Night without Borders

Chapter 416 Heavenly Destruction
"Thump, thump..." Qiu Kun, the innkeeper, felt his heart pounding like a drum, so loud and clear that his eardrums vibrated. His blood was rushing through his body like a raging river about to burst its banks. He was kneeling on the ground, his ears ringing, his heart pounding, and his vision going black. He was about to faint.

This is the true experience of ordinary people in Yezhou. They all collapsed to the ground, their faces pale, as if someone had choked them and they were on the verge of suffocation.

The night is as dark as an abyss; not only is the sky black, but many people's hearts also seem to be sinking into hell.

"How could this be? That was the supreme Jade Capital, how could it be heading towards destruction!" The Earth Immortal trembled, unable to believe what he was seeing.

High in the heavens, a colossal creature was torn to pieces. As the terrifying chains snapped, thunderclaps roared one after another, shattering the very sky.

Specks of scarlet light fell from that otherworldly realm, accompanied by the wailing and howling of ghosts and gods, echoing through the heavens, as if the entire world was about to come to an end.

Whether it was the monsters of the desolate land, the powerful beings of the blessed land, or the earth immortals of Tu City, they were all terrified, never having been so afraid before.

Many experts are gazing into the distance, hoping to see a clearer picture of the truth.

But they knew that what they saw at that moment was still just a reflection from the sky, and that terrifying scene had not yet reached the ground.

While many powerful figures were filled with fear, they were also secretly relieved that Yujing had perished in the heavens; otherwise, they would all have been buried with it immediately.

"Is that what they call a colossal object?" The Earth Immortal Mu Qinghe summoned a divine mirror, which hung high in the clouds, trying to reflect the scenery beyond the heavens.

Powerful figures from all walks of life are using various means to spy on the Jade Capital.

An upside-down city, bearing the ancient and mottled marks of time, has disintegrated and is entangled by a gigantic, terrifying figure.

The dark shadow, like metal heated red-hot, emitted blinding liquid that enveloped the shattered Jade Capital, distorting space and tearing apart the mountain-like city gate tower, causing it to explode even further.

"Is it a monster, or some kind of terrifying phenomenon?"

People couldn't see clearly; thick black fog surged and obscured most of the truth, as if an abyss had opened, its bloody maw about to swallow the entire Jade Capital.

"Boom!"

It was as if tens of thousands of magnificent waterfalls were cascading down, their roar echoing throughout the night, deafeningly loud, causing many people to faint completely.

"Yujing has been completely destroyed, its curtain falls permanently tonight." The voice of the person from Sky City trembled with fear and unease.

For so many years, they have been waiting for the return of Yujing, but what they have seen is this: the supreme place has collapsed, and the end of the world is coming!
Outside that day, the shattered fragments of Yujing pierced through the heavens at an abnormal speed, slowly descending towards the ground.

Suddenly, a great fire broke out in Yujing.

Immediately, it seemed as if countless gods and demons were wailing and roaring in the world, and even more screams like those of vengeful ghosts echoed throughout the heavens.

"That colossal thing... is also disintegrating!"

Several Earth Immortals had already seen that the colossal object enveloping the Jade Capital was extinguishing and dimming, no longer as dazzling as molten metal, and it was rapidly breaking apart.

Will it be a lose-lose situation? It seems both are doomed.

That night, fire rained down from the sky, and strange blood splattered everywhere. Jade Capital exploded into hundreds and thousands of pieces, scattering in all directions. The wails of immortals and gods lasted for a moment before abruptly ceasing.

The colossal object disintegrated, crashing through the heavens and plummeting to the dark earth.

In Yezhou, many places were struck by massive earthquakes, and some cities were even destroyed, breached, exploded, and disappeared from their original locations.

The entire land, ninety percent of which was in absolute darkness, had no fire sources and was a no-man's land; otherwise, the losses would have been even greater.

Qin Ming looked up at the sky. Was that a real sight? Jade Capital exploded, the colossal object shattered, and everything was destroyed.

He was deeply shocked, his body frozen in the snow.

That night, the cold wind howled like a knife, and the ice and snow seemed to freeze the very soul.

