Immortal Refiner

Crimson magma erupted in a torrent, black smoke engulfing the sky and plunging the world into sudden darkness.

The recently erupted volcano, its pitch-black slopes streaked with molten lava, slowly cooled as the lava flowed downward, gradually solidifying into a scorched crust on the ground.

Aboard the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat, Li Qing casually flicked his wrist, his mana rippling outward to shield them from the scorching air.

After witnessing the magnificent volcanic eruption, Li Qing turned his attention to the central region of the volcanic cluster.

There, surrounded by towering volcanoes, lay a colossal pit, its depths utterly unfathomable to the naked eye. The cavern’s mouth was vast, as wide as a mountain itself.

”Senior Li, this is Fire Cliff Cave,” Cao Xiu explained. ”Once inside, you’ll find a labyrinthine network of passages teeming with dangers.”

Li Qing observed the area for a moment before nodding silently.

”Very well. Let’s follow the route marked on your map and see what lies below.”

Li Qing naturally wouldn’t blindly trust the route marked on the scroll. Instead, he approached the Fire Cliff Cave with a spirit of exploration.

As a cultivator at the peak of the core formation realm, he was confident he could easily handle any dangers he might encounter.

For example, the Fire Jade Beehive would be a fatal threat to most rogue cultivators.

But if Li Qing stumbled upon it, he would undoubtedly try to subdue the Fire Jade Bee Queen!

He coveted such spirit insects. Gaining control over one would grant him another powerful asset for the future.

With careful cultivation, even after reaching the nascent soul realm, these bees could still prove invaluable.

Beyond combat, Fire Jade Bees also produced a spiritual object called Fire Origin Nectar, which greatly benefited cultivators practicing fire dao cultivation techniques.

Of course, the quality of Fire Origin Nectar varied depending on the strength of the Fire Jade Bees.

If Li Qing could cultivate the Fire Jade Bee Queen into a fourth-tier or even fifth-tier spirit insect, the top-grade Fire Origin Nectar it produced would become a true treasure of the world.

With these hopeful thoughts and ideas, Li Qing led Cao Xiu into the Fire Cliff Cave.

As they approached the entrance, a scorching wave of heat surged toward them. Fortunately, Li Qing’s intervention neutralized the oppressive heat, rendering it insignificant.

Deeper inside the cave, Cao Xiu retrieved the map he had obtained from the secret auction and began following the marked route.

The surrounding darkness posed little obstacle to the pair. Li Qing’s divine sense expanded, effortlessly mapping the environment within his Sea of Consciousness.

Before they had traveled far, Li Qing truly grasped the labyrinthine complexity of the Fire Cliff Cave’s interior.

Each passage connected to three others. Upon entering one, three new paths would immediately appear ahead. This pattern continued endlessly, creating an impossibly intricate network that could easily disorient even foundation establishment realm cultivators.

”Without a clear route, you could wander endlessly and eventually find yourself back at the entrance,” Cao Xiu sighed deeply.

Li Qing didn’t reply, instead running his hand along the surrounding cave walls.

These walls were no ordinary rock. Unlike the rough, jagged stone he’d expected, they were surprisingly smooth, their texture akin to stroking a thick layer of warm jade.

Throughout their journey, the pair encountered no significant dangers, save for the increasingly scorching heat in the air.

It seemed the route marked on the map Cao Xiu had obtained from the secret auction was accurate.

Just as Li Qing was thinking this, a sudden, agitated buzzing erupted from the tunnel below.

Buzz! Buzz!

The sound resembled the simultaneous flapping of countless bees, the noise piercingly shrill.

”Fire Jade Bees!” Cao Xiu instinctively recoiled, the lingering pain from the fire poison he’d suffered earlier still fresh in his memory.

But Li Qing’s eyes lit up. Hadn’t he come here precisely for such spirit insects?

Why would he retreat now?

Without hesitation, Li Qing strode toward the buzzing tunnel, determined to use the Fire Jade Bees to locate their hive.

As Li Qing weaved through the tunnels, the buzzing of the Fire Jade Bees grew increasingly clear.

