Chapter 162 The Consequences of Frequently Walking at Night

A warm feeling welled up in Qin Ming’s heart. He quickly approached and sincerely called out, “Master Li!” He had suffered poverty in his childhood, relying on his grandfather for survival. As a teenager, he was abandoned by the Cui family and sent away to serve their last purpose. He wandered the Black and White Mountains, experiencing near-death experiences, amnesia, and hunger and cold, deeply understanding the harsh realities of life.

Therefore, Qin Ming is always very grateful when others are kind and helpful to him.

“Why is your face all bruised and purple? Did you get beaten up by those old guys from the Six Imperial Ancestral Court?” Li Qingyun’s expression changed slightly as he pressed down on his shoulder and examined him closely.

He naturally didn’t believe that someone his age could bully the boy in front of him.

“Master Li, I’m fine. It’s just an injury from practicing martial arts.” Qin Mingrang smiled. In the past two days, he had been using earth fire to draw upon heavenly lightning and refining powerful elixirs, which had left him with a slightly wiry beard.

As he spoke, he began to absorb the essence of the Yi Wood element near the mountain gate to nourish his flesh and spirit.

Li Qingyun exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, that’s impressive! Many people have studied the Yi Mu Jing for years and can develop skills to kill enemies, but it’s difficult for them to truly resonate with plants. You’ve only been studying for a short time, but you’re really something, kid! You’re amazing!”

He felt relieved, then lowered his voice and said, “In the past two days, I’ve heard that a remarkable genius has emerged from the Six Imperial Ancestors, possessing unparalleled talent, who single-handedly held off a group of geniuses from the Immortal Realm. Is that true?” “Yes, it’s a young man named Qi Zizai, who is indeed extraordinary.” General Qin said, stopping the circulation of the Yi Wood Scripture, as they were near the mountain gate and didn’t want to create a scene of surging green energy.

“Senior Brother Qi Zizai will surely be the revivalist of our Six Imperial Ancestral Court!” A young man passing by immediately spoke up after hearing this.

The two female disciples walked out of the mountain gate and, upon hearing these words, they both nodded in agreement.

“As expected of one of the strongest lineages on the path to rebirth, the Six Imperial Ancestral Court lives up to its name,” Li Qingyun echoed, knowing that one should not speak carelessly on someone else’s turf.

At the same time, he suspected that Qi Zizai was likely related to Xiao Qin.

“Master Li, I’ll go say goodbye to my friends before I leave.” Qin Ming went to say goodbye to Lu Zizai.

Li Qingyun looked at the boy in coarse linen clothes in the distance. At first glance, he seemed clear-headed and composed, but upon closer inspection, he felt a pang of unease. He couldn’t see through him at all!

Immediately, he noticed the small golden bird on his shoulder, and his heart trembled. It was no ordinary species; it seemed to be a legendary creature. Moreover, within the palm-sized bird’s body, there seemed to be a surging golden blood energy flowing. If it were to erupt, the scene would be…

It’s terrifying.

Li Qingyun clasped his hands in greeting, clearly not treating Lu Zizai as a mere youth; his heart was far from at peace. Lu Zizai looked over and nodded to him.

“Senior Brother Lu, I’m leaving!” Qin Ming approached without saying much.

“The scripture you’re practicing is actually extremely dangerous. I don’t know if you can withstand it to the end. Don’t rush to fuse with top-tier scriptures.”

“This method won’t benefit you. You need to proceed gradually, otherwise, as time goes by, you might suddenly explode. Historically, some masters have participated, but none of them were able to succeed. Be careful to refine your true skills with worldly fire.” Lu Zizai secretly transmitted his voice.

Then, he pointed to the strange bird on his shoulder and said, “Little Gold has always been free-range and has not been taken care of much. Back then, it had a brother who was very favored. He stayed in the mountain gate all day, listening to various scriptures and being fed spiritual medicine by the elders. He seemed miraculous, but when he was finally released, he was treated as a flesh and blood medicine and was easily killed.”

Qin Ming quickly said, “Senior Brother Lu, please stop. That’s not a good analogy.”

“You’re overthinking it. This is a true story from the past. I’m leaving!” Lu Zizai turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark night of Thailand and vanishing into the distance.

