The night sky pressed down like ink overhead, charred mountains stretching endlessly, heaven and earth swallowed entirely by gloomy, dark tones.
Qin Ming used Harmonize with Light and Dust, advancing silently through the night mist.
This territory was vast and seemed to catch fire frequently; even the air carried wisps of a burnt scent.
Creatures occasionally appeared in the mountains, only to flash by and vanish, keeping a safe distance from one another to avoid misjudgments and bloody conflicts.
Qin Ming was very cautious, for he had sensed the aura of a grandmaster here.
In this era, any Fifth Realm expert unburdened by severe illness who dared to travel far was an extraordinary figure.
In a sense, an existence of the grandmaster level was, in all likelihood, the "heaven" of a given region.
Penetrating fifty li inward, he had reached the deeper parts of this scorched earth. Inevitably, people grew more numerous, and avoiding one another completely was no longer possible.
"For rogue cultivators like us, exploring fortunes is exceedingly difficult," someone sighed.
Having arrived here, many dared not advance further and could only linger nearby, searching beneath the mountain ashes for spiritual objects. Moving any further ahead might cost them their lives.
"The outsiders are too strong, with major organizations backing them. We locals have no home-field advantage; on the contrary, we've become the disadvantaged side, not even daring to venture deep. Sigh!"
Compared to top cultivation civilizations, the territory of Chenyuan was indeed at a disadvantage.
Qin Ming blended in among these rogue cultivators and paused for the time being, watching more and speaking less to grasp the detailed situation here.
Soon, from the discussions of several people, he heard a great deal of valuable news.
Deep within this territory lay the Solar Secret Aperture. Those outside could not explain its exact nature, knowing only that many major organizations were in pursuit of it.
Reportedly, its position was not fixed; it could "swim" underground, and most of the time it remained concealed, making it difficult to detect.
"However, the patterns of its movements are gradually being figured out. It might soon be forced out into the open."
Besides that, this ash-covered land held some ruins, such as divine temples and underground palaces, where a few individuals had previously reaped gains.
The scorched earth was not completely devoid of vitality. Hidden within the soil layers were spiritual items like red-gold sweet potatoes and fire lotuses; depending on their age, their values differed by worlds.
Someone lowered their voice: "Everyone, stop complaining. I feel there's something off about this Feixian Mountain remnant range. Perhaps before long, we ought to withdraw."
"What do you mean?"
"Over the past half year or more, many people have died in these mountains, and blood mist curls up in many places. I feel something beneath the remnant range might be reviving."
"Yeah, according to the older generation, this mountain range was once covered in dense crimson mist long ago, and things got extremely chaotic back then!"
Evidently, these were locals conversing.
Qin Ming took this to heart. Venturing out alone to pioneer, he placed safety above all else. At the slightest sign of trouble, he had to evacuate immediately.
He believed it was very necessary to keep an eye on the locals' movements.
At this moment, the Eight Trigrams Furnace's weapon spirit could clearly sense Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran's locations, just several dozen li ahead. They were already quite close.
The main Eight Trigrams Furnace was on Li Qingyue, so its perception was even clearer, and it was currently transmitting a message to the furnace lid:
"The situation over there is complex. There's the Godkin organization, the Black Pagoda civilization, the Rare Bug Alliance, as well as the Demon Immortal organization and the Demonic Cultivation civilization, among others."
Qin Ming already knew that the two women had joined a mysterious team.
If he were to go over abruptly right now, it would surely draw unwanted attention. Therefore, he was in no hurry to rendezvous; the distance wasn't great, and as long as they could support each other at any moment, that was enough.
Suddenly, a disturbance came from afar, like dense steel needles pricking the senses, or flying swords descending upon them, making many people's spirits feel as if they would split apart, and they staggered back at once.
A withered, gaunt old man with disheveled hair stood atop the back of a large brown dog with wings sprouting from its ribs. His eyes were cold, radiating a heart-palpitating aura.
Many people lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.
"The grandmaster—Blade Demon."
Only after he had drifted far away did someone speak in a low voice.
The withered old man carried a blood-red long saber on his back. Even in the distance, he still radiated an intimidating killing intent that struck fear into hearts.
