Annihilation

Cui Ming was well-preserved and still looked like a young man, with thick black hair and bright, spirited eyes. Looking at the massive hammer hovering right in front of his face, he remained as composed as ever. "Young man, you need to keep your composure. You don't yet understand the full story, so don't be so impetuous." He spoke calmly, without even blinking, though the smile on his face had faded. "What do you think you're doing?" A crowd of able-bodied youths from the Cui clan swarmed forward in a rush, glaring murderously at Qin Ming. Cui Ming waved his hand to silence them, then turned toward Meng Xinghai. "Worthy brother, didn't you receive my letter and come here to help?" A young man from the Cui clan chimed in as well. "Uncle Meng, my father invited old acquaintances far and wide to come quell the catastrophe in this city. You must have misunderstood something." He was Cui Ming's second son, Cui Chongyue—a true member of the Cui clan's main branch, with considerable influence among the younger generation. Cui Ming explained, "The people in the city can testify. I promised to protect them, and I have already dispatched letters in all directions, asking friends from every path for assistance to purge the terrifying abominations outside the city together. The populace has shown great appreciation and earnestly petitioned me to become their city lord." His smile had completely vanished now, replaced by an earnest, exceedingly sincere demeanor. Behind this contingent of the Cui clan stood several influential figures of the city, nodding in agreement. Meng Xinghai merely looked at them without a word. Was it truly as the Cui clan claimed? Or had their hypocrisy reached such heights that they were taking credit for great deeds out of thin air? A chill showed on Meng Xinghai's face. The cities had already become isolated islands, with communication mostly severed. Whom could Cui Ming possibly have written to? Meng Xinghai surmised that after realizing Fifth Elder Cui had gone missing, Cui Ming and the others probably lacked the courage to march toward Black-White Mountain. With the world undergoing radical upheavals, they felt uneasy and chose to stop here. The elite team formed by Fifth Elder Cui, Cui Shuning, and the others had vanished without a trace, almost certainly dead. Was Cui Ming desperate to recoup the Cui clan's losses? And now he wanted to pressure them using moral high ground? However, if Meng Xinghai openly fell out with the Cui clan, it might stir up waves once the isolated islands across the realm were reconnected. Qin Ming raised his ink-jade hammer, bringing it even closer to Cui Ming, and said coldly, "Monsters roam outside the city, and vicious xiao stalk the night, yet you cower inside the walls without fulfilling a single shred of duty. How dare you seize the city and claim the credit? Could you be any more shameless?" Cui Chongyue reached out to block the hammer, glaring at the unfamiliar youth before him, and said coldly, "How insolent. Do you have any idea who you're speaking to?" Qin Ming naturally knew him; they had crossed paths many times in the past. Cui Chongyue held himself in high esteem, but for years he had been overshadowed by Cui Chongxiao and Cui Chonghe from his uncle's household. In the past, Qin Ming's relationship with him had been distant; perhaps Cui Chongyue had known all along that he was dealing with a "false son"—a mere substitute unworthy of attention. Qin Ming barked, "Get lost! When there was work to be done, not a single one of you was in sight. Yet when it comes to stealing credit, you're quicker than anyone. Do you really believe the Cui clan can blot out the sun with one hand?" "Watch your tongue!" other youths from the Cui clan shouted at once. Cui Chongyue stared at Qin Ming, then shifted his gaze to the ink-jade hammer in his hand. Though the youth's face was unfamiliar, he was already beginning to suspect his true identity. Qin Ming ignored them and turned to the prominent figures of the city. "Are you really willing to let this bunch of Cui clan people who did nothing protect you, and make Cui Ming your city lord?" Those people had most likely been coerced. Some averted their eyes, whispering flimsy excuses; others remained expressionless, keeping silent; and a few lowered their heads in shame. Qin Ming swept his gaze over them. "Had we known earlier, why would we have bothered coming to rescue an ungrateful pack of wolves like you? It's the common folk in the city who don't know the truth that suffer." Fifth Elder Cui's elder brother, an old man ranked third among his generation, spoke up at this