Qin Ming had already altered his physical appearance. His black hair hung loose around a weathered face stubbled with a rough beard, and his eyes were as deep as quiet pools, giving him the look of a middle-aged man tempered by long trials.
Resting a bone club on his shoulder, he lay in quiet concealment, waiting for the winds and clouds to stir over the wondrous wheat field.
In this pitch-black, desolate expanse, the black wheat was nearly ripe. As the night wind swept past, the heavy ears rippled with dark gleams. The grains were plump and translucent, giving off a distinct cereal fragrance that contained an abundance of vitality.
"Setting aside whatever lies underground, if one ate this black wheat grown on the surface year-round, it alone would suffice to produce the natural aptitude of a peak grandmaster. One would never have to worry about lacking successors."
The speaker was an elderly man whose light-golden whiskers merged with his neck like a lion's mane. He had a magnificent, burly physique, looking very much like a ferocious beast that had assumed human form.
His name was Shi Shiyong—a condensed name, of course, as otherwise it would be a lengthy title singing the praises of his heroic glory.
A middle-aged man with a full head of fiery red hair gazed passionately at the wheat field, exposing a mouthful of snow-white fangs. A grandmaster of the Mastiff folk named Ao Sheng, he said, "I have great need of this divine grain!"
"Who doesn't?" replied a man with silver bat wings. He looked to be in his thirties and went by Fubao, a name signifying the accumulation of good deeds to reap karmic rewards.
The sole female grandmaster present, He Xilan, spoke up: "What a pity. Unless all this divine grain is gathered and fed to a single disciple for several years, the results won't be nearly as grand."
She possessed a slender, graceful figure, her dark hair draping loosely down her back. Appearing in her twenties, she was descended from a formidable crane that had stabilized into a humanoid life-form, endowing her clan with potent bloodlines.
With four grandmasters gathered together, it was indeed difficult to monopolize the harvest.
Ao Sheng tossed his red mane and said, "Everyone, let's discuss this. Once we return, I am willing to trade rare treasures and ancient scriptures for your shares. I lack a descendant capable of shouldering the clan's burdens. A century from now, when I am old and infirm, who among my sons or grandsons will stand tall if our mortal enemies come to humiliate us?"
Fubao flapped his silver wings, hovering in midair as he looked into the distance. "It is far too early to talk about that. Word of this place has already leaked."
Shi Shiyong's light-golden beard quivered as though he were suppressing fury. In a low, heavy voice, he said, "The Cloud Severing Stronghold originally handled things well, sealing off all news of this place. Yet in a single night, over three hundred of them were slain. Such brutal, bloody methods! What's more, every one of the thirty-odd disciples I dispatched—including two of my own sons—was wiped out, their bodies and spirits obliterated."
He Xilan asked, "Who did it? Have you found any leads?"
Shi Shiyong answered, "I made a special trip back to my clan's ancestral grounds to request a divination from the Great Priest. Tracing the culprit proved exceptionally difficult; he could only vaguely sense that a grandmaster was likely responsible."
Fubao asked anxiously, "Could it be a Great Grandmaster? If a figure of that caliber has emerged, it would be far too dangerous."
Shi Shiyong shook his head. "Definitely not a Great Grandmaster. In fact, this divination was quite anomalous. The other party didn't seem to be a grandmaster yet, but his strength was anything but weak."
His gaze turned frigid. "Everyone, I can forgo the divine grain, but you must promise me one thing: if we track down that hostile grandmaster, you will help me eliminate him."
The four grandmasters were not speaking aloud, but rather conversing secretly through strands of consciousness.
Yet, through his resonance techniques, Qin Ming was able to roughly capture and perceive their dialogue.
Fubao asked casually, "Will the Great Priest of your ancestral grounds step outside?"
That was a Great Grandmaster whose cultivation was frighteningly profound, inspiring dread in all of them. Fortunately, the old man's blood qi had dried up, leaving him decayed beyond measure.
