Immortal Refiner

Having swiftly subdued the street thug, Li Qing pinned him down with one hand while interrogating him about the Green Gang.

Through this interrogation, Li Qing learned that a great deal had indeed transpired in the past decade.

Around five or six years ago, two Inner Strength experts from Giant Rock City had passed away. The older generation who had lived through the Sunlight Era had all but vanished, including the Righteous Gang Heavenly Dragon from Blackrock City.

Subsequently, the Righteous Gang had been taken over by Tian Long’s adopted daughter, An Xuan!

After Miao Qi informed her of Li Qing’s interest in the Red Fish Merchant Guild, An Xuan wasted no time. Seizing the opportunity while neither the City Lord’s Manor nor the Red Fish Merchant Guild had produced any new Inner Strength experts, she decided to launch an all-out assault on Giant Rock City!

Surprisingly, the Righteous Gang’s long-planned surprise attack caught both the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild completely off guard.

They had rallied several other gangs in the city who harbored grievances against the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild, uniting with several External Strength experts. They came perilously close to overthrowing the two major factions and seizing control of Giant Rock City.

Unfortunately, something happened later that abruptly halted their fiery advance. They even lost much of the territory they had seized.

Despite this setback, the Righteous Gang’s strength had multiplied several times over. They had secured a foothold in the city, becoming one of the three major powers in Giant Rock City alongside the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild.

”I heard the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild cultivated an Inner Strength expert who immediately disrupted our Green Gang’s offensive,” the Street Thug explained. ”But that Inner Strength expert didn’t eliminate us entirely. Instead, they allowed us to remain in the city and develop, letting us form a three-way power balance with the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild.”

”Grandmaster, I don’t know anything more than that!”

The Street Thug wore a mournful expression, completely unprepared to encounter such a fearsome figure after guarding these stone houses for so long.

”Enough talk,” Li Qing interrupted his pleas. ”Tell me who the top leaders of your Righteous-Green Gang are now.”

”After we absorbed the other gangs in the city, we changed our name to the Green Gang. We have a Gang Leader and two Deputy Gang Leaders.”

”The Gang Leader is Gang Leader An,” the Street Thug said without reservation. ”The two Deputy Gang Leaders are Ke Luoda, the former leader of the Sand Crocodile Gang, and Zhao Kou, the Righteous Gang’s strongest enforcer.”

Hearing the Street Thug’s candid words, Li Qing finally understood the Green Gang’s current situation.

”Looks like Sand Crocodile is quite loyal to have become a Deputy Gang Leader,” Li Qing couldn’t help but chuckle wryly. He was also deeply impressed by An Xuan’s management skills.

The little girl who used to hide behind her grandfather and beg for mercy was now a powerful woman managing a massive gang!

Moreover, Li Qing couldn’t find any major flaws in the Green Gang’s current management structure.

The former leaders of the gangs that had merged into the Righteous Gang formed the Green Gang’s Council of Elders, sharing half the gang’s power with the Gang Leader and two Deputy Gang Leaders.

The Council of Elders and the Gang Leader and Deputy Gang Leaders oversaw each other, consulting on important matters together.

Of course, the Council of Elders wasn’t composed solely of former gang leaders. It also included individuals who had made significant contributions to the gang, such as Miao Qi and Wei Tian.

With these trusted confidants in place, An Xuan effectively retained control of the Green Gang’s true power.

”Lead the way,” Li Qing said coldly. ”I want to meet Elder Miao of your Green Gang.”

Naturally, the Street Thug didn’t refuse. He knew he couldn’t win a fight, so he might as well comply to avoid losing his life.

After all, he was just a low-ranking member of the Green Gang. In a large gang, not everyone at the bottom would willingly sacrifice their life for the organization. There were plenty of traitors like him.

And so, the Street Thug led Li Qing through several streets in the city to Miao Qi’s current residence.

