Cui Chonghe, a prodigious genius, gentle and refined as fine jade. Yet looking upon him now, was this truly still him?
His white robes hung in tatters. His hair was wild and unkempt, and he was covered in filthy blood. Of his fabled dashing grace and handsome presence, not a shred remained. Most humiliating of all, he was pinned beneath someone's foot upon the ground.
Where was his detached divinity now? Where was his limpid, ethereal aura? Defeated and struck down from the sky by someone of a lower realm, he had been run through by a saber.
The Cui family grandmaster moved instantly to intervene, surging forward like a phantom.
The old grandmaster Yu Gensheng had been on guard all along. Resembling a wisp of light smoke, his form dissipated from where he stood and remanifested inside the arena, intercepting his foe.
With a dull thud, the Cui family grandmaster was blocked. His momentum ground to a sudden halt, and he stumbled backward.
His expression was glacial. Not a single breath could be spared. A shocking development that bathed the arena in blood was unfolding before his eyes; how could he permit an outsider to block his path?
Opening his mouth, he spat out a small banner. At the touch of the wind, it fluttered, and silver immortal glyphs intertwined across its pitch-black surface. It swelled precipitously, quickly blanketing the sky and stretching forward.
The Cui grandmaster did not intend merely to suppress his unknown opponent; he also aimed to sweep the precious banner toward Qin Ming, intervening at the earliest moment. Even if he could not detonate the youth, he would at least fling him away.
Yet Yu Gensheng whipped his broad sleeves, unleashing threads of celestial magnetic light that bore down on the black banner with its silver patterns, forcing it to shrink and preventing it from spreading outward.
At the same time, Yu Gensheng’s other sleeve resembled a black hole, devouring light and mist as it descended over the Cui grandmaster's head, threatening to pull him right inside.
The other members of the Cui family lacked a grandmaster’s cultivation, but their reactions were by no means slow. Seeing their clan's true dragon in dire straits, they all charged forward without a word.
Even if it broke the rules, they had to enter the fray. They could not stand by and watch disaster befall Cui Chonghe.
"This is not a battle to the death!" Cui Qi's spiritual field flared violently as he sent an anxious mental transmission to the experts of the Dayu imperial family, frantic to the utmost.
In an instant, numerous figures rushed toward the arena.
In the night sky, divine flames surged like a crashing tide. Clad in armor, with eight sacred symbols blossoming around her and liquid metal flowing over her form, Li Qingyue drove the Eight Trigrams Furnace to pour down Six Ding Divine Fire and solar true fire, incinerating the space toward the incoming crowd.
Jiang Ran entered the arena alongside her, brandishing a damaged celestial dagger-axe that radiated nine-colored immortal light. The Mysterious Maiden's weapon expanded with tremendous speed, sweeping across to intercept the advancing Cui family members.
Yu Gensheng brought his foot down, cracking the earth. The meteors strewn across the ground were kicked into the air, hurtling toward the Cui clan members and forcing them to a halt.
However, others intervened as well.
This was Chongxiao, a dueling ground provided by Dayu, naturally overseen by imperial experts.
An imperial grandmaster drifted through the night mist, entering the field like a ghost.
Yet someone shadowed him immediately, arriving before him in a flash. It was Li Qingyun, who had disappeared for nearly three years. Ever since the great battle on the Plain of Divine Demise, he had broken through to the grandmaster domain and remained in secluded cultivation.
Today, he had reappeared, arriving in the capital of Dayu together with Li Qingyue.
"No lives have been lost," Elder Li said. His hair was like snow, each strand translucent, and his complexion was ruddy. He was under a hundred years old—a member of the "young and vigorous faction" among grandmasters.
Seeing him block the way, the Dayu grandmaster came to an abrupt halt.
No one had anticipated that, in mere moments, the winds and clouds would shift so drastically. With so many people rushing into the arena, the slightest misstep would have sparked a massive melee.
"Cough..." The Cui family grandmaster coughed up blood, his body swaying violently. Wrapping himself in the black-and-silver banner for protection, he shifted sideways.
Had he forced his way forward, he likely would have been swallowed by Yu Gensheng's sleeve, which seemed to swallow light itself like a black hole, with unpredictable consequences.
...
Inside the arena, Qin Ming's movements were crisp and decisive. Heavenly light surged irresistibly, tearing through Cui Chonghe's Yellow Court and circulating through his meridians.
