Xinyuan was of extraordinary origin and suspected to possess immense backing, yet Qin Ming had slain him in broad daylight before the opposing armies.
Aside from the Jade Emperor, the other demons aware of the inside story were deeply shaken, and an uproar erupted among their ranks.
"Over the past thousand years, very few among our demon race have cultivated an extraordinary mind ape, let alone to such a profound level. To think that today, it was actually cut down by a human youth!"
"Could that figure suffer a setback at the final step, triggering terrible backlash?"
"Hard to say. Since they dared release the mind ape, they surely prepared all manner of contingencies. There is likely no need to worry."
"It might not even be a 'he'—it could well be a 'she.' After all, none of us have ever laid eyes on the true body."
Every demon taking part in this discussion was in the fourth realm, hailing from transcendent superpowers like Thunder Cloud Cave and Longevity Daoist Temple. Heavenly demon seeds below this level had no inkling of Xinyuan's true background.
Over on Yezhou's side, many who caught wind of these murmurs were equally startled. Xinyuan was not a true body, but rather the product of a remarkable demon's cultivation?
If this was true, just how terrifying was the demon behind that mind ape?
Qin Ming frowned; this exceeded his expectations as well. Xinyuan had indeed been formidable—he had fiercely exchanged one or two hundred blows against Qin Ming, after all.
The crucial point was that Qin Ming had already deployed trump cards like his spirit field, the Five Elements sacred baleful aura, and the power of yin and yang. Yet this opponent was not even the genuine creature?
Qin Ming paid no heed to the chatter. In a clash between two civilizations, what did origins matter? Even if the opponent were an ancestral founder's own child, he would still slay them without hesitation!
He stepped forward to claim Xinyuan's spoils; within that flesh and blood, there ought to be naturally nurtured, wondrous medicinal components.
"Hm?"
Qin Ming was startled. The moment his blade descended and cleaved the body open, Xinyuan's severed corpse dissolved into light, and even the speckles of blood evaporated into the void.
He swung his mutton-fat jade iron saber repeatedly, yet even the brilliant shower of light was disintegrating.
Regrettably, not a drop of wondrous blood remained.
A sigh drifted out: "Only today do I know who I am. To suffer a minor setback here... we shall meet again if fate permits."
The rain of light ignited, turning into a vast expanse of tribulation ash, and a final wisp of nearly immortal true resonance surged skyward, vanishing across the Plain of Divine Demise.
"Woof! Woof..." The large white dog barked and ran off in the distance.
Qin Ming's expression grew solemn. If the being behind Xinyuan belonged to his generation, they would prove an exceptionally terrifying nemesis. The secret scripture they cultivated was bizarre, and their methods were extraordinarily profound.
"After all, it was a mind ape, born within the psyche and difficult to obliterate. It seems remedies are still possible," a fourth-realm heavenly demon seed murmured.
The other demons nodded, their expressions conflicted as waves of pressure weighed upon them.
That creature was merely an ape manifested from the psyche, yet it possessed unmatched strength in the third realm, standing as a peerless demon sword immortal in every right.
Just how terrifying was the true body? It was truly unfathomable.
At the same time, they were equally shocked by Qin Ming's strength. At the same third realm, he had managed to slay Xinyuan within two hundred exchanges.
Pei Shuyan spoke: "I think I know their origin. Their legacy must trace back to the Sacred Land lineage of Yezhou's past."
Among the outer realms of the Immortal Path, four lineages existed today: Pure Land, Immortal Land, Yang Land, and Bane Land. Long ago, there had also been a Sacred Land.
Hearing this, the other disciples of the Immortal Path reflected before breaking into hushed whispers.
Over a thousand years ago, the people of the outer Sacred Land had severed ties with Yezhou as a whole and plunged deep into the pitch-black night fog world, never to be heard from again. Evidently, some among them had turned to join the demon camp.
