A long night, frozen earth, and snow granules danced in the freezing wind. The white-robed youth retreated at extreme speed, blood welling from his shoulder where a wound cut deep to the bone—that saber strike had nearly cleaved his arm clean off.
More than that, the Heaven-Severing saber light, seeming to connect with the highest heavens, was more blinding than lightning as it poured down from the night sky, its vast, boundless saber intent yet to subside.
Ape's entire right arm hung limp. He shifted instantaneously through the nocturnal mist like a specter, the calamity-avoiding ripples around his body—reputed to be capable of extinguishing all arts—surging frantically to drown the saber light.
With a clear ring, Qin Ming sheathed his blade and came to a halt, pausing his assault.
Traces of blood also marked his chest, accompanied by scorch marks.
At the final instant, the precious furnace hovering above the white-robed youth's head had crashed toward him like a meteor, piercing through the runes of harmonizing body and Dao on his body and inflicting an injury.
Qin Ming had always sensed that his opponent was extremely dangerous, and such a bloody clash had indeed proven that this person was exceptionally thorny to deal with.
He had possessed absolute confidence in that strike just now; it was capable of slaying transcendent prodigies of the fourth realm.
Yet the white-robed youth had not only endured it head-on, but had also executed an efficient counterattack.
"The peak of the third realm," Qin Ming murmured, his brows furrowed.
Ape was not in the fourth realm, which made this all the more formidable.
By now, Qin Ming found it difficult to encounter an opponent in the third realm who could challenge him, yet this adversary traded blows with him back and forth—a true anomaly.
The white-robed youth's brow was knit tightly. In his eyes, this opponent was the one who defied all reason, an "outlier" far beyond conventional norms. His realm was lower, yet Ape had failed to take him down immediately.
Ever since childhood, all his feats had far surpassed his peers, crowning him supreme across a whole domain; he had never suffered a single defeat to this day. Yet tonight, someone was actually fighting upward against him.
Tonight, he had not come to spar, but specifically to slay an enemy. Yet he was the one who had sustained no light injuries.
Half of his body was drenched red with blood. However, the Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture was remarkably profound; gentle ripples covered his form, and his drooping arm reconnected.
Many spectators revealed looks of astonishment. As rumored, once mastered, this true scripture truly made a cultivator impervious to all arts, and even severe wounds could mend with astonishing speed.
Possessing such an ability in a fight to the death was akin to having one foot firmly planted in the realm of innate invincibility.
Both youths inhaled deeply, locking eyes once more.
Only the howling of the freezing wind remained across the wilderness. The group of youths from the sky wore grave expressions; no one whispered anymore, falling dead silent.
Su Mohua's delicate brows relaxed; she now held immense confidence in her young master.
Tangible ripples expanded outward from the white-robed youth's body. Using his Pure Yang conscious spiritual light, he manifested spirit fields—and more than one, stacking them here.
He was thoroughly versed in rare and precious ancient texts. Around him, a Sumeru field manifested, accompanied by a Heavenly Demon force field, layer upon layer, utterly terrifying.
Bai Meng's gaze instantly sharpened, and he muttered to himself, "Could this grandson... be that small-nosed, small-eared brat who laid his vicious hands on me back then?"
Within that spirit field, one white-robed youth after another materialized. He was clearly deploying techniques from the Heart Subduing Classic, whose origin lay in the four jade book pages, also known as the Subduing Immortal Classic.
Qin Ming was also deeply versed in this art and recognized this as another miraculous application of the myriad transformations.
He released his own spirit field as well, guiding it toward the rumored "Immortal Field" while combining it with a "mental illusion field." Thick mist drifted, and dense immortal runes intertwined.
Moreover, black and white particles steamed from his body, pouring into his spirit field.
Everyone was taken aback. Every time he struck, his wondrous arts were rarely ever repeated. Just how many combat arts had he mastered?
"Kill!"
"Sever!"
The two extraordinary youths sprang forth once again, fighting their opponent with everything they had.
The collision of spirit fields was like the night sky collapsing. Resplendent runes burned, turning the nocturnal mist into blazing fire. The Sumeru field, Immortal Field, and others surged and churned like monstrous waves, shattering the terrain.
The frozen earth cracked and sank, while the night sky lit up as bright as day. The two youths rode the wind, locked in a fierce, bloody battle high above, resembling two young Heavenly Gods who had descended to wage war.
