Qin Ming had lived in the Cui clan for more than a decade. Only when they abandoned him—casting him into a lethal trap—did he learn that he was merely a body double.
His skull had once cracked open. Exiled to Black-White Mountain amid freezing snow, tormented by agonizing cranial flare-ups, he had struggled on the verge of death, driven half-mad in sheer misery, until he finally washed up in Twin Trees Village.
Reflecting briefly on the past, Qin Ming felt no ripples within his heart. The road ahead was long, and his gaze belonged on the far horizon.
With sword-like brows, starry eyes, lustrous black hair, and fluttering feathered robes, Cui Chonghe possessed an ethereal, unearthly grace. He truly looked like an inhabitant of the immortal realms as he strode forward step by step.
Initially, Cui Chonghe's attitude toward Qin Ming had been complete indifference, treating him as nothing more than a sacrificial servant raised by the family to die in his stead. Later, upon hearing of his extraordinary natural talent, he had cast only a cursory glance his way.
Even so, he had paid it little mind. Humble and understated on the outside, resembling an unworldly immortal, he was exceptionally strong and confident within, never believing a mere double could stir up significant waves.
Subsequently, a series of events unfolded, and Qin Ming rose rapidly along the Newborn path, gradually making Cui Chonghe realize something was amiss.
Yet Cui Chonghe had remained confident, having once remarked, "In the end, he is merely a body double. He will ultimately fall back to the place where he belongs."
Only toward the very end did Cui Chonghe begin to harbor true wariness.
He had even reached the point where he could no longer resist taking action himself. During that terrifying period when the Night Ruins drew near, he had wanted to journey to Black-White Mountain, only to be stopped by his master, Sun Taichu.
At this moment, Cui Chonghe had no idea who stood before him.
Nor did he need to trace his opponent's origins. Bathed in three types of immortal light, in a state where spirit, qi, and soul were in perfect harmony, his confidence soared so high that he dared to compete with the ancient monsters here!
After ascending the platform, he did not speak a single word and struck immediately. In his eyes, eightieth place fell far short of his ambitions—it was merely scenery along his path.
Cui Chonghe pointed with his right hand. Immortal radiance rippled and runes intertwined, manifesting a lantern.
At first, the lantern cast a gentle light.
Yet in a split second, it blazed with blinding brilliance. Its immortal radiance enveloped the entire sword-dueling platform, seemingly capable of piercing through the pitch-black vault of heaven.
Though Cui Chonghe possessed formidable conviction and a transcendent mindset, he did not underestimate his adversary, opening by circulating the Beginning of the Primal Unity, an extraordinarily potent immortal scripture.
In terms of its literal meaning, its conceptual ambition was lofty in the extreme.
Ringing chimes resonated continuously throughout the area. A single lantern illuminated all beneath heaven, its shed brilliance taking on tangible form like sword rays sweeping across the entire sword-dueling platform.
Qin Ming's eyes grew deep. This was his first clash with Cui Chonghe, giving him an initial taste of the youth's style—unleashing a grand move laden with profound artistic intent the moment he stepped onto the stage.
In the distance, Cui Chongxiao remarked privately, "Chonghe always loves playing high-end games."
Before Qin Ming, a pure yang flying sword surged upward, carrying a dense stream of black particles and dragging with it a terrifying, slaughterous intent.
High-level sword cultivators always refined baleful energy into their sword light to amplify its might. If one could harvest a sacred baleful aura, it would naturally be even more formidable.
Qin Ming's pure yang flying sword cleaved apart the night mist. Behind it, a black tide surged and churned, giving rise to the distinct, tangible roar of a tsunami.
This miraculous spectacle of sword-baleful energy stunned many youths below, filling them with boundless envy.
They realized this sword had undoubtedly incorporated the highest grade of water-attribute sacred baleful aura.
With a single sword strike from Qin Ming, winds and clouds churned. Pure yang sword qi spilled in all directions, and the tangible sword light resembled a boundless sea, raising tempestuous waves.
