Night without Borders

Chapter 480 The Land Where the Gods Sleep

In the long night, Qin Ming seemed to stand in a divine paradise, enveloped in rich divine light. Against the dark, scorched earth and under the ink-stained sky, he was so conspicuous, radiant, and transcendent, like a god descending to earth.

The surroundings were quiet. He killed the Grandmaster, the Sword Demon, with a single strike, creating a powerful deterrent effect.

After mastering the art of deception, Qin Ming remained calm and composed, going with the flow.

The people of Yezhou are simple and honest. He doesn't think he's "going with the flow." When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He's just using the rules reasonably here.

Everything he did was to stop the fighting.

At the very least, all parties have been forced to calm down and have refrained from direct confrontation. The tense atmosphere has been temporarily eased, which is quite effective.

Oleg and Irene, who knew him inside and out, were absolutely certain that he was an extremely dangerous "old saint" of Yujing, unfathomable.

If they were at the same level, Oleg would dare to fight "One Sword" to the death, after all, he was once the "Lord of Jade Capital". However, the cruel truth was right in front of him: his opponent was most likely a being of the fifth realm.

Even among the grandmasters, the Yellow-Haired Old Monster was infamous for his ferocity. However, sensing the wisps of divine power, he had to suppress his killing intent.

Many people looked solemn and dignified.

At this moment, Qin Ming had already arrived in front of the Sun's Secret Aperture.

No one stopped him as he took his first steps forward.

He did not look at the true fire of the sun, but stared directly at the scenery deep within the secret passage.

This scene undoubtedly confirms that he was indeed very "magnanimous," actually allowing outsiders to collect the true fire of the sun without caring at all.

Immediately, everyone present felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

All signs indicate that his Taoist skills are profound, and the extremely rare True Fire of the Sun is dispensable to him and is not his goal.

Some even suspect that he might be a deity.

“There is a faint divine power…” The pupils of a gaunt man in black robes contracted. He was a man of great importance, but his emotions were churning.

Qin Ming had seen him before while traveling. The man's decaying black divine feathers fell away, turning into ashes that caused all the vegetation in the mountains to wither.

The scene was quiet, caught in a delicate balance.

Qin Ming composed himself, and after slaying the grandmaster with a single strike, combined with the centipede bead, the effect was miraculous. He had become an unparalleled master who looked down upon all others.

Now that he has "done as the Romans do," he must maintain this demeanor. He is now a supreme powerhouse with an unparalleled status and needs to uphold this banner.

Qin Ming spoke up: "The Sun's Secret Aperture has only been unearthed for a short time. We shouldn't waste time here fighting amongst ourselves. Why don't we proceed together?"

His "generous" invitation immediately appealed to many, as the previous attempts had been wasted on chaotic battles and fights at the entrance to the secret passage.

However, some people became more wary, as this "old saint" possessed extraordinary abilities, and if he harbored ulterior motives and suddenly launched an attack, it would be extremely dangerous.

Unexpectedly, Elena of the Black Tower Civilization, with her silver hair flowing and a pure smile on her beautiful face, said, "Brother Yijian, you are the top scholar on the Jade Capital Ranking, and you have extraordinary character. I believe you are sincerely inviting me."

As for what he was really thinking, that remains unknown.

Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran originally wanted to speak up and cooperate with Qin Ming, but after thinking about it for a while, they gave up, afraid that others would think they were putting on a show.

Now that the saints of the Black Tower civilization have spoken, the two of them don't need to say anything more; they naturally reach a tacit understanding through their actions.

At this moment, the two were not only collecting solar fire at the entrance, but had also ventured a little deeper inside.

Various forces and organizations have come here, all eager to break into the secret passage. Immediately, many are tempted, but worried that others will seize the opportunity first.

“The fire outside is just coarse, while the fire inside is much purer,” Li Qingyue said. She possessed the Bagua Furnace, which allowed her to extract the true solar fire from the secret aperture most smoothly.

An old master spoke up: "Everyone, let's go in together. We don't know what dangers lie ahead, so let's not fight in the outer area."

"Everyone, I'll take my leave first!" Qin Ming stood in the divine halo, serene and transcendent, with wisps of divine energy flowing from his eyes and brows.

At that moment, he moved, instantly stepping into the mysterious place.

Under the cover of night, the sun's secret aperture pierced the earth's surface, casting a golden glow that dispelled the nearby fog.

