All the Gods and Buddhas Lie Underground

Qin Ming was dumbstruck, frozen entirely in place. Rarely did he ever lose his composure like this, but right now he could hardly process what was before him, lost in a daze. This was the subterranean world. He had bored through the thick layers of soil, arriving at what should have been a hollow void—and what did he see? An ocean, a moon, and a sea of stars. Every single element was staggering. How could such things possibly exist beneath the earth? When Qin Ming's physical body penetrated the soil and felt the emptiness open up, he had assumed he was entering an underground cavern or an endless abyss. Instead, what met his eyes was a boundless, surging sea. Earlier, when he was within the layers of earth and saw roiling purple mist and red clouds pressing down like rivers and oceans, he had thought those descriptions were exaggerations. Now, he realized they were entirely literal. Underground, an endless ocean of purple mist surged, red clouds formed the celestial dome, and grand waves billowed across the expanse. Purple and red blended in the distance where sea met sky, an utterly magnificent sight. A place like this completely surpassed every record in the legends of the esoteric sects. A ground for attaining godhood like this was beyond perfect, beyond dreamlike—it was something that shouldn't even exist. Was this a great abyss? Yet it birthed such magnificent spectacles, an immeasurably vast and grand wonder—this was a land that nurtured the Dao. *“Deep and unfathomable, like the source of all things.”* Qin Ming finally gained a direct, tangible comprehension of the ancient texts describing the Dao. Earlier, he had let his thoughts wander, musing that this underground world seemed like the origin of myriad methods. Now, it was as if reality were confirming his speculation rather than leaving it as wild fancy. Suspended between the sea and sky hung a moon. However, there was clearly something wrong with it. It was a blood moon, pierced through by divine chains, as if shackled in place. Behind it stood an enormous stone cliff—or perhaps a colossal severed mountain—carrying a distant landscape that held quite a few buildings. It was precisely this topography that convinced Qin Ming he was not actually in an open sea, but truly inside a vast abyss, where rugged stone cliff walls occasionally breached the sea's surface. A boundless sheer cliff lay across the sea, partly exposed, left to the mercy of the surging purple ocean, which submerged it from time to time. The red clouds drooping from the sky also poured down upon those domains. No matter how one looked at it, this appeared to be a supreme land of the Dao. "Ten colors..." Qin Ming was shaken to the core. Such hues, such profound and arcane Dao charm—he had seen them once beyond the heavens, in Yujing. Within Yujing stood a ten-colored iceberg riddled with caverns, covered with web-like filaments that sealed the area off. Upon this grand severed cliff, there was no miraculous iceberg. Instead, a mist of light enveloped the entire domain, rendering it hazy and ethereal, as though it did not belong to reality, separated by hundreds of millions of li of open sky and the river of ancient time. Several buildings were vaguely visible, clearly bearing exotic styles, resembling a massive city without walls. Most of them had collapsed, and in the blur, the few colossal structures still standing were covered in fractures. Beyond the cliff, stars were scattered about. Though not distinct, they could be seen encircling and guarding the surrounding void. To be precise, they were likely meteorites. As the ten-colored luminous mist rose and fell, those fragments of stars gleamed with dazzling brilliance. The severed cliff was deathly still, devoid of any sign of life. The blood moon hung before it, condensed from endless lunar power. It had not originally possessed this color, but entangled with boundless karmic fire and blood-red baleful aura, the elements had dyed it into its current state. Occasionally, it shed the karmic fire and blood-red baleful aura, reverting to a divine moon. When that happened, streams of light flew out from it like hazy moon after hazy moon, rising gently in an attempt to break free from this place, only to be drawn back in by the cliff's suction in the end. Qin Ming strongly suspected that the divine moon rising into the sky seen by the old totem was simply the densest stream of light shot out when the blood moon here temporarily regained its normal state. The blood moon, pierced by divine chains, was shackled before the gigantic