Night without Borders

Chapter 430 The Other Side of the World

The night was deep, and a fog had risen at some point. The blue light in the crashing waves gradually disappeared, and the sea began to grow deep. Sea monsters and sharks were fleeing, and a terrifying event was unfolding.

Qin Ming simply couldn't believe his eyes!

In the ever-deepening sea, coffins floated, headless corpses rose and fell, and some graves drifted with the current, the soil not scattered, not sinking into the sea.

What's going on? Qin Ming felt the atmosphere suddenly become strange and unpredictable.

Although there was no sun in the Night Market, his initial impression of it was quite peaceful, and even the luminous blue sea gave him a sense of tranquility.

How did it all turn out like this in the blink of an eye?

"It's late at night," the severely injured cat-eared girl murmured, slightly tense and uneasy.

Qin Ming turned his head to look at her and caught the expression on her fair and pretty face.

He realized that the stark contrast and change in the Night Market was related to time. As the blue fire in the sea waned and gradually went out in the dead of night, the world seemed different.

The sea turned pitch black, and many strange things appeared.

Horrifying scenes surfaced, with the innocent laughter of children echoing across the sea. Numerous babies, some over a foot tall, crawled among the waves.

Among the infants, there were many heads bobbing with the waves, some belonging to adult men and women, others to other creatures, some bloodied and grotesque, others disheveled and rotting.

Some babies, chubby and fair-skinned with pure smiles, looked innocent and carefree, yet they lay on the heads of blood-stained people, giggling and splashing water on the sea under the night fog.

As for the coffins, headless corpses, and graves, some were enormous, occasionally being tossed about by the waves, casting large shadows in the dim blue light, making them even more eerie.

Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine; he realized he knew absolutely nothing about Nightfall.

He looked up at the night sky, which was equally terrifying and unpredictable.

The pitch-black sky was broken in places, and things were appearing amidst the thick fog. There were shadowy figures drifting, heads falling one after another, and figures dressed in mourning clothes appearing. Blood was everywhere, pouring down from the gap in the sky.

Qin Ming was lost in thought, his mind truly unable to calm down.

This world is even stranger than Night State, and is currently incomprehensible.

Earlier, when he learned that the Night Ruins had thirty-six heavens, he had many associations. This was mainly because, in real-world myths and legends, there were thirty-six layers of heaven, but they could never be found.

Moreover, the so-called supreme Jade Capital in reality is actually upside down.

All of this makes it hard not to have various doubts.

Now, a corner of the sky is broken, and human heads are falling down, flowing blood, shadowy figures everywhere, and coffin lids are crashing down—it's truly terrifying and bizarre.

The myths and legends of Yezhou couldn't possibly be this bloody and grotesque; it's all too outrageous.

"Is this how the flesh-and-blood creatures discovered in Night State came to be?" Qin Ming wondered.

If that's the case, then the native creatures of Nightfall seem to be living even more difficult lives than them; living in dire straits is an understatement, and terror is everywhere.

The world of Night Ruins is vastly different between light night and deep night.

On the beach, the golden crab, cut in half at the waist, tried to escape silently and disappear into the dark ocean, but suddenly half of its body froze.

Qin Ming had already turned around and set his sights on it.

The giant golden crab, its scales clanging, raised its remaining pincers, making a scissor-like gesture, and waved them towards Qin Ming, making a final stand.

Qin Ming extended two fingers, and two beams of blinding light flew out, cutting off its golden pincers in the process.

He asked, "Where the night breaks, does it lead to the second heaven?"

"How could I know anything about the second heaven!" the golden-scaled crab roared in anguish.

"Since that's the case, you may depart peacefully." Qin Ming reached out and pinched it with two fingers from a distance.

With a crack, the golden-scaled crab screamed in agony as its hard shell crumbled inch by inch. It wanted to roar, but who could find peace in such a gruesome death? Its consciousness and spiritual light were severed, and its mental field was burned away by the sunlight.

Yun Shuyao's long, light blue hair was stained with blood, and her face was deathly pale. Earlier, Qin Ming had severed one of her long legs, and just now she had been cut in half at the waist. She collapsed on the sand, looking miserable and wretched.

