Qin Ming came to a sudden halt. Whose whisper was that? Was it directed at everyone, or meant for his ears alone?
The voice had come without warning, heavy with boundless exhaustion and carrying an indescribable sense of antiquity, as if it had endured the baptism of countless ages and was barely clinging to life in this mortal world.
A colossal abyss stretched across the way ahead, boundless and pitch-black. Just looking at it sent chills through the heart; it seemed capable of swallowing gods and all things alike, vast and unfathomably deep.
Qin Ming quietly observed the people around him, watching to see whether they had heard that mysterious, unsettling murmur.
The young men and women walked with steady steps, none showing any strange reaction. Perhaps they were exercising restraint, or perhaps merely feigning composure.
By resonating with the two nearest cultivators, Qin Ming discovered that their hearts were filled with tension and anxiety, hoping to stumble upon some great destiny. Neither of them had heard any strange sound.
That murmur truly seemed aimed only at him.
"Ah—!" A shrill, bloodcurdling shriek suddenly rose from the abyss, laden with agonizing pain and utter despair.
Someone stumbled out, covered in blood, hair disheveled and face pale as parchment. Spiderweb-like cracks fractured the space between his brows, and his eyes were hollow and lifeless.
Soon, people learned what had occurred. Two young prodigies had set their sights on a fragment of a ruined pagoda at the same time. Sensing it was about to awaken, they had immediately come to blows.
One had his physical body blasted to pieces, and his pure yang consciousness was torn apart by his rival. It had been an all-out, fight-to-the-death clash.
Yet the victor had failed to claim the ruined pagoda. Instead, the weapon spirit within that fragment of an extraordinary armament had struck his mental consciousness a devastating blow, leaving his gaze vacant.
Nor was he alone. Over a dozen others came staggering out clutching their heads in agony, their mental fields having also suffered severe impacts.
"Something is wrong with that weapon! It's howling, brimming with murderous malice!"
They had happened upon the ruined pagoda and rushed over thinking it had awakened, hoping to communicate with it, only to flee with blood pouring from their foreheads.
The Golden Board issued a solemn reminder: "Certain reviving weapon spirits may be deranged and berserk. Forcing them to yield could cost you your lives. Renounce and withdraw from them at once."
Shortly after, it sternly emphasized that while competition within the abyss was permitted, lethal blows against one another were strictly forbidden and utterly intolerable.
With an external war looming on the horizon, how could they engage in bloody, internecine slaughter among their own ranks? The Golden Board laid down rules for everyone: no one was allowed to secretly hunt others down.
"What if several people join forces to call upon an extraordinary weapon to awaken it, and more than one receives its recognition? What should be done then?"
The Golden Board responded: "Either wield it jointly, or, if you desire, hold a sparring match to determine the victor and vanquished. The premise is that both sides must consent to the bout without coercion, and casualties must be avoided as far as possible."
It cautioned that some armaments in the abyss were ancient beyond measure, their origins tracing back to unrecordable eras, and had once belonged to illustrious forebears of extraordinary stature.
There were even fragments belonging to the weapons of the Lord of Yujing buried within this abyss!
The Golden Board said, "Which generation of the Lord of Yujing those treasures once served is beyond investigation."
Naturally, even if one encountered such an extraordinary artifact, it would be difficult to recognize. It might have long since degraded, gathering dust through the ages.
The cultivators were utterly astounded. The weapons of the Lord of Yujing—just the thought of it was dizzying. The supreme powerhouse of this entire realm had once commanded heaven and earth.
To them, such an existence was far too distant, separated by a chasm of tens of millions of li, as if dwelling in an entirely different dimension.
Between them, status, realm, and cultivation were separated by the distance of heaven and earth.
If one could gain the recognition of such a weapon spirit, one might uncover many secrets of the Lord of Yujing, such as the legendary supreme inheritances.
The Golden Board informed them that weapon fragments belonging to more than one Lord of Yujing might have fallen here.
At the same time, it issued another warning: no one was to test moral boundaries!
"Each person may take away at most one weapon fragment." This was the final restriction set by the Golden Board.
Many grumbled silently. Did it really need to remind them of that? It was utterly superfluous. Up until now, how many had gained the recognition of an extraordinary weapon? They could be counted on one hand.
