Immortal Refiner

The battle in the Beast Fighting Arena raged fiercely. Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, the Frost Jade Winged Mantis, with a razor-thin advantage, plunged its ice-blade-like forelimbs deep into the flesh of the Giant Flame Lizard.

Crack!

The fire-attribute Giant Flame Lizard couldn’t withstand the mantis’s ferocious assault. A torrent of blood erupted from its wounds, splattering across the arena floor.

As the Giant Flame Lizard’s life force rapidly faded, the outcome of the beast fight became clear.

The cultivators who had bet on the Giant Flame Lizard’s victory erupted in furious curses, utterly dissatisfied with its performance.

”What an ugly fight! How could the Giant Flame Lizard be so pathetic?”

”Even with the Frost Jade Winged Mantis’s superior bloodline, it shouldn’t have been completely outmatched like that. It barely put up any resistance!”

”Sigh, there goes my 150 spirit stones down the drain!”

”No more betting! If I keep losing, I’ll have to pawn my Magic Artifacts!”

”...”

Unlike the enraged gamblers who had lost their spirit stones, Li Qing’s gaze sharpened as he turned his attention to the arena’s backstage area.

The slain Giant Flame Lizard was promptly dragged away, while the owner of the Frost Jade Winged Mantis strode forward with a broad smile, retrieving his pet beast into his spirit beast pouch.

Clang!

After a fifteen-minute intermission, the bloodstains on the arena floor were completely washed away, and the second beast fight of the day began. This time, the battle took place in an aquatic arena, featuring two mid-stage First-Tier demonic beasts from the Boundless Sea.

Li Qing had already lost interest in watching. A sudden thought flickered through his mind: he wanted to investigate the backstage area of the arena.

No sooner had the idea formed than Li Qing rose and flew toward the backstage area.

”I’m sorry, sir, but the backstage area is off-limits to the public,” a smiling middle-aged man stepped forward, blocking Li Qing’s path.

Even from here, the pungent stench of blood and thick demonic aura emanating from the backstage area were unmistakable. Li Qing surmised that the demonic beasts slated for combat must be housed there.

Unfazed, Li Qing chuckled and patted his spirit beast pouch at his waist. ”I’m here to inquire about the spirit stone distribution for providing demonic beasts for the arena fights.”

Hearing this, the manager of the Beast Fighting Arena froze momentarily. But when he spotted the spirit beast pouch at Li Qing’s waist, his expression instantly shifted to obsequious flattery.

”Ah, I see! Young friend, please come in. Let me explain the arena’s rules.”

With that, Li Qing was promptly escorted backstage.

The first thing he saw was the Giant Flame Lizard that had died in the arena, its massive corpse sprawled on the ground. Several cultivators had gathered around it.

”Fellow Daoist Wu Hong, if you’re considering selling the Giant Flame Lizard’s demonic beast materials, the Thousand Talisman Pavilion is undoubtedly your best choice!”

”On behalf of the Gathering Wind Pavilion, I’d like to purchase the Giant Flame Lizard’s flesh and blood. We can negotiate a good price!”

”...”

Among the cultivators, Wu Hong’s face was pale with grief. He stroked the lizard’s body repeatedly, his expression one of profound sorrow.

”Everyone, this Giant Flame Lizard has been by my side since it was a hatchling. We’ve relied on each other for years, and I’ve poured countless resources into nurturing it to its current strength.”

Wu Hong’s initial words carried genuine emotion, but as he continued, his tone took an unsettling turn.

His meaning became clear: he would sell the Giant Flame Lizard’s materials, but only at a premium.

The corners of the onlookers’ mouths twitched slightly, clearly not fooled by Wu Hong’s masterful performance.

Li Qing shook his head and turned to the manager of the Beast Fighting Arena to discuss matters related to beast combat.

”Our Beast Fighting Arena offers very fair prices to beast tamers,” the manager said. ”A battle with a First-Tier Early Stage demonic beast earns two hundred spirit stones, a Mid Stage beast earns three hundred, and a Late Stage beast earns four hundred spirit stones!”

”Of course, if a demonic beast possesses an exceptional bloodline or is a rare variant, the reward will be even higher.”

”May I ask the tier of your demonic beast, esteemed guest?”

Li Qing cleared his throat and answered honestly, ”It’s an ordinary demonic beast with a trace of Black Fiend Tiger bloodline, currently at the First-Tier Early Stage.”

Upon hearing this, the arena manager’s expression shifted to disappointment.

The Black Fiend Tiger itself wasn’t considered a particularly powerful bloodline, and Li Qing’s beast wasn’t even a purebred, with its strength only at the First-Tier Early Stage. Its value was indeed quite low.

”Heh, fellow cultivator, if you wish to register your demonic beast for combat, you can sign up at our arena,” the manager said. ”If it’s selected, we’ll notify you.”