How overbearing was Hunyuan force? Its prowess in battle was famed throughout the world.
Cui Chonghe's Pure Yang consciousness dimmed, retreating at every step like remnants of clouds swept away by a hurricane. His vigorous, life-filled physical body gradually withered.
Qin Ming did not wish to put the Dayu imperial family in a difficult position, so he refrained from taking a life here. However, he would not let the matter pass lightly either.
He was utterly resolute: he would cripple Cui Chonghe.
Had the setting not been so public, he would have long since scattered the man's vital spirit with astral wind and burned his physical body to ash with Samadhi True Fire—crippled, incinerated, all handled in one go.
Hunyuan force harmonized various scriptures; it could become supreme yang, or absolute yin. As Qin Ming used his heavenly light to pierce Cui Chonghe's spiritual field, the scene was truly fierce and terrifying.
Pure Yang was difficult to extinguish, but before Hunyuan force, the spiritual light within Cui Chonghe's body rapidly went out, drawing agonizing roars of pain from him.
At this moment, all talk of snowy white robes or peerless distinction was replaced by a battered, contorted wreck. Pinned to the ground by the long saber, he could not move an inch.
Cui Chonghe's Yellow Court fractured, and his Pure Yang consciousness field shattered. He was thoroughly crippled.
The arena fell silent. Everyone ceased their actions, for no matter what they did now, the deed was done; it could no longer be prevented.
From the Cui family grandmaster down to the younger generation's Cui Chongxiao, their faces were ashen and their eyes blazed with fury. Some clenched their fists until their knuckles cracked; others gripped their spears, thick murderous intent radiating from head to toe.
Yet at this point, they showed restraint and did not erupt completely. Since the outcome was irreversible, they chose to salvage what little dignity they had left.
This was the result of weighing the costs. If they truly raised a commotion here, the Cui family would only invite contempt.
As for their earlier intrusion, if word spread, it was somewhat understandable. After all, love clouded reason; fearful that their clan's prized prodigy would perish in the arena, it was natural for kin to step forward and save him.
Even so, their hearts endured torment. One of the Cui family's rising stars had been ruined today.
Inside the arena, the long saber formed from Hunyuan force remained luminous, impaling Cui Chonghe and pinning him firmly to the earth as scarlet blood stained the ground.
Qin Ming had already lifted his foot from his opponent's body and was glancing around in all directions.
Cui Chongxiao's gaze was like an icy blade, fixed intently on the figure in the ring. He burned to leap in immediately, but taking a deep breath, he forced his emotions to settle.
He knew very well that even if he struck now, nothing would come of it; he would only be blocked, and might even suffer a savage counterblow from the grandmaster in the field.
"Chonghe!" Cui Qi called out, striding forward. No one stopped him now.
Not everyone was calm. A veteran elder of the Cui family ground his teeth and glared at Qin Ming, his right hand turning ink-black as he activated an esoteric great hand seal, eager to strike out with a palm.
Cui Chongxiao pressed a hand down on his arm, giving a faint shake of his head.
"How vicious of you," the elderly Cui Changfa muttered, his gaze locked on the cast-off child.
He understood full well that Qin Ming crippling Cui Chonghe without taking his life was actually far more dreadful than killing the Cui family prodigy.
Death would have ended everything cleanly.
Yet Cui Chonghe lived. From this day forth, he would have to watch his rival rise and hear of his legends—an agonizing torment.
A heaven-blessed darling of the past, thrown down into the dust, reduced to something lesser than a mortal. Such a steep fall, a descent into purgatory, was an ordeal on the scale of a natural catastrophe.
In truth, Qin Ming had never considered any of that. Had they been anywhere else, he would have simply taken the man's head; he had been forced into this course by the setting.
He remained calm, listening to the low roars of the Cui clan. Hearing them call him vicious made him tilt his head, feeling genuinely baffled. Their double standards were simply excessive.
Why had he kept a low profile and rarely shown himself over the past two years? A major factor was the Cui family; he feared their grandmasters might secretly deal him a fatal blow.
The Cui family had harbored malice toward him from the start, repeatedly plotting to eliminate him. Now, when he had merely crippled his opponent in a fair duel, some of them were losing their minds?
Cui Qi reached his son's side and attempted to draw out the saber of heavenly light left by Qin Ming, nearly triggering an eruption of terrifying Hunyuan force.
