In the earthen city, purple qi drifted from the east, and it had clearly become a focal point of rising turbulence in Night Province.
Distinguished guests arrived in steady succession. None among those coming and going were ordinary: there were "blazing suns" from beyond the region, renowned great grandmasters, direct scions of the imperial clan, and prominent figures representing millenary clans. All were enshrouded in auspicious clouds and received by the Twelve Golden Immortals.
In sharp contrast, not far away, those preparing to venture into the otherworld appeared rather shabby. Covered in travel dust, they sat cross-legged on the ground.
Faint whispers and light chuckles could even be heard from outside the earthen city, remarking that those crossing the boundary were merely pawns sent ahead to clear the path for royalty, scouting the way on their behalf.
A burly man with a thick beard sitting on the ground spoke up: "Everyone, if you find any opportunities, make sure to clean them out completely!"
His cultivation was relatively profound. He had faintly caught the soft laughs before the earthen city and seen youthful disciples from prominent clans accompanying several foreign blazing suns into town.
...
"Form a line. You may now cross over to explore—no crowding." A great grandmaster personally guarded the spot and maintained order.
In front of the entrance to Purple Dawn Cave, someone was actually selling copies of the Illustrated Catalog of Spiritual Items, clearly priced at ten pieces of day gold each.
Flipping through the catalog, Qin Ming walked into the deep, dark tunnel.
Dense purple mist surged, and the sensation of weightlessness was pronounced. Many young faces wore looks of nervousness. The path beneath their feet leading to the foreign realm was very long.
Finally, cries of surprise came from the very front. Some had already exited the tunnel and stepped onto the unknown soil of this foreign realm.
As Qin Ming approached the exit with the crowd, he smelled the stench of rotting leaves and sulfur, which was quite unpleasant.
Arriving in the otherworld for the first time, many people frowned, as they clearly sensed that spiritual substance here was sparse.
Amidst the black mist, several volcanoes stood like savage beasts. Crimson magma poured down from the peaks into the marshlands at their base, giving rise to billows of steam that formed a vast white curtain.
"This place can't compare to Golden Light Cave at all," someone said, utterly disappointed. What lay before their eyes was simply too desolate.
"Wake up, brother. Golden Light Cave was a giant trap; it was never any kind of other realm," someone reminded him.
Be that as it may, many still knitted their brows, feeling this was an extremely barren world. At this moment, they were not far from an active, erupting volcano. Thick smoke billowed, and taking a single breath sent burning spasms down their throats.
A portion of the crowd climbed up a taller extinct volcano to look into the distance, hoping to peer through the scenery shrouded in heavy night mist.
Others slipped away silently, unwilling to give up and determined to thoroughly explore this land.
"We've already come all this way. It'd be too pathetic to slink back now. Let's go look around; maybe we'll find something new."
Soon, someone made a surprise discovery of life in a lake outside the cluster of volcanoes: a kind of fish that was almost entirely transparent. Swimming in schools, most were about as long as an adult's arm.
A young man took action, but the moment he caught one, the strange fish resisted violently.
He cried out in shock, furious.
This crystalline, translucent fish possessed immense strength. With a fierce thrash, its tail slapped hard against his face, feeling like two swift smacks across the mouth.
"This is a kind of... spiritual fish!" The angry youth's expression soon turned to astonishment. The strange fish's flesh bore no fishy smell; instead, it carried a subtle, refreshing fragrance.
With a rustle, a large group gathered around. After careful study, they determined that the fish was a tonic.
"For cultivators in the First Realm who haven't completed more than three Newbirths, consuming this fish regularly might give them a chance at a fourth Newborn transformation."
To low-level cultivators, this was an extraordinary medicinal cuisine. If such strange fish could be cultivated in large numbers and sold reliably, it would be tantamount to uncovering a gold mine.
"Maybe this place isn't as worthless as we thought. It's worth exploring further." Some regained their confidence, filled with anticipation.
The crowd dispersed, each going their own way.
Naturally, many banded together for mutual protection, venturing deeper as a group into the dim lands blanketed by night mist.
"Everyone, it seems to me that the spiritual substance is slightly denser in that direction." Standing atop a boulder, someone pointed in a particular direction.
Qin Ming was surprised; that assessment matched his own perception. Evidently, a few among the crowd were exceptionally sharp.
This unknown foreign realm was boundless. Although more than six hundred people had entered, as they pushed deeper into the desolate land, the figures thinned out.
Qin Ming wore a solemn expression. He was certain this was indeed far from Night Province; here, he captured wisps of Dao rhymes that were remarkably profound and deep, distinct from those of Night Province.
Before long, on a stretch of high ground, he discovered a lightning-struck mountain. Its peak was shattered and charred black. From it, he seized wisps of heavenly light.