Many experts sensed that the world seemed different, and an indescribable feeling welled up in their hearts. Whether it was good or bad, they couldn't quite tell.

……

Outside of Night State, many monsters and humanoid creatures roamed, and upon seeing the final result, a long howl erupted.

In the darkness, countless eyes lit up, like fireballs burning. Monsters laughed loudly, humanoid beings gazed indifferently, and humans sighed softly.

"Advance to Yezhou!"

In the surrounding areas, many top-tier Daoist lineages, including those who had accumulated seven days of cultivation and those who were Earth Immortals at the Great Perfection level, sensed in advance that something bad was about to happen in Jade Capital.

When Yujing was in existence, the Eastern Lands, the Western Seas, and the wild lands to the north were all wary of it, harboring a deep-seated fear. Even earth immortals would not easily approach Yezhou.

They all acted like rebellious children, keeping their distance.

However, once Yujing was gone, they all rushed out to fight for the "legacy" and wanted to claim the legitimacy of the dynasty.

Some local historical records claim that their area was once a chosen land, belonging to the "direct descendant" of the Jade Capital.

Some regions are even more radical, considering themselves brothers with Yujing.

The leaders outside the region are all quite old, and most of them are mature and prudent. Even if they are passionate, they remain at home and do not personally come out of seclusion.

They were well-prepared, offering high rewards to recruit so-called "warriors" to scout ahead.

Of course, a few radicals took action themselves.

As Yujing fell, countless beings from beyond the realm watched with envy, from young adults to earth immortals!

They deployed their best spaceships and released their fastest advanced exotic birds. Many passionate young men shouted, "Marching into Night State! We are the true rulers of Jade Capital!"

……

In the dead of night in Yezhou, the world seemed to be stained with ink. When someone went out, they felt they couldn't see anything and their face stung. They quickly retreated back to their original position.

"Something's wrong; the night is terrifyingly dark!"

"When snowflakes the size of my palm hit my face, I felt like God was slapping me."

As night fell, people discovered that the darkness was still very deep and the celestial phenomena were quite unusual!

The blizzard subsided, but the winds intensified, whipping up snow piles taller than a person into the air, creating a swirling, swirling spectacle as if a heavy snowfall had begun again.

Qin Ming decided to wait a little longer. Such severe weather was a once-in-a-century occurrence, and even advanced birds of prey did not want to travel against the wind.

He stared outside the inn, and in the swirling wind carrying snowflakes, he could vaguely see a flash of blood, and even hear a sobbing sound.

What's going on? Qin Ming felt that the fall of Yujing had a huge impact, and its effects would inevitably manifest themselves in the future.

For two whole days, the wind howled fiercely, and the roofs of some flimsy buildings were blown off, causing damage in many areas.

Even in such a harsh environment, news still spread that some cities had been wiped out and permanently disappeared from the earth, including some giant cities.

"Let's go, Old Crow!" The bird Qin Ming rented was a mutated giant crow, belonging to the category of advanced exotic birds.

However, it gave up.

"Although I want to say that Yezhou Bird Rental is dedicated to serving you, right now, with the fall of Yujing, my heart is filled with sorrow..." The big crow ran away, speaking in a grand manner, but in reality, it just didn't want to serve anymore.

Qin Ming considered hiking. With his cultivation level, even if the snow was as deep as a person, traveling would not be a problem.

Before leaving, he heard all sorts of news in this small town.

"Something terrible has happened! The whole world seems to have changed, with all sorts of bizarre events occurring one after another!"

Everyone had been cooped up for the past two days, and now that they can travel, all sorts of news are flying around.

The fall of Yujing was an event no less momentous than the creation of the world; even more terrifying was the various mysterious and unpredictable changes it brought about.

First, people accepted the fact that the night was getting darker, and even as night fell, it was still as if a dark curtain was drawn over everything.

Especially in the wilderness, in areas without fire springs, it's practically the same as the dead of night; for ordinary people, it's almost pitch black.

"How can we hunt and travel far now?" Even those who had been reborn once or twice were uneasy. "What?! Stones are blooming with beautiful flowers?" The master of the city lord's mansion received many letters, all rumors from afar.

