Night without Borders

Chapter 363 The Cicada's Transformation

In early spring, the grass sprouts have just broken through the soil, but the greenery is not yet enough to cover the bare mountainside.

Under the long night, the earth glows with the rising sun, and the dark clouds almost press down on the mountaintop. The golden palace shines brightly, and not far away, an old tea tree, bearing the marks of being scorched by lightning over the years, has just sprouted tender buds, exuding a fresh fragrance.

Qin Ming took only a few dozen steps to reach the summit from the foot of the mountain, as if he were teleporting, and walked straight into the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall.

The mountain was not desolate. Although it was drizzling, it was actually quite lively. The mountain god temple was full of people, all looking at the golden palace.

Some young girls strolled in the rain and mist with oil-paper umbrellas, while many others prepared to witness the annual spectacle of thunder and fire.

Every year, this place would be used to refine living people and produce "thunder medicine".

Every early spring, the underground black market sells "thunder meat," and there is never a shortage of buyers, with many elderly nobles flocking to it.

Qin Ming entered the hall, preparing to be cleansed by the worldly material world.

Inside the Golden Hall, there were dozens of people, some of whom were elderly men and women nearing the end of their lives, dressed in their burial clothes and adorned with beautiful jade, and appeared quite composed.

They were already on the verge of death, and coming here was purely a matter of luck. If they were to be bathed in the sunlight and survive, they would most likely be reborn.

A few young people looked nervous, while others, who were death row inmates, had blank expressions.

Seeing this scene, Qin Ming was somewhat moved. He remembered that at this time last year, Old Zhao and others had done the same thing, and even held a grand banquet here, hoping that the withered tree would come back to life.

In the end, the old people were all roasted and torn to pieces, their flesh and blood splattered everywhere, some of their arms and legs landing on Qin Ming.

"I wonder how Qian Cheng is doing," Qin Ming muttered to himself.

In early spring last year, there was another strange boy who, though dull-witted, was "clear-headed" and survived, but soon disappeared.

As the ice and snow begin to melt, they transform into babbling brooks that flow down the mountain.

In the night sky, the lightning bolts that pierced the darkness drew ever closer to the mountaintop, and finally two bolts struck the Golden Palace, creating this extraordinary spectacle.

Many people exclaimed in amazement as they looked from afar at the ancient palace, whose tiles, made from copper ore mixed with some special rare metals, now shone brightly and were almost transparent.

The fireball tumbled on the tiles, arcs of electricity crisscrossing, creating an exceptionally brilliant display.

At the same time, the Great Human Torture at the Golden Palace began.

Even before it began, some people were completely red, bathed in sunlight, and emitted the aroma of grilled ribs. Even through the misty rain, people in the nearby mountain god temple could smell it.

"It smells so good!" A child blurted out, and his parents quickly covered his mouth.

The lightning and fire, having been blocked by the bronze palace, were no longer so fierce; in fact, they were greatly weakened. But what was terrifying was the light of day; if an ordinary person were covered by it, who could survive?

Only two waves, and apart from one young man, there was no one left alive in the bronze hall. This year was even worse than last year. If Qin Ming hadn't arrived, it would have ended in total annihilation.

He didn't want to be different, so he simply collapsed.

Fortunately, he was experienced and protected by the light of the heavens. Even if he was hit by a broken head or pressed down by a broken leg, he would not get "tofu pudding" or any kind of "soup" on him.

Qin Ming activated the "Nanming Li Huo Jing," a true secret scripture that he unearthed from the "secret repository" after perfecting the "Li Huo Jing." Now, he began his cultivation using the light of thunder and fire.

As expected, the secret manual was difficult to master, far more profound than any extraordinary skill. However, as he continued to circulate it and introduced faint lightning and fire, one new path after another shone and gradually became clear.

His physical body was like a vast world shrouded in night fog, with much of the land silent and dark. As he circulated the secret manual, the energy pathways emitted brilliant light, like bright rivers formed from fiery springs flowing through the barren land of his body, rapidly nourishing all things and constantly expanding the territory.

A faint red glow appeared on Qin Ming's body, but it did not turn into flames. It is almost impossible for the true Southern Bright Fire to appear in large areas in the third realm, otherwise, he might burn himself to death if he is not careful.

The true Southern Bright Fire is extremely terrifying; even high-level cultivators may not be able to completely master it.

In addition, many mysterious acupoints in his body have been revived, activated by the "Nanming Lihuo Jing", resembling glowing lakes.