As a princess of this sea region, she was of noble status and had never experienced such pain before, falling from the clouds to the dust in an instant.

She felt remorse. Why had she disobeyed the heavenly maiden's orders, acted on her own whims, and done things according to her own desires? As a result, she had ended up in such a predicament.

If she hadn't been prejudiced and hadn't sided with the Jade Emperor, she would still be a high-ranking noblewoman.

"Do you know about the second heaven?" Qin Ming asked, looking at Yun Shuyao and then at the damaged sky, trying to uncover the truth about the Night Ruins.

The sea tribe princess gritted her teeth. Although she wanted to live, she had no idea about the higher realms.

Suddenly, she broke down, because she saw the human boy picking up her long legs and then picking up her lower body.

Qin Ming's fingers emitted a divine light of the Five Elements. With a gentle flick, the so-called long legs and other features revealed their true form, transforming into a colorful fish tail.

At the same time, he collected the broken large claws of the golden-scaled crab, which were extraordinary ingredients and could perhaps be considered a kind of "sea medicine".

Even if he couldn't bring himself to eat it, he could give it away as a gift—a dog, a rat, or a bird.

"I'll send you on your way too." Qin Ming raised his hand, intending to end the life of this sea tribe princess.

"Come at me if you dare!" the Jade Emperor, whose shoulder had been severed, shouted. His upper body was covered in blood, swaying and floating in mid-air.

His face was ashen and bloodless. He said in a deep voice, "This bloody battle started because of me. Let her go."

At the crucial moment, he showed great responsibility by standing in front of Yun Shuyao.

The sea princess's eyes immediately reddened. Looking at the Jade Emperor's retreating figure, she was on the verge of tears, feeling extremely sad.

Qin Ming sighed and said, "You were the ones who took the initiative to try and kill me, so how come in the end you've made me look like the villain?"

The Jade Emperor, now with only one arm remaining and blood dripping from his mutilated body, said in a pitiful voice, "She was originally an outsider, but she got involved because of me. I would like to ask you to be merciful and let her go."

Qin Ming remained calm and said, "She entered this game to help you, but she led the sea tribe to surround and kill me. How dare you ask me to let go? If you have a choice and make a mistake, you must pay the price. Your kind of sentimentality is worthless to me!"

"Zheng!"

The Jade Emperor's body erupted with sword light, and pure Yang power burned fiercely.

In the darkness, Qin Ming's black hair fluttered, his expression ethereal and otherworldly. He said, "You don't actually think you can drag me down with you, do you? I'm not attacking immediately; I'm willing to talk to you a bit more. I just want to know if you've obtained the supreme true scripture of the demon race?"

In the past, the demon camp invaded Yezhou for a deeper reason: their lost treasure was obtained by a mysterious civilization, who forced them to serve as the vanguard of the king. Furthermore, after the matter was settled, their legendary supreme scripture would appear in the consciousness seas of nine destined celestial demons.

Qin Ming hadn't forgotten this, and since he had once used the alias "Yao Yi" and possessed some demonic techniques, perhaps he could also access that supreme demonic scripture.

Pain appeared in the Jade Emperor's eyes. He had been close to that true scripture, and in his dazed state, it was as if someone was whispering in his ear, expounding profound truths.

Unfortunately, he only heard it vaguely and failed to truly grasp its meaning. He missed it, which caused him great pain.

The Jade Emperor is not on the list of the Nine Demons!
Even now, he still feels resentful, filled with anger, bitterness, and despair. He is a loser, eliminated at the most crucial moment.

This is also the fundamental reason why he came to Yezhou at this special time when the environment was deteriorating so drastically; in essence, it was a retreat to a foreign land.

Seeing his expression and sensing his intense resentment, Qin Ming understood the situation.

He was somewhat disappointed and said, "I originally wanted to guide you across the river and get in touch with that supreme demonic scripture, but I didn't expect you to be rejected. It's a real pity."

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor felt even more distressed and suffocated, as it was as if his wounds had been reopened in person.

At the same time, he was furious and wanted to say: What business is it of yours what the true scriptures of the demon race are? You are just a human boy, what right do you have to regret about demons!
Knowing that his chances of survival were slim, the Jade Emperor unleashed his pure Yang power with all his might, unleashing a thousand layers of sword energy, with every pore of his body spewing forth sword light.

