While a select few in the Cui clan sipped tea, chuckled softly, and mentioned Cui Changqing in an atmosphere of idyllic serenity, the countdown to his "first seven days of mourning" was, in fact, about to begin.
Fire springs flowed, dyeing the night mist in the forest red, resembling the glowing hues of sunset.
At World-Abiding Manor, Cui Changqing's green hair was soaked in blood, his eyes wide to the point of tearing. His fleshly body had been slashed diagonally through the shoulder—this was his "Yimu Body," which in the future had stood a chance of transforming into the "Longevity Dao Body."
"Ah..." With a shrill, piercing howl, like the emergence of an underworld fiend king from the Night Ruins, the void seemed to crumble, and the world abruptly plunged into darkness.
Cui Changqing's pure yang consciousness left his physical body. In an instant, like the ocean drawing in all rivers, it crazily absorbed the essence of the entire Sunset Forest Plain, sending every ancient tree shaking.
This densely forested plain stretched without end, yet now began to wither across vast swaths. Yellow leaves fluttered wildly across the sky as the surging essence of plants and trees rushed toward him.
After a brief darkness, a swirling green radiance surged in its place, rising and falling like an ocean tide.
Once his pure yang consciousness shed his fleshly shell and entered a state of spirit wandering, his speed skyrocketed, cutting through the air like lightning.
Enveloped in blazing green light, the palm-sized figure shone with brilliant radiance, illuminating the night sky. He successfully evaded Qin Ming's third slash and drank in colossal amounts of plant and tree essence.
How could Qin Ming allow him to escape? Heavenly light blazing like a scorching sun enveloped his own consciousness and divine wisdom as it shot out of his body in an instant, resembling a great sun hanging across the sky.
"Kill!" Brimming with vitality amid the surging green tides, Cui Changqing launched the strongest strike he could muster, while behind him, boundless stretches of the forest withered into absolute desolation.
Yet his mind throbbed with intense unease. Awaiting him was still that Longevity sword intent, unrecorded in the text of the World-Abiding Scripture.
A vibrant arc of sword light spanned the open sky. Terrifying and unstoppable, it slashed through the towering green waves before Cui Changqing, detonating the endless essence of flora.
Within the green flames, the palm-sized miniature figure let out a despairing shriek as it was cleaved in two, its so-called pure yang consciousness rapidly extinguishing.
Standing in midair amid a dazzling wheel of light, Qin Ming spoke calmly, "You did well. At present, I can only unleash four strikes of Longevity sword intent, yet you managed to hold out until the final one."
Cui Changqing first growled like a vengeful ghost, filled with despair and resentment, before breaking into a chilling, sinister laugh—a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor and peaceful temperament.
The green flames flickering around him danced like corpse fire. His voice was freezing cold: "You cut off my chance at life and destroyed my path to the Dao. Don't think you will walk away unscathed..."
Down in World-Abiding Manor, Cui Changqing's severed physical body had reattached itself and suddenly opened its eyes. Having cultivated the World-Abiding Scripture for a century, he had nurtured a Yimu Body teeming with robust life force.
He had left a wisp of consciousness within his body and activated a forbidden technique. At this moment, his lustrous green hair withered and turned yellow in rapid succession, while his fair flesh shriveled up; he was mobilizing his "longevity essence."
This was the mystical substance he had refined over a lifetime by absorbing and purifying plant essence for a hundred years. It congealed in his grasp into a glowing green spear, thrusting straight toward Qin Ming's physical body!
"Without a physical body, let's see how you achieve the Dao!" he laughed cruelly, his withered hair already falling out as he charged forward.
Yet Qin Ming's physical body moved, turning its head to look at him. Confronting this final forbidden strike, he remained utterly tranquil, indifferent, and completely unconcerned.
"You don't know much about me, do you?"
From unadorned simplicity, Qin Ming's fleshly body grew translucent and crystalline all over, glistening with mysterious patterns. He had contemplated the Scripture of Refining the Body to Harmonize with the Dao for two or three years and attained success with the Extreme Dao Golden Body; his pure physical might was overwhelmingly formidable.
