Heart Stirred

The old man was tall and charged forward at a terrifying speed, like a black tiger pouncing on prey. His cold, merciless gaze alone would make an ordinary person's legs go weak.

Qin Ming gripped the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer like an agile leopard. He first leaped forward with explosive speed, then abruptly changed direction. Rather than meeting the attack head-on, he swung the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer from the side and smashed it toward his opponent.

The old man frowned. This youth's speed was actually no slower than his own. They had nearly collided, yet the other party had changed direction in an instant, crossed past him from the right, and swung a hammer at him!

Qin Ming felt a powerful vibration travel through the metal handle. The old man had actually struck the side of the Black Gold Hammer with his bare hand. It was truly frightening.

His first hammer strike had merely been a probe. He wanted to weigh just how extraordinary a Third New Life Being's Heavenly Light Force was. The result made his expression turn even more solemn.

The old man charged past him, white Heavenly Light shielding his body. The footprints he left in the ground were covered in cracks, showing just how much force lay behind his sprint.

He was deeply surprised. If it had been any other low-level New Life Evolver, their weapon would have long since been shaken from their hands and sent flying by his Heavenly Light Force.

After they crossed paths, they had effectively switched positions.

The old man lowered his head and looked at the Golden Chicken Knight's meat-patty face beneath his feet. It was terribly mangled, no longer even resembling a human face. When he raised his head again, his gaze was incomparably sinister.

Qin Ming sighed. He had merely been tidying up the Golden Chicken Knight's appearance after death, not wanting others to discover too soon that the man had died in such an unusual state. Yet this old man had barged in.

He had originally wanted to observe the Third New Life Being in secret and probe him cautiously. Now, however, he was about to be thrown directly into a hard battle.

The two silently shifted their feet and slowly approached each other, like two dangerous beasts gathering strength, ready to suddenly leap out and kill at any moment.

"I'm from Red Haze City. Aren't you afraid of retaliation if you kill me?" Qin Ming suddenly asked.

He was wearing the armor Cao Long and Mu Qing had given him. It was indeed highly deceptive, though he did not think it could intimidate the other man.

Still, it would make the man hesitate and weigh the matter for an instant. After all, Red Haze City was the center of this region, and the great Lineages there were not easy to provoke.

But a seasoned figure like this would certainly not go easy on him in the end.

The moment Qin Ming finished speaking, he suddenly erupted into action.

Sure enough, the other man's steps paused for only an instant. But that was enough for Qin Ming. Seizing the chance, he struck first, and the great hammer came crashing down.

They had already been standing close together. Now that Qin Ming had launched a sudden attack, the old man could only meet it head-on. It was already slightly too late to dodge.

Boom!

A muffled sound echoed through the empty karst cavern, and the ground trembled faintly. The old man wrapped one palm around the great hammer while his other hand shot out as well.

Yet this hammer strike was far more powerful than the first probing blow. Qin Ming went all out, making the white light on the old man's palm surge violently and nearly collapse.

The old man had intended to wrap around the great hammer like he was folding dumplings, then slap it away. Instead, the "dumpling skin" had nearly torn apart.

He rapidly retreated. This youth, who had yet to cultivate Heavenly Light, possessed absurd strength. The blow had left his palm aching sharply and numb.

Since Qin Ming had taken the initiative, he naturally would not hesitate in the slightest. Hammer after hammer came down, completely carrying the momentum of random blows beating a master craftsman to death.

Every hammer strike erupted with Wind-Thunder Sound, swift and violent, battering the old man until he nearly coughed blood. He slid sideways and retreated like a ghost, but he could never shake Qin Ming off. The youth could fully keep up with his speed.

Qin Ming was secretly startled. The other party had already received seven of his hammer strikes, all with bare hands. That was truly abnormal.

In terms of pure strength, even as a Third New Life Being, the old man was nowhere near Qin Ming's equal. Yet with Heavenly Light protecting and empowering him, he could withstand such a heavy Black Gold Hammer head-on.

Qin Ming's heart truly stirred. He longed for Heavenly Light to be born within his own body.

The old man's face had turned red from the tyrannical force. His hands alternated as they struck the great hammer, but he was still struggling to endure it. Both hands were trembling.

At this moment, how could he care about pride? Having finally found suitable terrain free of obstructing rocks, he lunged toward the ground to one side, rolling and tumbling as he shot away like a swimming serpent.

Though he was in a sorry state, he had finally broken free from the other party's rhythm.

He lowered his head to look at both hands. Even with Heavenly Light nourishing and protecting his flesh, they were still swollen and red. He felt that even his bones might have been injured.

"What a freak. Even that couldn't blow him apart?" Qin Ming's expression was not very pleasant as he rapidly closed in.

The old man's gaze was cold and sharp. He dearly wanted to say, Who exactly is the freak? How could someone who had not cultivated Heavenly Light possess strength at this level?