severed cliff. At first, Qin Ming thought those were tangible dharma chains, but then he noticed they resembled tentacles covered in icy scales, extending deep into the ten-colored luminous mist. "Condensing a moon from lunar power, forging stars from meteorites... did someone also manually ignite a sun? But... even if they did, they couldn't keep it; it must have fallen." Qin Ming stared ahead, his heart unable to settle. Just where in the world had he ended up? He dared not make a sound, keeping all these thoughts strictly within his mind. Moreover, he had long used the old cloth to conceal his aura. Although Qin Ming felt that the cliff was dead and silent with no living beings, he still dared not act rashly. He truly had never expected to enter such a place. This went far beyond anything normal; it was simply incomprehensible. With a booming crash, purple mist billowed thirty thousand li through the abyss. Not long after submerging the severed cliff, boundless karmic fire flared up, burning furiously. Only when the tide receded and the cliff resurfaced did the karmic fire gradually subside once more. Was this the truth behind the ancient blood-colored sky collapsing? Inside the ancient temple, that peerless powerhouse had led all the experts of the entire monastery into the heavens to resist, yet it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. In the end, even that strongest expert had been reduced to a puddle of ash, while the others left nothing behind at all. The Yellow Silk Canopy grew solemn as never before. It dared not speak, instead touching Qin Ming's body to transmit a message, informing him that this was likely a fallen supreme sanctuary. Qin Ming's heart jolted, waves of shock surging within. Was this a domain similar to Yujing? If so, then many things suddenly made sense. No wonder the heavens had been dyed with blood in ancient times, looking as if the sky itself were collapsing. A supreme sanctuary had been falling; even if Heavenly Gods stepped up to hold it, they would have been utterly helpless. No wonder this place was so perfect, as if nurturing the tangible Dao, far more flawless than the most ideal ground for attaining godhood in esoteric legends. Because this was a supreme realm. For the people of the esoteric sects to choose this place was no different from seeking to take root inside Yujing itself! Who could possibly provide such a foundation for attaining godhood? Subduing a supreme sanctuary to attain godhood sounded like pure fantasy. Perhaps thousands of years ago, or perhaps in an era even more distant, a supreme civilization had been destroyed, falling from beyond the heavens to lie silent here. This was nothing less than the gods and Buddhas of the heavens raining down, all buried beneath the earth. Qin Ming was just pondering whether he could ascend the severed cliff when the moment the thought crossed his mind, the hairs on his body stood on end. He entered an instant of lucid spiritual clarity and vaguely saw his own sudden demise. "I...!" He had merely entertained the thought, yet it triggered such a heavenly premonition. At the same time, the Yellow Silk Canopy cautioned him secretly: "A centipede dies but never falls flat. There may still be incomprehensible phenomena and oddities at play." In the past, a supreme civilization had been slaughtered, carrying boundless blood-red baleful aura and burning with torrential karmic fire as it plummeted from beyond the heavens. In theory, everything on this land should have ceased to exist, thoroughly destroyed. Yet that was not the case; it had merely sunk underground. The ten-colored luminous mist enveloped the ruined city atop the colossal cliff, cutting it off from the outside world. Otherwise, the aura emanating from it would have been even more terrifying. Qin Ming did not dare approach the fallen supreme realm. Instead, he swam through the ocean, feeling that this was no place to linger; an uneasy panic gnawed at his heart. Yet he also desperately yearned for a breakthrough. Having reached such a land of fortuitous opportunity, turning around and fleeing felt like doing himself a grave disservice. In a person's life, great opportunities were few and far between. A place like this was akin to an ownerless Yujing crashing down before one's eyes; across countless grand eras, one might never encounter it once. "Aside from Dao charm and spiritual nature, is there truly nothing else?" Qin Ming crossed the ocean with his physical body, hoping to spot islands or discover Earth Immortal grand medicines. In the end, he was sorely disappointed. The purple