Kunling was expanding. Its entire domain was growing, its surface area broadening significantly.
Across the pitch-black earth, the most frequent topic of conversation exchanged between the various cities was Kunling.
From the disappearance of the patriarchs, to the blood of an auspicious beast glowing in the black mist, to the revival of ghosts and monsters, and the occasional emergence of ancient texts from bygone eras, it had captured the attention of the entire world.
Different groups reacted in different ways. Dynasties and great sects were wary, even fearful, because they already understood the truth of that region.
If Yujing truly reappeared, how were they supposed to face it? Back then, even the entities recorded in the *Kunling Record of Godlike Beings* had fled because of that city.
As for the ordinary folk, they had initially felt shock and terror, but as time passed, they gradually came to accept it.
Many even grew excited, swarming toward the region like a tide. Everyone wanted to strike gold there, as more and more wondrous treasures were coming to light.
***
Qionghua City, like a luminous pearl in the night, was a colossal metropolis on the borders of Dayu.
Qin Ming and Xiao Wu had returned, retreating here from the frontline frontier town.
They did not know enough about the Kunling domain and had nearly run into disaster. They needed to do their homework in this thriving hub and no longer wished to act as lone wolves.
From what they had gathered, none of the core disciples from the outer realm or esoteric sects had met sudden deaths.
"The rogue cultivator Qi Zhaohui entered from the Dayu side and stumbled upon auspicious beast blood. Word has it he underwent a nirvanic rebirth that very day, making massive strides in strength. It really makes one envious!"
News like this was being discussed everywhere across the city. Whenever people brought up such opportunities and fortunes, looks of deep yearning surfaced on their faces.
Qin Ming and Xiao Wu each held a skewer of candied "turtle honey" fruit, eating as they strolled along the bustling, crowded main street.
Soon, they entered a teahouse—places like this were always the best source of information.
Sure enough, both rogue cultivators and great sects were sparing no effort in organizing various expedition teams.
"The people of the outer yang land and calamity land have joined hands! Many are marching in from the direction of the Darui Imperial Dynasty, setting their sights on several ancient architectural complexes!"
Supposedly, within those domains, scriptures chanted on their own, shining beneath the rubble and projecting glowing text.
However, monsters haunted such places, making them extraordinarily perilous.
"Why do I feel like all of this is a honeyed trap meant to lure us in, getting us to comb through Kunling and further undo the seals?"
"The higher-ups indeed share that suspicion."
Yet none of the factions could resist the temptation and set off one after another, because the opportunities found within both the Yin soil and the ruins were simply irresistible.
It was said that a young prodigy from an esoteric sect had retrieved a secret canon from an underground palace—one that far surpassed ordinary manuals, detailing various secrets regarding the divine path.
This development made several senior experts of the esoteric sects unable to sit still, prompting them to take the field in person.
Not only that, but the appearance of the Yin soil and the resurgence of monsters were fortunes in their own right to certain old timers.
Those vicious ghosts who devoured human flesh, blood, and spirit had been confirmed to all be humans who had trodden a different path. They had become targets of intense desire for elderly masters whose lifespans were running short.
"Do you really think everyone attacking you is a ghost cultivator? Think again. Some are ordinary living humans in disguise."
At present, the Kunling domain was a chaotic mess where humans and ghosts were indistinguishable. Some had snuck in to quietly probe how the ghost path functioned, even pretending to be ghosts themselves.
Qin Ming and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance. It really had been necessary to return to this border metropolis to learn the latest inside scoop.
The teahouse was spacious, its tables and chairs polished to a bright sheen. It featured private booths as well as an open hall. It was packed with customers right now, and many were eager to gather and swap news.
A middle-aged man spoke up. "I advise everyone here: by no means should you act alone. Follow the major factions, and you'll get meat to eat; go solo, and you're just delivering meat to the ghosts!"
A patron beside him poured him some tea, humbly and politely asking why he would say such a thing.
The middle-aged man said, "It's obvious. How can an individual compare to the major factions? They have sheer numbers, and by now they've already mapped out rough terrain charts. They generally know where danger lurks and where passage is safe."
"They're that efficient?" Many gasped in surprise.
"That doesn't include the Kunling hinterlands, of course."
Even so, it was astonishing enough. Following them was far better than stumbling around blindly on one's own.
At the same time, someone revealed how the major factions secured their fortunes and why they were far more efficient than ordinary people.
"If a patriarch takes the field, facing those ruined palaces and broken temples, they can just bore straight through. Who cares what manner of ghost or monster lurks there? Even if the ghost ancestor beneath the Yin soil emerged, they wouldn't fear it."