Currently, a figure like this was considered the "heaven" in these mountains!
"This grandmaster... is truly domineering," someone said.
In truth, what he wanted to say was: as a grandmaster, could one really be so arrogant in Feixian Mountain?
Someone caught his drift and explained, "While exploring the remnant range, Blade Demon was afflicted by some kind of curse. It's said he has only one month of life left. Thus, he has completely let loose. The moment anything displeases him, he draws his blade. Even if other grandmasters arrive, he'll fight them to the death."
Hence, the various factions were reluctant to provoke him. A dying grandmaster had far too much lethal power in the Feixian Mountain remnant range; whoever rubbed him the wrong way could be dragged down to the grave with him.
Suddenly, people's expressions changed drastically. That large brown dog had returned on its own.
"I forgot just now. Everyone, did you find anything here? Bring it out for me to see. Although my old master doesn't have long to live, perhaps Heaven never seals off all exits."
Over two meters long, the large brown dog bared its bloody, gaping maw, exuding great pressure. It declared that it was collecting spiritual items to extend its old master's life.
Many people looked grim. After toiling away in their explorations, having to surrender their gains to a dog was truly galling.
However, seeing its bloodshot, bulging eyes glaring at them, many people's hearts thumped, and they bowed their heads one after another.
"I'm not asking for everything, just taking a portion," the large brown dog said, vicious energy swirling around it as it looked aggressively across the crowd.
A blood-soaked, swaying youth pleaded, "This aged fire lotus—I nearly lost my life just now to harvest it. My grandfather is heavily wounded and waiting for it to save his life."
The large brown dog showed no mercy, sending the youth flying with a single swipe of its paw and snatching the fire lotus directly.
"And you, old fellow, don't play tricks. I saw you hiding something under the ashes." The large brown dog seized an old man with its massive paw and slammed him violently to the ground. The charred earth split open instantly, spattered with blood.
The crowd dared to be angry but dared not speak, feeling utter helplessness. Spiritual items bought with their lives were instead being plundered by a dog.
"Counting the days, Blade Demon has only half a month of life left now. He's grown increasingly callous and merciless, and every side fears his dying backlash."
Someone whispered in the distance. Over a dozen days ago, after Blade Demon ran into trouble, this large brown dog began to follow suit in madness, coercing people everywhere and extorting spiritual items.
At this point, the large brown dog came before Qin Ming and said, "Brat, didn't you hear my orders just now? Bring out the spiritual items you gathered. I want to pick two."
Qin Ming felt irritated. He had originally intended to keep a low profile, hiding among the rogue cultivators, yet trouble still found its way to him.
He thought of Old Man Liu's big yellow dog. What a great dog that was—heading into the mountains on its own to hunt whenever it had free time, supplementing the household without ever bullying anyone.
He sighed. Not all dogs were good dogs; far more were vicious hounds, cur-servants deserving death.
The large brown dog said in a deep voice, "Young man, do you know the rules? Do you have even a shred of compassion? You must know that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda!"
Qin Ming's expression turned cold. This vicious cur actually had the audacity to question him in turn—reality was truly this absurd.
Was Blade Demon truly dying? Qin Ming was somewhat skeptical. Could this person and the vicious dog be working together, deliberately amassing wealth in a frenzy?
At that moment, the large brown dog reached out a massive paw toward Qin Ming.
People thought this cold youth was about to suffer a bitter loss here, considering him rather young and impetuous.
With a bang, the large brown dog flew sideways through the air, taking a solid slap from Qin Ming that knocked out seven or eight of its teeth.
With a howl of agony, it rolled far across the ground, the looted spiritual items scattering everywhere, its mouth full of bloody foam.
A crowd of rogue cultivators was petrified on the spot. Had the natural order inverted? A grandmaster's spiritual hound had actually been slapped!
In the distance, fierce fighting sounds rang out; the grandmaster Blade Demon seemed to have engaged an expert in battle.
"Just you wait!" the large brown dog cursed, turning to flee.
Qin Ming frowned. Heavenly light materialized in his right hand, condensing into a long blade. With a swoosh, he slashed forward in an instant, the blade light cutting through the pitch-black night.
