The night enveloped the mountain range, and the Golden Rooster Ridge was covered with a blanket of pure white snow. A vibrant red fire spring gushed forth, its flames dancing wildly.
An old man stood there, his silver hair as white as snow, with a pale face that brought to mind a humble scholar. At first glance, he lacked the ferocious air of a bandit. However, when he opened his eyes wide in anger, the aura around him transformed completely.
A layer of light appeared around his body, tinged with a faint blood-red hue. This was the sanguine aura from having committed numerous murders, one that even his lifetime of cultivation in the Heavenly Light Technique could not cleanse away.
In the darkness, by the fire spring, Qin Ming, clad in a robe of blue, appeared fresh and untainted, like someone from another realm. His aura emanated a sense of tranquility and clarity from head to toe.
With a thunderous crack, the snow beneath the old man's feet exploded. He seemed to transform into a fierce eagle, leaping nearly ten meters in a heartbeat, closing the distance in a flash.
Simultaneously, from his flowing sleeves, a pitch-black ruler revealed itself, slicing through the air in a forceful arc toward the boy before him, resembling a bolt of black lightning.
In response, Qin Ming swung the long-handled black gold hammer in his right hand with ferocity. The entire mountaintop trembled, producing a sound akin to an explosive blast.
The old man's swift approach resulted in a quick retreat as he was struck by the heavy hammer. He was sent flying like a rag doll, crashing into a dilapidated wooden house, which shattered upon impact, debris scattering everywhere.
The old man was astonished. He was a Golden Bandit, having killed countless foes, yet he had never met such a fierce young man. Although he appeared ethereal in his blue robe, brandishing a large hammer had sent him, a seasoned practitioner, soaring backwards several meters.
Was this really a youth of flesh and blood? He began to suspect he had encountered a monster from the mountains.
Qin Ming's eyes were serene, his clothes billowing in the night wind. The orange glow from the fire spring illuminated his handsome face and glossy black hair, giving him an almost otherworldly presence.
Unfazed, he had anticipated the old man's moves. The bandit had failed to notice him in the ruined wooden house until he approached closely; hence, he couldn’t have reached a higher realm of awareness.
"The Golden Bandits of the new birth, is this all you amount to?” He stepped forward, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet, each step full of grace.
The old man, confronted by such a striking youth, felt as if he were facing a massive beast, slowly closing in on him from the dark.
The feeling was suffocating. What was meant to be a moment of remembrance had unexpectedly turned into a life-and-death crisis. He glanced down at his sturdy black ruler, forged from fine gold… and saw that it had bent. What monstrous strength is this, he wondered, that it could send him flying?
Suddenly, Qin Ming took the initiative and charged forward with the hammer in hand, moving through the snow without leaving a trace, like a whisper of wind.
With a thunderous boom, a wave of white energy erupted from him. The hammer swung, lifting the surrounding snow into the air, while the shabby houses disintegrated into splinters.
The old man attempted to dodge but realized his speed paled in comparison to the young man's. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself for impact.
When they clashed, a resounding clang echoed, his black ruler deformed under the force, and despite his protective heavenly light, his hand suffered a deep gash, blood gushing out.
He was propelled back sixteen meters, crashing through a complete wooden house.
By the fire spring, Qin Ming spoke, "Is this all that the Golden Bandits of seven new lives can muster? Just over four thousand pounds of strength? Your seventh rebirth, I presume, was aided by forbidden drugs.”
The old man’s pupils constricted. He had heard that Ge Qianxun had perished, yet here was the youth who had done the deed right before his eyes!
He discarded his unusable ruler, fixing his gaze on his opponent. The boy seemed infused with celestial capabilities, yet wielded a hammer so heavy that it felt like a rupture in time and space.
Before long, the youthful celestial lifted his hammer again, covering nearly ten meters in a single stride, crashing down upon the old man. Boom! The ground erupted, and the wooden houses collapsed in a shower of debris.
The old man coughed up blood, his clothing ripped apart, the inner armor clanging ominously, and he felt his body convulsing, blood trickling from his orifices—an agonizing sight.
His hands trembled; he had just unleashed the strongest strike of his life, barely managing to block that heavy hammer with his palms.
"Interesting," Qin Ming mused, glancing at the faint handprint left on the black gold hammer.
