Night without Borders

Chapter 463 The future is promising
Taiyi, with exceptional talent, is a rogue cultivator whose current cultivation level is relatively low, making him a safe and secure "contact".

All of the above information was personally extracted by the Earth Immortal from the new ranking list.

However, a group of people are now filled with apprehension; where is the "safety"? Everything has changed! Apart from the fact that his extraordinary talent is true, all other information is seriously flawed, and his level of understanding is not low.

What's most terrifying is that he also has other identities: he is also a "Realm Sect" and "One Sword," both of which have topped the new rankings.

On the golden wooden boat, some people became increasingly alert and quietly raised the sails. Suddenly, a large number of glowing symbols appeared on the hull and sails, as they tried to escape quickly.

Suddenly, the pure Yang sword light flashed, the night mist exploded, and the entire sea surface split open with a roar, as if it had been plowed, creating a large vacuum zone.

Ahead, the golden wooden ship that had just set sail was cut down.

The Nine-Colored Sword Demon rushed past, leaving the two sections of the ship with smooth cross-sections, which then crashed into the vast ocean.

Qin Ming cut off the escape route of those dozen or so people with a single sword strike, not wanting to let a single one go, because his triple identity had been exposed and he could not allow them to leak the news.

Xie Jinglan was experienced in combat. The moment the Nine-Colored Sword Demon disappeared, he launched another fierce attack. A flash of axe light appeared in the inner realm, and he flew out at lightning speed.

The giant axe swept across the sky, causing the oppressive blue ocean to explode with a deafening roar. The waves surged to the heavens, and the axe's light seemed to unleash a barrage of thunderbolts, dazzling and deafening.

Qin Ming's external spiritual field appeared, seemingly distorting the void, instantly slowing down the axe that seemed to have the power to split the heavens and earth, and being blocked by tangible ripples.

Xie Jinglan's pupils contracted. Even after the Nine-Colored Sword Demon left his body, this opponent was still so powerful. His methods were truly remarkable.

Qin Ming used the spiritual energy field to slow down the giant axe, and then used his bare hands to strike it head-on.

This is naturally the result of his successful study of the "Refining the Body and Uniting with the Dao Scripture," and he has recently drawn on the "Ultimate Golden Body" technique, making his physique formidable.

In the night sky, the axe light flashed like waves, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Qin Ming's hands gleamed with a crystalline luster, as if cast from some strange metal. They clanged as they struck the axe, and countless runes intertwined within their flesh.

Could a cultivator who practices body refinement in the immortal realm really have such a strong body? The dozen or so people beside the broken wooden boat stared in disbelief.

At the same time, Qin Ming's spiritual field expanded, and the tangible patterns resembled a spider's web, layer upon layer, binding the giant axe and attempting to capture it.

Xie Jinglan charged forward, his inner world roaring, a massive amount of divine light surging forth from within, exceptionally dazzling, empowering the giant axe, ready to cleave his opponent in two.

Qi Daozhen, the golden crow with broken wings, did not leave the battlefield. He let out a long cry, not only to mend his broken wings, but also to undergo a dramatic change.

The flames still raged there, but the golden crow had disappeared, and a phoenix had appeared, carrying the light of rebirth, its broken wings having grown back.

It let out a high-pitched cry, seized the opportunity, and swooped down toward Qin Ming.

Outside its body, a layer of black mist, accompanied by dazzling flames, swept down towards Qin Ming.

The phoenix can be reborn from the ashes, but it also generates a large amount of death energy. Now, this black cloud has become a terrifying weapon to attack opponents.

In the night sky, it looked as if a blazing sun had been eroded by black clouds and smoke, flying towards Qin Ming.

In an instant, Qin Ming's spiritual field was stained black, but the black mist and firelight did not penetrate it. It was torn apart by the Heavenly Demon Force Field and crushed by the Sumeru Field.

With the return of the Nine-Colored Sword Demon, Qin Ming's entire body glowed, and sword energy surged from his fingers. When he once again clashed with the giant axe, he was much more composed.

He reached for the massive, lightning-infused axe with his bare hands, nine-colored divine light emanating from his fingers. The holy and evil energies mingled, forming delicate, almost terrifying strands.

