High above in the pitch-black ninth heaven, astral winds howled. Deep within the sea of night fog, inside a majestic jade palace, an old monster set down his teacup, frowned slightly, and said, "What is the situation down on the ground? Counting the time, it should be about time for a youthful top ranker to ascend to the heavens."
Beside him, a female disciple standing in attendance smiled. "Though it is a single leap to the heavens from here on, they must leave their homeland after all. Perhaps such youths are reluctant to part and bid farewell to their families."
One of two Earth Immortals playing Go set down a black stone and said, "We are bestowing blessings upon them. Could an unexpected mishap possibly occur?"
The other Earth Immortal pinched a lustrous white stone and asked, "If someone tries to obstruct them, what would you do?"
The Earth Immortal holding the black stone smiled faintly. "Heh, can they stop us?"
***
In the Night Ruins, upon the silvery beach, colorful sea shells glittered, shimmering with crystalline brilliance.
Qin Ming clutched his head, feeling as though a fracture had formed in his mind. His spiritual field had nearly been torn wide open. Even with his eyes closed, the gleam of an axe still surfaced.
He had been fine when he initially comprehended the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe, but at the final moment, an overwhelming, unstoppable light completely submerged him, and everything changed.
"Resonance carries risks; comprehending scriptures requires caution," Qin Ming rubbed his head and muttered softly to himself. It had been a long time since he had experienced something so terrifying.
As his cultivation had deepened, his endurance had grown exceptionally strong. Yet just now, he had felt as if he were trapped in a hopeless dead end with nowhere to flee, his form and spirit seemingly cleaved in two.
Qin Ming circulated his foundational scripture. His mind gradually healed, and he recovered.
"The Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe is truly extraordinary!" He finally understood why Xie Jinglan's inner landscape had been ruined in his prime, causing him to waste decades in stagnation.
Even with preparations for "resonance," Qin Ming had nearly fallen victim. Much less Xie Jinglan, who had been caught off guard by the impact of the axe light's intent domain the instant he touched the axe handle.
By the shore, Qin Ming's inner landscape opened. It manifested a giant axe carrying matchless might, cleaving out toward the vast ocean. In an instant, the entire sea cleaved open, forming a terrifying chasm that surged relentlessly forward.
Next, the vast sea ruptured. Startling waves struck the sky, washing over the night sky as the boundless night fog high above burst apart. It was like thunder falling from the ninth heaven, runes interlacing, deafening to the ears.
Most frightening was that intent domain—the axe radiance was indestructible, as if it truly could open the heavens!
"Above the ninth heaven, there truly exist arts to slaughter gods and Buddhas," Qin Ming pondered. A terrifying supreme art like this likely belonged to the final chapters of the famed true scriptures above the heavens.
He considered it carefully. The Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe did not demand fusing eight sacred baleful auras or achieving the "perfection of seeing nine." As long as one's mind was resilient enough to withstand the axe light's transmission diagram, one could continue to cultivate it.
Certain wondrous arts and offensive techniques, as long as one's comprehension kept pace, required no layering of sword baleful auras, calamity qi, or the like to possess power defying common logic.
For instance, the Longevity Sword Intent in the *World-Abiding Scripture*, unrecorded in written words.
In an instant, a glowing green leaf appeared beneath Qin Ming's feet, lifting him into the night sky. Even the corners of his eyes and brows took on a faint green hue.
Yet as the night wind blew past, his hair returned to an inky black hue, returning to simplicity and truth. Only in his hand did a branch bearing tender buds manifest, dripping with emerald vitality.
With a soft swish, he made a light sweep. The towering waves were instantly severed clean across. What was more, time seemed to freeze, and the severed waves hung suspended in the night sky.
Not until a breath later did the waves severed in the night fog violently explode, dissolving into vapor and evaporating entirely.
"A singular domain can also be pushed to the extreme," Qin Ming murmured.
Pondering this carefully, he still had substantial room for growth.
Naturally, he would not abandon his strengths. His foundational scripture was meant to govern all arts, continuously harmonizing and fusing them. Otherwise, why would there be the saying that Hunyuan force was unrivaled? As long as he did not blow himself up, he would be feared by all factions.
Shortly after, Qin Ming practiced the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe again, growing increasingly proficient. This threw the sea region into turmoil, alerting even Grandmaster-tier sea monsters.
However, by the time a kun-fish as massive as an island arrived, Qin Ming had long since fled. He knew full well he had caused quite a commotion.
