"How is this possible?"
Above the nine heavens, a group of elderly figures tilted their heads back, staring into the outer sky for a long time. Yujing had endured since ancient times; how could it suddenly vanish?
Even if the lord of Yujing died or was replaced, that inverted, mysterious city would never perish. Grand and boundless, no one knew who had built it.
The elderly men present were either draped in feather robes or radiating auspicious halos. All were Earth Immortals belonging to the celestial realm's core high command, yet now they stood frozen where they were, motionless.
Yujing had weighed upon all their hearts like a heavy mountain, yet its sudden, total disappearance, evaporating from the outer sky, left them profoundly uneasy.
These Earth Immortals, wielding supreme authority high above the nine heavens, felt intensely conflicted. They ought to have felt a sense of relief, yet now they were seized by a bewildering numbness, an assortment of emotions washing over them.
Initially, some were excited and overjoyed, exhaling stagnant air, but soon uncertainty set in, followed by a chill creeping up their spines until their hair stood on end.
When Yujing hung high above, they felt suppressed; even as noble Earth Immortals, they had to kowtow before it. Now that Yujing was gone, they were racked by conflicting anxieties, genuinely afraid.
"What do we do? Without it, if an external enemy at the Heavenly God level invades, we... cannot stop them."
This was their greatest hidden worry. Otherwise, these Earth Immortals would have laughed out loud long ago. After all, the sudden loss of the "Overlord Emperor" above their heads was equivalent to shedding their reins and saddles, finally granting them true autonomy.
Whether joyful or anxious, they exercised restraint, for they could not determine Yujing's true state.
"Do you think... it might have descended to the ground and merged into one with Dayu?" an Earth Immortal near the end of his lifespan asked.
Reason dictated that Yujing would at most project a portion of its power down to the earth; the actual city would not touch the ground, as precedents had shown.
Moreover, it was currently undergoing rebirth, far from concluding its nirvana.
"Investigate carefully!"
"Quickly, we cannot waste time!"
They did not delegate the task, personally following up on the matter. Some descended to the earth, while others flipped through ancient records, reviewing past events of the Tai Ruins to search for clues.
***
On the ground, the Heaven-worship ceremony wielded enormous influence.
In Dayu's imperial capital, Chongxiao, the light of Dao rhymes spread at a visible speed, constantly rising.
Then, with this place as the center, it expanded into the distance.
"What is this? Fortune descending from the heavens?" Earth Immortals on the scene found the spectacle incredible; the effect was far too pronounced.
They were certain that cultivating in this imperial capital would yield twice the results with half the effort, surpassing outer pure lands and the various ancestral courts of esoteric sects.
The Old Barbarian God spoke, "It has nothing to do with fortune. Those are rules. The night mist world is undergoing a transformation from disorder to order. Look, wisps and threads of rules are interweaving in the void."
The guests present were a varied mix, including Earth Immortals from above the nine heavens, patriarchs of Night Province, and top-tier experts from places like the Northern Wilderness and the West Sea.
"In a land so close to the Dao, the rate at which our injuries worsen... has slowed down," someone remarked.
Over the past year and more, all the powerhouses—both in the heavens and on the earth—had been living in dread, their personal afflictions growing increasingly severe.
None were exempt. Even Seven-Sun stackers suffered from grave illnesses; both veteran supreme figures and experts who had newly broken through were enduring torment.
Relatively speaking, those in the heavens had it somewhat better; they had nine-colored ice mountains and pure lands in a half-sealed sky state, allowing them to endure longer.
"This is not the end of the Dharma; on the contrary, the cultivation world of the future will be extraordinarily prosperous. Right now is just a special transitional period." This was virtually the consensus among all the powerhouses.
In the distance, rich Dao rhymes crashed like terrifying waves against the shore and shattered rocks into the void, far too vast, drawing near.
It was too immense and turbulent, whipping up a storm. Before the terrifying Dao rhymes even arrived, air currents struck first, disrupting the existing order.
