A pilgrimage?

In the Shallow Night, on Black White Mountain, snowflakes drifted down, and patches of blood bamboo covered the ground. From the bamboo joints to the leaves, they were bright red and translucent, as if carved from red jade. Against the backdrop of the white snow, they were truly refreshing and stunning.

Qin Ming sat in meditation, studying the "Body Refining and Dao Integration Scripture." In this extremely cold climate, he abandoned the protection of the Heavenly Light and focused on tempering his physique.

As he breathed in a peculiar rhythm, white mist surged, and his entire body seemed to be enveloped in celestial energy.

Within Qin Ming's body, numerous large tendons transformed into "True Dragon," and the so-called secret passage became a "Immortal Lake." At this moment, the dragons revived and drank "Immortal Sap" from the "lake."

His meridians were being stretched, and a real "dragon's roar" emanated from them, frightening the nearby strange beasts and birds, who dared not show their faces.

Within the "Immortal Lake," his potential rippled like waves, bathing his bones in light. Then, all his bones trembled, accompanied by a thunderous sound.

Qin Ming's body was covered with a golden light like the morning glow, while his bones inside were as white as Moon Essence, crystal clear and imbued with spiritual charm.

Soon after, he was drenched in sweat, and in the wind and snow, Immortal Mist rose from his body. He felt completely refreshed, as if he had eaten the ginseng fruit described in ancient books, and as if he were being Bathe and Wash Marrow.

At this moment, he is transforming into the legendary Golden Body and jade bones.

Qin Ming exhaled a large puff of white mist, then opened his eyes.

At this time last year, he slew Blood Snake with his knife in this Blood Bamboo Forest, obtaining Spiritual Matter for the first time in his life.

After a year away, he returned to the Black White Mountain, no longer as "weak" as before, and now he had to be constantly on guard against the strange insects and monsters in the mountains.

He gazed into the distance through the wind and snow, realizing that although his own strength had increased significantly, it was still insufficient in this turbulent era.

Various systems, such as the Immortal Path, the Esoteric Sect, the Otherworldly Beings, and the Forbidden Lands, are all expanding their paths. Now, a vast and brilliant human civilization has emerged in the distance, with various factions vying for dominance and a hundred schools of thought contending, showcasing the magnificent and glorious atmosphere of a prosperous age.

Not to mention, deep within the night fog, there are numerous alien civilizations, and even rumors of the Earth Immortal Dynasty, inspiring both longing and awe.

"We need to be stronger!"

As night deepened, Qin Ming had finished practicing the Golden Crow Illuminates Night Scripture. During this period, he had been "exploring" within his body, discovering many mysterious pathways.

He clearly felt that his Heavenly Light Force had become even stronger, and his flesh and blood were like a furnace shimmering with Immortal Light, as if a Golden Crow dwelled there.

As Qin Ming emerged from the mountain, he saw a donkey slowly wading through the snow at the edge of the land, with a snow-white Old Weasel sitting on its back.

At first, he was extremely wary of this creature and wanted to stay far away from it.

Today, he simply clasped his hands in a fist salute and then drifted away.

The Old Weasel was taken aback, then nodded in response, its feelings quite complicated. It naturally remembered this boy; last year, when the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, it had seen him from afar, his shoulder covered in blood, fighting Donkey-Headed Wolf in the forest.

"Unbelievable! In just one short year, he has grown to this extent!"

In the dead of night, beside the Fire Spring, on the Black White Twin Trees, two small creatures transformed into Yin-Yang Eyes, each sitting cross-legged in a seemingly authentic manner, exuding a rich spiritual aura.

They already knew that cultivating with Qin Ming had many benefits; when he was comprehending the Dao, not only did the mysterious substances floating in the night mist increase, but Daoist charm also Lingering.

Qin Ming was studying the "Earth Magnetism Scripture." Although he obtained the scripture that allowed him to Body Slaying Divine Spirits and Four-Page Jade Book, he did not give up on various Extraordinary Art. Instead, he delved deeper to fully understand their true meaning.

