The linguabird's nimble tongue tied itself in knots as it gave an awkward laugh. It had never imagined that this time the mountain lord would ride roughshod over a heavenly demon seed while the princess still had no idea who he was.
"Well? Speak!" The purple lightning beast was exceptionally keen. Seeing its unnatural expression, an ominous premonition seized her heart.
"Methinks an old acquaintance cometh," the linguabird said pedantically, its gaze darting evasively.
How was it supposed to say it? Could it just blurt out: *Your Highness, you have become that man's mount for the third time. The dreadful "cyclical law of history" has struck once more, and so soon!*?
In an instant, the purple lightning beast's body stiffened. If she had only harbored an ill premonition moments ago, she was now eighty percent certain who the culprit was.
"It's him again?!" Her fur bristled, and in a flash she transformed into a young girl. Purple hair cascaded down to her waist as she reached out a snow-white, slender hand and caught the linguabird in a tight grip.
Even she felt this was utterly absurd. Ever since that unexpected encounter at Black-White Mountain, why was she kept in the dark every single time she ran into him?
The linguabird shrank its neck, and its jewel-like eyes turned immensely innocent and clear as it gave a silly, harmless chuckle, looking the very picture of guileless purity.
In the demon camp, dead silence reigned. A chill ran from head to toe through many an anomalous creature. The battlefield truly shifted in the blink of an eye—first a demon sword immortal was defeated, and immediately after, a future female heavenly demon was slain.
A dark shadow loomed in the hearts of many demons.
Just what manner of exalted being was that? His true body had not even appeared; he had merely projected his spirit from afar to decapitate the heavenly demon seed clad in five-colored lotus armor right on the front lines. It was simply domineering beyond belief.
"Wei Jian, you fought him. How did he feel?" one demon finally asked.
Wei Jian was that very demon sword immortal. A bone-deep wound marred his face, and his body was spattered with blood.
He spoke up. "I believe that even if I staked everything and fought him to the bitter end in a pool of blood, I could at most last twenty to thirty exchanges before meeting certain death."
A collective frown furrowed the brows of the demon throng; none spoke another word.
The demon sword immortal specialized in magical combat and was formidable, yet he had suffered a crushing defeat. It was precisely this fact that made the atmosphere on the demonic side grow tense and suffocating.
"We must invite reinforcements," a heavenly demon seed said.
Initially, this territory had only drawn attention because a heavenly demon seed was crippled by an esoteric sect divine seed. That sparked the gathering storm, drawing more and more experts to the area.
"Wei Jian, you are acquainted with several demon sword immortals. Invite them to bolster our ranks."
The demon race's sword immortals were rather peculiar, tied directly to their racial traits. Innate gifts coupled with sword cultivation produced these potent demon sword immortals.
Take Wei Jian, for instance: his true form was a hedgehog. In a bloody fight, every sharp quill on his body could transform into a sword that slew enemies.
In moments of emergency, he could split them into hundreds or thousands of sword-light beams.
"Let me think," Wei Jian said with a nod. He indeed knew some terrifying demon sword immortals.
"Can you invite the Jade Emperor?" a heavenly demon seed inquired.
Wei Jian looked troubled and replied, "That... will likely be difficult. I have had no contact with him. His status is too high, and the clan behind him belongs to the upper echelon of Hanging Ridge."
Many knew of the Jade Emperor's illustrious fame. He was a demon sword immortal steeped in legendary renown; perhaps he alone could sweep through all the opposing seeds!
Someone nodded. "Yes, I heard he is about to break through recently. His realm is indeed a bit high, making him hard to approach."
Another heavenly demon seed remarked, "Yulian is dead. That can draw the person behind her into the fray."
At once, the eyes of many demons lit up. They had vaguely heard that the deceased Yulian had been exceptionally close to Wu Shu, a heavenly demon seed of the Longevity Temple.
