The long night returned, draping heaven and earth in pitch black.
All the patriarchs had drawn back their heavenly light and conscious spiritual brilliance.
Cao Qianqiu felt stifled with resentment. He had become the biggest loser of all.
Deep within the plateau, an object giving off a hazy glimmer levitated from the ground, coming into the sight of every patriarch.
Cao Qianqiu's gaze was dark as he stared fixedly at it.
It was none other than that rust-pitted spear. Now it had awakened on its own and ascended into the night sky.
At this moment, with no rounds of suns spanning the firmament, it stood out conspicuously. Clear divine glyphs flickered across its shaft.
Everyone knew Old Cao had cast it aside earlier. None moved to snatch it, for all could sense its eerie, wicked nature.
Looking at it, Cao Qianqiu tasted bitter, complicated feelings. Ever since obtaining this spear, he had not known a single day of peace; misfortune after misfortune had befallen him.
In particular, his turning point today had come when he abruptly plunged from midair. In that split second, his body had been blown apart, after which his decline had become irreversible.
*Could the influence of Black-White Mountain still be haunting me to this day?*
Cao Qianqiu's gaze dimmed as he fell into profound silence. None could fathom his mood or what he was pondering.
The rust-pitted spear wobbled about like a leisurely vagrant strolling through the night sky, drifting past Old Cao like a ghost.
At last, it circled once around Cao Qianqiu before sauntering off.
Fury flared in Old Cao's eyes. Truly, when a tiger descends to the open plains, it is bullied even by dogs!
Even a rusted spear dared to flaunt itself before him. He longed to smash it with a single palm.
Yet he held back. He was now acutely aware of how deep these waters ran; the matters involved might well be far more terrifying than a battle among patriarchs.
The spear receded into the distance and vanished into the vast night, heading in the direction of Black-White Mountain.
No one moved to intercept it. These were all extraordinary figures who naturally discerned some clues.
Sun Taichu, Zhao Wenhan, and their peers were especially aware of where Cao Qianqiu had brought it from. His recent string of misfortunes was plain for all to see; he had been dropping the ball at every crucial juncture.
The night mist world was boundless and without end, teeming with mystery, the unknown, and unfathomable horrors.
Figures of the patriarch level were not only cautious toward the Great Reclamation; they also dared not lower their guard even within territories they already held.
Within the existing bounds of human domain, there still lurked perils they did not understand. A momentary lapse could cost even a patriarch his life.
Dense, heavy dark clouds once more blanketed the sky above the magnificent plateau.
The patriarchs rose like bright moons, piercing the cloud layers and vanishing from the crowd's view.
Heaven and earth turned ink-black, returning to their original shade.
The patriarchs had gone above the thick clouds to negotiate.
Without a bloody battle beforehand, such tranquility would never have been possible.
In the end, strength alone brought reason.
Of course, negotiating atop the dark clouds could hardly be harmonious.
After all, they had been locked in desperate combat just moments before, and everyone bore injuries.
At times, piercing light even tore through the clouds—patriarchs slamming the table, flashing like lightning across the night sky.
"What, are you putting on airs now? If you want to talk like that, let's fight another round! You kill yours and I'll kill mine! We'll sever each other's paths and see who suffers more!"
Such voices rang clearly from deep within the clouds, rumbling across the sky like thunder gods bickering with lightning goddesses.
Beyond the plateau, many people shuddered in fright.
"Sun Taichu, you hypocrite, trying to play both sides!"
On the prairie below, many immortal path disciples hastily lowered their heads. Was this the kind of talk fit for their ears?
Everyone felt that the Newborn path patriarchs were truly fierce and unyielding, willing to shout anything aloud.
"Cao, you little brat, go sit on the sidelines! This isn't your place to talk. Even if you're resentful, bottle it up, or we'll wipe you out completely!"
In the distance, onlookers were left dumbfounded.
Truthfully, many dared not listen to the titans' squabbles, fearing great calamity might descend upon them.
Yet who lacked curiosity? When the information forced its way into their ears, who wouldn't want to peer into the patriarchs' private affairs?
"Lu Yu, are you threatening us?"
"Qingtian, have you been eating rotting corpses lately? What a venomous mouth!"
"Rulai, you'd do better staying mute! Chiming in out of nowhere at crucial moments, trying to settle the universe in one breath?!"
Patriarchs were human as well; during negotiations, none remained transcendent.
Through the dense night, clouds occasionally burst open as heavenly light force and conscious spiritual light flared violently.
"If we're digging up roots and severing green sprouts, who's afraid of whom? Our Newborn path has a massive base and a low threshold! But if you want to find disciples with unique gifts or superior immortal seeds, that'll be far harder for you!"
