As winter drew near its close, the wind and snow in Night Province remained heavy. Before the awakening of all things arrived, another massive blizzard descended; palm-sized snowflakes seemed less to drift down than to hammer into the earth.
Moreover, winter thunder roared—not in muffled rumbles, but in deafening detonations—as scarlet lightning slashed across the pitch-black sky.
All manner of anomalous celestial phenomena seemed to herald something portentous.
"Yujing hangs inverted, flickering in and out of sight. Is it related to these strange omens?"
Over the past two days, this was what people discussed the most.
Occasionally, a hazy, colossal city could be glimpsed slowly descending beyond the heavens, while within the dense fog outside the city, massive, terrifying silhouettes warped space itself.
"What you and I see should be only an inverted reflection; none of us can truly behold Yujing," the Present Rulai said with a solemn expression. Even the founders of the various paths had stepped forward.
"Time to go!" Lu Yu said.
That day, whether from the Newborn path, the Immortal path, or the esoteric sect, the founders who had been lying low and "leeching off their elders" all withdrew from the earthen city, vanishing without a trace.
"Even the founders have fled! We'd better leave too!" A crowd of young and old in Night Province all took flight.
With the founders of each path setting the example, everyone else followed suit.
In Kunling City's most prestigious restaurant—Yujing Tower—the ninth floor offered an overlooking view of the city. Crystal lamps cast a soft glow. Standing before a window and gazing out into the night, Wu Yaozu said, "This blizzard is eerie. If this keeps up, some of the lower houses will be completely buried. Could it really have something to do with Yujing?"
Xiang Yiwu spoke up, "Yujing truly inspires awe. That entity has vanished; for the past two days, it hasn't forced us into spirit wandering."
After returning that night, they had compared notes with one another and found the whole thing chilling. Given the choice, none of them wanted to return to that Heaven-chosen land.
Qin Ming stood before the crystal window, looking out over the snow-blanketed Kunling City. He pondered the words of the artifact spirit, Six Desires: when one's heart harbored deep thoughts and one's consciousness achieved clarity, one might perhaps glimpse fragments of future scenes through the mist.
He murmured to himself, "Cui Chongxiao, the master of the mind monkey, Cao Qianqiu, and the rest... might all block my path in the future?"
Wu Yaozu walked over beside him and asked, "Brother Ming, what did my sister-in-law say to you? Why was she in such a hurry, braving the snow to head off into the distance?"
Holding a wine cup, Qin Ming took a small sip and said, "She said she had some matters to handle. I reckon the Eight Trigrams Furnace is pressing her to hit the road again."
Lately, the Eight Trigrams Furnace had stirred repeatedly, urging Li Qingyue multiple times to depart without delay.
In the wilderness outside Kunling City, beneath the boundless night, Li Qingyue stood quietly atop a stone cliff. Her black hair fluttered, and her eyes were crystal clear; amid the swirling goose-feather snowflakes, she appeared all the more ethereal and striking.
"What Qin Ming saw was merely a reflection of his thoughts, nothing to do with the future," the artifact spirit within the furnace spoke.
Li Qingyue said, "Back in the earthen city, he once bordered on the realm of lucid clarity of mind and witnessed similar scenes."
Between heaven and earth, blood-colored lightning intermittently lit up the night sky, and heavy snow fell. The disturbances between heaven and earth grew increasingly bizarre.
Li Qingyue asked, "Even you don't know what lies beyond Yujing?"
The Eight Trigrams Furnace replied, "Even though I've newly merged with some artifact spirit fragments, I still cannot see through the Yujing of today. However, something bad is likely about to happen to it."
"Is Doushuai Palace still there?"
"To tell the truth, I don't know either. We will only find out once we arrive," the Eight Trigrams Furnace admitted frankly. In the past, it had only seen a line—more precisely, a beam of light thin as a thread—abruptly sweep across, slicing Doushuai Palace wide open.
The road ahead was unknown and fraught with danger.
"He is here!" Li Qingyue said. The Eight Trigrams Furnace liquefied, donning her in armor in an instant, and like an ascending immortal, she shot straight into the clouds in physical form.
"It's you!" Cui Chongxiao exclaimed. Immediately steering his high-grade exotic bird downward toward the ground, he descended rapidly; unable to fly under his own power, he had no wish to be intercepted midair.
On the frozen earth, the snow reached waist-deep. Tall and imposing, his eyes flashing like lightning, Cui Chongxiao asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Li Qingyue said, "A spar!"
"Very well, I look forward to it!" Cui Chongxiao replied.
By now, everyone knew that the derelict furnace in Li Qingyue's hands had revived and that she had mastered the lost control art, inciting envy in countless onlookers.
Looking at the armor worn by the young woman before him, Cui Chongxiao smiled faintly.
In the wilderness, a great battle erupted without warning.
If people knew that Li Qingyue of the Immortal path, wielder of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, was clashing with Cui Chongxiao, a paramount young master of the esoteric sect, it would surely cause shock and an uproar.
'He is even stronger than the rumors suggest!' Li Qingyue thought with grim caution.