Swift as lightning, they clashed from the sky down to the earth, then surged onto distant mountain peaks. Amid deafening impacts, vast stretches of cliff face crumbled away.
Qin Ming channeled the Black-White Classic with his Hunyuan force. With every thrust of his fists and chop of his palms from both hands, massive swarms of black and white particles burst forth, packing tremendous lethality.
Amid wet thuds, numerous small wounds opened across the white-robed youth's body, pierced through by the particle streams of extreme yin and extreme yang, worsening his injuries.
However, his Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture came into play again at critical junctures, bringing about rapid recovery.
Conversely, whenever he employed techniques from the Subduing Immortal Classic, his hands were tied, because Qin Ming accurately countered his myriad transformations.
In the next instant, Qin Ming resembled a black hole, frantically devouring his opponent's essence, energy, and spirit while drawing upon Pure Yang power—he was operating the Withering and Thriving Classic.
A single thought of withering and thriving: wither the opponent to nourish oneself. Such was the overbearing nature of this scripture.
Above the white-robed youth's head, the lid of his precious furnace cracked open a sliver, and boundless, scorching flames poured out, incinerating the surroundings in a bid to purify his foe.
Both had fought until true fury ignited, ruthlessly unleashing their ultimate killing moves.
Qin Ming executed the Golden Crow Clamping the Saber stance, nearly carving open his opponent's chest and sending blood splashing everywhere.
Next, he unleashed the Solar Immortal Sword Art, whipping up a tempest of sword qi. Golden sword light swept across the entire expanse of snow, terrifying all who watched.
Qin Ming treated the ultimate aces of various classics as ordinary techniques, stringing them together seamlessly.
Not to be outdone, the white-robed youth stacked five types of Pure Yang power to construct a precious vessel. Standing atop it, he thrust forward with a Pure Yang halberd to slaughter his foe.
Accompanied by Pure Yang power and Hunyuan heavenly light, the two silhouettes clashed violently. Saber light, sword shadows, dragon roars, and tiger growls mingled as endless techniques unfolded.
"Huh?" The white-robed youth tensed. Even his calamity-avoiding light was dimming, unable to extinguish the new vision unveiled by the youth before him.
Drenched in blood and seized by fierce battle rage, Qin Ming pushed his Hunyuan force to the peak, merging the Black-White Classic and yin-yang sacred baleful aura to manifest a genuine Taiji diagram.
Adding pupils to the yin-yang diagram, the sacred baleful auras of Taiyin and Taiyang circulated. At the same time, he also manifested the Golden Crow Illuminating the Night image, the Great Thunder Sound Cicada, and more.
*Boom!*
The night curtain seemed to be blasted open.
The furnace atop the white-robed youth's head was already dented and battered, on the verge of being pierced through. Around his body floated five radiant suns—five suns stacked together, exceptionally terrifying.
Even so, he barely managed to withstand Qin Ming's onslaught. He flew backward, blood pouring from his entire body under the bombardment of dazzling heavenly light.
"Suppress!"
Enraged, the white-robed youth let out a sharp cry. With a tremendous rumble, the heavens and earth seemed to cave in as a heavy scepter came crashing down.
This metallic staff hanging high in the sky had been something he originally intended to save for a pivotal moment, aiming to pound his foe straight into mincemeat.
Yet now he could not fully gauge his opponent's state, fearing something might happen to himself before the prime opportunity arrived, so he triggered it early.
Space distorted, and blinding fires burned the sky, plunging downward like a falling meteor. Having sensed it in advance, Qin Ming dodged aside, yet the shockwave still tossed him outward.
Simultaneously, the white-robed youth summoned the battered furnace and opened it fully, pouring forth an extraordinarily dense surge of Pure Yang power.
His aura surged upward by a notable margin.
Having fought to this point, both of them had grown exhausted, but now the white-robed youth was as vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, in even better condition than his peak, his Pure Yang power far stronger.
At this moment, five blazing suns overlapped around him. Standing at the center, his killing intent erupted as he advanced toward his opponent step by step, tearing vast fissures through the frozen earth and causing space to tremble.
Qin Ming frowned. He had expended a great deal of energy and had originally wanted to secure victory through exquisite arts. Now that the other party intended to crush him with boiling Pure Yang power, he had no choice but to withstand it head-on unless he chose to flee.