moment: "Watch how you speak to us, young man. We told the whole city we would preserve this place, and naturally we will keep our word. Furthermore, we had long since sent out invitations to experts everywhere for reinforcements. We simply did not expect that you would try to usurp the master's seat." "Hmph!" In the shadows off in the distance, Palm-Sized Pig, clutching a gleaming broadsword, let out an involuntary grunt. He was drenched in blood—proof of how they had slaughtered their way through the wilderness. Even he could barely stomach it, feeling that certain humans were far too hypocritical. Qin Ming sent a voice transmission: "Uncle Meng, Pig Mountain Lord, should we strike right here and slaughter them all?" Meng Xinghai immediately stopped him. "No. There are experts among them, and fighting directly here would have terrible repercussions. Let us leave the city first." He was not a meek man, and this matter was far from over. Even if the Cui clan had ancestor-level masters backing them, it could not suppress the surging killing intent in his chest. However, to avoid leaving complications for the future, he decided to withdraw from Mingyao City with Qin Ming first. Meng Xinghai said in a deep voice, "I will report this matter to the upper echelons of the earthen city and the patriarchs of each path. Await your reckoning." He, Qin Ming, and Palm-Sized Pig retreated from Mingyao City. Before leaving, Qin Ming shouted aloud, "We only cleared away a portion of the vicious beasts outside the walls; the crisis is far from resolved! People of the city, listen well: the Cui clan will never dare step outside to fight the ghosts and gods. In the end, they will abandon you. Be prepared!" Third Elder Cui barked, "What nonsense are you spewing to deceive the crowd? You clearly came to assist us, yet you harbor delusions of seizing this city—your greed knows no bounds! Everyone, rest assured: the experts invited by our Cui clan will soon arrive one after another. Even without the people from Chixia City, there will be far more masters coming to defend us!" "That ink-jade hammer..." Cui Chongyue murmured. "We'll discuss it after we get back!" Cui Ming stopped him. He had naturally heard about Qin Ming's weapon as well. Under the cloak of night, Meng Xinghai glanced back at the dim light spilling from within the city gates and muttered, "Hypocrites. Just you wait." Then he turned to look at Qin Ming. "Did you show the ink-jade hammer on purpose?" Qin Ming nodded. "Mm. I wanted to see if they would pursue me in secret to kill me—to see just how low their human decency can sink." Meng Xinghai offered a grave reminder: "Third Elder Cui is formidable. He may have already neared the Great Perfection of the fourth realm!" Palm-Sized Pig said, "What's there to fear? Pig and man teaming up, hunting in the dark, sniping with precision—we'll critically wound the old geezer first. Though the rest are numerous, they're nothing to worry about." "Pfft!" Meng Xinghai spat out a mouthful of blood outside the city, and Mountain Lord Pig also stumbled, before swiftly hastening away into the distance together with Qin Ming. "Could they be heavily wounded?" Atop the city wall, someone poked their head out, staring coldly at the figures vanishing into the night. "Very likely! After all, they slaughtered their way all the way from Chixia City, clearing terrifying abominations across three hundred li. It would be unnatural if they weren't wounded." Someone's eyes gleamed as they hurried off to report. On the dark road, Meng Xinghai said, "Tails might follow, but expecting a hypocrite like Cui Ming to risk his own skin is rather unlikely." Qin Ming said, "Worst case, we put on the old itinerant merchants' clothes, slip into the city in secret, and vent our feelings directly!" Even a man as steady as Meng Xinghai nodded. Clearly, he could not swallow this insult either. After fighting a bloody battle all this way to come to their rescue, how could they tolerate someone stealing their credit and snatching the fruit of their labor midway? The reality was that the Cui clan was far bolder than they had imagined. Third Elder Cui spoke: "Brother-in-law, how do you feel? Has your control over the creatures walking out of the Night Ruins grown more effortless?" Opposite him was an elderly man named Sun Hui. Advanced in years, he had not been nearly as valued by the Cui clan in the past. He had merely married a woman from a branch of the Cui clan, yet now even the members of the main branch warmly addressed him as brother-in-law. This was simply because after Yujing fell and heaven and earth underwent abrupt