Stranger Danger

Chapter 817: Destiny Slaying Sword

The disc spun, and both wind and cloud stirred. The word “Fortune” began to shine brightly and cast wisps of clear, somewhat dark light from between the gap of material and immaterial.

As the light spread throughout the battlefield, pictures began appearing atop everyone’s heads. Some people had green pine trees above their heads, some had what looked like flowing rivers, some carried lotus leaves and paddy fields, and some showed off rising dragons and serpents.

The pictures were the artistic manifestation of one’s fortune and destiny. Looking at the elders, it was clear that their fortunes were nothing like the ordinary citizens and disciples of Goddess City. It was obvious at first glance that every single one of them was destined to live a rich, long, and healthy life.

Tiger Master Gong and Nail Grandma stood out even among the elders, however. Tiger Master Gong’s fortune resembled a crimson star with a black tiger sitting on top of it, winds and clouds quaking under its violent might. As for Nail Grandma, many headless divine beings were standing on her skull and breathing reddish purple clouds and vapor. They looked down on the world like they were superior above anyone and everyone.

Gold and purple were the best colors of fortune, and red came right after. It was clear from the pictures that Tiger Master Gong’s fortune was firmly in the red, whereas Nail Grandma’s was beginning to show signs of purple. They were clearly fortunate beings who were strongly favored by fate.

Not only that, the star and black tiger that represented Tiger Master Gong’s fortune was called the “Black Tiger Crouches On The Star”, whereas the headless divine beings that represented Nail Grandma’s fortune was called the “Gods Look Down From Heaven”. They were both rare and noble fortunes.

In comparison, Ye Qing’s fortune was a patch of dark yellow that was neither gold, purple, red or white. Sitting within this patch of indiscernible color was a large cauldron with three feet and two ears[1]. It looked heavy, thick, and perfectly mundane. There did not seem to be anything extraordinary about it whatsoever.

The next moment, the disc spun faster and caused invisible vibrations on the earth. Its dark light grew brighter and brighter until it condensed into a sword.

The sword had four sides: black, white, gray and green. Each and every color represented inauspiciousness and misfortune. And yet, it was imposing and grand as if it was the manifestation of the heavens empowered by the earth itself. It was called the Destiny Slaying Sword.

The Destiny Slaying Sword’s function was as obvious as its name. It existed to slay destiny and plunder fortune on behalf of the heavens. It was also the reason Duanmu Longhua had gone into hiding for so long.

The “Records of Fortune and Merits” contained two powerful Magia. The first was the Golden Lotus of Fortune and Merit. It was both the foundation of her ascension and a powerful shield that could block one fatal attack per lotus. The second was the Destiny Revealing Disc and the Destiny Slaying Sword, an offensive Magia.

The Destiny Revealing Disc could reveal the fortune and destiny of anyone who was touched by its light, whereas the Destiny Slaying Sword was a weapon of the Heavenly Way that slew not the body, not the mind, but the destiny. It also possessed the power to plunder the victim’s fortune.

Because the Destiny Slaying Sword was a weapon of the Heavenly Way, it was completely undodgeable. Moreover, a person’s fortune and destiny were invisible to most people, so the victim wouldn’t know they needed to dodge or block it in the first place.

A victim whose destiny was slain by the Destiny Slaying Sword would not perish immediately, but they would suffer misfortune unlike anything they had ever seen. After all, even someone with a black fortune still had a destiny. A person whose destiny was destroyed by a weapon of the Heavenly Way itself? One could say that they were loathed by ghosts and gods and cursed by the very world they lived in. It was a fate—or lack thereof—that was worse than death itself.

Slaying destiny wasn’t the only function of the Destiny Slaying Sword, however. It could also plunder the victim’s fortune. Although the boost was only temporary, the plundered fortune would empower Duanmu Longhua’s own for a short time.

Speaking of which, both of the Destiny Slaying Sword’s functions—destiny slaying and fortune plundering—were only temporary. The victim whose destiny was slain would regain both their destiny and fortune eventually. Moreover, the stronger and more fortunate they were, the quicker they would regain their destiny and fortune.

Even so, the Destiny Slaying Sword was undoubtedly a terrifying weapon. Once, Duanmu Longhua had used it to slay three Truemen at once. One Trueman had suddenly suffered a deviation, another had experienced a relapse, and a third was beset by a heavenly tribulation of all things. In the end, two of the three Truemen had died, and the last one had gone insane.

This one battle was all one needed to see to know the true power of the Destiny Slaying Sword. This battle had also spread Duanmu Longhua’s fame throughout the world and put her on the Earth Champions Ranking.

Buzz...

