In the long night, Qin Ming looked as though he stood within a pure land of the gods, enveloped in thick divine light. Atop the pitch-black, scorched earth and beneath an ink-washed sky, he was striking, resplendent, and transcendent—like a heavenly god descending into mortal dust.
The surroundings were quiet. Slaying a grandmaster—Blade Demon—with a single stroke of his blade had established immense deterrence.
Having gotten a taste of the "art of deception," Qin Ming was poised and calm, going with the flow.
The folk customs of Night Province were "simple and honest"; he did not consider himself to be "falling into bad company." When in Rome, do as the Romans do—he was merely operating within the local rules in a reasonable manner.
All he had done was merely to put an end to conflict.
At the very least, all sides were forced to cool down now, not immediately drawing blades against one another. The tense atmosphere had eased for the moment, proving quite effective.
Oleg and Elena, who supposedly "knew him inside and out," were utterly convinced that this was an extremely dangerous "ancient saint" from Yujing, fathomlessly deep.
If they were in the same realm, Oleg would dare wage an all-out battle against "One Sword"—after all, he had once been the Lord of Yujing. Yet the cruel reality lay before his eyes: the other party was likely an entity of the Fifth Realm.
The Yellow-Haired Old Freak was notoriously fearsome even among grandmasters, yet feeling those wisps of divine might, he had no choice but to restrain his killing intent.
Many felt a chill, their expressions grave.
By now, Qin Ming had arrived before the Solar Secret Aperture. As he took his strides forward, no one stopped him.
He did not look at the solar true fire, but gazed straight into the depths of the secret aperture.
This scene undoubtedly confirmed that he was indeed exceptionally "magnanimous," actually letting outsiders gather the solar true fire without caring in the slightest.
Instantly, the hearts of everyone present grew heavy.
Every indication showed that his Dao arts were profound; the extraordinarily rare solar true fire was already dispensable to him and was not his objective.
Some even wondered: could he be a living god?
"There is a faint trace of divine might..." The pupils of an emaciated black-robed figure constricted. He had an illustrious background, yet at this moment, turmoil churned ceaselessly within his heart.
Qin Ming had seen him earlier on the road; this person had shedding, decaying black divine feathers that turned to drifting ash, withering all the vegetation in the mountains.
The scene fell quiet, slipping into a delicate equilibrium.
Qin Ming steadied himself. Slaying a grandmaster in one stroke, paired with the centipede bead, had yielded marvelous effects. He had truly become an incomparable master looking down upon all heroes.
Since he had "followed local custom," he had to uphold this imposing demeanor. He was now an aloof, transcendent top powerhouse, and had to hold up this grand banner.
Qin Ming spoke: "The Solar Secret Aperture's appearance from the earth is fleeting. None of us should waste time in internal strife here. Why not enter together?"
With his "magnanimous" invitation, many immediately felt tempted. The previous times, everyone had fought and killed in chaotic brawls at the entrance of the aperture, truly squandering opportunities.
Yet some grew even more guarded. This "ancient saint" possessed superb capabilities; if he harbored malicious intent and made a sudden move, it would be terrifying.
Unexpectedly, Elena of the Black Tower civilization, her silver hair fluttering, revealed a pure smile on her beautiful face and said, "Brother One Sword is the chief of Yujing's New Board and possesses extraordinary moral caliber. I believe your invitation is genuine."
As for what she was truly thinking, no one knew.
Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran had originally wanted to speak up in coordination with Qin Ming, but after a moment's thought, they refrained, fearing others would overthink and suspect a staged act.
Now that the saint of the Black Tower civilization had spoken, there was no need for the two of them to say anything. Through practical action, they naturally forged an unspoken understanding.
At this moment, the two were not merely collecting solar true fire at the entrance, but venturing slightly deeper.
With so many factions and organizations gathered here, who wouldn't want to storm the secret aperture? Immediately, many grew restless, worried that others would seize the initiative.
"The fire outside is only raw fire; what lies within is far purer," Li Qingyue said. She possessed the Eight Trigrams Furnace, making extracting the solar true fire from the secret aperture smoothest for her.
An old grandmaster spoke up: "Everyone, let us join forces and enter together. We do not know what dangers lie ahead. Let us not fight amongst ourselves in the outer perimeter."
"Everyone, I shall take the lead!" Qin Ming stood within the divine halo, ethereal and transcendent, wisps of divine aura flowing around his eyes and brows.
At that moment, he moved, instantly setting foot in the mysterious land.
