Chapter 53: Outside the Boundaries
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The night had barely settled when the thick darkness wrapped around everything, with trees lining both sides of the path, their branches reaching out like ghostly shadows swaying in the chilly wind.
In this deep night, Qin Ming swung his blade decisively, the motion like a flash of lightning splitting through the gloom, instantly breaking the oppressive feeling that had been suffocating them.
Suddenly, a dark mist rushed forward, full of malicious intent, trying to engulf them both, dragging them into the vast shadows. With no moon or stars to light the way, others would have been blind to it, but Qin Ming could see clearly. He felt the coldness radiating from the mist, a bone-chilling cold that grew as it got closer.
With a soft hiss, his blade, coated in a layer of mineral paint, slid into the mist like a hot knife into butter, making the icy fog bubble up.
“What’s going on?!” Old Man Liu shouted, reacting quickly as he pulled out a heavy machete with a swift motion, following Qin Ming’s lead, striking towards the formless enemy.
But his blade seemed to slice through thin air, hitting nothing.
“Step back!” Qin Ming yelled.
At that moment, a piercing scream echoed. The dark mist began to compress rapidly, twisting itself into the shape of a human.
Old Man Liu didn’t hesitate. He sheathed his machete in an instant and hurried back. He couldn’t see or hear anything, but instinct told him something was seriously wrong.
From the mist, a figure emerged—a young man, his outline blurry, his expression twisted in pain. His cold eyes locked onto Qin Ming.
Qin Ming’s blade cut into the figure’s body, and strangely, the mist began to bleed, dark drops splattering onto the ground.
Qin Ming’s face tensed at the sight.
The young man opened his mouth, a plume of black mist swirling out, shaping itself into an arrow aimed straight at Qin Ming’s forehead. It carried an eerie chill, a sense of dread.
Qin Ming shifted his head, narrowly avoiding the black arrow, all while fiercely shaking his blade, causing all the mineral coating to flake off.
Everything happened in a flash—the mist attacking without a sound, Qin Ming responding with a swift slash. The shadowy figure countered immediately, both acting with no hesitation, their instincts razor-sharp.
Qin Ming could feel the immense danger. This was a real threat to his life—an unknown enemy bringing with it a suffocating sense of dread, a real taste of death.
But as he shook his blade, the cold, menacing aura started to weaken rapidly. In the darkness, his blade glowed, lighting up the forest like a blazing fire.
The jade-like iron knife in Qin Ming’s hand seemed different after shedding its coating. The misty figure of the young man tried to retreat, clearly terrified of the blade. He twisted, his form trembling as if burning in invisible flames.
“Stop…” the figure shrieked, struggling to turn back into mist, to rise into the air, but he failed.
There was no way Qin Ming would stop. He noticed that the blood falling from the young man wasn’t real; it vanished like ash in the wind.
“What is this thing?” he thought.
The young man couldn’t believe it. How could a mere teenage hunter, out in a remote place, wield a blade like this?
The young man couldn’t turn back into mist. He stumbled back, moving like a human, desperately trying to escape the reach of the glowing knife.
Qin Ming had never used this blade before, unaware of its properties. Now, cutting into this strange being, he saw its true potential.
His own power, the Celestial Light energy, flowed easily into the blade. If it had been any other weapon, that would have been impossible at his current level.
Of course, the blade’s natural power was more effective against this being than his own energy, but it allowed Qin Ming to use his unique Celestial Light techniques, including the sticky energy that bound the enemy.
He swung the blade, white light surging, trapping the young man in flames like burning a ghost.
“No, stop!” the young man screamed, thrashing in terror.
There was no way Qin Ming would stop. He had no idea what kind of creature this was. If it got away, he’d be in real danger.
The young man tried again and again to attack, black mist forming in his hands and mouth, but each time, the blade’s light burned it away.
His whole body was now engulfed in light. It wasn’t just like a hot knife through butter anymore; it was like a burning brand dropped in dry grass, setting it ablaze.
Qin Ming used his “cutting force” technique, the jade-like iron blade slicing through the young man’s body, every strike like setting a new fire, and whenever the mist surged up, Qin Ming’s binding force would pull him back, trapping him.
It became clear—this strange material, nourished in the spiritual mountain, held mysterious power.
Qin Ming thought back to what Cao Long and Mu Qing had said. Now, he understood.
The jade-like iron blade completely suppressed the misty young man.
