Night without Borders

Chapter 484 The Past Was Too Gentle

Tang Yushang was almost furious, but she was tricked at the last minute.

She staggered, feeling a slight pain in her feet.

The Misty Gate is deep and mysterious, connecting two different worlds through the Void. Once Tang Yushang steps through it, she will return to the Holy Race's location.

"Sister, let's go back to Taixu first." Bai Meng tried to dissuade her, but it was no use.

Tang Yushang was tall and slender, but her center of gravity was unstable, like a willow tree swaying in the night breeze. She steadied herself and charged out immediately.

As a follower, Bai Meng gritted his teeth and chased after her. He knew very well that, given the Holy Maiden's personality, if she couldn't catch her, she would definitely pursue her all the way to Yezhou.

At this moment, the vegetation was lush and green all around, but when Tang Yushang approached, it was as if a snowstorm was falling. Her eyes were like a cold pool, and her whole body was filled with a chilling aura, as if she wanted to freeze everything.

At the last moment, she actually thought the other party was being kind and offering a ride, but it turned out to be the "last kick" at the door.

This unsavory experience was a stain on her reputation, and Tang Yushang was so angry she almost exploded on the spot.

Most importantly, this wasn't the first time she'd experienced this; she'd fallen into the same trap twice in her life.

"They escaped so fast!" She only turned around, but when she rushed out, the three men were already gone.

"This is intolerable!" Tang Yushang, dressed in a red dress, her glossy black hair flying in the wind, her exquisite and flawless face covered with frost.

At this moment, even if the celestial being were to revive and personally recite a calming mantra for her, it would not be able to suppress the restlessness in her heart. She truly could not swallow this grievance until that "pit" was filled.

"You bastard!" Tang Yushang gritted her teeth, her bright eyes shooting out beams of light like sharp swords. This kick made her extremely angry.

As night fell, the sound of flapping wings echoed across the fields, startling the birds in the forest, who were startled by the icy aura emanating from Tang Yushang and flew away through the night mist.

Bai Meng stood not far away and couldn't help but shiver.

Tang Yushang moved gracefully through the forest, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, searching for the three people.

Then, she took out a pure white mirror. Although it was a broken object, it radiated a sacred power. The mirror swept across the woods and clearly reflected the figures of the three people.

This is a "jade mirror," which sounds similar to "Jade Capital." It has a very prestigious background among special weapons and is one of the most famous items in Taixu.

……

At this moment, both Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran had strange expressions.

"You really dared to step on it," Jiang Ran said.

"It was an impulsive act." Qin Ming smiled shyly. Although he had played dirty tricks, it was best not to talk about such things and to keep a low profile.

Jiang Ran commented: "You're the type to settle scores on the spot, no matter how big or small the grudge is."

Qin Ming corrected him, saying, "I have no grudge against her. I just acted impulsively out of youthful vigor and couldn't help myself."

Li Qingyue asked, "After the kick, are you in such a good mood? We escaped from the remnants of Feixian Mountain together, so we're practically on the same side. It wouldn't be right to hurt them."

Qin Ming carefully chose his words, saying, "She wasn't injured. She used her divine power to protect herself; she's rock hard..."

Jiang Ran laughed out loud. This answer was too blunt. He was definitely talking nonsense with a straight face and wanted to quickly move on.

The jade mirror can trace back events that happened in a short period of time; the scene and conversation just now were clearly reproduced.

Bai Meng's forehead was covered in sweat as he thought to himself: Brother Qin is too brave; he really dares to say anything.

Tang Yushang's chest heaved. What nonsense was this guy spouting? After sneaking a kick at her, he still dared to comment like that. She really... wanted to beat him to death.

"Sister, go back and recover first," Bai Meng advised again. His experience in the remnants of Feixian Mountain was too tragic. He missed his hometown terribly and didn't want to wander around anymore.

"No!" Tang Yushang said resolutely, holding the jade mirror as she sped through the forest.

……

Qin Ming said, "Given Tang Yushang's vengeful nature, she will most likely come after us. Let's activate our special weapon to cover our tracks."

Who holds a grudge? Tang Yushang couldn't wait to catch up with her target.

However, the image on the jade mirror gradually became blurry and indistinguishable, forcing her to speed up.

At night, Qin Ming was restless. It was as if some kind of energy was emerging in the darkness, flowing and lingering in his heart.

Soon, a chill ran through him. He was in a deep sleep, but he couldn't fully wake up. He couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't escape the dream and was trapped in a fog.

