Immortal Refiner

After tucking the small bottle containing a wisp of Ye Feng’s divine soul into his robe, Li Qing began to explore the secret realm.

The realm wasn’t particularly vast. Aside from a few mountain peaks, the rest consisted of an unremarkable Daoist training ground and patches of thatch grass.

Within the bottle, Ye Feng’s divine sense flickered faintly once more.

”Gu Ming told me this place was an ancient Immortal Cultivation Path Daoist Temple from before the ancient era, dating back tens of thousands of years. It’s called the Soul Nurturing Temple.”

”He scoured ancient texts and finally found some clues. Besides the Heavenly Star Grass, the temple also contains a secret treasure of inheritance: the Soul Nurturing Bell!”

Ye Feng held nothing back, sharing everything he knew with Li Qing.

The reason was simple: with only a wisp of his divine sense remaining, he lacked the ability to explore the realm himself.

It was better to tell Li Qing everything truthfully, hoping he would diligently find a suitable body for Ye Feng to possess.

Once that happened, Ye Feng would once again embark on the Immortal Cultivation Path. By then, he might still need Li Qing’s help in many areas, so he naturally hoped Li Qing would grow as strong as possible.

”Oh? The Soul Nurturing Bell? What kind of secret treasure is that?” Hearing this, Li Qing’s interest was piqued, and he couldn’t help but ask.

Ye Feng explained truthfully, ”The Soul Nurturing Bell is incredibly mystical. Simply wearing it daily and spending a little time each day refining it will nourish the divine soul and enhance one’s divine sense power.”

”While the daily increase may be limited, over time, it will undoubtedly surpass that of cultivators at the same level!”

”However, I heard this from Gu Ming, so you’ll have to judge its truth for yourself.”

Li Qing found himself genuinely intrigued by this information.

”Such a mystical artifact! To nourish the divine soul and enhance one’s divine sense power—it truly deserves to be called a secret treasure!”

As he spoke, Li Qing couldn’t help but consider the implications. If he wore this secret treasure and combined it with his extraordinarily long lifespan, wouldn’t his divine sense power reach an unimaginable level?

No need for Spirit Herbs, no need to exhaust himself with arduous cultivation of secret techniques—just daily refinement, and his divine sense would grow. It was perfectly suited for him!

After all, his greatest advantage was his longevity, allowing him to maximize the benefits of this secret treasure.

At that moment, Li Qing resolved to explore this secret realm thoroughly, no matter the cost.

”As expected, if the Soul Nurturing Bell truly exists, it should be located within the Daoist Temple on the Main Peak,” Li Qing said, turning his gaze once more to the towering Main Peak in the distance. Atop it, a cluster of Daoist Temple-like structures was piled together.

Unfortunately, not only the Medicinal Field Peak but also the Main Peak housing the Soul Nurturing Temple were protected by a Restriction. At least with his current abilities, Li Qing couldn’t force his way through.

Nevertheless, Li Qing was determined to obtain the Soul Nurturing Bell, no matter the cost. It was of paramount importance to him.

His physical body was now exceptionally robust, and thanks to cultivating the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art, his mana was gradually becoming denser than that of cultivators at the same realm.

His only weakness remained his divine sense power. Against immortal cultivators with formidable divine sense and mastery of divine sense attacks, Li Qing would be at a severe disadvantage.

The battle against Gu Ming had already revealed this vulnerability. Even when restrained by the Water Entangling Net, Gu Ming, who had consumed numerous Heavenly Star Grass, managed to injure Fan Tong with his powerful divine sense.

In a clash between two evenly matched immortal cultivators, a sudden divine sense assault—even if it caused no direct harm but merely stunned the opponent for a moment—could prove decisive.

Even a momentary lapse in focus could prove decisive in battle!

After relaying the information about the Soul Nurturing Temple to Li Qing, Ye Feng fell silent, unwilling to further deplete his divine sense power through continued communication.

Though his divine soul resided within this miraculous little bottle, its energy still slowly dissipated.

