In the night, immortal patterns intertwined in Qin Ming's eyes. In the distance, he saw blood soaking the ground everywhere, along with a faint mental transmission. Was that... an acquaintance?
His expression changed abruptly as he vaguely sensed who it was.
For someone to intercept and slaughter the returning expedition members was truly intolerable to him.
Tang Yushang possessed unique divine eyes and could roughly see the bloody scene as well. That stretch of ground was a shocking, gruesome sight.
Usually aloof and ethereal as a heavenly maiden, she was by no means unfeeling at heart. In stark contrast to her cool exterior, she was furious right now. Those who had embarked on the expedition had not fallen in foreign warfare, yet they had been struck down within their own domain.
"Outsiders!" Yu Gensheng said, bright crimson blood trickling from all seven facial orifices.
Bai Meng felt a chill in his heart. Looking ahead, he said, "They're deliberately approaching us."
Possessing the lowest realm, he could not gauge the opponents' condition, but seeing two figures walking calmly and unhurriedly toward them, he naturally understood they possessed immense confidence.
Tang Yushang said, "We can't avoid them!"
"Greetings, everyone. A pleasure to meet you," the young man called out with a smile from afar.
He had curly flaxen hair, fair skin, deep-set eyes, and a tall, slightly hooked nose. His polite smile brimmed with confidence.
Indeed, without backing, he would never have dared approach them of his own accord.
Beside him stood an elder with thick white hair, an aquiline nose, and piercing, spirited eyes. Though his qi was restrained, he radiated a deeply perilous aura.
Could he be a grandmaster?
This weighed heavily on Qin Ming, Tang Yushang, and the others. To be ambushed by such a figure halfway home meant a bloody struggle of life and death was inevitable.
The four of them crossed through the night mist, drawing close to the bloodstained area.
From their appearances to their attire, the flaxen-haired youth and the white-haired grandmaster carried distinct foreign characteristics. Though human in shape, whether they were humanoid beings or something else was hard to tell.
If they dared venture deep into Yujing territory, they certainly did not consist of just these two alone.
The white-haired grandmaster observed intently and said, "Mm, that elder is covered in hairline fractures. In this harsh era, it is hard enough for high-realm beings to survive, yet he has fought repeatedly. His physical condition is terrible."
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Mm, an irrepressible vitality radiates from within him. He has consumed an extraordinary miracle medicine. I wonder if it can be refined out of him."
It was precisely because they saw Yu Gensheng's wretched state that the white-haired grandmaster and the youth beside him had proactively given that "friendly" greeting.
Otherwise, when masters crossed paths in the night, their first instinct would be to avoid each other—a fundamental rule of self-preservation in the night mist world.
Unless one held absolute superiority or conflict was unavoidable, no one would proactively approach an opponent. The same held true on a macro scale between two unfamiliar civilizational systems.
"Pei... Shuyan!" Upon drawing near, Bai Meng spotted their acquaintance's severed head and shattered body scattered across the ground in dozens of fragments.
Moreover, the area was sickeningly gory. Bloodied, grizzled hair belonging to a grandmaster stuck to a broken skull, and unidentifiable severed limbs and mangled remains belonging to others littered the ground.
Evidently, a group of returning cultivators had been bombarded and slaughtered by formidable foes, over a dozen people torn apart simultaneously.
And the culprits were clearly this youth and elder, who had not yet departed.
"Danger..."
The torn-apart grandmaster of the Immortal Path had only a final wisp of remnant pure yang consciousness left. It flickered on the verge of fading as it issued a feeble warning—evidently shattered and crippled after having his soul searched.
With those two words, his consciousness was extinguished completely.
"I'm going to die too," Pei Shuyan sighed. The only reason he had not yet dissipated was that the flaxen-haired youth intended to search his soul to learn about the standout talents of the younger generation in Yujing territory and verify several matters.
"You killed them all?" Bai Meng demanded furiously.
With a resounding boom, Chaos force erupted around Qin Ming. His face was cold as frost, his killing intent boundless.
"Qin Ming..." Pei Shuyan murmured, his spiritual fire growing dimmer by the second.
After fighting their way through the mortal trial of the Chasm, the armor encasing Qin Ming had long shattered and sloughed off. He was traveling in his true appearance now.
