Deep in the primeval forest, several blasts of white vapor exploded outward. Along the way, dense briars and obstructing boughs shattered to pieces amidst deafening booms.
Several elderly grandmasters of the Newborn path surged forward shoulder to shoulder. Sparks flew from beneath their soles, and every stride seemed like a teleportation, carrying them dozens, even hundreds of spans away in an instant as they trampled the forest floor into dust.
They sped along like lightning toward Silver River Gorge. Their velocity pushed past ordinary limits, generating white air currents that tore the swirling canopy of falling leaves to powder. This, in truth, was immortal mist in its most primordial form.
"The crimson forest's side is far too vicious!"
"This matter will not end here!"
The elderly grandmasters burned with anxious fury. Their adversaries across the border had discarded all pretense, blatantly seeking to eliminate the most promising seed of the Newborn path: Qin Ming.
In just a few short years, this youth had risen head and shoulders above his peers, his performance entirely beyond reproach. He had given many elderly men whose lifespans were running dry fresh hope for the Newborn path. A new star was steadily on the rise.
Such an anomaly appeared only once in countless years, yet their foes in the crimson forest dared try to choke him in the cradle.
"Those maniacs have completely lost their minds! To have the audacity to spout such a pitiful excuse—claiming someone suffered a mental cultivation mishap and became briefly disoriented—they deserve death!"
One of the grandmasters had already sat cross-legged on the spot. His consciousness, infused with heavenly light, tore free from his physical body and soared into the night sky like the morning glow, racing toward their destination.
They feared that even if they pushed their physical bodies to maximum speed, they would still arrive too late.
Thus, weighed down with dread, the elderly grandmasters abandoned the physical might the Newborn path relied on most and ventured into a realm where they were least versed: embarking on spirit wandering to mount a rescue.
Farther in the distance, Yao Ruoxian, the Fourth Princess of Dayu, leaped onto the back of her Thunder Imperial Bird. She had persuaded an imperial grandmaster to accompany her; riding the roar of wind and thunder, they sliced through the dark night.
Pei Shuyan and Zhuo Qingming stood guard over an Immortal path grandmaster whose pure yang consciousness had already departed his flesh, streaking toward Silver River Gorge.
"None of us expected this to happen. It was purely an accident."
At the boundary of the crimson forest, representatives from the Celestial Clan, the Abyss civilization, and the totem camp had all appeared, offering superficial explanations.
At first, their expressions had been grave, as if recognizing the severe gravity of the incident.
Yet once a small circle of perpetrators—the true masterminds behind the scheme—showed up and covertly sent voice transmissions, the spokespersons on the scene turned perfunctory.
A black flame phoenix of the Celestial Clan assumed the form of a black-robed young man and remarked nonchalantly, "I doubt it's much of an issue. A grandmaster suffering from a cultivation mishap is in a daze; generally speaking, such a person will not proactively attack others."
His breezy, utterly indifferent demeanor was infuriating.
From the Abyss civilization, a humanoid creature covered in silver scales—its very face gleaming with a metallic sheen—cared even less. "A grandmaster who is mentally dull and in an abnormal state suffers a catastrophic drop in combat power. People on your side should easily be able to avoid him."
From the totem camp, a graceful silhouette drifted over. She was a silver-haired female grandmaster whose extraordinary status and profound cultivation were unmistakable.
Totem divine halos enshrouded her figure, and her waist-length hair cascaded like a silver waterfall. She had striking features, yet she wore a feigned expression of astonishment. "Surely no one on your side would be foolish enough to go out of their way to provoke a mentally deranged grandmaster?"
This was no attempt to calm tensions; it was thinly veiled mockery.
She tucked back a strand of her luminous silver hair, smiling sweetly with unbothered poise. "After all, his lost state is obvious at a single glance. If someone still actively walked into his path, one really wouldn't know what to say."
This was blatant provocation. She harbored deep resentment, primarily because Qin Ming had once played his zither and slaughtered an entire cohort of totem seeds, leaving her with an enduring grudge.