Rounding the corner, he discovered a massive swarm of crimson Fire Jade Bees clustered together, forming a spherical mass of red.

Before Li Qing could react, the swarm surged toward him.

”So aggressive! They sting anyone they see?” Li Qing’s brow arched slightly, surprised by the bees’ ferocity.

Yet he remained calm, extending his left hand.

From his palm erupted tendrils of icy, white flames, instantly forming a wall of white fire before him.

Like moths drawn to a flame, the Fire Jade Bees plunged heedlessly into the wall of Netherworld Cold Fire.

Li Qing had expected the bees to be incinerated instantly, but the reality defied his expectations.

Each Fire Jade Bee hovered within the flames, actually beginning to devour the Netherworld Cold Fire!

He quickly recalled the entry on Fire Jade Bees in the Records of the World’s Extraordinary Insects.

These bees feed on spiritual objects containing fire essence, and the true essence of cultivators who practice fire dao cultivation techniques is their favorite nourishment.

”Interesting,” Li Qing murmured to himself. ”It seems these Fire Jade Bees are highly effective against cultivators who practice fire dao cultivation techniques.”

He chuckled coldly. ”But this isn’t ordinary mortal fire. This is Netherworld Cold Fire, capable of directly harming spirit bodies!”

With that, Li Qing clenched his hand.

Boom!

The wall of Netherworld Cold Fire suddenly contracted, its temperature and aura growing even colder.

A crisp, tinkling sound echoed across the ground, like pearls scattering across a jade plate.

Crackle!

Every Fire Jade Bee that had devoured the Netherworld Cold Fire plummeted to the ground, dead beyond resurrection.

Heavenly spirit fire isn’t so easily refined. Even after being consumed, the Netherworld Cold Fire remained connected to Li Qing.

He immediately channeled the fire to target the spirit bodies of the bees, instantly obliterating their consciousness.

Thus, countless Fire Jade Bee corpses lay motionless on the ground, their bodies intact but utterly lifeless.

Li Qing casually picked up a bee carcass and exerted slight pressure with his fingertip.

Crack!

The jade-like bodies of the Fire Jade Bees shattered instantly.

After all, these were merely low-tier spirit insects. No matter how mystical they seemed, their bodies were fragile and easily crushed.

”It seems the queen bee in the beehive is at most a second-tier spirit insect,” Li Qing mused. ”Otherwise, the hatched Fire Jade Bees wouldn’t be so weak.”

Legend had it that some powerful Fire Jade Bee Queens could even lay eggs that hatched into Fire Jade Bee Kings, each possessing formidable combat strength rivaling third-tier demonic beasts.

However, cultivating such queens required vast resources, forcing them to consume massive quantities of high-grade fire-elemental spiritual objects.

Slightly relieved, Li Qing led Cao Xiu deeper into the cave.

”Senior Li, the path ahead deviates significantly from the route marked on the map,” Cao Xiu said anxiously, fearing they would get lost.

Li Qing chuckled softly. ”The reason Fire Cliff Cave is so easy to get lost in is because its peculiar cave walls assimilate all spiritual energy imprints. Any spiritual energy marks left behind vanish instantly.”

”But just now, I discovered that the cave walls don’t assimilate the fire seeds I leave behind.”

Snap!

With that, Li Qing snapped his fingers.

A series of brilliant white flames instantly ignited along the path behind them, like luminous lanterns lining the way. These were Netherworld Cold Fire seeds Li Qing had left behind, which would ignite at his will. As heavenly spirit fire, they remained unaffected by the Fire Cliff Cave’s unique environment.

Cao Xiu’s eyes widened as he gazed at the path illuminated by the white spirit fire, his respect for Li Qing deepening.

Snap!

Li Qing snapped his fingers again, extinguishing the Netherworld Cold Fire seeds and plunging the tunnel back into darkness.

To return, they simply needed to follow the path lit by the Netherworld Cold Fire back to the clearly marked route on their map. With this assurance, the two ventured deeper into the cave with renewed confidence.

Finally, the path opened into a vast cavern—a junction point with eight connecting tunnels.