"Old Pei." The fire in Qin Ming's heart surged to the heavens, threatening to incinerate the celestial canopy.
"This is outrageous!" Tang Yushang could not bear it either. Having journeyed together to the outer domain and survived brutal warfare, to see people of their own camp meet such a horrific fate after returning to Yujing territory was unbearable.
Pei Shuyan's spiritual fire guttered lower. Weak beyond measure, he muttered, "Had I known... I would rather have fought harder in the enclave... killed a few more foreign enemies... and died fighting out there."
"Old Pei, you're going to make it!" Bai Meng yelled. Back in Sky City, he and Pei Shuyan had acted as go-betweens, connecting major factions with Qin Ming while leeching free food and drinks together every day. They had forged a tight bond.
With a whoosh, Qin Ming teleported toward Pei Shuyan. The flaxen-haired youth glided across to block him, smiling. "Brother, no need to rush."
Bang! Qin Ming's Chaos force burst outward. Dense runes enveloped his fist, and his explosive force boiled like radiant flames, turning the night sky crimson.
A flicker of surprise crossed the flaxen-haired youth's face as his body swayed slightly.
His demeanor grew more solemn. This target possessed chilling fractures across his body, blood weeping from his facial orifices and half his torso dyed crimson, showing he had suffered severe injuries in battle—yet he still possessed such power?
At the same time, Tang Yushang stepped forward to block his path.
Qin Ming rushed to Pei Shuyan, and Bai Meng quickly followed.
The white-haired grandmaster from the deeper reaches of the night mist world did not move. He kept his eyes locked on Yu Gensheng, locked in a standoff.
Yu Gensheng had many worries weighing on his mind as he gazed up at the deep night sky.
Yujing and the Colossus had reignited their war, continuing the ancient conflict. In the enclave, multiple factions were embroiled in chaotic, bloody warfare.
Yet in the rear, various "monsters and demons" from afar were stirring up trouble and perpetrating such bloody atrocities.
Yu Gensheng worried that chaos might have erupted at Yujing's headquarters.
Judging by these two alone, they would hardly dare penetrate so deep into the hinterlands of a supreme faction and act with such brazen confidence unless even stronger figures had arrived.
The foreign youth spoke: "Brother, though this is only our first encounter, we are of the same kind. I admire you."
When he said "the same kind," he was not referring to personality or life ambitions, but purely acknowledging their status and power—he recognized that Qin Ming was genuinely formidable.
This was also the code of conduct in certain regions of the night mist world: respect was accorded only to equals in strength.
He continued, "Earlier, as we passed through here, a small friction occurred. If they were your acquaintances, then I truly apologize."
Qin Ming did not speak. Carefully identifying Pei Shuyan's aura, he began circulating his Adhesion force to gather his shattered flesh and blood.
Even the blood on the ground could be seen flowing backward.
Furthermore, it was sifted out from the mingled bloodstains, flowing toward a battered body being temporarily pieced together.
At the same time, Pei Shuyan's pure yang consciousness was bound and drawn together by Qin Ming's Chaos force, then tucked back into his mangled frame, which resembled a tattered rag doll.
Though the body was mangled and covered in gore, nurtured by vital qi and blood, Pei Shuyan's waning spiritual consciousness improved noticeably and ceased deteriorating.
Amidst the excruciating agony, Pei Shuyan felt astounded. Even this was possible? Qin Ming had actually sifted and selected through the carnage on the ground to reassemble a body for him—had it been himself, he might not have been able to tell the parts apart.
Naturally, there were oversights. One of his severed fingers had been pulverized beyond recovery, so Qin Ming found an old finger from the grandmaster's corpse; only when he felt bodily rejection did he temporarily abandon it.
"Brother... Qin, be careful. My wounded heart, my crushed lungs... don't install someone else's. Our group had a spirit wolf mount..."
Old Pei was genuinely worried that Qin Ming, in his hurry to patch him up, might stick a wolf's heart into him.
Bai Meng asked with deep concern, "Brother Pei, feel carefully. Check if you're missing anything else."
"I... might actually survive," Pei Shuyan said feebly, feeling his remnant life had been temporarily preserved.
"Don't speak. Focus on recovering," Qin Ming said, swiftly finishing piecing together his body and discreetly applying several stitches.
