Chapter 166 The Fate and Destiny of the First Founders of Various Religions

“I won’t see you!” Qin Ming said decisively.

Meng Xinghai asked, “So you refused so decisively?”

In the spacious living room, the calming incense burner emitted a soothing fragrance that soothed the soul. Qin Ming sighed, “The people I want to see aren’t here, but most of the people I don’t want to see have come.”

Li Qingyun nodded and said, “Young people should be energetic like this. If you don’t want to see them, just refuse.” In fact, Qin Ming could imagine some of the scenarios that would occur after they met.

“Wang Caiwei wants to see you.” A man in black came in to deliver a message. “Tell him I’m in seclusion!” Qin Ming said.

Those people knew he was in the mansion and wanted to see him in person.

Subsequently, Lu Zhenyi, Zheng Maoze, Zeng Yuan, and others sent messages through their messengers.

Qin Ming did not appear, not wanting to see some people flaunting their superiority after embarking on the path to immortality. He had already witnessed this in Silver Vine Town of Black and White Mountain.

“Yes, speak your mind.” Li Qingyun laughed.

Meng Xinghai said, “Uncle Li, it’s better not to say the last four words. It sounds a bit like Cao Ganqiu’s style.”

Soon, Qin Ming lost his composure. He learned from Meng Xinghai that Cao Ganqiu, whose consciousness shone like a blazing red sun, had once stretched out a finger in the night sky, trying to kill him directly.

Qin Ming felt a wave of fear. He had been very low-key, not showing his talent in the Divine City, and blending in with the world. How could this have gotten in his way and offended Cao Qianqiu?

“That doesn’t make sense,” he said, puzzled.

“He said he saw a trace of the Overlord in you,” Meng Xinghai told him.

Qin Ming’s expression changed slightly. This old guy’s intuition is too terrifying. He didn’t even use the Overlord’s mental technique, yet he could still see through him.

He clearly remembered the scene he saw in the Overlord’s last words: Cao Ganqiu was ferocious and extremely brutal, and he struck out with six palms, which shattered the Overlord’s limbs, torso, and head.

The Overlord’s blood fell to the ground and did not extinguish; its spiritual radiance rose, but the old man stomped it into ashes, turning the entire land into scorched earth.

One of the pools of blood, imbued with the tyrant’s intense emotions, landed on his suicide note. Cao Ganqiu sneered and with a flick of his hand, extinguished all the spirituality in the blood.

“Has he never encountered a tough opponent, being so assertive and domineering?” Qin Ming asked.

Li Qingyun’s expression was solemn as he said, “He kicked through and shattered the iron plate. He is one of the representative figures of the Pure Land of the Outsiders.”

Meng Xinghai nodded solemnly and said, “Currently, he is one of the leading figures in the Pure Land of the Outsiders!” Qin Ming remained silent; this old fellow was simply too powerful and dangerous!

“My grandmaster has already returned, and he probably won’t be coming out again for at least ten years,” Meng Xinghai said. “Has Old Cao left?” Li Qingyun asked.

Meng Xinghai said, “Not yet, I heard we’re going to take a trip to Black and White Mountain.”

Upon hearing that Cao Ganqiu was still in the city, Qin Ming immediately felt unsafe.

That old guy acts recklessly and does whatever he pleases. If I ever think of him again, I could crush him with a single finger. Not long after, Meng Xinghai received a report from his confidant and laughed, “He’s already gone just now.”

Qin Ming breathed a slight sigh of relief, then felt an intense desire to become stronger. Living in the Night Fog World was already difficult enough, but with an old monster like Cao Ganqiu on top of that, he felt extremely insecure.

Afterwards, the atmosphere gradually relaxed as the topic of Cao Ganqiu was no longer discussed.

When Qin Ming mentioned his experiences at the edge of the world, the two people in the living room were shocked to learn that he had even hunted down a creature with a strange bloodline.

“Do you know the value of a single piece of rare blood? Each piece can create an extraordinary person!” Meng Xinghai sighed.

Li Qingyun said, “Some of the old guys in the Six Imperial Ancestral Court are probably heartbroken. Behind every divine creature, there must be an elder.”