He had initially thought of summoning all of his sacred baleful auras to manifest the spectacle of Eight Sages Descending upon the Mortal Realm, yet he abandoned the thought and decided to unleash his fundamental scripture.
Using Hunyuan force to govern all arts, he was like a sun rising anew amid the darkness.
Unleashing this true trump card carried both benefits and drawbacks: if it hit, it would naturally be devastating and crush everything before it; if it missed, it would squander an ocean of heavenly light for nothing.
He had not used this technique for a very long time.
Today, he had finally been pushed to this point.
"*Hiss*, is that the quintessential essence of Hunyuan force?"
"Count them—just how many divine rings are around him? How many scriptures' core principles has he fused?!"
All the spectators felt their hearts quiver.
In truth, Qin Ming had already concealed a portion of the divine rings; otherwise, it would have been even more eye-catching.
One divine ring corresponded to one force art. Seeing so many densely packed together made everyone's scalp tingle.
People stared blankly. He was still in the third realm, yet he had cultivated so many types of heavenly light force. Was he not afraid of reaching the end of the silk book method prematurely, causing his flesh and spirit to blow apart?
At that moment, the white-robed youth's Pure Yang furnace exploded first, and the five blazing suns around his body were pierced through one after another. That terrifying Hunyuan heavenly light blasted through all his defenses.
Even the Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Light could no longer extinguish heavenly light of this scale.
His body was punctured through and through, translucent from front to back in numerous spots, his injuries grave beyond measure. Even his bones and viscera were shredded.
Qin Ming spoke: "Has your Subduing Immortal Classic not been cultivated to mastery? It hasn't reached the perfection of your Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture."
He stepped forward, bathed in resplendent heavenly light. That force was indestructible, bending empty space and bathing the long night in a sacred glow.
The white-robed youth coughed up mouthfuls of blood. In this final instant, a beam of light shot out from his crown as his Pure Yang consciousness prepared to flee.
Many spectators had already realized that an old grudge seemed to lie between the two. Tonight was no friendly spar, but a battle to the bitter end—a fact now undoubtedly confirmed.
Qin Ming's gaze turned fathomless. Within his flesh, Hunyuan heavenly light blended with his consciousness and surged out of his body, spirit wandering into the Great Emptiness, plunging into the clouds in a flash to hunt down his opponent.
Yet on the frozen earth, the dimmed eyes of the white-robed youth's battered body suddenly lit with divine radiance. Chilled with venom, he charged at Qin Ming's physical form at extreme speed.
His right hand slashed like a blade, intending to cleave the youth in two, while his Pure Yang consciousness surged like a rainbow and struck out like thunder, determined to obliterate this terrifying anomaly.
Many cried out in alarm.
"Fuck, this vicious punk has no ethics!" Bai Meng yelled. In his eyes, the white-robed youth was already one of the prime suspects who had beaten him before.
Su Mohua's face paled, and she moved to rush forward, but it was already too late.
Many held their breath. In the final juncture, the white-robed youth had suddenly pulled such a stunt, aiming to destroy Qin Ming's physical vessel—a fate that spelled the end of the road for anyone in the third realm.
Without natural treasures to reconstruct the body, even if Qin Ming's consciousness survived, it would gradually wither and perish.
Perhaps only Wu Yaozu and Xiang Yiwu remained calm, knowing their brother's true foundation.
More than half of the white-robed youth's Pure Yang consciousness had lain dormant within his body, and now it erupted in ambush.
*Bang!*
Yet his right hand was caught in Qin Ming's iron grip. With a sickening crunch, it was snapped in two.
"You..." Ape's pupils contracted.
Then he felt his entire arm blow apart, turning into a cloud of bloody mist.
To outside eyes, Qin Ming had not used Hunyuan force; instead, mysterious runes flickered across his skin, intertwining, flashing, and quickly vanishing, leaving him incomparably mighty—no weaker than heavenly light.
Most shocking of all, the Pure Yang conscious spiritual light unleashed by the white-robed youth was shattered with a single punch from Qin Ming!
Mysterious patterns flashed across his fist imprint and faded.
The white-robed youth's Pure Yang consciousness dispersed as he shrieked in agonizing torment. He tried to split his consciousness to escape this place.
