Night without Borders

Chapter 490 Leveraging Power and Emerging from Seclusion

As a few members of the Cui family sipped tea in a peaceful atmosphere, smiling faintly, they mentioned Cui Changqing, while the latter's "seventh day after death" was about to begin.

The fiery spring flowed, dyeing the night mist in the forest red, like the glow of the setting sun.

At Zhushi Mountain Villa, Cui Changqing's green hair was stained with blood, and his eyes were bloodshot. His physical body had been severed at the shoulder, which was his "Yi Wood Body," and there was a chance that it would transform into the "Longevity Dao Body" in the future.

"Ah..." Accompanied by a long, mournful howl, as if the King of Night was born, the void seemed to collapse, and the world suddenly darkened.

Cui Changqing's pure Yang consciousness left his body, instantly absorbing the essence of the entire Sunset Forest, causing all the trees to sway.

This plain, once densely forested and seemingly endless, is now beginning to wither on a large scale, with yellow leaves fluttering everywhere and the essence of the vegetation surging forth.

After a brief period of darkness, a vibrant green glow emerged, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

After Cui Changqing's pure yang consciousness broke free from his physical body, it entered a state of spiritual travel, and its speed increased dramatically, like lightning breaking through the sky.

The palm-sized figure was enveloped in a dazzling green flame that illuminated the night sky. He successfully evaded Qin Ming's third strike and absorbed a massive amount of plant essence.

How could Qin Ming allow him to escape? The blazing sunlight enveloped his consciousness and divine wisdom, and he instantly left his body, like a great sun shining in the sky.

"Kill!" Cui Changqing, brimming with vitality, unleashed his strongest attack amidst the green tide, while behind him, the boundless forest withered and fell into a deathly silence.

However, his heart was pounding with anxiety, and what awaited him was still the immortal sword intent that was not recorded in the text of the "Scripture of Living in the World".

A powerful sword light swept across the sky, devastating and terrifying, cleaving through the surging green clouds in front of Cui Changqing like a raging wave, and shattering the endless essence of plants and trees.

Within the green flames, the tiny figure, barely the size of a palm, screamed in despair as it was cleaved in two, its so-called pure Yang consciousness rapidly extinguishing.

Qin Ming stood in mid-air amidst the dazzling halo, calmly saying, "You're quite good. I can only unleash four Longevity Sword Intents at the moment, but you actually managed to reach the last one."

Cui Changqing first roared like a vengeful ghost, filled with despair and resentment, then he laughed coldly, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor and peaceful temperament.

The green flames around him flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, and his voice was icy cold as he said, "You've cut off my path to survival and destroyed my cultivation, so you won't have an easy time either..."

In the Zhushi Mountain Villa, Cui Changqing's body, which had been broken in two, had been pieced back together. He suddenly opened his eyes. He had practiced the "Zhushi Scripture" for a hundred years and cultivated the "Yi Wood Body," making his body full of vitality.

He left a wisp of consciousness within his body and used a forbidden technique. At this moment, his once vibrant green hair quickly withered and turned yellow, and his fair skin also shriveled. He was mobilizing the "essence of longevity."

This was a mysterious substance that he had absorbed the essence of plants and trees, purified over a hundred years, and refined throughout his life. It condensed in his hand into a green spear, which he thrust towards Qin Ming's body.

"Without a physical body, let's see how you achieve enlightenment." He laughed cruelly, his withered hair beginning to fall off as he charged forward.

However, Qin Ming's physical body moved, turning back to look at him. Facing his final forbidden attack, he remained calm, indifferent, and completely unconcerned.

"You don't know me very well."

Qin Ming's physical body, which had been plain and unadorned, began to be crystal clear and flow with mysterious patterns. He had been studying the "Refining Body and Harmonizing with the Dao Scripture" for two or three years and had achieved the ultimate golden body. His pure physical strength was extremely awe-inspiring.

With a bang, Qin Ming's fist burst forth with dazzling golden light, as if it had suddenly magnified, filling the void and shattering Cui Changqing's so-called ultimate killing move.

"How could this be?" In the night sky, Cui Changqing's dim pure yang consciousness trembled, and even the forbidden techniques he relied on could not shake his opponent.

Qin Ming remained calm and said, "You think that when I unleash the legendary Four Swords of Longevity, it will consume a lot of my energy and spirit? How laughable. This is just me warming up my muscles and bones. You will see my strongest state later."

Above its head, the yellow parasol spun and made a sound: "Stop attacking. Once it's smashed, the tonic is just crumpled up and tasteless."

A dense purple aura emanated from the tassels along the edge of the umbrella, enveloping Cui Changqing's weakened pure yang consciousness and pulling him into the large umbrella.