"No one can obtain more than two weapon fragments on their own anyway, can they?" a young woman murmured quietly.
Qin Ming entered the abyss. The surroundings were vast and desolate, dark beyond seeing one's own outstretched fingers.
Cultivators of higher realms could glide through the air for short periods and had already flown into the distance, while several greener youths clung to the cliff faces, climbing toward the bottom.
At present, both youths and the middle-aged and young generations were permitted inside, resulting in vastly uneven strengths.
Among the middle-aged cultivators over forty, certain immortal seeds had already reached the fourth realm's great perfection, and a few exceptionally formidable figures had even become grandmasters.
The boundless abyss seemed to lead straight down into an endless hell.
Those youths scrambling down the cliff face appeared as if they would never reach the bottom. Nevertheless, weapon fragments were embedded even in the coarse walls of the abyss.
As Qin Ming advanced, he discovered floating islands and rugged meteorites suspended unmoving in the air, scattered like pieces across a chessboard. They allowed airborne cultivators to borrow leverage and take brief rests.
Glancing back, he noticed a dense crowd trailing nearby, heading in the exact same direction as him.
Light appeared ahead. A massive meteorite was illuminated, upon which sat a ruined pagoda emanating a perilous aura, its chaotic consciousness thrashing about wildly.
Someone warned their companions, "Be careful. Stay away from that area. The weapon spirit of that armament has lost its mind."
After reaching this expanse, the abyss was no longer purely pitch-black. Pinpricks of faint light twinkled in the deeper reaches, growing more numerous the farther one went.
They drifted like fireflies through the chasm.
Occasionally, brighter beams of light streaked abruptly across the darkness, like meteors flashing past.
Everyone knew those were fragments of extraordinary treasures, some in the midst of reviving, stirring restlessly.
Even more were scattered without order, resting in silence, glimmering faintly like mottled stars adorning a deep cosmic sea.
"So many?" Many were astonished. Weapons of this caliber were all true treasures; if traced back to their origins, every single one possessed an epic, moving history.
They were truly living myths.
Forging an artifact like this was harder than ascending to the heavens. It required not only the concerted strength of an entire sect, but even the blood of a Heavenly Immortal. It was extraordinarily difficult.
In this era, forging one was out of the question, for the Heavenly Immortals had all decayed and passed away one after another.
"There aren't that many. Look over there—it looks like a field of stars, but in truth, it's just a few armaments that disintegrated into a dense shower of pieces."
People estimated that even if one crudely pieced together relatively intact treasures throughout this entire abyss, there might be at most three thousand.
"Pardon me, everyone, I'll take my leave first." Someone rushed off to pursue a reviving "meteor."
A portion of cultivators had arrived via spirit wandering, their pure yang consciousness interweaving through the abyss like streams of light. Traveling in this state was indeed convenient, far faster than those who had entered with their physical bodies.
"You have come... Come here..."
The abrupt voice broke through intermittently, once more echoing by Qin Ming's ear. It seemed to whisper and softly summon him from the darkest depths of the abyss.
Qin Ming confirmed that the people around him showed no strange signs; the murmur was indeed directed solely at him. With an impassive expression, he continued exploring forward at an unhurried pace.
Upon a meteorite dozens of zhang across, Qin Ming spotted a snow-white saber fragment planted in the ground. He walked over immediately to inspect it closely.
To him, sabers, warhammers, and heaven-opening axes were naturally the handiest weapons.
As he drew near, more than a dozen people followed, crowding around the pristine blade fragment with burning gazes.
Qin Ming examined it repeatedly. The fragment was severely damaged, consisting of nothing more than the blade's tip. When he attempted to resonate with it, he found its control art was incomplete.
He could only sigh softly. Time was invincible; it could wash away all things under heaven.
Qin Ming turned and walked toward his next objective.
A lone island floated in the abyss, bearing half a broken spear thrust into its soil. Translucent and red as agate, it was remarkably crystalline. Though it lacked a spearhead, a weapon fragment of such size was already exceedingly rare.
Qin Ming noticed that after shaking their heads, the same group from earlier also abandoned the white blade and trailed after him here.
***
Outside the abyss, the silver-haired grandmaster of Star Mountain, Xie Muze, was engaging in a bit of "friendly wagering" with others. Usually overbearing and aloof, he now wore a faint smile.
