"Dayu is quite unique. By restoring cosmic order, they formed a place close to the Dao in their imperial capital. Cultivating there yields twice the results with half the effort—you really should go see it," Bai Meng said, his tongue thick and slurred.
He was truly drunk, nearly blurting out "brother-in-law" once again.
Qin Ming nodded. "Mm. I'll step out of the mountains in the coming days to have a look."
Bai Meng gazed at Twin Trees Village, overcome with emotion. Nowadays, which of the preeminent figures of the various races or the peerless prodigies of the great sects didn't possess an astounding background? He truly hadn't expected that Qin Ming was merely a rogue cultivator who had walked out from such an ordinary little mountain village.
Only someone who had experienced it firsthand, competing along the path of cultivation, could know how difficult this truly was.
Bai Meng hailed from the Tai Ruins. He was a genius who had risen from a sea of youths, eliminating countless rivals before finally standing before the highest mountain of the Sacred Race and obtaining a mysterious heritage.
In his homeland, he was a living legend, the protagonist of popular tales and novels.
Yet in the present Dayu imperial capital, there were many great protagonists from all over. Even so, Bai Meng felt that while some might possess deeper cultivation, none was as extraordinary as the young man before him.
Bai Meng said, "Ming-ge, among rogue cultivators, you're the strongest!"
"And beyond rogue cultivators, who is stronger than me?" Qin Ming asked with a smile.
Bai Meng replied, "That's... hard to say. There are always skies beyond the sky, and even the wild fields may harbor a hidden qilin."
Qin Ming agreed. He knew that worthy rivals of his generation certainly existed—not to mention the boundless depths of the night mist world, even neighboring regions held such figures.
For instance, the true master behind the mind monkey.
Two years ago, during the fierce clash outside the earthen city, he had been merely two layers of heaven lower than that ape. That battle had left a deep impression on him, instilling considerable wariness.
If that true master took action in person, just how formidable would they be?
"How have those old fellows been holding up lately?" Qin Ming asked.
He was about to leave Black-White Mountain, so naturally he needed to grasp the situation to ensure his own safety.
His eyes bleary with drink, Bai Meng said, "Their days are excruciating. Let alone Earth Immortals, who might perish if they even make a move—now even grandmasters are almost extinct."
Qin Ming smiled. Hearing this, he felt much more at ease.
Reportedly, even the most unyielding Earth Immortals and top powerhouses of the Sixth Realm had bowed to reality and ascended to heaven one after another.
Bai Meng added, "Or else they hide in bizarre locations on the ground, such as the spirit nests floating in the Nether River or places like the Taiyin secret apertures."
This was a universal phenomenon; the Tai Ruins were no different.
A powerhouse like the Dog Sword Immortal, who was still stubbornly enduring, probably represented the last shred of defiance. If it truly couldn't hold out, it would inevitably slash toward the firmament with a single sword and force its way up.
"Yet everyone is optimistic about the future," Bai Meng remarked.
This was the consensus among Earth Immortals and seven-sun stackers alike—the judgment of peerless powerhouses that a golden age was about to arrive.
Some transcendent figures in the Seventh Realm had even caught the scent of a "humid breath" sweeping in from afar ahead of time; soon, everything would flourish with vibrant life.
"Under the current conditions, would a great grandmaster die if he made a move?" Qin Ming inquired.
Bai Meng's eyes widened instantly. "Ming-ge, are you looking to stir up trouble?"
Qin Ming shook his head. "Where's your head wandering off to? I'm only worried someone might wish to harm me, so I'm making some preparations in advance."
Bai Meng gave him an odd look, thinking to himself: *You might as well say, 'There are always wicked subjects plotting to assassinate the emperor.'*
Setting down his wine cup, he pondered a moment before speaking. "Great grandmasters are virtually extinct. If one came out, the pain would likely be more than they could bear."
Immediately after, he saw Qin Ming flash a mouthful of snow-white teeth, gleaming brilliantly under the glow of the sunstone.
Naturally, Qin Ming wouldn't place all his hopes for survival on the decline of others; the present peculiar climate was merely exceptionally advantageous to him.
In the broken range of Feixian Mountain, he had obtained a decayed fan originating from Doushuai Palace, which should grant him self-preservation in the current environment.
