The unexpected
Night fog, tall grass, desolate main street, a tall figure treading on broken bluestone slabs, is walking step by step, very imposing.
"Second brother, you've become distant, a stranger. It's been many years since we last met, and I've missed you dearly." Cui Chongxiao spoke calmly through the mist, as if reminiscing about the past.
The main street seemed shrouded in his shadow; he was like an Abyss, ready to devour everything nearby, silencing even the chirping of insects.
Qin Ming took out the Measuring God Ruler, which was forged from the Nine Lives Tree, and activated the Primordial Primal Chaos Force. He immediately went all out, and Golden Haze surged, forming an endless Sword Qi Storm!
The mist surrounding Cui Chongxiao resembled molten metal, twisting and rising, becoming terrifying and unpredictable. He suddenly opened one of his vertical eyes.
A blinding beam of light shot out from between his eyebrows, as if plowing through the night sky, clearing away the Sword Qi Storm that filled the air, almost completely dispersing it.
His cultivation was profound; he destroyed the boundless sword light with absolute power.
At the same time, the beam of light that shot out from between his eyebrows transformed into a huge fist at its tip, crystal clear and surrounded by sacred patterns, and blasted towards Qin Ming.
Qin Ming shifted his body to the side and used the Measuring God Ruler to deflect the fist, which was more than half a person tall. He was trying to deflect the force, but he was still shaking violently, and the Heavenly Light on the Measuring God Ruler was about to go out.
A Primal Chaos Immortal Lotus appeared and bloomed here, its petals fluttering down, slicing away nine layers of light from the enormous fist, making it smaller.
This is the trump card of dual-path cultivation— the Heavenly Light Planting Immortal Lotus, activated by Qin Ming using the Primal Chaos Force.
The lotus petals, like Heavenly Saber, clanged and slashed with dazzling light as they flew towards Cui Chongxiao. Instantly, it seemed as if Heavenly Saber were falling from the sky.
Outside Cui Chongxiao's body, Divine Power surged like boiling crimson magma. He was like a Godlike being, reaching out from the misty light and smashing all the lotus petals with a series of bangs, scattering the Heavenly Saber.
Qin Ming's heart sank. His opponent's strength was unfathomable, far surpassing any of the young opponents he had ever encountered.
Cui Chongxiao spread two fingers of his right hand, revealing a swirling, translucent light mist emanating from his body. His movements were simple yet domineering, and he slashed at Qin Ming.
When his two fingers came together, it Dragon-Tiger Unity, accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder. For a moment, the Dragon Roar Tiger Howl, the flashes of lightning and the thunder, made the ruins tremble.
Nine Golden Crow seemed to fly up from the Measuring God Ruler in Qin Ming's hand, drawing dazzling blade light; it was the Golden Crow Illuminating Night Saber!
Every time he made a move, he used the trump cards from various classic texts, and activated them with the Primal Chaos Heavenly Light, fighting with all his might.
However, the nine Golden Crow were dimming, and some even exploded, as if the sword intent was shattering.
"Huh?" Cui Chongxiao murmured, his two fingers were blocked. Behind the nine Golden Crow, there was a golden blade that had taken shape, shining like the Scorching Sun.
This is the Nine Crows Raising Saber Technique, a unique skill from the Illuminating Night Scripture. It is extremely difficult to master, and Qin Ming only recently fully mastered it.
Cui Chongxiao's two fingers glowed, his Divine Wisdom surging, as if two Divine Chains of Order had been cut out, and the night sky seemed to be distorted and collapsed.
The nine crows raised their swords, as if to cleave the night sky in two, a truly terrifying sight.
At the same time, behind the golden blade that resembled the Solar Yang, a terrifying blade intent emerged, like a line slicing across the vast night sky.
This is the sword intent from the novel "The Intercepting Heaven Strategy".
In the blur, it seemed as if a torrential rain was pouring down, and Worldly Heavenly Light descended, as if heaven and earth had been severed by a single stroke.
With a dull thud, flashes of light and finger strikes exploded, the night fog dissipated, and large sections of nearby broken walls and ruins flew up and turned to ashes.
Qin Ming felt heavy-hearted. He had used his ultimate techniques repeatedly, but he could only break one of the opponent's finger techniques. He couldn't figure out the opponent's true strength at all.
Throughout this process, Cui Chongxiao kept moving forward without stopping, maintaining a consistent pace, neither hurried nor slow.
"Second brother, you are very strong. Among those whose cultivation level is lower than mine, you are the first person to escape from the Heavenly God Finger. You are even more powerful than I expected."