He had already drawn the long saber from his back. He secretly swore that he would never carry a saber on his back again. In a moment of danger, he had not even had time to draw it. Just now, his hands had spun like windmills, swinging again and again to collide with the Black Gold Hammer continuously smashing toward his face.

Once the old man had his saber in hand, he used Heavenly Light to clear the stagnant blood blocking his circulation, temporarily easing the pain.

"Unfortunately, this old man has not mastered my Heavenly Light Force. Otherwise, why would I need a weapon?" he said. All Third New Life Beings could give birth to Heavenly Light, but that mysterious Heavenly Light Force was extremely difficult to cultivate.

Qin Ming knew that as one's realm continued to rise, cultivating certain rare and special Heavenly Light Forces would allow one to tear weapons apart as easily as paper.

But reaching that level during the Third New Life stage was clearly impossible. Even cultivating the so-called Giant Spirit God Force or Tathagata Force would not be enough; it required the support of a corresponding high realm.

Naturally, Qin Ming would not give him time to recover his hands. Holding the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer and gripping his short sword, he chopped, smashed, slashed, and blasted, delivering fifty-eight hammer strikes and forty-two sword strikes in one breath, not giving him the slightest chance to catch his breath.

The old man was enraged. When had he ever been so passive in this area, especially when being suppressed and beaten by a youth? Heavenly Light immediately blazed around his entire body as he launched a fierce counterattack.

Very quickly, his heart jolted. The youth across from him had abandoned his previous berserk stance. Though the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer remained overwhelmingly powerful, it had undergone an astonishing transformation. This no longer resembled hammer techniques, but saber techniques.

As Qin Ming swung the great hammer at high speed, his wrist trembled violently as though he were shaking a saber. The hammer buzzed as it came crashing down, trailing afterimages. When it struck the saber, it unleashed a terrifying tearing force.

The long saber in the old man's hand was nearly twisted from his grasp. His expression grew grave.

Qin Ming changed again. The great hammer fell like lightning bolts, one after another. Terrifying black-gold radiance crisscrossed through the underground space. It was all because his speed was too fast. The frightening trajectories carved by the great hammer were densely packed and intertwined, like sheets of lightning erupting at once.

With a bang, the old man was sent flying and slammed into the stone wall. His right hand trembled slightly. Even with Heavenly Light protecting him, he was finding it hard to endure.

His gaze turned icy. He sprang up from the stone wall and took the initiative to launch a savage assault. This wave of counterattack truly made Qin Ming feel some strain.

The old bastard had gone mad. He held the long saber in one hand while the other began meeting Qin Ming's great hammer head-on again.

With a clang, sparks flew from Qin Ming's shoulder. The old man's left hand grazed his armor, directly tearing away four or five armor plates. Qin Ming's pupils constricted at the sight. He was deeply wary of the power of Heavenly Light Force.

Qin Ming grew cautious and always kept a certain distance from the old man, no longer giving him the chance to close in. The great hammer in his hand spun like a wind wheel, dense hammer shadows continuously blasting forward.

The old man was certain that if he did not have Heavenly Light empowering him, this brat would have long since blasted him apart. What kind of monster was this? He had yet to give birth to Heavenly Light, yet he was already this absurd.

A moment later, amid layer upon layer of hammer shadows, the great hammer in Qin Ming's hand roared. Like clouds splitting and the sun emerging, the strongest hammer strike burst forth from within the shadows.

His speed was too fast. The other hammer shadows had not yet dispersed, lingering like arcs of lightning. As the true hammer crashed down, the long saber in the old man's hand nearly flew away. He mobilized Heavenly Light to resist it by force, but he was left utterly exhausted.

Qin Ming unleashed nine such hammer strikes in succession. The old man could no longer endure them. The Heavenly Light around him dimmed, and he vomited blood in great mouthfuls.

Seeing this, Qin Ming swung his hammer again in a horizontal sweep. This time, it carried a piercing saber intent, like lightning about to rip apart the night sky. The entire dark underground cavern roared with the sound of the hammer, sending sand and stones flying as fierce winds rose.

The collision of great hammer and long saber was deafening. The old man could no longer hold his saber. His arm spasmed, the long saber fell to the ground, and he coughed blood in great mouthfuls.

Qin Ming swung hammer after hammer, forcibly shattering the old man's protective Heavenly Light!

With a splat, the old man's right hand instantly became a bloody mess. Without Heavenly Light Force empowering him, he could no longer block a single strike from the heavy hammer. Even his finger bones broke.

The next moment, the old man's mouth filled with bloody froth as agonizing pain pierced his chest. His entire rib cage had caved in, and he was sent flying seven or eight meters by the hammer.

"Third New Life Beings really are hard to kill!" Qin Ming panted. He was indeed somewhat exhausted; Heavenly Light Force was extremely troublesome.

The old man had not yet completely died. He was angered into vomiting another mouthful of blood, feeling that Qin Ming's words were utterly inhuman. How could someone who had not cultivated Heavenly Light think he could kill a Third New Life Being?

