"I'm not sure. That's merely a small earthen city. Rumor has it that the true city has walls of white jade and is immense in scale!"
According to the records in the Kunling Record of Godlike Beings, that divine cicada and the other near-immortal creatures had all fled upon seeing that city.
Therefore, these patriarchs had no desire to court further trouble either.
After conferring, they prepared to sever this passage.
Soon, they cut off the connection between the six divine coffins and the rag.
"Can even godkin creatures fail to withstand the passage of time? They've actually rotted away."
At this moment, they opened one of the coffins. A creature with the head of a human and the body of a serpent carried a heavy stench of decay, almost completely decomposed.
"It is only because these corpses have provided power to the passage year after year; they were nearly drained dry."
Once the connection between the six divine coffins and the rag was severed, the latter drifted down like a fallen leaf.
Instantly, several giant hands lunged forward to grab it.
Cao Qianqiu thrust out the spear engraved with divine symbols.
However, four palms struck at him simultaneously, drawing a muffled grunt as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
His face turned grim. Ever since returning from Black-White Mountain, bad luck had dogged his every step. Even while wielding this spear suspected to be linked to a deity, he had suffered one injury after another.
***
Qin Ming felt somewhat dissatisfied. He had already entered the grand palace for a second time.
In truth, the other survivors also harbored strong resentment. Were they truly being treated as cannon fodder?
"A third time—who else is willing to enter? Extra compensation will be provided!" an elder of Great Yu asked.
After resting for a sufficient amount of time, Qin Ming pondered the matter and decided to volunteer.
His rag was still inside. Counting the time, if he didn't retrieve it soon, Yao Ruoxian would personally take the stage. If that happened, fishing it out might become extremely troublesome.
Most crucially, the monstrous Yin mist in the grand palace was no longer as dense as before; he reckoned that the rag had finished absorbing the essence.
"Three thousand day gold, plus an extraordinary art." The people of Great Yu readily made Qin Ming an offer.
Qin Ming smiled, his mood finally lifting quite a bit. This time, he chose the Wind Driving Scripture.
No matter what, his gains today could be considered immense—securing two extraordinary arts in a single day.
Even if he stepped into the Outer Sage realm in the coming days, he wouldn't have to worry about lacking new extraordinary arts to cultivate.
An elder spoke up generously: "Young man, your archery is divine. This time, we will give you thirty-six arrows forged from a blend of jade iron."
Many people were pleased with this divine marksman, having already learned that his clearing efforts were the most efficient.
"Princess, it's him! He's the one who shaved my head bald! How detestable!" Beside Yao Ruoxian, the four-winged bird was indignant, wearing a little red cap to hide its bald head.
This time, after fighting his way inside, Qin Ming shot and killed several half-decayed fierce ghosts in succession. Finding an opportunity, he moved through the dense black mist, shaking off his companions. With structures blocking the view of the old fellows outside, he approached the pool.
Sure enough, the pool water that had been black as ink was now like clear broth, having turned much clearer and no longer impenetrable like ink.
Qin Ming could distinctly sense that the rag had grown a size larger. The section depicting dense black mist had expanded noticeably, resembling a world of night.
Splash!
Just as he hooked the rag out of the water, it shook violently. Then, to his astonishment, he saw a second scrap of cloth leap out right after it.
He suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him. What kind of pool water was this? Had the rag actually spawned offspring here?!
Soon, Qin Ming confirmed that a second, smaller scrap of cloth had truly appeared.
He was dumbfounded. Was this pool connected to the Mother-and-Child River?
***
In the overlapping space, within that perilous realm, Cao Qianqiu was enraged.
Though bad luck had plagued him lately with mishaps occurring one after another, he had actually been quite fortunate just moments ago.
When multiple patriarchs struck together, the scrap of cloth had flown toward him, and he had snatched it in his grip.
He could clearly sense that this thing was extraordinary; no matter how much power he infused into it, he couldn't damage this scrap of cloth in the slightest.
Yet at the critical moment, the scrap—which had previously shown no activity—suddenly gave a violent shake, broke free from his pure yang spiritual light, and vanished into the earth veins.
Something already in his grasp had flown away on its own!
At the same time, several patriarchs were already attacking, striking Cao Qianqiu together to seize the mysterious scrap of cloth.
***
Qin Ming confirmed that things couldn't be so absurd. It was impossible for a rag to spawn young—this was a new piece of cloth that had actively flown here to join it!
In a flash, the two pieces of cloth joined together and merged into a single whole.
An extra palm-sized section appeared, displaying new scenery upon it. Without examining it closely, he swiftly put it away.
Originally, he had felt a twinge of regret over not resonating with any special scripture here, but now his mind was completely at peace. Two extraordinary arts plus a second piece of rag—this journey was a massive harvest, more than enough!