Along the way, whether it was just Li Qing’s imagination or not, he felt that Giant Rock City, now under the three-way power balance, seemed even more prosperous than before. The streets were bustling with more people than he remembered.

”Sir, Elder Miao Qi is currently staying in this courtyard. Look...”

Before the Street Thug could finish speaking, Li Qing struck the back of his neck with a swift hand chop, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Ahead stood a unique courtyard, filled with a vibrant array of ornamental mushrooms. Illuminated by the glow of night mushrooms, the scene was quite striking.

Li Qing had no time to appreciate the scenery. He exerted force in his legs, displaying impressive agility as he effortlessly bypassed the guards at the entrance and slipped into the residence unnoticed.

It was the perfect timing: Miao Qi had just returned from the gang not long before.

”Sigh, I wonder if Brother Zhao will succeed in breaking through to Inner Strength,” Miao Qi muttered, his palms clenched tightly and a worried frown etched on his face.

Li Qing, hidden on the roof, overheard this and raised an eyebrow. Zhao Kou is about to become an Inner Strength expert?

Not bad.

With that thought, Li Qing saw no need to remain hidden. To him, the city seemed to be filled with nothing but mortal realm Martial Artists, posing little threat.

”Cough, Miao Qi, it’s been a long time.”

Miao Qi, who had been about to close his eyes for a nap, snapped his eyes open in shock. ”Who?!”

Bang!

In response, a tall figure descended from the ceiling, landing gracefully before Miao Qi’s bed.

Miao Qi stared at the figure standing before him, his mouth agape, too stunned to speak.

The man’s appearance and demeanor were identical to the one he had known over a decade ago.

He could never forget this man’s face—the ”Qing” in the Green Gang’s name was taken from his name.

TL/N: Qing = Green/Blue/Azure etc...

”Brother Li? Is it really you?”

”I’m not mistaken, am I? Brother Li, am I dreaming? Brother Li, you’ve really returned?!”

Miao Qi stammered in disbelief, his words tumbling over each other in his shock.

Li Qing rubbed his nose. To be honest, after more than a decade in this world, Miao Qi’s face had matured into that of a man in his thirties or forties, becoming very refined.

Meanwhile, Li Qing’s own appearance remained youthful, still that of a vibrant young man.

Being addressed as ”Brother Li” by Miao Qi now made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

”Well, it’s been many years. Your fortunes have certainly improved, becoming the Gang Leader,” Li Qing said with a smile.

How many decades does one truly experience in life? Looking at the man before him, Miao Qi felt a momentary daze, as if he had returned to the days over a decade ago when he had first brought Li Qing to Giant Rock City.

Time had left no mark on Li Qing’s face. The face before him was exactly the same as the one etched in Miao Qi’s memories from over a decade ago.

Bang!

Miao Qi knelt down directly, bowing respectfully. ”Miao Qi greets Brother Li!”

”Brother Li, you’ve finally returned!”

Seeing the man kneeling before him, Li Qing solemnly helped him to his feet.

”Rise. While I’ve been away, it seems a lot has changed in the city. Tell me all about it.”

Miao Qi then gave a general overview of the Green Gang’s origins and the current situation in the city, echoing the account given by the street thug earlier.

As a member of the Green Gang’s Council of Elders, Miao Qi knew more than the average person.

It turned out that after the deaths of Ge Wen and Qin Xiu, two Inner Strength experts, the Red Fish Merchant Guild had gained another Inner Strength expert, a man surnamed Xiang.

Now, all three major factions in the city were under the control of this Xiang.

”His name is Xiang Fa. He doesn’t seem to have been practicing martial arts for long, but he’s a genuine Inner Strength expert. His Vital Energy is completely unlike that of a man in his forties or fifties—when he erupts, he moves like a young man.”

”Moreover, Xiang Fa possesses some special techniques that no ordinary Martial Artist could possibly know.”

”Later, after the Gang Leader inquired, he accidentally revealed his true identity during a drunken revelry: Xiang Fa was once a cultivator!”

Li Qing’s eyes narrowed at this revelation.

