Night without Borders

Chapter 377 All Challengers Fail

The Great Dream Mushroom is very likely a creature at the Great Perfection of Earth Immortal level, and that's a conservative estimate!

For the past two months, people in every city of Yezhou have been talking about this matter; if things go wrong, it could be a cataclysmic disaster.

Helian Chengyun, Leng Mingkong, and Dangshi Rulai all used special weapons to enter Tucheng several times to learn the details and study countermeasures.

People are increasingly aware of how amazing the broken arrows, the incomplete measuring rods, and the cracked vajra pestles they possess are; even though they are severely damaged, they can still withstand the erosion of the illusory realm and the divine mushroom spores.

"The situation is not optimistic."

According to the information brought out by several top experts, even the First Ancestor was in a state of great distress, and some of his people had fallen victim to the virus.

"The Twelve Golden Immortals fought several times, and after fierce battles, some of them lost their fighting ability."

Each time the illusory realm invades and the divine spores boil, they erode a person's very essence, leaving some experts as skin and bones.

If it weren't for the abundant "supplies" in the city, many people might not have been able to endure it.

The most terrifying thing is that once you fall for it, even if someone survives multiple bloody dreams, they will eventually fall back into it and be trapped in the cycle again and again.

Recently, the masters of various paths outside have been testing their methods.

Outside the thirty-six Heaven-Stabilizing Stakes, they marked out a region, set up multiple arrays, and attracted a few spores of the Great Dream Mushroom for careful analysis.

Away from the main body, these revived divine spores appear to have weakened, making them ideal for study.

"Everyone, are you going to challenge the invasion of the Great Dream God Mushroom Spores? This time, with the patriarchs of various paths protecting us, there will be no danger to our lives, and we can probably gain a lot of benefits."

The news sparked heated discussions.

Veteran practitioners from various fields have confirmed that someone is indeed needed to test the law.

At first, no one was willing to take the risk, but before long, people discovered that the best and most outstanding individuals from all walks of life had set off to challenge the Great Dream Reincarnation.

Moreover, news soon spread that everyone who experienced the bloody dream had gained some benefit.

At the very least, their spirit and energy have been tempered, and their foundation has become more solid.

The main point is that if the patriarch were to test the Dharma and actually watch his disciples die, that would be an "accident," and he would never allow such a thing to happen.

Within a few days, even more people went to "challenge" it, young and old alike, wanting to see just how terrifying the recently rumored Void Realm and Divine Spores really were.

"Brother Qian Yuan, come quickly! The Ancestral Master and Dharma Protector will help us temper our spirit and will, and also allow us to absorb spiritual substances to replenish our physical bodies. Although we cannot break through the barrier, this is an unimaginable baptism."

Letters began to arrive, urging close friends to come as soon as possible.

"Brother Mingcheng, come to Kunlun to take on the challenge! This is a rare opportunity to solidify your cultivation!"

……

Clearly, people's mindset underwent a dramatic change, from initial fear to curiosity, and then to active participation.

The number of experimental samples used by the masters increased dramatically.

"As expected of the legendary Great Dream Mushroom, even as a degenerated spore or a mutated spirit mushroom, its corrosive power is still incredibly domineering, and ordinary people simply cannot withstand it."

Many people are paying attention to this matter, and any progress is immediately reported in newspapers such as The Evening Post and The World.

With the protection of the patriarch, many powerful figures have stepped down to challenge it, wanting to see their limits and whether they can survive the illusory realm and withstand the erosion of the divine spores.

"The immortal seed of Yangtu failed, and was tormented to the point of near death. Its blood was filled with colorful spores, and it needs the help of the ancestral master to get through it."

Not all divine and immortal beings went to Tucheng for the Peach Banquet. The extraordinary talents who went to test their abilities all encountered setbacks.

At least so far, none of the seeds from any of the paths have succeeded; they have all suffered greatly.

However, as the old monster guided them out of danger, everyone felt refreshed and rejuvenated, as if they had been tempered and refined.