What he saw was the faint shadow of the mysterious woman in the Sun Secret Aperture of the Remnant Vein of Flying Immortal Mountain, standing in mid-air, looking down at him.

Although the two were far apart, Qin Ming could clearly feel an overwhelming spiritual field flowing deep within the night fog world, spreading towards him and trying to lock onto him.

Qin Ming realized that the woman in the crystal coffin was probably casting a spell, using extraordinary methods to attack him from across the void.

"Old Huang, protect the emperor!" he shouted through the mist.

Unfortunately, the yellow parasol was an external object, not within his mental field, so it was impossible for him to hear the whispers deep within his heart at this moment.

Qin Ming was anxious. An ancient powerhouse, suspected to be a celestial being, was beginning to recover in the distance. If this powerhouse were to focus all their efforts on dealing with him, it would be terrifying.

He's already escaped so far, passing through five fog gates, how could the enemy still track him down?
"No, it should be the aura left behind by those phantom creatures that is guiding her and locating me. Could it be that a wisp of her spiritual will left Flying Immortal Mountain and came down here personally?"

When Qin Ming thought of this possibility, he felt his scalp tingle.

He discovered that beautiful women are very vengeful, and now he is being hunted down in both his dreams and reality.

"Could she really be about to appear?" Qin Ming felt intensely uneasy and anxious in his dream. In the mist, the figure hanging high in the distance became clearer and clearer.

Qin Ming could even see the other person's hazy face as their clothes fluttered and they gracefully approached.

Could this be some kind of spiritual expansion from afar, projected across the void, with the mysterious woman continuously empowering it, so perhaps it can eventually materialize here and leave?

Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't defend against such unpredictable methods. He desperately wanted to wake up and tell the two women to run away immediately, but no matter how hard he struggled, it was to no avail.

"Old Bu!"

Qin Ming glanced at it quickly and grabbed the gold cloth.

This object was located on the edge of his spiritual field within his body. It wasn't considered an external object, so he grabbed it and put it into his spiritually manifested palm for protection.

In an instant, the woman in the night fog widened her eyes. Even someone of her status seemed shocked, as if she had witnessed an unbelievable scene.

Clearly, she knew about Old Bu's background.

With a whoosh, she swooped down, her dress fluttering in the wind, revealing her perfect face. When she came close, she was truly breathtakingly beautiful.

Qin Ming activated the tattered cloth to block his opponent, a desperate measure.

"Hmm?" He looked surprised. It actually worked. The old cloth spread out a long way and grew bigger, just like when he fought the Innate Golden Body near Yujing last time.

The expanding old cloth stuck to the woman, causing her to fall onto the ground paved with exotic gold.

Moreover, the strange gold cloth cut off the wisps of energy projected from the void, severing the connection with the distant place.

As the temporary owner of Old Cloth, Qin Ming was treated with special favors for the first time, and today he even received its help.

"Yes, that woman is unfathomable and terrifyingly powerful. Old Bu is worried that she might reveal her whereabouts and secrets. Rather than helping me, she is probably cleaning up her own mess."

The next moment, Qin Ming was forced to face a battle.

He knew that once the exotic gold cloth was laid out, this place would become a dueling arena.

"Fellow Daoist, I offended you a few days ago in the Sun Secret Aperture, but it was unintentional on my part," Qin Ming said, trying to resolve the grudge.

After the woman's connection with the distant land was severed, her eyes lost their depth and even showed a brief moment of confusion, but her fighting instincts remained.

With a whoosh, she rushed over, her extreme yang fire spreading out, accompanied by extreme yin energy. With a simple strike, she revealed the mysteries of yin and yang.

"Hmm, she's not invincible, she's not much stronger than me!" After a brief encounter, Qin Ming gradually felt more at ease and confident.

If the opponent's projection is overwhelming, they must have already attacked him.

Now that Old Bu has severed the connection between this spiritual connection and her physical body, this mysterious woman is not invincible.

Qin Ming threw himself wholeheartedly into the battle. Later, his mind and spirit were covered in blood. It was a very difficult battle, a true test of life and death.

He fought fiercely until he finally defeated his opponent.

But a moment later, the woman's figure reappeared, standing motionless on the golden cloth, like a clay or wooden sculpture. "Is she dead?" Qin Ming walked over and examined her carefully. In a moment of impulsiveness, he... brought her back to life.

