Nothing More Than This

The third Newborn elder perished. After crashing to the ground, his upper torso twitched faintly for several breaths. Night hung heavy as cold snowflakes drifted down. Even illuminated by the bright Fire Spring, the gloom suffocating the hearts of the crowd at Golden Rooster Ridge could not be dispelled. To them, that lone rider felt no different from a dense horde of mighty iron cavalry charging in unison; the pressure he brought to bear was simply overwhelming. That had been a seasoned expert of the stronghold who had undergone Newborn thrice, yet the man astride the purple lightning beast had cleaved him in two with a single slash. The severed halves of the corpse felt as though they had crashed into their very hearts; the crimson blood not only stained the snow red, but seemed to douse them with a chill that seeped into their marrow. The eyes of the two bandit chiefs turned grim and cold. Though their hearts were heavy, neither shrank from battle. Over the years, they had slaughtered countless souls and endured the crucible of blood and fire; this alone was not enough to shake them. Most importantly, the intruder had arrived astride a purple lightning beast—an anomaly faster even than a human who had undergone Newborn five times. The two of them had no hope of outrunning it. If they truly split up to flee, they would inevitably be hunted down one by one. Judging by how overbearing this man was, intruding upon Golden Rooster Ridge alone in the dead of night, he clearly intended to wipe out everyone. Qin Ming urged the purple lightning beast forward. Its heavy, powerful hooves struck the ground at an unhurried pace, vibrating like muffled drumbeats that struck dread into human hearts. Many of the bandits grew terrified. Though they had seen plenty of blood in their daily lives and were full of savagery, at this moment they only wanted to flee. Those rhythmic hoofbeats felt as if they were stomping right onto their increasingly fragile minds. Qin Ming gripped his spear in his right hand, leveling it forward. With a flick of the saber in his left hand, droplets of crimson blood spattered onto the ground, before he raised the blade high. "What are you standing around for? Swarm him together!" one of the bandit chiefs barked, his callous words plunging many into despair like dropping into an icy cavern. This was a warning to them: no fleeing allowed, fight they must. They knew the methods of this faction all too well. Even if the two bandit chiefs fell in battle, the Golden Bandits above them would later deal mercilessly with anyone who cowered today. At that moment, one of the bandit chiefs swung a broadsword wider than a man's palm, hacking toward the lone rider like a bolt of lightning cleaving through the air. The great spear in the other bandit chief's hands was heavy and powerful, its blade glinting blindingly under the Fire Spring's glow. Leaping forward, he struck like an arcing rainbow piercing through the air, stirring up a gale that whipped up the snow from the ground. Earlier, the two chiefs had observed Qin Ming's methods and deduced that he was likely also a fourth Newborn. He could be fought; it was not yet certain who would finish off whom. Fearless, Qin Ming flicked the spear in his right hand, scattering the swirling wind and snow, deflecting the sharp spearpoint aside, and thrust straight at the man's heart. Simultaneously, the saber in his left hand slashed out, clashing against the other chief's greatsword with a shower of sparks as he urged his mount charging forward. With a saber in his left hand and a spear in his right, channeled by the astonishing velocity of the purple lightning beast, Qin Ming unleashed a terrifying impact, single-handedly staggering both bandit chiefs backward. The faces of those around them drained of color. Those were their two leaders! Working together, they had actually been forced back by one man. The two bandit chiefs felt their blood and qi churning, cold dread creeping up their spines. The youth's strength was extraordinarily vast—a distinct cut above their own. Qin Ming did not halt the purple lightning beast, barreling past them toward the wooden cabins behind. At the same time, the sharp clatter of chains and winches sounded out. With a boom, a terrifying sonic blast erupted. Someone was operating specialized ballistas! Great arrows thick as lances fired out with explosive force. Qin Ming dodged one as it tore through the air with a savage slipstream, grazing past his ear, letting him distinctly feel its colossal momentum. He slapped the other great arrow aside with his saber, diverting its path so that it punctured clean through a cabin and impaled a man standing in the snow, ripping out a vast spray of blood. At the same time, Qin Ming cleaved through the wooden cabins and other obstacles ahead with his saber, crashing right through as dazzling blade light shredded everything in his path. Two elderly men burst out, each gripping a long spear and thrusting toward him. From