Even Wei Jian nodded. "Wu Shu is immensely powerful. He hails from the God-Slaying clan, one of the most influential families in the Longevity Temple."
The structure of the demon camp was similar to the human side. Within certain overarching super-factions, particular clans had dominated for generations, trending toward turning them into hereditary domains.
Wei Jian added, "I will pull some strings and try to invite two demon sword immortals. They are far stronger than I am, and their combat prowess cows the four directions. If they step forward, everything will be settled."
"Whom do you intend to invite?" someone asked.
Wei Jian replied, "Tong and Zhu Jianhao. With those two on the move, should that man dare return, slaying him will be child's play."
Instantly, looks of astonishment surfaced across the crowd; they had all heard of those two demon sword immortals' renown.
Moreover, the names brought to mind their true forms: one was an aerial tyrant of a demon sword immortal, and the other was a terrestrial terror.
"If those two join forces, they will slaughter gods and immortals alike should any stand in their way!" a demon marveled.
Someone immediately cautioned sternly, "Watch your tongue! Such exaggerated praise is inappropriate for youths of our level. On the main battlefield, there are genuine gods. Beware drawing the displeasure of the deities!"
*Hiss!* The pack of demons fell silent as cicadas in winter.
Someone broke the gloom and changed the topic. "It is a pity that the Jade Emperor is too far above us."
A heavenly demon seed said with a heavy expression, "The Jade Emperor has his own rivals. He must duel Jiang Ran, Pei Shuyan, and others. His breakthrough now is simply to make his victory more certain."
"Yes, and according to grapevine gossip, the Jade Emperor's younger brother, Huang Fei, may have been killed not too far from here. The Jade Emperor will arrive in person sooner or later."
The demonic crowd discussed the situation. By now, the duels on the battlefield had drawn to a close, and the heavenly demon seeds had all retreated.
The three-tusked white elephant roared, its trumpeting shaking the heavens as it glared at its opponent, who waved a farewell while carrying the ivory blade fashioned from its lost tusk.
"On the human side, some truly formidable figures have emerged, such as Zhao Qingcheng, Cheng Sheng, Cui Chonghe, and the like. When fighting with divine arts, each possesses dominion over their respective domain."
"There is also that Qin Ming. Word is that his cultivation level isn't exceedingly high, but he has slain quite a few peers of comparable standing. The blood of three or four heavenly demon seeds already stains his hands, and Huang Fei was likely killed by him as well."
They still did not know that the person who had wandered in spirit today to decapitate Yulian was also Qin Ming.
"Then he is dead meat. When the Jade Emperor arrives in person, who can stand against him? Even Leng Feiyue, descendant of the immortal path's trailblazer, or supreme talents like Cui Chonghe would probably fail to block his immortal sword."
***
In Huai'an Town on the human side, once they learned who had struck, everyone was stunned. How could it be Qin Ming? He was a seed of the Newborn path—how had he crossed paths into this domain as well?!
The linguabird spoke up: "You must believe that there are always those who stand apart from the rest, shining like brilliant stars in the depths of the night sky. Once the evening mist is blown away, they can illuminate an entire era."
Originally, it had no place to speak here, but the immortal seeds and esoteric sect divine seeds had summoned it to understand the circumstances.
"After Tang Jin's master, is another 'dual-seed' figure about to emerge?" someone murmured.
When others cultivated two paths simultaneously, one was destined to be secondary. To become a seed on both paths was exceedingly rare, countable on the fingers of one hand throughout history.
Moreover, even in the case of Tang Jin's master, his status as a "dual seed" had only lasted until the Fourth Realm; thereafter, the Newborn path could no longer keep pace, leaving him no choice but to use immortal arts to manifest heavenly light force.
A divine seed of the esoteric sect remarked, "It seems that during the two years he spent stranded at Black-White Mountain, he quietly immersed himself in bitter cultivation and walked the immortal path as well. He likely feared the Cui family would not tolerate him, so he used special means to conceal his achievements on this path. He must have had extraordinary fortunes!"
