Chapter 32: Five-Colored Haze Radiating in All Directions

Tonight, the darkness in the mountains was thick, as if draped in a massive black curtain. Suddenly, a five-colored haze surged from deep within the mountains, instantly tearing through the night and illuminating the surroundings. The towering mountain peaks were dyed in radiant colors, and even the snow-laden trees on the branches began to glow brilliantly.

This scene shocked everyone. In the mountain range ahead, radiant mist steamed and flowed with vibrant light. In this era without a sun, such brilliance filled those who saw it with longing.

The mountains fell into utter chaos. Every expert positioned even slightly near the Haze-Illuminated Land wished they could sprout wings of lightning to fly there immediately and seize the most mysterious products of the entire mountain range.

"It's so early, yet it has actually matured!"

"Ah..."

People from all factions went into a frenzy, rushing toward the location. Even halfway there, screams rang out as people began striking from the shadows.

Amidst the vast mountains, Famed Beasts roared and rare birds took flight. Large groups of Heteromorphs also began to go mad, racing toward the light.

Deep in the mountains, the five-colored haze lingered for a long time, reaching into the depths of the pitch-black night as the dazzling light radiated in all directions.

People were well aware that these extraordinary signs were merely outward manifestations. Everything was happening because the product within the special Node had fully ripened; it was this product that was shrouded in white mist and steaming with haze, triggering the mysterious spectacle.

The ten-meter-tall Wei Mo stood on a broken cliff, gazing at the place where the five-colored mist was swirling. His dark red armor, resembling the scales of a flood dragon, clattered and erupted with crimson light. He exerted force with his feet, and with a boom, the cliff collapsed under him. Rocks tumbled and the ground shook with an astonishing momentum.

Gripping a black spear, he leaped down and ran toward the depths of the mountains.

"Brother Wei, you should stay behind." A figure in white appeared—it was the City Lord of Crimson Cloud City, Ling Xu. Holding a high status, he stood there to block the way.

"Ling Xu, you dare stop me?" Wei Mo brandished his black spear and trampled through the forest. He vanished from his spot in a single bound and reappeared abruptly, his spear tearing through a large section of the forest like a bolt of black lightning as it reached Ling Xu.

In another part of the mountains, a three-foot-long Tabby cat carrying a crimson sword was moving rapidly. Its movements were agile and silent as it avoided many Heteromorphs, heading straight for the center of the five-colored haze.

"Halt!" a Heteromorph suddenly roared, rushing over as fast as lightning. It was clearly intent on competing with the Tabby cat for the priceless, mysterious product.

A Mantis Beast appeared, arriving amidst a howling wind. All the branches blocking its path were snapped off as it forcefully blocked the Tabby cat’s way.

Its entire body was white, and while its form was similar to a mantis, it was as tall as a man and covered in snow-white fur. Its mantis-arms were long, like two serrated snow-white blades flowing with a faint mist of light.

The Tabby cat didn't waste words. It unsheathed its crimson sword, which immediately shone like the evening glow, dyeing the forest red as its sword intent shot into the night sky.

Simultaneously, blade light sliced through the night. It was like lightning interlacing in the deep forest; under the impact of the invisible blade force, rows of tall trees fell, and some even exploded into fragments.

...

The old Yellow weasel, who usually rode a donkey in a leisurely and steady manner, had abandoned its mount today. It moved atop the canopies of various trees with extreme speed, looking like a streak of snow-white lightning.

"Hmm?" It suddenly stopped, standing atop a several-dozen-meter-tall Larch. Its "left hand" was behind its back, while its "right hand" was wrapped with prayer beads as it looked up at the sky.

"The rare product in that Node is not meant for you!" A cold voice came from the night fog saturating the sky.

"It seems that besides the people from Crimson Cloud City, there are other outsiders lurking in the shadows." The old Yellow weasel spoke more than usual, which was a rare occurrence.

"Stay here!" the voice from the black clouds called out. It was clearly intending to block the old Yellow weasel, whose strength was unfathomable, to buy time for others.

The old Yellow weasel spoke: "Have you considered that even if you keep me here, your companions will also be blocked by others? You aren't the only group lurking in the shadows. It would be better to let me pass and muddy the waters."

"It's impossible to let you through. I've wanted to test your mettle for a long time. You actually teamed up with the people from Crimson Cloud City to wound my friend. Humph!" Wings emerged from the clouds, and a large claw covered in scales reached out, grabbing toward the old Yellow weasel on the ground. It truly looked like a cloud dragon extending its claw.

The old Yellow weasel’s right hand, wrapped in prayer beads, suddenly struck toward the sky. There was a thunderous boom, like a clap of thunder. A daunting beam of light, resembling terrifying lightning, twisted in the darkness with a deafening roar.

The clouds in the sky were dispersed, revealing a massive creature flapping silver wings. It was pushed back continuously by the impact, stirring up a fearsome gale.