*There can't be many Wind-Fixing Pearls in the world, right?* he mused inwardly. Moreover, even if they existed, how could he coincidentally cross paths with someone carrying one?
Qin Ming resolved to set off. "Let's go. We're heading to the Dayu imperial capital."
Stepping out of the village, he looked up at the sky. "Your sister truly can't get me out of her mind. She still hasn't left. Should I give her a response?"
Bai Meng said, "She's still fuming. Don't tease her. Imagine if your rear was kicked twice in a row—could you swallow that humiliation?"
In the night sky, Tang Yushang stood atop the back of a high-grade exotic bird, waiting for them to leave the village.
Suddenly, she gasped and was forced to spur her mount, fleeing as swift as wind and lightning. High above, she had spotted a bleeding figure looking down at her.
At first, Bai Meng was merely curious. "Who's flying a kite?"
A moment later, his expression changed. "That's a dripping-blood human skin!"
Qin Ming was surprised. Old Liu had indeed left a backup measure, unable to rest easy about his wife and child. That blood-stained human-skin kite was still there, never having vanished.
After putting some distance between himself and Twin Trees Village, Qin Ming gave a sharp whistle. The Thunder King Bird swooped down to carry him all the way to the Dayu imperial capital. Since he was leaving the mountains openly and honorably this time, there was no need to cross the distance by riding the wind himself.
Along the journey, the kite quietly watched from within the night mist as though seeing them off, trailing behind them all the way until they neared the desert before finally stopping.
"Brother, let's head down to the ground," Bai Meng said, his skin crawling.
"All right." Qin Ming nodded. It happened to be a good chance to meet an old friend, and he told Bai Meng beforehand that one of his friends looked remarkably like him.
Tang Yushang had intended to wait ahead, but when the dripping-blood human skin drifted straight toward her, her hair stood on end, forcing her to flee early. When she aimed her jade mirror at the kite, the specialized treasure instantly issued a dire warning.
"Fine! I'll settle accounts with you once you reach Chongxiao City!" Bearing a grudge, Tang Yushang fled first.
In the desert, Bai Meng stared at the big-nosed, large-eared Palm-Sized Pig, thinking: *So ugly! How does this look anything like me?*
"When did our pig clan produce such a fine hero? Not bad," Palm-Sized Pig praised.
"I am not of the same clan as you!" Bai Meng corrected immediately.
Qin Ming felt somewhat disappointed that the two didn't bond over mutual admiration; they had nearly come to blows instead.
Passing by Chixia City, Qin Ming paused briefly at the City Lord's Manor to share a cup of tea with Meng Xinghai, then rode the Thunder King Bird into the night sky, disappearing from view.
His decision to step proactively into the sight of those major factions was not born of arrogance, nor did he intend to expose himself completely. Rather, he wanted to "clarify the truth" to prevent various parties from making misjudgments.
Presently, some suspected he was a composite identity of Taiyi, the realm faction, and One Sword.
If that became an accepted conclusion, he feared someone might take desperate gambles against him.
Even with borrowed momentum, he likely wouldn't be safe enough. Unless Liu Mo returned, even the Dog Sword Immortal couldn't protect him entirely.
*Right now, dao rhymes are churning violently. While those old monsters are struggling to hold on, I'll step out of my own accord and show them.*
Along the way, Bai Meng also asked Qin Ming what realm he had truly reached.
"Spirit Field, eighth layer of heaven," Qin Ming told him "frankly."
Bai Meng's eyes went round. "The Third Realm? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
He could not accept such a "truth" at all, refusing to believe it.
"If you don't believe me, check for yourself." Qin Ming offered him his arm, no longer concealing his aura.
Reaching out, Bai Meng released his spiritual perception, sending it deep into Qin Ming's body to investigate thoroughly. On the spot, he was left dumbfounded, feeling as though he were dreaming.
Ming-ge, who had stirred up such a tremendous storm in the broken range of Feixian Mountain, hadn't even reached the Fourth Realm? Bai Meng felt this was beyond absurd, entirely incomprehensible.
"How are you masking it?" He couldn't bring himself to believe it, because Tang Yushang had scrutinized Qin Ming with her jade mirror and confirmed he had definitely set foot in the Fourth Realm.
Qin Ming gave a faint smile. "Facts are facts. Besides, once we reach the Dayu imperial capital, don't go talking nonsense, or you'll stir up endless trouble."
