"If the Mountain Lord had died in battle, the two of us would have gone our separate ways. Ah, wait a moment, the gold-armored guard's head has already rolled?" The speech sparrow's eyes widened.
It cried out in excitement, "The Mountain Lord's magnificence illuminated the desert today—that was truly a sage-slaying slash!"
The crimson eagle could not speak, or it would have retorted already, thinking: *What are you shouting about? You were about to run for your life just a moment ago!*
Qin Ming's mouth was full of bloody froth, and his internal organs throbbed with excruciating pain. His hands were swollen like bear paws and covered in jagged lacerations, his finger bones nearly visible.
Though his whole body was racked with pain, he felt deeply satisfied in spirit. Forcing himself to sit up, he wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Crimson Eagle, carry me away!" He knew he could not linger; if more pursuers followed behind, he would surely lose his life here.
"The outer realm... certain old acquaintances... I will remember this debt!" Qin Ming swayed as he rose, staggering with every step, for the soles of his feet were a mangled mess of flesh and blood, very likely injured down to the bone.
"Mountain Lord, you truly possess the bearing of a god!" The speech sparrow flew over, not merely flattering him; it was genuinely shaken.
It knew Qin Ming inside and out. Just two or three months ago, he had only newly become a Newborn, scraping a living in the mountains.
Now, this youth could actually slay a sage!
Even if that opponent might have been the lowest-tier new sage with a shallow foundation, a kill was a kill. This was a solid battle record that no one could erase.
The speech sparrow marveled and admired him from the bottom of its heart.
Ever frugal and practical, Qin Ming quickly rummaged through the gold-armored guard's body and took some day gold.
He slumped weakly across the crimson eagle's back as it soared into the night sky.
At present, he was drenched in blood and extremely feeble, completely unable to stand against the wind.
Qin Ming circulated the Newborn method from the silk book to restore his vitality, spirit, and energy. Though his body still ached intensely, his strength rapidly revived, and his heavenly light force began to flow once more.
"Fly along the edge of the desert, and return to Chixia City as quickly as possible!" He guided the crimson eagle.
The speech sparrow also landed on the eagle's back, right beside Qin Ming.
"Aren't you returning to Black-White Mountain?" Qin Ming asked, expressing his gratitude. Earlier, it had mimicked his voice, coordinating with him seamlessly.
With eyes like black jewels, the speech sparrow said, "Unless I see you reach Chixia City safely, I won't feel at ease."
"Thanks to both of you this time. In the future, I won't fail to repay you—I will help you search for spiritual substances," Qin Ming said to the sparrow and the eagle.
Beneath the pitch-black night, the crimson eagle pierced the clouds and broke through the mist.
No accidents occurred along the way, and no other pursuers came after them.
In the eyes of certain "old friends," the current Qin Ming had only just stepped onto the Newborn path not long ago. His strength was limited, not even qualifying him to become a gold-armored guard, and he could easily be erased.
Tonight, dispatching someone beyond the mundane world along with an Outer Sage had already been using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken in the eyes of certain people.
Under the night veil, Chixia City appeared hazy.
Qin Ming let out a breath of relief. He had finally returned.
***
Inside the city lord's estate, within an antique sitting room, Meng Xinghai looked at the blood-drenched Qin Ming and frowned. "You were actually injured this badly?"
"I was pursued and nearly didn't make it back." Qin Ming did not know whether killing someone beyond the mundane world and an Outer Sage would stir up a storm, so he had come directly here.
"Did you encounter formidable Golden Bandits?" Meng Xinghai asked.
Qin Ming shook his head. "Those aging Golden Bandits were nothing; I slew several along the way. This time, I was mainly targeted by disciples from the outer realm."
Meng Xinghai had his attendants clean Qin Ming's wounds and apply medicine, saying, "It is good that you returned alive. You need not worry; Chixia City is not a place where those juniors can run wild."
He asked Qin Ming how he had shaken off the pursuers.
"I couldn't shake them off, so I killed them all."
"What level were they at?" Meng Xinghai asked.
Qin Ming replied, "A black-robed young woman, likely in the late stage of the Heart Fasting realm. And one... Outer Sage."
At first, Meng Xinghai was nodding, not feeling surprised. After all, Qin Ming was "a bit" stronger than even a juvenile extraordinary.
Yet what did he hear in the latter half? There was actually an Outer Sage as well!
Meng Xinghai shot to his feet, an unmistakable wave of emotion washing over him.
