Night without Borders

Chapter 418 Blade Light Illuminates Black and White Mountain

At the city lord's mansion, Meng Xinghai politely walked out of the residence to see off a group of guests.

In the darkness, watching the departing figure, he said, "Someone has their eyes on the special products of Black and White Mountain."

Qin Ming stood behind him and said, "That's fine, we just need a suitable candidate to scout the way."

The world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible. Although the Pure Yang Flower and the Flower of the Earth Immortal have appeared in the deep mountains and marshes, it is also full of unknowns and terrors.

Meng Xinghai said, "Although these people are not acquaintances of mine, I do know one or two of them. Let them do whatever they want."

On that day, Crimson Cloud City welcomed another group of uninvited guests, with exotic features, mostly curly hair and full beards, and mainly swordsmen.

Five of them arrived at the city lord's mansion: an old man, two middle-aged men, and two young men. They all looked rather rugged and drank tea like cattle, downing it in one gulp.

The old man spoke: "We come from the north. We have long heard that Yezhou is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. Today, we have traveled here and have troubled Lord Meng. In addition, I would like to ask you to arrange some people to act as guides for us. We wish to take a tour of the beautiful mountains and rivers nearby."

He wore a fur cloak, had a curved knife at his waist, and was very strong. He didn't look like an old man at all. His blood and energy were vigorous, and his voice was loud and clear like the sound of a golden bell.

This is a skilled individual, not a grandmaster, but still at the late stage of the fourth realm.

Meng Xinghai said, "To be honest, after Yujing fell, Yezhou underwent a dramatic change, and the hunters who were familiar with the nearby mountains dared not enter the mountains anymore."

As he spoke, he stood up, lit incense, and immediately wisps of blue smoke rose from the bronze incense burner, winding and rising like a dragon coiling or a snake coiling, the fragrance spreading in layers.

The main problem was that the three generations of swordsmen from outside the region had a faint, unpleasant smell of blood on them, which Meng Xinghai, who always liked cleanliness, found hard to stand.

Qin Ming opened his newborn eyes and realized that they were different beings, and their true forms were probably strong mountain goats.

“Lord Meng, what do you mean by this? We only have a small request, and you are refusing it so easily,” one of the middle-aged men said.

Meng Xinghai was unwilling to find them guides, mainly because he didn't want those people to go and die needlessly.

What's the situation now? Wherever there is fortune, there is crisis.

If those special glowing areas near Black and White Mountain were so easy to access, would he still give the opportunity to these outsiders?
Meng Xinghai said, “Gentlemen, in the past few days, many people have died in the mountains. People in the city are terrified of the mountains. How about this, I will draw you a clear map of the terrain, including the strange changes that have recently occurred in the mountains. It will be more useful than a guide.”

Qin Ming also spoke up, naturally mentioning several special places in the mountains, telling them that there might be great opportunities, but also unpredictable dangers.

The five foreign swordsmen listened quietly; this was the information they wanted to know.

"Well then, you're a local, right? Come with us and I'll personally show you the way."

"Yes, don't worry, I won't let you make a wasted trip."

Two young men set their sights on Qin Ming and spoke one after the other, hoping that he would personally lead the way. They made these promises verbally but did not mention any reward in return.

"Brother, I'm really sorry, I've been frail and sickly since childhood, I'm afraid I can't go into the mountains." Qin Ming clasped his hands in a perfunctory manner.

One of the young men was quite displeased and said, "We just asked someone from your city lord's mansion to lead the way, but you're being so long-winded. Are you trying to refuse us outright? You're the one, come with us!"

Qin Ming wanted to wait for the other party to scout ahead and check the situation, but these foreign swordsmen wanted to take advantage of him.

Meng Xinghai took a sip of tea and said, "My nephew is indeed unwell."

"Brother, I'm sorry," Qin Ming said politely again.

"Lord Meng, is this how you treat your guests?" Another young man gripped the hilt of his sword, stood up, and looked around aggressively.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai both looked at him. Although he was already at the fourth realm at the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, which was quite remarkable, he was still a bit short of the skill to cause trouble here.

"We come from the Great Wilderness in the North, and obey the command of the Old Barbarian God." The young man spoke calmly, his arrogance barely concealed in his eyes and brows.

In the far north, in the wilderness, there lived a being who had reached the Great Perfection of Earth Immortal status. He was revered as the Old Barbarian God, and some of his followers even privately called him a Heavenly God.

