If one spoke of prodigies in Night Province, who did not know the name of Cui Chonghe of the Cui family? In certain circles, he even enjoyed the renown: "Like jade upon the path, a peerless scion unequaled in the world."
Now, his footing staggered. His white robes hung in scorched, ragged tatters, and his hair was wildly disheveled. Over a hundred bloody holes punctured his body—pierced by his own small black swords—and dark crimson blood drenched his flesh.
In stark contrast, after sending him stumbling back with a midair kick, Qin Ming drifted lightly to the ground like a heavenly immortal descending to the mortal realm, possessing an ethereal, unearthly grace beyond words.
"They all say Cui Chonghe rarely fights, taking part only in high-end matches. Yet in his first duel with the cast-off child, he's already at a disadvantage," an anomaly from the outer domains murmured.
"Is this the so-called Crown Prince fighting the civet cat? It seems completely reversed!"
Anyone could see that Qin Ming currently held an absolute advantage.
The floor of the colosseum was riddled with fractures. All around, pristine white stone pillars stood tall with ancient, weathered gravitas, yet the battle between the two in the arena did not cease.
The instant Qin Ming touched the ground, he pursued for the kill. His wide sleeves fluttered as he shifted instantaneously into range, the night mist bursting apart with a roar wherever he passed.
The Golden Silkworm Classic had been elevated to new heights in his hands, sublimated into the tier of an esoteric scripture. He radiated a hazy light, and golden threads rained outward from around his body, weaving through the void with brilliance surpassing the flowing trails left by flying swords.
He knew full well that Cui Chonghe's wounds were not fatal; his opponent possessed special true scriptures and could still recover.
Sure enough, once Cui Chonghe steadied his mind, he left behind a trail of afterimages, fracturing the flagstones beneath him as he continually shifted position. He was circulating the Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture, and his wounds were healing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
A rain of light welled up across his skin, his life force surging with vigor.
The Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture was truly among the highest tier of true scriptures, restoring Cui Chonghe to prime condition in mere moments.
Qin Ming had experienced it firsthand in the past on the sword-dueling platform in the skies, so he was not surprised in the least.
Golden threads rained from around him, shuttling through the void. He overtook Cui Chonghe, piercing through his body with wet, puncturing thuds as blood splattered outward.
With a lift of Qin Ming's hand, the golden threads interlaced in dazzling brilliance. As though capable of harnessing heavenly dragons and binding giant rocs, he locked the blood-drenched opponent down and yanked him straight across.
Outside the ring, every member of the Cui family paled, while the other onlookers looked on in shock.
Cui Chonghe circulated the Beginning of the Primal Unity scripture. Immortal light blazed around him like raging fire to burn through those threads as he struggled violently to break free.
Qin Ming guided his hands, and the fine, glittering threads acted like razor-sharp blades, weaving and slicing through his opponent's flesh and bone.
The scene was gory. Cui Chonghe let out a muffled grunt as chunks of flesh were carved away, his white robes dyed entirely crimson.
"Chonghe!" Cui Qi's heart trembled and his face turned white. He had never imagined his second son would struggle so terribly in this battle against the cast-off child.
If this continued, Cui Chonghe would be torn limb from limb.
"Have faith in Chonghe!" The grandmaster of the Cui family managed to keep his composure, though his body betrayed him as he took a large stride forward, ready to intervene at any moment.
Not far away, silver willows swayed, their hanging strands spilling down like a silver waterfall.
Yu Gensheng stood beneath an ancient willow, glaring at the Cui clan and locking onto that grandmaster. If the man dared to interfere, Yu Gensheng would immediately unleash a thunderous strike.
Blood gushed from Cui Chonghe as the golden threads impaled him and sliced away pieces of his flesh. Suddenly, his body blurred, turning ethereal as smoke and mist, dispersing and gathering formlessly.
Many knew he was circulating the Indestructible Immortal Scripture, tapping into its extraordinary power in tandem with the Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture—a peerless arts combo for preserving one's life.
He then dispersed into a cloud of luminous rain, drifting into the distance.
The golden threads around Qin Ming shot out in full force like brilliant, blinding sword rays, slicing through the misty rain that thrummed with burgeoning life force in the void.
With a sharp bang, the dense web of threads pierced straight through Cui Chonghe even in his formless state, blowing him apart so that he disintegrated through the empty air.
Every member of the Cui family stepped forward in fright, breaking into a cold sweat.
The other spectators tensed up as well, holding their breath and fixing their eyes on the figures inside the colosseum.