This was not the first time Qin Ming had seen this. Back when he was practicing the physical body, also known as the "Refining the Body and Uniting with the Dao Scripture," he had already created many human-shaped immortal lakes.

Without a doubt, these glowing "lakes" are like "celestial nectar," connected to his meridians, and able to nourish the "dragon tendons" of his entire body.

When the elixir overflows one day, it can nourish the five internal organs and strengthen his precious bones.

"The immortal nectar formed by the Southern Bright Fire Scripture carries true fire; this kind of nourishment is more like 'fire refining' itself." In just a short while, Qin Ming had a profound experience.

His entire body's "major tendons" were submerged in the revitalized acupoints and lakes, drinking the elixir of immortality. They were stained with a layer of crimson light, turning bright red with flames, and there was a burning sensation, but the dragon tendons did indeed become more resilient.

Moreover, the fairy lake glowed, and a mysterious power spread throughout the body, seemingly improving one's physical condition.

"The Thunderfire ended so quickly?" Qin Ming sighed inwardly, regretting that he had only just realized that, most importantly, he had wanted to harvest the "Thunder Medicine" to feed on a certain cultivation technique, but he hadn't had a chance to put it into action yet.

As the rain stopped and the thunder ceased, weeping could be heard from the mountain. Although some of the deceased's relatives had already guessed the outcome, they were still very sad.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are things no one can escape; even the patriarchs of all paths will face this day," someone sighed.

Even earth immortals and celestial gods are no exception; their lifespans are also finite.

"My cultivation has improved, but to be more precise, I'm still at the third level of the Spirit Realm. Breaking through on the path to rebirth is indeed extremely difficult," Qin Ming sighed.

From that day on, he lived in the mountain god temple on Chixia Mountain, where he cultivated himself asceticly. Whenever there was a thunderstorm, he would enter the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall.

Finally, after more than twenty days, his opportunity arrived.

The dark clouds were like the bottom of a black pot, lightning flashed like a waterfall in the distance, and torrential rain was falling, all moving in this direction.

"do not let me down."

At this time, outside Yezhou, more and more foreign visitors are arriving.

Furthermore, in the outer regions of Yezhou, there have been several incidents of Earth Immortals passing through, with a massive scale and extremely frightening effects.

However, even as a terrestrial immortal, he dared not approach the Jade Capital's residence lightly, and only sent his disciples and grand-disciples inside.

Some disciples secretly wondered if they had been indirectly "ambushed".

During this period, a group of extremely powerful figures arrived in Yezhou. One of them even defeated the strongest seed of Guilu near Kunling. This shocked the younger generation because the "Guizi" who had been resurrected from the frozen ground was quite formidable, and even left some traces of him in historical records.

“My name is Lu Chenxiao. I come from the far north. My ancestors were also from Yezhou. This time, I return without any disrespect or malice. I consider it a return to my ancestral home.”

The foreign youth was quite frank, not hiding anything and directly revealing his origins.

Moreover, he told us that their lineage's ancestor was an earth immortal!

His main concern was that he might be "ambushed" by the old man from the sixth realm, so he revealed his identity as a descendant of an earth immortal as soon as he entered.

In fact, after he introduced himself, he became a guest of honor for some powerful families, and many people wanted to learn about the distant northern region.

At the same time, a young man named Xiao Jinye also caused a great uproar. He withstood a blow from a grandmaster without being injured.

The news caused a sensation.

The Night Report and World News followed up with detailed reports. It is said that Xiao Jinye also came from the north and is suspected to be a descendant of an old barbarian god.

It's all out in the open now; many forces from other regions have sent their disciples into Night State.

For a time, the old monster of Yezhou really couldn't bring himself to harm these younger generation. The high-ranking officials on the other side hadn't entered, and those patriarchs and earth immortals were extremely powerful backers.

Subsequently, Cen Jinghong, Mu Xingyao, Ji Yunque, Qi Jiyue, and others streaked across the sky of Yezhou like comets, stunning the region.

This caused a major upheaval among the younger generation, as the visitors from abroad were truly outstanding, even dazzling.

Some people defeated renowned immortal beings, while others amazed even grandmasters with complex expressions.

Legend has it that Jiang Ran, seeing an opportunity, was so excited that she left the Immortal Realm and invited the descendants of the Earth Immortals from another land to have a serious duel.

In fact, before she emerged from seclusion, the seeds from all paths came out one after another, and it was rare for a genius from another region to appear openly and honestly, with both sides hoping to communicate face to face.

