Immortal Refiner

Deep within the dense forest, Li Qing’s nerves were taut, his breathing reduced to barely perceptible whispers.

Anyone who dared to traverse the skies so brazenly must possess either a powerful treasure or formidable cultivation.

Having activated both the Aura Concealment Talisman and the Jade Ruyi, Li Qing had suppressed his aura to its absolute minimum, leaving no trace of his presence.

He was confident that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, unless deliberately searching for him, would fail to detect his presence.

I didn’t expect the strange beast’s mutation to cause such a commotion, or that it would attract cultivators so quickly, Li Qing mused inwardly, his body frozen like a stone statue amidst the lush foliage.

Soon, several figures materialized from the sky. The leader exuded a formidable aura, openly displaying his status as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Li Qing recognized this group instantly—they were etched into his memory with bitter clarity:

The Flying Eagle Bandits!

Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

Upon identifying the newcomers, Li Qing’s heart raced, but he quickly regained his composure.

As the rumors suggested, the Demon Eagle Wanderer, leader of the Flying Eagle Bandits, was indeed a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!

A bitter taste rose in Li Qing’s mouth. He never imagined his first attempt to release a strange beast would lead him to such a formidable opponent. If discovered, he would surely meet a gruesome end.

Fortunately, the bandits’ attention was entirely focused on the two strange beasts undergoing metamorphosis below.

The Headless Black Ape and the Red-Haired Two-Horned Lizard were nearing the end of their transformations, their auras growing exponentially stronger.

The Red-Haired Two-Horned Lizard, in particular, had not only grown significantly larger, but its crimson fur now flickered like living flames, suggesting it had already reached the strength of a Second-Tier Demonic Beast!

”What kind of demon beast is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before,” the Demon Eagle Wanderer, usually arrogant and ruthless, couldn’t help but feel curious about the two transformed creatures below.

Beside him stood an elderly man, Liu Hongyuan, the traitor of the Liu Clan. He slowly approached, his expression one of astonishment at the beasts’ altered forms.

”This is unheard of! Not only is the Black Ape covered in tentacles, but it doesn’t even have a head! How could it possibly survive?”

”You’re right. Judging by its aura, this Black Ape is only a late-stage First-Tier Demon Beast. Such a low-level creature would surely die without a head. Yet it’s still alive!”

”Perhaps it’s a Demon Beast with some extraordinary bloodline?”

At this, many Flying Eagle Bandits’ eyes lit up with avarice, eager to capture these two rare beasts.

However, it wasn’t just the bandits eyeing the strange beasts; the beasts had their eyes on them too!

ROAR!

The Crimson-Eyed Tiger roared furiously, its sonic blast carrying lethal force. The lower-ranked Flying Eagle Bandits who had greedily approached were caught off guard, blood gushing from their seven orifices!

”Danger! Retreat now!”

Someone shouted in terror, the bandits’ avarice instantly replaced by clarity.

After all, these were Second-Tier Demonic Beasts. Even fresh from Metamorphosis, they were far beyond the bandits’ capabilities. Charging forward would be suicide.

The falling Flying Eagle Bandits became instant meals for the Crimson Behemoth, which opened its blood-drenched maw and devoured them one by one.

Boom!

After consuming the flesh, the Crimson Behemoth’s aura seemed to solidify further.

Hidden nearby, Li Qing immediately recalled something.

In the World of Eternal Night, those who cultivated the Red Moon Secret Power craved fresh blood. They needed potent blood qi to stabilize their state; otherwise, absorbing too much Red Moon Secret Power would lead to losing control.

Could it be that these strange beasts also shed their berserk frenzy after devouring flesh?!

After observing for a while, Li Qing realized he had been mistaken. The Crimson Behemoth remained ferociously violent, eager to destroy everything in its path.

Roar!

With a thunderous roar, it charged toward the Flying Eagle Bandits alongside the Headless Black Ape, ready to unleash its primal bloodlust.

”Intriguing,” the Demon Eagle Wanderer sneered, showing no concern for the deaths of his followers.

In the next moment, he let out a long, piercing whistle.

A majestic Sky-Rending Eagle swooped down from the heavens, its power far surpassing what it had been two years prior. It was now just a hair’s breadth away from becoming a late-stage First-Tier Demon Beast.

Whoosh!

Several wind blades, swift as phantoms, slashed toward the Headless Black Ape with deadly precision, aiming for its left chest.

Simultaneously, the Flying Eagle Bandits’ leader, the Demon Eagle Wanderer, barked an order:

”Attack together! Capture both Demon Beasts! I want to know their origins.”

The bandits swarmed forward, engaging the two immensely powerful strange beasts in a chaotic melee.