“This is a… magical artifact!” Cui Changqing struggled fiercely.

"Hmm, not bad, there's actually this kind of gain." Qin Ming's consciousness returned to his physical body, and he held a spear with natural runes in his hand, which was shimmering with green light.

He immediately used the Samadhi Fire to refine it, extracting strands of longevity substances from it.

“You…” Cui Changqing struggled in the umbrella. After seeing this scene, he felt desperate and dejected. It was his accumulation of a hundred years, and he didn’t know how much herbal energy he had refined to extract a small amount of longevity essence. Today, it had become someone else’s spoils of war.

"Thank you for nature's gift," Qin Ming said, expressing his great joy.

These substances come from mountains, rivers, and all things. If he hadn't mastered the "Scripture of Living in the World," he really wouldn't have been able to receive this legacy. He could only watch it slowly dissipate and return to the world.

"Pfft!" Upon hearing his words, Cui Changqing coughed up pure yang blood, filled with madness with hatred, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

He was refined by the yellow parasol, and his "true self" fell into the dark abyss, becoming its servant.

After Qin Ming refined the material dozens or even hundreds of times and extracted the longevity substance, he was able to unleash the fifth Longevity Sword Intent by circulating the World-Preserving Scripture.

"Huh, he can even cut the sixth one. The old guy's accumulation is truly profound. It's a pity that he can't comprehend the highest secret of the 'Scripture of Living in the World'."

Qin Ming was extremely satisfied. Coming here to kill enemies, he unexpectedly gained such a reward, which was beyond his expectations.

He has now expanded to six paths of the Longevity Sword Intent, which is truly extraordinary. Even a single domain can become a top-tier trump card. If this continues, he may actually be able to cultivate the "Longevity Dao Body".

"Hmm? A touch of green on the hair. All things return to one, how can one tree stand out alone? Return to simplicity and truth." Qin Ming comprehended the law and refined it. Even though the tender branch in his hand was green, he himself was no longer abnormal, returning to normal and radiating a vigorous life force.

Huang Luo, with his umbrella, was overjoyed; he had also reaped considerable rewards. By this time, over a hundred assassins in the manor had become corpses, and with the deaths of several highly skilled old men, Old Huang was quite satisfied.

Therefore, it actively transformed into an imperial umbrella, hanging above Qin Ming's head, and took the initiative to erase the fatal clues Qin Ming left here, making it impossible for anyone to come here with a rare treasure to trace back.

The woodland is barren, with countless fallen leaves, while the bubbling springs of fire dye the mountain village red.

Qin Ming strode through the "evening glow," his inner light shining brightly. He finished off the few remaining assassins who weren't quite dead; no one could escape this calamity.

"Let me do it," Huang Luo said, stopping him with the canopy.

After a hunt, the garden was completely silent. Qin Ming was not stained with a single drop of blood. He was ethereal, without a trace of worldly dust, and utterly serene, like a true immortal who had attained enlightenment.

The sunset is infinitely beautiful; having finished his business, he dusted himself off and left.

Qin Mingli lightly lifted himself up, riding the clouds and mist, his large sleeves fluttering, and rode the fierce wind to travel far away.

Five thousand miles was nothing to him. That same day, he returned to the location of Black and White Mountain with a leisurely demeanor, appeared in Shuangshu Village, and had a hot dinner at Lu Ze's house. The meal was filled with laughter and joy.

The next day, Qin Ming walked out of his small courtyard and strolled through the village, greeting many familiar faces with a smile. Four years had passed, and he had experienced so much and had many feelings.

Early in the morning, Wenrui and his younger brother Wenhui practiced their martial arts under the black and white twin trees at the entrance of the village, working very diligently.

"Guoguo..." Liu Mo's youngest son, chubby and fair-skinned, ran towards Wen Hui with a wobbly, unclear speech, his little face full of pure smiles.

Qin Ming was pondering the matter of changing the road for Wen Rui, and also considering when to pass on the "Black and White Classic" to Liu Mo's youngest son.

He looked up and keenly noticed that in the darkness outside the village these past few days, deep in the thick night fog, people had been coming to investigate from time to time, and pairs of eyes were watching.

However, no living creatures approached.

A green bamboo sword was stuck in the bright fire spring at the entrance of the village. It was not the weapon of the Dog Sword Immortal, but it was still extraordinary. After its rough refinement, it was quite intimidating.

As the saying goes: A good dog protects a village.

Of course, Old Liu would only dare to say such things after he returned.

"Hmph, ha, hey!"

Under the black and white tree, the red squirrel also came to practice its skills. It and Wenrui had been companions since childhood, and now that it could speak human language, their relationship had become even better.