mist was boundless, yet it hadn't nurtured any miraculous treasures. His inner landscape remained wide open, capturing the purple mist and red clouds to irrigate his own domain. "Why am I feeling this sudden dread?" Qin Ming's expression shifted slightly. He spun around and fled, rocketing toward the upper reaches of the abyss and plunging into the layers of earth. The Yellow Silk Canopy urged, "Hurry, leave! In this realm, where purple mist forms an ocean and red clouds press down overhead, for you to experience such a premonition amid an atmosphere so tranquil means there is serious trouble." In truth, it sensed danger as well. Even if a supreme realm were destroyed, it was not something a grandmaster could pry into. Moreover, both of them simultaneously recalled the purple lotus in the ancient temple, which had once been inhabited by a parasitic host. And then there were the plants and trees carpeting the mountains, which cried out in pain whenever stepped on—there were far too many bizarre anomalies. Entering the soil layer, Qin Ming did not merely channel the purple mist and red clouds; he also imprinted the sacred patterns. He felt it was a pity. If he could enter closed-door cultivation here for six months or a year, the foundation of his esoteric sect path would surely become incomparably solid, enduring and indestructible from then on. Unfortunately, the world held few such "ifs." Under normal circumstances, only Heavenly Gods and Heavenly Immortals could dwell in Yujing for long. How could a fourth-realm minor cultivator like him, hailing from the mortal realm, be qualified to borrow a supreme land for cultivation? "Eh? This trip wasn't in vain after all!" Within the soil, many of the sacred patterns were not just being imprinted; they began swimming through his inner landscape, continuously elevating the vitality of this foundational domain. Having left the abyss, Qin Ming was in no hurry to depart entirely, using his physical body to roam and linger within the thick Dao earth above. He frantically absorbed every beneficial substance, eager to swallow it all in one bite. Criticisms like "eagerness for quick success" or "short-sightedness" no longer mattered in the slightest. Miss this chance, and it would never come again. Suddenly, his flesh crawled, a chilling sensation creeping up his spine. Something was wrong. Strange hairs seemed to be sprouting from his back! Qin Ming sensed what was happening: threads of blood were shooting rapidly through the soil, attempting to take root in his back, making goosebumps break out all over his body. They resembled blood-red baleful aura, yet also looked like tangible dharma chains or strands of hair. They closed in on him, even making contact with his skin, linking dozens—no, hundreds—of dense beams of light to his back. With a loud bang, Qin Ming burst out of the earth onto the surface. Hundreds of blood threads were visible, nearly piercing straight through him and causing unbearable agony. He stretched his body and rolled across the human-shaped pile of ashes left by the peerless expert in the temple courtyard. After all, faint traces of golden glow still lingered here. He felt as though he were about to explode. Brushed by the remnant charm of the golden glow, his body fractured with cracks. However, those hundreds of blood threads also dimmed, retreating back beneath the soil. *Clang!* With a single leap, Qin Ming crossed multiple courtyards, arriving before the temple's main entrance. He struck the damaged bronze plaque, using its clear, resonant vibration to shake his entire frame and borrowing its spiritual nature to cleanse his flesh. "As expected, most opportunities and fortunes in this world belong to someone. Even if the original master has perished, taking from this place still demands a price." Qin Ming's back had been punctured, and cracks covered his body. He had mastered the *Body Refining to Unite with the Dao Classic* and was proficient in the *Extreme Dao Golden Body*, capable of slaying grandmasters and tearing apart nascent souls with his bare flesh alone. Yet he had still suffered a devastating loss, nearly losing his life here. He did not wish to stay; this land harbored immense danger. Along the way, the plants and briars he trampled wailed and cried, causing his expression to shift repeatedly as myriad thoughts raced through his mind. These plants claimed to be gods—could it be that this fallen supreme sanctuary showed signs of revival? As Qin Ming sprinted, a thought struck him, and he harvested a batch of the miraculous fruits. Regardless of whether they held value, he gathered a cluster first; he wouldn't be eating them anyway. If Tang Yushang remained unyielding and challenged him to another duel, he could gift her one. "Forget it, can't make jokes like that." Qin Ming quickly shook his head. If something actually went wrong, it would cause massive trouble. Such fruits, however, could be given to people like Cui Chongxiao, who had always harbored hostility toward him, just to see if Big Cui would form a core, morph a nascent soul, and give birth. Qin Ming pondered, *Next time I go to the alien domains, I'll bring these fruits along specifically for the Godkin Society's auctions!