"The pain was unbearable. Spores took root and sprouted in the bone marrow, growing mushrooms from the cracks in the bones. Moreover, it was impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality. No one could endure it to the end!"

These are the original words of a deity in Tantric Buddhism. When he was lost in memories, he couldn't help but clench his knuckles until they turned blue, still feeling lingering fear.

Undoubtedly, the heated discussion has sparked unprecedented enthusiasm among eccentrics and prodigies from all walks of life, who are all eager to try their hand at the challenge.

Even those arrogant figures from outside the region who had not entered Tu City rushed over, wanting to try their magic.

Reality is cruel; many people are tortured to the point of vomiting blood, their bodies almost shattered, and even the so-called elegant fairies end up in a sorry state.

“Failure is no big deal. I dare say no one can get through it on their own!” Wei Cheng, a celestial being from the Pure Land of the Outer Realm, said with absolute certainty.

People nodded, their faces full of helplessness—all the young challengers had failed, and the current predicament seemed unsolvable.

After research, the patriarch believed that the illusory realm and spores of the Great Dream Mushroom were not only rooted deep within the victim's body, but also entangled with their consciousness. Therefore, once locked on, they were difficult to eradicate completely.

"It needs to be burned with celestial fire, and when it is done, the skill must be close to the Dao. Otherwise, if one is not careful, one's own consciousness will be burned away and one's bone marrow will be burned dry." This is the consensus of some of the patriarchs.

These are not techniques that the younger generation can master. For example, the top-tier divine fire and immortal fire involved may be cultivated by a few exceptional geniuses in the fourth realm, but to control them precisely and elevate the techniques to the point of approaching the "Dao" would be asking too much.

Another patriarch said, "There is another possibility: if the younger generation wants to get through this, they can rely on their innate talent to fight it head-on. If the techniques they have practiced are extremely powerful and their control is exquisite, they may be able to pass the test."

However, achieving this is easier said than done.
According to the patriarch, perhaps only two or three young people, such as Jiang Ran, have the potential to succeed.

This immediately sparked heated discussions, with people talking about who could survive such a life-threatening ordeal on their own.

"It is rumored that Qin Ming may have died in the forbidden area where divine spores are flying everywhere. If that's the case, his talent should not be as good as Jiang Ran's."

"No, I think he was one of the few who could have succeeded. The reason he died was probably because he didn't have time to enter Tucheng."

"If one were alone in the wilderness, repeatedly experiencing the cycle of great dreams, no one could endure it!"

However, these are all just rumors and cannot confirm whether Qin Ming is really trapped near Zixia Cave.

All of these conclusions were drawn by people with ulterior motives based on Meng Xinghai's anxious reaction.

It wasn't that Lao Meng was careless; he was truly caught off guard. He never expected a natural disaster to occur, and the sealed Great Dream Mushroom was reborn!
At this moment, the true situation in Tucheng is extremely dire, because all the trapped seeds are repeatedly experiencing the cycle of the Great Dream, and without the intervention of the Patriarch, most of them will meet with misfortune.

Thirty-six Heaven-Stabilizing Stakes, nailing down the veins of heaven and earth, towering high into the dark clouds, sealing off the sky and locking the earth, trapping this forbidden land where the Earth City is located.

Under the long night, fireflies flickered in this desolate place, and many colorful mushrooms towered into the night sky like towering trees, flowing with a hazy light. The scenery alone was absolutely beautiful.

Some of these "giant umbrellas" even reach straight into the clouds, creating a spectacular sight.

However, they are all extremely dangerous.

Now, all kinds of spirit mushrooms, big and small, can revive and transform into mushroom people at any time. In the past two months, they have launched at least five bloody sieges.

Today marks the start of the sixth siege. A massive number of mushroom-like beings march towards the earthen city. Although they remain silent and do not utter a sound, their all-out attack causes the earth to shake and the dark clouds in the sky to burst open.

