Immortal Refiner

During the banquet, Li Qing tried to use the alcohol as an excuse to ask the Wild Bull Ridge clansmen about the Little Holy Bull’s true origins. However, he received only evasive and ambiguous answers, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further.

Naturally, Li Qing didn’t press the issue. After the feast, he returned to his cave abode with a drunken swagger.

Time flew by, even in the spirit realm, slipping through one’s fingers like sand.

With the Little Holy Bull as his companion, Fuya no longer dared to sneak into his cave abode at night, becoming much more well-behaved.

Thus, a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the Heavenlight Secret Realm’s opening finally arrived.

Even a mighty power like Wild Bull Ridge attached great importance to the opportunities within this secret realm, sending forth the elite of their younger generation.

Led by the Little Bull King, eight Barbarian Bull Clan members in the divine transformation stage entered the realm, along with ten in the transformation stage. Their purpose was to broaden their horizons and gain experience, laying the foundation for their next entry into the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

This demonstrated the depth and strength of a major clan. The human race of Profound Ancient City, after desperately earning battle merits, had barely secured four quota spots as rewards. In contrast, the Barbarian Bull Clan was so generous that they even sent members in the transformation stage into the realm.

The other major clans followed suit.

The competition for opportunities within the secret realm primarily fell to the divine transformation stage members. For them, this was already their second entry into the Heavenlight Secret Realm, and in terms of both strength and experience, they far surpassed Li Qing and his companions.

”Depart!”

The lean old man Li Qing had seen earlier within Wild Bull Ridge appeared, standing tall in the void with a vast expanse of radiant light shimmering behind him.

The eighteen middle-aged and young cultivators of Wild Bull Ridge, along with Li Qing and the other three, followed behind the old man, landing upon this radiant, luminous expanse.

In the next moment, the old man of Wild Bull Ridge took a step forward, and the surrounding scenery twisted and warped.

Li Qing and the others behind him showed expressions of awe.

”This is the divine ability of a body integration realm expert,” Hu Sheng marveled, his eyes filled with longing. ”At this realm, one can wield techniques that reach heaven-reaching heights.”

”They have achieved such meticulous control over the primordial qi of heaven and earth that their nascent soul and fleshly body merge into one. With a single thought, they can appear ten million li away, even while bringing us along with them.”

If only they could achieve body integration, the human race’s status on the Tonggu Continent wouldn’t be so pitiful. As a native of Profound Ancient City, Hu Sheng felt a deep sense of belonging to its human population. His greatest aspiration in cultivating the Dao was to reach the body integration realm and protect the human race from eternal decline.

Li Qing was also captivated, the surrounding scene of what seemed like a temporal and spatial distortion was truly awe-inspiring, a real eye-opener.

During this instantaneous teleportation, the concept of time seemed to cease to exist. The operations of all things in the outside world appeared to slow to an extreme, as if frozen in place.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery finally returned to normal, no longer distorted and unpredictable.

They had arrived. This was one of the entrances to the Heavenlight Secret Realm, controlled by Wild Bull Ridge.

”Hold your Heavenly Light Tokens tightly and prepare for entry into the Heavenlight Realm!”

”After entering the Heavenlight Secret Realm, each of you will land in a different location. With luck, you might even descend directly beside Condensed Light Lake.”

”Although there are no truly forbidden lands in the Heavenlight Secret Realm, some ancient savage beasts within pose significant dangers to you. Remember to proceed with caution!”

With that, the senior from Wild Bull Ridge waved his hand.

Boom!

A massive, ancient dao platform materialized from the void, exuding an ancient, wild aura that made one’s heart pound.

”All of you, ascend!”

Li Qing exchanged glances with his companions before ascending the Guiding Dao Platform alongside the eighteen bull-headed men from Wild Bull Ridge.

”Heh heh heh, is this the human the Divine Bull Lord favors? I’ve never had the chance to meet him before. Now that I see him, he doesn’t seem all that impressive.”

The speaker was a Barbarian Bull Clan woman adorned with flowers, her physique robust and imposing. Though her voice carried a rough edge, it was unmistakably feminine.

Li Qing glanced at her, his brow twitching involuntarily. He remained silent, instead offering a wordless fist-and-palm salute in respect.

At that moment, the Guiding Dao Platform beneath their feet began to tremble.

Rumble!

Li Qing felt the Heavenly Light Token in his hand grow scorching hot. A wave of spiritual light erupted, enveloping him completely.

The surrounding scenery blurred into a hazy illusion, until his vision was completely obscured.

Hum!

After a moment of dizzying disorientation, Li Qing’s vision stabilized.

He immediately unleashed his divine sense, encompassing his surroundings within his sea of consciousness.

He found himself in a rocky forest, surrounded by jagged, weathered stones. The sun in the sky seemed dim, lacking the blinding intensity of the outside world. It was almost as if he could stare directly into it.

”Hmm? Is that a lake ahead? Could I really be this lucky to have landed right beside Condensed Light Lake?”

Li Qing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately rushed toward the lake detected by his divine sense.

Unfortunately, his hopes were destined to be dashed. It was merely an ordinary small lake, with a herd of wild deer quietly drinking at the shore.

These were ordinary beasts, slightly larger than usual. Seeing Li Qing’s approach, they showed no panic, continuing their calm drinking.

”This isn’t Condensed Light Lake,” Li Qing murmured with slight disappointment. ”There’s no reflection of the sun, moon, or stars, and I can’t draw any Heavenly Light from it. It’s just an ordinary lake.”

He approached the shore, scooped up a handful of water, and carefully observed his surroundings.

His immediate priority was to determine his location before deciding on a direction.

”Judging by the sun’s position, this place should be in the southeastern part of the Heavenlight Secret Realm, but I don’t know the exact location.”

”Sigh, if only I had a detailed map! But with City Lord Lingxu’s capabilities, there’s no way to obtain such a map.”

”I’ll just have to take it one step at a time!”

With that, Li Qing prepared to cross the lake, hoping to find a location he recognized from his intelligence reports.

But as he leaped into the air, the lake’s surface suddenly trembled, and waves surged violently.

Splash!

With a thunderous spray, a giant beast erupted from the water, its massive form soaring through the air to attack the flying Li Qing.