At that moment, Qin Ming's heavenly light wrapped around a portion of his consciousness and divine wisdom, clinging to the old cloth. Not only that, but a portion of his refined blood vitality had also been detached and channeled inside.
As the temporary owner of the exotic metal cloth, no outsider—including Earth Immortals—could detect the cloth upon his person. It was precisely through this method that he masked his true cultivation.
Qin Ming murmured inwardly, *Soon. Time is on my side. Even if it takes a while, before long those old fellows won't be able to come out at all, right?*
As time continued to pass and striking meant death for peak experts, he believed few old monsters would be willing to leap out and make trouble.
He needed to cautiously weather this hazardous transition period, which was not yet entirely secure.
Were it not for the woman in the sun secret aperture of the Feixian Mountain branch blocking the path, and qilin hooves and golden claw prints lingering in the night mist, Qin Ming might already have traveled far away.
Now that he was still in Yezhou, it was best to quickly "certify" that he was merely in the Third Realm. Someone at that level could not possibly be the realm faction prodigy or One Sword Piercing Through the Thirty-Six Layers of Heaven; he needed to clear away all suspicion.
He too wished to stand beneath the spotlight of the world, bathed in "sunlight," but doing so now was premature. Waiting until those old monsters were half-dead would be far more appropriate.
Furthermore, his progress was ferocious; if he held out a bit longer, he might well catch up to many of those old men.
*Frankly speaking, with my current strength, even if those ailing grandmasters were to emerge, I wouldn't necessarily lose a battle against them,* he weighed privately.
The main reason was that he had just slain Cui Changqing, who had stood on the verge of the grandmaster domain, giving him a clear measure of his own prowess.
Along the way, Bai Meng used rare treasures to examine Qin Ming fourteen times. No matter how he looked, Qin Ming was solidly in the eighth layer of the Spirit Field Realm, leaving him utterly flabbergasted.
He spoke up, "Ming-ge, if you really haven't reached the Fourth Realm, heading to the Dayu imperial capital isn't safe enough."
Counting carefully, Qin Ming hadn't appeared for nearly two years. Advancing one layer of heaven per year was already an astonishing speed, yet most of his rivals were already in the Fourth Realm.
Bai Meng knew his history; plenty of people wanted to test his mettle.
For example, of the two dragons of the Cui clan, Cui Chonghe was currently issuing challenges in all directions and had openly stated that once Qin Ming reached the Fourth Realm, he would fight him.
"Cui the Second has immense momentum lately, and he's right there in the Dayu imperial capital!" Bai Meng warned solemnly.
Qin Ming didn't care. "I'm already at the eighth layer of the Spirit Field Realm. Could I truly fail to defeat someone in the Fourth Realm?"
Bai Meng froze. What kind of talk was that?
To anyone who didn't know better, it sounded as if he were already a grandmaster looking down disdainfully upon Cui Chonghe in the Fourth Realm, yet he was clearly a whole realm lower than Cui Chonghe.
Bai Meng's gaze turned peculiar. "Ming-ge, you're definitely looking to stir up trouble."
"I never pick fights of my own accord," Qin Ming said, shaking his head.
Bai Meng grew excited. "You know Cui Chonghe wants to fight you, so you came to slay Cui the Second from within the Spirit Field Realm, intending to shatter his dao heart!"
Qin Ming chuckled. "You certainly have quite an active imagination."
Dayu's capital, Chongxiao City, was already in sight. Its scale was magnificent and imposing. With this city at the center, the cosmic order of Yezhou was being restructured, and thick patterns of energy extended into the distance, making it appear all the more extraordinary and sacred.
Qin Ming entered the city keeping a low profile, yet he was still discovered, and the news spread at once.
"Mountain Master, I'm off to catch up with an old acquaintance and spar a bit." The Thunder King Bird's eyes sparkled, radiating an eager thirst for battle.
"Take it easy. Don't hit too hard—'destroy what you can't possess' is unacceptable," Qin Ming instructed, well aware that it was going to see the Dayu Fourth Princess's mount, the Thunder Imperial Bird.
"Rest assured, it's just discussing the Dao. I won't be that extreme." The Thunder King Bird vanished in a flash.
Beneath the night mist along the banks of the Shuyu River, silver willows trailed their silken tendrils, wisteria blossoms drifted on the breeze, and painted pleasure boats clustered across the water amid melodious pipes and strings, song and dance ceaseless.
