CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 315: STATUS AND VARIABLES

The Fire Spring trickled gently, the forestland was misty, and the fragrance of wildflowers and the freshness of grass flowed in the night fog.

The water in the cauldron boiled, with the flood dragon meat gleaming and glowing with a rosy hue, its rich aroma wafting around, making the couple feel delighted as they dined.

Qin Ming said, "The environment of the Shenshang Plain is quite special, making it easy for strange blood creatures to emerge."

Last time, although he faced danger several times in the fringe area, the gains were indeed substantial.

Undoubtedly, in the depths of the Shenshang Plain, there are species of strange blood with even higher value.

As night deepened, Yu Gen Sheng was the first to leave, saying, "Ah, getting old, can’t stay up like you young folks, I’ll head back first."

Flood dragon meat is a great tonic, but for someone at the Fifth Realm like him, it wasn’t much.

Qin Ming, Li Qingyue, Wu Yaizu, and the others were all full of vigor at this moment, with every pore of their bodies opening wide, a rosy glow flowing out.

Soon, they all sat down cross-legged, taking this food tonic as an opportunity to practice their skills.

"Qing Yue, I’ll pass you the Diamond Sutra," Qin Ming spoke.

"I have always been practicing the Immortal Willow Golden Body Technique, and this sutra suits me very well." As a top-grade immortal seed, Li Qingyue was naturally versatile and also practiced some protective body techniques.

Nevertheless, Qin Ming still passed it on to her and also researched her incredibly flexible and defensive Immortal Path Scripture.

Both of them verified with each other and gained considerable insights.

The Immortal Willow Golden Body Technique is famous in the Outer World, and practitioners like Jiang Ran and Leng Feiyue also practice it, indicating its true value.

After all, Jiang Ran is the number one of his generation in Immortal Soil, and Leng Feiyue is a direct descendant of the Tuo Lu Monster, Leng Mingkong.

"Brother Ming, Da Xiang and I will head back first, you continue to spar at your leisure." Wu Yaizu dragged Xiang Yiwu, who was still reluctant and wanted to practice while having a few more bites of flood dragon meat, away.

"Why are they fighting?" Xiao Wu observed from a distance, unsure of what to say.

He had a sharp eye, giving the two space to gather separately, resulting in the forestland swiftly filled with Heavenly Light and Consciousness Spiritual Light intertwining as they sparred.

"Qin Ming seemed to have used the Five Elements Sacred Slaughter, hidden within the Five Elements Light Wheel." Xiang Yiwu observed carefully.

Later, they discovered that when Qin Ming was using the Black and White Scripture, he vaguely employed the Yin Yang Heavenly Light Map.

Wu Yaizu marveled, saying, "Fairy Li is indeed overly formidable, forcing Brother Ming to show his true skills."

In the soft rosy-hued forestland, the two were quite restrained, neither the Heavenly Light Force nor the Consciousness Spiritual Light burst into the night sky but only slightly projected outside their bodies.

They moved swiftly like lightning, their figures ethereal like immortals, yet they didn’t cause much commotion.

They were merely testing moves and sparring, not engaging in a real battle.

Qin Ming already knew that Li Qingyue, at the Third Realm—Harmony, had already achieved perfection and could break through to a higher level at any time.

The Immortal Road begins with the Harmony Realm when one needs to "Cross Tribulation" or undergo a mysterious "immortal fire" baptism, transforming their consciousness into Pure Yang, gradually acquiring the Immortal Attribute.

The so-called crossing tribulation involves the Consciousness Spiritual Light detaching and entering the pitch-black firmament, enduring various otherworldly lights’ erosion and tempering.

Generally, even for immortal seeds crossing tribulations, elders need to accompany and watch over them.

Because, beyond the clouds, within the depths of the firmament, there are many mysterious and unknown dangers, easily leading to various shifts and surprises.

Occasionally, unforeseeable disasters could even occur out there.

People on the Immortal Road are confident because, starting from the Third Realm either in crossing tribulation or attempting an initial baptism of "immortal fire," both experiences are terrifying but can lead to astonishing transformations.

