Chapter 44 Heartbeat

The old man was tall and charged at an alarming speed, like a black tiger pouncing on its prey. His cold eyes would make ordinary people’s legs go weak.

Qin Ming gripped the long-handled black gold hammer and, like an agile cheetah, leaped forward swiftly before quickly changing direction. Instead of a direct confrontation, he swung the hammer from the side, striking his opponent.

The old man frowned. The boy’s speed was no less than his own. The two were about to collide when the boy suddenly changed direction, passed by him on the right, and swung a hammer at him!

Qin Ming felt the intense vibration from the metal handle; the old man had actually struck the side of the black gold hammer with his bare hand, which was quite terrifying.

His first strike was merely a test, to gauge just how extraordinary the Heavenly Light Force of the three newborns truly was, but it only made his expression more serious.

The old man rushed past, his body protected by white light. His footprints on the ground were covered with cracks, which showed how much force he used when he ran.

He was deeply surprised. If it were any other low-level newcomer, their weapons would have been knocked out of their hands long ago by his Heavenly Light Force.

After the two passed each other, they essentially switched places.

The old man looked down at the golden rooster knight’s fleshy face at his feet. It was so pitiful that it was unrecognizable as human. When he looked up, his eyes were extremely cold.

Qin Ming sighed. He was just tidying up the Golden Rooster Knight’s body, not wanting the man’s unusual death to be discovered too early, when the old man barged in.

He had originally planned to secretly observe the newcomers three times and cautiously test them, but now he was about to face a tough battle.

The two moved silently, slowly approaching each other, like two dangerous beasts gathering their strength, ready to pounce at any moment.

“I come from Crimson Cloud City. Aren’t you afraid of retaliation if you kill me?” Qin Ming suddenly spoke.

He was wearing armor given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing, which was indeed very deceptive, though he didn’t think it would intimidate the other party.

But this will cause the other party to hesitate for a moment and weigh the pros and cons, after all, Crimson Cloud City is the center of this region, and the powerful families there are not to be trifled with.

But such a shrewd person will ultimately show no mercy.

As soon as Qin Ming finished speaking, he suddenly launched an attack.

Sure enough, the other party only paused slightly, but that was enough for Qin Ming. He seized the opportunity to launch the first attack, smashing down with his hammer.

The two were already very close, and now that Qin Ming had suddenly attacked, the old man could only passively withstand the attack; it was already a little too late for him to dodge.

“Thump!”

A muffled sound came from the empty cave, the ground trembled slightly, and the old man wrapped one hand around the sledgehammer while extending the other.

However, this time the hammer blow was far more powerful than the first test. Qin Ming went all out, and the white light on the old man’s palm surged, almost dissipating.

The old man imagined wrapping a dumpling around a sledgehammer and then swatting it away, but the “dumpling skin” almost broke.

He retreated quickly, the boy, who hadn’t yet reached adulthood, possessed an absurdly strong force, slamming his palm until it ached and went numb.

Now that Qin Ming had the upper hand, he naturally didn’t hesitate at all, hammering away one blow after another, completely displaying the style of “wildly beating a master to death.”

Each hammer blow unleashed a thunderous roar, fast and fierce, making the old man nearly vomit blood. He moved sideways and retreated like a ghost, but he could not shake off his opponent, who could keep up with his speed.

Qin Ming was secretly shocked. His opponent had already taken seven of his blows, all of which he had blocked with his bare hands. This was truly abnormal.

In terms of pure strength, even if the opponent is a 3rd-generation newcomer, he is no match for him. However, with the protection and blessing of the Heavenly Light, the opponent can withstand such a heavy black gold hammer.

Qin Ming was truly moved, yearning for the birth of divine light within his own body.

The old man’s face turned red from the overwhelming power. He alternated between slapping the hammer with both hands, but he still couldn’t take it, and both his hands were trembling.

At this moment, he no longer cared about saving face. Finally finding a suitable spot with no rocks blocking his way, he pounced on the ground to one side, rolling and tumbling, rushing out like a snake.

Although he was in a sorry state, he finally managed to break free from his opponent’s rhythm.

He looked down at his hands. Even though the sunlight nourished and protected his flesh, they were still red and swollen. He felt that the bones might even be injured.

“That’s insane, how come they couldn’t even destroy it?” Qin Ming’s expression wasn’t very good as he quickly approached.

The old man’s gaze was cold and sharp. He wanted to ask, “Who’s the freak here? How can someone who hasn’t even cultivated the Heavenly Light reach this level of power?”

He had already drawn the long sword from his back and secretly vowed never to carry a sword on his back again. In the critical moment, he didn’t even have time to draw it. Just now, his two hands swung out like windmills, colliding with the black gold hammers that kept hitting his face.