In the past, Xiao Wu and Xiang Yiwu had accompanied Qin Ming to tour this place together. Looking upon the familiar night scenery now, he didn't even know where those old companions were.
"Young Master Qin, the River God requests your presence." Across the water's surface, a white-robed woman walked upon the waves, holding a bright pearl to light the path ahead. She offered a solemn, exceedingly respectful bow over the water.
"My apologies, I already have an appointment today," Qin Ming declined politely.
Back then, that River God had treated him, Xiao Wu, and Xiang Yiwu with cold disdain, ultimately banishing them from the River God's manor. Now, Qin Ming had no regard for such invitations.
Bai Meng sucked in a breath of night mist, sending a voice transmission: "She is a deity after all, closely tied to the Dayu imperial family."
"Under the current conditions, would she really walk out of a place close to the Dao just to make trouble for me?" Qin Ming replied secretly. In truth, he wanted to test whether those old fellows truly couldn't make a move.
Besides, he was being polite; he wasn't openly picking a fight with the River God.
Soon, Dayu's Fourth Princess, Yao Ruoxian, dispatched someone to invite Qin Ming—not only because she was the host with keen ears, but also because the Thunder King Bird had indeed gone to thrash her mount. It was... truly beyond words!
"A bit later," Qin Ming replied, wishing to stroll through the city first to announce his arrival to all sides.
Along the banks of the Shuyu River were many famous historical sites. This was the most prosperous stretch in the Dayu imperial capital, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Nearly everyone entering the city for the first time would come here for a stroll.
"Master!" Amid the bustling crowds, someone waved from a distance.
"It's you." Qin Ming was surprised.
A young girl came trotting over; it was none other than Su Mohua, the honorary disciple Qin Ming had taken on back in the earthen city.
Behind Su Mohua came her elder cousin, Su Moran, who smiled and greeted him, "Brother Qin."
Su Moran felt rather awkward. Back then, her relationship with Qin Ming had been quite good; she had even gifted him secret manuals regarding the spirit field and interacted with him as an equal, yet her little cousin had stubbornly insisted on taking him as a master.
Behind them, Gao Chan walked over with an expression as foul as if he had swallowed a dead infant. Though thoroughly displeased inside, he had no choice but to step forward with a smile to exchange pleasantries.
"Qin Ming has entered the city? I'd like to meet him." The youngest disciple of the contemporary sage, Li Wanfa, ceased circulating his Chaos Force upon receiving the news. Like a bottomless abyss, he seemed to swallow the surrounding light.
Little Rulai set down his tea cup and said, "Right now, many people probably want to make contact with him."
Walking along the bustling banks of the Shuyu River, Qin Ming was putting himself on display for everyone to see.
Whether from the heavens above or the earth below, many prodigies had been invited to the Dayu imperial capital; even Holy Disciples from the heavens were present in person.
The ancient factions above the nine heavens and the Earth Immortal lineages beyond Yezhou had all harbored suspicions about Qin Ming. Now that he had shown himself, he naturally drew the attention of every quarter in the city.
"He has arrived. Has he broken through into the Fourth Realm?" Cui Chonghe also caught wind of the news.
"Someone approached him and preliminarily estimated that he is still in the Spirit Field Realm," a Cui clan elder said with a smile.
"Then he isn't qualified to fight Chonghe." The Cui clan's great dragon, Cui Chongxiao, was also in the city.
Within the city, a mysterious figure murmured softly, "You once severed my mind monkey, and now you stand before me once more."
At the same time, in Qinghe City, the Cui clan received word that after an absence of two years, Qin Ming had officially stepped before the world and entered the Dayu imperial capital.
"Who knows what level he has reached now? He remains a constant blight." In the Cui clan, certain individuals cared deeply about Qin Ming's cultivation realm and had been investigating him continuously.
"A message has arrived from World-Abiding Manor at Sunset Forest Plain!" someone reported to the core leadership of the Cui clan, presenting a secret letter.
"It must be Changqing's breakthrough." In the hall, several Cui clan leaders broke into smiles.
Cui Chonghe's father, Cui Qi, was also present. Personally taking the secret letter, he tore it open with a smile and said, "No need to overthink it—our Cui clan has gained yet another grandmaster!"
Chapter 491