In the void, golden strands hung like silken threads. Dao Seed No. 3 was pinned in place, spiritual "blood" dripping steadily from his form.
He could hardly believe it. Shock was written across his face—he, of all beings, had been severely wounded by an inferior.
A dense Dao rhyme covered the surface of his body, far sturdier than armor forged from rare mystic gold. Yet the golden threads had pierced right through it; it could not protect him at all.
Over the surface of Qin Ming's body, golden needles darted and pulled thread, sewing and mending his shattered form. "Is this the gap between you and me?" he spoke.
Dao Seed No. 3 found the words eerily familiar. Then it struck him: he had once spoken those very words to the "flesh Dao field" before him.
Instantly, irritation surged within him.
The so-called repulsion between beings of identical nature and origin was displayed to the utmost.
He struggled violently, trying to snap the threads.
Yet he was dripping with blood and could not break free in the slightest.
A deep sense of foreboding gripped Dao Seed No. 3. Staring at the dense cluster of golden threads, he felt as though he had heard of them somewhere before.
Qin Ming manipulated the threads, pinning him securely in midair, then raised a hand and slapped him right across the face.
*Smack!*
Though struck from a distance, the blow was manifested from heavenly light and landed solidly on his cheek. Qin Ming had wanted to do this for a long time.
This Dao seed of the parasitic civilization had consistently put on airs, acting transcendent, arrogant, and self-assured. He had picked and chosen, viewing Qin Ming as an object, treating him like a flesh Dao field from atop his high horse.
Of course, Qin Ming was not doing this purely to humiliate him; he was striking to kill. Unleashing his strongest Chaos force, he blasted away half of the Dao seed's head.
Qin Ming was well aware of his own condition. Though in the midst of metamorphosis, his entire body was riddled with cracks, still entwined with the opponent's Dao rhymes. Had it not been for his cohesive force, he would have collapsed into a pile of scattered fragments on the ground.
Therefore, Qin Ming did not hesitate at all, pummeling him senseless.
Furthermore, he manipulated the golden threads to slice into him, tearing this spiritual body to pieces and carving it into dozens, even hundreds of fragments to inflict lethal damage.
Every moment of mercy toward an enemy was equivalent to handing them a butcher knife, which would inevitably backfire on oneself—all the more so against such a terrifying opponent.
Today, Qin Ming had nearly fallen, coming within a hair's breadth of dying at his hands.
From the Dao seed's remaining half-head, his surviving right eye gleamed with a bone-chilling light. He felt utterly disgraced; never before had he suffered such an ordeal.
Through all generations, his kind had always been the victors, belonging to an exceedingly dangerous civilization.
Yet here he was, captured, reduced to a prisoner, and subjected to slap after slap. Indeed—for symmetry's sake, Qin Ming raised his hand and struck the other side as well.
Dao Seed No. 3 was covered in wounds. Golden threads wove back and forth through his body like sharp swords, intent on dismembering him, while his spiritual blood had long since pooled upon the ground.
He consecutively deployed six wondrous arts, but could not break free from the binding.
He knew he could not sit idly by and wait for death. How could he allow the other party to carve him up? If this dragged on any longer, death would be his only outcome.
After two consecutive slaps shattered the Dao seed's head, Qin Ming swiftly slammed a fist into his chest, obliterating the tangible form of his spiritual field.
Simultaneously, he broke down the Dao seed preliminarily. Then golden threads poured forth, weaving anew, piercing the fragmented pieces of the body to grind them down even further.
When dealing with such a dangerous enemy, it was best to talk less and do more, crippling him as early as possible to avoid disaster in an unexpected ditch.
From within the spiritual fragments of Dao Seed No. 3, a low roar rumbled, chilling and sinister as if rising from hell itself. Then, he exploded.
At the critical moment, he proved decisive, choosing self-detonation to break free from his predicament.
The tables had completely turned. Now, it was he who had to resort to such an extreme method against his enemy.
This tactic of mutual destruction carried grave consequences, inevitably wounding oneself first.
