Chapter 173 Life and Death Tribulation

In the pitch-black clouds, at the edge of the giant nest, Qin Ming picked up a piece of eggshell. He squeezed it with his hand and it broke; it had no spiritual power.

“Many years ago, perhaps there was a nest of golden-winged roc, or a golden crow, or even a true dragon here?” he muttered to himself. The thought of those creatures filled him with dread.

Only legendary creatures can make their home in these clouds.

This abandoned nest left nothing behind, except for the old wood that had built it, which was quite sturdy and bore the scorch marks of lightning strikes.

It was not completely destroyed.

Qin Ming searched carefully but found nothing of value.

It’s understandable, after all, the people of the esoteric sect, Zhuo, have already discovered this place.

Qin Ming continued walking along the faded golden thorn that had been there before. Along the way, he saw more and more thorns extending out haphazardly.

His expression turned serious, growing increasingly doubtful that it wasn’t a thorn at all.

When a strand of his hair blocked his view, he suddenly had a thought: perhaps what lay beneath his feet was… long hair.

Qin Ming was startled by his own thought. A hair as thick as a water vat—how enormous must this creature be? Moreover, it was floating in the clouds without falling down, which seemed unbelievable.

A single hair could pierce a spaceship, and the intertwined long hairs indicated the presence of a mysterious species nesting there. All of this combined to keep Qin Ming in a daze the entire way.

“It could also be animal hair!”

He had walked several miles along the “road” as thick as a water vat, crossing the clouds, and finally made a new discovery.

He seemed to have arrived at his destination. A large amount of pale golden “hair” was densely packed in the black mist, many of which were intertwined. As he approached, it became denser and denser.

Undoubtedly, this scene seemed to confirm his conjecture.

However, he couldn’t see the overall situation; what kind of creature was it? “You can’t see the true face of Mount Lu because you’re in the mountain yourself.” Qin Ming murmured.

Soon, he was shocked, for he had indeed discovered a towering mountain! “What’s going on?” he wondered, somewhat bewildered.

On that mountain, various streams of light, golden glow, and purple mist occasionally pierced through the thick night fog, clearly indicating an extraordinary place. Qin Ming was lost in thought. He had been traveling far away in the Vermilion Bird spaceship, traversing the night sky; how did he encounter a mountain amidst the clouds?

As he approached the foot of the mountain, he saw numerous dark, intersecting “thorns” crisscrossing and supporting the mountainside. “Could this be a rock that fell onto the body of a colossal creature?” Qin Ming wondered.

The mountain’s material was unique, its surface pitted and uneven, constantly masquerading as various kinds of light and mist. Su Shiyun, Zhao Yaoting, and the others had already…

Now on the mountain.

They separated and each used their unique treasures to absorb the purple mist and golden glow, which was clearly their “mission” for this trip.

Some senior figures from the secluded places and the esoteric schools gave them special treatment, feeding them individually.

Qin Ming rushed over quickly. He realized that the seven people were more powerful than him, at least at the second major realm, and could travel much faster.

He discovered that not only did various streams of light emerge from the pits on the mountain, but strange plants also grew in some special areas.

However, those places were all shimmering with silver runes, seemingly protected and off-limits to people. He climbed the mountain quickly, dazzled by the glowing lights everywhere.

Nearby, a sweet fragrance filled the air. A silver vine, seemingly made of metal, gleamed and bore flowers the size of bowls, swaying in the strong wind.

Dozens of meters away, golden rays rippled, and a small tree, about three feet tall, shimmered with a soft glow. Unfortunately, special symbols flickered nearby, indicating it was being protected.

“High in the sky, amidst the clouds and mist, there are mountains, planted with unknown plants.” He didn’t need to think twice; everything here must be priceless.

Otherwise, Pure Land, Immortal Land, and other similar places wouldn’t be jointly managed by Esoteric Buddhism.

What is meant by “foundation”? It means that in every place there is a “land” that can produce rare medicines, fruits, and the like.

Qin Ming sighed, realizing he was far too inadequate; he couldn’t even afford a small room in a city on Earth for a day’s worth of gold.

He quickly found a spot, retrieved the light, and since he was the last to arrive, he naturally wouldn’t waste any time. He immediately carried out his “mission” and just followed along recklessly.

“This is a high-level Tianhua!” he immediately judged.

The mountains above the clouds are closer to the heavens, and over the years, they have accumulated many rare spiritual treasures.

Qin Ming realized that others were far more efficient than him, since they all carried extraordinary treasures. He thought of the rags and figured he could make use of them.

