A warm current surged through Qin Ming's heart. Feeling the genuine warmth, he hurried over and greeted the old man with heartfelt affection, "Grandpa Li."
In his childhood, impoverished and destitute, he had depended entirely on his grandfather to survive. In his youth, cast aside by the Cui clan to squeeze out whatever final use he had left, he had ended up stranded in the Black-White Mountain. He had neared death, lost his memory, and suffered freezing cold and bitter hunger, tasting the full warmth and cruelty of the human world. Because of this, whenever someone showed him kindness and lent a helping hand, Qin Ming was always deeply grateful.
"Why is your face covered in bruises? Did one of those old fellows from the Six Imperials ancestral court beat you?" Li Qingyun's expression shifted slightly as he placed a hand on Qin Ming's shoulder and inspected him closely. He naturally did not believe any peer could bully this youth.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Li. It's just an injury from practicing," Qin Ming said with an embarrassed smile. Over the past two days, he had stirred heavenly thunder with earthly fire to refine internal medicine within himself, leaving him somewhat battered and disheveled.
Even as he spoke, he began drawing in the Yimu essence near the mountain gate to nourish his flesh, blood, and spirit.
Li Qingyun exclaimed in surprise, "Well now, impressive! Many ponder the Yimu Scripture for years and can cultivate skills to kill enemies, yet they can hardly achieve true resonance with plants and trees. And how long has it been for you? You really have a knack for this, boy—outstanding!"
His mind set at ease, he lowered his voice and said, "Over the past two days, I've heard that an incredible prodigy appeared in the Six Imperials ancestral court, exceptionally gifted, who tore through an entire group of geniuses from the Fangwai Immortal Land all by himself. Is that true?"
"Yes. A youth named Qi Zizai—he's truly remarkable," Qin Ming replied, halting his circulation of the Yimu Scripture. After all, they were near the mountain gate, and he didn't want to create a spectacle of surging green vapor.
"Senior Brother Qi Zizai will surely become the ancestor of resurgence for our Six Imperials ancestral court!" a youth passing nearby chimed in immediately upon overhearing them.
Two female disciples walking out of the mountain gate nodded in agreement when they heard this, clearly sharing the sentiment.
"The Six Imperials ancestral court truly lives up to its name as one of the strongest traditions on the Newborn path," Li Qingyun echoed. Naturally, one could not speak recklessly on someone else's turf.
At the same time, he suspected that this Qi Zizai was very likely connected to young Qin.
"Grandpa Li, let me say goodbye to a friend before we go." Qin Ming went over to bid farewell to Lu Zizai.
Li Qingyun looked at the youth in coarse hemp clothes in the distance. At first glance, he seemed ethereal and composed, but upon closer inspection, Li Qingyun's heart skipped a beat—he couldn't see through him at all!
Then, catching sight of the small golden bird on the youth's shoulder, Li Qingyun was shaken to the core. That was absolutely no ordinary creature; it looked remarkably like a species out of legend. What was more, surging golden blood and vitality seemed to flow within that palm-sized bird. If it were truly unleashed, the scene would undoubtedly be terrifying.
Li Qingyun cupped his fists, treating Lu Zizai not as a mere youth. His heart was far from calm. Lu Zizai looked over and nodded back to him.
"Senior Brother Lu, I'm heading out!" Qin Ming approached, keeping his words brief.
"The kind of scripture you are practicing is actually extremely dangerous. I don't know if you can tough it out to the end. Do not rush to fuse top-tier classics; it will do you no good. You must proceed step by step. Otherwise, as time passes, you might suddenly explode. Historically, ancestral masters who studied it failed to meet a peaceful end. Be mindful to temper your true arts with Mundane Fire," Lu Zizai transmitted secretly.
Then, he pointed at the anomalous bird on his shoulder and said, "Xiaojin here has always been free-roaming and never received much pampering. Back then, it had a sibling who was dearly doted on, staying inside the mountain gate all day, listening to various scriptures, and fed spiritual medicine by the elders. It appeared miraculous, but when it was finally let out, someone treated it as an elixir of flesh and blood and slaughtered it without effort."
Qin Ming hurriedly interjected, "Senior Brother Lu, say no more. That's a terrible analogy."
