A Sensation

Under the long night, a youth with clear, bright eyes appeared. His slender frame looked as though a gust of wind could lift him away, yet many recognized him at a single glance: it was Qin Ming. This stirred up an immediate commotion, drawing a chorus of gasps. A person believed dead, talked about by everyone for so long—how could he abruptly appear again? Many found it hard to believe, hardly daring to trust their own eyes. Ever since Qin Ming had thrown caution to the wind and turned around to feast on those freshly sprouted, tender spirit mushrooms, he hadn't been lean in the slightest; one could even say he had been glowing with radiant vigor during this period. Even he felt that after being trapped in a desperate plight for so long, walking out plump and sleek would really look rather unseemly. At his current level, if he wanted to make himself look gaunt, it was exceedingly easy; evaporating the moisture within his body was naturally the most effective way. Thus, while Qin Ming was not exactly skin and bones right now, he was a far cry from glistening and full. His outer robes appeared rather loose, with wide sleeves fluttering in the breeze. In an instant, this region erupted. Not only ordinary onlookers, but even grandmasters and their peers were struck dumb with amazement. What tenaciously unyielding vitality! It was nothing short of a miracle! Li Qingyue stood in robes as white as snow. Under the reflection of the fire springs, her hair and flawless face seemed to glow, cloaking her whole person in a sacred luster. She drifted forward, her worries and anxieties swept clean away. Seeing the familiar figure return, she relaxed completely. It was as though the morning glow had settled upon her; when she offered a faint smile, she was bright and radiant. Over these past days, she had once wanted to stake the Eight Trigrams Furnace in a wager, pleading with an ancestral master to search for him. Alas, the Great Dream Divine Mushroom had blocked the way, and that senior held himself in high regard, directly advising her against a meaningless endeavor, saying no one of the younger generation could survive in such an environment. "Fairy Mu, think about it carefully. If my Brother Ming left behind any scion, the Newborn path's door panel and door lintel would be the child's own uncles! Two future Heavenly Gods would escort and safeguard him!" Behind the crowd, Wu Yaozu had still been earnestly having a secret talk with Mu Xingyao. At this moment, his words broke off mid-sentence, and his eyes instantly grew wide and round. His gloomy mood evaporated into nothing in a flash. Color and sparkle danced in his eyes and brows as though he had shot straight into paradise; his mood was... exceedingly good. Mu Xingyao had tensed up all over; she had nearly attacked just a moment ago. She felt this short-haired youth had lost his mind, suspecting this and that, teaming up with the boy beside him built like a door panel to look her up and down. If they had kept talking, they might have dragged her off for prenatal care! Xiang Yiwu had been sullen and taciturn not long ago, but now he grew excited, shouting, "I knew it! As the one blazing a new path, how could Brother Qin die young!" As the door panel of the Newborn path, with his hulking frame and burly build, the ground shook fiercely when he took a thumping stride forward. Meng Xinghai could hardly believe what he was seeing. He hastily covered his face with his sleeve and quietly dabbed away—if his eyes grew red, how could he let anyone notice! He recovered in an instant, talking and laughing casually: "Splendid! The kid actually came back alive and kicking! He really kept our hearts in our throats for so long, but now the dark clouds across the sky have all dispersed!" Yu Gensheng had been on the verge of shedding old tears, overwhelmed by sorrow and inner anguish, but now two beams of divine brilliance shot from his eyes. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out, and the hundred-plus strands of hair on his head fluttered without wind. Then he burst into hearty laughter. His emotions had truly plummeted and then soared; having crawled out from an abyss, he had now arrived atop the clouds. Old Yu glowed all over, looking as though he were about to ascend to immortality. Li Qingyun laughed heartily as well. From feeling suffocated with grief to now feeling as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit, every pore across his body relaxed and opened up. Today, the earthen city's seal was lifted, and those trapped inside had all emerged. Representatives from major periodicals were waiting right here, eager to follow up with breaking reports at the earliest possible moment. The people from the Night Post stiffened, utterly dumbfounded. Just a short while ago, they had reported with supreme confidence that Qin Ming had met a grim end without a trace of his bones remaining. Yet here the man himself was, returned in the flesh! This was bound to trigger a massive sensation. Qin Ming had survived a fatal tribulation and walked out of the dead zone created by the Great Dream Divine Mushroom—this was practically forging an unbelievable myth. Naturally, this also exposed the Night Post's sloppy reporting, smacking them right across the face. A