Night without Borders

Chapter 325 Breaking Through the Heavenly Barrier
After an autumn rain, the trees on the plains were almost all bare, and yellow leaves covered the ground.

Qin Ming already knew that Muguang City had been breached by demons, and the place was in a terrible state.

The corpses of fourth-realm cultivators hung on the city gate tower, their blood staining the city walls red. The scene inside the city was even more shocking, with bloodstains everywhere and buildings in ruins.

This time, both sides suffered heavy losses, with many top fighters killed.

Qin Ming muttered to himself, "This area is considered remote, but the fighting has come to this point. It seems the small-scale conflicts are about to end, and a major battle is not far off."

He took out the blood of the auspicious beast and gave it to the Thunder King Bird, saying, "Hurry up and consume it to improve yourself."

"Okay!" Thunder King Bird nodded gratefully. In such a repressive environment, a breakthrough in strength meant an increased chance of survival.

Qin Ming also took out a transparent spirit crystal, inside which was sealed a precious medicine. It was quite large, almost the size of an adult's fist, and could be called a great pill.

Within its snow-white and crystalline appearance, there are also wisps of black patterns flowing within it. This is the Dragon-Tiger Pill, personally refined by the Immortal Ancestor Sun Taichu, a great medicine of astonishing value.

Although Qin Ming possessed extraordinary blood, it was not enough for him to break through the major barrier.

Back then, he went on a trial in the Divine Desolation Plains with the people of the Six Imperial Ancestral Court and obtained eight kinds of extraordinary bloodlines, which gave him a new life.

Now, he needs to break through this major hurdle, and he must use drastic measures to overcome it.

Qin Ming muttered to himself, "There's nothing to regret. Precious medicines are meant to aid cultivation. A great battle between patriarchs could break out at any moment, and the demon civilization is bound to go mad. In such a large-scale bloodbath, I must first ensure my own survival."

Moreover, as his strength increases, he can obtain more resources from the battlefield.

The fact that the immortal seed An Youxing had died in battle deeply affected Qin Ming.

"He might be able to escape, but as a celestial being, if he were to lead the way in doing so, it would definitely result in a major defeat. He was very tough and chose to fight the opposing celestial demon to the death, severely injuring them and causing the two demons to temporarily retreat."

This also shows that even the immortal seeds are not accompanied by so-called protectors. Perhaps there is a shortage of manpower, or perhaps the immortal path wants them to cross the line between life and death on their own, using the bloody war between the two civilizations to hone the true seeds, with the winner taking all.

"Most of the current sixth-realm ancestors are grandmasters, immortal seeds, and divine seeds who survived the great battle on the Divine Grief Plains 450 years ago."

Qin Ming believed that this was a life-or-death trial.

The main issue is that the situation is indeed very critical. If any further changes occur, he can no longer rely on the support of experts behind him; he will have to rely on himself for everything.

Qin Ming broke the spirit crystal in half, took out the precious medicine, crushed it into several pieces, and put it into his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, faint sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling emanated from the mountaintop, and the great medicine began to take effect.

A wave of heat surged through his limbs and bones, the medicine was extremely potent, the phantom images of dragons and tigers appeared, and then mysterious Daoist energy flowed, covering his body.

Qin Ming remained calm, sitting cross-legged on a boulder, waiting for the medicinal effects to fully dissipate.

"I'm probably no match for immortals or demons in the late third stage of the second realm while I'm in the second realm," he muttered to himself. This was one of the reasons he wanted to break through to the next realm as soon as possible.

During this period, the Heavenly Demons he killed, as well as the seeds of the Hunting Civilization, were all in the early stages of the Third Realm.

Through his battle with the Silver War Beast, he was able to gauge his own limits.

In a normal duel, he would definitely not be a match for a fourth-realm being. This time, he ultimately succeeded by launching an ambush, and the combination of the rags, the blue precious medicine, and other items greatly enhanced his combat power.

Even so, he took the life-saving purple potion multiple times.

Without the precious medicine to prolong his life, he would have been crippled several times over.

The Dragon-Tiger Elixir dissolved, Yin and Yang harmonized, and the Daoist essence was rich. It not only rushed into Qin Ming's flesh and blood, but also flowed into his spiritual realm and merged into his divine light.

"What excellent medicine!" he exclaimed.

On the mountaintop under the cover of night, a strange sight appeared before Qin Ming: wisps of silver light fell from the void, and a faint dark light spread and entered his body.

