Night Without End
Chapter 252 - 162: The Consequences of Frequently Walking the Night Road

Chapter 252: Chapter 162: The Consequences of Frequently Walking the Night Road

Warm currents surged in Qin Ming’s heart, and he felt a wave of heat. He quickly stepped forward and sincerely called out to Master Li.

During his childhood, he was impoverished and lived with his grandfather. As a teenager, he was abandoned by the Cui Family, sent out to exert his last bit of heat, and stranded on the Black and White Mountain, experiencing near death, amnesia, hunger, and cold, deeply understanding life’s hardships.

Thus, when others were kind and helpful to Qin Ming, he always felt grateful.

"Why is your face bruised here and there? Were you beaten by those old guys from the Six Imperial Ancestor Court?" Li Qingyun’s expression changed slightly as he pressed his shoulder and examined him carefully.

He naturally couldn’t believe that peers could bully the young man before him.

"Master Li, I’m fine; it’s from practicing skills." Qin Ming chuckled. In the past two days, he had been using Earth Fire to trigger Heavenly Thunder, refining the Great Medicine internally, leaving him somewhat in a sorry state.

While speaking, he began to absorb the Yimu Essence from around the Mountain Sect, nourishing his flesh and spirit.

Li Qingyun was surprised and said, "Oh, this is impressive. Many people study the Yimu Scripture for years, managing to train skills lethal in battle, yet few genuinely resonate with the vegetation. How long has this been? You’re truly amazing, kid!"

He seemed relieved and then lowered his voice, saying, "Recently, I’ve heard that a remarkable prodigy emerged from the Six Imperial Ancestor Court, with unparalleled talent, single-handedly penetrating a group of geniuses from the Fangwai Immortal Land. Is this true?"

"Yes, there’s a boy named Qi Zizai, who is indeed extraordinary." Qin Ming replied, stopping the operation of the Yimu Scripture, not wanting to manifest a vigorous green aura near the Mountain Sect.

"Senior Brother Qi Zizai will definitely become the rejuvenating ancestor of our Six Imperial Ancestor Court!" A passing youth immediately remarked upon overhearing.

Two female disciples emerged from the Mountain Sect, nodding in agreement as they heard these words.

"Truly worthy of being one of the strongest Taoist sects on the Newborn Road; the reputation of the Six Imperial Ancestor Court is well deserved." Li Qingyun concurred; naturally, one couldn’t speak carelessly on others’ territory.

Meanwhile, he suspected that Qi Zizai might be connected to Xiao Qin.

"Master Li, I’ll go say farewell to my friends before leaving." Qin Ming went to bid goodbye to Lu Zizai.

Li Qingyun glanced at that coarse-clothed youth in the distance. At first sight, he looked clear and stable, but upon closer inspection, Li Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat, as he couldn’t see through him!

Soon, he noticed the golden bird on his shoulder, shocking him immensely; this was no ordinary being, very much resembling a legendary species.

Moreover, within that palm-sized bird, there seemed to be a torrent of golden blood energy surging. If it were to explode, the scene would be truly terrifying.

Li Qingyun clasped his fists, not treating Lu Zizai as a mere youth; he felt deeply unsettled.

Lu Zizai glanced over and nodded to him.

"Senior Brother Lu, I’m leaving now!" Qin Ming approached without saying much.

"The scripture you’re practicing is inherently very dangerous. I wonder if you can push on forcefully to its end. Don’t be eager to integrate with top-tier scriptures; it won’t benefit you. You must proceed step by step, or over time, you might unexpectedly burst apart. Historically, when Ancestor Masters participated, even they couldn’t withstand it. Pay attention to using the World Fire Refining True Skill." Lu Zizai transmitted quietly.

Then he gestured at the Exotic Bird on his shoulder, saying, "Little Jin has always been free-range, hardly cared for. It used to have a brother, greatly favored, residing in the Mountain Sect day after day, listening to various scriptures, fed Spiritual Medicine by elders; it seemed divine. But when released, it was treated as flesh and blood medicine, slain with ease."

Qin Ming quickly intervened, "Senior Brother Lu, please stop; it’s not good to make such comparisons."

