In the night sky, one hundred and eight small black swords severed the veil of rain and pierced the clouds. Connecting thunder and fire, they grew increasingly translucent and crystalline, tearing through the pitch-black firmament with brilliant radiance.
Clad in green robes with his black hair fluttering, Qin Ming was borne up to the highest heavens by this set of small swords. Each trailed a long tail of gleaming light, thunder talismans flowing across their blades in an exceptionally dazzling display.
Seen from afar above the Sea of Night Mist, Qin Ming's wide sleeves billowed, ethereal and otherworldly. Beneath his feet, each ray of thunderfire sword light resembled a river of stars; over a hundred of them intertwined like a brilliant galaxy, making him look like a banished immortal strolling far removed from the mortal dust.
Standing aloft above the nine heavens, he trod the stormy skies beneath his feet, traversing the fierce astral winds over the Sea of Night Mist as he journeyed into the distance.
Amidst the rain of light, Qin Ming felt light and airy as though feathering into immortality. He felt this was truly the world of cultivation he had yearned for in his youth—soaring freely between heaven and earth, crossing a thousand li in the blink of an eye.
Regrettably, after soaring for only a short while, the hundred-plus small swords, translucent as black jade, could no longer support him for the long journey, and his body began to descend.
Qin Ming observed the sensation carefully. This suppression stemmed partly from the forces in the high heavens and partly from the pull of the ground below, particularly over regions dense with super fire springs, where the drag was immense.
He could not help but ponder deeply. In that distant antiquity, cultivators in the second realm could take to the skies with their physical bodies alone. Nowadays, even grandmasters could only sigh bitterly, and only Earth Immortals could completely sever that invisible force.
"The night mist shrouding this boundless world, along with the fire springs nourishing all things... the waters here run extraordinarily deep."
After touching down, Qin Ming rested briefly, then once more surged through the rain into the sky, traversing the undulating Sea of Night Mist.
He was roughly five thousand li away from the ancient mist portal. Traveling at such high speed, this supposedly vast journey was nothing at all.
Along the way, Qin Ming gazed down upon the vast, boundless earth, where brightly lit colossal cities dotted the landscape, and certain regions surged with clusters of super fire springs, strikingly visible.
In other territories, mountains and rivers were magnificent, coiled in dense purple qi like coiling true dragons; their expansive blessed lands shimmered with spiritual radiance, likely the ancestral gates of top-tier great sects.
Looking down upon the earth under the night, Qin Ming felt a stir in his heart.
"What is cultivation really for?"
Over the past several years, he had cultivated bitterly without pause. In the final analysis, it had all been for survival. Even today, various crises still loomed, compelling him to continually elevate himself.
For his rivals and enemies, the sects involved, and the old monsters backing them were all unfathomably deep.
As for the collisions between supreme civilizations, the distant Qilin Toes, the luminous gigantic footprints, and the secrets deep within the night mist world, those were still far from him.
Bustling every day, he felt as though he had missed out on something.
"Thinking on it carefully, this kind of cultivation is rather dull. Splendid mountains and rivers stretch out right before me, yet I merely soar past without ever truly appreciating them."
Qin Ming felt that a life spent constantly rushing about for cultivation and crises had diverged from the dreams of his youth. Back then, what he had yearned for was to gaze upon boundless seas of clouds, walk across magnificent mountains and rivers, and experience the varied customs and landscapes of foreign realms.
These had never been truly far from him, yet he had never properly taken them in.
Moreover, when Xiao Wu, Xiang Yiwu, Li Qingyue, Jiang Ran, and the others departed for distant places, he had not even been able to see them off.
With a whoosh, Qin Ming descended to the earth. Bathed in the night, he looked toward a brilliant city nestled deep in the land, seized by an urge to explore and have a look around.
"Life isn't only about bitter cultivation. Pausing in moderation to take in the people and scenery along the way might even bring about deeper epiphanies."
As Qin Ming drew closer to becoming a grandmaster, his mind was clear and luminous, and the power of his consciousness had grown increasingly formidable.
He sensed that he might gain analogies and sudden insights from the bustle of mortal life and the charm of mountains and rivers.