behind, the two bandit chiefs closed in rapidly to join the encirclement. Qin Ming had known all along that Golden Rooster Ridge had more than one or two third Newborns; last time, he had personally seen four old men emerge alive from the Grand Rift Valley. He had already sensed third Newborns lurking here and now intended to prune them away first, lest they become a nuisance during his showdown with the two bandit chiefs. Most importantly, he feared these third Newborns might slip away in secret; they were far faster than the ordinary bandits. As for the two bandit chiefs, should they attempt to flee, they would naturally be his primary targets. The two old bandits were struck as if by lightning. His strength was too vast, utterly insurmountable, leaving their arms spasming and trembling uncontrollably. What was most terrifying was that his spear and saber seemed possessed of life and soul, trained to a realm they could never hope to reach. Though he was locked in slaughter, every movement carried an indescribable grace, evoking a strange visual beauty, as if killing itself had become an art form. Qin Ming slashed continuously with his saber, blade light unfurling wave upon wave, recreating the saber intent of Between Sea and Sky. The layered cascades of light twisted the spear right out of one old man's hands. With a light sweep of the blade, blood seeped from his throat, and he slumped limp, his severed head tumbling to the ground. The other old man was swallowed by layers of spear shadows. His own spear was knocked flying, and in the next instant, Qin Ming's weapon pierced his chest, hoisting him high into midair. Qin Ming shook his heavy spear. The dozens of spear shadows that should have unfurled outwardly detonated inside the man's body instead. In an instant, the old man who had undergone Newborn thrice was blown into pieces! The sight sent a chill straight through the two bandit chiefs. The other bandits watched with goosebumps erupting across their skin, freezing from head to toe. A rider and mount this ferocious filled them with pure terror; they wanted nothing more than to flee this place immediately. Who cared whether the Golden Bandits would settle scores later? Staying alive right now was what mattered! They realized that even their two leaders could not hold this man back. Someone ran! "Stand your ground, all of you!" a bandit chief roared. Qin Ming clashed violently with the two bandit chiefs several times before blasting past them. Riding the purple lightning beast onto the mountain path, he struck repeatedly with his saber, cutting down six fleeing bandits and leaving them pooled in their own blood. Behind, several more bandits went ashen-faced; their forward path had been cut off. Qin Ming held his saber across his mount, looking at them coldly before driving the purple lightning beast back into the stronghold. "Who on earth are you? When did Golden Rooster Ridge ever provoke you?" one chief demanded, unable to contain himself. Even now, he did not know who this adversary was. "If this stronghold is uprooted, the Golden Bandits will not let it slide," the other chief warned, though his conviction was clearly flagging. "You bandits accepted amnesty yet never mended your wicked ways, only growing worse and plaguing this land. Did you think the City Lord would turn a blind eye? Even people beyond the mundane world have been provoked to fury! Your evil deeds are too numerous to record; if Golden Rooster Ridge is not destroyed, even the heavens cannot stomach it!" Qin Ming replied in a raspy voice. The two chiefs were gripped by doubt and suspicion, an ominous premonition rising within them. The stranger spoke of the City Lord and referenced people beyond the mundane world—both were indeed plausible sources of retribution against them. A new official always made a fierce display of authority upon taking office; perhaps the flame was being brought down on their heads. Furthermore, not long ago they had collaborated with a beast beyond the mundane world, only for it to vanish without explanation. Qin Ming spurred his mount into a charge, and the remaining bandits scattered in flight. "What are you panicking for? Head to the back mountain!" a chief shouted. Immediately, some bandits' eyes flickered, and they sprinted toward the back mountain. Qin Ming, however, drew his bow and nocked arrows once more, felling several men in succession. The two bandit chiefs closed in, forcing him to draw his saber and meet them again. This time, Qin Ming focused entirely on his saber technique. Hazy blade light flowed as the phoenix-patterned long saber seemed imbued with life, carrying the rumble of wind and thunder alongside sheets of brilliant radiance, as if seeking to sever the horizon between sky and sea. The two chiefs shuddered. The intruder's life stage was comparable to theirs, yet his attainment in the way of the saber had reached heights they could only look up to in awe. It was only because his heavenly light could not yet be projected outward along the blade that it wasn't even more terrifying. They gravely suspected that in sheer comprehension of saber technique, this man might not be inferior to certain Golden Bandits. *Puff!