Chapter 96 Desire to Go Beyond the Mortal Realm

“If the mountain lord dies in battle, we’ll go our separate ways. Ah, wait a minute, the golden-armored guards have already lost their heads?” Yu Que’s eyes widened.

It exclaimed excitedly, “The Mountain Lord’s brilliance illuminates the desert today; that was a single strike that could slay a saint!”

Red Eagle couldn’t speak, otherwise he would have already retorted. He thought to himself: What are you yelling about? You were about to run away just now!

Qin Ming’s mouth was full of blood and foam, his internal organs were in excruciating pain, and his hands were swollen like bear paws, covered with tearing wounds, with the finger bones almost visible.

Despite his injuries, he felt a sense of fulfillment. He forced himself to sit up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

“Red Eagle, take me away!” He knew he couldn’t delay; if there were still pursuers behind him, he would definitely perish here.

“In this remote place, I’ve remembered some old acquaintances!” Qin Ming swayed as he stood up, staggering as he walked, his feet a bloody mess, likely with broken bones.

“Mountain Lord, you truly possess divine qualities!” Yu Que rushed over, not just to flatter him, but because he was genuinely terrified.

It knew Qin Ming inside and out; he had only been reborn two or three months ago and was making a living in the mountains.

This young man can actually slay a saint!

Even though that new saint might be at the bottom, with a shallow foundation, killing is killing, and that’s a real achievement that no one can erase.

Yu Que was truly amazed and impressed.

Qin Ming was frugal and simple. He quickly searched the golden-armored guards and took some gold with him.

He lay helplessly on the back of the red eagle as it soared into the night sky.

He was covered in blood and extremely weak, unable to stand against the wind.

Qin Ming activated the Rebirth Technique on the silk scroll to restore his energy and spirit. Although his body was still in excruciating pain, his power was rapidly recovering, and the Heavenly Light Force began to flow again.

“Fly close to the edge of the desert and get back to Crimson Cloud City as soon as possible!” he instructed Crimson Eagle.

The sparrow landed on the red eagle’s back, right in front of Qin Ming.

“Aren’t you going back to Black and White Mountain?” Qin Ming asked it, expressing his gratitude. Earlier, it had imitated Qin Ming’s speech, and the two had worked together very well.

Yu Que’s eyes were like black gemstones as she said, “I won’t feel at ease until I see you arrive safely in Chixia City.”

“Thanks to the two of you this time, I will repay you in the future and help you find spiritual substances,” Qin Ming said to Yu Que and Chi Ying.

Under the pitch-black night sky, the red eagle pierces through the clouds and mist.

There were no unexpected incidents along the way, and no one else pursued them.

In the eyes of some “old friends,” Qin Ming has only recently embarked on the path of rebirth, his strength is limited, he is not even qualified to become a Golden Armor Guardian, and he can be easily eliminated.

Tonight, sending out a recluse and a sage is, in some people’s eyes, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Under the cover of night, Crimson Cloud City was shrouded in a hazy mist.

Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally back.

…

In the antique-style living room of the City Lord’s Mansion, Meng Xinghai frowned as he looked at Qin Ming, who was covered in blood, and said, “You’re so badly injured?”

“I was being chased and almost didn’t make it back.” Qin Ming didn’t know if there would be any trouble after killing a hermit and an outer saint, so he came here directly.

“Did you encounter a formidable gold thief?” Meng Xinghai asked.

Qin Ming shook his head and said, “Those aged gold thieves are nothing. I killed many people along the way. This time, I was mainly targeted by the disciples of the Fangwai Sect.”

Meng Xinghai had his wounds cleaned and medicine applied, saying, “It’s good that you came back alive. You don’t need to worry. Chixia City is not a place where those juniors can run wild.”

He asked Qin Ming how to get rid of his pursuers.

“I couldn’t shake them off, so I killed them all.”

“What level are those people at?” Meng Xinghai asked.

Qin Ming said, “One is a girl in black, probably at the late stage of the Heart-Cleansing Realm. And another… Outer Saint.”

At first, Meng Xinghai nodded, not feeling surprised, after all, Qin Ming was “somewhat” more powerful than the young superhuman.

However, what did he hear in the second half of the sentence? There was actually an external saint!

Meng Xinghai stood up abruptly, his emotions clearly fluctuating.