With a wave of Qin Ming's hand, wisps of heavenly light flew back to him, and the brilliant saber vanished.
At that moment, Cui Chonghe opened his eyes and found the arena dead silent, with countless gazes now resting upon him.
He had met with crushing defeat. The effortless rout he had envisioned had never materialized. He was at the Embracing Simplicity Realm of the Immortal Path, yet he had been overturned and felled by a cast-off child at the Spirit Field Realm of the New Path.
Cui Chonghe spat a mouthful of blood. Under the watch of the crowd, his pent-up humiliation drove him to the brink of madness.
From this single battle, he had tumbled from the nine heavens of radiant glory straight into the mire. His renown and his brilliance had all been shattered by the cast-off child.
He looked around: those who bore grudges against him were looking down on him, while the "Blazing Suns" of the sky were evaluating him. He even heard whispers claiming he had not lived up to his reputation.
In an instant, Cui Chonghe felt as if he were plunging into an abyss. Some were gloating; others showed pity toward this former favorite of heaven. Those gazes pierced him like sharp swords.
He caught sight of Wang Caiwei watching him. To have the woman betrothed to him witness such a crushing, humiliating defeat from start to finish left his chest suffocated.
He even saw Zheng Maoze, Zeng Yuan, and others—people he had once looked down upon—looking at him with strange expressions.
Above all, Qin Ming stood right nearby: tall and upright, his dark hair glistening, his eyes bright as stars, his handsome face filled with serene composure, utterly transcendent.
Throughout the entire battle, Qin Ming's clothing had not torn, nor had it even creased. Standing amid the night mist like an immortal descended to earth, he was looking down at his fallen foe.
In that instant, Cui Chonghe felt his torn Dao heart shatter into countless fragments once more. Compared side by side, how tragic and pathetic he was.
After achieving a resounding victory, his opponent uttered no boastful words and offered no mockery. Yet this silence, this calm downward gaze, struck no differently than a heavenly blade cleaving his body and severing his spirit.
Cui Chonghe coughed up another massive mouthful of blood and fainted away.
Cui Qi had already scooped him up into his arms. With a cold expression, he cast a glance back at Qin Ming without a word, then turned to walk out of the arena.
Cui Chongxiao's face was sullen as he, too, looked toward Qin Ming.
The Cui family grandmaster wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shot a frigid look over, and turned away.
The Cui entourage departed in silence, filled with suppressed wrath.
Qin Ming felt helpless. Why did it feel as though he were the grand villain here?
He muttered to himself, "You came bearing murderous intent. Is it wrong for me to fight back normally?"
With a tremendous rumble, once the Cui family had left the grounds, a commotion arose outside the arena, gradually swelling to a boil.
"Cui Chonghe was actually crippled! Even if an Earth Immortal intervened, it would likely be difficult to salvage his cultivation path, not to mention that in the current climate, figures at that level are all lying low."
Those who were on poor terms with the Cui family smiled, their eyes gleaming. They had never imagined that the Cui prodigy would kick an iron plate of his own accord, ending up crippled as a result.
Beneath an ancient willow whose silver branches swayed gently, a young man named Li Wanfa spoke: "The Chaos force he practices is truly extraordinary, full of remarkable potential."
As the youngest disciple of a sage, he had come in person to observe the battle, eager to witness Qin Ming's attainments in the silk book arts.
With his left hand behind his back and deep, thoughtful eyes, he said, "I wonder how many rare 'traits' he has cultivated from Chaos force: the Devouring domain, the longevity domain of the Golden Thread Jade Clothes, and others..."
Little Rulai remarked, "He is indeed formidable, but at his age, it is impossible for him to touch upon any of those traits yet. Even if the founding patriarchs of Chaos force were to cultivate anew, or sages walked the path backward, they would have to step into at least the fourth realm before coming into contact with those profound essentials."
Several young prodigies from the skies were also conversing. Feng Zhige said, "Certain scriptures of the mortal realm are worth studying. The offensive might of this Chaos force is indeed ferocious."
Yan Zhuohua stood slender and graceful, like a classical beauty stepping out of an ink wash landscape painting. She had once consulted Qin Ming about this scripture, but without taking him as a master, she could not obtain the true art.
Yet she possessed the talent of a Blazing Sun; to kneel and apprentice herself to someone younger than she was simply impossible for her.