Under the night, the Solar Secret Aperture breached the surface, boundless golden glow dispersing the surrounding thick fog.
Qin Ming at the entrance was illuminated, appearing ever more sacred.
In an instant, the crowd quickly followed, terrified of falling behind.
From demon cultivators to godkin organizations, to the Black Tower civilization and the Strange Bug Alliance, the composition here was complex. Once the crowd surged, the balance was completely broken.
Evidently, once the crowd rushed inside, the momentum became irreversible. They immediately began "scouring" the secret aperture, wishing they could turn over every inch of dirt.
Some screamed—acting too rashly, they plunged into a pool of fire, incinerated into ash on the spot by the solar true fire before their companions could even attempt a rescue.
The Solar Secret Aperture felt like a cavern upon first entry. Looking closely, it was cavernous and vast, bearing unmistakable marks of chiseling and axe-work, resembling a rough, colossal palace hall.
In the central area, a brilliant pool of fire burned furiously with true fire.
"Not pure enough. It's raw solar fire, and rootless at that," someone remarked.
"The source of the fire should be deeper in the secret aperture. More dazzling flames lie ahead." This was merely the first layer of the cavern; further in lay an even more mysterious space.
Not far off, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran paid no heed to their remarks, continuously collecting the extraordinary flames until the fire pool dimmed noticeably.
Qin Ming felt joyful within. Regardless of whether it was raw fire, as long as he could temper a wisp of pure divine flame to match his Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic, it would certainly sprout rooted solar true fire.
Even if he gained nothing else and simply retreated now, it would be well worth it.
Yet human nature was seldom content with the present. To put it nicely, one had greater ambitions; Qin Ming "drifted with the tide," advancing alongside the crowd.
Too many people flooded in, and the crowd turned chaotic.
Once entering a realm of fortune like this, order easily collapsed. People scattered, scrambling forward and scouring every concealed nook.
Qin Ming was glad for this; he was under no obligation to blaze a trail for everyone.
Naturally, those wary of him kept a certain distance, highly on guard.
"Strange. There is actually a touch of chill here. How could a place where solar true fire is born be like this?" a silver silkworm spoke, transforming into a palm-sized silver elderly man. No one dared look down on him, for he was a grandmaster.
The notoriously fearsome Yellow-Haired Old Freak frowned and said, "Mm, it's actually extreme yin qi, though heavily diluted by the wash of firelight. This is indeed quite bizarre. Could it be..."
Suddenly, he uncreased his yellow brows, a daunting beam of light erupting from his eyes.
Nearby, someone realized and said excitedly, "This is an extraordinary place! Extreme yang born from primordial extreme yin—perhaps it holds the power to reverse life and death! Such a place far exceeds our imagination!"
In truth, there was no need for him to reveal it; many present had already caught on, thinking of this possibility at once.
After all, the demon cultivators, Oleg, and others came from top civilizations with unfathomable foundations, naturally able to make such judgments right away.
Qin Ming, on the other hand, being a rogue cultivator, did not know much in this area; only after hearing their trembling voices did he realize how extraordinary this place was.
Still, he looked upon it nonchalantly, maintaining his transcendence, appearing as though among all the heroes under heaven, only he and a select few could stand shoulder to shoulder, while the rest were not even worthy to share a drink with them.
This aura and bearing immediately inspired awe in many. Even though the area was chaotic, no one dared approach him, avoiding any mutual misjudgment.
Qin Ming held one hand behind his back. To dare act like this, he naturally had some backing: the decaying fan was already prepared. If putting on the airs of a peerless expert failed to guarantee his safety, he would flip the table instantly and ensure no one had it easy.
A pure Empty Fort Strategy certainly wouldn't do.
"Old Huang, be ready at any moment," he communicated with the yellow imperial parasol.
Next, he gave a heads-up to the weapon spirit of the Eight Trigrams Furnace: if things went south, please revive proactively, and don't worry about lacking enough Daoist rhyme to fuel it.
A moment later, they entered a deeper space. In the cavernous, rough cave, faint "spiderwebs" were densely interwoven.
In an instant, people from many large organizations fell quiet, feeling a sense of horror.
"These are divine chains!"
The crisscrossing "spiderwebs" were manifestations of rules, densely woven across the void. The only silver lining was that they had dimmed completely.
A young cultivator cautiously tested them, striking with all his might until sparks flew, only barely severing a single strand—and nearly suffering a backlash.
"Heaven blesses us!" an old grandmaster grew excited.
