Night without Borders

Chapter 513 Breaking Through the Barrier and Sweeping Away Enemies on a Rainy Night
Those mysterious little figures, with solemn expressions, danced on the full, black ears of wheat with a peculiar rhythm, as if performing some kind of ritual.

Qin Ming stopped at a distance, held his breath, suppressed his consciousness, blended into the darkness of the night, and completely concealed himself.

What he saw before him was beyond his comprehension; even creatures of the fifth realm could grow from the soil. He was somewhat lost in thought; among those tiny figures, only three inches tall, there were indeed genuine grandmasters.

Is this a "divine field"? Qin Ming found it absurd and examined it closely.

However, he didn't notice anything unusual about the soil here; it was all quite ordinary.

The once barren, dry black soil is now covered with thriving black wheat, the ears of wheat bending low with their weight.

"Did it appear once decades ago?" Qin Ming stared ahead, intuition telling him that the black wheat must be very nourishing and beneficial to the body.

The group of tiny figures moved with practiced ease and fluidity, not unconsciously, but like a very ancient and rigorous war dance, as if they were performing a ritual.

They moved among the ears of wheat, sometimes disappearing and sometimes gathering again. As they danced and prayed, blurry images appeared, as if summoning wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and even the illusory shadows of the sun and moon.

The heavy ears of wheat swayed in the night fog as a group of tiny people trodden on them, making a rustling sound.

Gathered into a grandmaster, lifted up by dark clouds, it dispersed into invisible energy, disappearing into the black wheat ears. What level of plant is this? Is it a magical gift from the earth?
"No wonder this realm is recorded in books as a place carefully selected by the sages of the past." Qin Ming pondered for a long time but still couldn't understand it.

If this were placed in Yezhou, or even in the Nine Heavens, this rye would definitely be considered a rare and precious medicine, since it has already taken human form.

But are these plants truly sentient? They don't seem so. The vast fields of black wheat, densely packed and numerous, show no signs of supernatural characteristics or disturbances.

Qin Ming opened his newborn eyes and looked at the heavy black ears of wheat. He felt that they were good things. The rich essence and spirituality contained within them should be able to strengthen the foundation and cultivate the vital energy. However, they should not be at the level of defying the heavens. It is unlikely to be a great medicine of the Earth Immortal level. This is strange. How can it grow into a Grandmaster?

There were no fire springs nearby, so how could extraordinary plants grow in this desolate, dark place? This completely changed his understanding.

In Yezhou, wherever there is a place of natural beauty and magnificent mountains and rivers, there must be a fire spring. Without spiritual energy, plants cannot grow and the land will become barren and lifeless.

Qin Ming stared at the dry, hard black soil. Could there be something underneath? But he didn't make any rash moves, not wanting to be surrounded and attacked by a Grandmaster-level villain.

A mutated horned deer, seemingly a highly intelligent monster from the nearby mountains, had already reached the late stage of the second realm. Smelling the fragrance of grains, it quickly rushed over, its thick antlers as sharp as blades, its eyes burning with desire, as it charged towards the black wheat field.

With a bang, just as it approached, a tiny man, only three inches tall, smashed its enormous head with a single punch, and the thousand-pound deer carcass collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Soon after, a long-beaked sickle bird flew in from the night sky. Its beak was like a sickle, and it was also a mutated species. It discovered the extraordinary wheat field.

With a long cry, it summoned a large group of companions from the distant mountains, and then swooped down.

As a result, a master-level villain made a move, his fist flashing and tearing through the night sky like a raging fire, causing hundreds of long-beaked sickle birds to explode.

A torrent of blood rained down, accompanied by a flurry of feathers.

Indeed, these constantly gathering and dispersing little people all possess real power, and are not some kind of illusion.

Qin Ming stared at them. The methods of these little people seemed to be a product of the combination of some kind of battle qi and divine power. They looked simple, but they were quite practical.

He retreated silently, preparing to delve deeper into the hidden secrets of this place from the elders among the cat-people.

Qin Ming frequently came down the mountain during this period. The village was located at the foot of the mountain, so many people were familiar with him.

"Uncle, what's the situation with that wheat field?" Qin Ming asked the old cat-man at the village entrance.

The other person's original name was very long, so to make it easier to remember, he assumed it was Old Orange Cat because its ears, tail, and even its fur were orange.

Qin Ming, adapting to local customs, also adopted a long list of names, roughly meaning: a figure of the upright ape-demon race worthy of being inscribed on bronze vessels, a rising star.