Jiang Ran nodded. "To manifest a mind ape to such a degree, comparable to a top-tier heavenly demon seed, that being is truly remarkable. They must have thoroughly comprehended the Subduing Immortals Classic and cultivated it to divine perfection."
The *Subduing Immortals Classic* was also called the *Subduing Mind Classic*. Its premise was that immortals were born from the mind; by subduing both form and spirit, they could be harnessed for one's own use.
Listening to their words, Qin Ming gained a concrete understanding of what this so-called mind ape was. It was actually the product of a cultivation method.
A mind ape was born when a cultivator severed the stray thoughts, erratic emotions, and intense yet useless desires from their heart.
Yet, because it was ultimately a fragment of one's own conscious power, discarding it completely was a waste.
Therefore, practitioners of this art would reshape a physical form for the mind ape, feed it precious medicines, and help it mature, subsequently tempering its bones, tendons, and spirit in the fires of the mortal world.
One day, once the mind ape settled, its mottled impurities ground away, and its nature became sufficiently pure, the practitioner could subdue it and integrate it back into their true body.
In doing so, the true body's conscious power, cultivation base, innate talent, and other aspects would undergo an astonishing metamorphosis.
There was another method: the practitioner would not bother subverting or subduing the mind ape at all. Instead, taking the night fog world as an immortal crucible and myriad tribulations as true fire, they would temper the mind ape until it refined into an immortal pill, which they then consumed directly. The effect was just as formidable—if not even superior.
Zhuo Qingming said, "Those who cultivate the *Subduing Mind Classic* possess ten thousand transformations. If they wished to enter our Yezhou territory, it would be effortless, virtually impossible to detect."
Overhearing the discussions on Yezhou's side, the demon camp glanced over.
A fourth-realm heavenly demon seed sneered, "You seem to know quite a lot. Then you ought to understand that the person behind the mind ape might very well be among you right now, haha..."
He was sowing discord, yet the thought sent a chill through Qin Ming's heart.
That creature might not even be a demon—it truly could be a human. After all, the ancestors of Xinyuan, Jin Gui, and Wu Youdao had all been humans, and all three cultivated sect-anchoring scriptures of the Immortal Path.
Several heavenly demon seeds looked toward Qin Ming, and a renowned demon declared, "Your path ahead is bleak; your life will not last long."
Jiang Ran swept a gaze across them and said, "Over the years, have few great demons perished under our demon-revealing mirrors? If you are unafraid of death, feel free to come to Yezhou. You will all have your true forms exposed and be struck down!"
Qin Ming picked up the crimson, jade-like jade iron sword from the ground. As he gripped and swung it, crimson haze shot forth, the blade feeling exceptionally comfortable in his hand.
Having slain Xinyuan, he had at least reaped some reward.
Xiang Yiwu said, "Once we return, you must cultivate an exquisite ocular technique. You cannot afford to let your guard down against that true body."
Hailing from the Rulai Sect, he naturally knew many hidden secrets and harbored deep wariness toward that enigmatic creature.
Qin Ming nodded. If even the severed mind ape cultivated the *Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture*, the true body was bound to be unfathomable.
At this moment, the expert blessed with the Three Imperials force from the Six Imperials ancestral court shattered his opponent and calmly stepped back. Though he looked weathered and of considerable age, his combat strength was truly extraordinary.
As the clash between the two camps progressed to this stage, both sides had experienced wins and losses, but on the whole, Yezhou held the upper hand.
On the fourth-realm battlefield, Jiang Ran exuded immense oppressive might.
Meanwhile, the strongest seed on the esoteric sect's side was equally deep and enigmatic.
Qin Ming called out, "Are there any more third-realm demons willing to take the field? Today I will see this through to the end—send one and I will slay one; send two and I will slay a pair!"
"How I wish I could snuff him out!"
In the demon camp, many heavenly demon seeds wore grim expressions, but in the end, they could only sigh in helplessness. Even Xinyuan had fallen; who among the third realm could match him?
However, the two demons standing nearby might manage. After all, they were Xinyuan's sworn elder brothers. Countless eyes shifted toward Jin Gui and Wu Youdao.