crowd of acquaintances rushed over in haste. "Brother, you've gotten thin," Xiang Yiwu said. "Door panel, can't you see Fairy Li is talking with Brother Qin? Why are you rushing up so eagerly to barge in!" "Who's calling me a door panel?" The burly Xiang Yiwu rounded his eyes like bronze bells, scanning through the dense crowd. ... As soon as the news spread, all factions were stunned. Hadn't they said no one could possibly survive in that forbidden domain? The Cui clan: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" A gathering of senior notables from the Cui clan froze in complete disbelief upon receiving the news. Was there anything more absurd than this? An ancestral master had personally concluded that aside from the spirit mushrooms, all life in that dead zone was thoroughly extinguished! The members of the Cui clan remained in a daze for a long time, completely unable to smile anymore, their expressions turning solemn. Under the long night, when old figures from other major organizations saw the missives on their desks, nearly all had the same reaction, dismissing it as fake news. Once the information was verified to be authentic, several old figures were thoroughly flabbergasted, instinctively blurting out, "This young fellow, what the f—!" How could he survive? Everyone felt it was like an Arabian Nights tale. In the distance, the youth behind the mind monkey heard the latest news and murmured to himself, "He actually didn't die and wasn't reduced to tribulation ash. Now that's somewhat interesting. Perhaps there truly is a place for you in this era. It seems that one day, I will still need to step in personally to grant you release." Gazing toward Kunling from afar, he said, "In such an era of path-blazing where a hundred schools of thought contend, having a few brilliant rivals means it won't be quite so lonely after all." Qi Yunxiao's face was livid. His celebration had been for nothing—that person wasn't dead! He was a dazzling sun from the Eastern Lands. After having his thousand-li spirit wandering crippled, he remained in Night Province, having no face to return to the Eastern Lands in the short term. He felt he had become a laughingstock. Outside the earthen city, under the night sky, Li Qingyue personally cast an art to brush away the dust from Qin Ming's body—which, of course, was an air of weathered hardship he had deliberately added to himself. Returning completely unstained would have been hard to justify. Qin Ming felt he was keeping quite a low profile right now, yet he was still submerged under waves of burning gazes. He naturally knew what many were thinking: everyone wanted to know how he had survived. Certain matters he had already reported to the ancestral masters; there was no need to elaborate further to unrelated bystanders. Back when several ancestral masters had personally arrived and discovered him, they too had been momentarily shocked, suspecting whether this youth had been possessed by the Great Dream Divine Mushroom. However, after examination by the Sky-Patrolling Divine Mirror, it determined that Qin Ming had no issues whatsoever. To account for it, Qin Ming had even had to submit a secret report, claiming that Lu Zizai had left a mysterious trump card on him, which successfully warded off disaster when he fell into desperate straits. A few Immortal path ancestral masters were skeptical and wanted to take matters into their own hands, personally probing the spiritual light of his consciousness. However, ancestral masters of the Newborn path were present, and Present Rulai was nearby as well, who delivered the final verdict: since Qin Ming had passed inspection by the Sky-Patrolling Divine Mirror, there was naturally no problem. The white-robed maiden Luo Yao was also present, having come to receive Jiang Ran. At this moment, she stared with wide eyes toward Qin Ming. She remarked, "I even burned two sheets of paper money for him to honor our acquaintance, and now he's come back to life?" Even amid the surrounding crowd with all sorts of voices buzzing in his ears, Qin Ming caught her words and felt a strong urge to flick her forehead. "Sister Ran, if you were alone in the wilderness with spores dancing across the sky, could you survive?" she whispered. "Such a scenario would be hell-level difficulty!" replied Jiang Ran, dressed in teal robes. In fact, those who had entered the earthen city knew very well the tremendous weight of Qin Ming surviving all on his own. Without the protection of the ancestral masters, how many in the city could have remained unscathed? Many had needed an ancestral master's protection; otherwise, they would have perished. At this moment, Pei Shuyan, Zhuo Qingming, and others were deeply shaken, unable to calm their hearts for a long time. They inwardly marveled: what kind of monster was this? To actually survive relying purely on himself! Little Rulai stared at Qin Ming repeatedly. He regarded himself as the orthodox lineage; his sect had living sages holding sway over the world who could guide future disciples. Yet could that youth opposite him, who hailed from a collateral branch and had cultivated Chaos force on his own, have truly comprehended the true meaning of immortality? To actually endure the corrosion of the divine spores head-on—he was