The night wind howled, and a high-level anomaly broke through the clouds, flying at high speed over the crescent of the sky, claiming to be from the city of Chimei, five thousand miles away.

“Qi Zizai, is that really you?” Even though he had already guessed, Zhi Qingyun’s body still swayed slightly in the air. In the past few days, he had been waiting outside, and his ears were almost calloused from hearing it.

“Be careful, Mr. Li.” Qin Ming warned, “If you were to fall from such a dark height, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Li Qingyun was overjoyed. He had previously thought highly of Qin Ming’s potential, but he hadn’t expected that he would still underestimate it.

“Recently, the night reports have frequently mentioned those renowned geniuses, and all kinds of figures have emerged one after another. The top talents from different cities are competing against each other, and there have even been extraordinary talents who have swept through eighty-one cities. It can be said that the winds and clouds are turbulent. There are young grandmasters rising up and pure yang bodies appearing on the path to immortality. It is a scene of the arrival of a new era, which has aroused heated discussions in various places.”

On the way, Li Qingyun talked to Qin Ming about what had happened recently.

The advanced birds of prey soared across the night sky, and as time passed, they were not far from Crimson Cloud City.

Suddenly, Li Qingyun’s expression changed, and he shouted, “Stop and turn around!” Qin Ming was also startled, and his body involuntarily tensed up.

The world was originally pitch black, with occasional firefly-like pools of light appearing on the ground. But now, a faint halo was spreading out in front of them.

The firelight there was brighter than that of the city, and we were still far away.

Most importantly, they were high in the sky, and the halo was clearly also among the clouds, which was somewhat terrifying. The pale blue light in the distance looked very soft, as if it were spreading gently, but a collapsing sound came from the direction of the light, and as it surged, the thick clouds broke apart!

“Faster! We’re about to be caught!” Li Qingyun panicked, finally encountering an unusual event.

The world of night fog is incredibly mysterious. It is likely that after the great pioneering, some inexplicable phenomena sometimes appear in the territories occupied by humans. Some are bizarre, some are terrifying, and some are mysterious and strange, all of which are difficult to understand.

“Xiao Qin, are you wearing your wingsuit?” Li Qingyun asked amidst the violent turbulence. “Yes, I’m wearing it!” Qin Ming replied.

The two were already clinging to the back of their flying mount, both quite tense, because the advanced exotic bird was actually wobbling slightly. “Old friend, what’s wrong?” Li Qingyun transmitted his voice.

I’m lost, I can’t see anything anymore. “The voice of the higher, strange bird trembled.”

The two people on its back felt a chill in their hearts, for they discovered that their own senses had become dulled and numb. Their consciousness was on the verge of freezing.

They were already enveloped by a faint, hazy mist; more precisely, the halo had expanded to this area, illuminating the night fog. “We should be able to determine the ground’s orientation now, let’s descend quickly.” The night fog around them surged and roared, then churned and rolled, as they continued to descend, tumbling and crashing, ultimately plummeting towards the unknown.

“It’s alright, we’re very close to the ground!” Li Qingyun shouted.

Finally, he fell silent, because during the violent tumbling, they descended for a long time without seeing the ground.

Until the pale blue night sky overturned the higher beings like a raging storm, throwing them off balance. Their senses were numb, and their reactions were unusually slow.

Qin Ming unleashed a burst of powerful energy from his entire body and spread out his “wingsuit,” resembling a night bird flapping its wings.

He recalled Old Liu’s words from Black and White Village: those who frequently walked at night were prone to encountering all sorts of terrifying and bizarre things, and now he could only resign himself to fate. Qin Ming’s various extraordinary skills resonated, and more than twenty kinds of Heavenly Light Force merged into one, like a golden crow falling into the night mist.

In a very short time, he crashed to the ground with a thud. Even with the protection of the great light, Qin Ming’s vision went black and he fainted. His injuries weren’t that serious; the main problem was that his senses were numb, and he couldn’t hold on any longer.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. The scenery around him was very blurry, and although there was a faint blue mist, his five senses were slowly returning and his consciousness was gradually clearing.

Qin Ming shook his head vigorously and found that he had smashed the ground and there was blood left around his mouth, but with the Heavenly Light Force protecting him, he was not seriously injured.