This scripture is highly compatible with Spiritual Field and is suitable for controlling all instruments.

In the blink of an eye, Mutton Fat Jade Iron Saber, Red Jade Sword, Black Jade Hammer, and Measuring God Ruler appeared behind him. In addition, a small amount of scrap copper and iron from the snow also broke through the soil and appeared around him, transforming into weapons.

He then combined this scripture with the Golden Cicada Scripture, and a golden net immediately spread outward from him.

In the latter half of the night, Qin Ming's "Spiritual Field" unfolded. Currently, only those who have mastered special pupil techniques can vaguely see it; it is a tangible field, layer upon layer.

In an instant, the dense Black White Particles within the Spirit Field Wave vibrated, their power significantly increasing and continuing to expand outwards.

Qin Ming was certain that he could directly confront any of them, whether it was the Mount Sumeru Field, the Heavenly Demon Force Field, the Inner Landscape Domain of the Esoteric Sect for achieving godhood, or the wondrous realm of the immortals, with his Spiritual Field.

Immediately, the five Sacred Fiend decomposed, turning into particles that distributed throughout the Spiritual Field, further enhancing their power.

In recent days, Qin Ming has been comprehending the Dao, summarizing his experiences, and integrating various scriptures. Moreover, he spends his nights in Spirit Travel, venturing into the dark sky to capture "meteor showers" and other phenomena. He was not frightened by the monster from last time.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Ming's cultivation had improved, and his strength was greater than before. However, after entering the Third Layer of the Spirit Field, he sighed softly, feeling that things were a bit slow.

By quantifying his Spirit Field Realm, he could more clearly perceive the changes within himself, which also served as a spur and encouragement for him to cultivate diligently and move forward.

At the current rate, it will take him about a year to advance to each level.

"Continuing to proceed step by step like this is indeed a bit too slow."

Qin Ming couldn't wait any longer, because he was comparing himself to the people of the Immortal Path and the Esoteric Sect, not to mention the glorious human civilization in the distance.

The long night was dark and the world was as dark as an abyss, yet the various civilizations deep within the Night Mist World were brilliant.

"If you want to speed things up, besides looking inward, you can only look outward for 'other things'."

Unfortunately, after the Western Territory War ended, what Night Prefecture needed most were Spiritual Objects. From the young and strong experts to the Master and even the Ancestor, everyone needed Great Medicine to heal their wounds.

Besides, those special treasure lands, such as the Mountains and Rivers Spirit Nest and the Earth Aperture, are all owned and have long been occupied.

The entire area is almost fully developed; it's difficult to find any hidden gems.

As for Spirit Travel Above the Nine Heavens and wandering through the Night Mist Sea, that would be far too risky. There's no fortuitous opportunity of encountering Golden Palace or Divine Medicine in the sky. If you go too high, you might be more likely to encounter monsters even paler than Cui Chonghe and his great-grandmother.

Qin Ming pondered, "No wonder people have left Night Prefecture every year to explore New World. Those who come after them want to rise to power, but there aren't enough resources to go around, so they have to find another way."

He spent over a month in seclusion on Black White Mountain, having nearly fully comprehended the scriptures he had studied. Now, he wanted to try his fortuitous opportunity, wondering if there were any unclaimed elixirs or Immortal Nest hidden in this dark world.

He was even prepared to set off to visit that magnificent human kingdom in the distance if it seemed plausible.

Otherwise, relying solely on arduous cultivation and following the normal path, it would take him many more years to break through the Heavenly Gate of the Fourth Realm.

"Little Qin, this <Black White Scripture> is indeed very helpful in relieving my symptoms. I seem to have come across it a long time ago; it feels very familiar. I should be able to get through this long winter. You can travel with peace of mind." Liu Mo saw him off.

Qin Ming had long suspected that this scripture was related to Old Man Liu, and now it has undoubtedly been confirmed.

"Mountain Lord, are you going on another long journey?" Talking Finch blinked its jewel-like eyes, but ultimately refrained from following. It planned to rely on its parents for a while longer.