Even though some in this circle still looked fairly young, they had long ceased to be counted among the middle-aged or younger generations.
Someone remarked, "Old Xie, I heard you drew up an agreement, only to be rejected? You might be dissatisfied, but keep your temper in check. Don't stir up trouble here."
Xie Muze nodded. "Hmph. I strictly observe the divine edicts of the Golden Board. I never overstep the rules."
"Then why are you so certain the lad will return empty-handed from the abyss?"
Xie Muze replied calmly, "What can a zha gain by traveling alongside a Mountain Lord? A drudge in the third realm sharing a road with a grandmaster is like a firefly competing in brilliance with the bright moon. Isn't that laughable? Overestimating oneself."
Instantly, those present guessed the truth: his niece, Xie Jingxian, must have broken through to become a grandmaster.
Rumors had already spread that this woman of the Xie Family possessed heaven-sent talent; half a year ago, word had it she could step into the fifth realm at any moment.
"I hear she cultivates dual paths?" someone inquired.
This was no secret, nor could it be hidden. Xie Muze nodded with quiet pride. "Her inner landscape achieved Netherworld Access long ago, and her progress along the divine path has been smooth. Barring accidents, she will break through into the grandmaster domain on the divine path within six months as well."
Stepping into the fifth realm in one's forties was considered extraordinary even in the heavens. Coupled with the achievement of becoming a dual grandmaster, Xie Jingxian was truly formidable.
The old men fell silent. Though their seniority was great, they had all been outmatched.
At Xie Jingxian's age, none of them had achieved such heights.
One elder smiled warmly. "My eldest grandson also has hopes of becoming a grandmaster. At latest, he will break through within two years. Brother Xie, why don't our families arrange a marriage?"
Xie Muze rejected him flatly. "What a joke. A dual grandmaster in her forties will receive focused nurturing in our Star Mountain. How could we marry her off to your Zixiao Cave?"
He had always been overbearing. Beyond his own promising path ahead, it was also because the Xie Family possessed formidable heritage, and its descendants were sufficiently capable.
An old grandmaster spoke up: "Old Xie, comparing him to a zha against a Mountain Lord is rather harsh. Why lower yourself to squabble with a junior?"
Xie Muze shook his head. "I've seen plenty of geniuses. He's only in the third realm, yet he dared look down on my Star Mountain! Who does he think he is? I offered him a chance to change his destiny. How many great benefactors can one meet in a lifetime? Instead of showing gratitude, he dared offend a grandmaster's dignity and talk back to me. It's only because we are in the heavens, bound by the Golden Board's edict. Otherwise—heh."
He gazed toward the abyss and sneered, "Does he think he's One Sword? The life of a maidservant, nothing more than a zha—a fate thinner than paper, yet ambition higher than the sky."
"Don't be so quick to dismiss him. His identity was once questioned, drawing the attention of several senior figures. For instance, Tianzun Lu suspected he might be Taiyi."
"If he is Taiyi, even if he falls short of One Sword, he still reached the summit of the board once. That's remarkable!"
"Brother, aren't you overthinking things?"
***
Inside the abyss, Qin Ming looked at the dozen or so people with a touch of surprise.
There were plenty of weapon fragments scattered throughout this expanse; there was no need to crowd together in one spot. What were these people trying to do?
Qin Ming hadn't paid them much mind before, but now he focused his resonance to probe their backgrounds and intentions.
Though a few among them were extraordinary, their minds steady and devoid of leaking emotions, he learned from the others that members of Star Mountain were present.
No matter which treasure fragment he took interest in, someone from Star Mountain would step in to meddle.
Moreover, behind these people stood an exceptionally talented female grandmaster surnamed Xie.
Qin Ming's mind remained calm and undisturbed, like the moon reflected in a well. Did they truly think he was an easy target to bully here? Courting death.
He made an attempt, blending his heavenly light with pure yang consciousness and attaching it to the old cloth, quietly drifting out of his physical body. No one noticed in the slightest; he could assemble and scatter at will.
As for the Golden Board, it likely knew his background long ago. After all, the New Board was its "old brother."
In the end, Qin Ming gave up on the broken spear, mainly because the consciousness inside was somewhat deranged, and he feared suffering a backlash.
"So that's how it is. Some weapon spirits went mad because they are entangled with more than one consciousness, perhaps even mixed with the indelible imprints of their fallen foes."