"You're overthinking it. It's a true event from the past. Farewell!" Lu Zizai turned and walked away, stepping on foot into the pitch-black night and vanishing at the horizon of the land.
Night winds howled as a high-grade anomalous bird parted the clouds, flying at high speed across the heavens toward Chixia City, fifteen thousand li away.
"Was Qi Zizai truly you?" Even though he had guessed as much, Li Qingyun still swayed slightly high in the air. For the past several days, he had been waiting outside, and his ears had practically grown calluses from hearing the rumors.
"Be careful, Grandpa Li," Qin Ming cautioned. At such a dark, lofty height, falling off would lead to unimaginable consequences.
Li Qingyun felt immense gratification. He had already estimated Qin Ming's potential very highly, yet never imagined he had still underestimated him.
"Lately, the night papers frequently mention those celebrated geniuses. All kinds of figures keep emerging, with champions from different cities dueling. There are even prodigies sweeping across eighty-one cities. It is truly a turbulent time—youth grandmasters rising, pure yang physiques emerging on the immortal path... It looks like the arrival of a new era, sparking fervent discussions everywhere..."
Li Qingyun chatted with Qin Ming along the way about recent happenings.
The high-grade anomalous bird crossed the night sky. As time went on, they drew close to Chixia City.
Suddenly, Li Qingyun's expression changed, and he shouted, "Halt! Turn around!"
Qin Ming was equally alarmed, his body tensing involuntarily.
The world was originally pitch-black, with cities appearing below on the ground like occasional fireflies. But now, ahead of them, a faint halo of light was spreading.
It was brighter than the firelight of any city, and they were still very far from it.
Most importantly, they were currently high in the sky, and that halo was clearly drifting among the clouds, which was rather horrifying.
The faint blue light in the distance looked very gentle, spreading out smoothly, yet sounds of collapse echoed from ahead. As it surged, the thick cloud layer ruptured!
"Faster! It's catching up!" Li Qingyun grew frantic. After all this, they had finally run into an anomalous event.
The night mist world was exceedingly mysterious. Even within the lands claimed by humanity after the Great Reclamation, unexplained phenomena occasionally appeared—some grotesque, some horrifying, some bizarre and inexplicably strange.
"Young Qin, do you have your wingsuit on?" Li Qingyun asked amid violent turbulence.
"It's on!" Qin Ming answered.
Both lay prone on the flying mount's back, deeply tense, because this high-grade anomalous bird was actually trembling faintly.
"Old partner, what's wrong?" Li Qingyun transmitted his voice.
"I've lost my bearings. I can't see anything," the high-grade anomalous bird replied, its voice quivering.
The hearts of the two on its back sank, for they realized their own five senses were growing dull and numb, their consciousness turning rigid.
They had already been enveloped by faint blue mist. More precisely, that halo of light had expanded here, illuminating the night mist.
"You can still tell which way is down, right? Land quickly!"
The night mist around them churned and boomed, and the world seemed to turn upside down. They descended continuously, tumbling and rolling, falling toward an unknown place.
"Don't worry, we're very close to the ground!" Li Qingyun yelled.
Eventually, he fell silent, because amid the violent tumbling, they had been plunging for a long time without hitting the ground.
Finally, the pale blue night mist overturned the high-grade anomalous bird like turbulent, crashing waves, throwing them off. Their senses were completely numbed, their reactions abnormally sluggish.
Qin Ming unleashed heavenly light force throughout his body and flared out his wingsuit, like a night bird flapping its wings.
He remembered the words of Old Man Liu from Black-White Village: if you walk the night path year-round, you'll encounter all kinds of horrifying and grotesque things. Now, all he could do was leave it to fate.
Several extraordinary arts resonated within Qin Ming, and over twenty types of heavenly light force fused into one, making him resemble a Golden Crow falling through the night mist.
In a brief instant, he crashed onto the earth with a thud.
Even with heavenly light protecting him, Qin Ming's vision went dark and he lost consciousness. His injuries were not terribly severe; it was mainly that his senses were numbed, and he could no longer hold on.
He did not know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. The surrounding scenery was very blurry. Though faint blue mist lingered, his five senses were slowly returning and his mind was gradually clearing.
Qin Ming shook his head vigorously. He found that his fall had cracked the ground, and traces of blood remained at the corners of his mouth. However, with heavenly light force shielding his body, his injuries were not severe.