Another young man also stood up, his hand also on the hilt of his sword, and said, "The vast wilderness ruled by the Barbarian God is a brotherly land with Jade Capital. Today, we have come here as guests, yet you show us such disrespect."

Qin Ming was surprised; these two really dared to speak so boldly, directly elevating that desolate region to the same level as Yujing.

Most importantly, this is Meng Xinghai's city lord's mansion, and these two are speaking with their hands on the hilts of their swords, which is excessively forceful.

The old swordsman spoke up: "How dare you! Why don't you two apologize to Lord Meng? We're discussing serious matters; what right do you juniors have to interrupt!"

Meng Xinghai said, "It's alright. Young people are straightforward and honest, which is a good quality."

Shortly after, the five men got up to take their leave.

"Uncle, why are you stopping us? Look at those two, they're both cowards. We're about to draw our swords, but they don't react at all and dare not make a move!"

The old swordsman said, "Shut up! This is Night Province, not the Great Wilderness. If we anger them and they become desperate, they might send people to ambush and kill us. Let's wait until all our experts have entered this land before we talk about it!"

"Hmph, without Yujing, what are they!" The two young swordsmen were filled with anger, and rough horns suddenly sprouted from their heads, while thick black hair grew on their bodies.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Qin Ming spoke up: "I hope they can find out the truth."

Meng Xinghai nodded and said, "Yes, with such a fiery temper, they must have some adventurous spirit."

The soothing fragrance helped them suppress their urge to strangle the two young men.

In the afternoon, when the night was at its darkest, Meng Xinghai received another group of guests.

These people came from the East, dressed in gorgeous clothes, like royalty traveling. They were very particular about their food, clothing and daily necessities, and even used their own tea leaves.

It's only because Meng Xinghai has a good temper that he didn't want to lose his temper on the spot. Otherwise, brewing his own tea at the host's house would be disrespectful to whom? Anyone else would have already frowned.

However, their words were relatively gentle. One of the middle-aged men smiled and said, "Please don't mind, gentlemen. We are not used to the tea of ​​Yezhou. This time, we mainly wanted to invite Lord Meng to taste the new tea. If you like it, we will send you a few catties later. Hmm, these are all tributes from the royal family."

Qin Ming was also present, but he had changed his appearance. He had clashed with the people of the Eastern Lands, crippled Qi Yunxiao in the sky above the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, and fought against two young powerhouses from the Eastern Lands' Earth Immortal Palaces outside the Earth City, together with Jiang Ran, Xiang Yiwu, and others.

An elder from the Eastern Lands spoke up: "The Eastern Lands and the Night State are neighbors. With the Jade Capital gone, we all feel that the future is uncertain. We both understand that if one of us is gone, the other will be vulnerable. We should help each other out. We are all direct descendants of the Jade Capital..."

Different regions have different styles of doing things. They are not as direct as the group of goat swordsmen in the far north. These people have been talking for a long time but have not gotten to the point.

Qin Ming quickly said, "If all regions thought like the Eastern Land, that would be great. Alas, not long ago, people from the Great Wilderness, ruled by the old barbarian god, came and said that they and Yujing were brother states, looking down on us."

The group from the East lost face. How big of a face did those barbarians from the North have? They from the East dared to call themselves the direct descendants of the Jade Capital, and the Northern Wilderness directly wanted to be their uncles!

"Where are they?" the old man asked.

Qin Ming said, "They are all impatient people. After learning that there are special products near Black and White Mountain, they are probably already preparing to go into the mountain."

The people from the East immediately became restless, even speaking more fluently and no longer being so particular, but getting straight to the point and asking them for detailed information about the local situation.

As they were about to part, a young man spoke up: "Lord Meng should know someone named Qin Ming, right? Hasn't he returned?"

Meng Xinghai said, "That's one of my juniors. He's away from home and probably won't be back in Chixia City for a while. Is there something you need?"

The young man nodded and said, "My name is Qi Yunzheng. I have a younger brother who once sparred with Qin Ming here and was crippled. I would like to meet Qin Ming."

He made no attempt to hide his intention to cause trouble for Qin Ming, clearly indicating that he was experiencing intense emotional turmoil.

Qin Ming, whose appearance had been altered, remained calm and said nothing. He didn't want to clash with these "pathfinders" for the time being; he would wait until they had paved the way before making any moves.

Meng Xinghai saw these people off outside the mansion. No matter who came, he was very polite and courteous.