In particular, the main body of the Great Dream Mushroom is constantly recovering its consciousness. It is no longer acting entirely on instinct and has begun to show some true divine and demonic qualities!
Several of the Twelve Golden Immortals were crippled, the First Ancestor's head was as big as a bucket, and many others were seriously injured.

They could only pray that this Great Dream God Mushroom, being a mere Earth Immortal, would not resurrect as an Ancient Celestial Immortal capable of destroying the world.

The city of Tu is protected by a powerful formation and has experts stationed there. Even so, it is about to break down under the relentless onslaught of a massive army of mushroom people.

The ground cracked open, and the endless spring of fire was drawn by the Great Dream Mushroom. It then carved words in the void and on the ground, injected them into the spring of fire, and activated the magic array it controlled, attempting to tear apart the earthen city.

Soon, one mountain after another rose from the ground in this area, carrying earth and rocks, flying above the clouds, and then suddenly cascading down, crashing down on the earthen city!

Earth and rocks, broken mountain peaks, were burning fiercely, like meteorites falling from the sky, carrying destructive power.

The light curtain formed by the earthen city was instantly dented by the impact, stirring up large swaths of light and waves of energy.

……

In the distance, on the very edge of the area, adjacent to the thirty-six Heaven-Stabilizing Stakes, Qin Ming swayed unsteadily, extremely thin. He had exhausted himself in the past two months and was now practically skin and bones.

But the fact that he's alive is a miracle!
To outsiders, if a young person were to fall alone into this forbidden area, they would surely die and be long gone, but he persisted.

At this moment, he killed a mushroom man, used it as armor, put the giant mushroom on his body, and ran after it.

Fortunately, these mushroom-men only knew how to attack and lacked clear consciousness; they were more like killing tools, acting on instinct, which allowed him to get away with it.

The main issue is that the Great Dream Mushroom itself wasn't fully awake; otherwise, these mushroom people would be completely different.

Even so, in the early days, Qin Ming had experienced many bloody battles, fighting the mushroom people to the point of exhaustion.

As for now, his entire body is filled with the spore scent of the Great Dream Mushroom.

After more than two months of constant erosion and repeated resistance, he was "baptized" by the divine spores from head to toe, and it was impossible for his body not to be tainted by that energy.

During this period, Qin Ming began to doubt himself. What state was he in? He was constantly experiencing the illusory realm, as if he were going through a great dream cycle.

Sometimes, he felt that all of this was an illusion, unreal, and that he might still be in the mushroom forest of another world, and had not yet returned to Night State.

At other times, he felt very clear-headed, which could be considered a return to normalcy. He was undergoing a life-or-death tribulation and was forced to get involved in the battlefield waves of the Earth Immortal-level Great Dream God Mushroom targeting Tu City.

"I'm being eroded every day, my vital energy is being severely depleted. If this continues, I'll inevitably wither and die." Qin Ming looked at his body; it was truly emaciated. In another half month, he might become a living skeleton!

"I'll risk it all. I've been enduring my death tribulation in the illusory realm anyway, so what's wrong with eating a few more spirit mushrooms?"

Qin Ming felt that he was being fed by spores every day, and now he decided to eat them back.

As the army charged into battle, he searched everywhere for fresh spirit mushrooms. He needed to "nourish" himself, even if it meant falling into even more severe bloody dreams. He had to "replenish" himself through food.

……

In the secluded paradise, Li Qingyue, dressed in white with her long black hair flowing down, was in seclusion, resembling a celestial being carved from mutton-fat jade.

Suddenly, she was awakened. Before her, the ancient Bagua furnace suddenly shone brightly, then transformed into a trickle of light, instantly covering her graceful body.

The immortal furnace, forged from a mixture of various exotic metals, completely transformed into armor, concealing its flawless face and even covering its jade-like feet.

Such defense, from head to toe, was virtually flawless, with interwoven immortal runes that made her appear both sacred and transcendent.

"Someone is spying on us." The armor formed from the Eight Trigrams Furnace emitted a vague consciousness, informing Li Qingyue that this was why it had automatically protected itself just now.

