Immortal Refiner

Li Qing swept his spear horizontally, continuously channeling mana into its shaft. The fire attribute spirit patterns glowed brightly, swirling with power.

A massive wave of flames surged forth, engulfing the serpentine strange beast before him. The intense heat radiated outward, instantly illuminating the Mushroom Forest.

Hiss!

Thick black smoke billowed from the creature’s body as the searing heat tormented it. The beast writhed and twisted violently, as if driven mad by the agony.

Roar!

With each anguished cry, its life force rapidly drained away.

Li Qing watched from the sidelines, occasionally supplementing the assault with Fireball Techniques. The creature’s struggles quickly slowed, until it finally fell into complete stillness.

Still wary, Li Qing observed from a distance before expending more spiritual energy to unleash a final barrage of Fireball Techniques.

Only after confirming the complete absence of life signs did he approach the repulsive serpentine beast.

”So this is a strange beast mutated by the Red Moon’s influence... Truly grotesque. Fortunately, fire seems to inflict significant damage.”

As he spoke, Li Qing drew a broad-bladed Hunting Knife and began dissecting the monstrous serpent.

The strange beast’s pustules had all dried up from the intense heat, leaving no pus oozing out.

However, as Li Qing began cutting into its body, a considerable amount of yellowish-white pus still flowed out, its mere sight enough to make one feel deeply uncomfortable.

Frowning, Li Qing immediately stopped cutting into the creature’s torso. As if sensing something, he used his broad-bladed Hunting Knife to split open each of the snake’s three heads.

Inside the skulls, the nauseatingly viscous pus was gone, leaving the interiors looking much more normal.

Soon, a peanut-sized crimson crystal caught Li Qing’s attention within the central head.

”What’s this?”

If not for his exceptional eyesight, he might have easily missed such a small crimson crystal.

The crystal was remarkably clean, free of any grime, and its texture resembled that of red quartz.

But when Li Qing held it in his hand, he discovered it was surprisingly soft, like a piece of red gummy candy.

He gently squeezed it, carefully sensing its essence, and detected a remarkably heavy aura of malevolent energy within, nearly overwhelming his mind.

”Hiss... Could this be something akin to a Crystal Core?”

”Except instead of containing spiritual energy, it’s imbued with the Red Moon Secret Power, capable of driving minds to madness.”

Normal demon beasts only develop Crystal Cores upon reaching the Second-Tier, and inner cores upon reaching the Third-Tier. It’s extremely rare for ordinary First-Tier demon beasts to possess Crystal Cores.

Though Li Qing had no idea what use this object might have, he still stored it in his storage pouch.

For the remainder of his time, Li Qing continued exploring the vast Mushroom Forest.

On the seventh day, he discovered a swamp constantly bubbling and emitting dense miasma.

Even the most resilient mushrooms couldn’t survive near the swamp’s edge. Any spores that drifted into the swamp were immediately devoured.

Yet despite this apparent lack of life, Li Qing felt an intense sense of unease and threat emanating from the swamp.

For various reasons, Li Qing chose to retreat and take a detour, avoiding any exploration of the miasma-filled swamp.

On the nineteenth day, Li Qing discovered a living mushroom tree—or rather, a life-devouring aberrant mushroom!

This mushroom was enormous, its stem requiring two or three people to encircle. What truly astonished Li Qing was that instead of a typical umbrella-like cap, this strange mushroom had a large, cross-shaped fissure at its apex.

One side of the fissure channeled the crimson moonlight from the sky, while the other side devoured a monkey covered in red fur.

By the time Li Qing discovered it, the long-haired red monkey was completely lifeless, only half its body remaining outside the fissure. One hand hung limply, revealing razor-sharp black claws.

Unwilling to provoke it, Li Qing immediately activated an Aura Concealment Talisman, fearing further encounters with such dangers.

On the twenty-sixth day, a shadowy, ethereal figure streaked across the sky above the Mushroom Forest at incredible speed, its movements too swift for the naked eye to track. Had Li Qing not possessed such keen senses, he would have missed it entirely.

By the thirty-first day, Li Qing had reached the edge of the Mushroom Forest. There, he used his physical strength to subdue a crustacean-like strange beast covered in bony armor, obtaining another crimson crystal the size of a peanut.

Exiting the Mushroom Forest and continuing south, he would soon reach Tianliang Mountain, the peak where cultivators from the Black Wind Domain gathered.

Li Qing gazed at the mountain range on the horizon, illuminated by the crimson glow of the Red Moon, hesitating for a long time.

”Should I go?”

Climb the mountain, search for the secret manuals and scriptures once stored on Tianliang Mountain, and sift through the abandoned scrolls for cultivation manuals and secret techniques that might be useful to him.

Li Qing assessed his strength: fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivation, an exceptionally robust physique, and several handy Magic Artifacts.

Talismans would be of limited use here, but he doubted he’d need them against ordinary disciples. As for the daoist who had once reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, even talismans would likely prove ineffective.

”The most critical factor is that those who cultivate the Red Moon Secret Power have undergone physical mutations. As a normal person, I’d undoubtedly stand out like a sore thumb.”

Just as Li Qing viewed them as heretics, those who practiced the Red Moon Secret Power would likely see him as an outsider.