"Mm, I will go test his measure!" Jin Gui spoke up.
Instantly, looks of anticipation surfaced across the demon camp. A being who stood on brotherly terms with Xinyuan naturally possessed an equally formidable background.
They longed for a grand victory; taken as a whole, they were currently at a disadvantage.
Their top-tier heavenly demon seeds had been severely wounded one after another—for instance, the Jade Emperor and Pei Shuyan had fought to mutual ruin.
Across from the demon race, heaven-sent geniuses were truly numerous. Figures like Chu Pianran were not even on the demons' investigation lists, yet her methods had given them a tremendous shock.
Furthermore, Cui Chonghe had actually managed to reverse-slay a top-tier heavenly demon seed across minor realms, which carried immense deterrent power.
"Be careful!" the Jade Emperor stepped forward in person to speak with Jin Gui.
"What is his background?"
"Birds of a feather flock together; could his roots be equally extraordinary?"
Even within the demon race, the lower-realm heavenly demon seeds remained ignorant of Jin Gui's heritage.
"He is a wondrous demon who descended from Heaven-Supporting Peak!" someone informed them.
Immediately, several demons drew sharp breaths. The dominant power there was the rhinoceros beetle clan, every member possessing peerless physical strength, and any heavenly demon seed born from that place was an elite among their peers.
"He is a two-pronged rhinoceros beetle. That clan is hailed as an ultimate pole of the physical body system, their bodies as hard as secret metal, entirely unbreakable."
The impending duel drew the gazes of numerous seed-level experts from both camps, all eyes falling upon the human youth and the demon.
"If Jin Gui falls as well, then no one in the third realm can rival that human youth."
The current situation felt profoundly suffocating to the demons. Earlier, they had voiced vehement fury, dissatisfied with their leadership's compromises and concessions. Now that it was their turn to step up, they were faltering just the same.
"A pity Xinyuan's true body did not come!"
By now, Jin Gui had entered the battlefield. He had thick brows and large eyes, and every inch of his flesh resembled divine glass—translucent and pure, radiating a faint, immortal aura.
Within his golden conscious spiritual light, there was even the profound intent of an indestructible golden body. Upon closer inspection, it seemed densely inscribed with tiny characters.
He spoke: "We meet again. Please!"
He was very courteous, lacking the arrogance he had shown during his previous ambush on Qin Ming. In his hands, he held an extraordinarily heavy sledgehammer that appeared polished from black jade.
Without question, this was a treasured hammer forged from black jade iron.
*A fine hammer!* Qin Ming inwardly nodded. He was proficient with hammers, spears, sabers, and swords. Having obtained a crimson jade sword today, seeing that great hammer now stirred his interest.
"Come!" Qin Ming did not underestimate him. He knew well how powerful this demon was, having tasted his might during their previous encounter.
With a deafening boom, the battlefield seemed to detonate. Not only did the ground tremble, but even the void blurred and caved in as endless waves of white air expanded and blasted outward.
Swinging the jade iron hammer, Jin Gui resembled a monster capable of shaking heaven and earth. His speed was astonishing, the might of a single hammer strike rivaling a barrage of falling thunder.
The ground cracked and sank, the light in the air warping. The great hammer swung ahead of him, seeming to drag him through the air as it smashed toward his opponent.
Qin Ming was surprised. Truly, absolute strength overcame all subtlety—this plain, unadorned hammer strike, completely devoid of spellcraft, was formidable to such an extent.
Worried that his mutton-fat jade iron saber, which already bore fine cracks, might snap, he deployed his spirit field directly, causing invisible ripples to unfurl.
Normally, few peers could face the colossal strength of the rhinoceros beetle clan head-on; even peer seeds would be shattered if they attempted to endure it forcefully.
Even someone as strong as Xinyuan, who had soaked in spiritual light pools year-round, dared not compete with Jin Gui in raw power.
