Chapter 113: Respecting the Opponent
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
A grove of tassel trees stretched as far as the eye could see, their pure white blossoms hanging down like clusters of silken threads. They swayed gently in the breeze, resembling clouds or snow as they bloomed in full splendor.
Ren Yi Ping staggered, coughing up blood, and encountered several elite disciples who had sworn loyalty to him. No one spoke; they all knew the truth—they had been expelled by the same person.
This area was near the exit, and their steps were heavy. From the faint murmur beyond, it was clear that the outside world was abuzz with speculation.
Outside the ruins of Luo Fu Mountain, some faces were lit with faint smiles, while others remained somber. All were waiting for the final outcome.
“The situation is quite clear now; it’s time to turn this advantage into a decisive victory. Ren Yi Ping, Luo Qing Ge, Jiang Sheng Yu…”
Hearing his name, Ren Yi Ping coughed up blood again. He felt he had failed his sect’s expectations. As a defeated core disciple, he was destined to face strange looks and judgment once he stepped outside.
Suddenly, he collapsed, his vision blacking out. Several elite disciples hurried to catch him before he hit the ground.
“Are you certain you won’t send someone inside to find Li Qing Yue? A core disciple with her natural talent is irreplaceable. Losing her would be a terrible waste.”
The speaker’s motives were unclear—was it genuine concern or an attempt to stir controversy?
“If we intervene now and are accused of breaking the rules, who will bear the blame? And if someone sneaks in only to harm the disciples, wouldn’t the consequences be even worse?”
“You all are blind to good intentions! If she dies in there, it will be a loss for the Beyond. With the great expansion inevitable, a prodigy like her should shine in the uncharted depths of the Night Fog World.”
Some remained silent; others smirked coldly, doubting his sincerity. Yet, everyone was quietly calculating—ancient sects were already preparing for the coming era of massive growth.
“Wait! Someone’s being carried out! Could it be… Li Qing Yue?”
“No, it’s… Ren Yi Ping!”
Outside the ruins, an uproar erupted.
The commotion quickly gave way to silence as the unfolding situation defied everyone’s expectations.
An elite disciple whispered the news: within the ruins, Li Qing Yue was “clearing the field.”
The phrase “Li Qing Yue clearing the field” hit like a thunderclap. Those who had been smiling smugly just moments ago could no longer feign composure.
“Haha…” An old man found the expressions of the crowd amusing and laughed openly, heedless of decorum.
One of Li Qing Yue’s senior brothers finally spoke. “Shouldn’t we send someone inside to ensure her safety?”
He knew that her fallback plan had been the Mountain River Spiritual Nest, a location few would know about. But he couldn’t help worrying—some elder might have deciphered hidden records and discovered her retreat. Now, though, his concerns were laid to rest.
No one responded. Many present felt stifled; their earlier celebrations now seemed embarrassingly premature.
At that moment, a figure cloaked in celestial mist appeared suddenly. “Li Qing Yue is impressive. To escape an ambush from five core disciples, return, and then dominate the field… If she claims the near-immortal artifact, it would be well deserved!”
His words carried a weight that silenced the crowd. This was likely an elder of the Beyond, someone even Li Qing Xiao’s teacher would not dare provoke.
Li Qing Yue and Qin Ming approached the final battleground. After passing through a series of mist-shrouded, picturesque peaks, they arrived at the core area.
The terrain here was barren. The ground was smooth and crystalline, gleaming faintly as if coated in wax.
As Qin Ming surveyed the area, he realized what had happened. Long ago, an unearthly Celestial Light had struck this place, melting the terrain with its overwhelming heat. What had once been the main peak of Luo Fu Mountain was now a colossal crater. Within the crater, remnants of Celestial Light still flickered, undimmed even after a thousand years.
The crater was immense, like a chasm carved by a divine hand. Surrounding it were fragmented peaks, some jagged, others riddled with holes like honeycombs, all exuding faint streams of Celestial Light.
“What an incredible place!” Qin Ming marveled aloud.
Nearby disciples of the Beyond, already present, turned to glance at him. To them, his remark seemed absurd. The destruction of the mountain’s main peak was hardly something to admire.