Years ago, as a prodigy of the Immortal Path's Pure Land, Pei Shuyan had looked down on the Newborn path system and had harbored feelings for Li Qingyue. Consequently, his early relationship with Qin Ming, while not openly hostile, had hardly been harmonious; he had even nitpicked and found fault.
It was not until Helian Zhaoyu appeared—an immortal seed of the Immortal Governance Sect and a direct descendant of Helian Chengyun, domineering and overbearing—that Helian's hostility unexpectedly drew Pei Shuyan and Qin Ming closer together.
From then on, the two had gradually become friends, their bond growing ever closer.
Suddenly, Pei Shuyan's eyes flew wide, panic written all over his face. "Brother Qin, I'm... missing a piece!"
Bai Meng asked in surprise, "Old Pei, which piece are you missing?"
"The most important piece of my life!" Pei Shuyan panicked, far more anxious and terrified than when he was on the brink of death, urging Qin Ming to look carefully for it.
Pfft! Hearing this, Bai Meng could not hold it in and spat out a mouthful of blood as he laughed, being heavily wounded himself.
Amidst this grim, deadly atmosphere, he struggled to stifle his laughter. "It probably got blown to bits. Have Brother Ming find someone else's to swap in."
"No!" Pei Shuyan's mental fortitude was on the verge of collapsing.
Weak yet desperate, he cried, "Brother Qin, I gave up on Qingyue long ago! Don't... hold a grudge over the past! Truly, please search carefully for me!"
Qin Ming replied seriously, "It's really gone. It must have blown up."
Pei Shuyan felt ice-cold all over. His battered body shook, seeping blood as if it might burst open again. A profound desolation overtook him. Was he destined to become a eunuch?
He was still young and far from reaching the Grandmaster Realm capable of regenerating severed limbs. Was he truly going to live as Chief Steward Pei for the next few decades? Life had suddenly become so bleak and joyless.
Bai Meng comforted him, "Brother Pei, Old Pei, pull yourself together. Later on, if you take some great tonic medicine and use certain secret arts, even low-realm cultivators can reform flesh. If you're in a hurry, we can just piece together a temporary replacement for you."
Pfft! Pei Shuyan coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he slumped over. Earlier, torn limb from limb and enduring agonizing pain, he had held on without passing out.
Qin Ming stood up. To outsiders, reassembling his friend's body had taken only the blink of an eye. His right hand had merely reached out toward the ground, drawing all the blood and bone back in reverse, completing the process in a fleeting moment.
Thus, the atmosphere remained unchanged; both sides were still locked in a tense standoff, sizing each other up.
The flaxen-haired youth smiled, seemingly extending goodwill. "Brother, how should I address you? I am speaking in earnest: you and I are of the same kind. And this fairy as well—she belongs to our echelon."
"Who is of your kind?" Tang Yushang, always haughty and aloof toward outsiders, rebuffed him on the spot, harboring deep revulsion for the man.
"A face that can topple nations, peerless beauty... you must be a female saint of Yujing, yes?" The foreign youth took no offense. Instead, his smile deepened as he introduced himself as a "traveler."
"I rank sixth in my clan. You may call me the Holy Traveler, or Traveler Six. As leading figures of our generation from different civilizational systems, we ought to grow closer and exchange ideas."
Bai Meng said, "Holy Traveler? What grandiose arrogance!"
Had Pei Shuyan still been conscious, he would have remained grimly silent. Traveler Six was genuinely terrifying—he had smashed a grandmaster of the Immortal Path with a single hand and wiped out their entire group single-handedly.
Qin Ming said, "You slaughtered my friend, yet you expect me to get close to you?"
The Holy Traveler said, "Merely killing a few inferiors—why should you care, brother? We harbor no desire to become mortal enemies with the Yujing faction and wage war. We came solely to conduct experiments and gather samples."
Having shown goodwill without receiving the expected "courtesy" in return, he displayed his firmness, smiling faintly. "If you are unwilling, no matter."
He added, "In truth, I would much rather become closer with this fairy and exchange ideas."
"Insolent!" Bai Meng snapped. This fellow actually dared speak so recklessly and flirt with his sister.