She knew well that members of the Cui family were exceptionally adept at endurance and biding their time. Having entered the esoteric sect in his youth, Cui Chongxiao's cultivation was terrifyingly profound.
With a roar, the Eight Trigrams Furnace flew forward. Eight-colored immortal light soared, and Eight Trigrams symbols shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire wilderness.
Using only the furnace lid to shield her body, Li Qingyue drove the main furnace body against her foe.
"Hm?" Cui Chongxiao retreated at high speed. He had assumed he could fend off this opponent relying on his cultivation and the rare treasures in his hands.
Now he was alarmed; her control art might not possess the flaws rumors claimed.
With a resonant hum, his body seemed to shrink. Locked on by the Eight Trigrams runes, he began flying toward the furnace.
Instantly, divine radiance erupted as though towering flames would burn through the celestial vault—a terrifying spectacle.
A divine talisman appeared in Cui Chongxiao's hand. Woven with chains of order, the talisman paper transformed into a divine rainbow, pulling him out of the domain created by the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
"Who dares act so brazenly?" a voice roared from the distance. A grandmaster abandoned his flying mount and dropped to the ground.
Stepping atop a mountain peak to borrow momentum, he soared across the sky like a roc spreading its wings, moving substantially faster than a typical high-grade exotic bird.
Clearly, an esoteric sect grandmaster had been following behind Cui Chongxiao. The two had deliberately maintained a distance while traveling, and he had now revealed himself at the critical juncture.
Using the divine talisman, Cui Chongxiao had fallen back several li. This was a prized treasure bestowed by his master, capable of instantly extracting him from peril when it mattered most.
"Li Qingyue of the outer pure land, what is the meaning of this?" asked the esoteric sect grandmaster, who was Cui Chongxiao's senior fellow disciple.
Two beams of silver light shot from his eyes, fixing upon the Eight Trigrams Furnace that had liquefied into armor around the white-clad maiden.
"A duel, an exchange," Li Qingyue responded.
Cui Chongxiao frowned, his expression extremely dark. He had suffered burns; though they were not severe, being forced back by a girl younger than him stung his pride deeply.
In the distance, a woman clad in nine-colored battle garments appeared. Rising slowly into the air, she stood high amid the night mist, looking down toward them.
"Jiang Ran of the immortal land?" The grandmaster's expression returned to calm. He realized that they were not the only ones nearby; others were likely watching as well.
Whoever acted rashly here would find word leaking out.
Li Qingyue stared at Cui Chongxiao and said, "I hope you harbor less malice. If you wish to make trouble, you'll have to get past me first."
She rose into the air and turned into a streak of flowing light, departing into the distance.
"Hmph!" Cui Chongxiao let out a heavy, cold snort. Though she had not directly threatened him, her words carried an implicit intimidation.
"She has a clan; she won't dare act recklessly," his senior fellow disciple Zhou Qingchuan said.
With chilled, shadowy eyes, Cui Chongxiao said, "When the time comes, it's me who wants to act without restraint!"
Yet now Li Qingyue had made it clear: if he dared reach out his hand, she would retaliate with the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
"Does our esoteric sect have no special weapon? Even a single fragment would do—I would surely be able to activate it!" Cui Chongxiao could not swallow this indignation.
……
In the earthen city, Mu Qinghe felt a heavy heart. In just two days, reflections of Yujing had been caught multiple times, filling everyone with intense unease.
Over recent days, she had already received numerous high envoys, as well as the leaders of several great clans from above.
Above the nine heavens, even the most aged Earth Immortals could sit still no longer. They had taken temporary refuge in the earthen city, fearful of that blood-colored lightning streaking across the celestial Golden Palace.
"The lightning strikes from beyond the heavens, not flashing within the clouds."
Apart from them, factions from outside Night Province felt their hairs stand on end as well. Three Earth Immortals who had been traveling through the earthen city had already fled at the first opportunity.
Chiefly, they had seen the founders of Night Province withdraw. Those old rascals, notorious in the outer domains, served as unfailing bellwethers for danger.
Sixth-realm masters from the outer domains immediately followed suit, with some even remarking, "You can say those people are black-hearted, but you can't deny their instincts. We should leave too!"
When the outsiders evacuated the earthen city, some chose to travel alone—for instance, Yuan.
Not long after, Li Qingyue, clad in armor, intercepted this young master from the outer domains along his path.
She suspected he was connected to the mind monkey.
"Is this Night Province's way of treating guests?" An elderly man materialized out of nowhere and sped away with Yuan. He dared not make any big moves in Night Province, fearing he would be intercepted by those mad founders and never make it out of this land.
"The next time you enter Night Province, come spar with me first!" Li Qingyue sent her voice trailing after their retreating figures.
Not far off, Jiang Ran stood quietly, watching her back just in case.
Jiang Ran flew over and said, "According to word from the earthen city, Tang Yushang quietly set off just a moment ago as well."
Soon after, Li Qingyue blocked Tang Yushang's path, indicating she wished to have a spar with her.
Clad in red, Tang Yushang possessed the commanding presence to carry such brilliant crimson attire, looking peerlessly magnificent. Her dark brows arched slightly, and she said, "I know why you've come. You're afraid I'll make a move against Qin Ming, aren't you? But I have no desire to engage in a meaningless fight with you!"