* He needed to find a place to nurse his injuries, digest the Dao charm and spiritual substances obtained from the supreme Dao earth, and contemplate those sacred patterns. Perhaps these alone would allow him to break through. Inside his inner landscape, the purple mist and red clouds were so dense that they bolstered his foundation for attaining godhood, nurturing a burgeoning vitality within. He consoled himself, *Actually, staying any longer would have been useless anyway. My inner landscape is already saturated.* Qin Ming traversed the dense forest flowing with written characters and stepped out of the mysterious domain. Without lingering, he vanished into the primeval mountain woods. Outside, the blood-colored forest stretched boundlessly. Clad in black, Qin Ming rode the astral winds, merging into the night sky as he traveled swiftly into the distance. Suddenly, he let out a muffled groan. His back split open, and dozens upon dozens of blood threads emerged like long steel needles, stabbing through his flesh. His expression changed drastically. That sinister influence remained; it had not been severed or thoroughly obliterated. To prevent any mishap, Qin Ming descended toward the ground, fearing that a sudden loss of control might send him plummeting headfirst into the earth. Moments later, Qin Ming felt heavy as a mountain, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Behind him, a blood-colored figure gradually took shape, as though he were carrying an entity on his back as he traveled. He could feel a chilling, sinister aura burrowing into his flesh and blood. What kind of monster had he provoked? Qin Ming's heart grew heavy. In an instant, his mind lamp flared to life. Solar true fire, Nanming Li Fire, Pure World Fire, and Six Ding Divine Fire—four types of flames illuminated his entire frame, cleansing his flesh, blood, and spirit. Behind him, that mass of blood-colored entity assumed a humanoid form, frantically boring into his wounds. Scorched by the four samadhi true fires, its movements grew even more violent. Qin Ming's face turned pale. To encounter such a predicament—he felt the shadow of death closing in, about to engulf him completely. He growled low, resisting with all his might. The four divine fires burned the blood shadow, causing it to unleash a shrill, scalp-numbing howl. Burning it with divine flames was effective, but it failed to eradicate the creature entirely. Qin Ming's heart sank. This blood-colored figure existed on a higher plane than him, possessing deeper cultivation. Through the fissures on the surface of his body, it was spreading into his flesh and blood. The Yellow Silk Canopy revived. Without waiting for Qin Ming's command, it shot forth thousands of strands of purple glow, adhering to the blood shadow in an attempt to extract it. With a thunderous roar, dense Taichu Myriad Lightning Talismans erupted across Qin Ming's body, unleashing wave upon wave of lightning. He cleansed himself with thunder of ultimate firmness and pure yang. This appeared to be an old monster. Although it suffered from severe issues, its residual cultivation could still suppress both Qin Ming and the Yellow Silk Canopy—a terrifying prospect! The blood light exploded amidst the thunder, yet it reformed once more. Part of it penetrated Qin Ming's body, while the reconstituted blood light on the outside pried open his inner landscape. Qin Ming felt a deep dread. Indiscriminately consuming fortunes had caused catastrophic trouble after all; hazardous substances were mixed into those opportunities. How else could this blood-colored monster forcefully breach his inner landscape? Sure enough, within his inner landscape, wisps of blood-red baleful aura surfaced and condensed, merging with the invading blood-colored figure. In an instant, the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe hung high within Qin Ming's inner landscape, cleaving down toward the blood monster. At this moment, he had no other