Shi Shiyong sighed. "In this cursed world, how would someone at the Great Priest's level dare emerge? Acting even once would practically cost him his life. No one dares leave seclusion lightly."
Far away, the night mist exploded as though thunder had plowed through the sky. Two beams of dark light streaked toward them at breakneck speed, and in the blink of an eye, two figures arrived and swooped downward.
These were two insectfolk bearing broad, blade-like black wings. Approaching humanoid forms, they gleamed from head to toe with a metallic sheen.
When their iron wings beat, they produced a deafening clangor that struck sparks of lightning. They clearly hailed from a formidable race.
Shi Shiyong, Fubao, and the others changed countenance at the sight. Though the newcomers were only two, who had not heard of the renown of the insectfolk?
Ao Sheng murmured, "Thank goodness. It isn't the old insects from sixty-three years ago."
He Xilan cautioned, "Do not underestimate them. These two are also exceptionally troublesome."
The insectfolk possessed towering builds that looked cast from metal, yet they spoke in a mild tone: "Greetings, fellow grandmasters. Harmony brings prosperity. Since we can walk the same path today, it is fate. There is no need for us to fight; working together to explore the greatest fortune is the true way."
Shi Shiyong smiled and nodded. "Well said, Dao Brother. The overarching environment of the world today is exceedingly unfriendly to us. We ought to help one another in the same boat and join forces to reap good fortune."
In the distance, Qin Ming did not bother memorizing the two insectfolk's long strings of names. For his own convenience, he simply dubbed them Dachong and Erchong—Big Bug and Second Bug.
In the wheat field, the grain stalks swayed like undulating waves of glowing black. The tiny figures atop them had ceased dancing over the past two days, having grown decrepit with age.
It was as though they had entered their twilight years, their lives rapidly approaching the end.
Strangely enough, their lifespans did not adhere to realm boundaries. Their life expectancies appeared almost identical, all poised to conclude these brief and bizarre lives at the same time.
Most terrifying of all, among the tiny figures deep in the wheat field, one grandmaster had ultimately broken through to the Great Grandmaster realm. He had once lifted his eyelids and peered outward, his gaze like two crashing bolts of thunder that shook the void, as though warping it with immense force.
Yet he showed no desire to act. Instead, he sat waiting for the end of a cycle, quietly anticipating the final countdown of his life.
The three-inch-tall Great Grandmaster sighed, "Can life begin anew, returning to the day before the mountains and rivers faded, before the red sun vanished? What lingering regret!"
In the end, his breath thinned to a wisp. His hair and beard lost their luster, and the vitality and spirit of his entire being dwindled. His blood qi dried up with terrifying speed, heading toward total demise.
The other tiny figures were the same, crossing their legs in lotus positions atop the ears of wheat as their auras gradually ceased.
Morning mushrooms know not the turn of month and dawn; summer cicadas know not the passage of spring and autumn. How many days had these tiny figures even lived since emerging? Yet they had died so quickly, reaching the end of their lives' journeys.
Concealed in the dark, Qin Ming struggled to fathom it, finding them pitiful. But he soon shook his head. He had fled far into a foreign realm to cultivate bitterly merely to survive; what right did he have to call others' lives bitter?
Besides, mayflies are born at dawn and perish at dusk, yet they enjoy their lives to the fullest. Brief though their existences were, that did not make them incomplete.
When the tiny figures had all perished, having reached natural deaths, they dissolved into black mist and conjured a marvelous spectacle. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning manifested as the black qi coalesced, flowing down along the wheat stalks and into the subterranean earth.
Vaguely, the black qi transformed into a bridge, connecting to a realm where phantoms of the sun and moon alternated.
"Now is the time."
Every grandmaster present sprang into motion, reaping the black wheat while keeping a close watch on that black bridge.
Qin Ming struck at once as well, brandishing sword baleful aura as a sickle to swiftly snatch the divine grain.
He harmonized with light and dust, making his cultivation unfathomable. Venturing here alone naturally led others to assume he was a grandmaster-level figure.
Instantly, the other grandmasters looked his way.