Amid thunderous rumbles, the tide of sword-baleful energy engulfed the lantern.
Evidently, this strike also contained wind- and lightning-attribute sword-baleful energies, perfectly fused together. The wind raised monstrous waves while lightning crashed upon the sea, far exceeding the expectations of the young sword cultivators.
Qin Ming had not underestimated Cui Chonghe. Since his opponent wished to open with a high-end display, he could hardly afford to appear shabby.
Upon the sword-dueling platform, the lantern flowing with Dao charm seemed intent on sweeping away the old to establish the new, using the flame of civilization to dispel the darkness and remake the old order.
The Beginning of the Primal Unity truly carried lofty concepts. Deploying it in a third-realm clash was frankly using a grand tool for a petty task, making it difficult to unleash the scripture's full, proper might.
By comparison, Qin Ming's sword-baleful energy was exceedingly grounded and practical, exceptionally suited for lethal contention.
This sword strike seemed to surge from the vast ocean, carrying a surging wave of sword qi as if a dam had burst, accompanied by the grand vista of a kunpeng spreading its wings to soar into the heavens, completely covering the lamplight.
With an earth-shattering boom, the colossal kunpeng exerted immense pressure within the tide of sword-baleful energy, leaping out of the sea amid rolls of wind and thunder to pounce upon the Primal Unity Dao Lantern.
"Are they insane? Is this really a Dao charm someone ranked eightieth can display?!"
Below the sword-dueling platform, countless onlookers wore stunned expressions. Based on the techniques and strength these two exhibited, they felt both belonged well within the top sixty.
The lantern nurtured by Dao charm dimmed and shattered, and the tide of sword-baleful energy receded as well. In just their first exchange, real friction had flared between them, far surpassing everyone's expectations.
The fierce struggle upon the platform naturally did not cease. In an instant, sword qi underwent a thousand transformations amid rolls of wind and thunder, and endless black sword-baleful energy rolled forward, continuously sweeping across the space.
"Hm?" Cui Chonghe sensed something wrong. His five elements were falling out of balance, water vapor steamed from his skin, and his body showed signs of spinning out of control.
His expression stiffened slightly, his ethereal aura shattered. Was this person trying to force him down Gu Yanci's path? He would never permit himself to display such an unsightly state.
With a soft cry, three distinct immortal lights blazed fiercely around Cui Chonghe's body, shielding him within.
Simultaneously, dense runes materialized before him, condensing into one divine nail after another, radiating an intensely dangerous aura before hurtling forward.
Cui Chonghe possessed sharp combat awareness. Knowing he had just been overly idealistic, he corrected course immediately.
These were pure yang divine nails tempered from a mental field, inscribed with mysterious patterns. Once driven into an opponent's consciousness, they could destroy the mind and soul!
Qin Ming remained pragmatic, refraining from deploying sect-guarding immortal scriptures right away.
He was taking his opponent's measure, carefully weighing Cui Chonghe to understand his methods in preparation for the true conflicts and great battles that would inevitably erupt on the soil of Night Province in the future.
Yet the methods he displayed were by no means plain. If recognized, they would certainly be deemed thoroughly extravagant.
Flames flowed around him, and sword-baleful energy soared toward the heavens. Though the stone form possessed no flesh and blood, sinews and meridians seemed to manifest within it now—resembling large, dragon-shaped sinews.
"What is that? Could it be the legendary... opened sword-baleful sinews?!" several onlookers cried out in shock, watching dragon-shaped sinews intertwine from the inside out of the stone puppet, coursing with pure yang sword light.
Qin Ming circulated the Nanming Departing Fire Scripture, opening dragon channels and sword sinews, and acupoints resembling immortal lakes appeared, nurturing fire-attribute pure yang sword-baleful energy.
The moment the Nanming Departing Fire Sword emerged, it burned so fiercely that the dense swarm of Spirit-Suppressing Nails melted away.
