The left side of Daoist Butterfly's face was a mangled mess of flesh and shattered bone. Bone fragments had been blasted away by the sword light, leaving his cheek torn open, disfigured, and dripping with blood.
The sight stunned everyone present!
The scales covering the five-colored strange beast glowed with faint luster, its massive body tensing as it thought to itself, *Is this newly made Daoist brother of mine done for?*
"This—" Experts of the Celestial Clan felt their hearts tremble in disbelief. Daoist Butterfly, a figure of exceedingly high status, had actually been heavily wounded, his blood splashing into the night sky.
No one had anticipated that Daoist Butterfly would be pierced clean through and sent spraying blood. If this went on, he might truly be slain by "One Sword" before both armies.
That beam of nine-colored sword baleful aura was terrifying beyond measure. Had it deviated just a fraction more, it would have struck Daoist Butterfly directly between the brows with catastrophic consequences.
"Brilliantly struck!" Pei Shuyan, Zhuo Qingming, and the others could not help but shout in jubilation. Having seized a moment of respite, they had already pulled out the spears and blades lodged in their bodies.
Even grandmasters of elevated status grew thoroughly invigorated, roaring their approval.
Yao Ruoxian's lovely eyes sparkled as she stared at the back of One Sword. She compared him to acquaintances she knew, measuring him against them in body and spiritual presence, yet found no match.
Daoist Butterfly's entire body went taut, his scalp tingling as he teleported repeatedly. A far greater crisis was closing in, something even more dreadful than the sword light.
Amid adversity, his heart grew crystalline and lucid. He sensed that if he failed to evade this, his darkest hour would be upon him.
*Chi!*
The nine-colored sword baleful aura shone radiantly, resembling a bridge spanning the bitter sea to reach the distant shore. It could ferry souls across, just as it could rapidly close the distance between two points.
Locked in place and unable to shake off the sword light, Daoist Butterfly was forced to weather the blows selectively. Blood repeatedly sprayed from his form, and flesh and bone were severed by the onslaught.
A brilliant shower of light erupted across his body as he attempted to transform several times, only to be forcefully suppressed by the sword light each time. He was clearly preparing a profound art, sending torrents of runic flames billowing skyward.
He was turning into a butterfly, seeking to fight in another form.
Yet he was pierced through again and again, his sacred metamorphosis forcibly interrupted.
Qin Ming's deduction had been correct: Daoist Butterfly's other form was vastly more powerful and held taboo techniques that would be perilous in the extreme if unleashed.
The nine-colored sword light plowed through the night sky, accompanied by plumes of vivid, tragic blood.
Daoist Butterfly's expression warped. Even repeated teleportation could not shake off his opponent. The golden threads concealed within the sword light, sluggish at first, had now grown increasingly nimble.
This time, he had already nearly attained his sacred state. His feathered robes fluttered, his hair radiated light, and even his mangled cheek and punctured flesh had regenerated.
Yet in the very next instant, wisps of golden thread hidden within the sword light drove viciously through him. Even as his form and spirit suffered grave damage, his entire body froze momentarily.
In that split second, he was bound, nearly incapable of moving.
It was like a set of golden needles pinning down a mortal insect.
Decisive to the core, Daoist Butterfly chose ascension, detonating his own body to break free of the golden threads. In truth, he feared an even denser barrage of golden strands piercing through, which would leave him entirely incapacitated.
Having mastered the *Undying Silkworm Scripture*, he possessed an undying quality in both body and spirit. His torn form and spirit reconvened in the distance.
At any cost, he pushed himself toward sanctification.
Bathed in a shower of light, Daoist Butterfly summoned the phantom manifestation of a demonic butterfly. His physical body shone dazzlingly, wrapped in the radiance of an ascending immortal.
Qin Ming moved with the air, his sword intent surging like a tidal wave as mottled colors projected nine distinct domains, sweeping forward.
