowly vanished as if they had entered a different space altogether.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Chu Wangsun, Su Bancheng, and the North Duke’s group were surprised as a matter of course. They weren’t expecting to find a fourth party at this juncture; one that they had not detected at all until now.