"Black light?" Qin Ming was surprised. This was the first time he had found heavenly light of this color.
"Indeed, it is exceedingly overbearing, and its corrosion of the physical body is frightening." Yet he felt a surge of anticipation, itching to enter spirit wandering immediately, soar deep into the night sky, and explore the highest heavens.
However, he dared not act rashly. Knowing nothing about this unfamiliar otherworld, being overly reckless could easily lead to disaster.
Qin Ming did not travel fast, proceeding with great caution because the darkness was thick and fog blanketed the wilderness. He had yet to find a decent Fire Spring.
He knew well that the darkest places often harbored ??, Night Abyss Walkers, and the like—inexplicable, bizarre, and terrifying creatures, or perhaps certain exceedingly dreadful "phenomena."
Yet the journey remained entirely tranquil; he encountered no evil entities or bizarre perils.
After walking 150 li, the impenetrable gloom suddenly thinned. As he moved forward, a faint sheen of light gradually appeared on the horizon.
Soon, he stood in a daze before a magnificent "cliff." Below and ahead, radiant mist swirled, rich with vibrant vitality and coiled with spiritual substance.
On the whole, the land he had just traversed resembled a desolate plateau. Bizarrely, upon reaching its edge, there was no gentle transition; like a sheer precipice, the terrain plunged several hundred meters downward.
Qin Ming scaled down the cliff, entering a lush expanse of vegetation.
He raised his guard. There were Fire Springs here, pale gold in hue—a trait distinct to super Fire Springs that could only manifest in blessed lands.
For instance, the outer pure lands and the Black-White Mountain Peril both possessed extraordinary, anomalous Fire Springs that defied normal conventions.
He found it rather baffling: it had been completely barren just moments ago, yet had suddenly transformed into something entirely different.
As Qin Ming ventured deeper, the spiritual substance grew increasingly dense. Pale gold streams of Fire Spring water wound through the woodland, nourishing this fertile forest.
Perhaps there are extraordinary precious medicines here. This looks promising! His anticipation mounted. Rare Fire Springs were highly likely to foster remarkable spiritual items.
On guard, he advanced, searching for the source of the Fire Springs.
The air in the forest grew moist. The scents of foliage and earth mingled, entwined with spiritual substance countless times richer than near the volcanoes. This was by no means a barren wasteland.
Yet something was amiss: even now, Qin Ming had not spotted a single beast or bird of prey, hearing only the wind rustling through the leaves.
Up ahead, the Fire Spring was no longer pale gold, having shifted into a dazzling, pure gold that tinged even the mist in the night sky with a sacred glow.
Before long, Qin Ming could hardly believe his eyes. Ahead, the spiritual presence was so concentrated it seemed tangible, rippling like glowing water.
Trees, grasses, and vines had long disappeared. Before his eyes was a riot of colors: cluster upon cluster of "tents," each flowing with brilliant radiance.
Dotting the ground were massive mushrooms. The smallest stood taller than a person, each like a small house, while the truly gigantic ones reached over a dozen meters high.
They were vividly colorful, glittering and resplendent.
Qin Ming was dumbfounded. Hadn't these fungi grown entirely too large?
Giant mushrooms blanketed the terrain ahead without a single weed or vine in sight—a boundless sea of mushrooms.
Some black mushrooms bore gold stripes; others were bright red dotted with flecks of purple light. Each was more vibrant and beautiful than the last.
"Could they all be deadly poisonous?" Qin Ming wondered.
He had heard that the prettier a wild mushroom looked, the more lethal its poison.
"Wait, why do some look like 'spirit mushrooms'?" Qin Ming said uncertainly. Pulling out the Illustrated Catalog of Spiritual Items, he compared them page by page.
Sure enough, he found that certain mushrooms were tonics classified as spiritual items—it was just their sizes that didn't match. The colorful mushrooms here were far too gigantic.
Qin Ming moved on. Even though he had identified possible spirit mushrooms, he dared not sample them for fear of killing himself. There were simply too many glowing mushrooms in this area; it was downright absurd.
"Hiss... three-colored spirit mushrooms?" he gasped. As he pressed on, he spotted "small mushrooms" enveloped in tri-colored radiance. Finally, some weren't so colossal—though that was only relative, as they were still half a person tall and roughly the size of a small millstone.
Qin Ming could barely restrain himself. If these were genuine three-colored spirit mushrooms, they were likely close to spiritual medicines rather than mere nourishing ingredients.
Traveling several dozen li, he saw nothing but multicolored giant mushrooms. He began to wonder if this was a bizarre world dedicated entirely to mushrooms.
Qin Ming was dazed. Having already spotted four-colored spirit mushrooms, he strongly suspected there might be even higher-grade spiritual items.