From the Yujing side, a grandmaster demanded in a heavy voice, "Can you speak like human beings? Only two days into the armistice, a grandmaster invades our territory with total impunity! As I see it, you people want to restart the war!"
The black-robed youth who was the phoenix glanced at him, unbothered, and drawled, "Fellow Daoist, don't be hasty. In my view, this is merely a minor misunderstanding that won't cause any real trouble. The people on your side should have had no trouble evading him."
A grandmaster in his prime on Yujing's side darkened his expression. "You crossed the border. Why should our people be the ones to evade?"
The black-robed man of the Celestial Clan cast an aloof gaze over the crowd. "Your grandmasters are free to act and subdue him. However, if some underpowered junior insists on sticking his neck out, that would simply be unwise."
His arrogance nearly triggered an immediate brawl.
By now, Yujing's faction had received word that the enemy grandmaster was heading straight for Qin Ming in what was clearly a targeted assassination, yet these opponents dared utter such cynical taunts.
If Qin Ming were slain, they would even brand him reckless and foolish, claiming he had thrown his own life away.
This was brazen contempt—killing their man and then jeering to their faces, grinding their pride into the dirt.
The silver-scaled grandmaster creature from the Abyss civilization added casually, "Hardly. Anyone qualified to enter this region is an elite. Those who dare stand in the way naturally possess the confidence and the strength to do so."
The silver-haired woman smiled bewitchingly. In high spirits and utterly relaxed, she said, "Don't fret. Most likely it's just a false alarm. Both sides have only just signed an amicable pact; let us not spoil the harmony. Why not sit down, have some tea, and wait for good news?"
Along the crimson forest's boundary, the atmosphere froze, teetering on the brink of violence.
The black-robed youth, the silver-scaled monster, and the silver-haired woman all backed away with leisurely smiles. They felt they had already gained the upper hand, resting on their psychological advantage. After all, by this hour, that peerless talent of abnormal caliber on the opposite side had surely been eradicated.
Consequently, they remained composed.
Yujing's camp felt suffocated with rage. They swiftly sent inquiries up the chain of command, asking for permission to strike immediately.
They had a grim premonition that Qin Ming was likely dead, and to be insulted to their faces like this was beyond endurance.
"Any word? What is the situation?"
Even grandmasters from the old mountain strongholds of the sky—those who had once failed to recruit Qin Ming—did not want to hear news of his demise.
"A message bird reports that the situation looks grim. Our grandmasters noticed too late. By the time they arrive, the intruder has likely succeeded and withdrawn."
"We cannot even intercept him?" A prime-aged grandmaster's eyes gleamed with chilling light, his fury barely contained.
"The primeval mountain forests here are boundless. If he is intent on stealth and concealment, it is exceedingly difficult to find him immediately."
An elderly grandmaster's beard and hair bristled with rage. In a low, resonant voice, he said, "Intolerable! Seal the border at once! We must hunt him down and grind his bones to ash!"
In stark contrast, the black flame phoenix, the silver-scaled grandmaster, and the silver-haired woman on the other side remained at ease, actually sipping tea in leisure.
Even as they mobilized their experts in preparation for a potential blood battle, they quietly awaited good tidings.
"Soon. If nothing went awry, he has already succeeded."
"If all went smoothly, he is already on his way back."
This time, they had indeed stirred up trouble intentionally. Having traced the source of Great Yin for two days without result, they believed it must lie on the opposite side.
***
Meanwhile, Pei Shuyan sprinted toward Silver River Gorge with the body of the Immortal path grandmaster on his back, accompanied by Zhuo Qingming.
"Can they stop him in time?" In truth, their hearts had already sunk.
According to the earlier transmissions from Yao Ruoxian and Cheng Sheng, someone far off had witnessed terrifying sword light erupting in that direction.
Now, however, Silver River Gorge was completely silent. Everything was likely decided.
"Get out here!" an elderly grandmaster of the Newborn path roared. Having arrived via spirit wandering, his heavenly light incinerated the night sky. He was beside himself with fury, certain he had arrived too late.
Before him lay utter devastation. A vast swath of ancient towering trees had been leveled, and a low stone mountain had been sheared flat.