The manager’s interest was clearly waning. While it was true that demonic beasts were becoming increasingly scarce in the cultivation world, the Heavenly River Beast Fighting Arena had been operating for many years, and First-Tier Early Stage beasts were no longer considered a spectacle.

For example, today’s three scheduled fights featured First-Tier Mid Stage beasts in the two weaker matches, with the grand finale showcasing a clash between two First-Tier Late Stage beasts. Occasionally, even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators would bring their Second-Tier pet beasts to the arena for some training.

After further inquiry, Li Qing gained a basic understanding of the arena’s operating procedures.

To register a demonic beast for combat, it first had to be inspected by the arena’s beast tamers to determine its strength, ensuring fair matchmaking. If selected, the owner would sign a spiritual contract detailing various terms, including waivers for the beast’s life or death.

Following contract signing, the Heavenly River Beast Fighting Arena would launch a massive promotional campaign, creating hype and sensational headlines to attract cultivators from across the Heavenly River Market. Failure to deliver the beast on the scheduled fight day would result in severe penalties, such as exorbitant fines or a lifetime ban from the Heavenly River Market.

Having familiarized himself with the rules, Li Qing returned to the spectator area.

”The real problem now is how to explain the origins of those strange beasts from the World of Eternal Night.”

The strange beasts of the World of Eternal Night were all mutated aberrations, transformed by the Red Moon Secret Power. Some possessed immense strength, while others wielded bizarre and unsettling abilities.

But since these creatures had never been seen before in this world, bringing them here could create numerous complications.

If high-level cultivators began questioning their origins, Li Qing would find it difficult to provide a satisfactory explanation.

In the cultivation world, it was not uncommon for powerful cultivators to use soul-searching and spirit-refining techniques to uncover the truth behind certain matters.

While Li Qing longed to earn spirit stones by exploiting these beasts, he would never jeopardize himself for mere wealth.

Above all, he absolutely could not let anyone discover his ability to traverse between worlds!

As he pondered how to resolve this dilemma, Li Qing turned his attention to the aquatic arena below, where two sea beasts were locked in a fierce battle.

Inside the crystal-clear glass tank, a sea serpent with eerie patterns coiling its body tightly around a unicorn shark covered in menacing scales.

The two creatures were locked in a fierce struggle, likely to the death.

The sea serpent clearly held the upper hand. Its two sharp, venomous fangs had already pierced the unicorn shark’s muscular body, injecting a lethal dose of toxins.

”Sigh, this is so boring. That unicorn shark is utterly pathetic—all show and no substance.”

”That Jade-Patterned Sea Serpent is truly formidable. It coiled around the unicorn shark in a single strike. You can tell it’s a seasoned fighter.”

”That’s nothing! I vaguely remember three years ago, an Elder from the Heavenly River Sect brought his Nether Serpent to the Beast Fighting Arena. That was terrifying. Even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators would have struggled to defeat it!”

”Of course! That was a genuine Second-Tier Demonic Beast. Plus, Nether Serpents have mutated bloodlines—their power is ridiculously strong.”

”...”

Li Qing quietly listened to the surrounding discussions. In the arena below, the Jade-Patterned Sea Serpent’s venom had finally taken effect, completely incapacitating the Unicorn Shark. The outcome came as no surprise to the crowd.

Suddenly, a spiritual light flashed through Li Qing’s mind.

Wait a minute!

Why was he racking his brain trying to explain the origins of the strange beasts from the World of Eternal Night?

That’s right! There’s no need for me to exhaust myself explaining these things. Let the cultivators of the immortal realm speculate for themselves!

Li Qing muttered to himself, a flicker of excitement appearing in his eyes.

His plan was simple: first, capture several mutated strange beasts from the World of Eternal Night and release them into this world.

Once other cultivators discovered these creatures and the news of this strange new species spread far and wide, he wouldn’t need to explain their origins at all.

Later, when Li Qing revealed his own collection of these beasts, he could casually claim to have stumbled upon them in the wilderness—a perfectly plausible explanation that no one would question.

”I almost got lost in the details,” Li Qing mused inwardly, a smile playing on his lips. ”This should be entirely feasible, though I’ll need to exercise some control.”

He seemed to envision the chaos that would erupt in the cultivation world. Countless cultivators would undoubtedly grow curious about these suddenly appearing strange beasts, eager to uncover their origins.

But no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could never fathom the truth: this world lacked the Red Moon Secret Power that caused animal mutations!

”I wonder if these Red Moon-influenced beasts would undergo further transformations if introduced to a world brimming with spiritual energy,” Li Qing pondered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. His smile deepened.

Anyone observing him might mistake his expression for that of someone who had just won a fortune in spirit stones!

Thus, Li Qing added a new plan to his agenda: Operation Strange Beast Capture!

”To capture these beasts, I’ll need binding-type Magic Artifacts,” he thought. ”It seems I must expedite the forging of the Water Entangling Net!”

(End of the Chapter)

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