"You’re overthinking; this is a true old tale. Time to go!" Lu Zizai turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark night, vanishing beyond the earth’s end.

As the night wind howled, a High level Exotic Bird broke through the clouds, flying swiftly across the sky, heading fifteen thousand miles toward Chixia City.

"Are you really Qi Zizai?" Even though he’d long suspected, Li Qingyun still swayed slightly in the high sky over the past few days, his ears almost calloused from the rumors.

"Careful, Master Li." Qin Ming reminded, in the dark high sky, falling down would be dreadful.

Old Li sighed with comfort; he’d always perceived Qin Ming’s potential at great heights, not realizing he had underestimated it.

"Recently, the Nightly News frequently mentions acclaimed geniuses; various characters emerge continually, with ’firsts’ from different cities clashing in battles. Even figures sweeping through the Eighty One Cities appear, causing a turbulent storm. As Young Masters rise, Pure Yang Bodies on the Immortal Road emerge, indicating a new era, sparking discussions everywhere..."

Li Qingyun shared recent events with Qin Ming along the way.

The High level Exotic Bird traversed the night sky, gradually approaching Chixia City.

Suddenly, Li Qingyun’s expression changed dramatically and he shouted, "Stop, change direction!"

Qin Ming too was shocked; his body involuntarily tensed.

In the originally dark world, occasionally city lights like fireflies dotted the earth, but now, ahead of them, a faint halo was spreading.

It was brighter than the city’s lights, and despite the current distance, it was eerily apparent.

Most notably, they were in the high sky, and the halo was also within the cloud layers, making things even more terrifying.

In the distance, the pale blue light looked very gentle, seemingly spreading slowly, yet it produced explosive sounds as it surged, breaking open the heavy cloud layers!

"Faster, we’re going to be caught!" Li Qingyun panicked, encountering an unusual event at last.

The Yewu World was profoundly mysterious. Even after the Great Exploration, human-occupied territories sometimes witnessed inexplicable phenomena—some bizarre, some terrifying, some mysteriously strange—all were unimaginable.

"Xiao Qin, did you put on the ’Wing Suit’?" Amidst intense turbulence, Li Qingyun inquired.

"Yes, it’s on!" Qin Ming replied.

Both lay low on the flying mount’s back, very tense, because the High level Exotic Bird was slightly trembling.

"Old partner, what happened to you?" Li Qingyun transmitted.

"I’ve lost direction; I can’t see anything." The voice of the High level Exotic Bird trembled.

Its two riders felt chilled because they realized their senses had dulled and numbed, their awareness stiffening.

They were already enveloped by the faint blue mist. Specifically, the halo had expanded to this location, illuminating the night fog.

"You should be able to discern the ground direction, quickly land."

The night fog near them stirred and rumbled, then turned the world upside down. They descended continuously, eventually falling toward an unknown region.

"It’s okay, we’re very close to the ground now!" Li Qingyun shouted.

At last, he fell silent because amidst the violent tumbling, they descended for a long time without reaching the ground.

Until the light blue night fog overturned the high-level abnormality, like a raging wave, shaking them out, both of their senses were numb, reacting extremely slowly.

Qin Ming’s entire body surged with Heavenly Light Force, and he deployed the "wing suit," resembling a night bird flapping its wings.

However, it wasn’t long before the two "wings" actually ruptured.

He remembered Old Man Liu’s words in Heibai Village, walking the night paths for years, encountering all sorts of terrifying, bizarre events, now he could only resign himself to fate.

Qin Ming’s multitude of miracle techniques resonated, twenty or so kinds of Heavenly Light Force merged into Unity, resembling a Golden Crow falling in the night fog.

The time was extremely short, with a thud, he fell onto the ground.

Even with the protection of Heavenly Light, Qin Ming’s vision turned black, he fainted, his injuries weren’t that severe, it was mainly his numb senses that couldn’t hold on any longer.

He didn’t know how long it had been, he opened his eyes, the scenery around was very blurry, although faint blue mist enveloped, his five senses were slowly recovering, consciousness gradually clearing.

Qin Ming forcefully shook his head, discovering he had cracked the ground, there was leftover blood at his lips, yet with Heavenly Light Force guarding his body, his injuries weren’t that severe.

