"Sure enough, 'borrowing a vessel' to circulate the silk book method in the Yujing Annex had little significance." Tens of meters underground within the subterranean palace, Qin Ming sat quietly as usual, his ink-black hair damp and disheveled, several strands plastered to his cheeks by bloody water.
Only by entering the fray in his true body, when form and spirit resonated together, and circulating this foundational scripture in a manner that surpassed his limits, could he patch every omission and finally eradicate all hidden perils.
"The *Destiny-Altering Scripture* is truly extraordinary. The domains it touches upon appear desolate and obscure, yet at critical moments it possesses the wondrous power to anchor everything." Qin Ming's eyes brimmed with clear, brilliant divine light.
Qin Ming's flesh and blood grew pristine and clear. As he circulated the silk book method once more, his body became increasingly translucent and brilliant. Luminous glyphs gleamed within him, resembling tangible immortal Dao scripts flowing through his bloodstream.
Eventually, waves of scent like orchids and musk began wafting from his body, followed by a pervasive, delicate fragrance.
He grew ever more ethereal and sacred, sitting in the subterranean palace like a god or fiend.
Just as his brilliance reached its zenith, an abrupt *bang* rang out. His body disintegrated, blood splashing high into the air.
From head to toe, dense blood-red fissures crisscrossed across Qin Ming—no fewer than several hundred of them. This was the result of repeatedly driving the foundational scripture to its absolute limits.
Under this extreme strain, both his body and spirit felt as though they would ignite. The mysterious glyphs flowing in his blood resonated, assembling into a humanoid diagram.
Even as fractures covered Qin Ming's entire form, this humanoid diagram composed of resplendent glyphs seemed poised to transcend mortal flesh and manifest independently in the world.
"The foundational scripture diagram!"
Enduring excruciating pain, Qin Ming turned his vision inward to observe the diagram.
He had practically blown apart, yet his flesh and blood did not scatter in all directions; at the crucial moment, he used adhesive force to piece his body back together.
Soon, his mind was entirely captivated by the foundational scripture diagram.
"In this region, the circulation path of the heavenly light is slightly dim and not smooth enough. And here, the micro-circulation path is slightly obstructed."
He felt as though he were gazing upon a vast galactic chart, "checking for defects and filling the gaps," having magnified every subtlety thousands of times to truly perceive its essence.
At this moment, Qin Ming was covered in injuries, cracks even webbing across his skull, yet he felt no panic; instead, he felt at peace.
To break apart was to find peace; without truly blowing his body apart once, he always felt his tempering fell short of completion.
Before long, the humanoid diagram of heavenly light runes neared perfection and sank back into his flesh and blood, achieving flawless harmony, while his conscious spiritual light and divine wisdom merged into it as well.
The silk book method circulated on its own, beginning to heal his wounds.
In an instant, golden needles drew thread through form and spirit, and a jade garment enveloped his body as though applying medicine. Qin Ming appeared clad in the Golden Thread Jade Clothes, his entire being glowing resplendently.
Moreover, a pure fragrance continuously wafted forth; he resembled a divine Buddha descending to the world.
"It should be fine now!" Qin Ming entered a moment of "mind lucidity," allowing him to perceive his present condition down to the minutest detail.
The Wishing Pool gleamed, beginning to take effect as well.
The pool water seemed distilled from moonlight. First ripples stirred across its surface, followed by rising wisps of mist that emitted soft immortal light, enveloping Qin Ming completely.
The residual medicinal efficacy took effect, repairing his wounded physique.
Taking three days and three nights in total, Qin Ming's body had partially disintegrated once and then completely blown apart once. He had resolved every hidden peril at its source.
As of now, there were no longer any flaws in the realms he had stepped into.
"When I reach higher planes of the scripture's teachings in the future, I can comb through them using these same methods." Qin Ming rose from the Wishing Pool, its spiritual energy now exhausted.
In the subterranean palace, there were thermal springs steaming with wisps of white vapor as well as chilling subterranean springs. Qin Ming washed away the blood and grime. His flesh bore a lustrous gleam like jade, his pitch-black hair cascaded down to his waist with a faint radiance, and his gaze shone as bright as morning clouds.
Changing into clean, dry garments, he walked out of the subterranean palace. He felt his body and mind grow light and nimble, as though bathed in sacred light—his flesh baptized, the dust of his heart brushed completely away.
