Immortal Refiner

What the two had said was true. After performing the forbidden secret technique, Su Xin was indeed at the end of her strength.

After breaking through the Wood Essence Demon-Locking Formation, she was barely holding herself together. Her divine rainbow was unsteady, and if Li Qing hadn’t been there to support her, she might have collapsed.

”Get in my spirit boat,” Li Qing said sternly, then produced the modified Serpent-Head Spirit Boat from his storage pouch.

Su Xin knew the boat’s speed well. She had no objections and weakly agreed before following Li Qing aboard.

”Mm.”

Whoosh!

As soon as they were inside, Li Qing expertly activated the boat, channeling spiritual energy with one hand to unleash its full speed.

Not long after, Lu Feiyu and Zhong Ya emerged from the formation’s breach, their faces grim.

”A spirit boat? With such astonishing speed?” Lu Feiyu clenched his fist. Even at his full power, he couldn’t hope to catch up.

Zhong Ya sneered. ”Heh, it’s just a spirit boat. Brother Lu, come aboard. We’ll chase them together.”

As Zhong Ya spoke, he produced a resplendent spirit boat from his storage pouch. It appeared to be crafted entirely of pure gold, adorned with dazzling crystals and gemstones that shimmered brilliantly.

Lu Feiyu raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, ”Brother Zhong, you’ve even brought out your family’s war boat. You’ve prepared exceptionally well.”

His tone held a hint of caution, for Lu Feiyu knew that the Golden War Boat was no ordinary spirit boat. It was a masterpiece that combined the cultivation techniques of artifact refinement and formation array mastery.

More than just a Magic Artifact, it was inscribed with a simplified formation array. While this array couldn’t harness the power of heaven and earth for combat, it provided cultivators with powerful assistance.

The colorful crystals and gemstones embedded in the Golden War Boat weren’t merely for decoration. They served as the foundational materials for the formation array, converging into a unified whole.

”Hehe, Brother Lu, perhaps you should speak less,” Zhong Ya said as he boarded the spirit boat. ”If I didn’t have some trump card, how could I dare accompany you into the Wood Essence Demon-Locking Formation?”

Lu Feiyu forced a dry laugh and followed him aboard.

”Hahaha, Brother Zhong Ya, you’re overthinking things. I invited you to join me in this demon-subduing formation. Why would I harbor any ulterior motives?”

Both men were old foxes who had navigated the immortal cultivation world for years. They knew what the other was up to, if not perfectly, then close enough.

How much truth lay in those words was a matter of intriguing speculation.

Soon, the Golden War Boat soared into the sky. The artifact refinement spirit patterns on its surface shimmered with spiritual light, while the embedded gemstones pulsed with spiritual energy. Their combined radiance made the war boat even more magnificent.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the air as the war boat, resembling a miniature war fortress, sliced through the sky like a golden meteor, pursuing the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat.

Ahead, Li Qing had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had shaken off his pursuers, when a knot tightened in his stomach. He could clearly sense a powerful surge of spiritual energy behind him.

Turning around, he saw a resplendent, majestic Golden War Boat closing in from the sky.

No, calling it a spirit boat might be an understatement. This Golden War Boat was simply too massive—easily two or three times the size of a normal spirit boat!

”Such a massive spirit boat... how much spiritual material must it have cost? This is far too extravagant!” Li Qing said, his heart pounding. He then took out spirit stones from his storage pouch, preparing to absorb their spiritual energy while activating the spirit boat.

Without doing so, he wouldn’t be able to travel far before his mana was completely depleted, leaving him utterly exhausted.

But before Li Qing could begin, a soft, fair hand pressed down on his.

”No need. I can’t use my divine sense right now, but I can still use my mana.”

Su Xin spoke weakly, then insisted on helping Li Qing activate the spirit boat together.

With the added mana of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat unleashed its full potential, its speed increasing once more!

Boom!

Seeing this, Li Qing couldn’t help but ask, ”Are you sure you can still hold on?”

It wasn’t that Li Qing’s question was unnecessary; Su Xin’s complexion was now terrifyingly pale, as white as paper, completely devoid of any color. It was clear that forcing the forbidden secret technique just now had taken a heavy toll on her.