With a thunderous crash, Qin Ming's fist blossomed with blinding golden mist, appearing to suddenly expand and crowd the void, shattering Cui Changqing's supposed lethal strike and blowing it apart.
"How could this be?" In the night sky, Cui Changqing's dimming pure yang consciousness shuddered. Even the forbidden art he relied on could not shake his opponent in the slightest.
Qin Ming looked calm and said, "Did you think that unleashing the legendary four swords of Longevity would deplete massive amounts of my spirit and energy? How laughable. That was merely me loosening my muscles. Only now would you have seen me at my peak."
Above his head, the yellow silk canopy umbrella spun and emitted a voice: "Don't strike again. Once it's blown apart and mangled to bits, the tonic loses all its flavor."
Dense purple qi spread from the tassels along the edge of the umbrella canopy, covering Cui Changqing's weakened pure yang consciousness and dragging him inside.
"This is a... demonic treasure!" Cui Changqing struggled with all his might.
"Mm, not bad. To think there would be such an unexpected harvest." Qin Ming's spirit and consciousness returned to his body. In his grasp was a spear patterned with natural runes, gleaming with resplendent green radiance.
On the spot, he refined it with Samadhi true fire, extracting thread upon thread of longevity substance from it.
"You..." Cui Changqing struggled within the umbrella. Seeing this, he was plunged into despair and dejection. That was the culmination of a hundred years of accumulation, an unknown quantity of botanical qi refined just to extract a meager amount of longevity essence—and today it had simply become someone else's spoils of war.
"My thanks for nature's gift," Qin Ming remarked, thoroughly pleased.
This substance originated from the mountains, rivers, and myriad things. Had he not mastered the World-Abiding Scripture, he truly would have had no way to receive this legacy and could only have watched it dissipate back into heaven and earth.
"Pfft!" Hearing those words, Cui Changqing coughed up pure yang blood in a fit of mad hatred. Soon, however, his expression turned peaceful.
He had been refined by the yellow silk canopy umbrella, his "true self" plummeting into the dark abyss to become a servant within.
After dozens, even hundreds of refining cycles, extracting the longevity substance, Qin Ming circulated the World-Abiding Scripture and found he could now unleash a fifth strike of Longevity sword intent.
"Oh? I can even unleash a sixth strike now. The old fellow's accumulation was truly profound. A pity he could never comprehend the ultimate secret of the World-Abiding Scripture."
Qin Ming was exceedingly satisfied. Coming here to slay an enemy had yielded such an unexpected gain, exceeding all his expectations.
He had now developed six Longevity sword intents, which was truly extraordinary. In this single field alone, it could serve as a top-tier trump card. If he continued like this, he might genuinely be able to cultivate a "Longevity Dao Body."
"Hm? A strand of hair caught a tint of green. All dharmas return to one; how could I allow a single tree to stand out alone? Return to purity and simplicity." Qin Ming contemplated the dharma and refined it away. Even though the fresh branch in his hand remained gleaming green, his own body showed no abnormality at all, returning to normal while radiating vibrant vitality.
The yellow silk canopy umbrella rejoiced; its harvest had also been substantial. By now, the more than one hundred deathsworn retainers in the manor had all turned into corpses, and along with the deaths of those several formidable old fellows, Old Huang was thoroughly pleased this time.
Thus it was quite eager, transforming into an imperial parasol suspended above Qin Ming's head and actively working to erase any fatal clues Qin Ming had left behind, making it impossible for anyone using rare treasures to trace anything back here.
The woodland was withered, blanketed by countless fallen leaves, while the fire springs gurgled, staining the manor red.
Qin Ming walked through the "sunset glow," his mind lamp shining everywhere. Delivering finishing blows to the few retainers who were not yet completely dead, he ensured that no one escaped this calamity.
"Let me do it," the yellow silk canopy umbrella intervened.
