Immortal Refiner

Nourished by the blood lotus, Li Qing’s mana gradually replenished, and the life essence within his body finally began to flourish once more.

Though he had escaped the brink of death for now, this was no time to relax. The greatest threat remained: the potent poison and demonic qi still coursing through his veins. The poison, in particular, had already breached his heart meridian and infiltrated his vital organs.

Only the spirit fire was currently slowing the poison’s erosion of his life force. Combined with the blood lotus’s continuous absorption of vital essence from the demonic corpses, it was the only thing preventing him from slipping back into his previous desperate state.

”This poison is like a leech clinging to bone,” Li Qing muttered to himself, his brow furrowed in frustration. ”How can the Heavenly Poison Physique’s toxins be so troublesome?”

The virulent poison had nearly fused with his body, so that any attempt to dislodge it would threaten his entire being. Even attempting to extract his nascent soul was impossible, as doing so would inevitably contaminate it with the poison, sealing his fate.

Sensing the still dire state of his body, Li Qing sighed repeatedly before finally resorting to his last resort.

”There’s no other choice. I had hoped to cultivate steadily to the late-stage nascent soul, but now I must risk everything for survival and gamble against death.”

With this resolve, Li Qing retrieved a massive quantity of ancient demon corpses from his Carefree Cosmos Pouch. He refined them completely into essence blood and poured it all into the blood pool.

Fueled by this influx of essence blood, the blood lotus provided Li Qing with an even richer flow of life essence. His mana cultivation gradually began to advance, pushing him further into the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Just as Li Qing believed he was smoothly approaching the barrier to the late-stage nascent soul, the primordial demonic qi within his body suddenly erupted, surging directly toward his dantian.

Boom!

This sudden upheaval jolted Li Qing out of his meditative state, nearly causing his true essence to collapse.

In an instant, his true essence reversed course, exacerbating his already severe injuries.

”Cough, cough!”

Li Qing coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood tinged with green.

After a long while, Li Qing finally caught his breath, panting heavily. His voice slightly hoarse, he said, ”It seems I must first dispel and purify this primordial demonic qi within my body. Otherwise, if I let it continue to wreak havoc, I won’t be able to cultivate properly.”

Just as Li Qing prepared to eradicate the demonic qi, urgent commotion erupted outside his cave abode.

”Li Qing, you’ve returned to your cave abode? I heard you were injured. How are you?” Wu Chong, his figure already beginning to regain its former bulk, stood outside Li Qing’s cave abode, his face etched with concern as he peered inside.

Beside Wu Chong stood several others: the supreme elders of the Lingyun Sect and Xu Xia, the sect leader.

Jiang Han, clad in snow-white robes, his expression grave, murmured, ”Martial Uncle Limitless, I obtained a miraculous medicine years ago that has proven remarkably effective for various injuries!”

Chu Lingyi, dressed in a pale yellow gauze dress, nodded vigorously. ”Elder Jiang Han’s mastery of the Pill Dao is beyond reproach,” she declared. ”Even my master praises him endlessly. Senior Brother Li, why not give it a try?”

Su Xin had also arrived. Since returning to the Lingyun Sect, she had devoted herself to cultivation within her cave abode. Her cultivation had unknowingly reached the late-stage core formation, bringing her close to nascent soul formation.

She said nothing, but her gentle, water-like face radiated genuine concern.

Li Qing sensed the commotion outside his cave abode, eerily reminiscent of the situation when Ancestor Ziqing was on the verge of death. Back then, he had used his formidable cultivation to break through the restriction guarding Ancestor Ziqing’s cave abode. However, his fellow sect members lacked the strength to force their way into his own.

”I’m not dead yet. What’s the panic? I did sustain some injuries during my recent expedition, but nothing serious. Give me some time to recover.”

”Until then, guard the sect well and stay within the protection of the formation art as much as possible.”

The resonant voice brought a collective sigh of relief from the crowd outside the cave abode. It seemed they had exaggerated the situation; Li Qing’s condition wasn’t as dire as they had feared.

”Alright, everyone, go back now. I need to focus on recuperating,” Li Qing dismissed them.

With these words, the supreme elders gathered before his cave abode dispersed without further delay.