The entire battlefield had grown deathly still. The hunt was evidently over.
"Young Qin!"
"I have failed Old Yu's trust! I have failed the Newborn path! I couldn't protect such a fine seed—I arrived one step too late!"
Several grandmasters of the Newborn path were in states where their consciousness was fused with heavenly light. Raging flames rolled off them, hot enough to melt mountains and incinerate the sky, every one of them in the grip of towering wrath.
Grandmasters of the Immortal path and the esoteric sect arrived through spirit wandering as well, hovering silently in the night sky.
"Form a perimeter and hunt that grandmaster down! If I do not slay him, this hatred will never be appeased!"
Standing atop the back of the Thunder Imperial Bird, Yao Ruoxian fell silent as well, gazing out over the wild forest against the night wind.
"Wait... what is that?"
Suddenly, an elderly grandmaster froze in bewilderment. Looking deeper into Silver River Gorge, he spotted a figure walking out, clutching a skewer of roast meat impaled on red willow.
"Qin... Ming?" The old grandmaster of the Newborn path stammered. Seeing that familiar young silhouette, he could hardly believe his eyes. *He's actually in the mood to eat wild game?*
Evidently, Qin Ming had heard their shouts and was walking over from afar.
"Everyone, what is..."
Soon, Qin Ming realized that they had all been worried for him. Hearing of an encroaching grandmaster, this crowd had rushed over in frantic haste, desperate to save his life.
Instantly, a warm current welled up in his chest.
He immediately offered a bow. Regardless of whether he had needed rescue, he would remember this sentiment. As the saying went, true friendship showed itself in times of adversity.
"Where is that grandmaster?" someone asked urgently, wanting to know how he had slipped out of such a deadly trap.
Some elderly grandmasters even wondered if what the crimson forest had claimed was true: had the invading grandmaster truly suffered a mental lapse, his battle prowess stripped of nine-tenths?
"That thing? Oh, right here." Qin Ming gestured, holding up the skewer in his hand.
He took a bite and remarked, "The meat is exceptionally tender."
Then, he warmly invited the entire group to join him in feasting on grandmaster-level roast meat, expressing his gratitude to his old friends and the grandmasters for their reckless rush to his aid.
Instantly, everyone turned to stone.
From the aged grandmasters down to youths like Yao Ruoxian, Cheng Sheng, and Zhao Qingcheng, every jaw dropped. The terrifying grandmaster they had feared so deeply... had already been turned into a meal?
The sight felt utterly unreal.
Qin Ming had actually roasted a grandmaster-level aberration? What kind of fantastical turn of events was this? It defied belief.
The forest fell pin-drop silent as everyone stared in dumbfounded amazement.
"Tell us the details!" someone urged.
Suddenly, an old grandmaster of the Newborn path changed color. "This old man must rush back immediately! I left my body halfway here; if I leave it too long, some savage beast might drag it off!"
"See you in a bit!"
With a whoosh, all the elderly grandmasters of the Newborn path bolted.
A short while later, a large crowd gathered in the depths of Silver River Gorge. Pei Shuyan and Zhuo Qingming arrived wide-eyed. Though they had received word along the way, they still could hardly believe it.
Qin Ming was truly treating them to a grandmaster banquet!
Yet the scene left no room for doubt. A massive "earth ox," its hide red as fire, lay stretched across the ground. This was a formidable species that preferred dwelling beneath the earth.
Its underground movements often caused ley lines to collapse, which was why folklore frequently linked it to earthquakes.
Its build indeed resembled an ox, though its four limbs were far shorter and vastly sturdier. Its horns looked capable of sundering the sky, thick and brimming with power.
It sprawled in the forest like a small mountain, having been dead for some time. Terrifying sword light still lingered around its head, and its skull had been blasted clean off.
In the distance, a figure with his back to the crowd offered a wave. Clad in standard golden armor and carrying a massive greatsword on his back, he strode away into the night.
"Everyone, I must continue patrolling the various regions. I shall take my leave first." That was his final voice transmission before he flickered and vanished into the dense woods.
"Was that... Slaying Through the Thirty-Six Heavens with a Single Sword?"