Although the immortal path patriarchs held the numerical advantage, they discovered that the Newborn path patriarchs were entirely undaunted. In fact, they were openly provoking them, their eyes gleaming with high fighting spirit as if longing for another clash.
Sun Taichu, Qian Jingxing, and the others could not help but suspect once more: had someone on the other side truly blazed a new trail, needing to die once before being reborn? These men were madmen!
In the end, both sides reached a general consensus.
As for the rough patches during the process, they amounted to little.
Only Cao Qianqiu felt utterly aggrieved and choked with rage.
Even during the talks, that old scoundrel Qingtian had made a routine of mocking him.
"Cao Four, you have less than half your cultivation left and barely forty percent of your pure yang conscious origin. You aren't qualified to sit at the table with us."
On the grassland, listeners were left speechless. Old Cao was truly pitiful, having earned a brand-new moniker bestowed by the Newborn path patriarchs.
Without question, it was a far cry from his former title of "Undefeated Cao."
The secrets of these titans could not be leaked indefinitely. Atop the dark clouds, hazy light radiated outward, shrouding the area so that no further voices drifted down.
"Old Cao, it's fine. Rest for a while, and there will still be hope for everything," Sun Taichu consoled him.
With Cao Qianqiu half-crippled, Sun Taichu, Zhao Wenhan, and the others did not take drastic retaliatory actions.
In truth, this blade needed to be sheathed; at this stage, it should no longer be brandished. With the Great Reclamation looming, keeping him active outside would do no one any good.
"You aren't acting honorably. I am a patriarch of our path! After such a thing happened, you won't strike back? Did you only ever treat me as a drudge in the past?" Cao Qianqiu said coldly.
Sun Taichu said, "Old Cao, don't let your thoughts run wild. Once we return, all manner of otherworldly divine items and treasures from deep within the night mist world will be yours to choose from. In the future, you may yet recover."
Zhao Wenhan also spoke up. "Their research into 'rebirth' has likely broken through its traditional boundaries; someone has blazed a trail. Those old fellows keep claiming they're about to die, but in truth they want to use our hands to temper themselves and seek life through death. Naturally, we cannot grant their wish. Brother Cao, you must stay calm."
The clouds and mists parted. Those gentle suns and moons all flew toward Kunling City.
Evidently, there were matters they still needed to discuss with the esoteric sect.
On the grassland, Yuque longed to fly to Qin Ming, but considering the circumstances, it held back for now. It was not yet strong enough and did not want to draw scrutiny and become a burden to its mountain lord.
"Princess, such an extraordinary talent has emerged. I think we ought to pay him a visit later," Yuque urged the purple lightning beast, hoping to use her to reunite with the mountain lord.
"Strange to say, but I feel an inexplicable quality about him, as if I've dealt with him more than once before," the purple lightning beast muttered.
"That means you have an affinity! You can become allies!" Yuque said.
Many acquaintances wished to see Qin Ming, but the timing was improper; the crowd was simply too dense for them to approach.
There were also those who had briefly crossed paths with him in the past, now utterly shocked and unable to believe he had attained such heights.
For instance, the white-robed maiden Luo Yao from the immortal land stared intently at that figure, confirming he was indeed the youth she had met at Black-White Mountain. It felt completely absurd!
Back then, she and a woman in green had stopped briefly at Black-White Village, even smilingly telling the youth not to overthink things, as the distance between them was as vast as mountains and seas.
How much time had passed? Half a year, perhaps? Yet he had grown to this extent.
Luo Yao was still months away from becoming an immortal seed, while he had already defeated two immortal seeds right here.
Sensing something, Qin Ming glanced in that direction.
In truth, he had already seen Luo Yao at the Six Imperials ancestral court, though he had gone by the alias Qi Zizai then, defeating a group of challengers from the Fangwai Immortal Land who practiced the Newborn path's supreme art, the *Immortal-Combating Classic*.
*No, I have to go take a look and get close to him!* Luo Yao thought to herself. *Could he be a formidable genius on par with my sister?*
Her sister had seized the greatest fortune of Black-White Mountain, while the leftover scraps she discarded had been picked up by Qin Ming.
*What a pity Sister didn't come to Kunling.*
The crowd around Qin Ming was far too thick, and Luo Yao could not squeeze through, unable to approach for now.
Qin Ming collected the four portions of auspicious beast blood without a hitch; this time, no one made things difficult for him.
After all, Pu Heng, the one who had started the trouble in the first place, had already been crippled!
