Unfathomable

"He was actually severely wounded?" Li Qingyun's complexion was ruddy, his hair snow-white and crystalline. Normally very gentle and calm, he now wore a look of utter disbelief. One could easily imagine just how formidable Cao Qianqiu was! News of his injury had actually shocked even Old Master Li, and Meng Xinghai considered it a monumental event. Hearing this, Qin Ming truly felt Cao Qianqiu's status and power. He was like a towering mountain standing in the clouds, weighing down heavily upon everyone's hearts. At the same time, his mind was far from calm. He himself had walked out from that very region. Just what was hidden in Black-White Mountain? Cao Qianqiu possessed abilities that rivaled creation itself, feared by factions everywhere, yet he had actually stubbed his toe against an iron plate there! This time, he had not kicked through it, nor had he stomped it to pieces. Did that land truly harbor some extraordinary, momentous figure? Looking back at the path he had come from, had Qin Ming overlooked something? "Could there be a reclusive senior living there?" he pondered. Five hundred years ago, Black-White Mountain had been a perilous forbidden land whose very mention made everyone blanch. Then, mysteriously, it collapsed overnight, falling into decline ever since to become a desolate expanse. Was there a master of the old era who had survived? "On such an occasion, we ought to drink a cup of mellow wine," Meng Xinghai said with a laugh, instructing his attendants to fetch luminous jade cups and Golden Glow Wine. Li Qingyun took a small sip of the fine wine, which rippled with rosy light, and asked, "Are there more specific details?" Meng Xinghai replied, "An old friend in the mountains sent word. He didn't dare approach, but he heard from other anomalous creatures that Cao Qianqiu was stumbling and faltering, needing his disciples to support him just to walk." Qin Ming's thoughts churned. For such an overbearing figure to be injured to this degree, he must have truly crossed paths with someone ruthless! Li Qingyun said, "Things are likely to get lively now. Will anyone go to that land to hunt the wounded Cao Qianqiu? For so many years, he has remained at his peak, untouchable by anyone." "Storm clouds are bound to rise," Meng Xinghai remarked. Qin Ming naturally hoped Cao Qianqiu would never walk out of Black-White Mountain alive. That old fellow was far too dangerous; an inadvertent glance in his direction could get someone crushed to death in his grasp. Yet just which grand master had made a move? "Even if that region holds mysteries, they most likely pertain to godkin creatures rather than humans." Qin Ming pondered. The current mountain lord, that white-furred monster, had once wept at a grave there, solemnly kowtowing and offering sacrifices. It was said that what lay buried beneath that ancient burial mound was an anomalous creature. Before long, news spread and sparked a massive sensation! Cao Qianqiu's injury truly shook every quarter, and the name Black-White Mountain, silent for countless years, saw its old dossiers placed once again onto the desks of major powers. All this had nothing to do with Qin Ming; the contests between such grand figures were still far too distant from him. "Five Thunders Viscera Tempering is truly wondrous!" Once Qin Ming settled his mind, he began studying the book and found himself deeply captivated. He had first heard of it at the ruins of Mount Luofu, never expecting he would actually obtain it today. It could internally strengthen his body and, moreover, seemed capable of combining with Purple Palace thunderfire. Unfortunately, there were no lingering emotional traces on the ink-scented handwritten copy of *Five Thunders Viscera Tempering*, so Qin Ming could not determine who had gifted it. "Thunder and fire uniting, dragon and tiger meeting, refining the great medicine within... perhaps it truly can be achieved in the future." After studying the book, Qin Ming felt it was an extraordinarily valuable addition. Within his viscera, five-colored rosy light circulated, followed by interwoven lightning that rumbled outward, giving the dozing speech sparrow such a fright that it fluttered its wings and took flight, nearly smacking into the roof beam. "Mountain Lord, your belly truly has room to steer a ship, and your viscera are linked with thunder and lightning!" it said, looking thoroughly impressed. Qin Ming looked at it and asked, "Do you have any inheritance?" It sighed. "A bird's life is hard! I only have the crudest arts from the mountains, the common kind known to everyone. Even