Chapter 113 Respect Your Opponent

The fringe trees form a forest, their petals pure white and hanging like tassels, like clouds and snow, in full bloom, swaying in the wind.

Renyi Ping coughed up blood and encountered several elite disciples who were attached to him. They looked at each other in silence because they all knew what had happened and that they had been driven out of the game by the same person.

They were nearing the exit, their steps heavy, and they could vaguely hear the commotion outside.

Outside the Luofu Immortal Mountain Ruins, some people wore smiles while others remained silent, all awaiting the final outcome.

“The situation is very clear now. We’ve reached the point where we can turn our advantage into a winning one. Ren Yiping, Luo Qingge, Jiang Shengyu…”

When Ren Yiping heard others mention him, he coughed up blood again. He felt ashamed of failing his master’s expectations. As a loser, he was destined to be scrutinized by others with strange eyes after he left.

He then vomited blood, his vision went black, and he fell backward to the ground. Several elite disciples rushed to help him up.

“Are you sure you don’t want to send someone in to look for Li Qingyue? It wouldn’t be good if such a talented core disciple were to perish unexpectedly.” Someone spoke up, and it was hard to tell whether he was acting out of goodwill and wanted to save her, or if he was maliciously stirring up such a controversial topic.

“If we go to rescue them now, and are accused of breaking the rules and interfering, who will take responsibility? Besides, if someone enters and secretly attacks the disciples, wouldn’t the consequences be even more serious!”

“You lot are truly ungrateful. If she dies inside, it will be a loss for our Land Beyond the Mist. The Great Expansion is inevitable, and a prodigy with unparalleled talent should shine brightly in the unknown depths of the Night Mist world…”

Some remained silent, while others sneered, feeling that he was not being sincere. But they were all pondering the fact that even some conservative ancient sects were no longer closing their mountains in preparation for the upcoming period of great expansion.

“Huh? Someone’s been lifted out! Could it be Li Qingyue?” “How could it be… Ren Yiping?!”

Outside the ruins, many people were in an uproar.

Soon, silence fell, for the situation had unfolded in a completely different way than they had anticipated. An elite disciple informed them that Li Qingyue was clearing the area from the ruins!

Li Qingyue’s addition of the word “clear the area” shattered the earlier composure of the small group of people who had been smiling and somewhat reserved. “Haha…” An old man, finding the expressions on everyone’s faces amusing, laughed heartily, disregarding the feelings of others. Finally, one of Li Qingyue’s senior brothers spoke up: “Should we go inside to rescue them now?”

He knew that his junior sister’s escape route was the Mountain and River Spirit Nest. Logically speaking, others should not know about this place, but he was slightly worried that some seniors with deep experience might have seen some hidden files. Now he was completely relieved!

No one responded at the scene, and some people felt chest tightness, realizing they hadn’t been calm enough earlier and that it was too early to “raise a glass” in celebration!

At this moment, a figure shrouded in immortal mist appeared out of nowhere and said, “Li Qingyue is quite good. She was able to break through the encirclement of the five core disciples and return afterwards to forcefully clear the field. It would be even better if she could obtain something close to immortality!”

Everyone was shocked. This seemed to be a senior figure from beyond the mundane world, someone who was not afraid of Li Qingxu’s teacher.

As Li Qingyue and Qin Ming approached the final battlefield, after traversing vast stretches of beautiful mountains shrouded in ethereal mist, the core area came into view. Here, there were no plants or trees; the ground was crystallized, gleaming faintly, as if coated with wax.

After careful observation, Qin Ming understood what had happened. In the past, boundless heavenly light descended from beyond the world, sinking the core area, and the violent temperature melted this place.

This place was originally the main peak of Luofu Immortal Mountain, but now only a huge pit remains, where the light of the sky flows, and even after thousands of years, it has not dissipated.

The pit was so large that it was like a natural chasm. Nearby, there were many broken mountains standing on the edge of the pit, some broken, some riddled with holes like a honeycomb, from which sunlight could also seep out.

“What a wonderful place!” Qin Ming exclaimed.

Disciples from the secluded sects had already arrived nearby. Some of them glanced at him after hearing his words. The main peak of Mount Luofu was gone, yet someone still said it was a good place? Qin Ming saw the remaining glimmer of the otherworldly light and felt extremely envious.