changes, certain peculiar abilities of his had grown stronger. He could access the netherworld, communicate with creatures of the Night Ruins, and even control them. Sun Hui said, "Actually, it isn't as mystical as you imagine. According to my rudimentary understanding, neither the old itinerant merchants nor the xiao are ghosts. After all, they have physical bodies. They are more like rules embodied in flesh and blood, carrying a distinct Dao rhyme." Now, the Cui clan valued him immensely. On this excursion, he had accompanied them precisely so that he could interact with bizarre phenomena along the way and analyze all kinds of terrifying abominations. In particular, after Fifth Elder Cui lost contact and they did not dare proceed further, they decided to halt here, treating Mingyao City as an experimental plot for Sun Hui to test his arts. They had already reported to the core leadership of the Cui clan, informing them of this plan. Mingyao City was relatively remote—ideal for them to study all sorts of terrifying abominations without disturbance. Their ultimate goal was to extract the special rules within the bodies of high-level xiao and top-tier old itinerant merchants for their own use, and they even planned to find living humans to experiment on and receive that power. If something went wrong with such an endeavor, it could spiral out of control and even trigger a bloody calamity from the Night Ruins, so they remained relatively cautious. "That hammer-wielding brat... it should be him, right?" Third Elder Cui asked. "Eighty percent likely!" Cui Ming said coldly, devoid of any gentle smile. "Let me try and see if I can borrow the creatures of the Night Ruins to kill them," Sun Hui said. Dealing with ordinary people was naturally no problem, but doing it without leaving traces—creating the illusion of an uncanny anomaly swallowing them up to eliminate Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai—he felt would be very difficult. Cui Ming said, "Uncle-in-law, as long as you can severely wound them, I will risk exposure and go deliver the finishing blow myself." Third Elder Cui glanced at him. "You want me to rush over at the final moment, don't you?" "I can manage on my own as well," Cui Ming chuckled. Amidst the ice and snow, Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai had both changed into old itinerant merchant clothing. Since no pursuers had come, they prepared to take the initiative and strike. After Mountain Lord Pig donned those aged, ancient garments, his menacing, ferocious appearance radiated an intimidating aura, looking downright terrifying as he walked the nocturnal road. "What's going on? Did changing our attire attract their kin?" Qin Ming showed a look of surprise. All three of them had keen senses and instantly detected monsters closing in. Each resembled a thousand-year-old specter, yet their bodies of flesh and blood still retained warmth. "There are more in the distance, marching in packs?" Meng Xinghai frowned. Could it be that one truly shouldn't touch these monsters' garments? "There are xiao too!" They struck immediately, intending to break out. Who knew how many terrifying abominations would ultimately gather here? "Wait, something's off. The leading old itinerant merchant—the sharp weapon in his grasp is brand-new, not the dilapidated, age-eroded weapons they usually carry." Qin Ming and the others noticed an anomaly: the weapons carried by some of the ferocious beasts were wrong. Meng Xinghai's expression turned grave. "Could this monster squad be assembled and directed by human hands?" Qin Ming decided to capture a few and use his resonance to probe the truth. "Tough!" They engaged in fierce combat with the monsters, encountering hard nuts to crack. Among these creatures were old itinerant merchants and xiao, each exceptionally powerful and extremely troublesome to deal with. In the end, Qin Ming snatched several monsters away to a quiet place to conduct his resonance. "What?" When he uncovered the truth, he was genuinely astonished. These were Night Ruins creatures controlled by people of the Cui clan! Some of these monsters had withered bodies like elderly men in their twilight years, while others were skin and bones like malevolent ghosts escaped from the underworld. All had discernible body heat, yet they differed fundamentally from normal living beings. "Bearing rules within bodies of flesh and blood?" This came as quite a shock to Qin Ming. The Cui clan really had produced an eccentric prodigy capable of analyzing such creatures, and he had even made brand-new progress. Qin Ming had never researched this, but briefly