Night wind, the Fire Spring, snow glowing crimson beneath the light, and a crowd of youths buzzing with excitement from watching the battle—a cacophony of clamor cut across the wilderness.
Xiao Wu's flash of white teeth and his short golden hair shone in the night, yet his dazzling smile had instantly frozen stiff.
What kind of lousy nickname was that?
After easily handling his opponent, he had waited in eager anticipation. Even if they didn't bestow a dignified title like Sovereign or Martial Saint on him, they couldn't just call him Blondie!
"Are you lot out of your minds?" He itched to roll up his sleeves and throw down with the hecklers. Did he not even qualify to be hyped to high heaven or slandered with a grand title?
Even a few acquaintances were struggling to stifle their laughter, earning a sideways glare from Wu Yaozu.
The opponent he had beaten wobbled back to his feet, spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm, and muttered with deep resentment, "Blondie!"
Then he turned to walk away.
"I—fuck." Wu Yaozu found this intolerable. Although this had been a relatively tame bout and both sides had unspokenly refrained from lethal blows, he could hold back no longer.
Xiao Wu leapt into the air and followed up with a kick, sending the youth coughing up blood and flying back into his own camp.
The Eastern Lands faction had already been feeling stifled. Hailing from Earth Immortal Palaces, they had suffered defeat in several duels in a row. Seeing this, someone charged straight out.
"How dare you strike someone from behind!" The newcomer was hot-tempered and brimming with rage. His black robe billowed, bursting with dark light as he raised a hand to claw at Xiao Wu.
This person was in the fourth realm and had grown somewhat frantic from losing; seeing an opening, he moved to discipline the weakest opponent in the opposing camp.
Wu Yaozu immediately came under immense pressure and dodged swiftly, yet the opponent's pure yang light still suppressed him, jolting his entire body and turning his face pale.
The youth from the Earth Immortal Palace strode forward forcefully and swiftly, left hand clasped behind his back, right hand lunging like an Azure Dragon extending its claw, aiming to seize Xiao Wu in one grab.
"You people have no sense of decorum!" Xiang Yiwu teleported forward. Behind him, the setting sun cast its dying rays, bathing the Great Thunder Sound Temple in evening glow. Beneath the massive millstone, the shadowy figure approached reality like a god king descending into the mortal realm.
The youth from the Earth Immortal Palace suddenly stiffened, his movements arrested.
Qin Ming also cast his gaze over. His Hunyuan force surged like a blazing sun hanging in the sky, delivering an intimidating pressure that caused part of the opponent's spilling pure yang conscious spiritual light to crumble.
Yet unexpectedly, Xiao Wu stopped backing away and said, "I'll do it myself!"
He said in a deep voice, "I wanted to get along with you lot quietly, but you people who walked out of the Earth Immortal Palaces all put on airs and take me for a soft persimmon?"
Wu Yaozu's aura transformed. A crisp crack resounded from within him, like shackles snapping apart, and his mental fluctuations abruptly skyrocketed.
"A breakthrough mid-battle?" the spectators exclaimed.
However, acquaintances like Qin Ming and Xiang Yiwu knew he had willingly unsealed himself; his true cultivation was not what he usually displayed.
In a flash, a golden rainbow surged out of Wu Yaozu's body, forming a dazzling arched bridge. He traversed the bridge as if teleporting, arriving right before his opponent.
In the past, he had suppressed his cultivation to hone his physical body and make up for deficiencies. Now, lotuses bloomed within his flesh and blood, blending seamlessly with him.
Xiao Wu blasted forward with bare hands. The divine rainbow resonated with his physical body as he teleported, striking like thunder and causing the Earth Immortal Palace successor's expression to change drastically.
Rumble!
This time, it was the opponent who stumbled back, blood spilling from his nose and mouth, his pure yang light largely scattered.
In the end, the youth from the Earth Immortal Palace was heavily wounded, half his body drenched in blood. His conscious spiritual light dimmed, his spirit deflated, and he slunk desolately back to his camp.
No one had imagined that Xiao Wu, who seemed the weakest, harbored such latent power, enough to defeat a fourth-realm opponent.
At this moment, what he displayed was power at the peak perfection of the third realm.