With keen perception, Qin Ming retreated immediately, making no attempt to stop the opponent's self-detonation. His own physical body was in terrible shape; if caught in the blast, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he bolted toward a specific direction at blinding speed. Like a fiend-god crossing the Night Mist Sea, he flashed in consecutive blinks across the subterranean void.
In another area, Dao Seed No. 3 reformed. He first touched his head, then glared toward his opponent, his face etched with grim malice, killing intent erupting without restraint.
He considered himself noble and exalted, standing at an untouchable height, yet he had been dragged through the dirt by his prey. In his eyes, this was the greatest humiliation of his life.
"Die!" Only a single word tore from Dao Seed No. 3. He wanted to tear the other apart alive. If this flesh Dao field could not be kept whole, then so be it—he would piece it together afterward.
Qin Ming said nothing. Golden strands poured out once more, validating the insights within his heart. He felt that this truly counted as a supreme, wondrous art.
Dao Seed No. 3's feathered robes fluttered, still bearing an ethereal grace, but there was not the slightest trace of a smile. Instead, he radiated boundless killing intent, his hair flying wildly behind him.
His gaze turned piercing. Light rain steamed from his entire body as he unleashed a top-tier ultimate skill.
Streams of spiritual light crisscrossed through the void as he constructed a cage of consciousness. His hands formed seals, shifting through nine gestures in rapid succession while chanting a true mantra.
In an instant, light rain soared across this expanse of subterranean earth as Dao Seed No. 3 condensed the mental cage. Guided by his hand seals and incantations, he forcibly guided Qin Ming's consciousness to tear out from his body.
With a whoosh, a glowing path paved with "cobblestones" materialized, haze and luminous mist swirling around it as it stretched across the void, extending straight before Qin Ming.
This secret path sought to latch onto Qin Ming's consciousness and forcibly compel his spirit to wander across.
Across Qin Ming's body, golden needles drew thread, shielding him tightly. The glowing path failed to draw his spirit out at the first instant.
In a flash, golden strands cascaded forth. As they pierced through the path, the luminous cobblestones shattered one after another, and the entire secret path dimmed.
Then, with a resounding bang, the Path of Spirit Guidance blew apart completely, dissipating into the air.
The golden threads were radiant, slender, and resilient. Falling like a rain of luminous silk, they blanketed the area and pierced toward Dao Seed No. 3.
His protective curtain of light was pierced straight through, as fragile as paper.
Horror seized Dao Seed No. 3 as he flashed away repeatedly.
He unleashed a peerless secret art. A resplendent immortal lotus blossomed, its translucent petals glowing brilliantly as immortal light manifested continuously before him. Yet it proved entirely useless.
Layer upon layer of lotus petals were pierced by the golden threads; the shower of blossoms ignited and burned to ash upon the ground.
No matter how many times Dao Seed No. 3 shifted in blinks, he could not shake off the golden threads. He realized the gravity of the situation, and genuine terror finally crept into his heart.
At this moment, regardless of the cost to his origin, he triggered a forbidden method.
Dense characters blazed within his "flesh," surging like celestial starlight. Exceedingly sacred, they coalesced into his strongest protective patterns.
Yet even the descent of a host of stars could not break this impasse.
If one were to magnify this "firmament of flesh" boundlessly, each golden thread was unstoppable, streaking forward like lightning to impale star after star. The entire celestial expanse was pinned in place, dimming and extinguishing in an instant.
Such a sight was as magnificent as it was terrifying!
"Why?!" Dao Seed No. 3's hair hung disheveled, his feathered robes were shredded, and his entire body was covered in blood. He was consumed with indignation; even a forbidden art could not defend against this.
What he found most unbearable was that an inferior had mounted a counter-kill against him, reducing him to a prisoner.
Once again, he was pinned in midair.
"Did I break through?" At this moment, joy appeared on Qin Ming's face. His entire body felt scalding, and vigorous vitality rippled and flowed through every part of him.
The only blemish was that cracks still webbed his body, having not fully healed.