Qin Ming’s expression turned serious. “Wouldn’t this be considered raising a demon to cause trouble?” Meng Xinghai shook his head. “Not really.”

They drew a line, forbidding those old demons from setting foot in human settlements.

Shenping was originally a land of chaos and war, and had not yet been developed by us. If it weren’t for these old demons who were kept in captivity occupying the border territory and blocking it, other demons would cross the border at any time, and then massacre villages, injure people, and cause more bloodshed.

Li Qingyun examined Qin Ming’s bones and said, “I can’t even judge your foundation. Perhaps the path of new students is too marginalized, and even the heavens can’t stand it anymore. Maybe you really can make a name for yourself.”

Qin Ming shook his head and said, “What have I accomplished so far? Once I reach the Outer Saint stage, any further advancement will be like climbing a chasm one step at a time. This path is too difficult. I only have two more chances to be reborn.”

Meng Xinghai said, “I think that with your solid foundation, there might be a turning point, and the road ahead may not necessarily be able to stop you.”

Qin Ming sighed, “The Six Imperial Ancestral Court is so glorious, possessing the legendary Six Imperial Heart Sutra and a mature path to follow. But what did I see there? A group of skin and bones old men, barely able to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are not considered old in the Immortal Realm, yet they are much older than the latter!”

He did indeed feel a sense of crisis because he had learned in detail that those frail old men had once shone brightly in their youth.

All around were extraordinary individuals, some of whom had even suppressed the core disciples of the Outer Realm, but were surpassed by them upon reaching the second major realm.

However, after reaching the third major level, one can only compete with the younger generation of one’s former rivals. Such a mental journey is something most people cannot endure.

Even top-tier extraordinary individuals aren’t much better off. The more glorious their early careers are, the greater the sense of loss they experience later on. The feeling of stagnation and despair over long periods of time is truly terrifying.

Most importantly, someone once wanted the Six Emperors Ancestor to become a warrior, which was incredibly terrifying. This topic was too heavy, so Qin Ming didn’t say anything more.

He asked the two men other questions, hoping to get answers.

Are the founders of the great sects like Tathagata, the Six Emperors, the Heavenly Supporter, and the Jade Purity Sect all the original founders?

Qin Ming experienced some things at the Six Emperors, met Lu Zizai, and while practicing the *River Path Classic*, in a half-dream, half-awake state, he seemed to glimpse the Six Emperors’ founder and the terrifying, blood-stained, golden giant shining brightly behind him in the night. There were too many things he didn’t understand.

Meng Xinghai became serious and said, “I think they should all have been replaced, because no one can live that long.”

This is his answer: the ancestral temples of various religions along the New Life Road have existed for at least a thousand years, and the oldest major religion has been around for over three thousand years.

There is also a theory that some of the founders were the same person from the beginning. “Li Qingyun said.”

Meng Xinghai said, “At the very least, the Tathagata has definitely been replaced. They themselves have the concept of the Tathagata of the present, which refers to the current patriarch, while the Tathagata of the past refers to the past patriarch.”

Li Qingyun said, “It is rumored that a special scripture once crippled more than one patriarch.” Qin Ming was shaken upon hearing this, guessing that it was likely the silk scripture.

Afterwards, the two of them helped Qin Ming discuss where to go, talking until late into the night. The next day, Yu Que, knowing that Qin Ming had returned, appeared in his room early in the morning.

“Mountain Lord, you’re finally back! I’ve been living a miserable life without you, and I’m so eager to see you. Now that you’re going to study far away, can you take me with you? And please don’t peek at me on the way.”

Qin Ming glanced at it sideways and said, “I heard that you’ve been hanging out with a group of strange creatures, having a great time. You haven’t taken another wife, have you?”

“How could that be? I am a loyal bird!” the quail cried out. It was now quite mystical, its feathers even more radiant, its beak and claws gleaming.

Cha Ming laughed and said, “Do you even believe that yourself?”

The Talking Sparrow patted its chest with one wing and said, “We Talking Sparrows only breed once a year in early spring, and during this time, I am absolutely faithful to my mate!”