Veiled behind the nine-colored sword baleful aura, dense clusters of golden threads spread outward, piercing into the shower of light.
Daoist Butterfly's expression changed abruptly. Why could he not shake this foe off? Across the void, he seemed preemptively bound by a peculiar, clinging force.
Onlookers had yet to notice the anomaly, mistaking Daoist Butterfly's appearance for a stabilized stand. The emergence of the demonic butterfly manifestation stirred the wind and clouds, blanching heaven and earth as sacred light flooded the heights.
"Daoist Butterfly has actually been pushed this far. Is he about to unleash that combo attack for the ultimate kill?"
Other grandmasters of the Celestial Clan exchanged telepathic messages in secret, keeping their discussions hidden from the opposing camp to prevent further complications.
They knew well that this was Daoist Butterfly's second transformation. That taboo domain comprised three distinct tiers, corresponding to insect, butterfly, and immortal.
Once prepared, the trinity of forms would possess unstoppable force, slaying gods and buddhas alike within the same domain.
Yet this taboo art was difficult to execute. Progressing from an insect to a sanctified butterfly, and finally to a blurred immortal form, required time to brew; it could not erupt instantaneously.
This time, the sword light was blindingly piercing, like tens of thousands of golden rays bursting forth or a great sun erupting into existence, cloaking the space ahead with countless luminous threads.
Daoist Butterfly felt wave after wave of excruciating pain. The sanctification had begun, and the demonic butterfly manifestation had appeared, yet his body was still punctured, leaving him soaked in blood.
He could not set foot into the taboo domain. He had no way of executing the supreme trinity of insect, butterfly, and immortal, repeatedly interrupted by brute force.
To be hindered and suppressed again and again was an agonizing ordeal. Daoist Butterfly vomited blood, both form and spirit ravaged.
Crucially, he was now pinned in place by the golden strands.
With a resonant hum that shook the void, Qin Ming swung his sword forward.
With a deafening crash, Daoist Butterfly was blown apart on the spot.
Moreover, the golden threads grew even denser this time, seeking to pierce every shard of his spiritual consciousness and subdue him completely.
All sides held their breath. Everyone understood that the battle had reached its decisive turning point.
Daoist Butterfly's soul trembled with violent unease. It was as though he had glimpsed the vision of his own demise. He could not remain here; otherwise, even with his undying nature, he would be ground down to nothing.
That he had attained such heights proved his extraordinary talent. Experiencing a sudden flash of spiritual clarity, he felt his hair stand on end as he realized the situation was far graver than he had imagined.
"Sacrifice a life to escape!"
Daoist Butterfly cast his technique decisively. A glowing insect silhouette emerged to bear the catastrophe in his stead.
Yet the insect scapegoat proved useless, shattering in the blink of an eye.
He immediately realized the problem: what should have been a brilliantly shining entity was now dim and lusterless, having already been expended recently.
*When did I burn through a life beforehand?* Daoist Butterfly was bewildered. He had not known about it himself.
He cast the technique once more, and a butterfly silhouette materialized. It was a mass of substance that lit up the entire sky, brimming with spirituality. Like a second Daoist Butterfly appearing in the true body's place, it absorbed the catastrophe on his behalf.
Meanwhile, Daoist Butterfly's true form vanished from the spot, fleeing the battlefield.
"This—" Members of the Celestial Clan were dumbfounded. Had Daoist Butterfly truly been driven into a corner, forced to sacrifice a life just to survive?
They all knew that Daoist Butterfly possessed three more lives than ordinary people, drawn from that taboo domain corresponding to insect, butterfly, and immortal.
Not only had he failed to execute his three-tier lethal strike, but he had also been forced to sever his butterfly life alone?
After such a devastating defeat, even if he regrouped, he would likely be unable to perform that trinity taboo art for a long time to come.
Qin Ming tore through the butterfly silhouette and tossed the remnants to the Yellow Silk Canopy.
