Night without Borders

Chapter 351 Shoes Wet

"I never imagined that after leaving the Misty Gate, I would stray hundreds of thousands of miles away, and only today have I returned to my homeland," an old man sighed.

The world was shrouded in night fog, vast and boundless. After a long journey, they finally arrived at their destination.

The group of people were all travel-worn and tired, but they were by no means ordinary people. Some rode silver Tyrannosaurus Rex, some sat on the backs of golden butterflies, and some rode on fiery red giant lizards.

In the dead of winter, when the cold was biting, this group of people, who were somewhat tired from braving the wind and snow, stood tall with their eyes shining with a fervent joy.

"Night Prefecture, this place may seem remote and desolate, with no Earth Immortals living here, but it's actually quite treacherous. As a temporary stop for Jade Capital, we can't be too cautious!" someone warned.

……

Twin Tree Village was covered in heavy snow. In this bitterly cold season, when even a breath could freeze into frost, two small creatures persevered in their arduous training, practicing their skills in the trees.

They also bicker and boast.

“Red Rat, do you know what I’ve been through? I’ve seen demon immortals and witnessed the great battle between patriarchs. I’ve even fought my way across the battlefield, charging through densely packed demon armies. You can’t even imagine how magnificent that scene was. A real man has to experience that once in his life.”

The red squirrel was very envious, but then retorted sourly, "You? You'd be nothing more than a mouthful of food for the demons. What are you bragging about? I don't believe you!"

Yu Que said, "The Mountain Lord can testify that I was once his mount, carrying him through the sky and across the earth to rescue his friend Ning Siqi. Together we clattered and slaughtered the Heavenly Demons!"

"With your tiny frame, you're trying to carry people in flight? I bet you'll just be screaming in fright." Despite saying that, the red squirrel actually longed for the outside world.

Yu Que said, "Shuoshu, stop slandering me. You live a comfortable life here sponging off your parents, but your vision and knowledge are far behind. The world is so big. When you can protect yourself, you should go and see the world."

"How do you know I haven't experienced much? I was once a guest of honor in the Jedi, and a distinguished guest at that..." The red squirrel boasted, leaping up and down the tree.

Finally, it patted its chest and said confidently, "If we go back in time, I saved Xiao Qin's life around this time last year."

The sparrow scoffed, "A real bird can boast!"

The red squirrel puffed out its chest and raised its head, saying, "Don't disbelieve me, it's true. Last harsh winter, the whole village suffered a famine, and the mountain lord you mentioned almost starved to death. Do you know how he survived? He ate my relief food; I owe him a debt of gratitude!"

Yu Que said, "Come on, I heard that the mountain lord dug up your rat hole and even you were his food. In the end, he only spared you because he took a soft heart. You should be grateful."

The red squirrel was furious. Back then, when the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, its nest was emptied, and it almost died of anger. Even now, it is still very agitated when it recalls it.

“He survived by eating my rat food. Even if five hundred years pass and he rises to become a patriarch and a renowned earth immortal, this fact cannot be erased.”

Yu Que exclaimed, "Good heavens, Songzai, you're really brave! You're writing a dark chapter in the Mountain Lord's history right now. You'd better watch out, or you might get silenced."

Suddenly, they felt a chill down their backs, and then they were engulfed by the blizzard, which startled the two little creatures into letting out a strange cry.

"Mountain Lord?"

"Uncle Qin!"

……

Qin Ming planned to lie low in Black and White Mountain and accumulate his own cultivation.

After all, his record of killing several Heavenly Demons on the Western Frontier battlefield was too dazzling. Now it's time for him to keep a low profile and quietly improve his strength.

"Little Qin, you're back!" Old Liu was overjoyed, and then, filled with emotion, he murmured, "Recently, I've been having fragmented dreams, bizarre and fantastical. I want to get close to them, but I can't really touch them. I'm always startled awake. I feel that my time is up and I won't make it through this winter."

Qin Ming's heart sank. Was Old Liu's attempt to retrace his steps destined to end in failure?

"In the future, you must not change your life form to become an immortal. Otherwise, if you regret it one day and try to trace back to your original path, you will have to pay an extremely heavy price. Five hundred years have passed, and this is still not over!"

Liu Mo spoke mysteriously, saying a lot of things, and then he himself found it strange, revealing a look of bewilderment.

Then, with a blank look in his eyes, he murmured, "Only when this life ends can I completely get rid of the past."

Clearly, something was wrong with him.

According to Red Squirrel, Liu's family recently felt that he was possessed by an evil spirit and had already begun preparing for his funeral.

Qin Ming said, "It's alright, with me here, you won't die. I guarantee you'll live to the age of ninety-five, have a perfect ending, and then begin a new life."

Old Liu was sometimes normal, and sometimes he seemed to be talking in his sleep. At this moment, he was in a rather abnormal state. His eyes were lifeless as he said, "Little Qin, have you ever eaten the flesh of a god? When I'm about to die, I'll treat you to your fill."

In the Liu family's yard, the big yellow dog quickly tucked its tail between its legs, crawled into its kennel, and behaved itself quietly, not daring to utter a single bark.