"Hmm?" Xie Jinglan sensed something was wrong. A cracking sound came from the axe blade, and another nick appeared.

In an instant, his inner world roared, and the giant axe in front of him turned into streams of light, gathering and dispersing without form. It was not a physical object, and now it turned back.

Qin Ming stomped on the sea surface and shattered it with a loud boom, creating a huge crater that resembled an abyss, with the surrounding seawater surging in all directions.

He soared into the air, able to fly briefly. Between the five fingers of his right hand, the holy energy materialized into a nine-colored heavenly blade, which he slashed at the phoenix shrouded in black mist with a whoosh.

Qi Daozhen spread his wings and soared through the sky, dazzlingly beautiful. He unleashed a brilliant celestial light, densely packed with what appeared to be scriptures, and blasted it towards his opponent.

With a thunderous roar, Qin Ming cleaved through the dazzling celestial light with a single slash, and as he rode the blade, he and the sword seemed to become one, cutting through the sky.

With a soft thud, he struck the divine phoenix, causing its blood to splatter everywhere.

Qi Daozhen groaned, feeling his luck had run out. How could he have encountered such an opponent? He had transformed into a true spirit from mythology; normally, it wouldn't be easy for him to be cleaved in two like this.

Now the phoenix's right wing is broken, and its right side is also pierced by the blade. It was almost split in two, and its blood stained the night mist red.

It must be said that the True Spirit Dao Scripture possesses the wonder of seizing the creation of heaven and earth, and belongs to one of the top true scriptures above the nine heavens, truly making Qi Daozhen like an indestructible phoenix.

This blood-soaked divine bird, imbued with the light of rebirth, vanished from its original spot and reappeared in the distance, wailing mournfully. Though its body was dim, it had not died and was reborn once more.

Moreover, this time it transformed into a celestial dragon, its entire body covered in blue scales that shimmered with a cold metallic luster. It hovered in the night sky, staring intently at Taiyi. Its dragon aura permeated the air, causing many creatures in the sea to tremble in fear.

"He does have some skills!" Qin Ming said. The fact that the other party survived the blade's light was enough to prove his extraordinary abilities. The technique he practiced must be a unique skill from Yujing.

However, Qi Daozhen felt that his opponent was humiliating him.

He truly felt deeply humiliated. He was a disciple chosen by the Earth Immortal, possessing extraordinary strength, yet after encountering this Taiyi, the other party nearly killed him instantly, and every attack he made severely injured him.

Xie Jinglan, with graying temples and a sickly appearance, stood on the sea, while the inner world of his world roared.

At this moment, within his divine realm, a luminous figure appeared, and the giant axe reappeared.

The luminous figure gripped the giant axe tightly, exuding a dangerous aura, and walked step by step towards the outside of the inner realm, about to enter reality!

Divine patterns appeared on Xie Jinglan's body, as if he wanted to merge into the divine pure land and become one with the luminous figure.

Qin Ming slashed forward with his sword, using the Heaven-Slaying Sword Intent. The sea and sky merged into one, and only a dazzling sword light remained between the night sky and the vast ocean.

He did not underestimate his opponent, who had gray hair at the temples; he sensed that this man was extraordinary and indeed somewhat dangerous.

Xie Jinglan was not gathering power; the deity in his inner vision, wielding a giant axe, was almost one with his true form. This was accomplished in an instant, and no outsider could stop it.

With a loud boom, his aura surged.

Then, the light and shadow completely overlapped with him, and he charged directly at his opponent, wielding his giant axe.

He roared, "Taiyi, you are indeed very strong, but I, Xie Jinglan, am not weak either. I have wasted decades of my life, all for the sake of returning from the ashes today and joining the ranks of the strongest!"

In the past, he was completely crippled, partly because he was a descendant of an earth immortal, and partly because he wanted to comprehend the Heaven-Opening Axe. He was fortunate enough to come into contact with the legendary inheritance.

Qin Ming took him seriously and stepped onto the sea to meet his opponent.

With a clang, the nine-colored blade that materialized in his hand poured out like a galaxy, emanating a terrifying aura of holy malevolence.

Xie Jinglan's body swelled up a size, and he brought down a giant axe.