Su Mohua's face was flushed with excitement as she said, "Master is incredible! Overcoming a heaven-blessed prodigy of the fourth realm without a hint of mortal strain, just like a reincarnated immortal."
Her cousin Su Moran and the nearby Gao Chan were also reflecting on the duel.
A grandmaster from high above the nine heavens spoke: "This Qin Ming of the New Path is decent, but at the same realm, he still falls short of Yijian; there is still a gap. As for the Cui family's prodigy, he was overhyped, and the bubble has finally burst."
He then asked Yun Jianyue, a core disciple of Yujing, for her thoughts on the battle.
The prodigy Zhou Tiandao, the Old Barbarian God's grandson Xiao Jinye, and a host of other distinguished talents were all discussing the outcome.
...
Yu Gensheng melted into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
"Elder Li!" Qin Ming walked over, delighted to see Li Qingyun once again.
"You rascal, to think you've grown to such heights," Li Qingyun chuckled. This was the youth he and Meng Xinghai had gone to great lengths to protect back then, and he was thoroughly pleased.
Two days ago, upon hearing that Qin Ming had arrived in the capital of Dayu to duel Cui Chonghe, he had specifically stepped out from the secluded Li clan to lend the boy his support.
However, Li Qingyun did not linger to chat. "I'm going to see Old Yu," he said, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Qin Ming looked at Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran. The two of them were truly close, always traveling together.
"I went to Qingyue's home to meet her parents," Jiang Ran said with a grin.
A single sentence left Qin Ming stunned.
Li Qingyue nudged Jiang Ran, telling her not to speak nonsense.
"Brother Jiang, you couldn't really..." Qin Ming looked at the breathtakingly beautiful Jiang Ran, at a loss for words. He himself had never visited the Li family, yet the foremost talent of the younger generation of the Immortal Path had already crossed their threshold.
"She is my Moon Empress," Jiang Ran teased.
Li Qingyue retorted, "Consort Ran, stop talking nonsense!"
Qin Ming: "?"
Just then, Dayu's Fourth Princess, Yao Ruoxian, approached. Smiling, she congratulated Qin Ming, then secretly transmitted an explanation: "The imperial grandmaster had no choice either. After all, this was not a battle to the death."
Qin Ming nodded. "It's fine, I understand."
Yao Ruoxian said, "When you leave, I will arrange for experts to escort you."
Qin Ming smiled. "I'm not that fragile or delicate."
In truth, he genuinely wanted to see whether the Cui grandmaster dared to shadow him in secret. With his current true strength, facing a severely ill grandmaster, a fight was not out of the question.
...
Ning Siqi was surrounded by onlookers. Several times he tried to reach his good brother, only to be held back by the enthusiastic crowd engaging him in conversation to learn about Qin Ming.
Qin Ming walked over himself, pulled him away, and cupped his hands to the crowd. "Everyone, if you cross paths in the future, please look after my brother."
Ning Siqi's presence was already out in the open; Qin Ming could not hide it even if he wished, so he might as well help him build goodwill and introduce him to the various factions.
Zhuo Qingming of the outer pure land and Helian Yaoqing, disguised as a man, walked over along with others.
Pei Shuyan sighed, "Brother Qin, your combat prowess is truly astounding. And in terms of cultivation realm, you're right on our heels. It makes the rest of us quite nervous."
Qin Ming smiled. "I am also a practitioner of the Immortal Path, using immortal arts to guide the New Path, so I've gained some insights over the past two years."
In the distance, Helian Zhaoyu, clad in black, wore a grave expression. He walked the Path of Extremes, yet he had suffered a crushing defeat at Qin Ming's hands back then. Now that his rival's realm was also advancing by leaps and bounds, a sense of powerlessness washed over him.
He had spent time suppressing his own cultivation with the Ten Thousand Forgings method to retrace his steps, while the other's progress soared effortlessly. Did Qin Ming not require thousands of forgings and endless tempering?
Elsewhere, Bai Meng remarked, "Sister, why do you keep staring at his back? You'd better not provoke him. Whatever you do, don't kick him, or a careless mistake might cost you dearly."
"What are you babbling about!" Tang Yushang glared at him.
...
"Have you heard? The Cui family's prodigy suffered a crushing defeat, bested by Qin Ming, who was at a lower realm!"
The cast-off child triumphing over the legitimate heir sent shockwaves through the capital of Dayu. The news spread as if on wings, sweeping across the surrounding cities in all directions.