"Still, I must not be careless." He had not lost his vigilance. He did not belong to this world; strictly speaking, in the eyes of the natives, he might well be considered an extraterritorial celestial demon.
A few days later, Qin Ming frowned. After some brief travels, he confirmed that this world was of no low rank; it even harbored legends of Heavenly Gods, though they had vanished over five hundred years ago.
"Over five hundred years ago seems to have been a turning point. Everywhere in this world shares similar traits—supreme beings either decayed or began fading into obscurity."
Over the past two days, Qin Ming also heard news of Old Goat. The fellow had fled completely, provoking old monsters of the seventh realm to pursue him all the way to foreign domains, stirring up colossal turmoil in the distance.
"The deities have departed into the distance rather than lingering around here. That's a good thing." Qin Ming felt he could venture a bit deeper into this land now.
In truth, under normal circumstances, those old monsters wouldn't come out acting madly either. In the current overall environment, having the cultivation of a grandmaster was sufficient for self-preservation.
Furthermore, "grandmaster" now almost specifically referred to beings in the early stage of the fifth realm.
If a great grandmaster at the pinnacle of the fifth realm went all out in battle, they would likely die a miserable death afterward; and if fifth-realm mid-stage figures fought in fierce, bloody clashes, the consequences would also be grave.
Unless some great fortune appeared, those old-timers would remain dormant and keep an exceptionally low profile.
"Hm? In that chaotic territory where the divine grain appeared, a great grandmaster died two days ago?" Qin Ming was surprised.
After being extorted, several grandmasters grew angrier the more they thought about it. Some borrowed lethal weapons, some set up formations, and others brought teleportation talismans; joining forces, they blew up a great grandmaster.
Qin Ming relaxed even further. Once such rumors spread, it ought to clear the minds of those dying great grandmasters considerably.
He had already ventured deep inland and traveled for six days. Regrettably, all the so-called lands of fortune already had owners.
He had seen the "Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun Chart." The terrain of those mountains and rivers was exceedingly unique, rich with Dao charm. Unfortunately, four thousand years ago, it had become the ancestral court of a sect.
Even at that lineage's weakest point, experts of the sixth realm had presided over it.
Later, in another territory eight thousand li away, he saw an exceptionally resplendent landscape of mountains and rivers. Every inch of soil shone, looking like the kingdom of a true god.
Not a single stray weed grew in the mountains; spiritual plants blanketed the ground. This was primarily because four clusters of super fire springs resided there, glowing brilliantly in four distinct colors: gold, silver, purple, and azure.
Qin Ming gazed from afar, somewhat entranced. Under normal conditions, fire springs should be red; occasionally encountering a bizarre spring was already astonishing, yet several varieties coexisted here.
At the very center where the four super fire springs converged, it was said that a seventh-realm being was in permanent seclusion.
"What a wonderful place," Qin Ming praised.
In territories of mature civilizations, unowned pure lands simply did not exist. Every divine medicine, spiritual mountain nest, and sacred river had long since been divided up.
The night mist world was vast, with immense no-man's-lands, but all of them were exceedingly perilous; otherwise, major powers would have claimed them long ago.
Certain nomadic hunting races loved nothing more than marching into ancient civilizations. That was not pioneering, but outright plunder, which ultimately triggered bloody clashes.
Qin Ming could not help thinking of his own world. Recently, all sorts of abnormal disturbances had appeared in the skies. Could an external crisis be looming, heralding an impending great war?
"Have you heard? This season's Kaiyuan Grand Gathering has some 'big items,' each thoroughly extraordinary and worth a fortune."
While traveling, Qin Ming unexpectedly overheard this news in a teahouse of a small city.
The so-called Kaiyuan Grand Gathering referred to a high-profile auction held in the colossal Kaiyuan City. Rare resources of all kinds could appear, from wondrous herbs and secret treasures to authentic scriptures.
Even high-ranking exotic beasts and powerful captives from other civilizations could be put up for auction.
Qin Ming grew intrigued and listened intently.
"Word on the street is that there will be 'qilin blood' up for bidding this time—a single drop shed during a divine magnetic storm. It has a purple-gold luster, glowing like a tiny purple sun. Even if it isn't the finale piece, it won't be far off."