Qin Ming knew that having an overly impressive record could also be a problem.

He explained, “I cleverly survived the near-death experience, using a flying hammer from outer space to take most of his life…”

Meng Xinghai personally examined him and said, “Your physical body almost collapsed, and your bones are slightly damaged. I will prescribe you a spiritual medicine.”

He acted swiftly and decisively, immediately sending people to the storeroom to fetch various valuable medicinal herbs.

Qin Ming, who was standing nearby, was shocked to learn that the medicine contained “dragon blood”.

Meng Xinghai said, “It would be bad if your vital energy were damaged. Rare and precious medicines can help you recover quickly.”

“Thank you, Uncle Meng!” Qin Ming stood up and bowed.

Meng Xinghai nodded and said, “Take these next two days to recover from your injuries. The spiritual materials and secret manuals I prepared for you will arrive soon. Then you can work on improving your strength.”

Qin Ming was nearly killed by some “old friends” in the desert. After escaping back, he thought about practicing extraordinary skills and being reborn to become stronger. So, he was naturally a little excited.

After taking a large dose of medicine, the effect was exceptionally obvious. Blood mist rose from Qin Ming’s body, and the wounds that had already healed began to heal faster. Some minor wounds even had scabs fall off, and healed completely.

Meng Xinghai was surprised and said, “Your vitality is so strong. It seems you will recover in a day or two.”

Qin Ming felt that his energy and spirit were growing stronger every moment, and he would soon be full of vigor again!

Meng Xinghai finally mentioned that the disciples of the secular world were vying for a legendary item.

Qin Ming had heard about this before, but he never expected that he could contribute to it.

“I am willing to go!” he nodded, very pleased to see Li Qingyue obtain the item that could bring her closer to immortality.

If Qin Ming had the ability to intervene, Li Qingxu, Zheng Maoze, Zeng Yuan, and others would naturally not be allowed to get what they wanted.

Putting aside past grievances, just considering how he was chased and narrowly escaped death this time, we need to settle this score properly.

At the same time, he also felt the pressure; those people were definitely at a very high level.

Meng Xinghai laughed and said, “It’s alright. When you’re wearing golden armor, Qingyue will protect you.”

Qin Ming was losing face. How could this be? He was a man who had slain an Outer Saint; how could he be reduced to needing a girl to protect him!

“Uncle Meng, I’m going back now!” He didn’t want to sleep anymore; he wished he could stay up all night practicing his skills.

Just before leaving, Qin Ming noticed that the living room seemed a bit empty, lacking some bronze artifacts. He couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle Meng, where did your set of chime bells go?”

“I have an old friend who lives deep in the mountains and is very lonely, so he lent me the chime bells to relieve his boredom.”

When Qin Ming was at Black and White Mountain, he heard a loud bell ringing and saw purple mist rising into the sky above the mountain peak. Could it be the chime bells here?

“Those gold thieves…” he asked in a low voice.

“It’s all resolved.”

…

Qin Ming returned to his residence and studied the “Li Huo Jing” overnight, but soon he felt sleepy and had to fall asleep.

The main reason is that he had fought a series of battles and traveled around all day, and had also suffered a serious injury. Even an iron body couldn’t withstand it, and he had to rest.

In his dream, he felt himself wearing the “golden jade burial suit” again, his whole body warm and his life force flowing vigorously to all parts of his body.

The golden needles and threads were used to mend his wounds, and the silvery luster, like medicinal mud, was applied to all parts of his body. This healing effect even surpassed the tonics that Meng Xinghai had prescribed for him.

The next day, Qin Ming opened his eyes with unusually vigorous energy, as if he were even more full than before. He found that all the scabs on his wounds had fallen off, leaving no scars.

Yesterday in the desert, he was covered in blood from head to toe and in excruciating pain, but now his injuries have healed and he is fully recovered.

“The Fire Separation Scripture truly lives up to its reputation as a miraculous skill; it is indeed extremely difficult to master,” Qin Ming sighed. The secret manual that Ning Siqi had sent was quite profound.

This is not a single secret technique; it encompasses Heavenly Light Force, movement techniques, defense, and the sublimation of consciousness… It is a complete system, worthy of many newcomers devoting their entire lives to its study.

This is not the original text left by the creator of the scripture; it is a handwritten copy from one or two decades ago, but it still retains some of the emotions associated with it.

