In the deep night sky above the dark storm clouds, with Qin Ming at the center, his spirit field expanded. The Great Thunder Sound Temple stood alongside the afterglow of a setting sun as bells chimed distantly, the dual qi of yin and yang flowed, black and white particles surged, and a divine sparrow swept across the firmament bearing the Nanming Departing Fire...
How could Qi Yunxiao possibly block this? This was leveraging the power of heaven and earth. High above the nine heavens, dao rhymes cascaded down, blessing the spirit field with an immortal brilliance.
This canopy, originally pitch-black, was completely illuminated by Qin Ming. The pair of colossal hands manifested from the spirit field was like the millstones of heaven and earth closing together—vast, magnificent, and majestic, causing the entire sea of rain clouds below to undulate and churn into towering waves.
Qi Yunxiao began to disintegrate inch by inch. Within those gigantic hands, he was like a puny flying insect, slowly being crushed to powder.
"Ah..." His shrill, agonized scream echoed above the night sky.
His conscious spiritual light carried partial pure yang attributes and had long since been touched by wisps of immortality, so it would not be obliterated by a single strike.
The streams of light splashing out through the gaps between the gigantic fingers re-manifested Qi Yunxiao's form in the night sky. His face was pale, and the corners of his mouth were stained with essence of conscious blood.
Yet, even though he had not died and had reformed, he could hardly alter his fate. He remained trapped within the bounds of this spirit field, unable to break free.
At this moment, ripples of the spirit field radiated outward ring after ring, like an all-encompassing celestial net. Standing at the center, Qin Ming was surrounded by spectacular, wondrous visions. Accompanied by the resonant tolls of great bells and bronze cauldrons, he resembled a deity—solemn, majestic, looking down upon his reconstituted opponent.
Qi Yunxiao's face was ashen. Treading upon the tangible ripples of the spirit field, he stumbled unsteadily. He felt as though he were an insect caught in a web, unable to flee and unable to resist.
Not long ago, he had been full of supreme confidence, wandering a thousand li with his spirit, stepping gracefully through the void with one hand clasped behind his back, believing a single sword strike would cut down this native and leave him bedridden for months.
In the end, it was he who had fallen into a desperate plight, now fighting merely to survive.
He opened his mouth to say something, but from that grand Sumeru field, a pair of Heavenly Demon hands suddenly thrust forth, clapping him between the two palms with a wet thud.
Qi Yunxiao exploded once more, his conscious spiritual light disintegrating completely.
Cen Jinghong and Mu Xingyao, who were likewise "stuck" within the spirit field, watched in dazed disbelief. That was a seed-level figure of the fourth realm, yet here he had suffered such a catastrophic defeat!
A chill ran through their entire bodies. What kind of monster had they provoked?
Cen Jinghong and Mu Xingyao came to their senses. Recalling how they had previously viewed Qin Ming as nothing more than a paper figure in a game and used him as a modest wager for amusement, cold sweat now prickled down their spines.
Just as their hearts trembled with regret, Qin Ming turned his gaze toward them and extended a hand, bringing it crashing down in their direction.
"Wait! Brother Qin, let's talk this out!" Cen Jinghong yelled. Even though this was not his primary conscious spiritual light, he did not want to lose it here, for doing so would ultimately damage the cultivation of his true body.
Yet Qin Ming paid him no heed. Standing as colossal as the Giant Spirit God, he grabbed him in one grasp. With a slight exertion of force, streams of light scattered everywhere, tearing him apart into fragments.
Though Mu Xingyao had appeared inviolable, with her purple robes fluttering in ethereal detachment, she could no longer maintain her calm either. She spoke hurriedly, "Qin Ming, hold your hand for a moment! I have something to say!"
What answered her was a gigantic hand slamming down. Immediately afterward, a terrifying compressive force bore in from every direction, warping her slender, graceful figure and draining all color from her face.
Then, with a wet pop, she too was crushed into an explosion of light by Qin Ming's fist.
Qi Yunxiao's conscious spiritual light, dim and flickering like a flame in the wind, managed to manifest once more.
