Chapter 85: Almost Ascending in Rage
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The Lightning Beast’s body trembled, shaking with rage. It felt utterly humiliated—it had run into the same human again and, unbelievably, had been ridden twice in a row!
“Hey, relax. Don’t be scared,” Qin Ming spoke softly, trying to soothe the creature. “You know, I met another Lightning Beast once. That one was way braver than you—proud, rebellious, baring its teeth at me, even wagging its tail.”
The Lightning Beast’s fur stood on end, and its trembling grew more intense. It felt as if it might explode at any second! This clueless human hadn’t even recognized it from last time—which, honestly, was a good thing—but then he had the nerve to insult it too!
“Wagging its tail, baring its teeth… What nonsense!” the beast thought indignantly. Such behavior was beneath a creature of its noble status. It almost wanted to shout, “How dare you! You’re really pushing your luck here!”
“Let’s go, hurry! We need to catch that guy from earlier,” Qin Ming urged, patting the beast on its side. “Come on, running will help you relax.”
The Lightning Beast felt like it was going to ascend to the heavens—from sheer rage. If it weren’t for the fact that this human had some annoying sticky power that wouldn’t let go, it would’ve thrown him off long ago and stomped him into oblivion.
Reluctantly, it took a few hesitant steps and started a slow jog. It knew this human was dangerous—he had taken down Golden Rooster Ridge all by himself. The beast was biding its time. It was different now; it had been awakened four times and was no longer its old self! As soon as this guy got off its back, it would kick him to pieces—no doubt about it.
“Wait. Stop. Something’s not right,” Qin Ming suddenly said, patting its back.
The beast felt a shiver run down its spine. It cursed silently—this human was so frustrating. First, he wanted to chase someone, and now he wanted to stop?
Qin Ming’s face grew serious as he focused his senses, extending his awareness.
The area around the lake had sparse trees, making it easy to spot anything unusual. Qin Ming noticed a silent, feathered bird perched on a branch, almost blending into the night. It was clearly watching him.
Qin Ming’s temper flared. Who was this now? Another big-shot group coming after him? Even after he had changed his appearance and made himself look chubbier, they were still on his trail?
He kept still, quietly observing, then noticed a raven—also watching him, looking oddly tense.
He was only passing through the mountains, yet someone had sent these sneaky birds to follow him.
Forget the gray-robed man for now. Qin Ming realized this new hidden threat was something he needed to take more seriously.
He hadn’t brought the big, conspicuous bow he had taken from Zhao Jing Shuo, but he still had an older bow slung over his back.
There was no doubt about it—both birds were intelligent, with razor-sharp instincts. They took off in a flurry the moment Qin Ming reached for his bow.
Unfortunately for them, Qin Ming was a master of weapons—sword, spear, hammer, and bow. His archery was deadly accurate at this range.
“Ah! Mercy! Don’t shoot!” The little bluebird cried out as it fell, its wing pierced by an arrow. Once on the ground, it immediately began pleading.
The raven, on the other hand, was tough. It didn’t utter a sound, even with both wings hit, and crashed down by the lake in silence.
The Lightning Beast groaned inwardly—this was a disaster. Even its lookouts had been shot down! Ever since its previous mishap, it never went anywhere without at least two guards, even while bathing. But these two fools had failed miserably and ended up caught together.
The two birds felt wronged. Who could have expected the human to move so quickly? Even the hyper-alert Lightning Beast hadn’t reacted in time, so how could they?
Besides, they had seen that their boss hadn’t resisted, so they hesitated, unsure whether they should fly away to report or stay.
“Hey, you, pull that arrow out of your wing and come over here,” Qin Ming called to the bluebird.
The little bird almost fainted. What kind of heartless monster was this human, making a bird do such a thing?
The bluebird, only the size of a hand, had light blue feathers and beady black eyes that gleamed with cunning. It winced in pain as it struggled free from the iron arrow.
“Now go help that raven,” Qin Ming ordered.
The black-feathered bird—the one Qin Ming had mistaken for a raven—felt like rolling its eyes. Raven? Who was he calling a raven?
“Sir, it’s not a raven—it’s a myna,” said the bluebird as it helped pull out the arrows. “It’s just that it’s unusually large. Crows have black beaks, which is why people call them ‘black-mouths.’ Mynas, on the other hand, have yellow beaks—or gold, in this case.”
Qin Ming frowned, a bit embarrassed. “Did I ask for an explanation? You chatterbox!”
The bluebird immediately shut its beak. That attempt at flattery had backfired horribly.
“You two, come here.” Qin Ming gestured with his bow, clearly not taking no for an answer.