He carefully sensed his own condition. Although he was in great pain, his bones were not broken and his internal organs were not ruptured, so he figured he hadn’t fallen very high off the ground.

He immediately activated the “Destiny-Changing Scripture,” which could prolong life and enhance the vitality of his blood and flesh. He then activated the “Yi Wood Scripture” to capture the essence of nearby plants and trees to heal his injuries.

Finally, Qin Ming’s senses returned to full sharpness. He stood up, activated the Silk Script, drew his mutton-fat jade iron knife, and surveyed the surrounding area.

He searched silently nearby, but found neither Li Qingyun nor his flying mount. It must have been late at night; the world was pitch black, with only wisps of pale blue mist lingering around.

Qin Ming searched for a long time but found nothing unusual. He called out, “Master Li!” However, he received no response.

Qin Ming sighed, “No wonder many experts are unwilling to cross the night sky. Birds fall from the sky all the time. No one can stand that.”

Previously, many events in the Night Fog world remained inexplicable and incomprehensible.

He groped his way forward through the hazy blue light, finally revealing a hint of surprise as the ground ahead seemed somewhat familiar—a wasteland west of Crimson Cloud City. “I’m fine, so Master Li should be even more resilient, right?” Qin Ming thought Old Li shouldn’t be doing anything wrong.

Soon after, he crossed a barren slope and saw Crimson Cloud City shrouded in the deep darkness of night. He walked briskly forward. Along the way, the scenery became increasingly familiar.

It was the dead of night, and the fire springs in the city had been deliberately controlled and covered up, making the entire city very dark, with only a faint light flowing through them.

Moreover, a blue mist permeated the area, making the entire city seem to be shrouded in a thin blue light.

“It’s Crimson Cloud City, the place is right.” Qin Ming stopped and found traces he had left behind on a large blue stone in a distant area outside the city.

Once, when he was leaving the city, he casually “tested his skills” and left a deep fist-shaped hole in the mark.

The magnificent city gate tower stood in front of him. It was late at night, and the heavy city gate had long been closed. Qin Ming silently climbed over a section of the city wall.

“It’s so quiet.” He frowned. Although the section of the city wall he had chosen was in a remote location, it was still deserted and silent once inside the city.

The streets were deserted. He walked forward, and when he passed a night market, he became a little uneasy. Even though it was late at night, the business here should be booming, but now there wasn’t a single person in sight.

A pale blue night mist drifted through the city, creating a slightly eerie atmosphere.

Qin Ming gripped the mutton-fat jade iron knife and walked alone through the silent city.

Several restaurants in the bustling area, which used to be packed with customers late at night, are now brightly lit but eerily silent.

Qin Ming went up to a restaurant, but it was empty and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

Some tables were laden with food and drinks, some even steaming hot, which was highly unusual.

Qin Ming entered the backyard and then the kitchen, but still found no one. Having already entered the city, he didn’t immediately retreat. Instead, he headed straight for the city lord’s mansion. There were no guards, and without needing to announce his arrival, he silently entered.

Qin Ming entered the familiar living room, where various bronze artifacts were still there. He even suspected that Meng Xinghai had been here not long ago. The calming incense in the bronze incense burner was only half-burnt, its fragrance lingering, and the tea in the cup on the wooden table seemed to have just been brewed.

Okay, and there’s also the aroma of cracked tea wafting through the air.

Qin Ming wandered around the city lord’s mansion for a long time, only to find it deserted.

His brow furrowed deeply. Was it all caused by the pale blue night fog? The entire city, even this whole area, was covered by it.

The silence was unsettling. The once vast Crimson Cloud City now resembled a ghost town, deserted and devoid of any human presence.

Qin Ming arrived at the brightest spot in the city, where there were level four fire springs plus groups of level one and two fire springs. If they were not covered by boards, they could illuminate the night sky.

His pupils contracted in shock.

Because the fiery spring wasn’t blooming with the normal crimson glow, but rather a deep blue! Had the fiery spring been “eroded”?

The spring remained the same, but the blue liquid gushing from it was quite unusual. It evaporated into the night sky, gradually turning into a blue carpet that covered the entire city, making it appear incredibly eerie.

(There’s more to come!)