Under the long night, upon the frigid frozen soil, the Fire Spring flickered. Dense mist billowed from the deep passage connecting to an alien realm. The flame of a bronze lamp turned from red to purple and then approached a deep black, nearly staining Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe's palm dark.
Her voice trembled as she urged once more, "Sever this path! It is an extreme omen of calamity!"
It was hard to imagine an Earth Immortal losing her composure to such an extent. Her face was pale and bloodless, etched with immense anxiety and sheer urgency.
The bronze lamp in her hand was no ordinary object; it could detect the intensity of Dao rhythm.
Today, Mu Qinghe had personally come to "supervise the work," bringing this wondrous treasure along precisely out of fear that the ancestral masters would run into another "accident" and stir up trouble.
Yet as fate would have it, whatever one feared was what would happen. They had only just opened the road connecting to an alien realm, and the moment the aura from the opposite side surged over, the lamp detected an abnormality.
Once the bronze lamp's flame turned red, it signaled danger—a warning. But if the red turned to purple, even an Earth Immortal would shudder.
Not to mention the flame turning red to the point of blackening. Even if her "colleagues" from above the nine firmaments were to descend here with her, their scalps would probably tingle with dread.
This troublesome group of ancestral masters from Night Province had dug up another "massive pitfall"!
If not for the fact that her own descendant was among them, and if not for these old rascals holding that lethal artifact—the Heaven-Anchoring Divine Stakes—she would have dearly wanted to slap them across the face.
"Hurry!" she shouted in distress, already making a move herself. She grabbed toward the deep passage, where mist churned and Dao rhythm was extraordinarily dense.
Helian Chengyun, delicate and handsome as a youth in his red-gold battle armor, spoke up: "Senior, do not panic. The path has already been severed. In truth, we also have our own means of detection. This time, we indeed... struck a perilous land."
Jiang Yan, an ancestral master from the Celestial God Palace, an important branch of the esoteric sect, said, "Our apologies, Senior, for causing you worry."
The passage billowing with thick mist gradually dimmed; the path had now been broken off.
The ancestral masters of Night Province still possessed a sense of proportion. At this stage, they genuinely wanted to pioneer outward, and they had already tested the waters with both the earthen city and the remnants of grotto-heavens and cities above the nine firmaments.
Right now, their hearts were set on blazing a new path to break free of Night Province's barren shackles and search for top-tier resources in the unknown distance.
Thus, this incident was truly unintentional.
In the past, when Night Province's ancestral masters dealt with the beings in the immortal grave, they had worked out every detail and also possessed methods to monitor the Dao rhythm on the opposite side.
They used a "spirit-absorbing liquid," placed at the mouth of the passage in advance. By now, it had long since turned a dark, blackish red.
When two worlds interfaced, under normal circumstances, spiritual substance flowed from the realm of denser Dao rhythm toward the barren land, allowing for immediate detection.
Only after the passage closed did Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe's complexion improve noticeably.
She spoke gravely, "Do you know how dangerous that was just now? Given the rich Dao rhythm in that realm, there is an eighty percent chance a Heavenly God exists there. Even if decaying, their condition should still be maintained rather well."
She even suspected that the realm might have long drifted beyond the reach of Yujing's influence, and that the existence of a "wild" and "intact" Heavenly God was not impossible.
At present, Sky City had completely drained its accumulated True Tribulation Light, leaving no "Dao Chains" available. If they encountered an undecayed Heavenly God, they truly would not be able to hold their ground!
Most critically, in such an unknown domain, no one knew just how many creatures of that level existed.
If provoked into emerging, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Once an era of extreme terror descended, unless they pleaded for aid from Yujing, there would be no way to resolve the crisis.
Yet what was Yujing's current condition? Even the Earth Immortal ancestors above the nine firmaments did not know.
"Senior, is the situation truly that severe?" Present Rulai spoke up. Usually a man of few words, on an occasion like this he wished to inquire further.
Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe felt somewhat suspicious. Divine light flashed in her phoenix eyes as she glared at these old rascals. Could it be that they actually wanted to probe Yujing? Had they gone mad?!
Fortunately, the old fellows had taken the initiative to close the path.
Mu Qinghe's expression grew solemn. Pointing a finger toward the firmament above, she whispered, "Certain existences and certain unknown realms must not be provoked, must not be approached, and above all, must never have their bottom lines probed!"
