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Novel: [Night Without Boundaries]
Chapter 142: [Hell-Level Difficulty]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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The Land of Divine Lament Plains boasted fertile soil.
A single shovel strike might unearth wisps of crimson Fire Spring, capable of nourishing all life.
Therefore, even shrouded in dense Night Mist, the vast plains teemed with lush vegetation and abundant wildlife.
"Young man, you're finally back!" The villagers of Luo Family Village swarmed Qin Ming, their earlier anxiety replaced by eager anticipation.
"Rest assured, the wolf problem has been eliminated," Qin Ming reassured them.
"Young man, you're truly our savior!" someone choked out, their eyes reddening.
The families who had lost children wept openly, young and old alike.
The village's Newborns were utterly helpless against wolf monsters of that level.
In recent days, they had lived in constant fear and tension, each day feeling like a year.
Unable to refuse their heartfelt hospitality, Qin Ming stayed for lunch and used the opportunity to inquire about the Silver Wolf King from the Old Village Chief.
He felt that eliminating this mastermind was crucial to prevent future calamities.
"It resides in the Wolf Hall, commanding over a hundred wolf monsters," the chief explained.
Qin Ming pondered, resolving to strike secretly when the opportunity arose.
He suspected that the Silver Wolf King might be one of the "failed Transformation" Silver Creatures Zhou Tao had mentioned, its residual silver blood possessing immense value.
At noon, when the night's darkness had slightly receded, Qin Ming arrived at Liu Family Village, a neighboring settlement.
They too had reported a bloody incident some time ago.
The village was brightly lit, thanks to a Second-Tier Fire Spring—a resource sufficient to support a town.
"Young man, did you come alone?" The villagers of Liu Family Village looked at Qin Ming's youthful appearance with disappointment.
'Could he have offended someone and been sent here as punishment?'
Qin Ming produced a string of wolf teeth.
Immediately, the Old Village Chief of Liu Family Village perked up, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Young man, you're so capable! You've already dealt with the wolf problem in the neighboring village?"
Without wasting time, the chief quickly explained the details.
A Bird Demon had been appearing intermittently, having devoured four people so far.
"It's utterly savage! Liu Dazhuang had already undergone his Second Awakening, but when that Bird Demon swooped down, one swipe of its claw tore open his skull right at his doorstep. It leisurely sucked out his brain before devouring most of his flesh."
The Old Village Chief estimated that the Bird Demon had likely committed similar atrocities elsewhere, rather than specifically targeting their village.
Otherwise, the situation would have been far worse.
"Do you know where its nest is?" Qin Ming asked, unwilling to wait any longer.
He wanted to take the initiative and search for it himself.
Every day of delay could cost another life.
"It should be in the dense forest about ten miles away..." The Old Village Chief pointed a trembling finger toward the ancient woods in the distance.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming immediately set out.
An hour later, he discovered the Bird Demon described in the records within the dense forest.
It stood five meters tall, its feathers a mottled gray-black, with a human-like face and a beak as sharp as a curved blade.
Moreover, it was a pair of Bird Demons nesting in an ancient tree, having already laid five speckled eggs. If these eggs hatched, the young birds would undoubtedly wreak even greater havoc.
Moments later, Qin Ming drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot one Bird Demon dead, severely wounding the other.
He left the wounded one alive to interrogate it about their motives.
He learned that the two Bird Demons had been unable to survive on the Land of Divine Lament Plains and had come to the outskirts to breed and raise their young.
They were, in fact, discarded weaklings.
Qin Ming crushed the wounded Bird Demon with a single palm strike.
Then, with a surge of fist energy, he blasted the nest apart, scattering egg yolk in all directions.
This marked Qin Ming's first true extermination mission.
Regardless of age or innocence, he left no survivors.
Without pausing, Qin Ming resolved the problems of four villages in a single day.
The only remaining settlement under his jurisdiction was Stone Fortress Village, where the massacre was the most complex.
This involved an Old Demon with profound cultivation, rumored to have lived for at least a hundred years.
After learning the details, Qin Ming's expression turned grave.