As he drew his bow in quick succession to shoot down ghosts and monsters, his hairs suddenly stood on end. He sensed the Yin qi nearby thickening heavily—an even more formidable ancient had appeared.
Qin Ming realized what was happening: Yao Ruoxian had charged in personally. She swept toward the pool like dry twigs before the wind, crushing the monsters that had occupied the area earlier. Moreover, she had already discovered the black treasure seal surrounded by swirling characters in the pool.
Qin Ming turned and fled. It was obvious that a major catastrophe was about to erupt here.
Sure enough, just as he bolted out, total chaos erupted inside the grand palace.
Yao Ruoxian took the black seal, thousands of black rays swirling in her palm, and she also uprooted that rare ghost medicine. This provoked universal wrath, even awakening ancient ghosts from their slumber.
In an instant, this realm was filled with the wails of ghosts and the howling of spirits. Malevolent qi surged to the heavens as the entire area boiled over.
Not only within the grand palace, but the ground across the earlier ruined halls also cracked open. Ghosts and monsters clawed their way out of the Yin soil, their shadowy forms lunging to slaughter everyone in sight.
Yao Ruoxian charged out. She was definitely someone beyond the second realm, possessing profound cultivation and radiant conscious spiritual light. Bringing her spoils with her as she fought her way outside, she was immediately shielded by a crowd of old fellows.
Everyone began to flee in terror!
This was no ordinary place; with so many structures, it had to be a vital stronghold of ghost cultivators.
Qin Ming felt that something was amiss. Some of the ancient ghosts were utterly terrifying, their Yin qi piercing the heavens and their cultivation frighteningly high. He certainly couldn't run faster than Yao Ruoxian and those old fellows; if he followed them in flight, he would surely become their scapegoat.
He immediately did the exact opposite. Spotting several adolescent ghosts, he took the initiative to meet them, and then cooperatively allowed them to knock him to the ground.
Qin Ming protected his body with dim heavenly light, letting them pounce on him and gnaw away.
Naturally, separated by a layer of light, these ghost creatures couldn't actually harm him.
Sure enough, he was temporarily safe. When those ancient ghosts saw him pinned down, none of them bothered with him at all; they all charged into the distance to hunt down stronger enemies.
Qin Ming couldn't just wait here quietly. With six little ghosts clinging to his back, he ran in a direction where no ancient ghosts were giving chase.
He planned to take a detour and leave the boundless black mist of the Kunling domain.
Along the way, whenever he sensed the heaven-soaring malevolent qi of an ancient ghost, he would immediately drop to the ground and let the six little ghosts bite at him.
Throughout his journey, Qin Ming alternated between running and stopping, traveling with ghosts clinging to his body.
During this time, to his astonishment, he actually discovered a kindred spirit: an old fellow from the Dayu Imperial Dynasty, covered in blood and heavily wounded, was running with an ancient ghost clinging to his back.
However, the old man was quite unlucky; behind him, another ancient ghost was in hot pursuit, refusing to give up on him.
Clearly, this person lacked the strength to travel while burdened by two ghosts.
Such ancient ghosts were exceptionally formidable, appearing to be at least in the third realm.
Seeing this, Qin Ming proactively fell to the ground and stayed motionless.
What chilled his heart was that the old man didn't act human at all—he ran straight toward Qin Ming, dragging both ancient ghosts with him! And upon drawing near, he kicked and shattered several of Qin Ming's little ghosts in rapid succession.
Qin Ming was alarmed and furious. He had done his utmost to help Great Yu, yet this old fellow was so sinister, trying to expose him so he would take the fall.
Fortunately, the ancient ghosts looked down on Qin Ming and continued chasing the old man of Great Yu without pausing.
Qin Ming gritted his teeth. That old bastard was utterly venomous. With no prior grudge between them, he had actually done such a thing.
Qin Ming hastily hung two little ghosts whose bodies were half-shattered but not yet dead back onto himself. To stay alive, he couldn't be too particular.
He chose a safe route again. He had to leave quickly—the shameless old bastards here were far more dangerous.
Not far away, deafening roars echoed. The old man was fighting desperately against the two ancient ghosts in a battle of life and death.
A moment later, Qin Ming sensed something wrong. The surroundings were quiet, yet his hairs stood on end. He whipped his head around and spotted a blood-soaked figure silently approaching.
"Senior, congratulations on slaying two fierce ghosts in succession. A glorious feat!" Qin Ming spoke, though he was cursing in his heart. It was actually that very old man from earlier.
Although this fellow hadn't dared to carry two ghosts, he had actually fought desperately and triumphed.
The old man was covered in wounds and swaying on his feet. His chest and abdomen had split open and had only been forcibly sealed shut through a secret technique; there was even a bloody hole between his brows. He had paid a grievous price.
Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he said, "Heh, young man, you can truly keep your composure. Fine, hand over all the gold notes on you. Twice now, that makes five thousand day gold. Quite an enticing sum indeed."
Qin Ming said in a deep voice, "Senior, I risked life and limb to serve Great Yu. In the end, is this how you treat me?"
Fury surged in his heart. Not only had this old fellow tried to harm him earlier, but now he wanted to rob him of his wealth. Clearly, he wouldn't spare Qin Ming's life in the end either—he would definitely silence him.
The old man gave a faint smile and said, "This is my own will; it has nothing to do with Great Yu. Oh right, you also have two extraordinary arts on you. Hand those over as well. My good-for-nothing grandson is just as useless as you, only able to walk the Newborn path. It will be perfect to bring them back for him to cultivate."
Qin Ming wanted nothing more than to cleave him in two on the spot. Not only was this old bastard plotting his murder, but he was also insulting him like this. What a shameless piece of work!
The old man stepped forward and said, "What, still defiant? Hand over the items, and I might consider sparing you."
Undoubtedly, he would never spare Qin Ming. He only feared Qin Ming might tear up the gold notes or shatter the extraordinary arts, so he wanted to stabilize him first.
"Do not dream of resisting. A petty Outer Sage like you cannot possibly trade blows with an expert of the third realm; you will be killed in an instant." The old man was very nonchalant.
He knew Qin Ming possessed astonishing archery skills, but at such close range, the youth wouldn't have time to draw a bow and nock an arrow.
Most crucially, he had witnessed the youth's heavenly light force. While impressive, it wasn't something like Tathagata force or Yuqing force. Even though he was heavily injured, this youth posed no threat to him.
Qin Ming held the hilt of his saber, though he didn't immediately draw it from its scabbard. "Senior, your wounds are quite severe. In such a state, you still want to intercept and kill me?"
"Heh, even with less than ten percent of my power remaining, you are nowhere near my match. Do not dream of a miracle or turning the tables."
Feeling the distance was just right, the old man suddenly shot forth a beam of conscious spiritual light carrying a faint pure yang attribute from between his brows, slashing toward Qin Ming.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't need to get this close at all, but right now, heavily wounded by the two fierce ghosts, he was exceptionally weak.
Clang!
Qin Ming drew his saber. The mutton-fat jade iron saber instantly blazed with dazzling brilliance, far surpassing before, because this was terrifying heavenly light comparable to Four Imperials force!
This heavenly light force technique was more domineering than any legendary force technique, like a great sun exploding and casting light in all directions!
Earlier, when Qin Ming fought in the central grand palace, he had naturally held back. How could he have possibly revealed his true heavenly light force?
The old man was shocked; his weakened conscious spiritual light was actually ignited!
Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn't fear it at all and had numerous ways to slay the youth before him. But right now, only ten to twenty percent of his strength remained.
He wanted to erupt with power, but couldn't—his frontal bone was cracked with a bloody hole.
Grunting in agony, he retreated swiftly.
Yet at such close quarters, the youth pressed forward. The saber light arced like a rainbow, slashing straight at him. The burning of his conscious spiritual light threw his consciousness into disarray.
Pfft!
The saber struck the old man. Although he dodged a vital strike, an arm was severed and flew from his body.
"That's it?" Qin Ming was stunned.
Earlier, his heart had been pounding, and he had prepared himself for a fight to the death. After all, he had a clear understanding of third-realm practitioners—for now, he truly couldn't defeat one.
Now, he immediately understood that less than a tenth of the other party's power truly remained.
Alarmed and infuriated that he was actually about to capsize in a mere gutter, the old man turned and fled.
Qin Ming sneered. He drew his bow and released an arrow; the jade iron arrow carried his strongest heavenly light, striking one of the old man's legs with a pfft and instantly blowing open a bloody hole.
In an instant, Qin Ming charged forward.
The old man was filled with bitter regret and wanted to say something, but the youth's momentum was like a rainbow. That terrifying heavenly light force swept forth as the jade iron blade swung, cutting off his words.
He hurriedly resisted, exhausting every method at his disposal.
In the end, however, he could only scream in agony. An ear was sheared off, followed by his other arm being severed, blood gushing like a fountain.
In truth, Qin Ming had intended to cleave him straight down the middle, but the man had managed to dodge it.
If one strike wasn't enough, he would follow up with another. Flowing with eight brilliant shades of light across his entire body like a divine halo draped over him, Qin Ming advanced with saber in hand and flashed past.
Pfft!
This time, the old man's body was sliced into two halves, cleaved clean open.
A short distance away, Qin Ming sheathed his saber and stood still.
Chapter 228