Ultimately, Li Qing decided to stop and prepare to return to his original world.

He wasn’t willing to risk his life. After traversing the vast Mushroom Forest for so long, he wasn’t in peak condition.

Having depleted a significant portion of his spiritual energy and physical stamina, Li Qing knew that being surrounded would be extremely dangerous.

”Enough,” he muttered. ”I should return for now. I’ll come back to the mountain when I’m stronger.”

”The gains from this trip are sufficient. Returning to Heavenly River Market to enhance my strength is the right path.”

With these words, Li Qing found a secluded spot and once again traversed back to the Azure Ridge Cultivation World.

”Ah...”

Though darkness still enveloped him, the faint strands of spiritual energy permeating the air filled Li Qing with profound comfort and satisfaction.

Even the thinnest concentration of spiritual energy felt far more refreshing than the oppressive atmosphere of the World of Eternal Night. The End-of-Dao World, devoid of spiritual energy, had been stifling beyond measure.

Seated cross-legged in the mountain cave, Li Qing began circulating his energy, replenishing his depleted spiritual reserves.

After nearly half a day, his spiritual energy was fully restored.

Pushing aside the massive boulder blocking the cave entrance, Li Qing gazed at the dazzling sunlight outside and exhaled deeply.

The warm, gentle sunlight bathed his body in soothing comfort.

”Judging by the time, it’s about time to return and report.”

Retrieving the storage pouch hidden in the cave, Li Qing moved with practiced agility toward Heavenly River Market.

The journey of several days passed in the blink of an eye, and Li Qing once again entered the bustling Heavenly River Market, brimming with spiritual energy.

Instead of immediately seeking out Ye Feng to return the Soft Water Whip, he headed to the Gathering Wind Pavilion. He ordered a pot of spirit brew and several dishes, and while eating, he eavesdropped on the recent events in the cultivation world.

As expected, the cultivation world was never stagnant. In the past month, new undercurrents had begun to stir.

The news that the Liu Clan’s primary ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill had fallen into the hands of the Flying Eagle Bandits had finally leaked, spreading throughout the cultivation world.

Cultivators in the Heavenly River Market area were particularly shaken.

”Damn it! Could it be that a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator will truly emerge from the Flying Eagle Bandits?”

”Those bandit cultivators are actually gaining momentum. This is a major problem!”

”With the Essence Fusion Fruit, gathering the remaining auxiliary ingredients won’t be difficult. Plus, the Flying Eagle Bandits have been bandit cultivators for so many years—they must have some foundation.”

”We need to warn the Pill Refiners. They absolutely must not refine Foundation Establishment Pills for anyone with suspicious origins!”

The rogue cultivators felt suffocated, unable to accept the reality that the Flying Eagle Bandits were about to become a Foundation Establishment Realm bandit group. This would spell disaster for them.

No, even cultivation clans with weak foundations felt a significant threat.

However, the Flying Eagle Bandits were just one piece of the puzzle.

The Lingmiao Cave Abode, which had caused such a stir earlier, had finally settled into dust.

All the treasures within the cave abode had been plundered, but the casualties were substantial. Several Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators clashed fiercely inside, ultimately causing the Restriction-weakened cave abode to collapse completely, burying itself.

Among the casualties, two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators met violent ends, while the number of Qi Refining Realm cultivators killed or injured was countless. It was rumored that countless Qi Refining Realm cultivators had been thrown into the cave abode as cannon fodder to scout ahead.

Legend had it that a rare spiritual material capable of crafting top-grade magical artifacts had been discovered within the cave abode, ultimately falling into the hands of a rogue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Inside the Gathering Wind Pavilion, Li Qing poured himself fine wine while silently listening to these reports.

”The Flying Eagle Bandits have gained momentum. With a high probability of Foundation Establishment Realm Bandit Cultivators emerging, the prices of formations, talismans, and Magic Artifacts will undoubtedly rise further.”

”Especially those cultivation clans with weak Grand Formations protecting their ancestral lands will rush to reinforce their defenses immediately.”

”Another thing is Magic Artifacts. Life-saving and escape-oriented artifacts are likely to reach new price highs. But the inferior-grade artifacts I sell might only fetch a meager profit.”

”Still, I could consider crafting some Low-Grade escape artifacts for others. I happen to have mastered several spirit patterns related to agility and speed.”

Li Qing mentally calculated how these developments could benefit him, planning to seize this opportunity to earn a substantial sum of spirit stones.

Finally, there were the bandits who had attacked the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine.

Even now, the bandits’ origins remained unknown, putting considerable pressure on the Heavenly River Sect.

Li Qing was genuinely surprised. He mused that the bandits’ background must be extraordinary, otherwise how could they remain so well-hidden?

After draining the last drop of Spirit Wine, Li Qing paid his bill and found a cheap inn, paying for ten days’ lodging.

With these preparations complete, Li Qing headed to the market square to locate Ye Feng’s stall.

”Fellow Daoist Li! You’re finally back!” Ye Feng exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy as he arranged his wares.

”My whip...”

Li Qing smiled faintly and nodded. ”Mission accomplished!”

Ye Feng’s delight intensified at these words.

(End of the Chapter)

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