Having grasped part of the truth, Qin Ming turned solemn. A mad weapon was truly something one could not touch.
"It seems every caution and reminder from the Golden Board must be taken seriously."
Along the path ahead, Qin Ming heard that mysterious whisper several more times, calling to him and wishing to meet him.
He ignored it for now, intending to pick out a suitable treasure to fully equip himself first.
Qin Ming inspected over a dozen treasure fragments in succession, a few of which caught his interest and became reserve choices. Along the way, he had seen everything from black spear fragments to vital sections of a silver cauldron, and even a three-colored warhammer that satisfied him fairly well.
He had never imagined a day of such luxury, where he could behold so many extraordinary weapons and actually have the chance to pick and choose.
He was momentarily dazed; it felt just like a dream.
Each ruined artifact was like a slice of history—weighty, profound, and weathered by time. Qin Ming resonated repeatedly to test the condition of the weapons he favored, catching glimpses of blood and fire, endless slaughter, and tragic figures staining the sky with blood before silently falling into the abyss...
Yet these visions were faint and fragmented, making it impossible to see the past clearly.
Even so, Qin Ming chose not to probe too deeply in the end. The sheer heaviness was oppressive; the bygone history and tragic heroes seemed to surge toward him across the corridor of time, making his scalp tingle.
During this process, most of the followers dispersed, leaving only four who shadowed him persistently. They were direct members of Star Mountain, tasked with keeping an eye on him.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Young man, something is unusual about you. An endless, dense spiritual radiance lies dormant within your body. You are no ordinary youth."
Qin Ming was startled. A treasure fragment he had not yet probed had awakened on its own, sending out vibrations to initiate a conversation with him.
He walked over and stared intently at the object.
It was about the size of two palms, which was by no means small in this place, qualifying as a "heavy artifact."
Moreover, it displayed five distinct colors, meaning it was fused from at least five types of exotic metal. This was relatively rare here, marking it as anything but ordinary.
Most importantly, this treasure fragment had spoken of its own accord, displaying remarkable presence and rich spirituality.
It emitted a vibration: "Sealed away for countless ages, my new consciousness has only just begun to awaken. I wish to go out and see the world. How about I journey through the mortal realm with you?"
"What is your true form?" Qin Ming asked.
"An exotic metal diagram," it replied, assuring him that it could satisfy whatever he needed. Various armaments were carved upon the diagram, all of which it could manifest.
"Good!" Qin Ming nodded.
He knew this weapon had to possess an extraordinary background.
As the treasure fragment gleamed, the eyes of the four trailing cultivators widened, shock filling their hearts. They had never imagined this stubborn brat—who showed no gratitude or reverence toward Grandmaster Xie Muze—would possess such fortune, causing an extraordinary weapon to awaken for him.
They immediately sent a transmission, summoning Xie Jingxian, who was inspecting other treasures not far away.
With a whoosh, the newly ascended female grandmaster arrived at breakneck speed, landing on the floating island and bringing forth a blob of liquid metal so rich in Daoist charm that it seemed almost solid.
The five-colored fragment glowed and remarked, "How thoughtful. An ancient substance nurtured for many years, active material specifically meant to repair supreme treasures. To think you managed to gather some. Do you wish for me to depart with you?"
"Please fulfill my wish, Senior!" Xie Jingxian nodded.
Qin Ming's expression darkened. This was an outright attempt to snatch it right before his eyes; the Xie Family's female grandmaster treated him as if he did not exist.
Xie Jingxian was clad in black robes. Her figure was slender and graceful, her features exceptionally striking, with flowing black hair and a tear mole beneath the outer corner of her right eye. Wherever she went, she would be regarded as a fairy-like beauty.
"This puts me in a difficult spot," the five-colored treasure fragment sighed.
Xie Jingxian glanced at Qin Ming. "Under these circumstances, do you still intend to compete with me? Step down!"
Qin Ming ignored her and instead asked the fragment, "Choose for yourself. Exactly whom do you want to follow?"
He had no desire to keep an unstable factor at his side. If the treasure had divided loyalties, he would rather switch to another early on; it wasn't as if he had no other choices.
However, if the five-colored fragment chose the female grandmaster, Qin Ming would not hesitate to strike first, hacking this Xie Family intruder to pieces before picking another weapon.