Moreover, the wind and lightning sword-baleful energies surged out together, fanning the flames of the fire-path sword-baleful energy. It was a flawless synergy that swept away the Spirit-Suppressing Nails with crushing force, reducing them to ashes.
In the third realm, it was exceedingly difficult to stoke divine flame into a roaring blaze, but even faint wisps of flame were formidable, dramatically magnifying the might of the fire-path sword-baleful energy.
Many spectators narrowed their eyes, feeling as though meteors were plummeting from the sky trailing streams of fire, completely submerging the sword-dueling platform.
Cui Chonghe turned solemn. He now realized this opponent was vastly stronger than he had initially imagined; when defeating his father, the man had not used his full strength at all.
Before him, a deep blue lotus blossomed to block the sword-baleful energy. Behind the lotus seemed to lie a profound, boundless ocean, drawing upon the power of innate true water.
Upon the platform, water and fire clashed in fierce opposition, bursting with dazzling brilliance.
Golden radiance erupted across Cui Chonghe's entire form. In an instant, eight arms sprouted from his torso, and he seemed to transform into an immortal Buddha with four faces, wading through the raging fire to resist the sword-baleful energy as he pressed directly toward his adversary.
His body of flesh and blood had not arrived. This was a treasured vessel endowed with living spirituality that his master had refined for him, equally terrifying and capable of executing all manner of Dao arts just like his true body.
*He really does have some skill!* Qin Ming nodded inwardly.
Within his stone vessel, the dragon-shaped sinews coiled and expanded, and the acupoints shone like immortal lakes, all steaming with sword qi as ringing sword chimes echoed across the platform.
Next, Qin Ming unleashed the astonishing Six Ding Divine Fire, merging it into his sword-baleful energy. In this moment, he seemed to transform into an innate fire body, commanding a dense barrage of sword rays as he slashed forward.
Though the blue lotus blossomed with tens of thousands of rays of true water brilliance, it could not withstand the divine fire sword-baleful energy. Aided by wind and lightning, the entire blue plant caught fire and shattered into fragments.
Cui Chonghe was also caught in the sweep of the sword-baleful energy. Scorched marks and sword wounds appeared across his golden body, yet he remarkably endured it, shifting laterally at extreme speed.
"An extraordinary technique," he remarked coolly.
Mist of light swirled around him, and with a soft rustle, every trace of injury vanished, completely restored in the blink of an eye. This was the Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture at work.
Regarding this immortal scripture, he had selectively cultivated only certain core essentials, and it did not count among his three fundamental scriptures.
Below the platform, Cui Qi's brow was deeply furrowed. Today was the day his second son was meant to make his maiden cry like a fledgling dragon. Meeting such a formidable opponent filled him with unease.
Yet he soon rationalized it. Above the nine heavens, ancient monsters were hardly scarce. He believed his second son had merely run into one of them, and displaying such performance was already reason enough for pride.
Cui Qi even felt his second son might very well defeat this ancient monster!
Qin Ming's pure yang sword-baleful energy, bearing the Nanming Departing Fire and the Six Ding Divine Fire, washed forward once more with unstoppable force.
Cui Chonghe's body dissolved like smoke, gathering and dispersing without fixed form, before splitting into nine distinct figures.
These figures looked identical to him, some holding immortal spears, some brandishing heavenly sabers, some raising precious mirrors... all lunging together toward the stone puppet at the center.
His true form was blended among them. Though the avatars could not match the original body, they were still capable of inflicting harm. Most crucially, his true body and avatars could swap places at any moment.
Below the platform, someone murmured grimly, "Is this the Indestructible Immortal Scripture?"
An elder nodded. "It must be that legendary true scripture. So long as a single avatar survives, the true body can continuously re-emerge."
"In truth, when cultivated to the highest level, this scripture requires one to slay all avatars, preserving only their immortal essence to nourish the original body, achieving true imperishability from that point on."
Upon the platform, Qin Ming was somewhat surprised. Even after he destroyed several figures, they materialized anew. The pure yang light could not be fully eradicated, endlessly regenerating as though forming an immortal cycle.