"Not a true soul!" Little Yellow grumbled discontentedly.
"Just you wait! I'll settle the score with you next time!" Far in the sky, Daoist Butterfly looked back, choked with humiliation and deeply unreconciled. He resolved that next time, he would step directly into the trinity domain within the Crimson Forest before emerging to kill his foe.
However, maintaining that state for an extended period was extremely difficult, which presented a major challenge of its own.
Qin Ming gave chase at once. Though heavily injured by the sword baleful aura, the fact that this opponent could survive his sword strikes spoke volumes.
Moreover, Daoist Butterfly's sanctification clearly had subsequent stages. If left to develop unchecked, he would almost certainly prove exceedingly troublesome to deal with.
Unwilling to leave problems for the future, Qin Ming pursued him upon his sword.
*Hm?* His heart sank as he noticed an anomaly.
Daoist Butterfly glanced back to look at him, and deep within his eyes, a faint crimson glint flashed and vanished.
*Has this person been parasitized?*
Qin Ming's heart grew somber. To parasitize an original host without their knowledge was a remarkably profound technique. Could it be that even the traces of an actual struggle had been scrubbed clean?
Daoist Butterfly flickered and vanished, having activated a teleportation talisman to plunge into the Crimson Forest and retreat into his own territory.
Feeling some wariness, Qin Ming had no intention of crossing into enemy ground.
He looked around for other opponents. Where had the five-colored strange beast gone?
Qin Ming scanned the surroundings, but found no trace of it.
A grandmaster informed him, "That totem beast ran away without looking back before Daoist Butterfly was even defeated!"
Qin Ming frowned. Earlier, that five-colored behemoth had spoken with righteous fervor and heroic passion, but it had all been empty bluster. When the critical moment arrived, it fled faster than anyone!
Not only that, but several grandmasters from the opposing camp had also vanished.
"Kill!"
Without waiting for Qin Ming's call, the experts on Yujing's side surged forward together, chasing down the forces of the Celestial Clan, the Abyss, and the totem faction.
The moment Daoist Butterfly showed signs of defeat, the opposing side had already begun to retreat, though they were nowhere near as sharp as that small handful of grandmasters.
Qin Ming dearly wanted to slay that five-colored strange beast, but the beast was the slippiest of them all, having fled into the distance before anyone else.
With One Sword joining the fray, the situation in this region was completely overturned, turning into a one-sided slaughter.
Pei Shuyan, Zhuo Qingming, and Yao Ruoxian, despite their heavy injuries, captured a crowd of prisoners. Those of the fourth realm surrendered without a fight.
The presence of grandmasters dominating the skies suppressed them until they could not move, causing their mental defenses to crumble entirely.
"You dare resist?"
Some stubborn fourth-realm experts from the Celestial Clan and the Abyss civilization refused to yield, only to be crushed into paste.
Yao Ruoxian, Pei Shuyan, Zhuo Qingming, and the others had thought today would be their end. They had never imagined they would mount a massive counteroffensive in the end, harvesting opponents fleeing in panic.
Qin Ming also joined the pursuit, gathering spiritual reserves for the Yellow Silk Canopy while scouring for super wondrous blood for himself.
Burning with a desire for vengeance, several grandmasters from Yujing launched frenzied attacks. Coupled with the fact that the top tier of opposing grandmasters had fled early, the intense clash did not last long before drawing to a close.
Spears were planted in fractured peaks, the broken earth was stained with blood, and the dense primeval forest burned with raging fires. Though the defenders had routed the invaders, few smiles could be seen.
How could there be war without death?
Many people's fellow disciples and elders lay dead across the scarred mountains and forests.
Even several grandmasters grieved deeply over the loss of close friends.
Many of the younger generation were in tears, as relatives and friends had been reduced to corpses.
An old grandmaster of the Newborn path cradled a severed torso and sighed. "Old Wu... In the end, you went before me. We agreed to see who could live longer, yet who would have thought your life would end so prematurely?"