This is the Dragon-Tiger Elixir, which draws upon the spiritual energy of the void, invokes the blessings of the Dao, and helps people break through major obstacles.

Qin Ming stood up, and at that moment, he timely fused with a wind-attribute otherworldly substance, which, like the origin of "Yellow Dragon," was obtained from the Holy Fiend of the Sun Elf race.

Once he reaches the third realm, he will refer to some of the methods and experiences in the "Overlord's Legacy," and the wind-attribute holy energy will be of great use to him.

In fact, back in the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Sun Elf Clan had prepared one of the Four Sacred Evils, but it was intercepted by Grandmaster Su Yuxiao of the Immortal Path and bought at a high price.

Qin Ming chuckled and said, "Let him be."

The other party wanted to stop him from collecting all four sacred evil spirits, but little did they know that he had already integrated them into one body.

In this great era, some people stand tall, see far, and have a grand vision, while others are always focused on their limited little plot of land. There are all kinds of people.

"As expected, no matter when, once you start fusing the Sacred Fiend, you will have to cut off your lifespan."

Fortunately, he now has the Yin-Yang Elixir to remedy the situation, and his lifespan has not decreased but increased.

In the night sky, wisps and strands of black and white Daoist energy seeped down, connecting with Qin Ming's body, strengthening his essence, energy, and spirit, and helping him break through the Heavenly Barrier.

This mysterious "matter," or rather, the essence of this enigmatic phenomenon, truly astonished Qin Ming. Was a single pill really that powerful?

"I can also be this extravagant and break through the barrier like this."

No matter which path you choose, you can't go further without scarce resources.

Comparatively speaking, the amount of powerful medicines and rare items he consumed was certainly less than the amount of seeds on the Immortal Path.

After all, the Yin-Yang Great Pill was originally refined by Sun Taichu, so Cui Chonghe certainly didn't lack it.

For Li Qingxu, Cao Qianqiu even braved the real "dragon sucking water phenomenon" to find "dragon blood" for his disciple.

Subsequently, Qin Ming began practicing the "Geomagnetic Classic," a remarkable skill meticulously researched by Yu Gengsheng and Zhao Ziyuan, with corresponding secret texts on top of it.

Once he reaches the third realm and enters the spiritual realm, this scripture will be of great value to him.

He had already mastered the Earth Magnetic Force, and now with the help of the precious medicine, he would naturally soon push this force technique to its peak.

Soon after, Qin Ming made a sword-wielding gesture with both hands, his whole body glowing, as if he were standing in the sun, extremely dazzling.

Then, he slowly drew his sword out of the void. Although there was nothing there, as he moved, a clear sword sound rang out from the mountaintop, accompanied by a dazzling sword light that expanded outwards.

He was practicing the Elven race's "Sun Immortal Sword Technique".

Startled after consuming the blood of the auspicious beast, the Thunder King Bird quickly flapped its wings and flew into the night sky, as the sword light from before had almost reached it.

As Qin Ming moved, a sword hilt actually appeared in his hand, which was in a vague grasp, accompanied by a large number of golden characters.

With a clang, he drew a golden longsword, illuminating the night sky. The chilling sword intent and terrifying sword light surged outward like a storm.

"Quite impressive, its power is remarkable!" Qin Ming was satisfied and stopped his attack at the right time, refraining from unleashing the sword strike.

In his hands, the Solar Immortal Sword Technique was significantly stronger than in Li Guang's hands. He activated it with the divine light that was infused with wisdom and consciousness, and with a brief moment of drawing his sword, he already possessed the power to slay all enemies.

Qin Mingrong absorbed the sacred energy and practiced extraordinary skills. Finally, he sat cross-legged on the boulder and silently circulated his fundamental scripture—the Silk Calligraphy.

After an unknown amount of time, the wisps of light in the void space grew even brighter, trembling slightly. Qin Ming, whose entire body was imbued with Daoist energy, emitted a dazzling golden glow.

At this moment, his flesh and blood were translucent, his spirit was exceptionally full, and with the dragon and tiger united, he broke through the barrier of the Heavenly Gate and officially stepped into the third realm—the Spirit Field!
As the night passed, he felt no fatigue and was in better condition than ever before.

Qin Ming stood atop the mountain, his long hair fluttering in the gentle night breeze, his entire body shimmering. Nearby, the space seemed to distort and blur.

He was experiencing the changes within himself; the light from the heavens grew increasingly intense, expanding and spreading outwards, and his body became more resilient, forming a kind of field.