The villagers of Stone Fortress Village wore gloomy faces, sighing and lamenting, for this Old Demon had a connection to their village.
"Is there more to this story?" Qin Ming pressed earnestly.
"It's an Old Donkey that left our village," one villager explained. "They say an old donkey returned to the mountains hundred years ago, and grew more monstrous with age, eventually fleeing deep into the Land of Divine Lament Plains."
A hundred years ago, this Old Donkey had been "enslaved" in Stone Fortress Village, toiling tirelessly day after day.
Eventually, it underwent a Mutation, rose to prominence in the Land of Divine Lament Plains, and returned to seek vengeance.
Two years ago, it had already tormented over a dozen people to death, all descendants of its former master.
Though it rarely visits the village now, it has abducted many villagers to serve it on Ji Lei Mountain.
Qin Ming listened intently, captivated by the tale of an Old Donkey seeking revenge after a hundred years.
Most importantly, the donkey had three sworn brothers: the Silver Wolf King, a Giant Beast, and a terrifying Black Peng.
Qin Ming's expression grew solemn.
A hundred years-old demon was already cause for concern, and the Silver Wolf King had put him on high alert.
Now, two more monstrous entities had been drawn into the fray.
Killing any one of them could provoke the wrath of the remaining three Old Demons.
Qin Ming, who always overestimated his opponents, felt this challenge was of hellish difficulty.
After careful assessment, he concluded that even a top-tier extraordinary prodigy who had undergone nine awakenings would likely face a grim fate here.
The only viable strategy would be to abandon the people of Stone Fortress Village, kill the Old Donkey, and flee immediately, leaving this place forever.
But that wouldn't solve the problem; it would only trigger a greater bloodbath.
The remaining three Old Demons would undoubtedly retaliate with savage fury, potentially slaughtering entire villages and towns.
"Were the blood cases Cui Chongxuan, Zhuo Ya, and Cao Wuji faced this difficult too?"
Qin Ming suddenly realized that entering the Six Imperial Mountain Gate might not be so easy after all.
He refrained from rash action, knowing he had ample time.
Elder Zhou Tao of the Six Imperial Ancestral Court had given them half a month to return.
Over the next two days, Qin Ming quietly infiltrated the Land of Divine Lament Plains to gather intelligence on the four Old Demons.
He cautiously approached their territories, seeking opportunities to strike.
On Ji Lei Mountain, over twenty young men and women, dressed in tattered rags, were forced to wash clothes, cook meals, and prepare food for donkey demons, dog demons, rat demons, and others.
The Old Donkey commanded dozens of subordinates.
When it traveled, it was carried in a sedan chair by humans, sitting upright with its donkey face stretched long, radiating an air of false dignity.
Wolf Hall, though not particularly large, was surprisingly majestic.
Constructed primarily from Red Crystal Stone found on the Land of Divine Lament Plains, its crimson facade glowed like blood under the reflection of the Fire Spring.
Even from a distance, Qin Ming could tell with a fleeting glance that the Silver Wolf King was even more formidable than Master Huang—a truly formidable foe.
Most importantly, it commanded over a hundred subordinates, all towering wolf-like monsters.
Qin Ming was most eager to target the Silver Wolf King because, among the four Old Demons, it appeared to be the weakest.
The Giant Beast and Black Peng were undoubtedly the strongest.
Moreover, if the Silver Wolf King was a Silver Creature that had failed its Transformation, the residual silver blood within its body could grant Qin Ming seventh awakening!
If he could break through again, his strength would surge to new heights, perhaps enabling him to eliminate all four Old Demons!
Qin Ming stared hungrily at Wolf Hall, but he knew that unless he could strike decisively in a single blow, he would be in grave danger.
After all, the territories of the four Old Demons were not far apart.
As Qin Ming roamed the Land of Divine Lament Plains, he encountered numerous monsters and human adventurers.
He tried inviting others to join him in exterminating the demons, but the moment they heard who he intended to target, they immediately refused.
"That monster probably possesses Extraordinary Blood!"
Qin Ming had observed the Giant Beast multiple times. Its entire body was covered in fiery red scales, and it wasn't the legendary, mountain-sized Strange Beast.