His expression was desolate. He showed no outward weeping, but his cloudy old eyes and low voice betrayed his heavy heart.
Elders who had weathered countless hardships and storms were restrained even in profound sorrow; they spoke softly, shedding no more tears.
Across their lifetimes, they had witnessed far too many partings and sorrows.
Two other old grandmasters of the Newborn path approached, holding pieces of bloodstained armor. Numb and dim-eyed, they slumped to the ground.
"Not even Old Chen's bones remain. Only these bloodstained armor fragments were left behind."
They spoke of another grandmaster of the Newborn path whose form and spirit had been utterly obliterated, leaving behind no remains.
The three surviving old grandmasters sat there motionless for a long time before one finally sighed, "The number of our old brothers dwindles year by year. How bleak it is."
"Old Wu still has a few shattered remnants of consciousness. Let us awaken him shortly to ask if he has any unfulfilled wishes."
The speaking grandmaster reached out with a trembling hand, gently touching the blood-spattered remains, which consisted of only a fraction of a skull and a small portion of a chest.
In the distance, weeps and sighs hung heavy in the air.
Across several battlefields near Yinhan Gorge, grandmasters from every path had fallen. Even grandmasters from the supreme orthodoxies of the celestial realms could not escape death.
Qin Ming approached in his guise as One Sword. From afar, he saw the three old grandmasters sitting dejectedly on the ground, guarding a mangled body and a pile of broken armor.
A knot formed in his chest as he recognized them. When the Earth Ox grandmaster of the Abyss civilization had raided Yinhan Gorge, these old grandmasters had rushed over at full speed to reinforce him. On the way, they had even cast aside their physical bodies to travel in spirit, fighting desperately to save Qin Ming.
In the blink of an eye, only three of the five old grandmasters remained.
Though he understood that war inevitably brought casualties, Qin Ming still felt a wrenching ache. Such good men, now weary of heart and covered in wounds.
Suddenly, Qin Ming sensed something and said, "This senior still has fragments of spiritual consciousness. Where did you find his remains? Perhaps he can still be saved."
An old grandmaster shook his head. "His consciousness is shattered, with very little left, and it is entwined with the opponent's destructive dao rhymes. It can no longer be separated. He cannot be brought back."
"Let me try," Qin Ming said.
"One Sword, you... are you confident?" A spark of flame-like light suddenly flickered in the old grandmaster's dim eyes.
Qin Ming replied, "I will do everything I can!"
Cradling the remains, he followed the three old grandmasters to a fractured mountainside. Resonating with the area, he immediately sensed quiet fragments of spirit buried beneath the fissures in the earth and within the shattered peaks.
Veiling his actions behind the nine-colored sword baleful aura, Qin Ming manifested the longevity traits he had cultivated from the silk book method. Strands of golden thread plunged into the earth and pierced through the mountains, beginning to guide those spiritual fragments back.
Not only that, but he also ground away the harmful dao rhymes, secretly stitching the fragments together.
Then he exerted more force, using the sword light to conceal his clinging energy as he drew back scattered blood and bone fragments.
In truth, what mattered most were those dim spiritual fragments. Once Qin Ming stitched them together, they coalesced into a ball of conscious light.
As for the physical body, fifth-realm grandmasters could regenerate severed limbs. If the consciousness could fully recover, a year or six months of recuperation would allow the flesh and blood to regrow.
"Old Wu can truly be revived?" Beside him, the three old grandmasters were stunned, followed by overwhelming joy, their aged tears nearly spilling over.
"What about Old Chen!" one grandmaster asked with hope.
Unfortunately, when Qin Ming tried to gather Old Chen's spiritual fragments, they were far too scattered. Even when drawn together, so little remained that they could not form a light of consciousness.
Having revived one old grandmaster of the Newborn path, the stifling weight in Qin Ming's chest eased somewhat.