Li Qingyue stood up. Through her special battle suit, her senses became exceptionally sharp, and her perception quickly spread outwards.

That day, she officially emerged from quarantine.

Moreover, she no longer concealed herself and went out wearing special armor.

This is tantamount to telling others that she has indeed received "divine protection".

Since it can't be hidden any longer, it's better to make it public openly. In this situation, if she is attacked, it's obvious that someone wants to take possession of the Bagua Furnace.

In fact, Li Qingyue had completely refined the Eight Trigrams Immortal Furnace and gained full control of it. At crucial moments, it could automatically protect its master, just as it had done not long ago.

She whispered, "After months of arduous practice, a lot has happened in the outside world."

……

The siege of Tu City was fierce, with mushroom-like beings storming into the city and fighting to the death. These killing machines were completely fearless of death, making the battle extremely bloody.

Meanwhile, outside the region, many major powers are observing the situation.

Even immortals have appeared, lingering and wandering outside Yezhou, waiting for the right opportunity to make their appearance.

The place where Yujing temporarily stayed was invaded by the Great Dream Mushroom, which was a serious offense no matter how you looked at it.

Outside of Yezhou, many powerful forces have remained silent; the time has come to test the true nature of that inaccessible land.

If the Great Dream Mushroom is unharmed, then other top-tier beings from beyond the realm can also set foot on Kunlun!

It can be said that all eyes in the surrounding area are focused on Kunling.

For several days in a row, the challenges of the Void Realm and Divine Spores in Kunling's "experimental field" have been in full swing, but no one has been able to pass the test.

Even some unfamiliar faces who have just arrived from beyond the borders, and some remarkable and outstanding individuals, have encountered major setbacks here.

However, this has also sparked a trend, with more and more people coming to take on the challenge.

When Helian Zhaoyu arrived, he honed himself in every way, using the Yin-Yang method of Gonggong and Zhurong to refine his golden body. He once thought he could rival the ancient sages.

However, last time he was severely injured by Qin Ming, losing a layer of his dazzling aura. This time, he has become stronger, and hearing that his opponent may have died here, he also wants to challenge him.

"Defeated again." Helian Zhaoyu awoke from the virtual realm, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I... couldn't hold on either." A descendant of an earth immortal from the Western Sea looked disappointed.

Li Qingyue arrived, attracting attention, and she was about to enter the forbidden area sealed off by the Heaven-Stabilizing Stake.

This caused an uproar. How could she possibly want to barge into such a dangerous place?
Some people speculate that Qin Ming may indeed be in trouble.

Many people know that Li Qingyue and Qin Ming are very close. Is she going to set foot in Tucheng to find his whereabouts?

"Qingyue, you mustn't take this risk." A grandmaster immediately stopped her, preventing her from entering that extremely dangerous area.

"I want to see Patriarch Helian!"

Half a month later, when Helian Chengyun and Dangshi Rulai went to Tucheng, Li Qingyue accompanied them.

"Qiang!"

The Eight Trigrams Furnace transformed into streams of light, adhering to her body and forming a mysterious protective celestial garment.

Clad in crimson armor and resembling a young boy, Helian Chengyun warned, "The Great Dream Mushroom is terrifying. Although it has not fully recovered, we still need to retreat and not explore that area deeply."

The main body of the Great Dream Mushroom was shattered and destroyed by the experts in Tu City, but it quickly recovered by absorbing underground fire springs, like an immortal being.

Li Qingyue nodded and explored the limited area, but ultimately she found nothing and no trace of Qin Ming.

Helian Chengyun said, "If he can survive under such circumstances, he is indeed a step ahead of us when we were young!"

The Buddha of that time also nodded in agreement.

They had also conducted a limited search and concluded that no one had survived.

Accompanied by the two men, Li Qingyue searched the area she could explore many times. Finally, she silently turned around and headed to Tucheng with them.

Time flies; four months have passed since the arrival of the Great Dream Mushroom.

These days were agonizing for Qin Ming, as he was constantly switching between illusion and reality, but he persevered each time and even began to adapt.