He groaned, coughing up blood, and was forced to engage in another fierce battle with the woman in her prime, despite his exhaustion. He nearly killed himself.

Qin Ming gasped for breath, sitting at a distance, no longer daring to "activate" her at will.

He realized that Old Bu had imprisoned a wisp of the woman's spirit, which had lost its vitality, and turned it into his sparring partner, a terrifying whetstone that could sever his tendons and bones.

In the distance, in an unknown land, a phantom stood suspended in mid-air. The night sky shattered because of her, countless clouds dissipated, and lightning flashed and thunder roared around her.

She used her magic to send a ray of light into the distance, but it suddenly lost contact. Was it severed by someone?

In her eyes, Qin Ming's blurry outline appeared, and then she began to project her power.

In the dream, Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine. Old Bu captured three figures of women in succession, who stood lifelike like immortal statues on a platform formed by the strange golden cloth.

Qin Ming clearly sensed that the two figures behind him were stronger.

Fortunately, they remained still.

"As long as I don't provoke them or actively activate them, they won't revive?"

Qin Ming looked surprised; the three figures seemed to have become "tools".

He realized that Old Bu was somewhat abnormal; he had extraordinary methods, but he usually kept a low profile and did not respond to him.

Is this the first time he's enjoying the limited privileges of a temporary owner?
Qin Ming felt that if he wanted to test his skills on someone in the future, he could come to the dream world, fight with that woman there, and hone his various new insights.

In the unknown land, the woman's phantom hung high in the sky, her eyes deep and unfathomable. She did not project a fourth figure onto the sky, but instead flew forward.

"Qingyue, wake up! Jiang Ran, you're drooling." After escaping the dream, Qin Ming immediately called out to the two people beside him. They couldn't stay here any longer; they had to get going.

Jiang Ran, with her ethereal beauty and graceful figure, was very conscious of her image and immediately retorted, "You're the one drooling!"

"Why are you covered in sweat?" Li Qingyue asked Qin Ming.

"The woman in the remnant of Feixian Mountain is so powerful that she's almost demonic. She's sending out wisps of power that have invaded my dreams. We have to run away quickly."

Upon hearing this, both women showed surprise; the pursuit from the depths of the Sun's Secret Aperture was not yet over.

Originally, Jiang Ran and Li Qingyue were going south, one to the Xuan Nu Palace and the other to the Dou Shuai Palace. Now it seems that the Fei Xian Mountain area is temporarily inaccessible and cannot be traversed in the short term.

"Why don't we go back to Yezhou first and take a break before traveling far away?"

The three hurriedly left, not daring to stay in the same place.

……

Taixu wields immense influence in this surrounding area, making it a dominant force. In the past, it was the site where the Jade Capital's projection on Earth merged with the surrounding landscape.

Holding the token, Tang Yushang mobilized a large force in the surrounding area to find the three people's whereabouts.

She looked surprised and said, "You actually have the mood for adventure?"

After passing through another fog gate, Qin Ming and his two companions heard that there were ruins in this area, so they immediately rushed over.

Several days later, Jiang Ran, Li Qingyue, and Qin Ming escaped from the underground river. Behind them, the mountains and fields were filled with the wails of ghosts and spirits.

Despite their special weapons, they were all in a sorry state, bleeding from their mouths and noses. The three of them had recently ventured deep into the "nest" and nearly died there.

"Sigh, no wonder they say there are no small matters in pioneering, as they can often be a matter of life and death," Qin Ming sighed.

Throughout the world, wherever there is peace and tranquility, or where auspicious signs are found, the major religions have already taken over, making it extremely difficult to venture out and seek opportunities.

From the remnants of Feixian Mountain to the "nest" in this area, there is immense danger.

"What's going on? Are there really so many ruins in this area? And a mysterious sword manual has appeared eight hundred miles away..."

The three of them cautiously made their way there. Qin Ming, near an underground palace, clearly sensed intense emotional fluctuations and immediately realized what was going on.

Tang Yushang caught up with them, using her influence as the overlord of Taixu to sway some forces in this area, helping her spread the news that a sword manual had been born here, in order to lure Qin Ming.

"Yu Chang, the Sword Scripture is incomplete. Remember to bring the complete version next time you feed it to me." This was a message left by Qin Ming nearby after he resonated with the incomplete scripture.

Moreover, he left behind the sword intent of this scripture, indicating that he had indeed comprehended it.

