Chapter 179: Goodbye, Huang Biaozi!
Chapter 179: Goodbye, Huang Biaozi!
Bzzz bzzz bzzz!
Just then, Tang Jinbiao felt a tremor from his Storage Pouch at his waist. A black pearl flew out.
The pearl was the size of a ping-pong ball, covered in cracks and emitting a faint, ghostly glow.
“Yin Pearl!”
The instant Tang Jinbiao saw this black pearl, he couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz!
Yet the Yin Pearl kept spinning relentlessly before Tang Jinbiao, emitting a series of light hums.
“Huang Biaozi!”
In that fleeting moment, Huang Biaozi’s figure immediately surfaced in Tang Jinbiao’s mind.
Swwish swish swish!
The pearl spun faster and faster, accelerating until it became almost invisible to Tang Jinbiao’s naked eye in the blink of an eye. Its extreme speed caused the surrounding air to rush violently towards it.
“What? No!”
Discovering the immense suction force generated by the pearl’s furious spinning, Tang Jinbiao’s expression shifted slightly. He instantly retreated backward.
Wrrrrp!
Just as Tang Jinbiao began to move, the black Yin Pearl abruptly stopped.
“Hmm?”
Noticing the sudden disappearance of the suction force, Tang Jinbiao froze for a moment.
“Ack!”
Abruptly, a large black hand shot out from within the pearl, grabbing towards Tang Jinbiao. Before he could react, he was seized.
Whoosh!
Immediately after, Tang Jinbiao’s body suddenly shrank and was dragged into the black Yin Pearl.
Thud!
After Tang Jinbiao disappeared inside, the black Yin Pearl spun a few more times before falling to the ground with a thud, buried beneath the fallen leaves.
For a moment, the place fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.
…
In another world, there was only darkness. An absolute void, devoid of anything.
Yet, this void was not entirely empty. Within it existed one human and one dragon.
The human was a small old man. He was quite diminutive and thin, standing a head shorter than ordinary people. His frail build lent his appearance a somewhat wretched air. However, his small eyes shone with exceptional brightness, akin to the lively eyes of a child of seven or eight. At first glance, they seemed out of place on his face. Currently, those eyes were bloodshot, conveying extreme exhaustion. His aura fluctuated wildly, now strong, now weak.
The dragon, despite its serpentine form, bore a painfully human expression of agony.
This human and dragon were none other than Huang Biaozi and the Azure Dragon!
“Great Immortal Huang, will we ever manage to escape? You’re not lying to this little dragon, are you?”
The Azure Dragon near Huang Biaozi looked at him with profound fear in its eyes and timidly asked via a soul transmission. As it spoke, panic flickered intermittently across its gaze while its head swiveled, scrutinizing the surroundings as if apprehensive of something.
Over just these few short years, it had witnessed too many bizarre and monstrous things. It had even lost count of how many times it had died, each instance pulled back from the very ghost gate by Huang Biaozi.
But even so, after countless dangers, not only the dragon, even Huang Biaozi himself seemed to be wearing thin, clearly showing signs of exhaustion.
Furthermore, Huang Biaozi appeared to have found the answer he sought. He no longer intended to venture deeper; preparations to return to their original world were underway.
“Worry not. With that lad’s soul providing a beacon, this old man will surely find the exit!”
Huang Biaozi spoke nonchalantly, seemingly without a trace of concern.
Whoosh!
Just as he uttered these words, a faint glimmer of light pierced the darkness of that world. A Light Barrier abruptly manifested in the void ahead of them.
“Little Qing, follow this old man!”
The instant he saw the Light Barrier appear, Huang Biaozi swept his sleeve and, holding the Azure Dragon, instantly teleported towards it.
Yes, teleported!
Whoosh!
Before even clearly registering the situation, Huang Biaozi and the Azure Dragon vanished into the Light Barrier.
Whoosh!
Following their disappearance, the Light Barrier gradually faded, dissolving back into nothingness.
ROAR!
The very moment the Light Barrier vanished, an indescribably potent aura erupted from the infinite darkness.
Yet, the endless expanse remained blackness and void, utterly devoid of discernible change.
…
Within a boundless Starscape.
A man clad in white stared blankly at the cosmic vista before him.
This white-robed man was none other than Tang Jinbiao.