This carries a positive connotation in the local area. If placed in Yezhou, his name could be condensed into: Yuan Dingming.

The old orange cat leaned against the wooden fence in front of the yard, sighing and saying, "Damn, that place is very mysterious. It suddenly appeared more than sixty years ago and triggered a great war. The war was very fierce. Some nearby villages were unharmed, but some villages were affected and were completely wiped out. It was quite tragic."

His face was full of worry. He pointed into the distance and said, "Damn it, do you see that broken mountain? It was blasted apart by several experts sixty-three years ago. I was only nine years old then and I witnessed it with my own eyes."

Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine. At the very least, it would have to be several grandmasters who made the move.

The old orange cat said, "We were relieved to hear from those powerful people that after the black soil revived once, it shouldn't grow divine food a second time. We didn't expect it to appear again."

According to him, back then, many masters gathered, and all sorts of flying creatures came, some like the moon, some as dazzling as the sun, hanging high in the night sky, causing the earth to collapse, and later even creating a bottomless abyss.

"Damn, my grandpa's ears have been deafened by the noise."

Qin Ming said, "I saw a large rift valley, which covers a vast area, but the black wheat did not grow there this time."

The old orange cat nodded and said, "Yes, the location has changed this time, but it's only a dozen miles away, so it should still be caused by the same source."

Qin Ming wasn't in a hurry; he simply chatted with him casually, gradually learning various details from back then.

As the old orange cat spoke, he recalled, "Back then, a bug-man who seemed to be a leader, whose wings made a thunderous sound, warned the other forces that they must wait until the wheat was ripe before they could make a move, and watch a cycle come to an end. Before that, all parties should exercise restraint to avoid causing a great disaster. I really didn't understand at the time, and I don't know why."

Qin Ming was taken aback. This seemingly barren world seemed to hold many secrets, and he was still completely clueless about it, lacking a deep understanding.

The old orange cat was filled with sorrow. Some of the tribe members wanted to flee, but the crops in the fields were about to ripen. If they gave up, the crops would surely be ravaged by long-beaked sickle birds and other predators, and there would be a famine in the second half of the year.

Outside the village, large swathes of yellow wheat in the fire fields will be ripe in a few days. In addition, there is a grain with a touch of spirituality—silver wheat—which is already shining like silver particles.

Silver wheat is a high-grade grain, and the villagers themselves are reluctant to eat it, so they eventually sell it at a high price to wealthy families in distant cities.

This crop tastes good, is refined, and contains beneficial substances. If you eat it as your staple food for many years, you should be able to live one or two decades longer than the average person. However, the yield of silver wheat is very low.

Qin Ming returned to the mountain god temple and decided to observe how things would develop.

In the village at the foot of the mountain, a group of elders, including the old orange cat and the old black cat, began to gather the young and strong, and finally made a decision.

"Take the children and go. We old folks will stay here to look after the house."

"Don't worry, the incident happened dozens of miles away from us. Besides, we old folks might finish harvesting the crops before the outsiders even start fighting."

A group of old cat-people urged the able-bodied men to take the women and children and leave quickly.

At the foot of the mountain, there were children crying and teenagers reluctant to part with their elders, but in the end, they were pulled away by their parents and set off with their families.

Qin Ming stood on the mountain, watching Sanhua, Lihua, Heibai, and the others walk away, wiping away tears.

However, in less than half an hour, the people who had gone far away returned in a panic. Some of the adult men were even injured, with blood on their lips, and walking with a limp.

A young boy told an old man in the village, "The people from Duanyun Village are blocking the road and threatening that none of us are allowed to leave. They said they would slaughter the entire village if even one person is missing."

"These bandits!" the old black cat murmured, clearly displeased.

The appearance of the mysterious black wheat has spread to the surrounding villages, indicating that the news has been leaked. The bandits who rule the mountain wanted to keep the news secret and keep the divine grain for themselves.

"They also released eagles to circle above the night sky above each village, saying that anyone who dared to release birds to send messages outwards would have their village wiped out."

Duan Yun Village is infamous for its ruthlessness within a 200-mile radius. The village is home to hundreds of bandits, all of whom are vicious and cruel. It is said that they only temporarily stayed here, having been forced to flee to another place after committing a bloody crime in a distant land.

However, although they had only been there a short time, they were quite ruthless in exploiting the villages, demanding that they pay tribute of silver and wheat to meet their daily needs.

Now that precious medicinal herbs are growing in this strange place, it has naturally attracted their covetousness.