Back when Qin Ming clashed with Cui Chonghe on the sword-dueling platform in the skies, he had slain him several times, yet his opponent had repeatedly restored himself with his uncanny immortal scriptures.
This time, Qin Ming targeted him deliberately. Before Cui Chonghe's indestructible form could complete its calamity evasion, Qin Ming struck repeatedly with lethal force, breaking both his form and spirit in rapid succession.
Even if the opponent managed to survive, his essence, qi, and spirit would inevitably suffer heavy depletion. The next time he tried circulating the Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture and deploying his indestructible immortal fetus, it would no longer be nearly as effective.
Inside the colosseum, clumps of life haze detonated one after another. In an instant, radiant streaks darted across the ground before shooting skyward into the night one by one.
High in the air, Cui Chonghe materialized once more.
He had indeed recovered, but his face looked somewhat pale, having clearly suffered a toll on his origin.
Around him, a gleaming silver ring shone. It was the Dao-sealing ring, which he had voluntarily put on before the battle to show sincerity.
Even when he dispersed into formlessness, the ring had not fallen away.
Right now, the silver Dao-sealing ring blazed with fiery light, trembling gently and incessantly. This indicated that the Pure Yang power within Cui Chonghe had been pushed to its absolute limit.
Evidently, any further increase would push beyond the scope of the early Fourth Realm.
The ring was profound and wondrous; it kept him tightly constrained.
Cui Chonghe's expression was grim. He had originally intended to keep his pride intact, confident that using the bare minimum strength of the Fourth Realm would suffice to subdue the cast-off child.
Who could have guessed he would be forced to this extent?
"It should be so!" The Cui family grandmaster nodded secretly to himself. This was what the Cui family had instructed Cui Chonghe to do—never restrict himself so thoroughly that he tied his own hands.
Bordering on the power of the mid Fourth Realm did not count as breaking the rules.
In quantitative terms, Cui Chonghe was currently at the third heavenly layer of the Embracing Simplicity Realm.
Only at this height could he bring his three foundational scriptures into perfect resonance and reveal his Dao physique.
Having donned a fresh white robe, Cui Chonghe once again appeared handsome as jade. With his long black hair fluttering in the wind, he looked down at his opponent on the ground from high above.
Under his feet, immortal light buoyed him up, allowing him to hover briefly in the air.
Today Qin Ming wore black, presenting a stark contrast to his opponent. Furthermore, from the moment they engaged until now, not only was there not a speck of blood on him, but his clothes showed nary a crease.
Standing on the ground, he did not immediately give chase. Instead, with a slight tremor, a series of clicks resounded within his body, as though some set of shackles had been unlocked.
In an instant, thick vital blood surged from Qin Ming's frame, his vigorous vitality burning even stronger than before. His cultivation rose, his essence, qi, and spirit swelling to their brim, radiating a divine glow.
Desperate clashes and life-and-death brawls were out of the question; he clearly had strength to spare, so why resort to grueling slaughter?
He had foreseen long ago that with the Cui family advising him, Cui Chonghe would never fight strictly using the lowest power of the Fourth Realm, but would inevitably border on the mid Embracing Simplicity Realm.
Thus Qin Ming had come prepared, unlocking his own "upper limit" to maintain it at the ninth heavenly layer of the Spirit Field, before temporarily locking it down with a specialized technique.
Naturally, this could not be hidden from discerning eyes and could have been detected beforehand. Yet that too was intentional on Qin Ming's part—he wanted them to see this "truth."
An elder from the heavens above nodded secretly and murmured, "I saw through his hidden strength with the Bone-Illuminating Mirror earlier. As expected, he has already broken through to the ninth heavenly layer of the Spirit Field."
"Did he take some rare secret medicine at the last moment? To climb another tier within the Dayu imperial capital in just these past two days..."
Many cast peculiar looks his way, though none were truly astonished. How could a prodigy blessed by heaven, bold enough to take such an action, lack a few hidden cards?
Yun Jianyue, a core saint of Yujing from above the nine heavens, had hair falling like a dark cascade and eyes like autumn water. She had been observing the fight, but seeing no familiar traces in Qin Ming's methods, she remained silent.
"Again!" Qin Ming called out.
On this grand stage, he needed Cui Chonghe's cooperation in playing his part. Emerging from Black-White Mountain, his very purpose had been to display his foundation for all to see.
Qin Ming struck. The rumble of thunder rang deafeningly as a thousand cicadas took flight together, unleashing once more the embryonic Great Thunder Sound Cicada. Glorious rainbow haze surged skyward into the night, roaring with thunderous force.
