In the era after the Solar Yang vanished, even during Shallow Night, distant scenery appeared rather hazy. A little farther away, even towering mountains were no more than black silhouettes in the night.
But everything was different now. Ten pillars of light that reached the heavens had appeared deep within the mountain range, illuminating all ten directions, far surpassing the splendor of the Five-Colored Haze. For a dazed moment, it felt as though they had returned to the era of daylight.
Forget the towering mountains—even every blade of grass and tree on the cliffs could be seen with perfect clarity. The colors and patterns of the Strange Birds flying low overhead were equally distinct, so vivid and alive.
Everyone felt as though the dust in their hearts had been blown away and the curtain before their eyes pulled aside. All they saw was great radiance. Mountains, rivers, and all living things lay before their eyes and entered their hearts. Even in the bitter winter when ice and snow sealed the mountains, it made them feel as though all things had revived, everything so lively, natural, and dear.
Old Man Liu sat atop Big Yellow Dog, deeply moved. "I've lived for over seventy years, yet this is the first time I've seen such a brilliant world, such majestic heavens and earth. Is this the Brocade Landscape that should have existed all along? What a pity. Even as a New Life Evolver, able to see distant scenery, I usually still feel as if a thin veil hangs before my eyes."
Cao Long said, "Cities above a certain size actually..."
He did not continue. It was unsuitable to tell such things to an old man from this remote place. Old Man Liu could not leave this place, and saying more would only leave him melancholy.
He changed his words. "I haven't actually been to many places either. The Vast and Boundless black world is simply too immense. Those so-called brilliant cities are much like patches of fireflies."
Deep in the mountains, the experts from those major organizations and the Higher Lifeforms had all gone mad, charging toward the place where the ten pillars of light reached the heavens.
But in the outer region, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, Cao Long, and the others remained very calm. They merely watched from afar and even chatted among themselves.
They knew perfectly well that those things had nothing to do with them. Even if higher-ups rushed over, they might die there. That special Node was destined to be dyed red with the blood of the strong.
Not everyone could clearly assess their own place. Too many people in the mountains had been consumed by envy, though they were not blindly confident either. They were not charging toward the place where Higher Lifeforms contended.
The Ten-Colored Light tore through the night curtain. This was already an abnormal spectacle beyond the scope of their understanding, something never seen before at other famous mountains where Heavenly Light had descended.
Perhaps it had happened before, but someone had deliberately concealed it. There was no record of it in the various books.
Thus, the various groups who were envious yet still able to restrain themselves turned and charged toward the place where the Five-Colored Haze steamed upward, settling for the next best thing.
In truth, this too was an exceptionally rare abnormal spectacle, and it was bound to correspond to some extraordinary rare treasure.
However, far too many people had come with that goal in mind. The various groups had only just encountered one another when the forest was already dyed red, the competition incomparably fierce.
"Mountain God, this place is completely unreasonable! More people have died here than at the ten pillars of light!"
"There are Higher Aberrants here too! They didn't go compete at the ten-colored place—run!"
After being baptized in blood, with a batch of people dying in mere moments, the remaining large groups from all sides turned and fled. They were decisive enough.
People saw a Higher Lifeform enveloped in thick fog, immense beyond measure. One foot crushed down upon a cliff as it neared that special Node.
Almost instantly, a humanoid lifeform with broad wings, wreathed in crimson haze, descended from the sky and blocked the Higher Lifeform's path.
"Was that an earthquake?" The Earth Fissure shook violently, startling Qin Ming into rushing out at once. He truly feared being crushed to death deep underground.
Then he too saw the two spectacular wonders, as if daylight had returned to the world. Great showers of light poured down, and mountains, rivers, and all things became clearly visible.
He knew his own limits. The unfathomable treasures born from those two Nodes had nothing to do with him. If he dared take even one step closer, he would die without a burial place.
Standing outside the Earth Fissure's exit, Qin Ming could only watch in envy. The masters rampaging deep in the mountains—the final victors would gain benefits beyond measure.
Even from this quiet region far away, he could hear people in the mountains shouting that the Ten-Colored Node was unheard of and that it might produce a treasure whose rank could not be assessed.
"I finally understand why this place is so heaven-defying. It was not merely struck by Heavenly Light two years ago—Heavenly Light also descended here two hundred years ago. Back then, there were no worthwhile treasures at all. The previous Heavenly Light accumulated for two hundred years, then fused with the one that descended two years ago, creating the astonishing spectacle before us!"
An old man in the forest spoke excitedly. He was a man of broad knowledge who had carefully studied this region and consulted a great number of documents. Now, he revealed the reason for this place's abnormality.
"I've heard the rumors too. Two hundred years ago, an especially thick beam of Heavenly Light descended here. Even people from the Royal Capital were alarmed and sent out experts. Yet this place was unbelievably barren. Every expert who came wished they could level these mountains."
Apart from the Higher Lifeforms, everyone else in the mountain range could only watch and discuss. No one dared risk approaching the two Creation Grounds again.