And indeed, his hopes were rewarded: ten li further, he came upon five-colored spirit mushrooms. These were undeniably spiritual medicines and should be effective even for him.
Gulp. Qin Ming swallowed hard.
He suspected that if he ate some of these five-colored spirit mushrooms, he might just break through right here!
Qin Ming walked another ten li without finding higher-grade mushrooms. Ultimately unable to resist any longer, he harvested a five-colored spirit mushroom the size of a washbasin.
"It actually smells so fragrant. It shouldn't be poisonous, right?" he muttered, bolstering his courage.
Naturally, he had no intention of acting recklessly; he planned to test for poison with small doses.
The main body of the five-colored spirit mushroom displayed five hues: portions of scarlet danced like flames; areas of green were fresh and vibrant; sections of purple misted with violet vapor; streaks of gold shone like morning clouds...
Qin Ming reasoned that something so sacred and full of spirituality surely wouldn't leave him lying in a coffin.
He tore off a small piece. Instantly, five-colored light swirled and a fragrance bloomed, growing increasingly rich. Never had he imagined a mere fungus could make his mouth water like this; it was truly absurd.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Ming manifested his heavenly light externally, creating colors even more brilliant than the mushroom's. Casting a cauldron outside his body, he placed the torn piece inside and cooked it with Primordial Heavenly Light.
Before long, he began to sample it cautiously.
The taste was exquisitely delicious. As a tiny sliver of the five-colored spirit mushroom entered his stomach, Qin Ming immediately felt a faint warm current rise within.
"It really is... a spiritual medicine." Qin Ming felt no discomfort whatsoever; on the contrary, he captured strands of extraordinary substance.
He waited patiently for a long time. Still unaffected, he gradually increased the portion. After testing it repeatedly, he was thoroughly reassured. With his mastery over his body and sharp spiritual awareness, he could easily distinguish whether the mushroom was medicine or poison.
In the end, Qin Ming refined the five-colored spirit mushroom with heavenly light and began gorging himself.
Inside his stomach, a surging torrent of warmth rushed into his limbs and bones, benefiting his body immensely. Soon, his entire form grew burning hot, and his physical vitality surged violently.
"Still lacking a bit of heat." Qin Ming increased the intake, finding a second five-colored spirit mushroom and quickly cooking it with heavenly light.
He gathered and consumed one five-colored spirit mushroom after another until he was nearly stuffed, glowing mist billowing every time he opened his mouth. Only then did sufficient medicinal potency accumulate.
With a deep boom, every pore across Qin Ming's body steamed with five-colored divine radiance, bathed and purified by a scalding spiritual substance that tempered his physique.
He knew he would very likely break through to the sixth heaven of the spirit field.
At that moment, his whole being seemed submerged in five-colored spiritual flame. Even his strands of hair took on multicolored shades, and his entire body turned crystalline and exquisitely radiant.
Centered around Qin Ming, a miniature five-colored domain formed.
Crack!
Faintly, he seemed to hear the sound of some shackle shattering, as if the chains binding both body and spirit had been blasted apart.
Qin Ming was certain: he had stepped into the sixth heaven of the spirit field.
For him, this was equivalent to skipping a whole year of arduous cultivation. Normally, even if he practiced every day, he would not have reached this realm until next year.
Bathed in five-colored divine radiance, Qin Ming rose to his feet. At this moment, he was brimming with vigor, feeling vibrant life force and immense strength coursing from head to toe.
"Are there six-colored spirit mushrooms, or seven-colored precious medicines?" His eyes shone bright with high spirits as he sought to search further for even more potent spiritual items.
He pressed forward tens of li in a single breath, searching meticulously. Regrettably, he never found any higher-grade spirit mushrooms.
However, as he advanced, he noticed that the Dao rhymes in this region had grown unimaginably dense.
When he reached a majestic mountain, he suddenly seemed to realize something and snapped his head upward.
For he sensed that the Dao rhymes seemed to be cascading down from the heavens.
Sure enough, there was something in the night sky!
At that moment, Qin Ming felt his scalp tingle. Looming indistinctly within the dark clouds and mist was a colossal entity, suspended in the vault of heaven before him.
No, it looks inverted, not sitting upright in the highest heavens!
Qin Ming was shaken to the core. Only a small portion of the behemoth's outline showed, flowing with pure white jade-like radiance. Why did it match the legends he had heard so closely?
Unable to resist, he walked forward, gradually approaching the area directly beneath the colossal form in the night sky.
Suddenly, two divine beams shot from his eyes.
"That is..." He found it unbelievable. Hanging down through the clouds and mist from the highest heavens was a pale gold straw rope, swaying gently in midair with the breeze.
Qin Ming stared blankly. Today's experience was utterly preposterous. Just what kind of realm had he entered?
Chapter 374