Chapter 124 Where the Lights Are Dim

There were many people visiting the Luofu Mountain ruins.

Recently, the competition among disciples of the secular world for items that are close to immortality has become the hottest topic.

The important figure from the Pure Land spoke up: “I’ve seen many familiar faces today, and even an old friend I haven’t seen for 120 years is here. What a rare guest! Let’s go into Luofu Immortal Town and catch up.”

Many people were taken aback; after 120 years, it really was an “old friend,” and they assumed he was of equally high status. The atmosphere here grew even more lively.

People from blessed lands, ancient families, imperial dynasties, esoteric sects, and high-ranking non-human beings… all arrived, and their statuses were all quite high, making for a very grand occasion.

In Luofu Immortal Town, a real four-tusked white elephant appeared. It was a very important one, having already transformed into human form as a young boy, accompanied by an old elephant with all its teeth missing.

A prince from the Great Yu Dynasty arrived and chatted amiably with Cui Chong, finding they hit it off quite well. He was about to become a disciple of the Fangwai Sect. Qin Ming discovered that a competition for Fangwai disciples had attracted many people of extraordinary status, turning into a gathering where many were expanding their networks.

Soon, he saw the fifth master of the Cui family and wanted to go over and ask if his grandfather had really gone to the capital of the Great Yu.

Qin Ming knew that those were lies. Back in the Cui family, the second and fifth masters of the Cui family had only made up those stories to lure him into practicing the silk scroll.

He restrained himself and didn’t look in that direction again. Given his current status, he had no right to approach the higher-ups of the ancient family.

Luofu Immortal Town, a relatively quiet ancient town, is bustling with activity today. The blessed land and the thousand-year-old family have made arrangements in advance, even having a banquet prepared.

Without a doubt, the most dazzling one right now is Li Qingyue. Although many distinguished guests have come, including senior figures and exceptionally talented geniuses, many eyes are focused on her.

Li Qingyue was surrounded by a crowd at the center, a place that could be described as a constellation of stars. Many of the young people were direct descendants of the Blessed Land, the Imperial Dynasty, and the Secret Sect, and were also future high-ranking officials.

Senior Brother Pei is handsome and refined, and quite mature and steady. As a leading young man in his twenties in this blessed land, he knows many people and helps introduce Li Qingyue.

These people, having been influenced by their families since childhood, are quite mature even in their teens. They are precocious and have no major troubles or accidents. They are all getting to know each other and exchanging ideas in a warm and friendly manner.

After removing his armor and donning his black and white robes, Lu Zhen, a young man from the Yin-Yang Temple, was invited by some people to join them.

Enter it.

Because his Yin-Yang Black-White Force was renowned throughout the world, making his peers in the Pure Land and Esoteric Buddhism extremely wary at this stage.

Most importantly, the Yin-Yang School is a very powerful Taoist lineage, and Lu Zhen was a core disciple there.

Qin Ming glanced at Li Qingyong amidst the bright lights and knew that her rise was unstoppable, as evidenced by everyone’s attitude towards her.

With a near-immortal artifact in hand, coupled with her stunning performance this time, the Pure Land of the Mortal Realm will likely regard her as one of its most important seeds.

“May your journey be smooth and all your wishes fulfilled,” Qin Ming whispered.

Then, he turned to look at Meng Xinghai and said, “Uncle, we should go.”

“Aren’t you going to say hello before you leave?”

“No, it’s not the right occasion,” Qin Ming shook his head.

There he was now surrounded by a crowd of young men and women, all of whom were quite prominent. It would be inappropriate for him to go there as a golden-armored guard.

If he were to actually go there, it would inevitably attract a lot of attention, and there might be risks involved. He needs to leave discreetly now.

Meng Xinghai was pleased and nodded with a smile, saying, “Not arrogant, very good!”

Qin Ming immediately realized that the few words Lao Meng had said to him tonight were all tests, because he was worried that Qin Ming would feel disappointed and that he was not mature enough.

“Uncle, you really are…” Qin Ming didn’t want to call Uncle Meng “Uncle” here, for fear of revealing his identity.

