Night without Borders

Chapter 538 Appreciation for both refined and popular tastes
Countless eyes were fixed on that tall, imposing figure in the arena, and everyone seemed lost in thought. In the past, for a time, a considerable number of people suspected that Qin Ming was connected to Taiyi.

Even now, he has not been cleared of suspicion.

"On the Path of Rebirth, even the most exceptional talents at the very top of the pyramid need to undergo nine rebirths in the first stage. This system is also imbued with a mystical legend, representing the pursuit of all of them. Each subsequent crucial hurdle requires them to exert every effort to be reborn, achieving a great rebirth..."

If Qin Ming were to pursue such legends and venture into that ethereal realm, then his constant rebirth and transformation would be no less than taking a rare and precious elixir.

Immediately, many people's expressions changed, and their suspicions about him deepened.

A person who can undergo repeated rebirths can probably reverse aging and practice absurd things like "rejuvenation," so... he might really be Taiyi.

Some people even suspected that he was Yi Jian.

However, after much probing, people finally determined that his cultivation was clearly insufficient and he was still stuck in the spiritual field realm. Judging from his realm alone, he did not meet the requirements.

Qin Ming was dressed in gleaming silver armor, with long, slender legs and a straight posture. Even his profile was outstanding, and he was clearly a dashing young man.

The special standard armor included face coverings to conceal their true appearance. Furthermore, Jinbang also used various methods to help them deceive everyone.

Even so, some of the more shrewd individuals have rekindled their old doubts.

"I actually associated him with Taiyi!"

"Hmm, I think it's very possible too."

In an instant, a commotion broke out in the mountain and sea area formed by the golden list.

If it's the same person... Suddenly, the eyes of many high-ranking members of large organizations lit up.

Currently, Qin Ming's only weakness is his lack of cultivation level; he has no other shortcomings.

The Lu family, where the Celestial Venerable resides, had high-ranking members present. The clan had made a decision long ago to send someone to approach Qin Ming, but it's unknown what the outcome will be.

"Jingli has met him, but I haven't asked the girl how their conversation went."

Several high-ranking core members of the Huang family were in the same area of ​​the Mountain and Sea Realm when an elder of the sixth realm personally inquired: "Has any of my clan's legitimate daughters had contact with him?"

"not at all."

In heaven, there is a saying that one should marry a woman from the Huang family, which shows the extraordinary status of this clan.

Qin Ming remained unmoved, keenly sensing that many gazes were fixed on him—some with surprise, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and many with a burning intensity, carrying a sense of inquiry.

He knew very well that if you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

There are no secrets that last forever in this world.

In particular, Qin Ming's new system has a high degree of overlap with Taiyi's immortal body refining path.

He remained calm, letting them dig for the truth. Even if they uncovered one of his identities, the problem wasn't too serious.

After all, neither Taiyi nor Qinming had a high enough cultivation level, and they faced a very real problem: the path to becoming a new person was difficult and the speed of improvement was extremely slow.

For now, we just need to avoid uncovering his identity as someone who "slays through thirty-six heavens with a single sword."

"One Sword" has no such restrictions. He is already very skilled, and with his courage and diligence, he can rise rapidly and is unstoppable.

If he were to strike with a single blow, it would indeed put a lot of pressure on many people, as the impact would be too strong.

When the time comes, many old monsters will probably want to capture him and "analyze" him after they learn his true identity.

Qin Ming pondered, "Hmm, you can slowly uncover my identity from behind, layer by layer. As long as my cultivation level improves quickly enough, everything will be fine!"

At present, his progress is not slow at all. Although he started late, he is almost catching up.

Give him some more time, and he can become a true master!

If he were to break through the fifth realm at this age, the news would leave many people stunned and incredulous.

In the battlefield of the Seventh Realm, the second round of the old monsters' battle came to an end. This time it was quite fierce, with the true god of Heavenly God Ridge and an old totem both suffering heavy losses, their blood splattering across the sky.

Unfortunately, it was too far away, and people dared not approach it, so they could not see the details.

The battlefield for the younger generation is just around the corner, naturally attracting a lot of attention. At this moment, several people have already entered the fray, engaging in fierce battles.

Among the totem camp, some questioned: "Didn't you break the rules? Is that short-haired man with a full beard, muscular body, and stocky build really still young?"

Many people are wondering, who is he talking about?

