Feather Robe Immortal

Qin Ming stood silent and still, yet mottled snapshots of time surfaced in his heart. At first, they seemed veiled in dust and shrouded by black fog, but in an instant, like thunder crashing into a sea of clouds, they tore through the darkness, swept away the haze, and revealed one blood-soaked scene after another.

The night was deep, flames shot into the sky, and a youth dressed in feather robes drifted like an immortal. Yet beneath his feet lay nothing but corpses and blood...

Qin Ming raised a hand to his head, his body trembling faintly. "Feather robes" had once branded themselves incomparably deeply into his subconscious. Now they stabbed at him, awakening memories of the past, as though scattering the sand and dust that had covered his mind.

He closed his eyes, firmly suppressing his surging emotions. His body quickly relaxed, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

The occasion was inappropriate. He could not reveal too many abnormalities, so he used "Light Harmony" to dim his vigor and spirit, blending himself into the crowd.

Clarity returned to Qin Ming's eyes. His hair lifted in the wind as he stood straight, as if nothing had happened, yet countless fragmented scenes began surfacing in his mind.

He calmed down and broke free from the cage of his own emotions, examining the past with a cool head, like an outsider quietly watching the bloodshed that had once happened to him.

It was night. Great flames soared into the heavens, and the entire mountain forest was burning. The raging inferno seemed ready to swallow even the night sky.

The village at the foot of the mountain was likewise ravaged by flames spreading everywhere. Houses had collapsed, many corpses lay in the streets, and blood flowed through the alleys.

Amid the scorching flames and broken walls, a youth stood with hair flying around him, his feather robes making him seem immortal. The corners of his eyes and brows appeared to glow, setting him apart from the mortal world.

A faint radiance flowed across his body. His white shoes and socks were unstained by dust. Even amid the ruins, surrounded by roaring flames, he still seemed detached from worldly life, beyond the mundane.

Fourteen-year-old Qin Ming lay on the ground, his nose and mouth filled with the pungent smell of ash and smoke. Agonized screams rang by his ears, merciless firelight filled his sight, and the beams and pillars of the house behind him burned through and crashed down.

He saw many familiar people dead. The whole village had fallen into a sea of fire.

The Feather Robe Youth held a Purple Bamboo Staff, stepping across the rubble until he came before Qin Ming. Though his bearing was extraordinary and starlight seemed to flow in his eyes, his actions were utterly merciless.

The youth swung the glowing bamboo staff and struck Qin Ming's head in a single blow. Blood immediately began to flow. The world spun around him, and even the night sky seemed to be burning with fire.

Qin Ming's clothes were tattered, and he had already been injured before this. With that blow added on top, he coughed violently from the smoke and flames in the sea of fire, unable to rise.

Then, the Feather Robe Youth gripped the bamboo staff in his long hand and struck Qin Ming again and again, each blow landing on his body with the sound of bones cracking.

I thought I had merely suffered a severe head injury. I never imagined that these scenes existed in the memories I had forgotten.

Qin Ming murmured inwardly. Watching those events from the past, he remained calm, as if he were observing someone else's history.

Many figures moved through the village, swiftly finishing off the wounded. Only the Feather Robe Youth remained where he was, using nothing but the Purple Bamboo Staff against Qin Ming.

It was obvious he could have shattered my skull with one strike, yet he did not. What grudge did he have against me, that he insisted on making me repeatedly experience such agony?

Qin Ming firmly memorized the Feather Robe Youth's face. The other youth was handsome and ethereal, seemingly detached from the dust of the world, but in the firelight, his cruel side was laid bare as well.

My arm was broken, and afterward I never even knew it. How long was I unconscious that year, when I was fourteen? Qin Ming guessed inwardly.

My chest hurts so badly. He probably poked me with the bamboo staff hard enough to crack my bones. Qin Ming quietly watched the bloody scene within the firelight.

Did he intend to torture me first, then kill me? More than two years had passed, yet recalling it now, Qin Ming could still vividly feel that helplessness and agony.

The Feather Robe Youth seemed deeply disgusted by him and never touched him directly. He only brought down the bamboo staff, then struck Qin Ming's head twice more.

Qin Ming clearly heard bones crack. Blood splashed everywhere, some falling across his neck while some streamed down his cheeks.

They were both youths. One was as refined as jade, ethereal and detached; the other was burned into rags, his face covered in blood as he collapsed in the dust. The contrast was stark.

At last, fourteen-year-old Qin Ming's consciousness was about to scatter. In a blur, he saw two figures rush out from the ruins, violently forcing back the Feather Robe Youth before grabbing him and speeding into the darkness.

Along the way, through hazy eyes, he saw an enormous city stretching across the earth, incomparably brilliant.

"Moonfall City. Better avoid it." The two whispered. They did not take him into the city, instead making a wide detour and quickly leaving.

In his daze, he heard a sigh. "There are three fractures in his skull. Even the flesh and blood of his scalp have been smashed to pulp. It is far too serious. He probably will not survive. His arm and chest..."

Then Qin Ming completely sank into darkness.

At this moment, he quietly experienced that boundless darkness, without moving at all.

Someone took me away and brought me to this remote region. Three places on my head suffered devastating blows, nearly shattering apart. No wonder I forgot so much and remembered only the scenes of wandering after I woke up.

He realized that he might have been unconscious for more than three months, because by the time he awoke, the fractures in his arm and chest had already healed.

Had he not seen someone dressed in feather robes again today, he still would not have remembered these things. He only remembered the scene of his head being struck hard, blood splashing amid blazing flames.

Though his heart felt somewhat stifled, he was not overly enraged. The matter had already happened. What use would grief, fury, or irritability be?

What he needed was to solve the problem effectively in the future—to find that Feather Robe Youth and deal with him!