But this piece of cloth has a serious problem: it only takes in but doesn’t give out, and it doesn’t know how to “give back” at all.

Most importantly, he tried to analyze the mysterious ability of the cloth and found that it only amplified his Heavenly Light Force, and not in an exaggerated way.

For example, the pattern on the rag, the golden setting sun, when infused with the light of the sky, seemed to enlarge his fist several sizes.

Qin Ming was starting to have second thoughts about “raising” it, feeling it wasn’t worth it.

In the end, he pinched his nose, took out the rag with a hint of disgust, and stuffed it into a glowing hole.

Normally, it is inconspicuous and shows no signs of activity, but when it encounters divinity, spiritual essence, etc., it will instinctively absorb them to repair itself.

It’s like a bottomless pit, absorbing the luminous matter in the hole.

Qin Ming searched carefully and found a spot where Zixia was watching. He grabbed a rag and rushed over immediately. He definitely couldn’t feed it this time.

He opened his mouth and inhaled, and purple mist rose up and entered his mouth and nose. At that moment, he felt relaxed all over, and all his pores opened up.

He knew that if this purple cloud was “Tianhua,” it must be of a very high level!

Qin Ming collected all the purple mist from the pit, but still not satisfied, he placed his hand in the pit and used his Heavenly Light Force to explore, to see if there was any more in the mountain.

At the same time, he restrained himself from circulating his Thunderfire Force; he didn’t want to “internal refine” the great medicine in such a place. “As expected, there is more!”

Qin Ming was overjoyed. He used his sticky energy to release several more large wisps of purple mist, carrying a peaceful aura, which all entered his body. He carefully searched the mountain and found areas where purple mist was still emanating. Upon discovering these areas, he immediately rushed over.

During this time, he saw the golden glow rippling, and felt that it must be a rare spiritual essence, so he naturally did not hold back and absorbed it completely.

“I’ve absorbed some of the essence of various otherworldly realms, and my body seems to feel even more comfortable!” Qin Ming thought it was wonderful. His Purple Mansion Thunderfire was about to stir, and he was about to “refine” himself again.

He found the correct internal cultivation method to use “earth fire” to trigger “heavenly thunder”. Qin Ming would rush over to absorb any luminous substance he saw.

Unless it’s a regular “Tianhua”, he’ll feed it rags, which is truly a blessed place for him!

Qin Ming roamed the mountains and wilderness searching for the essence of the world that had been left behind. He absorbed and contained it all with his physical body until the end. He felt that he was a little “overfed” and began to consider rags.

Actually, what Qin Ming wanted most was the liquid formed from the condensed light of the outer world, which should theoretically exist on this mountain that is relatively close to the outer world.

However, he searched for a long time but found nothing.

The mountain was very large, so Su Shiyun, Sun Jingxiao, Leng Feiyue, and the others tried to spread out and keep a good distance from each other. Qin Ming naturally didn’t go over either, to avoid causing any misunderstandings.

Soon after, he discovered the celestial light; it swirled around the roots of those strange plants. He took a deep breath of the night mist—this truly was a “land” floating in the sky!

Not long after, he discovered an old man wearing jade armor, carrying a five-colored bottle, who had just watered a small fiery red tree with a little bit of Heavenly Light Liquid.

“Child, are you looking for the Heavenly Light Elixir?” She smiled kindly, her hair was white, her body was thin and she was somewhat hunchbacked, as she turned around from the other side of the mountain.

Qin Ming was startled; there was actually someone here tending to the plants. She must be a Jade Armor Guardian, someone at the Third Realm!

There are many young people in the realms of Newborn and Outer Saint, but from the third realm “Spiritual Field” onwards, there are very few young people. So this path is very strange. If there is a difference of one major realm, it may look like two generations of grandfather and grandson.

Qin Ming remained calm and nodded steadily; he couldn’t panic at this moment.

The old man muttered to himself, “Strange, this is a place jointly managed by the secular world and the esoteric sects. How could they allow a newcomer to come and absorb the essence of the secular world?”

“Do you want to check? There are eight of us who booked the whole place; we came together.” Qin Ming took out the boat tickets.

The old man smiled and walked over, saying, “It seems that your talent is exceptional, and you have been chosen by a near-immortal seed, who has given you special permission to come in.”

Qin Ming had a vague feeling that she was malicious and that the old woman was extremely dangerous.

He stepped back and said, “My elders are outside. Why don’t you come with me to see them?” “Okay!” The old man smiled and nodded, slowly taking a step to follow.

Qin Ming understood that this was a huge problem; being confronted by an old man in the third realm was extremely serious. He had just stepped onto the “road” as thick as a water vat when he considered jumping off.