“Are you really sure you can do it?” Li Qingyue looked at him with some worry, after all, it was the intense sunlight, which even she was wary of.

According to extremely ancient beliefs, the spiritual light cultivated by those outside the secular world is initially considered a “yin spirit,” which is most afraid of being eroded by the light of heaven. It needs to undergo “tribulation” or be baptized by “immortal fire” in order to become completely fearless.

Li Qingyue has now climbed another small step in the Mountain and River Spirit Nest and is almost at a crossroads. She should consider whether to undergo “tribulation” or bathe in “immortal fire”.

Of course, despite the legends, most people outside the secular world do not accept the concept of “Yin Shen” (陰神, Yin Shen). This is because the ancient books unearthed in the past cannot be used for cultivation.

In the past, humans fought against giant beasts and strange plants that grew taller than mountains. After gaining a foothold in the world of night fog, they unearthed some ancient texts, many of which were related to religion.

In the days of the sun, those were merely ordinary religious texts.

However, the discovery of the book inspired many in the Night Fog world. Although it wasn’t a method of cultivation, it eventually developed into various lineages. Ancient supernatural tales are not accepted by people today.

Currently, all roads have not yet come to an end and are still developing, which is also a kind of alternative “great pioneering”.

“Everyone, the remaining light of heaven in the giant pit is still quite strong. If we force our way in, it will scorch our nascent consciousness and damage our foundation. This is certainly not the intention of the seniors from the Outer Lands. They are testing us, probably using us to clear the ruins of Mount Luofu, draw out the light of heaven, and hope to rebuild this place! This requires our concerted efforts.” Someone spoke up, suggesting that we join forces.

Because this will be a “huge project”.

But most people remained silent, having their own considerations and plans.

“Don’t worry, I can not only withstand this, but I will also use this place to undergo a rebirth,” Qin Ming said, sounding somewhat impatient. Li Qingyue still had concerns and said, “Don’t rush, let me take a look around first.”

This time she doesn’t intend to reveal her true colors, but she can launch an attack at any time, making some people taste the bitter fruit of their actions.

Therefore, Qin Ming buried the Overlord statue on the road to avoid drawing too much attention and exposing his and Li Qingyue’s identities.

Qin Ming, clad in golden armor, was also wandering along the massive sinkhole. It was hard to imagine how intense the otherworldly light had been back then, not only destroying the main peak of the immortal mountain but also carving out such a huge “hole”.

He overheard some people talking, and it turned out that besides Tang Xumi, Su Jingshu, Jiang Shengyu, and Luo Qingge, who were the core disciples who had joined forces, there were actually two other people who were qualified to compete for the near-immortal item.

One of them was named Hu Tingwen. It was rumored that he had gone into seclusion and hadn’t arrived at Luofu Immortal Town. However, after everyone entered the ruins, he appeared at the very last moment.

There is also Sun Jingtian, who mingles among the elite disciples, but when he gets into conflicts with others, he reveals that he has the strength to fight against the core disciples. Moreover, the two have already formed an alliance.

When Tang Xumi, Su Jingshu, Jiang Shengyu, and Luo Qingge found out, their faces turned dark. After they joined forces to deal with Li Qingyue, the four of them had broken up. They didn’t expect that there were two other guys hiding behind them, who were only exposed due to an accident.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming felt that these disciples were truly going to great lengths to obtain something close to immortality.

Much later, Li Qingyue returned. Because the sinkhole was so large, she looked solemn and secretly transmitted her voice using a secret technique, saying, “I scanned with my spiritual eyes and inadvertently caught a glimpse of Cui Chonghe’s consciousness. He still has a backup plan.”

Qin Ming immediately became serious. None of these disciples were easy to deal with; those who were thought to be out of the game were still secretly lurking. He thought for a moment and asked, “Should we expose him, or use him?”

Li Qingyue said, “The people here don’t know I’m back. Let’s wait and see what Cui Chonghe does. It would be best if he could eliminate some of his rivals. If necessary, I will intercept him at a crucial moment.”

“Can you handle him now?” Qin Ming asked.

“It’s not a big problem. He only separated a portion of his consciousness, not all of it. Moreover, the person he’s currently possessing isn’t his younger brother Cui Chongxuan, who is very close to him by blood, so the compatibility is definitely not good enough. Besides, I’ve broken through in the Mountain and River Spirit Nest, so I have nothing to fear from him right now.”