controlling these monsters posed no problem for him. After all, his resonance ability was unique, and now he prepared to turn the tables. When Meng Xinghai and Palm-Sized Pig learned the truth, their faces darkened. Someone in the Cui clan could control Night Ruins creatures and sought to strangle them in the cradle; they had to strike back and slaughter them all. Utilizing his special ability, Qin Ming "reshaped" the captured monsters, resonating fabricated experiences into their mental consciousness before releasing them. ... In Mingyao City, Sun Hui saw the lead old itinerant merchant return and immediately stepped forward to investigate. "Those three were indeed heavily wounded from purging the specters and ferocious xiao! Their composure in the city earlier was mere pretension. They were nearly slain by the monsters I sent!" "A prime opportunity!" Cui Chongyue's spirits rose immediately. If possible, he naturally wished to eliminate the scourge that was Qin Ming before he grew into a formidable force. Suddenly, Sun Hui's voice began to tremble. "Not only that, there is actually... a special weapon! Qin Ming obtained a suit of armor that fell from Yujing, remarkably intact! He has already acquired the control art and can finish refining it within a few days!" "What?" "Kill them immediately!" At this moment, both Third Elder Cui and Cui Ming were stunned, and then overwhelmed by intense excitement and agitation. A special weapon could not be traded for even dozens or hundreds of cities. It was an invaluable treasure capable of rewriting a clan's destiny! If an expert of the sixth realm wielded even a damaged piece of such an artifact, they could slaughter immortals! If the Cui clan possessed a relatively well-preserved special weapon, who would dare look down on them? Even Lu Zizai would not dare step through their doors, lest he be suppressed and slain! Thus, Third Elder Cui's aged face broke into a broad, blossoming smile, and Cui Ming was no longer cautious with his life either. His blood boiling with excitement, he immediately rallied all their forces to charge out of the city. "You people come along too. Join us to purge the specters," Cui Ming ordered, bringing along that group of prominent figures from the city. To him, this subjugated crowd could not be trusted; should any mishaps arise on the road, they would serve as expendables. "Ah, City Lord, you're going to lead us to purge the ghosts and monsters?" "City Lord Meng clearly misunderstood City Lord Cui!" some among them even spoke up in this manner. Naturally, whether this was sincere was anyone's guess. Uneasy in their hearts, they were terrified of the dark territories beyond the city—the former city lord had vanished there never to return. Now, their only recourse to survive was flattering the Cui clan's masters. "Move out!" Cui Ming waved his hand and led the host storming out of Mingyao City. ... "The Night Ruins is truly unfathomable. Rules descending into flesh and blood... The reason old itinerant merchants developed anomalies is precisely because they were corroded this way." Qin Ming found it unbelievable. Were all so-called ghosts and monsters born like this? "More precisely, there are no ghosts at all; they are all rule-based creatures." Suddenly, Qin Ming thought of the red sedan chair carried by the four mourning monsters; the Heavenly Immortal inside had retained her own will and had not lost herself. He frowned and murmured to himself, "The waters of the Night Ruins run deep. The Cui clan's prodigy has only touched the shallowest surface." "Xiao Qin, what are you saying?" Meng Xinghai asked. "Uncle Meng, the Cui clan people are researching creatures of the Night Ruins. They believe the flesh and blood of old itinerant merchants condense unique Dao rhymes, and that all monsters are the embodiment of rules." "This..." Qin Ming said, "We can use this to our advantage too." He brought up several terrifying abominations they had encountered along the road—entities so menacing that even the three of them had detoured to avoid provoking them. Now, perhaps they could lure the Cui clan into their path. Heaven and earth seemed steeped in thick ink. In the biting, freezing cold, Qin Ming, Meng Xinghai, and their companion waited for a long time until an intuitive sense suddenly stirred: their foes were giving chase. "They really were heavily wounded! They're covered in blood! After them!" Catching sight of Meng Xinghai and Palm-Sized Pig at a glance, Third Elder Cui surged like a roc spreading its wings, whipping up wild gales across the snow. Churning up massive waves of snow, he soared through the air, pouncing