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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 96: [Desire to Go Beyond the Mortal Realm]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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"If the Mountain Lord dies in battle, we'll go our separate ways. Wait a minute—the Golden-Armored Guard's head has already been severed?" Talking Sparrow's eyes widened.
It exclaimed excitedly, "The Mountain Lord's glory has illuminated the desert today! That was a sage-slaying strike!"
Crimson Eagle couldn't speak, or it would have retorted, "What are you shouting about? You were about to run away just moments ago!"
Qin Ming's mouth was filled with bloody froth, his internal organs burned with agony, and his hands were swollen like bear paws, crisscrossed with tearing wounds that nearly exposed the bone.
Despite his battered state, he felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
He forced himself to sit up, wiping the blood from his lips.
"Crimson Eagle, take me away!" He knew he couldn't delay. If more pursuers arrived, he would surely meet his end here.
"The Beyond the Mortal Realm... some old acquaintances... I'll remember this debt!" Qin Ming staggered to his feet, his gait unsteady as his bloodied soles likely had bone-deep injuries.
"Mountain Lord, truly worthy of Divine Being!" Talking Sparrow rushed over, its flattery genuine this time, genuinely awestruck.
It knew Qin Ming's origins well.
Just two or three months ago, he had undergone his first Awakening and was struggling to survive in the Great Mountain.
Now, this youth had actually slain an Outer Sage!
Even if it was a newly ascended sage with shallow foundations, the kill was undeniable—a concrete achievement that no one could erase.
Talking Sparrow was genuinely amazed and filled with admiration.
Qin Ming, ever frugal and simple, quickly searched the Golden-Armored Guard's body, taking some Day Gold.
He collapsed weakly onto the Crimson Eagle's back as it soared into the night sky.
Covered in blood and utterly exhausted, he lacked the strength to even stand against the wind.
Qin Ming activated the Awakening Technique from the Silk Book, replenishing his Qi and Spiritual Energy.
Although his body still throbbed with pain, his strength rapidly returned, and the Heavenly Light Force began to flow once more.
"Fly along the desert's edge and get back to Chi Xia City as quickly as possible!" he directed the Crimson Eagle.
The Talking Sparrow landed on the Crimson Eagle's back, right beside Qin Ming.
"Aren't you going back to Black and White Mountain?" Qin Ming asked, expressing his gratitude.
Earlier, the sparrow had perfectly mimicked his voice, proving an invaluable ally.
The Talking Sparrow's eyes, like black gemstones, replied, "I won't rest until I see you safely back in Cui Xia City."
"I owe you both a great debt," Qin Ming said to the sparrow and the eagle. "I'll repay you by helping you find Spiritual Substance."
Beneath the dark night sky, the Crimson Eagle pierced through clouds and mist.
The journey passed without incident; no pursuers appeared.
In the eyes of certain "old friends," Qin Ming had only recently embarked on the path of Awakening, and his strength was still limited.
He didn't even qualify to be a Golden-Armored Guard and could be easily eliminated.
To them, sending an Outsider and an Outer Sage to deal with him was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Under the night's veil, Chi Xia City shimmered faintly.
Qin Ming sighed in relief.
He was finally back.
...
In the City Lord's Mansion, Meng Xinghai frowned as he examined Qin Ming, who was covered in blood.
"You're seriously injured," he asked.
"I was hunted down and barely made it back," Qin Ming replied.
Unsure whether killing an Outsider and an Outer Sage would cause trouble, he had come straight here.
"Did you encounter powerful Golden Thieves?" Meng Xinghai asked.
Qin Ming shook his head. "The aging Golden Thieves were nothing. I cut down many along the way. This time, I was mainly targeted by Outsider disciples."
Meng Xinghai ordered his men to clean Qin Ming's wounds and apply medicine.
"It's good that you're alive. Don't worry. Chi Xia City isn't a place for those youngsters to run wild."
He asked Qin Ming how he had shaken off his pursuers.
"I couldn't shake them off. So I killed them all."
"What level were they at?" Meng Xinghai inquired.
Qin Ming replied, "A black-clad girl, probably late-stage Heart Purification Realm. And... an Outer Sage."
At first, Meng Xinghai nodded, unsurprised.
After all, Qin Ming was "somewhat" stronger than even the Youthful Prodigy (Extraordinary Individuals).
But then he heard the second half of the sentence: an Outer Sage!
Meng Xinghai stood up abruptly, his emotions visibly surging.
Qin Ming knew that such a dazzling achievement could also bring trouble.