"The timing is just right! Had we come earlier, we couldn't have broken in at all. Now we can shatter these divine chains of rules. Over vast ages, their Daoist rhyme has dissipated, and they have decayed."
Others believed that heaven and earth were undergoing drastic changes, severely battering ancient arrays and Daoist rhymes, causing the dharma chains to snap.
Everyone took action, severing the dense "spiderwebs" and forcing their way into this realm that originally should have held no path of life.
They entered an even deeper cavern, which resembled a rough stone palace. A thick ancient tree caught everyone's gaze, rooted beside a pool of fire, wisps of chill still rising from its base.
Its branches were filled with lush, emerald-green leaves, seemingly brimming with boundless vitality.
Yet as the crowd barged in and shook the ground, it suddenly shattered without a sound. All the leaves burst into dust, and the thick trunk turned to ash in an instant.
"Originally, this was a place of extreme yin, suitable for its growth. Later, the environment changed, shifting toward extreme yang, and the appearance of solar true fire scorched this tree to death," someone sighed.
Ahead, ashes fell softly as the ancient tree disintegrated. Suddenly, with a crisp ding, a palm-sized, glowing green tree heart dropped to the ground.
Qin Ming sensed it immediately; his world-abiding scripture circulated on its own, and his Longevity Sword Intent resonated with it.
He instantly realized that this was a wondrous treasure that might enhance his Longevity Sword Intent.
He stepped forward at once. His nine-colored sword baleful aura transformed into flowing light, wrapping around the mysterious wooden heart and bringing it back, rippling with green radiance and exuding a refreshing aura that flowed through the space.
Many followed closely, their eyes burning hot.
Some even crossed the tacit boundary line they had previously maintained with him.
Suddenly, just as Qin Ming reached out to take the wooden heart, an invisible killing intent violently erupted. A powerhouse had slipped silently behind him, evading the eyes of everyone present!
This was terrifying: the ambusher seemed to have traversed space and time, appearing out of nowhere.
Many were shocked; even the saints felt their hairs stand on end as they saw two dazzling, snow-bright blades strike out with brilliant radiance, stabbing toward Qin Ming's head and the back of his heart.
Only now did people realize that it was a phantom silhouette, fully merged into the void of the cavern. His assassination technique was so sublime that unless it erupted, it was nearly impossible to detect.
"The core disciple of Yujing... is dead?"
"Even an aloof, ancient saint couldn't stop such an assassination?"
Emotions surged in many. Blades were drawn and flying swords unleashed as they prepared to attack or defend themselves; everyone was shaken.
"A fake afterimage! He wasn't stabbed!"
These were flashes of conscious spiritual light flickering, not real spoken dialogue, for in this spark of flint and lightning, there was no time to speak.
Indeed, ninety percent of the people had not even reacted yet.
Qin Ming was alarmed—he had actually been ambushed by a grandmaster! At this moment, the battle robe formed by the Eight Trigrams Furnace did not glow, but it truly revived, carrying him in a lateral shift.
Because the speed was too fast, many had mistakenly thought he was struck by the blades.
"Hm?!" The sneak-attacker's eyes turned momentarily dull. He had fallen into a trap—his mind was instantly shaken by the centipede bead Qin Ming activated!
The ambusher saw an unimaginably colossal thousand-armed deity, as tall as a mountain, sitting cross-legged in a primal wilderness, suddenly snapping open divine eyes to gaze down upon him.
Chii!
The nine-colored sword baleful aura turned into flowing light, streaking through the void like lightning. Blood splattered, accompanied by a shrill scream. Stained in blood, the assassin retreated with divine speed like phantom bubbles, leaving afterimages across different positions that made everyone's hearts pound with fear.
His left eye was pierced through, the eyeball exploding.
Originally, Qin Ming's nine-colored sword baleful aura had been aimed between his brows to pin through his skull, yet in this state of dazed stupor, the assassin had snapped awake at the final moment, dodging with an unbelievable movement technique.
"It's Grandmaster Flying Elephant!"
Many paled, finally seeing the ambusher clearly.
Having taken a sword strike, he was fully exposed from the void, his frame swelling dramatically.
The Flying Elephant race had no wings, but their ears were massive. When flapped vigorously, they could soar through the high skies, flying to the heavens and burrowing into the earth.
Just now, Grandmaster Flying Elephant had shrunken his body and wrapped his ears around himself, utilizing a secret technique to briefly merge into the void to execute this terrifying assassination.
Those two long sabers were actually formed from his snow-white tusks.
"To think Grandmaster Flying Elephant is the 'Void Assassin' of this remnant range!" Many retreated, feeling he was exceedingly dangerous.
