Times Change, and So Does the World

Everyone present knew that the relationship Mortal World Qin Ming, Wang Caiwei, Cui Chonghe, and Li Qingxu was complicated; it seemed that the four of them had never been together before.

Some people looked puzzled, waiting for the show to begin.

"Why don't you go first?" Lu Zhenyi whispered to Qin Ming.

"Some things are better left unsaid." Zheng Maoze walked over, placing his large, muscular hand on Qin Ming's shoulder, appearing both friendly and righteous.

He spoke earnestly, "I heard you were injured two years ago, but it was just a misunderstanding. I'll talk to Li Qingxu about it later; it had nothing to do with you in the first place."

A group of acquaintances knew about the past. Li Qingxu had known Wang Caiwei for a long time, but the Wang Family was married into the Cui Household. That noble lady had traveled with Qin Ming, but Cui Chonghe was the real person.

Involving a family with the Millennium Aristocratic Family and such complex relationships, if word gets out, it will surely become a popular topic of conversation among ordinary people on the streets.

Even the old acquaintances present couldn't suppress their gossip-loving hearts, eager to see what it would be like for the four of them to meet.

Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan were alright, but the others who arrived later didn't have much contact with Qin Ming back then.

People who are not familiar with each other have no way to hide their true feelings; their eyes are burning with anticipation, waiting to see a spectacle that is destined to be undignified.

Qin Ming remained calm. Zheng Maoze placed his hand on Qin Ming's shoulder so intimately, saying he was helping him, but actually he wanted to stop him from leaving.

"Big Zheng, since you've brought this up again, I'll take this opportunity to say something too. Your younger brother has been very active lately, constantly stirring up trouble and giving hints. I don't know if he's trying to get rid of me or to lure Cui Chonghe out of this Beyond the Mundane to harm him. What exactly is your brother planning?" Qin Ming said this in public.

"What's going on?" Some of the Beyond-Mundane Disciples were surprised. Did this involve Cui Chonghe? Even some unfamiliar young men and women turned their heads to look.

Zheng Maoze was a little regretful. Even though this kid had been knocked down from his pedestal and into the mire, his core nature hadn't changed, and he was still not someone to mess with.

"Qin Ming, don't talk nonsense!" He stopped speaking in a teasing tone, his expression turning slightly cold. This kind of thing really shouldn't be spread around.

Qin Ming was only doing this in retaliation; sometimes it's best to leave things unsaid.

He sighed inwardly, not really wanting to meet this group of people again.

At this stage, he has no desire to get involved in this circle at all.

He was only here to see Ling Xu and report the latest news gathered by the bird brothers of the Talking Finch. He would leave immediately after discussing business.

Who would have thought that a group of Beyond the Mundane People would appear at such a opportune time?

It seemed too coincidental. Qin Ming suspected that some people might have deliberately come here to obstruct Ling Xu.

He realized that the pool was quite deep and murky. If someone from Beyond the Mundane was supporting the Golden Bandits, then tonight would be difficult!

Qin Ming's initial intention in returning to Black White Mountain was simply to resolve the hidden dangers left over from Golden Chicken Ridge and to ensure that Double Tree Village would not be involved in the current complicated situation.

This is no longer a "dangerous area" that he should venture into!

"If you have to leave early, I'll see you off," Chen Bingyan said to Qin Ming.

"What's the rush? It's rare for old friends to get together." Zeng Yuan said with a smile, having not said much earlier.

Qin Ming gave him a deep look. Their relationship used to be okay, but now, like Zheng Maoze, he was trying to stop him from leaving.

Those present knew that Zeng Yuan and Li Qingxu were now very close friends.

There were also a few unfamiliar faces, all watching quietly. Although they knew that Qin Ming's path to immortality was over, they wouldn't presumptuously step forward to make any gestures. They just wanted to see the scene of the "four people on the same stage" that followed.

From a distance, Ling Xu looked over and said, "Little Qin, you should go. We're short-handed tonight, you'll have to make another trip."

Qin Ming responded, and then, facing the acquaintances present, said, "Everyone, it's my duty, I must go now."

Although Zheng Maoze and Zeng Yuan wanted him to stay and "reminisce," they dared not offend a city lord, let alone someone as notorious as Ling Xu.

"See Little Qin off." Ling Xu waved, and a man in gray quickly approached from a distance.

"This child is good, I'll escort him too." The Civet Cat spoke, carrying the red sword on its back, and walked forward with light, agile steps.

Qin Ming knew that even he had some suspicions, so Ling Xu and the others must understand even better that the appearance of the Beyond the Mundane People was not a coincidence, and that someone was waiting for him there.

After the three-foot-tall Civet Cat arrived outside the town, its figure instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning as it searched the vicinity. Soon, it led a blood-covered man in black out of the woods.