Before long, many people cried out in alarm. Even the Higher Lifeforms and human experts who had fought until their eyes turned red at the center of the battlefield were dumbfounded.
The soaring haze from the two special Nodes shifted once more.
"Is there some kind of monster underground?" Even Old Weasel, normally the most mild-tempered and composed, had begun to twitch at the face. He had truly been tormented enough.
This time, the Five-Colored Haze and the ten soaring pillars of light seemed to be circling within a fixed area at great speed.
"They're rapidly shifting along the Spiritual Veins created by the Heavenly Light. They're pulling each other along. The circle they're tracing is constantly shrinking, and they're slowly drawing closer!"
It was not only the experts personally involved who noticed it. The onlookers watching from afar saw it even more clearly.
"Could the two mysterious treasures be merging into one?" Everyone was filled with doubt. This was completely beyond their understanding.
Ling Xu, Wei Mo, and the other Higher Aberrants had nearly lost their tempers from all the torment. They chased after the two spectacles, yet could never make contact.
Even when they rushed right up close and had just entered the special Nodes, the phenomena vanished again and continued shifting. In the end, some Higher Lifeforms began to wait by the tree stump for rabbits.
Qin Ming found it strange. The Node where he was located lay outside that area and was quite peaceful. For the time being, no one had come over.
"Hm?" He discovered that the Earth Fissure beneath his feet had also begun to "stir." It started spewing silver threads outward, carrying a faint golden sheen, occasionally mixed with Purple Mist, crimson light, and more.
His spirits immediately soared. Could it be that some precious treasure was about to mature? When he had gone in earlier, he had not seen anything at all.
Could it be that the upheaval deep in the mountains had allowed this place to "share in the light" as well?
He rushed inside at once. The place where five-colored and ten-colored lights intertwined was destined to have nothing to do with him, but if he could harvest even one lesser—or much lesser—treasure, he would be immensely satisfied.
Silver beams intertwined underground, far thicker than before. Moreover, as he went deeper, he could sense a strange fluctuation.
This feeling resembled the time he practiced the New Life Method recorded in the Silk Scripture here, as though he were soaked in a hot spring and baptized by silver threads.
Now, without doing anything, he could already sense a warmth spreading before him. Following those unusual ripples back to their source, he quickly reached the end.
This place was blocked by a heap of rubble. There was no path ahead.
Without a word, Qin Ming immediately began clearing away the stones. After moving them all aside, he discovered a new Earth Fissure through which he could enter deeper underground.
Along the way, he repeatedly used the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer in his hand to clear a path, smashing the Earth Fissure wider. At last, he reached the source of the strange fluctuations.
Colored light mist surged up from deeper within the Earth Fissure, wrapping around a black stone roughly half the size of a human head.
"What is this?" Qin Ming believed it had to be one of the special treasures all the groups sought to harvest, but he had no idea what use a black stone might have.
Within this special Node, colored light mist flowed about, making his chest feel tight and his heart uneasy in waves, yet his body could still endure it.
He saw the light mist flowing through the Earth Fissure toward the black stone gradually thinning and beginning to recede like a tide. Did this mean it was about to "mature" completely?
Qin Ming did not act rashly. He waited quietly. His body could still hold on, and as the light mist dissipated, all his discomfort vanished.
A moment later, the place fell silent. Every abnormal phenomenon disappeared. The half-head-sized stone looked utterly ordinary, and no one would likely pick it up even if it were thrown away.
Yet if he focused carefully, he could still capture a faint trace of fluctuation. This was a special perception he had acquired after being baptized by the Silver Light that emerged from the Earth Fissure.
"I can develop a faint sense for special treasures nourished by Heavenly Light."
Qin Ming took the stone into his hand. It was heavy, and he dearly wanted to peel away the stone skin to see what lay inside.
But he suppressed the urge. He needed to get out immediately. If someone blocked him inside the Earth Fissure, that would be serious trouble.
When he quietly emerged onto the surface from the exit, the surroundings were peaceful. Yet deep in the mountains, things were truly lively. Figures stood atop many peaks, gazing toward the increasingly astonishing and magnificent spectacle.
The Five-Colored Haze and the ten pillars of light had actually become intertwined. Qin Ming moved soundlessly through the dense forest, then buried himself in a hollow of snow.
Afterward, he began studying the stone. Operating the New Life Method recorded in the Silk Scripture, shattered gold ripples spread across his flesh as he began peeling the stone apart with his bare hands.
Though the stone skin was extremely hard, he silently crushed it in his grip, stripping it away with great efficiency.
Qin Ming continued working, feeling the stone shrink by two full sizes. At the same time, through his special perception, he discovered that its fluctuations had grown slightly stronger.
He stopped moving. If he peeled it open completely, would some abnormal phenomenon appear?
After all, although this thing could not compare to the two treasures that had captured everyone's attention, it was certainly no ordinary object.
At this moment, Qin Ming felt as though a hundred claws were scratching at his heart. He desperately wanted to split the stone apart completely, yet feared that one careless move might bring disaster.
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