”I’m fine. Thanks to the Heavenly Desire Flower, I gained quite a few benefits while underground just now.”

”If not for that, I might have really died here today,” Su Xin said, her breath like orchids, her expression slightly troubled. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she had gained significant benefits from the process, just as Li Qing had advanced to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.

It was precisely because of these gains that she had dared to forcibly activate the forbidden secret technique, combining it with Li Qing’s divine sense.

Indeed, the Heavenly Desire Flower was truly a Spirit Herb that aided dual cultivation—her initial assessment had been correct.

Li Qing grumbled, but he decided to hold a few Spirit Stones in his hand, absorbing their energy while simultaneously piloting the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat.

Regardless, he was still being pursued by two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even with Su Xin’s help, he didn’t need to worry about them catching up for now, but it was best to keep his mana reserves full.

Su Xin glanced at Li Qing, but this time she didn’t stop him. ”You’re very cautious. That’s good,” she said softly.

Li Qing shrugged it off, replying matter-of-factly, ”If I weren’t, I would have died countless times on this journey.”

Hearing this, Su Xin fell silent for a moment.

Having grown up in a sect since childhood, she was well aware of the harsh conditions faced by rogue cultivators, but had never truly experienced them firsthand.

Now, Li Qing’s simple statement concealed countless life-or-death crises he had overcome.

He spoke matter-of-factly, but only those who had walked the same path could truly understand the weight of his casual words, the hardships they contained.

Of course, Li Qing had it relatively easy. In the immortal cultivation world, many rogue cultivators endured far greater hardships than he did. They might toil for ten days in a mine tunnel for a few meager spirit stones, braving wind and rain, enduring winter’s chill and summer’s heat, year after year, accumulating their meager fortunes.

Consider Old Zhou, who ultimately lost his life to the Flying Eagle Bandits in his desperate pursuit of a Spirit Condensation Pill to break through to the Late Qi Refining Realm.

Or Xu Sanniang and her son Cao Xiu, whom he had met at the Azure Radiance Pool. To beg him to teach them a few artifact refinement techniques, they had knelt outside his courtyard gate in the bitter winter cold, arriving long before dawn.

Such examples were countless. What Li Qing had witnessed was merely a drop in the ocean.

”So why did you kill our sect’s Enforcement Disciples in the market?” Su Xin bit her lower lip, her beautiful eyes complex as she looked at Li Qing.

After all, she had grown up in the Heavenly River Sect and had an indescribable affection for it.

Li Qing sneered. ”If someone tries to kill me, am I supposed to just stand there and let them?”

”How could that be...” Su Xin was stunned, never imagining that the Enforcement Disciples would break the law they were supposed to uphold.

”The one who tried to kill me was a close friend of many years. After failing to achieve Foundation Establishment, he learned I had a Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. He set a trap in the market, poisoning my drink. But I’d seen this trick before and saw through it.”

”I took advantage of his carelessness and killed him in his own courtyard.”

”The irony is, I had saved his life before. You could easily verify these facts with a little investigation.”

Li Qing smiled self-mockingly, unsure whether he was laughing at himself or Ye Feng, or perhaps both.

Hearing this, Su Xin’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

”So the sect offered a highly valuable bounty for your capture, attracting numerous disciples to attack you. You didn’t even have a chance to explain yourself and were forced to flee thousands of miles, branded as a Demon Lord.”

”It was indeed the Heavenly River Sect’s fault. Those five disciples you killed didn’t die unjustly.”

Hearing this, Li Qing’s voice grew even colder.

”I never intended to harm those disciples. But to force me out, they rampaged through a mortal city, slaughtering countless people like pigs and dogs, reducing half the city to ruins.”

”And then they tried to pin the blame on me. I came from the mortal world myself. How could I stand by and watch?”

With that, Li Qing strained to activate his divine sense, transmitting the images he had witnessed directly into Su Xin’s mind.

Several disciples in Heavenly River Sect robes, led by Yang Xi, piloted a spirit boat like Demon Lords, their faces devoid of emotion as they wantonly slaughtered mortals, their eyes showing not a trace of pity or remorse.