The original Dao rhymes in this pitch-black realm surged and ebbed in response. Such great upheaval was intolerable to many living beings, which lay at the root of the problem.
The stronger an individual, the closer they needed to approach and embrace the Dao rhymes. As for low-level cultivators, they had no concept of what Dao rhymes were; having spiritual substances was enough for them.
Therefore, during this "period of great upheaval," the strong were severely injured one after another.
Now, this positive shift in Dayu's imperial capital astonished many.
"It straightens out the order of heaven and earth and stabilizes the turbulent Dao rhymes. That is why this place has become the legendary... Dao land."
Seventh Realm experts observed as meridians seemed to manifest with Dayu's imperial capital at the center, expanding into the distance and spreading throughout Night Province.
Divine rainbows pierced through the pitch-black cloud layers as several core celestial figures arrived, personally attending the ceremony on the ground to give Dayu ample face. In truth, they wished to search for Yujing.
"It is not here."
They confirmed that Yujing had not descended upon Dayu, let alone merged with it.
This sent a tremor through the hearts of the old faction's core figures. Where on earth had Yujing gone?
Soon, they regained their composure, observing the grand spectacle before them.
Dragon-horses pulled a sacred chariot to receive the Emperor of Yu. Wearing an imperial crown with jade beads and clad in dragon robes, he received the unique Dao rhymes, his aura steadily climbing.
If this continued, he would inevitably step into the Seventh Realm in the future, becoming a true Earth Emperor.
Many watched with complex gazes. How difficult was it to become an Earth Immortal-level expert? Yet the Emperor of Yu had secured his place in advance—his future was bright!
However, some remained indifferent and unmoved. How could an Earth Emperor elevated through such an empowerment compare to those who had fought their way up through slaughter?
Above the imperial capital of Yu, heavenly dragons coiled, exhaling immortal mist. A roc spread its wings, bearing the Earth Emperor's seal and jade registry. A Golden Crow hung high like the blazing sun, illuminating all creation. None of these were physical objects; they were wondrous visions portending auspiciousness.
The entire city was awestruck.
At the ceremonial grounds for worshiping heaven, many spectators gathered, each focusing on something different.
Carrying a bamboo sword on its back, the Dog Sword Immortal coughed up a mouthful of blood. Clearly, its condition was far from good. It pondered whether slaying the Emperor of Yu with a single stroke and taking his place would heal its injuries.
*Deep down, I faintly sense that doing so might lead me to a dead end, worsening my injuries to the most severe degree.* It extinguished the thought.
The Dog Sword Immortal was, in truth, a black-and-white bear—a generation's Beast God. In the past, it had commanded an unrivaled, ferocious reputation and had never been some cuddly, chubby mascot.
Elsewhere, the silk book method patriarch, known as a present-day sage, possessed a towering build. Dozens, even hundreds of force currents converged within him into one, producing a terrifying aura. He was circulating his art, his eyes fixed intently on the ceremonial "document."
It was a jade registry sealed with silver mud and bound with golden cord. It truly seemed to bear the heavenly fortune, untangling rules, establishing order, and resonating with heaven and earth.
For a moment, the old sage's eyes flashed with brilliant light.
"Master, what is it?" Beside him, a young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties spoke, though his true age was unknown.
His name was Li Wanfa, personally named by the present-day sage and accepted as his disciple.
The sage had only four true disciples in total. The first three were either dead or crippled, all old disciples taken in five hundred years ago.
After several centuries, he had accepted Li Wanfa as a disciple in Pugong, which showed how much he favored and valued him. Otherwise, he could have simply pawned him off to an older disciple; there would have been no need to teach him personally.
Thus, Li Wanfa held immense seniority, surpassing even the Present Rulai.
He had already noticed his master circulating the Chaos force, with faint traces of golden cord and silver mud manifesting on his skin, closely resembling the objects in the Heaven-worship ceremony.
The old sage sighed. "Certain things are close, connected. Look at that jade registry, coated in silver mud and bound with golden cord. Furthermore, there are similarities to the Golden Thread Jade Clothes worn by those seeking longevity. Thinking carefully, a senior predecessor back then followed this same path, hoping for immortality..."