After the old man took the knife, he used the sunlight to clear away the blood stasis and blockage, and the pain was temporarily relieved.

“It’s a pity that I haven’t mastered the Heavenly Light Force, otherwise I wouldn’t need a weapon!” he said. All three newborns are born with Heavenly Light, but that mysterious Heavenly Light Force is very difficult to master.

Qin Ming knew that as his cultivation level continued to improve, he would develop some rare and special Heavenly Light Force, which would allow him to tear weapons apart as easily as tearing paper.

However, it is obviously impossible to reach that level in the three stages of rebirth, even if one has learned the so-called Giant Spirit Divine Strength or Tathagata Strength; it requires the support of a corresponding high level of cultivation.

Qin Ming naturally wouldn’t give him time to recover his hands. Holding the long-handled black gold hammer and gripping the short sword, he chopped, smashed, slashed, and blasted, striking him fifty-eight times and slashing him forty-two times in one go, giving him no time to catch his breath.

The old man was enraged. When had he ever been so passive in this place, especially being beaten down by a teenager? Suddenly, his whole body shone with brilliant light, and he launched a fierce counterattack.

Soon, he was alarmed. The boy opposite him had changed from his previous frenzied demeanor. Although his long-handled black gold hammer was still powerful, it had undergone an astonishing transformation. It no longer resembled hammer techniques, but rather sword techniques.

As Qin Ming swung the hammer at high speed, his wrist was still shaking violently, as if vibrating a blade. The hammer made a buzzing sound and had a double image when it hit the blade. It had a terrifying tearing force when it hit the blade.

The old man’s long sword was nearly snatched away, and his expression was grave.

Qin Ming changed again, his hammer striking like thunderbolts, one after another. The terrifying dark gold light crisscrossed the underground space. It was all because his speed was too fast. The terrifying trajectories left by the hammer were dense and intertwined, like bursts of lightning.

With a bang, the old man was thrown back and crashed into the stone wall. His right hand trembled slightly. Even with the protection of the heavenly light, he was still struggling to cope.

His eyes were cold as he leaped from the stone wall and launched a fierce attack. This counterattack made Qin Ming feel quite strained.

The old man went berserk, wielding a long sword in one hand and then using the other to brace against his hammer.

With a clang, sparks flew from Qin Ming’s shoulder as the old man’s left hand grazed his armor, sending four or five pieces flying. This sight made his pupils contract, and he was extremely wary of the power of the Heavenly Light Force.

Qin Ming became cautious, maintaining a certain distance from the old man and no longer giving him a chance to get close. He swung the large hammer in his hand like a whirlwind, with dense hammer shadows constantly blasting forward.

The old man was certain that if he hadn’t been blessed by the Heavenly Light, he would have been blasted to pieces by this kid long ago. What kind of monster was this? He was already so outrageous even before the Heavenly Light was born.

A moment later, amidst the heavy hammer shadows, Qin Ming’s hammer roared, like the sun breaking through the clouds, unleashing its strongest strike from the hammer shadows.

His speed was too fast; the other hammer shadows hadn’t even dissipated yet, and it was as if lightning was swirling around them. As the main hammer crashed down, the old man’s long sword almost flew out of his hand this time. He mobilized the light of heaven to withstand it, but he was exhausted as a result.

Qin Ming swung the hammer nine times in a row, and the old man could no longer bear it. His body dimmed, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Qin Ming swung his hammer again, this time with a fierce sword intent, like a bolt of lightning about to tear through the night, causing the entire dark underground cavern to be filled with flying sand and stones and a strong wind amidst the booming sound of the hammer.

The collision of the sledgehammer and the longsword was deafening. The old man could no longer hold the sword; his arm cramped, the sword fell to the ground, and he coughed up blood.

Qin Ming swung his hammer repeatedly, shattering the old man’s protective aura!

With a soft thud, the old man’s right hand was instantly mangled and bloodied. Without the support of the Heavenly Light Force, he could no longer withstand the heavy hammer blow, and his finger bones were broken.

The next moment, the old man’s mouth was full of blood and foam, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His entire chest cavity collapsed, and he was sent flying seven or eight meters away by a hammer blow.

“Those who have passed the third rebirth are really hard to kill!” Qin Ming gasped, he was indeed a little tired, the Heavenly Light Force was very troublesome.

The old man wasn’t completely dead yet, and he was so angry that he spat out another mouthful of blood. He felt that what the old man was saying was not human. How could someone who hadn’t cultivated the light of day think that he could kill three newborns?