"Wenrui, which path do you want to take?" Qin Ming asked.

Wenrui is no stranger to cultivation now, and knows several paths to development.

Looking at his abnormal physique, Qin Ming couldn't help but think of Lei Ze Palace and Xingchen Mountain, and he kept a score for them in his mind, determined to get an explanation sooner or later.

Qin Ming took his pulse again and found that his aptitude for the path of rebirth was above average, and he could also walk the path of immortality, which could be rated as below average. He could also cultivate the esoteric teachings, but he was slightly inferior to the below average level.

Wen Rui is a rare all-rounder, but unfortunately his talent in each path is not amazing enough, unless he has a rare medicine to change his fate.

However, how easy is it to obtain such a transformative substance that can change the course of fate? Most importantly, using it on someone of ordinary talent is simply… well, none of the sects have ever heard of it. “Uncle, please arrange it for me,” Wenrui said, trusting him completely.

Qin Ming thought about it and decided that no matter what, it was best to suspend the path of the Giant Spirit God. The drawback of "premature death" alone was not enough to let this child take the risk.

"Come!" He led Wenrui back to his courtyard, unleashing his most domineering Hunyuan Force, which coursed through his flesh and blood, refining the mysterious power of the giant spirit and guiding him back onto the path of rebirth.

During this process, he reshaped the child's bones, even going so far as to break his giant bone and reconnect it, and regulate his special meridians.

Wenrui was covered in sweat and his face was pale, but he didn't utter a sound.

Qin Ming nodded. This child has a strong will, which is very good. Otherwise, he would not go far on the path of cultivation.

Afterwards, Qin Ming activated the "Living World Scripture," channeling vibrant green essence to help him reorganize his flesh and blood and reshape his broken bones, treating it as if it were a rare treasure.

That day, Wenrui's physique had shrunk considerably, and he finally looked somewhat like a delicate child.

Qin Ming said, "From now on, I will reshape you every now and then."

"Okay!" Wenrui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nodded heavily.

"Try practicing all the different methods," Qin Ming said. He had various extraordinary methods and wanted Wen Rui to experience them all first, and then choose a path based on the situation.

"Uncle, did you choose the path of new life?"

"I practice a variety of techniques," Qin Ming explained.

"I know I'm not talented enough, and I don't have such lofty ambitions. I just want to protect my younger brother, my family, and keep this village safe. Well, I hope hard work can make up for my shortcomings, and I don't want to embarrass my uncle too much." Wenrui smiled simply.

Qin Ming patted his head and said, "Follow your heart and don't worry about how far you end up."

……

In the days that followed, Qin Ming taught Wen Rui how to cultivate and also guided Wen Hui in strengthening his muscles and bones. He himself spent most of his time in arduous training, occasionally entering the Black and White Mountain to give outsiders the illusion that he was doing so.

It's not easy being a rogue cultivator," Qin Ming sighed, "I'm being forced to rely on others."

Without the backing of Black and White Mountain, how could he possibly fight Cui Chonghe? Even if he could defeat his opponent, there was always the possibility of an old monster causing trouble on the spot.

In the night fog outside Shuangshu Village, someone approached and called out from a distance, "Brother Ming."

Hearing this familiar address, Qin Ming immediately thought of Xiao Wu. He hadn't seen his good brother for a long time. He and Xiang Yiwu had gone far away and there had been no news of them since.

Clearly, this is not Wu Yaozu.

Bai Meng's sudden visit was quite unexpected. Apart from his big nose and big ears, he was quite handsome. Back in Tucheng, he used to call him that when he hung out with Wu Yaozu and Qin Ming.

He was very surprised that Qin Ming lived in such an inconspicuous little mountain village. It was a very remote place, yet Qin Ming was able to rise to prominence and become famous throughout Yezhou and the outer regions.

In a sense, he understood Brother Qin better than the people of Yezhou themselves; he was truly outstanding, and his actual strength far exceeded outsiders' perceptions.

"Why are you here?" Qin Ming greeted him with a smile, glancing out of the village.

"I missed you!" Bai Meng was good at saying polite things.

"Your sister must be missing me, right?" Qin Ming laughed.

Outside the village, deep in the night fog, Tang Yushang, unusually dressed in a black dress, fluttered in the night wind, her clothes tightly binding her body and outlining her perfect curves, revealing her slender waist and tall figure, her black hair also flowing freely.

Upon hearing Qin Ming's words, she nearly rushed into the village.

"Brother Ming, take it easy. My sister really is here, she's right outside." Bai Meng secretly transmitted his voice, clearly having betrayed his brother at the last minute.