He did not grow impatient. In an instant, his pure yang sword light blazed with greater intensity. Beside the wind, thunder, and fire sword-baleful energies, he added a metal-attribute sacred baleful aura.
Furthermore, he circulated the Silkworm Emperor Gold-Governing Scripture.
Centered on Qin Ming, sword rays resembling metallic threads seemed to warp the void, spreading in every direction.
All nine of Cui Chonghe's supposed indestructible bodies were struck. Amid the brilliant sword light, most were pierced through and unraveled one after another.
Around Qin Ming, multiple kinds of sword light shot forth. Wind, fire, and lightning baleful energies linked together through the golden silkworm, their power multiplying exponentially as the sword-baleful energy spread like silken threads, forming an inescapable, all-encompassing net.
With muffled pops, Cui Chonghe's divided bodies were destroyed one by one, and his primary vessel shed blood.
Even though this was a spiritual treasured body refined by his master using heavenly materials and earthly treasures, it was still cleaved open when facing four sacred baleful energies alone.
Cui Chonghe realized the gravity of the situation. This was an unimaginably powerful foe; despite his earlier vigilance, he had still not been cautious enough.
With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a trump card of the immortal path. A shower of light filled the sky as he executed the Rosy Cloud Ascension Art!
Amid dazzling rosy light, Cui Chonghe lifted off the ground and rose into the night sky, resembling an enlightened immortal departing the mortal dust. Countless brilliant rays burst outward from his form.
The void seemed pierced through. Bearing immense, unfathomable power, he sought to bore through the layers of sword-baleful energy and obliterate the adversary who exerted such pressure on him.
Sword-baleful energy could attack, and naturally, it could defend.
Around Qin Ming's form, four layers of pure yang sword-baleful energy circled, ringing with metallic resonance as they shielded him at the center, deflecting the dense rain of ascension light.
Below the platform, several young sword cultivators gazed with awe. For one person to fuse and refine multiple kinds of sword-baleful energy was a monumental feat!
Some sighed softly, finding it unthinkable. Infusing sacred baleful energy into pure yang sword light corroded both body and mind, easily shaving away years of life.
In truth, merely seeking out sacred baleful energies was a hurdle that stymied countless people.
Most critically, how many one could integrate truly depended on personal talent.
Otherwise, even with lifespan-extending precious medicines, it would not suffice; no one dared to gamble with their life.
Even those ancient monsters retracing their steps dared not seek death so recklessly. They treasured their remaining years all the more, unless they could find supreme medicines capable of completely altering their fate.
When Qin Ming refined and integrated the sacred baleful energies, the pain had been excruciating, an ordeal filled with torment. Lacking lifespan-extending medicines, he had watched his life force be shaved away.
Ultimately, it was through undergoing one rebirth after another, achieving complete nirvanas, that he had replenished the lost years.
Evidently, this path was not something universally replicable. How many could transform and undergo continuous rebirth in such a manner?
Cui Chonghe's expression turned grave. In a breath, as his Indestructible Immortal Scripture erupted, he simultaneously fused it with the Beginning of the Primal Unity.
As for the Taichu Scripture and the Calamity-Avoiding Immortal Scripture, they resonated alongside them as well, though they did not count among his three fundamental scriptures.
Resonating multiple true scriptures at the same time placed an immense burden on him, yet he chose to do so regardless, treating the stone puppet with the utmost gravity.
He spoke aloud, "I have heard that a true sword cultivator can break myriad arts with a single sword, possessing far loftier artistic intent than merely piecing together various sword-baleful energies!"
Suspended in the night sky without falling, the Primal Unity Dao Lantern in Cui Chonghe's hand blazed with nine colors, vastly outshining its earlier display. Calamity-avoiding immortal light shone across his body, and indestructible Dao charm flowed.
Qin Ming's expression remained calm. "Is that so? Let me give it a try."
