In the Western Border, the earthlight that had flared for days vanished, plunging the entire world once more into perpetual night.
Scattered flakes of light snow drifted down. Every breath plumed into white mist. Early winter had arrived; the weather had truly turned freezing cold.
"It is time to leave. Do you still hate to part with this place?" Master Xu Kong looked back toward his disciple.
A pale-faced youth answered, "This is where I shed blood, after all. I put all the skills I learned to good use and did not bury them. I have lived up to Yezhou, which gave me birth and raised me. I only want to look at it a few more times before leaving."
He was Zhou Wubing. He watched the vast plain beneath the night sky, gradually being dusted with a pale white by the fluttering snow.
In this campaign, he had been covered in wounds, bathed in scalding demon blood, and had slain countless adversaries. Even now, several of his injuries had yet to heal completely.
Having finished their task, master and disciple brushed off their robes and departed, keeping their names and deeds in deep obscurity. Only those who had briefly crossed paths with them on the battlefield had witnessed their silhouettes cutting clean through the demon ranks.
Master Xu remarked, "Let us go. Living in obscurity makes it far easier to survive for long."
There were many like them—arriving and departing in haste, leaving behind no names, but stepping forward at crucial moments to fight in the great battle against the demons.
At this moment, the experts of the various paths were also retreating in orderly fashion.
Across the Plain of Divine Demise, the soil had turned a deeper crimson, soaked in endless blood and lingering souls. The few towering peaks had been leveled flat, and vast swathes of forest had been reduced to barren ground.
Over the days that followed, the upper echelons of the various paths met briefly. Afterward, the three great imperial dynasties and the supreme sects dispatched logistical personnel to survey and measure the spirit fields.
In this campaign, Yezhou had advanced twenty thousand li to the west, seizing vast expanses of fertile fire fields.
When the subterranean fire springs revived the coming spring, this region would undergo massive development.
"Old Uncle, I can guard your home and courtyard! I was originally a household dog. Back then, forced by the hardships of life, I ventured into the depths of the plain, but I have never harmed a soul!" A dog demon wagged its tail as it introduced itself before a household in a town.
It had no other choice. If it failed to find a safe haven, it might be slaughtered as a demon the moment the spirit fields on the Plain of Divine Demise were tilled in the coming spring.
"I am a jade fox, and I excel most at graceful dance. I am also passably versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting..." Fox demons also entered the cities in search of "work," seeking asylum and aiming to fully integrate into Yezhou.
The beasts and non-human races on the edge of the Western Border were in a rather awkward predicament. Humanity detested them, believing they had caused no small amount of trouble in the past, while the demons regarded them with contempt, branding them traitors to their kind.
Many of the demon races active on the Plain of Divine Demise were no longer fierce in the slightest. They had all become "accomplished singers and dancers"; at the very least, they possessed the household-guarding craft.
Those of a fiercer disposition volunteered to stand watch at mountain gates for various sects.
Relatively speaking, exotic birds had the easiest time integrating. The night-mist world was simply too vast and boundless, and their flight capabilities were highly valued by humans.
***
Standing in the wind and snow, Qin Ming looked back for one final gaze across the Plain of Divine Demise. It was time for him to depart as well.
During that brief pause, many faces flashed before his eyes: Lu Zhenyi, Zhuo Ya, Zhao Ziyuan, Jin Yuan, Meng Xinghai's martial granduncle...
Among the casualty lists were his friends, seniors who had sheltered and valued him, and elderly predecessors who had saved his life from Cao Qianqiu's clutches.
Regrettably, they would forever remain upon this battlefield gradually blanketed by ice and snow, never to be seen again in this lifetime.
In truth, most people were solemn as they withdrew. Among those who had come to the world's edge to spill their blood against the demons, who did not have relatives, friends, or sect elders fallen in battle?
When pulling back from the Western Border, many departed with tears in their eyes.
***
"Extra! Extra! The war at the world's edge has completely drawn to a close! The demons are defeated and have withdrawn from the Plain of Divine Demise as agreed!"