Qin Ming was not the only sudden entrant. Three other grandmasters charged into the wheat field from different directions, seemingly all rogue cultivators.
In a flash, the ears of wheat across the black earth were cleared away. Grandmasters harvested grain in the blink of an eye.
Then, with a chorus of whooshes, they rushed toward that mysterious bridge.
The instant they drew near, their bodies shrank until they were only three inches tall, while the wheat stalks loomed around them like towering, ancient trees.
Shouldering his white bone club, Qin Ming plunged underground alongside the grandmasters along the steep bridge, rushing toward the mysterious unknown.
After descending what felt like tens or even hundreds of li through the earth, the bridge began to level out. Tumbling black clouds billowed beneath them, carrying everyone forward.
Qin Ming reached out and touched it. Though formed from black qi, the bridge felt quite solid. It was cold to the touch and remarkably durable; if a grandmaster unleashed full force here, punching through it would prove difficult.
Faint carvings of numerous ancient symbols and depictions of ancient peoples were visible upon the bridge, all illustrating scenes of sacrifice.
One of the rogue grandmasters spoke: "Everyone, we are all fellow travelers here. There is no need for internal strife. The fortune in this place is immense, more than enough for all of us to seek together. I hope we can coexist in peace."
"That would be best!" Dachong agreed with a nod, and the others raised no objections either.
The far end of the bridge was no longer dark. A faint glow gradually drifted in, and soon everyone's vision opened up completely.
The band of grandmasters stood in a daze. Not a single person uttered a sound as they stared at the fiery-red world stretching ahead.
What had they found deep in the pitch-black underground? They actually saw scattered islands and a fiery-red sea. It was like a dream.
They had heard rumors that the subterranean realms yielding divine grain were bizarre, but across different eras and locations, what travelers witnessed varied greatly.
"There is... a sea down here?" He Xilan muttered, stunned.
"Fellow Daoists, our bodies seem to have shrunk upon stepping onto the bridge. Perhaps the glowing red sea ahead isn't as vast as we imagine."
"I believe this is underground magma," Ao Sheng suggested.
As they approached, a wave of scorching heat washed over them.
With a loud splash, an armored fish that appeared tens of zhang long leapt from the crimson waters, throwing up massive plumes of spray.
After a brief daze, Fubao remarked, "There shouldn't be fish living in magma, should there?"
The glowing red sea before them stretched boundlessly beyond sight, rolling with magnificent waves. Beyond giant fish, golden prawns with dragon heads could be seen surfacing periodically.
There were even unidentified sea beasts revealing massive dorsal ridges, exuding a perilous aura.
As Dachong walked, his black-gold wings clanked softly together like scraping sheets of metal, creating an oppressive aura. He asked, "Could it be that this is actually an underground fire spring?"
Every person present was a grandmaster, possessing extraordinary speed. Shrinking the earth to inches, they arrived at the shore, only to find the temperature searingly high, with none of the components of a fire spring.
Someone tested the waters and pulled back with a grim expression—even a rare treasure had been melted away, meaning this "seawater" could likely injure them as well.
"What is it that you seek?"
Golden characters abruptly manifested in the air above the red sea at the end of the bridge. It was sudden, yet none of the grandmasters aside from Qin Ming appeared surprised.
Legend had it that first-time arrivals were always asked about their desires.
However, the sea faced by the forebears was surely not like this one.
The script was intricate and did not belong to any writing system known to the grandmasters. Yet as an imprint was activated, they were able to sense its meaning.
"Longevity!" Shi Shiyong rasped, his voice trembling with excitement. His light-golden beard shook, and beams of golden divine light shot from his eyes.
Fubao flapped his silver wings and promptly chimed in, "Yes! We spend our entire lives cultivating—isn't immortality our greatest yearning?"
Evidently, they had discussed this beforehand; the four-person faction shared a unified desire.
"Agreed!" Dachong and Erchong also nodded. They considered this a lofty goal and had no objection to endorsing it.