Over the past half year, three grandmasters in the Feixian Mountain remnant range had been ambushed and slain by the Void Assassin—an unsolved mystery until today, when the truth finally surfaced.
"You intentionally left a flaw earlier to lure me into attacking?" Grandmaster Flying Elephant backed away, staring fixedly at the figure ahead, a thick haze of dread rising in his heart.
He had been observing "One Sword" all along. Seeing him barely slash at the web-like divine chains earlier, he suspected the man wasn't as strong as imagined and was merely bluffing.
Most critically, that glowing green wooden heart was of immense use to him, so he couldn't hold back and launched the assassination here—only to capsize.
What terrified him most was that he had seen a deity gazing from that primal wilderness, thousand arms forming mudras, its colossal body radiating overpowering pressure.
He suspected that the person before him was the incarnation of a god.
"Heh..." Qin Ming smiled faintly, bathed in divine light. The divine halo around his body grew ever more brilliant, the nine-colored sword baleful aura hovering in the air, ready to strike as he took a step forward.
Flying Elephant's true form was enormous, standing over ten meters tall, yet now he was nimble as a fluttering scrap of paper, moving like a wraith and leaving countless afterimages.
However, while the revived Eight Trigrams battle robe did not glow, it exerted power, carrying Qin Ming with even greater speed, on the verge of catching up to him.
With a whoosh, a divine talisman burned before Grandmaster Flying Elephant. He vanished abruptly, distorting the void and fleeing far away from this place.
"Consider yourself lucky!" Qin Ming said.
In truth, beneath the treasure robe, his hairs were standing on end. Just now had been far too perilous: an old grandmaster skilled in assassination suddenly delivering a fatal blow was practically a death trap.
Even now, his heart still palpitated with lingering fear.
However, his transcendent bearing could not falter. He maintained his calm and composure, displaying the full demeanor of a peerless expert.
Even Grandmaster Flying Elephant's ambush had ended in miserable defeat, forcing him to flee with a divine talisman of unknown rank. This intangibly proved that One Sword, the ancient saint of Yujing, possessed terrifying combat strength.
Of course, a few harbored suspicions; although the armor showed no outward waves, Oleg possessed a special weapon as well and had felt a faint abnormal resonance just now.
"Divine might—a momentary deterrence!" Yet other grandmasters had such thoughts, feeling intensely uneasy, for wisps of divine aura had genuinely leaked out for an instant.
The Moon God and Blood God of the godkin organization muttered in their hearts, somewhat suspicious—why had there been a hint of familiarity just now?
Diverse thoughts stirred among the crowd, but to the vast majority, One Sword, the ancient saint of Yujing, had become even more formidable, and none wished to provoke him.
Qin Ming slipped the mysterious tree heart into his breast pocket; this was not the time for a close inspection.
No one said anything. He had just established his prestige and proven his might once more; who would dare covet a treasure that had fallen into his hands?
Soon after, the crowd entered another cavern. This place resembled a formal stone palace even more, with many statues of deities standing erect—all charred, dust-covered, and motionless.
"These are... real living beings, all withered and dead here," someone inspected closely and said with a grave expression.
People brushed away the dust and found they were all scorched, dried corpses. At a light touch of the hand, they crumbled away, even the bones within reduced to ash, leaving only a few bone fragments.
"They were very strong in life. After all, having undergone the burning of solar true fire, they could still leave behind shattered remnants."
"These people first ran out of lifespan and were only covered by the fire later, for their faces show no pained expressions of being burned alive by true fire. In their early years, they were likely guarding this place."
Before long, the crowd uncovered much of the truth.
"An ancient land of extreme yin gradually began transforming into extreme yang, reversing yin and yang. If there are medicinal herbs, they are bound to be longevity medicines; if a supreme treasure was born, it will surely carry the transformations of yin and yang!"
Many grew excited, eager to know what lay at the end.
This stone palace was deathly still; even the relics of those experts had been destroyed, leaving nothing behind.
They continued inward. The firelight grew brilliant as pure solar true fire appeared. Unfortunately, it was still rootless fire; even if taken, its spirituality would gradually fade and extinguish before long.
Qin Ming, however, was overjoyed; this place was more than enough to satisfy his needs.
"A withered fire lotus!"
Beside the pool of solar true fire, a fire lotus, though carbonized and blackened, still cradled several lotus seeds. Even as the crowd barged in and shook the ground, those seeds merely fell without turning to ash.