Li Wanfa knew his master was referring to another patriarch of the silk book method.
This scripture had been co-founded by several people, each with slightly different methods of cultivation. For example, the sage naturally leaned toward Rulai force.
The sage said, "That Senior Qin was somewhat too deliberate, manifesting silver mud and golden cord outside his body in hopes of walking the path of longevity, but he failed. He set out four hundred years before me, venturing into the depths of the night mist world, and never returned."
Back then, the founders of the silk book method included patriarchs from supreme lineages such as Rulai, Six Chariots, Yuqing, and Qingtian.
The sole rogue cultivator among them was surnamed Qin. Rumor had it that he was actually an outsider who had traveled to Night Province.
That Patriarch Qin was more than four hundred years older than the old sage. After his body and spirit exploded twice, he declared his path had reached its end and plunged directly into the depths of the night mist world.
He was the first of the silk book method patriarchs to depart and was presumed long dead. Being the oldest, even as an Earth Immortal his lifespan would have run out, as he had left Night Province over nine hundred years ago.
Li Wanfa asked, "Master, are you currently circulating Chaos force in an attempt to approach that path of silver mud and golden cord as well?"
The old sage said, "The mother scripture of Chaos force once incorporated many true meanings, naturally containing this attribute. However, as each practitioner later integrated different heavenly light forces, their paths diverged. Whoever can naturally manifest all attributes of the mother scripture might truly have mastered it. And if one possesses the traits of applying silver mud as medicine and binding the spirit, energy, and essence with golden cord to stimulate the aura of longevity, one would practically stand undefeated. Even if body and spirit explode in the end, there might still be a remedy."
He was forcing the technique, unable to naturally spread the silver mud and golden cord, and ultimately gave a sigh.
"That Qin Ming shares Patriarch Qin's surname. Could he be his descendant?" the sage murmured to himself. Then, he waved toward Little Rulai, who was also observing the ceremony not far away.
"Patriarch!" Little Rulai immediately offered a devout bow.
"How is that Qin Ming?" the sage asked in a deep voice.
Little Rulai was stoutly built, the Chaos force within him growing ever more potent, the divine light in his eyes almost tangible. He pondered carefully before answering earnestly, "If discussing the Dao at equal realms, I am likely inferior to him."
The sage nodded, unfazed.
Little Rulai turned grave and sent a secret transmission: "After repeated verifications and inquiries across various quarters, it is confirmed. No one guided Qin Ming onto the path. He cultivated entirely on his own, ultimately mastering this method."
For a brief instant, the sage seemed to become a black hole—his physical body and the spirit connected to his eyes alike—nearly causing the Chaos force within Li Wanfa and Little Rulai to collapse, as if their flesh and blood were withering away.
Fortunately, after merely a heartbeat of mental dizziness, the two recovered, primarily because the sage restrained all his aura and ceased circulating the terrifying sacred force.
The silk book method was too exceptional. Aside from the patriarchs who had joined halfway and had deep foundations in Rulai force, Six Chariots force, and the like when co-founding it, new disciples could not possibly cultivate the first wisp of Hunyuan force entirely on their own.
"There is something to this," the present-day sage said leisurely.
"Bring him to see me!" His eyes were as deep as an abyss.
Yet no sooner had he spoken than he waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it, do not contact him for now. When he becomes a grandmaster, report to me immediately."
***
The Heaven-worship ceremony was grand, its rites sacred. Aristocratic families and great sects all claimed their share of benefits, with individuals entering the imperial capital to receive high-ranking titles such as Imperial Preceptor or Perfected Being.
Those in the heavens were anxious. They combed through ancient records of the Tai Ruins and other regions: Yujing had never once vanished, nor could it physically land on the ground. Its sudden disappearance without a trace was unprecedented.
Half a month passed, and the heavenly high command confirmed that Yujing was truly gone, having departed the outer sky entirely.