Meng Xinghai said, “The road ahead is long. What are these fleeting moments of glory? So what if you choose the path of physical mutation? Who says your future is limited to being a bodyguard for outsiders or a follower of esoteric sects? The true path lies beneath your own feet. If you can keep moving forward quickly and advance to become a young grandmaster, a young pioneer, you will be far more dazzling than those so-called prodigies, leaving them breathless.”

Of course, he only transmitted these words secretly; otherwise, someone as strong as him might have “run into trouble” on the spot.

Qin Ming said, “Uncle, you’re really pushing me all the time. Since you like the path of mutation so much, why don’t you give up on becoming a god, turn around and come with me?”

Meng Xinghai immediately waved his hand and said, “Stop, I can’t go on anymore. I’ve been battered and bruised on this road, and I really can’t walk any further. Look at my contemporaries, those once extraordinary talents, they’ve all disappeared. They’ve either changed their paths, fallen into secluded places, or become guardians of esoteric Buddhism. It chills my heart to see them like this.”

Qin Ming continued to urge, saying, “How wonderful it would be if we, uncle and nephew, could walk together, one becoming a young grandmaster and the other a middle-aged grandmaster!”

Meng Xinghai didn’t laugh, but was very serious. He said, “For the past five years, I haven’t made any progress on this path. I’m disheartened. Even someone as talented as me can’t do it. You can imagine how others of my generation are. Fortunately, I’m doing well in the esoteric sect. I hope that in the future I’ll have a chance to climb to the top and get close to those unknown and terrifying creatures.”

Qin Ming knew that the path of the esoteric sect was far more insane than that of the secluded world. First, one would approach a “godlike” state, and then embark on a journey of great disrespect!

“Uncle, I’m leaving!” Qin Ming left first. He wanted to return to Chixia City, to work hard and rise to prominence in that remote place. Although the lights were bright in front of him, they were actually quite far away.

Blessed lands, ancient families, imperial dynasties, esoteric Buddhism, and secluded paradises—these are all colossal entities that he cannot approach, and are currently too dangerous for him.

Meng Xinghai nodded and said, “Well, it’s time to go back. The major examinations in various places are entering a crucial stage. Would you like to go and spar with the top scorers from other cities? There should be a generous reward.”

The two walked away without stopping.

Feeling something, Li Qingyue suddenly turned around and found a familiar figure in the dim light, before quickly disappearing into the night.

The city of Luofu was magnificent, and even the night fog could not obscure its splendor. At this moment, the entire giant city was already beneath Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai’s feet. They stood on the backs of their high-level flying mounts, facing the night wind, and quickly disappeared into the distance.

The golden, high-level exotic bird wore a helmet made of mithril on its head and armor made of rare metals on its body, completely covered up, resembling a large winged tortoise.

Soon, the city of Luofu behind them disappeared completely.

The road ahead was pitch black, the night fog was thick, and the whole world looked as if it had been soaked in ink.

Qin Ming had spent several days in the fiery spring, where he felt no darkness. Now, returning to this familiar yet real world, he was somewhat dazed.

Fortunately, he adapted quickly.

“Don’t go back the way we came…” Meng Xinghai transmitted his voice to the advanced alien creature, guiding it towards an unknown land. “Uncle Meng, aren’t we going straight back? Aren’t you worried someone might be following us?” Qin Ming asked.

“In my perception, there shouldn’t be any problem, but to be on the safe side, let’s take a slight detour to visit my grandmaster uncle and ask him to help us purify it,” Meng Xinghai secretly transmitted.

He is very cautious. If there is anything unusual that even he has not noticed, then it means that the problem is very serious.

This advanced alien creature possessed formidable strength and flew extremely fast, traversing the night fog like a streak of light. In a short time, it had covered eight hundred miles, approaching its destination. Along the way, Meng Xinghai gave directions, revealing the exact location.

After flying for several dozen miles, it began to slow down, passed by a dimly lit town, and gradually descended, finally landing ten miles outside the town.

“Grandmaster Uncle, I’ve come especially to visit you!” Meng Xinghai called out.

This is a huge cliff, as if a once towering mountain had been cut in half, leaving only a vast platform.

Even late at night, an old man was still sitting on the edge of the cliff fishing. Without turning his head, he said, “Alright, when have you ever come to see me specifically? You must have something on your mind again.”