It stirred a massive tempest, leaving the Cui family utterly disgraced. Misfortune had dogged them lately: first, Cui Changqing, who had high hopes of becoming a grandmaster, was slain; now, their most promising prodigy had been cleanly battered and crippled in public by the very youth they had discarded. The millennial clan was shaken to its core.
"Fierce fire tempers true gold; now we finally know who is the dragon and who is the worm. The Cui family held a winning hand right from the start, so how did they play it into such a disaster?"
"It is said that Qin Ming is a descendant of Patriarch Qin, one of the creators of Chaos force. In terms of heritage, he was never inferior to the Cui family, yet they discarded him like an old shoe. Now the cast-off child has struck back against Cui Chonghe—call it karmic retribution."
The rumors swirling outside stripped the millennial clan of all face, leaving them fuming and thoroughly suffocated.
Cui Chonghe remained in Chongxiao. His injuries were severe, preventing him from traveling for the time being. The Cui clan summoned renowned physicians and masters from all quarters to treat him.
Fortunately, his life was preserved.
Li Qingxu offered his commentary: "Cui Chonghe is indeed formidable, but competing against Qin Ming in extreme combat power? Isn't that just asking for abuse? He failed to know himself."
Soon, these words reached the ears of the Cui family.
The two clans were on bad terms, harboring long-standing grudges, and neither feared the other. Thus, when one side spoke harsh words, the other could only swallow them.
Li Qingxu had been thoroughly suppressed by Cui Chonghe for years; now he felt liberated, and his evaluation of the duel was earnest.
"What's wrong with belonging to the realm faction? Insisting on challenging someone who cultivated Chaos force on his own—Second Cui overestimated himself."
When Cui Chonghe woke and heard these rumors, he immediately spat another mouthful of blood.
In a cold voice, he asked his confidant, "What else did Li the Defeated say?"
"He..." Cui Chonghe's trusted aide hesitated, not daring to report.
"Cui Chonghe has only one choice left: join our lineage and take the path of breaking down to rebuild. Though he is crippled, making the odds slim, there is still a glimmer of hope. My path is not a lonely one."
Those had been Li Qingxu's exact words, and they were already making the rounds across the capital of Dayu.
"Pfft!" Upon hearing this, Cui Chonghe began coughing up blood again.
The Cui members looked miserable, barking orders at his confidant to stop relaying news arbitrarily.
No one had expected that Li Qingxu could inflict secondary trauma on Cui Chonghe.
Following this battle, many sought to win Qin Ming over, inviting him to banquets both openly and in secret. The invitations were so numerous they were overwhelming; all regarded him as a blazing sun about to ascend.
Reviewing the duel, he had crippled Cui Chonghe and completely antagonized the Cui family to the death; he would have to remain vigilant in the future.
In the eyes of the Cui clan, he was a villain dyed in absolute black.
"I gained their hatred, but what else did I obtain? Well, there were indeed spoils." Taking stock of his gains, he recalled how, after the duel, he had quietly stripped Cui Chonghe's storage bracelet.
There was not much inside: aside from over a hundred small black Pure Yang swords forged from five-tribulation lightning-strike wood, there were assorted bottles and jars, as well as a manuscript.
"What are you smiling about?" Jiang Ran asked him.
"A commentary on a true scripture." Qin Ming was immensely pleased. Defeating his rival had yielded such an unexpected boon.
Though not the scripture itself, having this manuscript was enough; he could resonate and deduce the rest from it.
"I want Qin Ming dead!" At that moment, Cui Chongxiao made his cold resolution, intent on avenging his brother.
Cui Qi immediately restrained him. "Do not act rashly. He has experts by his side right now. Do not throw yourself away; I don't want to lose another son!"
"Father, rest assured..." Cui Chongxiao regained his calm, his composure unbroken.
"When a suitable opportunity arises, we will strike with thunderous grandmaster methods and obliterate him," one of the Cui family elders spoke up. The battle between Qin Ming and Cui Chonghe had left them so choked with indignation they could have coughed blood.
...
"Be cautious and vigilant in the coming days," Li Qingyue said, concerned for Qin Ming's safety.
Qin Ming nodded. "Don't worry. Even if a grandmaster ambushes me in secret, who is weak and who is strong can only be known after we fight. If the Cui family refuses to recognize when to advance and when to yield, in the end, it's anyone's guess who will suffer the greater loss."
Chapter 496