Above the sea, the golden characters manifested clearly with a distinct weight: "The consenting count exceeds half. This is the quest of your company. It cannot be altered; you may only advance along this path."
Qin Ming and the three rogue cultivators exchanged glances. They had been spoken for before they could even voice their own thoughts.
A golden glow descended and enveloped them as though conducting an inspection. After a brief pause, text manifested anew in the void over the sea: "To attain longevity, one must cross the sea and reach the other shore."
A wave of excitement swept through the group. Could longevity truly be obtained?
Soon, however, they sobered. This sea was boundless, and its temperature was terrifying enough to harm grandmasters. How were they supposed to cross it to reach the distant shore?
The golden characters shifted, crisp and clear: "Alas, your cultivation falls short; reaching the other shore is beyond your reach. From a practical standpoint, you may currently claim at most half a lifetime of years."
An extension of half a lifetime. This was a tremendous opportunity, something even peerless powerhouses in the outside world begged for in vain. Yet compared to longevity, it seemed rather small, feeling like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.
Far off amid the waves, a massive dark silhouette appeared, speeding toward them from the distance. It was a great vessel.
He Xilan said, "To be precise, it is a turtle shell!"
It was fifty zhang long, plowing through the wind and waves while carrying waves of scorching air. In the blink of an eye, it reached the shore.
This so-called shore had no sand, only dead, blackened soil. The black turtle-shell vessel came alongside in an instant.
Qin Ming frowned and glanced back. The black bridge had already vanished.
"There is another exit," a rogue grandmaster kindly informed him.
Having no alternative, the group boarded the turtle vessel, which automatically set sail into the sea.
The golden characters reappeared, spelling out a line: "In life, eight or nine times out of ten, things go against one's wishes. Out of your eleven, no more than three shall achieve their desire."
What did that mean? The pupils of Dachong, Fubao, and the others contracted. Most of them would leave empty-handed? Moreover, where had an eleventh person come from?
Only ten grandmasters had boarded the vessel.
"Did someone bring a senior along?" Erchong asked in a chilling tone.
Instantly, everyone drew apart and assumed defensive stances.
Under the current conditions of the world, older seniors who acted would end up crippled if not dead. Yet their deterrent power remained terrifying; if pushed to that extreme, the danger would be catastrophic.
In truth, even grandmasters like themselves would inevitably cough up blood and suffer grave wounds if forced into a clash.
The group harbored mutual suspicions, and only Dachong and Erchong dared stand back-to-back.
One of the rogue cultivators could not resist asking, "I heard that most requests made by forebears were granted. Why must eight or nine out of ten of us face disappointment?"
The golden characters reformed: "They were pragmatic, and their desires were not so grand—such as completing a true scripture, seeking guidance on an elusive technique, or inquiring how to break through a bottleneck."
A sense of foreboding seized the group. Shi Shiyong said, "We renounce our request for longevity. Can we change it to something else now?"
The golden characters gleamed: "Too late. You have already embarked upon the road of longevity. Even I know not its ultimate end. You shall have only one chance to depart: upon reaching the junction for extending half a lifetime, you may leave."
From the sound of it, even this entity had never witnessed true longevity.
The sea was crimson and sparkling with ripples. From time to time, colossal beasts churned up waves, revealing dorsal fins sharp as blades, looking utterly terrifying.
The group wore grim expressions. Even they, as grandmasters, dared not carelessly touch seawater of such dreadful temperatures. At what level were the beasts that could make their home here?
This was truly an exceptionally hazardous expanse of water!
Fortunately, the black turtle-shell vessel glowed, generating a light barrier that warded off the occasional surge of red waves, ensuring they crossed the sea in safety.
The vessel moved faster and faster. Qin Ming felt as though they had sailed for ten thousand li already. Along the way, he caught sight of bare reefs and occasional massive islands where strange beasts lay sprawled, yet none bore vegetation; all were devoid of life.
"Why is it slowing down?"
After journeying roughly several tens of thousands of li, the vessel gradually came to a halt.
