Immortal Refiner

Having escaped the Blood Spirit Sect Mountain Gate, Li Qing still felt lingering fear.

The aura that had leaked from the void rift earlier had been terrifying beyond measure. Even across the dimensional barrier, he had felt suffocated.

Since advancing to the nascent soul realm, this was the first time he had felt so utterly insignificant. The entity behind the rift existed on an entirely different plane of existence, the gap between them as vast as the difference between clouds and mud.

”Is this the power of a great demon lord from the demon realm? Truly terrifying beyond comprehension. What level of cultivation could it possibly possess? Even a Divine Transformation stage expert might not possess such overwhelming presence.”

Though he had never encountered a true Divine Transformation stage expert, Li Qing suspected that the entity behind the void rift far surpassed that realm.

He dared not imagine what would happen if such a powerful ancient demon invaded the Human Realm. Who in heaven and earth could possibly stop it?

”Even a mere leak of that entity’s aura destabilized the void rift.”

”Perhaps it truly cannot cross the dimensional barrier, but who knows what other methods ancient demons from the demon realm might possess? We must not underestimate them.”

”In any case, I can’t stay in the Great Wilderness Domain for long. The demon realm’s invasion will likely begin here. I must leave as soon as possible.”

Li Qing murmured to himself, feeling the overwhelming tide of the era crashing down upon him. All living beings in the Human Realm were about to be plunged into turbulent chaos.

Unconsciously, Li Qing had arrived near the Great Rift Valley.

He was somewhat familiar with this place. True Lord Wood Dragon had once led him here during his ventures through the Great Wilderness Domain.

”The yin-yang cavern...”

Back then, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing had come here to retrieve a portion of yin-yang spirit liquid. With the aid of this supreme core formation spiritual material, Li Qing had successfully achieved core formation, gradually ascending to the pinnacle of this world.

”This place isn’t far from Giant Deer Prefecture. I could make a detour to the black market and check on Zhang Da. If he’s willing, I might as well bring him back to the sect.”

”The great wilderness is about to descend into chaos. It’s no place to linger.”

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Li Qing’s gaze drifted toward the depths of the Great Rift Valley, toward the yin-yang cavern.

Now that he had reached the nascent soul realm and his strength had greatly increased, the idea of exploring the yin-yang cavern once more stirred within him.

After all, when he had first come here, his cultivation was still shallow. He had relied on Shen Ningbing, who had already achieved core formation, to venture deep into the cavern and retrieve the yin-yang spirit liquid for him.

”With my current strength, I should be able to withstand the violent surges of yin-yang qi within the cavern.”

”Many sect elders have reached the pseudo core formation stage. Obtaining some yin-yang spirit liquid would be a significant boon.”

Li Qing hadn’t forgotten his promise to Zhang Da and Elder Jinbao: if the opportunity arose, he would acquire a superior core formation spiritual material for them.

Having already arrived at the yin-yang cavern, he couldn’t afford to miss this chance.

Thus, Li Qing resolved to explore the yin-yang cavern within the Great Rift Valley once more before leaving the great wilderness!

His figure transformed into a crimson escape light, and he swiftly descended into the depths of the Great Rift Valley.

The area was saturated with an oppressive, lingering poisonous miasma that permeated the air in dense, suffocating layers.

However, these toxins posed little threat to him now. Even if they penetrated his body, his formidable mana could easily refine and neutralize them.

”Hmm? The Heavenly Poison Heart is reacting?”

Li Qing’s brow furrowed slightly as he sensed an emerald green heart pulsing within his storage bag.

This was the Heavenly Poison Heart he had obtained from the mysterious grotto-heaven in the Azure Ridge Domain. The heart was lethally toxic; even Li Qing dared not touch it with his bare flesh and kept it safely stored in a separate corner of his storage bag.

”Could the Heavenly Poison Heart be reacting to these poisonous miasma?” Li Qing wondered aloud.

He patted the Carefree Cosmos Pouch, and the emerald green Heavenly Poison Heart flew out, its texture resembling a vibrant green gemstone.

Upon contact with the poisonous miasma in the air, the gem-like heart immediately seemed to come alive, its pulsations growing more intense.

Soon, the poisonous miasma throughout the Great Rift Valley began to converge toward the Heavenly Poison Heart before Li Qing.

Boom!

As the Heavenly Poison Heart’s pulsations intensified, the poisonous miasma converged even faster.

Before long, even Li Qing’s expression changed. The poisonous miasma gathering around him grew increasingly thick and heavy, its toxicity so potent that even he felt a sense of dread. He instinctively held his breath and activated the Golden Jade Garment he wore, creating a barrier to isolate himself from the poisonous miasma.

The Heavenly Poison Heart absorbed the dense poisonous miasma at an astonishing rate, like a whale swallowing an ox. This poisonous miasma had accumulated within the Great Rift Valley over countless years, yet now it was being devoured by the Heavenly Poison Heart in Li Qing’s hand at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After a long while, the surrounding air cleared, and the thick poisonous miasma that had permeated the Great Rift Valley completely vanished.