Qin Ming returned to Black and White Mountain and began to meditate. Sometimes he would talk with Old Man Liu, and a casual remark from the old man could have a profound impact on him.

He was certain that Liu Mo was a creature who had escaped from Yujing, which was quite astonishing!

Unfortunately, anything involving Yujing seemed to be a taboo topic. As soon as Qin Ming probed a little and asked seriously, Old Man Liu's condition became suspicious.

Liu Mo was troubled by the fragmented dreams. Even when he tried to get close to those illusory dreams, he would fall into confusion, let alone outsiders trying to get involved.

Outside, there was much commotion, with all sorts of strange birds soaring through the night sky, and news flying everywhere, much of it related to Qin Ming.

He went to places beyond the secular world and esoteric sects, exchanged his military achievements for incomplete scriptures, and sparred with seed-level figures, which sparked heated discussions, not to mention his grudges and entanglements with the Cui family.

Even though the world was covered in snow, it could not stop the message from being sent.

"Hiss, Sun Taichu came out of seclusion and personally visited the Cui family for a two-day stay. He finally helped them stabilize the situation. Otherwise, the Cui family would have been in a very passive position recently, as their opponents have made some big moves."

This news was like a thunderclap, greatly shaking all forces. The fact that the renowned patriarch of the Immortal Path had emerged from seclusion showed how much he valued his closed-door disciple, Cui Chonghe.

Many large organizations are closely watching whether the Immortal Path Ancestor will take action against Lu Zizai.
Clearly, people were overthinking it. Sun Taichu had no intention of starting a major conflict. He left the pass because of Cui Chonghe, simply to tell all parties not to take advantage of his misfortune.

He came calmly and left silently.

Even so, the names of Sun Taichu, Lu Zizai, Qin Ming, Cui Chonghe, and others were repeatedly mentioned and sparked heated discussions.

Meanwhile, details of the great battle between Qin Ming and the divine seed Helian Zhaoyu on the icy plains outside the Pure Land also spread far and wide.

Under the night fog, many people in the various cities were talking.

"Comparable to ancient sages returning to their youth for a duel? That's incredible! The higher-ups actually blocked the news, and it's only now spreading among the lower levels!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Helian Zhaoyu is a seed of the Pure Land of the Outer World, and has nothing to do with our Esoteric Buddhism!"

"Hiss, there's a rumor going around that Qin Ming had a private sparring session with Jiang Ran back in the Immortal Land. Is the Path of Rebirth about to shine brightly again?" ...

Qin Ming's decision to retreat to Black and White Mountain and cultivate in seclusion was clearly the right one. Recently, the Night Report, the World Report, and other media outlets have been reporting on him, but he doesn't want to be scrutinized by all sides.

Despite the clamor of the outside world, he completely disappeared from people's sight, focusing on studying various scriptures and improving his spiritual practice.

"Slay gods with your own body!" Qin Ming comprehended the "Refining Body and Uniting with the Dao Scripture," and with the complete scripture in hand, his physique improved slightly once again.

He sighed softly. No wonder it was a scripture that even the founders of silk calligraphy valued so highly. If they had had the complete copy back then, the founders might have been able to live longer.

"Refining the mind in the Eight Trigrams Furnace is a powerful remedy!"

Qin Ming attached great importance to the four pages of the jade book, studying them carefully every day. This involved mental power, which caused his newly formed eye to change, becoming even more powerful than before.

He was also somewhat troubled by this, occasionally seeing extremely old wandering merchants and ghosts deep within the layers of mist.

Half a month later, in the Black and White Mountains, Qin Ming's fist light pierced the darkness and illuminated the rolling mountains, giving him a deeper understanding of the "Golden Crow Illuminating the Night Scripture".

“In ancient times, at least some people cultivated two paths simultaneously.” He was certain that the smoothest and most powerful way to circulate this scripture was to mix divine wisdom, heavenly light, and spiritual energy of consciousness.

"The time for spiritual travel has come." Late at night, Qin Ming sat cross-legged under the black and white twin trees, like a god comprehending the Dao. Black and white energy flowed on the trees, transforming into a yin-yang diagram.

On the ground, Qin Ming sat quietly, his consciousness merging with the light of the heavens, breaking free from his physical body. Then, wrapped in tattered cloth and carrying a small sword made of strange gold, he soared into the sky and disappeared into the dark clouds.

This is a kind of ascetic practice he performs every day: going to the mysterious and profound depths of the sky, enduring the bombardment of the gale, receiving the light of heaven, and being baptized by the occasional sprinkling of otherworldly fire, thus tempering himself.

In fact, those who reach the third realm of the Immortal Path—Harmony and Light—will attempt to "transcend tribulation" or undergo baptism with "immortal fire."

Most of them, accompanied by their elders, came to the heavens to encounter various terrifying otherworldly substances in order to undergo tribulation.

Now, Qin Ming is also experiencing this kind of arduous training.

He came up here alone every day, lost in his own thoughts.