Tang Yushang's face turned icy cold. Looking at the blood soaking the ground, she had already found this unpardonable; now her desire to kill this man burned even hotter.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming communicated secretly with Yu Gensheng to gauge the depth of the white-haired elder's cultivation.
"A grandmaster. Extremely troublesome," Yu Gensheng replied secretly. His own state was terrible, whereas the foreign grandmaster opposite them was in peak condition.
Traveler Six said, "You bear the golden imprints of the Immortal Blood Calamity. That interests me greatly. I have treated you with courtesy, but do not think for a moment that I am obliged to respect you."
Suddenly, the conch horn on his person sounded, causing his expression to shift slightly.
He answered immediately, and his face darkened at a visible speed, utterly losing his earlier smile and composure. The atmosphere grew oppressive.
He glanced toward the grandmaster, sending a grim mental message: "Something happened to the Seventh Realm traveler. He encountered a dog..."
"What?" The white-haired grandmaster was startled.
Why had they dared enter this domain? Because top powerhouses led their expedition. Now, one of their leaders had run into trouble, leaving them deeply unsettled.
Qin Ming resonated with the surroundings, focusing all his senses to discern what had transpired.
Soon, he caught valuable information.
The Seventh Realm traveler had been gathering vital samples of the Immortal Blood Calamity, operating rampantly in the rear when he spotted various returning expedition squads.
Toward groups of Earth Immortals traveling together, he naturally avoided confronting them head-on.
Not out of fear, but from a detached vantage point, looking down from afar. They were exhausted troops; some were even critically injured and could die at any moment.
So long as he did not get entangled with the main army, if he encountered anyone alone, he feared no one.
Sure enough, he spotted a straggler traveling alone: a Seventh Realm black-and-white bear. Though covered in blood, it still looked charmingly naive.
He wanted to abduct it and keep it as a watchdog.
Yet the ferocity of that black-and-white bear exceeded his wildest imagination. Once enraged, it shed all pretense and transformed into a sword immortal in the guise of an old dog.
The Seventh Realm traveler clashed with the Dog Sword Immortal, thoroughly infuriating what he had seen as a "native dog."
Right now, he was fleeing for his life.
The Dog Sword Immortal was utterly incensed. Having fought to the bone in bloody combat against foreign experts, risking its life to earn a faint wisp of Absolute Beginning qi, some foreign dog bastard had dared ambush it.
Every drop of Absolute Beginning qi spent was a drop lost forever. In such a cruel era, this heaven-and-earth treasure was a life-extending sacred item—how could it be squandered lightly?
Yet that foreign scoundrel had forced it to tap into it. Howling in fury, it went completely berserk, determined to cleave its foe to death.
"You're the f**king watchdog! You dare think of keeping me as a pet?! Woof, woof, woof!" The Dog Sword Immortal launched a pursuit spanning hundreds of thousands of li.
More importantly, it had set its eyes on the faint wisp of Xuanhuang qi swirling around its opponent. Capturing it would make up for its loss.
Struck repeatedly by sword light, the Seventh Realm traveler was on the verge of falling.
He was transmitting warnings to his camp to act prudently, withdraw immediately, and by no means act rashly.
Qin Ming wore a peculiar look. The Beast God of Black-White Mountain truly lived up to its ferocious reputation—after all, when it went berserk in the past, it had even dared provoke Liu Mo.
The Holy Traveler said, "Old Bai, since their grandmaster has serious issues, please strike. Take them down immediately, and then we withdraw at once."
"Very well!" The white-haired grandmaster nodded.
They dropped all pretense. There was no longer any need to project goodwill or probe; they moved straight to violence.
Qin Ming called out, "Big Tang, the jade mirror!"
He knew Tang Yushang carried an extraordinary weapon whose name sounded similar to Yujing.
Big Tang's delicate brows knit slightly as she replied in a helpless mental message, "I gave it to my ancestor to use."
In the supreme bloody clash, to maximize their faction's strength, she had lent the precious mirror to that Seventh Realm old monster, who in turn left life-saving measures within her body.
Just like earlier in the Chasm, when a pitch-black hand had slammed down toward them—without that life-saving measure, they would surely have been pulverized into blood mist, their body and spirit utterly obliterated.