"Senior, we understand!" No matter the circumstances, the attitude of these ancestral masters of Night Province was always exemplary—sincere and humble.
Yet Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe felt an urge to roll her eyes. The conduct of these old rascals was never as "restrained" as their words suggested.
Night Province's ancestral masters were indeed on their best behavior; after all, they were living off their elders.
The so-called "making the best use of everything" meant moderation in word and deed. They still needed Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe and the others to clean up after them, so they couldn't drain their elders dry in one go.
At the very least, they had lived comfortably of late, free from worry about neighboring regions invading Night Province, and could focus entirely on exploring distant lands.
Mu Qinghe said, "When you open passages, you truly jinx initial ancestors, jinx Earth Immortals, jinx the earthen city, and jinx the grotto-heavens above the nine firmaments. Don't open any next time!"
What happened earlier was by no means a false alarm. A single misstep could have sparked a catastrophe engulfing Sky City; even now, she felt lingering dread.
Leng Mingkong, the Yang Soil pathfinder, sighed, "Night Province's resources are impoverished. How bitter is our lot!"
He radiated a heroic air that easily endeared him to others, but the group of initial ancestors in the earthen city and Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe had long grown somewhat "immune" to an old fellow like him.
Patriarch Qingtian of the Newborn path spoke up: "May I ask Senior, what is Yujing's current state? And this boundless night filling the world—did Yujing bring it about, limited only to this realm, or is it the same in the far distance?"
They knew that the realm covered by Yujing's reach was unimaginably vast, boundless and endless; even if they opened void tunnels, they might not escape its scope.
One of the esoteric sect's strongest ancestral masters, "The Immortal," spoke: "We feel somewhat lost. When will the heavy mist disperse? When will the long night end? How should we walk the path ahead?"
Mu Qinghe's expression turned grave. "Yujing drifts through the void, knowing no return."
She gave her answer, her voice low: "The dark night is boundless, and the dense fog will not lift. To everyone, it is like an impenetrable black curtain that cannot be drawn back, and even Yujing is trapped within it."
The ancestral masters looked solemn. Listening to her murmurs, they couldn't help but feel that the world was just a makeshift stage—even an entity as mysterious and terrifying as Yujing was blanketed in the night mist.
"Could it be that even the beings in Yujing do not know the truth?" Sun Taichu questioned.
"It is possible," Mu Qinghe nodded.
Jiang Yan, ancestral master of the esoteric sect, said, "Senior, what kind of state is Yujing in right now? It was said to emerge into the world, yet has not emerged, having vanished for so long."
Mu Qinghe looked at him, her expression softening a bit. In the past, her Dao companion had been a peerless figure surnamed Jiang in the esoteric sect. Alas, time was merciless; she had eventually become an Earth Immortal, while her companion had passed away.
The Jiang Yan before her was likely her descendant.
Without this connection, she would not have been so approachable.
Mu Qinghe said, "Regarding Yujing today, those in the heavens have a speculation: it may have become lost."
"What?" Upon hearing this, all the ancestral masters of Night Province blanched.
Yujing was lost? What kind of joke was that!
Hanging inverted high above, it was the origin of countless civilizations and ruled over endless territories. How could something have gone wrong with it?
"At present, Sky City follows only Yujing's 'former will.' There have been no new directives for a long time. It is shrouded in dense black mist, cut off from crucial ties to the outside world."
Mu Qinghe transmitted mentally: Yujing occasionally stirred, sending out chaotic ripples without any clear will. Most of the time, it sank into dead silence. The masters of Sky City dared not disturb it and were waiting for its full revival.
For a long time, no one present spoke.
Only when Jiang Yan broke the silence did someone ask again: "In this era, Heavenly Gods have decayed, and Heavenly Immortals have all degraded, with not a single intact entity remaining. Does this have to do with Yujing?"
Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe swept her gaze over them. "You must have heard the rumors. Yujing has capped the upper limit."
Just as she said, this was the prevailing speculation at present.
Above the nine firmaments, the high-hanging grotto-heavens were all in ruins, and not a single Heavenly God or Heavenly Immortal presided over Sky City. This was naturally abnormal in the extreme.
