Chapter 31: Penetrating the Night

For a moment, Qin Ming felt as if his heart had been seen through. The fire that had swallowed his entire village two years ago seemed to burn from his memory into reality. The scorching heat, the pungent smell of charring, the broken walls, the corpses everywhere, and the ethereal youth in feather garments—all of it resurfaced.

But the moment he turned around, he had already regained his composure, his mind at peace.

Although the woman before him had seen his wretched and embarrassed state when he was near death two years ago, it was impossible for her to know his true experiences. If they had shared more history, it would be impossible for them to have stayed near Silver Vine Town this whole time without meeting again until today.

With a sincere expression, Qin Ming said, "Please, Miss Xie, tell me what happened. Who was taking care of me back then? As you might have seen, I suffered a severe head injury and have no memory of that period."

Xie Lingxi plunged her three-meter-long greatsword into the ground and glanced back at him. "Back then, a man and a woman were traveling with you. They looked to be in their early thirties. From what I overheard, they thought you wouldn't make it and were prepared to let you fend for yourself in the end."

Qin Ming pondered this, whispering to himself, "If I was almost dying, why did they still carry me such a long distance?"

Xie Lingxi’s black hair was over seven feet long, and her features were sharp and well-defined. Her beautiful eyes were as bright as starlight as she said, "I only overheard a few sentences from a distance. They wanted to take you to a remote area, far away from the radiant cities. They felt that if you could survive, it would be best for you to take root here."

At that moment, a slender maid came to serve tea. The two cups on the tray were drastically different in size. She spoke up, "Back then, my lady gave your group a pill to nourish your qi and blood. Although it wasn't extremely precious, it was an act of kindness."

"Ah, thank you... Miss Xie." Qin Ming immediately bowed. She had performed a kindness without mentioning it; if this maid hadn't come to the backyard, he never would have known.

"You may leave," Xie Lingxi said with a wave of her hand, not letting the pretty maid say anything more.

Qin Ming clasped his hands and asked, "Could Miss Xie please try to recall any other details from that day? I would be deeply grateful."

"You were in rags back then, and covered in blood. I could tell that even if your clothes had been new, they would have been quite ordinary."

Qin Ming nodded. During his Second Rebirth, he had seen his younger self wearing small, patched clothes. It wasn't surprising that his teenage self hadn't lived a wealthy life. He just didn't understand why he had attracted a lethal disaster that caused his entire village to be consumed by fire.

After thinking for a moment, Xie Lingxi said, "The two people with you were mainly here to investigate the Spiritual Mountains activated by the Sky Light in this region. Since they discussed wanting you to take root in a remote place, they likely just brought you along as they traveled this way."

She explained that their groups had only happened across each other twice. Her current information was based on her recollections and guesses from the few simple words those two had exchanged while hurrying along.

Qin Ming couldn't help but fall into a daze upon hearing this. What was his relationship with that man and woman? They didn't seem particularly close, yet they had saved him.

At the same time, what was the story behind the Spiritual Mountains activated by the Sky Light? He wanted to ask, but felt it would be rude to press for too much information.

...

"Heh heh heh." In the smaller guest room of the front courtyard, a Purple-eyed Crow was laughing. Looking at the woman wrapped in a black fur cloak, it said, "Those two boys took you for the young lady of the Xie family. Ga ga ga..."

"Your laughter is hideous!" The woman extended a long, slender finger, pointing toward the crow with a hazy light. It immediately took flight, nimbly dodging the move.

The Purple-eyed Crow said, "I didn't expect such a remote area to produce two decent talents. I feel that if that foul-mouthed boy with the illness recovers completely and restores his foundation, he will also be quite extraordinary."

The woman spoke, "That boy who doesn't know how to speak properly already has a master. I can tell someone is using extraordinary methods to help regulate his body."

The crow continued, "They say that when the Sky Light pierced the night sky two years ago, this area was the dimmest among the dozens of blessed regions, receiving very little spiritual radiance. But that might not be the case at all, seeing as we've encountered two fairly decent youths in the nearby villages."