During this period, Pei Shuyan, Zhuo Qingming, and others left the world, and Cui Chonghe also left the Pure Land, while Helian Yaoqing actively entered the world.

The Little Buddha from Pugong, with his radiant golden body, was eager to fight. Jian Huaidao, Xie Lin, and others also joined in the exchange.

The winds of change are blowing in Yezhou, and geniuses from all walks of life are shining brightly, seemingly about to illuminate this era.

There were also visitors from other regions at the master level, but they were more low-key, did not think they had been "ambushed," and did not want to expose themselves.

Despite the clamor of the outside world, the clash of geniuses, and the dazzling array of talent, Qin Ming remained unmoved. In fact, he had temporarily isolated himself from the chaotic outside world, living a life of seclusion and detachment.

He was content with solitude, displaying an air of detachment from the world.

Now he witnessed the largest lightning waterfall descend, and the entire alchemy hall seemed to be burning red. He sat cross-legged in the hall covered by lightning and fire, closing his eyes to comprehend the Dao.

The copper tiles looked as if they were about to melt, raising concerns that this thousand-year-old hall might be breached and destroyed.

Inside the palace, there was a celestial light everywhere, and the lingering echoes of thunder and fire permeated the space.

A cicada's chirp rang out clearly in the thunderstorm, piercing the night sky. Even the endless lightning and raging thunder could not drown out the sound.

The cicada's chirping came from Qin Ming's body. His internal organs were glowing, and his bones were vibrating. It was a sound emanating from his flesh and blood.

Even the thunderous roar could not drown out this sound; the profound Daoist aura within the golden hall lingered around the young man's body.

Suddenly, hundreds and thousands of golden rays burst forth from Qin Ming's flesh and blood, piercing through his body and connecting with the thunder and fire in the golden palace.

In an instant, thunder, lightning, and unknown otherworldly matter poured in as if directly through the copper tiles, like a liquid waterfall.

Many cracks appeared on Qin Ming's body, and golden rays emerged from the cracks.

Not far away, inside the mountain god temple, Meng Xinghai was closely watching all of this.

The Thunder King Bird's feathers bristled, as if it felt Qin Ming was about to shatter. Its voice trembled as it said, "Of all things in the world, thunder and fire are the most merciless. This... could it be that we're about to be forced to eat a feast?"

Meng Xinghai said, "The Golden Palace blocked the dense lightning waterfalls, filtering them out completely, so there's not much of a problem."

"But it's about to crack open," the Thunder King Bird said with great concern.

Meng Xinghai also frowned, witnessing firsthand how Qin Ming's entire body was covered in cracks, so numerous and dense, that he looked like a delicate piece of porcelain about to shatter completely.

Then, he saw that the cracks on Qin Ming's body were widening, and suddenly, some of them began to peel off, revealing the crystal-clear, luminous flesh inside.

"This is... the legendary Cicada Transformation?" Meng Xinghai stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

He realized what had happened. Qin Ming had used thunder and fire to refine the golden cicada, bringing this extraordinary skill to its highest level and achieving perfection.

"He thus unlocked the secrets of this extraordinary skill and obtained the 'Divine Cicada Scripture'!"

Meng Xinghai was greatly shocked. Right before his eyes, the young man underwent a miraculous transformation, his flesh and blood rapidly regenerating. This was a legendary opportunity.

"Secret manual?" The Thunder King Bird was stunned. Only a few special and extraordinary skills with extremely high origins would undergo changes after being practiced to their fullest extent, allowing one to see a "new world" and unlock secret treasures.

This is a legend! And it is witnessing it firsthand.

Meng Xinghai muttered to himself: "According to the fragmentary records in some rare books, the legendary 'people from another era' may all have some connection with the 'Shenchan Jing'."

This ancient book is of great significance; it can revive bodies that have been dormant for many years and bring back to life the rigid and powerful figures of the old era. It is truly unpredictable and mysterious.

Meng Xinghai's face was filled with shock. Qin Ming had actually "unearthed" the Divine Cicada Scripture in this way!
At this moment, Qin Ming's flesh and spirit were being reborn. He suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, because he was seeing a "new world" and a brand new world.

Ahead of him lay a hazy landscape, which gradually came into focus, revealing the setting sun and a magnificent building complex.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the ancient buildings standing quietly in front are bathed in the evening glow, outlined with gold, and all the tiles seem to be flowing with golden light.

Qin Ming saw the plaque hanging there: Great Thunder Temple.

He stepped forward, approached, and with a creak, pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

(End of this chapter)