Though slightly larger than an elephant, it was still considered a colossal creature by ordinary humans, especially in the outer regions of the Land of Divine Lament Plains.
The next day, Qin Ming saw the Black Peng, its body radiating dark light and widely regarded as the most terrifying creature in the area, fly away from its mountain lair and head deeper into the Land of Divine Lament Plains.
His spirits surged.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"The Giant Beast must be feeding right now," he thought.
He traversed the forest, approaching the Giant Beast's habitat.
The creature resembled a fiery lion draped in crimson scales.
Flames billowed from its mouth and nostrils as it devoured various mutant creatures, including mutated elephants.
The scene was gruesome.
The Giant Beast sat there, tearing into an elephant leg with its massive claws, blood staining the ground crimson.
"It's eaten half an elephant. Given its habits, it'll likely sleep for half a day. This is a chance I can't afford to miss!"
Qin Ming vanished, swiftly arriving at the Wolf Hall.
This time, he would give it his all, aiming for a single, decisive strike.
Under the cover of night, Qin Ming drew his Jade Iron Sword, patiently awaiting the optimal moment.
The Wolf Hall, constructed primarily from Red Crystal Stone, stood majestic and towering, its blood-red hue radiating an oppressive aura.
Half an hour later, the Silver Wolf King emerged from its lair after devouring fresh flesh.
It stood upright, towering at four meters tall, its silver fur shimmering brilliantly under the moonlight, making it a striking figure.
Qin Ming fired four Jade Iron Arrows, not waiting to see if they hit their mark.
Gripping his Jade Iron Sword, he charged forward with the speed of a gale.
The Silver Wolf King grunted, two arrows piercing its flesh.
Though it avoided vital spots, crimson blossoms stained its silver fur.
Enraged, it threw back its head to unleash a howl.
With a flick of his wrist, Qin Ming hurled another Jade Iron Arrow straight into the wolf's gaping maw.
The Silver Wolf King snapped its jaws shut and jerked its head aside to dodge.
"Boom!" A dazzling blade light erupted as Qin Ming closed the distance, engaging the Silver Wolf King in a life-or-death struggle.
In that fleeting moment, their attacks clashed fiercely.
The Silver Wolf King's massive claws were sheared bare, dripping with blood as if its nails had been clipped too short.
Yet it managed to wrench free its wolf-tooth mace. Its claws glowed as it hefted the heavy weapon, unleashing a relentless barrage of strikes.
Qin Ming's expression turned grim. This was indeed a formidable foe, far more dangerous than he'd anticipated.
He channeled every ounce of his strength into the battle, his Heavenly Light Force burning like wildfire.
Though Qin Ming landed a deep slash, the Silver Wolf King refused to fall, its resilience astonishing.
"Thwack!"
Qin Ming held nothing back, unleashing his most powerful techniques.
He slashed another wound across the Silver Wolf King's neck, nearly severing its throat.
Startled and enraged, the Silver Wolf King roared repeatedly, its silver fur glowing intensely as it fought desperately.
Many wolf monsters rushed to its aid, but none could withstand Qin Ming's terrifying sword.
"Clear the way!" A cold voice echoed from mid-air, and the wolf monsters retreated like a receding tide.
"Brother, you've finally arrived! I never thought anyone would dare attack us!" The Silver Wolf King shouted out, relieved to see its savior.
Qin Ming's heart sank.
Glancing upward, he saw a massive raptor resembling a black sun, radiating dark light with terrifying ferocity. Its wings beat, emitting powerful energy waves.
The ground trembled as a colossal beast with crimson scales emerged nearby, resembling a lion with blood dripping from its fangs, its tusks protruding in a savage, menacing grin.
On the other side, the Old Donkey appeared, its fur gleaming as it was carried in a sedan chair.
It lifted the curtain and cast a cold, sinister gaze at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming sighed.
He had never imagined the worst-case scenario would come to pass.
Four Old Demons, each more ruthless than the last, had converged to trap him within the Wolf Hall.
This was the most dangerous situation Qin Ming had faced ever since embarking on the Path of Awakening—a trial of hell-level difficulty!
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END OF CHAPTER
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