Chapter 119 – The Chessboard in the Air
Your uncle, don’t try to act cute!
Demon King Ye silently cursed at the little dog his heart, placing the glutton into another entirely different level. To devour a live [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] tens of meters tall, could this be believed? If not for seeing it with his own eyes today, even if Ye Qingyu would not believe it even if he was beaten to death.
But after experiencing the power of this glutton, Ye Qingyu suddenly felt that he should be a bit gentler towards him.
What if this glutton’s craziness was abruptly invoked and he felt famished? If Big Head wanted to eat him, what could he do?
At this time, Ye Qingyu realized, that even eating was a technique.
After encountering a great enemy, he could just close the doors and release the dog. Then the opposition could just be eaten, hahaha!
“Haha, not bad, Big head. This matter was done beautifully…” Ye Qingyu’s tongue flapped, originally wanting to give more compliments. But after realizing that Yan Fan and the others were still present and he, as the master, should not flatter his dog too much. So he stopped rubbing the head of Big Head instead.
“Huchi Huchi… Wu Wu!”
Having received praise, Big Head was very excited. Using his head to rub against Ye Qingyu’s palm, he acted coquettishly.
Thankfully!
Apart from being able to eat, Big Head was evidently not that smart. He did not mind in the slightest about the brutal treatment he had just received. If Ye Qingyu just treated him a little better in the future, perhaps the trash technique of eating would become useful.
Yan Fan and the others, after this huge shock, finally managed to get their brain juices flowing again. Their thoughts and consciousness slowly recovered.
So this terrifying and bizarre dog was really a pet superior Ye kept.
This really was what kind of person kept what kind of bird.
Only such a strange and violent youth like superior Ye could raise such an outwardly adorable but inwardly terrifying beast as a pet.
“You are not allowed to eat people in the future, do you remember?” Demon King Ye was busy instructing Big Head.
He had also been frightened by the scene of the silly dog Big Head rushing towards Yan Fan and the others. This was not a good omen. Ye Qingyu was really afraid that this glutton would run out and eat people in the future. With the amount he could consume, he could definitely devour hundreds if not thousands of people. This was a matter not impossible for Big Head. At that time, the trouble that would result from this would definitely be great.
“Huchi Huchi!”
The stupid dog Big Head consecutively nodded his head. He jumped on Ye Qingyu’s shoulder, indicating that he understood.
“Superior, this [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] is most likely raised by someone…” Yan Fan interjected. “I feel that this matter is not simple. It is very possible that this [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] was brought here by someone.” The head of the guards possessed wealthy experience. He told Ye Qingyu about what he had discovered and handed over the golden wrist protection.
After examining it for a while, Ye Qingyu agreed with Yan Fan’s conjecture.
Until the present, the beasts that the Human Race were able to tame only consisted of Spirit beasts and Demon beasts.
Spirit beasts were lifeforms that inherited the spiritual influence of Heaven and Earth. Born with intelligence, they could communicate and interact with humans. There were some Spirit beasts that grew up along with humans from a young age, causing feelings being born between them. After they had grown up, the Spirit beast would be able to become their battle companion. And as for demon beasts, they were a branch from the Demon Race. Brutal and vicious with an innate savageness, they possessed a rough intelligence. They had a hard time differentiating between enemy and friend, and there were specialists who tamed these beasts specifically. If they were trained from young, after they grew up, it was very possible they could become a great aid during battle.
The [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] was a fairly high class demon beast amongst the vicious beasts. If there was someone that had trained it from its young, then it was very possible that it was controlled by that person.
From this golden wrist protection, this [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] did not come from the wild. It should be a battle companion that had been raised by humans.
And this would also explain why there would be such a strong ferocious beast appearing in the hundred broken mountain range.
But once this theory was established, this represented a far more serious problem.
Since the [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] was a battle pet raised by someone, then this meant the attack on the watch post was definitely not a coincidence. Very possibly, this was a scheme planned by some faction or expert. The death of the [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] did not signify the end of this matter. More horrifying incidents were about to occur.
Ye Qingyu realized that along with the previous assassination incident, the force behind the [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] could have been targeting him.
“I’m sorry, I’ve dragged you into this.” Ye Qingyu apologized to Yan Fan and the others.
The watch post was destroyed, tens of sentries died tragically.
I did not kill Bai Run, but Bai Run died because of me*.
Ye Qingyu’s heart was immediately enveloped in ire and guilt.
He would definitely find the person behind this, to settle this blood debt.
“Superior, there is no need to say such things,” Yan Fan said emotionally. “No matter who it is or what the force that wants to target you, we will definitely not retreat. We are just a group of old veterans that possesses nothing and have nothing to rely on. Although we may not have been able to sacrifice our lives on the battlefield, but when we retreated from the front lines, we were able to fight alongside you. This is our honour. Although tens of brothers have died, they have realized the oath that we made the moment we joined. They died with no complaints. For us, to fight with a holder of the military medal is our greatest honour. We will die with no complaints.”
“Die with no complaints.”
“That’s right, superior.”
On the faces of the other sentries, there was a faint red from being emotionally moved. A glimmer of light was in their eyes.
Ye Qingyu did not know what he should say.
Even though his identity right now was a military officer, but he had not truly provided any assistance as of yet to the army. At this moment, he was incapable of comprehending the conviction of life and death the soldiers had and the interdependence between soldiers. He was incapable of understanding the heroism of advancing wave upon wave, stepping into the breach to replace fallen comrades all for their honour. He was incapable of viewing death as a return home. But the words of these veterans had greatly shaken Ye Qingyu.