In addition, golden threads crisscrossed the night sky like flying swords and keen blades, piercing toward his opponent as well.
At the same time, Qin Ming circulated the Wind-Riding Classic. Treading upon the great wind with wide sleeves fluttering like an exiled immortal, he soared straight into the heights above.
"Do you see? The techniques Qin Ming practices, from the Golden Silkworm Classic to the Divine Cicada Scripture, are all methods of metamorphosis. They truly align with his past—born a cast-off child, he carved out his own Newborn path."
"I'd say the true dragon of the Cui family is in dire straits today!"
Several onlookers whispered among themselves without bothering to avoid the Cui clan's ears. The young talents gathered to watch came from extraordinary backgrounds—disciples of Earth Immortal dao arenas from beyond the realms, Blazing Suns from the heavens, all figures of immense backing.
The great battle erupted anew!
Cui Chonghe forced his mind to calm and exerted all his strength. He could not afford to lose today; he dared not imagine the fallout if he were overthrown by a cast-off child.
With a thunderous rumble, his three true scriptures united into one. A vast torrent of Pure Yang force resonated as immortal light burst from his body, and three dazzling halos manifested around him, shrouding him within as though impervious to all arts.
The Indestructible Immortal Scripture fortified his form, a lamp of the Primal Beginning illuminated his spirit, and the circulation of the Golden Palace Jade Chapter made him seem to stand high upon the nine heavens, with the faint silhouette of a central heavenly palace materializing behind him.
Cui Chonghe's state was starkly different from before.
He was clad in an imperial robe and wore a beaded crown, both materialized from runes. At his sides, the sun and moon manifested together, while behind him in the void drifted myriad hazy stars.
At this moment, his bearing was exceedingly lofty, radiating an aura of sovereign supremacy over the realm.
His strength had indeed risen by a notch. Using the three halos, he blocked the golden threads and the embryonic Great Thunder Sound Cicada, counterattacking with the solar and lunar forces flowing from the sun and moon.
"The Hunyuan force truly lives up to its reputation. I've had a taste, now let's go again!" Cui Chonghe shouted.
He was defining the reason for his earlier humiliation—he had not been bested by extraordinary arts like the Golden Silkworm Classic or the Geomagnetic Classic, but primarily because his opponent drove them with the silk book method.
Just then, before him in the void, the hazy form of a dragon chariot emerged, driving out from the nothingness as the roar of a dragon reverberated across the skies in an instant.
A heavenly halberd manifested in Cui Chonghe's hand. Leaping onto the dragon chariot, he let out a sharp shout and drove the war chariot straight at Qin Ming. The halberd in his grip seemed immensely heavy, its snow-bright edge slicing through the darkness, aiming to sever his opponent's head.
Across the night sky, the dragon chariot surged forward, accompanied by the genuine rumble of thunderous wheels.
Had this been anywhere else, Qin Ming could have displayed the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe, the Nine-Colored Sword Fiend, and other pinnacle attack methods.
Yet he had no fear here either. He walked the Newborn path and cultivated Chaos force, which could unify and command all arts into one. That was his greatest weapon.
Whether it was the Golden Silkworm Classic or the Divine Cicada Scripture, once steered by the silk book method, they underwent a qualitative transformation.
In Qin Ming's hand, a snow-bright saber materialized. Diverse mysterious characters shone across the blade—the true essences of extraordinary arts and esoteric scriptures, fused and united as one.
Through the night mist, he rode the wind, charging forward with saber in hand to cleave directly at the figure aboard the dragon chariot.
Both were aloft in the sky without touching the ground, each capable of brief flight using the great winds and immortal mist. At this moment, they resembled immortal beings clashing above the nine heavens.
The instant they collided, the entire night sky thundered. Blinding saber glare and the terrifying halberd flashed across everyone's vision like two massive bolts of blooming lightning as they engaged in high-speed, high-frequency strikes.
Shock gripped Cui Chonghe's heart. The one-sided slaughter he had hoped for had failed to appear. How could a cast-off child be this powerful? He was fighting from a superior cultivation realm!
Qin Ming's expression was indifferent, his black garments fluttering. The long saber in his hand was like a terrible streak of lightning piercing from heaven to earth, illuminating the firmament.
With every swing of his saber, the night sky seemed to warp. The indestructible edge flowed with runes—the very embodiment of order—seeming as though it would slice open the heavens.