He then tossed the hammer aside and approached, feeling confident he could finish the old man off, but chose to test out his recent learnings instead.
"Do you know how the bandits of Golden Rooster Ridge got wiped out? I personally sent them on their way," Qin Ming declared, igniting a spark of defiance within the old man.
The old man's spirits, which had been dampened, surged with fury, his eyes now bloodshot, his entire being charged with boiling blood and his Heavenly Light Technique swelling.
"Ah..." the old man roared, sounding like a wounded beast, "My nephew and grandson are here; you shall pay!"
With a swoosh, he leaped down the mountain, filled with determination, vowing to survive and seek bloody revenge on this youth in the future.
As the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold—even if it takes thirty years!
Qin Ming was taken aback; this wasn’t what he had anticipated. The old man had come to reminisce, but it turned out he held affection for this place yet fled faster than a rabbit when faced with danger.
Despite the old man's blood surging and his Heavenly Light Technique flaring, he eventually could not escape.
After mastering the Grass Flying Technique, Qin Ming moved as though he were riding the wind, quickly catching up to him.
"Let’s go!" The old man knew he had to resort to all his might and unleashed a fierce, desperate strike. His reactions seemed to increase dramatically as he tapped into the powers from his sixth rebirth, kindling his spirit and vitality, enhancing all his senses.
While doing so, he felt as if his blood and spirit were ablaze, consuming his very essence.
Qin Ming effortlessly extended his hand, activating the Spiral Technique, causing the old man to topple to the ground.
Feeling humiliated, the old man pushed against the ground, whipping his right leg like an iron whip aimed at the youth's head.
Without moving his feet, Qin Ming extended his right hand and with a swift motion demonstrated the Nail Technique. The armor on the old man’s calf disintegrated as if made of paper, with several fingertips piercing through his flesh.
"Ah!" he cried out, feeling as though nails had penetrated his calf, rapidly retreating.
He leaped up but stumbled; his calf could not support him any longer. His eyes turned crimson once more as he charged forward.
Qin Ming tested his hammer technique, and with a mighty thud, the old man was knocked back, his left hand mangled, fingers reduced to nothing.
"Come again!"
The old man realized that the boy was even more fearsome without the hammer. It was as if he were being tested; each of his attacks would heavily injure a seven-time rebirth practitioner. How old was this youth? How had he grasped such formidable Heavenly Light Techniques?
In an instant, the old man sensed a more terrifying technique—the Blast Technique, which Qin Ming had learned from the Thunder Fire Refining Hall.
As he defended himself, the old man's entire arm exploded.
Qin Ming realized that using the old man for practice had lost its meaning. With a final move, he unleashed the Yellow Mud Palm, with a faint yellow mist swirling around his right hand.
The old man was stunned, exclaiming, “The Yellow Mud Palm! How can someone your age have mastered it?”
He recognized the secret book of Golden Rooster Ridge as one he had left behind in his youth. Though he had barely achieved minor proficiency, he had been unable to advance further, rendering the text meaningless to him.
He could picture the events from a little over a month ago when the youth had claimed the ancient book while annihilating Golden Rooster Ridge.
The old man found it unbelievable; in such a short time, the youth couldn’t possibly reach such proficiency.
With a crash, he was caught off guard as the Yellow Mud Palm struck him; upon contact with the yellow mist, his body began to crack, before ultimately turning into a grotesque mixture of flesh and shattered bones.
At the last moment, he mumbled, “Impossible!”
His understanding of cultivation was shattered—wasn’t it said that only those who reached the Outer Sacred Stage could initially connect with the Earth’s essence?
Wrapped in the protection of the Heavenly Light Technique, Qin Ming allowed a trickle of the old man's splattered blood to remain at bay without a single drop touching him.
The night breeze swept by, his black hair dancing, his blue attire billowing. If it weren't for the heavy hammer at his feet and the pile of blood and flesh beside him, he truly would have looked ethereal.
From the moment the old man appeared to his swift downfall, the entire encounter was alarmingly brief—not even ten breaths had passed.
“Now to leave. The matter of Golden Rooster Ridge should be regarded as settled," Qin Ming exclaimed, summoning the red eagle as he stood on its back, soaring into the sky towards Shuangshu Village.
