A sheet of "glowing paper," coalesced from Dao patterns rather than physical matter, bore characters that formed a contract, currently illuminating this stretch of void.
The characters were numerous, bright as stars, each one glowing, radiating golden dawn light with every stroke. These densely packed characters formed a bridge connecting Liguang and Qin Ming.
Such a "ritual" could not simply be initiated unilaterally and successfully conclude or take effect. That would be too defiant of the natural order; it required the assent of the other party.
Yet who in their right mind would agree to such an unequal immortal contract? Thus, it came down to subjugation.
Now the ritual had formed, but it was still hard to say who would be the master!
"What the hell is this thing?" Qin Ming felt a chill in his heart. It was like a "document" attempting to brand him and take effect, so he naturally resisted with all his might.
The sun elven Grandmaster's pupils contracted in deep worry, but it was too late to say anything now; he was blocked by Ling Canghai.
Most crucially, Liguang was not in her best state. Having been forced out of her casting domain, she was left with nothing to rely on, whereas the Ancient Tree of Life should have protected her.
Meanwhile, that bizarre youth would rather endure heavy blows than yield the spot, barring the rightful owner outside. This was an unusual mutual devastation—a contest to see who could outlast the other.
With a thought from Liguang, the immortal vista drew closer to her.
Yet Qin Ming was swept along with it. Without a second word, he blasted toward her again, seeking to drive her off.
No one had anticipated such a spectacle. Their positions should have been reversed, yet the situation was so bizarre that Qin Ming had made himself the master of someone else's domain.
Barred from her own home, Liguang gritted her teeth in hatred. Being separated for long from the vista conjured through the mysterious ritual would weaken her, as it was tied to her cultivation and mana.
She frantically drove the "glowing paper." Blazing brighter than a miniature sun, it flew along the bridge of golden characters toward Qin Ming, aiming to paste itself onto him.
"Do you take me for a zombie, trying to slap a talisman on me?" Seeing it shooting straight for the space between his brows, Qin Ming snapped.
Heavenly light force erupted from his palm. With a swish, he snatched it and hauled violently, warping its shape.
"Cast it back!" Meng Xinghai shouted.
"Hm?" Qin Ming realized that his knowledge was limited. Without systematic study inside a major sect, he lacked sensitivity and a sufficient store of insight in certain matters.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it out. A rumbling roar shook the entire bridge of characters violently, causing Liguang on the opposite side to pale in fright.
She blocked it with great difficulty, fortunately restabilizing the immortal contract. If it had subjugated her in reverse, it would have been quite a disaster; the scene was unimaginable.
To be safe, she gritted her teeth and channeled the immortal vista ahead to suppress Qin Ming, at least aiming to severely wound him, for otherwise there was no way to subjugate him.
In an instant, the Ancient Tree of Life swayed violently. Scriptures fell from its leaves like blade lights, slashing toward Qin Ming.
"Can... can anyone in the second realm really hurt me?" Qin Ming felt the pressure multiply. Under the suppression, his blood and qi churned, making him yearn to govern all methods with the silk book's scriptures and throw a punch.
However, he felt he could still endure, so he held back a little longer.
"With a good enough hoe, there is no divine tree that can't be felled!" The five-color saber in his hand lengthened as he dug frantically into the ground, severing underground roots and tendrils.
At the same time, five-color light enveloped his body, accompanied by a burst of light rain from the Rosy Cloud Ascension Art to counter the divine tree of life.
Blood seeped from the corner of Liguang's mouth, and her body swayed as if she were the one being uprooted.
She truly could not fathom how things had reached this point, running into such a freak who occupied her territory like this.
Liguang took a risk and stimulated the great sun within the black mist. Resembling a flattened human face, it opened its eyes, dripping blood downward and radiating terrifying light.
Qin Ming's hairs stood on end. This was the object he dreaded most, capable of truly threatening him; this blood sun was the core of this forbidden technique.
Qin Ming channeled the Rosy Cloud Ascension Art, hurling all his light rain upward.
In mere moments, the light rain was vaporized.
In the process, he shook the tree's main root while simultaneously unleashing the Golden Wave Immortal Treasury taught to him by Chu Yuan!
All at once, the space where he stood filled with golden light, the void cracking with countless fissures connecting to one secret realm after another that contained immortal treasuries.
In truth, this was the manifestation of the various arts he had learned.
Centering around Qin Ming, heavenly light force shot upward repeatedly, pounding into that bleeding sun.
"He uses this trump card even more deftly than I do!" Jiang Yunfan was dazed.
Chu Yuan was likewise amazed. To blend heavenly light with a portion of consciousness and reshape a top-tier immortal path art to this extent was truly a wondrous technique.
"Is that truly... an immortal?" Before the South Heavenly Gate, all the young people were stunned.
Above the tree canopy, the sun looming in the black mist actually looked more like an evil god, encroaching from that unfathomable realm into the real world, as if seeking to preach its doctrine here.
People could even hear its whispers, seeming to chant true scriptures.
Many youths nearly succumbed, wanting to kneel and prostrate themselves, while others felt light and airy as if ascending to immortality, resonating with it and desiring to comprehend the Dao here; all were affected to varying degrees.
"A lingering silhouette... of a fallen immortal from bygone days, visualized by this elven maiden. That form can be considered the true visage of this immortal," Grandmaster Ling Canghai remarked.
"Immortals aren't what we imagined!" Many expressed confusion and bewilderment.
Ling Canghai said, "What did you think immortals were? Aloof and proud, perched above the ninth heaven? Or mingling in the mortal dust, roaming the four seas in spirit, and traversing the boundless night mist world? Immortals are not as wonderful as you imagine. Throughout history, immortals—such as Feathered Immortals, Earth Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, and more—have taken many forms and types. When you stand high enough, take your time to savor it yourselves."