The five-colored fragment secretly replied, conveying that it wished to go with Qin Ming, though it also genuinely wanted to consume that active substance rich in Daoist charm.
Xie Jingxian swept her gaze over Qin Ming. "What, still unconvinced? When faced with such an issue, we can settle it through a duel to decide victory and defeat. But do you dare accept?"
"Arrogant and conceited. Have you even asked the treasure itself?" Qin Ming said coldly.
Not far off, a streak of pure yang consciousness flew in, radiant as a blazing sun and brimming with overbearing power: "Hmph, this seat also wishes to step in. Both of you, stand down!"
This was Qin Ming's blended heavenly light consciousness and divine wisdom exiting his body. Attached to the old cloth, it had quietly departed, only to make a grand entrance right before a grandmaster's eyes.
Clearly, she had not sensed anything amiss.
"Who are you to dare compete with me?" Xie Jingxian asked coldly.
"What kind of thing do you think you are!" Qin Ming's pure yang consciousness berated her without an ounce of courtesy. He had already intended to strike, and this was the perfect opportunity.
At this moment, he was incomparably domineering: "This treasure belongs to me. You may get lost!"
Xie Jingxian's beautiful eyes widened. She had never met someone so insolent, attempting to clear the field right away and daring to tell her to get lost.
She said chillingly, "Trying to snatch it from me? Then let us fight!"
Qin Ming's pure yang consciousness barked, "If that is so, old hag, crawl on over!"
At once, Xie Jingxian's fury flared. Earlier, even when shouted at, she had kept her emotions in check, but the words 'old hag' nearly made her explode on the spot.
"What the hell did you just say? You seek death!" she snapped fiercely.
Qin Ming found her thoroughly unpleasant, so his words were laced with venom: "When I treat you politely, you're a fairy; when I don't, you're just a wretched old crone."
Xie Jingxian wanted nothing more than to flay him alive. In the prime of her youth, she was like a tender lotus bud just emerging among grandmasters—a vibrant young woman who would not brook such insults.
This battle was inevitable, and the Xie Family's female grandmaster unleashed her full might.
She had originally come to target the youth beside her and claim the treasure, yet now she found herself embroiled in a fierce battle against an unfamiliar expert.
Qin Ming held nothing back, revealing a supreme technique of the esoteric sect. Unleashing the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe, he opened with a lethal strike.
*Rumble!*
A brilliant axe-light erupted, illuminating the pitch-black abyss. Every move he made was utterly overbearing.
Xie Jingxian was shaken. She was proud and confident in her strength, yet now her heart trembled; she knew she had encountered a formidable foe.
In an instant, beams of light flared around her, like hundreds upon thousands of starlight rays interweaving to resist the massive, rune-inscribed axe materialized before her.
Qin Ming was surprised. This woman was indeed capable. From resonating with the others earlier, he had learned she had only recently broken through to the fifth realm, yet she could forcefully withstand his trump card.
No matter. If one axe strike was not enough, he would unleash a second, and a third...
Nearby, everyone was stirred and left utterly dumbfounded. The clash between the two was far too terrifying, tearing through the darkness and bathing the area in dazzling brilliance.
Qin Ming pressed his assault relentlessly, cleaving forward with strike after strike.
"Ah—!"
Finally, Xie Jingxian screamed as she was nearly sliced clean through from shoulder to flank.
*Pfft!*
Immediately after, she was cut in half at the waist.
The terrifying axe-light severed her flesh and snapped her spine, cleaving her into two pieces at the midriff.
At the critical juncture, she activated a teleportation talisman. Amid a shower of blood, she fled in panic.
In truth, Qin Ming had been warned by the Golden Board against bloody internal attrition, so in the final moment, he did not pursue her or hurl the axe to finish her off.
However, the puddle of active liquid metal was left behind in his hands.
"My apologies, I choose Qin Ming," the five-colored treasure fragment announced.
Qin Ming's pure yang consciousness snorted coldly, drifted away into the distance, and then quietly returned.
"That's a bit much. At such close range, I could sense it," the five-colored treasure fragment muttered.
Shortly after, clad in a suit of five-colored liquid armor, Qin Ming reached the bottom of the abyss, where he finally laid eyes upon the one who had been calling to him.
"I have waited... for many years!"
Chapter 530