As the people from the East gradually walked away, a young woman among them spoke up: "If that Qin Ming dares to show up, I will chop his dog's head off!"

Qin Ming's lips curled up. He had keen senses and could hear it even from this distance. Was the other party intentionally trying to provoke him?

The woman spoke again: "It's a pity about Junior Brother Yun Xiao. I don't know if he can recover. Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you in the future!"

"Uncle Meng, I'm going back to Shuangshu Village for a bit, I'll be back soon." Qin Ming wanted to bring the Thunder King Bird with him for easier travel; with it around, it could effectively monitor the pathfinders.

"Yes, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll come back. Those people probably won't set off today; they'll likely depart tomorrow."

……

Qin Ming traversed the mountains, avoiding the edge of the desert, as it was said that there was much activity inside and it was not advisable to approach at this time.

"Lord of the Mountain, am I seeing things? You're back?" At the village entrance, Yuque was practicing her skills on the black and white twin trees. Sensing something, she spotted Qin Ming at a glance.

It flapped its wings and flew over, saying, "My lord, I've been waiting for you to come back, and I've finally been able to!"

The red squirrel was reluctant, but eventually shuffled over and greeted, "Great Qin!"

Qin Ming immediately gave it a whack on the head, making it wince in pain.

In the night sky, the Thunder King Bird, which was circling and tempering its body, swooped down, kicking up the snow on the ground. It was extremely excited and said, "Qin Ming, you're back!"

It was Qin Ming's mount, but it was left to roam freely in Black and White Mountain. Before the world changed, it often heard rumors about Qin Ming, and those rumors were very sensational. It wished it could stay by his side and share the glorious years with him.

Now, it finally sees hope again.

Qin Ming didn't linger. After visiting the sleepy Liu Mo and the big yellow dog lazily lying in its kennel, he immediately returned home.

His return journey was much faster because of the Thunder King Bird, which allowed him to traverse the night sky. However, on certain sections of the route, he could not fly and had to descend into the snow, transforming into a free-range chicken.

"Danger in the sky!" For the past six months, it has been busy and has become familiar with the monsters in the mountains. After the dramatic changes in the world, it has gained a good understanding of the dangerous areas of Black and White Mountain thanks to its friends.

Even as it carried Qin Ming across the snow, it moved at an extremely fast speed.

After the great battle on the Plains of Divine Devastation, the Thunder King Bird, which had reached the fourth realm, has deepened its cultivation over the past year.

Yu Que patted her chest and said, "I grew up in Black and White Mountain and know the situation there very well. If the mountain lord gives any instructions, I can find out everything!"

Besides it, the red squirrel also came along, and in order to get on the road, it shamelessly shouted, "Uncle Qin!"

Moreover, after smoothing out its tongue, it continued to boast about its own merits, saying, "Back then, I fed you with the food stored up for the entire winter. Now, lead me on the path of cultivation!"

"You little rascal, you're not as naive as I thought," Yuque muttered. "Squeak!"

Immediately, the two little creatures started fighting on the back of the Thunder King Bird.

They entered Crimson Cloud City without any problems.

Qin Ming unexpectedly learned in the city lord's mansion that Old Meng had gone to receive guests again, this time from the Cui family.

He had learned a little about the group and already knew who they were all. They were all acquaintances, led by Cui Laowu. Among them were Cui He, who had a full head of green hair from practicing the "Living in the World Sutra," as well as his former "aunt" Cui Shuning, and some young men from the Cui family. It was a group of elites who had come.

This immediately stirred a surge of energy within Qin Ming, making him feel incredibly energetic. He himself could sense that he was becoming somewhat combative.

Back then, Master Cui was one of the participants who advocated ruining Qin Ming. He and Cui's father did not want Qin Ming to come into contact with other advanced martial arts techniques, so they only let him practice silk calligraphy, and did not give him the complete version.

However, they did not expect that Qin Ming would eventually master it on his own.

"Cui Wu, Cui He, Cui Shuning!" Qin Ming felt angry just thinking about them, and wished he could take action. In the past, he was not as good as them, but now, apart from Cui Wu, he could suppress the other two.

Even if it were Cui Wu, if he were injured in the mountains, it would be hard to say who would win or lose.

Speaking of which, these three had all personally visited Chixia City before, intending to cripple him. However, Cui Wu was carried away by Li Qingyun under his armpits, while Cui He and Cui Shuning were forced back and scolded away by Meng Xinghai.

"Cui family, you should pray that nothing happens to you in the mountains!" Qin Ming whispered.