Yet Jin Gui discovered that his jade iron hammer, reputed to pierce through all champions of the third realm, was met head-on. It felt as though it had struck a swamp, its violent force being stripped away.
He roared, golden radiance erupting across his entire body. Even his hair stood on end like cast gold as he swung the treasured jade iron hammer continuously, determined to shatter the invisible ripples around his foe.
Jin Gui truly possessed the ferocious aura to uproot mountains, a terrifying sight. The vitality around him surged outward bearing golden runes, blazing like divine flames before boiling over.
Relying on his innate divine strength, he sought to tear through Qin Ming's spirit field.
Moreover, he began unleashing his racial divine ability. Golden runes flickered, causing his strength to skyrocket.
Jin Gui was indeed powerful. He wrenched the great hammer free from the spirit field and brought it crashing down once more, his valiant bearing like a heavenly god descending to the mortal world, his aura overwhelmingly fierce.
He brought hammer strike after hammer strike down amidst terrifying peals of thunder, as if intending to punch through heaven and earth.
He bellowed, "A real man shouldn't be so timid! What kind of defense is this? Do you dare cross hammers with me and fight a proper, upright duel?"
"He's being suppressed! In the realm of pure strength, no one can rival the rhinoceros beetle clan!"
"Good! That is true heroic spirit! In this domain alone, how can a mere human contend with an ultimate pole of the physical body system?"
Across the demon camp, all the experts were overjoyed.
"Giving you face makes you think you're something, doesn't it?" Qin Ming swung his saber repeatedly, noticing the cracks along the blade widening. He could no longer hack with it head-on. Any weapon forged of jade iron could slowly mend so long as it was nourished with heavenly light.
He put away the mutton-fat jade iron saber. Within his hands, five-colored divine light coalesced, manifesting a great hammer that radiated an intensely dangerous aura.
He cultivated the Physical Body Chapter; his strength did not fear Jin Gui in the slightest, having only been disadvantaged by his weapon.
Now, deploying an ultimate art, he extracted the heavenly light blended from consciousness and divine wisdom from his body, condensing it into a weapon with the intent to batter the other party into oblivion.
In the distance, the pale-faced Tang Jin appeared alongside his junior brother Ling Yu, who also looked as though he had barely recovered from a severe illness. Coming to watch the duel together, they arrived just in time to witness this scene.
Both had crawled out from piles of corpses, their injuries grave; otherwise, Tang Jin would certainly have taken the field today.
"The God-Beating Whip! *Hiss!*" They drew sharp breaths. This was an art developed by their master, using conscious spiritual light to angle for heavenly light and draw seventy percent of it outside the body, yielding terrifying power.
Ling Yu knew Qin Ming possessed shocking talent, but after merely sparring once, the young man had already mastered it to perfection? He had even refined it to an even more exquisite degree!
In the next instant, Qin Ming swung the dazzling great hammer to clash against Jin Gui. With such a weapon, he had no fear of damage, though it consumed considerable energy.
*Rumble!*
It was as if sheets of lightning were cascading from the highest heavens, thunderous detonations ringing out incessantly.
Initially, Jin Gui sneered, but his expression soon changed. As the clashes mounted, his arms grew numb.
Then he noticed blood seeping between his fingers. Jarred by that radiant hammer, the tingling had turned into excruciating pain, the flesh on his hands splitting open.
Eventually, his hands were soaked bright red, blood dripping steadily down to dye the hammer's handle.
The seed-level figures of both camps watched in stunned fascination. That someone could contest Jin Gui in pure strength was simply preposterous.
After they exchanged a hundred and eighty hammer strikes, Jin Gui could bear it no longer. His entire arm was streaming blood. He had never seen such an abnormal human—one with a body tougher than his own clan's.
He ceased meeting strikes head-on and retreated, golden haze bursting from his body as he deployed spellcraft instead. Around him, a domain of force seemed to form—a natural racial talent.
Qin Ming mocked, "Are you still a man? Didn't you say we should cross hammers head-on and fight a proper, upright duel? Why have you turned so timid?"