In an instant, towering waves surged in the sea, swords and axes clashed, and a dense barrage of sword energy and axe light, like ten thousand swords being unleashed simultaneously, shattering the vast ocean.

Qin Ming was surprised. This opponent was indeed formidable. His giant axe was like the blazing sun, capable of fighting back against him and posing a threat of death.

In an instant, the two engaged in a fierce battle, their blades and axes clashing six times in succession. The blade's energy ripped through the night sky, and the axe's light tore through the vast sea. The sky and the ground were filled with the shadows of blades and axes.

Xie Jinglan was even more shocked than Qin Ming.

The inheritance he received was almost comparable to the highest and most profound methods of the Jade Capital. Back then, his inner realm collapsed because of the Heaven-Opening Axe, so he had to start all over again.

Now that he has risen again, he can be considered to have truly "attained enlightenment".

At this moment, he manifested the intent of the Heaven-Opening Axe, and even though he was now in the middle of the fourth realm, he still couldn't defeat someone whose realm was lower than his.

His blood was churning, and his arms were trembling slightly.

The two separated, standing far apart, gazing at each other.

With a whoosh, a flash of light appeared, and thunder crackled across the sea. Layer upon layer of sword light expanded, as violent and terrifying as thunderclaps.

Xie Jinglan gasped. After swinging his axe four times in succession, he gracefully retreated. The chips on the giant axe were shocking. If this continued, the axe would break.

At this moment, Qin Ming was undergoing a rebirth, his inner lamp shining ever brighter, his body translucent, as if containing a blazing sun, his entire body radiating light.

His aura was slowly growing stronger. Originally, his Heart Lamp was only in its nascent stage and had just crossed the threshold of the fourth realm. After this rebirth, the vitality within his body surged, and he broke through to the second level of the Heart Lamp.

After reaching the fourth realm, even the seeds of immortality and esoteric Buddhism will progress slowly; otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying that a hundred-year-old grandmaster is still considered young.

Even the most gifted individuals often need to spend ten years in the fourth realm.

He was already very satisfied with Qin Ming's rapid and swift breakthrough.

Xie Jinglan, wielding a giant axe, waded through the waves with heavy, powerful steps. The entire ocean resonated with his footsteps, stirring up towering waves.

At the same time, a faint mist emanated from his body, blurring his entire appearance. The fourth realm of Tantric Buddhism allows one to communicate with the unseen world, as if one can walk between reality and illusion.

Xie Jinglan took a deep breath and launched his strongest attack. The axe light seemed to cleave through eternity as it slashed forward, and the ocean exploded instantly.

At the same time, Qi Daozhen moved. He was now in his Heavenly Dragon form, his enormous dragon body undulating, his physical strength unparalleled, making him most suitable for close combat.

The dozen or so people not far away also moved and launched an attack together. They knew that they needed to unite against a common enemy at this time. There was no hope of escaping alone. They had to join forces to eliminate Taiyi.

In an instant, towering waves surged in the sea. Qin Ming and Xie Jinglan exchanged three blows, causing the latter's arm to spasm, his fingers to become a bloody mess, and his finger bones to be exposed.

Moreover, during this process, Qin Ming's left hand reached out and clashed with the Heavenly Dragon that Qi Daozhen had transformed into several times.

In the night sky, Qi Daozhen was deeply shocked. The opponent's fingers were comparable to dragon claws, and with nine kinds of holy evil energy swirling around, it shook his entire body so much that the dragon scales on his body opened up.

Moreover, his dragon claws were dripping blood, as if they were broken.

As for the people in the distance, five of the dozen or so who rushed over had already been engulfed by the blade light. Blade energy surged deep within each of their bodies before they exploded with a bang.

"Close off your six senses, now is the time!" Xie Jinglan secretly transmitted his voice, reminding his men.

Then, from his inner vision, ashes broke through the soil and formed a small half of an axe handle, resonating with the inner vision and empowering the giant axe.

In an instant, the giant axe in Xie Jinglan's hand seemed to burn, and finally even shattered into pieces, exploding and returning to the Pure Land of Gods.

