Night without Borders

Chapter 421 Perfection
On a cold night, drops of blood dripped from the hammer in Qin Ming's hand, staining the white snow red. After settling a debt, he felt refreshed.

It wasn't that he was bloodthirsty, but rather that his opponent was pushing him too hard.

In the past, Cui Wu, Cui Shuning and others tried to kill him many times, but he was powerless to resist. If it weren't for the protection of Li Qingyun, Meng Xinghai, Yu Gengsheng and others, he would have died long ago.

The magpie fluttered its wings and came closer, breaking the silence, and exclaimed, "Mountain Lord, you are truly valiant! You single-handedly took down two elite teams!"

"Clean up the battlefield quickly," Meng Xinghai said, not wanting Qin Ming to be hunted down by the Cui family and the people of Beihuang.

The former is also a family with a thousand-year history, while the latter has an old barbarian god in charge.

"In the mountains, these are all easy to solve," Qin Ming said with a smile. "Just bury them in their stomachs and dump them in an area with lots of wild animals."

Of course, he also had to leave some of the best for himself. For example, the old goat was definitely a superior species, and it would be perfect to leave it for the Thunder King Bird, the Whispering Sparrow, and others as food.

……

Qi Yunzheng and Jiang Tingxue cautiously walked into the distance when suddenly they froze. Why were there corpses hanging from the trees? And nearby, the roars of beasts were very muffled, as if many mountain monsters were feeding.

They became highly vigilant and dared not proceed for the time being.

Before the red and gold bamboo forest, the night wind blew up snowflakes, and the bloodstains disappeared. Qin Ming was pulling up bamboo shoots, one after another, all of which were growing well and connected with wisps of Daoist charm.

The red bamboo shoots, like large pieces of blood diamonds, flowed with fiery brilliance, while the golden bamboo shoots shone with a radiant glow like the morning sun. Both were of good quality and appeared to be worth much more than the few blood ginseng roots that had been seized.

Qin Ming wanted to find a mountain beast to test the medicine on, and the red squirrel volunteered because it was so eager to "improve itself".

"This is no joke," Qin Ming shook his head.

The red squirrel says it will eat in small bites.

"If there's a real problem, with Uncle Qin and Master Meng here, they won't just stand by and watch me get hurt, will they?"

Red squirrels may seem carefree, but they're not actually that naive. They feel weak and helpless, and now that they finally have a chance, they eagerly volunteer to test the medicine.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai didn't understand its feelings; instead, they felt that keeping it safe was definitely not a problem.

"Crunch!" The red squirrel took a small bite of the golden bamboo shoot, chewing it carefully. It didn't find it bitter at all; instead, it had a pleasant aftertaste. Its eyes widened in surprise.

It really wants to say, it's so fresh and delicious!
"The medicine is mild, and my body feels warm!" This was its feeling after waiting for a while.

Then it began to devour the food, and not only that, it also ate the red bamboo shoots, combining the two, with red and golden light flowing in its mouth.

Even the sparrow was tempted; drawn by the unique aroma, it couldn't resist trying the medicine.

"My body is starting to get hot, and I'm so hungry!" The red squirrel's stomach began to rumble, as if the red and gold bamboo shoots had not entered its belly.

Qin Ming immediately took out fresh mutton and fed it.

Both he and Meng Xinghai were carefully sensing its changes. Currently, it was in good condition and seemed to be about to undergo a transformation.

The red squirrel suddenly emitted red and gold light from its body. The change was more intense than anyone could have imagined. Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai quickly protected its consciousness and stabilized its physical body to prevent it from getting hurt.

"It's so hot, so hot!" The red squirrel couldn't help but nibble on the snow.

Its left and right shoulders suddenly bulged, and its tailbone itched, as if it was about to regrow.

It practices boxing every day, so it walks upright most of the time. Now it wears small clothes, some parts of which are torn.

I'm getting hungrier and hungrier!

The red squirrel's belly was like a bottomless pit. After eating the red and golden bamboo shoots, it then ate a lot of mutton from a foreign land.

"This is... three heads, three tails, and six arms?" Yuque exclaimed, realizing that her partner had completely changed.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai kept a close watch on the situation and confirmed that the red squirrel was not in any danger, but they were unable to stop the change.