It is spiritual and extraordinary, capable of actively drawing in spiritual matter from heaven and earth, and absorbing otherworldly light, much like a magnet attracting iron filings.

"The human body blends with the light of heaven, like a hazy spiritual field."

Qin Ming tested his skills for the first time, and invisible ripples expanded around his body, instantly shredding any approaching opponent. As he exerted his power, it was as if his area had become its own little world.

He opened his newborn eyes and saw strands of spiritual energy lines covering every inch of space, protecting him within them.

"There are various powerful systems related to spirit fields, some of which are renowned, such as the Sumeru Field and the Heavenly Demon Force Field, all of which are incredibly powerful."

However, for ordinary newborns, let alone those legendary spiritual fields, it is difficult to create even a normal spiritual field, and most of them are flawed.

"I broke through with the silk calligraphy, and the initial spiritual field I formed was flawless and evenly distributed. Whether it was defense or offense, it was amazing."

However, this is only the initial form. As his cultivation and realm improve, his spiritual field will undergo further transformation.

Without a doubt, after Qin Ming broke through to the third realm, he was filled with the aura of new life. From his physical body to his spirit, it was as if he had undergone a rebirth, and his strength increased significantly.

He didn't stop, but began to refine the Heavenly Light Force and hone his spiritual energy.

He would never forget the fates of the several patriarchs, which ultimately all exploded.

Although Qin Ming felt that he had solved the problem of silk calligraphy, he was still quite cautious and would refine the Heavenly Light Force every time he broke through a barrier.

Throughout the "morning," thunder and fire erupted here, and wind and thunder rumbled. His celestial light and spiritual field overlapped and merged into one, constantly compressing and refining the golden elixir in the furnace, and then he released and disintegrated it, causing it to rush out of his body.

Qin Ming had never gone through such hardship when he broke through his cultivation barrier. This time, he spent half a day refining the Golden Core spiritual field hundreds of times until he felt it was perfect and without any flaws before he stopped.

"Upon reaching the third realm, one can still practice extraordinary skills, and also gain access to secret manuals."

In theory, extraordinary skills can shine brightly in the third realm, which is still a glorious moment, and can even be practiced to the middle and late stages of the fourth realm, but they are not very useful in the fifth realm.

Therefore, Qin Ming was not in a hurry to switch to practicing the secret manual.

He stretched his body, feeling an inexhaustible power. After breaking through to the Spirit Field Domain, he had a strange feeling that he was incredibly powerful, as if he could shatter the night sky with a single punch and break through all obstacles. He couldn't wait to beat Cao Qianqiu up.

"Calm down. You're only at the early stage of the third realm; you can't float into the sky yet." He knew that this was due to the rapid increase in power, causing a temporary imbalance between his mind and body.

He then consolidated his new realm and fully adapted to the change. "Well, in any case, in the great confrontation between Yezhou and the demon civilization, if everyone is blinded by rage, I have a basic ability to protect myself."

Of course, this only applies to remote areas. If one were to enter the battlefield of the Ancestral Masters, even a Grandmaster would be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

The Thunder King Bird landed, filled with joy. Its feathers were a vibrant purple, and the electric light emanating from them was even more intense, making its aura even stronger.

“Master, as a newcomer, to stand at the third realm at this age is an anomaly, extremely rare.”

This time, it actually called it that.

Qin Ming felt uncomfortable and stopped it, saying, "No, let's call each other brothers. Just call me Brother Qin. How are you?"

Thunder King Bird said, "I have been practicing a secret technique and I am currently accumulating power. Most of the essence of the auspicious blood has been accumulated this time, and I should be able to break through to the fourth realm in a while."

"Can it transform into the Thunder King Bird?" Qin Ming asked it with a smile.

"Alas, the royal bird represents the upper limit of our race's endowment, and their numbers are very small. The best among the royal birds are equivalent to immortal beings. Although I yearn for it, I know very well that I can never reach that level in this lifetime." The Thunder King Bird shook its head.

It was an optimist; after a brief moment of distraction, it smiled again. It was already quite content with its current achievements.

In fact, it knew very well that it could probably only accompany Qin Ming in battle for a period of time. As the opponent's strength increased significantly, there would eventually come a day when it could not keep up with the opponent's pace.

"Hmm, I can brag to my descendants in the future, 'See? That Ancestor Qin, who could slay Earth Immortals in the Sixth Realm, was once my partner!'" It had already begun to fantasize like this.

