Night Without End
Chapter 238 - 151: Expanding Territory Invites Anxiousness

Chapter 238: Chapter 151: Expanding Territory Invites Anxiousness

Zhou Tao, who had been seated cross-legged, suddenly stood up on the back of the fierce bird, his pupils emanating two golden rays, his leadership this time inadvertently leading to the miraculous medicines of other elders being plundered, an event too "crude."

In the pitch-black night sky, the White Peacock radiated Divine Radiance, saying, "Elder Zhou, I advise you not to be agitated. Do everything by the book, just don’t cross any red lines."

...

Qin Ming did not dare to delve too deeply into the Shenshang Plain, fearful of encountering tough nuts to crack.

Yet, he yearned for self-improvement and sought to purge demons.

He knew that if he missed this place, it would be highly unlikely for him to encounter again such Divine creatures born with strange blood.

Qin Ming was eager to continue exploring new territories!

Unable to go further vertically, he decided to take a horizontal approach—supporting those familiar faces.

Qin Ming tallied his spoils of war and rushed to Shibao Village overnight with items like donkey hooves, roc claws, four-colored feathers, ivory, and mountain ape finger bones — proof of his success in subduing demons.

"Little brother, did you... kill all those long lived demons by yourself?" the old village chief was shocked. What a glorious achievement!

Others, upon hearing this, were startled. In the past, numerous young Demon Exterminators had come and gone, yet none could even handle the Old Donkey, but now all the demons were annihilated!

Moreover, some of the old monsters hadn’t even been recorded in the archives; they were simply dispatched by the young man before them, truly expanding the frontier.

Shallow Night hadn’t even fallen when Qin Ming set out, studying the Arrow Scripture even while on the road. With every arrow he shot, he would quickly track its path, practicing his arrow skill without delaying his journey.

Traversing the endless forest, he felt not an ounce of fatigue, the rich Yimu Essence constantly nourishing his flesh and spirit.

Hu Jiazhai, a rather large village with many blue brick and gray-tiled houses, housing over six hundred people, had a very bright Second-level Fire Spring at its heart.

Upon arriving in the area, Qin Ming naturally started by gathering intelligence from locals, inquiring whether there were any ferocious demons nearby.

The village head, standing beneath an old locust tree and wearing a smile, said, "Little brother, you’re late. Recently, a lady as beautiful as a fairy stepping out of a painting helped us slay the demon, resolving our troubles."

"There, she comes," said the village head, pointing with his hand.

Zhuo Ya approached, her graceful figure clad in black clothes which accentuated her pale and delicate face, making her look decidedly glamorous—a mutant even stronger than Cao Wuji.

"How did you wind up over here? Are you looking to get punched by me to vent on behalf of my cousin?" Zhuo Ya asked with a laugh, as she was Yu Zhuohan’s cousin.

At first meeting, she was quite aloof, but anyone who spent a little time with her would find that her laughter was as resplendent as a blooming Snow Lotus.

Qin Ming smiled and replied, "Yu Zhuohan and I became friends through a fight. I refuse to believe he holds such petty grudges. I am purely here to help, is there any long lived demon that’s hard to slay around here?"

Suddenly, he took off his cloud-patterned Silver Bow, aimed at an Iron beaked parrot that was perched on a nearby large willow tree, getting ready to shoot.

"Spare me, I mean no harm! My goodness, to think I could encounter one here too," the Iron beaked parrot cried out in misery.

"Don’t kill it!" Zhuo Ya hurriedly intervened.

"What’s going on?" Qin Ming was confused. In recent days, he had repeatedly burst numerous Bird Demons that had been spying on him, clearing the area of quite a few.

"It’s a subordinate tamed by the White Peacock, patrolling the territories..." Zhuo Ya informed him that this was a form of their protection. If any "accidents" outside the rules occurred, the White Peacock would take action.

The Iron beaked parrot cried its heart out, saying, "Recently, we in the Bird Realm have been spreading the word to absolutely avoid Black Roc and Fire Qilin’s territories. The birds patrolling there were burst into pieces by a tally of nine."

Qin Ming was taken aback—the Bird Demons he had shot included spies from the Six Imperial?

"Why did you not say so beforehand?"

"We never got the chance! Who knew your instincts were so sharp and your Arrow Skill so terrifying? Later, we simply observed from afar, not one bird daring to approach you," the Iron beaked parrot had never thought it would encounter this harbinger of death even when shifted to another location, nearly losing its bird life.