Qin Ming, standing at the entrance, appeared even more sacred in the reflection.

Instantly, a group of people quickly followed, afraid of falling behind.

This region is composed of a diverse group of people, from demon cultivators to god-like organizations, the Black Tower Civilization, and the Strange Insect Alliance. Once the population moves, the balance is completely broken.

Clearly, once the group broke in, the trend was irreversible, and they immediately began to "sweep" the secret passage, wishing they could turn every inch of the land upside down.

Some screamed in agony, having been too reckless and rushed into the fire pit, only to be instantly burned to ashes by the true fire of the sun. Even when their companions tried to save them, it was too late.

The Sun's Secret Cave initially feels like a cave, but upon closer inspection, it is vast and spacious, with obvious traces of carving, resembling a rough, colossal palace.

In the central area, there is a magnificent fire pit, where real fire burns fiercely.

"It's not pure enough; it belongs to the rough fire of the sun, and it's a fire without roots," one person commented.

"The source of the fire should be deep within the secret cave; there is an even more dazzling flame ahead." This is only the first level of the cave; there are even more mysterious spaces inside.

Not far away, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran ignored the words of those people and continued to absorb extraordinary light and flames, causing the fire pool to dim considerably.

Qin Ming was overjoyed. He didn't care whether it was coarse fire or not. As long as he could refine a wisp of pure divine flame, it would surely give birth to a true solar fire with "roots" when combined with his "Golden Crow Shining at Night Scripture".

Even if there are no other gains, it would still be worthwhile to leave like this.

However, it is difficult for anyone to be satisfied with the status quo. To put it nicely, they have greater ambitions. Qin Ming "goes with the flow" and moves forward with the crowd.

Too many people poured in, and the crowd was chaotic.

Once inside this blessed land, it's easy to lose control. Everyone scatters, scrambling to move forward and searching for all sorts of hidden corners.

Qin Ming was happy to do so; he had no obligation to pave the way for everyone.

Of course, some people who are wary of him keep a certain distance from him and are very guarded.

“Strange, there’s a chill here. How can the birthplace of the true fire of the sun be like this?” A silver silkworm spoke, transforming into a palm-sized silver old man. No one dared to underestimate him, for he was a grandmaster.

The infamous, blond-haired old monster frowned and said, "Hmm, it's still extremely Yin energy, but it's been diluted quite a bit by the firelight. This is indeed quite strange. Could it be..."

Suddenly, his yellow eyebrows relaxed, and a terrifying beam of light burst from his eyes.

Nearby, someone realized what was happening and excitedly said, "This is an extraordinary place. Extreme yang was born from the initial extreme yin. Perhaps it has the power to reverse life and death. This kind of place is far beyond our imagination."

In fact, there was no need for him to reveal the secret; many people present had already realized what was going on and immediately thought of this possibility.

After all, the demon cultivators, Oleg, and others all came from top-tier civilizations with unfathomable depths of knowledge, so they were naturally able to make judgments immediately.

Qin Ming, being a rogue cultivator, knew little about this field. Only after hearing their voices tremble did he realize how extraordinary this place was.

However, he remained indifferent and detached, as if he were the only hero in the world who could stand alongside a few others, and who among the rest was worthy of drinking with him?

His aura and charisma immediately inspired awe in many people. Even though the place was chaotic, no one dared to approach him to avoid misjudging each other.

With one hand behind his back, Qin Ming had some confidence in doing so. The rotten fan was already prepared. If pretending to be a top expert still couldn't guarantee his safety, he would immediately overturn the table and make sure no one got away unscathed.

A complete empty city strategy is definitely not going to work.

"Old Huang, be ready at any time!" he communicated with Huang Luo, who was wearing an umbrella.

Afterwards, he greeted the spirit of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, asking it to revive itself if things went wrong, and not to worry about not having enough Daoist energy to consume.

A moment later, they entered a deeper space, a vast and rough cave with faint "spider webs" interwoven, densely packed.

In an instant, many people from large organizations fell silent, a sense of dread washing over them.

"This is the Divine Chain!"

The crisscrossing "spider web" is a manifestation of rules, densely covering the void. The only saving grace is that it has completely faded away.

A young cultivator cautiously attempted to cut through a spider web, using all his strength and slashing until sparks flew everywhere. He barely managed to sever the web and nearly suffered a backlash.

"May God bless us!" some of the old masters exclaimed excitedly.