Meng Xinghai laughed and said, “Isn’t it because I was afraid of disturbing your ascension to godhood? I usually don’t dare to come, but I happened to be passing by today and bought you two jars of fine wine.”

Qin Ming’s eyes were strange. This was the fine wine from the banquet in Luofu Immortal Town. He hadn’t seen Qin Ming steal it when he came out.

“Don’t mention the word ‘god’ to me, it makes me want to vomit. I don’t even have a chance to become a mountain god. I’ve been fishing for a hundred years, and it still won’t take the bait!” The old man seemed a bit angry.

He then put away his fishing rod, got up, and walked over. The old man was tall, easily two meters tall, full of energy, with a ruddy complexion, though he had very little hair left.

“Greetings, senior.” Qin Ming greeted him, while also being quite curious about the connection between becoming a god and fishing here. He looked down at the broken mountain.

“Don’t look down, it’s easy to run into trouble. The things down there are very rare. This is a special place,” the old man warned. He was very good-natured and didn’t act like an elder.

Meng Xinghai told Qin Ming that below was an endless abyss, shrouded in thick fog, mysterious and unpredictable, and it was best not to peek inside.

“Hmm, you’ve really stirred up trouble for me again. Interesting, an old guy has put a simple mark on this young man.” The old man pointed at Qin Ming.

He then asked, “Is this child special?”

“This…” Meng Xinghai was taken aback and quickly told him about Qin Ming’s experience on this trip.

Qin Ming added, “I see. You impersonated a disciple of the Six Emperors. That old guy was slapped by one of the Six Emperors when he was young, and now he’s probably heard that the Six Emperors are dying. He doesn’t know if the news is true, so he wants to use you to test the waters. It’s nothing serious.”

After the old man finished speaking, his eyes lit up, causing a faint light to rise from Qin Ming’s body, which then burst into flames and disappeared without a trace. “Grandmaster Uncle, what do you think of this child’s path in the esoteric sect?” Meng Xinghai asked.

“Do you think just anyone can possess ‘divine wisdom’ and be suited for this path? Hmm, wait a minute!” Suddenly, the old man’s expression changed slightly, and a divine light flashed in his eyes, transforming into symbols as he stared at Qin Ming.

“Wow, what a promising talent! Not bad, his spiritual intelligence is abundant!” he exclaimed.

“I know he has it, but is his wisdom really that great?” Meng Xinghai had mixed feelings. He was relieved that Qin Ming had found a new way out, but he was also a little disappointed. Is there really no one who can stay strong and persevere to the end on the road to a new life?

“Take this scripture with you and let him try practicing it. Come back in six months. I’m currently battling this abyss and don’t have the energy to be distracted.” The old man readily handed Meng Xinghai a very thin booklet and then began to shoo him away.

In fact, Qin Ming had memorized the opening incantation on Broken Mountain and then began to practice it after setting off.

When the advanced exotic bird descended upon Crimson Cloud City, he told Meng Xinghai, “Uncle Meng, I have cultivated a sacred light, but…”

“What’s wrong?” Meng Xinghai asked quickly. He had mastered it so quickly; his aptitude was simply too good.

At the same time, he also realized that something seemed to have gone wrong, so he became a little nervous. The path to godhood cannot be taken lightly and needs to be treated seriously.

“The divine light has been… melted away,” Qin Ming reported, surprised to encounter this situation again! Meng Xinghai immediately examined him, but found nothing wrong.

“We’ll talk about it when we get back.” For the next two days, Qin Ming practiced the techniques in that book.

As a result, whenever divine light appears, it is knocked away, nourishing the physical body and slowly improving its constitution, leaving only a few divine signs to maintain a certain balance.

On the third day, Meng Xinghai came to call Qin Ming and said, “Well, don’t practice this one yet. Someone has brought you a priceless secret manual. They brought the first three pages. Go over there quickly and see if you can practice it. If not, we’ll need to get you a normal extraordinary skill instead.”

“What secret manual? Who sent it?” Qin Ji asked.

“Who said they would give you a cultivation technique?” Meng Xinghai asked with a smile.