"You..." Although the mid-Fourth Realm vicious dog glowed all over, woven with mysterious runes, it couldn't block even a single slash. With a squelch, the pair of massive paws raised to block were severed, followed immediately by its head tumbling to the ground.
Everyone drew in a sharp breath. Who was this person? So utterly reckless—was he not even afraid of Blade Demon, who was ready to drag anyone down with him?
Blood sprayed from the large brown dog's carcass. As its massive severed head hit the ground and still tried to struggle, a black astral wind swept past, shattering its mental field and snuffing out its consciousness.
"Little brother, run quickly! If a grandmaster with little life left goes mad, you won't survive," someone kindly warned.
Qin Ming remained very calm and did not leave. Instead, he asked them about the other grandmasters in the mountains, which ones were the most dangerous, and so on.
"Grandmasters are few in number, and almost all maintain a dignified front. If we look closely, aside from the maddened Blade Demon, there's a Yellow-Haired Old Freak who likes to rob those weaker than him. The others are all fairly decent."
Qin Ming nodded. After searching the dog's carcass, he flickered and vanished from the spot.
Seeing this, the crowd quickly scooped up the spiritual items that had been extorted from them, then scattered in a rush, everyone fleeing.
Qin Ming advanced in a roundabout path, avoiding the direction where Blade Demon was fighting. If there was a choice, he naturally wouldn't clash with a grandmaster.
After all, the higher one cultivated, the harder it became to fight across realms. No one who became a grandmaster was ordinary, and if it turned out to be an old saint-level figure, the trouble would be immense.
However, he had the Eight Trigrams Treasure Robe on him and had recently obtained a mythological artifact—the decaying fan—so he remained composed throughout his journey.
A divine temple stood in ruin, draped with cobwebs inside. It seemed not to have suffered from fires normally; the structure still survived, standing upright without collapsing.
On the main altar sat an idol of a thousand-armed monster.
Entering the temple, Qin Ming resonated here to see if he could gain anything.
In an instant, he felt as if dragged into a primeval mountain range with boundless virgin forests. Under the night mist, atop a distant mountain, a creature sat cross-legged like a blazing sun wheel hanging in the sky, all thousand hands forming seals, holy and majestic.
This godkin creature seemed capable of penetrating space-time. It snapped its eyes open and looked toward Qin Ming, its golden pupils terrifying, threatening to sink one into oblivion.
"To meet is fated. Bow to the Thousand-Handed True God, and I shall bestow upon you supreme true scriptures. Will you not kowtow?" A grand voice seemed to travel across hundreds of millions of li from that primeval land, leaving even Qin Ming deeply shaken.
That formidable godkin creature radiated a terrifying pressure, as though gazing upon him from far away.
Furthermore, the god's thousand arms gathered extraordinary phenomena, enacting a wondrous method that inspired awe and threatened to draw one's mind inside.
Qin Ming's mental field roared. Then, he abruptly drew the yellow silk canopy umbrella into his hands, using it like a spear, and slammed it through the idol with a resounding bang!
"Deluding my mind, disturbing my will—even if you possess a spirit, you are an evil deity. Begone!"
The idol shattered into pieces, collapsing outright.
Only Qin Ming remained standing in the divine temple, his eyes clear, treading on the rubble.
"I'm not meant to be used like this!" The yellow silk canopy umbrella pulsed with fluctuations, expressing its discontent.
"Huh?" Qin Ming was surprised. From the idol's debris, he picked up a bead, and instantly felt divine might once more, glimpsing the primeval scene again.
"And here I thought you were truly omnipotent, sensing me from deep within the world of night mist," Qin Ming murmured softly.
He resonated again and sensed carefully, quickly grasping the truth. This was related to that organization known as Godkin, arranged by young figures like the Moon God, Blood God, and Light God to invisibly subjugate people for their own use.
"A centipede bead," the Eight Trigrams Furnace's weapon spirit spoke.
A formidable giant centipede not only had a thousand arms, but also held over a thousand centipede beads in its body. However, this one had dried up, retaining only a faint aura of divine might with mesmerizing, hallucinatory effects—a rather fine artifact-crafting material.