if I, little sparrow, possess divinity, to rise up I can only rely on bodily mutations." "I'll impart two scriptures to you," Qin Ming said, writing out the *Incomplete Black Peng Scripture* he had obtained on the Plain of Divine Demise. "Heavens above, earth below! It's actually a peng clan heart technique! I, little sparrow, am weeping tears of joy. I wish I could master it right this second to repay Mountain Lord!" The speech sparrow was ecstatic, turning several somersaults in succession. Pointing one wing toward the heavens, it declared with impassioned fervor that it would follow Mountain Lord unto death. "I also have an art from an extraordinary bird here—a brocade sparrow that resembles a phoenix..." Before Qin Ming could finish, the speech sparrow grew lightheaded. It felt happiness striking far too violently, leaving it reeling as if drunk, nearly plummeting to the floor. A single follow-up sentence from Qin Ming instantly froze it in place, snapping it completely sober. "Your cultivation is currently on the weaker side, so practice here in Chixia City for now. I am about to journey far, and the place I'm going is exceptionally dangerous. If you stay by my side, something might happen to you." "Mountain Lord, you're setting out alone again?" The speech sparrow gazed at him with pleading eyes. Qin Ming nodded. "After I impart the two scriptures to you, work diligently on improving yourself here." "Alas, little sparrow's strength is simply too weak." The speech sparrow felt quite dejected and sighed. It quietly memorized the two scriptures, preparing to cultivate rigorously from then on. Qin Ming was indeed afraid it might die unexpectedly if it followed him. As his own strength increased, the caliber of his opponents rose continually. If a bloody battle broke out, an enemy's beam of conscious spiritual light or an arrow imbued with divine wisdom could easily claim the sparrow's life. He consoled it, "Practice well. Who knows, you might become the next master of Black-White Mountain, and then you won't have to keep calling others Mountain Lord." Presently, Qin Ming already had a destination in mind—Kunjun. Soon, he would head to that special region situated among the three imperial dynasties of Yu, Gan, and Rui. There were numerous academies, training grounds, blessed lands, and extraordinarily perilous forbidden zones, each steeped in prestige and shrouded in legendary lore of tremendous origins. In Qin Ming's current condition, there was no need to bind himself to a single sect. Kunjun not only bordered the three imperial dynasties, but was also closely connected to the esoteric sects and the outer realms. As long as the libraries of scriptures were accessible to him, any place would do; studying a wide variety of texts offered him the greatest benefits. Before his long journey, Qin Ming gathered for a small get-together with Wu, Xu Sheng, and Sister Fenfang. "At first, I really was just teasing that Zheng Maoze. But later on, I faintly sensed something was truly off. Lingering about him was an aura only veteran traveling merchants have." Xu Sheng shared this, suspecting that Zheng Maoze had very likely developed a "problem." Qin Ming fell into thought. By all reasoning, the outer realms were full of high masters; if something had gone wrong with Zheng Maoze, they surely would have detected it immediately. Or was it that after Zheng Maoze came out this time, he had just been entangled by something unknown? Suddenly, a chill ran through Qin Ming's heart. Could that great butterfly have survived incompletely? He frowned. Normally speaking, that shouldn't be the case. Four venerable seniors had hunted the god together, leaving it not the slightest chance. Qin Ming shook his head, feeling he was overthinking things. If something were truly amiss, he had taken away so much divinity that his karmic entanglement was massive—that "great existence" would inevitably come looking for him first. Tipsy from the drink, the group clamored to venture into the mountains. In the past, they had joined forces multiple times to search for spiritual substances in the mountains, only to return thoroughly disheveled and empty-handed each time. "I still remember that grey-robed man intercepting our snow lotus! Utterly detestable!" Zhou Lin was so infuriated she was about to curse up a storm again. Qin Ming also recalled that person. Later, he had caught sight of that figure once more but failed to catch up. He felt an urge right now to head into the mountains and seize the culprit! With that, the group set off into the mountains. The speech sparrow