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Novel: [Night Without Boundaries]
Chapter 120: [Immense Immortal Fate]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Qin Ming stood on the slope bathed in Heavenly Light, gazing at the edge of the massive crater above.
He sighed, "As an old friend, I've truly done all I can. Whether you can seize this overwhelming Immortal Fate now rests entirely on you."
Zheng Maoze had never endured such torment.
A sect's sacred artifact from a millennium ago lay before him—the Ancient Artifact that haunted his dreams, the key to becoming near-Immortal!
Yet if he reached out to claim it, he risked becoming the target of every cultivator present.
Mysterious runes shimmered across the furnace's surface, their radiant glow reflecting on his face.
The faint medicinal fragrance of the immortal mist rising from the furnace's mouth drifted to his nostrils.
How could he resist?
The aroma stirred his very soul.
Most crucially, it was within arm's reach—tangible, attainable!
This was a Near-Immortal Artifact, capable of absorbing the "Heavenly Splendor" from beyond the night sky.
Daily consumption of its essence could purify the body, transform one's innate constitution, and elevate the brilliance of consciousness.
Zheng Maoze yearned for it with every fiber of his being, yet he feared being ambushed by the assembled cultivators.
Wounded as he was, even escaping with the Eight Trigrams Furnace would be a slow, arduous task.
That fleeting moment felt like a decade of torment to Zheng Maoze's heart.
Sweat drenched his forehead, and his body trembled slightly.
Who wouldn't yearn to become a Near-Immortal being?
This might be the greatest opportunity of his life!
Zheng Maoze reached out and touched the furnace's surface, which was covered in Immortal patterns, his heart swelling with satisfaction.
"Pfft!" Blood erupted from his back as two ribs shattered.
"I wasn't trying to steal it! I just wanted to touch it!" Zheng Maoze roared, summoning his immense willpower to sever his greed and suppress the raging fire in his heart at the last moment.
He had only wanted a brief moment to hold it, so that when he looked back on this day, he wouldn't regret never having touched a Near-Immortal Artifact.
He had believed that such a fleeting possession wouldn't cause trouble.
But in the blink of an eye, someone had struck him with lethal force.
Several fellow disciples had been lying in ambush nearby, some emerging from behind blue stones, others crawling out of cracks in the ground.
"Zeng Yuan, this heaven-sent Immortal Destiny is yours!" Zheng Maoze spat out a mouthful of bloody froth and hurled the Eight Trigrams Furnace toward Zeng Yuan, who was standing nearby.
He wasn't trying to help his old friend; he was simply furious.
Among the figures emerging behind him was this very friend, Zeng Yuan. Though Zeng Yuan hadn't yet attacked, he had already drawn a Spiritual Sword forged from Thunderstruck Wood.
Zeng Yuan stood dumbfounded, the Immortal light-wreathed furnace landing in his hands. It felt like a dream—had his deepest desires somehow manifested into reality?
His lips trembled.
Then, clutching the furnace, he turned and fled!
Zheng Maoze exhaled a foul breath, his body drenched in sweat.
He had finally escaped his deadly predicament.
He had barely touched the Eight Trigrams Furnace when a bloody hole appeared in his back.
Any later, and he might have been blasted to pieces.
Rage burned in his heart.
Not a single fellow disciple had shown any camaraderie, their attacks ruthless and merciless.
A wave of regret washed over him.
If he hadn't broken eighteen bones, he would have grabbed the furnace and fled himself—he might have actually succeeded!
"Who was generous enough to toss the Eight Trigrams Furnace to me?" He had only caught a fleeting glimpse earlier.
Now, looking down, he saw a hazy but familiar figure waving and nodding in acknowledgment.
"I'm scrubbing mud..." Zheng Maoze's body trembled violently.
It was the very successor of the Six Imperial Force who had broken over a dozen of his bones!
He gritted his teeth, his face livid. The bastard knew his condition and had sent him this grand "gift"!
"Zeng Yuan, don't say I'm being heartless. You simply failed to seize this opportunity," Qin Ming said with a shake of his head and a sigh, turning away without another glance.
Zeng Yuan, covered in blood, staggered weakly.
He was in even greater agony than Zheng Maoze, having held the Eight Trigrams Furnace for longer and endured twice the attacks.
Lacking the necessary strength, he couldn't protect the Near-Immortal Artifact and couldn't even escape as quickly as others.
If it weren't for the widespread knowledge of his close ties to Li Qingxu, his situation would likely be far worse.
"Zeng Yuan, over here!" Wang Caiwei waved frantically, leading her group to close the distance.
In a desperate move, Zeng Yuan mustered his remaining strength and hurled the Eight Trigrams Furnace into the massive crater.
He had spotted Li Qingxu's figure and, ever pragmatic, decided that if he had to give it up, it should go to a Core Disciple.
Wang Caiwei's perpetually sweet smile froze instantly.
For a fleeting moment, her body radiated a terrifying aura of spiritual consciousness.