With the help of a special weapon—a jade mirror—Tang Yushang could clearly hear their secret conversations and immediately wanted to deal with Bai Meng. Ever since he was subdued by Qin Ming, Bai Meng had become Qin Ming's subordinate.

"She really holds a grudge," Qin Ming sighed.

"I...!" Tang Yushang couldn't hold back any longer. Who was holding a grudge? Before leaving, he even kicked her, which made her so angry that she almost exploded on the spot. She couldn't swallow her anger, so she chased after him.

Bai Meng was speechless. His good friend was really being cheeky. He could already sense a hint of murderous intent from his sister.

"Yu Chang, have you arrived?" Qin Ming called out, his voice gentle.

In an instant, Tang Yushang got goosebumps all over in the night fog. Who was this person? So shameless! He was just mocking her, and now he's acting like this.

In the darkness, Tang Yushang walked with elegant steps, but without a smile on her face, she walked straight through.

"Yu Chang, am I really worth you leaving your hometown and traveling millions of miles to chase me to Yezhou?" Qin Ming greeted her. Since the other party had come to his doorstep, he naturally couldn't back down.

Tang Yushang said nothing, her graceful figure cutting through the night mist, instantly teleporting to the front. Although her movements were beautiful, they were full of killing power. She stretched out her arm and opened her five crystal-clear and slender fingers to grab.

Undeterred, Qin Ming, with his flowing sleeves, reached out and caught the delicate hand with a resounding thud.

Between the two, a terrifying force will erupt.

Qin Ming suddenly released his grip, lightly retreating, and said, "Don't get serious. Look, that green bamboo sword is glowing with light. It will be activated and kill anyone who comes with murderous intent."

Tang Yushang was startled, and her tense body relaxed.

Yang Yongqing, who lived at the entrance of the village, happened to be going out when he saw the woman in the black dress, who was so beautiful that she seemed unreal. He was somewhat stunned and after a moment, he said, "Little Qin, is this a real fairy from outside? She's come to the village to see you? That's great! Please come to my house quickly."

Village chief Xu Yueping also appeared, all smiles, and said, "Little Qin, this is your first time bringing a girl back to the village. Wait here, I'll prepare a good meal for you."

Bai Meng: "?"

"..." Qin Ming thought to himself, "These are debt collectors who have come to collect debts."

"This girl is so pretty, Xiao Qin is so lucky!" Liu Mo's wife walked out, her face beaming.

"!" Tang Yushang turned and ran. She couldn't fight back in this place and was surrounded by a group of people. It was really hard for her to deal with. She had never experienced such a situation before.

"Xiao Qin, your wife ran away because she's shy, hurry and go after her!"

"Auntie, come to my house for dinner later," six-year-old Wenhui called out weakly.

……

In an instant, chaos erupted. Tang Yushang, her feet gleaming, fled and vanished without a trace.

"Is your sister that shy?" Qin Ming was completely calm.

"This..." Bai Meng didn't dare to comment too much; his sister had actually run away.

In the distance, Tang Yushang clenched her fair fists, grinding her teeth alone in the night fog. This was the first time she had suffered such a defeat; she didn't even have a chance to make a move.

She knew many of Qin Ming's secrets, but he also knew that she possessed a powerful weapon with a similar pronunciation to Yujing—the Jade Mirror. They agreed not to reveal these secrets to each other.

Bai Meng was kept by Qin Ming to drink, and he completely forgot about his sister outside. After drinking to his heart's content, he didn't care about anything else and almost called his brother-in-law when he was slightly drunk.

That same day, before Bai Meng had even left, someone else arrived with an invitation.

"I know that the Great Yu has invited me." Bai Meng slurred. The Great Yu had just been established and was stabilizing when it began to bestow titles and honors upon various people. This time, it had also extended an invitation to the younger generation of extraordinary talents.

According to him, many young experts will appear in the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty. These include not only the seed of Yezhou, but also beings from other regions, as well as outstanding talents from the heavens, such as Lieyang.

Qin Ming pondered that now that he had used up his momentum, it was time for him to come out of seclusion, otherwise how would he fight back?
Furthermore, once things calm down in the distance and the glowing footprints and unicorn toes cease to appear, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran may be embarking on a long journey, and he should take this opportunity to visit them.

"Hmm, I guess some people in the heavens also want to confirm whether I am a combination of Taiyi, the Realm Sect, and Yijian, so that you can see clearly," Qin Ming pondered to himself.

He knew in his heart that many people actually wanted to find out his background. Taking advantage of the situation to come out of seclusion this time, he wanted to meet with the relevant parties to ensure that everyone was safe and that no one would make a misjudgment.

(End of this chapter)