* One chief caught a saber strike to his shoulder, blood spurting out. Qin Ming was slightly surprised. The instinctive senses of a fourth Newborn were truly formidable. That strike had originally been meant to cleave diagonally through the shoulder and kill him in one stroke. Yet the man had anticipated it slightly in advance, so it had merely grazed the shoulder without even injuring the bone. Spurred to vicious resolve, the bandit chief discarded his broadsword. With a bang, relying on his razor-sharp spiritual perception to seize a sliver of opportunity, he clamped his palms together, catching Qin Ming's passing saber between his bare hands! Although strands of heavenly light surfaced across the chief's hands to protect him, his palms were still injured, crimson blood trickling down. With a sharp crack, he snapped Qin Ming's saber in two. *Is this what a fourth Newborn is capable of?* Indeed, they were far more powerful than those old men. Their total reserve of heavenly light had vastly expanded, and in a sense, they were even more lethal when fighting bare-handed. The other bandit chief attacked ferociously, aiming to suppress Qin Ming and prevent him from gripping his spear. Both had realized that this mysterious man's saber and spear techniques had reached realms they could never match, possessing the power to turn the mundane into the miraculous. If he continued growing like this, he would truly transcend—within that artistic beauty, his lethal might would surge again, his skill approaching the Dao itself. Qin Ming remained fearless. He also wanted to test his own heavenly light force. Flipping the broken saber, he hurled it out; with a squelch, it impaled a distant bandit clean through. Then, he met his foes empty-handed. The assaults of the two bandit chiefs were swift and ferocious, striking one after another from both flanks. Qin Ming met one chief with his left hand, their palms colliding solidly. Their respective heavenly light forces erupted in an instant. In a flash, that bandit chief flew backward clutching his hand, his face pale as paper. His right hand was covered in blood, a large chunk of flesh torn away. More than that, a terrifying penetrating force rampaged through his hand; his right hand was a mangled mess, three finger bones snapped clean. Qin Ming leaped from the purple lightning beast into the air, meeting the other chief swooping down like an eagle. The two clashed several times in the blink of an eye. This chief fared even worse. Both of his hands were completely deformed. Screaming in agony, he crashed six or seven meters away, his hands curled like chicken claws, unable to straighten, most of the flesh sheared away and his finger bones shattered. "He has fused multiple kinds of heavenly light force!" "Why are you targeting us?!" Bone-deep dread gripped the pair. To already be able to fuse multiple kinds of heavenly light force by the fourth Newborn was something no minor organization could ever nurture; he had to have an extraordinary background. Little did they know, Qin Ming was only a third Newborn. "Is it that I'm too strong, or did I overestimate you earlier? Fourth Newborn bandit chiefs are nothing more than this," Qin Ming said in his raspy voice, glancing down at his own hands. He had already settled back onto the purple lightning beast. The anomalous beast, which had just begun striding forward in hopes of bolting, could only grind its teeth in secret. In truth, it had a chance to try running for it, but awed by Qin Ming's terrifying presence, it feared being butchered like those bandits. Qin Ming patted its head and said, "You made the right choice. See this spear? It's reserved for you. If you dare run, I will hurl it with all my might, and I guarantee it will pin you dead to the mountain path." The two bandit chiefs backed away, having completely lost both the courage and the strength to fight Qin Ming to the death. Turning on their heels, they fled, using the buildings as cover to shake off their pursuer as they rushed toward the back mountain. Qin Ming gave chase astride the purple lightning beast. Along the way, he impaled one bandit chief with his spear; with a forceful jerk of the spear, the corpse was blasted to pieces. Soon after, he saw what lay in the back mountain and murmured to himself, "No wonder it's called Golden Rooster Ridge." ... In the dense darkness beneath Golden Rooster Ridge, several figures stood silently within the thick forest bordering the road. A woman was lost in thought. "Mistress, should we keep waiting?" a maidservant beside her asked in a low voice. In the gloomy woods, the woman had a slender, graceful figure, her face indistinct in the dark. She replied, "Yes, let's wait a little longer. That figure astride the purple lightning beast looks rather familiar..." "Like whom?" "Cui Chonghe."