“Truly, the Mountain Lord possesses divine talent! I shall scout the enemy’s movements for you!” Yuque exclaimed, filled with enthusiasm and vigor.
In its eyes, the outsiders had already been dealt with, and a mere golden-armored guard was hardly worth worrying about!
In the night sky, the black-clad woman’s mount was terrified, having witnessed its master fall to an opponent in mere moments. It was so frightened that it wanted to flee immediately.
Qin Ming drew his bow, the arrow resembling a full moon as it flew through the air. With a soft thud, it pierced through the giant bird, causing a spray of blood and leaving it severely wounded.
“If you don’t want to die, land on the ground immediately.” On the back of the red eagle, Qin Ming’s cloak fluttered as he pressured the strange bird to descend.
“Mountain Lord, the situation is not good; that golden-armored guard’s mount is actually a bat bird!” Yuque returned quickly to report.
“Is the bat bird very special?” Qin Ming inquired.
“The bat bird has a highly developed sense of smell, one of the best in the mountains, and is quite rare. It is often used to track enemies,” Yuque hurriedly explained.
Anxiously, it asked, “Surely no one has tampered with you, right? That golden-armored guard is quite calm, appearing certain he can trace you.”
Qin Ming sniffed at himself but detected no unusual scents.
“The bat bird can smell all sorts of scents that far exceed what other beings can detect.” Yuque was clearly wary of this creature.
“So, I’ve been compromised? Human hearts are truly difficult to gauge.” Qin Ming frowned. When he encountered acquaintances back in Silver Vine Town, someone must have meddled with him.
It didn’t necessarily have to be Zheng Maoze. Someone could accomplish it without needing physical contact.
“Is he here yet?” Qin Ming asked.
“He landed at the edge of the desert and hasn’t entered yet,” Yuque informed.
“He’s keeping his distance from the black-clad woman, likely to avoid any misunderstandings.” Qin Ming had already anticipated that the woman was not being pursued by her companions.
If that were the case, the golden-armored guard would not be trailing behind, watching as the outsider took action. He would have charged in first.
“Since the bat bird has followed us, we can’t avoid confrontation. Let’s prepare for battle!” Qin Ming declared resolutely.
On the black-clad woman, aside from her charred small shield and a long black spear, there was some gold, but nothing of high value.
“Flap your wings and erase the traces of our battle here. Do it quickly!” Qin Ming instructed the red eagle.
He then turned to Yuque and said, “Grab hold of the woman’s shoes and leave some footprints in the sand behind me.”
“Mountain Lord, you’re putting this bird in a tough spot,” Yuque protested, flapping its wings.
“You’re a mutated creature; this should be easy for you, right? Move quickly! Even though he’s keeping his distance, he won’t wait too long.” Qin Ming urged.
With the woman’s corpse in hand, Qin Ming dashed into the thick black fog of the night.
He had killed the black-clad woman, but he felt it did not draw out any danger or terrifying scenes in the desert. He suspected it might align with certain rituals of the secretive sect, almost like offering up a tribute.
According to rumors, if one had performed blood sacrifices to other deities, trouble could easily arise in the desert.
“Stay there and wait for me!” Qin Ming ordered the injured mount of the black-clad woman, telling it not to move.
He took off his coat and buried it in the yellow sand before disguising the scene.
Using a piece of the black-clad woman's sleeve, he rubbed it vigorously against his neck and hands, wondering if it would remove any peculiar scents.
Afterward, he used the yellow sand to “scrub” himself.
“Why hasn’t he come in yet?” He waited for a moment but still saw no sign of the golden-armored guard entering.
After slaying the black-clad woman, Qin Ming’s spirit soared.
In the past, many had told him how formidable the outsiders were and that they should not be provoked lightly. It had indeed put some pressure on him.
Moreover, that misty young man he had faced last time left him feeling very wary. If it weren’t for the fact that his sheep-fat jade-iron knife countered the opponent's “mist form,” he would have been in real danger.