deeply skeptical of this! Cui Chonghe said nothing, feeling a sense of urgency for the first time. In the realm of natural talent, he felt he had encountered an unbelievable opponent; that person was absurdly uncanny. Back when Qin Ming was still his double, he hadn't spared him a second glance. But as the other party rose subversively time and again, he finally realized that this was a youth with boundless potential. If this continued, one day in the future, the Cui clan might find itself in grave danger! Outland suns like Xiao Jinye, Lu Chenxiao, and Qi Jiyue also looked at Qin Ming with complex expressions. This youth, who hadn't qualified to attend the Flat Peach Immortal Feast, had actually pulled off such a miracle! Naturally, people had also followed out from the earthen city: there were the Twelve Golden Immortals, founding ancestors, and young figures of astonishing background, such as Gao Chan. He watched Qin Ming with a strange look in his eyes: was the youth who hadn't been given an invitation truly this formidable? Around Gao Chan, a Sumeru field rippled briefly before quickly receding. While everyone marveled in great shock, only Mu Xingyao let out a long breath of relief. If the person in question hadn't shown up, she would have fought Xiao Wu to the death. That fellow's mouth had spewed such wild and scandalous nonsense that she had been ready to burst with fury. "Young Friend Qin was actually able to survive such a fatal tribulation, defying common sense—it is truly like a myth," an elder sighed. "The ancestral master stated plainly that unless one possesses transcendent talent, commands divine fire, and has skill bordering on the Dao, it would be difficult to seize that sliver of hope. Brother Qin actually possesses all of these—he is truly brilliantly extraordinary!" A senior notable went so far as to address a youth like Qin Ming as a brother. "Incredible! The young are truly to be feared!" Even a grandmaster could not help exclaiming. Praise poured in from all around. Such a miracle genuinely moved many people, sparking widespread discussion. Li Qingyue's pure white, slender hand emitted a gentle glow like a trickling stream, sinking into Qin Ming's body. She drew upon the power of the Eight Trigrams Furnace to help purify his form, worried he might harbor hidden injuries. Helian Zhaoyu's pupils contracted. Then, feeling a pang of sharp jealousy in his heart, he clenched his fists, his emotions churning violently as he said, "Who knows how he survived!" Though his voice was low, those nearby all heard it. Beside him, Wei Cheng, dressed in black, also said in an undertone, "Could he have been possessed or mind-controlled by the Great Dream Divine Mushroom?" With his keen perception, Qin Ming heard those words clearly. Two cold, piercing beams instantly shot from his eyes. To say such things at a moment like this—their intentions were anything but kind. Especially that Wei Cheng, who was rather vicious. His light, offhand remark seemed casual on the surface, but was entirely deliberate. If people overanalyzed it and harbored suspicions, it might plunge Qin Ming into peril. Li Qingyue's pretty face turned frosty as she said, "Slandering others behind their backs—do the likes of you even deserve to be called Immortal seeds? I am ashamed to be associated with you." She stepped forward, ripples spreading beneath her feet as a sheet of immortal brilliance expanded across the ground. Both Wei Cheng and Helian Zhaoyu jolted violently, staggering backward. She demanded, "If you have something to say, why can't you speak it directly to his face?" Evidently, Li Qingyue intended to suppress the two and make them come over to apologize. Qin Ming signaled to her that he would handle it himself. He walked forward, and the crowd immediately parted to make way for him. Qin Ming spoke, "The Sky-Patrolling Divine Mirror examined my body and found nothing amiss. The ancestral masters personally escorted me out and had no doubts either. Do you refuse to acknowledge the Sky-Patrolling Divine Mirror, or do you distrust the ancestral masters?" Wu Yaozu chimed in as well: "You two are true hypocrites! My Brother Ming narrowly escaped death and returned from the battlefield, only to be slandered by you! Do you even have a shred of decency?" Wei Cheng said, "I merely spoke off the cuff. There is no need for you to take it to heart. If your conscience is clear, naturally you won't mind." "Some words shouldn't be spoken carelessly!" Xiang Yiwu said in a deep voice, cold light flashing in his eyes. He felt the fellow was practically begging for a beating. Qin Ming stared directly at the two and said, "I suspect you two have been possessed by demons from beyond Night Province!" Someone had started stirring up trouble the moment he returned. Speaking his mind openly, he said, "Since we suspect each other, let us examine one another." With that, a spirit field expanded outward from Qin Ming, enveloping both of them. The expressions of Wei Cheng and Helian Zhaoyu shifted. Naturally, they had to fight back; they knew full well that this flagship figure of the Newborn path was exceedingly formidable, possessing a terrifying spirit field. No one had anticipated that the conflict between the two sides would erupt so swiftly and