A terrifying force spread and expanded, and Xie Jinglan's inner world burst forth with axe light, carrying an unstoppable artistic conception, pressing down on Qin Ming.

At this moment, Xie Jinglan himself coughed up blood, and the inner world was dilapidated and on the verge of collapse.

Back then, his inner vision was shattered, and he was rendered useless because of it.

Today, he actually let the old story repeat itself.

However, he was prepared, his mind almost extinguished, as the axe light, accompanied by a terrifying sense of creation, charged towards his opponent.

The incident happened so suddenly that Qin Ming really didn't expect that an opponent he had been gradually suppressing could unleash such a powerful axe strike.

He knew the problem lay in the ashes, remnants of what appeared to be the real giant axe, now forming the axe handle, manifesting an unfathomable, hazy realm.

Qin Ming was so shocked that his eyes almost went blank.

"Now!" Qi Daozhen did not completely shut down his six senses, leaving behind a wisp of consciousness. With a roar, he opened his mouth and spat out a talisman, which shot towards Qin Ming.

This was a forbidden technique he had prepared in advance before entering the Night Ruins. It was a page of "light paper," formed from Dao patterns, not a physical object, but containing densely packed text—a kind of contract that illuminated this void.

Qin Ming sensed something; the light rushed into his consciousness, sending chills down his spine.

"Celestial Contract!" He was no stranger to this kind of "document." He had fought against such a contract that could enslave warriors when he faced the Sun Elf Clan's Li Guang.

Now, the Immortal Contract has entered his mind, instantly sending chills down his spine.

Qin Ming is beset by internal and external troubles. Externally, he is being suppressed by the domain of the Heaven-Opening Axe, and internally, the Immortal Contract is about to take effect.

He roared, his entire body surging with power.

Qin Ming's silk calligraphy was running wildly, with the light of heaven, consciousness, and divine wisdom merging into one, supporting one dazzling divine halo after another around his body.

Furthermore, his inner world opened up, welcoming the realm of the giant axe with his own divine domain.

At the same time, his spiritual field appeared, causing the void to seem to collapse, with tangible ripples expanding to resist the erosion of external forces in all directions.

Immediately, his spirit roared, the heavenly light mingled with the holy energy and consciousness, like the blazing sun shining down, resisting the immortal contract and blasting towards that page of "light paper".

"He has temporarily held on." After the Ash Axe Handle, carrying the domain of intent, rushed towards the opponent's inner realm, Xie Jinglan opened his eyes and fully recovered.

Decades ago, when he faced such an impact, his inner world completely collapsed, and he couldn't withstand it at all. Now that he has comprehended the Heaven-Opening Axe, he has gradually adapted and dares to face it again.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for helping me!" Qi Daozhen cried out in alarm.

He discovered that the opponent's consciousness was terrifying, burning like the sun, containing the auras of the Immortal Path, the Secret Sect, and the Body Refiner. The heavenly light mixed with holy evil was about to ignite the Immortal Contract.

With a whoosh, Xie Jinglan also produced a "light paper," clearly indicating that he had also studied the Immortal Contract and prepared one in advance.

After recovering his strength and withstanding the impact of the axe handle's domain of intent, Qin Ming's light grew increasingly intense as he began to fight back.

His divine light and consciousness merged into one, even more terrifying than the power of pure yang, blocking the immortal contract and then blowing it away. Even the one Xie Jinglan summoned was frozen in place.

Then, Qin Ming began to turn the tide.

Between him and the two men, the paper shimmered, as if each had a golden bridge, upon which words like stars were scattered everywhere.

Qin Ming forcefully overturned the glowing document, causing it to flip back over.

"No!" Qi Daozhen cried out, his face filled with terror. If this backfired, the Immortal Contract would affect him, and he would be enslaved instead.

Xie Jinglan's expression also changed, and he let out a low roar.

They fought each other in the spiritual realm while launching attacks in their physical forms.

At this moment, Qin Ming reached the strongest realm he could attain, using the meaning of the silk scroll to govern all laws, his fist gleaming and illuminating the dark sky.

With a bang, all of Qi Daozhen's dragon scales exploded, and his dragon body broke into three pieces, flying out horizontally.