Dense sword runes materialized before him, transforming into a terrifying sword light that slashed towards the seemingly invincible human youth in front of him.

Qin Ming slammed out his left palm, unleashing a burst of five-colored divine light. With a boom, he directly shattered the sword intent that was extremely terrifying in the eyes of ordinary people.

The Jade Emperor coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his mangled body flew backward.

"Hmm?" Qin Ming was startled, sensing something. He subtly detected a threat coming from the night sky. The Measuring Ruler in his right hand burst forth with light and, with a loud boom, swung upwards.

It was a demonic sword, scarlet, with a bloody glow, carrying wisps of heavenly fire, and entwined with some heavenly light; its power was extremely terrifying.

Qin Ming spoke up: "The legendary powerhouse of the demon race—the Beast Sword Immortal—you have actually figured out part of the secrets of his methods."

Legend has it that the flying sword forged by that beast sword immortal hangs high above the thick clouds year-round, receiving spiritual light from beyond the world to nourish the sword, and also interacts and senses with the body.

Once he unleashes this sword, the scene will be earth-shattering, with even meteorites from beyond the world falling with the sword, killing opponents, obliterating giant cities, and treating it as nothing.

The Jade Emperor does not currently possess such profound cultivation that he cannot project his sword beyond the heavens; he merely conceals it within the night mist above his head.

Furthermore, he has yet to find a suitable, indestructible sword blank.

The sword he held suspended in the night mist was forged with his heart and refined with the essence of pure Yang consciousness as its edge, making it easy to conceal and difficult for others to detect.

At this critical moment of life and death, he fought desperately and unleashed his strongest sword strike!
However, reality was cruel. The Jade Emperor's brilliant, all-powerful, and indestructible Pure Yang Sword was struck hard and trembled violently.

Qin Ming's Measuring Ruler struck the night sky, its beam of light surging and its blade intent terrifying, causing the Heart Sword to tremble violently and its brilliance to rapidly diminish. The Jade Emperor roared; this was his Heart Sword, forged with pure Yang essence, an object of spiritual cultivation, his last resort.

In an instant, all the pure Yang consciousness and spiritual light within his physical body surged upwards, leaving his body and disappearing into the demonic sword in the night sky.

He had no choice; in the final moments, he needed to fight with all his might and fight to the death against his opponent.

In an instant, the entire sea was illuminated by terrifying sword light. The blue ocean undulated, and the coffins, heads, graves, and infants became increasingly clear.

In the night sky, the demonic sword stretched across the sky, continuously bursting forth with divine light, becoming increasingly dazzling, cleaving the beach in two. Terrifying sword marks appeared on the cliffs and rocky precipices not far away, before they were cleaved open and fell to the ground.

The seawater here was boiling, pierced by the sword light, and a large amount of water vapor rose up, creating a thick white fog, and parts of the seabed were exposed.

This sword strike was imbued with all of the Jade Emperor's energy and spirit; it was the most terrifying killing sword he could unleash, a final desperate gamble where he had placed himself in a life-or-death situation.

"There is indeed some skill involved!" Qin Ming said, his expression serious. Around him, awe-inspiring heavenly light rose, and five kinds of holy evil energy took shape and converged to form the Heavenly Ruler.

The Vermilion Bird, carrying terrifying divine fire, and the White Tiger, with its cold, metallic sheen... all five elements of sacred evil appeared, each immense and boundless, pressing down on the night sky, yet ultimately condensing and coiling around the Measuring Ruler of Heaven.

Qin Ming swung the treasure ruler in his hand, and the Five Elements Sacred Fiends resonated with it, causing the demonic sword, which was in its most sublime state, to dim and lose its luster.

Then, the Jade Emperor's demon sword made a cracking sound, became covered in cracks, and was about to explode.

The Jade Emperor's physical body was dim, his eyes were dull, and his essence and spirit had all entered the demon sword. He was like a candle flame in the wind, and his consciousness was about to be extinguished.

“This…” He felt powerless and desperate. More than a year had passed, and no matter how hard he tried, he was no match for that boy.

At that moment, the demonic sword he had nurtured with his heart broke and shattered into pieces.