He explained, "I narrowly escaped death by using the Heavenly Flying Hammer to take most of his life force..."
Meng Xinghai personally examined him.
"Your physical body nearly collapsed, and your bones are slightly damaged. I'll prescribe a spiritual medicine for you."
Acting with decisive efficiency, he immediately ordered servants to retrieve various precious medicinal ingredients from the storeroom.
Qin Ming overheard the list and was startled to hear "Dragon Blood" among the ingredients.
"It wouldn't be good if you damage your Vital Qi," Meng Xinghai said. "This rare Great Medicine will ensure you recover quickly."
"Thank you, Uncle Meng!" Qin Ming rose to bow.
Meng Xinghai nodded. "Take rest and recover these next few days. The Spiritual Substance and secret manual I've prepared for you will arrive soon. Use them to enhance your strength."
After nearly being assassinated in the Desert by men sent by some "old friends," Qin Ming had returned with an unwavering determination to master extraordinary techniques, achieve awakening, and grow stronger.
His current excitement was natural.
The Rare Great Medicine took effect almost immediately.
A bloody mist steamed from Qin Ming's body as his wounds, already partially healed, began to close rapidly.
Even minor injuries shed their scabs and returned to pristine condition.
Meng Xinghai marveled, "Your vitality is astonishing! You'll be fully recovered in a day or two."
Qin Ming felt his essence, Qi, and Spirit growing stronger with each passing moment, soon to return to peak vigor.
Finally, Meng Xinghai mentioned that the Outsider disciples were competing for a legendary artifact.
Qin Ming had heard rumors about this legendary treasure before, but he never imagined he would have the chance to play a role in obtaining it.
"I'm willing to go!" he nodded, genuinely pleased that Li Qingyue might acquire something that could elevate her to near-Immortal status.
If Qin Ming had the power to intervene, he would ensure that Li Qingxu, Zheng Maoze, Zeng Yuan, and the others never achieved their ambitions.
Leaving aside past grievances, the fact that he had been hunted down and barely survived this recent ordeal demanded retribution.
He also sensed the immense pressure—these opponents were undoubtedly at extremely high cultivation realms.
Meng Xinghai chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll be clad in golden armor, and Qingyue will protect you."
Qin Ming felt a little embarrassed.
How could he, a man who had slain an Outer Sage, be reduced to needing a girl's protection?
"Uncle Meng, I'm heading back now!" He didn't even want to sleep; he was itching to spend the night cultivating.
As Qin Ming turned to leave, he noticed the living room felt unusually empty, missing some of its bronze artifacts.
He couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Meng, where did your chime bells go?"
"An old friend of mine lives deep in the mountains and has been feeling lonely. I lent him the bells to keep him company."
During his time at Black and White Mountain, Qin Ming had heard the bells ringing wildly and seen purple mist soaring from the peaks.
Could those have been these very bells?
"What about the Golden Thieves...?" he asked quietly.
"They've all been dealt with."
...
Qin Ming returned to his lodgings and immediately began studying the Li Huo Classic (Li Huo Jing) late into the night.
However, drowsiness soon overwhelmed him, forcing him to succumb to sleep.
The day had been grueling, filled with relentless battles, constant travel, and severe injuries.
Even a body forged of iron couldn't endure such strain without rest.
In his dreams, he felt himself once again donning the Golden Jade Robe. A warm, invigorating energy surged through his body, vitalizing every cell.
Golden needles stitched his wounds, while silver light, like medicinal clay, coated his skin. This healing effect far surpassed the restorative medicine Meng Xinghai had prescribed.
The next morning, Qin Ming awoke with his vitality and spirit exceptionally vibrant, even more so than before.
He discovered that all the blood scabs on his wounds had fallen off, leaving no scars behind.
Yesterday, he had been drenched in blood from head to toe in the desert, writhing in unbearable pain.
Now, his injuries were completely healed, and he was fully recovered.
"The Li Huo Classic truly lives up to its reputation as an extraordinary technique," Qin Ming sighed. "It's incredibly difficult to master."
The secret manual Ning Siqi had given him was profoundly complex.
This wasn't just a single secret technique; it encompassed Heavenly Light Force, movement techniques, defense, and the sublimation of Consciousness Force—a comprehensive system worthy of an Awakener dedicating their entire life to its study.
This wasn't the original text left by the founder of the Classic, but a handwritten copy from a decade or two decades ago, yet it still retained traces of emotion.
After establishing a spiritual resonance, Qin Ming discovered that most of these emotions were negative—the anger and helplessness of those who had failed to cultivate the technique.