The two birds reluctantly flapped their way over to Qin Ming’s shoulders, looking thoroughly miserable.
They felt like their entire bird bodies had been glued down, completely unable to break free. It was some kind of strange power emanating from Qin Ming—something like light from the sky itself.
In that moment, the Lightning Beast’s two scouts began to put the pieces together. Could this be… the same annoying guy who had made their master so furious before, the one like that pesky sticky plaster?
Was it… him again? The two birds were shocked—this was ridiculous! How unlucky could their master get? They were sure the boss would be beyond furious!
The Lightning Beast and the two birds were all silently cursing their rotten luck. Their mood was at rock bottom.
Qin Ming wasn’t exactly thrilled either. This journey had been full of setbacks and nothing but trouble. The pressure was getting to him.
He sighed. “My enemies are relentless…”
Then his face twisted into a snarl as he glared at the two birds. “Alright, spill it. Who sent you two? How long have you been tailing me?”
“What?” The two birds blinked, confused and clueless.
“Don’t give me that innocent look! Stop playing dumb! Start talking, or I’ll squash you both flat!” Qin Ming threatened, raising his hand.
Then he smacked the Lightning Beast’s back with a sharp crack.
The effect was instant—the two birds flinched, trembling all over. Their boss had just gotten slapped!
The Lightning Beast exhaled in a puff of glowing mist, its fur shimmering with purple energy. It was at its limit—enough was enough! It had never suffered such indignity in its life.
But just before it decided to go all out, it sensed something terrifying—the power Qin Ming was giving off now was even stronger than before. He had… broken through?
The thought of going toe-to-toe with him suddenly seemed like a bad idea. For now… it would endure.
“You there, raven!” Qin Ming pointed, his voice sharp. “You’re up first. If you lie, even once, I’ll pluck a hundred feathers off you. Got it?”
“Sir, I swear I won’t lie,” said the black-feathered bird nervously. “But I can’t promise I’ll get every word exactly right—I mean, I’m not human. I don’t have a talent for languages. Also… I’m a myna.”
Its voice trailed off as it noticed the way Qin Ming was glaring at it.
“Oh, so you want me to call you ‘bro’ now? Listen, you’re a raven, alright? Just talk, and keep it simple.”
“Alright… I’m a raven. But that doesn’t mean I’m lying,” the myna said, somewhat grudgingly, still trying to stay precise.
It then swore that it wasn’t spying on Qin Ming—it had never even seen him before, and had nothing to do with him.
“My lord, there’s no way we’d provoke you for no reason. We belong to the mountain…” The myna known as Chatterbird swore, insisting it had never seen Qin Ming before. If it was lying, it said, may its entire tribe be wiped out.
Qin Ming glanced at it, eyebrows raised. Did this sneaky bird have to swear so viciously?
He thought back—he hadn’t noticed anyone tailing him on the way here.
“Then what are you doing here?” Qin Ming demanded sharply.
Chatterbird spoke quickly, “My lord, have you heard of the Black Market in the night fog? It shows up once a month in the mountains. We thought maybe we could slip in by following the noble Lightning Beast.”
Qin Ming’s interest was piqued. He remembered Xu Sheng mentioning it once—a place where humans and otherworldly beings traded. Entry was by invitation only, and it appeared once a month. Supposedly, the Black Market had different levels—the higher the level, the deeper it was in the mountains. Even though there wasn’t a mountain lord here, there were still plenty of dangerous creatures that lurked in the deepest parts.
“Which level is this market?” Qin Ming asked, intrigued. If it was all creatures at the mutation stage, he had no reason to be scared.
Otherworldly creatures were just like humans—those who mutated nine times were rare, almost unheard of.
Qin Ming had already tested his fully unified awakened strength against the seven time awakened Ge Qian Xun. He figured he could manage a trip to the Black Market under these conditions.
Honestly, he wasn’t afraid of being targeted by some monster. If a mutated spiritual being followed him, it might even give him what he needed right now.
“Can I tag along with you?” Qin Ming asked the Lightning Beast under him.
The beast stomped a rock into dust with its hoof. What? Carry this clingy troublemaker into the Black Market? It would never live that down. Its reputation would be ruined for good!
Chatterbird piped up, “My lord, you can’t just go in like that. If the other beings see you riding on such a noble creature, they’re definitely going to keep an eye on you. You’d stand out too much—like a crane among chickens. A tall tree catches the wind, you know.”
Qin Ming nodded, seeing the sense in Chatterbird’s words. He hopped off the Lightning Beast. Still, his hand remained on the beast, the sticky energy ready to spring into action at any moment.