"A resounding victory! A great triumph in the west! Not only did we crush the hunting-nomad civilization, but we also drove the invading demon civilization back to their lair and claimed vast fire fields!"
Throughout the cities of Yezhou, cheers erupted everywhere.
Although news of the patriarchs' great triumph had arrived days earlier, the situation had remained fraught with uncertainty so long as the demons had not fully pulled back their troops.
Now that the dust had settled and the grand outcome was decided, crowds took to the streets in celebration.
Across Yezhou, the heavy, stifling gloom of the past days was swept away.
Beneath the long night, every city blazed with bright lanterns, resembling brilliant pearls studded across the endless expanse of the dark earth.
The names of many patriarchs became household words and were sung in praise. They were the undisputed protagonists of this war, playing the greatest roles of all.
Those who had altered their life forms to set foot into the divine path, as well as patriarchs who had transformed into inexplicable beings of the celestial race, were also unearthed from historical records.
The Newborn path's Past Rulai, the Immortal path's pathfinder surnamed Ye, the silent old patriarch of the esoteric sect... all were remembered anew by the public.
"There are some mighty figures whose origins we never learned even in death, and upon that plain, countless experts left not a bone behind."
Without question, the newly risen generation shone with dazzling brilliance. The Night Gazette, Day Gazette, and Realm Gazette reported on them extensively. Through printed words and blood-stained profile portraits, many youths and young adults stepped into public awareness.
"What? Su Shiyun fell in battle? One of the foremost immortal seeds of the Immortal Lands, the goddess I once looked up to and pursued all my life... She was ambushed by an old demon and left forever on that blood-soaked land! How could this be?!"
Many sighed with bitter regret. The heavens were jealous of beauties; a figure at the fairy level had perished before her time. Otherwise, she would surely have become a supreme patriarch in the future.
"Tang Yutian of the esoteric sect is also dead! He was a divine seed cultivated with top priority, possessed of boundless potential, yet in the end, they could not even piece his corpse back together!"
A single inventory of the losses sent tremors through the hearts of people across Yezhou; this battle had been agonizingly brutal.
At the patriarch level alone, a confirmed group had perished, and the fates of many other experts remained a mystery, unannounced to the public.
"The young sect master of the Yuqing Sect, the Sky Shaker of the Heaven-Supporting Sect, Xue Yunzheng, one of the esoteric sect's strongest seeds..."
As the lists were made public one after another, all quarters were shaken. Every single path had suffered devastating losses in this campaign. Beyond the older generation, many of the pillars of the future had perished.
Naturally, the formidable figures who survived became the focal point of even greater discussion, their brilliance shining all the brighter.
"Do you know what a peerless grandmaster is? One who overshadows an entire generation!"
"Then do you know that there are supreme grandmasters in this world? It signifies the absolute pinnacle, without equal in the same realm! And in this Western Border campaign, there was such a person..."
In the wake of the war, anyone who had distinguished themselves in the Western Border began to be known to the public, discussed by countless people.
Clearly, in such a grand era, the rise of the mighty and the reverence for legends were the most captivating topics, which publications like the Night Gazette and the Truth Gazette intentionally cultivated.
Sorrow had to be put behind them eventually. The white mourning robes worn by all paths could not remain an eternal wound. Everything had to look forward with optimism, and shaping heroes was without question the best path forward.
In truth, after string upon string of fierce battles, there was no need for exaggeration or deliberate boasting; recording the events faithfully was enough, for too many brilliant individuals had emerged in this clash.
"Who could have imagined it? Women yield nothing to men! Jiang Ran practically dominated the fourth realm. Not only did she slay many seeds of her own realm, but she even felled a renowned old demon who tried to ambush her!"
Many gasped in wonder. The heavens had granted that young woman a flawless countenance and bestowed upon her such staggering talent; she truly enjoyed heaven's favor.
Soon, people dug up another fact: Chu Pianran of the Ancient Celestial Daoist Grounds was likely not inferior to Jiang Ran, and her performance on the battlefield had been equally resplendent.
