127: Chapter 127: Is there any more normal adventure?

"That bright yellow figure slowly walked out from the depths of the pavilion, coming to a halt at the edge of the flying eaves."

"He was extremely tall and thin, and Xie Feng found him somewhat familiar."

"Draped in a tattered yet still magnificent bright yellow robe, the hem moved without any wind, its edges torn into countless jagged, ragged strips that silently swept across the surface of the wooden railing, leaving behind trail after trail of slash marks."

"Every inch of the robe's fabric undulated at an extremely sluggish rhythm, as if beneath it was not a complete body, but rather something forcibly compressed into a human silhouette that never stopped writhing."

"The hood was pulled down very low, concealing his face."

"Inside the hood, there were no facial features, only a hazy, pliable mask."

"A corner of the Void Realm where no stars existed had been torn off by some external force and then sewn deep into the mask of this yellow robe."

"His right arm slowly, oh so slowly, raised from his side, the sleeve slipping down a section during the ascent to reveal the bizarre shape within the cuff."

"Human eyes and brains could not comprehend it, but relying on the Night-Ghoul's third eye, Xie Feng saw tentacles writhing within like mating mad eels."

"His very existence was clearer than any sound, like a person waking from a nightmare, having long forgotten the plot of the dream, leaving behind only some indescribable desolation that lingered like deep water pressing against the chest."

"Cthugha's mark abruptly constricted in his chest, Ghatanothoa's fissure patterns throbbed dully beneath his left collarbone, and even the Night-Ghoul curled deep within his left eye socket turned over in extreme discomfort."

"All the marks were telling Xie Feng the same thing in their own ways:"

"This Black Water Lake was His courtyard, this pavilion was His annex, and the entire imperial capital had been His resting place hundreds of years ago."

"The King in Yellow slowly withdrew His right arm, averted His gaze, and turned back to face the rippleless Black Water Lake."

"The lake surface did not reflect His figure; only the hazy outline of that yellow robe swayed slightly in the darkness."

"Xie Feng stared at it for a moment."

""Awesome.""

"Really, this was Xie Feng's first impression."

"Although The King in Yellow was merely an Incarnation, His Elder Hastur could not manifest in person; he hadn't expected that the spell cast by Hastur would summon none other than The King in Yellow."

"This Incarnation was almost replacing the main body itself."

"This was the first time he witnessed a Great Old Ones entity's true body on-site; the last time he saw a true body was the God of Toads itself, and back then he only saw an arm."

"As soon as Xie Feng finished speaking, The King in Yellow's finger tapped gently."

"A dampness from the deep sea was stripped away from Xie Feng's body."

""No! Lord Cthulhu!""

"Xie Feng was truly quite saddened. Lord Cthulhu was one of the few Great Old Ones who had genuinely helped him. Their whole family had come to help—didn't he see their eldest son still hanging out right by his armpit?"

"Shortly after, the stone slab inside Xie Feng's clothes slowly flew out, and the yellow sign was stripped from it, then branded onto the left side of Xie Feng's neck."

"What is this, treating me like a tourist attraction to check in and stamp?"

"Xie Feng rolled his three eyes to look at the bright yellow mark on his neck, feeling that he had a bit too many things on his body."

"Still, not having to lug a stone slab around everywhere anymore could be considered a good thing."

"That said, if he ever ran into the ocean in the future, would Lord Cthulhu see this thing and beat him to death?"

"Hiss... Xie Feng decided never to touch water again."

"According to Emperor Zhou Weixi's statement just now, having this yellow sign branded on his body was just like a protective talisman, which could help him fend off the Great Old Ones a bit?"

"But why would he need to fend off the Great Old Ones!"

"Didn't he go to Hyperborea just to see what on earth was inside Third Princess Zhou Tanghua, so he could figure out a way to take it out for her?"

"Was he going to Hyperborea to deal with the Great Old Ones?"

"Brother Yellow, stop trying to make me laugh."

"Xie Feng suddenly didn't want to go anymore."

""Can I quit now?""

