Immortal Refiner

Wu Yang had spent his entire life practicing Martial Arts, and he had suffered few defeats. Only a handful of those losses left a lasting impression, remaining etched in his memory to this day.

Now, outside the hall, that same clear voice echoed again, sending a shiver down Wu Yang’s spine.

”Who’s there? Come out, you trickster!” Wu Yang gripped his twin blades tightly. Over the years, he had fully mastered the Wei Family’s dual-blade Martial Arts, his technique refined to perfection. Combined with his magical weapon, he even believed he could stand against a Grandmaster.

The Wei Family members exchanged bewildered glances, unsure why Wu Yang, a man of such formidable martial prowess, would display such fear.

Only Wei Qingqing stood frozen in place, her mind racing as she sifted through distant memories.

She struggled to reconcile the voice she had just heard with the images and sounds from her past.

Finally, she confirmed it. The voice she had heard just now matched the tone and cadence of the man she remembered.

At that moment, long-forgotten memories resurfaced. She recalled how her deceased grandfather had once tried to arrange her marriage to him, an offer she had dismissed without a second thought.

For example, Patriarch Wei had once instructed that if the Wei Family ever faced annihilation, they could seek his help.

Moreover, she had personally witnessed the birth of the Peerless Divine Weapon, the Twin Blades of Lingering Embers, from his hands!

”Master Li?” Wei Qingqing’s voice trembled, mirroring the complex emotions swirling within her.

As the words ”Master Li” left her lips, Wu Yang tightened his grip on the twin blades, his entire body tensing to the extreme. Cold sweat beaded on his back.

As if to steel his resolve, Wu Yang bellowed, ”Come out! Are you only brave enough to hide in the shadows, you ghost-like creature?”

In the next moment, a clear, resonant voice replied, ”Hahaha, very well. It’s been many years. I’m curious to see how much your Martial Arts have improved.”

A tall, upright figure had appeared at the hall’s entrance at some unknown point, strolling in with effortless grace.

Li Qing now wore a sword at his waist, exuding an air of carefree elegance.

Despite the passage of many years, time had left few marks on his face. His youthful appearance remained as fresh as when she had first met him.

Wei Qingqing immediately superimposed the figure before her with the one from her memories, and tears blurred her vision in an instant.

”It really is you... Master Li!”

Wu Yang’s reaction, however, was different. His body stiffened suddenly, then he seemed to exhale a long breath and burst into wild laughter.

”Hahahaha! The man from back then couldn’t wield a sword! His only weapons were a hammer and his fists!”

”Though your face is similar, how could you possibly have remained completely unchanged after all these years?! And the aura you’re emitting is only at the Outer Strength level of a Martial Artist. You must be that man’s descendant, pretending to be him! Yes, that’s it!”

Li Qing, who had strolled in leisurely, narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin, surprised by Wu Yang’s elaborate inner monologue.

Indeed, the aura he was currently projecting was only that of an Outer Strength Martial Artist.

”Old Wu Yang, it’s been many years. Your mental state doesn’t seem to be doing so well, does it?”

”Is this early-onset dementia? Have you started talking nonsense to old friends?”

Wu Yang’s expression darkened at these words. He sneered, ”Brat, you dare to be so stubborn? Unless your father is here today, no one can save you!”

Wu Yang had already convinced himself that the person who had just entered the hall was Li Qing’s offspring.

Li Qing, however, found the situation both amusing and exasperating. He finally bared his teeth in a dazzling smile and said, ”How about you try?”

”You’re courting death!”

Wu Yang exploded in fury. Wielding the Twin Blades of Lingering Embers, he moved with incredible speed, charging forward in an instant.

As he closed in on Li Qing, he raised his blades to strike, his killing intent radiating outward.

The blades sliced through the air, creating a whistling wind.

But what happened next left everyone in the hall stunned.

Clang!

A clear, ringing sound echoed through the hall. The blade Wu Yang had just swung down was blocked by Li Qing—with a single finger.