forward to kill. "Where's the boy? The special weapon is on him! We must find him as quickly as possible—we cannot let him escape and refine that treasure!" Many members of the Cui clan searched for Qin Ming. Suddenly, in the night, a pure white little sword cut through the darkness, erupting with blinding immortal light. Qin Ming activated his exotic metal weapon to launch a sneak attack. With a soft thud, Sun Hui's eyes lost focus and rapidly dimmed. His frontal bone was pierced through; dazzling heavenly light flared, and his skull exploded. Qin Ming eliminated this eccentric prodigy right at the start, fearing he might summon Night Ruins creatures. "No!" Many members of the Cui clan cried out in shock. They had protected this aging son-in-law at the rear of their formation, never expecting the enemy to target Sun Hui directly and slay him on the spot. Crucially, this prodigy was a secret of the Cui clan. How could an outsider know about him, care so much, and outright obliterate him the moment the fight began? "Kill him!" A crowd swarmed to surround and eradicate Qin Ming. In the distance, along a desolate stretch of road, Third Elder Cui's scalp tingled with dread. He saw an old man holding a white paper lantern, tottering toward him with trembling steps. He had heard Sun Hui mention that such special monsters inevitably carried relatively high-order rules in their flesh and blood and were exceedingly dangerous. Most crucially, that face looked strikingly familiar—it was identical to his deceased grandfather! Back when Qin Ming walked the nocturnal road back to Chixia City, he had encountered this old monstrosity as well. It looked identical to his own grandfather, and the two had chatted the entire way. Qin Ming's back had been soaked in cold sweat back then, but he had managed to escape without disaster. Under the present circumstances, how could Third Elder Cui be in any mood to "chat" with the old man? With enemies lurking nearby, he wanted to break out immediately. Besides, he had no idea whether chatting along the way would truly prevent the entity from striking. He struck boldly, choosing an all-out burst of power. It had to be said that Third Elder Cui was exceptionally formidable. The aura he unleashed crushed vast swaths of forest; he had already neared the Great Perfection realm of the esoteric sect's fourth realm. Yet in an instant, he realized he might have made a fatal mistake. His divine wisdom granted him underworld conduit; he discovered that as his killing intent surged, the old man who looked just like his grandfather ceased muttering and underwent a total transformation, like a malevolent god reviving. "Awoo-roar..." White fur sprouted across the old man carrying the white paper lantern, and the lantern in his hand burst into flames with blood-red fire as he struck with savage fury. Before long, Third Elder Cui was already grievously wounded. In the distance, Meng Xinghai turned around and charged straight into the Cui clan ranks. The old pig moved even faster, flapping a pair of huge ears. Transforming into a flying pig, it brandished two gleaming tusk-blades, hacking down horrifying beams of light. "Kill!" This time, the Cui clan had brought quite a few elites. Several elders were at the mid-stage of the fourth realm, far stronger than the team led by Fifth Elder Cui and Cui Shuning. It should be known that in the land of Night Province, anyone in the fourth realm was considered an expert wherever they went. When Meng Xinghai and Palm-Sized Pig charged in, the Cui clan forces fell into disarray, forcing several elders to step up and engage them. "Why hasn't Third Brother returned?" "Where is Third Uncle?" A stir rippled through the Cui clan. Their greatest reliance, Third Elder Cui, had yet to return, leaving many feeling uneasy. "Boom!" Wielding his ink-jade hammer, Qin Ming blew apart a middle-aged man and charged straight toward Cui Chongyue. "You..." Cui Chongyue's face changed drastically. Arrogant though he was, it depended on whom he was compared with. Today, this abandoned son was far more famous than he was. Qin Ming had disliked him for a long time. As if flying by riding the hammer, he swung the precious weapon and shot forward with it, erupting with boundless heavenly light that illuminated the pitch-black mountain forest. With nowhere to dodge, Cui Chongyue steeled himself to parry. Instantly, the spear in his hand shattered under the blow, snapping into dozens of fragments. Moreover, excruciating pain tore through his entire right arm, which became riddled with bloody fractures. Pfft! His right arm dissolved into a bloody