"Li Qingyue incinerated multiple old demons who had crept close in hiding to hunt down immortal seeds. Her performance startled the older figures of Yezhou. In the end, to protect her, they did not permit her back onto the field. Otherwise, her battle record would have been just as glorious!"
The Truth Gazette and the Realm Gazette even ran a special series dedicated to female heroines, highlighting figures such as Tang Jin, Leng Feiyue, Zhao Qingcheng, Yao Ruoxian, and Helian Yaoqing.
"Cheng Sheng, Cui Chonghe, Zhuo Qingming, and the others are also extraordinary—shocking, even! Any cultivator able to break through into the fourth realm is an exceptional figure, difficult to fight across realms. In particular, fourth-realm immortal seeds represent the pinnacle of their domain, yet they could still fight upward and slay superior foes. It is truly unbelievable!"
After this war, people realized that many rising stars along the various paths were ascending. Followed along this trajectory, they were bound to illuminate the entire era.
"The Newborn path stole the spotlight this time. An absolute monster emerged from their ranks! It is said he single-handedly tore through the demon encampment, harvesting countless heavenly demon seeds and shocking both allies and enemies alike!"
Although the military merits had yet to be tallied, all sorts of rumors were already circulating, allowing people to pinpoint the rumored subject with near certainty.
"Word has it that he cultivates methods from two distinct paths. He might have broken through using an immortal method to reach that height, enabling him to defeat all adversaries in the Western Border."
"I do not believe it! He is absolutely the facade of the Newborn path! He cannot belong to the Immortal path!"
"Whether he is purely the facade of the Newborn path is hard to say, but another illustrious figure can certainly be called the door plank of the Newborn path!"
When Xiang Yiwu saw that report, his entire mood soured.
He dearly wanted to set fire to the Night Gazette. How had he inexplicably become the Newborn path's door plank?
"They are praising you! Didn't you read the description? 'An unshakeable, colossal gateway; whoever can push open this door plank shall surely become a peerless expert in the future!'" an old grandmaster from the Rulai Sect said with a chuckle.
Xiang Yiwu rubbed his fists and muttered, "Elder, find a day to set up a meeting with the grandson of that Night Gazette leader. I will have a friendly exchange with him! If our Newborn path wishes to advance, we must engage in all kinds of practical combat, honing ourselves between life and death to witness our true nature. Only then can we attain true rebirth!"
Across Yezhou, from the Ten Great Cities to dazzling metropolises, down to villages and towns, every trending topic in recent days revolved around the Western Border war.
"We have once again pioneered territory through necessity, driving twenty thousand li to the west. Not only did we eliminate a great peril, but come next spring, vast fire fields will be opened up to sustain more people. In the long run, Yezhou's strength will grow by the day."
"Such a vast territory will likely be difficult to govern. The disputes over interests in the future will surely not be few."
Soon, people turned to discussing territorial expansion.
"If we do not expand, simply holing up in one place is completely unviable. We must integrate human populations scattered throughout the night-mist world, find our kin, and strengthen our own race to protect ourselves."
Thinking back, the outer realms' Sun Land and Bane Land had been incorporated after territorial expansion. The Yin-Yang Temple and Pure Yang Palace of the Newborn path, as well as certain vital branches of the esoteric sect, had likewise joined Yezhou later on.
Naturally, unearthing subterranean secret scriptures during expansion and reconstructing the cultivation paths beneath their feet were also major undertakings pursued by every sect.
"You have no idea how miserable humans were before certain regions were integrated into Yezhou. Their fates were sealed at birth—they were merely servants to various alien races!"
"There were worse things! In the early years around Yezhou, humans and many other species alike were treated by colossal beasts as a 'meat harvest'!" an elderly man stated.
He then sighed, "In truth, the essence of expansion is survival. In this pitch-black world, our people feel intense unease. We must unite with more of our kind to explore the road ahead. Why did the sun vanish? What is the truth and essence of this world? These are all truths waiting desperately to be unearthed."