Everyone was astonished. In this series of duels, Jiang Ran, Li Qingyue, Qin Ming, and Xiang Yiwu had all defeated their opponents with stunning performances, and now even Wu Yaozu proved so extraordinary.
Wu Yaozu was very pleased with the crowd's reaction, and his dazzling smile returned.
Immediately, many voices cried out in unison: "Blondie!"
Xiao Wu's expression stiffened. He realized this was a hurdle he could not cross—the more he cared, the more deliberately they would tease him.
Soon, however, the area fell silent, and the jeering stopped. The atmosphere was completely off; the people from the Eastern Lands' Earth Immortal Palaces looked terribly grim.
In every single duel, they had lost!
"Do you wish to spar further?" Li Qingyue spoke, her white robe fluttering in the night wind. Faint moonlight flowed around her body—it was the legendary Six Ding Divine Fire, exuding an immense deterrence.
Jiang Ran, draped in scholar-green, casually scrutinized the young masters of the Eastern Lands.
Both young women possessed beauty that could topple cities. Standing side by side, they appeared like two heavenly maidens banished to the mortal realm, exceptionally striking. The two of them alone made their Eastern Lands opponents look solemn.
With Qin Ming, Xiang Yiwu, and Wu Yaozu sweeping their gazes across as well, the aura of pressure was palpable.
Everyone realized that standing together, these five could truly be called a heavenly troupe!
Those who had just fought were already the cream of the crop from the two Earth Immortal Palaces. Now stained with blood, they felt bitter inside—they had barely arrived in Night Province, only to suffer such a crushing setback.
At this moment, whether the local seeds of Night Province or the youths from external domains, all turned solemn as they looked at the quintet.
"This is an awe-inspiring lineup!" someone said in a deep voice.
"Forget it, let us end things here for today. This was merely a friendly spar," said the golden-robed youth who had fallen to Jiang Ran. He was magnanimous enough to take the loss in stride.
No one in Night Province looked down on him. To battle Jiang Ran for nearly two hundred exchanges proved this golden-robed youth was utterly formidable; had any other immortal seed stepped up, they likely could not have overcome him.
The youth with the vertical furrow between his brows also sighed inwardly. He truly could not withstand Li Qingyue. How could someone in the fourth realm fuse the Six Ding Divine Fire with their physical body?
The green-robed youth looked at Qin Ming with a complicated expression. He had been defeated from below by someone in the third realm.
In fact, quite a few people wore peculiar looks when eyeing Qin Ming—he had actually crossed a realm to conquer his opponent.
The green-robed youth muttered to himself, "Alas, looking down on Sun Chengjun, understanding Sun Chengjun, becoming Sun Chengjun... We severely underestimated a Qin Ming who mastered the Hunyuan force!"
A number of people reflected on this and nodded in agreement.
After consuming spirit medicine, Liu Zhenghong's skull healed, but he didn't dare enter the field again.
Qi Yunxiao recalled how back then, his spirit had wandered thousands of li to deal with Qin Ming; boundless bitterness flooded his heart. What had possessed him to do that?
This clash had not been exceptionally fierce and had drawn to a close quickly, yet it left a deep impression on all sides, forcing them to re-evaluate Night Province's strength.
The cultivators of the Eastern Lands were by no means weak—in fact, they were extraordinarily powerful. Yet in this contest between the younger generation, they hadn't won a single bout!
"Night Province not only breeds monstrous patriarchs, but today's simple pressure test also drew out several monstrous youngsters!" someone whispered in the shadows.
In truth, this resonated with many visitors from external domains.
Although people had deliberately stirred things up to draw hatred toward Sovereign, Moon Goddess, Emperor Ran, and Martial Saint, on deeper reflection, these figures might truly live up to such titles in the future.
Some felt that even that "Blondie" might eventually swap one of those characters for "Emperor."
In this confrontation, the Eastern Lands had ended up on the back foot.
Yet everyone knew the Eastern Lands certainly possessed even more formidable youthful powerhouses. Cultivation resources there were exceedingly abundant, with several Earth Immortal Palaces, and there were even those who had achieved the seven-sun stacking.
However, other "blazing suns" of the Eastern Lands did not show their faces, letting the matter rest. Who knew whether Night Province harbored even more terrifying freaks? They had no obligation to test the waters or apply pressure on behalf of other external factions.