An immortal seed nodded in agreement. "That fits together. No wonder he was able to display our immortal path's Golden Wave Immortal Treasury and Mist-Ascension Flying Art in the Dayu imperial capital. He must have used the heavenly light of the Newborn path as the skin and the immortal path's conscious spiritual force as the bone. He is actually one of us!"
With that realization, he felt a sense of relief. Recently, this Qin Ming had been remarkably prominent, with senior experts predicting he would shine with boundless radiance. As it turned out, he was someone of their immortal path all along.
If that was the case, it was truly splendid.
Furthermore, it was common knowledge that progress on the Newborn path was excruciatingly slow. Qin Ming's immortal path was bound to lead by a wide margin, pulling his heavenly light along in turn.
In that case, even if he wished to blaze a trail forward, the immortal path would have to take the vanguard.
"Indeed, he counts as our own!" Xue Yunzheng, an extraordinary immortal seed from the outer realm's calamity land, nodded.
Luo Jingxiao wiped his sword's edge, remaining silent the entire time.
The young girl transformed from the purple lightning beast, however, wondered whether these people were letting their imaginations run far too wild.
***
Qin Ming sped like lightning, sweeping through the dark clouds and mist like a comet racing toward Qingfeng Town, two hundred li away.
After striking repeatedly, he felt a wave of exhaustion and discomfort. Sure enough, at lower cultivation realms, one had best not leave the physical body for too long; a single misstep could lead to disaster.
He muttered to himself, "A terrestrial ant becoming a flying ant is still an ant in the end. Breaking free of the physical body's shackles remains a long and arduous journey."
Suddenly, three streaks of flowing light shot forth with incredible speed, fanning out to block his path ahead. All three shimmered with remarkably serene spiritual light.
Qin Ming was startled. He had already been extremely cautious, staying well away from the border, flying entirely over Yezhou's sovereign airspace and traveling veiled within the dark clouds. How could he have been detected?
It only proved that those three were far from ordinary.
All three were spirit wandering, now manifesting clear human forms. Moreover, they were quite young, some around his age, others at most a year or two older.
"What is the meaning of this, you three?" Qin Ming furrowed his brow, unexpectedly sensing danger.
A youth with a flame marking between his eyebrows smiled. "We thought demons were crossing the border, so we ascended to the skies to investigate."
"May I ask your esteemed names? Do you hail from the pure lands or the immortal lands?" Qin Ming remained on guard. The alarm bell ringing in his heart had not subsided, keeping him vigilant.
Anyone who could give him a sense of danger was definitely of no small background—at the very least, they had to be immortal seeds.
"I see your face is unfamiliar. Why don't you state your name first? Lest you be a demon crossing the border who took human form to deliberately slip through," another youth said with a chuckle.
Qin Ming's heart sank. Could it be that three top-tier immortal seeds had appeared to block his way, intending to frame him as a demon and take him down on the spot?
He said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, I am of the human race. You need only find any grandmaster in the cities behind us, and one look or inquiry will settle the matter."
He then asked, "Rather, who exactly are you? Do you intend to deliberately pick a quarrel and cross blades with me?"
Qin Ming stared intently at them, his spirit focused to the absolute limit. He pushed his Eye of the Newborn to the utmost while attempting to resonate with their emotional fluctuations.
Unfortunately, though the three appeared peaceful and wore polite smiles, their wills were hard as iron, without a single ripple leaking out.
Even so, through the Eye of the Newborn, Qin Ming still caught a few clues. All three cultivated extremely profound immortal path arts, absolutely orthodox, with an eighty percent chance they possessed fundamental scriptures of sect-guarding caliber!
Within their conscious spiritual light, there were extraordinary qualities: one was covered from head to toe in profoundly arcane flame runes imbued with an unfathomable Dao rhythm.