The mutation happened too fast and was extremely violent. The head that grew from the red squirrel's left shoulder had a pair of golden eyes, and the head that grew from its right shoulder had a pair of blood diamond-like eyes. It looked very confused.

Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai immediately explored and discovered that the two newly grown squirrel heads contained some chaotic consciousness.

Their expressions were solemn as they carefully examined the object.

At this moment, they seemed to be witnessing the disintegration of Yujing and seeing a terrifying scene of destruction.

"This is blood that spilled from the Jade Capital. It fell here and sprouted red and golden bamboo shoots!" Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai learned the origin of the red and golden bamboo forest.

After discussing it, they immediately suppressed that chaotic consciousness.

The red squirrel's physique has become extremely strong, and its physical changes are far beyond what was expected, completely different from before.

It looks at its three pairs of forelimbs, then turns its head left and right to look at its other two heads. It can talk to itself and argue with itself.

It quickly adapted, leaping across the snow, sometimes jumping onto the branches of towering trees, sometimes plunging into the frozen ground.

"Is there anything that's bothering you?" Qin Ming asked.

"No, I'm incredibly strong and faster. I feel like I could beat a dozen of myself right now!" The red squirrel was both apprehensive and excited, unsure of what the future held.

Yuque stared at it with wide eyes and said, "Songzai, you now have three heads, three pairs of arms, and three tails. Look around, are there three of everything else too..."

It went to pull on the red squirrel's little pants.

"What do you want to do?" Songzai was very wary, then it lowered its head and was about to cry.

Yuque was very excited and said, "Don't cry, this isn't a bad thing. Besides, what does it matter if I can become stronger? I want to become a six-winged Yuque, maybe I can have a speed even faster than Zapdos, and from then on I can roam freely between heaven and earth, and freely travel through the night fog world!"

"Is this a good thing?" The red squirrel looked up with teary eyes.

Beside them, the Thunder King Bird spoke up: "I also want to eat red golden bamboo shoots."

Qin Ming said, "Let's wait and see if there are any further changes in Songzai's situation."

Anyway, he doesn't plan to take it.

When he looked at Meng Xinghai, Old Meng immediately shook his head and said, "Why are you looking at me? Although having three heads and six arms seems like a powerful mythical creature from legend, I... I don't want to mutate!"

"By the way, I'll guide you deeper into the bamboo forest." After picking more than a dozen red and golden bamboo shoots, Qin Ming controlled the natural spiritual energy field of the area and led the group inside.

This is a special place that can connect with the Daoist principles in the void, making it very suitable for cultivation.

A moment later, they covered their bodies with snow to conceal themselves, making it seem as if several large bamboo shoots had appeared deep in the red and golden bamboo forest.

Qin Ming controlled the natural spiritual field that had been created by heaven and earth, making it incredibly gentle. The group replaced Baosun and were nourished in this area.

Soon after, the red and gold ripples here became very gentle, rising and falling slowly, like the mountains and rivers breathing, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual matter between heaven and earth, drawing in wisps of Daoist rhyme, which connected to the group of people.

They blended perfectly into this environment. Red bamboo swayed and shed crimson clouds, golden bamboo emitted the morning glow, and the source-level spiritual field was naturally formed, with undulating ripples, possessing an unadorned beauty.

Although bamboo forests are not as precious as "mountain and river spiritual nests," they are not far off and can help people cultivate themselves and improve their spiritual practice.

Even Meng Xinghai was greatly shocked. In their esoteric religion, if a bamboo forest could exist for a long time, it would be a place where gods could be born, and it would be priceless!
He quickly closed his eyes and focused on receiving the Daoist rhythm.

Yu Que exclaimed excitedly, "It's like a sudden enlightenment! I feel that my mind is now clear and my wisdom and the Dao are connected, slowly absorbing and growing stronger!"

"Damn it!" The red squirrel realized it had been quite foolish in the past. It was particularly clear-headed and pure-minded in this place, and felt incredibly close to the Daoist principles.

At this moment, it resembled a small, three-headed, six-armed deity, sitting quietly in the bamboo forest, absorbing its own destiny.

Qin Ming noticed that a divine halo appeared around its body, giving it a solemn and dignified appearance. Its efficiency was much faster than that of the Thunder King Bird and the Whispering Sparrow.