This wasn’t a casual strike. It was a full-power slash from an Inner Strength expert, using a Peerless Divine Weapon, a weapon that dominated the mortal realm!

The attack was infused with lethal Inner Strength!

It was a pity that all the incoming Internal Strength was completely blocked, barely even registering with Li Qing.

”Impossible!” Wu Yang’s heart surged like a monstrous tidal wave, nearly shattering his understanding of the world.

The Twin Blades of Lingering Embers were indeed peerless magical weapons, yet why had they been blocked by a mere finger, a physical body alone?

He knew Li Qing had achieved Grandmaster status, the legendary Martial Extremity Grandmaster whose name echoed throughout the Jianghu.

But even a Grandmaster’s physical body shouldn’t be able to withstand the slash of a Peerless Divine Weapon.

In the next moment, Wu Yang swung the other blade again.

Li Qing shook his head with a wry smile, flicked his finger, sending the blade he had been blocking flying away. Then, with lightning speed, he extended a second finger and clamped it between the second blade Wu Yang had swung.

”Your swordsmanship is nothing compared to your Inch Fist,” Li Qing said, his voice tinged with boredom. ”Relying solely on magical weapons, it seems you’ve wasted your years without making any progress in the Martial Dao.”

His interest waning, Li Qing exerted slight pressure with his fingers, directly pulling the blade from Wu Yang’s grasp. He then turned his attention to the Twin Blades, the very weapons he had forged long ago.

Li Qing had long lost interest in the First Fist of Qing Province.

”Are you really you? Why haven’t you aged at all?”

”And why have you become so powerful now that even a Peerless Divine Weapon can’t cut through you?!”

Wu Yang, dazed and defeated, stared blankly and pressed on with his questions, unwilling to accept his fate.

Li Qing had no interest in answering. He simply shook his head and chuckled softly. ”I promised Patriarch Wei of the Wei Family that if the family faced annihilation, I would intervene once.”

”Cripple your own martial arts.”

Li Qing spoke these words in the most matter-of-fact tone, but they struck Wu Yang like a thunderbolt.

”What? Do you want me to help you?” Li Qing sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light. He was no longer the gentle, amiable man he had been just moments before.

In an instant, Wu Yang saw a sharp, blinding light flash before him, followed by a searing pain in his wrists.

Looking down, he saw his tendons had been severed, the wounds perfectly smooth.

”Aaaah!”

Annoyed by Wu Yang’s incessant cries, Li Qing activated the Mid-Grade Magic Tool, the Wandering Dragon Dagger, once more. The razor-sharp dagger moved with the speed of a dragon, swiftly slicing through Wu Yang’s Achilles tendons.

For a Martial Artist, having the meridians in their hands and feet severed meant they were essentially harmless—a death sentence.

Li Qing didn’t need to intervene further; the Wei Family would surely handle everything from here.

At this moment, Li Qing had taken a few steps, intending to leave.

”Master Li, please wait!” Wei Qingqing called after him, her voice still trembling.

Hearing this, Li Qing sighed inwardly. ”Miss Wei, it’s best not to linger. Becoming too entangled with me could bring disaster upon the Wei Family in the future.”

”It’s best if you keep today’s events completely silent and never reveal my name.”

Wei Qingqing’s eyes dimmed slightly. She parted her lips as if to speak, but no words emerged.

In the end, Li Qing produced a bottle of immortal healing pills from his pocket.

”This is a supreme healing elixir. No matter how severe the external injuries, as long as the victim still has a breath left, it can save their life.”

With that, Li Qing leaped into the air and vanished from the Wei Family estate in the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay and catch up, but his own situation was precarious. He was being hunted.

If his connection to the Wei Family were discovered, it would attract the attention of immortal cultivators, leading to a truly catastrophic disaster.