This news had a monumental impact, sending shockwaves through the terrestrial patriarchs and Earth Immortals.
Over the subsequent three months, a succession of significant events unfolded.
In Night Province, the giant cities and medium-sized cities saw their spiritual radiance thicken, and the impact of the Dao rhymes grew less violent.
Dayu's capital was naturally the pinnacle; it had become a land close to the Dao!
The most shocking sight occurred beyond Night Province in the pitch-black expanse: a terrifying golden claw print drew near. It was colossal, its true form hidden—whether bird or behemoth, its claw alone spanned entire mountain ranges.
Seeing this, many felt their scalps tingle, fearing Night Province was about to suffer another bloodbath.
Yet in this orderly land, the unified Night Province possessed faint, mysterious rules interweaving together. When the golden claw print approached Night Province, it circled partway around, actually detouring and departing into the distance.
Days later, news arrived from afar: in the demon faction and the West Sea, a mysterious creature had crossed their territories, the mysterious claw print leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.
Subsequently, across the domains Yujing had once influenced—be it the West Sea, the Eastern Lands, the Northern Wilderness, or the Tai Ruins—the rulers swiftly implemented unification strategies. Through Night Province's display, they had realized something.
Furthermore, over those three months, the Dao rhyme shocks outside Night Province grew even more violent.
Many elderly seniors coughed up blood, nearly dying.
Eighty percent of the departed patriarchs and Earth Immortals returned to Night Province.
Some sighed, some felt helpless, and only a few held their ground, intending to temper themselves against the chaotic Dao rhymes.
At the same time, powerhouses both above and on the ground discovered a truth: the order within Dayu's void was spreading into the night sky, weaving into the nine heavens.
"The pure lands in a half-sealed sky state are even safer now!" Those in the heavens rejoiced.
Yet precisely then, they sensed trouble brewing. On the ground, Earth Immortals not only from Night Province, but also from the Tai Ruins, the West Sea, and more distant territories, were joining hands, seeking to ascend to the heavens.
***
In Chixia City, Qin Ming asked, "So the patriarchs have no choice either? Even the supreme figures of the esoteric sects who broke through to the Seventh Realm are heavily injured and must seek a calm, tranquil place to heal?"
Meng Xinghai nodded. That was indeed the current situation.
Moreover, rumors claimed that Helian Chengyun had become a Seven-Sun stacker a year ago; Night Province's top-tier combat power was certainly not to be underestimated.
However, after roaming the outer regions, these people had all returned. Whether it was the glowing colossal footprints, the distant Qilin hooves, or this recent mysterious claw print, the boundless night mist world had become extraordinarily perilous. Bloodshed and turmoil raged in further lands, making the time unsuitable for pioneering.
Everyone was waiting for the inexplicable catastrophes to subside.
In the days that followed, news arrived continuously that terrestrial powerhouses were ascending to the heavens. It was a helpless yet prudent choice.
The situation was worsening: outside the unified Night Province, an Earth Immortal had engaged in combat, only for his body to rapidly deteriorate until he passed away.
Qin Ming sighed. "Who would have thought? The dark trough before extreme prosperity would be so terrifying that even Earth Immortals cannot endure it and can only seek lands close to the Dao to hibernate."
Meng Xinghai said, "It is much the same for patriarchs and great grandmasters."
"Will the patriarchs ultimately become the very people they once despised?" Qin Ming murmured softly. With terrestrial powerhouses ascending to the heavens, it was hard to say what kind of people they would become in the end.
"A small number did not go up, believing they can weather the shocks of the Dao rhymes," Meng Xinghai added.
***
In an unimaginably distant land, a being let out a low roar: "The wind is rising! The rich Dao rhymes will pour down like a torrential rain—it will not be long!"
"Not long? How long is that? Ten years, or a hundred? No one can say for sure. And you are rotting at an accelerating pace; can you still hold out?"
"Very soon. It is like an approaching tempest—I can already smell the damp air blowing from afar."