Another's golden spiritual light carried the intent of an indestructible golden body, which, upon closer inspection, seemed inscribed with dense, tiny characters.
The third possessed spiritual light accompanied by golden lotuses, enigmatic and unfathomable.
These miraculous phenomena were imperceptible to ordinary sight; without the Eye of the Newborn, one could never have discovered them.
It was fair to say that each of them cultivated peak-tier scriptures that were closely guarded secrets even in the outer realm, absolute authentic scriptures of great sects.
Qin Ming's expression grew graver than ever before. Had the strongest immortal seeds he had yet to meet come to intercept him?
"Heh... Brother, we suspect you are a demon." At that moment, one of them laughed and began pressing forward, while the other two moved to flank him from both sides.
In that split second, Qin Ming sensed faint hostility, and it was precisely that subtle flicker of consciousness that alerted him to something amiss.
A jolt of horror struck him. In that fleeting lapse of malice, a wisp of demonic qi actually seeped through—though beneath the cover of the sacred, serene immortal path arts, it was nearly negligible.
Without the Eye of the Newborn, Qin Ming would never have caught that wisp of demonic qi.
He realized the situation was dire. All three were demons, and they had come from the direction of Yezhou. Had they just returned from travels there, or did they know certain humans?
They were exceptional, actually mastering humanity's top-tier immortal path fundamental scriptures, which completely concealed their demonic aura.
Qin Ming thought of many possibilities. Could these be the scions of certain special upper-echelon figures in the demon camp? According to what the purple lightning beast had said, a small handful of top-tier great demons on that side had originally descended from humans who walked the mutation path, ultimately undergoing complete bodily transformations.
This seemed to align. Those high-ranking demons possessed humanity's fundamental scriptures and passed them down to their descendants. The three before him had to be "human demons"!
Or rather, demonic humans.
With a slight shift, they assumed human forms and moved freely in and out of Yezhou, making it difficult for ordinary people to detect any flaw.
Qin Ming kept his composure, quietly readying the exotic metal small sword. These three demonic humans were extraordinary; even with their demonic qi severed, they gave him a feeling of danger.
"We are all in Yezhou, so why have I never seen you before?" Qin Ming flew forward. His time away from his body was limited, and he had just engaged in battle; dragging things out would be disadvantageous to him.
Meanwhile, the three opposite him smiled, each declaring their name as they rapidly closed the encirclement.
"My name is Jin Gui. I gravely suspect you are a demon from the opposing side." This was a classic demon trick of crying thief first.
Another demonic youth chuckled. "Brother, my name is Wu Youdao. No need to be nervous; as long as you are an immortal seed of our human race, you naturally have nothing to fear."
The last demon youth burst into laughter. "I know you've already grown suspicious! That's right, it's just as you think. My name is Xin Yuan, so you'd best stay right here!"
His temperament was the most volatile; he didn't even bother keeping up the act anymore. He lunged aggressively, his conscious spiritual light surging with terrifying spectacle, pulverizing large swathes of dark clouds.
Lately, Qin Ming had learned about formidable figures on the demon side along the border, such as the Jade Emperor of Hanging Ridge and the God-Slaying clan of the Longevity Temple.
Among these three, he had heard a little about Jin Gui. He likely hailed from Heaven-Supporting Peak, home to a powerful clan—the rhinoceros gold scarabs, renowned as "one extreme" in the realm of physical strength.
Regardless of whether his ancestors had been human, he was now an insect demon of boundless might.
Though life and death hung in the balance and the tension beneath the night sky was palpable, Qin Ming's thoughts raced in a flash of sparks. The prominent figures of the demon race were stepping onto the stage one after another. There were names he had hardly remembered, but he imagined that any who survived this war would become the future rulers of the demon camp.
He wished he could strike all three demons down right here.
Alas, his current condition had its limitations, and he had yet to gauge what cultivation realm they occupied. Discretion was the better part of valor; it was best to make his exit first.