When Meng Xinghai saw him, he was astonished. "Xiao Qin, how do you look even more otherworldly than someone from the immortal path? You give me the feeling that you could ascend at any moment."
Furthermore, he caught the pure fragrance, which refreshed the entire reception hall.
A look of shock crossed his face as he asked, "Could this be the legendary manifestation of an immortal body refiner reaching the pinnacle of a certain domain?"
Yet, since the recent ancient era, not a single such person had existed.
Even in antiquity before the severance of civilizations, bringing forth such a figure would have required the aid of various rare heavenly treasures.
In this era, many precious body-refining substances had long gone extinct.
"I've gradually seen the path ahead more clearly and combed through the foundational scripture. Now it aligns even better with me, and my closed-door cultivation yielded some results." The vitality of Qin Ming's flesh and blood had strengthened further, brimming with fresh and robust life force.
This was no illusion; he felt that before long, he would naturally undergo a nirvanic transformation. The silk book method fit him better with each passing moment, circulating incessantly at a steady pace, drawing in the Dao rhyme from the depths of the night mist to nourish him. It was as if he were slowly ingesting a restorative tonic.
In fact, he seemed to have broken out of his cage. Although he still focused primarily on the Newborn path, he now touched upon all the other paths as well.
Qin Ming's path grew broader and broader, as if after accumulating enough depth, he had severed a layer of shackles from himself.
Meng Xinghai warned, "This pure fragrance clinging to you makes you seem like a divine Buddha. It is even more peculiar than the scents of those uniquely gifted among the ancient immortal body refiners."
Qin Ming smiled. "My body refinement has seen some progress, and my constitution is improving. This aura will soon be reined inward."
In truth, this was a miraculous substance emitted by both his form and spirit; he simply needed to refine it internally, which would only benefit him. Having just emerged from seclusion, he had not yet fully adjusted.
Meng Xinghai nodded, his expression turning solemn. "A major crisis has arisen. Beyond the nine heavens, several 'old mountain strongholds' of Yujing have awakened, and they are preparing to enact a heavenly lockdown."
What was a heavenly lockdown? Qin Ming had heard whispers of it while above the heavens, but he had remained completely in the dark.
Meng Xinghai said, "Presently, Earth Immortals have descended to the mortal realm and sought out the upper echelons of every path for secret talks. We have only caught fragments of information; we must wait."
Qin Ming walked into the courtyard. Deep in the boundless night sky, faint divine chains crisscrossed, occasionally flashing with blinding light as though sealing off the firmament—an astonishing spectacle.
Meng Xinghai informed him, "You didn't see the initial spectacle. It was even more shocking then. Even ordinary mortals could look up and see it—the dome of heaven looked as though it were bound by massive dharma chains. It was truly terrifying."
...
Above the nine heavens, among the "remnants" left behind by Yujing, some were massive mountain ranges stretching across the Night Mist Sea, floating like solitary islands.
Others were faint portals connecting to divine, holy pure lands that were gradually "withering."
In other areas, black mist churned, studded with rust-eaten spears, greatswords, and colossal sabers, strongly resembling ancient battlefields left from antiquity or graveyards of weapons.
Scattered like stars, they lay deep within the Night Mist Sea.
Fierce disputes raged among these "old mountain strongholds"; they had not reached total consensus.
"Why should your domain be the center, showered with more Dao rhyme? Could it be that some ancient Heavenly God has not completely decayed and is waiting to awaken?"
"We are all well advanced in years. This is no longer our era! What is there to fight over? Those who ought to be in the soil should find their own graves. In my view, we should simply focus entirely on nurturing newcomers!"
A few leaned toward the New Board's stance, yet the prevailing tide could hardly be defied.
"Our passion has not yet cooled; why can we not bear the banner?" an old monster spoke up.
He believed the current new generation had started too late; who knew what year they would finally mature? It was nowhere near as swift as the older generation reclaiming the mountains and rivers.
Another nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Once the heaven is locked down, this old man should be able to undergo a grand nirvana and live another life, returning in the body of a youth. How would that differ from the new generation?"
Moreover, the vision, discernment, and experience of people like him far surpassed those of latecomers, allowing them to seize every opportunity with far greater precision.
"I suspect you have half-dead Heavenly Immortal ancestors backing you!"
"We do not!"
"The general environment has shifted. In this era, if a few Heavenly Immortals and Heavenly Gods were to emerge, what would be wrong with that? With a single strike, they could settle the heavens and earth!"
...