Rage flared within Cui Chonghe. He was actually being suppressed! Throwing caution to the winds, he channeled his Pure Yang power to do battle, preparing to fight to the bitter end.
The heavenly halberd in his hands radiated chilling light, immensely heavy as though it might crush the sky—truly terrifying.
Yet no matter how he swung his halberd, unleashed immortal light, and resonated his three immortal scriptures, he could not break through the opponent's saber light. The webbing between his thumbs and index fingers had torn open, dripping blood.
Night mist surged as snow-bright saber light clashed against the heavenly halberd like dragons and serpents rising together, ringing with deafening clangs. Vast swathes of immortal patterns interlaced before dissolving into fine fragments of light.
The two rose on the wind, fighting higher into the sky as if about to ascend into the highest heavens.
"Die!"
Cui Chonghe could no longer maintain his aloof, gentle-as-jade demeanor. His gaze turned fiercely sharp, flashing like cold lightning. He had no way out; he could not afford to lose.
Yet the saber of the cast-off child opposite him grew ever more lethal. Chaos force surged through the blade, jolting his arms until they grew numb.
With a sharp cry, Qin Ming sent saber light soaring into the heavens, blasting apart the night mist. With a wet slice, his saber severed both the hazy dragon chariot and the faint heavenly dragons pulling it clean in two.
Enormous dragon heads flew away, and the chariot detonated with a booming crash, dissipating high above.
At the same time, Qin Ming's saber light linked heaven and earth, blazing ever brighter as he slashed repeatedly at Cui Chonghe. Part of the beaded crown on Cui Chonghe's head shattered, and its strings of pearls exploded entirely.
Cui Chonghe retreated in haste, his imperial robe bloodstained and its wide sleeves sliced off. With a sharp clang, the heavenly halberd in his hand was sheared through by the saber, leaving only a short stump.
With a cold face and merciless strikes, Qin Ming dragged his saber across the night sky in pursuit, hacking downward again and again.
For a time, no matter how desperately Cui Chonghe defended himself, and even as the three halos around him roared, they could not halt the Hunyuan saber light. His shoulder exploded in a vapor of blood, his abdomen was pierced, his ribs were cleaved through...
Drenched in blood and his hair in disarray, his shattered crown fell away and the imperial robe faded, revealing his original white robes beneath—ragged, torn, and dripping with blood.
Even the guests in the VIP seating rose to their feet—grandmasters from the heavens, elder imperial uncles of Dayu, and masters from Earth Immortal dao arenas.
"He really is far stronger than last time," Qin Ming marveled inwardly. The Cui Chonghe before him performed far better than he had on the sword-dueling platform in the sky.
Soon, he understood why. Now that Cui Chonghe stood in the third heavenly layer of the Embracing Simplicity Realm, his Dao physique had awakened, granting a comprehensive enhancement to his physical constitution.
Using the Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture and the Indestructible Immortal Scripture, Cui Chonghe voluntarily dispersed his body into formless smoke and mist, drifting away to disengage from the battlefield.
Yet in doing so, he tasted bitter fruit once more. Qin Ming unleashed his Hunyuan force, and regardless of the awakened Dao physique, his saber light blasted the cloud of haze to pieces.
Without question, Cui Chonghe's life force had plummeted drastically, making it nearly impossible to sustain instantaneous recovery of his wounded body. A crisis of mortality loomed over him.
Reappearing in the distance, Cui Chonghe breathed heavily, his chest heaving violently, his face deathly pale. To fight with such desperate abandon only to still end up at a disadvantage delivered a devastating shock to his core.
He glanced in all directions, and the expressions on the faces around him struck his heart like another heavy hammer blow.
Many were on their feet, staring fixedly at him and Qin Ming. Several old acquaintances wore peculiar expressions, seemingly astonished to see him being overthrown by someone from a lower tier.
For instance, the seeds of the immortal path looked on with bright eyes, their lips parting as they clearly exchanged remarks.
He also saw his fiancée, Wang Caiwei, her lovely eyes blinking as she swept her gaze back and forth between him and Qin Ming.
As for the eyes of those from the heavens, most now rested on Qin Ming, their attention toward Cui Chonghe noticeably waning.
Indignation surged in Cui Chonghe's heart. Within a few short years of his birth, he had been hailed as the darling of heaven. In twenty years of life, everything had gone smoothly for him; when had he ever tasted defeat?
Yet today, under the gaze of a vast crowd, he had suffered one crushing setback after another, covered in grime and blood, thoroughly humiliated. How could his usually aloof pride bear such a disgrace?