Zeng Yuan was suspicious.
Could he be hallucinating after suffering such severe injuries?
He vaguely recalled hearing a sonic boom as Wang Caiwei furiously threw a punch.
Without a doubt, a fierce battle had erupted in the massive crater.
The Core Disciples were locked in a brutal clash, and wherever the Eight Trigrams Furnace landed, bloodshed would inevitably follow.
The other disciples dared not intervene, acutely aware of the vast gulf separating them from the Core Disciples.
Tang Xumi, Jiang Shengyu, Hu Tingwen, Su Jingzhu, and Li Qingxu—the five Core Disciples—were locked in a chaotic and intense battle.
They understood that the others posed no threat; only the five of them remained as true competitors, having reached the final stage.
On the crater's slopes, Pure Yang Blood shimmered across their bodies, radiating blinding golden light.
With each strike, the crater's edge crumbled, sending massive boulders tumbling down with devastating force.
Luo Qingge and Sun Jingtian had already been eliminated, severely injured while confronting Cui Chonghe, who had possessed another disciple's body.
However, the Core Disciples kept this information secret, and the others remained unaware of Cui Chonghe's earlier involvement.
Clearly, this small group had secretly reached an agreement with Cui Chonghe during his expulsion, a pact they kept hidden from the rest.
"Boom!"
Like thunder cracking the sky, the consciousness lights of the five masters collided, tearing apart the walls of the massive crater.
Boulders the size of millstones rained down in a dense torrent, resembling a catastrophic mountain flood.
In this area of sparse Heavenly Light, their willingness to unleash their consciousness lights signaled an escalating battle.
Qin Ming frowned deeply.
The Core Disciples' power was truly terrifying, far surpassing his expectations.
The arrow he had shot at Li Qingxu served as stark proof. Forged from Lan Yingying Jade Iron—a rare material on par with his Jade Iron Sword—it carried the terrifying, unified Heavenly Light Force he had fused into it.
Yet this arrow had merely torn through the flesh of Li Qingxu's palm, failing to even graze the bone.
This alone demonstrated the man's profound cultivation.
Against anyone else, such a specialized arrow would have likely shattered their entire body.
At the very least, an arm or hand would have been pulverized.
"The path of the Outsiders truly has no weaknesses," Qin Ming mused. "They first cultivate consciousness light, then use its extraordinary power to nourish their physical bodies, drastically enhancing their constitution. There are no flaws in their method."
Qin Ming pondered, no wonder the Outsiders held themselves in such high regard, constantly emphasizing the divide between Immortals and Mortals and claiming their path to be superior—a golden road to enlightenment.
Qin Ming felt no sense of defeat. His cultivation realm was still low, having undergone only his sixth Awakening.
Only when he truly stepped into the Outer Saint Domain and compared himself to the Core Disciples of Beyond the Mortal Realm would he be able to determine who was stronger.
He ascended the slope, arriving at the shattered battlefield where the five Core Disciples had fought.
There, he found his crystal-clear, azure Jade Iron Arrow.
After being wounded by the arrow, Li Qingxu had quickly engaged the Core Disciples, neglecting the arrow.
Bloodstained, it had been abandoned on the battlefield.
Having endured hunger and cold during his recent two years on Black White Mountain, Qin Ming had developed a habit of frugality.
Naturally, he would retrieve such a precious arrow.
In the distance, Li Qingxu, still locked in fierce combat, sensed something.
His eyes flashed like lightning as he cast a cold glance in Qin Ming's direction, as if memorizing his face.
At the edge of the massive crater, many Outworld Disciples peered down, their expressions shifting with awe.
They marveled at the Outer Saint's audacity—daring to attempt to assassinate Li Qingxu and actually succeeding in wounding him.
Among the five Core Disciples, Jiang Shengyu was the first to falter.
He, Tang Xumi, Su Jingzhu, and the others had once ganged up on Li Qingyue, suffering severe injuries in the process.
Now, he couldn't endure any longer.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his consciousness flickering weakly, on the verge of becoming the first Core Disciple to be eliminated.
Jiang Shengyu immediately fled, knowing that staying would mean certain death.
There was no camaraderie left among them now.
Even those who had once been as close as brothers were now blinded by bloodlust, all vying for the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
They craved the daily draughts of "Heavenly Splendor" to enhance their physical bodies and consciousness, hoping to ascend to immortality in the future.
Li Qingxu spat out a mouthful of blood, his condition clearly compromised.
He withdrew from the battle, but deliberately positioned himself to block the equally injured Su Jingzhu.
"Hu Tingwen, you owe me one. I'll hold her off for you!" Li Qingxu declared.
He signaled that while he couldn't fight at full strength, he could still contain the weakened Su Jingzhu.
"Very well, Brother Li, I'm grateful!" Hu Tingwen nodded, then focused all his efforts on confronting Tang Xumi.
The final showdown would now unfold between these two.
Tang Xumi's lips twitched.