Of course, it was hard to say how many patriarchs were actually left by now. Moreover, they held little interest in ordinary opportunities, paying far more attention to whether Yujing would emerge into the world.
"Normal large organizations pair the young with the old, coordinating their movements. That yields the best results," someone explained, disclosing how the great sects operated.
Within those ruins, ghosts and monsters of every level existed. Some lay dormant deep within the subterranean Yin soil, while others seemed to sleep in cramped, overlapping spatial pockets.
Different tiers of "blood food" would awaken monsters of corresponding tiers.
Therefore, to keep their top combatants from being drawn into bloody attrition, several large organizations dispatched exceptionally capable youngsters to scavenge the underground palaces and ruined halls.
These youths were all outstanding disciples, fully capable of handling most of the minor ghosts they stirred up on their own.
Meanwhile, older-generation figures held the line nearby, ready to intervene at a moment's notice should an accident occur.
In many ruins, accidents would happen when the youths attempted to escape with their discovered treasures.
Even if the ancient ghosts in the Yin soil or special spatial pockets weren't interested in such blood food, some would still awaken to mount an interception.
If such a crisis arose, the elders would swiftly mobilize to hold them off, orchestrating an orderly retreat through coordinated combat. Rarely did they suffer major casualties.
Hearing this, many solo cultivators fell silent. This environment was far too hostile to lone wolves. Without joining a major organization, surviving in Kunling seemed next to impossible.
A young man spoke up. "Why do I feel more and more like an invisible hand has deliberately arranged all this, handing out opportunities to descendants so that they'll strive to explore?"
He wasn't the only one who suspected this; many shared similar thoughts.
Some of the monsters actually carried secret manuals on them, and precious scriptures worth a fortune were occasionally unearthed from the ruined halls and subterranean palaces. The temptation was simply too great.
Precisely because of this, hordes of people had arrived to strike gold.
"Regarding this, there are two theories," an elder remarked.
"First, in ancient times, this region was originally a trial ground. To Yujing, these things were insignificant.
"The other theory is that an invisible hand deliberately arranged this, waiting for descendants to excavate until Yujing finally emerges into the world."
***
After leaving the teahouse, Xiao Wu complained, "How boring. Rogue cultivators have no freedom. Even if you join an expedition organized by some major faction, you're just cannon fodder. I bet those guys leaking internal information in there were shills!"
Qin Ming nodded as well. "Most likely, the big organizations are recruiting, so they're deliberately putting out that kind of publicity."
Even so, his interest was piqued. He planned to make broad inquiries and gain a thorough understanding, because with his unique resonance ability, he might reap substantial gains.
Furthermore, operating as a lone wolf remained viable, but he needed a complete grasp of the conditions in that region. If he made a brief dash into an ancient hall, resonated with the scriptures in a short window of time, and left the physical scrolls untouched, he might not provoke the old ghosts into chasing him down.
Sure enough, after lingering in the city for two days, the two found that every major faction was recruiting, and their offered terms appeared quite generous.
"Xiao Wu, don't get involved in this!" Qin Ming planned to join a team on his own to test the waters. If he went and seized the right opportunities, he could indeed make great gains.
In his view, if Xiao Wu went along to risk his life, the losses would outweigh the benefits.
Wu Yaozu shook his head. "Brother Ming, what are you talking about? If we go, we act together!"
Qin Ming felt a headache coming on. Certain things simply couldn't be spoken aloud. If his resonance ability were exposed, the old fellows from every path would likely search his soul.
The two spent several days in Qionghua City gathering more information, eventually setting their sights on a few organizations with relatively decent reputations.
A "good reputation," of course, was purely relative.
For instance, a certain branch of the esoteric sect had a comparatively high survival rate, yet it only hovered around seventy percent.
Naturally, there were also those who fabricated numbers. Even if an entire squad was nearly wiped out, they still dared to proclaim that eighty percent of their personnel had made it back.
Qin Ming's first stop was to sign up with that esoteric branch, only to be flatly rejected.
He then switched to another faction.
"Little brother, you walk the Newborn path? Our apologies, but we already have enough people." The other party declined him politely once more.
Prejudice was omnipresent across the different paths.
"We need individuals who have developed conscious spiritual light. They can retrieve scriptures and exotic treasures from a distance, turn around, and flee swiftly." At least this group was decent enough to tell him the truth.
Other organizations accepted all comers without question, but they clearly recruited Newborn practitioners merely to hold the rear—pure cannon fodder.
After that, Qin Ming changed tactics. When introducing himself, he led with the claim that he was a divine archer who never missed his mark.
This time, he went to the City Lord's Manor.