In truth, even if he wanted to feign death, he could not; within this spirit field, there was nowhere to hide.
"Your vitality is quite tenacious," Qin Ming said.
This time, one of his fingers stabbed down like a pillar supporting the heavens crashing into the earth, causing Qi Yunxiao to burst apart again.
"He is the descendant of an old Earth Immortal! Are you truly going to kill him completely?" Cen Jinghong manifested again in a weakened state.
He did not mention his own identity, choosing instead to test Qin Ming with Qi Yunxiao's background.
Qin Ming looked back, his expression cold. "Does the descendant of an Earth Immortal come to Yezhou to commit violence and naturally expect to pay no price?"
Hearing this, Qi Yunxiao abandoned all hope. In truth, even if the other party stayed his hand right now, he was already practically ruined; eighty percent of his lifelong cultivation had dispersed.
Whether Qi Yunxiao, Cen Jinghong, or Mu Xingyao, all three were now frail to the utmost degree.
Qin Ming could easily obliterate them, yet he did not make them vanish immediately.
He gazed toward the white-robed woman in the distance. This person was far from simple; she seemed even more formidable.
Beneath her canopy, she possessed an extraordinary aura. Her tall, slender figure flowed with mysterious dao rhymes, like an immortal lotus swaying with radiant luster in the night sky.
"I was merely passing by." She smiled faintly, showing no intention of stepping into the fray. Then, piercing through the dark clouds, she entered the veil of rain and departed just like that.
Qin Ming stared at her hazy receding figure, sensing a wisp of familiarity, yet even his Eye of the Newborn could not see through her.
Behind the white-robed woman, Meng Xinghai appeared, accompanied by an elder with snow-white hair and beard who stared intently at the woman's silhouette again and again.
"Little Qin, are you hurt?"
The battle in the night sky had alerted Meng Xinghai in Chixia City, and he had rushed over with a grandmaster-level elder.
"Uncle Meng, I'm fine." Qin Ming shook his head, bringing the three weakened wisps of conscious spiritual light with him as he arrived before them.
The old grandmaster from the Meng clan stood in a daze, finding it hard to believe what lay before his eyes. Although he had arrived late, he had still witnessed the broad strokes of what had happened.
He knew very well that the methods Qin Ming had displayed had long surpassed the bounds of the third realm, forcefully crushing seed-level figures of the fourth realm from beyond the domain.
Even as a well-traveled and experienced old grandmaster of the Meng family, Meng Zhiyan was greatly shaken, hardly daring to believe his own eyes.
In the past, Meng Xinghai had valued Qin Ming highly and shielded him multiple times, refusing to give the Cui clan any face when driving away Cui He, Cui Shuning, and the others. Some members of the Meng family had voiced mild complaints about this, believing he should not offend people from a thousand-year-old clan so deeply.
As Qin Ming gradually rose to prominence, the voices of those clansmen who held grievances against Meng Xinghai slowly quieted down.
Now, having witnessed the conclusion of the battle in the rainy night with his own eyes, Old Grandmaster Meng Zhiyan felt his heart surge with emotion, marveling at just how keen his grandnephew's foresight had been.
"Qin Ming will surpass the Overlord of old!" This was the judgment and assessment he formed at once.
"Little Qin, how do you want to handle them?" Meng Xinghai asked.
By this point, Qi Yunxiao, Mu Xingyao, and Cen Jinghong had their senses sealed and had fallen completely unconscious.
Qin Ming said, "Naturally, I'd like to crush them directly. But considering they come from beyond the domain with deep backgrounds, doing so might stir up considerable trouble, so it isn't wise to obliterate them outright."
He paused briefly before continuing, "I intend to grind away their pure yang power, sever all their cultivation, and leave each of them with only a single wisp of conscious spiritual light so that the physical bodies of those who attacked can barely cling to life."
Let them go directly? That was naturally out of the question; the bare minimum was to completely cripple them.
Meng Xinghai nodded. "Leaving behind fractured consciousness is practically the same as killing them, but it preserves a bit of face for their side, and it makes it easier to report to the higher-ups and issue a public statement."