"Stop pretending to be a good woman!" Qin Ming said, holding the Measuring God Ruler. He suspected that the other party might have reached the Mid Fourth Realm. If so, he might be in grave danger.
So far, he has not yet confronted God Seed of this level.
Cui Chongxiao raised his palm, and with a loud boom, boundless black cold air emerged, even denser than the night, like something rising from Hell.
Qin Ming changed positions repeatedly to avoid direct confrontation.
Cui Chongxiao's giant hand seemed to tear open a corner of the Netherworld, pouring out a thick black fog that completely engulfed the area.
Qin Ming was frozen in ice, appearing inside a large, pitch-black block of ice.
The Spiritual Field he emitted tore through the ice, distorting it and threatening to shatter the night sky.
However, the black, icy mist gushed forth from Cui Chongxiao's location like a waterfall, instantly repairing the ice. This substance could completely freeze a person's soul.
Qin Ming's various Spiritual Field resonated, and the Southern Blazing Fire surged forth. With the Six Ding Divine Fire protecting his consciousness, the pitch-black ice block disintegrated with a loud bang, scattering in all directions.
With a loud hum, it was as if thunder rumbled in the void, the muffled sound deafening. Dozens of Divine Ring appeared around Qin Ming's body, all laws converged into one, and the entire world seemed to shake violently.
This method is extremely costly, and he won't use it lightly.
But right now, facing the unfathomable opponent Cui Chongxiao, he has no choice but to fight to the death; otherwise, he won't be able to harm his opponent at all.
"Impressive. Is this the strongest Chaos Force you've mastered all by yourself? Let me take a closer look." Cui Chongxiao remained calm. Around him, the scenery cleared up, as if a Divine Kingdom was opening.
Around him, mountains and rivers appeared, vegetation grew wildly, lightning intertwined in the void, and for a moment the shadows of the Gods were revealed.
This is the Inner Landscape he comprehended, the foundation for becoming a god. It corresponds to more than one kind of deity, integrating multiple Inner Landscape, making it quite astonishing and terrifying.
Most terrifyingly, there were also sights in the sky, and vaguely, a Golden Palace seemed to appear, as if a Heavenly God was looking down upon it!
Qin Ming was awestruck. Had Cui Chongxiao actually visited the Grotto-Heaven Ruins? But there was no such place in Night Prefecture.
Boom!
Qin Ming's body was surrounded by a dense array of Divine Ring. As he swung the Law Chain, they resembled intertwined Measuring God Ruler of magic, threatening to tear his opponent apart.
Cui Chongxiao was fearless and directly withstood the Chaos Force.
On the ground where he stood, shadowy figures appeared, representing the revival of the earth deities. In the high sky, the phantoms of Heavenly God opened their eyes. Earth and heaven merged, deities and gods fused together, converging into one.
This is suppression from a pure realm!
Qin Ming felt as if he were being crushed by the heavens and earth, about to be pulverized.
He wielded the Measuring God Ruler and used the Nine Sacred Fiend, further enhancing his power with Torn Cloth, unleashing a barrage of Chaos Heavenly Light.
Outside its body, the Five Elements Wheel rotates, accompanied by the Vermilion Bird carrying towering flames, the White Tiger flowing with metallic luster and overwhelming killing intent, and the Earth Dragon tearing the earth apart.
Furthermore, the resonance of wind and thunder suggests a renewed Calamity Qi.
Furthermore, as Qin Ming approached, Black-and-White Taiji Diagram rotated, protecting him within it.
"Hiss, you can't be allowed to live! Are these all Sacred Fiend?" Cui Chongxiao gasped in the night mist.
His eyes blazed with Divine Radiance, his killing intent no longer concealed. The Chaos Force combined with the resonance of the nine great Sacred Fiend made him extremely wary.
Around it, the Inner Landscape becomes clearer, every inch of land is composed of Divine Wisdom, sacred trees are magnificent, petals fall in profusion, and earth deities and Heavenly God stand side by side.
The Measuring Heaven Ruler in Qin Ming's right hand left behind a series of afterimages, and the light from his fists poured down without stopping.
Instantly, this area resembled a vast volcanic eruption, or a divine sea bursting its banks; both the night sky and the ground were covered by Heavenly Light and Divine Wisdom.
With blood and foam filling his mouth, Qin Ming moved through the area like a ghost. Even though he avoided the sharpest attacks and continuously used the Chaos Heavenly Light to strike at the opponent's vital points, he was still extremely passive.
Cui Chongxiao said, "I originally intended to capture you alive and use you as a test subject for Chong He, but seeing your performance, I'd better send you on your way as soon as possible."