To everyone's disbelief, he actually withdrew the multiple sword-baleful energies, leaving behind only a single pure yang flying sword.
The crowd showed shock. Was this stone puppet overly arrogant?
A touch of green surfaced upon that pure yang flying sword. Beneath Qin Ming's feet, a translucent green leaf over three feet long materialized, lifting him upward.
"Wood baleful energy!"
"Infusing this kind of sacred baleful aura into sword light doesn't carry much offensive power, does it? It embodies vibrant life force—could the stone puppet truly intend to face his opponent with just a single baleful energy?"
Many stood bewildered, feeling he was acting far too conceited.
Yet warning bells sounded in Cui Chonghe's mind.
Below the platform, Cui Qi's face shifted slightly. Was he seeing things? Why did this feel like a legend coming to life, seemingly touching upon an artistic conception from the World-Abiding Scripture that was supposedly impossible to master?
Standing upon the green leaf, suspended in the night sky, Qin Ming carried an unearthly, refreshing air despite his stone form. The pure yang flying sword before him changed as well, turning into a tree branch bearing tender green buds, which he gripped directly to wield as a longsword.
At this very moment, he seemed to have touched the true essence of abiding in the world immortally.
Cui Qi's heart shook in disbelief.
Legend held that some could cultivate the World-Abiding Scripture to the realm of abiding immortally in the world, wielding the Sword Inquiring of Longevity.
*Could someone have truly mastered it?* His mind churned with turbulence.
Soon, he calmed himself, thinking, *No, he has merely grasped a method of slaughter. What talk of immortality and abiding in the world could there be while standing in the third realm? Even Heavenly Gods must decay all the same.*
"Could it be the longevity sword intent from the World-Abiding Scripture?" Several ancient monsters wore stunned expressions. That was a technique never recorded in writing, immensely difficult to cultivate.
Cui Chonghe sensed lethal danger. His various scriptures resonated as he unleashed his full strength, brilliant immortal light pouring forth like an otherworldly celestial river, extraordinarily terrifying.
Standing upon the leaf, Qin Ming gently drew the tender branch bearing green buds through the air, instantly causing Cui Chonghe's blood to splatter across the night sky.
This was the true essence of abiding in the world—the Sword Inquiring of Longevity!
Cui Chonghe was nearly cleaved diagonally from shoulder to waist, horror written across his face. A casual remark of his had provoked his opponent into displaying such terrifying longevity sword intent.
Calamity-avoiding immortal light swirled across his surface, and indestructible Dao charm lingered, allowing him to recover rapidly as pure yang power erupted across his entire being.
He began circulating the Golden Palace Jade Chapter. This was the true scripture he valued above all others, yet running it in the third realm imposed an immense burden on him. Now, faced with a formidable foe, he had no choice but to reveal his strongest state!
In an instant, three immortal lights boiled over Cui Chonghe. His three fundamental scriptures shared a mysterious resonance, booming together in unison.
Below the platform, silence fell instantly. Many began suspecting he was an ancient monster who had now awakened fully, deploying methods that might well surpass ordinary bounds.
Qin Ming remained calm and poised. The five elements of sword-baleful energy surged into the sky, resonating together and merging into a single whole.
Regarding the longevity sword intent, he could currently only strike once or twice with it, unable to unleash it freely.
Furthermore, that was not the true "breaking myriad arts with a single sword" in his heart. Fusing all sword-baleful energies into a primal unity was his ultimate truth of the sword path.
"That is the legendary fusion of the five elements of sword-baleful energy!"
"How is that possible? A sword domain has formed over there!"
Many souls trembled in shock.
"It is time to end this," Qin Ming spoke.
Beyond the five elements of sword-baleful energy, he condensed a transcendent sword-baleful energy deep within the night sky, completing his six-path cycle of swords.
"What?!" Cui Chonghe felt an endless sword intent descending upon him from the unseen void, and the fine hairs on his skin began shearing away.
"Sever!" Qin Ming cried softly.
Chapter 441