The old grandmaster of the Meng clan nodded. "Mm. As a seed of Yezhou's Newborn path, Qin Ming encountered an assassination attempt on a rainy night. Though thrust into peril and forced to retaliate, he maintained calm and restraint throughout. His actions displayed rationality and maximum forbearance, showing no desire for wanton vengeance despite the insult—a clear testament to the purity of his character. We hope that our friends from beyond the domain, upon arriving in Yezhou, will treat all parties with courtesy and coexist in harmony, and by no means violate their conscience or go against the virtues of gentleness, kindness, respect, thrift, and deference."
Hearing this, Qin Ming could not help but show an odd look. Although Meng Zhiyan's words sounded thoroughly official, they were airtight. Presumably, they would soon be reported to the upper echelons and announced to all sides.
The Meng family's old grandmaster felt that the founders of the various paths had all entered seclusion and should not be disturbed. Conveniently, the First Ancestors had been rather active lately, making them the most suitable figures to step forward.
Meng Xinghai nodded and added, "After all, the people are still alive. Let them bring 'sincerity' to ransom them."
Afterward, Qin Ming acted without mercy, grinding away the trio's pure yang consciousness and stripping them of all their cultivation.
***
Thirteen hundred li away, at Mount Yuhua, the night was hazy. There was no torrential downpour here. In the spirit lake atop the peak, clusters of fire lotuses swayed, scattering a fine drizzle of light accompanied by delicate wisps of fragrance.
The black-robed youth, Cen Jinghong, chuckled. "Calculating the time, it should be about done, right? Brother Qi should be returning soon."
Someone smiled in agreement, saying, "Such are the arts of a sword immortal: directing a sword over a thousand li, wandering the great void with the spirit, returning in the blink of an eye—supreme in martial might, carefree and unrestrained."
Here, Qi Yunxiao was exceptionally gentle and unassuming, knowing that none of these people were to be trifled with. Raising his cup, he said, "My humble skills pale in comparison to your divine abilities. This was merely a sparring match. Afterward, I will likely have to go apologize and explain myself to that Brother Qin. Tonight's rashness was indeed a headache."
Mu Xingyao offered a slight smile. "Brother Qi only used two strikes of the sword; you had no intention of truly harming him. Surely he will understand."
***
At Black-White Mountain, raindrops the size of fists pelted down in dense sheets, hammering the earth.
Between heaven and earth, all was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen.
Suddenly, a thick bolt of lightning arced across, instantly tearing through the thick, ink-like darkness.
It was precisely at this moment that a colossal, furry paw in the night sky was illuminated by the flash, its size rivaling that of a dark cloud.
It seemed to carve open the firmament as it tore fiercely at an old human skin.
That charred human skin had also expanded, blanketing the abyss-like sky like a gigantic kite fluttering in the storm. Its pale face was clearly visible, blood dripping from its hollow eye sockets.
On this terrifying rainy night, had any mortal witnessed this scene, they would likely have fainted from fright.
In the night sky, the big yellow dog's massive frame was as imposing and formidable as a mountain peak, exerting an overwhelming pressure that choked half the sky. Its canine eyes were icy, its aura fiercely predatory, relentlessly ripping tear after tear into the old human skin with extraordinary dominance.
It let out low, rumbling roars that drowned out the rolling thunder, its ferocious might towering into the sky. The malevolent blood-qi boiling from it blasted straight through the dark clouds, throwing even the pouring rain into disarray.
With a ripping sound, it tore through the face of the old human skin, spilling a thick slurry of blood that dyed the night curtain red. A torrential downpour of blood rained between heaven and earth, reeking of a heavy, pungent stench.
The old human skin spoke urgently: "Brother Dog, could you stay your hand and hear me out?"
The big yellow dog replied coldly, "You're the goddamn dog! This old master is a deity! Open your hollow sockets and take a proper look!"
"I came here seeking worthies and visiting sages. Why not grant me an opportunity for dialogue?" the old human skin said rapidly.