Not long after, Little Three Flowers came running up the mountain, panting. When the little girl saw Qin Ming, her eyes crinkled, her smile was pure and full of joy, and she said, "Meow meow, Brother Ape Man, I've brought you something delicious."

She wrapped a piece of still-warm black goat meat in a lotus leaf, held it up in her little hand, and handed it to him, saying, "Meow, it's so fragrant when it's cooked until it's soft and tender. It feels like it will melt in your mouth. Brother Ape, try it, meow."

Qin Ming took it and asked, "Why are you killing a sheep to eat today?"

Although Sanhua was innocent and carefree, she was a little worried at this moment and said, "My dad said that there are bad people nearby, and the sheep we raise at home may not be safe. We might as well eat the cat quickly."

Soon, Li Hua and Hei Bai arrived, bringing some meat with them. They ran up the mountain, panting heavily, their little faces flushed. Qin Ming often fed them, and now that there was something delicious to eat, they thought of him first.

The three children had big, clear eyes and insisted on watching Qin Ming eat the steaming hot food they had brought.

Qin Ming sighed inwardly. He was just a fleeting visitor to this world and originally did not want to get involved in complicated causes and effects, but now his mind was somewhat unsettled.

"Meow, Brother Ape Man, the lamb leg is delicious, meow?" Sanhua looked at him expectantly.

"Is the golden pheasant delicious, meow?" The tiger-headed tabby and the somewhat shy black and white both blinked their big eyes and asked, each secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Qin Ming nodded and said, "They're all delicious."

The next day, Qin Ming quietly arrived near that patch of black soil and was immediately taken aback. The black wheat ears were fuller, and most importantly, the little figures on them seemed to have changed.

Only one night had passed, and they looked a bit more aged; some of the younger men had grown beards, and some of the women had wrinkles around their eyes.

Even a grandmaster like him has aged somewhat.

Qin Ming was startled. In just one night, these special creatures seemed to have experienced many years. He didn't understand why.

However, after careful observation, he discovered that some of the masters had become stronger, and if this continued, these tiny people, only three inches tall, would be in great danger.

Aside from resting, they would dance war dances and perform certain rituals. The strange phenomena of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning on the wheat ears became increasingly clear, appearing hazy and ethereal with the changing of the sun and moon.

Qin Ming stood there for a long time, observing silently. He realized that what was only half a day outside could be many years in the wheat field for those little people.

"The time flow is different in the two places?" Qin Ming frowned, but then felt that this might not be the case.

He pondered, "Or is it that these petty people are born with short lives?"

When Qin Ming returned to the mountain god temple, he heard the sound of children crying and the village was in chaos. The bandits from Duanyun Village had indeed arrived, and they were no good.

“Keep your mouths shut. If you dare to leak any information, I’ll wipe out your entire village!” “Also, the silver wheat here is growing well. After the harvest in a few days, hand over 1,500 catties.”

Upon hearing this, the old orange cat's heart sank. He quickly said, "Sir, the yield of silver wheat is very low. All the households in our village combined can only harvest about three thousand catties from all these fire fields. We still need to exchange it for some necessities in the city. Do you think it would be alright if we sent more yellow wheat?"

One of the bandits glared and said, "What's wrong with taking half of your silver wheat? We're only doing this because we're in a good mood. Otherwise, we would have taken it all and left you with not a single grain, and we would have killed all your chickens and dogs!"

With a snap, he lashed the old orange cat across the face with his whip, leaving a deep, bloody welt that almost exposed the bone, from which blood flowed freely. Then he gave a stern look at all the villagers.

Many children were too frightened to cry out, and the adults felt powerless; they were no match for these desperate criminals.

"Hey, are you the temple keeper here?" One of the bandit leaders noticed and looked up at the not-so-high mountaintop.

"Yes!" Qin Ming replied, looking down at the other party.

"Let's go." The bandit left, sensing that the young ape-man was quite skilled and powerful.

"Boss, why did you leave?"

"Hmm, that ape-man is quite strong. Let's not cause any trouble. Let's wait a bit longer. The produce from this black soil is more than our entire stronghold can handle. If word gets out, we might all be wiped out. Our leader has already reported this to his sect. With a grandmaster in charge, we'll be safe. We'll be content with just a small share!"

Two days later, Qin Ming discovered that the bandits had begun hunting, killing some sentient creatures and throwing them at the edge of the black soil, thus avoiding attracting the attention of the Grandmaster on the wheat ears.

