Night without Borders

Chapter 410 Nine Saints Ascend and Break Through the Barrier
Under the cover of night, in the forest, a young man stood silently, a Tai Chi diagram spinning behind him, and above his head, crimson clouds surged and flames blazed across the sky—that was the Vermilion Bird streaking through the night mist. Even more striking was the White Tiger, as majestic as a mountain, flowing with metallic luster, its murderous aura soaring to the heavens…

A surge of wind-attribute holy energy swept through the forest, turning vast swathes of trees to dust. Qin Ming stood atop the earth dragon, his robes fluttering and his black hair flying, like a god descending to earth, about to ride the dragon back home.

Even the most discerning spirit of the artifact remained completely silent.

After a period of cultural discontinuity, a young man in the Night Mist World actually fused eight kinds of sacred evil. The artifact spirit lost its senses.

Initially, it thought that even if Qin Ming tried his best, he could only barely get close to the ancient genius.

The original spirit of Xuan Nu Tian Ge suddenly spoke up: "Old stubborn man, you underestimate the newcomer!"

Then, it spoke quite seriously: "With his talent, even in ancient times, he could easily enter the inner sect of the top body cultivation forces, and might even become the successor or adopted son of some terrifying old monsters."

The spirit of the artifact, whose origins were unknown, was silent. The boy before it repeatedly exceeded its expectations, and it was truly astonished.

The spirit of Xuan Nu Tian Ge spoke again: "The fusion of eight sacred evil spirits is a remarkable scene even on the glorious path of body refinement in ancient times."

The spirit of unknown origin has finally come to its senses; it was almost speechless just now.

But to save face, it stubbornly insisted, saying, "The forces in places like Yujing and Tushita Palace believe that he has not yet reached the level of seeing the ninth perfection."

Then it changed the subject, asking, "Young man, have you ever studied under a famous teacher?"

In its view, if Qin Ming's potential in body refinement were fully unleashed, it would be no less than Jiang Ran's future achievements on the path to immortality.

The spirit solemnly said, "A great teacher is like a star illuminating the night, able to clear away the fog and forks in the road for those who come after, and to bridge the gaps in the natural world."

It repeatedly hinted that it wanted to bring Qin Ming under its wing for the behemoth behind it.

"Senior, are you going to pass on to me the true scripture of the sect?" Qin Ming calmly concealed the eight kinds of holy evil, his mind clear as if he were an immortal, and he did not seem to follow the path of an ancient body cultivator.

The spirit nodded reservedly and said, "Well, it's not impossible, but a blood-red ritual must be performed first, and then a Dao oath must be taken."

After learning a little, Qin Ming's expression immediately changed. He felt like he was dealing with an ancient cult that imposed many restrictions on him, often using blood-red magic chains to restrain him.

The spirit noticed that the young man before it wasn't as enthusiastic as expected, so it immediately took the initiative and emphasized, "Looking back at ancient times, which of those unparalleled masters didn't have a top-tier power behind them? Otherwise, they would never have reached the heights they deserved."

Qin Ming believed that with his ability to resonate, once he reached the corresponding level, he would not lack those supreme scriptures.

At this moment, why should he use his body as collateral to choose his future path of cultivation?

Moreover, what era are we in now? There's a gap in civilization; the Great Thunder Temple is overgrown with weeds, the capital has collapsed, and the Tushita Palace is silent. It's hard to say whether those great powers of ancient times still exist.

Qin Ming asked, "Senior, why did you fall back then?"
His meaning was clear: now that the night is endless, what's the point of talking about past glories?
"The past is shattered and can no longer be recalled," the spirit said.

That's true; it's quite damaged.

Qin Ming said, "History changes, and what was once glorious has now faded."

"Are you worried about what might happen to the forces behind me? Rest assured, even if the world is as deep as an abyss, it will still be there." The spirit of the artifact had indeed taken a liking to him.

Now, it is no longer reserved, talks more, and is quite enthusiastic.

“Even Yujing has locked itself up,” Qin Ming said.

The spirit sensed his negative attitude and said, "You're worrying too much. The choice you make today is worth more than a thousand years of hard work. Don't regret it in the future!"

It went on to say, "I value prodigies. You might be able to compete for the position of the strongest disciple and become the godfather of an unparalleled expert."

Qin Ming wanted to roll his eyes. He already had little interest in such sinister ancient powers, and now he was going to become someone's adopted son? What a joke!
"Furthermore, I see that you and Xiao Jiang have a good relationship. If you are stunning enough, wouldn't it be even better if she became your concubine in the future?"

Jiang Ran was initially engrossed in listening and wanted to learn about the mysterious organization behind the artifact spirit, but she never expected to become embroiled in this mess herself.