Qin Ming said, "Nothing is absolute. Deep within the Night Fog World, there are countless mysterious regions. Perhaps there are rare and precious materials, exotic flowers and fruits, etc., that can help you strengthen your bones and marrow, and improve your talents. If you start exploring new lands in the future, anything is possible."

The Thunder King Bird knew this was just a consolation. In truth, if it could become a Grandmaster when it grew old, it would be utterly content.

A moment later, Qin Ming's extremely dense consciousness, a fusion of heavenly light and earthly energy, actually broke free from the constraints of his physical body and stepped into the void on his own.

Although the Thunder King Bird hadn't just discovered him, seeing him in this state still made it hard for it to calm down. This state looked like a pure yang manifestation of consciousness and spiritual light, belonging to the path of immortals.

Qin Ming left a small portion of his consciousness within his physical body. Then, he donned tattered clothes, took the strange gold sword, and soared into the sky.

Now his physique is extremely strong. He has mastered the physical body technique and entered the third realm of Nirvana. Even with pure physical strength, he can fight against demons of the same realm.

This will allow him to travel far away without worry.

Qin Ming, wrapped in tattered cloth to block out the brilliant sunlight, broke through the night fog at an extremely fast speed, passed through thick clouds, and finally stood on the high sky.

Although the place is open, it still gives people a sense of desolation, mainly because it is empty, empty, and too quiet.

Having broken free from the constraints of his physical body, Qin Ming was finally able to traverse the night sky, pierce through clouds and mist, and disappear into the distance in an instant—a rather novel experience.

He flew upwards again, with fierce winds howling in the sky, followed by streaks of light and the falling of dangerous, mysterious substances.

Once he reached a certain height, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Some of the strange substances in the sky could harm his consciousness, and the gale was even more terrifying, carrying wisps of violent Daoist energy, as if it could blow away his dense celestial light.

"Although there are tattered rags for protection, it's best not to venture too far into a place like this if it's your first time." Originally, Qin Ming wanted to try to reach higher ground and see what the secluded world was really like.

"There's plenty of time; we can explore it slowly." He said with a look of joy.

Because, when you come above the dark clouds and under the vast sky, there are occasional drops of sunlight and flowing fire, some of which are extremely beneficial to cultivation.

"The heavens above are a treasure trove waiting to be explored!"

Qin Ming pondered that since the seeds of the Immortal Path could "transcend tribulations" in the heavens with the help of their elders, undergoing trials by various strange substances and mysterious phenomena to purify their consciousness and spiritual light, perhaps he could also learn from this and improve his strength in the heavens.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, he saw a dark shadow appear in the distance. In this desolate and empty place, the sudden movement was quite frightening.

In an instant, Qin Ming sank and entered the dark clouds.

The other party actually moved towards him, breaking through the clouds and rapidly approaching.

Soon, Qin Ming sensed what it was; it turned out to be several bird demons.

"No wonder I've been feeling something's off lately. They've been hiding in the clouds, spying on us. Could it be that they're planning something?"

In an instant, Qin Ming flew across the sky on his sword, and with a series of popping sounds, the heads of several bird demons were cleaved off and fell from the sky.

One of the bird demons was very old, probably in the late stage of the third realm.

"These old folks have no martial ethics; they're always thinking about bullying me, a young boy!" Qin Ming surveyed the area above the clouds.

Finally, he felt unwell and estimated that he had been separated from his physical body for about an hour. His mind began to tire, and he did not want to push himself too hard.

With a whoosh, he swooped down and returned to his body. He immediately felt refreshed and warm, like a fish out of water returning to the lake or sea, or a plant that had been separated from the soil taking root in the earth again.

When the Thunder King Bird saw him return, it breathed a sigh of relief. Just a moment ago, six bird carcasses had fallen with a thud not far away, which had really startled it.

Qin Ming's expression was solemn. The other side was still up to no good. He guessed that since Black and White Sparrow and Huang Fei, the Jade Emperor's younger brother, had both died here, someone had their eyes on him.

Moreover, he had also killed two Heavenly Demon Seeds at White Elephant Ridge. The demons in that area were probably sharpening their knives as well. All things considered, the blood feud was quite substantial.

"Why hasn't the patriarch activated his power yet?" Qin Ming asked suspiciously.

On that very day, a terrifying explosion suddenly came from afar. In the depths of the plains opposite, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the night sky, flames roared, and magnetic field lines twisted across the sky.