The woman took a shallow sip of tea and said, "My teacher is a man of immense learning; his intuition should be accurate. The Sky Light from two hundred years ago likely never erupted here, accumulating until now. Now that two different colors of Sky Light have merged, the special products born here will likely be quite startling!"

Lowering the brim of her cloak's hood, the woman stood up. "It's time to go. Senior Brother Xie will be busy today. I didn't expect his daughter to take matters into her own hands back then and follow the Giant Spirit Path without permission. It’s giving him a massive headache now."

...

In the end, Qin Ming couldn't help but ask the noble lady before him.

She had no obligation to clear his confusion. If she refused, he would just leave; as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was fine.

Xie Lingxi said, "After the sun set, it never rose again. The moon and the stars in the sky all disappeared. Sky Light is the light that unexpectedly penetrates the night curtain. It appears once every few decades or centuries without any pattern. Its occurrence is extraordinary and can cause rare products to be born near where it falls."

Qin Ming thanked her sincerely. She didn't put on airs and had told him directly.

"Miss Xie is beautiful and even more kind-hearted. Not like..." He started to say, noticing that if Xie Lingxi were scaled down proportionally, her face would only be the size of a palm, possessing a body with golden proportions. It was only because she followed the Giant Spirit Path that everything about her was much larger than a normal person.

"Not like what?" Xie Lingxi asked.

"Not like some people who, if you accidentally glance at them once, will glare back at you twice," Qin Ming said casually.

"You're not talking about my Junior Aunt in the front courtyard, are you?" Xie Lingxi looked surprised.

Outside the Old Noble's manor, the woman's figure paused for a moment. The Purple-eyed Crow flying low in the air let out a laugh: "Ga ga ga..."

"You're annoying!"

...

Qin Ming didn't feel right mooching a meal at the Old Noble's house. He felt he had gained a lot today, and the information alone made the trip worthwhile.

As he approached Twin Tree Village, he was still reflecting on Xie Lingxi's words, pondering them for a long time.

"I believe that as I undergo my third Rebirth, those lost memories will eventually be recovered," he whispered, his gaze firm.

Qin Ming realized that the Old Noble was quite extraordinary. His daughter was very strong, standing nearly five meters tall at a young age, which meant she had traveled very far on the Giant Spirit Path.

"Of the two who brought me here, the woman had a red mole in her right eyebrow, and the man had exceptionally long arms. I wonder if they will come to the mountains to harvest the products from the special Nodes this time," Qin Ming mused.

At the same time, he had learned that Flowing Light City was quite large and located very far from here.

Soon, news came from Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing: they would enter the mountains in two days!

There was now confirmed news that the high-level officials of Crimson Cloud City had reached an agreement with the high-level beings in the mountains. The territory previously expanded by the Heteromorphs would be completely abandoned.

Places where people from outside the mountains used to hunt and gather herbs could now be entered freely.

However, if one wanted to go deeper and explore the dangerous zones of the mountains, they would have to rely on their own abilities.

Naturally, the high-level beings promised they wouldn't hunt humans in secret, but there were plenty of other dangerous creatures in the mountains, so the people from outside would have to look out for themselves.

The high-level officials of Crimson Cloud City made the same promise: they wouldn't hunt in secret either.

Clearly, even after both sides drove away the external group of high-level beings, the mountains would not become peaceful. Even if the top powers didn't engage in bloody hunting, there were still the old fogies from various families and other terrifying Heteromorphs in the mountains who would clash in the areas where the Night Fog was thickest.

As long as one went deep, bloody conflicts were inevitable, regardless of one's identity or background.

"I can lead the way, but only in the outer regions. I won't set foot in those unknown areas!" Qin Ming immediately informed Mu Qing and the others.

"Sigh, we don't dare to risk going deep either. That's the territory of the old fogies; it's going to be a bloodbath," Mu Qing, Cao Long, and Wei Zhirou said with a sigh.

Most importantly, many people from other regions had rushed over. Even the outer regions weren't that safe anymore.

Because the news had spread: rare products had already been born in some special Nodes and were ready for harvest.

Over the next two days, Qin Ming witnessed various movements from all parties.