"Burn!" he roared, almost self-destructively, trying to tear the talisman apart so as not to suffer the backlash.

Xie Jinglan, wielding a giant axe, clashed head-on with Qin Ming before coughing up blood. He too was facing the same crisis: the Immortal Contract glowed and invaded his consciousness.

"Break!" he roared, not hesitating to burn his spiritual field in an attempt to destroy the immortal contract.

With a bang, Qin Ming's punch pierced through him, and the spiritual field almost tore him apart.

Xie Jinglan was sent flying and crashed into the sea.

"This..." The remaining eleven people felt their scalps tingle. How could they possibly fight back? They couldn't escape, they couldn't win, and they were completely trapped in a desperate situation.

Qin Ming's black hair fluttered, his eyes sharp as cold lightning. Like a god or demon treading the sea, he shook the area, causing tsunamis to erupt. With each step he took, illusions and destructions appeared. In the light of his fists, people exploded one after another, all shattering into pieces.

"Go easy!" Huang Luo called out, covering the umbrella.

Because after Qin Ming made his move, the terrifying Heavenly Light Force burned away the consciousness and spiritual light of those people who had escaped their physical bodies.

"This... this umbrella eats people!"

Those who had been awakened by the sight of the yellow canopy were horrified. As it spun, it sucked them all in, leaving them in utter despair.

Qin Ming's killing intent surged as he stared at his opponent, who had transformed back into a phoenix using the True Spirit Dao Scripture, and whose body was being pieced together by the last of his Nirvana Light.

Then, he looked at Xie Jinglan, who was struggling to break free of the sea.

He originally intended to throw a punch and send the two men on their way, but seeing their immense pain, their faces contorted, and gradually being covered by the spiritual light of the Immortal Contract, he temporarily restrained his killing intent.

"How could this be?" Qi Daozhen was utterly dejected. This was truly a terrible situation; he had actually fallen to this point.

Xie Jinglan was also lost in thought, and there were many more white hairs at his temples, making him look as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.

Qin Ming walked forward, carefully examining and sensing.

Both of them were severely injured. At the critical moment, they became ruthless and detonated part of their spiritual field, causing serious damage to themselves, but only destroying part of their immortal contract.

Overall, 70% of the Immortal Contract documents remained; they are no longer free and have fallen into Qin Ming's hands.

Qin Ming was still filled with murderous intent. The other party actually dared to use the Immortal Contract on him, trying to use him as a strongman. He deserved to be killed.

Ten breaths passed before he finally suppressed his murderous intent and calmed down, because the final result was quite good and satisfied him; the two had reaped what they sowed.

Qin Ming grabbed Qi Daozhen, who had transformed back into human form, and said, "Come here, tell me what true scripture you cultivate, and recite it to me."

Qi Daozhen felt bitter. Just moments ago, he was a celestial being who could look down on the ground, a true disciple of the Earth Immortals. But in the blink of an eye, he had become a prisoner.

Qin Ming snapped, "Speak!"

Qi Daozhen sighed and said, "With the Immortal Contract in my body, I cannot disobey your will. However, there is also an Earth Immortal restriction deep in my heart. If I recite the True Scripture, my consciousness will explode on the spot, and you will probably get nothing."

Qin Ming's face immediately darkened, and with a loud slap, he slapped Qi Daozhen, splitting his jaw and knocking out several teeth mixed with blood.

"And you?" Qin Ming turned to look at Xie Jinglan, who looked sickly.

“I’m just like him,” Xie Jinglan said wistfully, with a touch of sadness and desolation. He had wasted decades, originally thinking that he could “return as a king” after regaining his “success”.

Who could have imagined that someone could withstand the Heaven-Opening Axe and surpass him, who stood at the pinnacle of his field?

"Then what use are you!" Qin Ming retorted angrily.

"Give it to me!" The shrunken yellow parasol rippled.

Qin Ming did not kill the two men immediately, but said, "You two tell me about things in the heavens."

Clearly, when it comes to secrets and taboos, the two cannot speak. Once the restrictions within their bodies are activated, their mental fields will roar and could disintegrate at any moment.

Qin Ming kicked them both over, causing their bones to crack and break.

He remarked, "I have never seen such a useless and worthless prisoner!"