He had been emaciated, but in the end, he went to collect newly sprouted spirit mushrooms by the fire spring and swallowed them in large gulps, regardless of whether they were "poisonous," and slowly healed himself back to health.

Of course, this almost drove him "crazy" at one point; the erosion by those divine spores was too terrifying.

Fortunately, he managed to pull through.

In fact, this was a choice made out of necessity. For a period of time, his original essence was severely depleted, his cultivation level plummeted, and even his physical body was severely damaged.

It was a choice made out of necessity, and in the end, he withstood the erosion.

Qin Ming discovered that, in addition to his exceptional physical abilities that allowed him to "eat" the food, the "Nanming Li Huo Jing" (Southern Ming Li Huo Jing), which he had unearthed from the secret collection of the "Li Huo Jing," also played a significant role.

During this period, he diligently practiced this secret manual, and a small amount of Southern Bright Fire was born. Through his meticulous control, he gradually cut off the colorful light particles that were entangled in his consciousness and flesh.

Afterwards, he practiced the "Golden Crow Illuminating the Night Scripture," which also involves a kind of divine fire!
Qin Ming used the silk calligraphy to control two seemingly weak divine fires, plus the worldly fire passed down from Lu Zizai, burning every inch of his flesh and blood to purify his consciousness, which was truly wonderful.

Today, he felt completely free from his predicament and was almost no longer trapped in hallucinations.

Moreover, and most importantly, he elevated the "Refining the Body and Uniting with the Dao Scripture" to a new level, making the pure physical strength even stronger.

To achieve success with this true scripture, one needs not only rigorous cultivation but also strict conditions and the preparation of rare spiritual objects.

Originally, his physical combat strength was inferior to that of the Heavenly Light, but now he has caught up again.

This means that he can defeat opponents of the same level with his bare hands without using the light of day.

As for the suffering of falling below a certain level, he has completely resolved it, and the depleted essence has been replenished.

In addition, Qin Ming practiced the four pages of the Jade Book and gained a completely new understanding. Instead of refining the Heart Monkey Medicine, he forged the Eight Trigrams Furnace to refine the Spirit Mushroom!
"Let's see who eats whom in the end!" He was really determined. He had suffered for more than four months. If it weren't for his skill in mixing various fires with silk calligraphy and his almost Taoist-like control, he would have been in real danger.

In the earthen city, a group of primordial ancestors stared at Helian Chengyun, the Buddha of the present world, and others who had come to visit them again, their expressions complex.

"You...you are truly filial sons and virtuous grandsons!"

What did these people do? Whether it was the Golden Light Cave they dug out or the Purple Cloud Cave they carved through, each one was more outrageous than the last.

"Ancestors, this was truly an accident. Who could have imagined that we would unearth the sealed location of the Great Dream Mushroom!"

One of the progenitors spoke: "It's time for all of this to end. May the Jade Capital unleash its immortal light to illuminate all directions and slay the Great Dream God Mushroom."

On this day, a celestial being emerged from the blessed land behind Tucheng!
Moreover, he personally led the effort to use the power of the Jade Capital to slay the Great Dream God Mushroom.

On that day, a faint ripple spread outward from the earthen city, and with a series of banging sounds, a large number of colorful mushrooms, as tall as small mountains, burst open with overwhelming force.

Qin Ming was startled awake, then his face lit up with joy. He said, "We're finally going to escape! Uncle Meng and the others don't think I died here, do they?"

Not only acquaintances, but even the night papers published articles suggesting that he had "run into trouble."

In fact, during these last few days, his body was radiating a precious glow, and his condition was better than ever before. He was refining divine spores into medicine.

Kunling, many experts from all directions have arrived, including Li Qingyue and Meng Xinghai, all waiting for the Great Dream Mushroom to be killed.

“Little Qin…sigh!” Meng Xinghai said sadly.

As for the others, it is now even more certain that Qin Ming most likely perished in the forbidden area, and what he experienced must have been far more painful than that of the challengers.

(End of this chapter)