"Grandmother, I understand!" Wu Yaozu said. Who in this bizarre town would dare take another person's words seriously? They were merely fair-weather brothers and drinking buddies.
The old woman said no more about him. Turning to Qin Ming, she asked, "You've fused all your heavenly light forces together as if simmering a stew. What do you plan to name it? Surely not Chaos force?"
Qin Ming immediately shook his head. That name sounded far too grand; if word got out, he would surely get beaten up for boasting!
"Yaozu can't stay here anymore. I'd like him to leave with you." Before long, Qin Ming learned what the old grandmother was asking of him.
If they went out into the world, she hoped Qin Ming could look after Wu Yaozu for two months, after which he could adapt on his own. The elder explained, "Though he's learned quite a lot in this strange town, it isn't real enough compared to the outside world."
Qin Ming said, "The town is full of high-level beings. Since Yaozu can navigate circles around them, he'll surely adapt to the world outside as well."
The elder shook her head. "Everyone here is performing behind a mask. It's all too illusory. Out in the real world of night mist, someone might very well stab him without a word of warning over a minor disagreement. I fear that before he's even walked a hundred li, he'll be turned into dumpling filling at some roadside den of cutthroats."
"Grandmother!" Wu Yaozu protested anxiously.
Qin Ming had many unanswered questions about this place and took the opportunity to consult the old woman on each of them.
"The Fourth Peril was breached many years ago. We nearby residents simply perished alongside it," the elder informed him.
In this domain, many had pursued the path of "rainbow transformation." They viewed the physical body as a cage, believing it shackled the soul's ultimate potential, and sought to cast it off completely.
Upon reaching a certain realm along this path, one could transform into a rainbow and depart. Some worthy forebears had soared toward the bright moon in the sky.
Yet when calamity struck their descendants and they were slaughtered, those forebears could not descend; they could not free themselves from that cold, silver moon. The old woman sighed, "Watching this domain get destroyed and their posterity completely wiped out with their own eyes, I imagine they must regret it!"
In fact, she had begun to doubt whether that path was even correct, for the forebears on the moon had long since fallen silent, showing no signs of life. "Now, one only sees a faint rainbow light appear once in a blue moon, and it is exceedingly dim."
For that reason, she wanted Wu Yaozu to leave this domain and seek another way.
Deep within the Fourth Peril, there were no living beings—only incomprehensible "phenomena" and bizarre "scenes," all utterly terrifying.
She did not say who, what faction, or what natural disaster had breached the Fourth Peril and caused all nearby living beings to perish with it.
With a sigh, the old woman vanished from the small courtyard.
Wu Yaozu was fairly open-minded about it and felt no particular sorrow. After all, he had been born in this era and had never experienced those past events firsthand.
"Brother, I didn't see the five-color bottle, but I heard people say it probably landed at the far end of the town. When the divine temple descended at night, the monster inside must have picked it up and taken it in."
Qin Ming nodded at this. It seemed he would have to make a trip to the divine temple after all.
As the moon vanished, true night arrived. Black mist churned, and the ruins grew radiant as the bizarre town descended abruptly.
In an instant, an overwhelming buzz of mortal presence and clamorous noise rose up. The town was already packed to the brim.
Qin Ming took a cold bath, washing away the scorch marks from thunder and fire along with his exhaustion. Having successfully brought the various arts under his command, he now felt a deep sense of consummation.
Wu Yaozu brought him a set of new clothes he had never worn before.
After changing into the coarse hemp garments, Qin Ming carried an air of returning to simplicity and ethereal detachment, as though he had dusted the grime from his spirit. Free of any impurity from the inside out, his eyes were exceptionally clear.
"You don't know how to project your consciousness. How are you going to enter the town?" Wu Yaozu opened his eyes wide in bafflement.
Qin Ming said, "You can guide me out."
A moment later, Wu Yaozu was panting heavily, exhausted to the point of sticking his tongue out. "Are you sure your consciousness can really leave your body?"
He had tried several times, employing extraordinary methods to yank Qin Ming's consciousness out, yet he simply couldn't budge it. That consciousness seemed rooted deep in the flesh and bone, immovable.
"I'm sure," Qin Ming nodded.
Then, rainbow light flew out from Wu Yaozu's body, transforming into a divine bridge to guide Qin Ming, divine radiance continually welling up across the span. At last, he succeeded; using the rainbow bridge, he drew Qin Ming's mental consciousness out of his body.
Wu Yaozu felt like rolling his eyes. He had practically used techniques meant for battling foes before finally sweeping out that sun-like ball of light. "Your consciousness was practically fused into your flesh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes went wide again. What was going on? The interior of the ball of light seemed even more piercingly bright, concealed and veiled from view.