Just as he had suspected, there was indeed a cultivator backing the Red Fish Merchant Guild!

But without spiritual energy, how had this man cultivated?

Suddenly, Li Qing’s mind raced with possibilities.

Perhaps this world had once possessed spiritual energy, but it had vanished over time, ushering in the so-called End of Dao Era!

So that’s why the cultivator named Xiang had been interacting with mortals and even practicing Martial Arts, becoming an Inner Strength Martial Artist.

Now everything made sense.

”Ah, I see,” Li Qing nodded, habitually stroking his chin.

”Brother Li, now that you’ve returned, what are your plans?” Miao Qi cautiously inquired about Li Qing’s purpose for coming back.

Li Qing laughed heartily. ”Hahaha, the reason I had you and the Sand Crocodile Gang keep an eye on the Red Fish Merchant Guild was actually for that cultivator named Xiang. I didn’t expect him to reveal himself so readily.”

”Miao Qi, have you had any contact with Xiang Fa? Tell me what you think of him.”

After a moment of thought, Miao Qi cautiously analyzed, ”That man is highly controlling and clearly enjoys the power and authority that his strength brings him.”

”He had several opportunities to eliminate our Green Gang’s top figures, but he never struck. Instead, he allowed us to remain in Giant Rock City, creating a three-way balance of power with the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Merchant Guild.”

”He has no interest in women and is obsessed with maintaining his physical health, paying meticulous attention to his diet and lifestyle. However, he does have a fondness for alcohol.”

”Also, the Armored Pigs and other livestock sold by the Red Fish Merchant Guild were all bred by him. After he seized control of Giant Rock City, he stopped breeding other edible livestock.”

”The city’s once-flourishing hunting operations also ceased.”

After hearing Miao Qi’s detailed analysis, Li Qing nodded inwardly, saying, ”Not bad. It’s pretty much what I expected.”

Greedy for power, fond of political maneuvering, obsessed with health cultivation, yet unable to resist the allure of mortal realm wines.

This perfectly matched his image of a cultivator with no hope of ascending the Immortal Path—a man who had lost his ambition and willingly fallen into depravity.

Li Qing himself had once imagined that if he hadn’t possessed a Spiritual Root and couldn’t cultivate, he might have ended up living this way after mastering Martial Art.

He would have focused on forging more weapons to extend his lifespan, then become an invincible Grandmaster in the mortal realm.

After fully enjoying all the pleasures of the mortal realm, he might have even been tempted to seize power and usurp the throne, just to experience a different kind of life.

But now, everything was different. His Immortal Path was not severed!

”If two Inner Strength experts could restrain that cultivator back then, it seems the End of Dao Era had a significant impact on him.”

Li Qing muttered to himself, a joyful curve forming on his lips.

If two Inner Strength experts could make Xiang Fa fear and endure for so many years, then as a Transformed Strength Grandmaster, standing at the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, he should be able to easily crush his opponent.

Li Qing’s current strength was such that he wouldn’t be overly intimidated even if Xiang Fa were still a cultivator in the Early Qi Refining Realm, even though he had exhausted his spiritual energy in the End of Dao Era.

Cultivators had once seemed so mysterious to Li Qing. Now that he had embarked on the same path, he had gained some understanding, at least enough not to fear a low-level cultivator in the Early Qi Refining Realm.

”Brother Li, what is the End of Dao Era?” Miao Qi asked curiously.

Li Qing shook his head with a smile, offering no explanation. Instead, he said, ”Since that cultivator named Xiang has revealed himself, how can we not pay him a visit?”

Miao Qi’s eyes lit up. Trembling, he asked, ”Brother Li, your Martial Dao Realm now...”

”Hehe, one slap should be enough to kill two or three Inner Strength experts. Hmm, no problem at all!” Li Qing flashed his pearly white teeth.

Hearing this, Miao Qi’s heart trembled violently. He immediately understood the full weight of those words.

(End of the Chapter)

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