Chapter 167 Unpredictable

“He was seriously injured?” Li Qingyun’s face was rosy and her hair was snow-white and glistening. She was usually very calm, but now she showed an expression of disbelief.

It’s easy to imagine how powerful Cao Ganqiu was! The news of his injury even shocked Master Li. Meng Xinghai considered it a major event.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming truly felt that Cao Ganqiu’s status and power were like a mountain standing in the clouds, pressing down on the hearts of all parties.

At the same time, he was very unsettled.

So what exactly is Black Sun Mountain, the place that originated from? Cao Shiqiu’s mastery of magic is so profound that it inspires fear in all sides, yet he actually ran into a brick wall there! This time, he didn’t break through, he didn’t shatter it. Could it be that there’s some extraordinary figure in that area? Qin Ming looked back at the path he had come from, wondering if he had missed something. “Could there be a reclusive elder?” he pondered.

Five hundred years ago, Black and White Mountain was a forbidden land that made all parties tremble with fear. Then, it collapsed inexplicably and fell into ruin, becoming a desolate place.

Are there any masters from the old era who are still alive? “At this moment, we should drink a cup of fine wine,” Meng Xinghai said with a smile, and ordered his men to bring a luminous cup, Golden Glow wine, and other items.

Li Qingyun took a sip of the wine that shimmered with the glow of the sunset and asked, “Do you have any more specific news?” Meng Xinghai replied, “An old friend in the mountains sent a message. He didn’t dare to approach, but he heard from other strange beings that Cao Ganqiu’s steps were so slow that he needed his disciples to help him walk.”

Qin Ming’s heart was filled with turmoil. Such a domineering figure had actually been injured to this extent; it seemed he had truly encountered a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Son!” Li Qingyun said, “This is going to be a hot topic. Will anyone go to that area to hunt the injured Cao Shiqiu? For so many years, he has been at his peak, and no one can do anything to him.”

“I reckon things are about to get turbulent,” Meng Xinghai said.

Qin Ming naturally hoped that Cao Qianqiu would never leave Black Sun Mountain. That old guy was too dangerous; even a casual glance at him could lead to him being grabbed and killed.

But who exactly is behind this? “While that area may be mysterious, it is most likely related to god-like creatures, rather than humans.”

Qin Ming pondered the current mountain lord, the white-haired monster who once cried at the grave there, earnestly offering sacrifices. It was said that an alien was buried in that old grave.

Soon, the news spread, causing a huge sensation! Cao Ganqiu’s injury indeed shocked all parties, and the files of Black and White Mountain, a name that had been dormant for many years, were once again placed on the desks of many powerful forces.

All of this was no longer relevant to Qin Ming; the power struggles among the big shots were still too far removed from his life.

“The Five Thunder Refining of the Organs is truly wondrous!” After calming down, Qin Ming began to study the book and was deeply captivated.

He first heard of it at the Luofu Mountain ruins, and never imagined he would actually be able to obtain it today. It can strengthen one’s inner self, and it seems that it can be used in combination with the Purple Mansion Thunderfire.

Unfortunately, there was no trace of emotion on the handwritten copy of “Five Thunder Refining the Organs” that Qin Ming had shown, so he could not determine who had given the book to him.

“With thunder and fire combining, dragon and tiger converging, the internal alchemy of great elixirs may truly be achievable in the future.” After studying this book, Qin Ming felt it was a very valuable supplement.

Five-colored light flowed within his internal organs, followed by thunderous roars that surged outwards, startling the sleeping sparrow so much that it flapped its wings and nearly crashed into the roof beam.

“Mountain Lord, you truly have the magnanimity of a prime minister, your innermost being capable of holding a boat, and your heart and soul connected to thunder and lightning.” It looked at it with admiration.

Qin Ming looked at it and asked, “Do you have any inheritance?” It sighed and said, “Life is hard for birds. I only have the most basic techniques in the mountains, the kind that everyone knows. Even though I, Little Sparrow, have divinity, if I want to rise up, I can only rely on physical mutation.”

“I’ll send you two articles.”

Qin Ming said that he had written down the fragments of the Black Roc Scripture he had obtained in the Divine Plains.

“Heavens above! Earth below! It’s actually the Peng Clan’s cultivation method! I, Little Sparrow, am overjoyed and want to master it immediately to repay the Mountain Lord.”

Yuque was extremely excited. She did somersaults, pointed one wing to the sky, and declared with great passion that she would follow the mountain lord to the death.

“I also have a wondrous method here, it’s a beautiful sparrow that looks quite like a phoenix.” Before Qin Ming could finish speaking, Yu Que felt dizzy, as if happiness had come too suddenly. She was as if she were drunk and almost fell to the ground.

Qin Ming’s words stunned it instantly, bringing it back to its complete calm.

“Your strength is currently too weak, so you should cultivate in Crimson Cloud City for now. I am about to embark on a long journey to a very dangerous place, and you might get into trouble if you stay with me.”

“Mountain Lord, are you going on your journey alone again?” Yu Que looked on expectantly.

Qin Ming nodded and said, “After I pass on two scriptures to you, you should focus on improving yourself here.” “Oh, it’s because Little Sparrow’s strength is too weak.”

Yuque was very disappointed and sighed there. She silently memorized two scriptures and prepared to cultivate diligently from then on. Qin Ming was indeed afraid that it would die unexpectedly if it stayed by his side. As his strength improved, the level of his opponents also continued to rise. If a bloody battle really broke out, a wisp of the opponent’s consciousness or an arrow with divine wisdom might take Yuque’s life.

He comforted him, saying, “Cultivate diligently, and perhaps you will become the next Lord of Black and White Mountain. You don’t need to always call others the Lord of the Mountain. Right now, Qin Ming has already given himself the title of Kunjun.”