Above this junction, a crystalline structure resembling red jade, yet riddled with intricate holes, hung in the air—a Red Jade Beehive.

”That’s right, I remember this place. The Fire Jade Beehive is right here,” Cao Xiu whispered, afraid that a louder voice might disturb the swarm.

Even without Cao Xiu’s warning, Li Qing recognized the Red Jade Beehive above. Fire Jade Bees swarmed around it, constantly entering and exiting, their movements frantic and purposeful.

Many of these bees flew up from a downward passage connecting to this space before returning to the Red Jade Beehive.

”The Fire Jade Bee Queen... she must be inside, right?”

The beehive was massive, occupying nearly half the cavern’s space, clearly housing a vast colony of Fire Jade Bees.

Rumble!

Just as Li Qing was about to act and capture the Fire Jade Bee Queen, a tremor shook the passage below.

”Hmm?” Li Qing turned toward the sound.

Figures in ancient robes emerged from the passage, their movements stiff and mechanical, each step rigid and unnatural.

”Corpse puppets?”

Having spent time in the Great Wilderness Domain, Li Qing was familiar with such creatures.

In the art of puppetry, there exists a secret technique for refining corpses into puppets, known as corpse puppets.

Li Qing was so shocked because the clothing and attire worn by these corpse puppets were of an incredibly ancient style.

He silenced himself, doing his best to conceal his aura fluctuations, and observed the corpse puppets’ movements from the shadows.

Beside him, Cao Xiu’s eyes were already filled with unconcealed terror.

The aura emanating from these corpse puppets sent waves of heart-pounding pressure through him.

There were five corpse puppets in total. Two of them seemed to be at the third-tier level, while the remaining three were at the peak of the second-tier.

The five corpse puppets emerged, each carrying a stone basin. As if following some command, they positioned themselves directly beneath the Fire Jade Beehive.

Almost immediately, the Fire Jade Bees, as if provoked, swarmed out of their hive in a frenzy, launching a direct assault on the corpse puppets.

But these were numb and unfeeling corpse puppets, possessing not only formidable physical strength but also an inability to perceive pain.

The Fire Jade Bees’ attacks were like raindrops against the corpse puppets, utterly ineffective. Even their stingers couldn’t pierce the puppets’ bodies.

Once the corpse puppets had positioned themselves, they began to climb onto each other’s shoulders in a practiced formation, forming a human pyramid.

The swarm of Fire Jade Bees couldn’t impede their progress.

The puppet at the top used a stone basin to scoop up a thick, pale-red liquid from the massive Red Jade Beehive.

Li Qing, observing from the shadows, recognized it instantly.

This viscous substance was Fire Origin Nectar!

”Intriguing,” he murmured. ”These corpse puppets are clearly acting under the command of some entity. Are they transporting the Fire Origin Nectar somewhere?”

After collecting enough Fire Origin Nectar, each ancient corpse puppet, carrying its stone basin filled with the nectar, retreated back into the dark, winding passage they had emerged from.

Li Qing watched the entire sequence in silence.

It seemed the Fire Cliff Cave held secrets he had yet to uncover.

”I only intended to subdue a Fire Jade Bee Queen and leave, but it seems things aren’t so simple after all,” Li Qing murmured, his eyes flickering with a hidden light.

Just as he was pondering his next move, Dao Lord Bai Ling finally spoke:

”I sense a faint, familiar qi mechanism. Let’s investigate.”

Li Qing was taken aback. A qi mechanism familiar even to Dao Lord Bai Ling?

Could there be some ancient monster lurking deep within the Fire Cliff Cave, a relic from the Ancient Era that had somehow survived to this day?

No!

That was nearly impossible. Even cultivators at the divine transformation stage, at their peak, only had a lifespan of two to three thousand years. Even with every known method of prolonging life, such longevity was unattainable in this environment.

Unless they had become something like Dao Lord Bai Ling—a lingering obsession tethered to the mortal realm, destined to dissipate into heaven and earth once its purpose was fulfilled.

So, should they investigate?

Li Qing weighed the matter carefully in his mind.

(End of the Chapter)

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