Qin Ming was astonished. Each portion of auspicious beast blood was exceedingly generous, sealed within a crystal the size of a human head—more than enough even for someone of high cultivation.
Many gazed with burning eyes at the four large crystals he had received. The blood within shone resplendently, its golden glow banishing the night mist, resembling fragments carved from a blazing sun.
Qin Ming was thoroughly pleased. It was not yet time to divide the spoils, so he kept them all on his person.
Envious looks appeared on many faces.
Qin Ming was now a dazzling rising star on the Newborn path, and with Lu Zizai, Yu Gensheng, and Zhao Ziyuan accompanying him, naturally no one dared make a move.
"Brother Ming!" Xiao Wu squeezed through. Having obtained two portions of auspicious beast blood, he was quite content as well.
On the prairie, the crowds dispersed, the vast majority heading toward Kunling City.
Earlier that day, divine radiance had blossomed at the Fourth Peril, and the ground had violently shaken. Certain prominent figures from the esoteric sect had appeared there.
Rumors began spreading that old eccentrics from the immortal path had ventured into that territory to excavate and search for something, sparking an unexplained clash.
In the end, peace returned, and the matter was left unresolved.
However, upon the return of several esoteric sect titans, the glances they cast at the immortal path patriarchs were fraught with hostility, rendering the atmosphere exceedingly tense for a time.
In particular, Lu Yu, the Present Rulai, and Yuqing were all in Kunling City, and Patriarch Qingtian openly called out, offering to join hands with the esoteric sect to strike together.
Qingtian said, "What, you're letting it go just like that? Esoteric sect, I look down on you! Old eccentrics from the immortal path went to dig up your peerless titan, yet you're being so cowardly!"
Seeing him stir up trouble and sow discord, the immortal path members were thoroughly displeased.
Fortunately, the esoteric sect restrained themselves, letting the matter pass.
According to the esoteric sect titans, they had suffered no loss whatsoever.
When Yu Gensheng and Zhao Ziyuan heard about it, they marveled at how deep and unfathomable the foundations of the esoteric sect and outer realms truly were.
Qin Ming and the two elders returned to Shanhe Academy, settling in smoothly.
Lu Zizai departed in haste, presumably to meet with the various patriarchs.
Presently, within Kunling City, not only were patriarchs from the Newborn path, the esoteric sect, and the outer realms convening, but extraordinary beasts like the six-tusked dragon elephant and the Purple Lightning Beast Ancestor had also arrived.
People felt that the Era of Great Pioneering might truly be upon them.
Furthermore, word had it that an old ancestor of the ghost path had personally arrived in Kunling City that very day, alongside sect masters from revived ancient immortal lineages.
Because the Kunling domain had temporarily been unsealed, they had emerged from the Yin soil and secret dao grounds; they were people of antiquity.
Without doubt, the world's paths were multiplying.
For a time, storms gathered from all directions in Kunling City as patriarchs of every path met to deliberate great matters.
Naturally, the experts and elite disciples of each path did not leave either, entering the city. The already prosperous metropolis grew all the more bustling.
Every inn was packed to capacity.
After returning to Shanhe Academy, many sought to visit Qin Ming. He received a mountain of invitations, some from divine seeds of the esoteric sect and immortal seeds of the outer realms; an assembly of the night mist world's top prodigies was to take place soon.
Additionally, there were invitations to banquets, auctions, and various gatherings attended by notable figures.
Xiao Wu was similarly courted from all sides. He lamented, "I feel like I'd need clones to manage. Invitations to all sorts of gatherings are pouring in."
Humans were social creatures; Qin Ming and Xiao Wu could not remain in complete seclusion. Certain invitations and events were unavoidable. With patriarch-level figures presiding, they had no fear of anyone causing trouble and were eager to broaden their horizons.
However, these exceptional gatherings naturally required prioritization.
Among the arrangements were people Qin Ming wanted to see, as well as events he was passively drawn into.
He would naturally prioritize meeting Li Qingyue, Ning Siqi, Xiang Yiwu, and others; gatherings of top prodigies would have to take a back seat.
At the same time, he wanted to know whether Meng Xinghai and Old Man Li had arrived in Kunling City, hoping to repay them with substantial gifts.
For the moment, Qin Ming guarded his focus and went nowhere, diligently studying the *Geomagnetic Classic* given to him by Yu Gensheng and Zhao Ziyuan—a technique into which the two elders had poured the better part of their lives.
The system was remarkably complete, with subsequent secret texts building upon the foundation of this *Geomagnetic Classic*.
"Little Qin, the *Withering and Thriving Classic* has been found as well!" Before long, the two elders brought him the extraordinary manual he had long yearned for.