Only one graceful figure remained—a woman in a pale green robe, her demeanor as gentle as water. Her gemstone-like eyes seemed to speak volumes.

”Li Qing, are you sure your condition isn’t serious?” Su Xin asked.

”I have the Water Spirit Pearl with me,” she continued. ”It might be able to help with your injuries.”

Hearing Su Xin’s words, Li Qing hesitated briefly before finally lifting the restriction on his cave abode and allowing her to enter.

The Water Spirit Pearl was a supreme treasure of this realm, possessing an incredibly gentle nature that could nourish all living things. Given Li Qing’s current state, it might indeed have miraculous effects.

Su Xin glided gracefully into Li Qing’s cave abode. By then, Li Qing had already left the secret chamber and was sitting cross-legged on a cyan cushion, meditating.

”I knew your injuries weren’t minor,” Su Xin said softly, her voice as gentle as spring water. ”You were just putting on a brave face.”

Li Qing slowly opened his eyes and chuckled bitterly. ”I nearly died, actually. Fortunately, my constitution is tough enough to pull through.”

”During my recent mission outside the sect, I encountered some powerful ancient demons. I had to resort to a desperate tactic—injuring myself severely to harm them—just to survive.”

”Now, a deeply rooted strand of demonic qi has taken hold within me, draining my vital energy. Eradicating it will be a difficult task.”

Hearing Li Qing’s words, Su Xin’s expression shifted slightly, recognizing the immense danger hidden beneath his casual tone.

”The Water Spirit Pearl residing within me isn’t complete, but it still possesses some healing properties. Would you like to try it?” Su Xin asked, her beautiful eyes blinking softly.

Li Qing nodded. He indeed wanted to test the Water Spirit Pearl’s healing capabilities, hoping it could also purge the deeply rooted demonic qi within his body.

This primordial demonic qi originated from the demon realm and had now become deeply embedded within his physical form. Forcibly cleansing it with heavenly spirit fire would only worsen his injuries.

”Then let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll find another way.”

Soon, Su Xin moved behind Li Qing, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders and carefully removed his blue Daoist Robe.

With the robe gone, Li Qing’s sturdy, muscular arms were revealed. Yet this well-defined physique bore numerous recently healed, gruesome wounds.

Seeing these injuries, Su Xin’s delicate heart trembled slightly as her cool fingertips touched Li Qing’s back.

Feeling the touch on his back, Li Qing remained calm, slowly relinquishing control of his body and allowing Su Xin to probe his mana within.

Su Xin gently closed her eyes and parted her rosy lips.

A Water Spirit Pearl, radiating a warm, lustrous glow, emerged from her mouth. The moment this fragmented pearl appeared, the air in the cave abode became instantly humid, and water spiritual energy surged forth.

Su Xin pressed her palms firmly against Li Qing’s back, and a stream of exceptionally pure water attribute spiritual power flowed into his body.

This water attribute spiritual power, channeled through the Water Spirit Pearl and refined by Su Xin’s manipulation, possessed an exceptionally gentle nature. The moment it entered Li Qing’s body, it began to soothe many of his injuries.

Before long, Su Xin sensed the condition within Li Qing’s body.

She gasped, momentarily stunned by the severity of his wounds, which left her feeling dizzy.

His body was a wasteland of devastation, a scene of utter ruin.

In that moment, she truly understood the immense hardships Li Qing had endured during his recent journey.

Deeply moved, she poured all her efforts into healing his body.

But soon, an emerald green poison dragon suddenly erupted from Li Qing’s body, as if intent on destroying all life force, even attempting to corrode the pure water attribute spiritual power Su Xin was channeling.

However, three spirit fires of different colors immediately surged from Li Qing’s body, instantly suppressing the poison dragon.

”This... such a terrifying poison! How did you become so severely poisoned?” Su Xin exclaimed in shock. ”The Water Spirit Pearl’s detoxification abilities are limited compared to the Wood Spirit Pearl. You...”

Li Qing forced a wry smile. ”This is what I meant by ’harming the enemy a thousand, but injuring myself eight hundred.’”

”Don’t worry about the poison,” he assured her. ”I’ll keep it suppressed. Just focus on healing my injuries and removing that demonic qi.”