If he were to slash any of the people he mentioned, there would be absolutely no need to worry about killing the wrong person.

Even though Cui Shuning, the aloof and beautiful woman who once called him "Auntie," still evoked a lot of resentment in Qin Ming, not only did she want to cripple him, but she also looked disgusted when she touched his head. Her haughty demeanor and disdainful gaze left a deep impression on him.

Qin Ming silently practiced the "Nine Heavens Scripture," nurturing the seeds of consciousness in hell, and then sat cross-legged atop the Nine Heavens of the Mind, quickly restoring his peace.

In the reception room, Cui Laowu said, "My good grandson Qin Ming didn't return to Black and White Mountain? What a pity. I still want to see him. What a good boy he is."

Meng Xinghai said, "Don't tell me you have some ideas? I advise you to behave yourself and forget about Lu Zizai's visit to the Cui family, right?"

The veins on Cui Laowu's forehead almost throbbed, but he calmed down after a moment, mainly because he had suffered a great humiliation last time.

Cui He, with his green hair, sighed: "Actually, our Cui family really wants to accept him, but my nephew is determined to go down this dark path."

"Your pretentious act is utterly disgusting." Meng Xinghai showed him no respect and served him tea to see him out.

After the group of people left, Qin Ming walked in.

Meng Xinghai said, "These elites from the Cui family are probably just scouts. If there are any major discoveries, there will definitely be a second group."

Qin Ming nodded and said, "Yes, Uncle Meng, get ready. Once they make their move, we'll follow them."

……

The next day, several groups of people indeed entered the mountains one after another.

These people took different routes and headed to different destinations. Although they did not communicate with each other, they had some tacit understanding. Unexpectedly, they had already clashed upon arriving in this area.

Qin Ming stood on the back of the Thunder King Bird, while Meng Xinghai, who also had his own flying mount, followed at a distance as they entered the mountains.

"Fellow travelers, come out and meet me, it's me, a bird..." After entering the mountains, the language sparrow began to speak various bird languages, chirping and chattering, using its native identity to understand the situation in the mountains.

"I am truly a local bird. If you don't believe me, I'll speak our local dialect for you..." The eloquent sparrow, coupled with its considerable cultivation, attracted a large flock of birds.

"Brothers and sisters, this is a small token of my appreciation." It began to distribute its wealth, including spiritual substances and the flesh and blood of higher beings.

This was a gift it obtained from Qin Ming after communicating with him specifically.

Sure enough, the effect was excellent. Soon, it learned where it could fly in this mountain range and where there were terrifying creatures and monsters that it should not approach.

Not only that, it also asked these mountain birds to keep an eye on the movements of several groups of people from a distance.

Although the magpie was small, its capabilities were considerable. Through its flock of birds and falcons, Qin Ming and his companions essentially built a simple information network deep in the mountains.

The Thunder King Bird tried to imitate it, but ended up scaring all the other birds away.

Half an hour later, the groups of people arrived at their respective destinations.

Meng Xinghai said, "Sure enough, the barbarians of the Northern Wilderness are the most direct. They attacked right away. They want to take all the benefits for themselves and don't want to wait for experts to come to their aid."

The other teams were cautious upon arriving at their destinations, hesitant to approach and instead observing from a distance.

The Cui family, in particular, actually set aside some people to keep an eye on the progress of that group of foreign goat swordsmen, harboring their own ideas and probably hoping to gain an advantage.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai also focused their attention on the swordsmen from the Northern Wilderness and followed them silently from a distance.

It was a sizable bamboo grove, with bamboo of two different colors growing together.

One of them is a vibrant, luscious red, as if carved from red agate.

Another type of bamboo is golden, with its leaves and roots all in a golden hue.

The fiery red and golden bamboos blended together, all shimmering with a misty light, creating a dazzling spectacle against the backdrop of the icy snow-covered landscape during the long night.

Meng Xinghai's eyes gleamed with divine light as he said, "There is indeed a precious medicine. Deep in the bamboo forest grows a special kind of bamboo shoot that actually carries wisps of Daoist charm. It is probably much more valuable than the legendary ethereal bamboo shoot!"

Qin Ming was also astonished. The blood bamboo shoots on the ground were as translucent as red coral, and there were also golden bamboo shoots connected to wisps of Daoist rhyme in the void, forming a strange scene.

One of the swordsmen brought out a rare treasure, intending to harvest the precious bamboo shoots.