Just then, an aged voice resounded: "Not a single death? You lot need to experience genuine bloodbaths and trials of life and death before you can mature rapidly. Right now, you are being coddled far too much."
Pausing slightly, he added, "The tunnel leading to distant lands will soon open. In all likelihood, it will extend beyond the territory covered by Yujing. When that time comes, you may well battle unknown species. Wherever you hail from, young ones, if you wish to rise swiftly, go forth and explore. The otherworld welcomes you."
People realized this voice transmission came from a Night Province patriarch.
Whoosh—almost all the young prodigies from external domains bolted, dashing straight toward the earthen city. Those old fellows had duped an Earth Immortal from Pugong to death; they were terrifying.
No matter how heaven-gifted a genius might be, it wouldn't be enough to endure the old monsters' schemes!
They strongly suspected this was just recruiting cannon fodder!
The local geniuses of Night Province lingered briefly before heading into the earthen city as well, not wishing to answer the patriarch's summons for now. After all, the last emergence of the Great Dream Divine Mushroom had left them hovering between bliss and misery in sheer torment, blockading the earthen city's gates for months on end.
Qin Ming, Li Qingyue, and the others also entered the city, intending to learn more about the situation.
The earthen city was not imposing. Its walls were rammed from pure mud-brick, without even a single blue brick.
The interior was bustling. Unlike the desolate scene Qin Ming and the others had imagined, many thriving shops lined the roads, and carriages and pedestrians flowed like water through the streets.
Above all, having drawn the winds and clouds of the world together, it could hardly avoid being lively.
"I heard a grand battle broke out outside the city? Don't tell me we missed it!" Inside the city, people hurried outward, having evidently missed the action.
Suddenly, Qin Ming's pupils contracted slightly. In the hurrying crowd, he spotted a white-robed youth. Were it not for his large nose and elongated ears, his sword-like brows and starry eyes would have made him quite handsome.
He recognized him: this was the youth he had chanced upon back in the Great Thunder Sound Temple!
Qin Ming hadn't expected to run into him in reality.
He did not fear the youth; he had thoroughly thrashed him back then.
However, there was also a red-robed woman. Even when merely mimicking the white-robed youth's mental field and operating under heavy restrictions within the Great Thunder Sound Temple, she had been exceptionally formidable.
Qin Ming's expression grew solemn. If he encountered her in reality and her cultivation was higher than his, he would be in serious trouble.
He had once planted a kick right on the red-robed woman's plump backside, booting her out of the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Even though more than half a year had passed, he remembered it vividly.
If even he hadn't forgotten, the aggrieved victim herself undoubtedly retained an even deeper impression. If they crossed paths, a brawl was practically guaranteed.
Though this was Night Province, his home turf, what if he couldn't beat her? Would he have to call on Emperor Ran and Qingyue for help? That would be too humiliating.
"See that big-eared youth over there? Help me grab his attention and distract him," Qin Ming said to Xiao Wu.
"On it!" Without asking a single question, Wu Yaozu readily agreed, pulling Xiang Yiwu along as they walked forward.
Li Qingyue found it rather amusing. Turning slightly toward Qin Ming, she asked, "Do you hold a grudge against him? Do you need me to step in?"
"No need." Qin Ming shook his head, then quickly and briefly explained that behind the youth stood a red-robed woman who was exceptionally powerful; if they ran into her, they must be cautious.
"How do you manage to provoke everyone?" Jiang Ran smiled.
"It was just an accident. I ran into them by chance in the Great Thunder Sound Temple."
...
A moment later, Qin Ming circulated an immortal art—the four jade book pages, renowned as one of the three most difficult true classics of the immortal path!
Even though this scripture was incomplete, it possessed illustrious fame across Night Province, known as the Heart Subduing Classic.
Qin Ming prepared to execute Countless Transformations to deceive the white-robed youth.
He did not intend to transform himself, but rather to apply the wondrous art directly onto the white-robed youth.
The so-called Countless Transformations had two applications. The orthodox path was to undergo various transformations oneself.
The other application was to cast the spell upon the target, clouding their mental field so that whatever they saw was laced with illusion.