"Qin Daddy, come home and visit more often!" The Red Squirrel is much more obedient than before.

During this time, Qin Ming Shallow Night in Black White Mountain and his nights under the Twin Trees, trying to avoid the local villagers and minimize entanglements. Today, he departed silently.

When he passed through Red Haze City, he discovered that Meng Xinghai's serious injuries from the Western Territory Battlefield had almost healed, which put his mind at ease.

"Little Qin, you've made great progress. The important thing now is to be steady and not take any risks!" Meng Xinghai said earnestly.

"Uncle Meng, I understand!" Qin Ming only stayed here for one day before riding away on the Thunder King Bird.

Even while traveling, he was also cultivating. His figure appeared in many Giant City of Night Prefecture, as well as famous mountains that had been bombarded by the Heavenly Light.

Qin Ming couldn't help but sigh. Some places really did possess Creation Substance. The mountains were covered with colorful Divine Rosy Radiance, Earth Fissure were bubbling with Heavenly Light, making his mouth water.

Unfortunately, deep within these Earth Secret Aperture, an old monster was in seclusion, and the place had been occupied by the Esoteric Sect and Immortal Path a thousand years ago.

Qin Ming refused to believe in superstitions and wandered through Deep Mountains and Great Marshes, relying on his Eye of New Life to search for Dragon Cavern, divine nests, and undiscovered wonders.

However, he ended up in a disgraceful situation, having unearthed a mass grave in what appeared to be a peaceful swamp, which subsequently led to bizarre and outrageous events.

Whenever he enters a dream, an Old Woman Bleeding From Seven Orifices appears, as if she has taken root in his Mental Field.

Even the Thunder King Bird suffers from nightmares every day.

Finally, Qin Ming burned himself with the Heavenly Light for three days and three nights, and then continuously baptized the Thunder King Bird before he could completely get rid of that bloody face.

Of course, his immediate escape to the Great Yu Capital also played a role; the stronger the yang energy in a place, the dimmer and faster his old face became.

Although Qin Ming was still somewhat unconvinced, he had to admit that all the good spots had indeed been taken.

Along the way, he heard many stories about visitors from Foreign Domain.

In the past, batches of experts traveled far and wide to explore New World. It seemed that only those who went to the southwest and entered the realm of Earth Immortal could return safely.

"After discovering that magnificent human civilization, we wanted to return as soon as possible to report back. However, a thick fog blocked our way, making the return journey a thousand times more difficult than the way there."

Walking along different paths, eventually breaking through the fog, you'll find yourself in different places, unsure how far you've strayed from your original goal.

Back then, when they traveled to the southwest, the main reason was that their predecessors had left stone markers in the fog, so most of the later travelers followed the same road.

Most importantly, the fog on the other side is not stable. It has been appearing and disappearing for hundreds of years. If they want to embark on their journey home, they not only need to try and fail, but they also need to wait for a clear Mist Gate to appear before they can enter.

Lately, news has been all about travelers returning home, so it wasn't difficult for Qin Ming to find out.

"Is there anything wrong with this group?"

Qin Ming pondered that, given the cunning of those Ancestor in Night Prefecture, if a serious situation arose, they would still take drastic measures regardless of whether the person was a former Senior Sister or Senior Brother.

He even felt that, in accordance with the style of certain Ancestor, the exploration of the consciousness of some people without their knowledge must have already been carried out and succeeded.

Not long after Qin Ming entered the Great Yu Capital, someone came to his door. The person was tall and slender, and although he wore crimson armor, it could not hide his beautiful curves. His black hair flowed down to his waist, his skin was as white as ivory, and his appearance was stunning and his beauty unparalleled.

She was none other than Yao Ruoxian, the Fourth Princess of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Qin Ming was not surprised. In the other party's territory, especially since his mount, the Thunder King Bird and was a gift from Yao Ruoxian, it was natural that he would be discovered.

However, he is not worried about his whereabouts being revealed.

Although he did not join the Six Royals Ancestral Court or the Tathagata Sect, he and Xiang Yiwu now represent the face and backbone of the younger generation on New Life Path. Moreover, Lu Zizai recently stood up for him, so under this background, no one will cause him any trouble.

