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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 73: [Awakening in Heavenly Light]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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At Chi Xia Mountain's Thunderbird Alchemy Hall, lightning crackled across the brilliantly gleaming tiles as fireballs surged and rolled.
This extraordinary spectacle drew gasps of wonder from the assembled nobles.
Nearby, the sound of weeping rose as families claimed the bodies, their faces etched with unconcealed grief.
"That guy doesn't seem like a good person," two figures whispered nearby, glancing at Qin Ming's corpse collector.
As fellow practitioners, they recognized the tricks of the trade.
"He's deliberately letting the corpses absorb more Heavenly Light and spiritual substance."
"That's going too far."
"Wait, something's off. Look at that corpse he just pulled out—it's hardly damaged, almost as intact as the first ones they retrieved."
The pair exchanged startled glances and immediately moved closer for a better look.
Thick clouds blanketed the sky, punctuated by thunder and lightning. Radiant mist billowed from the ground, bathing the entire mountain in an eerie brightness.
Qin Ming's mangled corpse lay exposed, his skin completely blackened.
In truth, he had deliberately darkened his skin, rendering his true features unrecognizable.
Xu Hai's heart lurched when he saw the intact corpse.
Had his delay inadvertently stifled a once-in-a-generation genius?
Only after the sixth descent of Heavenly Light did he slowly pull on the rope, and even the seventh Heavenly Light seemed to graze the man slightly.
"Xu Hai, weren't you a bit late to act?" someone called out. "This guy's remarkably tough, able to withstand the Thunder Fire Heavenly Light."
Xu Hai's expression remained calm. "What are you thinking? I pulled him out of the Golden Hall's gate long ago. I just didn't bring him back immediately."
Someone nearby nodded. "That's true. He doesn't look very old. One or two Heavenly Lights should have blasted him to pieces."
Qin Ming memorized Xu Hai's name to his memory.
This man was spouting pure nonsense.
Anyone else subjected to such torment in the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall would undoubtedly be dead.
He had already pushed the Harmonizing With the World secret technique to its absolute limit, rendering him virtually indistinguishable from a corpse.
Qin Ming sighed inwardly.
This place was full of "acquaintances."
Old Zhao, at seventy-two, was at least eighty percent cooked, and his body still wasn't fully reassembled.
Aside from the old men seeking a second spring, everyone else had come here out of desperation.
Given a choice, no young or middle-aged person would risk their life in this place.
Some were driven by enemies who had pushed them to the brink of despair, others by relentless oppression that made survival impossible, and still others were simply condemned criminals.
The Earthly Glow steamed, and a misty drizzle fell as the piercing sound of a suona (Chinese trumpet) horn echoed through the air.
Coffins were carried up the mountain, accompanied by mournful wails.
These were the families of the influential elders, come to retrieve their deceased relatives.
Xu Hai found a relatively clean black cloth to wrap Qin Ming in and carried him down the mountain on his back.
"Luckily, this Xu Hai is at least professional enough not to carelessly discard the "corpse,"" Qin Ming thought. "Otherwise, I'd have to fake my death a second time."
But he quickly changed his mind!
"Old Xu, how much for this Thunder-attracting Body? It looks pretty intact. Give it to me, and I'll help you deliver it to the noble's mansion."
Before they even reached the foot of the mountain, someone approached Xu Hai, clearly familiar with such transactions.
Xu Hai replied, "This is top-grade Medicinal Human. I let him 'marinate' there for quite a while, absorbing at least six or seven waves of Heavenly Light and rare spiritual substances."
"Stop lying!"
"Suit yourself. Besides, I'm not selling the whole Thunder-attracting Body this time. If you want some, I can sell you a few pounds. After all, the client paid a high price, so I can't just lose the corpse. Kidneys, heart—take your pick."
Qin Ming was deeply shocked, realizing he had stumbled upon flesh-eating "demons and monsters."
Xu Hai carried Qin Ming down the mountain, and four groups of people approached him, eager to buy a few pounds of the body.