The low roars reverberated across myriad mountains and valleys, echoing beneath the entire sky and spreading into the far distance. One could only imagine the terrifying depth of their cultivation.
Only when Qilin hooves appeared did they fall silent.
Deep in the night mist world, other entities remained relatively calm. Their whispers echoed only within dilapidated shrines, gently shaking dust from their bodies.
"True powerhouses never complain about the shifts in the world's environment; their craving for Dao rhymes is not so intense. It is like creatures in the water that have learned to walk on land; they can survive without water, and grow even stronger. Of course, a world with rich Dao rhymes is better. After all, the world becomes far more lively because of it. Having witnessed a multitude of species and myriad races competing in splendor, who would pathologically favor a monotonous, arid desert?"
"Is that so? Yet you cannot achieve longevity!"
After a heavy sigh, the entity within the shrine finally replied, "All things have their allotted lifespans."
***
After Yujing vanished, undercurrents surged between the powerhouses of the heavens and the earth, but in the end, they accepted, accommodated, and compromised with one another; no bloody war broke out.
Following Dayu's great unification, Night Province gradually settled into peace, though fierce undercurrents still churned in the shadows as all parties continued to divide various benefits.
Qin Ming cultivated diligently in Chixia City, occasionally returning to Twin Trees Village. Everything went relatively smoothly, but the one thing that made him frown and feel uneasy was that Wenrui was gone, taken away as an apprentice by a so-called master.
He knew his own situation. Roaming the outside world, how could he not have enemies? Thus, he minimized contact with Twin Trees Village, returning stealthily each time.
Over the past few years, he had merely watched Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing from afar, watching Wenrui and Wenhui gradually grow up without approaching them. He never expected such a thing to happen regardless.
Qin Ming was certain that Wenrui being taken as a disciple was not so simple.
He had secretly examined the boy himself; Wenrui's aptitude was only above average, hardly some peerless genius, and certainly not enough to draw a hermit master.
"It is our fault for failing to guard the home," the Thunder King Bird said.
"Mountain Master..." Yuque and the red squirrel both hung their heads.
Qin Ming shook his head. "I don't blame you. You cultivate in the nearby mountains; you cannot possibly watch Twin Trees Village at every moment."
He sighed. In the blink of an eye, it had been over four years since he left Twin Trees Village to make his way in the world.
Once, during that winter of drifting snow, he had worried about food and suffered from ailments, possessing no power to protect himself.
Now, in his early twenties, he was no longer that boy from the past.
"I hope I am overthinking, and that no one deliberately took Wenrui away to forcibly make him a disciple," Qin Ming muttered.
Over the past four years, he had brought back secret medicines and quietly passed them to Lu Ze through the red squirrel; the latter had now undergone five rebirths.
Barring any accidents, this was already Lu Ze's limit. He was an ordinary man after all, reaching this stage entirely thanks to rare spiritual substances.
Qin Ming entered secluded cultivation on Black-White Mountain, training peacefully. Two months later, his eyes snapped open with a sudden premonition. Yuque flew over and said, "Mountain Master, someone is spying on Twin Trees Village. They might be connected to the faction that took Wenrui. I didn't dare alert them."
With a whoosh, Qin Ming rode the wind. He could now fly for short periods, and crossing the mist-shrouded sky, he swiftly arrived near Twin Trees Village.
"Sigh, is Wenrui doing well out there?" Lu Ze and his wife murmured inside their home, missing their eldest son dearly. Amidst their bitterness and sorrow, there was also satisfaction; after all, that master had praised Wenrui's comprehension as extraordinary, promising a limitless future.
Qin Ming watched closely. The shadowy figure was circling around his old residence and Lu Ze's courtyard, acting exceedingly suspicious.
*I hope you haven't appeared on my account!*
If someone implicated others because of him—especially Lu Ze and Wenrui—they would be touching his reverse scale.
Qin Ming had not shown his face in Night Province for nearly two years, yet suspicious figures had now appeared even around his old dwelling. This was no good omen. Riding the wind, he swooped down in utter silence.
Chapter 486