The young Buddha was initially looking around, but eventually realized that it seemed to be referring to him!

"That's right, I'm talking about you. You look fierce and old, like a ruthless bandit. How dare you pretend to be young? You must be an old guy."

"Damn it!" Little Buddha really wanted to roll up his sleeves and slap that person to death. It was one thing to question his age, but to make a personal attack on him was another.

The Totem Sacred Mountain spoke up, saying that the Jade Capital was not respectful.

Jinbang spoke up, saying, "Him? It's a problem with the system. Although he's a bit older, he's still a young man in his prime on their path."

"Everyone, we should all be honest with each other. If this is just a friendly spar, there are bone-revealing mirrors in the night sky to check it out. Elderly people should not enter the arena, or they will be discovered."

The problem that Little Buddha encountered is the predicament of the Path to Rebirth.

Even the most renowned and orthodox successors of the Chaos Force have to go through this, which shows how difficult this path is.

For a moment, people inevitably looked at Qin Ming. Those who had previously shown him strange looks and suspected that he was Taiyi began to re-examine and ponder his case.

People in the new system need time to mature, and that process takes a very long time. They are evaluating whether they can afford to wait.
Is it really worth it to support such people, invest rare resources, only to have the harvest season come so late?
"This Qin Ming is not very old, and his progress is not slow. Perhaps he is an exception."

"When he fought Cui Chonghe, it was a year and a half ago. At that time, he was in the ninth level of the Spirit Realm. What realm is he in now?"

Some people privately discussed and explored Qin Ming's current strength.

Cui Chongxiao learned that Qin Ming had been honing his skills for so long, but had not yet broken through to the fourth realm—the Heart Lamp.

"That's normal. The path to becoming a freshman is so difficult. It would be a miracle if he could still make such a splash in this system!"

When the Cui family found out, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

They hoped that the curse of an increasingly difficult path to new life would be manifested in Qin Ming's case.

Some people in the totem camp noticed that Qin Ming was being watched and whispered about, and they immediately became interested.

A five-colored beast spoke, its body shimmering with totem light, probing, "Who are you? You seem to be somewhat famous. How about we spar? But before that, let's be honest with each other and state our age and cultivation level."

At this moment, Qin Ming's "pure heart" was fully revealed, just as the five-colored treasure fragments described, simple and pure, truly answering every question.

"I am Qin, twenty-one years old, at the ninth level of the third realm," he stated frankly.

In the totem camp, a group of young experts fell silent for a moment, all of them surprised and seemingly disbelieving.

A moment later, someone laughed and said, "The third realm... that's impossible, is there no one on your side?"

In their team, even the lowest level cultivator had reached the fourth realm; otherwise, they wouldn't have been qualified to represent their team in the battle.

The sacred five-colored beast retreated, feeling it would be beneath its dignity to kill such a "youngster," and decided to leave the opportunity to the youngest members of the group. It said, "You all do what you think is best."

It will not easily withdraw from the competition; its benchmark is Wen Dao, Wei Shouzhen, and others, and it is always ready for the ultimate showdown.

Several "totem-like" young people stepped forward to examine Qin Ming. They were not very old and their cultivation levels were not very high. The reason they were able to participate was because they could defeat strong opponents. They were all extraordinary talents.

A giant bull with fiery red fur, as if it were burning with flames, spoke up: "I thought I could only hunt experts in the mid-stage of the fourth realm, which would require crossing borders and using reverse slashes. I never expected that I could come here to bully weaklings."

This kind of behemoth is the easiest for various tribes to accept and worship in the totem system.

The fiery red giant bull, its body radiating divine light, said, "None of you should try to take it from me. Let me experience the thrill of crushing my opponent with the overwhelming force of Mount Feixian."

Those young masters who had become "totemists" all laughed, not caring much.

Someone said, "We've always fought across borders, and this time is no exception, but it's backward compatible. Alright, it's up to you."

At this moment, Qin Ming was communicating with Jin Bang. He had fought again and again. Did these count as battle merits? What rewards would he receive based on his performance?

He suspected that he would need to continue fighting, and there was a high chance that every battle would be marked with his name. Therefore, he wanted to find out the details, otherwise he would feel like he was being forced to do hard labor.

He is actively contributing and also wants to receive some positive "feedback".

Otherwise, with so many experts present, it would be unreasonable to keep targeting him and taking advantage of him.