Many in Yezhou harbored deep anxieties. With the sun gone and the environment transformed overnight, what lay in store? Would the world continue to undergo earth-shattering changes?
"While expanding, we also hope to communicate with other civilizations, hoping to understand where they came from and whether they share the same origin as us."
At present, tracing their origins was exceedingly complex.
Most terrifying of all, the world seemed to have no end.
After expanding westward, proceeding hundreds of thousands of li beyond the Plain of Divine Demise would lead to an endless Western Sea.
Yet human pathfinders who had infiltrated the demon encampment reported that the so-called Western Sea might well be nothing more than a somewhat larger inland lake.
In the past, mighty figures of the demon race had crossed roughly a million li from one shore to the other, only to encounter land once again.
***
In Kunling, Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu paused briefly upon returning from the Western Border to bury Zhao Ziyuan's ashes alongside Yu Gensheng.
Two days later, just as they were preparing to set off again, the earth trembled faintly. A few who looked up beheld a human skin completely ablaze, wailing shrilly as it crossed the night sky toward the distant horizon.
*What is that?* Those who had cultivated special pupil techniques were greatly shocked.
Above the dark clouds, several patriarchs stood motionless, watching the fleeing human skin.
"They were probing Yujing. Two were burned to ash, and one fled after catching fire!"
"It is very likely the mysterious civilization behind the demons. Some experts could not hold back and personally approached Yujing."
"This is for the best. With the true masters risking their lives to investigate, things should remain peaceful for quite some time."
This incident stirred ripples among the upper echelons, but ordinary cultivators were kept in the dark. Having just quelled the demon invasion, the patriarchs of the various paths did not wish to trigger pointless panic.
None knew that deep within the restricted zone of Kunling, in a place inaccessible to outsiders where chaotic void layered upon itself, a terrifying city was shedding light.
It seemed suspended upside down in the heavens. Its walls and the colossal, hazy sights within were all inverted, resembling reflections hanging there.
It was ethereal and unimaginably distant, yet the ripples it shook out subtly affected a mud city in the mortal realm.
***
Xiao Wu bid farewell, saying, "Brother Ming, I haven't seen ninety percent of Yezhou's splendid rivers and mountains. This time, I plan to travel around and explore."
He had accumulated considerable battle merits. Planning to entrust Yu Gensheng with exchanging them for what he needed, he would not wait around himself.
"Take care!" Qin Ming was not worried about him in the least; this brother of his possessed formidable adaptability, seeming capable of thriving like a fish in water wherever he went.
Half a month later, in Crimson Cloud City, Qin Ming stood atop the city gate tower, gazing out at the wild expanse beneath the pitch-black night. Snow swirled across the sky, cloaking the earth in silvery white.
"Another winter!" He had returned a few days prior.
Inevitably, his thoughts drifted to the past. Late winter of last year, he had achieved rebirth within his golden window, formally stepping onto this path. Time had flown by. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed, and he had already reached the third realm—spirit field.
Such speed was terrifying along whichever path it was measured.
Qin Ming possessed abundant battle merits, clearly recorded by the memory crystals. However, he did not wish to claim the rewards himself; he was waiting for Lu Zizai to conclude his seclusion.
He had slain more heavenly demon seeds than he had fingers, and had even felled a silver war beast. Without someone laying the groundwork, going to collect such rewards alone would be far from prudent.
*Senior Brother Lu should achieve rebirth smoothly, right?*
Qin Ming then looked toward the night sky in the direction of Black-White Mountain. Occasionally, a blood kite could be seen drifting there once every ten or fifteen days.
A few days earlier, he had visited Twin Trees Village. Old Man Liu was the same as ever—sipping wine, eating wild game, and giving the big yellow dog an occasional kick. Nothing had changed.
Wu Zheng arrived and said, "Brother Qin, it feels like a dream. You and I walked out of Black-White Mountain together, and now your fame echoes everywhere. You have become the Newborn path's door plank—no, its facade!"