After Qin Ming resonated with the spirit, he discovered that most of the emotions expressed were negative feelings such as anger and helplessness from those who had failed in their training.

He was certain of one thing: there was nothing wrong with the scripture; it was a copy personally made by one of the practitioners, comparing it with the original text.

Qin Ming studied it carefully and concluded that the best place to practice this skill was a place with fire.

The so-called extraordinary skills are no longer limited to a single move or technique. This scripture can eventually cultivate special abilities, such as generating a fire that can protect the body and burn enemies to ashes.

Qin Ming found a suitable place, not far from Chixia Mountain, where there was a volcano with fissures leading underground, where magma could be seen.

“It’s so hot!” He was not used to it when he first arrived here. This kind of area is extremely harmful to the body of ordinary people and is full of harmful substances.

If one wants to quickly master the Fire Sutra, one needs to endure this kind of environment in the early stages. According to the sutra, underground magma is a good option.

More advanced options would naturally be Thunderfire, Boundless Light, etc., but Qin Ming can’t find them right now.

“It’s difficult to master!” Qin Ming could get the hang of ordinary techniques in half a day, and more complex ones in two or three days, but he had been practicing the Fire Force for five days.

He realized that this was a super composite Heavenly Light Force, which incorporated countless of the most basic single secret forces.

The “Li Huo Jin” technique doesn’t progress from simple to difficult; it directly presents the ultimate principle of melting into one furnace, which has deterred countless practitioners.

Qin Ming practiced for five consecutive days, his eyes burning red with the heat, and finally a trace of the Fire Force was born, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“It truly lives up to its reputation as a remarkable skill. The early stages of the Fire Force were quite ingenious. It was worth all the time I spent on it.”

Qin Ming was fairly satisfied. The Li Huo Jin could kill enemies and also form a layer of Li Huo Divine Light around his body, providing excellent defensive effects.

“Huh? Thunder again!” He jumped up, rushed to the ground, and ran towards Crimson Cloud Mountain.

These past few days, whenever he heard thunder, he would run to Crimson Cloud Mountain and wait near the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, but each time it would just rumble a few times and then be over, without him missing anything.

“Lightning is flashing across the night sky, very close to the mountaintop!” Qin Ming exclaimed excitedly. What others feared as thunder and lightning was, in his eyes, a powerful spiritual elixir.

This time, no large-scale spectacular phenomenon occurred. In the end, only three bolts of lightning struck, carrying the light of the sky, shattering the golden palace in the dark night, causing golden rays to scatter and fireballs to roll, illuminating the entire place.

“Ouch, that really hurts!”

Standing alone in the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, Qin Ming finally understood why many people only dared to try the first thunderfire of early spring, because it was relatively mild.

“The spiritual matter is not as abundant as in early spring, but the sunlight is even more intense.” This was his personal experience, but he was not disappointed. Despite the excruciating pain, he showed a bright smile.

Because this is extremely beneficial for him to practice the Fire Separation Sutra.

After the three bolts of lightning and fire passed, he stretched his body here, having fully grasped the essence of the Fire Separation Scripture, and no longer needed to endure the harsh environment of the lava field.

“What a pity, there’s not enough spiritual energy. It would have been better if a dozen or so bolts of lightning had rained down.” Qin Ming was covered in black, but he was full of energy and drove away in the heavy rain.

“That kid disguised himself and entered the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall again? He’s insane!” Meng Xinghai was shocked when he received the report.

He instructed a trusted aide, “Quickly find him and tell him that the miraculous power and spiritual substance have been delivered. Don’t cause any trouble.”

…

Qin Ming’s killing of the masked woman in black and the death of an Outer Saint in the desert would naturally not have happened without making a sound.

In places beyond the secular world, people have been discussing it.

“It’s probably because a master from Crimson Cloud City appeared and saved Qin Ming. We don’t need to worry about it now. Next, everyone’s attention will be on us. People from all the sects and blessed lands will come to compete for that artifact that can bring us closer to immortality. I’m actually a little nervous.”

“That’s true. In a remote place, a mere newcomer who can only break through the barrier by relying on physical mutation, if we don’t pay attention to him, he will never come into our sight again. He is now from a different world than us. Let’s put the past grudges aside for now.”