The list of names in the imperial edict stated that in foreign wars, rewards would be given based on merit, and as long as his achievements were brilliant enough, exchanging for scriptures, precious medicines, and other valuable items would not be a problem.

"I want the elixir to resolve the True Form Tribulation," Qin Ming said.

Jinbang responded: "Although I don't know much about your kind of tribulation, I have a healing remedy that outsiders dream of, which I think can meet your needs."

"I want nine kinds of exotic metals to refine nine small..." Qin Ming stopped abruptly, realizing he might have been too conservative.

"Actually, I want to forge a long sword, not a mini version, and a large hammer would also be fine." He made an outrageous demand.

He knew that even a piece of exotic gold the size of a thumb could fetch an astronomical price at an auction in another world, so if it were a long sword, its price would be immeasurable.

As expected, even the top scholar didn't like him, saying, "Do you really think rare exotic metals are like iron ore, which can be found everywhere and mined at will? Who can be so extravagant? However, if your performance is outstanding enough, I can make an exception and give you special permission to forge a longsword or a heavy hammer of the purest exotic metal."

……

After a brief exchange, Qin Ming was filled with excitement. He wanted to continue being a "henchman" and actively participate in the fight. He even planned to take on various identities to rack up achievements and accumulate merits.

Therefore, when facing those young experts from the totem camp, no matter how unkind and offensive their words were, his gaze softened.

These monsters, which could be exchanged for rare medicines and priceless exotic gold, no longer looked ferocious and menacing, but were instead gleaming gold, which was extremely attractive to him.

"Little human, are you scared out of your wits? What are you staring at?" A giant beast with glowing fur that seemed to pulsate with crimson flames mocked, approaching step by step.

Its four hooves were snow-white, like mutton fat jade, and the footprints it left were interwoven with Daoist patterns, mockingly saying, "Everyone else despises you, but I've reluctantly come to take you in."

Qin Ming didn't care at all and said, "Old Niu, thank you for bringing the bull's head."

The giant bull, instead of seeing its opponent angered by its provocation, heard such a gentle voice and immediately lost its composure, shouting, "Moo, you son of a bitch!" In an instant, its entire body burst into flames, bathed in the true fire of the sun, white smoke from its nostrils carrying the smell of sulfur, and its two giant horns clanged like heavenly blades, their light slicing through the night sky and piercing the heavens.

It charged forward, its four hooves pounding the ground, causing the sea of ​​clouds to boil, and then it exploded with a deafening roar.

This demonstrates its formidable power; in every major battle, it can turn the tide against its opponents. This is no exaggeration; it is indeed an extraordinary being in the totem faction.

The night sky trembled once more. Qin Ming took out a black jade hammer, which was made of jade iron. With a loud bang, it seemed to smash the night sky.

Without exchanging any further words, the man and the ox immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

Qin Ming has returned to his true self and can now use the methods of the Rebirth Path, releasing the purest Primordial Heavenly Light, which illuminates the entire hammer, making it crystal clear.

It was precisely because of this that he recklessly squandered his chaotic energy, making his attacks appear incredibly terrifying.

Qin Ming clashed head-on with a behemoth several times larger than a mammoth. His hammer shook the heavens, and every wisp of energy he emitted rang out like sword light and blade aura.

Click!
A clear snapping sound rang out as the sledgehammer in his hand broke off a cow horn.

"Moo!"

The giant bull roared, feeling excruciating pain in its bones. This opponent had immediately engaged it in a head-on collision, displaying an overwhelming and unstoppable force.

The little cutie in his eyes, the human man in gleaming silver armor, was now like a demon god, stirring up a sky full of gales and swinging a giant hammer, making it suffer unbearable pain.

With a boom, its protective divine fire surged and rose into the sky, the sun god's flames raged, almost boiling, forming a terrifying wave of fire.

However, the young opponent, clad in gleaming silver armor, focused solely on swinging his massive hammer forward, showing no fear whatsoever. With a resounding boom, the light barrier formed by the sun god's fire surrounding the giant bull was shattered.

"Moo, I... Ouch!" It was in excruciating pain and let out the screams of other animals.

Qin Ming smashed it down again and again, shattering its skull, blowing off its shoulder blades, then its chest, abdomen, and limbs.

The giant bull roared in agony, bleeding profusely from every inch of its body, its entire body riddled with cracks from which brilliant totemic light and runes poured forth. It tried to heal itself, but it was too late.