After sparring and exchanging insights with Li Qingyue, Qin Ming grew more solemn, recognizing the formidable means of the Immortal Road.

Meanwhile, he also marveled that each realm name on the Immortal Road had origins and significance.

By comparison, those realm names on the Newborn Road indeed seemed somewhat "Back to basic."

Li Qingyue said, "The Six Realms of the Immortal Road: Heart Pavilion, Yellow Court, Harmony, Bao Pu, Pure Yang, Seeking Truth, starting from the Third Realm Harmony, every realm is like ascending to heaven, and the range of advancement after breaking a major barrier is vast."

Qin Ming nodded, saying, "Are you about to enter the Fourth Realm?"

"Mm, the Furnace of Eight Trigrams carries a vague consciousness, telling me that under this Immortal Tomb lies something it finds a bit familiar, it would be best if I break into the Fourth Realm."

Li Qingyue, dressed in white, gazed at the boundless night sky, her black hair and attire fluttering in the evening wind as if ready to ride the wind to ascend far and wide.

...

Shallow Night arrived, with massive ships continually setting sail.

Yu Gen Sheng too was leaving and had proactively suggested returning first, worried about his old partner Zhao Ziyan, eager to reach the Shenshang Plain quickly.

In the battle in the desert, his injuries were minor, except for the sparse hair strands on his head that didn’t survive under the opponent’s thunder light, which really annoyed him.

"Xiao Qin, don’t rush, take good care of your injuries here and leave with Elder Jin Yuan of the Five Elements Palace. His injuries are not light, and he will set off at night, you can consult with him regarding Five Elements issues."

Qin Ming originally intended to set off with him, but upon hearing this, his heart was moved, and he agreed.

He had successfully integrated the legendary Five Elements Sacred Slaughter, just the right opportunity to exchange insights with such a senior in the field.

Soon, he learned that Jin Yuan was severely injured in this battle, with his body having been split apart more than once, requiring days of recuperation.

That day, many people embarked on their return journey, even Li Qingyue and the others like Jiang Ran departed on a ship.

It’s still uncertain whether there’s a war on the Shenshang Plain because it’s too far away, making it difficult for news to travel, and no one knows the real-time situation.

"Qin Ming, come aboard my spaceship," Helian Yaoqing said with a charming smile, still dressed in men’s attire, her black hair reaching her waist, lips red, teeth white, and exuding a debonair aura.

After the battle Qin Ming had in the desert, showcasing extraordinary combat power, she no longer mentioned having him by her side, rather suggesting they could be partners in the future.

"I’m too injured, I need a few more days of rest," Qin Ming replied with a smile.

Helian Yaoqing gave a gentle smile and said, "I have treasure medicine and maids who are the best at taking care of people. If we set out early, your injuries will heal faster."

Not far away, Helian ZhaoYu was watching this scene, and the veins on his forehead threatened to pop out; his cousin truly didn’t care about his feelings.

As Cheng Cheng, the prominent figure of the Divine Seed of the Esoteric Buddhism, was leaving, he greeted him, "Brother, you did quite impressively this time. When shall we have an exchange? Don’t worry, I won’t use my higher realm to pressure you; we’ll spar on the same level."

"Alright, I’ll wait until I’ve healed." Qin Ming nodded, indeed quite interested in the methods of the Esoteric Buddhism.

Before Pei Shuyan left, he also came over to say a few words after seeing him.

Undoubtedly, Qin Ming, standing in the Second Realm, but defeating a seed of the Third Realm, had quite the shining battle record, which indeed made an impact, at least greatly attracting the younger generation’s attention.

Helian ZhaoYu had just boarded the ship and hadn’t left yet, but some people already didn’t care about his gaze.

Especially after the large ship of the Helian family sailed away, even more people came over to chat with Qin Ming. After a single battle, his status and position seemed to have been raised a notch.

Qin Ming decided to convert the Vajra Fruit into his own strength in the near future, to continue maintaining this momentum of constant strength enhancement.