"Damn, how did your cultivated Primordial Chaos force follow you out too?!" He was flabbergasted. No wonder it wouldn't budge—he had almost exerted every ounce of his strength just now!
"How did it become Primordial Chaos force all of a sudden?" Qin Ming asked, puzzled.
Wu Yaozu said, "My grandmother mentioned that your type of heavenly light force had multiple names in the past. That old fellow who entered the divine temple referred to it that way."
He found it absurd. How could this heavenly light force resemble consciousness to the point where it could accompany a spirit wandering? If so, its lethality against yin spirits that hadn't reached the pure yang level would be utterly terrifying!
Examining his own condition, Qin Ming felt that after compounding the heavenly light forces like medicine and uniting them into the Primordial Chaos, he was far stronger than before.
"Brother, don't shrink down to palm size! We look completely out of proportion," Wu Yaozu said, looking down at him.
Qin Ming had shrunk mainly to drape the rag over himself for protection, but upon reflection, looking so distinct from ordinary people would only draw unwanted attention. In an instant, he expanded to normal size, manifested a set of green robes, and tucked the exotic metal rag into his chest.
"Is this a real town?!"
As Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu stepped into the town, Qin Ming felt a sudden intuitive realization. The bluestone-paved streets and the buildings on both sides were by no means illusory.
Wu Yaozu nodded. "To outsiders, it feels like a dream, but the location truly exists. It's a genuine spirit wandering."
"Can people die here?" Qin Ming asked.
Wu Yaozu shook his head. "Normally, no. Many arrive by spirit wandering through special items, which essentially protects them."
Qin Ming asked, "Wouldn't it be better if both of us entered in the flesh?"
Wu Yaozu explained, "That wouldn't be good. The bizarre town is meant for spirit wanderers. Entering in the flesh incurs a tremendous toll each time."
"Is that divine temple real as well?"
Wu Yaozu nodded. "Yes, but the beings inside are all dead, leaving behind bizarre, distorted things. Above all, the master of that place loves dragging people in to discuss the Dao. It's utterly terrifying—no one dares go in."
The town was brightly lit. There were no Fire Springs, but the buildings on either side of the streets held lamps that had burned steadily since antiquity without ever going out, welcoming countless generations of spirit wanderers.
Many shops lined the streets. They were rewards granted to spirit wanderers who had made significant contributions, allowing them to do business here.
"Candied hawthorn skewers!" Hearing this cry, Qin Ming froze completely. This was a bizarre town frequented by formidable figures—why on earth were they selling something like that?
Wu Yaozu said, "It's a soul tonic. The name is mundane, but it's actually refined from soul flowers and costs a fortune."
"Grand Outer Flat Peaches!" someone else called out.
Clearly, that name was far less down-to-earth, though they certainly weren't peaches from beyond the heavens.
"Little Wu, you're here!" As soon as the two entered the town, someone walked up to greet them, seemingly quite familiar with Wu Yaozu.
"Brother Little Wu, you've arrived early today." Several others approached with great warmth. This was largely because the two structures at either end of the town were far too extraordinary.
No one could enter that dilapidated courtyard; only Wu Yaozu lived there year-round. It was obvious to many that he was a local inhabitant.
At the opposite end of the town, the complex of buildings was the exact opposite: anyone could enter, but once someone stepped into the core divine temple, they would never come out again.
Someone looked warmly at Qin Ming and said, "Brother, you are truly extraordinary. To find this place in the flesh and even stay in that courtyard—how did you manage it?"
"I woke up from a sleep and was already lying there," Qin Ming replied.
The man who had asked gave him a strange look. In the real world, his face would have darkened long ago—who would dare give him such a brush-off? Yet status counted for nothing here, and one could not strike out at will.
Qin Ming knew some people wanted to use him to determine where this place was in the physical world, so he naturally wouldn't reveal anything. Even though he had told the truth just now, none of them would believe it anyway.
A young man with a vertical eye between his brows walked over and said with a smile, "Little Wu, this must be the brother who recently moved into the courtyard. Why not introduce us?"
"Li Wanqiu," Qin Ming answered for himself, casually making up a name.
He had already learned that no one here could be trusted. A gentle-looking youth might actually be an old monster from the world of night mist. A fair maiden with bright eyes and white teeth might very well be a giant spider in reality.
"There's quite a lot of 'autumn' in that name of yours!" commented a golden-haired elder passing by on a four-tusked white elephant.
"Could Cao Qianqiu have arrived?" asked a youth radiating pure yang conscious spiritual light, a purple mark between his brows lending him an extraordinary air.