Qin Ming refrained from commenting, otherwise it would surely have said that this was the nature of birds, that it was a great man, and that its fatherly love was as vast as the sea. Two days later, Qin Ming finally left the city lord’s mansion, estimating that most of those people should have already left.

However, coincidentally, when he was looking for Xu Sheng, Sister Fenfang, and Wu to have dinner, he ran into Zheng Maorong and Zeng Yuan, who were still there and hadn’t left yet.

If Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan hadn’t been there, Qin Ming would have preferred to turn away and avoid them, since the two of them had spoken up for him in Yinteng Town, Heishan.

“Qin Ming, you’re really not being fair! You came to your territory and you’re actually hiding from us!” Zheng Maoze said.

“Da Zheng, why are you covered in injuries?” Qin Ming asked. He had slapped Zheng Dazhuang during a chaotic fight in the Divine City because he couldn’t hold back.

It can only be said that Zheng Maoze’s life-saving magical artifacts were very powerful, as they shattered his spiritual shield and spiritual armor, allowing him to escape a calamity.

Zheng Maoze’s face darkened upon hearing this. Lately, every time he went out to compete for opportunities, he would have more than a dozen bones broken by some random guy. It was too miserable, and he had developed a psychological trauma from it.

Zeng Yuan was similar to him, in a similar state.

Qin Ming didn’t really want to talk to those two, and started chatting with Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan instead.

“Didn’t you say you were going into seclusion?” Wang Caiwei was also behind, not yet gone. She was wearing a black dress, her black hair was like jade, and her skin was like cream. She was as beautiful as ever, loved to laugh, and her smile was very bright and infectious.

“I just came out of seclusion today,” Qin Ming replied.

In this situation, he inevitably had to treat everyone to a meal. He chose a lakeside restaurant in the city and invited Xu Sheng, Sister Fenfang, and Wu.

Even so, it didn’t stop Zheng Maoze from flaunting his superiority on the path to immortality, and he actually impressed everyone with his display. For those outside the mortal realm, a jade-armored guard could be passed down for three generations. “Zheng Maoze is telling lame jokes here,”

His meaning was clear: the Jade Armor Guardian was very strong, even extremely powerful, but he himself could hardly advance to the next level and could not keep up with his master’s cultivation speed. He would be overtaken by the younger generation on the path of immortality. The Jade Armor Guardian could follow a family for three generations.

Looking into Yu Queba’s large, black, gem-like eyes, he asked curiously, “Brother, do you raise jade turtles? In the end, did one turtle outlive three generations of your family?”

“Whose bird is this? It can’t even talk!” Zheng Maoze wanted to slam his fist on the table.

“I live in the city lord’s mansion,” Yu Que said.

Xu Sheng smoothed things over, saying, “Brother, have a drink, and let me tell you about my years as a traveling merchant.”

It is said that we often encounter the dead in the night fog, and occasionally we see them alive and well in bustling cities; the consequences of this are quite terrifying. (From “Reading and Searching for Xiuting”)

“Auntie, I see you… um, you look familiar!” Xu Sheng’s face turned pale, as if he were disgusted, and he hurriedly left. Zheng Maoze was stunned, then flew into a rage. The meal was ruined; the drinking party ended abruptly.

“Qin Ming, just let us know if you need anything, and we’ll do our best to help,” Chen Bingyan said.

Qin Ming didn’t stand on ceremony and said, “If you discover any extraordinary skills in the outer realms, please make a copy for me if possible.”

“Alright!” The group left.

That evening, someone sent him a package, though he didn’t know who it was.

Qin Ming opened it, and beneath layers of oiled paper was a book with four large characters written on the cover: Five Thunder Refining the Organs. This technique was definitely not simple; he had heard of it before! Who sent this?

Before Qin Ming could recover, Meng Xinghai, with a solemn expression, informed him of a secret report that Li Qingyun, who had not yet left, had just sent back.

“Incredible! Breaking news! Cao Ganqiu has suffered a major blow at Black and White Mountain. This is a major event that will shake the Night Fog world!”

(There’s more to come!)