105: Chapter 104 Qinghe City

Yun Ming didn't move, looking down at him: "Old man, I want to ask about something. Where is this?"

The old man smiled, opening his mouth to reveal a few sparse teeth: "You've already entered Qinghe City, yet you don't even know where this is? Young man, could it be you've slept yourself into a daze?"

Yun Ming didn't speak, but merely released a sliver of his aura.

Golden Core.

That aura vanished in a flash, yet it was like a bucket of ice water being poured over one's head.

The smile on the old man's face froze.

His eyes grew wider and wider, his pupils shrinking abruptly. His whole body looked as if it had been struck by lightning, and he scrambled up from his rocking chair with a start—his movements were far too quick for an old man in his eighties or nineties.

Thump.

He knelt directly on the ground, forehead pressed against the floor, his body shaking like a sieve: "Sen... Senior, forgive me! This Junior was blind! Truly blind! I did not know Senior had graced us with your presence and spoke out of turn. Please spare my life, Senior!"

The surrounding passersby were startled by the commotion, turning their heads one after another to watch curiously.

Yun Ming's brow furrowed slightly.

He took a step forward, reaching out to support the old man's arm. A look of concern appeared on his face as he raised his voice slightly: "Old man, how could you be so careless? To go and roll right out of your chair?"

The old man was stunned. He looked up and saw the look in Yun Ming's eyes, instantly understanding. He stood up tremblingly, forcing a smile onto his face: "It's... it's nothing, it's nothing. This old man is getting senile, my legs gave out, my legs just gave out..."

A vegetable-selling auntie nearby leaned over and asked: "Old Chen, are you alright? Do you need me to call a doctor for you?"

The old man waved his hand hurriedly: "No need, no need. A distant relative has come to stay with me, and I was just so happy I lost my head. It's nothing, it's nothing. Go on with your business."

As he spoke, he hurriedly began to pack up his shop—moving several half-finished coffins inside, taking down the sign hanging by the door, and dragging the rocking chair in as well.

"Closing up for today, closing up. A relative is here, we're going to catch up..."

He muttered incessantly, his movements as nimble as a young man's.

Someone laughed: "Old Chen, it's rare for you to have a relative visit. Treat them well!"

The old man smiled along as he moved the last wooden rack inside, then shut the door with a loud thud.

The interior was somewhat dim, filled with various types of lumber and half-finished coffins. Only after the old man slid the door bolt into place did he turn around and thump back down onto his knees before Yun Ming.

"Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life!"

Yun Ming reached out to help him up, pressing him down into a stool, then pulled up another stool to sit opposite him.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "I'm just asking about some things."

The old man nodded tremulously, not daring to look him in the eye.

Yun Ming asked: "Where is this? What Sects are nearby?"

The old man took several deep breaths to steady his nerves before speaking: "To answer Senior, this is the Great Liang Kingdom, Qinghe City."

Great Liang Kingdom.

Yun Ming had never heard of it.

The old man continued: "Our place is remote and lacks any great Sects. They are all small schools and minor factions. The Old Ancestors of these Sects are at most at the Foundation Establishment Stage. The closest one to here is the Black Light Sect, three hundred miles to the east, whose Sect Head is at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage; five hundred miles to the west is the Blazing Fire Faction, whose Sect Head is at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage..."

Yun Ming interrupted him: "What about those further away?"

The old man thought for a moment and said: "Ten thousand miles away, there are indeed several great Sects. The two most famous are the Qingxuan Sect and the Danding Sect. It is said they are great factions overseen by Nascent Soul True Lords. Cultivators from small places like ours won't see them once in a lifetime."

Yun Ming's heart skipped a beat.

Qingxuan Sect.

Danding Sect.

He had heard these two names before.

He was getting closer and closer to home.

Yun Ming stood up, a hint of urgency in his tone: "In which direction are the Qingxuan Sect and Danding Sect?"

The old man was taken aback and said subconsciously: "North... straight north. Once you leave the Great Liang Kingdom, pass through several small countries, and cross a few mountain ranges, you should arrive. However, Senior—"

He paused, hesitating to speak.

Yun Ming looked at him: "However what?"

The old man hesitated for a moment but spoke anyway: "Senior is going to those two great Sects, and this Junior shouldn't meddle. It's just... just that the area has not been peaceful lately. Especially near a country called Great Gan, it's even more dangerous."

Yun Ming's pupils shrank slightly.

The old man didn't notice the change in his expression and went on to himself: "That Great Gan, I heard it fell several years ago. Demonic Cultivators and corpse-ghouls are everywhere, and they can't be killed off. Cultivators have gone in to investigate, but few have come out alive. Now, no one dares to approach within a thousand miles of that area."

He sighed: "Though the Qingxuan Sect and Danding Sect are further away, I heard they've been affected too. Demonic Cultivators often appear, and corpse-ghouls wander over from the Great Gan side. If Senior is going, please be very careful..."

Yun Ming remained silent for a long time.

He looked at the elderly man before him, who was in the twilight of his life, and saw the flash of terror and lingering fear in his eyes. He spoke slowly: "Tell me everything you know."

The old man was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"This old man... this old man is originally from Great Gan."

He lowered his head, his voice becoming somewhat raspy: "This old man came from a small Sect in the northwest of Great Gan called the Stone Mountain Faction. There were only twenty or thirty people in the entire Sect, all of whom were Qi Refining Cultivators. Even the highest, the Sect Head, was only at the Late Qi Refining Stage. As you know, in a small place like that, one simply cannot afford a foundation establishment pill. And the Sunset Glow Sect controls the supply of foundation establishment pills for all of Great Gan; even Golden Core powers have to defer to them. Small Sects like ours don't even have the right to get a whiff of one."

Yun Ming didn't interject, just listened quietly.

"So this old man had an idea." The old man gave a bitter laugh. "Rather than wasting away until death in Great Gan, it was better to go out and take a chance. This old man saved up Spirit Stones for twenty years, bought a map, found an opportunity, and secretly slipped out of Great Gan."

He paused, a trace of complexity flashing in his cloudy old eyes: "At that time, this old man was still rejoicing that I had escaped in time."

"And the result?"

"The result..." The old man took a deep breath, "Less than three days after this old man left, something happened in Great Gan."

He closed his eyes, as if recalling some terrifying scene: "This old man had already crossed the border and was resting on a mountain. Suddenly, I heard a loud explosion. I looked back—the whole sky had turned red. That red spread from the direction of Great Gan like blood, staining half the sky. A giant phantom of an infant appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun and the moon, its mouth open as if devouring something..."

The old man's voice began to tremble: "This old man was scared witless and couldn't even stand straight. Later, that infant phantom began to collapse, and the entire sky exploded, with blood-rain pouring down. Even from that far away, this old man could smell that stench. I only found out later that it was a Late Nascent Soul Stage Old Ancestor of the Demonic Path who wanted to refine all of Great Gan to Breakthrough to Soul Transformation, but he failed and self-detonated on the spot..."

Yun Ming's brow furrowed tightly: "Self-detonated?"

"Yes, self-detonated." The old man nodded. "With that blast, Great Gan was completely finished. The blood-rain fell to the ground; those it touched died, and those it grazed were injured. Not one in ten of those who lived survived. Moreover, that blood-rain turned into corpse-ghouls, each one invulnerable to blades and spears, feeding on flesh and blood, biting anyone they saw. The entire Great Gan became a purgatory overnight."

The old man sighed: "This old man ran all the way, not daring to look back. Only after reaching Qinghe City did I finally settle down. Over these years, people have occasionally escaped from Great Gan, and this old man has heard bits and pieces of news..."