"You're underestimating this auction. I've heard that the dream bug, an extraordinary insect ranked fifth under heaven, might make an appearance at this Kaiyuan Grand Gathering."
"Dream bug? Never heard of it. For it to rank so high, what's so special about it?"
"Ignorant, aren't you? That kind of wondrous insect is incredible."
In fact, Qin Ming was also among the ignorant; he truly had never heard of the dream bug.
"It's an auction item sent by the people of the Godkin Society..."
Qin Ming was surprised. No matter where he went, he heard this organization's name. It truly was an unfathomable behemoth spanning numerous domains.
The dream bug was indeed extraordinary. It could link into others' dreams, glean all of their life experiences, and unearth their deepest, innermost secrets.
When invaded by it, the target was likely to remain entirely oblivious.
"If someone could raise a dream bug and fully tame it, the uses would be endless."
This bizarre insect was terrifying; it could kill people within their dreams, feeding upon the target's consciousness.
Among the listeners, someone couldn't help asking, "Put that way, it is indeed extraordinary, but based solely on that, it still wouldn't warrant being ranked fifth among all wondrous insects under heaven, right?"
"Well, the dream bug is unique. Unlike other strange insects that triumph through sheer numbers, its species is extremely difficult to reproduce. Their numbers are minuscule, bordering on extinction, but a single one is horrifying. Crucially, it has another wondrous function: it can borrow others' dreams to comprehend the Dao."
According to legend, if the master of a dream bug set their sights on an exceptionally gifted target, they could use the insect to entangle them, borrowing their talent and aptitude to cultivate and comprehend the Dao in dreams on their behalf.
"That preposterous? That's utterly perverted!"
...
Qin Ming departed. He felt it necessary to attend this Kaiyuan Grand Gathering to broaden his knowledge, and perhaps even participate in the bidding himself.
Wrapped around his wrists were several storage bracelets containing numerous precious healing medicines and the like, all of which were hard currency.
Furthermore, if he could blaze this path, he could consider leveraging major auctions across various foreign domains in the future to acquire rare resources and break through bottlenecks.
"It's worth trying."
Qin Ming knew that mingling into a grand gathering of this world carried a degree of risk. However, how could one aggressively forge ahead along a path of gentle breezes and mild drizzle?
All he needed was to control the risks properly and secure his retreat.
That very day, Qin Ming traversed the ancient mist portal, returned to Night Province, and delivered his physical body back.
Immediately afterward, without stopping to rest, he wrapped himself in the old cloth and embarked on spirit wandering into that foreign world once more.
Without a physical body, he could flee faster. Furthermore, as the temporary owner of the exotic metal cloth, outsiders could not see the old cloth, and in critical moments, he could use it to conceal his presence.
To enter the auction, he needed a temporary physical body. In a world of cultivation, that was easy to find.
Naturally, Qin Ming had no intention of slaughtering the innocent. He originally planned to seek out an infamous villain along the way, eliminate them, and possess their body.
As it turned out, he didn't even need to dirty his own hands. On the road, he witnessed several vendettas and deadly feuds, eventually picking a tigerfolk whose body was still warm.
The original host's cultivation had been in the late fourth realm. After their spirit exited the body, they perished together with their opponent. The physical form was quite sound and met Qin Ming's requirements.
A moment later, in the woods, Qin Ming revived in the body of a middle-aged tigerfolk man. Opening his eyes, he administered brief healing; bones crackled and popped in an instant, and the body recovered in the blink of an eye.
Next, he began altering the body. His face shifted, changing from its original ferocious look into a handsome countenance that suited broader aesthetic tastes. His eyes turned pale gold, interwoven with thunder talismans.
This closely resembled the legendary Gold-Veined Divine Eyes of the tigerfolk, a trait found in less than one in a million; anyone endowed with such a gift would at least become a pinnacle grandmaster in the future.
At the same time, Qin Ming exuded a Dao charm no weaker than a grandmaster's.
If one attended such a grand gathering with too low a level of strength, all manner of subsequent complications and troubles might arise.
Qin Ming stretched his limbs. Precious radiance flowed across his tall, sturdy frame. Aside from the pale gold divine eyes, he had a tiger tail that resembled a steel whip and a pair of furry ears, while the rest of his form differed little from a human.