Instantly, many surged forward, yet they remained on guard against Yujing's ancient saint, fearing he might brazenly unleash his nine-colored sword baleful aura.
In truth, in this world, anyone who could refine eight-colored sword baleful aura could be called a peerless sword immortal once their strength matured; mastering nine-colored sword baleful aura truly exceeded all conventions, bordering on fantasy.
Thus, even if some had doubts about "One Sword," seeing his sword baleful aura extinguished most of their designs.
With a clang, Qin Ming drew his sword and truly strode forward.
Immediately, the crowd halted and backed away. None could forget the sight of him slaying a grandmaster with a single stroke of his blade, nor could they forget the terrifying image of Grandmaster Flying Elephant ambushing him only to have an eye blinded. All factions were intensely wary of him.
Qin Ming spoke: "Do not misunderstand. Look, those lotus seeds are already scorched black; a light rub will turn them to ash. There is no need for us to engage in bloody conflict."
He bore a look of compassion for the world, seemingly worried the crowd would fight to the death.
"Mm, I will not compete for them. Help yourselves," he added.
In reality, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran were barely hindered at all, swiftly sweeping up several charred, crumbling fire lotus seeds.
While Oleg remained guarded, Elena struck, taking three seeds. The members of the demon cultivation civilization were not slow either and made gains, and strange insects fluttered their wings to snatch some as well.
Overall, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran reaped the greatest harvest. With Qin Ming holding the front line and nearly drawing the crowd's ire, the two quietly took the lion's share.
"Hiss, golden lotus in fire! Although carbonized, it still retains some vitality. This is a secret medicine for body refinement!" A demon cultivator's heart trembled, his eyes involuntarily fixing on Jiang Ran and Li Qingyue.
He knew that had these lotus seeds not been burned, they would be extraordinary and priceless. Even as they were, they were rare precious medicines that could assist in forging a golden body.
"Hmph!" Jiang Ran gave a cold snort. As her gaze swept over, runes intertwined within it, causing the prodigious demon cultivation genius's heart to skip a beat—he had actually been suppressed in the mental realm!
Instantly, a chill ran through the demon cultivator camp. They dared not underestimate anyone; there were simply too many young monstrosities here.
A wisp of divine fire rose around Li Qingyue, enveloping her entire body in an instant, effectively serving as another deterrent.
People wondered: could this be an Innate Fire Physique?
"Everyone, do not make a misjudgment," Jiang Ran spoke up directly.
Qin Ming said, "Indeed. What do a few burnt lotus seeds amount to? There should be even greater fortunes ahead. Everyone, try to minimize slaughter; advancing into the depths of the secret aperture together is the right path."
Hearing this, many calmed down considerably.
For what he said made sense; presumably, rare spiritual treasures still awaited ahead.
"This is..."
Ahead was a massive cavern that could truly be called a stone palace. Its excavation was by no means crude, and here stood numerous lifelike statues of deities.
"In the past, they were likely true deities who dwelled here. When their lifespans ultimately ended, they passed away in meditation and were later burned by solar true fire, leaving them charred black."
After careful observation, people reached this chilling conclusion.
Whether an Earth Immortal or a true god, even if they had once stood high in the ninth heaven, they still met their demise—and their lifespans were far shorter than ordinary people imagined.
Here, all the "statues" were related to deities, having once been a cohort of living powerhouses.
Someone tapped lightly, and some statues crumbled. Over the long ages, the golden bodies they left behind had decayed; only the bones within still held a faint luster.
However, burned by solar true fire year after year, the spirituality within the bones had dissipated almost entirely.
"It is actually... the Slumbering Ground of the Gods!"
Many felt shaken within, an indescribable emotion swelling in their chests.
Earth Immortals would die, and true gods would perish. Nothing could last forever. No one knew what realm these gods had once attained, nor why they had dwelled here.
"They seem to have been guarding something..." A decaying god wrapped in a black robe, who had degraded to the grandmaster level, whispered softly.
Qin Ming knew he came from the realm of Yujing, glanced at him, but said nothing more.
The crowd set out once more. Ahead lay no caverns, much less divine temples—only a deep, dark tunnel interwoven with dense "spiderwebs" that sought to seal off the path forward.
This seemed to confirm the black-robed figure's words: the gods had sealed the way, as if protecting something.
Divine chains, manifestations of order and the embodiment of rules, had now decayed with the passage of time.
Everyone struck out repeatedly, severing the "spiderwebs" and blazing a trail forward, gradually drawing closer to the ultimate destination.
Chapter 480