"Emperor Zhou Weixi smiled faintly and bowed toward the middle of the lake."

"The King in Yellow slowly looked at Xie Feng."

""O Great Lord of the Deep Space and Starry Seas, this junior will not refuse even if it means death.""

"Xie Feng shamelessly caved in instantly."

""You don't have to be so polite; you have seen Him before.""

"Emperor Zhou Weixi slowly replied from the side."

"He had seen Him? Xie Feng stared closely at The King in Yellow."

"Hiss... Wenren Jingming?!"

""Right, but also wrong." Emperor Zhou Weixi seemed to see through Xie Feng's thoughts. "Dr. Wenren is not an Incarnation, but The King in Yellow did look at you through Dr. Wenren.""

"No wonder Emperor Zhou Weixi was so at ease back then that the Seal below wouldn't have any problems."

"Turns out His Elder was personally staring down there? Weren't the followers of the Yellow King treated way too well?"

"He could finally understand why the royal family thought Sect Cultivators were wild dogs; if his family enshrined such a deity who doted on followers, he would also think Cultivating was like wild dogs."

"So the Legacy of your Cultivation relies on the yellow sign?"

"Cultivating generation after generation like this, no wonder it was so fast."

"Mass-producing high-Realm Cthulhu-style Cultivators—wouldn't that make them overwhelmingly powerful without bounds?"

"When Xie Feng came out from the mid-lake pavilion, Emperor Zhou Weixi walked alongside him, calmly patting Xie Feng on the shoulder."

"It was as if the person he was taken to see just now wasn't an Incarnation of the Lord of the Deep Space and Starry Seas, but some retired old grandpa who liked fishing by the lake."

"After walking out of the alleyway, Emperor Zhou Weixi briefly introduced the personnel composition of this expeditionary team."

"Third Princess Zhou Tanghua led the team, and the black short sword on her back had been specially forged by the royal family's honored guests for this expedition, its blade engraved with rune circuits that suppressed the resonance of the Old Gods' tentacles."

"The reason Xu Liujing joined was also very simple: Zhou Jinglan carried a very strong yellow sign on his body, which usually needed to be concealed using a Seal array; otherwise, once they left the prefecture, the weirdness would swarm after them like flies smelling stench."

"And this set of Seal arrays required specialized maintenance; Xu Liujing was the most capable person in the Nine Prefectures' Seal squad currently."

"Hearing this, Xie Feng finally understood why they had dragged Xu Liujing out of the imperial city—he turned out to be a living safe repairman."

"He tilted his head to look at Zhou Jinglan. This imperial prince was still wearing that bright yellow long gown, spinning a folding fan at his fingertips with a slight smile toward Xie Feng. "Young Master Xie, rest assured; although my Cultivation is not high, my life is tough. With Young Master Xu around, the Seal won't have any problems.""

""If Tu Ziguan hears you say that, he'll cover your mouth and tell you that setting up chess pieces gets you killed fast.""

"The flying boat docked at the post harbor in the western suburb of the imperial capital. When Xie Feng boarded the gangway, he turned back to glance in the direction of the imperial city; the vermilion city walls stood quietly in the morning light, and the Black Water Lake and the mid-lake pavilion were completely blocked from view by the palace walls."

"Xie Feng turned around and stepped into the cabin."

"Outside the porthole, the land of the Nine Prefectures was slowly shrinking."

"If there is something to say, say it fast; if there are no words, keep it brief."

"At least the flight for the first few months was very smooth, and several people gradually became familiar with one another."

"Along the way, they passed through Yanzhou, Jizhou, and Yongzhou."

"Supplies and equipment were packed neatly, and everything along the way was considered normal."

"Right? Right? This is what a normal adventure and module introduction should be like."

"Xie Feng always felt that a peaceful life was truly wonderful; even increasing the difficulty just a little bit wasn't entirely unacceptable!"

"Until the very first second the flying boat flew out of the boundaries of the Nine Prefectures."

"A winged, human-faced sphinx, faceless."

"Slowly flapped His wings."