After completing his tasks, Li Qing remained in Xunjiang City, monitoring the Martial Dao Assembly while secretly investigating the Heavenly River Sect disciples who were pursuing him.

During this time, he actually spotted four Heavenly River Sect disciples searching for him. They were wandering the streets like fools, searching everywhere with an arrogant air, looking down on everyone they passed.

Thanks to his superior concealment techniques and far greater divine sense power, Li Qing couldn’t help but chuckle.

”Hehehe, it seems their tracking and locating Magic Artifacts can only pinpoint my general location, not precisely lock onto me.”

This conclusion put Li Qing at ease.

Over the next few days, Li Qing moved freely, observing the Martial Artists participating in the Martial Dao Assembly.

Finally, on the fifth day, he encountered someone skilled in both the Bone Shrinking Art and Face-Altering Technique at the assembly!

Li Qing grabbed the man without hesitation. At the time, he had already employed the Bone Shrinking Art, disguising himself as a short dwarf.

”Spare me, sir! Spare me! I’ll repay the gambling house in three days, I swear I won’t delay!”

The dwarf trembled with fear, nearly wetting himself.

”You owe a lot of money?” Li Qing asked with interest.

The dwarf, who Li Qing had lifted by the scruff of his neck, widened his beady eyes at the question.

”Aren’t you here to collect debts for the Red Sleeve Gambling House?”

Li Qing shook his head. ”No. I’m interested in your Bone Shrinking Art and Face-Altering Technique. Show them to me, and I’ll give you more money.”

The dwarf blinked, then immediately changed his demeanor. ”A thousand taels of silver! This is my family’s heirloom Martial Arts! Only a thousand taels!”

Li Qing didn’t immediately refuse. He said calmly, ”First, show them to me.”

Quickly, the dwarf produced a book detailing the Face-Altering Technique from his robes, as if by magic.

”I only have the Face-Altering Technique with me, but I can describe the Bone Shrinking Art to you.”

Li Qing quickly flipped through the book, using his powerful divine sense power to memorize its entire contents instantly.

”Hmm, not bad. Show me the Bone Shrinking Art,” Li Qing said, returning the Face-Altering Technique.

The dwarf soon began convulsing, followed by a series of muffled thuds from his body, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

His form rapidly grew taller, transforming from just reaching Li Qing’s thigh to reaching his shoulder in moments.

Though still thin and small, the Bone Shrinking Art’s effectiveness was undeniable.

Throughout this process, Li Qing had kept the dwarf enveloped in his divine sense, recording the principles and secrets of the Bone Shrinking Art in his mind.

”How about it, old man? A thousand taels of silver is a steal! It’s thanks to this skill that I’ve managed to owe a mountain of debt to all the gambling houses without getting into trouble. With both Face-Altering and Bone Shrinking combined, no one will ever recognize me!”

The skinny old rogue wore a smug expression, as if owing gambling houses was something to be proud of.

Little did he know that in this brief encounter with Li Qing, both of his signature Martial Arts had been completely stolen.

”Forget it, I’m not interested anymore. Take this fifty taels of silver and be on your way.”

With that, Li Qing tossed a silver ingot into the dwarf’s arms.

After sending the dwarf away, Li Qing had been about to change his appearance when he suddenly stopped.

In the northern district of Xunjiang City, a Serpent-Head Spirit Boat soared into the sky. On board, several disciples of the Heavenly River Sect wore grim expressions.

Senior Brother Yang, in particular, seethed with murderous intent, his eyes blazing with fury.

”Very well, if Demon Lord Li dares not show himself, then don’t blame me for adding more sins to his name.”

”Demon Lord Li slaughtered countless mortals in this city with cruel and bloody methods, all to cultivate a Blood Dao Demonic Art—an act condemned by the entire immortal cultivation world. Anyone who sees him must kill him!”

As his words fell, Senior Brother Yang activated the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat. Waves of spiritual pressure radiated outward, forcing all mortals within close range to collapse to the ground.

(End of the Chapter)

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