Pan Yutong, the legitimate daughter of the Qionghua City Lord, was personally selecting recruits. As it turned out, Qin Ming was passed over once again.
Her figure was graceful, her expression gentle as she said, "I'm sorry, but we already have a divine archer—the man renowned as Qionghua's Number One Marksman. Our squad doesn't need that many archers for now."
Not wanting to waste words, Qin Ming spun on his heel and walked straight across the street, where a young man and woman stood. Word had it they were nobles from the Dayu imperial capital.
"I am an Outer Sage with unmatched archery. Give me jade iron arrows, and I can shoot dead any ghost of the same level!" This time, Qin Ming bragged shamelessly.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to get into the teams with decent reputations.
Sure enough, the two were intrigued.
Zhao Wencheng and Zhao Wenqian were brother and sister, nobles from the imperial capital who openly admitted they worked for someone of far higher status.
The pair asked Qin Ming to demonstrate his archery. In the end, they were left dumbfounded. While others aimed to shoot birds out of the sky, the youth before them loosed a rapid volley of connected arrows that shaved a flying bird completely bald.
Moreover, after rising to a certain height, the arrows were shredded by the heavenly light force within them. The arrowheads disintegrated into iron filings, while the wooden shafts were reduced to fine dust.
This way, even as the debris fell, it would not harm anyone in the city.
Although Qin Ming had not yet stepped into the Outer Sage realm, he was already capable of projecting heavenly light externally.
"Splendid archery! Simply miraculous!" Zhao Wencheng marveled.
"Ah, that looks like the princess's four-winged bird! Oh no, it's a messenger!" Zhao Wenqian cried out in alarm.
She recognized the four-winged bird, which was currently shivering in terror, and was thoroughly familiar with it.
"Good heavens! Zhao Wenqian, you hired someone to kill me! I'm going to have the princess bring me justice!" The frightened four-winged bird had inadvertently exposed the backer behind the Zhao siblings.
"It's a misunderstanding!" The two hurried to appease it.
This was a messenger bird cherished by Dayu's Fourth Princess, highly favored and pampered.
About a foot long, it was crimson all over, with gem-like golden eyes and two pairs of wings that allowed it to fly at astonishing speeds.
"And you, you executioner..." The four-winged bird fumed, using one wing to pat its bald head as its eyes shot daggers at the archer.
Qin Ming casually plucked his bowstring. The furious little bird immediately rolled its eyes back and fainted dead away from fright, finally restoring peace.
Zhao Wencheng lowered his voice. "Brother, now you know our background. You must have heard of Dayu's Fourth Princess—a peerless genius, like an immortal or deity reincarnated."
Qin Ming was surprised. He really had heard of this woman; her fame was indeed widespread. He also knew she had renamed herself Yao Ruoxian.
Supposedly, she possessed extraordinary natural talent, born suited for the immortal path, yet she had not entered the outer realm.
The Dayu Imperial Dynasty was a behemoth possessing countless resources. Whatever techniques, exotic treasures, or great medicines were needed, they had them in abundance.
Yao Ruoxian's cultivation was immensely formidable, comparable to the most formidable immortal seeds, and even notably stronger than her elder brother who had entered the outer realm.
Zhao Wenqian said, "For every expedition, you'll receive three hundred day gold. If you obtain anything in the ruins, your share won't be lacking either. Absolutely fair."
"Deal!" Qin Ming agreed with a nod.
As for Xiao Wu, who was looking on eagerly, Qin Ming held him back, unwilling to let him take the risk.
Qin Ming consoled him, "Let me blaze a trail first. If there are no issues, you can sign up later."
***
The next day, Qin Ming set off with the group, stepping once more into the black-mist-shrouded domain of Kunling.
Zhao Wencheng said, "According to our experience, a squad cannot exceed ten people. Otherwise, even if everyone is young rather than an elder of profound cultivation, an excessive concentration of vital blood might still draw out ancient ghosts."
Both he and Zhao Wenqian had come, but they had no intention of venturing deep; they were merely seeing the squads off.
Between them, they had assembled four squads, each consisting of nine members.
Behind each squad trailed several elders—truly a pairing of the old and the young.
Those elders were all subordinates of the Fourth Princess, Yao Ruoxian. Having already thoroughly scouted this part of Kunling, they encountered no unexpected troubles upon entering and made straight for their objective.
With experienced guides leading the way and protectors escorting them, the squad advanced rapidly. The early stage was completely devoid of danger, following paths through the safest areas.
Qin Ming was amazed. Their destination was an expansive complex of ruins, with a magnificent grand palace standing at its very core.