That day, Qin Ming whipped up fierce wind when dashing, while walking slowly with a slight catwalk. Though a bit awkward, this was characteristic of the tigerfolk.
The handsome and dashing "Hu Dingming" entered Kaiyuan City with gentle, light catwalk strides.
The city was enormous. Bordering a grand canal, it was exceptionally prosperous, nourished by super fire springs that made the entire territory exceedingly wealthy.
Heavy traffic flowed along the broad streets of the city, many of the denizens being non-human races. In midair, silver butterflies fluttered about, pulling a palm-sized miniature carriage. Inside sat a fiery red bird with its wings pressed together in prayer and legs crossed in meditation, a halo behind its head, solemnly dignified.
"A grandmaster!" Qin Ming recognized at a glance that the little red bird was in the fifth realm, possibly approaching the mid-stage.
The ground quivered slightly as a giant draped in golden fur entered the city. Standing fully fifteen meters tall, this was a mutated erect ape demon, likewise at the grandmaster realm.
Qin Ming was sobered. He hadn't been in the city long, yet he had already encountered grandmasters in succession on the main streets.
Fortunately, things were not quite so absurd afterward. Though he saw creatures of various races, grandmasters were no longer everywhere he looked.
Most inhabitants of Kaiyuan City were humanoid beings; genuine pureblood humans were rare.
Qin Ming had arrived early, with four days still remaining until the day of the auction. He familiarized himself with the surroundings in advance, then went to have his assets verified, obtaining a special jade talisman granting admission.
Over the following days, Qin Ming toured the colossal city and learned about some of the auction items that had been announced ahead of time.
"What a pity. That extraordinarily rare dream bug is actually dying, sealed within spiritual ice essence. Whether it can be revived is completely unknown."
"That's only normal. Otherwise, would an insect ranked fifth under heaven need to be brought to an auction? Big shots would have traded for it in secret long ago; it would never have appeared here."
At this point, Qin Ming had no need to deliberately pry. People in restaurants and teahouses everywhere were discussing news related to the auction.
"With the auction being of such high caliber this time, are there any authentic scriptures?"
"Of course, and a very famous one at that: the *Immortal Slaying Classic*. However, it's only the first of its three volumes. If paired with that drop of 'qilin blood' for cultivation, it will surely be wondrous beyond words."
Qin Ming mused that the Kaiyuan Grand Gathering truly offered plenty of good items, but one needed sufficiently deep pockets to back it up, or else one could only watch with longing eyes.
Later, he heard that two pieces of exotic metal would be auctioned off.
Naturally, Qin Ming was extremely eager. In recent days, he had pondered seriously and realized that trying to forge a heavy exotic metal saber was rather unrealistic—it consumed far too much material.
In fact, even Li Qingyue's Eight Trigrams Furnace was only palm-high.
And the true form of the Yellow Silk Canopy was merely a few inches tall.
Such top-tier items prioritized the inscriptions within, the formations engraved into their deepest layers, and the like.
Qin Ming considered that his current finger-length, pendant-like white exotic metal small sword was perfectly normal rather than excessively miniature. If engraved with runes capable of expanding and shrinking at will, all issues would be solved.
Clearly, it was still a rough blank right now, not yet demonstrating its true value.
If carved with sword-dao patterns and paired with the nine-colored sword baleful aura, it was destined to be terrifying.
Following this line of thought, Qin Ming felt he could gather exotic metal to forge a small axe to complement the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe.
By the same token, he could also cast a small exotic metal hammer containing thunder talismans to use in conjunction with the scripture *Taichu Ten Thousand Thunders Talisman Scripture*.
"The scripture *Beginning of the Primal Unity* should be paired with a small exotic metal lamp, while the *Black-White Classic* would require..."
If possible, every scripture or supreme art in his repertoire could have a corresponding weapon forged, striving for a "fulfillment of nine."
"At the same time, every exotic metal weapon must be suited to channel and unleash Chaos force."
In that case, when deployed as a set and all nine exotic metal weapons were unleashed simultaneously, the scene was bound to be truly terrifying.
"Latest news! A young dragon will actually appear at this Kaiyuan Grand Gathering. This far exceeds our wildest expectations."