"The timing is just right. If we had come earlier, we wouldn't have been able to get in at all. Now we can break through these chains of rules. Over the long years, the Daoist principles have dissipated and they have decayed."

Some believe that the world is undergoing dramatic changes, and ancient magic arrays and Daoist practices are being severely impacted, causing the magic chains to break.

The group worked together to cut through the dense "spider web" and break into this place that should have been a dead end.

They entered a deeper cave, which resembled a rough stone palace. A large, ancient tree caught everyone's attention, rooted beside a fire pit, its roots still emitting wisps of cold air.

Its tree is covered with lush green leaves, as if it has endless vitality.

However, as the crowd rushed in, shaking the place, it suddenly shattered silently, all the leaves bursting open and turning into dust, and the thick branches turned to ashes in an instant.

"Originally, this was an extremely yin place, suitable for its growth. Later, the environment changed, transforming into an extremely yang place. The true fire of the sun appeared and burned the tree to death," someone sighed.

Ahead, ashes fell to the ground in a flurry, the old tree disintegrated, and suddenly a crisp sound rang out as a palm-sized, emerald-green piece of the tree heart fell to the ground.

Qin Ming sensed it immediately, and the World-Containing Scripture activated on its own, resonating with the Longevity Sword Intent.

He immediately realized that it was a wonderful item that could enhance his Longevity Sword Intent.

He immediately walked forward, and the nine-colored sword aura transformed into a stream of light, wrapping the mysterious wooden heart as it returned. Green clouds rippled, and a refreshing aura flowed through the area.

Many people followed suit, their eyes burning with enthusiasm.

In fact, many people have crossed the line of maintaining a tacit understanding with him.

Suddenly, just as Qin Ming reached out to catch Mu Xin, an invisible killing intent erupted violently, and a powerful figure silently and stealthily appeared behind him, evading everyone's eyes.

This is quite terrifying; the attacker seems to be traveling through time and space, appearing abruptly.

Many people were horrified, and even the saints felt their hair stand on end as they saw two gleaming longswords, dazzlingly bright, piercing Qin Ming's head and back respectively.

Only at this moment did people realize that it was a phantom, completely integrated into the void of the cave. Its assassination technique was so sophisticated that it would be impossible to detect if it did not erupt.

"Yujing's core disciple...is dead?"

"Even an old saint of such a transcendent status couldn't withstand such an attack?" Many people were filled with turmoil, drawing their swords and summoning their flying swords, either preparing to attack or to defend themselves. For a moment, everyone's heart was pounding.

"A false afterimage; he wasn't stabbed!"

These are all flashes of consciousness, not actual conversations, because in such a split second there is no time for communication.

In fact, 90% of people haven't even realized it yet.

Qin Ming was shocked. He had been assassinated by a Grandmaster. At this moment, the battle armor formed by the Eight Trigrams Furnace did not glow, but it truly revived and carried him sideways.

Because of the speed, many people mistakenly thought he had been stabbed.

"Huh?!" The attacker's eyes widened for a moment. He had been hit by the centipede bead activated by Qin Ming, which instantly shook his mind.

The attacker saw a colossal, mountain-high, thousand-armed deity sitting cross-legged in the desolate land. Suddenly, the deity opened its divine eyes and looked at him.

Chi!
The Nine-Colored Sword Demon transformed into a streak of light, flashing across the void like lightning. Blood splattered, accompanied by shrill screams. The assassin, stained with blood, retreated swiftly, like a dream, leaving behind silhouettes in different directions, making everyone's hearts pound with fear.

His left eye was pierced, and his eyeball exploded.

Originally, Qin Ming's Nine-Colored Sword was aimed at his brow, intending to pierce his skull. However, in this situation, the assassin, in a moment of mental confusion, miraculously regained consciousness and dodged the attack with incredible agility.

"It's the Grandmaster—Flying Elephant!"

Many people's expressions changed drastically as they finally recognized the attacker.

After being struck by the sword, he was completely exposed from the void, and his body swelled up, becoming much larger.

Flying elephants are a race without wings, but their ears are huge. When they flap them powerfully, they can soar through the sky and fly through the air.

Just now, the Flying Elephant Master shrunk his body and wrapped his ears around himself, and was able to use a secret technique to briefly merge into the void and carry out a terrible assassination.

Those two long swords were actually formed from its gleaming ivory.

"Unexpectedly, Grandmaster Flying Elephant is the 'Void Assassin' of this remnant vein!" Many people retreated, sensing his extreme danger.