In the inn with its courtyard, the Thunder King Bird immediately stepped forward to pay its respects, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

At the same time, it looked at Yao Ruoxian's mount— the Thunder Royal Bird —its eyes flashing with electricity, and said, "Greetings, Princess!"

Clearly, it was much more enthusiastic when it saw a seed-level Imperial Bird of its own kind than when it faced Yao Ruoxian.

Unfortunately, no matter how much it fawned over it, the Thunder Royal Bird only nodded reservedly, or responded with the briefest of phrases, "Hmm!"

Qin Ming rubbed his forehead, not wanting to look at this sycophant, and invited Yao Ruoxian into the house.

Yao Ruoxian, "Where have you been for the past month? You've disappeared completely. There's been a lot of commotion outside, and many people want to invite you out for a get-together, but they can't find you."

She told him directly that the seeds from all the paths were in contact with that group of young people from afar, and had tried to invite him to the meeting many times, only to find that he had lost contact.

"Is it going to be another fight?" Qin Ming's expression turned strange. He was almost having a stress reaction; most of the time, people who came to him wanted him to be their "henchman."

Yao Ruoxian shook her head and said, "No, that's not the case. The people from Night Prefecture have interacted with them several times, and they get along well. They all have a very good impression of each other."

Then she laughed and said, "It seems you've been really out of touch lately, spending all your time in seclusion, haven't you?"

Qin Ming asked, "After they come back, will they leave again? Will they do anything special? It doesn't necessarily mean they're returning to their hometowns, after all, they brought quite a few young and strong men back with them."

Yao Ruoxian, "Those people were very frank, saying that some of our Cultivation Method might be the introduction to, or even the prequel to, some True Scripture scriptures."

For example, the "Black White Scripture" from the Ancient Immortal Dojo, although no one has been able to master it, has a truly remarkable origin and is said to be related to a supreme scripture from afar.

"For example, the four broken pages of the Jade Book on the Immortal Path might only be the preliminary chapters; the main text should have nine or twelve pages."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming was astonished. If this was the case, then the owner of the Four-Page Jade Book had not practiced the original scripture either, so naturally he would not have been able to sense anything further.

Yao Ruoxian, "They found a lot of valuable information over there, so they think that there might be more chapters in the underground ruins here, or even other more remarkable books buried there."

Qin Ming asked, "What are the attitudes of the Ancestor of each path?"

Yao Ruoxian smiled and told them, "The Ancestor approve of this, and they've told them to go ahead and explore freely, and to let us know if they need anything. The Ancestor have all gone into seclusion to recuperate."

Qin Ming pondered that the Ancestor had the confidence to do so. If these people really gained something, Night Prefecture would definitely benefit from it. No one could get the scriptures here for nothing.

He began, "They want to delve deeper into the ruins to find the True Scripture, but that's probably not all. Perhaps they have other motives as well."

"That's not something you or I need to worry about," Yao Ruoxian said after taking a sip of tea.

Qin Ming frowned and said, "If a Earth Immortal, or Seven-Day Stacker, were to personally descend upon this land, I think the pressure on all the Ancestor would increase considerably, wouldn't it?"

Yao Ruoxian nodded solemnly and said, "The expert over there is indeed very powerful."

Then, as if remembering something, she said, "You haven't been reading the Night Report lately, so you might have missed some news. Did you know that among the returning young generation, some have amazed Night Prefecture and been widely reported? Even if ancient Sage were to return to their youth, they might not be able to suppress them."

Qin Ming immediately became interested and asked, "How extraordinary was their performance?"

"At the time, the Truth Report, the Night Report, and the World Report— were all full of praise and lauded you to the extreme. How could you be so careless as to miss all of this, and then not even bother to find out afterward?"

Yao Ruoxian mentioned that one of them followed the New Life Path, and in his early years, he had already mastered the Three Imperial Force in the First Realm!