Qin Ming sighed. Though they had greater numbers, they were all wounded, elderly, or weakened, lagging significantly in combat power. While Old Yu's life was not in immediate danger, his body was covered in fissures and had not recovered; he was truly in no condition for a life-and-death struggle.
Even he and Tang Yushang had damaged their foundations and were ill-suited for bloody battle.
Boom!
The grandmaster opposite them, in peak condition, lunged forward to kill. Wind and clouds churned, heaven and earth lost color, and clouds across the night sky surged like monstrous waves, buffeting the heavens in an overwhelming tempest.
Qin Ming directly drew out the decayed fan and aimed it at him.
Swish! The white-haired grandmaster teleported backward in retreat. The terrifying attack he had brewed dissolved the instant the fan emerged, and he dared not charge forward.
At that moment, Yu Gensheng took the decayed fan himself; in his hands, the treasure could unleash far greater power.
"They have a rare treasure in their hands!" the white-haired grandmaster said in a heavy voice.
Now, even if they wished to retreat, it was no longer safe. The enemy had already activated the decayed fan and could unleash a lethal strike at any moment; the matter could no longer be resolved peacefully.
"We have one as well!" The Holy Traveler's status was exceptional. He immediately drew out a wooden blade, charred black all over as if struck by immortal lightning, riddled with cracks and on the verge of breaking apart.
"Bai Meng, fall back! Take Pei Shuyan and go first!" Qin Ming sent a mental transmission. Today, their conflict with these enemies was irreconcilable.
Fury surged in his heart. Ambushed on their way back, acquaintances slaughtered, his life-saving rare treasure forced into activation—the losses were staggering.
Qin Ming knew the decayed fan would most likely be ruined completely today.
He brought out the Yellow Silk Canopy to shield himself and Tang Yushang, ready to assist Grandmaster Yu Gensheng at any moment.
"Understood!" Bai Meng hoisted Pei Shuyan onto his back, spun around, and ran.
Thud! Barely a few li away, Old Pei's leg fell off.
Helpless, Bai Meng quickly picked it up and wrapped a protective light barrier around Pei Shuyan, who was coming undone again. He really couldn't afford to lose another piece, or Old Pei might become even more despondent afterward.
In the battlefield, celestial gales raged, tearing the night veil apart. In the hands of a grandmaster, the decayed fan was indeed far more terrifying.
Opposite him, the pitch-black wooden blade shone brightly. Intimidating Dao runes intertwined and spread outward. Even though black ashes flaked off the blade and it seemed ready to snap, the temporary burst of slaughtering light still shook the eight wildernesses.
The blade light ground the clouds across the sky to shreds. Blade qi poured down like a galactic river, illuminating heaven and earth.
With a metallic clang, the blade light slashed forward.
With a tremendous roar, black celestial winds surged violently, like a "wind disaster" descending to destroy mountains and seas—among the various tribulations ancient cultivators endured, weathering the wind disaster was one such trial.
In an instant, blade light flooded the world like an ocean, and an overwhelming wind disaster raged everywhere.
Qin Ming and Tang Yushang withdrew further, catching up with Bai Meng, sweeping him along and depositing him in a more distant region.
At the last moment, Qin Ming pressed a teleportation talisman into his hand so that he could use it to flee if an accident occurred.
At the center of the battlefield, the two grandmasters wielded rare treasures, driving their power to the limit as they clashed together.
The entire realm was submerged in blade light and calamitous aura. Nearby hills collapsed, and boundless woods and vegetation were reduced to ash.
The earth was torn open and blasted apart, forming deep, abyss-like craters.
Blade light cascaded, and the wind disaster cleaved the skies.
Such a clash could not be sustained. In this era, grandmasters could not endure prolonged warfare, and their weapons were damaged treasures on the verge of disintegrating.
Following a massive shockwave, the surrounding land seemed to shatter completely.
Holding the Yellow Silk Canopy, Qin Ming braved the lingering shockwaves of blade light and wind disaster, charging toward the center of the battlefield out of deep concern for Grandmaster Yu Gensheng.
Tang Yushang followed closely behind, rushing in alongside him.
On the other side, the Holy Traveler wore a grim expression. Once he saw the situation more clearly, he exhaled a long breath and stepped into the battlefield as well.