choice. Feeling backed into a corner, if he didn't fight desperately now, he would never have another chance. Meanwhile, the portion of blood light that had drilled into Qin Ming's flesh was about to thoroughly erode him, having already damaged his internal organs. It was utterly terrifying, reaching a point of extreme peril. Suddenly, within his body, all methods merged into one, condensing into a golden core encircled by dozens of divine rings, which detonated violently, coursing throughout his entire being. This was the comprehensive explosion of his strongest Chaos force after being fully concentrated! In a flash, that cloud of blood mist was shattered and blasted out of his body. The Yellow Silk Canopy opened recklessly, then snapped shut, temporarily absorbing that mass of blood light. Qin Ming was bleeding all over, his five viscera and six bowels wounded and cracked. Having been invaded for merely a moment, he had suffered grave injuries. Had he not refined the *Body Refining to Unite with the Dao Classic* to an exceptionally profound level, he would have been torn apart long ago. Inside his inner landscape, the Heaven-Opening Axe dispersed the blood mist, yet in the blink of an eye, the blood light reconstituted itself. It was like an indestructible blood shadow; even if shattered, it could reform. The next instant, the nine-colored sacred baleful aura appeared in Qin Ming's inner landscape, manifesting tribulation energy, and joined with the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe to strike repeatedly at the blood shadow. With a booming crash, the blood shadow exploded once more and was blasted out of the inner landscape. At the same time, the Yellow Silk Canopy shuddered violently as the blood shadow it had constrained broke free. The two masses of blood shadows merged into one, reforming a humanoid monster. Qin Ming felt deeply solemn. In mere moments of clashing, his body was covered in cracks and his internal organs were damaged. Since his cultivation had matured, he had rarely suffered such a brutal loss. Today, a single misstep could mean his death right here. The Yellow Silk Canopy remained silent, hovering above his head and casting down ribbon-like beams of light to shelter him within. Qin Ming circulated the silk book method, this time integrating the *Destiny-Altering Scripture* and other arts to heal rapidly. The fractures across his body knit back together at a speed visible to the naked eye, though his internal condition remained uncertain. The blood-colored figure did not strike immediately. Instead, it was transmitting a message toward a pitch-black divine talisman, uttering authentic syllables with cadence and rhythm, resembling a very ancient language. Qin Ming naturally could not comprehend the words, but the other party did not conceal its spiritual fluctuations, allowing him to discern the meaning clearly. "A 'precious-grade soil' has been discovered, suitable for nurturing a 'Dao seed.' It aligns exceptionally well with the path of Dao Seed No. 3. You may come and plant yourself," it actually transmitted such a message. Though the blood shadow spoke broadly, Qin Ming understood: he was that so-called "precious-grade soil," and there was a Dao Seed No. 3 that could parasitize his vessel. From the other end of the talisman came obscure fluctuations, seemingly inquiring about the details. "The soil's current realm is not high, but its potential is immense. Rebirthing upon his 'flesh Dao field' may nurture a true form that approaches perfection." The other side seemed hesitant; that Dao Seed No. 3 desired a truly flawless flesh Dao field and was quite fastidious. The blood shadow responded, "Perhaps this flesh Dao field has no flaws at all. You may come and test it." Had Qin Ming been uninjured, he would have attacked ferociously long ago. Someone was actually picking and choosing over him, intending to be reborn upon his body—what did they take him for? As for now, he healed while fleeing into the distance, pushing his speed to its utmost limit. Rarely had he ever been in such a wretched state, but the circumstances were stronger than the man. This place was too close to that dormant supreme realm, and the enemy was simply too terrifying. The blood-colored figure pursued from behind, locking onto Qin Ming. Its speed was extraordinary, almost pressing against Qin Ming's back once more. Qin Ming spun around abruptly and slashed out a nine-colored sword baleful aura. With a bang, he blew the opponent apart, yet the blood shadow merely dimmed slightly before reappearing. Moreover, employing a secret art, it