Jin Gui had never imagined his own words would ricochet back to smash him like a boomerang hammer.
At this moment, he offered no reply, focusing entirely on augmenting himself. In an instant, earth, fire, wind, and water surfaced within his force domain, rendering his aura even more violent.
Then, wielding the hammer with his force domain, he hurled it forward!
The jade iron hammer thundered with black light and the power of earth, fire, wind, and water, seeming to detonate the night sky as it blasted toward his opponent.
Qin Ming's spirit field expanded, blocking it head-on.
Suddenly, the hairs on his neck stood on end.
He spotted a familiar wondrous treasure. The opponent had unleashed a golden ring, forged from exotic metal, which radiated blinding brilliance as it flew toward him.
In an instant, Qin Ming pushed his spirit field to its absolute limit.
Simultaneously, he pointed one finger to the sky. With a roar, silver-white light surged—the power of ultimate yang erupting from his body, thick as a cloud and heavy as a hill, pressing down toward the golden ring and the sledgehammer.
Next, he pointed one finger to the earth. Black light exploded—the power of ultimate yin, drawing upon the earthly qi to steam upward and surge into midair.
Qin Ming mobilized the power of the yin-yang sacred baleful aura, blending it with conscious spiritual light to materialize tangible forms.
In an instant, both black and white lights grew immense and profound, like heaven and earth closing in to press the opponent and his great hammer between them.
The black and white clouds rotated, seeking to grind Jin Gui into bloody paste.
At such a juncture, Qin Ming naturally held nothing back, unleashing the arts of the *Black-White Classic* alongside the power of the sacred baleful aura.
Even as a top-tier heavenly demon seed of the rhinoceros beetle clan—reputed as an ultimate pole of the physical body system—Jin Gui could not withstand it. Bloody gashes split across his flesh.
The black jade iron hammer fell to the ground and was drawn over by Qin Ming.
Regrettably, the golden ring flew back into Jin Gui's grasp.
The black light unleashed by Qin Ming surged violently, hoisting Jin Gui aloft, while the white light carrying baleful aura bore down like a heavy cloud. The black and white lights churned like a cloud-mist millstone, spinning madly with terrifying explosions.
"*Hiss!*"
Many seeds of the Immortal Path were astonished. This trump card looked remarkably familiar—wasn't this Cao Qianqiu's method? To think Qin Ming could execute it!
At present, Qin Ming wielded it effortlessly, having elevated his comprehension of the *Black-White Classic* to a higher plane. He could deploy all manner of formidable techniques at will, combining them as he pleased.
"Ah..." Jin Gui cried out in agony, the cracks across his body multiplying.
In the end, covered in wounds, he relied on the wondrous treasure—the golden ring—and strained with all his might to punch through the black and white light, carving out an escape route and bursting free.
Gripping his opponent's black jade hammer, Qin Ming charged forward, giving him a taste of his own medicine as he pounded furiously at Jin Gui.
His eyes burned like fire, locked onto that golden ring. That was a treasure refined from exotic metal; even if unrefined, its value was boundless, far surpassing weapons like the mutton-fat jade iron saber, the crimson jade sword, or the black jade hammer.
Jin Gui drove the golden ring to ward off Qin Ming's offensive.
"One, two... forty!" Qin Ming was genuinely surprised. This fellow was truly durable, withstanding forty hammer strikes without completely blowing apart.
*Spurt!*
Jin Gui coughed up a mouthful of blood as one arm exploded. Driving the golden ring had become excruciatingly difficult.
"Eighty!" Qin Ming hammered continuously, countering the wondrous treasure with raw, brute force, bludgeoning the ring until its light dimmed and it wavered unstably.
Across the battlefield, it looked as though a bolt of heavenly thunder had pierced the clouds to strike downward, dazzling beyond compare. With a colossal boom, Qin Ming delivered a final, all-out hammer blow, knocking the golden ring to the ground.