"We've been ambushed. There are people nearby who are helping the Golden Bandits; they'll probably take this route," the man in black weakly reported.

"We're about to make our move. You escort him away!" The Civet Cat turned to the gray-clad man who had followed her and said.

Without hesitation, Qin Ming immediately summoned the Red Hawk and leaped onto it. At this moment, he wouldn't talk about staying behind to contribute; it was completely unnecessary. More people would only mean more bloodshed. Top-level battles should naturally be fought by high-level experts.

The gray-clad man stood on the back of a slightly smaller but more Essence, Qi, and Spirit silver raptor, escorting Qin Ming away from the Silver Vine Town area.

"Clang!"

Under the pitch-black night, the sound of bells piercing the clouds echoed from the continuous mountain peaks.

The tolling of the bells rose higher and higher, and on the ink-black mountain, Purple Mist rose and the bells rang out continuously, as if a thousand troops were charging into battle.

It was like a set of Chime Bells, stirring up mysterious energy and sealing off that mountain range.

The gray-clad man atop the silver raptor turned around, looking somewhat nervous and watching closely.

"Has a major battle broken out? You don't have enough manpower?" Qin Ming asked.

"The main problem is that we don't know whether the Beyond the Mundane 'Golden Bandits is supported by one or two entities, or even two separate groups of people," the gray-clad man replied, his brow furrowed.

"Then you can go back. Don't worry about me. Experts won't bother with New Life Evolver like me," Qin Ming said.

"Ling City Lord asked me to escort you." The man in gray hesitated.

Qin Ming urged, "I'm extremely familiar with the Black White Mountain area. Don't worry, I'll be fine going back."

"Okay!" The man in gray was uneasy, worried that he didn't have enough manpower and that things would eventually go wrong.

In Silver Vine Town, some Beyond the Mundane People were gazing at the distant mountains. Someone asked, "Ling City Lord, who is ringing the bell?"

"How would I know? Just listen attentively," Ling Xu replied.

The experts connected to the Golden Bandits were unsettled. Their original intention was to stop Ling Xu, but they never expected that the other party also wanted to hold them off here, and someone else wanted to kill the leader of the Golden Bandits.

It doesn't matter that the bandit leader is dead; the key is that some things must be handed over and cannot fall into the hands of others.

The scout Talking Finch flew back, very anxious, and said, "The situation is bad! I saw a silly bird with extremely fast flight speed carrying people in pursuit!"

Qin Ming stood atop the mountain, frowning. Was someone really "concerned" about him?

It's obvious that the great masters have no idea who he is and look down on a young man like him.

He sighed softly, "Times change, and people's hearts are unpredictable."

Qin Ming did not head towards Red Haze City, but instead traveled in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid this storm.

"Wait a minute, I'm going to dig up some treasure." As he passed through a certain area, he remembered something and asked Red Hawk to wait for him on a mountain peak.

He entered a dense forest, carefully identified the area, and began digging.

The Black White Mountain area is at a higher elevation, so the snow melts more slowly, and even when you dig two meters underground, you can still find some ice fragments.

"Fortunately, it hasn't rotted." Qin Ming picked up a still-frozen wild rabbit and examined it carefully; there were no unpleasant changes.

On the contrary, it seems to retain a faint trace of freshness.

"Is it beneficial and harmless to the flesh and blood?" Qin Ming took the scraps of cloth out of the frozen soil.

It was only the size of a palm, with metallic threads woven into it and embroidered with Cloud Pattern. There should have been other patterns as well, but the piece of cloth was too small to discern the main subject.

He once killed a young man who could turn into mist and obtained this piece of cloth, which the man had used to protect himself and almost escaped.

"Since there are no problems, I'll accept it." Qin Ming and Red Hawk reunited.

Talking Finch flew in from afar and said, "Oh no! Some of my bird brothers have been forced to betray me. Some of my younger brothers are searching for us in the opposite direction. Due to the methods of the outsiders, they have no choice but to submit."

Qin Ming's expression changed. These birds could be effective information Nodes with great value, but now they were being used in reverse.

"Enter Black White Mountain!" Qin Ming ordered.

He didn't go looking for Ling Xu and the Civet Cat because he knew that it was more dangerous over there. He could already see a soaring crimson sword light appearing in the direction of Silver Vine Town.

"Fly along that mountain ridge, head towards the desert!" Qin Ming was like walking a tightrope, treading on the red lines of dangerous areas.

Soon after, the Red Hawk soared into the night sky, using the fog to conceal its movements.

"The Cloud Piercing Crane has been completely controlled and is following us the whole time. We're doomed. This guy is a master tracker; we can't escape." Talking Finch panicked.