Qin Ming nodded calmly and said, "Excellent. However, we also have those with the Three Imperial Force Enhancement, the Sky Shaker, and the Golden Body Nirvana One."

Yao Ruoxian carefully observed his expression. Seeing his calm demeanor, she was deeply shaken. Just what level had this young man reached when he was in the First Realm?

She continued, "That person is more powerful than a normal Sky Shaker or Golden Body Nirvana cultivator; he is very likely at the late stage of the Three Imperial Force!"

"Incredible!" Qin Ming exclaimed.

Yao Ruoxian couldn't figure out his situation anymore. What state was he in back then?

She smiled and said, "This person really wants to talk to you."

"Why?" Qin Ming asked.

Yao Ruoxian, "Because he heard about your achievements, and there were rumors that you had mastered the Chaos Force on your own without any guidance, which shocked everyone who returned."

The Heavenly Light Force developed through Silk Book Method has had various names in the past. Some call it Primal Chaos Force, others Chaos Force, and still others Saint Force or Heavenly God Force.

"Oh, they care a lot about the <Silk Book Method>?" Qin Ming's expression changed, and he became alert.

Yao Ruoxian shook her head and said, "What they care about is not the Primal Chaos Force itself, but you as a person. After all, the Silk Scripture inheritance you mentioned has not been lost in their territory, but has continued to this day."

This time, even Qin Ming was deeply shaken. Sure enough, the Ancestor of the Silk Book Method had once gone to that area. Even though the physical body was easily blown apart, there were still those who persisted in practicing it.

He's been in seclusion lately and has indeed missed a lot of important information.

Silk Book Method is very special. If it is to be passed down and preserved, it must be guided by predecessors. It cannot be interrupted even once.

Qin Ming said solemnly, "Those people over there are very brave. They know that in the end it will all be for nothing, and that they will eventually explode, but there are still newcomers who dare to join and persevere in their training."

Yao Ruoxian, "The cultivation civilization over there is highly developed and extremely brilliant; it's not impossible that they have ways to alleviate the problem."

Then, a look of surprise crossed her face, and she said, "You really did master it all on your own."

In her opinion, this was simply unbelievable and completely defied common sense!

"Who said that? How do you know I don't have a Ancestor personally guiding me?" Qin Ming replied calmly and composedly.

Yao Ruoxian was taken aback; she was genuinely surprised to see his expression.

However, she quickly calmed down. It was impossible for any of the Ancestor of the Silk Book Method to be alive within the territory of Night Prefecture. It had been determined long ago that they were either dead or had gone far away.

Her instincts told her that the legendary Chaos Force was something Qin Ming had cultivated himself!

Yao Ruoxian's expression turned solemn as she said, "I have some important news to tell you. Those who wanted to communicate with you revealed that in that vast, distant civilization, there might still be a Ancestor who has mastered the Chaos Force!"

Qin Ming looked surprised and immediately put down his teacup, asking, "Really?"

This was earth-shattering news, which made him pay close attention and care.

Yao Ruoxian nodded and said, "Yes, it is said that the old Ancestor was helped by a friend from the other side and is still alive. Moreover, the person who wanted to communicate with you hinted that you could go there and make a devout pilgrimage, and you would definitely be highly regarded."

A ripple of emotion stirred within Qin Ming, which then surged into a massive wave: Could there truly be a living Ancestor of the Silk Book Method?

His eyes were deep, and he was lost in thought.

He felt that the Silk Book Method he practiced, after being supplemented and perfected by the True Scripture "Body Refining and Dao Integration Scripture with the Dao Scripture" and the Four-Page Jade Book, would inevitably gradually differ from the original path.

In fact, in the end, as he integrates the Black White Scripture and the Golden Crow Illuminates Night Scripture, as well as the Tathagata Force, Jade Clarity Force, and Six Royal Force that he never forgets, his power should become even more domineering and overwhelming.

"Pilgrimage? The journey is too far and the road too treacherous. Let's talk about it later," Qin Ming said.

It's fine to let him communicate with that civilized person, but there's no need to expect him to bow and pay homage with the heart of a pilgrim.