mist, blasted apart by the shockwave of Qin Ming's hammer blow. "Chongyue!" Seeing his second son suffer such agony, Cui Ming's eyes nearly split with rage as he charged over. Qin Ming swung the massive hammer once more. Carrying blinding heavenly light, it traced a daunting arc, its terrifying might seemingly causing the nocturnal sky to violently tremble. Unable to dodge, Cui Chongyue hurriedly raised a sword in his left hand to meet the blow. Crack! The sword in his hand shattered like rotten wood under the hammer light. Next, his left arm exploded on the spot, splattering bone fragments and flesh everywhere. That was not the end. The momentum of Qin Ming's hammer remained unabated. Carrying a surging torrent of heavenly light, with a muffled boom, it blasted the lower half of Cui Chongyue's body to pieces. "Ahhh..." Pain tore into the depths of Cui Chongyue's marrow as he shrieked piteously. Only his torso from the chest up remained; his lower body had completely disintegrated. His vision went dark, and then he saw the massive hammer falling once more. After that, he never saw the light again. Cui Ming roared in uncontrollable fury, watching helplessly as his second son's head was smashed to pieces by a single hammer strike—a gruesome, unbearable sight. Qin Ming flew along with his hammer. The massive hammer seemed ablaze with dancing divine flames, carrying him as he rampaged across the battlefield and swept through the night sky. Amid muffled pops, many members of the Cui clan were blasted to bits. With a whoosh, Qin Ming rode his hammer straight before Cui Ming and clashed with him in battle. His chest burning with hatred and rage, Cui Ming went all out. Then, shock seized him. He thought their intelligence must be wrong—could this truly be the abandoned son who was only at the seventh heaven of the Spirit Field? It felt as if he had already stepped into the fourth realm! In the past, to Cui Ming's eyes, this youth could have been wiped out with a wave of his hand. Yet now, he could fight fiercely against a man nearly sixty years old, growing more ferocious with every strike. "I... truly regret not acting sooner!" He did not reflect on the Cui clan's callousness, but rather blamed himself for letting the tiger grow, leading to their present predicament. With Third Elder Cui failing to return, Cui Ming realized that disaster loomed! Boom! The terrifying hammer light rattled his arms until they went numb, and a metallic tang rose in his throat as blood threatened to spill over. "Ah..." Under Qin Ming's relentless hammer strikes, Cui Ming was filled with grief and fury. To be beaten down by a junior—frustration burned like fire in his chest, and his arms were bathed in blood. "No!" Finally, his hands could no longer hold his weapon. Cracks fissured across both arms, his body staggered, and blood filled his mouth. Having coughed up five mouthfuls in a row, his entire chest throbbed with agony, his five viscera jarred and damaged. "Ahhh!" Cui Ming cried out as both of his arms exploded, about to follow in his second son's footsteps. "Old wretch, I'll send you on your way!" Qin Ming roared. With a squelch, Cui Ming's head was smashed apart by his hammer. Both father and son of the Cui clan's main branch had been hammered to death by Qin Ming alone. This stunned the surviving Cui clan experts on the field, shattering sixty percent of their morale. "Kill!" Meng Xinghai and Palm-Sized Pig pressed their advantage, inflicting deaths and injuries among the Cui clan elders. At this point, the outcome of this battle was beyond all suspense! ... Third Elder Cui was covered in torn, ragged wounds. Several parts of his body were pierced straight through, and there were scorch marks from bizarre flames that had charred his spattered blood black. Staggering on unsteady legs, he painstakingly dragged himself away from that strange road, having finally escaped that terrifying old man. Yet as he drew near the mountain forest ahead, his heart sank completely. The battlefield was dead silent; severed limbs and mangled corpses littered the ground, bathed in blood everywhere. At the same time, three figures slowly closed in on him. Third Elder Cui snapped his head up. In that instant, hammer light and saber flashes cascaded toward him, while a purplish-copper brazier expanded and crashed down upon him to suppress him completely. ... Far away across the land, Cui Chonghe was hurrying along. Through the outer pure land's special channels, he had received a confidential report that his eldest uncle, Cui Ming, and the others had halted at Mingyao City up ahead, barely three hundred li from Chixia City.