Most importantly, Li Qingyue was in the shadows, while Cui Chonghe was exposed to her.

Qin Ming said, “There’s also Li Qingxu. He hasn’t left since he was injured; he might have some other tricks up his sleeve.”

The two parted ways, and Qin Ming prepared to enter the sinkhole for his sixth rebirth!

Li Qingyue, on the other hand, wanted to keep a low profile and not attract anyone’s attention, so she would step down at the last minute.

Qin Ming saw familiar faces like Wang Caiwei, Zheng Maoze, and Chen Bingyan, but didn’t approach them. He found a quiet spot and entered discreetly. At the edge of the deep, bowl-shaped pit, the light was very thin, but many newcomers could tolerate it.

Upon entering, Qin Ming noticed several golden-armored guards, all occupying advantageous positions and cautiously refining the thin celestial light. “Who is that? They just barged in.”

“Could it be Jiang Congyun of Chunyang Palace? The power techniques of that lineage can shatter the light of consciousness and even merge with a certain amount of otherworldly light.” As Qin Ming descended, he felt the scorching heat as the light of the heavens grew thinner.

He discovered that the experts were all meditating quietly, trying to integrate the light of heaven into their flesh and blood. These people could not stay here for long and would need to return to the surface quickly after a short while.

Qin Ming spotted the group from a distance and paid them extra attention.

He saw someone practicing the Five-Colored Thunderfire Force, merging with the light of heaven, creating a truly impressive spectacle accompanied by thunderous roars. He also saw someone who seemed to be burning like a blazing sun, absorbing the light of heaven and merging with himself.

Furthermore, a hazy figure emitted a howl, its entire body seemingly swelling up, surging with the power of heavenly light, as if trying to ignite itself; its black pupils were even scorched, emitting a brilliant golden glow.

Qin Ming realized that if he obtained something close to immortality, these people could hold him off for a while, as they were highly resistant to the erosion of the heavenly light. “That should be a successor of the Five Elements Palace.” He saw a person sitting on a black gold stone in the distance, with five-colored rays of light flowing around him, refining the heavenly light.

“The successor of the Jade Purity Force has indeed arrived!” Qin Ming became solemn. He saw a young man directly inhaling the light mist through his mouth and nose, consuming the heavenly light. The young man’s body was crystal clear, like jade. He was enveloped in the heavenly light but was not harmed. He was very calm and treated the violent light mist as food.

Qin Ming also took a breath; it was somewhat hot and slightly painful.

He knew these people were all potential adversaries; once the near-immortal artifact was touched, everyone would rush towards him to intercept it. “I’ll just sit back and watch others take it,” Qin Ming muttered to himself.

He would quietly hone his strength here, preparing to face those people in his strongest form. After penetrating another hundred meters, his body felt as if it were being scorched.

“It’s still not as good as the light from the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, and the spiritual energy it contains is much weaker.” Qin Ming gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and rushed directly to the bottom. “Hiss!” He almost cried out, and when he gasped for air, he was choked so badly that he spat fire from his mouth and nose. The light from the bottom was too violent, and he had to retreat quickly.

The intensity of the sunlight here was slightly lower than that of the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, but the total amount was far greater, engulfing him and making him feel somewhat unbearable.

“The sunlight is everywhere, but the concentration of spiritual matter is somewhat lacking. It seems I’m going to suffer and have to keep absorbing it.”

And so, Qin Ming began his arduous journey of rebirth. In order to fully receive the light of heaven, he removed his protective golden robes, armor, and other protective gear.

He went down to the bottom again and again to absorb the intense sunlight and spiritual matter. In order not to disturb others or make a big commotion, he spent most of the day doing so.

“The sixth freshman class has begun!” His body was burning hot.

He began practicing Yin Earth Force and Yang Earth Force, which evolved into Wu Ji Force. If he could completely integrate the third extraordinary skill, his strength would increase dramatically.

“There is sunlight everywhere here. Not only the Wuji Fist, but perhaps the Li Huo Jing and the Golden Silkworm Skill can also undergo further transformation here!” Qin Ming continued to practice the techniques, feeling the changes within himself, and yearning to become stronger. This was out of respect for his opponents.