With a deafening boom, Qin Ming struck three times in quick succession, and the giant bull with its fiery red fur exploded, splattering blood and bone fragments everywhere.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Ming used his adhesive force to draw over a ball of glowing super rare blood and skillfully sealed it into the spiritual crystal.

Many people on both sides were lost in thought.

That human, who looked tall and disproportionate to the giant bull, was so ferocious and violent that he literally smashed his opponent to pieces.

Not to mention the creatures of the totem faction, even the young people from those old mountain peaks in the sky were stunned. Although they had heard of Qin Ming, many of them were seeing him make a move for the first time.

"This is the path to new life? It's too reckless, too domineering. Can brute force really overcome all techniques?"

"I have a feeling that if the Celestial Venerable were standing in front of him when he was young, he would have been smashed to pieces."

"Shh, the Celestial Venerable is in the Seventh Realm Battlefield, you don't want to live anymore!"

Those in the sky found it outrageous that this was the legendary Qin Ming, who actually liked this kind of fighting style—simple, brutal, domineering, and direct.

Bai Meng felt honored, thinking he was someone who knew the inside story, and secretly thought to himself: "My brother Ming's various exquisite fighting techniques are not something that everyone can see. Most opponents are not even qualified to force him to use them."

Tang Yushang was also watching the battle. She couldn't help but recall that she had personally experienced some of these tactics and suffered a lot as a result.

"The Ox God has actually been defeated!" The young experts in the totem camp all showed surprise.

"Indeed, a low cultivation level does not mean one cannot engage in fierce battles. This is an extraordinary human genius. Taking advantage of his current low cultivation level is the perfect opportunity to eliminate him."

However, no one has stepped in yet; everyone is assessing his true strength.

In addition, the other battle groups fighting on this battlefield have also reached their conclusions.

The core successor of Misty Peak used every means to confront the "Shadow of the Abyss," but ultimately failed and was killed on the spot. Even his pure Yang consciousness was unable to escape and was devoured by the opponent.

It is said that this person was a shadowy figure born from the various tribes' reverence for the abyss and their daily worship.

The core successor of Star Mountain possessed superb skills; his entire body's acupoints emitted starlight-like radiance—endless sword energy—which slayed his opponents.

Lu Zheng, a descendant of the Celestial Venerable, is currently engaged in a fierce battle with his opponent and is seething with anger.

Because this opponent is a bird in human form, even more talkative than a chatterbox, with eloquent tongues that go on and on without end; this is its attack tactic.

In fact, it has a long, golden tongue, sharper than a spear forged from mithril, as if it could pierce through the void.

Lu Zheng mastered the "Extreme Golden Body" technique, but some bloodstains still appeared on his body.

"As expected of the 'lower path of cultivation' in the Night Fog World, brutal killing, the stones in the outhouse are smelly and hard, what kind of immortal body cultivators are you? Your lineage has no ethereal aura at all, it's full of worldly taint..."

This is the human-faced bird, which attacks with lightning speed while disturbing people's minds with its venomous tongue and constant buzzing noises.

"You body cultivators, do you need to beat yourselves with sticks and smash your flesh with boulders every day? If you temper your golden bodies like this, are you savages? Or are you perhaps descendants of some barbarian tribes?"

Lu Zheng listened to its incessant chatter and really wanted to tear it to shreds. How could a dignified immortal body cultivator be so despised?

"You experts of the totem faction are called savage gods by outsiders, yet you have the nerve to call others barbarians? Your own people still live a life of eating raw meat and drinking blood. As totems, you are no better. How dare you speak ill of others?"

With a soft "poof," Lu Zheng's chest was finally pierced by the long golden tongue. He was almost torn apart, but at the last moment, his hands glowed and severed the long tongue.

Both the man and the bird screamed in agony, and the battle ended in mutual destruction.

……

Qin Ming faced his second opponent, a woman whose entire being radiated totem-like brilliance and was bathed in ethereal energy; she was truly extraordinary and possessed an outstanding temperament.

This is the result of countless tribes jointly worshipping a supreme relic, where there is an ancient legend that when the supreme totem of a certain generation was old and dying, he was undergoing a tribulation, wanting to live a new life. At the last moment, he failed and left behind a wisp of totem soul, which slumbered underground.