However, he felt a surge of frustration and resentment; he had truly been defeated by this kind of person and was about to die.

Qin Ming stepped forward, ready to deliver the finishing blow, and said, “I’ll also give you a flat, fleshy face.”

“I… I’m just rubbing mud!” The old man coughed up blood and cursed with great difficulty. He was so unwilling to die at the hands of a young boy.

“The people of Jinji Ridge are too rough; they curse at the drop of a hat.” Qin Ming shook his head, and the sledgehammer in his hand came down, smashing his face flat, causing his forehead bone to cave in.

He began searching the old man’s body and preparing his remains.

“If those mutated beasts rush in later, they should be able to take care of the two corpses for me.”

Qin Ming appeared in various parts of the underground cavern, his brows furrowed. He had found at least three old men in other passages, who were probably all three-time rebirth cultivators.

“This is difficult!” He didn’t want to take any risks or be radical.

“Hmm?” He saw another familiar face, the Golden Rooster Knight who had once scolded them and whipped an old man, leaving a deep gash on his face.

“Hey kid, where did all those villagers go? Come here, I have a question for you!”

Qin Ming unleashed a powerful “Great Qin Flying Hammer,” and with a bang, the area fell completely silent.

He dragged the man’s body into the darkness.

The underground cavern contains a web of passages, and a group of strange beings stormed in from one of them, plunging the place into complete chaos.

Qin Ming retreated to a distance, entering an area where sunlight intertwined with the sky. He no longer needed to hunt down the people of Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect, and began to seriously search for mysterious products.

He continued to delve deeper and went far.

Wisps of light flowed, preventing the underground world from being completely dark.

“Could my luck really be turning around?” Qin Ming sensed a faint fluctuation in a place where the sunlight was relatively strong.

Soon after, he crushed a fist-sized stone, revealing a bluish luster. It seemed to be another kind of jade-iron, about half the size of a hickory walnut.

“It can only be made into one arrowhead.” Qin Ming was still very happy. It was good to have gained something, especially since it was extremely precious.

“Hey, what a double celebration!” Two people emerged from another passage, looking at the jade iron in Qin Ming’s hand with delighted expressions.

Qin Ming recognized them at a glance as people from Chixia City. Unbeknownst to him, he had actually walked so far and encountered another group of people.

“Huh, you’re Qin Ming?” one of the young men asked with a surprised expression.

Qin Ming carefully examined the young man and recognized him; the man had been watching Qin Ming fight Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun.

“Oh, so this is the young hunter you mentioned with amazing marksmanship who defeated Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun?” another middle-aged man asked.

He appeared to be in his thirties, clad in crimson armor, and smiled faintly, saying, “Qin Ming, is it? Come over and have a chat.”

Qin Ming did not move and remained standing in place.

He had a good impression of the nobles of Chixia City, from Cao Long, Mu Qing, and Wei Zhirou to Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun; he thought they were all quite nice.

However, he sensed malice from the two nobles in front of him, who probably had their eyes on the blue jade iron in his hand.

Clearly, not everyone is kind, or rather, some smiles and elegance are only suitable for public display. In secluded places, such as this underground world, those hypocritical masks can be torn off.

Qin Ming remembered the young nobleman ahead. After Qin Ming defeated the Gemini, he had exchanged a few warm words with him before parting.

“Qin Ming, come here, do us a favor.” The young nobleman spoke, his smile gone, his tone quite indifferent.

“A three-time newborn?” Qin Ming ignored him and looked at the middle-aged man in his thirties. When the man gently clenched his fist, a celestial light appeared.

“Yes, you should have the respect due to someone like me. In this dark underground world, other people’s boasts about you are useless,” the middle-aged man said.

Qin Ming didn’t say anything and walked towards them.

The two were never worried that he would escape. After all, when Qin Ming fought Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun, his strength was close to 700 jin, and he was a teenager who had only been reborn once.

Qin Ming wanted to approach the two men, but the middle-aged man glanced at him, so he didn’t go any closer and followed them into a very open area.

“That is…” Qin Ming was shocked. The light mist in front of him was extremely dense and evaporating in large quantities. In the middle of it was a three-colored flower, which was dazzling and about to bloom.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “Brother Qin, I see that you seem to be fine after being eroded by the Heavenly Light. Could you do me a favor and pick this tricolor flower from the Heavenly Light for us once it is fully mature?”

“What’s it for?” Qin Ming asked.

The middle-aged man said, “It’s very useful. It can help people master the Heavenly Light Force. After the third rebirth, who wouldn’t want to master several types of Heavenly Light Force? But even mastering just one is very difficult. This flower is truly amazing!”

“It’s really tempting!” Qin Ming exclaimed.