Mu Qinghe said, "Sky City once suffered an attack."
She informed them gravely that ever since then, Yujing seemed to have capped the upper limit!
"There is no proof of this—merely conjecture."
Furthermore, she transmitted secretly once more rather than speaking aloud, seemingly filled with deep apprehension.
"Yujing locking down the ceiling was not done out of malice—who would turn on their own followers? One theory claims that a 'colossus' approached Yujing, and Yujing has been deploying every means at its disposal to suppress it."
According to this view, what Yujing truly locked down was that "colossus." The mortal earth and the grotto-heavens above the nine firmaments—any realm reached by Yujing's influence—were simply affected as collateral damage.
One could only imagine how terrifying the territories near Yujing had to be right now!
Seasoned as the ancestral masters of Night Province were, they couldn't help drawing in deep breaths of the chilly mist steeped in icy snowflakes, their hearts thoroughly shaken.
Lu Yu asked, "What is this so-called colossus?"
Mu Qinghe replied, "Unknown. Perhaps it is a special power beyond imagination, perhaps an unknown terrifying faction, perhaps an incomprehensible mysterious phenomenon, or perhaps an actual living creature... Anything is possible."
She then mentioned another speculation regarding the capping of the upper limit.
She brought it up on her own this time without waiting to be asked, naturally because Jiang Yan was here and had already been about to open his mouth.
"The other conjecture is rather frightening. Before passing away, a decayed Heavenly Immortal once suspected that it might instead be a grotesque, incomprehensible colossus within the night mist locking onto Yujing, and that it is the cause of this entire series of changes."
This theory was truly alarming: everything was reversed. If this were the case, Yujing had been forced into a passive stance, and the situation was exceedingly dire.
Most terrifying of all, it meant that all realms within Yujing's reach were already plunged into unknown danger.
And Night Province was naturally included; perhaps one day in the future, it might sink into ruin and collapse!
Helian Chengyun sighed, "A Heavenly Immortal's suspicion is chilling indeed. Even something as mighty and supreme as Yujing is being eroded and disrupted, severed from external contact, its forward path unknown."
It was truly bloodcurdling.
"Are there any other conjectures?" Leng Mingkong asked.
Mu Qinghe said, "The third theory is that there is no known truth at all—overturning everything, all remains unknown, waiting for future generations to explore. However, when an Earth Immortal attempted to approach Yujing, he... died abruptly, his form and spirit obliterated, without even a single word passed down."
Yujing lost—the horror of it exceeded imagination!
"You aren't planning to dig another void tunnel, are you?" Mu Qinghe asked.
"We are. While we are still young, our blood still burns hot, and our conviction remains unquenched, we want to try again to blaze a trail in this great era."
"Please return in two days, Senior."
Upon hearing that second sentence, Mu Qinghe's fair face twitched twice.
***
After exiting seclusion, Qin Ming ignored the two invitation cards and temporarily set the matter aside. Yet in the end, his visitors took the initiative to call on him.
He was sipping tea when he suddenly looked out the window into the night sky. Two individuals had arrived via spirit wandering, one after another. Senses having already connected, it was too late to avoid them.
"Greetings, Brother Qin."
"Please forgive our presumptuous visit, Brother Qin."
A man and a woman touched down in succession, both exceedingly polite.
Qin Ming stood up, pushed open the door with a smile, and stepped outside. Even knowing they hoped to freeload off him, he could hardly pull a long face right from the start.
Besides, since it was an exchange, was there any reason he couldn't turn the tables and get something out of them in return?
After ushering the pair inside, Qin Ming called out, "Mohua, serve tea."
Su Mohua recognized them at a glance. Knowing their cultivation was exceptionally profound, she knew they possessed the strength to compete for the title of "Blazing Sun"—two renowned "great deities" from above, deeply feared by the younger generation.
Even though she was gifted, her cultivation was still modest, and her body tensed slightly.
Both revealed their true appearances, looking to be in their twenties, in the prime of youth.
The man was named Feng Zhige, with chiseled, prominent features and rare crimson hair, brimming with heroic spirit.
The woman was named Yan Zhuohua, her hair silky and lustrous as satin, her expression gentle and demure. At first glance she was not strikingly dazzling, but she possessed an enduring allure; the more one looked, the more one felt her classical grace, like an exquisite fairy stepping out of an ink painting.