He confirmed one thing: the scripture itself was flawless.
This was a copy personally transcribed by one of the practitioners, meticulously compared against the original text.
Qin Ming studied the scripture carefully and concluded that the best place to cultivate this technique was near a source of fire.
This so-called extraordinary techniques transcended mere techniques; the scripture ultimately allowed one to develop extraordinary abilities, such as generating Li Fire (Li Huo)—a protective flame capable of incinerating enemies to ash.
Qin Ming found a suitable location near Chi Xia Mountain: a volcano with fissures leading underground, revealing molten lava.
"So hot!" He struggled to adapt at first.
Such environments were extremely harmful to ordinary people, saturated with toxic substances.
However, to quickly master the Li Fire Scripture, one needed to endure these conditions in the early stages.
According to the scripture, underground lava was a decent starting point.
More advanced options included Thunder Fire Heavenly Light and other otherworldly flames, but Qin Ming couldn't find any for now.
"This is incredibly difficult!" Qin Ming thought.
He could master ordinary techniques in half a day, and even more complex ones in two or three days.
But he had been practicing the Li Fire Force for five days already.
He realized this was a super-complex Heavenly Light Force, likely fusing countless fundamental secret forces.
The Li Fire (Li Huo) Force lacked any gradual progression from simple to complex, immediately presenting the highest principles of fusion, a barrier that had stumped countless practitioners.
After five days of relentless practice, his eyes burned red from the fiery Qi, Qin Ming finally managed to generate a trace of Li Fire (Li Huo) Force, letting out a long breath of relief.
"Truly an extraordinary technique," he mused. "Even the initial stages of the Li Fire Force are profound. It was worth the effort."
Qin Ming was reasonably satisfied.
The Li Fire Force could kill enemies and also form a layer of Li Fire Divine Light around his body, providing excellent defense.
"Hmm? Thunder again!" He sprang to his feet, rushed to the surface, and sprinted toward Chi Xia Mountain.
For the past few days, whenever he heard thunder, he would race to Chi Xia Mountain and wait near the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall.
But each time, the thunder would rumble a few times and then fade away, leaving nothing behind.
"Lightning is weaving across the night sky, very close to the mountain peak!" Qin Ming's excitement surged.
What others feared as Thunder Fire Heavenly Light, he saw as a potent Spiritual Great Medicine.
This time, no grand spectacle unfolded.
Only three bolts of Thunder Fire Heavenly Light descended, their radiant energy splitting the dark night and bathing the Golden Hall in a shower of Golden Light.
Fireballs rolled across the ground, illuminating the entire area.
"That really hurt!" Qin Ming stood alone in the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall, finally understanding why most cultivators only dared attempt the first Thunder Fire of early spring, when the energy was relatively mild.
"The Spiritual Substance isn't as abundant as it was in early spring, but the Heavenly Light is far more violent." This was his firsthand experience, yet he felt no disappointment.
Enduring the excruciating pain, he wore a radiant smile.
After all, this was immensely beneficial for mastering the Li Fire Scripture.
With the three bolts of Thunder Fire Heavenly Light now past, he stretched his body, having fully entered the Li Fire Scripture.
He no longer needed to endure the harsh environment of the magma lands.
"What a pity the Spiritual Substance is insufficient. If only a dozen more bolts of Thunder Fire Heavenly Light had struck!" Qin Ming, his body blackened but brimming with vitality, strode away into the torrential rain.
"That kid disguised himself and entered the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall again? He's completely mad!" Meng Xinghai exclaimed in shock upon receiving the report.
He instructed a trusted aide, "Find him immediately. Tell him the Extraordinary Technique and Spiritual Substance have arrived."
"Tell him not to cause any trouble."
.....
Qin Ming's slaying of the black-robed, masked woman in the desert and his subsequent killing an Outer Sage couldn't possibly go unnoticed.
In the Beyond the Mortal Realm, whispers began to circulate.
"It was likely a master from Chi Xia City who intervened and saved Qin Ming. We can ignore this for now. The real spectacle is yet to come. Every Daoist Sect (Dao Lineage or Dao Tradition) and Blessed Land from Beyond the Mortal Realm will send representatives to compete for that artifact—the one that could bring us closer to immortality. I must admit, I'm growing quite anxious."
"That's true. In such a remote place, a mere Awakener who only broke through his bottleneck through physical mutation would never have entered our sight again if we hadn't paid attention. He's already living in a different world from us. We should set aside past grudges for now."
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END OF CHAPTER
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