He carefully sensed his own condition, although full of pain, his bones weren’t broken, his internal organs hadn’t ruptured, he assumed the distance to the ground when falling wasn’t very high.

He immediately activated the Life Changing Scripture, which could extend life, enhance flesh vitality, then activated the Yimu Scripture, capturing nearby plant essence to heal.

Eventually, Qin Ming’s perception fully recovered its acuteness, he stood up, operated the Silk Scripture technique, drew out the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Blade, and probed the nearby situation.

He searched silently nearby, not discovering Li Qingyun or his flying mount.

At this point, it should be deep night, the world was pitch dark, only faint blue mist wisps surrounded.

Qin Ming searched for a long time, saw no other abnormal things, and called out: "Master Li!"

However, he received no response.

Qin Ming sighed: "No wonder many experts are unwilling to traverse the night sky, bird-crash incidents happen now and then, anyone would find it unbearable."

Currently, many events in the Yewu World remain unexplained and incomprehensible.

He groped forward in the hazy blue mist, finally revealing strangeness because the terrain ahead seemed a bit familiar, it was wasteland on the west side of Chixia City.

He fell silent for a while, arriving at his doorstep, yet crashed like a bird!

"If I’m fine, Master Li should be even more resistant to falls, right?" Qin Ming believed Old Li should be unharmed.

Shortly after, he crossed a wasteland and saw Chixia City in the heavy night, he walked forward quickly.

Along the way, the scenery became increasingly familiar.

Currently, it was deep night, the Fire Springs in the city were controlled by people, covered up, the entire city was very dim, only a faint light flowed.

Moreover, blue mist was lingering here, covering the whole city in a thin blue light.

"It’s Chixia City, the place is not wrong." Qin Ming stopped, discovering the marks he left in the past on a big bluestone at a distant location outside the city.

Once upon leaving the city, he casually "tested his skills," leaving a deep fist hole burned into it.

The majestic gate tower lay ahead, night was late, the thick city gates had long been shut, Qin Ming silently climbed over within a section of the city wall.

"It’s so quiet." He frowned; although he chose this segment of the city wall in a remote location, upon entering, it was still deserted, without sound.

The street was empty, he walked forward, and when passing by a night market, he became somewhat uneasy; no matter how late, this place’s business should be great, yet there was not one person now.

In the city, faint blue night fog flowed, the atmosphere slightly eerie.

Qin Ming gripped the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Blade, walked alone in the silent city.

The several restaurants in the bustling district, originally would have guests even late at night, now, although brightly lit, were silent, not a hint of activity.

Qin Ming climbed up a restaurant, it was empty, not a shadow to be seen.

Some tables had wine, food placed, even steaming, this was too abnormal.

Qin Ming entered the backyard, then barged into the kitchen, still didn’t find anyone.

Having already entered the city, he didn’t leave immediately, but headed straight toward the City Lord’s Mansion, no one stood guard, no need to report, he silently entered.

Qin Ming entered the familiar drawing room, all sorts of bronze vessels were there, he even suspected Meng Xinghai had appeared here not long ago.

Because in the purple copper furnace, the Calming Incense had burnt only halfway, fragrance swirling, while on the wooden table, the cup of tea water seemed freshly brewed, fragrant aroma wafting.

Qin Ming circled the City Lord’s Mansion extensively, finding it empty.

He furrowed his brows deeply, was it all caused by the faint blue night fog? The entire city, even this terrain, was covered by it.

This quietness was unsettling, the vast Chixia City now resembled a ghost town, desolate, devoid of any human presence.

Qin Ming arrived at the city’s brightest location, here was the fourth level Fire Spring, plus the group of first and second level Fire Springs, if uncovered by slabs and the like, it could illuminate the night sky.

His pupils contracted, quite shocked.

Because, the Fire Springs were not emitting normal Chixia glow, but a dense blue!

Has the Fire Spring been "corrupted"?

The spring pool remained, yet the blue liquid flowing forth was extremely abnormal, in the steaming night sky, gradually transformed into blue mist, covering the entire city, appearing exceptionally eerie.