"Grandmaster-level figures are fighting!" Qin Ming was truly shocked.

Such a major battle taking place in this remote place is clearly unusual.

"Is this a proactive attack by experts from Yezhou, as retaliation for breaking into Muguang City?" Qin Ming speculated.

He originally thought that there would be a big fight in the battlefield of the ancestral masters.

Unexpectedly, it was still this remote place.

Qin Ming's expression was solemn. The later a Grandmaster-level expert leaves the stage, the more terrifying they become, which means that the final battle will unfold like a landslide or a tsunami.

Half an hour later, two figures appeared, their auras quite terrifying. They were both quite old, but Qin Ming did not ride the Thunder King Bird away. Instead, he waited in place.

Two wounded, high-level birds of prey arrived carrying two elderly men—Yu Gengsheng and Jin Yuan. Surprisingly, it was they who launched the attack today.

"Child, I'm so glad you're alright." Both of them were covered in blood, but they were smiling.

"Senior, you went to attack the other side?" Qin Ming asked in surprise.

“Yesterday, the demon civilization destroyed our Muguang City. How could we not make them pay a bloody price? Today, we will naturally fight back,” Yu Gensheng said, with over a hundred strands of hair on his head fluttering, all stained with blood.

In this battle, the two of them, together with two people from the Secret Sect and the Immortal Path, a total of four grandmasters, not only plowed up this remote area but also broke through the demon army in the neighboring territory.

"We killed two grandmasters of the demon civilization, and another demon grandmaster's physical body was destroyed, but his consciousness escaped," Jin Yuan said, this was their record.

As for other levels of demons, they were killed even more; they plowed through everything they could see.

"Senior Jin, your nephew..." Qin Ming began.

Clearly, Jin Yuan arranged for him to be here because he considered his nephew's status and wanted that person to look after him.

As a result, Jin Yuan's junior apprentice was killed in battle ahead of schedule.

Jin Yuan sighed, "How can there be no deaths in war? Many grandmasters have already perished."

He has been back for more than ten days, and after taking extremely rare medicine, he is now in good health.

"Xiao Qin, if an invincible old demon appears on your side, you should immediately flee far away and not try to fight it head-on," Yu Gensheng said.

Jin Yuan sent a message to Yu Gensheng, saying that Qin Ming had killed four Heavenly Demon Seeds, and Old Yu immediately rushed over.

Clearly, Jin Yuan and Yu Gengsheng were very vigilant. They felt that if four Heavenly Demon Seeds died, someone on the other side might target Qin Ming. Since Ye Zhou wanted to take revenge for the destruction of Mu Guang City, the two immediately made contact with two other Grandmasters and launched a powerful attack today.

Regardless of whether they harbored any intention of revenge, the entire group of demons was wiped out.

"A major event of 'earth-shattering' magnitude could happen at any time on the main battlefield, so be careful here!" the two warned.

They were in a hurry to leave.

Because experts of their caliber, if they are physically healthy, are expected to remain in charge of a region.

"Senior, I have killed a demon of the fourth realm."

Before leaving, when the two saw the corpse of the Silver War Beast, they were both shocked and found it hard to believe that a young boy had killed it all by himself.
"After killing it, I also broke through to the third realm," Qin Ming told him.

When Yu Gengsheng and Jin Yuan left, they were both somewhat dazed, their faces trembling slightly, feeling that this was utterly absurd!

In the following days, Qin Ming honed his spiritual energy, studied the "Overlord's Testament," and comprehended various scriptures, waiting for the tranquility to be broken.

During this period, the Thunder King Bird would go out every day to help Qin Ming find out news about those acquaintances.

"Mountain Lord, I have finally met you."

On the sixth day, a familiar voice rang out. Yu Que, standing on the back of the Thunder King Bird, appeared before Qin Ming, complaining bitterly with snot and tears streaming down her face.

"How did you get here?" Qin Ming was genuinely surprised.

"Let's not talk about me for now. Mountain Lord, you have a brother in a dangerous area. You need to go and check on him. The immortal and divine beings there are fighting and killing each other with the celestial demons of the demon camp. He's not very safe in that area."

"Hmm?" Qin Ming originally didn't care about the sword fight, but since that area involved his acquaintances and brothers, he couldn't sit still any longer.

After breaking through the barrier, he has not yet tested the sword's edge. If necessary, he will naturally wield the sword to slay demons, bathe in the blood of future celestial demons, and relieve his old friend's distress.

(End of this chapter)