Immortal Refiner

The golden giant sword, as if cleaving through the heavens and earth, unleashed an unparalleled, domineering slash toward the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat piloted by Li Qing and Su Xin.

Faced with this terrifying attack, Li Qing felt utterly insignificant, like an ant beneath the giant sword’s blade.

”Is this even a normal spirit boat’s attack? It’s almost on par with the power of a legendary Talisman Treasure!” Li Qing wanted to curse aloud, thinking that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would meet their demise instantly under such a blow.

And this devastating attack was merely unleashed by that spirit boat alone—it defied his understanding as an artifact refiner!

In contrast, Su Xin remained relatively calm. Having clashed with Zhong Ya several times before, she was no stranger to this move.

”Don’t make such a fuss. This is a secret treasure of the Zhong Clan in Liang Country’s cultivation world, known as the Golden War Boat. It’s no ordinary magic artifact because it’s inscribed with a formation!”

As she spoke, Su Xin retrieved an ancient-looking bronze mirror from her storage pouch.

She channeled her spiritual energy into her fingertip and rapidly tapped the back of the mirror with incredible speed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three crisp sounds rang out in quick succession. The spirit patterns within the bronze mirror instantly lit up, activating it and sending it flying forward.

This seemingly ordinary ancient mirror directly met the golden giant sword descending from the sky, creating a stark contrast between the two.

The bronze mirror was plain and unadorned, while the golden giant sword was exquisitely ornate, appearing to be from a completely different realm.

Yet in the next moment, the unassuming bronze mirror unexpectedly blocked the golden giant sword that was about to cleave down.

It emitted no dazzling spiritual light, nor did it unleash any powerful residual aura.

The golden giant sword vanished like ice thrown into a furnace, rapidly melting away until it became completely invisible.

After completing this feat, Su Xin’s body trembled slightly, a clear sign that she had reached the end of her strength.

While her mana reserves were still relatively full, her divine soul’s mental power had reached its limit. Each activation of the secret treasure consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy, placing a heavy burden on her.

After recalling the bronze mirror, Su Xin leaned weakly against Li Qing’s back, her head resting on his shoulder, looking as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

”Hurry, I can’t hold on much longer. The forbidden secret technique has drained me too much.”

Su Xin spoke softly, but she didn’t slow down the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat’s speed, continuing to channel her mana into it.

Feeling the girl’s soft words against his ear, Li Qing’s heart tightened slightly, the pressure mounting.

”I’ll do my best.”

Immediately, Li Qing poured all his energy into the spirit boat, disregarding the cost. At the same time, he maintained his divine sense spread out.

In truth, his divine sense power was also depleted. Just now, Su Xin had drawn a significant amount of it to cast her secret technique.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. The Golden War Boat behind them could unleash a second sword strike at any moment, and Su Xin might not be able to withstand it.

So he had to rely on his own control of the spirit boat to evade the attack. Any deviation meant certain death for both of them.

As expected, before long, a second sword began to slowly materialize above the Golden War Boat—another golden giant sword of equal power!

Li Qing didn’t even need to turn around to know what was happening behind him. It was undoubtedly another Overlord Heaven-Shattering Earth-Extinguishing strike.

”How is this possible? Even Foundation Establishment cultivators can’t unleash such a powerful attack indefinitely!”

”Can’t you be reasonable for once?!”

Li Qing couldn’t help but voice his thoughts aloud. His sharp spiritual perception made him feel as if he had a thorn in his back, and the overwhelming sense of danger constantly agitated his mind.

”You fool! I told you he’s using the spirit boat’s formation to launch the attack, so it doesn’t consume much of his own spiritual energy. You’ll never dodge it like that,” Su Xin replied weakly.

Hearing this, Li Qing’s lips twitched. He retorted, ”But formations require the power of heaven and earth to unleash their full might. How can they possibly be inscribed on a magic artifact?”

Truthfully, he wasn’t confident in dodging this strike. The attack’s range was simply too vast.

But he had no choice. He had to give it his all. If he failed to dodge, it would be certain death.

With that thought, Li Qing frantically replayed the trajectory of the previous strike in his mind, his heart quickly becoming calm and focused.

Boom!

The aura behind Li Qing suddenly solidified, raising the sense of threat to its peak!

It’s coming!

Li Qing remained expressionless, not a trace of panic in his eyes. He focused his entire mind on controlling the spirit boat.

In that moment, he achieved a perfect union between man and vessel.

The golden giant sword descended once more. His eyes narrowed sharply as he strained to maneuver the spirit boat, maintaining its speed while executing a swift somersault and turn.

Whoosh!

In a flash, the golden giant sword slashed down, narrowly missing the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat. It came within a meter of striking the vessel.

The sword’s miss sent tremors through the mountains and rivers below, a crack snaking across the ground.

After successfully dodging the attack, Li Qing exhaled slowly.