Qin Ming had coveted this scripture for a long time. He had been thrilled when he obtained half of the withering scripture from a ghost cultivator, and only today did he finally possess the complete work.
Crucially, in his subsequent cultivation plans, his practice of the second realm required this wondrous manual, making it of considerable importance.
"If you need anything else, just say the word!" Zhao Ziyuan said.
Qin Ming said, "Elders, there's no rush. Here is the auspicious beast blood. Please take it first and see how much it extends your lifespans."
Yu Gensheng shook his head. "We have already ingested similar wondrous blood elixirs; we may have developed a resistance. It shouldn't be wasted on us."
Qin Ming said, "This is auspicious beast blood. It ought to prolong your life!"
...
Cultivators of various paths had gathered in Kunling City in great numbers. Though not deliberately organized, it had become a rare opportunity for exchange, rivaling a grand festival.
Amidst this, there were naturally those left despondent.
Foremost among them, without question, was the lineage of Cao Qianqiu.
Old Cao was choked with fury, with nowhere to vent it.
While the patriarchs of each path were deliberating great matters together, he was excluded, barred from entering.
The primary reason was that the Newborn path patriarchs despised him, and the immortal path did not wish to fight again on his account.
With icy eyes, Cao Qianqiu sat in a quiet chamber, seriously pondering methods of destruction and rebirth. He could simply not endure such a staggering fall from grace.
Even if he wanted to put it out of sight and out of mind, he could not leave immediately. He had no way of traveling back to the pure land alone, fearing he would be ambushed along the way.
In his current state, he had to travel alongside Sun Taichu and the others.
Pu Heng wore a look of mourning; since being crippled, all his vitality and spirit had vanished.
His sole hope was that his master could blaze a trail of destruction and rebirth, carrying him to new heights once more.
Li Qingxu, on the other hand, remained quite calm, virtually unaffected.
After all, he had already mocked himself by changing his name to Li Bai—the Defeated. Lately, being beaten had... stabilized his dao heart.
He felt increasingly convinced that breaking down to rebuild was his true grand dao.
"Draw lessons, comprehend various scriptures, travel the world. When three walk together, one must be my teacher," Li Qingxu murmured to himself, his conviction steadfast.
Upon overhearing these words, as much as Cao Qianqiu cared for his disciple, he could barely resist beating him. Such talk of three walking together felt like an unbearable humiliation to Old Cao.
"Little Qin has truly exceeded my expectations by far, proving even more formidable than I imagined!" At this moment, Meng Xinghai had arrived and was also in Kunling City.
Furthermore, he was walking alongside Li Qingyun.
Although the battle of patriarchs had concluded, discussions were still fervent.
Aside from the patriarchs themselves, Lu Zizai and Qin Ming—who had claimed four portions of auspicious beast blood on his own—were central figures of discussion.
"At the early stage of the second realm, this Qin Ming defeated two immortal seeds at the middle stage of the second realm on the immortal path. His dazzling display is beyond question; peers at the same realm can hardly hold him in check!"
"Do you think Cui Chonghe at the same level could suppress him?"
"That can only be known once they fight."
From the Newborn path to the immortal path, and on to the esoteric sect, many spoke of him. Even his rivals studied him with grim seriousness.
"No need to worry, you're overthinking it," spoke Mu Qingfeng, a renowned figure of the immortal path.
He held extraordinary status as the personal disciple of a patriarch. He said, "He will not become your rival."
"Ah, that's true!" Many came to a realization.
Mu Qingfeng said, "He belongs to the Newborn path. He rose swiftly in his early days, but now that he has set foot in the second realm—Outer Manifestation—it is as if a true dragon has been bound in shackles, or a phoenix has had its wings clipped. He can no longer soar so high or move so quickly; he can only trudge slowly across the ground."
As the personal disciple of a patriarch, his words naturally carried great weight. He continued, "What do newborn cultivators rely upon? They must endure through the passage of years. He spent seven or eight months completing the first realm, but next he will sink into a quagmire, remaining stagnant for a very long time."
Mu Qingfeng then smiled faintly. "Even if he is remarkable now, his ultimate rivals will not be you, but your juniors."
He remarked with a smile that if anyone doubted it, they could wager with him. Even with supreme endowment, Qin Ming would have no choice but to accept this harsh reality.
Mu Qingfeng said, "Forget a few months—even in the coming year, or several years, it will be difficult for Qin Ming to break through!"
Back at Shanhe Academy, Qin Ming was pondering the very same question. Possessing a clear awareness of his own condition, he murmured to himself, "My cultivation speed must not slow down. I must maintain it!"
Chapter 247