Behind us, a crane Cloud Piercing Crane was leading the way, moving at a very fast speed.

Qin Ming drew his bow and nocked an arrow. With a bang, he shot one of the Cloud Piercing Crane's wings, causing a burst of blood mist. Feathers scattered, and the crane fell erratically downwards.

"Mountain Master Qin is indeed kind; he didn't kill my brother He at this critical moment, sparing his life," Talking Finch said.

Then it whispered, "Even after a thousand miles of travel, we must part ways. And so too..."

"You should leave now." Qin Ming waved his hand.

"Then... I'll hold on a little longer!" Talking Finch said through gritted teeth.

A black raptor followed, with a graceful figure perched on it, presumably a woman.

Qin Ming drew his bow again, and the Arrow Feathers he fired was terrifying, scattering the night mist as it flew toward the head of the Black Raptor.

Under the cover of night, the woman's crystalline fingers produced a stream of light that enveloped the powerful iron arrow.

"Beyond the Mundane People!" Qin Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

He urged Red Hawk, saying, "Keep going! We'll only have a chance if we fly into the desert, otherwise we might die here."

"Hmm? There's another bird of prey in the distance, and the man on its back is gleaming gold—is he a Golden Armor Guard?" Qin Ming knew that tonight would be quite difficult.

Outside Silver Vine Town, Ling Xu and the Civet Cat went off to pursue the Beyond the Mundane People who wanted to enter the mountains.

"What a lively night!" The Feather Robe Youth Li Qingxu, appeared, holding Purple Bamboo Staff, his white shoes spotless, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly charm.

His arrival drew attention from many Beyond-Mundane Disciples, and many greeted him, knowing that he was truly a prodigy.

"Just now, Cui Chonghe's double, Qin Ming, appeared," Zeng Yuan told him, then laughed, "He has no special affinity for immortality; he's embarked on that naive new path of relying on physical mutation."

"It's hard to imagine that he once walked alongside us, but now he can only carry a blood-stained hammer and wander through remote places."

"I reckon his current physical condition isn't good enough to be selected as one of the Golden Armor Guard."

The people surrounding Li Qingxu spoke one after another.

This was a difficult night for Qin Ming, as the pursuers were getting closer and closer.

The Red Hawk is an excellent flier, but unfortunately, the raptors behind it have mutated even more times.

Qin Ming kept drawing his bow and shooting arrows, effectively slowing down the opponent; otherwise, he would have been caught up long ago.

"My iron arrows can deplete her strength; this person cannot overwhelm me!" Qin Ming concluded.

But the situation is dire. This Beyond the Mundane People is not of low rank, and there is also a mysterious Golden Armor Guard further away. At present, it looks extremely ominous!

"Why haven't we had a few more thunderous Spring Thunder lately?!" Qin Ming had never longed for that terrifying lightning bolt as much as he did now.

Not every rainstorm brings lightning to the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall; often it's just a few rumbles in the sky, and that's it.

"If we escape this calamity, we'll have someone erect a tall iron pole in the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall. I don't believe it won't attract lightning!"

He knew it was unrealistic; if he dared to destroy the Golden Palace like that, Meng Xinghai would beat him up first.

Qin Ming was simply craving power. If he could return to Red Haze City safely this time, he would definitely master all the Extraordinary Art Ning Siqi had given him, as well as the rare books Meng Xinghai was about to send him, to rapidly improve his physique.

"We've arrived in the desert!" he exclaimed with delight.

The darkness ahead was as black as ink, like Abyss, ready to swallow everything.

The Red Hawk was terrified and dared not go in, because if it went any deeper, it would become blind and unable to see anything.

"It's alright, descend quickly, we'll stay close to the ground!" Qin Ming instructed.

Suddenly, the Black Raptor behind them burst into Dark Light and began to accelerate, landing on the ground even before them. The woman jumped down and blocked their path.

Qin Ming stood in the desert, threw down his hammer and bow, slowly drew the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Saber from his back, and said, "You're not giving me a way out, are you?"

He knew the masked woman was terrifying, surpassing any opponent he had ever fought before.

In an instant, Qin Ming accelerated, unleashing his strongest Severing Heaven Sword Intent, as if a rainy night had descended, with lightning and thunder tearing through the darkness, as he slashed forward with his most powerful blade light.

"They're not even quite qualified to be selected as Golden Armor Guard, yet they dare to..."

The veiled woman gently waved her right hand, and a golden light flew out, attempting to imprison the pitch-black iron knife.

The next instant, the black knife in Qin Ming's hand suddenly cracked, the paint peeled off, revealing the pure white blade, its dazzling light like the Great Sun burning and dispelling the darkness.

With a soft thud, blood splattered across the desert!