In the past six months, three grandmasters from the remnant lineage of Feixian Mountain have been killed by Void Assassins, a case that has remained unsolved until today when the truth comes to light.

"You intentionally left a flaw to lure me into making a move?" Grandmaster Flying Elephant retreated, staring intently at the figure in front of him, a deep gloom settling over him.

He had been observing "One Sword" and not long ago, he noticed that "One Sword" hadn't really cleaved through the "spider web" of divine chains, leading him to suspect that the man wasn't as strong as he had imagined and was just bluffing.

Most importantly, the emerald green wood core was of great use to him, so he couldn't resist carrying out the assassination here, which resulted in his downfall.

What horrified him most was that he saw a deity looking down from that desolate land, with a thousand arms forming a mudra, its enormous body exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

He suspected that the person before him was an incarnation of a god.

"Heh..." Qin Ming smiled faintly, bathed in divine light, his divine halo becoming even more dazzling, and the nine-colored sword aura hovering in the air, ready to strike at any moment as he took a step.

The flying elephant was enormous, standing over ten meters tall, yet it moved with the lightness of a piece of paper, like a ghost, leaving behind many afterimages.

However, although the revived Bagua battle suit did not glow, it was exerting its power, wrapping Qin Ming and giving him even greater speed, and it was about to catch up with him.

With a whoosh, a divine talisman ignited in front of Grandmaster Flying Elephant, and he abruptly vanished, distorting the void and completely disappearing from this place.

"You're lucky to be alive!" Qin Ming said.

In fact, beneath the protective robe, his hair stood on end. It had just been incredibly dangerous. A master assassin had suddenly attacked him with deadly force, putting him in a hopeless situation.

Even now, he still experiences occasional heart palpitations.

However, he did not lose his composure; he remained calm and collected, displaying the demeanor of a top master.

Even the attack by the Flying Elephant Grandmaster ended in a crushing defeat, and he had to escape with the help of a divine talisman of unknown level. This implicitly proved that the Jade Capital Old Saint's sword possessed incomparably terrifying combat power.

Of course, a few people suspected that although his armor was calm and still, Oleg also had a special weapon, and they had sensed something unusual just now.

"Divine power, an instantaneous shock!" However, some grandmasters also had this thought, feeling a strong unease, as they had just felt the aura of a god emanating from them.

The Moon God and Blood God of the godlike organization were puzzled and somewhat suspicious. Why did they feel a sense of familiarity just now?

The people present had different thoughts, but for most of them, the old saint Yi Jian of Yujing was becoming more and more terrifying, and no one wanted to provoke him.

Qin Ming tucked the mysterious tree heart into his pocket; this was not the time to examine it closely.

No one said anything. He had just established his authority and once again proved his power. Who would dare to covet the treasure he had just obtained?
Soon after, the group entered a cave, which increasingly resembled a formal stone temple, with many statues standing there, all charred, covered in dust, and silent.

“These are… real living beings, all withered and dead here.” Someone examined the area carefully, their expression grave.

People brushed away the dust and found that they were all charred, dried-up corpses. When they touched them lightly, they crumbled into dust, and even the bones inside turned to ash, leaving only a few bone fragments.

"They were all very strong in life, after all, they could still survive the burning of the sun's true fire and still have a broken shell left."

"These people first reached the end of their lifespan, and were finally covered by fire. Because their faces did not show any painful expressions of being burned by real fire, they were probably guarding this place in their early years."

Before long, the group uncovered a great deal of the truth.

“This land, which was once extremely Yin, is gradually transforming into extremely Yang, reversing Yin and Yang. If there are medicinal herbs here, they will surely be elixirs of immortality. If a supreme treasure is born here, there will surely be changes in Yin and Yang!”

Many people became excited and eager to know what lay at the end.

The stone hall was deathly still; even the relics of those masters had been destroyed, leaving nothing behind.

They continued deeper, where the firelight was dazzling. Here, they found pure solar fire, but unfortunately, it was still a rootless fire. Even if they took it away, its spirituality would gradually be lost, and it would soon be extinguished.

Qin Ming was overjoyed, as this place was more than enough to satisfy his needs.

"A withered fire lotus!"

Beside the pool of true solar fire, there was a fire lotus that, though charred and blackened, still held up some lotus seeds. Even as the crowd rushed in and the ground shook, the lotus seeds only fell and did not turn into ashes.