He was deeply stirred, feeling as though it were all a dream. Looking back, it had only been a year since Qin Ming, having just achieved rebirth like him, had visited his home to seek the Double Excellence of Spear and Arrow.
Qin Ming shook his head. "Empty fame is a burden. Being featured in issue after issue of the Night Gazette and Realm Gazette is hardly a good thing."
He held a distaste for the Night Gazette. Back during the youth tournaments and unified examinations across various cities, that publication only gave prominent coverage to those who paid, resorting to all manner of flashy gimmicks.
More importantly, he sensed malice from them now. They had dug up his background, reporting that he had lived with the Cui family for over a decade.
On the surface, the Night Gazette seemed to be championing his cause, decrying the Cui family's poor judgment in losing a genius. Yet in truth, it stirred up immense resentment against him.
He had no desire to be scrutinized under every spotlight, yet the Night Gazette kept bringing him up time and again.
"At least Old Cao is crippled and has become Cao the Fourth," Qin Ming murmured to himself.
Of course, with all paths having united to crush the demon army, relations were currently in a honeymoon period. Even when Old Cao's prestige had been at its height, he would not have dared act overtly in the shadows.
*The Cui family...* Qin Ming pondered.
"Little Qin, let's drink until we drop today!" Xu Sheng arrived, followed by Sister Fenfang, Zhou Lin.
They were equally astonished. A companion who had once hunted spiritual creatures in the mountains alongside them had now reached such heights, slaughtering third-realm heavenly demon seeds in the Western Border until none dared take the field.
Qin Ming stayed in Crimson Cloud City for many days. During that time, he accompanied Meng Xinghai to pay respects to that elderly martial granduncle.
Afterward, he learned a piece of news from Meng Xinghai: there had been something amiss with the letter he had received back then.
Qin Ming's expression darkened. "It was my grandfather's handwritten letter, but someone exploited it and set a trap? If I had pursued the matter personally, I would have walked into an accident?"
Back then, he had wisely heeded advice, refraining from heading out himself and letting Meng Xinghai dispatch personnel to investigate instead. Sure enough, complications had followed.
Qin Ming clenched his fists. "Lingering ghosts that refuse to scatter. Once I become a grandmaster, I will overturn every last one of them!"
Meng Xinghai said, "You need to keep a low profile for now. You shone too brightly in the Western Border. Next, you should lie low and focus on improving yourself."
Qin Ming nodded. On the demon battlefield, he had killed excessively. Yet to acquire the battle merits needed for exchanges, he had possessed no better option.
This time, what he sought were ancient scriptures that the Newborn path lacked!
In normal times, obtaining such treasures would have been impossible. Now, it should pose little problem.
Five days later, outside Yezhou in an uninhabited land, Lu Zizai snapped his eyes open. His consciousness surged skyward, piercing the dark clouds to channel boundless heavenly light.
Beyond the mortal realm, an extraordinary brilliance unfolded. Countless raindrops of light cascaded downward, drawn by his spirit, directly striking the ground and submerging his physical body.
Not far away, a patriarch of the Newborn path personally stood guard for him.
Rumble!
Thunder and fire intertwined, nearly melting the mountains in the vicinity.
On that day, Lu Zizai shed his old vessel, successfully attaining true rebirth and stepping into the sixth realm. The world lost a supreme grandmaster and gained a new patriarch.
"It is time for me to formally advance into the depths of the night-mist world!" Lu Zizai declared. Had it not been for the invasion of the nomad and demon civilizations, he would have left Yezhou long ago.
Before that, however, he still had some matters to attend to.
Two days later, in Crimson Cloud City, Qin Ming met Lu Zizai, who had been absent for days. The moment they met, Qin Ming was certain that Lu Zizai had returned thoroughly reborn.
The youth before him possessed eyes as clear as water, devoid of the slightest impurity. This was by no means Lu Zizai feigning youth; from head to toe, he brimmed with vigorous life and vitality.