He had previously joined Li Qingyue in pursuing Li Qingxu, but they failed to completely drive him away, leading to unfavorable consequences.
In truth, Li Qingxu, though wounded, still possessed the strength to fight back.
However, he knew Li Qingyue was lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.
He had long sought to provoke a confrontation between Li Qingyue and Tang Xumi, Hu Tingwen, and the others, but he could never pinpoint her true location.
He felt no obligation to warn anyone, mainly because he feared that if he provoked Li Qingyue into revealing herself, she would target him with lethal force.
He believed it was better to keep Li Qingyue pacified for now.
Once he obtained a Near-Immortal Artifact, even if she emerged, it would be too late.
Li Qingxu still had one trump card: a mystical escape technique taught by his master.
By sacrificing his life essence, he could outrun even those who had just entered the third major realm.
However, in that state, he could only flee, unable to fight.
His greatest hope now was to maintain calm.
Once he seized the Eight Trigrams Furnace, everything would be settled!
He seethed inwardly, having twice come tantalizingly close to claiming the Near-Immortal Artifact.
The first time, a shot to his palm had thwarted him; the second, Tang Xumi had intervened when Zeng Yuan tried to throw it to him.
Now, the Eight Trigrams Furnace temporarily rested in Tang Xumi's hands.
After Li Qingxu forced Su Jingzhu back, the two retreated to a safe distance, temporarily ceasing hostilities.
"Tang Xumi, I have high hopes for you," Li Qingxu murmured between ragged breaths, surprisingly rooting for Hu Tingwen's defeat. "You should be able to defeat Hu Tingwen."
Simultaneously, he grew increasingly anxious, fearing Li Qingyue might lose her composure and reveal herself prematurely.
Moments later, the edge of the massive crater collapsed.
Tang Xumi and Hu Tingwen were undeniably formidable, their spiritual consciousness flashing like Immortal Swords.
The divine light within their Yellow Courts surged violently, as if distorting space itself.
Massive, millstone-sized boulders cascaded from the crumbling cliffs, plummeting into the abyss like a thunderous waterfall.
Hu Tingwen coughed up blood, defeated by Tang Xumi. Staggering backward, his face twisted with bitterness, he lamented the Near-Immortal Artifact that had been within his grasp—just one more victory away.
He had timed his entry into the Luo Fu Mountains perfectly, avoiding many competitors. Yet, he never imagined Tang Xumi would prove to be his final obstacle.
"Will anyone else challenge me?" Tang Xumi asked, tilting his head back to gulp down a vial of golden liquid—a spiritual elixir that rapidly restored his fatigued body.
Having sustained no serious injuries, minor wounds and exhaustion were mere inconveniences to him.
His disciples and Golden Armor Guards stepped forward, forming a protective wall behind him as they faced Li Qingxu, Hu Tingwen, and the others.
"Since none of you Senior Brothers wish to continue, let's conclude this here!" Tang Xumi declared, preparing to depart amidst his entourage.
"Bang!"
Without warning, a Golden Armor Guard behind Tang Xumi struck him with a palm strike, sending him staggering and vomiting blood.
This guard was exceptionally powerful.
His left hand unleashed a terrifying black aura, while his right hand erupted with brilliant white Heavenly Light.
Not only did he injure Tang Xumi, but he also used the Heavenly Light to seize the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Without hesitation, the guard hurled himself away, wasting no time.
"The legendary Yin-Yang Black-White Force? You're from the Yin-Yang Temple! I never imagined such a master would be among my ranks!" Tang Xumi's face turned icy cold.
The sudden betrayal had caught everyone completely off guard, exceeding all expectations.
The master from the Yin-Yang Temple had cultivated an exceptionally unique and powerful Heavenly Light Force.
Just moments ago, black and white light had erupted from his hands, enveloping the Eight Trigrams Furnace, which he then hurled with tremendous force—toward Li Qingxu!
No one had anticipated such a move, and there was no time to intervene.
Li Qingxu's face lit up with joy as he began to expend his life essence, preparing to flee.
He reached out to catch the descending furnace, which was about to fall into his grasp.
"Clang! Clang!"
Two metallic reverberations rang out almost simultaneously.
A Jade Iron Arrow struck the Eight Trigrams Furnace, sending sparks flying, while a stone projectile also slammed into the furnace's body with such force that the stone shattered into dust.
These two strikes completely altered the furnace's trajectory.
Li Qingxu flew into a rage.
He had been mere inches away from securing the furnace!
Now, however, it had veered off course and landed in the hands of an elite disciple, who promptly tossed it toward Tang Xumi.
Qin Ming lowered his bow.
He had been observing the battlefield intently, keeping a close watch on Li Qingxu, Tang Xumi, and the others.
He possessed the Five Perfections of sword, spear, hammer, arrow, and spear, and had just demonstrated one of them.
The stone projectile had come from a lithe Golden Armor Guard—Li Qingyue—who now emerged from the shadows, no longer concealing her true form.
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END OF CHAPTER
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