A hunt, followed by absolute silence across the grounds. Not a single drop of blood stained Qin Ming. He was ethereal, untainted by the mundane world, completely serene and lucid, like a true immortal who had attained the Dao.
The "sunset" was infinitely fine; with his deed accomplished, he brushed his sleeves and departed.
Treading on emptiness and rising lightly, Qin Ming rode the clouds and drifted through mist, wide sleeves billowing as he harnessed the astral winds to journey into the distance.
A journey of five thousand li was nothing to him. That very day, he returned with leisurely poise to the region of Black-White Mountain, appearing in Twin Trees Village. He enjoyed a steaming hot dinner at Lu Ze's home, the meal filled with joy and laughter.
The next day, Qin Ming stepped out of his small courtyard and strolled through the village, greeting many familiar faces with a smile. After four years away, he had experienced so much, stirring many emotions within him.
Early in the morning, Wenrui was already leading his younger brother Wenhui in training beneath the Black-White Twin Trees at the edge of the village, exceptionally diligent.
"Bwudder..." Liu Mo's infant son, plump and fair, toddled toward Wenhui with slurred baby talk, his little face alight with pure smiles.
Qin Ming was pondering switching paths for Wenrui, while also considering when it would be appropriate to impart the Black-White Classic to Liu Mo's young son.
He looked up and keenly noticed that over the past few days, within the darkness beyond the village and deep in the thick night mist, people had been scouting from time to time, pairs of eyes watching intently.
However, no creature dared draw close.
At the head of the village, plunged into a bright fire spring, stood a green bamboo sword. It was not the weapon Dog Sword Immortal carried itself, yet it was still extraordinary, having undergone its crude refinement to carry formidable deterrence.
As the saying went: a good dog guards the whole village.
Of course, words like that were something people only dared say after Old Man Liu returned.
"Hmph, ha, hey!"
Beneath the black-and-white trees, the red squirrel also ran over to practice. It had been Wenrui's companion since childhood; now that it could speak human tongue, their bond was closer than ever.
"Wenrui, which path do you want to take?" Qin Ming asked.
Wenrui was no longer a stranger to cultivation and knew the trajectories of several paths.
Looking at his abnormal physique, Qin Ming could not help but think back to Thunder Marsh Palace and Star Mountain, mentally adding to their tab. Sooner or later, he would demand an accounting from them.
Qin Ming checked his pulse once more and found that his aptitude for the Newborn path was moderately high; he could walk the Immortal path as well, ranking as low-to-medium; and he could cultivate esoteric sect methods, though slightly below low-to-medium.
Wenrui was unexpectedly a rare all-around talent. Regrettably, his gifts on every path were not stunningly brilliant, unless some rare, world-defying medicine could alter his destiny.
Yet how could fortune-altering substances capable of shifting the course of destiny be easy to obtain? Crucially, using something like that on someone of ordinary talent was truly... at any rate, unheard of among any of the sects.
"Uncle, please arrange it for me," Wenrui said, trusting him completely.
Qin Ming thought it over. Whatever the case, it was best to pause the Giant Spirit God path. The single drawback of "premature death" alone was a risk he could not let the boy take.
"Come!" He brought Wenrui back to his courtyard and channeled the most domineering Hunyuan force through his flesh and blood, refining away the Giant Spirit God's secret power to steer him back onto the Newborn path.
During this process, he reshaped the child's bones, even steeling his heart to break the Giant Spirit bones, rejoining them and regulating his peculiar meridians.
Wenrui was drenched in sweat, his face pale, yet he did not utter a single sound.
Qin Ming nodded. The child had a resilient temperament, which was excellent; otherwise, one could never go far on the path of cultivation.
Afterward, Qin Ming circulated the World-Abiding Scripture, channeling vibrant green essence to soothe his flesh and blood and mend the broken bones—practically refining him like a rare treasure.
That very day, Wenrui's frame shrank by a significant degree, finally resembling that of a delicate boy.