Qin Ming overheard their conversation and realized that the divine food produced in this special area could be mutated through rituals such as blood sacrifice, thus becoming even more extraordinary.

Unfortunately, these bandits repeatedly delivered prey, only to find that the results were almost zero.

Ultimately, they took the prey away to prevent it from rotting around the black soil and contaminating the sacred food.

Qin Ming secretly followed them and resonated with some of the bandits. He discovered that their knowledge was also limited, and that it was a powerful figure from afar who was guiding them in their actions.

Moreover, experts from the sects behind them have already arrived and will appear soon.

A few days later, the villagers harvested the crops in the scorched fields. Although the yield was high, they were all heavy-hearted. This year, they had to hand over most of their high-grade grains, which were the crops that could fetch the highest prices. From then on, life would definitely be difficult.

"Our experts have arrived, we can finally relax," a minor bandit leader told his men.

"Has the Grandmaster arrived yet?" someone asked.

"The old grandmaster hasn't arrived yet; he's gone to personally invite help. The fortune here is too great for one or two grandmasters to handle; it requires the combined efforts of several powerful individuals."

From a distance, Qin Ming heard their conversation and was both surprised and felt that the situation was quite serious. The rainy season was coming soon. Did he have to move and rebuild the tower?
Over the course of several days, he would quietly come to the vicinity of the wheat field to observe. The little figures aged very quickly, their faces already lined with wrinkles and showing signs of vicissitude.

Meanwhile, the Grandmaster-level villains become increasingly sophisticated and dangerous, but they still struggle to break through to the Grandmaster level.

Two days later, after observing the frail, elderly man again, Qin Ming took a shortcut back to the mountain god temple from the back of the mountain. As soon as he returned, he sensed something was wrong.

Cries and screams could be heard from the villages below the mountain. The bandits had kidnapped many people, mainly teenagers and young children. The parents naturally tried to stop them, but they were all beaten until their heads were bleeding and they fell to the ground. Some even had broken bones.

A group of bandits had left the village and were heading towards the mysterious wheat field.

"Brother Ape Man!" Little Tabby emerged from the bushes, covered in blood, her big eyes filled with terror, blood still trickling from her arm, glancing at the night sky from time to time.

Qin Ming used his teleportation ability to rush over in one step, picked up the child, and quickly helped stop the bleeding.

As he looked up, he saw a spirit eagle swooping down. He pointed at it, and feathers and flesh exploded in the air.

Little Tabby came to her senses and quickly informed them: "Brother Ape-man, they took away Sanhua, Heibai, and more than a dozen others."

Qin Ming instantly knew what had happened. The bandits had received orders to sacrifice young boys and girls with spiritual abilities, hoping to see if they could further mutate the miraculous rye.

This group of people are insatiable and disregard human life in order to obtain even better divine food.

"Don't be afraid!" Qin Ming reassured the takin that was still trembling slightly.

This little guy was quite clever. Sensing something was wrong, he darted into the bushes outside the village and fled up the mountain, but in the end, the eagle spotted his tiny figure.

"Brother Ape-man, you said that the ape-man race can become gods and immortals by borrowing from mountains and rivers? Can you save them..." Little Fox Flower whispered, not finishing her sentence.

He was covered in blood, his voice was soft and weak, and his big eyes were filled with tears. He slowly lowered his small head. He knew this was unrealistic; no one in this area was a match for those mountain bandits.

"I'm sorry, Brother Ape-man..." He lowered his head to admit his mistake, tears streaming down his face.

At this moment, Qin Ming's heart was touched and melted. He couldn't hold back any longer, leaving only a part of his consciousness behind before silently drifting away into the distance.

When he first entered this world, he reminded himself that he was just a passerby, and that he should calmly take the thunder potion and leave, without interfering too much in the fate of others.

But after spending so many days together, he couldn't sit still any longer after learning about what had happened to Xiao Sanhua and Xiao Heibai. The Great Dao is ruthless, but people are compassionate. How could he just stand by and watch?

Last time, he subtly intimidated the bandits, and they haven't dared to cause trouble lately. But now, with the arrival of a master from afar, they've become unrestrained.

"Mom, where are you? I'm scared." On the mountain road, Xiao Sanhua was trembling and kept looking back. Suddenly, she was slapped across the face, and her fair face swelled up immediately.