The newly arrived crowd stared in shock. They had actually run into this legendary champion of the roster, though he had come and gone in the blink of an eye.
Soon, they learned what had happened.
"One Sword" had been patrolling the area and unleashed the nine-colored sword baleful aura, gravely wounding the grandmaster-level earth ox, after which Qin Ming stepped in to finish it off.
"As expected of the legendary One Sword! What realm has he truly reached?"
"Back during the supreme blood battle, even that white-haired, peerless sword immortal felt at ease in his final moments when he saw One Sword unleash the nine-colored sword light. He smiled and said 'good.' I imagine he felt comforted, seeing the pursuit of his youth mirrored in a younger man."
Even the old grandmasters present were stirred, watching One Sword's back disappear.
Yao Ruoxian, Pei Shuyan, and Cheng Sheng felt their emotions surging as they gazed into the primeval forest.
This champion had earned the recognition, praise, and nostalgia of a peerless sword immortal. He was unfathomably deep, peerlessly powerful.
"You flatter me, everyone," One Sword's voice drifted back from afar.
Then his voice rang out once more: "Young Qin, you are exceptional. In the future, you may discuss the Dao with me. If anyone treats you unjustly, you may speak to me."
This was an extraordinarily high evaluation, carrying an explicit offer of protection.
Had Tang Yushang and Bai Meng been present, their jaws would have hit the ground. They knew Qin Ming was capable of killing grandmasters and had already suspected he might be One Sword.
After all, during his battle with Tang Yushang, she had forced out many of his powerful techniques.
As for Qin Ming himself, he felt no embarrassment whatsoever. What was wrong with praising himself a little? Speaking as his own spokesperson and providing his own protection was only practical.
"Young Qin is truly astonishing! Slaying a grandmaster before even reaching the fourth realm!"
The crowd came to their senses, expressions filled with awe.
After One Sword had critically wounded the earth ox, it was Qin Ming who had dealt the fatal blow.
"This is a legendary feat—slaying a grandmaster from the ninth layer of the third realm!" someone praised.
Qin Ming quickly waved his hands. "Seniors, please do not praise me to death. Brother One Sword had already shattered the earth ox's spiritual consciousness; I merely cleaned up the remnants."
The Yellow Silk Canopy desperately wanted to bounce out and mock him: *One person playing two roles, singing duets to inflate yourself—have you no shame?*
Afterward, the atmosphere in Silver River Gorge grew harmonious, brimming with compliments, laughter, and chatter.
"A roast skewer of a fifth-realm earth ox... this is my first time tasting one! What an extraordinary tonic!"
Beside the campfire, the fragrant earth ox meat turned golden brown, crisp on the outside and tender within. Fat dripped steadily into the flames with sizzling pops.
Aside from the rich aroma of roast meat, the heady fragrance of aged wine drifted through the air.
"Though this old man is a grandmaster, rarely have I tasted game of this caliber. To have such delicacies, fine wine, and a gathering like this tonight—truly satisfying, haha!"
Even an imperial princess of Dayu or a grandmaster of the Immortal path rarely indulged in such luxury. Even within super-factions, who would slaughter a grandmaster just to satisfy their appetite? Thus, everyone ate with boundless relish.
***
At the edge of the crimson forest, tension remained thick. Soon, a lightning bird arrived bearing a letter, which landed in the hands of an Immortal path grandmaster.
"What? Wonderful!"
"Hahaha—!"
As the people on Yujing's side passed the letter around, the gloom hovering over their hearts vanished. All their pent-up frustration and fury were swept away, replaced by pure catharsis.
"They actually ate it? My mouth is watering just reading this. I'm half-tempted to run over and join the feast!"
Most importantly, word had also arrived from above: whether to start fighting was entirely up to them. If a drastic change occurred, powerful reinforcements would arrive.
Evidently, the upper echelons had delegated the decision.
"Splendid!" The crowd was energized.
Across the line in the crimson forest, the youth formed by the black flame phoenix, the silver-scaled monster, and the silver-haired female grandmaster set down their tea cups, sensing that something was amiss.