As he walked through this land, he offered his help wherever he could.
Qin Ming gazed toward the Crimson Forest with a solemn gaze. When even a figure like Daoist Butterfly had been parasitized, it showed just how severe the problem had become on that side.
He felt the pressure. After all, Daoist Butterfly was formidable and had other forms yet unrevealed; today, his casting had been forcibly interrupted, but otherwise, a grueling bloodbath would have been required.
*Daoist Butterfly was parasitized—what level of dao seed did this?* Qin Ming suspected that a crimson monster had likely assisted; otherwise, the parasitism would not have gone so smoothly.
Under normal circumstances, a grandmaster like Daoist Butterfly would not fall so easily, let alone remain completely unaware after being parasitized.
If the Celestial Clan and the Abyss civilization discovered that their home had been compromised and their key disciples parasitized, wouldn't they go mad? Qin Ming believed this region would soon descend into immense chaos.
He felt the Golden Roster possessed extraordinary patience, holding back even now without exposing the truth, as if fearing the hatred within the Crimson Forest was not yet deep enough.
Meanwhile, news arrived from other sectors: the invaders from the Crimson Forest had been repelled one after another.
"Daoist Peng has disappeared, and two of the Abyss Kings have also vanished. The Celestial Clan and the Abyss civilization suspected Yujing's involvement, which is why they attacked to investigate?"
Qin Ming frowned. The disappearance of these core disciples had sparked such an enormous upheaval.
He sat down in the mountain forest to reflect carefully. His fierce battle against Daoist Butterfly had not been short, yet he had failed to take him down directly.
Furthermore, he had learned from the captives that the opponent possessed three forms—insect, butterfly, and immortal—capable of unleashing taboo domain arts.
On top of that, a mysterious dao seed was parasitizing Daoist Butterfly's body.
Qin Ming's brows furrowed deeply, and he felt a lack of certainty. The more he pondered it, the more dangerous that bug seemed.
He felt the weight of the pressure. With the current situation so murky, he worried his realm was not high enough and his strength slightly lacking.
For once, Qin Ming felt a rare absence of security, urgently desiring to break through once more to face the complex and perilous landscape.
*Daoist Butterfly is likely a saint at the grandmaster level...*
This led him to think of the enigmatic enemies within Yujing's territory. If the true mastermind behind the mind monkey was also at the grandmaster level, he would be in considerable danger.
In the eyes of others, "One Sword Piercing Through the Thirty-Six Layers of Heaven" possessed extraordinary combat power, yet Qin Ming himself harbored a sense of impending crisis, deeming his own cultivation inadequate.
*There are too many monsters and demons in this territory. I... am still not strong enough.* He wanted to ascend to the next tier as soon as possible.
Had his peers heard these thoughts, they would have been left utterly dumbfounded.
Qin Ming found a quiet spot, activated the conch disc, and attempted to contact the Golden Roster, eager to remedy his "feeble" condition.
Before long, he managed to establish communication.
Qin Ming tactfully asked whether he could redeem items with his merits ahead of schedule.
The Golden Roster responded, "The front line is strained, and a colossal tempest could crash down at any moment. Various rare aged herbs cannot yet be opened fully to the public; they are reserved to save lives when needed."
Hearing this, Qin Ming felt a pang of disappointment.
The Golden Roster asked, "Weren't you keenest on redeeming exotic metal to forge an exotic metal saber or a great warhammer? What made you change your mind?"
Qin Ming's spirits lifted. "Do I have enough merits?"
The Golden Roster informed him calmly, "You are far from it. Could the grandmasters you killed collectively compare to an Earth Immortal? Some of the older generation have slain multiple immortals single-handedly, and they desire exotic metal as well."
Qin Ming was dazed. How was he supposed to compete? Was he truly expected to vie against the strongest old monsters like the Dog Sword Immortal, Zhuo Kun, the Sage, and the Seven-Day Stacker?