Qin Ming thought to himself that these people were awfully leisurely, chatting about immortals while watching the spectacle as he was fighting for his life!
By this point, he had exhausted the Golden Wave Immortal Treasury, yet the immortal shadow remained unpurged, still dripping crimson blood with a steady patter.
"Planting Immortal Lotus in Heavenly Light—not only did he master it, but he brought it to perfection?" Before the South Heavenly Gate, Tang Jin was shocked, while Ling Yu beside her was petrified.
Back then, the two had only briefly described it to Qin Ming, telling him it required years of daily "lotus nurturing" to bear fruit.
Yet how much time had passed?
Qin Ming's flesh glowed as an immortal lotus bloomed within him. Its luminous form expanded outside his body, radiant petals opening layer upon layer in continuous succession.
This was a model integration of the Newborn path and the immortal path, extraordinary and potent, created by Tang Jin's master.
Heavenly light served as mud, and flesh as soil, planting a seed of pure yang consciousness to temper an immortal path consciousness light lotus that would eventually grow robust into an immortal lotus.
For anyone else, this was extraordinarily difficult, but Qin Ming's heavenly light had continually fused with consciousness and divine wisdom; when performed by him, it was even more wondrous than the original technique.
In an instant, the brilliant immortal lotus bloomed and surged into the black mist, purifying the bleeding sun. Deafening Dao resonance continuously erupted there—each opening petal rang out like a clap of thunder.
Tang Jin was thoroughly dumbfounded, her fair face filled with disbelief. A lotus that took years to cultivate had been planted and grown by him in two or three months!
"The word 'prodigy' is not enough to describe him!" the purple-eyed crow on her shoulder said.
Naturally, this exchange was kept between themselves, unsuitable to air publicly to avoid drawing enmity toward Qin Ming.
"This counts as a method of our immortal path. Perhaps... he can be considered one of us," a veteran figure remarked.
Although Qin Ming still had not completely purified the bleeding sun in the black mist, he took this opportunity to sever the Ancient Tree of Life's main root.
Liguang sensed impending disaster and knew she was in trouble. Stumbling, she nearly collapsed to the ground. She had to return to the heart of the forbidden ritual, or she would be taken down!
At this juncture, she had no choice but to go all out, forcibly driving the immortal contract, no longer hoping to subjugate a heavily injured Qin Ming.
On the other side, the elderly elf grew frantic, launching several charges only to be blocked by Ling Canghai.
Her golden hair disheveled, Liguang repeatedly drove the "glowing paper," submerging the entire area in dense golden characters.
Having initiated the immortal contract, she naturally held an innate advantage, driving it through special means to subjugate her opponent, yet to her horror, she found him unshakeable!
"Am I too weak right now?"
She truly could not fathom how she had fallen into such a state. How had such a perfect starting hand collapsed completely?
The bridge of golden characters vibrated with secret power toward Qin Ming. He indeed felt uneasy; several times, he nearly unleashed the silk book method or sent out the yin-yang diagram to slap the immortal contract twice, but he held back.
In the end, he shook it with brute force!
The entire bridge of golden characters was almost overturned by him.
In a flash, a surging golden torrent swept backward. Her face pale as golden paper, Liguang let out a scream. She did not want to suffer a backlash—in history, had any drudge ever turned around to command an immortal? Why was common sense being defied with her!
"Ah..." she cried out in terror, yet could not change the outcome. The "glowing paper" flew backward, sinking into her forehead and vanishing.
Simultaneously, wispy "threads" from the bridge of golden characters sank into Qin Ming's palm.
"I failed!" Liguang stood dazed.
The elderly elf went wild, wanting to fight to the death with Grandmaster Ling Canghai as he charged forward desperately.
"It is fine. Hurry and take her for a baptism; it is no big deal," Ling Canghai said.
"You make it sound easy! How could there be no impact? It will be exceedingly difficult to sever that bond completely!" The elderly elf's entire body surged with solar fire.
Even now, Qin Ming did not know what had happened; he only knew that the other party had tried to harm him and that he had reversed it back onto her.
With a swish, the elderly elf drew Liguang over. Looking immensely anxious, he led all the sun elves in a hasty departure.
"What is going on?" Qin Ming muttered under his breath, needing to ask Old Meng.
Grandmaster Ling Canghai strolled over with a faint smile. "It is fine. They will come pleading to us—well, pleading to you. They will take the initiative to pay a visit."
Meng Xinghai's face was flushed red with excitement as he waved to Qin Ming.
Old Meng was floating on air right now, not even paying attention to the Grandmaster in the arena.
Ling Canghai did not mind, however, and announced the successful conclusion of the sparring match.
Finally, he offered a few pointers, informing everyone that pioneering deep into the night mist world was inevitable and that they would soon explore immortal graves and divine tombs.
"When the time comes, it will not be sparring or a simulated duel. People will die, and much blood may be shed. Every Great Opening throughout history has been exceedingly brutal!"
He swept his gaze across everyone, warning and tempering them not to grow frivolous or conceited; compared to true pioneering, the duel before them was mere child's play.
"However, if you can survive, you will certainly gain immense harvests. In every era of pioneering, newcomers have risen brilliantly to leave their names in history!"
After speaking briefly and delivering his warning, he vanished.
"What? She originally wanted to subjugate me as a drudge?" After learning the truth, Qin Ming's expression darkened and cleared unpredictably; she had actually used such an immortal contract.
"Yes. Now, it's a drudge commanding an immortal," Meng Xinghai informed him.
Chapter 286