The youth with a big nose and large ears, Bai Meng, immediately called out, "We're on the same side! Fairy Li, you should know me well, right? I'm Qin Ming's good buddy! Don't worry, my sister has no interest in Qin Ming for now—no need to fight!"
Tang Yushang was so furious her nose almost twisted out of joint. This blockhead still hadn't come to his senses and stubbornly considered that little thief Qin Ming to be his bosom friend!
And what on earth was he talking about?
Tang Yushang wanted to knock out his two front teeth. Bai Meng saying she had no interest in Qin Ming for now—what kind of utter nonsense was that?
In the end, neither side came to blows.
"In the future, I'll teach him a lesson, but I won't go so far as to kill him." These were Tang Yushang's exact words, which dispelled Li Qingyue's urge to strike.
As long as it wasn't a mortal feud, everything was fine. Besides, if a few more years really passed and Tang Yushang met Qin Ming again, who would teach whom a lesson was anyone's guess.
Upon parting, Bai Meng shouted, "Fairy Li, when you go back, tell my good buddy to come visit our Taixu whenever he's free! Otherwise, it'll be another two years before I can come back to Night Province to catch up with him!"
Having reached the limit of her patience, Tang Yushang smashed a fist into his head, sending him flying.
A dazed look crossed Bai Meng's face as he mumbled, "Huh? What's going on? It feels like a layer of fog in my mind just got knocked loose... My good buddy... Qin Ming... why does he look exactly like the kid I met in the Great Thunder Sound Temple?!"
Then he blew his lid, nearly exploding on the spot.
"My good buddy trampled all over my feelings!" Bai Meng rolled up his sleeves, eager to storm back and settle scores with Qin Ming.
This time, it was Tang Yushang's turn to hold him back. "Move! Don't stir up needless trouble!"
"Night Province, I'll be back! Good buddy, you just wait for me!" Bai Meng ground his teeth.
……
In the snow, the two beauties walked side by side. Jiang Ran asked, "Does Qin Ming know what you did today?"
Li Qingyue shook her head. "There is no need to tell him."
"You really are far too considerate. Since you're so wonderful, how about... becoming my imperial concubine?" Jiang Ran teased with a smile on her face.
"You haven't been corrupted by that artifact spirit, have you?" Li Qingyue turned her head to look at Jiang Ran's flawless profile.
"How could that be! Old Six is sulking in isolation," Jiang Ran replied.
"Girl Jiang, what are you saying?" the artifact spirit Six Desires suddenly chimed in.
……
In the earthen city, the crowd grew larger and larger. There were elderly Earth Immortals as well as prime adults and youths—all refugees who had fled down from above the nine heavens aboard flying ships.
In Sky City, panic was widespread. Feeling they were too close to Yujing, they no longer dared remain there; many major organizations had gathered up their households and fled temporarily down to the ground.
After visiting Yu Gensheng at Shanhe Academy, Qin Ming departed Kunling and set out on his journey home. He planned to check on Black-White Mountain, then recuperate in seclusion.
Along the way, the cold wind cut like knives, and snow whipped through the air, stinging painfully against the face. Ordinary folk could no longer step outside; a blizzard of this magnitude left people everywhere deeply uneasy.
Above all, colossal streaks of lightning now slashed across the night sky from time to time, as though tearing the curtain of night to shreds.
In the past, winter thunder had occasionally been heard, but never with such frequency. Now, terrifying claps of thunder sounded intermittently, threatening to blast straight through the earth.
Qin Ming had rented a bird mount for his travel. In such extreme, abnormal weather, even high-grade exotic birds were reluctant to fly, dragging along sluggishly the whole way.
Left with no other choice, he planned to rest for the night in a small city to see if the snowstorm would subside by morning.
"Snow!" an innkeeper suddenly cried in terror in the small city.
"What are you howling about? Isn't snow completely normal?" an annoyed guest snapped.
Pale-faced, the innkeeper stammered, "No—it's blood! The snow is dyed red, and blood is dripping from parts of the sky!"
That night, people heard dull, reverberating sounds echoing above the night sky. Intertwined with blood-colored lightning, the celestial vault seemed to rupture with a gaping hole, and terrifying light leaked down, cutting across the night mist.
Next, every soul in Night Province shuddered to their core. It felt as though a million mountains were bearing down from above the clouds, and many people collapsed limply to the ground.
Not only humans, but also the formidable beings in forbidden lands and the non-human masters in blessed lands—their fur stood on end, their scales flared open. All felt as if the end of the world had arrived, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Even hibernating creatures were jolted awake, wailing incessantly in this winter night.
Rumble! Soon after, a deafening crash echoed down from the celestial vault, carrying a boundless, majestic pressure, as if it would rip open the very earth.
Some of the strong glimpsed the terrifying, wondrous spectacle reflected beyond the heavens!
At this moment, even Earth Immortals turned ashen, their bodies trembling faintly.
"Yujing... has exploded!" The old city lord of Sky City froze, only his lips quivering faintly.
Chapter 415