***
Black fog rolled in. The blue fire springs in the sea grew dim, and as deep darkness descended, this world grew distinctly different.
In the increasingly deep seawater, vermilion coffins floated, headless corpses drifted with the currents, and burial mounds bobbed among the waves, their soil never crumbling, never sinking into the sea.
As midnight arrived, one bizarre and horrific scene after another emerged. From the sea came the crisp, tender laughter of children.
Plump and fair, with pure smiles, they cradled bloodstained severed heads, giggling incessantly upon the pitch-black sea and splashing in the water.
"Old Huang, are you hungry?" Qin Ming asked.
The yellow silk canopy umbrella remained silent. For a time, it could not make sense of the situation either. It only felt that evil energy soared sky-high in this realm, absurd to an excessive degree—it shouldn't have been like this.
Just then, the night sky not far away shattered. Amid dense fog, spectral silhouettes clustered thick, and severed heads rained down with pattering thuds. Figures clad in hemp mourning clothes drifted about, while crimson blood poured down from the tear in the vault of heaven.
"Just how many living beings have died? Did someone slaughter their way through the thirty-six heavens?" The Myriad Gods Banner pulsed with ripples. Even a supreme treasure like it, having witnessed grand scenes, felt unsettled.
Qin Ming channeled heavenly light and deployed it.
The yellow silk canopy umbrella spun, the tassels at its rim trailing wisps of rosy clouds accompanied by purple qi rising from the east, solemn and divine. Then, starlight rustled down.
As blood poured from the night sky, dark shadows swooped down, only to be blocked by the umbrella's canopy.
"Huang'er, is it tasty?" Qin Ming showed a caring attitude.
"Bah! Ptui!" The umbrella shook violently, jolting off the blood and shattering the dark shadows. It continuously spewed black smoke, vomiting repeatedly like a creature that had ruined its stomach.
"You're actually this picky with your food?" Qin Ming was surprised.
The yellow silk canopy umbrella pulsed. "These residual spiritual bodies have long been deeply polluted! Purifying them wouldn't even offset my consumption—the loss far outweighs the gain!"
Meanwhile, in the deep sea, Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen stood dumbfounded, their hearts filled with shock.
Once the night thickened, the entire sea changed completely. Around them, burial mounds bobbed amidst the waves, rotting corpses drifted alongside, and the whole ocean seemed to have turned into a sea of death. Those children's laughter sounded particularly piercing, sending chills down their spines.
"The Night Ruins—are there detailed records in the heavens?"
"The descriptions are vague and unclear."
"How can we venture any deeper? Hurry, sink to the sea floor!"
Both felt terrified. This realm was too abnormal, completely defying common reason; it shouldn't exist.
Yet they had no choice but to rush into the distance, unable to defy the binding of the immortal contract, unable to snap the shackles deep in their consciousness.
They looked at each other in silence. They could see no way ahead, no destination—only corpses and the distant unknown.
"If the patriarchs in the heavens intervene, could they save us?" After a long silence, Qi Daozhen spoke.
Xie Jinglan said, "Immortal contracts are difficult to dissolve. Most importantly, before we even ascend to the heavens, we would die the moment we breach the contract—unless Taiyi becomes strong enough and takes the initiative to break it for us."
***
Late at night, Qin Ming fled for his life. Unexpectedly, he had run into grave danger, pursued by a monster covered in blue eyes.
The creature possessed an aged, heavily wrinkled face. Leaving aside the rest of its body, thirty-six eyes sat upon its wrinkled face alone, looking exceedingly horrifying.
Qin Ming reflected on his mistake. His mentality had grown somewhat reckless earlier—he had actually attempted to investigate the bloody cavity in the night veil, wishing to enter the second heaven of the Night Ruins.
As a result, a fair, jade-like hand appeared in the sky holding a pitch-black sledgehammer, striking down at him as if playing whack-a-mole.
He had only just poked his head out, not yet having truly entered the second heaven of the Night Ruins.
Yet a mountain-like giant hammer had smashed ruthlessly down, obliterating the nearby falling heads, blood, and dark shadows.
At the critical moment, Qin Ming activated the yellow silk canopy umbrella to shield himself from above and dived downward at extreme speed.
Even so, the shockwaves of that pitch-black hammer jolted every bone in his body until they clicked and cracked. Bleeding from his seven orifices, covered in cracks, he had nearly exploded on the spot and been sent to the grave.
Afterward, a humanoid old monster covered in blue eyes swooped down from the night sky, pursuing him in a relentless hunt.