The original spirit of Xuan Nu Tian Ge immediately spoke up: "Old stubborn man, you've overstepped your bounds. Mind your own business and stop trying to borrow money from the void!"

It didn't forget to expose his shortcomings, mocking him: "Earlier, you were very picky, saying that he was just a passerby among the masses, and could only look up to the top powers. Keep being stubborn!"

"What do you know? I was testing his character before, but I had already recognized his talent!"

The two spirits clashed and started arguing.

Jiang Ran spoke up: "Senior, let's finalize the prize details."

“Alright!” The spirit of unknown origin readily agreed.

It is currently very concerned about Qin Ming and would never break its promise.

Qin Ming said, "I want to go see my two brothers first. I wonder how they are doing."

He wasn't worried about Li Qingyue, as she possessed treasures from the Doushuai Palace, and once the spirit of the artifact was revived, it could protect her completely.

He had already witnessed the wonder of the special weapon on Jiang Ran's body while he was here.

"Those two are unharmed," said the original spirit of Xuan Nu Tian Ge.

Although they are far apart, it can sense the other's state.

"Is Qingyue alright?" Jiang Ran asked.

Tian Ge said, "It seems there is a great opportunity, but it has been obscured by that old furnace."

……

The pitch-black forest stretched endlessly, with towering umbrella-shaped plants reaching into the clouds and colossal beasts resembling mountains, but none of them were "civilized" or had become spirits.

This land seems to be restricted by an unknown "domain," making it difficult for anything to communicate with spirits.

Qin Ming asked on the way, "How did this happen?"

The spirit replied, "A piece of the divine capital has fallen, entangled with bizarre fragments of rules. If it were born here, it would be a tragedy for those living beings."

Soon, we arrived at our destination, which held a lot of good fortune.

The forest here is sparse and the terrain is full of potholes. As you go deeper, the mountains become completely bare, without even a single weed. The ground is crisscrossed with numerous cracks.

Upon arriving in this desolate area, both Jiang Ran and Qin Ming felt as if an invisible sharp weapon was pressed against their skin, causing their hair to stand on end.

"Why does it seem like a dead end?" Jiang Ran asked.

The spirit replied, "In the past, that power could tear apart the capital city; it was no ordinary thing. Even if only a few remnants remain, it should not be underestimated."

This is precisely why life here has been extinguished.

“Actually, that power has severely degenerated,” Tian Ge said.

Otherwise, Qin Ming and Jiang Ran would not have been able to get close to this place.

The mysterious spirit directly told them that the prize was a kind of energy called "calamity," which was extremely terrifying and had devastating destructive power back then.

In ancient times, this calamity energy included fire calamities and wind calamities.

Qin Ming was looking forward to this place because the artifact spirit had previously said that if he was lucky, he might be able to break through his cultivation barrier and improve his cultivation level by borrowing the qi.

He came to this other world to explore, hoping to reach a higher level.

"Is there...heavenly lightning underground?" Jiang Ran sensed something.

The spirit said, "Yes, as time goes by, the remaining calamity energy has differentiated into thunder, fire, and gale."

Beneath the great fissure, deep underground, howled gales and occasional rumbles of thunder could be heard, giving one a sense of how terrifying it was before the calamity was resolved.

If such a spectacle were in the heavens, it would be understandable, but this is underground.

"The holy aura of the lightning realm, mixed with the light of heaven!" After going deep underground, Qin Ming saw a substance that made his eyes water. He had always wanted to collect it, but had no way of doing so.

The spirit said, "How about it? This prize is pretty good, isn't it? It's very suitable for ancient body cultivators. And don't underestimate this kind of lightning energy just because it hasn't taken form yet. Its origin is amazing. If it grows with you, it might be able to transform back into calamity energy in the future."

Deep underground, lightning flashed and thunder roared, with crimson lightning and purple-hued electric sparks. There was more than one ball of lightning; Qin Ming also saw five-colored lightning flames.

"What a great place!" Qin Ming knew that he would be able to gather the ninth type of Sacred Fiend today, which would also mark the completion of the ninth stage.

Jiang Ran also showed joy. The thunder and other elements here could help her temper her pure yang consciousness!
She exclaimed, "Even in the highest heavens, it would be difficult to find so many rare and precious substances!"

The two immediately set to work, beginning to collect these gifts from beyond the heavens.

The underground world is like a cluster of twinkling stars, which are firelight, thunder, and other phenomena. There are also howling gales that can blow away one's consciousness, making it extremely dangerous.

Qin Ming used the Heavenly Light Fishing Technique to focus on Thunder Fiend, while only dabbling in Fire Fiend and Gale Fiend, since he had already collected the sacred fiends from these two areas.

Crackling!

When Qin Ming was collecting the fiery red lightning energy, which resembled the evening glow, the hair on his entire body stood on end; this power was extremely violent.