The old man smiled gently and said, “Don’t jump down. You have to believe that once an old man at the Spirit Field Realm unleashes his power, you will explode the moment you leap out. My Life Spirit Field and Heavenly Light are enough to tear you apart.”

She made no attempt to hide it; her malice was evident.

“My elders are outside, what are you trying to do?” Qin Ming looked at her.

“A false elder, the real you.” The old man shook his head and then said, “Well, we’ve already left the mountain so we won’t disturb anyone else.”

“Senior, we’re both on the path of new beginnings, why are we going to do this?” Qin Ming said.

The old woman chuckled and said, “Don’t be nervous.” Qin Ming remained silent, quietly observing her.

“Young Master…” The old man coughed and chuckled, his face full of benevolence. This form of address made Qin Minghan’s hair stand on end.

“Young master, relax. It’s a good thing we met here.” She held up the five-colored bottle containing the Heavenly Light Elixir and said, “If you want it, I’ll give it to you. However, it cannot be consumed directly; only spiritual fruits nourished by it can be eaten.”

“You guys are really persistent, I can run into you even here!” Qin Ming’s face was gloomy.

The fact that he was addressed as “Young Master” with such malice suggests that this person could only be from that particular family.

The old man laughed and said, “What a coincidence! It’s been years since we last met. I was guarding the fields in the heavens when I ran into you, young master. This is truly an unexpected delight.”

Qin Ming had no recollection of her, guessing she wasn’t a direct descendant of the Cui family.

“You’re from the Cui family, a family with a thousand-year history, yet you serve as a jade-armored guard for outsiders, and you have to work hard here?” Qin Ming said casually, looking for a chance to escape.

The old man shook his head and said, “Serving as a jade-armored guard for one of our own direct descendants’ geniuses is nothing. My Cui family holds a high position in this Pure Land. Besides, how can my coming here be considered hardship? It’s such a wonderful place, conducive to cultivation, an opportunity many people would kill for.” Then he smiled at her and said, “We’re all family. Come back. Everyone says you have extraordinary talent, and perhaps you’ll have the chance to serve as a jade-armored guard for the real Young Master Chonghe.”

This wasn’t the first time Qin Ming had heard such words. Cui He and Cui Shuning, who had lost to him in the “Yi Mu Jing,” had both said similar things, which made him extremely disgusted.

Now that he has heard it again, he is naturally extremely disgusted.

The old man shook his head and said, “Qin Ming, aren’t you being too arrogant and self-important? You are just a newcomer with a bleak future. You should be grateful for the opportunity to follow Young Master Chonghe. His path is smooth, his progress is rapid, and he will eventually be close to immortality. Although you are an extraordinary person, you will probably only be able to keep up with him in the end.”

“Shut up!” Qin Ming said coldly.

At this stage, his understanding is still limited, and he doesn’t want to say much about the future. It’s uncertain who will go further in the future.

“Youth is full of vigor. This was such a good opportunity. If you had come back then and lived peacefully, none of this would have happened.” The old man shook his head and said, “It’s a pity you didn’t cherish it.”

Then she spoke again: “I heard you’ve been asking around about your grandfather? I can tell you.” Qin Ming said, “Go ahead.”

“Humble yourself and admit defeat.” The old woman smiled and slowly walked over. Qin Ming looked down and calmly glanced at her.

The old woman didn’t look too good. The height difference between them was significant; with the other person looking down at her, it was as if he were looking down on her.

“Tell me, how is my grandfather?” Qin Ming asked in a deep voice. “Your attitude won’t do,” she said coldly.

Suddenly, a dense light shone from her body, but a small, pure white sword, as white as jade, pierced through the light barrier and touched her brow, causing blood to splatter.

At that moment, both of them were shocked.

At such close range, Qin Ming unleashed the special ability he gained during his sixth rebirth, relentlessly activating the alien metal forging technique.

Or perhaps it was a small sword, designed to pierce through great light, yet it failed to penetrate her fungus.

She was utterly shocked and horrified. Although she had made no progress since stepping into the realm of spirit fields, remaining at the initial stage of the third realm for over a decade, she was still stagnant.

However, his cultivation was far superior to his opponent’s, and as a result, his forehead was pierced, and blood flowed continuously.

Qin Ming felt that this was a life-or-death ordeal for him.

Without any delay, the power he displayed during his seventh rebirth erupted.

The old light of day, the spiritual field of life, is also roaring.

Accompanied by blinding light, the two fell from the pale golden “hair” and plummeted into the dark night fog, splashing blood everywhere.

(There’s more to come!)