"Huang'er, why were you so useless? I was almost shattered!" Qin Ming voiced his displeasure.
After a brief silence, the yellow silk canopy umbrella pulsed. "I don't want to talk to you!"
It had fallen in rank and collected dust in the mortal realm, yet it had once been a supreme treasure after all. To be held out passively like a shield and take a hammer strike right to the face was truly undignified.
"One eye, one growth ring. Stripped away." Behind him, the blue-eyed monster released terrifying, frenzied spiritual ripples.
Hundreds of blue light beams shot forth, flying toward Qin Ming.
Qin Ming's hair stood on end. Could this monster be in the Grandmaster realm? It was hard to evaluate its cultivation, for its techniques were entirely different from those governed by Yujing.
Without a word, he shouldered the yellow silk canopy umbrella and channeled power violently into it, expanding the canopy to block behind him.
With a boom, the exotic metal canopy vibrated, and Qin Ming sprayed a mouthful of blood. This demonic treasure could not disperse force on its own; right now, it was merely exceedingly sturdy.
Hundreds of blue beams struck the canopy, seeking to sever lifespan and strip away vitality. Furthermore, these blue gazes materialized into tentacles, tugging at the umbrella.
"Huang'er, has our destiny reached its end? Are we about to part ways?" Qin Ming sighed. If nothing else worked, he would have no choice but to abandon the umbrella and flee.
He felt somewhat vexed. He had swept through every young prodigy from the heavens, yet encountering an inexplicable monster in the Night Ruins brought him to the brink of life and death.
"Scoundrel talk!" the umbrella replied. In the outside world it wouldn't care, but it absolutely refused to be left in the Night Ruins—the "food" here had serious issues.
On the canopy, a pattern glowed. It was the tattoo it had recently acquired—originally a dharma chain. Now stuck by dozens of blue tentacles, it began to shine.
*Chila!* The dharma chain left behind by Yujing revived, piercing through the monster's tentacles and lashing out, puncturing dozens of its eyes in succession and sending blue pulp splashing everywhere.
With a muffled groan followed by a shrill shriek, the monster immediately gouged out dozens of its blue eyes. Shrouded in blue fog, it turned and fled, surging straight up into the blood-red cavity in the night sky.
Qin Ming fled immediately. Leaping into the air at intervals, he flew using his nine-colored sword baleful aura. Able to soar briefly, he rushed onward without stopping, darting over a thousand li to escape the Night Ruins.
"Old Huang, you and I can now be considered friends through life and death," Qin Ming panted heavily inside an abandoned terrestrial aperture outside, having temporarily returned to Night Province territory.
The yellow silk canopy umbrella responded curtly and forcefully: "Comrades through taking the blame!"
"Why put it so harshly? Not long ago, I gifted you the soul bodies of people from the heavens, and you gave me sweet smiles, showering down auspicious purple qi."
"Bring me a hundred more souls!"
"Why are you so mercenary?"
***
Qin Ming joked, but cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Facing that creature covered in blue eyes had been perilously close; one misstep, and he truly would have died.
This world submerged in night was far too mysterious. Whichever region one entered was shrouded in fog, all bordering on the incomprehensible.
The second heaven of the Night Ruins: just poking his head in had nearly gotten him obliterated.
Qin Ming estimated the time, waiting through the night until he was certain "daylight" had returned to the Night Ruins and normalcy was restored before reentering. It was time to rendezvous with his two loyal subordinates.
In the deep sea, Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen followed the map and located the cave estate left by an ancient almighty being. Lingering outside, they found that other experts were already active in the vicinity.
"Everyone, this place is exceedingly mysterious. We should join forces!" a sea monster suggested.
Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen blended into the throng of monsters and went along with the expedition, feeling that going with the flow was safer than acting alone.
This sea region was indeed extraordinary: five-colored coral walls stretched continuously, golden shells paved the ground, human-head-sized pearls provided illumination, and rainbow-colored palaces stood in the deep ocean depths, ethereal and dreamlike.
In the end, the group dug up precious medicines, including fiery red fruits capable of extending lifespan by decades. Furthermore, they discovered a Dragon Transformation Pool, driving the sea monsters into a frenzy.
And this was not even the core area. Deep inside the undersea palace, ancient immortal trees grew lush and luxuriant, seemingly bearing legendary Earth Immortal Fruits, while several Earth Immortal remains guarded the palace gates.
Both Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen were stunned, their blood boiling. Had their chance to defy the heavens and change their destiny finally arrived?
Cautious by nature, they did not charge forward, but instead backed away.