They had already begun haggling over the price.
During this ordeal, Qin Ming's patience snapped.
He had never used his Yellow Mud Palm on anyone before, but he subtly pressed it against Xu Hai's back.
The Soft Force was applied covertly, its effects delayed; in a few days, Xu Hai would cough up blood.
Soon, Qin Ming's body began to heat up rapidly. He realized that any further delay risked exposure.
The fusion of Thunder Fire and Heavenly Light had birthed a unique spiritual substance within him, and it was now activating.
His fourth awakening had officially begun.
"Listen up, this isn't some dried-up old geezer. This is a tender young man with soft skin. Feel for yourselves—the body isn't even stiff yet, still warm!"
"Xu Hai, what are you doing?!" Xu Sheng arrived, his entire body shrouded in a black robe, visibly furious.
It was fortunate he hadn't waited at the foot of the mountain; otherwise, his brother's corpse would have been sold off.
With a thunderous kick, Xu Sheng sent Xu Hai flying.
He snatched Qin Ming's body, hoisted him onto his back, and hurried down the mountain.
Wu Zheng, who was waiting below, immediately wailed in grief, "Ah, Brother Qin, may you rest in peace! I hope you're reborn into a wealthy family in your next life—preferably a thousand-year-old clan. Then you wouldn't have to struggle so hard."
Xu Sheng sighed, "Xiao Qin didn't heed our warnings and died young. What a tragedy!"
He soon sensed something was wrong.
His back felt increasingly hot, and he heard a faint whisper: "Brother Xu, find a secluded spot."
Xu Sheng's hand trembled, nearly dropping the corpse.
"He's come back to life?!" Wu Zheng's eyes widened.
Moments later, Qin Ming washed his face with clear water in the dense forest and changed into fresh clothes.
"I can't believe I've seen someone survive the Heavenly Light's attack and walk out of the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall alive!" Xu Sheng exclaimed, deeply shaken.
Wu Zheng stared in disbelief, then grew excited. "Brother Qin, you're truly miraculous! To emerge alive from that pile of corpses!"
"Let's talk back at the inn," Qin Ming said, leading the way.
His body was burning hot, almost steaming, and he needed to return to the inn quickly.
After bathing and washing away the ashes, he was soon enveloped in a white mist once more.
This time, his transformation was even more violent.
In addition to the divinely bestowed spiritual substance, a torrent of Heavenly Light had entered his body, wreaking havoc and surging through his veins, threatening to incinerate him from within.
Qin Ming's secret techniques proved useless against this onslaught.
He began guiding the chaotic beams of light using the Awakening Technique from the Silk Book, attempting to channel their chaotic energy.
The Otherworldly Heavenly Light was undeniably overwhelming, like molten iron threatening to burn through flesh.
Ordinary people simply couldn't withstand it.
This wasn't Qin Ming's first exposure to the Heavenly Light's corrosive power, but the sheer volume this time was pushing him to his limits.
He drank copious amounts of cold water, yet white mist continued to rise from his body in billowing clouds.
Wu Zheng remarked, "Brother Qin is about to ascend to immortality! It's like he's riding the clouds. Even the Outsiders from Beyond the Mortal Realm don't possess such an aura."
"That's the Heavenly Light surging within him," Xu Sheng marveled. "It's as if he's returning to the womb, being born in light. His awakening is far more intense than that of an ordinary person!"
Soon, the two withdrew from the courtyard Qin Ming had specially reserved at the inn for his awakening, deeming it inappropriate to continue watching.
"I don't know whether to thank Xu Hai or curse him," Qin Ming thought, the Heavenly Light within him growing increasingly concentrated.
Enduring excruciating pain, he meticulously refined the Otherworldly Heavenly Light, merging it with the Human Heavenly Light born from his own flesh.
Each permeated the other, transforming into a new, unified Heavenly Light through gradual qualitative change.
Qin Ming channeled all the Heavenly Light into his abdomen, compressing it into a radiant sphere.
He forced the fusion to its limit, compelling its transformation.