The Heavenly Poison Heart before Li Qing, however, grew increasingly sinister. Its vibrant green hue was now far more lethal than before.

”The poison within the Heavenly Poison Heart has become even more deadly!”

”Unbelievable! Even cultivators at the divine transformation stage might struggle to withstand the poison now.”

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Qing retrieved the Heavenly Poison Heart and stored it in a separate corner of his Carefree Cosmos Pouch, careful not to contaminate any other items in his storage bag.

Having secured the artifact, Li Qing continued deeper into the Great Rift Valley.

With the poisonous miasma gone, his vision expanded dramatically. In mere moments, he arrived at the entrance to the yin-yang cavern.

Now unobstructed by the miasma, the cavern entrance stood out even more clearly.

Upon entering, Li Qing found the interior largely unchanged from his memories. The cavern remained thick with yin-yang qi.

The yin and yang qi were distinctly separated, maintaining a delicate balance. Once this equilibrium was disrupted, they would erupt into violent chaos.

Even cultivators in the core formation realm couldn’t withstand such a yin-yang qi eruption unscathed, suffering severe repercussions.

Driven by the hope of obtaining more yin-yang spirit liquid, Li Qing stepped into the cavern.

As he ventured deeper, he gripped the Carefree Cosmos Pouch tightly in one hand. If anything beyond his capacity to handle occurred, he would immediately summon the Black Furnace for defense.

Li Qing had unwavering faith in this furnace, once a heaven-piercing spirit treasure.

Sure enough, the moment Li Qing penetrated a short distance into the yin-yang cavern, the balanced yin-yang qi surrounding him shattered, instantly erupting into violent chaos!

Boom!

Yin and yang energies reversed, and Li Qing, trapped within the yin-yang cavern, was violently jolted, his fleshly body enduring a severe impact.

”Hmph!”

Li Qing grunted, channeling his vital energy to suppress the yin-yang qi’s assault.

This was terrifying. His fleshly body had already undergone another thunder tribulation, undergoing a further metamorphosis and sublimation, now comparable to a mid-fourth-tier Transformed Demon King.

If he were to encounter the Black Flood Dragon King again, Li Qing felt he could subdue the creature with his physical strength alone.

Of course, that assumed the Black Flood Dragon King hadn’t made significant progress in the meantime and remained stagnant.

However, amidst this upheaval in heaven and earth, Li Qing wasn’t the only one striving to improve his strength. Every being would undoubtedly seek every possible means to enhance their power—that much was certain.

”Not bad. I can withstand it. The impact of the yin-yang qi after the balance was broken is quite formidable.”

Thus, relying on his formidable fleshly body, Li Qing stubbornly endured the onslaught of the rampaging yin-yang qi, advancing step by step into the cavern.

The Profound Yin Qi was bone-chillingly cold, while the pure yang qi blazed with scorching heat. The alternating extremes caused Li Qing to grit his teeth and grimace.

”Good thing it’s not the legendary Great Yin and Great Yang Qi. Otherwise, even a true immortal would have to turn tail and flee.”

Yin and yang energies also have hierarchical levels. The yin-yang qi within this cavern, for instance, was only at the profound yin and pure yang levels—not particularly high.

If it were great yin and great yang qi, even the entire heaven and earth, let alone Li Qing, would struggle to withstand it.

Even so, Li Qing had already endured considerable hardship. His body was now covered in black and white luminous patterns that constantly stung his flesh.

Finally, he reached the depths of the yin-yang cavern, only to discover, to his surprise, that the yin-yang qi hadn’t grown denser or heavier. Instead, it had become noticeably thinner.

”How can this be?” Li Qing narrowed his eyes, suddenly noticing several shattered purple scales on the ground, likely from some unknown demon beast.

Intrigued, he ventured deeper into the cavern. Here, the yin-yang qi had thinned to the point of near dissipation, defying all logic!

”I vaguely recall junior sister Shen mentioning a pool inside, where dense Profound Yin Qi and pure yang qi intertwined to produce yin-yang spirit liquid.”

”Now, not only is there no Yin-Yang Pool, but even the supposedly dense yin-yang qi is nowhere to be seen!”

Thinking this, Li Qing activated his powerful divine sense, focusing it in his eyes.

”Hmm? Something’s wrong!”

His divine soul was exceptionally strong, and he immediately sensed an anomaly.

The space here seemed to be veiled by some kind of illusion, obscuring perception with the naked eye!

Without hesitation, Li Qing unleashed his formidable divine sense, sweeping through the cavern in an attempt to pierce through the illusion and reveal the truth.

His divine soul had grown remarkably strong. After mastering the first layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture, few cultivators in this realm could match his spiritual prowess.

Boom!

The surging divine sense power surged forth, causing the depths of the cavern to shift and distort. A shattering sound echoed through the air.

Crack!