But today, the supposed separation between immortals and mortals seemed greatly exaggerated to him. After merging with the Heavenly Light Technique multiple times, he felt he could now inflict damage on such beings.
Of course, Qin Ming did not underestimate outsiders, for they were indeed quite terrifying. After all, just at the first realm, they could already unleash the power of their consciousness.
“Mind cultivation – to eliminate distractions, making the heart pure and still, approaching the Dao, awakening the light of the soul, birthing the power of consciousness. Such lofty aspirations!” Qin Ming could not help but sigh.
This did not mean that outsiders neglected their physical bodies; they would nourish them with extraordinary strength during later cultivation, leaving no obvious shortcomings.
Most frighteningly, their path was very mature, allowing them to forge ahead confidently.
Conversely, the path of rebirth only progressed quickly at the first realm, but once it reached the sacred outer realm, it became arduous.
Mind cultivation was contrasted with rebirth. Normally, those who had awakened the light of the soul multiple times in the mind cultivation realm could suppress the vast majority of the Heavenly Light Technique.
Sometimes, people who had undergone rebirth multiple times felt desperate; their potent Heavenly Light Technique simply seemed insufficient against outsiders who had awakened the power of consciousness multiple times, as if they were inherently restrained.
In the end, many people concluded that rebirth could not rival mind cultivation.
This had nearly become a common belief!
“The Palm of the Heavens and the Might of the Enlightened One should be able to rattle the experts of the outer realms, but this legendary Heavenly Light Technique is probably very hard to practice, and it’s not widely circulated.”
After Qin Ming’s memories had returned, he understood many things.
The so-called “feasting on the morning mist” didn’t refer to simply eating the dawn’s sunlight, but rather, consuming rare substances found in the finest fire springs; drinking was not merely taking in night-time water vapor and dew, but the mysterious “Heavenly Glorious Light” from deep within the night sky.
Those who could truly feast on sunlight and drink the morning mist were indeed figures of great strength from beyond the realms.
Individuals at the mind cultivation level, like the black-clad woman, were still relying on mere grains for sustenance.
The path of rebirth was more broadly shared, primarily because the barrier to entry was low. Ordinary people could only evolve through physical mutations to move ahead.
Qin Ming decided to stop contemplating the path of the outsiders and prepared for what was to come.
“Mountain Lord, I’ve sacrificed too much for you this time. You cannot fail!” Yuque murmured, its voice trembling.
“It’s taken this long; hasn’t he resolved things yet?” The golden-armored guard could no longer wait, urging the bat bird forward.
With its fleshy wings flapping, it slowly ventured into the desert.
On the yellow sand, there were chaotic footprints, a few bloodstains remaining, leading into the depths of the fog.
The bat bird possessed the body of a bird, but with bat-like fleshy wings, a feline-like beast head, and a lengthy, elongated snout like a pig’s, giving it an extraordinarily keen sense of smell.
It followed the scent, flying low, silently approaching its target.
“Hmm, could she have succeeded and buried the remains underground after killing?” the golden-armored guard frowned.
Because the bat bird signaled him that there was a strong scent lying beneath the yellow sand ahead.
“After she killed her opponent, how could she possibly bury the body? Something must have gone wrong!” The golden-armored man, with a gleaming sword in hand, revealed a cold demeanor.
The bat bird indicated there was still a strong scent ahead.
“Sigh, burying clothes in the yellow sand really proves useless,” Qin Ming’s voice echoed from the depths of the night fog.
“You are quite remarkable; rebirth defies mind cultivation, yet you managed to kill an outsider.” The man on the bat bird was clad in bright gold armor, his eyes flashing like lightning.
He vaguely saw ahead in the mist that the red eagle appeared to be severely injured, lying across the ground.
“She’s not dead; she’s escaped.” Rough gasps from Qin Ming came from behind the nearly ten-meter-long red eagle, indicating he had sustained serious injuries.
“You don’t need to hide it; she must have died!” the golden-armored guard coldly stated, the bat bird slowly pushing him forward.
Just then, he sensed something was off, as though immense danger was approaching. The Heavenly Light erupted from his body in an instant.