Wreathed in black mist, the dilapidated palaces were capped with silver tiles. In ages past, this place must have been breathtakingly majestic.
Their current task was to clear the ruined halls along the way.
Today, their objective was merely a half-collapsed structure of considerable size.
As they advanced, Qin Ming noticed that the central grand palace at the core steamed with purple mist while dense, bone-chilling Yin qi coiled thick and impenetrable.
Furthermore, the slightest disturbance caused the Yin qi there to surge skyward in a towering wave. It was utterly abnormal.
"The central grand palace ahead is one of the most vital nodes within the Yin soil. When the time comes to clear it, the Fourth Princess will attend in person."
Soon, Qin Ming and the others stepped over rubble and arrived near the ruined hall.
In that moment, he displayed his divine marksmanship. Although they were ordinary iron arrows, once loosed from his bow, they were wrapped in dazzling heavenly light force, blindingly bright.
In an instant, five nearly decayed monsters within the ruined hall were struck between the brows. Their heads shattered, and they tumbled backward to the ground.
Though called ghosts and monsters, they were actually ancient humans who had walked the path of consuming human flesh, blood, and spirit, making them akin to vengeful wraiths.
"Splendid archery!" someone praised.
Shortly after, the others went into action, entering the half-collapsed hall to search for exotic treasures and scriptures. Consequently, several more monsters surged out, instantly locking them in fierce combat.
Having just burst forth from the subterranean Yin soil, these creatures were remarkably strong.
In a flash, the squad suffered casualties.
Qin Ming drew his bow and loosed arrows, but even so, four members of their squad perished. The monsters emerging from the dense black mist were simply impossible to guard against.
Besides, he had no wish to stand out too much. If saving someone was within easy reach, he naturally would, but risking his life to charge into dangerous terrain for strangers was beyond their acquaintance.
In the end, only five of them retreated. Unexpectedly, there were no scriptures or exotic treasures here—they had come away empty-handed.
Even so, their withdrawal drew out two ancient ghosts that pursued them from the hall.
Quickly, the older generation holding the line stepped forward, joining forces to slay them.
The first day passed without major incident for Qin Ming. With guides to lead the way and senior masters to hold the line, it had been exceptionally safe.
***
"Brother Ming, next time I'm going with you!" Xiao Wu said that evening.
Qin Ming shook his head. "Wait until they set out to hunt for auspicious beast blood, and I'll take you along. There's no point right now; there are no fortunes there."
After dinner, Qin Ming felt threads of warmth within his body growing scalding hot. After several days of accumulation, his physical body was poised to trigger a transformation on its own.
Without hesitation, he began refining the demon seed in his possession and practiced the *Indestructible Butterfly Scripture*, intending to complete his final Newborn rebirth and his extraordinary art simultaneously.
That night, Qin Ming's body ruptured repeatedly. Refining a demon seed was inherently fraught, subjecting him to multiple backlashes, while the dense aura of newborn vitality within his flesh and blood underwent a violent transformation.
By dawn, Qin Ming's final rebirth was completely finished, and he had mastered his eighth extraordinary art!
Undoubtedly, his constitution had ascended another level.
Most crucially, with the addition of another extraordinary art, his heavenly light force experienced a qualitative leap—the fundamental source of his soaring combat prowess.
Now, whenever Qin Ming casually clenched his fist, the natural flow of his heavenly light force resembled a small glowing sun. He didn't even dare to unleash it fully.
He feared that surpassing his past limits would produce a brilliance more blinding than the blazing sun, disturbing the other guests in the inn. Without a doubt, the spectacle would be utterly shocking.
Based on past experience, having eight extraordinary arts fused into one was equivalent to the Four Imperials force of the Six Imperials ancestral court!
At this level, within the first realm, it seemed no one had ever achieved such a feat!
Not even the founders of the great sects.
Past patriarchs and their most dazzling successors had only ever managed the Three Imperials force in the first realm at best. Neither the Sky Shakers of the Qingtian Sect nor the legendary Golden Body Nirvanic Ones of the Rulai Sect could rival the Four Imperials force!
*In the first realm, I've finally surpassed the patriarchs!* Qin Ming felt a deep sense of accomplishment, a smile gracing his face.
Early that morning, he left the city to verify the power of uniting eight extraordinary arts. At the same time, unwilling to leave any hidden flaws, he used the Dragon and Tiger compounding method to repeatedly temper the unified force.
Xiao Wu tagged along and witnessed Qin Ming's transformation the entire way, left completely dumbstruck.
In the deep mountain forests, Qin Ming's aura was far more terrifying than before. The unified heavenly light force seemed to condense like physical fragments of the sun.