"A narrow breakthrough." Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
First, he had been forced to self-detonate his golden core. Then, the opponent had forcefully severed his Underworld Conduit metamorphosis. Subsequently, his physical body had even disintegrated into dozens of pieces.
It could be said that among those three upheavals, any single one would have been fatal, effectively declaring the breakthrough a failure and making further transformation impossible.
In any cultivation system, a practitioner seeking advancement would always adjust themselves to their peak state.
Yet throughout this bloody battle, Qin Ming's ordeal had been utterly tragic.
Under normal circumstances, merely surviving would have been a stroke of great luck; breaking through should have been completely out of the question.
"Body drained, external fiends severing the path, flesh and bone torn apart—and yet I still made it!" The tightly wound strings in Qin Ming's heart finally loosened, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Even he felt that this time had been far too arduous and perilous—no easy feat at all.
He had taken another step upward, arriving at the Mind Lamp eighth heaven.
Qin Ming was thoroughly pleased. Achieving such an extraordinary feat while beset by myriad tribulations was something most people would scarcely believe if word got out.
He noticed that this was more than just an increase in cultivation. Perhaps due to the golden needles drawing thread to mend and patch his form, both his physical body and spirit had experienced rebirth.
This was a realm coveted by countless old monsters in their wildest dreams.
Yet it was exceedingly elusive; breaking through a realm was easy compared to the sheer difficulty of human rebirth.
When Dao Seed No. 3 sensed Qin Ming's stronger aura unfurling outward, he jerked his head up, solid beams of light shooting from his eyes. Had he lost to someone who had broken through to the grandmaster realm?
However, disappointment struck him. Once he sensed the other's true state, he could not salvage even a shred of his self-esteem.
With a sudden flicker, Qin Ming appeared right before him. Chaos force erupted, blasting forward as golden threads wove together to sever the Dao seed's body once more.
He was well aware that the Yellow Silk Canopy was still fighting a bloody battle on the surface. There was no time to waste; he needed to dispose of this person immediately and provide reinforcement.
Dao Seed No. 3 spoke: "You merged into one with the mountains and rivers, and I clearly severed your foundation. How could you still break through?"
He genuinely harbored doubts, but spoke largely to stall for time.
Hearing this, coldness surfaced in Qin Ming's eyes. Having one's path severed during a breakthrough resulted in severe injury at best, and death at worst.
"Playing with mud underground—did you have your fill of fun?"
Dao Seed No. 3 burned with fury. Everything had been turned on its head. This inferior dared to adopt such an attitude, treating him like a mischievous child digging in the mud. It was blatant disrespect and mockery.
Qin Ming's fist light shattered him, and dense golden threads pinned down all of his spiritual fragments, ensuring he could not escape as lethal blows rained down without mercy.
"Ah—!" Dao Seed No. 3 let out a low roar, suffocating with frustration. Unable to flee, he was forced to prepare for another self-detonation.
Once upon a time, it was he who had driven opponents to desperate straits, forcing them into extreme measures.
Now, he had somehow become an expert in the art of mutual destruction himself.
It was a path of pure shame, yet he had no choice but to hold his nose and walk it.
Within Qin Ming's body, golden specks of light gathered like brilliant stars before shooting forth. They were even more golden threads, piercing through his opponent completely and binding him tight in the void.
Dao Seed No. 3 stared in stunned disbelief. He could not even self-detonate anymore.
Despair crept over him. From head to toe, he was thoroughly impaled.
Qin Ming looked down at him and said, "Autumn insects dare contest the heavenly frost?"
At that moment, Dao Seed No. 3's mind nearly exploded. His own words had turned into a boomerang.
He felt that this opponent was utterly loathsome—speaking his words, walking his path, leaving him with nothing to say and nowhere to go.
Qin Ming's golden threads pierced him through, bound him tight, and sealed him completely.
Then, grasping the prisoner, Qin Ming vanished from underground with a whoosh and returned to the surface.