Qin Ming gave it a crude refinement, enabling him to exude an inscrutable divine might. Of course, this was entirely fake and could only bluff people temporarily.
Since the Godkin organization could use a dried-up divine centipede bead to intimidate worshippers, he naturally intended to make use of it as well; in crucial moments, it might have miraculous effects.
Several days passed. Qin Ming had penetrated deep into the core area of this territory. Once, from a distance, he had seen the Solar Secret Aperture burst through the ground, steaming with vast clouds of golden glow and wrapped in immortal mist, exceptionally sacred.
"Qingyue, Ran Di..." Qin Ming secretly communicated with them through the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Both parties were in this territory, not far apart, and were already able to exchange messages and news via special weapons.
"The Black Pagoda civilization is very strong; a saint has personally arrived, presided over by a grandmaster, and they likewise carry special weapons. In addition, a group of demonic cultivators is terrifying, and there is also a Godkin organization..."
Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran were naturally delighted to encounter Qin Ming again in a foreign territory, informing him of the various situations here.
Qin Ming himself was vigilant and observant. He soon learned that Blade Demon and the grandmaster-level Yellow-Haired Old Freak were at odds and constantly in conflict, having fought several battles over the past few days.
This was good news for Qin Ming. After all, he had provoked Blade Demon; having a strong opponent tie the man down was ideal.
Over the next two days, Qin Ming witnessed firsthand the dominance of the Black Pagoda civilization. The female saint, Elena, was clad in snow-white robes and had few rivals in the Fourth Realm.
Meanwhile, the blond youth Oleg, who had once called himself the Lord of Yujing, had yet to take action; he held a special scepter and looked extremely dangerous at first glance.
Among the demonic cultivators, a handsome youth appeared quite young, yet acted with ruthless cruelty. In just a single move, he impaled a late-Fourth Realm expert and drained the person's entire spirit, energy, and mind with his right hand. His opponent collapsed limply, floating like an empty human skin.
In addition, grandmaster-level experts like the Silver Rat appeared, accompanied by a black tigress, while grandmaster-level old freaks like the Flying Elephant and Silver Silkworm showed up one after another.
Qin Ming frowned. There were truly too many experts from different lands gathered here.
Not long after, he even spotted the decayed god he had encountered on the road. Though degraded to the grandmaster level, it remained extraordinarily perilous.
Such old freaks were definitely not limited to just one or two.
Suddenly, immortal mist surged ahead, and golden glow shot into the sky, illuminating the pitch-black night.
Everyone knew the Solar Secret Aperture had surfaced again; having been located repeatedly, it had been forced out into the open.
In the pitch-black mountains, wild winds surged and ashes billowed—stirred up by the experts as crowds charged forward.
Qin Ming also drew close, hiding behind a boulder not far from the Solar Secret Aperture.
All of a sudden, a figure soundlessly approached him, hiding behind another bluestone.
Qin Ming's hairs stood on end. It was actually Blade Demon! The man's body was withered, his gaze deep, carrying a blood-red long saber on his back. Clearly, the other party had spotted him as well, instantly emitting a bone-chilling coldness that felt like needle pricks.
To think they would cross paths under such circumstances!
Over the past few days, Blade Demon had put out word that he intended to slay a certain rogue cultivator.
Qin Ming knew that if the other party recognized him, a bloody battle was inevitable.
"Get lost!" Clearly, Blade Demon did not recognize his identity, yet remained as domineering and callous as ever, barking this dismissal.
Qin Ming rose to his feet, then struck violently! Nine-colored sacred baleful aura condensed into blade light, exploding like a dazzling blazing sun.
He knew that once fighting broke out within the Solar Secret Aperture, Blade Demon would definitely recognize him. Rather than waiting, attacking proactively now was the prime moment for an ambush.
After all, the other party had mistaken him for an inconsequential young pawn.
Targeting a grandmaster now, Qin Ming had no certainty of victory; besides slashing out with all his might, he also readied the decaying fan, prepared to sweep it out at any moment.
However, the outcome far exceeded Qin Ming's expectations.