After witnessing these images transmitted by Li Qing’s divine sense, Su Xin could hardly believe these were disciples of the Heavenly River Sect.

”How could these scum from the sects do this?!”

Su Xin had always been kind-hearted. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to attack the white ape in the mountain gorge to save a few mortals.

Seeing this now, she was consumed by righteous fury.

After all, these disciples usually presented themselves as paragons of virtue within their sects, cultivating an air of ethereal detachment and claiming to possess pure, benevolent hearts.

Li Qing remained silent, focusing on piloting the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat and trying to shake off their pursuers.

”Sigh... If we make it back to the sect this time, I’ll report all of this,” Su Xin said to Li Qing with a hint of apology. ”We must purge those disciples with such depraved conduct.”

Li Qing shook his head calmly. ”It’s all a waste of effort. When a sect grows large, all sorts of people will inevitably emerge. It’s unavoidable.”

Of course, he added silently to himself: When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be too!

Some disciples dared to act this way, and it was impossible for all the sect’s high-ranking members to remain ignorant. The Elders were essentially turning a blind eye, tacitly condoning such behavior.

Even if we knew, what could we do? Would we punish our own sect disciples for the sake of some insignificant outsiders?

Being overly strict with rules and regulations makes us seem cold-hearted. To maintain a sense of belonging among the lower-ranking disciples, such incidents are inevitable.

Although the Heavenly River Sect has a Law Enforcement Hall, it ultimately serves only the sect’s own disciples. For rogue cultivators, it’s practically useless.

Just as Su Xin was about to speak, the Golden War Boat that had been pursuing them finally lost its patience.

”Brother Zhong, we’ve chased her far enough. That demoness’s mana must be nearly depleted by now. Let’s use the war boat’s formation to launch a decisive attack and bring her down before night falls and things get complicated,” Lu Feiyu said, his gaze fixed on the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat streaking ahead with its azure tail.

The Golden War Boat was indeed a remarkable treasure, but its comprehensive functions made it somewhat bulky. Compared to the compact Serpent-Head Spirit Boat, which focused all its spirit patterns on speed, the war boat couldn’t match its agility. Keeping up with it had already been a struggle.

”Hahaha, I was just thinking the same thing. If we can capture that Foundation Establishment female cultivator from the Heavenly River Sect alive this time, we’ll split the treasures in her storage pouch equally.”

”As for that Second-Tier demonic beast crystal core, I won’t take any of the Foundation Establishment Pills refined from it afterward. But if we capture her alive, she’s mine!”

Zhong Ya’s eyes flashed with a cunning light as he deliberately feigned eagerness.

Lu Feiyu stroked his beard, chuckling. ”Brother Zhong has quite the refined taste. Indeed, this woman’s beauty is truly peerless. In all my years of cultivation, I’ve rarely seen a female cultivator as stunning and ethereal as her.”

”Very well, I’ll let Brother Zhong have her. I won’t compete with you for her.”

Zhong Ya didn’t object, openly admitting his desire for the woman.

However, in his heart, he was thinking something entirely different. He had clashed with this woman on the battlefield before.

While they hadn’t fought to the death, Zhong Ya had gleaned from subtle clues that her background was far from ordinary. She was definitely not just an ordinary Heavenly River Sect Elder!

Moreover, ordinary Foundation Establishment Elders wouldn’t even comprehend such divine sense forbidden secret techniques!

Back then, he couldn’t do anything to her, but now he had a chance to capture her alive. Naturally, he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Without hesitation, Zhong Ya clapped his hands several times on the Golden War Boat!

Boom!

The entire Golden War Boat trembled violently as the array formations laid out across its surface were fully activated.

Several beams of multicolored spiritual light shot into the sky, forming a mysterious connection with the crystal gems embedded in the war boat’s surface.

In the next moment, a massive golden spiritual light sword materialized rapidly, radiating a powerful surge of spiritual energy into the air.

The golden sword emitted an intensely brilliant golden light, dazzling and captivating!

”Cut!”

Zhong Ya roared with focused determination, urging the golden giant sword to slash forward with lightning speed.

At that instant, the very air ahead seemed to split in two, parting to either side of the sword’s blade.

(End of the Chapter)

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