directly; at a single disagreement, blows were already being traded. Qin Ming truly had just returned from a battlefield; he had slain many mushroom men and could be considered to have rendered meritorious service by killing foes. Since the other party was splashing dirty water on him, he naturally wouldn't act all gentle and refined. Everyone could see that the opponents had provoked him first; what did it matter if he tore all pretenses away right now? In an instant, black light surged from Wei Cheng's body. Like a black sun, he unleashed an exceptionally powerful spiritual light of consciousness; evidently, he had mastered an exceedingly formidable technique of the Immortal path. Helian Zhaoyu had fought Qin Ming before, ending in disastrous defeat. Today, in a fit of violent emotion, a casual remark had ignited a clash; knowing regret was useless, he retaliated at once. Mainly, he had taken his shame as motivation and spent the past year in bitter cultivation. Believing himself much stronger than he had been last winter, he thought he might just wash away his past humiliation. Then, onlookers saw the slender Qin Ming step forward, his wide sleeves billowing. With no intention of raising either hand, he relied purely on the expansion of his spirit field. In an instant, the black light Wei Cheng had unleashed was completely forced back like an inverted waterfall, sinking back into his own body and causing him to shudder violently. Helian Zhaoyu had cultivated the Gonggong aspect and the Zhurong golden body. Combined, the two could form a water-fire yin-yang diagram; moreover, he possessed other inner landscape deities. Merging all landscapes into one, he was indeed remarkably powerful! Yet at this moment, he discovered to his horror that Qin Ming's progress over the past year was even greater, surpassing his own rate of growth. Even with his multiple inner landscape deities stacked together, he was completely suppressed. With a thud, Wei Cheng dropped to one knee. He simply could not endure any longer, utterly enveloped by Qin Ming's spirit field. Helian Zhaoyu retreated again and again, unable to withstand the waves of that spirit field either. Qin Ming walked forward and placed a hand on Wei Cheng's head, appearing to inspect him. Wei Cheng knew this was merely to humiliate him. If this were a true life-and-death clash, he would already be dead; a single palm falling from his opponent would have snuffed out his life instantly. He was beside himself with shame and rage. A single loose comment had brought him such profound disgrace! Qin Ming unceremoniously shoved him aside, letting him tumble to the ground, and continued walking forward, closing in on Helian Zhaoyu. Qin Ming's indifferent attitude only made Wei Cheng feel all the more humiliated. The other party was far too casual, treating him as though he were nothing. Like a scarecrow, Wei Cheng lay on the ground, unable to move a muscle. As the crowd's gazes fell upon him, Wei Cheng felt his chest tighten to the point of bursting. Helian Zhaoyu was inwardly shaken. The other party's growth was even fiercer than his own. He retreated with difficulty, desperately trying to break free from the spirit field's shackles. Yet his strength increasingly failed his will. Not having seen each other for a year, this opponent had actually become far more dangerous than before. Many moved aside, giving them room to fight. However, Little Rulai did not step back. Standing where he was, he saw Helian Zhaoyu struggling as he fell back and placed a hand against the boy's back, helping him neutralize the suppression of the spirit field. "You want to wade into these muddy waters?" Qin Ming looked toward him. "That should be enough from you," Little Rulai said indifferently. He had naturally curly short hair and a sturdy build. Though he appeared casual and calm, his interest was actually piqued; he wanted to enter the fray right here, hoping to suppress this descendant of a collateral branch with a single hand. The ripples of Qin Ming's spirit field became even clearer and took tangible form, like layers of ripples or divine halos radiating outward. At this moment, Helian Zhaoyu lost his composure. He was entirely suppressed, immobilized. Crucially, he seemed to see a colossal mushroom towering into the dark clouds. His spirit trembled in disbelief. He felt as if he were still testing methods for the ancestral masters and researching the divine spores, suffering various hallucinations. Little Rulai was astonished, and then a wave of nausea washed over him. Over the past few months, he had repeatedly undergone the illusory realm and suffered the corrosion of divine spores; merely seeing a mushroom made him want to dry-heave. And now, he found that Qin Ming's spirit field was filled with spirit mushrooms large and small, in every color imaginable—ranging from the size of water basins to the size of mountaintops. Near and distant sights overlapped in a hazy, mysterious expanse. He gasped cold air. Had he reentered the earthen city, continuing that unbearable ordeal? For a moment, he even suspected he had never walked out of the earthen city at all and remained trapped within an illusion. Momentarily dazed, Little Rulai erupted with Chaos force and shot backward at extreme speed, escaping