He carefully examined his physical state. Although pain racked him, no bones were broken and his internal organs were intact. Evidently, he had not been very high above the ground when he fell.
He immediately circulated the Destiny-Altering Scripture to prolong life and enhance the vitality of his flesh and blood, then ran the Yimu Scripture to draw upon plant and tree essence nearby for healing.
In the end, Qin Ming's senses were fully sharpened again. He stood up, circulated the silk book method, drew his mutton-fat jade iron saber, and surveyed the surrounding area.
He searched silently nearby, but found neither Li Qingyun nor his flying mount.
It was likely deep night by now. The world was pitch-black, save for the wisps of pale blue mist drifting about.
Qin Ming searched for a long time without spotting any other anomalous things. He called out, "Grandpa Li!"
Yet he received no response.
Qin Ming sighed, "No wonder so many experts are unwilling to cross the night sky. Birds crashing down from time to time—nobody could stomach that."
Currently, many events in the night mist world remained unexplained and incomprehensible.
Fumbling forward through the hazy blue mist, he eventually took on a strange expression, realizing the terrain ahead looked somewhat familiar: this was a wasteland on the west side of Chixia City.
"If even I'm fine, Grandpa Li should be much sturdier, right?" Qin Ming reckoned that Old Li ought to be unharmed.
Soon after, he crested a desolate slope and spotted Chixia City within the heavy night. He quickened his pace toward it.
Along the way, the surroundings became increasingly familiar.
It was currently deep night. The Fire Springs in the city were artificially controlled and shuttered, leaving the entire city quite dim, with only faint light flowing.
Moreover, blue mist drifted here as well, blanketing the whole city in a thin blue radiance.
"It is Chixia City. The place is right." Qin Ming halted. On a large green stone far outside the walls, he found a trace he had left in the past.
Once, when leaving the city, he had casually tested his skills on it, leaving behind a deep fist-shaped crater.
The grand gatehouse stood ahead. The night was late, and the heavy city gates had long been closed. Qin Ming silently scaled a section of the city wall and slipped inside.
"How can it be this quiet?" He frowned. Although the section of wall he had chosen was in a remote spot, the city remained completely desolate without a single sound after he entered.
The streets were empty and deserted. He walked forward, but when he passed a night market, he became somewhat unsettled. Even in the dead of night, business here should have been bustling, yet now there was not a soul to be seen.
Pale blue night mist drifted through the city, lending an eerie atmosphere to the place.
With mutton-fat jade iron saber in hand, Qin Ming walked alone through the silent city.
Several taverns in the prosperous district typically had patrons even in the dead of night. Now, though brightly lit, they were dead silent without the slightest stir.
Qin Ming stepped into one of the taverns. It was entirely empty, devoid of a single silhouette.
Food and wine were set upon some tables, still steaming hot. This was truly abnormal.
Qin Ming went into the backyard and searched the kitchen, but still found no one.
Having already entered the city, he did not immediately retreat, heading straight for the City Lord's Manor instead. With no guards posted and no need for an announcement, he entered silently.
Qin Ming walked into the familiar parlor. The various bronze vessels were all there; he even suspected Meng Xinghai had been here not long ago.
Inside a purple bronze burner, a stick of spirit-calming incense had burned down less than halfway, its fragrance lingering, while upon a wooden table, the tea in a cup seemed freshly brewed, wisps of aroma wafting up.
Qin Ming searched all around the City Lord's Manor, only to find the halls entirely deserted.
His brows knit tightly. Was all of this caused by the pale blue night mist? The entire city—perhaps even this entire territory—was enveloped in it.
Such silence made one's heart palpitate. The massive Chixia City now resembled a ghost town, empty and desolate, completely devoid of human presence.
Qin Ming went to the brightest place in the city, where the fourth-rank Fire Spring and a cluster of first- and second-rank Fire Springs were located. If not covered by shutters, they could illuminate the night sky.
His pupils contracted in profound shock.
For the Fire Spring was radiating not its normal scarlet glow, but a dense, deep blue!
Had this Fire Spring been "eroded"?
The spring pool remained, but the blue liquid welling up within was completely abnormal. It steamed upward into the night sky, gradually turning into blue mist that blanketed the entire city, appearing infinitely sinister.
Chapter 162