"It's most likely a mixed-blood dragon. Otherwise, wouldn't that defy heaven?"
People heatedly discussed it; the commotion surrounding this gathering was genuinely immense.
Afterward, news flew in all directions. For example, a young powerhouse hailed as the foremost prodigy of this realm had appeared, intending to bid for that young dragon.
Soon, this sparked arguments, because some disagreed with the ranking of the foremost prodigy, with quite a few believing it should be a saintess surnamed Ji instead.
"From the Godkin Society, a godchild has also personally arrived in Kaiyuan City, bearing a terrifying background. By the way, the dream bug was sent by them—they're seeking to obtain a longevity-extending medicine."
Rumor had it that the supreme president of the Godkin Society had decayed and was on the verge of passing away. Currently, in many corners of the night mist world, numerous branch societies were searching for wondrous medicines to extend his life.
Qin Ming strolled through the city and saw many races he had never heard of before, such as treants whose lush branches overhead bore plump, golden fruits exuding a mouthwatering fragrance.
Upon smelling it, Qin Ming's mouth actually watered, and he nearly asked if the fruit was for sale.
As for some children, they were nearly driven to tears by the craving.
"Hold back! That's a harmful, peculiar fragrance belonging to a special domain. Eat one of his fruits, and his life imprint will be branded onto you; you'll be enslaved by him for at least a century."
...
Before he knew it, Qin Ming had witnessed humanoid beings from dozens, even hundreds of races, truly taking in the varied foreign atmosphere.
"Young master, this way please! Come upstairs!"
Qin Ming looked up to find an imposing jade tower wreathed in flowing white celestial mist. A slender woman was calling out to him, inviting him up into the pavilion.
Only then did Qin Ming realize he had wandered into a bustling avenue dedicated to listening to celestial music and admiring graceful dances. The area teemed with people, and the melodious sounds of pipes and strings drifted from buildings on both sides.
Qin Ming swore that while he wanted to experience the various customs and landscapes of an alien realm, he genuinely had not planned on coming here.
The mist-wreathed pavilion before him seemed quite peculiar. Its entrance was deserted, not at all lively or bustling with booming business like the other establishments.
The shapely woman on the balcony explained, "We have a grandmaster plucking the seven-string zither here. Unless someone shares a special affinity, we won't invite them at all, and they have no right to enter our tower."
Qin Ming was taken aback. In this world, competition was cutthroat in every walk of life—was even a female grandmaster forced to ply a trade for a living? How truly pitiful. With a flick of his fingers, he tossed up ten pieces of day gold and let out a sigh: "Alas!"
Immediately after, he turned and walked away.
Up on the grand tower, the woman stood flabbergasted in the wind, feeling thoroughly humiliated. She opened her mouth to voice intense indignation.
However, inside the pavilion behind her, a veiled woman plucked a zither string with a pale hand; a crisp *ting* halted her impulse.
"That man... actually treated you like a courtesan and bestowed day gold like that! What an outrage!"
...
The Kaiyuan Grand Gathering commenced as scheduled.
Qin Ming discovered that even setting aside the VIP private rooms, the ordinary seating outside was already packed with a sea of heads and milling figures; the attendees were simply too numerous.
"We wish to know whether that dream bug is truly on the verge of death and sealed in ice essence as rumored. Even if such an extraordinary insect ranks so high, what good is it in that state?"
Right away, a grandmaster stepped forth to explain that this wondrous insect was not the finale lot, and it was by no means impossible to save.
Using a memory crystal, he displayed the state of the dream bug, explaining that it had been wounded by a special method. Remarkable talents abounded under heaven, so there ought to be a way to resolve it.
Qin Ming remained impassive on the surface, but a massive wave surged in the depths of his heart. He saw the "golden needle threading" technique from his family's ancestral silk book!
Whether in Night Province or in Pugong, where the living sage resided, theoretically no second person had mastered Hunyuan force bearing this particular quality.
The sage's Chaos force primarily featured the quality of devouring.
At present, only Qin Ming had grasped that longevity quality resembling the Golden Thread Jade Clothes cloaking the body. Yet here, he was seeing a similar method.
Chapter 519