"Foul demons, scurrying vermin that can't bear the light of day! The people behind you just want to observe the old master's condition up close! Since you've come, then you're dead!"
With that, the big yellow dog tore open the dark clouds with its colossal paw, as though cleaving through the entire firmament. With a sharp rip, it tore off a massive chunk of that giant human skin.
It said chillingly, "Don't think we don't know! Back when the old master fought his bitter way out of Yujing, those shadowy vermin behind him definitely borrowed his momentum, escaping along that bloody path right behind him!"
Opening its massive maw, it spat out a colossal fireball of blood-red flames. It was as though the Heavenly Dog had swallowed the sun and then unleashed it once more, blasting it toward the old human skin. In an instant, endless scarlet radiance dyed the entire night sky crimson.
*Boom!*
The old human skin was struck directly, torn to tatters on the spot until it was nearly reduced to ragged strips of cloth. Blood dripped incessantly in a gruesome display, and even that aged face was shattered.
Afterward, the big yellow dog seized it and tore at it with furious might.
In the hands of the big yellow dog, the immortal skin that struck dread and wariness into outsiders was treated like shredded flatbread, swiftly torn to absolute ribbons by those massive, furry paws.
The old human skin let out a muffled groan as its inflated leather-like body deflated. Dense black mist and blood boiled out from within, resembling the awakening of an ancient spell formation.
Inside the room, Liu Mo stood quietly. Black and white qi rose from his body, and his eyes were like two deep abysses. Through that mist of blood, he seemed to glimpse two familiar silhouettes.
In a distant, unknown land, within an immortal lake rippling with nine-colored radiance, swaths of golden lotuses grew with dense dao rhymes, swaying with immortal substances amid clusters of lotus buds and undulating golden mists.
Among them, two lotus pedestals shone with tens of thousands of strands of immortal light, both bearing hazy, seated figures. At this moment, both suddenly opened their eyes and looked toward Black-White Mountain.
Liu Mo spoke calmly, "Having dragged out your meager existence for five hundred years, you are destined to decay. Did you truly believe I would perish as well?"
"Master, whatever you do, don't awaken! This old servant ate chaff and swallowed wild herbs, living in a muddle for five hundred years; I truly don't want to go through it all over again. With this old servant here today, I can purge the demons of the world on your behalf! Unseal me!" the big yellow dog barked.
Amid popping sounds, it tore the old human skin to shreds with raw strength, incinerating it to ashes with a colossal blood-red fireball.
It panted heavily. Clearly, its intervention had not come without a price. Under normal circumstances, without any countermeasure, it would immediately degenerate from Lord Dog and deity back into a simple dog, requiring an extended period of recuperation.
A clump of bloody light wrapped in black mist broke free from the ashes of the old human skin and fled into the distance.
"Old Master, look! That was merely a skin, no longer a true immortal! Even so, I failed to kill it completely! Please undo my shackles and let me go purge the demons for you!"
Since it had already awakened and was bound to pay a heavy price regardless, it wanted to seize the momentum to carry out a sweeping purge.
A moment later, the big yellow dog in the night sky shrank in size. Donning a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat, with a bamboo sword slung across its back, it trod upon the dark clouds and shot off toward the distance at extreme speed.
"The dog... after being promoted to Lord Dog, has been promoted again to the Dog God!" Yuque and the red squirrel watched in utter daze.
"What nerve! You dare linger instead of fleeing?" In the region of Black-White Mountain, the big yellow dog drew its bamboo sword with a sharp ring. A streak of emerald-green luminescence flashed past. Instantly, a mist of blood erupted in the night sky, followed by a dark shadow staggering backward, its head already severed from its neck as the entire body burst into flames.
"And your bones!" The big yellow dog struck once more with its sword. A beam of sword-qi shot straight into the heavens. With a crisp snap, a white skeleton above the dark clouds was severed and brought tumbling down. Under the terrifying sword intent, the skeleton disintegrated inch by inch, reducing to fine powder.
On this rainy night, a piece of gossip spread toward the distance: in that remote land of Black-White Mountain, an immortal had fallen!
Chapter 370