Legend has it that this woman was born from the beliefs of many tribes who worshipped the ruins for a long time. Of course, some say she was just an outsider who took advantage of the situation, quietly setting up her own altar in the ruins and intercepting the power of the sacrificial rituals.

She was dressed in white, her black hair reaching her waist, her eyes sparkling with a captivating light, exuding an ethereal beauty. She approached gracefully with delicate, elegant steps.

She parted her red lips slightly and said, "I've heard some people say that you're a strongman? It seems to be the lowest of the low, not elegant enough, only using brute force as a means of attack."

Qin Ming calmly replied, "You understand the hierarchy of contempt."

He knew that this woman had put in the effort and had a good understanding of some of the systems within the Yujing region. She immediately tried to tear apart some old problems and conflicts within the opposing camp.

The woman laughed and said, "Come to my totem camp. There is no distinction between superior and inferior cultivation. Once you come to our side, you can be promoted to a power totem with a high status. Who would dare to say that it is vulgar or indecent?"

"Now that you've finished speaking, let's get started," Qin Ming said calmly.

He then added, “You know nothing about my Xinsheng Road. Today I will show you all that if you want Xinsheng Road to be elegant, there is nothing it cannot do.”

Qin Ming stood still, every inch of his body flowing with crystalline light, and a piece of paper materialized from it, which was woven from chaotic energy.

Then he picked up his brush and began to write, the characters still formed by the light of the sky, imprinted on the paper.

At that moment, the woman felt a chill run down her spine, sensing extreme danger.

To outsiders, Qin Ming appeared to be surrounded by numerous halos, bathed in light and rain, seemingly floating like an immortal.

The woman unleashed her totem-like power, dense runes lit up, an altar appeared behind her, and the sacrificial sounds of various tribes rang out; she used her strongest methods right from the start.

However, Qin Ming's body was surrounded by dozens of divine halos, making him virtually impervious to all magic.

The woman's strongest techniques were completely ineffective, and sensing impending doom, she fled at top speed.

However, it was too late.

Qin Ming completed the task in one go, and the materialized paper of heavenly light flew out. It looked very thin, like a cicada's wing, but it was interwoven with the texture of heaven and earth, and the words shone brightly.

Everyone knew that he was controlling all laws and using the true power of chaos.

With a soft "poof," a single piece of paper sliced ​​the woman in half at the waist. Her protective aura and treasures were rendered ineffective, all severed.

"Ah..." she screamed, her soul trying to escape.

However, on that piece of paper, glowing words leaped up, as brilliant as stars, suppressing her until she could hardly move, and then turning her into flames.

With a loud bang, she exploded, her body and soul annihilated.

A piece of paper floated down lightly, then self-immolated. The flowing light returned to Qin Ming's fingertips like a gentle stream, where he collected it.

"I go!"

Many people felt their scalp tingle as they watched. A piece of glowing paper, inscribed with the true meaning of Qin Ming's scriptures, flew out in the blink of an eye and directly killed a powerful opponent.

“You know nothing about Brother Ming!” Bai Meng’s eyes gleamed.

A deep, muffled roar, like a blizzard, swept in, and a disheveled young man from the totem faction charged forward.

Clearly, he had a close relationship with that woman and was genuinely enraged, so he rushed into the battlefield immediately to kill Qin Ming.

Qin Ming sat on the ground and with a flick of his hand, a seven-stringed zither with an ancient charm appeared. It was clearly formed from the light of heaven. He plucked the strings, and a clear, resonant sound rang out, releasing a terrifying burst of chaotic energy.

With a loud "poof," the man exploded on the spot.

"Wow, is this the true meaning of the silk calligraphy he mastered on his own without any guidance?"

"This... Chaotic Force is terrifying!"

Even the core disciples of those old mountain strongholds in the heavens were shaken to their core. The attack power of this scripture could definitely rank among the top ten in the Jade Capital region.

“You…” The group of young experts from the totem camp were filled with shock and anger.

Unfortunately, Qin Ming had already killed three people, and according to the rules, he should stop now.

However, he wanted to give it a try, saying, "If it's consensual, I wonder if we can continue the challenge?"

Qin Ming looked at the opposite side and said, "Fellow Daoists in the early stage of the fourth realm, those below the fourth heaven, come as many as you can. I will take you all on my own. I wonder if you dare to come and try to listen to a wonderful melody."

(End of this chapter)