His body was being electrocuted, and he froze completely.

The spirit spoke, "I have a masterpiece of the Body Refinement Path here, a top-tier true scripture, very suitable for refining the extraordinary power of this place." "Senior, do you want to pass on the technique?" Qin Ming recovered after enduring the lightning.

The spirit was secretly amazed. Such a talented and beautiful person was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. It replied, "Let's hold a ceremony first."

"Then I'll think about it some more," Qin Ming politely declined.

The civilization gap is widening, and the fate of the top powers of that time remains a mystery. With the future unknown, he cannot sell the future in advance.

boom!
Qin Ming staggered backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He had been blasted away while collecting black and white lightning energy.

He wanted to collect various types of lightning energy, not limiting himself to one area, but hoping to combine them together.

The spirit of Xuan Nu Tian Ge spoke up: "His physical body wasn't pierced, only superficially injured. This kind of physique... is truly remarkable. He must have mastered some kind of secret technique, right?"

The two artifact spirits had only recently been revived and were unaware of Qin Ming's background.

Jiang Ran naturally wouldn't reveal this, and was carefully collecting rare heterogeneous substances.

In order to quickly integrate with the Thunder Fiend, Qin Ming constantly "tested the law with his own body," directly using his flesh and blood to bear the impact. From head to toe, from the outside to the inside, even his bones were wrapped in lightning.

If it were anyone else, wanting to use the lightning to temper their body, they would definitely have to proceed step by step. If they dared to be so aggressive, they would probably be covered in wounds and their bodies would be pierced through.

Qin Ming has been diligently cultivating the "Refining the Body and Uniting with the Dao Scripture," and the toughness of his physical body has exceeded all expectations.

He immediately refined the evil spirits, and the lightning and fire entered his body, quickly merging with it.

He was now enveloped by a new lightning aura, as if a lucky cloud was floating above his head, with purple energy rising and then falling like a torrential downpour.

Soon, he went to collect the five-colored lightning flames.

Later, Qin Ming's body became a kaleidoscope of colors, a mixture of various lightning-inducing elements, with even his abdomen crackling with lightning.

Undoubtedly, this fusion of holy energy placed a great burden on his body, and he circulated the Silk Script to temper this terrifying power through countless trials.

Qin Ming didn't know if he could break through the barrier and advance to the next level.

After all, he had rapidly improved his cultivation by refining more than one kind of sacred evil in the past, but now that his realm is higher and the difficulty has increased, refining only the lightning evil this time may not be enough to advance his cultivation level immediately.

"Ok?"

To his surprise, after he successfully absorbed and refined the Thunderous Fiend, the other eight Sacred Fiends also appeared and rotated around his body.

Qin Ming realized that some of the things the artifact spirit said were not false, and that it was indeed... the completion of the ninth level.

This rumor has come true in his case.

Originally, one type of sacred evil was not enough for him to advance to the next level, but now that nine types of sacred evil have emerged, they are merging and resonating with each other, propelling this process forward.

Qin Ming was covered by nine-colored lightning and fire, as if he were wearing nine layers of armor. His whole body crackled and popped as he was being purified. Colorful clouds rolled and smoothed his flesh and veins.

Amidst the excruciating pain, he also experienced a sense of comfort; it was a bittersweet experience.

He knew that his advancement to the eighth level of the Spirit Realm was secure, and the rise of the nine sacred auras was helping him break through the barrier.

The spirit spoke: "Without the aid of a sect-level true scripture, look, a strand of your hair has turned white, and the holy evil of the Thunder Dao Domain is cutting off your lifespan!"

"Qin Ming, are you alright?" Jiang Ran asked with concern, noticing immediately that his temples were streaked with gray.

"It's alright!" Qin Ming shook his head, indicating that he was fine. He had been through this before, and as long as he could get through it, his body could make up for it if it could keep up with the transformation.

"Ok?"

Sure enough, soon after, both artifact spirits were surprised to see Qin Ming's flesh glowing, intertwined with nine-colored lightning, as if it were cleansing every inch of his body.

The resonance and harmony among the nine sacred evil spirits became increasingly intense.

The next moment, Qin Ming ascended to a higher level and officially stepped into the eighth level of the Spirit Field!

This time, it wasn't a complete rebirth, but it was a minor rebirth. His white hair fell out, and his black hair quickly grew back, replenishing his lifespan.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that if he wanted to improve quickly, following the established path wouldn't work; he definitely needed to explore exotic lands to have a better chance of success.

Tian Ge's original spirit asked rather solemnly, "The name 'Path of Rebirth in Later Generations' is indeed fitting. Does the body regenerate every time a breakthrough is achieved?"

Jiang Ran responded: "That was indeed the case in the early stages. Later on, only a very few people were able to maintain this extraordinary transformation."