Nearby, the red sea stretched endlessly. A colossal shark as massive as a mountain ridge, adorned with horns and covered in five-colored scales, surfaced in the distance, radiating an overwhelmingly oppressive presence.
"The road ahead is fraught with perils. The load must be lightened to proceed; the decaying vessel cannot bear eleven souls." The golden text was brief, but its message was lethal.
Instantly, everyone's hairs stood on end.
Dachong could not hold back and asked, "Most forebears returned safely, with only a few meeting misfortune. Why must we endure this?"
The golden characters manifested: "Their desires were mostly to complete true scriptures or seek advice on breakthrough methods, while offering contributions of their own scriptures in return. You came seeking longevity; naturally, the eight or nine out of ten who face disappointment must surrender life instead."
In a flash, everyone's expressions froze, their heads spinning with dread.
They realized they had stepped into a deep pitfall, one from which pulling themselves free would prove exceptionally difficult.
Qin Ming was dumbfounded as well. Earlier, seeing these natives set off with such confidence, he had assumed the risks were manageable and that he could fish in troubled waters alongside them. Who would have thought he had boarded a pirate ship?
He looked back; the waters behind offered no retreat. These grandmasters were utterly unreliable!
Shi Shiyong spoke: "Fellow Daoists, helpless and bitter though we feel, we seem to have no choice. Let us respectfully send one Daoist on his way. So that more may survive, we must select one person now; we can only apologize to him in advance."
Everyone's muscles grew taut.
Qin Ming took the initiative to draw closer to the three rogue cultivators; banding together for warmth was the most suitable move at present.
Clearly, the original four-person faction held the advantage.
Ao Sheng tossed his red hair and bared his snow-white fangs. "Let it be him. What do the two Daoists of the insect race think?"
He raised a hand and pointed at Qin Ming, who was stepping back.
Beside Ao Sheng, Shi Shiyong, Fubao, and He Xilan all nodded. Standing together, the four acted in complete unison.
Qin Ming's eyes instantly turned fierce. Before the two insects could reply, he roared, "Everyone, kill this four-man faction first! Otherwise, if they remain dominant, they will threaten all of us. Fellow rogue cultivators, strike together!"
As he spoke, heavenly light erupted across his entire body like a blazing sun as he charged forward.
Behind him, the three rogue cultivators did not move. To the other side, Dachong and Erchong remained steady as boulders, showing no intention of acting either.
Qin Ming charged toward the four grandmasters alone. He had no backup, and he might even face backstabbing strikes from behind.
At this moment, his body tightened completely, holding nothing in reserve. His blood qi and spirit surged to their utmost peak; he had to resolve the matter in the shortest time possible, for every instant of delay would drastically amplify his peril.
The moment he displayed the slightest hint of weakness, everyone would treat him as prey, turning him into the sacrifice.
Qin Ming locked onto the four of them, and the target he wanted dead most was naturally the red-haired mastiff who had singled him out. Anyone who dared target him first had to be the first to die.
With a tremendous crash, his Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe was unleashed! Dazzling divine glow erupted, and the resplendent axe light was so brilliant that even the red expanse of ocean seemed to pale beside it.
The giant axe vaulted from his inner landscape, wrapped in dense, overlapping runes, hurtling toward Ao Sheng with murderous force.
The four-man group was shaken to the core. How could this seemingly soft rogue cultivator suddenly unleash such power? The threat was terrifyingly lethal; they threw themselves into defense and struck out together.
At the same time, Qin Ming slashed with his nine-colored sword baleful aura. Sword radiance ripped through the high sky as pure yang sword radiance flooded every inch of space, rolling baleful aura blanketing the area ahead.
He used the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe to hew Ao Sheng while unleashing the nine-colored sword baleful aura in an indiscriminate assault to hold the other three at bay.
Sure enough, faced with such a frenzied offensive, even four grandmasters found themselves overwhelmed, each forced to concentrate on combating the lethal light bearing down directly on them.
Bang!