He had not completely obliterated the parasitic civilization's Dao seed, mainly intending to harvest whatever he could from him to see if he could strip away some wondrous arts.
Furthermore, the Yellow Silk Canopy had been locked in a bloody struggle, having lost its ox and released its bird; it desperately needed grandmaster-grade consciousness bodies to replenish itself.
On the surface, a vast swath of the primeval forest had been leveled. Rocky mountains had collapsed, leaving a scene of total devastation.
"Little Yellow."
Soon, Qin Ming spotted the Yellow Silk Canopy in the distance. It lay fallen on the ground, completely motionless.
Its canopy was tightly shut. Vaguely, wisps of crimson mist could be seen struggling to break free.
Qin Ming immediately understood the situation: the new weapon spirit of the Yellow Silk Canopy had exhausted its strength to temporarily seal the crimson monster inside, preventing it from escaping.
"I... can barely hold on," a faint voice drifted from within the canopy.
Warmth flowed through Qin Ming's heart. Had the Sovereign Canopy not risked everything to detain the crimson monster, he would have died without a doubt.
"Where is the Dao seed?" the crimson monster's voice demanded from within the closed canopy.
It carried boundless chill and fury.
Evidently, this crimson figure had wanted to dive deep underground to provide rescue, but had been held back the entire time.
Qin Ming blinked over to its side. Dense golden threads pierced through the escaping wisp of crimson mist, producing a sizzling sound like a hot knife slicing through butter.
"Hm? You can already erode its power?"
The Yellow Silk Canopy said weakly, "I used my dharma chains to drag it into continuous self-detonations, grinding down almost all of its remaining rule power."
Qin Ming felt touched. Little Yellow had truly fought with its life on the line, expending the very last of its strength.
While striking to strangle the crimson figure, he asked the Yellow Silk Canopy how it was holding up.
Utterly exhausted, it replied, "All those grandmaster foundations... have been completely consumed. Detonation after detonation, not a single bit remains."
Qin Ming said, "I've captured Dao Seed No. 3. He's extraordinarily formidable; even I nearly died at his hands. For you, he should be a great tonic."
"You—!" The crimson figure struggled violently. Knowing the background of that Dao seed, how could it allow any mishap to befall him? It could not bear the responsibility.
"You are very weak!" Qin Ming gave his all, swiftly executing the crimson monster. Looking at the Yellow Silk Canopy's sickly, battered state, he was deeply worried.
Afterward, the Yellow Silk Canopy completely absorbed the remaining power of the crimson figure.
It calmly stated, "I have broken several dharma chains and Dao chains."
Qin Ming's heart sank, and he quickly asked, "Can they be restored?"
"Lost forever," the Yellow Silk Canopy's voice sounded without a ripple, devoid of joy or sorrow.
It was dim and lusterless, and the alluring figure on the canopy had grown faint and blurred.
With a heavy heart and deep guilt, Qin Ming solemnly declared, "In the future, I will find a way to make you whole again."
Evidently, the crimson monster was terrifying, possessing fragmented rule power; had it not been countered by dharma chains and Dao chains, it could never have been gravely wounded.
The Yellow Silk Canopy said, "We must leave quickly. The Dao seed you captured is very likely a seed split off from a dormant old monster, meant to achieve rebirth in the present age."
Qin Ming nodded, harboring the same suspicion.
During the battle, he had seen male and female forms around Dao Seed No. 3, like wrathful Vajras and banished immortals, all suspected to be beings he had parasitized in the past.
Clearly, this Dao seed possessed a long history and had committed heinous deeds.
Yet Dao Seed No. 3 seemed to have had his past severed, all corrupt essence refined away, turning him into a truly pure seed.
Qin Ming realized that this was a parasitic seed split off by a horrifying entity, intended to be reborn within a flesh Dao field to embark upon a brand-new life.
*Hiss!* If that was the case, then without realizing it, he had already provoked a formidable enemy and crossed an utterly terrifying old monster.
The Yellow Silk Canopy sent a mental transmission: "No need for a teleportation talisman. Head this way; let us depart quietly."