Yet they were soon bewildered. Even though they had retreated to the outer area, they still could not avoid disaster in the end.
In fact, the moment they caught sight of this cave estate from afar, their fate was sealed; a radius of a hundred li was problematic, covered by a grand formation.
Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen were despondent, their minds completely numb.
"You live for the master, you exist for the master. Henceforth, your lives belong here; exhaust all efforts to revive the master."
In their sea of consciousness, a black "sheet of light" appeared, establishing a contract of sorts. All of them were forced to submit to this ancient cave estate.
Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen felt sick to their core. In just a day and night, two contracts had been planted upon them in succession. There was no darker or more absurd nightmare than this—they were now doubly enslaved!
This was mainly because only seventy percent of the immortal contract runes remained, allowing the black contract runes to exploit the loophole and take effect as well.
What was most terrifying was that if the glowing immortal contract and the black contract runes conflicted, their spiritual consciousness might detonate directly and burn to ash.
Qin Ming met with the two and learned part of the truth. "You mean to say that ancient cave estate is a trap, luring experts there only to assimilate them?"
"It is a genuine cave estate, and there truly are grand fortunes. But the master's remnant soul still lingers, seeking full resurrection, which seems to require many conditions..." As Qi Daozhen said this, a portion of his conscious spiritual light caught fire. He let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He could not continue. Under double enslavement, his predicament was perilous; he could not violate the will of either master.
"We can never return to the heavens," Xie Jinglan said wistfully. The obscure will within the cave estate had placed a first restriction upon them: they were forbidden from leaving this sea region.
"Neither of you is allowed to disclose any information about me!" Qin Ming ordered.
He sighed. What kind of nonsense was this? Was everywhere so relentlessly competitive? He had managed with great effort to drag two subordinates under his banner, only for someone to sweep them away after just a single night, leaving them no longer entirely his.
Still, he did not feel much regret. After they had attacked him and been captured, his plan had always been to make full use of them.
Qin Ming looked at Qi Daozhen and said, "Cultivate the *True Spirit Dao Scripture*. Well, I am not asking you to teach me; just consolidate it yourself and cultivate quietly here."
Qin Ming wished to obtain fragments of the scripture through resonance, but Qi Daozhen coughed up blood repeatedly, his conscious spiritual light ablaze, nearly detonating on the spot.
Both Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen were horrified. Was this man stealing the *True Spirit Dao Scripture*, immediately triggering a backlash in Qi Daozhen?
Qin Ming sighed and ended the resonance.
He spoke: "Forget the scenes related to me, do not leave this sea region, and keep a close eye on that ancient almighty being's cave estate for me. Let us leave it at that. I look forward to our next reunion."
Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen felt a desolation beyond words. They were completely trapped in the waters of the Night Ruins, temporarily reduced to "dormant chess pieces" waiting for Taiyi to activate them in the future.
"Well, in this sea region, an ancient almighty being awaits full revival and has enslaved you, which seems insoluble for now. But looking further out, there is also a celestial maiden of immense background. Weigh your options yourselves."
***
Qin Ming departed into the distance, leaving the Night Ruins.
At this time, the Thunder King Bird stood guard in the mountains outside the exit's terrestrial aperture. Seeing Qin Ming return, it immediately leaned its three large heads close, conveying its joy.
"Let's go, to Kunling!" Now that the Dao marker on him was gone, Qin Ming felt completely at ease, no longer worried about being tracked by people from the heavens.
He intended to go to Shanhe Academy to meet Yu Gensheng and deliver lifespan-extending medicine.
The global environment of heaven and earth was undergoing drastic upheaval, already spreading its toll to Grandmasters. Qin Ming was somewhat worried; the old man's meager remaining lifespan could not endure such torment.
In Kunling, at Shanhe Academy, Yu Gensheng caught sight of that familiar figure and immediately grabbed him. "Little Qin, don't run around lately! The realm is in chaos, and big trouble might brew. It's best to hide for now!"
As he spoke, he covered his mouth with a wide sleeve and coughed repeatedly, blood visible on the cloth.
"Senior!" Qin Ming asked with concern, inquiring how he was.
Yu Gensheng shook his head, feigning ease. "It's nothing. Grandmasters all across the world are starting to run into trouble. Mine is considered normal."
He continued with nonchalance, "I have no children, and my early disciples have either died or scattered. I am all alone. Even if I were to pass away right now, it would be no great matter. It's only a pity that I won't live to see the day you soar to the heavens."