“Why? Why?”
Gazing upon the endlessly beautiful Starscape stretching before him, Tang Jinbiao found no beauty in it. Instead, he plunged into deep confusion.
This was the third time. His third time witnessing this very Starscape!
Yet, inexplicably, he felt it all seemed like a mirage. Or perhaps, even though it lay right before his eyes, its reality felt impossibly distant.
Whoosh!
Just as Tang Jinbiao wrestled with his confusion, a Light Barrier suddenly flared in the void not far ahead of him.
“What?”
Seeing the barrier, fear flooded Tang Jinbiao’s eyes. He wanted to flee but was shocked to discover his body utterly refused his command.
Phwoosh!
In the blink of an eye, a man and a dragon emerged from the barrier. Immediately afterward, the Light Barrier vanished.
“Huang Biaozi!”
Seeing the man who appeared, Tang Jinbiao nearly cried out.
“Ha ha, ha ha, out! I’m finally out! Old Man Huang Biaozi has finally emerged!”
Escaping the realm of the Yin Pearl, Huang Biaozi couldn’t restrain his wild laughter.
“Great Immortal Huang! Your Magical Power is boundless! A peerless hero!”
The Azure Dragon, finally freed from the endless darkness, felt the overwhelming relief of one reborn after disaster. Tears of gratitude welled in its eyes as it thanked Huang Biaozi.
“Hmm? No… this isn’t the Mortal Realm!”
Suddenly, Huang Biaozi seemed to realize something. His expression drastically changed as he spun around to look at Tang Jinbiao.
“Little Jinbiao!”
Spotting Tang Jinbiao, Huang Biaozi also felt a surge of excitement. He instantly teleported towards him, the Azure Dragon following closely.
“Old Charlatan!”
Six long years had passed. Seeing Huang Biaozi again hit Tang Jinbiao so hard he nearly wept. Yet, tears wouldn’t come. His body felt alien, utterly unresponsive.
“Hmm? Wrong, all wrong! This is a space-time dislocation?! How can it be? How is this possible?!”
Appearing before Tang Jinbiao, Huang Biaozi narrowed his small eyes. He seemed to detect something amiss, his face clouding over slightly.
WHOOSH!
Simultaneously, Huang Biaozi unleashed his formidable consciousness, letting it flood outwards.
“Great Immortal Huang? What’s wrong?”
The Azure Dragon was confused, noticing Huang Biaozi’s unusual behaviour. A glint of doubt appeared in its eyes.
Huang Biaozi ignored it completely. Instead, he closed his eyes, focusing intently on sensing the surrounding expanse.
“Hmph!”
Realizing it was being disregarded, the Azure Dragon turned its head back towards Tang Jinbiao. An unnervingly humanoid smirk curled at the corner of its reptilian mouth.
THUD!
The moment the Azure Dragon’s gaze landed on him, Tang Jinbiao felt his heart plummet in terror. It was purely visceral, of course; outwardly, his paralyzed body showed no reaction.
SNAP!
Abruptly, Huang Biaozi snapped his eyes wide open. But now, his face was etched with utter shock, as if witnessing the unimaginable. Disbelief flooded him as he frantically scanned the cosmic sky.
“Ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha……”
It seemed he had discovered something. Huang Biaozi actually began to weep. He cried loudly, tears streaming down his aged cheeks, losing all restraint.
“What? What’s wrong with Huang Biaozi? Why is he so emotionally volatile?”
Seeing Huang Biaozi laugh and cry seemingly at random, Tang Jinbiao grew more confused.
“Great Immortal Huang… are you alright?”
The Azure Dragon dared only a timid whisper, seeking reassurance.
ZZZT!
Suddenly, Huang Biaozi opened his eyes once more. This time, his gaze was bright and clear, like a traveler finding an oasis in the desert, or a wayfarer glimpsing light in the darkness.
“Kid, do you see this expanse of stars before you?”
Huang Biaozi’s expression suddenly shifted. With great joy, he lifted a hand to point at the starry sky in front, turned around, and asked Tang Jinbiao.
“Mhm!”
Though Tang Jinbiao didn’t quite understand what all his savior’s startling shifts in mood were about, he replied directly via telepathic soul communication, out of respect.
“This is the abandoned world I told you about before! See? It is boundless, endless, and its starscape holds such beauty. Yet, there is no life here. Do you know why?”