That day, Tang Yushang discovered the message and was so angry that her chest ached. She had clearly left a chaotic sword scripture, yet the other party was able to get a part of its true meaning for free. Was there no justice in the world?
What's most hateful is that flippant tone; it's a blatant provocation against her.

This time, Qin Ming and his two companions did not linger. They traveled far and wide, passing through a total of thirteen mist gates before finally arriving outside Night State.

"I wonder how Yezhou is doing now, whether the calamity from the sky has been quelled," Li Qingyue murmured. It had been more than a year since she and Jiang Ran left.

Jiang Ran said, "To be on the safe side, let's lie low for a while, observe carefully, and heal our injuries in the process."

Even though many days had passed, the two women and Qin Ming's injuries had not fully healed. When they were besieged by the creatures of the Sun Secret Aperture, their situation was extremely critical.

Two illusory Grandmasters, clad in remnants of the Taiyin and Taiyang armors, pursued him with the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl, nearly killing him several times.

"Pioneering and exploring are truly difficult," Qin Ming said with a touch of emotion.

However, he has now reached the mid-stage of the fourth realm, which is his greatest gain and makes the trip worthwhile.

"If the Cui family continues to act recklessly and cause me trouble, I'll have to settle scores with a large number of them this time!" Qin Ming's eyes gleamed as he gazed into the depths of Yezhou.

In fact, Cui Chonghe has been brimming with confidence over the past year. He has returned to Yezhou and changed his previous low-key and war-avoiding style. Now he wants to challenge some old acquaintances, and even Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran are on his list of test subjects.

"I wonder how Qin Ming is doing." Lately, some members of the Cui family have started to bring up that name they usually don't like to say.

"Logically speaking, he's still far from the fourth realm..."

……

After Qin Ming and the other two returned, they kept a low profile and focused on recovering from their injuries. It took them more than a month to fully recover.

One can imagine how dangerous this journey was; it truly damaged their very essence. The mental fields of all three were torn apart, and it took a long time for them to fully recover.

After recovering from his injuries, Qin Ming did not rush to leave seclusion. Instead, he studied various scriptures and secret texts. Holding the emerald green wooden core from the Sun's Secret Aperture, he elevated the Longevity Sword Intent to a new level.

At this moment, he stood on a green leaf, a branch with tender buds condensing in his hand, exuding vitality, and a faint power of longevity seemed to surge around him.

"I can now unleash four sword strikes in a row, and each one is stronger than the last. If this continues, could I be transforming into an immortal body in a single realm?" Qin Ming pondered various possibilities with deep eyes.

He did not leave the seclusion but continued to comprehend the Dao.

In the dead of night, Qin Ming suddenly opened his eyes, feeling a pounding in his heart, his hair standing on end, and his whole body feeling as if it were about to inexplicably disintegrate.

In an instant, he used a yellow silk umbrella to protect himself and wrapped his consciousness in a tattered cloth.

Almost instantly, he witnessed an unbelievable and terrifying scene.

In the distance, a giant, glowing footprint appeared, and a softly lit city on the dark earth was extinguished in the night fog, instantly turning into a dead zone, with black ashes flying everywhere.

Qin Ming had never felt so suffocated before; it was truly terrifying, and his soul was trembling.

The glowing footprints were so large that they could cover an entire city.

However, no living beings appeared there, and no bodies corresponding to the footprints could be seen.

Silently, a city was destroyed, and countless lives were lost in the deathly silence.

Qin Ming shivered. This was the vast and boundless world of night fog. When all the realities and cruelties were revealed, being alive was a stroke of luck.

All lofty ambitions and noble ideals seem ethereal, faint, and faded at this moment. In this truly terrifying world of night fog, survival is the first priority; being able to breathe and stay alive is already a great achievement.

Qin Ming felt a chill run through his body. Looking back on his past experiences, all the hardships and tribulations, he felt they were actually quite peaceful and "gentle," nothing at all.

What I saw before me was utterly despairing.

After the glowing footprints landed here, they immediately appeared again at the edge of the earth on the horizon. That was the second footprint, where a colossal city of even greater scale collapsed on the spot, blood mist rose, and then ashes fell everywhere.

Along the way, between the two glowing footprints, the villages and towns, the habitats of the strange creatures, though no glowing footprints were left behind, were still impacted by the mysterious afterglow.

Some small towns and villages were burned directly, resulting in the deaths of countless people. Those who survived went mad, their eyes vacant and unfocused, their mouths agape as they screamed something.

(End of this chapter)