Qin Ming's physical body moved like a ghost or god, shifting with supreme speed. Striking repeatedly, he used his flesh to sever the Pure Yang consciousness and hammered the youth's already mangled body into pieces.
"This is... our esoteric sect's Scripture of Harmonizing Body and Dao! He has actually cultivated it to such a stage!"
Members of the esoteric sect finally recognized the nature of Qin Ming's method.
Legend had it that if this incomplete true scripture was cultivated to a profound stage, one could slay gods with the flesh!
"As expected, Qin Ming truly is our esoteric sect's... divine seed!"
Qin Ming pulverized the white-robed youth with his bare hands, unraveling him in both spirit and flesh!
"The Subduing Immortal Classic... dammit..." In his final moments, the youth ground out those words with fury, laden with unresolvable resentment and hatred.
Amid the pitch-black clouds, Qin Ming slew the other portion of the white-robed youth's Pure Yang consciousness, then swooped down and returned to his physical body.
The land fell deathly silent at first, and then, with a thunderous roar, the outskirts of the earthen city erupted into total frenzy.
Qin Ming collected the few fragmented relics left behind by the white-robed youth, intending to examine them thoroughly.
Bai Meng strolled over and remarked, "Brother Qin, these methods of yours are truly extraordinary. I suddenly feel that the distance between you and my elder sister isn't nearly as vast as I thought."
Qin Ming grew somewhat vigilant. Had that red-robed woman, Tang Yushang, arrived? If she were nearby, she would have certainly recognized him.
"Master!" Su Mohua was thrilled, rushing forward in haste.
"Come, I'll help you train," Qin Ming said, walking back without lingering for a moment.
Tonight, the earthen city knew no calm, filled with endless discussion.
Qin Ming shut it all out for the time being, paying no heed to the outside clamor.
"Do you have restorative medicines?" he asked.
"Yes!" Su Mohua nodded vigorously, having absolute faith in him now, regarding him almost like a reincarnated Heavenly Immortal.
Her eyes were bright with warmth and profound respect.
Qin Ming said, "Go borrow some more from your sister."
"Ah, Master, are you heavily wounded?"
Qin Ming shook his head. "No. You will need them for your training."
In the deep night, within the secret chamber, sounds of agony escaped Su Mohua. Fortunately, the room was sealed off from the outside world; otherwise, it would have easily led people to misinterpret the scene.
Qin Ming pressed one hand to her luminous white forehead, using Hunyuan heavenly light to purify her conscious spiritual light.
In the end, Hunyuan heavenly light surged before him like a sun hanging in place, materializing into a divine furnace.
Qin Ming guided out a portion of Su Mohua's conscious spiritual light and directed it into the furnace, treating it like the careful smelting of a golden core with utmost caution.
"Ah... nn... it hurts..."
This process of refining conscious spiritual light into a golden core was agonizingly painful. Even with Su Mohua's unyielding willpower, she could barely hold on toward the end.
Qin Ming spoke: "What does this count for? It's merely Mundane Fire refining true gold. Whenever I start, I temper myself at least a hundred times."
Su Mohua bit her crimson lips and nodded firmly, indicating she would endure.
At her stage, continually transmuting her conscious spiritual light into Pure Yang was the finest path of cultivation.
Qin Ming's method suited him best, but for Su Mohua at this stage, it felt like being tempered in hell, requiring his guidance and assistance.
Thankfully, he had long comprehended the silk book method thoroughly, reaching the pinnacle of mastery. He commanded Hunyuan heavenly light at will, ensuring nothing would go awry.
As shallow night arrived, the Fire Spring in the earthen city gradually brightened.
Drenched in sweat, Su Mohua stepped out of the secret chamber. She appeared thoroughly exhausted, but after a brief rest and drinking the restorative medicine, her spirits soared, surpassing anything she had known before.
Come morning, she bathed, burned incense, and changed into pristine robes. When she emerged from her room, her dark hair fluttered, her skin like ice and bones like jade, once again the image of an ethereal immortal maiden.
"Master!" She bowed to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming nodded. "No need to be nervous. Go on, just perform as you normally would."
Radiant with vitality, her fair and captivating face brimming with confidence and composure, Su Mohua smiled brilliantly. "Master has already set the example ahead of me; naturally, I shall follow in your footsteps!"
Chapter 400