"Brother, why not come be a guest at my Demon Emperor Palace?" Wu Youdao charged forward with a smile. Sure enough, his background was illustrious—the sect he proclaimed was truly one of the pinnacle super-factions in the demon camp.
*Whoosh!*
A divine rainbow pierced the sky, detonating the dark clouds in the high firmament. Qin Ming bolstered himself with the rag and chose to break through near Xin Yuan, whose temperament was the most erratic.
"Good timing!" Xin Yuan laughed, overjoyed and thoroughly bellicose. He reached out a massive hand to swat toward Qin Ming, the terrifying explosive roar deafening to the ears, more intimidating than celestial thunder striking from the highest heavens.
A casual palm strike from him carried the momentum to crush the firmament.
However, Qin Ming had no intention of trading blows with him. In a split second, his trajectory shifted fifteen times in rapid succession, zigzagging in irregular angles to slip past him.
Three high-realm demons were intercepting him together, and he urgently needed to return to his physical body; he had no wish to fight them to the death.
"The Black-White Classic? Two Instruments Escape Light!"
The three demon youths were all stunned. They watched as Qin Ming, fluctuating between yin and yang, substance and illusion, light and dark, broke through the encirclement in the nick of time.
"That is definitely an ultimate technique from the Black-White Classic!"
Their expressions grew grave, followed by delight. Among the several authentic scriptures their elders had mentioned, this was one of the texts they had been commanded to find once they conquered Yezhou.
Qin Ming's breakout from Xin Yuan's flank naturally provoked the latter's fury.
As they brushed past each other, Xin Yuan didn't even turn his head. A tail sprouted behind him, swelling rapidly like a divine cord or a spear, thrusting straight toward Qin Ming to impale him.
*So fast?!* Qin Ming was astonished. The opponent's realm was not low; accompanied by divine arts, that tail pursued him in an instant.
He drove the exotic metal small sword. The flawless white blade shimmered, bearing his consciousness merged with heavenly light, and this time he deployed his spirit field, as if warping the night sky.
*Pfft!* A section of the rune-covered demon tail was severed, and glowing blood splashed into the night sky—true conscious spirit blood.
Jin Gui gasped, "Hiss! How is that possible? Third Brother, you were bathed in the sacred mountain's spirit-light pool from childhood. How could he sever a section of your tail?"
Wu Youdao was equally astonished, realizing they had underestimated the human youth.
"He has an exotic metal weapon in hand! Otherwise, he couldn't cut me!" Xin Yuan shouted, riding an auspicious cloud to pursue with blistering speed.
His name was peculiar, clearly pointing to an extraordinary origin.
The three renowned demons gave chase like three meteors shattering the dark clouds ahead, hurtling after Qin Ming.
"He won't escape!" Jin Gui declared. As a seed of the rhinoceros gold scarabs, his strength was immense. He produced a golden ring engraved with layers of demonic script.
The moment this treasure appeared, ten thousand rays of dawn-light and thousands of auspicious strands burst forth in a breathtaking display.
"An exotic metal weapon!" Beside him, Jin Gui's two sworn brothers looked on with envy; even with their status, neither yet possessed one.
Jin Gui unleashed the golden ring. Whirling, it blew apart the cloud layers like a crashing starfall, its deafening roar echoing as a streak of golden dawn surged into the distance, rapidly closing in on Qin Ming.
Qin Ming looked back and sensed danger. That extraordinary treasure was expanding, growing larger in an attempt to snare him.
Instantly, using his conscious spiritual light as cover, he unfurled the rag, opening its space in an attempt to clash head-on and seize the ring.
If the rag was pierced through, he would accept it; that would simply prove it was nothing special, just a scrap of cloth made from peculiar material.
"Huh?!"
Jin Gui felt an unsettling disturbance in his spirit. He had placed a wisp of his conscious spiritual light upon the exotic metal weapon. Since it was forged from rare materials, he naturally treasured it immensely.