The village head of Hu Jiazhai was shocked. This young man had swept clean that territory, eradicating all the old monsters there?!

He instantly felt as if injected with vigor, saying brightly, "Little brother, there indeed remains a demon here that no one dare touch. Although it hasn’t overstepped the boundary, its progeny have occasionally created havoc with bloodshed."

"What kind of demon?" asked Qin Ming.

"The White Flood Dragon from Jiao Palace," the village head said with an eager look.

"A flood dragon snake that lives in a palace?" Qin Ming’s interest was piqued; such an Alien Species should have considerable significance.

Zhuo Ya, with her picturesque features, looked solemn now and shook her head, saying, "That White Flood Dragon is highly Spiritual and has profound Daoist proficiency. We cannot deal with it."

She had observed it herself but eventually gave up without daring to make a move.

Upon hearing of its high Spiritual nature, Qin Ming’s anticipation grew. Could it have developed "strange blood"? The value of such a creature was immense; in the outside world, even Day Gold could not buy it.

Ordinarily, people would not even chance upon rumors of them.

Seeing Qin Ming determined to head there, planning to go alone, Zhuo Ya finally followed to guide him.

A magnificent building was located ahead in the forest, along with a Third-level Fire Spring, which cast the surrounding area bright as Day, revealing the lush leaves of trees in their true colors, rather than just a dark mass.

"This White Flood Dragon dominates 60% of this territory, its strength is extremely formidable," Zhuo Ya briefed, her slender frame tense, ready to bolt like a cheetah at any moment.

Years ago, this White Flood Dragon had wrought considerable havoc, compelling the villagers from various places to present many sacrificial offerings like cattle and sheep, practically deifying itself. Later, for unknown reasons, it no longer dared to cross the boundaries of the developed area.

Soon after, Qin Ming saw the legendary White Flood Dragon as it swam out of the Giant Palace into the Third-level Fire Spring, churning up waves of vivid red.

It was as thick as a water tank and as pristine white as ivory, roughly fifteen to sixteen meters long. When its Scale Armor was spread, one could hear the clanking from afar, suggesting it was surely as hard as fine iron.

On its head grew a single horn, glowing with a faint golden shimmer, its eyes blood-red like rubies.

Qin Ming’s eyes sparkled as he met yet another creature born with strange blood. Relying on his intuition, he believed that this White Flood Dragon was likely among them!

"This region indeed is special," he pondered. Could it be that the so-called Land of Divine Tragedy was where a deity fell, leading to the birth of life, and hence the emergence of some Strange Blood Creatures?

"The bloodline of this White Flood Dragon is extremely unique," Zhuo Ya spoke up.

Qin Ming was surprised and turned to look at her.

"So you knew as well, coming here for its strange blood!" Zhuo Ya suddenly realized, revealing astonishment. Was this guy so daring, risking his life for strange blood? That White Flood Dragon wasn’t something they could handle at their current level unless they mastered the Six Imperial Forces.

Qin Ming said, "I stumbled upon it by chance. It has infinite uses, so I wanted to expand my territory and keep searching for such creatures."

Apparently, although Zhuo Ya had significant connections and knew of Strange Blood Creatures, she was unaware that the "Wild Medicine" here had already caught the attention of the Elders of the Six Imperial Ancestor Court.

She advised, "I’ve hunted one myself and nearly lost my life. I only succeeded in slaying the demon using the methods of Esoteric Buddhism. Without learning the Six Imperial Forces, I cannot lay a finger on the demons here."

Qin Ming was astonished and said, "You and Yu Zhuohan come from a family with profound knowledge, could it be you’re both descendants of masters of Esoteric Buddhism?"

Zhuo Ya candidly replied, "I inherit teachings from Esoteric Buddhism, but I lacked methods of protecting the path in the early days, so I wish to learn the Six Imperial Forces."

Qin Ming immediately understood that she was similar to Lu Yuzhi who had entered the Yuqing Sect.

"Pursuing both paths simultaneously—can you manage that, and does the Six Imperial Ancestor Court agree?"

Zhuo Ya said, "It shouldn’t be a problem. My family’s elders have already spoken with the Elder. I’ll walk the divine path of Esoteric Buddhism in the Six Imperial but will never leave the ancestral court nor reveal the Six Imperial Heart Sutra. Otherwise, it would implicate my entire clan. In fact, the Elders of the Six Imperial are quite keen on mutants who follow both paths to stay."

