Immortal Refiner

Having secured his promise, Chen Chaosheng swiftly departed to make preparations, leaving Li Qing alone in the tower.

Li Qing naturally welcomed the solitude. He ascended to the third floor, where ancient Scripture Scrolls from the cultivation sects of old were stored.

Adhering to his principle of ”the more you read, the more you accumulate,” Li Qing began meticulously examining each of these mostly incomplete cultivation technique inheritances.

”The Nether King’s World-Subduing Sutra—what a grandiose name! Too bad it’s so severely fragmented, with only two pages of scriptures remaining.”

Li Qing carefully held the two scriptures, which seemed ready to crumble into dust at any moment. He silently memorized the few verses they contained before setting them down.

After the end of the dao era, these cultivation technique inheritances had not been properly preserved, resulting in severe fragmentation. Even the jade slips that once recorded these inheritances were so worn that complete cultivation techniques could no longer be retrieved from them.

Though somewhat disappointed, Li Qing meticulously examined each scripture, treating it as an opportunity to broaden his knowledge.

”Most of these are mediocre cultivation techniques. It’s a pity that only a few truly exceptional techniques survived.”

”What a tremendous loss! These were treasures passed down for countless generations, now completely lost to the river of time due to the end of the dao era.”

Li Qing murmured to himself as he set down the final fragmented cultivation technique Chapter. This was the Xuanyuan Dao Canon, a sword cultivator’s technique, now reduced to only the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Chapters—incomplete and of little value.

After this thorough review, there were no remarkable discoveries, only a significant accumulation of knowledge.

Afterward, Li Qing departed, flying toward the other side of the Imperial Palace.

The current Royal Family was now in its fourth generation since Miao Tuo. The once sharp-edged young man had passed away many years ago, failing to ignite his own divine fire.

In this vast royal city, not a single face remained familiar to him; all were strangers.

Instead of meeting the current emperor of the Blood Martial Dynasty, Li Qing went to an imperial mausoleum where Miao Tuo was buried.

He reminisced about past glories, lamenting how generations of heavenly prodigies had been swallowed by the river of time.

The next time he visited the World of Eternal Night, he would likely encounter another new set of faces. His long lifespan meant Li Qing was constantly bidding farewell, often without even the chance to say goodbye.

After a moment of melancholy, Li Qing’s figure began to fade again. He left the royal city and headed toward the location of Giant Mushroom City.

Giant Mushroom City remained largely unchanged, still standing tall on the plain beneath the eternal night.

However, beneath the massive mushroom, many new buildings had sprung up, with roads stretching into the distance, connecting it to other major cities of the Blood Martial Dynasty.

Such fortified cities were common throughout the Blood Martial Dynasty’s territory. Protected by a powerful Ji Ling, they were shielded from attacks by strange beasts from the outside world.

Li Qing’s figure slowly descended, landing atop an ancient castle at the highest point of Giant Mushroom City.

”Long time no see. You’ve been gone for so many years, I thought you wouldn’t return.”

A voice suddenly echoed in Li Qing’s mind—the willpower of the mushroom spirit he had subdued long ago.

Hearing this, a faint smile finally appeared on Li Qing’s face.

”Of course I would return. Your Crimson Moon Spores are invaluable treasures—how could I miss out?”

”Besides, we still have over two thousand years left on our agreement, and I’m not one to break my word.”

The mushroom spirit fell silent for a moment before continuing telepathically, ”Speak your mind. What do you want this time?”

”Heh, two Fourth-Tier Crimson Moon Spores. Don’t refuse—it shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”

”Rest assured, after this, I likely won’t bother you again. You can continue peacefully serving as the city’s Ji Ling, as long as you don’t cause harm to the region.”

Li Qing said with a smile. He had come not only to check on the mushroom spirit but also to request two Crimson Moon Spores capable of catalyzing the evolution and metamorphosis of demon beasts.

These weren’t for others; they were for his Fire Jade Bee Queen and his ninth insect.

It was infuriating, to say the least. Li Qing only realized after waking up that the ninth insect was utterly indolent, having yet to advance to the transformation stage.

The creature had been slumbering in his spirit beast pouch all this time. If Li Qing hadn’t thought about it, he might have assumed it had already passed away in meditation.

The mushroom spirit, visibly pained by Li Qing’s request, reluctantly agreed, ”Very well. Remember your promise.”

It dared not refuse, for its life hung by a thread at Li Qing’s whim. Even without the binding of a master-servant spirit contract, it sensed that Li Qing had grown immeasurably more powerful and enigmatic.

This mysterious human race member filled the spirit with dread. Seated atop the fortress, he seemed to have merged seamlessly with heaven and earth, utterly silent and still.

As Giant Mushroom City trembled gently, two crimson moon spores, glowing with translucent brilliance, floated toward Li Qing.

”Excellent.” Li Qing waved his hand, storing the spores in his storage bag, then snapped his fingers crisply.

Snap!

In the next instant, a faint wisp of spiritual light vanished into the wind below.

”That concludes our contract. I hope to see you again when I return.”

With these words, Li Qing’s figure vanished once more, leaving no trace behind, as if he had never been there at all.

The mushroom spirit sensed Li Qing’s departure, and its thoughts suddenly became complex.

”He actually broke free...”

Severing its connection with this human race member left the spirit feeling as if it had missed something important.

Li Qing returned to the royal city and began meditating and cultivating in a forbidden land within the Imperial Palace.

The World of Eternal Night’s triple time flow was perfect for him to comprehend and practice cultivation techniques and secret techniques that required immense time.

Here, he only needed to occasionally return to the human realm to maintain his condition, without worrying about the end of dao era’s influence on him.

Meanwhile, outside, Chen Chaosheng’s series of orders had once again stirred up many vital energy martial artists, who flocked to the dark wilderness to search for traces of the immortal dao from ancient times.

Anyone who made a discovery would receive a generous reward!

Clearly, another great archaeological era had begun.

(End of the Chapter)

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