Laughter was erupting from the opposite side, completely dispelling the earlier gloom. Furthermore, counting the time, the earth ox should have slipped back by now after succeeding. Why had he vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea?
Not only that, half an hour later, the laughter from Yujing's side grew even heartier.
"Fine lad! He truly knows how to conduct himself. Just a moment ago I was wishing I could ask for some meat to go with my wine, and now he's had it delivered!" a prime-aged grandmaster laughed heartily.
In the crimson forest, eyes narrowed, and some nearly tore their sockets with rage.
What did they see? A massive ox head, boiled tender and soft, steaming hot as braised head meat.
A colossal ox leg and a huge slab of ribs had been set over fire pits, roasted to a golden, sizzling fragrance whose mouthwatering aroma could be smelled from far away.
The factions of the Celestial Clan, the Abyss, and the totem camp practically spat fire. This was a literal slap across the face.
Just moments earlier, they had been making casual excuses and dropping thinly veiled mockery, only for the stealthy grandmaster they had sent to truly get "lost"—and end up as food.
"Shall we launch a blood battle?"
"This is a provocation!"
Deep in the eyes of the black-robed youth and the silver-haired female grandmaster lay boundless killing intent. Neither could endure this humiliation. The mocking words they had thrown earlier had rebounded entirely upon themselves.
The silver-scaled grandmaster of the Abyss civilization clenched his fists even tighter. The earth ox hailed from the Abyss; he was one of their own, yet he had been reduced to food on the opposite side.
Evidently, the three grandmasters had not dared send someone across on their own authority; they had received approval from above to test the waters in this sector.
"Let us strike at once! We have to fight sooner or later anyway, and this is too great an insult!"
"Wait. Word has come from above telling us not to act rashly. Something seems to have developed in the distance; Daoist Peng may not be able to come to this sector."
The Daoist Peng they spoke of hailed from the Celestial Clan. He was very young and had once fought on behalf of the totem camp, severely wounding Yujing's core saint, Wu Qingyuan, and tearing him limb from limb.
Young Daoist Peng possessed sublime methods and was suspected of having mastered the Script of the Primal Myriad Thunderbolts.
At that moment, the young Daoist in his black-and-white robe was stationed deep in the crimson forest. Responsible for an expansive territory, he now knitted his brows.
"In the depths of the Night Mist World, other supreme camps have caught wind of the news and come seeking the source of Great Yin. They already know that a divine moon once ascended here."
He had received secret reports that supreme systems like the God-like Assembly and the Strange Insect Alliance had successively shown their traces, and grandmasters in their prime appeared ready to enter the field.
"The Ten Thousand Apertures Luminous Art... I dearly want it. It can patch my own technique. If I can obtain it, I will fear no competitor."
He had heard that the God-like Assembly possessed the Ten Thousand Apertures Luminous Art. Clearly, as powerful as he was, formidable rivals existed even within his own Celestial Clan.
"The dream bug... such a mysterious and terrifying creature!" Young Daoist Peng was deeply wary of that peculiar insect ranked fifth in the world.
Someone reported, "The Cultivation civilization will likely join in as well. We have received intelligence that a contingent of their forces is quietly approaching and is not far off!"
Daoist Peng rose upon hearing this. "The gale heralds the coming tempest. It seems several supreme civilizations have deduced what that divine moon truly is and wish to claim it."
His aura surged, and behind him appeared the colossal silhouette of a roc, rendered only in black and white, forming a natural yin-yang diagram across its body.
He spoke indifferently: "Then let me test just how formidable the core saints of these various supreme systems truly are."
Right then, Daoist Peng sensed something and jerked his head upward. In the distant sky, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, followed by thunderous rumbles like a surging tsunami.
He soared into the air and looked across, immediately spotting a youth gazing in his direction. Bathed in lightning, piercing through the astral winds, and borne aloft by divine flames, the youth hung suspended high in the heavens.
"Is that... Qian Cheng?" Daoist Peng frowned. He had seen him once before; that man was in no way inferior to Yujing's core saints.
The two exchanged long-range stares. Ultimately, neither made a move, and the night sky returned to tranquility.