The Jade Emperor was utterly despondent; it seemed as if his very consciousness was about to be extinguished along with the demonic sword.

Qin Ming didn't want him to die immediately. He felt that the sword-binding technique left behind by the Beast Sword Immortal was quite powerful and wanted to learn from it.

"You are indeed very strong. We are both at the fourth realm, and you have withstood my various attacks and persevered until now. That is truly remarkable!" Qin Ming praised him and encouraged him.

Qin Ming's words weren't entirely insincere; the Jade Emperor's final sword strike required him to use the Five Elements Sacred Fiend in conjunction with the resonance of the Five Great Secret Scriptures, so he deserved such praise.

However, the Jade Emperor was so angry that he felt like vomiting blood. Was the other party praising him or flattering himself?

The Jade Emperor did everything in his power, and even when he was about to burn out, he still couldn't hurt the other party or draw blood. Was this human boy mocking and ridiculing him?
Qin Ming resonated with the other's emotions and spoke again, specifically addressing the issue: "These are my heartfelt words. Your sword-wielding technique is truly an extraordinary skill. One can imagine the splendor of the Beast Sword Immortal in the past."

Thinking of the Beast Sword Immortal's ultimate technique, the Jade Emperor was indeed somewhat unwilling. If he could find a suitable sword embryo, he might still have a chance today.

"I have finally...lost!" His eyes lost their light.

"You've survived my severe injuries after all this time, which is something to be proud of," Qin Ming said, and then brought up the Dao of Sword again, even commenting on its strengths and weaknesses.

The Jade Emperor's consciousness surged violently, his eyes were no longer so dim. Was the other party using him as a backdrop to elevate himself, or was it all just self-praise?
However, he felt that it didn't seem like it. This human boy was very serious and had a solemn expression. He shouldn't be a superficial person.

In the end, he realized that Qin Ming's confidence came from the bottom of his heart, and his self-identity was overflowing, which was far superior to his and the sea tribe's arrogance and conceit.

He was pondering why this human boy didn't feel insulted, but rather was stating the facts earnestly and seriously.

As the Jade Emperor pondered these things, his heart was filled with resentment. The other party was looking down at him with an air of seriousness, taking all of this for granted.

"Pfft!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Regarding the Beast Sword Immortal's technique..." Qin Ming didn't want him to die suddenly, so he kept guiding the conversation and provoking his opponent.

In the end, Qin Ming was quite satisfied, having figured out the legendary secret technique of the demon race and gained a great deal!
"Damn it!" Before his death, the Jade Emperor learned that Qin Ming was studying the Dao of Sword Transfer and wished he could tear him apart alive.

He murmured wistfully, "A year ago, I missed the best opportunity to kill you. I regret it so much!"

The Jade Emperor continued to vomit blood, his eyes fixed fiercely on Qin Ming, his consciousness gradually fading away.

Qin Ming pondered that he possessed a pure white, exotic gold sword, made of extraordinary material, the strongest sword of a Beast-Training Sword Immortal, so he didn't need to worry about finding a sword blank.

He looked down at the pure white flying locust beast that had manifested its true form and understood why he was called the Jade Emperor. He was indeed somewhat special and clearly different from his younger brother and cousin.

Without a doubt, the Jade Emperor must have rare and precious blood within his body.

Qin Ming put away its flesh, which had been severed by the slanted shoulder, not wanting to waste it.

He looked at the princess of the sea tribe and said, "It's your turn."

Yun Shuyao felt extremely bitter. One wrong choice had cost her her life. This anomaly was even stronger than the Jade Emperor.

She had only known the Jade Emperor for a short time, so it was impossible for them to have a deep relationship yet. However, the fact that the Jade Emperor stood in front of her not long ago touched her heart.

Just as Qin Ming raised his hand to end her life, he suddenly stopped and said, "Come out!"

A young man emerged from the sea, his long blue hair flowing freely, his eyes sharp, and his body surrounded by dazzling divine light, like a sea god walking ashore.

He held a spear and looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with deep-set eyes; his actual age was greater than he appeared.

"Cousin!" Yun Shuyao's face lit up with joy, feeling a renewed sense of hope for survival.

Qin Ming said, "There's one more, come out too."