“Ah…” he roared, finally realizing where the crisis was coming from—not from the front, but from above the night sky as a meteorite descended!
Who could withstand that? The speeding object made his hair stand on end!
The sudden change felt too fast to avoid; who could predict such unexpected circumstances?
It must be said that his instinct was remarkably sharp. Were it anyone else, they would have been crushed to a pulp by the falling meteorite. He managed to dodge the fatal blow at the critical moment.
With a muffled sound, his Heavenly Light was pierced, leaving one of his arms mangled and his sword dropping to the ground.
At the same time, the bat bird was smashed through by the meteorite; unlike him, it didn’t possess such a strong physique and perished immediately, crashing headfirst into the desert.
The golden-armored guard got a clear look at the meteorite—it was shaped like a hammer!
To be precise, it was a large hammer that had fallen from the sky.
He was furious, realizing that he had been schemed against.
“Foolish bird, hurry and flee! When I said to feign death, I didn’t mean for you to actually fall asleep!” Yuque shouted from ahead.
It flapped its wings and quickly took off. Not long before, it had imitated Qin Ming’s voice to deceive the golden-armored guard.
The red eagle also shook its body and dashed into the night sky with a whoosh.
Under the night, Qin Ming stood on the back of the severely injured beast he had struck, his eyes shining like stars.
His archery was a unique skill, not just a mere boast. It was what made his shooting prowess profound. Just earlier, when he swung down the great hammer, he felt that he truly could strike his target.
The golden-armored guard was filled with rage. Before he had even truly fought, one of his arms was wrecked, crushed to pieces. The intense pain combined with the feeling of humiliation ignited his fury, causing his Heavenly Light to surge, blindingly bright.
Qin Ming commanded the black beast to descend slightly and began shooting arrow after arrow downwards!
His pupils contracted as the iron arrows were blocked by the opponent's Heavenly Light, failing to pierce through his body.
Here was an expert who could initially project Heavenly Light outwards, the dazzling brilliance extending nearly half a foot from his body, effectively blocking the iron arrows, even causing some arrows to splinter.
Qin Ming was astonished. To deal with him, a preliminary expert from the outer sacred realm had even been mobilized!
But it didn’t matter; he had already taken down the opponent’s flying mount, and the initiative was now in his hands.
Continuously bending his bow and shooting arrows, he aimed to deplete the opponent’s formidable Heavenly Light. Who knows, perhaps he could eliminate an outer sacred expert in the end!
The golden-armored guard had never felt so frustrated; this battle was unbearable. Not only had the unexpectedly falling meteorite nearly crushed him, but now he was being used as a living target!
Qin Ming quickly exhausted all the arrows from four quivers, leaving only one quiver left. Just then, he suddenly began to shake violently.
“Quick, land!”
His initial strategy to deal with the situation had been perfect, but now an unexpected complication arose, revealing how little humans could control their own fate. The black beast, which he had previously shot, was seriously wounded. Adding to his weight when he threw down the hammer, he nearly sent the creature spiraling into the ground.
Now, it struggled to maintain its altitude, wobbling as it plummeted toward the ground.
“Red Eagle!” Qin Ming shouted.
However, the red eagle and Yuque had already run as far away as they could. What use was distant water when he thirsted?
“Ha ha…” The golden-armored man, filled with humiliation and frustration, laughed as he picked up the fallen great sword with his left hand. After confirming the area where the beast was going to crash, he charged forward.
“What is this… throwing a hammer isn’t enough—he’s going to drop down himself?” Yuque exclaimed, utterly stunned as it drew near.
The red eagle arrived too, but it was already too late.
Qin Ming's earlier calm demeanor and smile had vanished. He was not to die from the fall. The black creature underneath him was gliding instead of simply plummeting to the ground. But what was more dangerous was that he was about to face an outer sacred expert!
Night Without Borders has now reached over three hundred thousand words and is about to go on the shelves. It will be available on the 24th at midnight. I kindly ask for the support of readers who can subscribe. Thank you!