"Feather Robe Immortal... his background is far from simple. There were quite a few experts moving about in that sea of fire. This likely involved a very powerful organization." Qin Ming sighed softly.

Afterward, he regained his calm.

He even began reconsidering matters from the other side. If he were the Feather Robe Youth, he would not have tortured an opponent he intended to kill like that. One hammer blow would settle it directly and eradicate all future trouble.

"Moonfall City!" Qin Ming's eyes seemed ready to pierce through the night sky. He silently repeated the city's name in his heart. The village where the incident happened should not have been too far from Moonfall City.

Old Man Liu was rather excited. In a low voice, he said, "So strong. What is the background of this Feather-Clothed Woman? She actually fears no Moon Insect, meeting it needle for needle, awl for awl in the night sky."

The others in the snow shared his feeling. Moreover, she was the only female expert to appear, and everyone was curious about her identity. She stood suspended atop the back of a great azure bird, where shimmering light blurred the view and made her exceedingly mysterious.

An old man said, "They probably will not fight. Experts are generally used for deterrence. If they truly began a major battle, both sides would be tearing off all pretense, fighting until death."

The moment he finished speaking, the Moon Insect suddenly emitted dazzling light above the endless wilderness forest between the towering mountains blanketed by pale night. Like brilliant thunderbolt Arrow Feathers, they shot toward the Feather-Clothed Woman on the azure bird, seeking to pierce through her.

Many faces changed. Could this be the start of a great battle?!

Only the four lifeforms seated in the snow remained calm, none of them rising.

In the night sky, the woman atop the azure bird raised her fair hand. She drew in wind and snow, transforming them into a vast number of dense, crystalline raindrops. In an instant, a curtain of rain hung across the night sky, blocking the arrows of light fired by the Moon Insect.

Amid ringing clangs, every arrow of light was blocked, revealing its True Form. They were actually silver-white insects, as though forged from refined metal, abnormally hard as they shot through the night sky, trying to rip open the curtain of rain.

The rain curtain became crystalline. Every raindrop stretched without limit, turning into glowing threads that sliced through the night. At last, amid a series of soft puffs, they either cut apart or pierced straight through the densely packed silver insects.

In the end, vast numbers of silver flying insects shattered of their own accord like an Illusory Bubble, turning into nothingness.

Only two insects transformed into light remained unharmed. They fell into the mountains, followed by a thunderous boom like a violent earthquake. Then an avalanche swept through the area, leaving it a vast expanse of white.

Everyone watched with pounding hearts, not daring to comment recklessly.

The Moon Insect hung high overhead like a bright moon suspended in the night sky above the forest. It did not attack again.

The woman atop the azure bird also stood quietly, her robes snapping in the wind. She remained peaceful and voluntarily retreated some distance.

Clearly, this was a test between the upper ranks. If one side truly proved inadequate, then there would be no need for any so-called final negotiation.

Qin Ming gazed at the Feather-Clothed Woman on the azure bird. He did not think it could be such a coincidence; someone wearing feather robes was not necessarily connected to that youth.

Yet he could not help wanting to ask someone. Turning to Mu Qing, he said, "Do those who wear feather robes have some great background?"

Mu Qing, whose entire body was shrouded in a black robe, glanced at him. "Beyond the Mundane People are generally very detached, transcending the secular world. As for her specific background, I do not know either."

Qin Ming nodded and did not ask further.

Ahead, the atmosphere among the four seated figures in the snow had unexpectedly eased, and they even revealed smiles to one another.

Although the others could not hear their conversation, they assumed the discussion was going well.

Of course, people believed this was related to the probing clash between the Moon Insect and the Feather-Clothed Woman just now, which had helped the negotiations proceed smoothly.

Ling Xu spoke. "We will help you drive away those outsiders who migrated here. We are not greedy. If there are resources within those Special Nodes, give us a share. That is all. In addition, the outsiders that recently expanded into this territory must all withdraw."

The snow-white Old Weasel sat cross-legged, rolling a string of beads in one hand. "Why should we give you a share? Would it not make more sense for us to join forces with the newly migrated Higher Lifeforms and deal with you instead?"

Ling Xu, dressed in white, sat quietly and said, "There is no need for you and me to probe each other. Our time is precious. I have only a few simple words; listen to them. We want only the special resources that may be born within those Nodes. But those newly migrated Higher Lifeforms want not only those—they are also eyeing your lair. They say they currently have no residence, that they are merely passing through and will stay as guests for a few months. Do you believe them?"

"Fine, we agree."

"Good. Straightforward!"

Both sides rose. The general direction had been agreed upon, remarkably decisively and without any dragging of feet. Others would naturally discuss the details; they were no longer the concern of these people.

"It is already over?" Seeing that the higher-ups had all risen, everyone was stunned. They had not expected it to end so quickly.

"You should return first and wait. Be ready to enter the mountains at any time." The Civet Cat, carrying the Crimson Longsword on its back, turned and spoke to the crowd.

The people from Red Haze City were immediately overjoyed. It had truly been settled!

Qin Ming saw a crow flying not far away. It was truly conspicuous, and it landed atop a protruding bluish boulder in the snow.

There was also a woman there, wrapped in a fur cloak, her black hair drifting in the wind. She actually glanced twice in his direction.

The crow spoke. "Why is that kid's aura even weaker than last time? Something is wrong. I would guess he cultivated some method for concealing vitality. He must think he stands out too much himself. Didn't I say he was not simple? What suitable candidate did you find, exactly? Will you not take another look at him?"

"The person I selected is like a Scorching Sun about to break through black clouds and emerge, but he should not be exposed too early, lest he incur Heaven's Jealousy. He has already been sent away in advance." After speaking, the woman glanced toward Qin Ming again. "Later, I will have someone test him and see whether he can become one of the alternatives."