Immortal Refiner

Back in the Imperial Palace’s main hall, Wu Dynasty soldiers and officials had either fled or been killed. The situation was settled, with only a few remnants still trying to resist.

Li Qing, carrying the Peerless Hammer on his back and holding the Demon Blade Red Lotus in one hand and the Qing Hong Sword in the other, had returned.

He surveyed the scene, now settled in dust, and channeled his Inner Strength to shout in a deep voice, ”The rebel leader Tuwa Ha’er has been slain!”

His roar echoed throughout the hall and across the plaza, carrying far into the distance.

Tuwa Ha’er was dead?

Everyone who heard the shout stood frozen for a long moment, slowly processing the truth.

The newly established Grassland Dynasty was finished. With the Sage Ruler’s death, it was about to collapse completely.

Below, Qian Hong stood on Gao Yudong’s corpse, a silent smile playing on her lips.

On the other side, a slender figure in purple robes stopped her pursuit of the Grassland Tribes.

Purple Lotus raised her head and shouted, ”Aunt Red Lotus, your great vengeance has been avenged!”

During the year Tuwa Ha’er had hunted Jianghu Practitioners most fiercely, the Nine Lotus Sect’s Red Lotus Protector had fallen in a desperate battle against hundreds of cavalry, fighting until she was exhausted and finally succumbed.

Thus, the Nine Lotus Sect forged an irreconcilable feud with the Grassland Dynasty.

In short, with the news of Tuwa Ha’er’s death, everything was coming to an end.

Li Qing leaped from the highest point of the Imperial Palace’s main hall, returning the Qing Hong Sword and the Red Lotus Demon Blade to their respective owners.

”Without these two Peerless Divine Weapons, I could never have defeated Tuwa Ha’er so easily today.”

Purple Lotus rolled her eyes at Li Qing, her voice laced with annoyance. ”Grandmaster, should I call you Wu Chong or Li Qing?”

Li Qing’s lips twitched at her words, and he could only cough awkwardly several times. ”Cough, cough, cough!”

”Hmph, I won’t bother arguing with you. You’re a Grandmaster now, and I can’t possibly defeat you,” Purple Lotus said, returning the Demon Blade to her waist and stomping away with a sour expression.

Meanwhile, Qian Hong brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, her smile radiant. ”We owe you a great debt this time. Without you, we might not have survived today.”

”Hehe, I was fortunate enough to reach the Grandmaster Realm. Besides, as a citizen of the Maple Kingdom, it was only right for me to lend a hand,” Li Qing replied modestly.

Qian Hong shook her head. ”No matter what, you’re our savior. We won’t forget this debt.”

Li Qing hadn’t expected these people to owe him a favor, but he still clasped his hands and said, ”It was nothing at all.”

At that moment, the others gathered around, their faces filled with utmost respect.

”Zhao Yuan greets Master Li!” a burly man with a massive blade strapped to his back stepped forward.

Li Qing still remembered this usually taciturn man. He had entrusted him with the Silent Blade, the second Peerless Divine Weapon he had forged.

”Brother Zhao, no need for such formality,” Li Qing replied, clasping his hands in return.

After exchanging greetings with everyone present, Li Qing, filled with anticipation, began exploring the lavish Imperial Palace alone.

This was his first time entering the palace, and even as a Peerless Grandmaster, he couldn’t help but marvel at its grandeur and splendor.

”Truly extravagant!” he exclaimed.

Lost in admiration, Li Qing searched for the Sage Ruler’s sleeping quarters.

After a long search, he finally found the location. Without hesitation, he quickened his pace and rushed toward the Sage Ruler’s chambers.

The emperor’s sleeping quarters were naturally vast, and it took Li Qing some time to locate the so-called secret chamber.

To his surprise, the chamber door was already open.

Li Qing’s expression darkened slightly at the sight. Had someone beaten him to it?

Someone had arrived even faster than he had, finding the secret chamber before him.

But since he was already here, he had no choice but to explore the secret chamber within the imperial palace.

As soon as he entered the passage, Li Qing’s keen ears detected faint breathing coming from the enclosed space.

Someone else was inside!

Confirming this, Li Qing lightened his steps, striving to make no sound to avoid startling the person within.

”Hah... hah...”

As he advanced, the heavy breathing grew louder, piquing Li Qing’s curiosity. What could be going on in there?!

With this thought, he quickened his pace slightly.

After navigating the narrow passage, the full view of the secret chamber unfolded before Li Qing.

Piles of precious jewels and treasures lay scattered about, but these held no interest for him. What truly astonished him was the sight of a person slumped beneath a complex multi-tiered shelf.

And he recognized this person!

”It’s you!”

”It’s you!”

Both men exclaimed in surprise upon seeing each other.

”Xiao Qi’s blacksmith master? I never expected you to be here too.”

The man slumped beneath the complex framework was none other than Star-Stealing Divine Thief Ning Yuan!

Three wounds crisscrossed his body, blood gushing from them and filling the secret chamber with a thick, metallic stench.

As he spoke, it seemed he had exhausted every ounce of his strength, his breath barely a whisper.

”Ning Yuan? What happened to you?!” Li Qing asked.