Huang Biaozi’s eyes sparkled with the pride of a child as he turned his head back towards Tang Jinbiao and spoke his question.
“No!”
Tang Jinbiao replied telepathically.
“Hah! No? Oh, a simple ‘no’!”
Upon hearing Tang Jinbiao’s reply, Huang Biaozi didn’t get angry. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, offering no further explanation.
After laughing for a while, Huang Biaozi turned around. His glance swept over the Azure Dragon and then settled on Tang Jinbiao. With a brief, casual flick of his sleeve, the Azure Dragon was instantly encased within an unseen barrier.
Though it appeared invisible to Tang Jinbiao, the Azure Dragon was plunged into absolute darkness. Its body shivered uncontrollably, frantically sending out waves of soulful pleading: “Immortal Lord Huang Biaozi! I was wrong! I was wrong! I dare harbor no ill thoughts towards you anymore! Never again!”
“What?”
Seeing the Azure Dragon show such fear and beg for mercy startled Tang Jinbiao slightly.
“Heh, kid. We share a fate, and this time you saved me. As repayment, I shall imprint the ‘Four Steps of the Way of Deception’ onto your spiritual consciousness. As long as your spiritual consciousness endures, and if you are willing, you may study my Way of Deception anytime. I might not be able to roam with you much longer. Being in this world… I can sense it. Within ten thousand years… within ten thousand years, I will surely achieve the Fifth Step!”
Huang Biaozi cast a perfunctory glance at the Azure Dragon, speaking directly into Tang Jinbiao’s mind.
“Kid, listen well! My life’s work is the self-created Art of the Way of Deception. Step One: Deceiving Others. Step Two: Deceiving Oneself. Step Three: Deceiving the World. Step Four: the Way of Deception. Simple words for four steps, yet each is profound. Especially the first – ‘Deceiving Others’ – may sound simple, yet it is no easy task. I impart to you the essence of these steps now. As I’ve told you before, how much you grasp depends on your own insight. I’ll recite the essence of Step One again…”
Huang Biaozi paid Tang Jinbiao’s willingness no mind as lines of clearly visible characters streamed forth from his mouth, disappearing straight into Tang Jinbiao’s mind and settling deep within his memory. Moreover, Tang Jinbiao’s most authentic memories remained firmly sealed by Huang Biaozi’s immense magical power.
This transmission lasted a full quarter hour. Considering Tang Jinbiao’s limited capacity to absorb knowledge, Huang Biaozi only conveyed the core principles.
“Haha! I’ve finally found an heir! Kid, you can do it! I have faith in you! I give you ten thousand years! I’ll be here, waiting!”
Once the teachings were imprinted onto Tang Jinbiao’s spiritual consciousness, Huang Biaozi laughed heartily again.
“Alright, kid! It’s almost time now. If you don’t leave soon, that thing will sense your presence and find you, and then there will be trouble. Also, this little snake… I gift it to you as a spirit beast. Listen closely, I’ll teach you a Beast Taming Art!”
Satisfied that all crucial matters were settled, Huang Biaozi’s expression turned serious again as he transmitted another technique – the Beast Taming Art – to Tang Jinbiao.
Within moments, Tang Jinbiao had memorized the Beast Taming Art.
Whoosh!
Seeing that everything was in order, Huang Biaozi flicked his sleeve once more, releasing the Azure Dragon from its confinement.
Wisp!
The instant the Azure Dragon was freed, a light barrier shimmered into existence behind Tang Jinbiao and immediately sucked him in.
“Little one, you go too! Protect that kid! In the future, I shall make you a true Demon God!”
Huang Biaozi uttered this command to the Azure Dragon beside him and, seizing it before it could react, swung his foot decisively. A pained yelp sounded as the Azure Dragon hurtled towards the light barrier. Its body shrank and transformed at blinding speed, morphing into the form of a Big Yellow Dog in the blink of an eye. With another distinct wisp sound, both it and Tang Jinbiao vanished completely through the barrier.
“Hmm… should be fine now.”
After Tang Jinbiao and the Azure Dragon disappeared, the relaxed expression faded from Huang Biaozi’s face, replaced by a serious gaze. He gave one last look at the fading light barrier, then his own form slowly began to fade away…