Not only the influential newcomers, but even the local organizations were actively mobilizing—such as the Three-Eye Cult and Golden Chicken Ridge.

The Three-Eye Cult was very mysterious. It was said to have members in distant cities, and the branch here was just a local outpost.

Normally, the local members of this cult loved to use the influence of their superiors to pressure others. Before a conflict, they would always proactively tell others they were from the Three-Eye Cult and had top-tier experts backing them, telling the others to weigh the consequences.

But today they had changed their tune. Someone came to speak with Xu Yueping, and they weren't as crude as before.

"We're all locals. If we find something special, we should share information. Local rare products should naturally stay with us locals. Look, that mountain is right there; it will never move. it will accompany us for a lifetime, and even when we die, we will sleep beside it. The Three-Eye Cult is rooted here, just as eternal as that mountain, and will exist forever..."

Old Man Liu looked at the man with a scar on his face and couldn't listen any longer. "Scarface the Second, you'd be better off being as blunt as you used to be. You should be rolling up your sleeves, stabbing a knife into the table, and putting your foot on a stool to threaten us—telling us that if we find a special Node in the mountains, we better tell you, or else once the people from Crimson Cloud City leave, you'll still be here like the mountain to take revenge. Isn't that what you mean?"

"Right, that's actually what I wanted to say, but the higher-ups said not to be crude this time. As long as you get the message. I'm leaving!" Scarface the Second turned and left.

Shortly after, people from Golden Chicken Ridge also arrived. They used to be great bandits, and although they had been recruited and pacified, they were still feared by the nearby villages.

This was because the Gold Knights trained by Golden Chicken Ridge were fierce and perfect for assassinations in the forest. Their golden Ground-runners corresponded to secondary Mutated Creatures, and combined with the rider on their back, they were extremely dangerous.

...

"It's almost time to enter the mountain..." You Liangyun sat in a quiet room. On the table before him was a jade jar containing some kind of Spiritual Matter. After consuming it, he could undergo his Second Rebirth. There were still two days before entering the mountain, which was enough time for his life level to fully ascend.

Originally, he didn't want to move so quickly because he wanted to further temper his Rebirth foundation.

But now his expression shifted between coldness and hesitation. If he couldn't follow that woman to Flowing Light City, he truly wouldn't be satisfied.

"You've investigated everything, right?" You Liangyun asked the person outside the quiet room.

"Yes, it's all clear. After entering the mountain, it's best not to look for him for the first two days. He'll likely be with Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others. Once that group is familiar with the terrain, we can probably go find him."

"Good!"

Two days later, the various groups began to enter the mountain.

To Qin Ming's speechless disbelief, Old Man Liu was clad in armor, carrying a thick-backed cleaver, and sitting atop that large, earthen-yellow dog he raised.

He wasn't the only one. Yang Yongqing carried twin sabers and rode on the back of a black mountain goat that was taller than an adult's shoulder, acting as a Black Goat Knight.

"Into the mountains!" Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, Mu Qing, and the others set off with their teams. They were just a small part of the young contingent from Crimson Cloud City; there were many more large units from the major organizations and families.

"Watch out! There are people here! Two-legged beasts spotted!" Not long after they entered the mountain, a Speech Sparrow shouted from above their heads.

This was a type of bird that could speak human language. It was incredibly clever and flew extremely fast. It was now sounding the alarm for the creatures in the mountain.

The keywords were "people" and "two-legged beasts"; the mutated Heteromorphs in the mountain understood these two terms.

"Shoot it down!" Cao Long ordered.

"There's a whole big bunch of two-legged beasts here, bigger than a three-meter-tall bear!" Without a doubt, this Speech Sparrow had mutated. It wasn't just passing news to the mountain's Heteromorphs; it was also feeding information to other human teams, hoping to provoke internal strife.

Hearing this, Cao Long was furious and personally drew his bow.

...

Rumble!

Suddenly, five-colored haze shot into the sky from deep within the mountains, shocking everyone. They had only just entered, yet the most mysterious product was already maturing and about to emerge?!

"My Mountain God! A five-colored Haze-Illuminated Land has appeared directly! Charge!"