willingly dissolved into a vast blood-colored mist, merging silently into the void, intending to infiltrate the opponent's body in the form of Dao charm. Dozens of divine rings resonated across Qin Ming's entire body, shattering it with a booming roar. The blood-colored creature reappeared, surprised that this flesh Dao field of low realm was so resilient, fighting upward against a stronger foe and enduring until now. It transformed into a blaze of "flames"—in reality, a cluster of runes that exhibited faint traces of the laws. With a thunderous boom, it coalesced into a gigantic blood-colored fist wreathed in light, smashing forward. The Yellow Silk Canopy moved to intercept it on Qin Ming's behalf, only to be sent flying from the impact. Qin Ming attempted to dodge at first, but found the opponent clinging like a shadow, impossible to shake off. Thus, he went all out, blasting a sun-like fist light carrying dozens of divine rings toward his adversary. Though that fist wreathed in blood-colored luminous flames trembled violently, it did not scatter. Qin Ming felt searing agony in his fist as his flesh turned mangled and his finger bones snapped. Blood-colored runes coiled around his right arm, and under the violent impact, his entire person was sent flying backward. He smashed through a thick, thousand-year-old tree, yet his body failed to halt. Amidst a succession of crashing explosions, dozens of towering trees were pulverized before he finally crashed to the ground. Qin Ming's mouth was filled with bloody foam, and blood trickled from all seven apertures. His heart was heavy, clouded in gloom; since setting out into the world, he had rarely been trapped in such dire straits. With a swish, the Yellow Silk Canopy flew back, hovering over his head, shedding even denser spiritual ribbons of light to protect him in their midst. Expressionless, Qin Ming retrieved the rotten fan. Near this supreme realm, he had originally preferred not to use such artifacts, worried they might fail. After all, this place was virtually the enemy's home turf. Yet now, he had no other option. This blood-colored figure was like the materialization of some broken rule, or perhaps an old ghost of profound cultivation, exerting boundless pressure upon him. "Lock!" the blood-colored figure uttered, its spiritual fluctuations violent. The black divine talisman in its hand ignited, turning into dense runes that temporarily sealed the rotten fan. Qin Ming's pupils contracted; the treasure fan could not be unfurled. Sure enough, near this fallen supreme sanctuary, the opponent wielded shattered fragments of the laws. The blood-colored figure spoke: "Dao Seed No. 3, if you do not care for it, I shall simply destroy this flesh Dao field." Ultimately, as the black divine talisman burned, the void rippled, and a hazy silhouette stepped through empty space, coming to a halt before the burning black runic flames. That divine talisman was also a summoning talisman. Dao Seed No. 3 stood in midair like an ascended true immortal, cloaked in a sacred, transcendent halo that purified everything around him. His hazy outline revealed him to be a young man; his true age was impossible to fathom. He cast a discerning, overly critical gaze downward and said, "Flesh fractured, realm not high—is this truly precious-grade flesh soil?" The blood-colored figure replied, "Roughly so. He has not yet reached the fifth realm, yet he has withstood multiple strikes from me. Remarkable indeed." The hazy, sacred young man stood in the void, looking down upon Qin Ming as he advanced. "My flesh Dao field, today I bestow a blessing upon you. Your body shall share the ages with me, bearing immortal glory, and supreme brilliance shall illuminate the annals of history." Qin Ming felt an urge to slap him across the face. What manner of bizarre monstrosity was this? The Yellow Silk Canopy sighed and said, "Having partaken of your bounty, I must repay your grace. Today, regardless of the cost, I shall hold back a formidable foe for you!" It flew forth, blocking the blood-colored figure. Qin Ming's entire body burned scorching hot, partly from his grave injuries, and partly from the awakening power of the esoteric sect system. He longed to take root in this land, construct a city of flesh, and undergo the Nether-Piercing metamorphosis right here. Unfortunately, he had no chance to do so. A lethal adversary had descended, bearing an aura of boundless peril. Qin Ming wrapped the rag around his right hand, soared into the sky, and proactively met the foe, swinging a slap straight toward the mysterious young man's face.