Yet he also felt stifled and resentful. He truly had been defeated by precisely such a person, and he was about to die.

Qin Ming stepped forward, preparing to deliver the finishing blow. "I'll give you a flat meat-patty face too."

"I... knead mud!" The old man coughed blood and cursed with great difficulty. He was truly unwilling to die like this at the hands of a youth.

"People from Golden Chicken Ridge are too crude. They start cursing at the drop of a hat." Qin Ming shook his head. The great hammer fell, flattening the man's face and caving in his brow bone.

He began searching the old man's body and tidying up his appearance after death.

"If those mutated ferocious beasts rush in later, they should be able to help me deal with the two corpses."

Qin Ming moved through the various parts of the vast underground cavern, his brows tightly furrowed. He had discovered at least three old men in other passages. They were likely all Third New Life Beings.

"This is going to be difficult!" He did not want to take risks or act rashly.

"Hm?" He spotted another familiar face. It was the Golden Chicken Knight who had once berated them and even whipped an old man, leaving a deep bloody gash on his face with the tip of the whip.

"Brat, where did those villagers go? Come here, I'm asking you a question!"

Qin Ming directly unleashed a Great Qin Flying Hammer. With a bang, this area fell completely silent.

He dragged the man's corpse into the darkness.

The underground karst cavern was filled with spiderweb-like passages. A group of strange beings charged in through one of the routes, and the place descended into total chaos.

Qin Ming retreated into the distance and entered an area interwoven with Heavenly Light. For the time being, he no longer needed to hunt the people of Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect. He began earnestly searching for mysterious resources.

He continued deeper and traveled a great distance.

Wisps of luminous mist flowed through the air, keeping the Underground World from becoming completely pitch-black.

"Could my luck really be here?" Qin Ming sensed a faint fluctuation in an area where the Heavenly Light was relatively dense.

Not long after, he crushed a fist-sized stone and revealed a blue, shimmering luster within. It seemed to be another kind of Jade Iron, about half the size of a walnut.

"It can only be made into an arrowhead." Qin Ming was still very pleased. It was good enough to gain something, and besides, it was incomparably precious.

"Heh, truly a double blessing!" Two men emerged from another passage. Seeing the Jade Iron in Qin Ming's hand, delight appeared on their faces.

Qin Ming recognized them at a glance. They were people from Red Haze City. Without realizing it, he had traveled so far that he had run into another group.

"Huh, you're Qin Ming?" One of the young men revealed an odd expression.

Qin Ming examined him carefully and remembered the young man. When he had fought Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun, this man had watched from the side.

"Oh, this is the young hunter you mentioned, whose spear techniques were astonishing and who defeated Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun?" the other, middle-aged man said.

He appeared to be in his thirties and wore crimson armor. With a faint smile, he said, "Qin Ming, is it? Come over and have a talk."

Qin Ming did not move, remaining where he stood.

Previously, he had not had a bad impression of the nobles of Red Haze City. From Cao Long, Mu Qing, and Wei Zhirou to Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun, he had thought they were all decent people.

But now, he sensed malice from the two nobles ahead of him. They had likely set their sights on the piece of Blue Jade Iron in his hand.

Clearly, not everyone was kind. Or perhaps some smiles and elegance were only meant to be displayed before others. In an uninhabited place such as this Underground World, those false masks could be torn away.

Qin Ming remembered the young noble in front of him. After Qin Ming had defeated the Twin Stars, the man had even chatted warmly with him for a few sentences before they parted.

"Qin Ming, come over. Help us with something," the young noble said. The smile he had worn that day was gone, and his tone was quite flat.

"A Third New Life Being?" Qin Ming ignored him and looked toward the middle-aged man in his thirties. When the man lightly clenched his fist, Heavenly Light emerged.

"Yes. You should maintain the proper reverence toward someone like me. In this dark Underground World, all those praises others gave you are completely useless," the middle-aged man said.

Qin Ming said nothing and walked toward them.

The two men had never worried that he might escape. After all, when Qin Ming had fought Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun, his strength had been close to seven hundred jin. He was merely a youth who had undergone New Life once.

Qin Ming wanted to draw near to them, but the middle-aged man glanced at him, and he did not move any closer. He followed them into a very open area.

"That is..." Qin Ming was shocked. The luminous mist ahead was incredibly dense and rose in great clouds. Within it stood a Three-Colored Flower, dazzling and brilliant, on the verge of blooming.

The middle-aged man smiled. "Little Brother Qin, it seems that after being eroded by Heavenly Light, your body has suffered no serious harm. Help us out. Once this Three-Colored Flower fully matures, pick it from the Heavenly Light for us."

"What is it used for?" Qin Ming asked.

The middle-aged man said, "Its use is tremendous. It can help someone cultivate Heavenly Light Force. After reaching the Third New Life stage, who would not want to cultivate several kinds of Heavenly Light Force? Yet even cultivating a single kind is difficult. This flower is something extraordinary!"

"That truly makes one's heart stir!" Qin Ming exclaimed.