The wooden blade in the white-haired grandmaster's hand had shattered, leaving only the hilt. He too was covered in blood, battered and ragged from the corrosion of the wind disaster.
Even with peerless blade light protecting his body, it could not block everything. He had suffered grievous injuries; not only his mouth and nose, but even his eyes and ears were pouring blood.
Opposite him, Yu Gensheng still stood. The decayed fan had disintegrated, and blade light was dissipating from his shoulder. One of his arms was gone, drenched in blood, his shoulder blade shattered to pieces.
Grandmaster Yu Gensheng's condition was precarious. Missing an arm and covered in blood, he gritted his teeth and held his ground, barring the opponent's way.
"Senior!" Qin Ming cried in concern, arriving by his side in an instant.
Yu Gensheng spoke: "No matter. He isn't having an easy time either. Even if I die, I'll drag him down with me."
Under normal circumstances, after fighting through the Chasm, he was in no state to fight again. His condition was terrifyingly poor, and he could no longer hold off his opponent.
Yet Old Yu had resolved to die, intent on dragging his foe into the grave with him.
In his eyes, having reached such heights in life and lived this long, it was already worth it. He would never permit Qin Ming, the promising youth he valued so deeply, to perish before his eyes.
How could Qin Ming possibly watch him throw his life away? He signaled Tang Yushang to draw close, then activated a teleportation talisman!
Yet as the three of them traversed the night sky at extreme speed, the white-haired grandmaster and the Holy Traveler followed like shadows, pursuing them into the distance.
"Fate Entanglement Art!"
The white-haired grandmaster had used a secret art to lock onto them. The two foreign visitors crossed space alongside them.
Eventually, they materialized in a mountainous region.
At this point, neither side intended to flee; they were prepared to fight to the death.
Silently, the celestial magnetic field around Yu Gensheng expanded. A black hole seemed to manifest, accompanied by dense, tangible magnetic ripples materializing around him.
"Kill!"
Yu Gensheng charged forward, striking at the white-haired grandmaster.
Bang! The two fought at full intensity with their lives on the line, only to recoil an instant later. The white-haired grandmaster's body was damaged, coughing up blood incessantly.
Yu Gensheng's other arm detonated as well. Both shoulders were now bare stubs, dripping blood continuously until the ground turned muddy.
"Senior!" Qin Ming rushed forward.
"Save your strength to fight that Holy Traveler. Rest assured, I will take this white-haired bastard down with me!" Yu Gensheng said.
He staggered forward. Armless, his legs and torso began to shine.
Qin Ming did not retreat. Golden threads intertwined across his entire body in dense clusters. They did not only course over him, but also stitched Yu Gensheng's body together; between the two of them, countless golden needles seemed to manifest.
He sent a mental transmission: "Senior, channel your heavenly light into my body. Let me try fighting him!"
Yu Gensheng refused: "No! Your flesh cannot withstand the strain."
Then, feeling the miraculous nature of the golden threads, he said in shock, "This supreme technique of yours... can be channeled through my body!"
At this moment, they seemed bonded together as one, their heavenly light flowing and merging as though they shared a single body.
Tang Yushang stepped forward as well, channeling her divine substance into Qin Ming's body.
She already knew Qin Ming cultivated three paths simultaneously and was fully capable of absorbing and converting her power.
Opposite them, the white-haired grandmaster sneered cold laughter. Taking a step forward, he struck in an instant. How could he grant them an opportunity? From the moment he landed in this mountainous area, he had been circulating his power, and now he unleashed a forbidden art.
Boom!
Heaven and earth seemed to shatter. Nearby rocky hills and virgin forest were fractured inch by inch by an invisible force, then completely detonated.
With the white-haired grandmaster as the epicenter, blinding fist radiance shot forth, and sharp celestial saber patterns materialized. The fist and blade resonated together, weaving forward to engulf their foes.
From behind, the Holy Traveler sneered, "You are on the verge of falling apart—spent arrows at the end of their flight! On what basis do you dare face a grandmaster in far better shape?"
From where Yu Gensheng, Qin Ming, and Tang Yushang stood, countless golden threads shot forth in dense profusion. Streaming forward, they resembled the radiant rain of an ascending Heavenly Immortal drawn into threads, pouring across heaven and earth.
Chapter 562