tagged along and soon struck up friendly chatter with local birds, inquiring if there was indeed someone who enjoyed swooping in to snatch treasures. Unexpectedly, they received an immediate answer: it was a grey organization that specialized in doing just that, though they avoided making mortal enemies, robbing wealth without taking lives. That very day, Qin Ming, Xu Sheng, and the others dismantled that stronghold in the mountains, obtaining a good amount of day gold as well as spiritual substances. Zhou Lin finally stopped cursing, returning this time with a beaming smile. Qin Ming only took some day gold; the spiritual substances here were of insufficient grade and no longer of any use to him. The eyes of both the speech sparrow and Wu burned eagerly, while Xu Sheng and Zhou Lin were also delighted with the bountiful haul. That very day, a piece of news arrived that froze the expressions on everyone's faces: Cao Qianqiu had not been injured at all. The old scoundrel was purely fishing, and had instead slain two experts who possessed avatars to confront him. "That old bastard!" Many were bitterly disappointed. According to reports, Cao Qianqiu had recently experienced a spontaneous premonition, sensing something amiss and believing someone wished to do him harm. Thus, he had taken the initiative to "show weakness" and lure out his enemies. "At that level, is it truly so terrifying?" Qin Ming fell into a daze. Could seniors of that caliber genuinely sense events before they occurred? "At that realm, those old fellows walking at the very forefront truly are monstrous," Li Qingyun sighed. However, the next day brought yet another piece of news, rendering everyone's expressions even more colorful. After slaying the two experts possessing avatars, Cao Qianqiu genuinely met with an accident. His premonition... had targeted the wrong source! Meng Xinghai said, "People from the outer pure land have confirmed it: this time it's real. Old Cao fled back overnight to nurse his wounds." "Just what happened?" Qin Ming was eager to find out. "It was still in Black-White Mountain..." Cao Qianqiu had wandered Black-White Mountain with specific intentions, hoping to find something. He had questioned locals about various matters and asked about anomalous legends. In one village, a very enthusiastic old man informed Cao Qianqiu that in his childhood, he had encountered a bizarre occurrence: a kite he flew had once returned stained with blood. When Qin Ming heard this part, it felt strikingly familiar, because he too had heard that story! Could Old Man Liu have enthusiastically pointed the way? Soon, Qin Ming learned that Cao Qianqiu's mishap had indeed taken place near Twin Trees Village. It was said that after learning of the situation, his conscious spiritual light transformed directly into a crimson sun, rising into the night sky to thoroughly scour the entire area. Yet not long after, he let out a muffled groan. The dazzling sun instantly dimmed, plunging downward at extreme speed, after which he fled overnight with his disciples in tow. "Could this be fake again?" Li Qingyun was suspicious. At this point, even he wondered whether Cao Qianqiu was laying a second lure. Meng Xinghai shook his head. "It's not false this time. People within the pure land who don't get along with him confirmed that he is indeed wounded, though his condition isn't particularly severe. Furthermore, he declared publicly that no external enemy could severely wound him." Qin Ming very much wanted to know what that old fellow had encountered. Cao Qianqiu refused to disclose the details, saying only that anyone who doubted him could go investigate for themselves. That night, as Qin Ming fell into deep slumber, a sudden sense of terror gripped him. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately sensed something was terribly wrong. He felt as though his consciousness had detached from his physical flesh, about to sink into a pitch-black shroud of dense fog. He tried to plunge back into his flesh, but failed. Even though he touched his flesh and blood, he could not reenter, drawn away by an inexplicable force. At the final instant, his consciousness only had time to grasp an object in his "hand." And then, he was carried completely away from his physical body. "This fog..." Qin Ming was shaken. Back at the Six Imperials ancestral court, he had seen boundless black fog rise behind the physical bodies of Lu Zizai and the Six Imperials Patriarch, and within that fog were terrifying golden giants corresponding to the two of them. He felt that he had entered a similar black fog!