Then, he produced a brocade box. "A portion of my belongings. Not much of a savings, merely worldly possessions. Since you are here, take it with you, saving me the trouble of drafting a will."
"Senior, what are you saying? Put it away quickly; you will be fine." Qin Ming immediately brought out the miraculous medicine that could extend lifespan by eighty years and handed it over. Instantly, the golden divine pear released a rich fragrance that filled the entire room.
Yu Gensheng gasped in marvel. "Hiss, could this be a Golden Pear? I heard that the Old Barbarian God of the Northern Wilderness nurtured one tree, which was burgled a while ago. The tree originally bore only a few fruits, but was picked clean in a single night."
Qin Ming heavily suspected that the New Board had gone to the Old Barbarian God to "stock up"!
Yu Gensheng said, "I am already old. Consuming such a heavenly material and earthly treasure is pure waste. There is no need to give it to me. Let fate take its course; joining Old Zhao sooner would be fine too!"
He thought of his old partner, Zhao Ziyuan.
Qin Ming placed the fruit firmly into his hands. "Senior, please accept it. I once ascended to the heavens, crushed all heroes on the sword-dueling platforms, and gained plenty of rewards. This single fruit is nothing."
Yu Gensheng's spirits immediately lifted. He asked about the duels above the heavens, his aged face trembling with excitement by the end, repeating over and over, "Good! Good! Good!"
In the end, he accepted the Golden Pear and followed Qin Ming's advice to consume it on the spot. Across his thinning scalp, a fresh layer of hair grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
However, he eventually channeled heavenly light to shave it clean again, avoiding unwanted attention.
Yu Gensheng said, "Since I can live on for some more years, I will perfect the *Heavenly Magnetism Secret Classic*, combining the ancient magnetism scripture with the new profound magnetism method. Once everything is thoroughly organized, I will give you the brand-new magnetism classic."
Shortly after, Qin Ming left. He planned to keep a low profile and lie low in secret, observing the turmoil of sealing the heavens that might erupt at any moment.
***
Above the heavens, inside the jade palace, an Earth Immortal stood up, having received certain concrete news.
"The two groups sent to search for Taiyi and Realm Faction have vanished without reason. Could an old monster on the ground be meddling behind the scenes?"
"Heh, could someone truly wish to obstruct us? Even with the drastic upheaval in the broader environment, it is not as though we Earth Immortals cannot descend to the ground in person."
***
The ground was indeed falling into disorder, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
For example, Little Rulai was hiding, unwilling to ascend to the heavens, and had mentioned Qin Ming to the envoys.
Also in the Cui Clan, someone had mentioned that Qin Ming possessed extraordinary natural talent beyond all standards, being one of the most famous young prodigies of the age and hailed as the representative figure of the Newborn path.
At this moment, with no Dao marker on him, Qin Ming had successfully extracted his identity as top ranker from the storm, yet his true self had still caught people's eyes.
"You are looking for Little Qin? He has gone traveling and hasn't returned yet," Meng Xinghai brushed off another wave of envoys.
He continued, "You wouldn't think his practice of the silk book method is anything special, would you? The source of that kind of scripture lies in Pugong. You should go find Little Rulai instead—he considers himself the orthodox successor and truly counts as an unrivaled figure among the younger generation."
Meng Xinghai added, "In truth, Qin Ming's cultivation is still shallow, merely in the third realm. Did you know? He used to be Cui Chonghe's body double, and the true master is acclaimed as a dragon among men."
He had naturally heard some rumors. Since someone wanted to praise Qin Ming to his doom, he was more than happy to heap praise on the related parties as well. Who didn't know how to play that game?
***
"The true bodies of Earth Immortals are descending to the lower realm!" That very day, shocking news broke out.
"To dare slaughter even celestial envoys—some people on the ground have truly lost all sense of reverence!" Without a doubt, the old monsters in the heavens possessed frightening methods; they had already deduced that Jiang Yan, Shen Wei, and the others were dead, and even knew that Qi Daozhen and Xie Jinglan, who should have remained uninvolved, had met with disaster.
Across the night sky, seven-colored immortal radiance shone with dazzling yet terrifying splendor, illuminating heaven and earth. Four Earth Immortals descended from above the vault of heaven at once, all bearing overwhelmingly terrifying pressure.
At this very moment, Qin Ming lay dormant deep in the pitch-black mountains, quietly watching the situation unfold. He had stepped outside the three realms, free of the strife, and stood ready to enter the Night Ruins at any time.
Chapter 464