Above the thick clouds, all was pitch black. Only when the light of day or the mysterious fire from beyond the world appeared could there be any light. Otherwise, it was like an abyss, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The oppressive atmosphere was so overwhelming that it was suffocating.

Qin Ming wandered in his mind, ascending upwards, and muttered to himself, "Am I approaching the Nine Heavens? The different levels of the sky have different gales, and the heavenly light and immortal fire that can fall are also different."

High in the heavens, some terrifying gales can instantly scatter a person's consciousness and spiritual light, and some otherworldly immortal flames can burn a grandmaster to ashes in an instant.

Therefore, Qin Ming was quite cautious, and the more he learned about things, the more careful he became.

He naturally dared not go to the highest heavens. To be on the safe side, he always stayed within the area of ​​the third realm. However, in this area, capturing celestial light, otherworldly true fire, and the like depended on luck.

Today, he had a great harvest. A huge "meteor shower" poured down, and he captured it all. There was the light of the sky, strange fire, and inexplicable red mist. All of these were "eroding" him, thus subjecting him to "a thousand trials and tribulations".

However, it also contains vitality that can replenish his energy.

Otherwise, if there were no benefit, who would be willing to ascend to heaven and undergo the most dangerous "tribulation"?
Qin Ming felt "full" and, carrying the remaining large amount of "meteor shower," wanted to break through the clouds and return to the ground.

Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. Although he no longer had a physical body, he still felt a sense of unease, and his whole body tensed up.

Qin Ming immediately wrapped himself in a rag to avoid the impact of the "gale" and the "refining" of the immortal fire, and held the strange gold sword in his hand.

He moved swiftly to the side, cutting a long distance through the night sky. When he looked back, his pupils contracted, and his heart trembled violently. Even those who walk by the river often end up getting their shoes wet.

He saw a somewhat eerie "living thing"!
In fact, Qin Ming wasn't sure if it was really alive. The creature was in human form, its entire body wrapped in a nearly rotten black robe, and its face was eerily white.

He had long heard that the pitch-black night was not so "clean," and that there were all sorts of extremely terrifying rumors. Today, he finally encountered it.

For example, a disciple from a secluded place once wandered in spirit, screaming shrilly in the night sky. The sound of chewing could be heard from a great distance. When the experts arrived, they only found a few drops of "blood of consciousness" in the night sky.

Of course, there are also opportunities in the Nine Heavens. Once, a celestial being accidentally discovered a golden flower bud drifting in the sea of ​​night mist above the sky. Even though he only managed to pick three petals with great difficulty, it greatly improved his cultivation and allowed him to break through the fourth realm of heavenly barriers.

Qin Ming swooped down towards the clouds, not wanting to confront the creature draped in a rotting black robe in the abyss-like sky.

The mysterious "monster" followed him, piercing through the dark night and lunging downwards.

Qin Ming's Eye of Rebirth has recently improved dramatically. When he looked back, he could see clearly that the monster's face resembled a human face, but was closer to a skull shape. It had flesh and blood, but it was excessively white.

He felt that the strange face was more than ten times whiter than the dead face of Cui Chonghe's great-grandmother, who had been buried for fifty years.

Qin Ming activated the "Golden Crow Illuminating the Night Scripture," piercing through the sky and instantly plunging to the ground, returning to his physical body.

He suddenly opened his eyes under the twin trees, gripped the measuring ruler made of nine-generation wood, stood up, and prepared to fight the monster from the sky!

Clearly, the black-robed creature was no slower than him, already approaching low altitude and pouncing straight towards him.

Moreover, it was emitting a chilling laugh, which was quite unsettling, like the scraping of metal plates from hell that sent shivers down your spine.

Suddenly, a blood-red kite appeared in the night sky, like a streak of crimson lightning. The monster let out a shrill scream, shattered instantly, and then vanished.

Qin Ming was lost in thought until he watched the blood kite drift away in the wind and snow, before he came back to his senses.

At this moment, he was still surrounded by a large number of "meteor showers," so he quickly sat down and began to absorb and refine them with his physical body, cultivating here.

In the middle of the night, Qin Ming suddenly opened his eyes, and two divine rays shot out. His cultivation level had improved, advancing from the second level of the Spirit Realm to the third level.

His entire physical body and mental aura were full of vitality and became even stronger.

"It's really not easy. It's been more than forty days since the Western Frontier War ended. I was not far from the third level of the Spirit Realm back then, and it took me so long to break through."

Qin Ming was not complacent; instead, he was deep in thought. If this trend continued, without the help of external objects and powerful medicines, it would take him ten years to break through the Heavenly Barrier and reach the fourth realm.

This was roughly in line with his earlier estimate; after all, even a powerful ruler like Hegemon took twenty years.

"Hmm, let me think about it some more. How can I increase my speed and ascend to the highest heavens? But aside from the gales and calamity fire, even the dark sky is not clean, with mysterious creatures lurking there."

……

The next day, Kunling emitted a loud bell, which alarmed all the major organizations, who actually summoned the founders of various paths such as the New Life Path, the Esoteric School, and the Land Beyond the Mortal World!

No one knows what major event has occurred.

(End of this chapter)