The spirit of unknown origin said, "Qin Ming, do you know that in the later stages of the path of body refinement, if you do not refine your spirit, you will eventually decay."

"What advice do you have for me, senior?" Qin Ming asked.

The spirit said, "Even the top-tier body cultivators of ancient times have weaknesses and need the assistance of the strongest forces to help them nourish their spirit and strengthen their spiritual light. Otherwise, their flesh and blood will decay prematurely before their lifespan is over. True immortality requires the participation of spiritual power. In top-tier lineages, there is even a saying that one can burn away the physical body to nourish the true spirit of the soul."

It directly points out that Qin Ming's path has significant flaws.

Then, the spirit spoke again: "I have a true scripture here called the Six Desires Sacred Fire Chapter, which can help you refine your spirit."

It refused to believe that such invaluable secret teachings could not tempt this young man.

The original spirit of Tiange spoke up: "It would be more appropriate to call it the Six Desires Demonic Fire."

"How is the Southern Bright Fire?" Qin Ming asked, after all, he had this secret manual and had already mastered its basics.

"While it is remarkable, it is not suitable for nourishing the spirit," the artifact spirit replied.

Qin Ming immediately asked, "Which types of true fire are suitable for refining the spirit?"

Tian Ge said, "The Six Ding Divine Fire of the Tushita Palace can nourish the spirit, refine medicine, and forge and nurture extraordinary weapons. It belongs to the category of 'gentle fire'."

The spirit of unknown origin immediately thought that Jiang Ran's best friend, Li Qingyue, possessed the Six Ding Divine Fire Secret Manual.

It said, "It's not easy to cultivate the Six Ding Divine Fire. It requires the help of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, or a strange fire seed that has been differentiated from this lineage."

It further explains that if one receives the fire from the Taoist tradition, then one will inevitably be subject to the control of the Tushita Palace in the future.

Qin Ming said, "I have a friend who mastered the Six Ding Divine Fire before the Eight Trigrams Furnace was awakened."

The spirit said, "This kind of person is an exception; they are most likely born with a fire body."

Its implication was clear: Qin Ming should learn the Six Desires Sacred Fire from it.

Qin Ming was somewhat skeptical and wanted to delve deeper into the Six Ding Divine Fire, because he possessed a chapter on this scripture.

Not long after, Qin Ming and Jiang Ran left the place together to search for Li Qingyue, Wu Yaozu, and Xiang Yiwu.

Sure enough, although Xiao Wu and Da Xiang encountered some trouble, it wasn't considered dangerous.

After merging with that mysterious figure, Xiang Yiwu wielded the millstone formed from the celestial light, smashing some of the external enemies into a bloody mess, causing them to explode continuously.

Wu Yaozu used the pseudo-heavenly light, which was actually the power of the divine rainbow.

At this moment, the jade pendant on his chest glowed, divine rainbows shone in all directions, and heavenly light transformed into milk. As the saying goes, "The compassionate mother holds a staff, cleaving the wanderer's body." In an instant, thirteen moves were executed, each strike carrying a critical hit.

Qin Ming was completely dumbfounded.

Xiang Yiwu said, "These quacks are likely from a distant part of this other world, and the methods they use are different from those in the Jade Capital."

These mysterious opponents wield the power of bloodlines.

Qin Ming said, "Never mind that for now, come with me quickly and see if you can absorb the power of the Thunder Fiend."

Not long after, they found Li Qingyue again.

By this time, she had already left the area of ​​firelight.

She secretly informed him that the Eight Trigrams Furnace had absorbed a wisp of artifact spirit, and its consciousness was clearer than before!

Finally, the five arrived at that barren land and went deep underground.

"The calamity energy splits into thunderous calamity, fire calamity, and fierce wind..." After Xiao Wu invited his grandmother back to the jade tablet, he was speechless with astonishment.

This time, Qin Ming focused on the Fire Tribulation. Although he had the Vermilion Bird Sacred Fiend, he wanted to cultivate the Six Ding Divine Fire, believing that the power of the Fire Tribulation might be helpful.

In fact, after he stepped into the third realm, he had been studying the Six Ding Divine Fire for a long time, but he had never been able to ignite this unpredictable flame.

Six days later, fiery energy rose from Qin Ming's body, followed by the appearance of nine kinds of sacred energy. Of course, at this time, the power of fire tribulation was the main one, and he seemed to be standing in a lake of flames.

With a whoosh, a point of light suddenly burst forth in front of him, as if a seed was taking root, sprouting, and then beginning to grow.

The spirit of the artifact, whose origins were unknown, was immediately astonished and exclaimed, "The Six Ding Divine Fire? You actually mastered it on your own!"

It was somewhat dazed, and after a moment it said, "Good child, come with me, the Jade Consort is yours."

(End of this chapter)