The illusion shattered, revealing the cavern’s true form.

Before him stood a massive, purple figure blocking the path—a demon beast! It had the head of a ram, the paws of a wolf, and a pair of dragon horns atop its head. Its body resembled a deer, yet its hide was covered in purple scales.

The moment Li Qing laid eyes on this spirit beast, he couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, ”A qilin? A purple qilin?! How is this possible?!”

Roar!

The purple qilin let out a low growl, as if warning Li Qing to stay back.

Li Qing was momentarily stunned by the spirit beast’s appearance, his mind reeling. Isn’t this exactly how qilin are described in ancient texts?

Wait, its strength is only at the late third-tier. Qilin are True Spirit-level beings; even a juvenile wouldn’t be this weak.

Li Qing quickly discerned the truth.

So it’s a Qilin Beast with qilin bloodline, and a rare purple qilin at that. This is an auspicious heaven and earth spirit beast!

Far from being disappointed, Li Qing’s eyes lit up with even greater interest.

If it were a true qilin, I’d already be dead. But if it’s just a Qilin Beast, I might have a chance to tame it.

Ignoring the auspicious beast’s hostility, Li Qing spoke gently, ”Heh, little one, why don’t you come with me?”

”The world is about to face a great calamity. A little thing like you, who hasn’t even undergone transformation yet, will struggle to survive.”

”Come with me, and I’ll ensure your safety. You’ll also have access to rare spirit herbs that will rapidly enhance your strength. Who knows, one day you might even transform into a true qilin!”

The purple qilin snorted disdainfully, wisps of purple flame curling from its nostrils.

As a late third-tier spirit beast, it could understand human speech. Its hostility remained undiminished, its wary gaze fixed on Li Qing.

Seeing this, Li Qing gradually withdrew the smile from his face and said, ”Since you refuse to show me any respect, aren’t you afraid I’ll capture you, refine your true blood, and boil your bones for soup?”

”And what are you guarding here? Could there be some extraordinary opportunity hidden behind you?”

With that, Li Qing stepped forward.

The purple qilin finally snapped, charging at Li Qing in an attempt to block his path.

But what chance did a mere third-tier spirit beast—still lacking transformation—stand against Li Qing, even with its diluted true spirit bloodline?

Bang! Bang!

Without a word, Li Qing unleashed two powerful punches.

The purple qilin instantly collapsed to the ground, its four legs splayed stiffly in the air, clearly having taken a severe beating.

”Heh, now I’ll see what you were guarding so fiercely!”

Li Qing hadn’t struck a fatal blow, merely knocking the auspicious beast unconscious.

After bypassing the unconscious purple qilin, Li Qing ventured deeper into the cavern and finally laid eyes on the Yin-Yang Pool!

However, the pool was enveloped by a radiant barrier woven from intertwined yin-yang qi.

Through the shimmering barrier, Li Qing saw a delicate figure carved from jade, seated cross-legged within the pool. It was a woman of striking martial bearing, her hair coiled in an elegant bun, her features dignified, and her brows sharp as unsheathed swords.

Gazing at the jade-like body reclining in the Yin-Yang Pool, Li Qing felt a strange familiarity in her features, as if he had seen her somewhere before, yet he couldn’t quite place her.

Soon, his nose twitched, catching a faint, familiar fragrance in the air.

”This scent... it’s so familiar... Could it be Wang Chan?!”

Li Qing’s mind raced, and he quickly recalled a former acquaintance—the cross-dressing cultivator who had once traded him the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid!

”The crown prince of Prince Yan from the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty... No, I should call her the eldest daughter now.”

”I never expected to encounter her here again,” Li Qing murmured to himself, noting that her cultivation had already reached the late-stage core formation realm. This rate of progress was truly astonishing.

However, considering her noble lineage, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

As a descendant of Prince Yan of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, Wang Chan naturally had access to abundant cultivation resources, making her advancement to the late-stage core formation realm unsurprising.

After all, she had possessed vast quantities of Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid in the past and had generously traded some to Li Qing.

Just then, as if sensing movement outside, the woman immersed in the Yin-Yang Pool abruptly opened her eyes.

”Who’s there?!”

Splash!

With a splash, Wang Chan immediately stood up, but realizing her impropriety, she quickly sat back down.

”Who are you?!”

Li Qing didn’t bother with the superfluous gestures of closing his eyes or covering them with his hands. Since he had already seen everything, he might as well be forthright.

”Heh, Fellow Daoist Wang Chan, how could you forget me after all these years?”

”Speaking of which, what happened to Uncle Fu, who used to accompany you? Why are you alone now?”

Wang Chan glared at Li Qing through the protective barrier, furious that he dared to stare so openly. She initially assumed he was some shameless elder.

But when she heard his subsequent words, she froze in shock.

”You... you’re...”

”Li Qing from back then?!”

”You’ve actually achieved nascent soul formation! Wait, where’s Purple Scale?”

(End of the Chapter)

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