The red-haired burly man, Ao Sheng, had his battle qi battered until it dimmed under the axe light. That had been his strongest defense, yet it failed to hold, and even his divine path power ruptured beneath the giant axe.
He growled low, bloody hair fluttering, eyes bulging, blood oozing from his fangs. Every line of muscle across his frame went taut as his blood qi churned violently.
Qin Ming was startled; this Ao Sheng was formidable indeed to withstand his killing strike head-on.
Yet that was merely a fleeting surge of desperate courage. Ao Sheng had only halted it for a moment. Swathed in runes, the giant axe bore down with the crushing weight of a falling mountain, causing Ao Sheng's body to rupture with blood as fissures opened across his skin.
He could hold out no longer.
Qin Ming furiously drove his nine-colored sword baleful aura to pin down the other three while his physical body sprang into motion, white bone club in hand, charging straight at Ao Sheng.
"You dared plot against me? I'll shatter your dog head!"
Qin Ming swung the massive club, releasing Hunyuan heavenly light. With a loud crash, he smashed the rare treasure Ao Sheng had hurriedly deployed into pieces. Then his second strike descended, pulverizing the arm the man had raised to block.
With a sickening thud, Qin Ming smashed Ao Sheng's head to pieces with the bone club.
His eyes bloodshot, Qin Ming prepared to wage a bloody battle against the remaining three.
Just then, the golden characters illuminated the void: "Load lightened successfully!"
Dachong shouted, "Fellow Daoist, that is enough! The journey ahead is long, and who knows if more lives must pave the path. Conserve your strength."
He and Erchong urged him to cease together.
Qin Ming's main concern had been the possibility of them joining forces against him. Hearing this, he decisively backed away, unwilling to be caught between the two factions.
In passing, however, he deftly stripped Ao Sheng's storage bracelet, which contained divine grain that he could not afford to leave behind.
Though Ao Sheng's head was gone and his consciousness shattered, it could still have coalesced anew. However, the gigantic, five-colored shark in the sea opened its maw and inhaled, drawing in both his mangled flesh and spirit before swallowing them whole.
Shi Shiyong, Fubao, and He Xilan looked utterly grim. In that fleeting instant, this erect ape demon had actually slain one of their allies. Such ferocious madness was infuriating and worthy of death!
No one had anticipated that the very person who singled out another would be the first to be sent on his way.
Qin Ming exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling immensely invigorated. When someone dared point a finger to murder him to his face, sending that person straight to the grave was the only answer. Truly, stepping back left one's chest stifled with resentment, whereas taking a passionate step forward opened up vast seas and skies.
"How should we address you, Fellow Daoist?" Erchong asked.
Shouldering the bloodstained white bone club, Qin Ming answered in a deep voice, "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"
A name carrying the words "Great Sage"? Shi Shiyong, Fubao, and He Xilan found this erect ape demon wildly arrogant, their chests smoldering with stifled rage.
"That is..." One of the rogue cultivators gasped in shock, unable to believe his own eyes. He pointed toward the sea, his entire hand trembling.
Everyone looked ahead. The turtle-shell vessel was surging forward at high speed, and at the end of the sea, a great sun broke the surface of the water, rising steadily.
"The vanished sun is here?" For a moment, everyone felt their heads buzz and their ears roar. They stared ahead in disbelief, struck dumb.
As they drew closer, that great sun filled their entire field of vision, dominating the whole vault of heaven. Compared to it, they were as insignificant as specks of dust.
The colossal sun bathed the realm in golden mist, turning this place into a world of pure day, without a trace of night mist, let alone darkness.
At this moment, the blazing sun hung above, singular and supreme, occupying all of heaven and earth. A droplet of golden liquid descended from the boundless heights, tracing a golden arc as it brought forth an intoxicating, rich fragrance.
"A drop of life-extending divine medicine?"
"Where are we? We actually saw the sun!"
This magnificent spectacle drew their gazes far more than any rare treasure medicine ever could.
"On that day, the sun set and never rose again. So this was where it had hidden!" a grandmaster murmured in a daze.
Chapter 514