Coordinating with each other, Wu Yaozu and Xiang Yiwu naturally intercepted Bai Meng and struck up a warm conversation, chatting about the battle outside the city.
Suddenly, Qin Ming activated the wondrous art.
When Bai Meng saw him approach, a look of surprise immediately crossed his face. "Hey, what a handsome brother!"
Qin Ming knew it had worked!
In Bai Meng's eyes, Qin Ming had large ears full of blessed fortune and a tall, elongated nose—matching his aesthetic sensibilities to perfection. It was rare to encounter such an elegant and dashing youth in an unfamiliar region.
Thus, he felt an immediate affinity and took an instant liking to him.
Qin Ming inwardly praised the technique; this Heart Subduing Classic was truly uncanny. Standing right in front of a past opponent, the white-robed youth failed to recognize him!
However, this technique had its limitations: it could not be cast on anyone with higher cultivation than oneself.
Shortly after, Qin Ming and the white-robed youth hit it off splendidly. He learned the youth's name, and the more they talked, the closer they became, yielding plenty of information about his elder sister.
"Sky City will soon emerge. In the nocturnal sky, a sea of stars is destined to shine, and my elder sister is almost certain to become one of the bright moons."
Qin Ming discovered that Bai Meng loved to boast, letting slip even things like this.
"I'm not the only one saying it. Plenty of people in the city are talking about it. When the stars ascend to the sky in this dazzling era, certain individuals will shine so brilliantly that they will be surrounded like the moon among stars."
According to Bai Meng, Tang Yushang had already caught the eye of prominent figures; the moment she entered the city, Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe had personally granted her an audience.
"Are you Jiang Ran?" Envoys from the Earth Immortal Manor took the initiative to seek her out.
A moment later, Jiang Ran and Li Qingyue were invited away.
Bai Meng was momentarily stunned.
"Do the three of us not qualify to enter the Earth Immortal Manor?" Wu Yaozu voiced his discontent.
Bai Meng patted his shoulder. "Brother, wake up. My sister is highly regarded, yet aren't I also strolling around outside? Extraordinary though you and I may be, at most we can only become one of this era's rising stars."
He explained that currently, only a select few were qualified to attend the banquet at the Earth Immortal Manor.
Bai Meng noticed Qin Ming asking about his mistress from time to time and gave him an odd look. "Brother Qin, although we hit it off like old friends right from the start, my sister's status is far too exalted, destined to become one of the few bright moons. You and she are truly not suited for each other. Stop inquiring about her."
Xiang Yiwu grinned, chuckling non-stop.
Qin Ming rubbed his chin. The fellow had actually misunderstood, but that was just as well. He naturally wouldn't bother explaining, instead playing along: "A fair maiden is a fine match for a gentleman. Faced with the grace of a heavenly immortal, how could our generation not yearn for her?"
Bai Meng said with earnest gravity, "Brother Qin, close as we are, don't get any ideas. My sister is destined to hang high in the ninth heaven. You had better... just watch quietly from afar."
To play along with Qin Ming's attempt to get close to Bai Meng, Xiao Wu chimed in, "How do you know my Brother Ming can't stand atop the nine heavens?"
Bai Meng said earnestly, "To approach my sister, even if you can't defeat her, you must at least stand shoulder to shoulder with her. Look, all three of you are still in the third realm."
Wu Yaozu said, "Uh, mark my words: one day, Brother Ming will hang like a blazing sun across the sky."
Bai Meng shook his head, gazing up at the night sky. "A blazing sun cannot be a creature of the earth."
Qin Ming said, "Alright, got it. If your sister ever appears, give us a heads-up in advance so we don't offend our future heavenly immortal."
Clearly, he was preparing to cultivate an insider.
"Who is Qin Ming?" someone approached and asked politely.
Bai Meng was taken aback. Could this youth who was so pleasing to his eyes also be one of the future bright moons? It wasn't unacceptable—after all, he bore such a resemblance to their Sacred Race, handsome as jade!
Qin Ming noticed Su Moran following behind, having personally come here to invite him, while even further back stood Gao Chan with a displeased look on his face.
Evidently, Bai Meng recognized both of them as well, muttering to himself, "Su Moran from Sky City, and Gao Chan, who brought trouble upon himself."
Chapter 393