"It seems that consuming the two precious bamboo shoots has truly transformed its fundamental nature." Qin Ming needs to observe for a period of time. If there are no other negative effects, then he can also allow the Yuque and Thunder King Bird to "transform".

Without a doubt, Qin Ming was the most efficient in this special place. As he entered seclusion and cultivated here, his cultivation level slowly increased once again.

Earlier, he had just broken through to the ninth level of the Spirit Realm when the old swordsman and Cui Wu arrived, making it impossible for him to continue.

Qin Ming's face lit up with joy; this place was still useful to him.

Soft light covered the entire bamboo forest, and the spiritual matter in the earth blended with the Daoist energy falling from the sky. Qin Ming, Meng Xinghai, and the others seemed to share the fate of this mountain and river, as if they had entered the womb of the earth and were nourished by mysterious power.

In the distance, on a hilltop, Qi Yunzheng and Jiang Tingxue were gazing at the bamboo forest, both looking puzzled.

"The place is imbued with Taoist spirit, and the entire bamboo forest is filled with spiritual energy, as if it has been brought back to life. It is very much like a wondrous place described in ancient Taoist records!"

The two were filled with doubt and dared not make any rash moves, but they got quite close and observed carefully.

Qi Yunzheng said, "Senior Sister, you have special hearing. Can you hear anything unusual there?"

Jiang Tingxue said, "We need to get closer."

A moment later, she looked surprised and said, "There are people in those snowdrifts. I heard a heartbeat!"

Qi Yunzheng's eyes immediately turned red with envy. He said, "Who are these people? They've entered the Land of Creation, and they're connected by wisps of Daoist energy... This is no small opportunity!"

In the glowing bamboo forest, Qin Ming felt the Daoist aura growing stronger, and after resonating with the spiritual field, he sensed an extraordinary aura.

Ultimately, in his most enlightened state, he discovered the secrets of this place.

This natural spiritual field originated from a strange stone underground. Now, it seemed to be burning out, making its final, desperate attempt to nourish all things as it withered away. Qin Ming's heart skipped a beat. Could this be an extraordinary object that had fallen from the Jade Capital?
Indeed, with the fall of the capital, all things come to life; there are so many wonderful things in the Jade Capital!
Unfortunately, it was finally going to burn out.

If they hadn't arrived, would those bamboo shoots have been nourished into spirits because they were contaminated with special blood?
Qin Ming stopped his random thoughts and began to focus on his cultivation. He found that his cultivation was gradually reaching the perfection of the Spirit Realm, and he was getting stronger every moment, which made him feel extremely fulfilled.

Unfortunately, he tried several times, but he couldn't break through the fourth barrier.

The main reason is that the strange rocks here are about to "burn out," and in addition, the major realm level is the most difficult to break through.

Qin Ming was not disappointed; he was already very satisfied to have reached the Great Perfection of the Spirit Field.

Moreover, he was very confident in breaking through to the fourth realm—the Heart Lamp.

Therefore, he has been preparing and strategizing. If he can master a few extraordinary skills to perfection, he can see a "new world" and obtain "secret treasures".

Since the major hurdles on the path to rebirth are the most difficult to overcome, he doesn't expect to advance this time by mastering just one extraordinary skill; he has prepared three.

He has already obtained two of the Five Elements Secret Manuals.

If all goes well, he may receive three more benefits after seeing the new world soon.

With the Three Secret Treasures and the Five Elements Secret Manual in full rotation, he didn't believe he couldn't break through the fourth barrier.

Qin Ming prepared to get up. Continuing to cultivate here would be of no use to him, so he might as well leave the "afterglow" to Meng Xinghai and the Thunder King Bird.

He transmitted his voice, saying, "As long as you don't move around, it's safe here. Besides, the source of the spirit field may be extinguished soon, so don't worry."

"Hmm?" Qin Ming suddenly sensed something. He was now resonating with the entire spiritual field of the mountains and rivers, his breathing was synchronized, and his perception could extend far away. He felt a sense of malice approaching.

"Senior sister, let's prepare to retreat!" On a hilltop, Qi Yunzheng held a millstone-sized rock and hurled it fiercely into the depths of the bamboo forest.

This was clearly the evil of human nature. He didn't recognize the identities of those people, but he felt that they were integrated with the world, coexisting with the mountains and rivers, and sharing the Dao. So he wanted to destroy them before leaving.