With a squelch, he cleaved Blade Demon vertically in two! The nine-colored sacred baleful aura extinguished the other's pure yang conscious spiritual light on the spot. Blood sprayed high into the air as the notoriously fierce grandmaster died instantly!
Qin Ming immediately sensed that something was wrong. In the final moments, he had seen bewilderment in Blade Demon's eyes—the man had not been nearly as cold, self-assured, or heartless as he seemed; on the contrary, he had been clearly panicked and terrified.
Nearby, many people gasped.
Quite a few were stunned. Slashing a grandmaster in a single blow—what kind of terrifying powerhouse was this? In this territory, he was practically towering above the crowd.
"A fake grandmaster!" Qin Ming judged immediately. The prowess the man had displayed was by no means that of a true Fifth Realm expert.
At the same time, with a hurried glance, he noticed someone: the Yellow-Haired Old Freak was not far away, his eyes filled with endless rage and malice.
In an instant, Qin Ming understood.
The reason no one wanted to cross Blade Demon was primarily because the strength he displayed was too great; he had fought the powerful Yellow-Haired Old Freak multiple times without falling behind.
Looking at it now, there was definitely foul play involved.
Blade Demon and the large brown dog had collaborated to frantically hoard spiritual items, while Blade Demon, this fake grandmaster, had likely reached an understanding with the Yellow-Haired Old Freak.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming stripped the treasures from Blade Demon's body in a flash. He confirmed it: the man possessed special items capable of releasing a grandmaster's pressure.
"There really are... so many fraudsters in this place!" Qin Ming sighed inwardly.
Many gazes turned toward him, clearly intimidated by that slash.
Qin Ming sensed the Yellow-Haired Old Freak's malice; the creature seemed poised to take action.
In an instant, Qin Ming secretly activated the centipede bead. Halos of light wrapped around his body, and faint divine might radiated outward.
Instantly, the surroundings fell dead silent. Everyone felt their hearts pound, and even the vicious Yellow-Haired Old Freak reeled in his temper, not daring to act rashly.
"Slaying Through the Thirty-Six Heavens with a Single Sword?" In the distance, Elena of the Black Pagoda civilization gasped, staring at that nine-colored long blade with brilliant lights dancing in her eyes.
"Nine-colored sword baleful aura!" Oleg was also astonished, feeling this was the very "One Sword" who had displayed the eight-colored sword baleful aura back then.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Ming looked back with a faint smile, transforming the long blade into an immortal sword. The nine-colored sword baleful aura flowed, lighting up the night sky, and as he circulated the centipede bead, his divine might grew increasingly intimidating.
"It truly is you, the core saint of Yujing!" Oleg drew in a sharp breath of the night mist, his heart growing heavy. For the other party to slay a grandmaster in a single blade was an absurd level of strength.
Following the battle back then, the Black Pagoda civilization had studied it carefully and believed that One Sword, Taiyi, and the rest might all be young people.
Could it be that the true realm of Slaying Through the Thirty-Six Heavens with a Single Sword was in the domain of a grandmaster?
Oleg went numb on the spot. In the current environment, such an "old saint" was extraordinarily dangerous—who could contend against him?
"Heh..." Qin Ming smiled faintly.
Holding the immortal sword condensed from nine-colored sword baleful aura, cloaked in brilliant divine halos, he walked toward the Solar Secret Aperture at an unhurried pace.
At this moment, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran's team stood not far before the aperture. Seeing him approach, the mysterious team leader's entire body tensed, hairs standing on end.
After all, who didn't know how domineering Oleg of the Black Pagoda civilization was right now? He was a top saint bearing a special weapon, yet even he was this wary—who else would dare not take it seriously?
Amidst the brilliant radiant mist, flames danced as if capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.
"Well, solar true fire is of no use to me. You all may gather it; I intend to head into the depths of the aperture," Qin Ming said to the team at the very front.
Hearing this, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran took action without a second word, demonstrating tacit coordination.
With Qin Ming acting so magnanimously, his divine halos shining ever brighter, and the nine-colored sword baleful aura soaring into the sky, he displayed the full demeanor of a peerless master.
Chapter 479