Qin Ming knew that an overly dazzling battle record was also a kind of trouble.
He explained, "I used trickery to survive a fatal crisis, relying on a thrown warhammer from the sky to claim more than half his life..."
Meng Xinghai personally examined him and said, "Your physical body nearly ruptured, and your bones suffered slight damage. I will prepare a dose of spiritual medicine for you."
Decisive and efficient, he immediately ordered his men to fetch various precious medicinal ingredients from the storehouse.
Listening from the side, Qin Ming was startled to hear that one of the ingredients was actually "flood dragon blood."
Meng Xinghai said, "It would be bad if your vital energy were damaged. Rare and precious medicine can help you recover quickly."
"Thank you, Uncle Meng!" Qin Ming stood and bowed.
Meng Xinghai nodded. "Rest and recover over the next two days. The spiritual substances and secret manual I prepared for you will arrive soon. When the time comes, raise your strength well."
In the desert, Qin Ming had nearly been killed by people dispatched by certain "old friends." Ever since fleeing back, he had thought constantly of diligently practicing exceptional arts, undergoing renewals, and making himself stronger; naturally, his emotions were somewhat stirred now.
Once the potent medicine went down his throat, the effects were remarkably evident. Bloody mist rose from Qin Ming's body, and the healing of his already closing wounds accelerated. Scabs fell away from the minor injuries, restoring the skin as before.
Meng Xinghai was astonished. "Your vitality is actually this strong. It seems you'll fully recover within a day or two."
Qin Ming felt his vitality, spirit, and energy growing stronger with every passing moment; he would soon be brimming with vigor and vitality once more!
Meng Xinghai finally brought up that the disciples of the outer realm were going to compete for a legendary object.
Qin Ming had heard of this before, but he had not expected that he could contribute to the matter.
"I am willing to go!" he nodded, very glad to help Li Qingyue obtain that object capable of drawing her close to immortality.
If Qin Ming had the ability to intervene, he certainly would not let the likes of Li Qingxu, Zheng Maoze, Zeng Yuan, and the rest fulfill their desires.
Not to mention past affairs, just taking into account how he had been hunted down this time, surviving by a hair's breadth, he had to settle this score properly.
At the same time, he also felt pressure; those people's realms were definitely very high.
Meng Xinghai chuckled. "It's fine. When the time comes, you'll don golden armor, and Qingyue will keep you safe."
Qin Ming felt a bit embarrassed. How could that be? He was someone who had slain an Outer Sage—how could he be reduced to needing a girl to protect him!
"Uncle Meng, I'll head back first!" He did not even want to sleep, eager to stay up all night practicing his martial arts.
Just before leaving, Qin Ming noticed that the sitting room was somewhat empty, missing some bronze objects. He could not resist asking, "Uncle Meng, where did your set of chime bells go?"
"An old friend of mine has lived deep in the mountains for a long time and is quite lonely, so they borrowed the chime bells to pass the time."
When Qin Ming was at Black-White Mountain, he had heard chimes ringing loudly and seen purple mist shooting into the sky from the peak—could it have been the chime bells from here?
"Those Golden Bandits..." he asked softly.
"All dealt with."
***
Qin Ming returned to his residence and studied the *Departing Fire Classic* late into the night, but before long, drowsiness overtook him, and he had to sink into dreamland.
Above all, he had fought successive intense battles that day, rushed around everywhere, and suffered severe injuries. Even an iron body could not hold up; he had to rest.
In his sleep, he felt himself donning the Golden Thread Jade Clothes once again. Warmth suffused his entire body, and vigorous life force flowed to every part.
Gold needles threaded through to mend him, while silver light, like medicinal paste, spread across his entire body. This healing effect surpassed even the tonic Meng Xinghai had prepared for him.
The next day, Qin Ming opened his eyes. His vitality, spirit, and energy were extraordinarily abundant, seemingly even fuller than before. He discovered that the scabs over all his wounds had fallen off, without even leaving a scar.
Yesterday in the desert, he had been covered in blood from head to toe, the pain unbearable; now his injuries were completely gone, and he had fully healed.
"The *Departing Fire Classic* truly lives up to its name as an exceptional art; it really is extremely difficult to practice," Qin Ming sighed. The secret volume Ning Siqi had sent was quite profound.
This was not a single secret technique; it encompassed heavenly light force, movement techniques, defense, the sublimation of conscious power... With a complete system, it was worthy of many Newborns devoting their life's effort to study.