"Overnight, an ordinary pine forest turned golden, glowing in the icy snow. Someone picked pine cones, ate them, and then ascended to heaven? Hmm, burned to ashes in mid-air, hiss!"

The lord of this small town was stunned. What was happening to this world? Only two days had passed, yet all sorts of strange and unusual things had occurred.

It's not surprising that some renowned cities were destroyed by fragments of the Jade Capital; it was something that could have been expected.

"Seven days after his burial, the coffin was opened, and in the darkness, he sat alone on the grave, smoking a pipe. When his descendants came to pay their respects on the seventh day after his death, they all had cloudy eyes and had gone completely mad?"

When the news from the city lord's mansion spread, the small city was in an uproar.

Qin Ming was stunned upon hearing this. Was this the first sign of the effects of the destruction of Jade Capital and the giant object?

"It's insane! The famous 'Mingyu River'—the bronze lion that has stood for 1,200 years on its banks has actually come to life! With a roar, it ran into the night!"

These are just some of the strange tales; some terrifying things have also happened.

Songhe City, a prosperous city with a population of over one million, was destroyed by fragments of Yujing City, which lay beyond the nine heavens.

"The day before yesterday, a grandmaster braved the wind and snow to explore the ruins and discovered a black house that had inexplicably appeared on the edge of the Songhe City ruins. He cautiously approached it... and an accident occurred."

Those accompanying him saw from afar that after the grandmaster entered the dark room, blood splattered from the cracks in the door, and he never came out again.

"The famous 'Night-Shining Lake' has a moon reflected in the water, which is particularly conspicuous in the pitch-black night. However, there is no real divine moon in the sky. Two grandmasters went to explore it. When the water vapor rose, the two disappeared. The moon in the water is still there."

In the early hours of the morning, Qin Ming, having lost his mount, was only in the time it takes to eat breakfast when he heard so much news from afar, leaving him in a daze.

Unexpectedly, the large crow returned, looking flustered, flapping its wings as it landed in the inn, stirring up large snowflakes.

Qin Ming asked, "What, have you changed your mind and want to take me on a long journey?"

"Help! Something's wrong in the distance! There are over a dozen human skin kites flying in the night sky! It's terrifying!" The big crow exclaimed, its face filled with fear.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming's expression froze. A blood-stained human skin kite? Something related to an Earth Immortal like this would be extremely troublesome if it harbored malicious intent. He immediately inquired about the details.

"The human skin was not bleeding, and it was all lifelike, with long hair flowing down and empty eye sockets, as if it was whispering something, that we were about to arrive here!"

Qin Ming opened his newborn eyes and came to the courtyard. He looked up at the night sky and his scalp tingled. There were thirteen kites made of human skin, men, women, and children, with black and white hair flying in the air. It was very creepy, as if they were looking down on the earth.

However, when they passed by this city, they actually took a detour and did not fly directly overhead.

Are they afraid of the city's popularity?

Qin Ming felt that the world was developing in an unpredictable direction. The fall of Yujing, such a major event that could shatter history books, had an impact far greater than imagined!

"Let's go, let's hit the road," Qin Ming said.

The giant crow immediately objected, saying, "There are those human-skin kites in the sky, let's not go and join in the fun!"

Qin Ming comforted him, "It's alright, we're not going in the same direction as them. And, you probably don't know my true identity yet..."

The giant crow was shocked and said, "You're the face of Xinsheng Road... Qin Ming? Fine, I'll go with you!"

They set off under the cover of night, heading towards Crimson Cloud City and Black and White Mountain.

However, after flying only two hundred miles, Qin Ming sensed something was wrong. There was something flying not far above them.

It was an old man dressed in white, with a pale face. When Qin Ming looked up, he smiled kindly at him.

Is this flying with a physical body? It's not pure Yang consciousness; Qin Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.

"My goodness, is this a human or a ghost?" The big crow couldn't help but shudder.

"Alas, why did you have to break the silence? What year is it?" the old man asked with a sigh.