***
"Daoist Peng cannot come to this sector. He must deal with various unforeseen developments, as the conventional forces of other supreme civilizations have begun showing themselves."
The so-called conventional forces were those that did not deploy grand weapons of war, nor did they require the expenditure of precious resources like the Qi of Absolute Beginning or Xuanhuang qi. They were the contemporary experts capable of relying on their own might in blood battles.
The silver-haired female grandmaster frowned. "Then do we still launch a blood battle? After all, the superiors have divined that places like Wangshu City and Silver River Gorge—names given by the ancients based on certain truths and legends—are linked to the divine moon. The probability of tracing the source of Great Yin from here is extraordinarily high."
"No matter. Daoist Butterfly will come to oversee this area when the time comes," the young man formed by the black flame phoenix replied. That was another grand expert of their Celestial Clan.
The silver-scaled monster said, "Powerhouses from my Abyss will also arrive. Just the name 'Silver River Gorge' makes it worth investigating. Furthermore, the earth ox cannot have died in vain. That Qin Ming... must not live long."
The silver-haired female grandmaster hailed from the Totem Sacred Mountain, so naturally she hoped their two allied camps would exert their might to crush the people of Yujing.
Throughout the day, the black-robed youth shifted back into a pitch-black phoenix, repeatedly crossing the boundary to probe the strength and layout of the opposing camp.
"Crossing the border again and again, provoking us over and over... let's fight!" On Yujing's side, some old grandmasters could no longer hold back.
At this moment, Qin Ming appeared, though under a different identity. Clad in standard golden armor and carrying a massive greatsword, he strode gracefully through the night sky upon the astral winds.
He had learned that his allies along the border were preparing to strike. Hearing this, he felt no reservations and wished to step onto the battlefield himself.
Earlier today, someone had targeted him for assassination, going so far as to send a grandmaster deep behind the lines to end him. Qin Ming, who never bore a grudge, naturally had to make a statement.
His grudges were settled the very same night; there was no need to keep score.
"This phoenix's bloodline rank is extraordinary, and he is a grandmaster to boot. He most likely harbors super-grade wondrous blood," Qin Ming murmured, strolling leisurely through the night sky like an immortal, or a god or fiend.
A supreme blood battle unseen for ages—now that he had encountered it, he naturally had to seize the opportunity to hunt the strong and harvest fortuities and materials.
Everything was for his own advancement; he was preparing to break through once again.
Having already learned what had transpired on the border, Qin Ming acted decisively. He moved swift as a comet streaking across the sky, fierce as a thunderclap piercing through heaven and earth, domineering and ferocious to the extreme.
The black flame phoenix crossed the border once more. He possessed velocity far beyond an ordinary person's imagination; even certain grandmasters were incapable of intercepting him.
Suddenly, an intense tremor of dread gripped his heart. Every feather on his body bristled, and his frame went instantly rigid.
Then, he saw a sword blow elevated to the absolute pinnacle.
Divided into nine colors, blending nine extreme realms, it blazed with a brilliance so dazzling that one could not keep one's eyes open.
To attain perfection in the nine was the supreme path of the sword immortal!
The black flame phoenix knew instantly who had arrived. During the supreme blood battle, he had witnessed this nine-colored sword light surging into the heavens, causing even that white-haired, peerless sword immortal to look back and smile at the end of his life.
"I—!" His scalp went numb. How could he have run into this monster?
Qin Ming held nothing back, pouring every ounce of his power into this single strike to decide victory and defeat, life and death.
The black flame phoenix released a piercing, resonant cry, unleashing all his power to meet this terrifying adversary who made his entire body shudder with dread.
"The sword consecration begins with you!" A cold voice echoed through the night.
Qin Ming swept his sword across the firmament, truly possessing the momentum to slay through the thirty-six layers of heaven.
*Pfft!*
Though the formidable phoenix grandmaster fought with all his might, his head was pierced through and blasted apart.
In that instant, the resplendent sword light plowed across the entire canopy of heaven, shattering every dense layer of clouds into oblivion.
Chapter 546