Chapter 186: Revered by a Near-Immortal Being
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
A surge of unease overwhelmed Qin Ming as he realized he hadn’t yet escaped the Fourth Forbidden Land, only to encounter people from the First Forbidden Land once again. It seemed calamities were stacking one atop another.
Wu Yao Zu called out boldly, “First or Fourth, forbidden lands all the same—we’re all on the same side! My brother Ming here, he’s one of us! Treat him well, don’t give him a hard time!”
Qin Ming looked at him with a mix of exasperation and resignation. Was this guy genuinely straightforward or just setting him up for trouble?
Before he could react further, he felt himself falling into the crimson sedan chair. A delicate, pale hand that had pulled him in retreated gracefully.
Wu Yao Zu, meanwhile, climbed out from the ground covered in steaming yin energy. He hesitated, torn between escaping alone or waiting for his brother Qin. His gaze fell upon the enormous wedding procession stretching endlessly into the horizon, vast and grand beyond reason.
“So this is the First Forbidden Land’s style? Not bad at all. Ming won’t be slighted here,” Wu Yao Zu muttered to himself.
Inside the sedan chair, Qin Ming found himself face-to-face with the bride who had removed her red veil. She shimmered with a cold, silvery glow and was undeniably stunning.
The bride, adorned in an intricate phoenix coronet and bridal finery, had eyebrows as soft as distant mountain ridges, skin as white as freshly fallen snow, and dark, lustrous hair framing her face. She seemed like a celestial being stepping out of a painting. Qin Ming immediately realized what the so-called “token” was—it was the tattered cloth of exotic metal he held in his hand.
The bride studied him for a moment before her gaze shifted to the cloth. She reached out and took it from him without hesitation. Qin Ming had no chance to resist; her strength was overwhelming.
With just a glance at the fabric, her expression changed. She lifted the sedan curtain and called out urgently, “Uncle Nine, come quickly!”
An elder appeared silently, his presence ghostly. He examined the tattered cloth with a grave expression. “There’s more of the remnants of a setting sun… and a black mist region? Could it be…” His eyes widened in disbelief.
“This isn’t a replica—it’s the original!” the bride exclaimed, her breathing quickening as her chest heaved with shock.
Qin Ming’s heart sank. “I’m doomed,” he thought.
He knew that this mysterious cloth was about to change hands. If a replica could serve as a token for the First Forbidden Land, the original must be incomparably precious.
As expected, the bride decisively said, “Take it back to show the ancestor!” She then lifted her crimson gown and dashed toward the horizon like lightning, Uncle Nine following closely, the grand procession in tow.
“Ming, are you okay?” Wu Yao Zu hurried over.
Before Qin Ming could answer, a terrifying ripple of energy erupted from the horizon. The bride and Uncle Nine were obliterated in an instant. The stunning beauty perished in a flash, her blood and bones scattering. The entire wedding procession met the same fate, engulfed by blinding light, their bodies shimmering like fragile crystals before shattering into countless pieces.
The sky above the land rained blood as night fog turned crimson. The scene was horrific beyond words.
Qin Ming and Wu Yao Zu stood frozen like statues, their bodies tense and cold from head to toe. The sheer terror of the scene was suffocating. Whoever had unleashed such power was unfathomable.
Yet, as they struggled to process the carnage, the scene repeated itself. The vast figures reappeared; the crimson sedan chair was intact, and the bride lifted the curtain once more.
“Is this… a replay of the past?” Qin Ming muttered in shock.
The bride sighed. “So we’re already dead. Each day, we merely repeat the events of our final moments, unable to leave this place. Rarely do we awaken with clarity, as I have now.”
She gazed at the tattered cloth in her hand, her face carrying a melancholic beauty. “Here, take it back.” With a flick of her wrist, she returned the cloth to Qin Ming.
Uncle Nine sighed as well. “Ah, back then, the Fourth Forbidden Land was breached. We were merely passing by when its destructive power rippled out and obliterated us instantly.”
“You’re saying…?” Wu Yao Zu stammered, wide-eyed.
“We’re no different from the monsters, phantoms, or mirages that roam this land. Each day, we repeat the same actions, forever trapped here.”
Qin Ming and Wu Yao Zu finally understood. The massive wedding procession and the individuals they had encountered earlier, including the woman on the paper boat, were all becoming strange “phenomena.” They were bound by an unknown force, patrolling the edge of the Fourth Forbidden Land.