"Sanhua, don't cry, don't be afraid." The shy Hei Bai became more talkative at this moment, comforting him in a low voice. He was then slapped, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

In fact, their parents had been knocked unconscious by a master while they were in the village; otherwise, if they had chased after them, they would probably have been killed.

"Shut up, all of you! No crying and wailing!" a bandit shouted.

Qin Ming caught up with the group. A streak of light flashed, and the group of bandits were all pierced through the forehead, dying instantly.

"Huh?" A group of teenagers and children exclaimed.

They searched in all directions but couldn't find anyone. Finally, the group ran back the way they had come.

Qin Ming watched them return to the village, then headed towards other intersections. The nearby villages had all been robbed, and children and teenagers had been kidnapped.

In some villages, tragedies have even occurred, with some children's parents being killed.

Qin Ming stood guard on the only road leading to the black wheat field, and after rescuing the last group of children, his gaze turned somewhat cold.

The bandits suffered heavy losses, and they were all intimidated, not knowing who had made the move.

Even the group of experts behind them were wary, because they had not found any trace of the enemy and did not dare to make any rash moves for a while.

In the evening, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down. The rainy season is approaching, and perhaps it has officially begun.

Standing in the tower, Qin Ming looked out the window at the outside world, staring at the blazing lightning in the dark clouds. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Since we couldn't resist and have already intervened, let's intervene completely!"

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Right now, the most important thing was to take the thunder medicine; he was about to break through his cultivation barrier.

That night, the thunder was deafening, and lightning flashed continuously, falling in dense bursts, as if daylight had arrived, and the pitch-black night sky seemed to be torn apart.

Within Qin Ming's body, the purple golden core shone brilliantly, refined by thunder and fire, becoming increasingly mysterious and unpredictable. He consumed thunder medicine for an entire night, far exceeding his previous intake.

The main problem was the constant lightning; this thunderstorm was equivalent to seven or eight previous ones.

In the end, countless Dao patterns intertwined within Qin Ming's golden core, making it mysterious and unpredictable. As he attempted to inject the Nine-Colored Sword Fiend into it and condense the light of heaven into it, a thunderous roar resounded in the night sky, and the entire tower was shattered by a mysterious bolt of lightning.

Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He stood up from the ruins and realized that he had unknowingly reached the sixth level of the Heart Lamp. In just one night, he had already climbed to a higher level.

The lightning gradually faded, but the heavy rain continued.

"Ignoring the consequences, I took a step back, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became! That group of bandits, and the sect masters behind them, should all be sent to hell!"

With a loud crash, Qin Ming dispersed the torrential rain, left the mountaintop, and disappeared into the night.

Qin Ming pierced through the rain, wandering alone in this remote area in the dead of night, and began to wreak havoc.

"Who are you?" The bandit was startled awake.

"The one who will take your dog lives!" Qin Ming arrived with boundless killing intent. Above his head, a yellow parasol slowly rotated, letting down purple aura and divine radiance like silk ribbons.

He had one bare arm, disheveled hair, and carried a pure white bone club on his shoulder, looking like a demon god descending to earth.

With a "poof," one of the bandit leaders was blown apart by his staff.

Then, the hundreds of people screamed in agony as Qin Ming swiftly slaughtered them all.

Clearly, the number of people from Duanyun Village was much larger, exceeding three hundred. Qin Ming had no intention of letting them go; he set out into the rainy night, found another location, and continued to reap the lives of these bandits.

In the end, everyone in Duanyun Village was wiped out.

"Not enough, those who ordered your blood sacrifice deserve to die even more!" Qin Ming walked through the rain, transforming into a ruthless killing machine.

Some of the so-called experts from the sects had already been killed by him during this process, but there were still some who were not with the bandits, and now he was going to find them one by one.

It was a bloody night. The strongest of those experts from the sects was only at the Great Perfection of the Fourth Realm, and there were no Grandmasters among them. How could they possibly stop Qin Ming, whose heart was boiling with killing intent?

"Since we've already started, let's go all the way. When your grandmaster arrives, we'll find a suitable opportunity to kill him as well!" Qin Ming, with the white bone club slung over his shoulder, gradually disappeared into the rain.

Two days later, several grandmasters arrived and appeared near the black wheat field, where the wheat ears emitted a dark light and became crystal clear.

A grandmaster exclaimed excitedly, "It's almost ready! I never imagined this place could revive for the second time. It's an extraordinary place. We mustn't miss this greatest opportunity."

In the distance, Qin Ming also arrived, carrying a large white bone club on his shoulder, quietly observing from the shadows.

(End of this chapter)