This was not the original text left by the scripture's creator, but a hand-copied manuscript from ten or twenty years ago, yet some emotions still lingered within it.
After resonating with his spirit, Qin Ming found that most were negative emotions like anger and helplessness from practitioners who had failed.
He confirmed one thing: there was nothing wrong with the scripture; this was a transcript made by one of the practitioners who had personally copied it against the original text.
Qin Ming studied it carefully. To practice this art, it was best to choose a place with fire.
A so-called exceptional art was no longer limited to individual forms or stances. In the end, this classic could develop special abilities—for instance, generating departing fire, which could protect the body and burn enemies to ash.
Qin Ming found a suitable place: not far from Mount Chixia, there was a volcano with fissures leading underground where magma could be seen.
"So hot!" When he first arrived here, he found it very hard to endure. Such a place caused immense damage to an ordinary person's body and was filled with noxious substances.
Yet if he wanted to quickly grasp the fundamentals of the *Departing Fire Classic*, he needed to endure such an environment in the early stages. According to the records in the classic, underground magma was a decent choice.
Naturally, higher-level choices were thunder-fire, otherworldly heavenly light, and the like, but Qin Ming could not find them at present.
"So difficult to practice!" For ordinary force techniques, Qin Ming could grasp the basics in half a day, and even more complex ones took only two or three days. Yet he had already practiced the departing fire force for five days.
He realized that this was a super-composite heavenly light force, fusing who knew how many of the most fundamental, single secret forces within it.
Departing fire force lacked any transition from simple to complex; it directly presented the highest principles of smelting everything into one furnace, stopping countless practitioners in their tracks.
Qin Ming practiced for five consecutive days until his eyes were scorched red by the fiery heat, finally generating a wisp of departing fire force, allowing him to exhale a long breath of relief.
"Truly worthy of being an exceptional art. Even in its early stages, the departing fire force holds profound depth. It wasn't in vain that I spent so much time."
Qin Ming was fairly satisfied. The departing fire force could kill enemies and could also form a layer of departing fire divine light outside the body, offering exceptional defense.
"Hm? Thundering again!" He sprang up, rushed to the surface, and sprinted toward Mount Chixia.
Over the past few days, whenever he heard thunder, he would run up Mount Chixia and wait near the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace. Yet each time, after a few rumbles, it would end with nothing coming down.
"Lightning is weaving across the night sky, very close to the mountain peak!" Qin Ming was excited. The thunder-fire heavenly light that others dreaded was, to him, a great spiritual medicine.
This time, there was still no widespread wondrous spectacle. In the end, only three bolts of lightning fell, wrapped in heavenly light, striking the golden palace beneath the dark night so that golden haze splattered, fireballs rolled, and everything turned brightly lit.
"That really hurts!"
Standing alone inside the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace, Qin Ming finally understood why many people only dared attempt the very first thunder-fire of early spring: because it was relatively gentle.
"The spiritual substance isn't as abundant as in early spring, but the heavenly light is even more violent." This was his direct sensation, yet he felt no disappointment. Enduring the severe pain, he revealed a bright smile.
Because this offered immense benefits to his cultivation of the *Departing Fire Classic*.
After three bolts of thunder-fire heavenly light, he stretched his body here. He had fully grasped the fundamentals of the *Departing Fire Classic* and no longer needed to endure the harsh environment of the magma grounds.
"A pity the spiritual substance is insufficient. If a dozen consecutive bolts of thunder-fire heavenly light had struck down, that would have been wonderful." Charred black all over yet brimming with vigor, Qin Ming strode off into the heavy rain.
"That kid disguised himself and entered the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace again? He's truly gone mad!" Meng Xinghai was greatly astonished upon receiving the report.
He instructed a confidant, "Find him quickly. Tell him the exceptional art and spiritual substances have arrived, and tell him not to fool around recklessly."
***
Qin Ming's slaying of the black-clad masked woman in the desert and his killing of an Outer Sage naturally could not go without a ripple.
In the outer realm, people had discussed it.
"Most likely, an expert from Chixia City appeared and saved Qin Ming. There's no need to pay him any heed for now. Next, all eyes will be watching—every lineage of the outer realm and every blessed land will send people to contend for that artifact capable of drawing us close to immortality. I'm honestly feeling a bit nervous."
"That's true. In a remote corner, a mere Newborn who had to rely on physical mutation to break through the barrier—if we don't pay attention to him, he could never enter our sight again. He and we already belong to two different worlds. For now, cast past grudges aside."
Chapter 96