It explained that a fallen supreme sanctuary lay buried beneath this land, still retaining some residual rule power, which had manifested a hazy, decaying consciousness not long ago.
The parasitic civilization had triumphed, but at great cost.
Although the fallen supreme sanctuary was extinguished and everything was irreversible, the remnants of its power lingering outside could still exert a small degree of influence.
That hazy consciousness was the manifestation of residual order, temporarily cutting off this area from the Great Abyss.
"The parasitic civilization is lying dormant, harboring deep malice, lurking inside the Great Abyss."
Hearing this, Qin Ming took the Yellow Silk Canopy and immediately fled.
He suspected that the Golden Board might have discovered the situation within the Great Abyss, which was why it had driven the Celestial Clan, Abyss civilization, and Totem faction out of the enclave, forcing them to remain around here.
At present, the situation in this region was extraordinarily intricate and exceptionally perilous.
In the end, it was the residual power of that fallen supreme sanctuary that had emerged first to lend them a hand.
Evidently, it harbored boundless hatred toward the parasitic civilization.
"Does the Golden Board know everything happening here?"
Qin Ming brought out the conch disc, white as mutton-fat jade. It could finally be used now. He immediately contacted its original owner, Yun Jianyue, requesting this core saint to pass word to the Golden Board that a fallen supreme sanctuary lay beneath the crimson forest.
"You are Realm Faction?" Yun Jianyue was astonished. Back then, using her Heavenly Immortal avatar, she had sparred with this expert upon the sword-dueling platform. In mutual appreciation, she had gifted him the rare treasure, the conch disc.
Afterward, he had completely dropped out of contact, unreachable until today, when he took the initiative to send her a message.
"Understood. Return to the enclave at once." This was the final response the Golden Board relayed to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming was already on his way, covered in blood, riding the astral wind to flee.
Suddenly, his heart turned cold. "Hm, there's a tail behind us. Grandmaster-grade experts have followed."
The Yellow Silk Canopy said, "The battle caused quite a commotion; nearby experts definitely sensed it. Fortunately, you and that Dao seed fought beneath the earth; otherwise, far too much information would have leaked."
At the same time, it reminded Qin Ming that in the eyes of others, both of them were in terrible shape, making them prime prey.
Qin Ming nodded. He was covered in cracks and drenched in blood; some of his wounds were even translucent from front to back, looking for all the world as though he had been shattered into pieces and hastily reassembled.
As for the Yellow Silk Canopy, it had detonated repeatedly and fallen to the ground in the end. To outsiders, its spirituality was clearly gravely damaged.
Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He caught sight of those pursuing him from the shadows; they likely hailed from the Celestial Clan, the Abyss civilization, and the Totem faction, unrelated to the parasitic civilization.
So long as they did not provoke the subterranean behemoth into awakening, everything else was manageable.
"One, two..."
Qin Ming took note of the number of grandmasters behind him, preparing to strike the moment they reached the enclave.
Did these people truly believe he was at death's door, weak and easily bullied?
While still on the move, Qin Ming began organizing his flesh, sinews, and bones, forcefully severing the Dao rhymes that Dao Seed No. 3 had left in his wounds.
Inside him, the torn internal organs, shattered bones, and entwining harmful Dao rhymes were slowly ground away, and his physical condition gradually improved.
However, he left the surface wounds untouched for the time being, wary of scaring off the pursuers.
Qin Ming had already been in the midst of rebirth, his flesh exceptionally active, so he recovered very quickly.
He noticed that the golden needles drew thread continuously through his body, acting as the finest medicine imaginable, causing his state to climb rapidly.
If they were somewhere else, he would have gladly lain down right there, allowing the golden threads to wrap his entire body into a cocoon.
Qin Ming accelerated, concealing his tracks within the crimson forest to feign fleeing from danger.
The more he evaded and hid, the more aggressively his pursuers pressed forward, fully convinced they had him cornered.
A high-tier exotic beast spread its wings, carrying a grandmaster in hot pursuit.