Qin Ming figured there truly might be an old senior of that name! He immediately shook his head. "I have no connection to him."
"Meeting today is fate. My treat—how about we go have a drink?" the three-eyed young man said with a smile.
The others were equally enthusiastic, wanting to befriend Qin Ming. After all these years, this was the first time many of them had seen someone reach this domain in the flesh, leading them to assume he must be a major figure.
Some even wondered if he truly might be Cao Qianqiu.
Soon, however, they dismissed the thought. Old Cao was notoriously overbearing; if it were really him, he wouldn't be so courteous.
When Old Cao walked the earth, he looked as if he wanted to stomp a deep crater into the ground, and when he stood in the sky, he looked as if he wanted to gouge a great hole through the heavens.
"I already said it's my treat this time! Let's go to Banished Immortal Tower, and afterward, we can invite two divine maidens along," a young man with a single golden horn said with a grin.
"Forget it. Who knows what those divine maidens really are? They might be five-hundred-year-old demons for all we know."
Someone chimed in, "Indeed. Those so-called fairy maidens might just be grandfathers with full beards. Hey, Little Wu, don't get upset—I wasn't talking about your whiskers."
Then they fell silent, feeling a sudden chill on their backs.
Along the bright street, a silver-haired girl approached. Her divine wisdom was so dense that it formed overlapping divine rings around her, rendering her figure hazy and indistinct.
"The true goddess has arrived! It was all in jest just now, haha," someone laughed awkwardly, clearly wary of the silver-haired girl.
Wu Yaozu spoke up. "Everyone, my brother is heading to the divine temple. He can't join your gathering today."
"What?!" The crowd was instantly stunned.
What kind of ruthless madman was this? To dare enter that deadly ancient temple!
People doubted whether even Old Cao could make it back out if he went in.
"Brother, this is a magnificent feat! You should drink two cups of divine brew before going in." Even the golden-haired elder atop the four-tusked white elephant showed surprise, offering to treat him to divine wine.
"Senior, you are truly formidable, daring to venture alone into the divine temple!" someone marvelled, no longer daring to call him "brother," convinced he must be an old senior of profound, miraculous cultivation.
Even the silver-haired girl of remarkable background looked over with a strange expression, the overlapping divine rings around her rippling like waves.
"Everyone, you misunderstand. I'm no senior," Qin Ming said, unwilling to take on such heavy karma.
He felt it was unwise. If he ate and drank under false pretenses only to be exposed later, and if there truly were one or two old seniors present, they would certainly settle scores with him.
He knew that although people could not easily fight in this bizarre town, that did not mean spirit wanderers had never died here.
Wu Yaozu cupped his hands. "Everyone, I remember some among you have explored the outer grounds of the divine temple and walked out alive. Could you tell my brother the details?"
Silence fell over the area.
The crowd realized that he probably wasn't an old senior after all. He wasn't even going into the core divine temple, and he still needed to gather information and experience from others.
Instantly, the three-eyed youth who had proposed the gathering fell quiet.
The horned youth who had clamored to treat everyone at Banished Immortal Tower with the divine maidens also clamped his mouth shut.
Even the elder riding the four-tusked white elephant said nothing more, letting the Old Elephant amble leisurely down the street.
Many guessed that this was simply a hot-blooded youth who had arrived in the flesh by accident, but who would likely meet a grim end at the divine temple before long.
Accompanied by Wu Yaozu, Qin Ming walked toward the opposite end of the town.
A great crowd followed along. Though they knew his chances of success were slim, a spectacle of someone marching to their doom was rare, and they all wanted to witness it with their own eyes.
Along the bright streets, the crowd surged as many who caught wind of the news joined the procession.
At the town's edge stood a cluster of ancient buildings. It was quite desolate, with wormwood weeds already growing on the steps before the temple.
Qin Ming pushed open the aged courtyard gate and stepped straight into the first courtyard. Instantly, across the quiet, weed-choked temple grounds, a magnificent chanting of scriptures rang out!
Moreover, this first courtyard lit up, turning exceptionally dazzling as golden light blanketed the ground, supremely sacred and serene. At the same time, the onlookers saw the lone youth walking forward begin to radiate light like a blazing sun, resonating with the first courtyard.
Qin Ming frowned. He hadn't intended this. Had the master of this place taken action? Were they probing his foundation, drawing out his heavenly light?
"What's going on? Is that pure yang light or heavenly light force? Why do I feel like it's both?!"
"Hiss... Could a Young Ancestor have arrived in person? How else could this be!"
Behind him, the expressions of some onlookers shifted slightly before turning solemn, while many others stood entirely dumbfounded.
Chapter 179