Even his spirit seemed to have undergone a nirvana, severing useless distractions so that his consciousness was luminous, pure as the heart of a newborn child.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Lu!"
Lu Zizai nodded with a smile. "Tell me about your exploits. What do you wish to exchange for?"
Even he was startled to learn that Qin Ming had slain a silver war beast across an entire cultivation realm.
"You killed more than ten heavenly demon seeds? You truly are a heavenly demon seed harvester!" Lu Zizai had known his younger brother was formidable, but he had never imagined it to be this exaggerated.
"I would like to know which scriptures suited to me are in the hands of the outer realms and the esoteric sect, while our Newborn path lacks them," Qin Ming said, consulting him.
Lu Zizai said, "An incomplete copy of the *Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic* resides in the outer realm; we have only transcribed a small portion of it. As for the *Heaven-Severing Strategy*, do not exchange for it. I will secure the Heaven-Severing Saber Technique for you later. Regarding its root force method, do not entertain thoughts of it for now. If you were to blend the Rulai force, Six Charioteers force, and Sky-Severing force at your current stage, you would inevitably blow yourself to pieces."
After a thorough discussion, Qin Ming knew which true scriptures he should seek.
Among them were texts that even the old patriarchs who had devised the silk book method had coveted in their day.
Had they obtained those scriptures back then, the silk book method might have turned out even more domineering than it was today!
Of course, the more one referenced and merged, the easier it was for the resulting force technique to cause a cultivator to detonate in the later stages.
With Lu Zizai stepping forward to pave the way, Qin Ming could finally exchange for the legendary scriptures.
His first stop was the Immortal Lands—this was also his first time entering an outer realm steeped in legends.
The Immortal Lands were situated within the territory of the Darui Imperial Dynasty, occupying a colossal "blessed land."
As the Thunder King Bird carried Qin Ming closer, its body tensed. In the sky, fifth-realm auspicious birds soared, while grandmaster-level colossal beasts guarded the mountain gates on the ground.
Outside, heavy snow fell in thick drifts, cloaking the world in silver, yet the Immortal Lands remained warm as spring. Even viewing it from afar gladdened the heart and refreshed the spirit. Spiritual trees grew everywhere. To say nothing of medicine fields, precious herbs sprouted even from the crags of cliff faces.
Within the Immortal Lands, purple mist rose from the various peaks, and peculiar fire springs—ranging from golden to azure—bubbled everywhere, entirely unlike the common crimson springs.
This was a world of fragrant flowers and singing birds, veiled in lingering spiritual qi and rising celestial mist, brimming with vibrant life.
Even the insects curled beneath leaves were spiritual bugs. The place was miraculous to an absurd degree, truly a blessed land of fortune.
After Qin Ming announced his name, a familiar figure appeared before long.
The peerless Jiang Ran arrived outside the mountain gate to usher him inside.
Once Qin Ming stepped onto this celestial ground, a grandmaster personally came forth to converse with him warmly.
Without question, through the battle in the Western Border, Qin Ming's innate talent had astonished many. His actual battle record was simply too dazzling; even older figures treated him with profound regard.
Otherwise, for a mere youth, how could a grandmaster personally accompany him?
Clearly, upon becoming the figurehead of the Newborn path, his status had skyrocketed.
During this time, many disciples and followers of the Immortal Lands approached, quietly observing him from a distance. Among them were core disciples, immortal seeds, and direct descendants of ancient pathfinding eccentrics, all looking upon him with curiosity.
Jiang Ran's younger sister, the white-robed girl Luo Yao, pouted. She had never imagined that in just a single year, the youth who had once seemed separated from her by mountains and seas could have advanced to this stage. Today, he walked into the Immortal Lands, hosted personally by her elder sister and a grandmaster.
Meanwhile, she was relegated to serving as a "tea attendant," pouring tea and tending to the three of them from the side.
"I wish to view the *Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic*," Qin Ming stated, going straight to the point.
It was said that in the past, several patriarchs of the silk book method had coveted this classic intensely, yet had sought it in vain.
Chapter 339