Qin Ming, with crimson blood dripping from the corner of his mouth—his Consciousness Blood Essence —said, "Screw you! If we were the same age, I'd kill both of you brothers by myself and smash your dog heads in!"
Cui Chongxiao, in his early twenties, naturally possessed far greater cultivation. He spoke calmly, "In battles between equals, I have never been defeated. However, judging from your performance today, once your cultivation catches up, you might indeed pose a threat to me. Yet, reality is cruel. You started late, and your cultivation is a step below mine. Today, fate has brought us together again; that is your death day!"
Qin Ming retreated as fast as lightning. The opponent's Heavenly God Finger was almost upon him when, at the critical moment, he used his Spiritual Field to block it and activated the Taiji Diagram to rotate, shaking it away.
Cui Chongxiao said, "Don't expect that mysterious creature to resurrect you. It itself said that it only tries its best to revive those who died here. Now that I've taken action, everything will be arranged 'safely'."
A mysterious fog rose around him. Standing in the Netherpass Realm, the Fourth Realm realm of the Esoteric Sect, he could be omnipresent, moving between the ground and the night sky.
In an instant, he was right in front of Qin Ming.
Qin Ming moved like a floating light, or like Golden-Winged Roc soaring through the sky, constantly changing his position, yet he still couldn't shake off his opponent.
His Chaos Heavenly Light erupted continuously, leaving him feeling weak. His arms were jolted by the opponent's Divine Power, as if they were about to break.
A streak of light tore through the night mist above the ruins, arriving at breakneck speed. Only after it appeared did the thunderous explosion resound from the sky.
Li Qingyue descended, continuously waving her palms and activating the Six Ding Divine Fire, striking towards Cui Chongxiao.
Qin Ming hadn't expected that One of Us side would appear at this critical juncture; it was beyond his expectations.
"Li Qingyue, this is none of your business!" Cui Chongxiao looked at the armor on her body and felt quite frightened. He knew that it was formed from the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Qin Ming warned as he attacked, "Be careful, his skills are extremely profound!"
"Your cultivation is too profound? In that case, let's settle this with one move!" Li Qingyue spoke, her aura emanating from immortals, ethereal and otherworldly. Her sacred battle armor suddenly detached from her body, transforming into a stream of light and flying forward.
Cui Chongxiao let out a loud cry and tried to escape using his Netherpass abilities, quickly disappearing underground.
However, the light followed him in, and with a loud boom, it transformed into the shape of Eight Trigrams Furnace, taking him inside.
Then, the Six Ding Divine Fire roared there, and from the furnace came Cui Chongxiao's painful roar. He tried to push open the furnace lid, making a rattling sound.
This special weapon comes from the Tushita Palace and possesses immense power.
Unfortunately, the Eight Trigrams Furnace was damaged, leaking fire everywhere, and even the lid was broken, with Cui Chongxiao's head peeking out from the gap.
"Ah..." he roared, struggling to break free, but the divine fire on his body did not go out and continued to burn fiercely.
The flames, fueled by the Eight Trigrams Furnace, were covered in runes, burning large holes all over his body.
Qin Ming rushed over, swung the Measuring God Ruler, and with a "thud," sliced off half of his head, saying, "I'll smash your dog head in!"
Li Qingyue also made a move, activating the Eight Trigrams Furnace to set Cui Chongxiao ablaze.
"You..." The remaining half of Cui Chongxiao's face was incredibly ferocious.
In the end, he collapsed and was completely destroyed by Qin Ming and Li Qingyue. His remaining body fragments were then collected by the Eight Trigrams Furnace and burned to ashes.
"Qing Yue!" Qin Ming walked over. If it weren't for her, he would most likely be in grave danger today. Cui Chongxiao was eight years older than him, and the difference in their cultivation levels was insurmountable.
"Jiang Ran is calling me; I have to get there immediately." Li Qingyue donned her armor again, her beautiful face serious, and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing in an instant.
Qin Ming followed, but the other party was empowered by the Eight Trigrams Furnace, making them incredibly fast; they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Cui Chongxiao is dead just like that?" He felt a sense of unreality. The other party had been incinerated to ashes by a special weapon; there was little chance of resurrection, right?
He lost track of Li Qingyue. In the night fog, strange noises appeared, and a creature appeared and blocked his path.
A giant snail, emitting a faint golden light and possessing a human face, declared, "Abyssal Demon, where do you think you're going!"
"What did you say?" This was the first time Qin Ming had been addressed like this by his opponent.
The giant snail spoke, "What's wrong with that? The city is full of Demon, you are all Abyssal Species, while we are descendants of Heavenly Immortal, who came here specifically to subdue the demons."
