Immortal Refiner

”Mid Core Formation Realm,” Li Qing murmured softly as he rose to his feet within his cave abode.

He closed his eyes again, sensing the surging true essence coursing through his body, and a deep sense of joy welled up within him.

The Golden Core within him had grown to the size of an egg!

Perfectly round and radiating a brilliant golden luster, it far surpassed its appearance when he had first achieved core formation.

After confirming that his cultivation realm was stable and secure, Li Qing opened his eyes.

His expression was calm and serene, as if everything had unfolded naturally, like water flowing into its proper channel.

Soon, a cold, clear voice echoed from outside the cave abode:

”Senior Brother Li, your junior sister has urgent matters to discuss!”

Outside the cave, a graceful figure stood suspended in mid-air. She wore a pale blue dress, its hem fluttering in the breeze, subtly revealing her slender, jade-like legs.

Shen Ningbing had likely cultivated some peculiar spell, for her pupils had turned a pale blue, radiating an icy, aloof aura like a frozen mountain peak.

Yet this ice-cold beauty’s frosty demeanor melted away the moment she saw the tall, upright figure emerge from the cave abode, like spring snow thawing in the sun.

Even Li Qing, who was accustomed to seeing the world’s most beautiful women, couldn’t help but feel a ripple of emotion in his usually calm heart as he emerged from his cave abode.

What a peerless immortal beauty!

”Junior Sister, it’s been too long! Your radiance shines even brighter than before!”

”What urgent matter brings you here? Please, come into my cave abode and tell me. Perhaps I can offer some assistance.”

Li Qing smiled warmly and invited Shen Ningbing inside.

Once inside the cave abode, a rare look of urgency finally appeared on Shen Ningbing’s cold yet captivating face.

”Senior Brother, before we proceed, I need to confirm: have you already broken through to the mid Core Formation Realm?” Shen Ningbing asked, her gaze fixed intently on Li Qing.

There was no need to hide anything from his junior sister. Besides, the moment he had broken through, his aura had spread far and wide, making it obvious that his cultivation had advanced.

Li Qing nodded straightforwardly. ”I recently obtained a Millennial Dragon Marrow from the Ghost Sword Sect and managed to break through by sheer luck.”

Hearing this, Shen Ningbing didn’t even have time to marvel at Li Qing’s cultivation progress surpassing hers before she blurted out:

”Senior Brother, three days ago, I received a crucial piece of intelligence. I was hesitant to inform you about it at first.”

”But just now, after sensing the fluctuations of your successful breakthrough, I decided to tell you about this!”

”I have news of my master!”

Li Qing’s expression froze momentarily, then he asked, puzzled, ”You should have told me this immediately. Why the hesitation? Could True Lord Bing Yun be in danger?”

Shen Ningbing nodded apologetically. ”You’ve had the black market intelligence network closely monitoring the Shangqing Sect cultivators who entered the Great Wilderness Domain. Three days ago, we finally received the latest report.”

”The Shangqing Sect cultivators are currently searching the northern region of the Great Wilderness Domain for a female cultivator in the core formation realm who specializes in ice dao spells!”

”Moreover, someone mentioned the term ’Lingyun Sect Remnant’.”

A female cultivator in the core formation realm, specializing in ice dao spells, and a Lingyun Sect Remnant!

Combining these clues, it was clear whom the Shangqing Sect cultivators were hunting.

Who else could it be but Ancestor Bing Yun?

Realizing this, Li Qing frowned deeply. ”Junior Sister, do you truly believe I’m so untrustworthy?”

”I am also an elder of the Lingyun Sect. Back then, several ancestors of our sect sacrificed their lives to delay the enemy’s advance, buying us a sliver of hope.”

”Do you think I’m the kind of ungrateful wretch who would forget such a debt?”

These impassioned words moved Shen Ningbing deeply.

”No, Senior Brother, I...”

Li Qing cut her off. ”There’s no need for hesitation. If we abandon Ancestor Bing Yun, it will become a heart demon I can never shake off for the rest of my life!”

”Give me the Spirit Sealing Letter’s intelligence. Let me review it again!”

Shen Ningbing retrieved the specially crafted spirit letter and handed it to Li Qing.

As he studied the contents, Li Qing fell into a brief contemplation.

The northern region of the Great Wilderness Domain was the territory controlled by the Taiyi Sect, the leader of the righteous path.

Now, that entire area was likely the most chaotic place in the entire Great Wilderness.

”Senior Brother, what do you think about this?”

Boom!

A crimson pill fire erupted from Li Qing’s fingertip, incinerating the spirit letter completely. His expression remained impassive as he declared:

”One thing is now certain: the Shangqing Sect is indeed colluding with the Taiyi Sect.”

”This is likely why the Taiyi Sect, despite losing a Nascent Soul-level combatant, has managed to hold its own against several demonic path sects.”

”To rescue Ancestor Bing Yun from the northern reaches of the Great Wilderness Domain, we must first thoroughly understand the current situation between the righteous and demonic paths!”

”We might even need to cleverly leverage the Ghost Sword Sect’s power.”

Having just emerged from seclusion, Li Qing’s understanding of the current state of affairs in the Great Wilderness Domain remained rooted in the period before his retreat.

However, one thing he was certain of: Gui Li, who had been refined from the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, would never remain docile.

Thus, the two left their cave abode and began subtly inquiring about the recent developments across the Great Wilderness Domain.

The more they learned, the more Li Qing’s heart trembled with shock.

”A cultivation sect guarded by a Nascent Soul Realm ancestor... completely annihilated?”

Upon hearing of the Ghost Sword Sect’s destruction of Jade Bamboo Valley, Li Qing gaped in astonishment.

Though he had long anticipated Gui Li’s restless nature, the scale of this event still left him utterly stunned.

Having obtained the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, Gui Li’s combat prowess had likely surged to terrifying heights. Ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarchs would stand no chance against him.

”There’s some good news: the demonic path is offering a bounty for those with the Pure Yang Physique, and the reward is quite substantial.”

”With such tempting conditions, a large number of rogue cultivators are likely flocking to the northern Great Wilderness Domain.”

”The more chaotic the situation becomes, the more it benefits us.”

Having consumed an entire portion of Millennial Dragon Marrow himself, Li Qing understood the immense allure such a peerless spiritual object held for core formation realm cultivators.

The marrow had forcibly propelled him from the early Core Formation Realm to the mid Core Formation Realm, allowing him to break through an entire cultivation stage in one leap!

Now that the demonic path had offered such a rare treasure as a bounty, countless rogue cultivators were salivating at the prospect.

The northern Great Wilderness Domain was now swarming with people searching for those with the Pure Yang Physique, including many core formation realm true lords.

After receiving this intelligence, Li Qing fell into deep thought, pondering how he could exploit the situation.

Soon, a plan formed in his mind.

”Let the tigers devour the wolves. We must leverage the combined forces the demonic path has mobilized.”

”The only question is how many forces the Shangqing Sect has deployed. Let’s hope they’ve sent a generous gift!”

Ancestor Bing Yun was crucial to rebuilding the Lingyun Sect. Now that he had the strength, he couldn’t possibly stand idly by.

(End of the Chapter)

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