The Larch beneath the old Yellow weasel snapped, and a large area of surrounding trees fell and exploded. The scene was terrifying. The weasel landed lightly on a mountain rock.

In the distance, it looked as if the moon were rising over the sea amidst the forest. The Moon Bug appeared and confronted the woman in feather garments, who stood atop a large green bird and flowed with hazy light. Then, the battle began.

...

"I only wish I were in my prime and standing at my peak! Then I would go deep into those mountains to fight for the rare treasures nurtured by the spiritual peaks. Alas, I can only watch, not even daring to approach. It breaks my heart!"

In the outer regions of the forest, someone shouted with a look of grief and indignation.

"Right now, you’re one of the weaker Reborn in this team. Wake up. It's hard to say if you’ll even still be around by the time you reach your prime."

In the dense forest, countless people looked on with burning envy, but after their initial impulse faded, they gradually stopped. Their strength wasn't enough to enter the deep mountains and compete for opportunities with the old monsters. That would be pure suicide.

The various teams calmed down. There was no other choice; if they let their heads stay hot, the high-level Heteromorphs and those old monsters in the mountains would help them cool down simply and efficiently until their entire bodies were stone cold.

After Cao Long stopped, he gripped his longbow and began looking for that foul-mouthed Speech Sparrow. It actually dared to use the word "pile" to describe him.

"A special Node has been discovered over here! Someone wants to keep it all for themselves!" That Speech Sparrow shouted again. It really seemed to have become a spirit; it knew how to invite trouble and wanted to lure other teams to kill their way over.

Swish, swish, swish!

One iron arrow after another flew out in a dense barrage, shooting toward the place where the Speech Sparrow's voice had come from.

"They're killing to silence me! Help! There's a special Node here, a mysterious product has been born!" The mutated Speech Sparrow fled.

"Today isn't suitable for deep exploration. Let's retreat." Mu Qing spoke. The mountains were currently a mess. With the Haze-Illuminated Land appearing, the greatest fortune was there, and the old monsters would go into a killing frenzy. No one knew how it would end; innocent people might get caught in the crossfire.

Cao Long and Wei Zhirou both nodded in agreement. Their three teams were more cautious; they would rather return empty-handed than make a mistake and lose their lives.

"Alright, we'll just familiarize ourselves with the environment in the outer areas. We won't go deep today. We'll wait until the battle among the high-levels has completely settled."

Deep in the mountains, terrifying streaks of light flashed one after another. Rare birds spread their wings to tear the night apart, and human experts let out terrifying, long howls.

The battle in the deep mountains was incredibly intense.

Dog Knight Old Man Liu, Black Sheep Knight Yang Yongqing, and the others were acting as guides, but they could move freely now because Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others had retreated to the edge to wait for the outcome of the grand battle before considering anything else.

Qin Ming was happy to have some peace. He naturally wouldn't go deep; although rare products were good, one needed to be alive to take them.

He wandered through the forest, looking for that Speech Sparrow. He had promised to catch one for little Wenrui and had never found one; the one today was mutated and seemed exceptionally clever.

Unfortunately, he didn't find it again. That mutated Speech Sparrow was too sharp; after severely offending Cao Long and the others, it had completely vanished.

Qin Ming paused for a moment, then walked toward the fissure that had once caused him to fall gravely ill. He wanted to see how this special Node was doing after the great upheaval in the mountains.

"He's left Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others. We can test his mettle now." Someone informed You Liangyun in the forest.

"Is that so? Good, let's follow him!" You Liangyun, wearing the finest armor and carrying a cold, daunting longsword, led his people rapidly through the forest.

...

Deep in the mountains, the experts' slaughter was indeed terrifying and tragic. A massive monster was heavily wounded, and the blood gushing from its neck was like a fountain, spraying outward. Its corpse shook the earth as it fell, crushing a large area of trees.

Purple light surged here like clouds filling the sky. Halberds crossed the air with dazzling cold light, and rare birds emitted striking divine haze as they traversed heaven and earth.

The center of the battlefield was like an interlacing of dense lightning. No one knew where these experts had come from; their identities were all mysterious, and they had all gone mad with killing. High-level beings had already died.

However, the battles in some areas were a bit "unusual."

In the forest, Ling Xu, dressed in white, sat on the ground. He cracked open the clay seal of a wine jar, poured himself a cup, and then threw the entire jar to Wei Mo. When the latter caught it in his hand, the entire jar was only equivalent to a wine cup.

The two drank in silence, but the long blade and the dozen-meter-long war spear in their respective hands were still being held, channeling piercing Sky Light that surged into the night sky.

In another part of the mountains, the Tabby cat also sat on the ground with its sword. Crimson haze surged from the blade. Not far away, the Mantis Beast used its serrated, blade-like forearms to slash at the night sky.