Ye Qingyu was able to sense a great power on the bodies of Yan Fan and the others. This was not the martial power of yuan qi. This power may not be able to explode with killing force in a split second. But this force was what had truly allowed the Human Race to exist in this cold and merciless world. It was the pillar of their spirit.
“Good, we will bury the brothers that have fallen, then quickly leave from here.” Ye Qingyu did not tarry any longer.
“There is no need.” On the face of Yan Fan and others, there was a tragic determination written on their faces. “As a soldier, to be buried between Heaven and Earth is long something we have prepared for. Our brothers, to be shrouded in ice and snow, to be able to sleep in the embrace of the pure white snow is already fortunate. Compared to our comrades who died in the mouths of the Demon Race, they are luckier many times over… we should just leave here as quickly as possible.”
To prepare against the next hidden attack, they must quickly depart from this destroyed watch post.
But just where could they go right now?
“I know that there is an underground cave twenty miles from here. The location is hidden, it should be comparatively safe…” one of the sentries said, his eyes brightening.
Ye Qingyu nodded his head in agreement. “Fine, lets first go there to hide for a while.”
Before he had finished.
Pok!
A spurt of blood came from Ye Qingyu’s mouth. His facial colour became candle yellow like thin gold.
“Superior…”
“Superior, are you okay?”
The sentries were deeply shocked.
Ye Qingyu rubbed off the traces of blood at the corner of his lips, shaking his head. “I’m fine, its only just that I suffered some injuries during the battle with that beast… No matter, let’s leave here first.”
“Superior, let me carry you,” Yan Fan said.
“There is no need to make such a fuss. Quickly go, I can walk by myself.” Ye Qingyu laughed.
The other sentries, had already uncovered some of the bowls, ladles and so on from the ice and snow cover along with several torches. After tidying the essential goods, under the lead of that armoured sentry, they left at high speed.
The vast wind and snow, completely covered a person’s tracks.
The night was long and slow.
As if it had no end.
……
At the same time.
In an icy peak hundreds of miles from here.
Two figures were sat on a flat icy boulder on the peak, sipping tea and playing chess.
The smooth icy rock about an acre of land in size had evidently been created using a supernatural sword technique to chop the ice peak in half. It was created by force. On the edges of the icy rock, there were numerous strange symbols and formations that were etched using a sword. They fluctuated with a pale silver light, the formation absorbing the yuan qi of Heaven and Earth. The use of this was to create a pale layer of light, covering the entire platform.
Within the light layer, there was no wind nor snow.
A clay teapot larger than the palm, floated in midair. Beneath it was a violent flame. Steam rose from it and the fragrance of tea wafted in the air.
It was unknown what kind of tea was cooking in the tea pot but just a smell was enough to make one carefree and relaxed.
Two people were sitting and drinking tea. One had greyish white hair and one was completely covered in a black robe.
As the fingers of the two people pointed at the air, yuan qi pieces would appear. With a flick of their wrists, a chessboard manifested in the air.
“An hour has already passed, why has [Killing Star] not yet returned?” The grizzly-haired man placed a white piece.
“Your heart is disturbed.” Under the cowl of the black robe, a low chuckle emitted. A black piece created from black yuan qi was placed on the board. “I’ve won. Since Ye Qingyu has a treasure on him, he naturally has cards hidden under his sleeve. You made a beast to do your matters for you, this is far too great a responsibility for him. Most likely, your beast has already been killed.”
“Shut your mouth.” The grizzly man was angered, and waved his hand. The chessboard in the air dispersed, the white and black pieces turning into mist and disappearing. He rose quickly saying, “The strength of the flesh body of [Killing Star] can be compared to a normal ten Spirit springs expert. To act against Ye Qingyu and tens of veterans, just what problem could it encounter…”
Before he had finished.
Kacha.
A light voice was heard.
On the wrist of the grizzly haired man, a jade bracelet shattered, falling to the ground.
The colour of his face abruptly changed.
Since the jade bracelet was shattered, this represented that [Killing Star] was dead for sure.
This jade bracelet belonged to the [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] called [Killing Star]. It was its soul bracelet.
The black-robed figure began laughing loudly. “Liu Yuancheng, you feared Ye Qingyu’s military identity and became overcautious, not daring to act with your own hands. To send a beast to do your job, could this be counted as trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice used to lure it? I’ve long said, to do great matters, one must also have great courage. You are still not enough…”
“Shut your mouth.”
The grizzly-haired man roared in rage.
He was namely the registrar of the registrar office in Deer City, Liu Yuancheng.
“[Killing Star] is the battle companion I raised since I was small, it was like my son. Ye Qingyu, it must be you. You killed my Liu Lei, you killed my adopted son Sun Yuhu, and now you’ve killed yet another one of my sons… I swear, I will definitely turn your bones into ashes.” Liu Yuancheng, with ash-coloured hair that stood up like a mad lion rose, angered to the extreme.
“Hoho, just speaking a few words, who doesn’t know how to do that.” The black-robed man sat where he was, with cold mocking laughter and phrases.
Liu Yuancheng let out a bellow of rage, turning into a streak of light, charging into the vast night.
Peng!
The light barrier of the ice peak was destroyed by the impact.
The wind and snow whistled entirely through the sky. The winds like electricity, the pieces of snow like blades.
But it could not invade at all into the meters of space around the black-robed man.
The black-robed man slowly stood up. With a beckon, the clay teapot was in his hands, the violet flame disappearing.
He drank a sip of tea in the pot, and emitted a bizarre laugh. “You avenge the murder of your son, I’ll take my treasure… You best not have any other intentions, otherwise, hehe… if not for relying on you to confirm the location of that little brat, why would I team up with a retard like you.”
*A famous saying in Chinese history regarding the story that someone indirectly caused Bai Run to die through their actions.