The bride looked worried. “The Fourth Forbidden Land has fallen. I fear that even the First Forbidden Land might one day be consumed and turned into sustenance for that being.”
Qin Ming had no desire to get involved with such terrifying entities. He only wanted to understand the origin of the tattered cloth. Unable to resist, he asked the bride about it.
To his surprise, she replied, “It appeared briefly during the Great Pioneer Era.”
The cloth had once rested deep within the Night Fog World’s underground in a tomb of the highest order. Its status seemed on par with that of the tomb’s owner, a figure who was at least a near-immortal or quasi-divine being.
The bride explained, “When my ancestor and two other figures of equal rank ventured into the tomb, they discovered the cloth among the funerary artifacts. Its significance was so profound that it sparked a bloody conflict among them.”
“In the end, the cloth activated during their battle, emitting dazzling light before being flung into the distance, lost forever,” she said with a sigh.
The three powerhouses had speculated that the cloth might be a fragment of a weapon or a map. They had painstakingly recreated replicas to study its patterns, hoping to uncover its secrets.
Qin Ming was still reeling from the revelation as they left the desolate land. Wu Yao Zu exclaimed, “Ming, this cloth of yours… it’s tied to a near-immortal being who revered it enough to include it in their tomb. That’s… chilling when you think about it!”
“Enough!” Qin Ming interrupted, warning him never to bring it up again. The potential consequences were too terrifying.
As they traversed the ruins, leaving the haunted villages and towns behind, the oppressive atmosphere of the yin-soaked land dissipated. Qin Ming recognized the shift. They had finally exited the ancestral dwelling grounds of Wu Yao Zu’s forebears and returned to the outside world.
Wu Yao Zu looked at the dense night sky and muttered, “Who would’ve thought? Life outside is worse than ours—living in constant suffering. This world is too dark.”
Qin Ming sighed with disappointment. The Fourth Forbidden Land, at least, had a moon hanging in its sky, casting a soft, silvery glow over the courtyard. Its ethereal beauty, like a veil of gentle mist, gave the desolate place a serene and dreamy charm. “The real world is like this,” he remarked, “though it gets better when the shallow night comes.”
The two of them sprinted over 150 miles in one go, eager to leave the ominous region far behind. Wu Yao Zu glanced at the vast night sky, melancholy in his voice. “Ah, leaving home for good… it’s a heavy feeling.”
They were now moving through the wildlands.
“Fellow travelers down on your luck, mind if I join you?” a drunken woman in white staggered toward them from the distance, a wine gourd in her hand, swaying as she approached.
“Of course!” Wu Yao Zu replied enthusiastically, but his good cheer was short-lived.
The woman grabbed him by the throat with alarming force, as if she wanted to snap his neck right then and there.
Moments later, she lay lifeless, while Qin Ming stood nearby, his fist dripping with blood after smashing in the skull of a massive fox lurking in the woods. Clearly, the fox demon had been controlling the woman, using her to hunt for prey.
“Is this how things work outside? No buildup, no pretense—straight to the attack?” Wu Yao Zu rubbed his neck, shaken but unharmed. He had, after all, managed to counter the woman’s assault and kill her.
Still, the incident left a deep impression on him. Back in the mysterious towns of his ancestors, people were so insidious and conniving, avoiding direct confrontation whenever possible. He had grown used to their deceitful ways, and the blunt, straightforward danger of the outside world was a shock.
“Face a few more incidents like this, and you’ll get used to it,” Qin Ming assured him.
Wu Yao Zu fell silent, mentally vowing to avoid such mistakes again. Yet, his heightened vigilance made him prone to overreaction.
After traveling dozens of miles, they reached a small town. Despite the late hour, a wonton shop near the town entrance was still open. Qin Ming led Wu Yao Zu to sit down and grab a bite to eat.
To his surprise, Wu Yao Zu leapt up, grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar, and shouted, “Tell me! Are your wontons made with human meat?!”
The shopkeeper turned pale, his face a picture of horror. “What?!”
Qin Ming quickly pulled Wu Yao Zu away, mortified by his friend’s behavior. He realized Wu Yao Zu must have remembered his grandmother’s ominous warning—that he wouldn’t make it a hundred miles before becoming dumpling filling in some roadside black market inn.
