Stranger Danger

There were countless peaks in the Kunlun Mountain Range as a matter of course, but its two most famous peaks had to be West Queen Mountain. Why? Because Ling Xiao Peak was where the Ling Xiao City, one of the Five Profound Sects, lay, and the West Queen Mountain was where West Kunlun, one of the Nine Dark Ways, resided.

Ling Xiao Peak was the highest peak of them all. It was almost on the same level as the sky and was the origin of Ling Xiao City’s name, meaning “Approaching Firmament”.

Because Ling Xiao Peak was higher above the sea level than most, it was constantly assaulted by wind, snow, and harsh weather in general all year long. It would’ve been a barren wasteland if not for the fact that the sword lunatics of Ling Xiao City willingly chose to reside in Ling Xiao Peak to hone their blades in the harshest of elements. Everyone else wisely stayed far, far away from the place.

In contrast, West Queen Mountain also resided in the Kunlun Mountain Range, but it was beautiful, lively, and eternally spring no matter the season.

The Kunlun Mountain Range was located in the northwest region of the continent and colder than most as a result. Since West Queen Mountain was located at the westmost region of the Kunlun Mountain Range, it made sense that the environment would be even harsher. In fact, every peak around West Queen Mountain was constantly covered in snow and utterly barren. Only the West Queen Mountain defied logical sense and enjoyed four seasons of spring. To say that the plants grow like weeds would be an understatement. It was quite magical.

Legend has it that the West Queen Mountain was the Dao Domain of the ancient deity, Queen Mother of the West. The mountain was protected by her great power, which was why it was overflowing with spiritual energy and completely untouched by the harsh environment.

It was also how the mountain got its name.

Of course, the legend was just that, a legend. It was impossible to confirm if it was true. One thing was certain, however. There was no denying that West Queen Mountain’s spiritual energy was greater than most, its plants grew like weeds, and its environment was warm all year long like spring.

When Ye Qing and Mister Taozhu arrived at the foot of West King Mountain, he was greeted by a divine, picturesque scene straight out of a painting.

The gigantic mountain before him was so tall that it cut into the clouds and seemingly taller than the sky itself. The plants were swaying gently to the wind, the birds were singing a melodious tune, and the mountain streams were freshening the ears. The spiritual energy of this place was overflowing, and through the clouds, he could see strange beasts running through the forest, and celestial birds soaring into the sky. It was gorgeous and mystical like a celestial realm.

“As expected of the West Queen Mountain. This is quite the sight!”

The chapter Mister Taozhu had copied for him had also briefly described the Eastern Kunlun and Western Kunlun, so he wasn’t completely ignorant about the sects or their location.

To be honest, it was difficult to imagine that such a picturesque realm would have anything to do with the notoriously ruthless and disagreeable West Kunlun, one of the Nine Dark Ways.

It should not need to be said, but anyone who thought that West Queen Mountain was just a bright and beautiful mountain was dead wrong.

Ye QIng’s senses were telling him that the entire mountain was enveloped by a mysterious energy, grand and terrible. Anyone who dared to enter the West Queen Mountain without permission would be annihilated by this energy at first notice.

Besides that, several powerful spirits were scanning the surroundings and patrolling constantly. During the brief moment he and Mister Taozhu stood still and admired the beautiful mountain before them, at least five spiritual energies had swept across their person. Even the weakest among them was a Half-Step Trueman.

Therefore, it might look like the West Queen Mountain was relatively unguarded, but appearances could not be any more different than from reality.

“This is just the perimeter. The inner mountain of West Kunlun is even grander and more divine-looking,” Mister Taozhu helpfully explained to him.

Mister Taozhu wasn’t in her true form right now. She had disguised herself as a man wearing luxurious silver robes with a portly belly. She looked like the stereotypical image of a wealthy merchant with more money than sense.

It was probably the kind of appearance people expected when they thought of Mister Taozhu.

“I look forward to it.” Ye Qing smiled.

“Hand them the invitation letter!” Mister Taozhu instructed.