Feigning weakness, Qin Ming sank underground, employing the Underworld Conduit method like an earth-escape technique.
"It looks like his body is in critical condition. We must take him down!"
Thus, the chase dragged on. Before they realized it, they had approached the enclave. Qin Ming smoothly broke clear of the crimson forest, only then truly setting his mind at ease.
Qin Ming plunged straight into the dense woods of his own camp. In an open clearing, he collapsed to the ground with a thud, no longer restraining the golden threads over his body.
In an instant, golden threads wove together densely, blanketing him completely.
Then, jade light shone forth.
His form resembled a celestial silkworm spinning a cocoon, and even more like being draped in the Golden Thread Jade Clothes. With the golden threads of longevity stitching and mending while jade light applied medicine, his condition improved at an unfathomable rate, the wounds across his body knitting shut.
Qin Ming grew increasingly convinced that his rebirth during this breakthrough was tied to the reappearance of these Golden Thread Jade Clothes, which possessed the qualities of longevity.
Bloody scabs peeled from him continuously, his bones and sinews popping and snapping.
Furthermore, an exotic fragrance diffused from his flesh—more pleasant than medicinal scent, resembling orchid and musk yet distinctly neither. It was a fragrance brimming with vigorous life force.
Only then did the pursuers catch up, tracking down Qin Ming's trace.
"Hm? Did he consume some great medicine? Why is there such a peculiar fragrance, with his entire body shining with golden jade light?"
Qin Ming did not rise. Lying on the ground, he illuminated the grass in resplendent golden glow and swirling jade light, the scent upon him growing richer.
"*Hiss*, he feels like a humanoid divine medicine! This is... extraordinary!"
"Something's wrong!"
Being grandmasters leading the charge, they were perceptive; someone noticed the anomaly in Qin Ming.
"Go!"
A grandmaster standing atop the back of a high-tier exotic bird spurred his mount, preparing to soar into the sky.
Alas, it was already too late. The figure lying on the ground shot forth piercing golden radiance—a dense flurry of golden threads that impaled the night sky.
With a wet thud, that grandmaster and his mount crashed to the ground, covered in blood.
Three grandmasters in total had pursued him here, accompanied by several late fourth-realm experts. Now, the color drained from all of their faces.
"Little Yellow, have a supplement," Qin Ming sighed.
He had reaped enormous benefits this time, capturing a Dao seed of the parasitic civilization alive. Unfortunately, the Yellow Silk Canopy had suffered severe trauma, losing multiple dharma chains and Dao chains.
He felt guilty; after all, Little Yellow had landed in this state by fighting desperately on his behalf.
The Yellow Silk Canopy spoke weakly: "Don't worry too much about it. Though I lost some grandmaster foundations, you can just make them up for me later."
Its considerate attitude made Qin Ming all the more determined to help it recover as quickly as possible.
"The key issue is, how do we replenish the lost dharma chains and Dao chains?" Qin Ming asked.
Nearby, the two intimidated grandmasters and the other experts were both terrified and furious. This man and umbrella truly treated them like air.
Qin Ming kicked Dao Seed No. 3 and demanded, "You once caused a supreme sanctuary to fall. As a Dao seed of the parasitic civilization, you must know many secrets. Speak: how does one restore the dharma chains and Dao chains of a tarnished supreme treasure?"
At this moment, Dao Seed No. 3 stared fixedly at Qin Ming, his eyes locked on the golden threads and jade light covering him. "How did you cultivate this technique?"
Qin Ming immediately gave him another kick. "I asked you a question. How do we reconnect the dharma chains?"
The Yellow Silk Canopy sighed leisurely. "Let them break; it doesn't matter anymore. I have one more chain on me that's on the verge of snapping. Have these people besiege me, and let's try to grind it away too."
Qin Ming's expression froze. Turning to stare at its canopy and ribs, he finally noticed the anomaly. It looked considerably cleaner and neater, having lost several of its "tattoos." He finally understood what had happened.
Chapter 552