A crowd engaged in secret talks mingled with disputes, each backed by an "old mountain stronghold."
The so-called heavenly lockdown meant sealing off vast regions above the nine heavens to receive the otherworldly Dao rhyme, concentrating it to nourish a select group of experts. This would allow them to weather the calamities brought about by the upheaval of heaven and earth, heal their injured bodies, and ultimately achieve further breakthroughs.
Above the nine heavens lay many abandoned medicinal fields, neglected sites of fortune, and shattered grotto-heavens. If they could be effectively brought under control, their worth would be staggering.
If concentrated solely on nurturing a fraction of masters, the results would be extraordinary!
"Doing this flies in the face of our original covenant. We are all growing old; we should discover those of supreme talent and foster a new generation of prodigies and anomalies."
A minority tried to object, siding with the New Board in hopes of taking in more fresh blood.
"That is mistaken. We are not solitary figures—do we not have descendants? These juniors have already begun making names for themselves, shining brilliantly. Which of them is not exceptionally gifted? Nurturing them *is* taking in newcomers, and they are trustworthy; we need not worry about them being pawns placed by other civilizations."
"Doing this already betrays our original purpose. The past agreement stated that across all territories governed by Yujing, all top talents could access opportunities and receive focused cultivation."
Now, with a crowd from the "old mountain strongholds" bent on locking down the heavens, the covenant of old was reduced to mere empty words on paper.
Then, someone issued a warning: "I must remind you all: the beings within Yujing might not all be dead!"
Many people's expressions shifted, and the atmosphere grew slightly somber.
An elder spoke up: "We have not broken the covenant. Haven't Earth Immortals already descended to the mortal realm? They are to recruit the outstanding figures of every path, inviting them to ascend to the heavens so we may weather this tribulation together."
"Indeed. Inviting them here to recuperate close to places rich in Dao rhyme—I imagine they would hardly refuse."
Many nodded. Although they intended to lock down the heavens, they had not forgotten the ground below, intending to select a contingent to ascend beyond the nine heavens.
A middle-aged man spoke: "Are you genuinely cultivating prodigies and inviting them into the innermost core grounds of fortune, or are you treating them as future subordinates, only allowing them to remain in the outer areas?"
In truth, he had phrased it mildly. Certain old strongholds were not merely selecting talent; they most likely wanted to train death-sworn soldiers and laborers to handle dirty, grueling work in the future.
If those above successfully achieved grand nirvana, how could they lack capable underlings in the future? They alone could not sustain such a vast situation.
An old monster said, "The heavenly lockdown is already underway and cannot be altered. Earth Immortals have already descended, so during the selection, recruit more experts and creatures of potential."
Having spoken of this, they also deduced whether locking down the heavens would have a massive impact on the ground.
"It won't be that noticeable. It will merely lock away a portion of the otherworldly Dao rhyme. Cultivating on the ground will only become slightly more arduous; the overall change won't be that drastic."
"Indeed. The environment is already like this. The old era when cultivating on the ground could give rise to Heavenly Gods is long gone, so it shouldn't worsen much further."
Many nodded in agreement, believing the impact would not be so severe.
As the discussion continued, someone mentioned that dragons and snakes mingled indiscriminately on the surface; even celestial geniuses could not be fully trusted.
If they followed standard practice—bestowing Dao chains upon them as blessings and baptizing their forms and spirits—there would likely be pushback.
"Perhaps someone will flee far into the depths of the night mist world, leaving the territories governed by Yujing," someone raised this serious concern.
"Now that Yujing has unraveled and the Night Ruins have manifested in the mortal realm, all masters—including you and me—are plagued by severe ailments. It is exceedingly difficult to travel far into foreign lands, because the Dao rhymes of different cultivation civilizations are completely distinct. Journeying far would aggravate our injuries, very likely resulting in dying on foreign soil."
After discussing it, the group felt the issue was negligible.
The experts and prodigies on the ground had only two choices: either ascend to heaven, which favored the healing of their injured bodies, or tough it out on the ground, recuperating with great difficulty on their own.
"Some who have the hope of becoming seven-sun stackers without altering their life forms must ascend to heaven! A few individual anomalies must also accompany them—they have no choice!" an old monster stated unyieldingly.
An elder cautioned, "Have you considered that some top figures might willingly remain on the ground to undergo special transformations in the harsh environment? When heaven opens once more in the future, someone down there might possess far more terrifying combat prowess than those above the nine heavens."