In an instant, they were met with a counterattack, and the entire bamboo forest rippled with red and gold colors, as if a large spiritual field was expanding.

With a series of popping sounds, some of the swordsmen exploded, revealing their true forms. Their huge curved horns shattered into pieces, and their enormous sheep skulls rolled off.

Qin Ming's pupils contracted, feeling that this was a large spiritual field naturally formed by heaven and earth, which was very worthy of contemplation. Could it be that the predecessors of the New Life Path had seen such a spiritual field and opened up the path based on it?
"Everyone, step back!" the oldest swordsman commanded, preparing to take action himself.

Moreover, he stood far enough away to ensure he was outside the range of a large natural spiritual field.

However, when he brandished a curved knife and went close to the ground to pick bamboo shoots, the mysterious bamboo forest, which was shimmering with red and gold light, changed once again.

The area resembled a luminous lake, and then, like a mirror, it reflected two terrifying beams of light, one red and one gold, moving with lightning speed.

Even though the old swordsman reacted quickly, he still shouted, and the two beams of light seemed to light up in his mind, instantly severing his powerful spiritual light.

He staggered backward, saying, "Retreat! Escape immediately! I'm injured and shouldn't go any further. This place is terrifying and eerie."

His body evaded the attack, but his mind felt as if it had been stabbed twice.

However, many of the other swordsmen were far slower than him. They were struck by the red and gold beams of light and screamed in agony. Some had their chests pierced, while others had their heads blown off. Some of the swordsmen died on the spot.

"It seems someone from the Cui family is watching us." At this moment, a swordsman came to report, clearly they were also on guard against others and had discovered something amiss.

The old swordsman's expression immediately changed. Fearing that the Cui family might resort to underhanded tactics, he shouted, "Quickly, split up and leave the mountains. I'll cover your retreat!"

He was quite responsible, standing in the way and letting the other swordsmen go first.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai watched from the shadows and saw several swordsmen fleeing into the dense forest from different directions.

"Damn it, what a bad start! We should really tie up that spineless pretty boy from the City Lord's Mansion and make him lead the expedition. Night State is destined to fall, and they're still so clueless!"

The two young swordsmen walked together, both indignant and still complaining.

In fact, the main problem was that they were too reckless, but they blamed others.

"Is there really such great resentment and malice?" Qin Ming rode the Thunder King Bird and followed behind them.

……

Upon receiving the report, Cui Laowu was surprised, then sneered, "Barbarians are barbarians after all. They actually dared to confront this dangerous place head-on and suffered a huge loss. Cui He, take some men and go down to see if they have really left."

He was somewhat uneasy, suspecting that the group of swordsmen might have deliberately retreated, intending to ambush the Cui family once they had made progress.

In the night fog, Qin Ming stood on the back of his mount and followed silently.

The Thunder King Bird is one of the fastest species in Night State. Now that it has reached the fourth realm, once it accelerates, it is truly as swift as thunder.

However, it is not going all out now, but is carefully concealing its whereabouts.

"After entering Crimson Cloud City, let the brothers go to the city lord's mansion to recuperate. Let's see if they dare to refuse!" Both young swordsmen of the fourth realm felt very frustrated about this trip.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light shone from behind them.

puff!puff!
With a single slash, two muffled thuds echoed, and a large spray of blood erupted, staining the snow red. Two headless bodies collapsed to the ground.

The two heads flew forward, their faces filled with shock and fear. They couldn't believe that they had been killed by a single blow from someone who had appeared silently.

The Thunder King Bird swept past, leaving Qin Ming's jade iron knife spotless and unstained by blood.

Two beams of consciousness shot up from his head, ready to escape.

As a result, a gleaming blade flashed, their screams, urgent and rapid, ceased abruptly, and their souls were slain.

"These barbarians really ran away, and they seem to have left in fear. Are they afraid that our Cui family will hunt them down?" Cui He muttered to himself, then he suddenly stopped and heard a hurried and brief sound not far away.

"What's going on?" He looked puzzled, then turned and left.

However, it was too late; he saw a Thunder King Bird crossing the night sky.

"It is..." He wanted to say "it is you," but before he could utter the second word, a bright blade of light slashed down.

"You!" He uttered this word at the last moment, but he himself was also split open. His resistance was useless. Qin Ming cleaved him in two with a single stroke in the night sky, splitting his brow and splitting his body in two. A large amount of blood gushed out, and his consciousness was also severed. He was quickly burned to ashes by the light of the sky.

(End of this chapter)