Qin Ming immediately realized that the Six Imperial Ancestor Court was studying the ways of the Outer World and Esoteric Buddhism, hoping to integrate them, which is why they welcomed Zhuo Ya, a unique mutant.

The great religious sects like the Six Imperial, Yuqing, and Qingtian, none of them want to decline with the passing of their Ancestor Masters, all seeking to thrive actively.

"He really dares!" Zhuo Ya withdrew a great distance, watching in amazement as the young man who defeated her cousin took action.

Qin Ming stood on a high ground, holding a Silver Bow with a Jade Iron Arrow nocked on the string, embarking on a Jiao hunting mission.

In an instant, the black Jade Iron Arrow shone with terrifying brilliance, like a small sun, shooting out at high speed, striking the White Flood Dragon’s head.

With a bang, the Scale Armor shattered, flesh and blood a blur, the first arrow wounding it. Had it not for its keen instinct, it would have been pierced through its left eye by that arrow.

Now, it stood upright at a height of six meters, its Jiao body twisting, crushing over the forest, rapidly approaching Qin Ming with an overwhelming presence.

During this process, Qin Ming emptied twelve black Jade Iron Arrows, all hitting its head without fail, nearly penetrating parts of its skull.

The thirteenth arrow, the last blue Jade Iron Arrow, was fired and successfully burst one of its eyes.

Zhuo Ya was stunned. How could his Heavenly Light Force be so powerful? Could it be he had already learned the Six Imperial Heart Sutra in advance!

Qin Ming wielded the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Blade and charged forward, engaging the Big Flood Dragon directly. With each slash, he drew blood, scattering the Flood Dragon’s Scale Armor.

This Big Flood Dragon had rich combat experience; even though it was seriously wounded, it remained calm. Its Flood Dragon body coiled around its adversary, attempting to ensnare him.

At the same time, its single horn shot out lightning, the power of its attack remarkably terrifying.

If it had been another Outer Saint, they might have been pierced through by the light emitted from its golden horn.

Qin Ming was fearless; he had learned the Wind and Thunder Force, which could counter it.

He executed the Sword Control Technique, surrounding himself with rotations of the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Blade, preventing the Flood Dragon from getting close and locking him down.

At the same time, he used the Wind and Thunder Force to neutralize the lightning. This was much weaker than the natural lightning that fell last night; he could control it and had some restraint over the White Flood Dragon.

In the end, Qin Ming used the combined Unity of the Heavenly Light Force, which also allowed him to control the blade, slashing the Flood Dragon’s body into a blur of flesh and bone.

He then leaped up, soaring six to seven meters into the air, his fists erupting with sunlight-like brilliance, pounding down punch after punch.

The White Flood Dragon was terrified. Its head had already been severely injured, and now facing the unmatched Heavenly Light Force, it could no longer resist.

With a crack, the pale golden horn on the White Flood Dragon broke under Qin Ming’s fist, and its skull shattered.

Splurt!

Qin Ming swung the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Blade, severing the large head of the Flood Dragon!

This White Flood Dragon was more formidable than the Black Roc, yet it was still slain.

"You must have practiced the Six Imperial Forces in advance, right?" Zhuo Ya hurried over to ask.

"Yes, you must keep it a secret," Qin Ming replied with a smile. He quickly extracted the "strange blood," which had a faint golden luster, similar to the hue of the single horn.

"The single horn and the flood dragon’s gallbladder are yours," Qin Ming said, then turned to the Iron beaked parrot, "Don’t you go sending any reckless messages."

The Bird Demon trembled, truly afraid he would shoot it down with an arrow.

"Where are you headed?" Zhuo Ya noticed that as Qin Ming walked, he was refining the medicinal properties of the strange blood with his Heavenly Light Force and was clearly heading somewhere far.

Qin Ming replied, "I’m going to help Cao Wuji and the others, as candidates participating in the exam, we ought to help each other."

...

"What? The Miracle Medicine from Zhuo Ya’s region has also been uprooted? Quick, spread the word, the time is up, the exam is over, call them back immediately!"

Elder Zhou Tao, upon hearing the news, couldn’t sit still any longer. Someone was expanding their territory, and in doing so, was uprooting the Miracle Medicine, angering him instantly.