After the bloody battle in the desert, without even realizing it, he had met many people, including young nobles of the Three Great Dynasties and seeds of the Immortal Path, Esoteric Buddhism, and Newborn Road.

Moreover, the young generations of thousand-year-old families he originally knew, whose relations had cooled for two years, had now warmed up again.

"The Thunder King Bird is seriously injured? Here is a Medicine Powder for high-level Exotic Birds with a Thunder Attribute, it can help it recover sooner." Before leaving, the Fourth Princess of Great Yu had her personal maid send over a bottle of potion.

Qin Ming was very grateful for this. Without this mount, he definitely wouldn’t have achieved such a high battle record, and when facing the sneak attacks from the old guys of the Fourth Realm, he might not have been able to dodge smoothly.

The Thunder King Bird, with wings of a purple sheen, felt much better after consuming the Medicine Powder.

Initially, when it was requisitioned by Yao Ruoxian, leaving its original young noble owner, it was very dissatisfied, rebellious.

However, upon witnessing this new master taking down early Third Realm hunters one by one with a single strike, it became immediately compliant.

Later on, it completely submitted, its eyes lighting up every time it looked at Qin Ming.

A major event occurred in the desert that day.

The Ancestor Masters, who stayed behind, engaged in an intermittent and vague exchange with the Earth Immortal sealed in the main tomb, achieving a breakthrough.

That night, they couldn’t wait to excavate a small ancient tomb, which was insignificant compared with the large tombs as tall as mountains.

Throughout the process, they used thirty-six Divine Stakes to suppress the area, exercising considerable caution.

Soon, the Ancestor Masters were excited.

"This... pertains to space runes!"

Even the old monsters, who wouldn’t bat an eye if Feixian Mountain collapsed in front of them, smiled, their faces filled with excitement.

Below the ancient tomb lay a mysterious stone Immortal platform densely inscribed with numerous Immortal Runes.

"Comparing with the Stone Altar discovered in the Kunleng Territory, there’s likely going to be new progress; this Earth Immortal is truly generous with his good artifacts."

"He said this stone platform is related to his homeland, probably hoping we’d decipher and activate it for him."

Five days later, three spaceships simultaneously ascended, and Qin Ming embarked on his journey home.

Elder Jin Yuan’s patched-up body from the Five Elements Palace had healed well; although not fully recovered, he was battle-ready in case of unexpected events.

Qin Ming traveled with this pale-faced old man.

During this period, he visited the elder, and the two got along well. If it weren’t for Jin Yuan’s poor condition, Qin Ming would have already been inquiring about various Five Elements issues.

"The myriad things of the world can almost all be encompassed within the Five Elements..." Two days into the journey, Jin Yuan’s torn Spiritual Field had also nearly healed, and he began to discuss the Five Elements with Qin Ming.

The Night Fog was thick, and the world was devoid of light.

On this return journey, ninety percent of the territories were without light, extremely dark without the Fire Spring, and without knowing the routes or possessing special positioning secret treasures, one could easily get lost.

Qin Ming increasingly realized how difficult it was for low-realm cultivators to venture into the depths of the Yewu World alone.

Frequently there were tens of thousands of miles without a single light, resembling an abyss, and these areas were not few; some straight-line areas stretched for a million miles where you couldn’t see your hand, making it very easy to get trapped.

Coupled with the unknown creatures and dangers along the way, there was simply no way to survive.

"Some substances are not among the Five Elements, some Dharma cannot be controlled by the Five Elements, how is this resolved?" Qin Ming humbly inquired on the large ship.

"The Five Elements seek change," Jin Yuan responded.

Suddenly, the pitch-dark sky cracked open, a dazzling light shot down, appearing to cleave the entire Yewu World.

Jin Yuan abruptly stood up and said, "In this... region, does even a word have to be acted upon? Could it be that outside the Five Elements, a twist of fate descends?"

From the firmament, a brilliant light cascaded down, accompanied by boundless white fog, forming a massive channel, a sight truly terrifying, with great commotion.