Yet Qin Ming’s gaze lingered on the remnants of the Celestial Light, filled with awe and desire.
“Are you sure about this?” Li Qing Yue asked, her tone tinged with concern. The light was treacherously intense, enough to make even her wary.
The cultivation path of the Beyond relied on Consciousness Light, a form of spiritual energy. According to ancient texts, this power was once likened to an “ethereal spirit” that required purification through tribulation or “immortal fire” to resist Celestial Light fully.
Li Qing Yue herself was nearing a critical juncture. Having recently advanced within the Mountain River Spiritual Nest, she now faced a choice—whether to undergo tribulation or seek purification through “immortal fire.”
While the term “ethereal spirit” was often dismissed as a relic of outdated beliefs, the challenges of balancing spiritual energy remained real.
These ancient ideas had emerged from archaeological finds made during humanity’s struggle against gigantic beasts and aberrant vegetation. Though the texts uncovered were often religious in nature, they inspired modern cultivation practices in the Night Fog World.
Even now, the paths of cultivation were works in progress, with humanity’s understanding evolving in its own way—a “great pioneering” of its own kind.
A voice broke the tension. “Friends, the residual Celestial Light in this crater is still potent. Charging in recklessly would harm the spiritual cores we’ve painstakingly cultivated. This is undoubtedly a test left by the elders of the Beyond. They wish for us to clear the ruins and redirect the Celestial Light, perhaps to restore this place. We should work together.”
The suggestion of cooperation hung in the air, but most disciples remained silent, each calculating their own interests.
“Don’t worry. Not only can I handle it, but I plan to use this opportunity for another awakening,” Qin Ming said confidently, his eagerness evident.
Li Qing Yue hesitated, her worry clear. “Let me scout the area first. Don’t rush.”
This time, she had no intention of revealing her identity prematurely. She planned to strike only when necessary, ensuring certain opponents paid the price for underestimating her.
To avoid drawing attention, Qin Ming buried his Overlord Spear along the path. The weapon was too conspicuous and could reveal their disguises as Golden Armor Protectors.
Clad in the protectors’ golden armor, Qin Ming began circling the immense crater. It was hard to imagine the force of the Celestial Light that had obliterated the mountain peak and carved out this enormous void.
Rumors buzzed around Qin Ming as he overheard the conversations of others. Besides Tang Xu Mi, Su Jing Shu, Jiang Sheng Yu, and Luo Qing Ge—core disciples who had formed an alliance—two additional figures had emerged as contenders for the near-immortal artifact.
One was named Hu Ting Wen. Previously, it was believed he had remained in seclusion and missed the journey to Luo Fu City. However, after everyone entered the ruins, he appeared at the last moment.
The other was Sun Jing Tian, who had blended among the elite disciples. During a confrontation, he exposed strength that rivaled that of the core disciples.
These two had already formed an alliance.
When Tang Xu Mi, Su Jing Shu, Jiang Sheng Yu, and Luo Qing Ge learned of this, their faces darkened. Their tenuous alliance had already fallen apart after dealing with Li Qing Yue, only to discover these two had been hiding behind them, revealing themselves only by accident.
Hearing this, Qin Ming couldn’t help but feel that these disciples would stop at nothing to obtain the near-immortal artifact.
It was much later when Li Qing Yue returned, her expression grave. She used a secret technique to send Qin Ming a private message. “With my Spiritual Eyes, I caught a glimpse of Cui Chong He’s Consciousness Light—he has another card to play.”
Qin Ming’s demeanor turned serious. None of these disciples were simple; even someone assumed to be eliminated was still lurking in the shadows.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Should we expose him or use him?”
Li Qing Yue replied, “No one knows I’ve returned. Let’s observe Cui Chong He’s actions first. If he can deal with some of our rivals, all the better. If necessary, I’ll intercept him at a critical moment.”
“Can you handle him?” Qin Ming asked.
“No problem. He only projected part of his Consciousness Light, not all of it. Moreover, his current host isn’t his close-blooded brother Cui Chong Xuan, so their compatibility is limited. Besides, after my breakthrough in the Mountain River Spiritual Nest, I’m not afraid of him in his current state.”