With a punch, Qin Ming blasted a gaping hole straight through a cliff face.
The next moment, five-colored divine light swirled around him, accompanied by the flourishing bloom of a tri-colored auspicious haze. Each of the eight extraordinary arts formed its own miraculous phenomenon, turning into an immortal divine halo that protected him at its center.
As he concentrated his heavenly light force, a massive lance materialized in his grasp. Swinging it, he felt as though he could cleave the mountain ridges in two.
Next, the lance transformed into a long saber. The eight-colored blade seemed to merge into one with him; riding the blade, he lifted off the ground, shooting forth like a bolt of lightning.
Finally, Qin Ming halted and employed the Dragon and Tiger compounding method to refine it repeatedly until all his heavenly light force achieved flawless integration, uniting the eight extraordinary arts into one.
He had a feeling that in a few more days, he would naturally step into the Outer Sage realm without needing to consume any great medicines.
Xiao Wu sighed in awe. "Brother Ming, you're getting a bit ridiculous in the first realm. You've truly reached the absolute limit! You're redefining mythology, standing as the peak itself!"
He felt that in the first realm, he couldn't hold a candle to Qin Ming anymore.
Then he sighed, "Lately, I've tempered myself in every way to completely patch my weaknesses, but I just can't make any further progress. I'll wait for you in the second realm, and we can compare ourselves then."
As he spoke, he stepped straight into the second realm, dazzling light erupting from all around his body.
Qin Ming had known all along that there was something peculiar about him; the youth was far stronger than he let on.
After all, Xiao Wu was the sole scion of the Fourth Peril, possessing natural talent not in the least inferior to an immortal seed. Having trained for over a decade, how could he have remained stuck in the first realm?!
***
That day, Zhao Wencheng called for a rest, so they didn't go exploring.
In truth, the four squads he and Zhao Wenqian had formed needed to replenish their numbers.
That same day, Qin Ming and Xiao Wu caught wind of a great deal of breaking news.
From the direction of the Darui Imperial Dynasty, the people from the outer realm marching into Kunling had formed an all-out alliance. Multiple immortal seeds had reportedly taken the field because extraordinary ruins had been discovered.
In some of the grand palaces, golden characters actually flowed across surfaces—an astonishing sight!
Furthermore, the esoteric sects advancing from the direction of the Dagan Imperial Dynasty had also discovered a wondrous domain. Someone had secured another secret canon, and ancient extraordinary arts had come to light as well.
This news sent ripples through Qin Ming's heart. He could hardly wait to rush over and explore alongside them.
Over the next dozen days, Qin Ming and his squad set out every other day, finally clearing that entire expanse of ruins. Now, it was time to head for the central grand palace.
It was fair to say that almost all the people he had initially known had been replaced. Some quit after entering just once; the rest had all died.
"You really are a divine archer?" Pan Yutong's expression was complicated.
For this final expedition toward the central grand palace, she had come as well, likewise serving the Fourth Princess.
Zhao Wencheng had arrived too, preparing to accompany them into the central grand palace.
Over the past several days, clearing those ruined halls had yielded nothing.
Yet the elders remained brimming with confidence regarding the central grand palace.
Originally, Qin Ming hadn't planned on getting involved any further, but the compensation offered was simply too lavish: two thousand day gold, plus an extraordinary art manual.
Yao Ruoxian arrived in person, clad in armor that even concealed her face. One could only discern her slender, elegant figure, while her true countenance remained hidden.
She was surrounded by a multitude of experts.
She had been dissuaded from going in; for the maiden expedition, the elders would not permit her to enter the central grand palace in person.
In fact, Qin Ming was actually passed over. When the nine-person squad was initially chosen, he wasn't picked, but he still followed along as an alternate.
Whether it was an illusion or not, as Qin Ming stood near the grand palace, he felt the rag shudder slightly. A jolt of terror ran through his heart—this had never happened before.
It had actually moved on its own!
At the same time, Qin Ming felt it absorb a wisp of the Extreme Yin qi leaking from the central grand palace, after which it trembled once more.
However, it did not continue absorbing the Yin qi.
***
Meanwhile, in the deepest depths of the Kunling domain, amidst layers of peculiar, overlapping spatial pockets, the vanished patriarchs were all present.
At this moment, they were utterly shaken. Having breached a mysterious realm, they beheld within a cavernous grotto the coffins of godlike entities—not just one, but several lying arrayed before them. Furthermore, they saw a nine-colored altar.
"What is that?!"
Upon that altar, a scrap of cloth was enshrined, treated with even greater reverence than the coffins of the gods.
One of the patriarchs moved, seeking to take it into his grasp.
Chapter 226