“At once!”

The brawny man who answered her was wearing a set of black armor and carrying a pair of great axes behind his back. He was also wearing an iron helmet that covered his face completely. His entire body was overflowing with vigor and fiendish energy, and his footsteps were unmissable like that of a tiger or a dragon. To say he looked imposing would be a massive understatement.

The brawny man was one of Mister Taozhu’s four Waterway Commanders, the Mountain Opening Waterway Commander. He walked the path of honing the body via the military school of thought and counted as a body-tempering Grandmaster.

The Three Misters and Four Sakyamunis all had their respective forces. In Mister Taozhu’s case, she possessed Four Waterway Commanders, Eight Spellcasters, Sixteen Halls. In total, her forces numbered around several thousand people.

The Four Waterway Commanders were her most important subordinates. For this venture, she only brought the Mountain Opening Waterway Commander with her. The remaining three were hiding nearby with a small force just in case Mister Taozhu and Ye Qing needed help for whatever reason.

It was at this moment a series of gong crashes came from the distance. When Ye Qing looked, he saw a group of people moving in their direction.

Golden-armored soldiers opened the path, and ceremonial attendants accompanied the entourage. It looked both grandiose and ceremonious.

At the center of the entourage was a golden carriage. It was exquisitely designed, noble-looking, and adorned with carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and other auspicious beasts. Leading in front of the golden carriage were dozens of naked people wearing iron chains and pulling the golden carriage forward like they were beasts of labor.

“The crown prince travels. All menials shall step aside!”

Dang!

“The crown prince travels. All menials shall step aside!”

Dang!

“The crown prince travels. All menials shall step aside!”

Dang!

Every time the golden carriage traveled ten meters, someone would smack a golden gong with a mallet. Then, a feminine-looking man wearing a red minister robe would yell for everyone in front of the entourage to step aside.

“Crown prince?”

Ye Qing couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow when the conspicuous group came closer and closer. Was West Kunlun more prestigious than he thought? Did they actually have the prestige to invite a crown prince from some country to attend their Celestial Peach Gathering?

He quickly realized that he was mistaken. Even if this so-called crown prince really was a prince, he could not have come from a proper country.

At first glance, both the entourage and the ceremony looked official and grand. In reality, the procedures, regulations and more were all wrong. On top of that, they were behaving excessively, ostentatiously and inappropriately. It was unbefitting of the entourage of any crown prince.

“Which country does this crown prince come from?” Ye Qing asked via sound transmission.

Mister Taoist scoffed, “Crown prince my ass, he’s just a clown playing to the gallery.”

Ye Qing’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh? Explain.”

Mister Taoist replied, “You’ve heard of the Court of Chaos, right young master? They’re from the Court of Chaos.”

“Ah, no wonder,” exclaimed Ye Qing in realization. He knew something was off. There was no way a crown prince from a proper country would behave like this.

The Court of Chaos was one of the thirty-six unorthodox sects and one of the more famous—or rather, infamous—factions in the jianghu. In fact, it was loathed and hated even more than pure heretics such as the Way of Taiping or the Maitreya Sect.

The Court of Chaos was founded based on the belief that chaos reigns supreme. They viewed it as their responsibility to throw the world into chaos and viewed all life in the world as ants. That was why members of the Court of Chaos were naturally cruel and lawless. There was no evil they would not commit, no methods they would not resort to achieve their objectives. They often engineered all sorts of natural disasters or man-made calamities to disrupt the order and poison the populace. It was all in hopes that the age of chaos would arrive, and they would reign supreme.

There were many, many disasters in the history of the four empires that were all caused by the Court of Chaos. There were even more mass deaths and disorder with the Court of Chaos’ shadow behind them. They often engineered chaos and made countless lives miserable. As a result, the countries hated them, and the people loathed them. There were few people in the entire world who didn’t wish they were gone.

They were so disgusting and loathsome that even some Dark Way sects and members hated them and felt ashamed to be lumped in a group with them. It wasn’t just because of their cruelty and lack of scruples.

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