Su Xin quickly regained her composure and concentrated on using the Water Spirit Pearl’s power to heal Li Qing’s multiple internal injuries.

Before long, she located the deeply rooted demonic qi.

Purifying and eradicating this demonic qi would inevitably cause significant harm to Li Qing’s body.

Fortunately, with the Water Spirit Pearl, the damage inflicted during the purification process would be instantly and optimally healed.

Several hours passed in this manner. Just as Su Xin’s mana was nearly exhausted, the stubborn demonic qi was finally completely eradicated.

Meanwhile, Li Qing’s severely wounded body had been fully healed, leaving him completely unharmed.

Even the wear and tear and minor hidden injuries his body had accumulated over years of battles were completely repaired.

The Water Spirit Pearl had given him a thorough cleansing, restoring his fleshly body to its peak condition.

Throughout the process, Li Qing had fiercely channeled the three heavenly spirit fires within him, sealing and suppressing the potent toxins deep within every inch of his flesh, preventing them from erupting.

As the healing concluded, Su Xin slowly opened her eyes, her beautiful gaze filled with emotion.

”What about the toxins in your body? They’re so potent... I fear only the Wood Spirit Pearl could neutralize them.”

Li Qing chuckled softly. ”I have my own methods. You’ve already helped me immensely by eradicating the demonic qi and healing my injuries. I truly don’t know how to repay you.”

As he spoke, Su Xin slowly extended her jade-like arms from behind and embraced Li Qing, her graceful, slender body pressing tightly against his back.

She whispered in Li Qing’s ear, her breath as fragrant as orchids, ”Why speak such words between us, little man? Don’t die so easily.”

Before Li Qing could reply, her face flushed crimson, and she buried her delicate cheek against his shoulder.

Feeling the warmth against his back, Li Qing’s heart finally stirred.

Though they had shared intimate moments before, years of focused cultivation and constant crises had kept them apart, preventing such close contact until now.

Sensing Li Qing’s surging emotions, Su Xin pressed her rosy lips lightly against his resolute cheek.

With such a gesture from the beauty, how could Li Qing possibly resist?

Without hesitation, he seized the lotus-like arm draped over his shoulder and swept Su Xin into a horizontal embrace.

Her fair face flushed crimson, as if about to bleed, she murmured, ”The deadly poison within you...”

Li Qing’s breathing grew heavy. ”I told you, I have my own methods.”

With those words, he lowered his head slowly, and together they began to comprehend the Great Dao.

After a profound yet accessible explanation of the Great Dao, Li Qing escorted Su Xin, who was still unsteady on her feet, out of the cave abode.

Returning to his meditative posture within the cave, he soon ceased suppressing the lethal poison coursing through his body with heavenly spirit fire, allowing it to erupt fully.

Boom!

The poison surged anew, engulfing Li Qing’s fleshly body and violently assaulting his life force.

With each surge of the poison, his physical vitality deteriorated further.

However, unlike before, Li Qing had replenished vast amounts of vital essence using the blood lotus, and Su Xin had healed his injuries with the Water Spirit Pearl. He was now at his peak condition.

Though the poison’s onslaught was fierce, it couldn’t claim his life in the short term.

Thus, he activated the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra, commencing the tempering of his fleshly body.

He used the poison to refine himself, seeking metamorphosis and a reborn physique.

Poison, after all, was a form of tribulation, originating from the legendary Heavenly Poison Physique.

Moreover, the poison’s potency had been amplified by his seven-colored life essence, making it even more terrifying.

”If this metamorphosis succeeds, I will possess a treasure body impervious to all poisons.”

Of course, failure meant death by the lethal poison, his body dissolving into a withered skeleton.

To live through death, to seek survival in the face of utter despair—this was the true essence of the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra.

Li Qing focused entirely on confronting the deadly poison. He circulated his cultivation manual, mobilizing the vital energy within his body to clash with the toxins.

This breakthrough differed from the previous two. The Fire Tribulation and Heavenly Thunder had originated from external sources, but this time, the poison had arisen within his body, completely fusing with his flesh and blood.

Overcoming this deadly tribulation would be significantly more challenging than the previous trials.

There might not be an extra Chapter today. If there is, it will be very late, so please don’t wait up!

(End of the Chapter)

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