Soon, he will be heading to that special territory between the three great dynasties of Yu, Gan, and Rui.

There are many academies and temples there, as well as blessed lands and extremely dangerous forbidden zones, all of which are quite special and have various legends, and all have a great background.

Given Qin Ming’s current state, there is no need for him to be bound to a single sect.

Kunjun not only bordered the three major dynasties, but also had close ties with esoteric Buddhism and other secluded places.

As long as the various book collections are open to Qin Ming, it doesn’t matter where he goes; reading all kinds of scriptures will benefit him the most. Before his journey, Qin Ming had a small gathering with Wu, Xu Sheng, and Sister Fenfang.

“At first, I was indeed joking with Zheng Maoze, but later, I vaguely felt that something was wrong. He had the aura of an old itinerant merchant.”

Xu Sheng told him that he felt Zheng Maoze was likely in “problem”.

Qin Ming was lost in thought. Logically speaking, the secluded place was full of experts, so if Zheng Maoze had any problems, they would have noticed it immediately.

Or perhaps Zheng Maoze had just been entangled by something inexplicable after coming out? A chill ran down his spine; could it be that…

The giant butterfly wasn’t completely dead? He frowned. Normally, it shouldn’t be like that. With four senior hunters hunting gods together, they wouldn’t have given it any chance at all.

Qin Ming shook his head, realizing he was overthinking things.

If something were to happen, the karmic consequences of him taking away so much divinity would be enormous, and that “great being” would inevitably come after him first.

The men, slightly intoxicated, decided to head into the mountains. They had previously joined forces several times to search for spiritual substances there, but each time they returned empty-handed and defeated.

“I still remember how that man in gray stole our Snow Lotus. It was so hateful!” Zhou Lin was so angry that she was about to unleash a torrent of profanities again.

Qin Ming also thought of that person. He had seen that figure again later, but had not caught up with him. Now he had an impulse to go into the mountains to catch the person! Afterwards, the group went into the mountains, and Yuque followed. Soon it started befriending the birds in the mountains, asking if there was such a person who liked to intercept things.

The result was unexpected. They received the answer directly: it was a shady organization that liked to do this kind of thing, but it wouldn’t offend anyone to death; it would rob people without killing them.

That day, Qin Ming and Xu Sheng destroyed the stronghold in the mountains, obtaining a considerable amount of gold and spiritual substances. Si Lin finally stopped cursing and returned with a broad smile.

Qin Ming only took some Day Gold; the spiritual matter here wasn’t of a high enough level to be of any use to him! Yu Que and Wu’s eyes were very eager, and Xu Sheng and Zhou Lin were also very happy, having gained a lot.

That day, news that froze everyone’s expressions came: Cao Ganqiu was not injured at all; the old guy was just fishing, and instead killed two powerful beings who had been possessed.

“That old geezer!” Many people were disappointed.

It is reported that Cao Ganqiu recently had a sudden urge to sense something unusual and believed that someone wanted to harm him, so he took the initiative to “show weakness” to lure the enemy.

Is it really this terrifying at this level? Qin Ming was lost in thought. Those senior figures could sense what was about to happen in advance? The old guys at that level who were at the forefront were indeed quite extraordinary.

Li Qingyun sighed.

However, another piece of news arrived the next day, making everyone’s expressions even more interesting.

After Cao Ganqiu killed the two possessed powerhouses, an unexpected incident truly occurred. His impulsive decision led him to misjudge his target. Meng Xinghai said, “The people from the Pure Land have confirmed it’s true this time. Old Cao rushed back overnight to recuperate.” What exactly happened? Qin Ming was eager to know.

“Still in Black and White Mountain…” Cao Ganqiu went to Black and White Mountain with some ulterior motives, wanting to find something. He had asked the locals about various situations and inquired about strange legends.

In a village, an old man was very kind and told Cao Ganqiu that he had encountered a strange thing when he was a child: the kite he flew had returned stained with blood.

When Qin Ming heard this, it felt quite familiar, because he had also heard about this enemy incident! Could it be that Old Liu was enthusiastically giving directions? Soon, Qin Ming learned that Cao Ganqiu’s situation was near Shuangshu Village.

It is said that after he understood the situation, his consciousness transformed directly into a crimson sun, which rose into the night sky and carefully explored the entire area.

But soon after, he let out a snort, and the bright sun dimmed instantly, plummeting to the ground. He then took his disciples and fled overnight.

“Is this another fake?” Li Qingyun wondered. Now he was starting to have doubts. Was Cao Ganqiu trying to lure the enemy again? Meng Xinghai shook his head and said, “This time it’s not fake. People within the Pure Land who don’t get along with him have confirmed that he is indeed injured, but his injury isn’t particularly serious.”

Moreover, he himself declared that no external enemy could severely damage him. Qin Ming was eager to know what exactly had happened to that old man.

Cao Ganqiu did not reveal the secret, only saying that those who disagreed could investigate for themselves.

That night, as Qin Ming drifted into a deep sleep, a sudden sense of dread washed over him. He opened his eyes abruptly and sensed something was wrong. He felt as if his consciousness had left his body, or perhaps he was lost in a thick, dark fog.

He wanted to rush back to his physical body, but he couldn’t. He had already touched flesh and blood, but he couldn’t go back. He was being pulled away by an inexplicable force. At the last moment, his consciousness only had time to grab an object into his “hand”.

After that, he completely distanced himself from the physical body.

“This thick fog…” Qin Ming was shocked. Back in the Six Imperial Ancestral Court, he had seen Lu Zizai and the physical bodies of the Six Imperial Ancestors.

Afterwards, an endless black fog appeared, and within that fog, terrifying giants corresponding to the two people radiated golden light.

I also felt as if I had entered a similar black fog!

(There’s more to come!)