Just moments ago, he had clearly felt Su Xin’s soft body tense behind him.

”Well done,” Su Xin praised, also visibly relieved.

”This isn’t over yet,” Li Qing replied, remaining focused and preparing for the next potential assault. He refused to let the praise distract him.

At this moment, Su Xin quietly explained the earlier question to Li Qing:

”Legend has it that in the early days, an Ancestor of the Zhong Clan encountered a pair of extraordinary individuals. They were fraternal Dragon-Phoenix Twins—one skilled in artifact refinement, the other in array formation.”

”The siblings were nearly telepathic, each possessing profound mastery in their respective fields. Later, they pioneered a revolutionary new school, merging the cultivation techniques of array formation and artifact refinement.”

”It’s likely that this Golden War Boat originated from the work of that peerless brother-sister pair. Either the Zhong Clan Ancestor gained some inspiration from them, or they obtained something else entirely.”

Hearing this explanation, Li Qing was deeply shaken, astonished by the vastness and diversity of the cultivation world.

Truly, the world was full of wonders.

”To think there’s a school I’ve never even heard of, combining array formation and artifact refinement—truly profound and intricate,” Li Qing couldn’t help but exclaim. He then asked, ”But why didn’t such a powerful technique endure?”

Su Xin shook her head slightly and replied, ”I don’t know. It’s said that the Dragon-Phoenix Siblings not only were siblings but also became husband and wife, which was deemed unacceptable by the prevailing social norms. This drew the ire of the Cultivation Sects, who pursued them relentlessly.”

”In short, this school of thought eventually died out. Even the Zhong Clan now only has two Golden War Boats like this, and they can no longer produce more magic artifacts of this caliber.”

Li Qing scoffed inwardly, thinking that the whole story about the orthopedic siblings was probably just an excuse. What Cultivation Sect would meddle in someone else’s personal affairs?

More likely, they coveted the Dragon-Phoenix Siblings’ unique skills, hoping to seize them and bolster their own sect’s power.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. The Golden War Boat’s third sword was already gathering energy, about to strike again.

Li Qing focused his mind once more, becoming utterly absorbed in the moment.

Feeling the aura of the massive golden sword forming behind him, Li Qing didn’t dare relax for a moment, constantly monitoring the shifts in its energy and the flow of air around him.

Having dodged one strike, he was noticeably more skilled this time.

As the giant sword descended, he once again expertly maneuvered the spirit boat, executing a full-speed turn.

The powerful inertia forced Su Xin to cling tightly to Li Qing’s waist from behind, barely managing to maintain her balance.

Boom!

After dodging another sword strike, Li Qing maintained his speed and control over the spirit boat. The pursuers behind him, however, wore increasingly grim expressions.

”They’re heading south. Are they planning to seek refuge in the Mu Kingdom?” Zhong said. ”Don’t attack yet. That Qi Refining Realm ant has surprisingly strong control over the spirit boat. He’s dodged two sword strikes in a row.”

”Indeed,” Lu replied. ”Continuing to attack would likely be futile. We’d be better off sticking close and waiting for their spiritual energy to run out.”

Zhong and Lu exchanged a somber glance. To be honest, they had never taken Li Qing, a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, seriously from the start. Their focus had always been on Su Xin.

Yet, to their surprise, it was this insignificant Qi Refining Realm youth who had repeatedly evaded the Golden War Boat’s deadly attacks.

While the spirit boat’s speed was crucial, dodging such a wide-ranging and ferocious assault shouldn’t have been this easy.

And so, a green and golden spiritual light, one following the other, raced toward the Mu Kingdom in the Far South Lands.

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing within the Heavenly River Sect.

”What did you say? Junior Sister Su Xin chased that Demon Lord Li all the way to Shangqing Sect territory?”

A middle-aged man in the Late Foundation Establishment Realm suddenly stood up. His expression was stern, and his eyes flashed with cold, electric-like light as he glared at the Elder who had brought the news.

This Elder was none other than the old man in charge of the Soul Lamp Hall. He forced a bitter smile and continued, ”Senior Brother Sect Leader, that’s not all. I found Junior Sister Su Xin’s soul lamp in the Soul Lamp Hall has grown extremely dim.”

The words struck the solemn hall like a bomb, causing several Foundation Establishment cultivators within to gasp in shock.

”Hiss! Old Gu, is this true? You can’t just say things like that!”

”Who sent Junior Sister on this mission? If anything were to happen to her...”

”Could she have been recognized by someone from the Shangqing Sect? That shouldn’t be possible!”

The hall erupted in a flurry of voices. The speakers were all the most senior and influential Foundation Establishment Elders of the Heavenly River Sect, including the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Grand Elder of the Pill Hall.

Finally, the Sect Leader of the Heavenly River Sect spoke in a grave tone. ”Call a Council of Elders meeting. We must discuss this matter together!”

(End of the Chapter)

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