Qin Ming noticed that among the broken walls and ruins behind it, there were traces of slime left by it as it crawled over them, the marks clearly visible.
He realized that this was most likely just an ordinary snail, endowed with terrifying power by the mysterious force remaining in the Chosen Land.
Without Say More, he fought fiercely and killed the ox.
During his subsequent journey, Qin Ming encountered some bizarre creatures, each more boastful than the last. Some claimed to be disciples of the Heavenly God, while others styled themselves as immortals, all calling him the Abyssal Demon.
This made Qin Ming wonder what kind of place the Night Mist World without the Solar Yang really was.
"Could the so-called search for the truth in the ruins be bloody, cruel, and piercing through certain realities?" He pondered these thoughts along the way.
"Hehe, hahaha..." Ahead, someone laughed loudly. In the mist, a furry Dharma image emerged, and the true form of that being seemed to be a young man, extremely powerful, with one hand behind his back, blocking the way.
"Could it be that the real mastermind behind Xin Yuan has arrived?" Qin Ming's expression turned serious.
"Qin Ming, I never expected to meet you here. Let's settle this with a duel of life and death, and I'll send you on your way!" the creature in the mist spoke.
Qin Ming remained silent, his eyes fixed ahead. At this moment, he was thinking about many things. How did he end up encountering the most troublesome adversaries?
First it was Cui Chongxiao, then it was the person behind Xin Yuan —isn't that too much of a coincidence?
Moreover, during his desperate battle, Li Qingyue arrived just in time to come to his aid.
"Damn it!" Qin Ming couldn't help but want to Curse.
He recalled his battle with Cui Chongxiao, and realized that none of Cui's methods were beyond his understanding; they were all Secret Method he had heard of before.
Since becoming adversaries with the Cui Household, he has naturally been gathering information on the powerful figures of this Millennium Aristocratic Family. As for the low-profile Cui Chongxiao, few of the cultivation methods he has practiced have been made public, and most of the techniques the other party just used were these methods.
Qin Ming's expression was grim. If he could fight fiercely against ordinary spiders, broken wind chimes, and unremarkable snails, why couldn't he fight against a phantom figure resembling Cui Chongxiao?
Qin Ming frowned deeply, wondering if he was fighting against the very things he was thinking about.
"This damned place!" He suddenly looked up at the figure opposite him; this was probably fake too!
"Don't believe what you see or hear. Who said the Jade Capital Supreme True Scripture is all worthless? The creature that brought you here is suspicious." On the broken bluestone path, in the weeds, a cricket chirped to him.
"It is Colossal Being that wants to devour all laws to replenish itself, and it needs a constant Pathfinders to serve it!" After the cricket finished speaking, it turned into shattered ripples and disappeared.
Qin Ming remained silent, everything was so chaotic and unreal that it stirred up his emotions as well.
However, he saw that after the cricket turned into ripples, the main body of the Xin Yuan also dimmed and eventually disappeared.
Along the way, Qin Ming encountered various gods and ant immortals, all of whom wanted to subdue him, this Abyssal Demon.
Until, Thunder from the Nine Heavens in massive bursts, and a terrifying figure descended. Unshrouded in mist, its face and form were clearly visible, as if the balance of the place had been shattered.
"Cao Qianqiu?!" Qin Ming looked at the old man with eyes like golden lamps, and at this point he found it hard to believe what he had seen in the ruins.
"Warning! Something's happened here! Retreat immediately!" The creature that had guided them here urgently transmitted its voice from the night sky.
Subsequently, auspicious clouds streaked across the sky from all the ruins.
Before leaving, Qin Ming saw Cao Qianqiu make a move, throwing a punch at him that shattered the entire ruins!
Although he was in Spirit Travel state and what he saw might not be real, Qin Ming still felt a suffocating sense of deathly oppression.
He had some doubts; even if it wasn't Lao Cao body, it was a real, terrifying monster launching an attack, and if he were hit, the consequences would be unpredictable.
As the group left the ruins, they looked back to find themselves enveloped in a thick fog, where cliffs and city remnants vanished like Illusory Bubble.
Hundreds of people did not return on auspicious clouds, but instead awoke directly from their physical bodies, their Spirit Travel abruptly ending, and they were already in their own rooms.
"The Inverted Jade Capital has appeared, and outside it... there's Colossal Being!"
In the dead of night, the tranquility of Earthen City was shattered. Many people felt a chill run down their spines and rushed out of their rooms, only to be met with a terrifying sight.
Qin Ming, who had just opened his eyes, was now fully awake. Could it be that the anomaly in Jade Capital had interrupted their Spirit Travel, causing them to abruptly return?