The key advantage was that Li Qing Yue remained hidden while Cui Chong He was exposed.
Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully and added, “What about Li Qing Xiao? He’s been injured and hasn’t left. He might have a trick up his sleeve as well.”
The two parted ways, with Qin Ming heading toward the giant crater to begin his sixth awakening, while Li Qing Yue kept a low profile, planning to intervene only at the final moment.
Qin Ming spotted familiar faces such as Wang Cai Wei, Zheng Mao Ze, and Chen Bing Yan but kept his distance. Instead, he chose a quiet area to enter.
At the crater’s edge, the Celestial Light was faint enough for many newly awakened cultivators to endure.
As Qin Ming ventured further in, he noticed Golden Armor Protectors strategically positioned to refine the thin traces of Celestial Light.
“Who’s that charging straight in?”
“Could it be Jiang Cong Yun from the Pure Yang Palace? Their sect’s techniques are said to shatter Consciousness Light and even partially integrate external Celestial Light.”
Qin Ming descended cautiously. As the intensity of the Celestial Light increased, he began to feel the heat.
Further down, he observed seasoned experts sitting quietly, attempting to absorb the Celestial Light into their bodies. However, they couldn’t stay long, needing to retreat to the surface after brief exposure.
Among them, one cultivator stood out, practicing Five-Colored Thunderfire Force. The process was accompanied by roaring thunder, creating an impressive spectacle.
Another figure burned like a miniature sun, absorbing the Celestial Light and merging it seamlessly with their form.
A third shadowy silhouette let out a simian howl, their body swelling with power. The aura of Celestial Light surged around them as though they were about to ignite themselves, while their black pupils burned with golden brilliance.
“These people are strong,” Qin Ming thought, realizing they could hold off the Celestial Light’s invasive power for significant durations. If he obtained the near-immortal artifact, such individuals would inevitably become obstacles.
“That must be a disciple of the Five Elements Palace,” he noted, watching a cultivator sitting atop a black-gold stone, surrounded by five-colored radiance, refining the light.
“And that’s surely a Jade Purity Force practitioner!” Qin Ming spotted a young man inhaling the gaseous light directly, drawing it into his body as though it were nothing more than food. The youth’s crystalline body shimmered like jade, completely unscathed by the violent energy surrounding him.
Curious, Qin Ming tried taking a breath himself, immediately feeling a searing heat that sent waves of pain through his chest.
“These are the opponents I’ll face,” Qin Ming murmured. “If someone retrieves the near-immortal artifact, everyone here will rush to intercept them.”
He smirked. “I think I’ll just wait and watch instead.”
Quietly, Qin Ming delved deeper into the crater to improve his strength, preparing to face these formidable opponents in his best possible state.
A hundred meters further in, the searing Celestial Light began scorching his skin. “Still not as intense as the Thunderfire Refinement Temple’s light, though the energy here is far greater in quantity,” he muttered, bracing against the pain as he pushed onward.
At the bottom, the density of the Celestial Light was suffocating. Qin Ming almost screamed as the intense energy burned him from within. Forced to retreat, he gasped for breath, expelling fire from his nose and mouth. “This is insane!”
While slightly less intense than the Thunderfire Refinement Temple, the sheer volume of Celestial Light overwhelmed him, making prolonged exposure unbearable.
“The light is everywhere, but the concentration of spiritual material is lacking. This will be painful,” he muttered. Determined, he began absorbing the Celestial Light, fully aware of the ordeal ahead.
He returned to the bottom repeatedly, carefully absorbing the fiery energy and spiritual essence without drawing attention. After half a day of this grueling process, he felt his body heating up.
“The sixth awakening begins now!”
His body radiated intense heat as he activated Yin Soil Force and Yang Soil Force, working to merge them into Unified Earth Force. With three powerful techniques combined, his strength would soar.
“This place isn’t just for cultivating Unified Earth Force. I might also refine Separation Flame Sutra and Golden Silkworm Skill further!”
Pushing through the pain, Qin Ming focused on his techniques. Every movement was deliberate, every breath a step closer to transformation. He sought not just power but a way to honor the strength of his opponents.