He believed that when the other party was in the process of enlightenment, being suddenly disturbed would not cause them to go astray, but they would need to stabilize their mind and would have difficulty noticing their escape.

Qin Ming suddenly opened his eyes, pointed one finger to the sky, and with the ripples of the sky and the spiritual field, stopped the millstone-sized rock that was flying down at high speed, causing it to turn into dust silently and scatter on the snow.

He stood up and left the bamboo forest like a ghost, then began to accelerate, chasing after the distance.

"Hmm, someone actually followed us. Are they that perceptive?" Qi Yunzheng exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s that boy next to Meng Xinghai!” Jiang Tingxue said.

"So fast!" The two were taken aback. The other party was riding the five elements and swooping down from the mountain, as if flying at high speed, crossing a large area of ​​forest.

Qin Ming caught up with them and then drew his mutton-fat jade iron knife.

"It's you!" Qi Yunzheng had investigated Qin Ming, knew his weapon, and was even more aware of his cultivation level. He immediately realized who it was.

In fact, he had suspected the identity of the boy beside Meng Xinghai when they were at the city lord's mansion, and now it has been confirmed that he is Qin Ming, the one he is looking for.

"It really is you!" Jiang Tingxue's eyes also sharpened. She said she would cut off Qin Ming's head in Chixia City because she was suspicious and wanted to test him.

Clearly, when Qin Ming voluntarily revealed his identity, he was about to kill.

Just like when he killed Cui Shuning and Cui Wu, he deliberately revealed his true face.

At this moment, Qin Ming no longer concealed his appearance and swung his sword forward.

"This is..." The two men's expressions changed drastically. Because they could not send messages to distant places, this mountain forest was covered by a special spiritual field emitted by Qin Ming, isolating it from the outside world.

Moreover, they need to fight with all their might to ensure that they are not corrupted by the spiritual field.

The two of them radiated divine light, proving that they were indeed very strong, far surpassing Qi Yunxiao in his prime, and joined forces to attack the young man in front of them.

They were somewhat uneasy. Qin Ming's cultivation was far higher than they had realized. How could someone improve so quickly in such a short time? They all found it hard to accept.

Qi Yunzheng directly used his trump card—the Annihilation Immortal Sword. This mountain forest was about to decay. Wherever his sword light passed, everything withered and fell silent.

Unfortunately, in the spiritual field where heaven and earth merged, he felt that the Immortal Sword of Annihilation was as if it were wearing shackles, and its speed was far less than usual.

With a clang, the beam of light from the mutton-fat jade iron knife in Qin Ming's hand arrived first, this was the Golden Crow Holding a Knife Style, cutting off his Annihilation Immortal Sword.

Qi Yunzheng was shocked. This young man had given him a taste of his own medicine right from the start. How old was the other person? Several years younger than him!

On the other side, Jiang Tingxue's consciousness fluctuated violently. In a daze, she seemed to be standing in the sky, with an invisible abyss in front of her, about to devour people's souls.

Qin Ming was surprised. This woman was actually proficient in the "Spiritual Seed God" scripture, which was rarely practiced in the Eastern Land. She was quite an extraordinary person!

This scripture is called the "Nine Heavens Book" or the "Abyss Strategy" in the Sky City.

After Qin Ming captured Qi Yunxiao, he obtained this scripture and also received the corresponding notes from his disciple Su Mohua, which he studied diligently for a long time.

Therefore, he took advantage of the situation to break the spell, drawing the opponent's consciousness and causing it to fall into that invisible abyss.

"Ah..." Jiang Tingxue's face turned pale. She almost suffered a huge loss right from the start. She felt incredulous. How could the other party be more proficient than her?
In fact, when Qin Ming was practicing this scripture, he had already traveled through the abyss in his mind and was not afraid of falling in. Unlike ordinary people who first blocked the entrance to the abyss, he returned to the original meaning of this scripture and practiced it in the most difficult way.

Qi Yunzheng launched a rescue operation, employing the strongest possible methods.

The entire world turned pitch black, and a lotus of annihilation was in full bloom. Qi Yunzheng stood high above it, forming a mysterious hand seal to draw upon the Daoist energy from the heavens and unleash it towards Qin Ming.

Qin Ming swung his sword, unleashing the Golden Crow Raising Sword Style from the Night-Shining Sutra. Nine golden crows flew together, tearing through the darkness of this land, and raised a heavenly sword, slashing forward with a boom.