For the first time since she went into hiding, Duanmu Longhua launched her attack. The Destiny Slaying Sword swung down and struck the dark yellow cauldron above Ye Qing’s head. It looked like the cauldron was ringing from the contact, but it was completely inaudible to the ear and invisible to the eye. There was definitely a reaction though. Lightning fell, thunder boomed, and a powerful gale blew seemingly without any warning whatsoever.

“Impossible...”

In the sky, the Destiny Revealing Disc shuddered a little after the impact. At the same time, a look of pure disbelief dawned upon Duanmu Longhua’s face.

Why was she looking so shocked? It was because the cauldron on top of Ye Qing’s head was completely unharmed. Scratch that, it hadn’t even budged an inch after being struck by the Destiny Slaying Sword.

Duanmu Longhua had never encountered something like this. It was no wonder she was shell-shocked.

In the past, the Destiny Slaying Sword had never failed her. There were countless types of fortunes in this world, but she had never encountered one that could resist her Destiny Slaying Sword. She had fought against powerful warriors who were exceptionally favored by the heavens. She had also fought against people who owned priceless treasures that could protect their destiny. However, not a single one of them was a match for her Destiny Slaying Sword... until now.

It was bad enough that her full-powered strike had failed to slay her opponent’s destiny, but what really added insult to injury was the fact that the cauldron hadn’t even moved from the impact! Just how was this possible?

“I don’t believe this!”

Above the Destiny Revealing Disc, Duanmu Longhua’s face contorted into a snarl as she swung the Destiny Slaying Sword again, and again, and again. The grand yet invisible and inaudible waves of impact washed across the area repeatedly, and the Destiny Slaying Sword shone brighter than ever before. Such was its power that even Nail Grandma, Tiger Master Gong and the other elders were caught in the crossfire and became weaker in destiny.

Unfortunately, the dark yellow cauldron at the center of the impact remained unmoved and untouched. Her Destiny Slaying Sword was about as effective as a back scratcher.

“There is no way this is happening!”

Duanmu Longhua was losing her head after swinging her sword a few times and still failing to draw a single scratch on the cauldron. A furious roar escaped her throat as the Destiny Revealing Disc shone even brighter than it already was, and the Destiny Slaying Sword grew rapidly in size.

The black, gray, white and green color of the sword shone so bright that they formed pillars of light in the sky. Then, it swung down again with seemingly enough strength to sunder both heaven and earth.

Boooooooooom...

This time, the cauldron suspended above Ye Qing’s head finally shook a little. It also let loose a small gust of dark yellow qi that was as heavy as mountains and thick as the ground itself. That... was it.

The same could not be said for the Destiny Slaying Sword though. As soon as it made contact with the gust of dark yellow qi, it abruptly began crumbling inch by inch.

“Argh!”

The sudden destruction of her Destiny Slaying Sword backfired on Duanmu Longhua horribly. A painful scream escaped her throat as her energies fell into disorder.

“Found you.”

From the start until the end, all Ye Qing sensed was a brief instant of dizziness. Right after that, he suddenly sensed Duanmu Longhua’s aura and narrowed his eyes a little.

Ye Qing abruptly unleashed a flurry of punches at his attackers, fast and furious. Every single one of his attackers were sent flying by the sudden attack, blood and spittle gushing out of their mouth.

Having bought himself an opening, Ye Qing immediately bent a finger, pointed in Nail Grandma’s direction, and knocked the space in front of him.

To turn red dust into the Paranirmita Vasavartin Heaven; to sow heart devils without being seen, heard, or felt. Such was the Boundless Heart Demon Tribulation.

Nail Grandma suddenly found herself trapped within a chaotic, distorted world with seemingly no rhyme or reason whatsoever. High above her head, a Heavenly Demon looked down from his throne and questioned her conscience. Nail Grandma flew into a panic when her deepest fears were dragged out into her open.

While Nail Grandma was kept busy, Ye Qing raced toward Duanmu Longhua at top speed.

In almost all circumstances, capturing the chief was the best way to defeat a group of enemies.

Duanmu Longhua was currently fighting the rebound of losing her Destiny Slaying Sword. Her head was pounding like someone was hitting it repeatedly with a jackhammer, and her own fortune had hit rock bottom as a result of the rebound. By the time she noticed that Ye Qing was coming for her, it was already too late.

Ye Qing dished out a punch. The wind stilled, the clouds stayed, and spacetime itself froze in its tracks. It was as if they had time-traveled back to the point where yin and yang were one, and the world was still Primal Chaos.

Duanmu Longhua couldn’t move a muscle. She felt as if she was bound by invisible restraints, but this one was far more comprehensive than any other restraint she had ever encountered.

It was the same feeling; the same formula.

She could only watch helplessly as Ye Qing reached her and brought his fist down on her skull.

1. The handles. ☜