“Not good! The Golden Bandits are in Yinteng Town!” From afar, Qin Ming heard Yuque's urgent cries.
“Ah, Lord Qin, you've arrived! Four vicious men have shown up, and the two sent from Chixia City couldn’t hold them back. They managed to escape from Yinteng Town!”
A heavy feeling settled in Qin Ming's heart. It appeared that the Golden Bandits were not limited to just one or two in the Heibai Mountain region; the situation was dire.
“Let’s go take a look!” He was not charging in recklessly; he understood that the two stationed in Yinteng still hadn’t reached the level of projecting their Heavenly Light outward.
The influence of Chixia City sprawled wide, and Heibai Mountain was merely one of its domains; it was impossible for every town to house a Sacred Presence.
“The fact those two could escape means that the four Golden Bandits haven’t broken through to a higher level yet,” Qin Ming came to a conclusion.
The wind howled, and the night mist swirled as the red eagle carried him across fifty miles. Yuque chattered away, filling him in on the details.
Qin Ming’s expression grew grave, for Yinteng Town was only a few li from Shuangshu Village—truly perilous.
Soon after, the red eagle brought him near, and in the distance, he witnessed flames rising from Yinteng Town.
A few houses at the entrance had already caught fire, accompanied by raucous laughter and cries of despair.
“Golden Bandits, come here to claim your death!” Qin Ming shouted.
The red eagle landed, stirring up clouds of dust.
Qin Ming jumped off and charged straight into Yinteng Town.
Four Golden Bandits, drenched in blood, dragged two lifeless elders behind them.
Clearly, the two older experts sent from Chixia City had fled to the outskirts of the town only to be brutally killed by the four bandits. Now, their bodies were discarded into the flaming buildings, where the four vicious men laughed sinisterly.
The townsfolk were in a panic, women and children weeping as they rushed toward the town.
The four men looked up and spotted the youth charging towards them, their smiles turning into cold grins. One of them scoffed, “Kid, do you want to die too?”
The youngest among the Golden Bandits was at least sixty, while the oldest exceeded eighty. One had a beard that was streaked with the blood of his enemies, giving him an exceptionally menacing appearance.
“Uncle Hong, did you just hear the shout that echoed through the air? It sounds familiar—it’s less immature than before,” said a young man in elegant clothing, looking puzzled. This was Cui Chongyi, who had been captured by the White Owl from the Zidian Beast’s minions.
He had originally planned to venture out for experience and meet his "cousin," but due to not encountering Qin Ming, he opted to explore the Heibai Mountain region instead.
“It seems… it is him,” Cui Hong commented, his expression complex.
They were now less than a mile from Yinteng Town. Running at full speed, they soon reached the scene, witnessing the youth standing alone against the four bandits, illuminated by the fire's glow.
“Chonghe, I will assist you!” Cui Chongyi shouted from a distance.
Then, he saw Qin Ming unleash his full strength, one hand grasping an exaggeratedly large hammer while the other radiated the Heavenly Light Technique.
Boom!
One of the Golden Bandits exploded under the hammer's might!
“Ah…” Another bandit, after exchanging blows with Qin Ming, had his arm shattered and then was struck down, disintegrating completely.
“You…” The remaining two older bandits were terrified; this youth was simply too terrifying. Though they had sustained injuries, they were not defeated so easily normally.
Now that their ally had arrived, however, it seemed to only escalate the young man's power. What is this strange phenomenon?!
In Yinteng Town, the youth's speed surged again, and yet another Golden Bandit was overwhelmed, turning to dust and blood.
Next, he swung the hammer once more, obliterating the last remaining bandit.
Without looking back, he dashed deeper into Yinteng Town. Letting out a whistle, a red eagle swooped down from the sky, and he leapt onto its back, soaring into the night sky.
Just as Cui Chongyi approached the town entrance, he shouted, “Cousin, it's me! Don’t leave!”
The tall middle-aged man, Cui Hong, sighed, “He no longer trusts me; you should pursue him.”
“Chong… Qin Ming, wait for me!” Cui Chongyi called, projecting his voice into the night sky, “Some familiar faces are here. That damned Li Qingxu has also come to the Heibai Mountain to seek rare medicine. Be careful in this area!”