The Golden Roster continued, "What else did you expect? In foreign campaigns, the measure is naturally the merit earned from slaying enemies. Of course, if you slay exceptional grandmasters—such as saints destined to become paramount experts—you receive a bonus when merits are tallied, but it is not as large as you imagine. After all, others have slain true seventh-realm powerhouses, whereas you have merely slain potential experts in the literal sense. The future is distant, and no one can say what will happen; some saints may not even live that long."
It then asked, "What do you wish to redeem ahead of schedule?"
Qin Ming answered, "Precious medicine for breaking through."
The Golden Roster said, "Although herbs and similar wartime-critical resources should not be made widely available, your outstanding performance makes it worth considering."
Hearing this, Qin Ming was instantly energized. He had held out little hope, never expecting Old Jin to relent at the last moment.
"Are you in dire need of it?" The Golden Roster knew he had broken through not long ago; instead of consolidating his foundation for a time, he was seeking back-to-back advancements.
"I am too weak," Qin Ming said.
At those words, the Golden Roster almost materialized to beat him personally.
The Golden Roster warned, "Speak like a normal person in front of me!"
Qin Ming responded earnestly, "I am speaking the truth. Facing grandmaster-level saints and dao seeds of the parasite civilization leaves me uncertain. I lack a sufficient sense of security."
The Golden Roster asked, "You fear your opponents that much?"
Qin Ming nodded solemnly. "Yes. I belong to the realm faction. I hope to raise my cultivation high enough so that I can remain fearless before the intricate situation and the opponents from every camp."
The Golden Roster asked, "You are certain you want to exchange for medicine rather than exotic metal, correct?"
"Indeed!" Qin Ming nodded.
Right now, elevating his own strength had to take precedence. Weapons were merely an added bonus; if push came to shove, he still had Little Yellow and Little Tea, both capable of great utility.
The Golden Roster hardly knew how to evaluate him. How could such a peerless genius have the audacity to claim he was feeble?
It instructed, "Wait at Yinhan Gorge."
"Understood!" Qin Ming was filled with anticipation.
At the same time, he asked the Golden Roster about the parasite civilization. When would this powder keg be detonated?
The Golden Roster replied, "Soon. When their insatiable greed drives them to infiltrate the higher echelons of the Celestial Clan and the Abyss civilization, it will erupt naturally."
Within the subterranean Great Abyss, at the fallen supreme sanctuary, there was indeed a super teleportation formation. The parasite civilization had already prepared their retreat.
Outside the Crimson Forest, Daoist Peng felt lingering dread. Had he not possessed a specialized liquid weapon, he might well have met with disaster.
An elder of the Celestial Clan had approached him with eyes glowing red. In that split second, Daoist Peng had activated his dazzling armor and crossed the firmament to flee.
He had realized that something was wrong with that trial ground. Back then, he had relied on his specialized weapon to destroy a crimson monster, or he would have been in grave peril.
When he emerged from that region, he had intended to report to the upper echelons, only to find himself targeted by a prominent figure among the Celestial Clan's elders.
By now, Daoist Peng dared not return; he had grown wary even of his own people.
At the same time, Daoist Butterfly and the Thousand-Winged Cicada came together. As they looked at each other, a faint crimson glow flickered deep within their eyes.
Daoist Butterfly was burning with indignation. He planned to adjust himself to peak condition, unleash his taboo art, and hunt down One Sword once more. He hoped the Thousand-Winged Cicada would accompany him to oversee the battle and handle unforeseen events.
The Thousand-Winged Cicada said, "It would be best to call upon the Sun Bug as well. If the three of us arrive together, we can sweep across that region."
"Very well. Let me heal my wounds and replenish my origin first," Daoist Butterfly said, exhaling a mouthful of foul air.
Above Yinhan Gorge, a faint wisp of golden light parted the night sky.
Qin Ming's heart raced with excitement. His precious medicine had arrived!
Chapter 558