Qin Ming said, "Going forward, I will reshape your body once every so often."
"Okay!" Wenrui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nodded heavily.
"Try practicing the methods of several paths," Qin Ming said. He possessed a variety of extraordinary techniques and wanted Wenrui to gain well-rounded exposure first, then choose a path depending on how things progressed.
"Uncle, did you choose the Newborn path?"
"The methods I practice are rather eclectic," Qin Ming replied.
"I know my talent isn't great. I don't have such grand ambitions; being able to protect my little brother and my family, and safeguarding this village, is enough for me. Mm, I hope diligence can make up for my shortcomings, so I don't embarrass you too much, Uncle." Wenrui gave a simple, honest smile.
Qin Ming patted his head and said, "Follow your own heart. Don't worry about how far you will ultimately reach."
...
In the days that followed, Qin Ming instructed Wenrui in cultivation and guided Wenhui in tempering his muscles and bones. For the most part, however, he spent his time in bitter cultivation, occasionally venturing into Black-White Mountain to give the outside world an illusion.
A rogue cultivator did not have it easy. Qin Ming sighed; he was being forced to borrow momentum and influence.
Without the backing of Black-White Mountain, how could he go out and fight Cui Chonghe? Even if he managed to knock his rival flat, some old monster might kick up trouble on the spot.
In the night mist outside Twin Trees Village, someone walked over and shouted from far off, "Brother Ming!"
Hearing this familiar form of address, Qin Ming immediately thought of Xiao Wu. Having not seen him in a long time, that good brother of his had traveled to distant lands with Xiang Yiwu and remained unheard from.
Evidently, this was not Wu Yaozu.
Bai Meng had arrived unexpectedly. Aside from his large nose and big ears, he was fairly handsome. Back in Earth City, he had hung out with Wu Yaozu and Qin Ming, becoming accustomed to calling him that as well.
He was utterly astonished that Qin Ming actually lived in such an inconspicuous little mountain hamlet. It was exceptionally remote, yet Qin Ming had managed a powerhouse rise, gaining fame across Night Province and the outer domains.
In a sense, he understood this Brother Qin even better than the natives of Night Province did. The man was simply too outstanding; his true strength vastly exceeded what the outside world imagined.
"How come you're here?" Qin Ming welcomed him with a smile, glancing toward the outside of the village.
"Missed you, of course!" Bai Meng was deft with polite banter.
"Is it your sister who missed me?" Qin Ming laughed heartily.
Beyond the village, deep in the night mist, Tang Yushang had uncharacteristically changed into a black dress. In the nighttime breeze, her fluttering sleeves and tight-fitting gown accentuated her flawless curves, fully showing off her slender waist and long, graceful figure, her dark hair loosening and drifting in the wind.
Hearing Qin Ming's words, she nearly charged into the village.
"Brother Ming, watch it. My sister really came—she's right outside," Bai Meng transmitted secretly, evidently defecting on the spot.
Using a special weapon—the jade mirror—Tang Yushang could clearly pick up their secret exchange. She immediately felt like disciplining Bai Meng; ever since being subdued by Qin Ming, Little Bai had all but become the man's little follower.
"She really holds a grudge," Qin Ming sighed.
"I...!" Tang Yushang could barely hold back. Who was the one holding a grudge?! Before leaving, he had even kicked her, infuriating her to the brink of exploding on the spot. She had only hunted him all this way because she simply couldn't stomach that indignation!
Bai Meng had no idea what to say; his buddy's mouth was truly asking for a beating. He could already sense a wisp of murderous intent from his sister.
"Yushang, have you arrived?" Qin Ming called out in a gentle voice.
In an instant, goosebumps broke out all over Tang Yushang in the night mist. What kind of person was this? Utterly shameless! He had just been mocking her, and now he put on this act!
In the darkness, though Tang Yushang walked with elegant steps, there was not a trace of a smile on her face as she strode straight in.