He couldn’t afford to remain conscious at all times. The best course was to allow his divine soul to slumber within the bottle, patiently awaiting Li Qing to find him a suitable body to possess.

Li Qing sensed the bottle’s interior and confirmed that the slumbering Ye Feng had completely lost awareness of the outside world.

Relieved by this confirmation, he remained cautious.

”I shouldn’t enter the World of Eternal Night for at least six months,” Li Qing muttered to himself. ”If Ye Feng were to awaken and sense something amiss, it would be disastrous.”

However, releasing the strange beasts from the World of Eternal Night remained a viable plan that could proceed concurrently.

With two strange beasts currently stored in his spirit beast pouch, Li Qing planned to release them into the Immortal Cultivation Path to wreak havoc as soon as he left the secret realm.

Once the others grew accustomed to the sudden appearance of these strange beasts, Li Qing began considering capturing more of them and throwing them into the Beast Fighting Arena to earn spirit stones.

Climbing high, gazing far.

Li Qing strode toward Medicinal Field Mountain, a tattered Profound Willow Shield in his left hand and the Crimson Shadow Umbrella in his right.

His spiritual energy flowed continuously within him, ensuring he could withstand most dangers.

The starlight on Medicinal Field Peak was dazzling and intense. As Li Qing ascended, he seemed draped in a cloak of starlight, radiating an otherworldly, sacred aura.

However, halfway up the mountain, he finally triggered a hidden Restriction.

Buzz!

A beam of spiritual light shot down from the summit, hurtling precisely toward Li Qing.

Sensing the Restriction’s attack, Li Qing immediately activated his two Magic Artifacts, simultaneously defending and evading.

Though tattered, the Profound Willow Shield still emanated a ring of emerald spiritual light, enveloping Li Qing.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Shadow Umbrella spun rapidly, sparks erupting from its opening and closing ribs.

Within a few breaths, the spiritual energy beam unleashed by the Restriction struck the Crimson Shadow Umbrella in Li Qing’s hand.

Bang!

He was sent flying horizontally, nearly crashing back down to the foot of the mountain.

Once he left the Restriction’s range, the attacks ceased, leaving no further ripples in the air.

”If this Restriction were to strike directly without a Magic Artifact for protection, it would likely result in severe injury or even death,” Li Qing mused, his brow furrowing deeply. After confirming his current position was safe, he lowered the Crimson Shadow Umbrella, which had withstood one of the attacks.

While such an attack might pose little threat to a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, it would be extremely troublesome for a Qi Refining Realm cultivator like himself.

”Could it be that one truly needs to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm to ignore the secret realm’s protective Restrictions entirely?”

That would take far too long. Li Qing was growing impatient. Given his current cultivation progress, even after forty or fifty years, he might still fail to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Li Qing fell into a contemplative silence.

The only good news was that the secret realm appeared stable and extremely difficult to enter. Without the Jade Pendant, it would be nearly impossible to discover.

Even after waiting for so many years, besides himself, only Ye Feng, who had successfully possessed a new body, might know of this place.

Soon, Li Qing, still somewhat unwilling, continued his attempts to ascend the other peaks.

He was met with the same Restriction attacks. The Main Peak’s defenses were particularly unpredictable, alternating between powerful beams of spiritual energy and invisible ripples that targeted his divine sense.

If Li Qing hadn’t reacted quickly and retreated down the mountain, his divine soul might have suffered severe damage.

Ultimately, Li Qing abandoned his plan to reach the summit of the Soul Nurturing Temple’s Main Peak. Instead, he unfurled the Crimson Shadow Umbrella, relying on the Mid-Grade Magic Tool’s defensive capabilities, and harvested a considerable amount of low-grade, mature Heavenly Star Grass from the mid-slopes of several Medicinal Field Peaks.

After completing this task, he circled the secret realm one last time. Finding no other anomalies, he prepared to depart.

He planned to return to Heavenly River Market and gradually devise a plan. If necessary, he might even need to spend some time studying the intricacies of Restrictions.

(End of the Chapter)

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