Immortal Refiner

As his words echoed, a crimson streak of light erupted from the Golden Profound Sect’s mountain gate, surging outward with blinding speed.

Li Qing sneered, heedlessly summoning the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth to restrain the crimson streak.

”Just a Blood Soul clone? So this was your contingency plan for guarding this place. You’re even more cautious than I imagined.”

With those words, Li Qing unleashed his divine sense power, completely crushing the Blood Soul clone into fragments.

He then turned his gaze back to Shi Zuming, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a dead man.

”It’s a pity there was only one Stone Embryo back then. Otherwise, I might have considered absorbing the origin of your Savage Bone Battle Physique.”

With that, Li Qing extended a finger and mercilessly killed the once-invincible heavenly prodigy with a single strike.

Even the greatest aptitude ultimately amounts to nothing!

Though he couldn’t extract the man’s dao physique origin through the Stone Embryo, Li Qing did retain his essence blood—the purest savage bone battle blood. While he couldn’t refine it into his own body, it would still enhance the resilience of his fleshly body.

As for the other formation master, he remained silent, neither pleading for mercy nor uttering a word, as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.

Li Qing granted him a swift end, killing him with a decisive finger strike.

Thus, the Golden Profound Sect, which had nearly become the Lingyun Sect’s greatest threat, vanished like fleeting smoke.

As for the remaining low-tier cultivators, Li Qing didn’t even bother to personally deal with them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Having completed his tasks, he stepped into the void, the distance beneath his feet shrinking to mere inches—a manifestation of the Ground Shrinking Technique, whose mysteries he had now grasped.

Before long, Li Qing, employing his newfound divine ability, arrived in the Southern Domain of Azure Ridge.

The Southern Snow Region remained desolate after Old Daoist Xu Huan’s world-destroying atrocities. Some ancient cities and metropolises now housed only a few tens of thousands of people, a population built up over many years of slow recovery.

The once perpetually snow-covered Mu Kingdom had long since fragmented, its former territories carved into fiefdoms and states by warring lords.

Yet the cultivation world of the southern region had gradually returned to normal.

Spirit vein lands had been reclaimed by new masters, and the markets that had vanished had been rebuilt.

Li Qing sighed deeply, then shook his head, murmuring, ”Ascension...”

With that, his gaze slowly drifted toward the endless snow mountain range at the southern edge of the domain.

Once a forbidden land of the Azure Ridge Domain, this place now hosted unexpected guests—ones even Li Qing hadn’t anticipated.

He stepped forward, his figure instantly appearing atop the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains.

Moments later, a hunched old woman emerged slowly from a snow mountain cave, leaning heavily on her cane. Her frail, shuffling gait betrayed her advanced age.

”Congratulations, fellow daoist,” she cackled dryly. ”Not only did you survive the tribulation, but you’ve also successfully advanced to the divine transformation realm. From now on, the human realm will be your playground.”

Li Qing knew this old woman was the one who had saved him back then.

”Senior, I am deeply grateful for your timely assistance and life-saving grace,” Li Qing said sincerely, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.

”Heh heh heh, fellow daoist, no need for such formalities. I merely did what was convenient,” the old woman waved her hand dismissively, subtly taking credit for the favor. ”Besides, that Old Ghost Xu Xuan was a sworn enemy of mine. Your act of driving him to his death has finally settled a long-standing grudge.”

”I had assumed you had already ascended, Senior,” Li Qing remarked. ”I never imagined you would remain in the human realm, living in seclusion.”

The old woman chuckled. ”Little friend, you overestimate me. I am old and frail, my strength long past its peak. Ascension is no simple matter, after all.”

”Naturally, we must plan carefully to ensure success,” she said.

With that, she invited Li Qing to visit her cave abode on the snow mountain.

Li Qing accepted without hesitation, following the old woman into the cave abode at the peak of the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains.

Rather than a true cave abode, it was more like the Cold Wind Secret Realm, modified to serve as her secluded cultivation retreat.

Inside, besides the old woman, several other divine transformation cultivators were frozen in ice, each residing in their own independent cave abode within the secret realm.

”Little friend, your purpose here is likely more than a simple visit, isn’t it?” the old woman chuckled softly, her face kind and benevolent.

Li Qing nodded without denying it and clearly explained his intentions.

He had sensed traces of Fan Tong’s aura in this place. Using the remnants of their spirit contract in his sea of consciousness, he confirmed that Fan Tong had ultimately been brought here.

The old woman sighed. ”So that’s why Fellow Daoist Kunyuan brought back a remarkably refined Transformed Tiger Demon after completing his investigation. It seems it was your pet beast, fellow daoist.”

”Rest assured, the tiger demon has suffered no harm. Fellow Daoist Kunyuan has treated it well.”

”I can arrange a meeting between you and Fellow Daoist Kunyuan, but I also hope you’ll agree to one condition, little friend,” the old woman said.

Li Qing’s expression turned serious. ”Senior, please speak your mind. If it’s within my means, I will certainly not refuse.”

”It’s nothing much,” the old woman replied. ”I simply wish for this matter to be resolved peacefully, without resorting to violence.”

Li Qing remained silent for a moment before responding, ”If my Second Brother is returned to me, I am willing to let bygones be bygones. After all, my rapid resurrection was largely thanks to Fellow Daoist Kunyuan’s efforts in finding the Gold Fire Mark for me.”

”You are indeed a reasonable young man,” the old woman said. ”I will summon Fellow Daoist Kunyuan immediately.”

With that, she lightly tapped her cane against the ground.

A series of ice-cracking sounds echoed clearly through the Cold Wind Secret Realm.

Crack! Crack!

As the ice shattered, a middle-aged man’s voice slowly reverberated through the air:

”Venerable Cai Xia, why have you awakened me so soon? Has the opportunity for ascension already arrived?”

As he spoke, wisps of black mist seeped out, gradually filling the surrounding space.

(End of the Chapter)

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