Next, he pierced, shredded, and crushed Jin Gui's dimmed force domain before, with a squelch, sending the formidable demon flying with a single hammer strike, obliterating his head.
Half of Jin Gui's torso shattered and blew apart alongside it, showing just how savage that power was.
Everyone stared dumbfounded. The rhinoceros beetle clan was famed throughout the world for physical strength, yet today their heavenly demon seed had been battered into pieces by someone else?
To all onlookers, this was utterly inconceivable. A human youth had challenged an ultimate pole of the physical body system and triumphed, possessing the valor of a barbarian sovereign.
The rhinoceros beetle clan's private domain—the realm of strength—had seen its corner smashed to pieces!
*Damn it, too much force!* Qin Ming felt a pang of regret, fearing the wondrous blood had disintegrated alongside the shattered physical body.
"Hm?" Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. The golden ring resting on the ground shot skyward, carrying a wisp of conscious spiritual light as it attempted to flee.
"A third-realm molt has been destroyed; we shall fight another day!" A faint voice drifted from the golden ring.
Everyone was shocked. This Jin Gui had problems as well—he was not the true body.
At the same time, people realized why he and Xinyuan traveled together. Truly, demons flocked with their own kind.
The Jade Emperor had been exceptionally courteous to them, and for good reason: he valued the true bodies standing behind them.
Qin Ming's expression turned frigid. "Every one of you is so arrogant, sending out false bodies to display your transcendence! One escaped, and you think a second will follow?"
He was enraged. As he spoke, he had already hurled the great hammer. This time, he went all out, gathering force with his spirit field and infusing it with unified heavenly light force.
The great hammer detonated the air as if shattering the night veil, fast as lightning. Catching up to the golden ring with a resounding crack, it smashed the wondrous treasure dull and sent it plummeting downward.
At the same time, Qin Ming soared into the sky, five-colored divine haze swirling around him. He could linger briefly in midair, and he struck repeatedly toward the higher reaches.
The golden ring dimmed completely and tumbled down, while that wisp of conscious spiritual light groaned and was obliterated.
With a metallic clatter, the golden ring struck the ground.
Qin Ming descended alongside it and swiftly retrieved it. This was made of treasure-grade material—the highest-value item he had harvested on the western frontier battlefield.
During this time, many from the demon camp had wanted to intervene, their eyes fixed on the golden ring, but they were all driven back by Yezhou's seed-level figures.
"Of your two sworn brothers, one died and one fled. Is it your turn now?" Qin Ming looked toward Wu Youdao. Could this demon also possess extraordinary origins?
Wu Youdao's face was dark and grim. He refused to step forward. He was no mind ape or discarded molt; he was here in his true body. Knowing he was no stronger than those two demons, why would he throw his life away?
If he died, he was truly gone!
Wu Yaozu spoke up: "Little Dao, I am ashamed to share the Wu surname with you! Do you lack even the courage to fight?"
No matter what was said, Wu Youdao refused the challenge. His life was his own; not even heaven and earth could coax him to court death.
In the demon camp, morale plunged.
Afterward, the two camps held a few more matches, exchanging wins and losses before hastily concluding the bloody duels. The demon race had lost the will to fight on, having ultimately fallen into a disadvantage.
In this battle, Qin Ming had unexpectedly secured an exotic metal ring, leaving him thoroughly satisfied.
The war on the western frontier drew to a complete close that very day.
Qin Ming looked forward with anticipation. Given his battle achievements, he ought to receive considerable rewards, wouldn't he? He needed to study the options carefully and attempt to obtain the *Heaven-Severing Strategy* and the *Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic*.
Scattered snowflakes began to drift down, the weather turning increasingly cold as the demon army retreated in sorrow and indignation.
In the night sky, a human skin puffed up, drifting with the wind as it gazed toward Kunling across the boundless expanse. Beside it lingered other blood-stained creatures.
"Shall we set foot there and take a look near Yujing?" the human skin spoke.
Chapter 338