On the other side, a middle-aged man clad in silver armor emerged from the sea. He also had a full head of long blue hair and exuded a powerful aura. He walked step by step, and dazzling sea god runes rose from his flesh, indicating his profound cultivation.

"Sixth Uncle!" Yun Shuyao was overjoyed.

The young man looked at Qin Ming and said, "It's late at night, and you still dare to linger. Moreover, you didn't immediately flee when you discovered our secret arrival. Your courage is commendable."

Then, he said in a deep voice, "Let go of my cousin."

Qin Ming remained calm and composed, saying, "With confidence in my heart, I naturally have nothing to fear. You are all only at the fourth realm; it is not me who should flee."

"You dare to be so arrogant after just entering the fourth realm?" the young man said, and instantly attacked, raising his spear to thrust.

Although the middle-aged man did not speak, he launched his attack. Azure sea god runes bloomed, and he charged forward with a long sword in hand.

Chi!
Qin Ming swept out with his palm, causing the sky to shimmer and beheading Yun Shuyao who was standing nearby. Her beautiful head rolled off the beach.

The two sea creature experts were enraged and immediately unleashed even more terrifying divine power.

Qin Ming never underestimated his opponents. After taking a deep breath, the Five Elements Light Wheel shone brightly, enveloping him. The five secret scriptures resonated, combined with the five sacred evil spirits.

"Hmm, this is..." The young sea creature expert's heart pounded. During the fierce battle, he discovered that after being struck by the five-colored light wheel, the moisture in his body was rapidly draining away, and he was somewhat unable to stop it.

"Our five elements are out of balance!" The middle-aged man's expression also changed drastically. He was also dehydrated, and the pure yang fire in his body was flashing intensely.

"This is the true power that should be manifested after the five secret scriptures resonate!" Qin Ming muttered to himself. The fusion and resonance of the five secret scriptures allows one to control the five elements, and when the right opportunity is seized, one can naturally cause the opponent's five elements to become unbalanced.

The two sea creature experts were enveloped in white mist, their blood seemed to be burning, and their bodies were drying up, which shocked and horrified them.

Soon after, the two top experts of the sea tribe were covered by the halo around Qin Ming's body, causing their five elements to become disordered, and they were eventually killed by him.

Qin Ming looked at the severely injured beaver and said, "Go and tell the Heavenly Maiden that I had no disrespect for her. Today I was targeted and forced to fight back."

There were quite a few spirit sharks and sea monsters in the sea, some of which had already fled. Qin Ming couldn't possibly kill them all, so he deliberately spared one sea creature of some status.

The main reason was that the cat-eared girl had previously respected the celestial maiden and had opposed Yun Shuyao's targeting of the second anomaly, which is why Qin Ming spared her life.

As for actively entering the deep sea to meet that celestial maiden? Qin Ming would naturally not do that. All of this was just a matter of convenience. In case they met one day, he wouldn't be considered impolite. He had laid the groundwork in advance today.

The celestial maiden has been frozen since ancient times to the present day. She is either a powerful figure from ancient times who has been resurrected, or she is recovering from her injuries with the ancient treasure "Proud Sun".

Qin Ming was quite wary of him and would never provoke him at present.

Afterwards, he picked and chose, "purchased" here, and took away a large amount of "seafood," which could also be considered sea medicine.

In the night sky, amidst the vast ocean, coffins, graves, and infants... it was truly eerie and terrifying, causing a strong sense of unease.

Qin Ming did not linger and quickly left.

"I've reached the fourth realm, Yezhou. I'm back. My former rivals, those who want to make moves against me in secret, it's time for you to be cautious and careful."

……

"What did you experience in the Night Market? How did you bring back so much extraordinary seafood?"

At the exit of the secret passage connecting to the Night Ruins, Yao Ruoxian, the fourth princess of the Great Yu Dynasty, who was waiting here with her people, was filled with astonishment.

Late at night, Qin Ming actually treated them to seafood hot pot.

Then, she looked puzzled and said, "This... doesn't seem to be a sea creature. Its flesh is as white as jade, and its legs have thorns..."

"You mean it? The Jade Emperor's legs," Qin Ming replied with a smile.

"?!"

(End of this chapter)