He saw Jiang Ran and Li Qingyue arriving from afar, casting only indifferent glances his way. He saw Li Wanfa, accompanied by Little Rulai, no longer even looking at him. He noticed that Yun Jianyue, the core saint of Yujing, was paying him no attention at all.
Cui Chonghe let out a low roar. The battle was not yet over, yet so many were already starting to ignore him!
"Come, let's end this battle once and for all!" Qin Ming declared, dragging his saber through the night sky. The blade sang deafeningly, like peals of thunder detonating one after another.
He had touched the ground before ascending back into the air, stepping forward upon the wind, each stride seeming as though it would crush the night sky.
How could Cui Chonghe ever resign himself to such a public, crushing defeat?
He let out a guttural roar as his Dao physique resonated with his three true scriptures. His physical body became like a bottomless abyss, swallowing the spiritual nature of heaven and earth along with the rhymes of the Dao.
Yet around his body, all was dazzling brilliance. The Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture merged with the three foundational scriptures, four scriptures resonating together, with the Golden Palace Jade Chapter serving as the core.
Behind him, a golden central palace materialized. He donned the imperial robe once more, formed of condensed runes, and the beaded crown reappeared.
Furthermore, the sun, moon, and stars manifested around him, gleaming in the night sky. He deployed every technique at his disposal, pushing his strength to its utmost limit.
"His Dao physique is actually... the Abyss!" an elder gasped in astonishment.
Rumors that Cui Chonghe had cultivated a Dao physique had circulated long ago and were not entirely secret, though few had ever known which domain it inclined toward.
Now the answer was revealed: his body was like an abyss. He had truly cultivated such a Dao physique!
Yet upon reflection, it was well-suited to the scriptures he practiced. Only a physique that drew in various Dao rhymes like a black hole could support his mastery of the Golden Palace Jade Chapter.
Among those who cultivated this technique in ancient times, a small fraction had attained this very Dao physique.
"Die!" Cui Chonghe roared gutturally.
He stood tall before the golden palace, and before him, a hazy heavenly gate hung suspended. Alas, he had not yet cultivated it to the highest tier, or immortal soldiers and generals would have manifested as well.
The sun, moon, and stars surrounding Cui Chonghe showered down sword rays, weaving into an immense net of immortal swords that descended to engulf his opponent.
Advancing with his saber, Qin Ming strode across the night sky. Before him, a thousand cicadas flew in unison and dense golden threads interlaced; beneath his feet burned Li fire; behind him, the Twin Trees of Withering and Flourishing appeared, withering away only to flourish anew; dragons and serpents rose side by side, a Golden Crow took flight, and a river of Lunar essence flowed gently...
The various wondrous visions were truly astonishing.
In the end, all these visions were mirrored into his saber light, and he swung the blade forward in a mighty cleave!
Everyone knew this would be their final clash.
With a thunderous crash, the two collided.
Though the golden palace behind Cui Chonghe was magnificent, and the sword rays showered from the surrounding stars were brilliantly terrifying, they still failed to extinguish the figure before him.
Qin Ming's single blade strike materialized all visions and reflected all scriptures. As the boundless saber light slashed across, it seemed to cleave open the entire pitch-black firmament.
Endless light erupted here!
In the end, countless stars fell tumbling down, the golden palace shattered, and Cui Chonghe was drenched in blood from head to toe, seeming on the verge of disintegrating along with it.
In this strike, Qin Ming merged all scriptures into all visions, detonating the golden palace and cleaving down the sun, moon, and stars until their lights were extinguished. It slashed straight through Cui Chonghe as a mist of blood rapidly spread outward.
At this moment, Cui Chonghe heard the deafening crash of his own Dao heart shattering to pieces.
"Stop!" the Cui family grandmaster roared.
"Shut your mouth!" Yu Gensheng barked back.
Qin Ming drove his saber straight through him like the great sun shining down, incinerating his opponent's spiritual field and tearing through his Dao physique.
Drifting between form and formlessness within the blood mist, Cui Chonghe wailed in agony, utilizing his indestructible immortal fetus to activate the burgeoning life vitality accumulated by the Calamity-Evading Immortal Scripture.
Yet what Qin Ming excelled at most was the silk book method. Having pierced through him with the long saber, he pinned the fluctuating, formless figure firmly onto the snow-bright blade.
Cui Chonghe struggled violently, but could not break free.
Treading upon the body forced back into corporeal form, Qin Ming descended from the night sky into the colosseum, pinning him to the ground with the long saber while relentlessly driving his Hunyuan force through it.
Chapter 495