“You’re insane! I don’t need your business!” the shopkeeper snapped, still trembling from the scare.
Fortunately, other restaurants in the town were still open. After they filled their bellies elsewhere, Qin Ming told Wu Yao Zu, “It’s good to be cautious, but don’t get paranoid. Most people in this world are good.”
Wu Yao Zu laughed sheepishly, acknowledging he’d overreacted. The true human world made him overly tense.
The two found an inn and rested for the night. At dawn, they set off again, heading for Kun Lun Great City over 1,300 miles away.
During the journey, Qin Ming noticed the heat surging through his body gradually dissipating. His eighth awakening was nearing its completion. He stopped at one point to carefully sense the changes in his body. Besides an improvement in his physique, a new energy had formed within him—a radiant light, born from his latest awakening.
This awakening seemed to relate to divine wisdom.
Next, Qin Ming resumed drinking celestial light liquid, focusing on enhancing his abilities. He began practicing the River Network Sutra—an extraordinary technique he had proven effective in combat. Today, he could push his River Network Force to its peak.
The area around him became enveloped in mist, with glowing radiance flowing and expanding across the landscape. It looked like a celestial realm.
He then drank another small amount of celestial light liquid and began refining his Purple Core Thunderfire Force. Soon, heavenly lightning was summoning earthly fire, illuminating the forest with thunder and flames.
Qin Ming assessed each technique with great care. For overlapping abilities like Tiger Roar Skill and Five Thunder Organ Refinement, he chose the latter—a more advanced and powerful method.
He took out his bow and began practicing the techniques in the Arrow Sutra. The arrow force, though simply named, was considered a supreme skill in many prestigious sects. Qin Ming had acquired it in the frontier regions during his adventures, snatched from a silver hedgehog.
His archery skills advanced to extraordinary heights. With every shot, his arrows hit their mark without fail. Even Qin Ming was impressed, feeling his archery surpassed other techniques like hammer, spear, and swordplay.
Next, he practiced the Blazing Sun Sword, a technique from the Pseudo-God Association acquired during his frontier explorations. He advanced the Blazing Sun Force to mastery.
“With mastery in sword, hammer, spear, arrow, halberd, and blade, I can now call myself a Six Arts Master,” he mused, smiling. He then pushed his mastery of the Jade Radiance Force, Black Roc Force, Vertical Force, and Mountain-Stabilizing Force to their peak.
Finally, Qin Ming worked on refining all these abilities, employing the Dragon and Tiger Fusion method to temper them relentlessly until achieving perfection.
Nearby, Wu Yao Zu watched in awe as Qin Ming’s entire body glowed, his flesh and blood crystalline. A large elixir emerged in his chest and abdomen, gradually forming into a humanoid figure. Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the forest.
Hours later, Qin Ming rose, his training complete.
“This time, I’ve achieved balance across the five elements, and my celestial light force has undergone a fundamental transformation,” he said. “Let’s go; it’s time to head to Kun Lun City.”
Three days later, they reached Kun Lun without rushing.
Kun Lun Great City lived up to its name. It had no walls, exuding an openness that reflected its strength. With many powerful academies and dao grounds, defenses like walls were unnecessary.
“What a vast and prosperous city,” Wu Yao Zu marveled, his eyes wide as the noise of the bustling city reached them even from afar.
The wide streets were teeming with people and carriages, not only humans but various aberrant creatures as well. Both sides of the streets were lined with thriving shops, their business booming.
From a distance, the city featured clusters of ancient buildings, modern bustling commercial districts, and mist-shrouded mountain peaks—the sites of various dao grounds.
Entering the city, the duo naturally headed for the academies and dao grounds, eager to explore.
“That Pure Yang Physique is incredible. Its consciousness aura already carries Pure Yang attributes—who can rival it?”
“Maybe Ling Yu from Flowing Light City is stronger. He’s walking both the Awakening and Immortal Paths, and he’s already tested his sword skills in a hundred cities. Now he’s here in Kun Lun!”
“You’re behind the times. There are others who can stand shoulder to shoulder with them—or even surpass them. I hear several Immortal Seeds and Divine Seeds have arrived!”
As Qin Ming and Wu Yao Zu navigated the city streets, they overheard many discussions about the elite disciples of various academies and dao grounds.