The area grew increasingly brilliant, radiating with an otherworldly intensity.
He then released the dazzling orb, allowing it to erupt chaotically once more.
The Heavenly Light fractured into countless strands, surging through his flesh, bones, and organs like raging flames.
It was akin to a massive explosion of the Heavenly Light.
This process was incredibly dangerous, threatening his life at any moment.
Yet the Silk Book's Awakening Technique was recorded precisely this way, suggesting even more dangerous trials lay ahead.
Qin Ming heard the roar of a tsunami in his ears—the Heavenly Light expanding and exploding violently, threatening to overwhelm his consciousness and shatter his very being.
This was supposed to be an Awakening, yet it felt like facing a mortal calamity!
Qin Ming suspected that the creators of the Silk Book's techniques had deliberately forced cultivators to walk the razor's edge between life and death.
No doubt countless disciples had perished along the way.
Otherwise, the Silk Book's Awakening Techniques wouldn't have been abandoned by later generations, swept into the dust of history.
This contradicted the original intent of the technique's creators. They had sought to shatter the cage of tradition and forge a new path, only to find that the established ways were far easier to tread.
Finally, Qin Ming's gaze cleared.
He had endured.
"The Silk Book's techniques are too dangerous," he thought, "but as long as you can withstand it, survive the trials, the power you gain is truly extraordinary. My physical capabilities far surpass those of other Awakeners."
Qin Ming continuously fused Heavenly Light nine times, compressing it before unleashing its explosive power.
By the ninth fusion, the sphere of light within his body had shrunk to a tiny, unified point, achieving Primordial Unity.
The Otherworldly Heavenly Light and Human Heavenly Light had assimilated completely, undergoing a profound qualitative transformation.
After a brief rest, Qin Ming began practicing several newly acquired Heavenly Light Force Techniques.
Soft Force, derived from an ancient text found at Golden Rooster Ridge, was a composite Heavenly Light Force Technique and the foundation of the Yellow Mud Palm.
He had already grasped its principles and knew how to cultivate it, lacking only sufficient Heavenly Light.
Today's "spiritual infusion" of Otherworldly Heavenly Light in the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall proved even more potent than consuming a Three-Colored Flower.
As he practiced Soft Force, he continuously elevated its mastery.
The sensation of cultivating this technique was utterly sublime.
Qin Ming became completely immersed, unable to extricate himself away, until he had perfected Soft Force.
The power of his Yellow Mud Palm surged dramatically.
Next, he practiced the Hammer Force and Whip Force from his newly acquired Hammer Technique.
With the enhancement from his Heavenly Light, both techniques reached perfection without any further obstacles.
To his surprise, Qin Ming discovered that the mysterious Explosive Force he had obtained in the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall resonated perfectly with both Hammer Force and Whip Force, as if they were originally meant to be one.
After mastering all three Heavenly Light Forces, they automatically fused into a single entity.
When Qin Ming practiced the Hammer Technique again, its power increased dramatically.
"Back on Black White Mountain, when I wielded the long-handled Black Gold Hammer, I was actually using Sword Technique—what could be called Hammer Sword."
Now, drawing the Jade Iron Sword and executing the Hammer Technique, he could call it "Sword Hammer"!
Finally, all the Techniques he had mastered merged into his original Heavenly Light Force Technique, transforming it once more and significantly enhancing its power.
He could still use Soft Force, Intercepting Force, and Explosive Force separately, but when he fused them all into Primordial Unity, it would reveal his trump card, unleashing a devastating force.
In the inn, Xu Sheng and Wu Zheng were startled by the thunderous sounds erupting from Qin Ming's courtyard.
"No wonder Xiao Qin has been so discreet this time, deceiving everyone to sneak into the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall again. He truly possesses a talent beyond ordinary comprehension," Xu Sheng marveled.
A wave of drowsiness washed over Qin Ming, but he didn't immediately succumb to sleep.
Instead, he sat quietly in his room, knowing that when he awoke, his world might be entirely different.
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END OF CHAPTER
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