Right now, he sensed a foreboding possibility that he might lose the treasure entirely.
With that premonition, he did not hesitate for a second and instantly recalled the exotic metal ring.
"What's wrong, Eldest Brother?" Xin Yuan asked.
"There is something strange about him!" Jin Gui said in a deep voice.
Wu Youdao chimed in, "No, we must retreat. That commotion just now wasn't small, and he is flying deeper into Yezhou. We cannot follow any further."
"Let's go!"
The three demons were decisive. In an instant, they sped away, crossing back over the border and plunging deep into the Plain of Divine Demise.
"Fine, I'll remember the three of you!" Qin Ming flew off.
Over the remaining distance of less than a hundred li, he grew even more cautious, traversing the clouds and crossing the quiet night sky before returning in a flash to the mountains outside Qingfeng Town.
The Thunder King Bird let out a long breath of relief.
A streak of golden dawn sank into Qin Ming's physical body, and his weary spirit was immediately nourished.
At this moment, he felt like a traveler parched with thirst in the desert coming upon a sweet spring, drinking deep without restraint.
Within his flesh and blood, mysterious substances flowed, nourishing the roots of his conscious spiritual light.
"The Jade Emperor, the God-Slaying clan, some top-tier demon sword immortals, plus Jin Gui, Wu Youdao, and Xin Yuan... The demon camp certainly doesn't lack formidable figures."
Qin Ming sat quietly for a long time before rising, feeling that his spirit roots anchored within his flesh and blood had essentially recovered.
"How did it go? Is the matter settled?" the Thunder King Bird asked.
"Broadly speaking, all is fine. Still, flying bare has its risks; one must travel with caution," Qin Ming said with a chuckle.
He did not set off immediately, but rested here for another half hour. That showed just how taxing it was to spirit wander and do battle at his current cultivation realm.
***
In the distance, Li Qingxu threw his head back and let out a long cry. His vitality, spirit, and vigor climbed to the absolute zenith, radiant spiritual light expanding as his entire person underwent a startling metamorphosis.
"Finally, I stand firmly in the Third Realm!" Divine radiance shot from his eyes, dispelling the night mist and illuminating the surrounding land.
"Breaking down only to be remade! From this day forth, I too belong to the realm faction. By breaking through continually and rapidly, I shall suppress my opponents through sheer cultivation level!" he muttered to himself, his conviction unshakeable.
In an instant, he thought of the person who had cast a shadow over his heart—within a mere year, that man had actually managed to fight above his station and best him.
"He is only in the middle stage of the Second Realm and cannot match my speed. As long as I break through fast enough, any rival will only be left to chase me exhaustedly from behind, ultimately forced to look up to me."
His confidence was now fully restored.
*Wuuu...*
A mournful horn sounded, reverberating between heaven and earth. It was an extraordinary treasure forged by the patriarchs of the immortal path; whenever this horn blew, it could be heard clearly far and wide.
Li Qingxu's blood surged with passion. "Is the grand decisive battle about to begin? Excellent! I have just broken through, arriving at the perfect time. A real man slays demons and marches west; carving out deeds of glory begins today!"
At this moment, Qin Ming also looked up toward the distant sky. Just as he was about to set off for Huai'an Town once more to duel with swords, he heard that magnificent immortal horn.
Instantly, his blood surged with fervor as well.
"This horn inspires the heart; it is a heavy treasure of the immortal path."
At the same time, he surmised that on the main battlefield, a clash among patriarchs must have erupted.
*Hiss!* Everyone was dumbfounded.
Across the western border, countless beings looked up at the sky.
A blood moon hung across the heavens, shining over the entire territory and illuminating the boundless, pitch-black plains.
"That is... a god!" People were shaken to their core, their minds trembling. The curtain had only just parted on this impending decisive battle, yet a deity had already taken the stage?
Chapter 328