A robust young man remarked, "If someone cultivating in the heavens, where receiving Dao rhyme is far easier, still ends up inferior to bitter ascetics on the ground, they might as well smash their head against a wall and die—they'd be entirely beyond hope!"
At once, many chuckled. Without such confidence, how would they dare lock down the heavens?
They felt it was far more appropriate to break through bottlenecks by relying on the resources above the heavens. All were preparing for grand nirvana, aiming to become the true pillars of this era.
"Indeed, certain matters should be pushed forward as well. The ground of Night Province requires total unification. In the future, when heaven opens, Yujing might project itself onto the earth, requiring a city site where heaven and earth merge into one."
"Your Sky City is in charge of this matter, yet progress is truly sluggish."
Undoubtedly, Sky City was also one of the "old mountain strongholds," though its strength and status were not high here.
And the Earthen City under its command had been spearheading the unification of Night Province.
An elder from Sky City sighed inwardly. He truly had not expected that so many of these "old mountain strongholds" had survived and suddenly reawakened in the world.
He nodded and said, "Yes, we will expedite it!"
Someone whispered, "Do you think there are beings undergoing nirvana within the embryonic form of Yujing? Ones that never left and never died..."
...
In the night sky, dharma chains interlaced like massive, palpable chains forged of divine gold, densely packing the expanse and locking down vast swathes of the firmament.
In truth, this was order spreading and continuously expanding, enacting the heavenly lockdown.
Panic rippled through the populace on the ground. Ordinary cultivators along every path had no idea what was happening, while the upper echelons of several paths bore exceedingly grave expressions as Earth Immortals called upon them in person.
Having learned part of the truth, they had few choices left.
Two days later, rumors began to leak, causing an uproar across the realm. People in every city discussed it heatedly.
"They are actually inviting sixth-realm experts to ascend to heaven, and they can even bring their families along! It's literally 'when one attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs rise to heaven.' This is an olive branch extended by those hidden grotto-heavens above the nine heavens, offering extraordinary favor to the patriarchs of each path."
"What do you know? Does a genuine ascension through iridescent clouds require such an escort? Besides, there are clearly hidden circumstances behind this heavenly lockdown!"
Across various places, those who could not see the "whole picture" bickered back and forth over the matter.
Soon, many illustrious young talents, as well as the immortal seeds and divine seeds of various paths, also received this "favor" as people began reaching out to them.
Naturally, this time Earth Immortals did not summon them in person; instead, representatives from the Earthen City were tasked with delivering letters and lobbying.
Upon catching wind of this, Meng Xinghai immediately told Qin Ming to go into hiding first and avoid getting directly entangled in this heavenly lockdown affair.
He said, "If anyone visits in person, I'll filter them out for you first so you don't meet them face-to-face. Refusing them in person leaves no room for maneuver."
"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Meng," Qin Ming said.
The following day, someone came knocking, insisting on meeting Qin Ming.
Meng Xinghai fended them off with excuses, claiming he was currently in secluded cultivation and would certainly give the matter serious consideration upon emerging in the coming days.
That same day, while Qin Ming was wandering deep in the Black-White Mountain, he saw rain of light fall from the night sky as ethereal figures approached like immortals descending to earth.
A man and a woman descended, inviting him to journey above the nine heavens.
Qin Ming's expression darkened. He had hidden away in a place like this, completely cut off from the outside world—how had they tracked him down directly?
The woman said, "Brother Dao, please!"
Neither of them was very old, having arrived via spirit wandering and possessing a special flying vessel to traverse the Night Mist Sea. They were hazily shrouded in immortal mist.
The man smiled. "Brother Dao, the heavenly lockdown is imminent, and the earthly environment will change. Only above the firmament can true Heavenly Gods be nurtured. That is where you and I truly belong."
The woman spoke again as well: "Above lies the Great Dao Tree, which offers immense benefits to the cultivation of our peers..."
They were very direct, not bothering with persuasive rhetoric, merely informing him of what choice he ought to make.
Displeasure stirred in Qin Ming's heart. The New Board had originally intended to grant him the third flower of the Great Dao, only for those from the heavens to intercept it. And now they had the gall to bring up the Great Dao Tree.
Meanwhile, he carefully weighed the various possibilities that would follow the heavenly lockdown.
"We invite Brother Dao to ascend to heaven and take your place among the immortal ranks!" The pair extended their hands, inviting him to depart.
Chapter 458