In an instant, black lotuses danced in the air, many of them being shattered. Blade light swept across the land, as if it were about to cut through mountains and rivers.

At the same time, he once again drew Jiang Tingxue's consciousness, pulling her into the abyss together.

Jiang Tingxue was shocked. She was certain that Qin Ming had also mastered the "Mind Seed God" technique, but how could he dare to take her to hell?
This battle broke out in the shortest possible time, with both sides using their trump cards, so it was destined to last a short time and could end at any moment.

Amidst the flashing blades, the enormous black lotus in the night sky was shattered by Qin Ming.

Qi Yunzheng was covered in knife wounds, with many cracks showing. His opponent had almost torn him apart, and he was bleeding all over.

"How could this be?!" He was shocked, and then felt horrified. He was considered a formidable figure among his peers, so how could he have been defeated by a mere teenager?
"You're still a ways off from the mid-stage of the fourth realm, yet you dare to come and kill me?" Qin Ming's voice was cold.

"No!" On the other side, Jiang Tingxue let out a desperate wail. Her consciousness was dragged into an invisible abyss by Qin Ming, while he himself rose up.

"Kill!" Qi Yunzheng roared, and slashed forward one last time.

Qin Ming raised his hand, and the black and white Yin-Yang diagram covered him. Then, thunder and fire holy demons followed, shattering the young master's physical body and breaking his body in half.

"To be honest, although your cultivation is a level above your younger brother's, your aptitude is inferior to his!"

Qin Ming spoke, and with a single slash, a burst of light erupted, splitting Qi Yunzheng in two from between his eyebrows. His entire body was first divided in two, and then exploded completely. Even his consciousness and spiritual light could not escape the fate of being destroyed, turning into ashes.

Qin Ming intervened and pulled Jiang Tingxue's consciousness out of the invisible abyss once again.

The moment she broke free, she saw Qin Ming swing his blade at her body, and with a soft thud, her head was chopped off.

Jiang Tingxue was going crazy. What kind of devilish opponent was this? The words she had spoken had been fulfilled by the other party.

Clang!
Qin Ming slashed through her consciousness with a single stroke, accompanied by terrifying light and a resonance of spiritual energy, and Jiang Tingxue completely vanished, both physically and mentally.

"gone!"

Qin Ming, Meng Xinghai, Thunder King Bird, and others successfully left the mountain forest and quietly returned to Crimson Cloud City.

Yuque said, "Mountain Lord, rest assured, I will have those bird brothers closely monitor the movements in the mountains. If there is any unusual activity, they will definitely report it immediately."

Then it added, "Alas, spring is coming again, perhaps I should leave some offspring in this land."

"Trash bird!" the three-headed, six-armed red squirrel sneered.

Qin Ming calmed down in Crimson Cloud City and began to comprehend the three extraordinary skills, hoping to thoroughly understand them in the near future, advance to the perfect realm, and then break through to the fourth realm—the Heart Lamp.

The second batch of experts from the Cui family set off, led by Cui Ming, the elder brother of Cui's father. The Cui family highly valued the special products of Black and White Mountain.

Because they knew that the area had been extraordinary since ancient times.

"I also want to go and see." Cui Chonghe has returned to the Cui family, and his aura is much stronger than before.

“No!” Mr. Cui shook his head; he knew his son’s personality.

He said, "We can't touch Qin Ming for now. He has Lu Zizai behind him. Let's talk about it after you've grown up. After all, your cultivation level is much faster than the people on the New Life Path!"

There were some things he didn't say aloud. He felt that even if his second son's current cultivation level was higher than Qin Ming's, he might not be able to do anything to that rebellious son.

Cui Chonghe said, "Father, if it's a fair and square battle, and we defeat him head-on, would Lu Zizai still bother us? He shouldn't have the face to do that."

"That's even more unfeasible!" Cui Qi immediately stopped him.

Cui Chonghe said, "Recently, my teacher has made great progress, and as a result, I have taken three doses of powerful medicine. The three fundamental scriptures I have been practicing have all undergone transformations, and my consciousness and spiritual light have also undergone Nirvana, breaking through the barrier once again!"

In Crimson Cloud City, Qin Ming sat quietly and said, "The fourth level is within reach!"

(End of this chapter)