Chapter 109: Aftermath

In midair.

Puff! A staggered figure suddenly teleported beyond the range of the lightning.

Lin Zi Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, drenched in it, his body charred inside and out, his eyes filled with deep wariness.

He was still trembling with fear, haunted by the near-death experience.

Had he not possessed a substitution spell, he would have been reduced to ashes like the other two.

Lin Zi Xiao turned back and cast a long, deep look at Qin Ming, then, dragging his grievously wounded body, vanished in a streak of black aura.

Qin Ming was startled—still alive?

He had clearly seen Lin Zi Xiao inside the lightning suddenly turn into a paper doll that burned to ash.

Then instantly escaped beyond the range of the spell’s attack.

His methods were truly unimaginable.

Qin Ming’s spiritual sense left his body and swept over the battlefield.

But he was frustrated to discover that, under that single strike,

the Elder Gu and the green-robed old man, along with their storage bags, had been obliterated—nothing left but dust. Qin Ming curled his lips. “Ah! What a waste.”

The commotion here was considerable; others would surely arrive soon.

He had personally slain that old bastard, Elder Gu, and felt unprecedented relief.

It was a matter finally settled.

Qin Ming immediately activated his flying shuttle and vanished from the spot.

“What happened?”

“What was that golden lightning?”

“So terrifying—was someone undergoing Tribulation Crossing?”

“What are you thinking? Lei Jie only occurs when breaking through to Jin Dan.”

Some cultivators near Qingyang Market looked up at the sky, all filled with shock and suspicion.

As Qin Ming piloted his flying shuttle past Qingyang Market, the scene there had become unrecognizable.

The once-bustling market had been reduced to ruins.

Rubble and broken walls lay everywhere, saturated with the stench of blood; the market’s iconic buildings—Mingzhen Pavilion, Juxuan Pavilion—had all collapsed.

The spirit fields surrounding Qingyang Market had been stripped bare, leaving a desolate wasteland.

Qin Ming’s Cool Cottage had also been leveled by spells; even the original two mu of medicinal fields had been blasted into a massive crater.

“Ah~” He sighed inwardly.

Had he not labored to cultivate and farm his way to late Qi Refining, and amassed several powerful trump cards,

he himself might have been caught up in this chaos, with no guarantee of survival.

Inside the ruined Qingyang Market, blood hung thick in the air; only scattered cultivators were cleaning up the battlefield.

The cultivators of the Seven Powers and Lingyu Sect had vanished.

They were probably united to crush Lingyu Sect.

As for how the battle turned out, it was none of his concern.

Qin Ming ceased watching and activated his flying shuttle, speeding away.

…

Half an hour later.

Qin Ming returned to Yunmeng Mountain.

As a distinguished guest of Jingxue Pavilion, the guards bowed to him upon seeing him and immediately let him pass.

Through the emerald bamboo grove, Qin Ming headed straight for Gu Qingzhao’s cave dwelling.

After sending her a message,

the outer seals dissolved, and Gu Qingzhao stepped out in a plain white robe, her sleeves fluttering gracefully, her demeanor elegant and composed.

“Qin Daofriend, you returned so quickly?” Gu Qingzhao’s voice was as calm as water, clear as a bell.

“It’s good you’re safe.”

She had already learned of everything that had transpired outside, and faintly, there seemed to be a trace of worry in her tone.

Qin Ming smiled lightly. “Indeed. But Qingyang Market is destroyed—I’ll have to trouble you for a few days.”

“No problem. I’ll have someone arrange a top-tier guest room for you. You may rest assured.”

“No matter how chaotic things get outside, no one would dare cause trouble here,” Gu Qingzhao said, her face as frosty as snow, her tone radiating unquestionable confidence.

Qin Ming believed her without doubt.

After all, he had personally witnessed the heavenly and earth-shaking Dao art of Huangfu Qi, one of Jingxue Pavilion’s Three Protectors.

An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would stand no chance against him.

That was a true powerhouse!

Afterwards,

Gu Qingzhao warmly invited Qin Ming into her cave to drink tea.

The furnishings were exquisitely refined, ancient and elegant, simple and unadorned yet graceful.

Gu Qingzhao moved gently, unhurriedly, brewing Qin Ming a cup of Lingwu Tea.

“Qin Daofriend, please.”

Qin Ming smiled faintly, lifted the teacup, and took a sip.

“By the way, Gu Daofriend, how is the current situation?”

Gu Qingzhao seemed to anticipate the question, replying sweetly and softly: “To be honest, Qin Daofriend, you left Lingyu Sect just in time—if you hadn’t, you’d have been drawn into the next battle.”

“What? Next battle?” Qin Ming asked, utterly confused.

Gu Qingzhao explained slowly: “Last night, Yuwen Hong of Lingyu Sect secretly completed his Jin Dan Lei Jie and broke through to the Jin Dan realm.”

“Though Jingxue Pavilion had received rumors and caught faint traces, we never expected him to actually succeed.”

“Didn’t the Seven Powers try to stop him?” Qin Ming asked, puzzled.

Gu Qingzhao nodded. “Yuwen Hong is truly a prodigy. With a Metal Heavenly Spirit Root, when Lei Jie descended, no one dared approach.”

“It was fate. The tide of destiny.”

“Now, Lingyu Sect will establish its sect around that third-rank spirit vein, and its overall strength will rise a full tier.”

“In the near future, it will rival Lei Yuanzong in the Wei Kingdom’s cultivation world.”

Qin Ming inwardly marveled—Lingyu Sect wasn’t doomed after all; it had risen from the ashes.

“One mountain cannot hold two tigers. The two sects will soon erupt into fiercer conflict.”

“Those who once struck Lingyu Sect when it was down will have a hard time ahead.”

…

After speaking at length with Gu Qingzhao,

Qin Ming returned to the guest room assigned to him.

He took out the items he had acquired from the ruins and began studying them carefully.

First was the animal-skin scripture, which recorded the subsequent cultivation methods of the Hundred Treasures Luminous Scripture.

Qin Ming had already cultivated it to the eighth layer; reaching the ninth layer would allow true Gang to manifest externally.

Beyond that, upon achieving Foundation Establishment through the body, his blood qi and true Gang would further transform into the legendary state of true Gang taking form.

But after reaching bodily Foundation Establishment, the spiritual materials required to enhance blood qi would be of higher grade and vastly greater quantity.

Even supreme-grade Blood Locust Rice might no longer suffice.

Qin Ming would need to find higher-grade spiritual plants.

He was still far from reaching the ninth layer, so there was no rush to plant.

Supreme-grade Blood Locust Rice was sufficient to carry him through to perfecting the ninth layer of the Hundred Treasures Luminous Scripture.

Qin Ming put away the animal-skin scripture.

Then he took out the jade vial containing the blue spiritual flame and studied it again.

He had combed through all available texts and found no record of this flame.

Qin Ming had no choice but to store it away for now, to verify its nature later.

Afterwards,

he unrolled a long map and spread it flat on the table.

A scroll of mountains and rivers unfolded before Qin Ming.

Next,

Qin Ming needed to decide where to farm.

(End of Chapter)