...

Qin Ming frowned. He was currently wearing beast-hide clothes, clearly looking like a young local hunter. How had he been targeted again?

He stopped because there were actually two groups in the shadows, one in front and one behind, faintly hemming him in.

One of the groups was chasing from behind and was rapidly approaching.

"Qin Ming?" You Liangyun arrived. Looking at the slender, fair-faced youth before him, he felt his temperament was indeed extraordinary. His expression was quite complicated.

Because this youth was likely the one who would block his path to further advancement.

"Who are you, and what is your intent?" Qin Ming asked, gripping his Long-handled Darkgold Hammer.

You Liangyun looked at him expressionlessly, remaining silent for a moment before finally saying, "You Liangyun of Crimson Cloud City. Someone asked me to test your mettle. Strike."

Qin Ming frowned. What was going on?

At the same time, he watched the other four people warily. Their weapons were heavy but not excessively so; they should all be Second Reborn.

"Come!"

You Liangyun gripped his longsword, which was clearly of immense value, and initiated the attack, drawing a piercing sword light in the dim forest.

Clang!

In the next moment, his palm felt a slight pain and went numb. The crystal-clear sword, like autumn water, nearly flew out of his hand.

Qin Ming didn't speak. As a First Reborn, the opponent's strength was decent; he estimated the man could lift a tripod of over six hundred catties.

Unquestionably, Qin Ming didn't erupt with power; he was holding back. He was mainly keeping an eye on the other Second Reborn.

You Liangyun attacked again, but after his sword was parried three times in a row, his right hand trembled. He let out a dejected sigh and retreated.

"My strength is inferior to yours, and my speed can't match yours either. I'm certainly no match for you." He was disappointed as he sheathed his sword. "Someone should be looking for you in the coming days. I'm leaving."

"I won, but it seems to have affected you?" Qin Ming asked.

"Since I lost to you, I'm no longer qualified to stay by that noble's side. You will replace me," You Liangyun said.

"Then what about you? Where will you go?" Qin Ming asked with a frown.

"What else can I do? Since I can't strive for advancement anymore, I can only go home and inherit my noble title." You Liangyun led his people away.

Qin Ming originally wanted to say something, but upon hearing those last words, he swallowed everything he was about to say.

"Brother You's character is indeed up to standard. It's just a pity; since you lost, you can only return to Crimson Cloud City." Qi Huaien walked out of the forest.

The departing You Liangyun stopped and turned around.

"The noble asked me to come take a look as well. Let me test him." Qi Huaien drew a long blade and walked toward Qin Ming with a faint smile.

The sound of piercing metal friction rang out. Qi Huaien struck three times in quick succession and then stopped. He shook his head and said, "A pity. You're still a bit lacking; you don't meet the noble's requirements."

"Even this isn't enough?" You Liangyun was surprised.

"Mm, the noble is looking for a Candidate. He's still a notch short. Let's go." Qi Huaien left with him.

Qin Ming found it bizarre. If he hadn't been wary of others lurking in the shadows, he would have let loose long ago. Was this Qi Huaien very strong? What right did he have to judge him like that?

Accompanying the departing You Liangyun, Qi Huaien pondered silently. Although he had been holding back, he could still feel the extraordinary nature of that youth who had only undergone Rebirth once. At the very least, he could lift a tripod of eight hundred catties. He was incredibly formidable.

"Hmm? The sound of fighting." You Liangyun looked back.

Qi Huaien said, "You guys go back first. I'll go take a look. The mountains are very chaotic right now; if he dies at someone else's hands and the noble ends up suspecting you, that wouldn't be good."

"I'll bring my men and go with you," You Liangyun said.

Qi Huaien shook his head. "My strength far exceeds that of ordinary Second Reborn. You won't be able to help. If there's danger, you'd likely just lose your lives for nothing. Go see the noble; perhaps once she sees your character is up to standard, she'll change her mind."

"Alright." You Liangyun led his men away.

Qi Huaien had a well-proportioned build and was a head taller than average. He moved through the forest like a tiger or leopard and soon arrived at the scene.

He was quite surprised as he looked at the several people in the field. "You haven't finished him off yet?"

Qin Ming gripped his Long-handled Darkgold Hammer, facing another group that had emerged from the forest. He was now certain there was no one else in the shadows.

He looked at Qi Huaien. "You Liangyun didn't want to kill me, but you want to get rid of me?"

Six people surrounded him, their faces filled with killing intent. They had already had a brief clash.

"What if I do?" Qi Huaien's face was calm as he spoke indifferently.

Qin Ming hurled a hammer, instantly exploding the head of the man in front of him. He snatched the spear from the man's hand and charged forward with terrifying speed. With a pfft, he skewered another person, blood splattering everywhere, as he used one arm to hoist the man high into the air with the spear.