"Two days after the fall of Yujing." Qin Ming sensed something was amiss and responded in this way.

"Let me wander in the void, alas!" He let out a heavy sigh, then a bolt of lightning struck, and he exploded on the spot, turning into ashes.

The old man in white just vanished like that? Qin Ming was stunned. He hadn't expected this outcome. Everything was so abnormal and unpredictable.

The large crow trembled, its wings flapping awkwardly, and it continued to cross dozens of miles.

Suddenly, Qin Ming felt a chill on the back of his neck, while the small, exotic gold sword he wore on his chest was burning hot.

"My lord... have you put your hands on my back as well?" The big crow was so frightened that it almost trembled, feeling as if it had an extra pair of feet on its back.

Chi!
Qin Ming thrust the strange gold sword behind him. Even the mutton fat jade iron knife could restrain the unseen and intangible strange creature, so the effect of the strange gold weapon was naturally far superior.

At the same time, Qin Ming used his consciousness to activate the tattered cloth, which he used to block behind him.

He felt a chill that pierced his bones, and his back was wet and sticky, as if something was practically clinging to him.

However, upon touching the tattered cloth, a shrill scream rang out, and the strange metal sword pierced through the mysterious creature.

Qin Ming looked back and saw a strange energy that sent chills down his spine dissipate and disappear rapidly. This was not the white-robed old man from before, but a creature he was familiar with—the 'Nian'!

"The world has undergone a dramatic change, and all sorts of unpredictable things have emerged." His eyes were deep, and he could vaguely see that the mass of things had gone far away and disappeared into the clouds.

Qin Ming felt heavy-hearted and said, "In the past, incomprehensible phenomena and various unknown existences only appeared on the dark earth where there were no fire springs. Now, they have even appeared in the sky."

The large crow almost stammered, saying, "Sir...man, look up quickly! There's a furry monster in the clouds ahead of us, all white, and it disappeared in a flash!"

Qin Ming naturally spotted the creature covered in thick white fur, peering out from the clouds. He replied, "Yes, I see it. Let's descend and go to the ground. Actually, it's not far from a large city. To be on the safe side, let's walk through the snow."

The large crow immediately circled downwards, and when it inadvertently looked up, its black face turned almost white with fright. It swooped down towards the ground, as if it wanted to crash headfirst into the earth.

Because, in that night sky, a red sedan chair appeared, carried by creatures dressed in mourning clothes.

The large crow trembled and said, "Mother, is this still the Yezhou I know? Why is everything so unfamiliar and terrifying? Will there still be a place for us birds to live in the future? I can no longer fly freely in this world."

In the snow, Qin Ming led the way, running ahead.

The big crow, its rear end sticking out, chased after it furiously. Every now and then, it would look up and see that the red sedan chair hadn't swooped down, but was hovering high in the sky.

Suddenly, it screamed in terror, "Who's touching my butt?"

It was shouting like that not only to ask Qin Ming for help, but also to bolster its own courage, which was quite cowardly.

Qin Ming had already sensed something and had no choice but to turn around and wait for it.

Six old men appeared behind them, all with wrinkled faces, their exact age unknown. They had all lost their hair, but their old eyes were not cloudy; they were as deep as abysses.

"Traveling merchants!" Qin Ming recognized them immediately by their attire.

Such people walk in darkness year after year. It is said that even if they can still appear in cities and live in their old age, they are probably no longer the same people they once were.

Once a traveling merchant lives past a hundred years, he will soon disappear.

Now, Qin Ming saw six people, all of whom were definitely over a hundred years old.

He had stopped in his tracks, genuinely wanting to get to know such people, because his grandfather had ultimately disappeared completely, this time with an old traveling merchant.

"Everyone, let's have a chat," Qin Ming said.

The big raven thought he was crazy. How could one possibly communicate with such a monster that had long lost its humanity?

"Let's have a chat." The red sedan chair approached from the clouds, and similar words came from inside. Then, a small red shoe stepped into the night sky.

"Who is it?" Qin Ming asked immediately.

"You've seen a celestial being, why aren't you bowing down!" the sedan chair bearers exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)