that bizarre spirit field. Only when he had completely cleared the area did he realize he had nearly fallen for it. This was rather ridiculous. Standing in the fourth realm, he had almost succumbed—it was truly unbelievable. Though it was merely an instant's distraction, in a true battle of life and death, that would be fatal; he could have been severely wounded or even killed. The crowd was baffled. The Great Dream spirit field was focused on its targets, so the onlookers saw no spirit mushrooms. They only witnessed Helian Zhaoyu frozen in a trance and Little Rulai flying backward as if dodging venomous vipers or seeing gods and ghosts—it was thoroughly bizarre. Qin Ming walked right up to Helian Zhaoyu, placed a hand on his head, and then patted his left shoulder, saying, "Take care of yourself." He had not deliberately sought to humiliate him, but standing before an opponent and acting so casually while the other could offer no resistance spoke volumes on its own. Qin Ming's calm, effortless manner genuinely shook many onlookers. Everyone present understood that he had pulled completely ahead of Helian Zhaoyu, Wei Cheng, and the like. They were no longer his match; on a real battlefield, their heads would have rolled long ago. Qin Ming hadn't launched a fierce assault; as though taking a leisurely stroll, he had calmly and placidly crushed two opponents purely with the waves of his spirit field. Furthermore, even Little Rulai had seemingly almost fallen prey. At this moment, the retreated Little Rulai's face darkened. He had once taken a direct blow from a grandmaster; within the fourth realm, he was indeed exceptionally powerful, worthy of being called transcendent. Today, caught off guard, he had actually been startled into retreating by a descendant of a collateral branch in the third realm. He felt his dignity had suffered a blow. He took a stride forward, pressing closer once more. "Enough of that. How old are you? Still trying to pose as a youth? Take a look at your actual age!" Yu Gensheng spoke up, stepping forward to block his path. Qin Ming had returned alive. Old Yu was filled with boundless excitement and joy; being right here in person, how could he tolerate Little Rulai being so aggressively overbearing? Li Qingyue flicked her finger, producing a metallic chime. At her fingertip, a cluster of Six Ding Divine Fire flared up. She fixed her eyes on Little Rulai; if he dared make another rash move, she would strike without hesitation. "Why take it this far?" "There is no need to make such a scene." Others spoke up one after another. Little Rulai gave a cold snort and stepped back, choosing not to enter the fight. Afterward, the atmosphere here turned lively once again. "Brother Qin, just how did you make it through?" many asked, crowding around Qin Ming. Qin Ming said, "Hungry, with high spirits I feasted on divine mushroom meat; laughing, to quench my thirst I drank spirit mushroom broth. Alas, these past months have made me want to throw up whenever I see a mushroom." "Come on, let's head to Kunling City together to wash away the dust of travel and celebrate your return!" Wu Yaozu said. Immediately, Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun nodded in agreement. Li Qingyue and Qin Ming walked side by side as they set off toward Kunling City. In truth, quite a few acquaintances were nearby, all having escaped from the earthen city and heading toward Kunling City. Thus, many accompanied them, making for a lively group, including Zhao Qingcheng, Pei Shuyan, and others. "All these dishes... their rich aromas are intoxicating. Over these past four months, whenever I thought of any food at all, my mouth would water," Qin Ming said, feasting heartily inside a restaurant in Kunling. Jiang Ran was here as well. Looking at Qin Ming with an unusual expression, she remarked, "Is Hunyuan force really so wondrous and domineering? To have carried you through such a desperate plight... even I'm tempted to cultivate it on the side." The entire restaurant was filled with acquaintances who had gathered here after escaping the earthen city. Qin Ming said, "This technique is lethal. At the slightest carelessness, one will inevitably disintegrate in the final stage." Then, he also showed a look of curiosity and asked, "Two years ago, you obtained the greatest opportunity on Black-White Mountain. Could you tell me what it was?" ... In the outside world, rumors and reports flew thick and fast. The Night Post had no choice but to publish a clarification stating that Qin Ming was still alive, instantly sparking a massive sensation. The slaying of the Great Dream Divine Mushroom, the lifting of the earthen city's seal, and the escape of practitioners from all paths naturally ignited fiery discussions as well. That very day, the Earth Immortal of the earthen city formally stepped forth to personally oversee the unification of Night Province, stirring monstrous waves and sending shockwaves throughout the world. Everyone foresaw that an Earth Immortal emerging to forcefully drive unification was destined to shape the future course of Night Province. "What is the ultimate purpose of the beings in Yujing and the earthen city? What profound intent lies behind their quest to 'seek answers' upon this land of Night Province?"