Even Qin Ming could not help looking at her a few more times, though he did not breach etiquette.
Once host and guests were seated, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Unlike what might have been expected, the two were remarkably courteous. Never putting on airs, both remained gentle, eloquent, and pleasantly witty.
At least on the surface, host and guests enjoyed pleasant company.
Eventually, their conversation turned to Chaos force, which had been the visitors' true objective all along.
Prior to this, Feng Zhige and Yan Zhuohua had both spoken in depth with Little Rulai and obtained parts of the foundational technique.
They actually intended to practice this force!
Feng Zhige remarked, "In Night Province, it is hailed as Heavenly God force and Sage force, which truly makes us yearn for it."
Qin Ming cautioned, "Once this force is cultivated to its ultimate end, the final outcome is most likely disintegration and death."
"No matter. If all goes well, I will only cultivate it up to the fourth realm at most," Feng Zhige admitted frankly.
Though he said this, he still harbored hope in his heart. News had recently arrived from Pugong that the living sage had successfully stepped into the seventh realm; perhaps this force, terrifying to enemy and practitioner alike, could be reformed.
Feng Zhige's cultivation was extraordinarily profound. Even Little Rulai, Zhao Chengyu, who had always been conceited, was exceedingly wary of him and did not mention taking him as a disciple at all.
Instead, Zhao Chengyu had ultimately introduced him to a great grandmaster of his sect.
As the three drank tea and chatted, Qin Ming was not stingy, sharing some of his insights on cultivating Chaos force. However, his method had been adjusted via the Destiny-Altering Scripture and tempered a hundred times over; such delicate nuances were impossible to grasp at their core, even if Zhao Chengyu were here listening.
Unless Past Rulai came in person, no one could truly comprehend his path. Yet understanding was one thing; mastering it was another matter entirely.
An hour later, Feng Zhige took his leave.
Throughout the visit, Yan Zhuohua had listened quietly, speaking only once she was the only guest left: "A senior of Little Rulai—a great grandmaster who has mastered Chaos force—will personally guide Feng Zhige onto the path."
This art was exceedingly difficult to cultivate. It required an initiator's guidance, using the purest Chaos force to circulate through the disciple's entire body and plant a seed before ushering them through the threshold.
"Oh? Did you not ask that great grandmaster to guide you onto the path?" Qin Ming asked.
"I came to Brother Qin specifically to seek the method." Yan Zhuohua looked like the masterpiece of an ink painting master—faint ink tracing her brows, azure mist tinting her robes—truly resembling an immortal maiden stepping out of a landscape painting.
Qin Ming realized that she had investigated him, learning a great deal about him in the shortest time. She had likely heard rumors and guessed that he had embarked on the path on his own, without anyone guiding him.
The reason Yan Zhuohua had entertained the thought of studying this scripture was that she had coincidentally heard of Su Mohua's "unusual gift."
Moreover, after arriving on the mortal earth, Yan Zhuohua had experienced a "sudden premonition."
Otherwise, already possessing the strength to contend for the Blazing Sun, she had no need to cultivate a scripture from the mortal earth.
"Do you wish to take me as your master and have me plant a Chaos seed?" Qin Ming asked.
The smile on Yan Zhuohua's gentle face paused slightly, but quickly returned to its tender warmth.
She was fastidious: she wanted a method to embark on the path by herself, and she also worried that having another person plant a seed might leave behind hidden perils.
Afterward, she stood and took her leave, intending to think it over further.
Two days later, the ancestral masters of Night Province dug out another path leading to an alien world.
Not only had Mu Qinghe arrived, but two Earth Immortals from outside Night Province were also present.
The Earth Immortals from beyond the region truly could not put their minds at ease regarding these old rascals, fearing they might "loot their homes" and dig straight into their old lairs.
After several incidents, the reputation of Night Province's ancestral masters had thoroughly soured, darker even than the night.
"This time... it is safe!" Mu Qinghe stood quietly with the lamp. However, once she learned the coordinates this time, her expression changed again.
"Beyond the reach of Yujing's influence?" She was exceedingly grave. This meant the unknown and mysterious, a completely new civilization never before encountered, potentially harboring variables that could not be understood through Yujing's laws.
Chapter 403