In an instant, many people rushed forward, but they were all on guard against the old saint of Yujing, fearing that he would suddenly unleash the Nine-Colored Sword Aura.

In fact, those in this world who can refine the eight-colored sword aura can be called peerless sword immortals once they reach a certain level of strength. Those who master the nine-colored sword aura are truly beyond the realm of ordinary people, and are too fantastical.

Therefore, even though some people had doubts about "One Sword", after seeing his sword aura, many of them gave up their doubts.

With a clang, Qin Ming drew his sword and actually stepped forward.

Immediately, the group stopped and retreated. No one could forget the scene of him killing a grandmaster with a single strike, nor could they forget the terrifying scene of Grandmaster Flying Elephant assassinating him and being blinded in one eye. Everyone was extremely wary of him.

Qin Ming said, "Don't misunderstand. Look, those lotus seeds are all burnt. With a gentle rub, they will turn into ashes. There is no need for us to have a bloody conflict."

He looked compassionate and worried that everyone would fight to the death.

"Well, I won't fight over it, you can do as you please," he added.

In fact, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran were not affected at all, and quickly took away some of the charred and crumbly fire lotus seeds.

Oleg remained on guard, while Elena made her move, taking away three seeds. The people of the demonic civilization were also quick to act and made their own gains, including acquiring a strange insect with a flap of its wings.

Overall, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran reaped the greatest rewards. Despite Qin Ming standing at the forefront and nearly incurring the wrath of the crowd, the two quietly took the lion's share.

"Hiss, the Golden Lotus in Fire! Although it's charred, it still retains some vitality. This is a secret medicine for body refining!" A demon cultivator was shocked, and his eyes involuntarily fixed on Jiang Ran and Li Qingyue.

He knew that if these lotus seeds hadn't been burned, they would have been extraordinary, priceless. Even so, they were still rare and precious medicines that could help refine a golden body.

"Hmph!" Jiang Ran snorted coldly, her gaze sweeping over, runes intertwining, causing the genius among demon cultivators to feel a jolt in his heart. He had actually been intimidated in the spiritual realm.

In an instant, everyone in the demon cultivator camp was terrified and dared not underestimate anyone, for there were simply too many young freaks here.

A wisp of divine fire emerged from Li Qingyue's body, instantly covering her entire body and serving as an effective deterrent.

People wondered if this was a naturally occurring fire body.

"Everyone, don't misjudge," Jiang Ran said directly.

Qin Ming said, "Well, what are a few burned lotus seeds? There should be even greater opportunities ahead. Everyone should try to reduce the fighting and work together to explore the depths of the secret passage."

Upon hearing this, many people calmed down considerably.

Because what he said made sense, and they expected there would be more rare and precious items ahead.

"This is……"

Ahead lies a massive cave, which could easily be called a stone palace. It was not crudely carved, and it contains many lifelike statues of deities.

“They were probably true gods who lived here. When their lifespan came to an end, they were burned by the true fire of the sun after they passed away, and they appeared charred black.”

After careful observation, people came to this terrifying conclusion.

Whether they are earth immortals or true gods, even if they once stood high in the nine heavens, they will eventually die, and their lifespan is far shorter than ordinary people imagine.

In this place, all the "statues" are related to deities, who were once a group of living, powerful beings.

Someone gently tapped on it, and part of the statue shattered. Over the long years, the golden bodies they left behind had decayed, and only the bones inside still had a faint glow.

However, being constantly burned by the sun's true fire, the spirituality in his bones has almost completely dissipated.

"It's actually... the place where the gods slumber!"

Many people were deeply moved, and an indescribable emotion welled up in their chests.

Earthly immortals will die, and true gods will perish; nothing lasts forever. I wonder what realm these deities were in the past, and why they reside here.

“They seem to be guarding something…” A decaying deity, reduced to the level of a grandmaster, dressed in a black robe, whispered softly.

Qin Ming knew he came from the Yujing region, glanced at him, and didn't say anything more.

The group set off again, but there were no caves or temples ahead, only deep tunnels crisscrossed with a dense web of "spider webs" that seemed to be blocking their way.

This seems to confirm the black-robed man's words: the gods have blocked the road, as if they are protecting something.

The divine chain, the embodiment of order and the manifestation of rules, is now decaying with the passage of time.

The group continued to work together, cutting through the "spider web" and forging ahead, gradually approaching the final destination.

(End of this chapter)