In the distance, Old Man Liu shivered. He could see nothing, only Qin Ming’s shining blade, glowing like a torch.
“Why can’t I see anything? It’s like I’m blind,” Old Man Liu muttered.
Hearing this, Qin Ming realized just how dangerous this enemy was. If normal people couldn’t even perceive it, how could they fight it?
The young man was desperate, his body aflame, unable to escape.
“In a world without sunlight, I should be safe at this level… how could I get into trouble here…” he groaned, unwilling to die like this. He knew he had to make a sacrifice to survive.
“Are you one of those unseen beings that scare all the great clans?” Qin Ming demanded.
“I’m not one of those things! I’m human! Just listen to me!” the young man shouted.
Qin Ming only swung harder, slashing again and again, using techniques from the knife manual, slashing across and striking down.
The misty figure wanted to curse aloud—why did claiming to be human make things worse?
“You’re scarier than any ghost!” Qin Ming shot back.
“I’m from outside the boundaries…” the young man cried.
But it was too late. His body was almost completely consumed by the light from the blade.
Qin Ming found it strange. He had struck the man’s head multiple times, but it hadn’t worked. Only the light of the blade was able to finish him.
With a loud crack at the last moment, the man’s body exploded, leaving behind a piece of dark cloth wrapped around a bit of mist. It tried to escape into the night sky.
But it was too weak. The strange cloth moved slower than it should have.
Qin Ming reacted instantly, striking it down with his blade.
“Huh?” he noticed the cloth wasn’t damaged, even though it had fallen. It was still wrapped around a ball of mist, struggling to rise again.
Qin Ming used his binding aura, pulling it back, and then used his “nail aura” technique, the blade slipping through the gaps in the cloth.
“Stop! I’m from outside the boundaries!” the young man screamed, but there was no changing his fate. The last of the mist burned away.
The cloth fell to the ground, and the misty figure disappeared as if he had never been there.
Qin Ming gripped his jade-like iron blade, his face serious. He guessed the young man was one of those “outsiders” he had heard of. He wasn’t some unseen spirit but a human in a strange state.
“Are all outsiders this tough?” Qin Ming wondered, feeling a heavy weight in his heart.
This man could fly, and ordinary people couldn’t even see him. How could anyone fight that?
Old Man Liu had tried to slash him, but it was like cutting air, completely ineffective.
Qin Ming stood still, his expression more serious than ever. One of his enemies was also an outsider. That night, when the feather-robed youth led an attack that burned down his entire village, he had probably followed a similar path, wielding even stronger powers than the young man Qin Ming had just fought.
Earlier, Qin Ming had been happy with how quickly he was improving, proud of his accomplishments. But now, with the cold wind and snow hitting his face, he was sober again. He couldn’t afford to be complacent. He had to keep getting stronger.
The power he would face in the future was mysterious and daunting.
Qin Ming thought of the silk scroll that had appeared. Several elders, aware of the shortcomings in their own paths, had worked together to create new techniques to rival the most brilliant methods.
“The ways of the outsiders… they really are strange and terrifying,” Qin Ming whispered to himself. His path was still long, and he needed to move forward step by step.
“Did you finish it? What was that thing? I swear I was like a blind man, couldn’t see a darned ghost,” Old Man Liu called out, holding his machete as he approached.
“An outsider,” Qin Ming replied.
“An outsider…? That’s some serious business,” Old Man Liu said, his face growing grim. They had tangled with someone powerful.
Qin Ming used his blade to pick up the scrap of cloth, channeling his energy into it. The blade glowed bright, but the cloth remained unchanged.
Old Man Liu’s mind was in turmoil. He barely recognized the young Qin standing before him. He had forged such a remarkable blade and defeated an invisible outsider.
But Old Man Liu had seen too much in his years guarding the Black White Mountain. He had heard countless tales of strange occurrences, so his heart quickly settled again.
Qin Ming examined the cloth closely. It wasn’t simple. Metallic threads were woven into it, forming cloud patterns. There must have been more designs, but the cloth was too small to tell.
“Should we head back to the village?” Old Man Liu asked.
Qin Ming shook his head. “Let’s head to Silver Vine Town instead. We can grab breakfast, then go to that family we arranged to meet.”
Old Man Liu looked at him, surprised. “You don’t need a break? Are you sure?”
Qin Ming shook his head again. “No need for a break. The unknown and mysterious only seem that way because I’m not strong enough yet. Borrowing those secret texts is my way to get stronger, to truly set out on this path.”