Ning Yuan forced himself to stay conscious, his voice strained. ”Don’t touch anything on these shelves. They’re all rigged with traps. I got caught in one, damn it.”

A look of bitter resentment twisted his face.

”The traps in here are truly vicious. Three hidden darts—one coated in deadly poison, one designed to bleed you out, and another smeared with potent anesthetic.”

Li Qing’s expression shifted dramatically as he heard this.

No wonder Tuwa Ha’er had so readily revealed the exact location of his cultivation manual. It was all a carefully laid trap.

Caught off guard, anyone who triggered it would be in mortal danger.

Even if it might not work on him, Ning Yuan’s current state was undeniably brutal.

”Don’t speak anymore. Let me help you outside. Maybe we can still save your life,” Li Qing said, reaching to help him up.

But Ning Yuan replied bitterly, ”It’s no use. The poison has already reached my heart meridian. Unless we can find a Grandmaster to help me remove it...”

”Never mind. Listen to my last words. I have a treasure vault in Shengtian City. Inside, I’ve stored all the gold and silver I’ve stolen in my life. It’s worth at least a hundred thousand taels.”

”Also, the Immortal Opportunity cultivation manual I stole from the Nine Lotus Sect is a token. It’s on me right now.”

”I don’t know how to use the token. You’ll probably need to ask an Immortal Cultivator. I’m giving you both the token and the treasure. I have one request for you.”

Li Qing didn’t stop Ning Yuan from speaking his last words. In fact, he was eager to hear what secrets the Star-Stealing Divine Thief truly held.

As he helped Ning Yuan up, Li Qing placed his hand on the man’s back and channeled his Inner Strength into his body.

Once one reaches the Transformed Strength Grandmaster realm, they can project their Inner Strength outside their bodies. This is why Ning Yuan said he needed a Grandmaster to help him expel the poison.

The poison had invaded his heart meridian, a situation that should have been utterly hopeless. However, with the aid of a Martial Dao Grandmaster, Inner Strength could be channeled into his meridians to completely purge the poison.

Ning Yuan was still unaware of what Li Qing was doing, continuing his rambling:

”The First Rank Princess Consort of Prince Yu’s Mansion... find a chance to tell her for me, would you? Actually, I’m quite fond of her.”

”That seal I gave her last time... Huh? Wait a minute!”

Ning Yuan suddenly sensed an unfamiliar surge of Inner Strength invading his body, his voice rising sharply.

”You... you’re a Grandmaster?! And you cultivate an Internal Energy Skill too?!”

”This...”

Ning Yuan was completely speechless, his face flushing crimson.

”Stop talking nonsense and focus on resisting the anesthetic’s effects. Don’t pass out,” Li Qing said calmly.

This man... had actually become a Martial Dao Grandmaster!

Ning Yuan, utterly astonished, fell silent. He suddenly regretted having revealed his last words so early.

Damn it, this guy became a Grandmaster without even saying a word! What a heartless bastard, listening to all my secrets.

Feeling the poison slowly recede from his body, Ning Yuan cursed Li Qing’s black-heartedness countless times in his mind.

With the last trace of poison expelled, Ning Yuan coughed up a mouthful of poisonous blood, and his breath gradually returned to normal.

”Brother Li, I can never repay this life-saving grace. In my next life, I’ll be your ox or horse...”

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qing drew the snow-silver dagger from his waist and began toying with it.

”Hmm, you can’t repay it? Think again. Do you really have to wait until your next life to repay this life-saving grace?”

Staring at the chilling glint of the snow-silver dagger, Ning Yuan’s lips twitched. He felt a coldness creep up his neck.

Although he prided himself on his Lightness Technique, Li Qing had only purged the poison from his body. The anesthetic was still in effect, making escape impossible.

Moreover, having lost so much blood, even without anesthesia, he wouldn’t dare claim he could outrun this Grandmaster.

In the end, Ning Yuan chose to surrender.

”Sigh, I suppose you came for this cultivation manual, didn’t you?”

”Take it. I’ll give you the Immortal Ascension Token too.”

With that, Ning Yuan painfully retrieved a white jade token from his person. Two characters were carved on its faces: Ling and Yun.

The cultivation manual itself was a simple, unadorned booklet titled the Earth Origin Manual.

Seeing these two items, Li Qing finally revealed a satisfied smile.

”Hahaha, Brother Ning, you’re being too polite. It was nothing more than a trivial matter.”

Though he said this, Li Qing’s actions were anything but hesitant. He swiftly pocketed both the token and the manual.

Ning Yuan’s lips twitched uncontrollably as he watched Li Qing’s wide, white teeth gleam in his smile. The sight was utterly infuriating, stirring an urge to punch him.

Alas, there was no way he could defeat the man before him.

Having obtained what he wanted, Li Qing took a step to leave.

Ning Yuan wailed, ”At least take me with you! If the Purple Lotus Protector of the Nine Lotus Sect finds me here, I’m as good as dead!”

Li Qing chuckled helplessly. In the end, he hoisted Ning Yuan onto his shoulder and swiftly charged out of the secret chamber.

Neither of them had much interest in the gold, silver, and jewels that remained inside.

(End of the Chapter)

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