"Yushang, am I truly worth you leaving your homeland behind and chasing me millions of li all the way to Night Province?" Qin Ming greeted her. Now that she had marched right up to his doorstep, he naturally couldn't back down.
Tang Yushang uttered not a word. Graceful and lithe, she cut through the night mist, instantly flashing right in front of him. While her movement was exquisite, it was packed with deadly intent; reaching forward, she splayed five slender, translucent fingers to seize him.
Unafraid, his broad sleeves fluttering, Qin Ming reached out to meet her. With a dull thud, he precisely caught that fair hand.
Between the two of them, terrifying power was about to erupt.
Qin Ming abruptly let go and drifted backward like a feather, saying, "Don't get serious. Look, that green bamboo sword is already glowing. If any trespasser harbors killing intent, it will activate and strike down the enemy directly."
Startled, Tang Yushang felt a chill run through her, and her taut posture relaxed.
Yang Yongqing, who lived at the entrance of the village, happened to step outside. Seeing the black-dressed maiden who was unreal in her beauty, he was left in a daze for a moment before saying, "Little Qin, is this a... true fairy from outside, coming to the village looking for you? That's wonderful news! Quickly invite her inside!"
Village Chief Xu Yueping also appeared, smiling from ear to ear as he said, "Little Qin, this is the first time you've brought a girl back to the village. Wait right here, your uncle will go prepare a table of fine dishes for you both!"
Bai Meng: "?"
"..." Qin Ming thought to himself: *This one came to collect a debt.*
"What a pretty lass! Little Qin has such good fortune!" Liu Mo's wife stepped out, her face beaming with smiles.
"!" Tang Yushang turned and bolted. She couldn't fight here, and being gawked at by a crowd of villagers was truly more than she could handle; she had never faced such an ordeal before.
"Little Qin, your wife ran off shyly! Hurry and chase after her!"
"Auntie, come eat at my house later!" six-year-old Wenhui called out timidly.
...
In an instant, chaos broke out. Glowing radiance flashed beneath Tang Yushang's feet, and she vanished without a trace.
"Is your sister always this shy?" Qin Ming asked, completely unruffled.
"Well, er..." Bai Meng didn't dare comment too much; his sister had actually fled.
In the distance, Tang Yushang clenched her fair fists and ground her silver teeth in the night mist. For the first time, she had suffered such a humiliating setback, unable to even strike a blow.
She knew many of Qin Ming's secrets, yet he also knew she possessed that weapon of immense origins whose name sounded almost identical to Yujing—the jade mirror. The two shared an unspoken consensus not to leak each other's secrets.
Qin Ming kept Bai Meng behind for drinks, and the young man completely forgot his sister stranded outside. Once he got merry from the wine, he abandoned all care, tipsily coming within a hair's breadth of calling Qin Ming "brother-in-law."
That very day, before Bai Meng had even left, someone else arrived to deliver an invitation.
"An invitation from Dayu? I know about this," Bai Meng said with a slurred tongue. Dayu had newly been established; once stabilized, titles of kings and marquises were bestowed, and this time, invitations had also been sent to extraordinary talents of the younger generation.
According to him, many young experts would gather in the Dayu imperial capital—not just prime seeds of Night Province, but also beings from the outer domains, as well as distinguished figures and Blazing Suns of immense background from the heavens.
Qin Ming pondered. Now that he had borrowed enough momentum and influence, it was perhaps time to leave the mountains. Otherwise, how was he going to beat people up?
Moreover, once things quieted down in the distance and phenomena like glowing footprints and qilin hooves ceased to appear, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran might embark on a distant journey. He ought to seize this opportunity to meet them.
*Mm, I reckon some people up in the heavens want to confirm whether I'm the composite of Taiyi, Realm Faction, and One Sword. I'll let you all see clearly,* Qin Ming mused to himself.
He understood in his heart that many people wished to pry into his background. Stepping out into the world now while riding this momentum, he wanted to show his face to the relevant parties—just to ensure everyone remained on good terms and nobody miscalculated.
Chapter 490