Enraged, the two men decided to self-destruct, believing that they could be killed but not humiliated.

"Stop!" Qin Ming shouted.

The two were filled with sorrow, realizing that they couldn't even take their own lives. Their fates were beyond their control, and they had to stop at a single command.

Soon, Qin Ming's face lit up with joy, because while cleaning up the ashes in the Pure Land of Gods, he sensed something unusual: they contained a special artistic conception.

With just a slight resonance, he could glimpse the cultivation method of the Heaven-Opening Axe!
He immediately withdrew; the location was unsuitable, and the axe light was too terrifying, as if it wanted to cleave one's mind.

"How did you obtain the method to cultivate this giant axe in the inner realm?" Qin Ming asked.

As expected, Xie Jinglan's Heaven-Opening Axe was not taught by the old monster of the Earth Immortal.

“In the past, most of the axe handle turned to ashes. I touched a small piece of the remaining wood and obtained the artistic conception. Then it was completely burned to ashes.”

Furthermore, he revealed that there was actually a small piece of the axe blade that had been stolen by the descendants of the Earth Immortal Ancestor.

Xie Jinglan said, "I can only describe the imagery in words. It is very mysterious and cannot be manifested with the light of the mind. You probably can't master it."

After listening to him finish speaking, Qin Ming didn't say anything more.

"You might as well kill us!" The two were filled with a death wish.

Qin Ming was immediately displeased and said, "Don't look so pitiful, as if I'm the villain. You need to understand that you were the ones who came to target me, but you ended up being captured instead. You have only yourself to blame!"

"The victor is king, the loser is villain!" Qi Daozhen said.

Xie Jinglan remained silent, not wanting to say anything more.

Qin Ming was increasingly dissatisfied. After capturing two useless burdens, they actually became arrogant, looking like they were ready to die a heroic death.

After much deliberation, he decided to "make use of waste," saying, "You two go explore the deep sea for me..."

He gave the two the route map left by the shrimp dragon and instructed them to go on the adventure and bring back anything they found.

As for himself, he didn't know enough about the Night Market, so it was impossible for him to actually venture into that unknown sea area just because that shrimp dragon invited him once.

"You must not commit suicide. Remember this well and be loyal to me. If you can find good fortune in the cave of an ancient powerful being, I will reward you. It is not impossible for you to regain your freedom in the future."

Qin Ming gave them various "instructions," agreed on a meeting time, and then released them into the deep sea.

Xie Jinglan and Qi Daozhen felt that the sky of their lives had turned completely gray. They set off with despair in their hearts. They seemed to see heavy snow falling on the world, and both felt desolate and lost.

"Cheer up, the future is bright!" Qin Ming shouted.

Instantly, the two of them were "energized," raised their heads, and felt a real surge of energy within them, beginning their journey into the deep sea.

Qin Ming looked surprised. This immortal contract really did have a demonic nature. How could this even work?

"I want to cry, I really don't want to be so high-spirited," Qi Daozhen said, but a smile on his face radiated confidence, a quality that clearly didn't match his words.

Xie Jinglan said, "Can you resist? The Immortal Contract is rooted in your mind and consciousness and cannot be removed. Forget it, let's take it one step at a time and look forward to a promising future."

Suddenly, he turned around and froze. Why did he see what looked like the light of a cleaver rising from the distant sea? How could that be?

Xie Jinglan was shocked. That person had only heard his description once, and hadn't even seen the diagram of the Heaven-Opening Axe, yet he could still comprehend it? What kind of monster was this!

……

Qin Ming was overjoyed. He was completely reborn. After successfully breaking through the barrier, his physique and spirit had reached a new level.

His mind and body were clear and light, and the "beacon of the path" on his body completely disappeared during the process of Nirvana.

"Above the nine heavens, are those old monsters still waiting for me to ascend to the heavens? Let them wait patiently. It's a pity I can't get close enough to see the expressions on your old faces in person."

Gradually, a smile spread across Qin Ming's face. He was filled with a sense of accomplishment. He had obtained an incredible trump card—the Inner Realm Heaven-Opening Axe. Even in the heavens, this was probably a sect-level ultimate technique.

(End of this chapter)