“So, Lightning Bro or Lightning Sis, whichever you are—you’re not gonna hold a grudge against me for riding on you, right? I mean, I think you’re pretty lax and way better tempered than that other cranky Lightning Beast I ran into before. I just wanna see what’s going on—can I come with you?”
Qin Ming had confidence now. His strength was enough that he could protect himself in a place like that. Plus, he’d altered his appearance. If things went sideways, he wasn’t afraid of trouble.
“Hey, this isn’t like, your lair up ahead, is it? Just so you know, if something happens to me, you guys are definitely getting blown up before I do.” With that, Qin Ming let the brilliant glow of his unified awakened strength flow through his right hand, a massive boulder on the road silently shattering into pieces.
The silence was more terrifying than if it had just exploded.
The Lightning Beast tensed, sensing that this guy was even scarier than last time. But how was he so… fat now, without the mask and armor? It grumbled internally: stupid fatty!
“Lightning Bro, Lightning Sis, these two birds say you’re noble. So where do you live, huh? What part of the mountains do you call home?” Qin Ming tried to lighten the mood.
The Lightning Beast thought, If I mentioned the Blessed Land, it’d probably scare you to death. But it might also mean I’d have to silence you.
“You said Lightning Bro or Lightning Sis is noble. How exactly?” Qin Ming turned to ask the two birds.
“Born with divine markings,” Chatterbird replied, wanting to praise more but too afraid to reveal too much, keeping it to just four words.
“Hmm, let me see… Looks like there are some mysterious lines on your neck… Wait a minute, are those fake mane pieces stuck on? No way—you’re faking your fur? Don’t tell me you’re going bald!” Qin Ming exclaimed, eyes wide. There seemed to be an extra layer of skin on the Lightning Beast’s neck.
“You’re the one going bald! That’s my royal attire!” The Lightning Beast almost spoke in human words, so close to shouting out loud.
“It’s for keeping a low profile,” Chatterbird explained. “The divine markings are too flashy.”
The Black Market in the night this time was set up in a valley, heavy mist blanketing the area. The valley entrance was guarded by a mountain monster that had mutated six times.
As they got closer, Qin Ming warned, “All three of you, keep it cool. Anyone acts even a little weird, and I swear I’ll make sure you’re blown to pieces right on the spot—with a smile on your face, too.”
He figured they might run into some of the Lightning Beast’s acquaintances from the mountains. Not that he minded. Who knew—maybe he’d find something useful for his fifth awakening.
The valley was bustling. There were all sorts of creatures—masked humans, a one-horned giant bear shuffling along, a silver-feathered raptor, and many more beings Qin Ming couldn’t name.
But Qin Ming quickly felt that something was off. The Lightning Beast was drawing way too much attention. All sorts of beings, many of them clearly not ordinary, kept glancing over.
“This is bad!” Qin Ming realized he had seriously underestimated the significance of the Lightning Beast.
“Eh, whatever. I can handle the monsters here. Let’s just check if there’s anything rare, and if not, we’ll make a quick exit.” Qin Ming quickly assessed the situation.
He was soon stunned when his awakened senses picked up a peculiar resonance with a dull yellow stone at one of the roadside stalls. It was as if the energy wanted to… devour it.
What’s going on? He had never experienced anything like this before.
When he reached out to touch the fist-sized stone, he sensed his Yellow Mud Palm skill almost activating.
“How much for this stone?” Qin Ming asked.
“Oh, it’s worthless—just something I use to hold down my cloth. If you like it, take it,” replied the humanoid mountain monster, its blue fur glistening as it gave a wide, toothy grin. Its green face and sharp teeth were intimidating, to say the least.
Though it spoke politely to Qin Ming, its eyes were locked on the Lightning Beast, filled with a fervent eagerness.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Qin Ming figured it didn’t know what the stone was, and mostly wanted to impress the Lightning Beast, hence its generosity.
“Here, take one gold coin,” Qin Ming said, immediately pocketing the stone. He was ready to make a run for it—something was definitely off with this Lightning Beast.
“Hmm, how much for this book?” he asked, noticing an old tome at the next stall. It seemed to resonate with his spirit, making him stop in his tracks.
“Ten gold coins, I guess. It’s not really a high-level technique,” the mountain monster said warmly.
The Lightning Beast was about to explode with anger, silently cursing, You think I’m friends with this guy? You’re basically giving things away! I’ve been kidnapped, okay?!
It could tell Qin Ming was using it to score deals, furious but unable to react, too worried that the terrifying hand resting on it would send it away. More importantly, there were no high-level beings around to help.