The Headless Black Ape fought with bloodthirsty ferocity, its body quickly riddled with wounds.

The Crimson-Eyed Tiger fared no better. Its fur was torn apart by the Demon Eagle Wanderer’s Phantom Wind Feather Blade, leaving grievous injuries.

Yet even so, the two strange beasts’ killing intent remained undiminished. They fought with a terrifying frenzy, as if utterly oblivious to death, their savagery unwavering.

These two fearless beasts inflicted heavy casualties on the Flying Eagle Bandits. Many bandits were so terrified that they were fighting on sheer nerve alone.

The Headless Black Ape was particularly eerie. If it could survive without a head, its other wounds were clearly insignificant.

Its ferocity knew no bounds, growing stronger with each battle. Every sweep of its thick, powerful arms felled swathes of trees, crushing any cultivators who failed to dodge in time.

Just moments ago, it had seized a Mid Qi Refining Realm cultivator in its grasp, instantly crushing him into a bloody pulp.

The crimson blood that oozed out was immediately poured onto the severed stump of its neck.

”What kind of demon is this?!”

”It’s too sinister! Could it be a demon conjured by a Demonic Path cultivator?”

”Kill it! With the Sky-Rending Eagle here, this demonic ape stands no chance against us!”

Meanwhile, the Demon Eagle Wanderer, engaged in a solitary battle with the Crimson-Eyed Eagle, couldn’t help but frown.

”Could this truly be an ancient, rare species? Its resilience is astonishing!”

While ordinary demon beasts were certainly ferocious, none would completely disregard injury and death like this.

Under normal circumstances, a demon beast sensing a mortal threat would instinctively flee, rarely fighting to the death.

”Not bad battle beasts,” the Demon Eagle Wanderer sneered, issuing his command. ”Capture them alive. I want to see what’s so special about these strange beasts. If they’re useless, we’ll send them to the upper sect in exchange for rewards.”

”Kill!”

In the end, both strange beasts fell into pools of blood, captured alive by the Flying Eagle Bandits at a heavy cost.

Though their strength had undergone a Metamorphosis after absorbing spiritual energy, they were ultimately no match for the Flying Eagle Bandits’ superior numbers and Magic Artifacts.

Li Qing wasn’t surprised by this outcome, but he noticed something else.

Upper sect?!

Why had the Demon Eagle Wanderer mentioned an upper sect?

The only entities a Foundation Establishment cultivator would refer to as such were the Cultivation Sects of the Azure Ridge Domain.

Li Qing found this utterly unbelievable. Were these Bandit Cultivators actually taking orders from a Cultivation Sect?!

Hidden deep within the dense foliage, Li Qing’s eyes flickered. He realized he had overheard a crucial piece of information, one that could potentially alter the course of the Azure Ridge Domain’s cultivation world.

No wonder the Flying Eagle Bandits vanished for a while after obtaining the Essence Fusion Fruit. They must have found a Pill Refiner from their patron sect to refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

”Which sect is backing them? The Heavenly River Sect? The Shangqing Sect? The Lingyun Sect?”

Li Qing muttered to himself, unable to reach a conclusion. He felt that all three sects could plausibly be the Flying Eagle Bandits’ patron, and each had some supporting evidence.

Unwilling to jump to conclusions, Li Qing continued observing.

After capturing two metamorphosed strange beasts, the Flying Eagle Bandits bound them securely.

”Hmm?! They can’t be tamed. The Sea of Consciousness of both beasts is filled with chaos and madness,” the Demon Eagle Wanderer frowned.

Having raised a Sky-Rending Eagle himself, he possessed some knowledge of the Beast Taming Dao. After a thorough examination, he confirmed that neither beast could be tamed.

Without the ability to be tamed, these creatures were unsuitable as pet beasts for combat. Releasing such violent beasts would likely result in indiscriminate slaughter, targeting both friend and foe alike.

The Demon Eagle Wanderer withdrew his hand from the crimson-scaled beast’s head. After a moment’s calculation, he declared, ”Send this Second-Tier Demonic Beast to the sect. I recently entered the Foundation Establishment Realm and could use a top-grade magical artifact.”

”As for this strange Black Ape, let’s butcher it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Flying Eagle Bandits sprang into action, hacking the Headless Black Ape into pieces with their broadswords.

Its vitality was terrifyingly tenacious. Even after its limbs were severed, they continued to twitch violently, a gruesome sight to behold.

During the dismemberment, one of the bandits forced a smile and changed the subject:

”Boss, if our mission in six days succeeds, do you think we can finally stop living this life of licking blood off our blades?”

The Demon Eagle Wanderer chuckled, clasped his hands behind his back, and said calmly, ”Naturally. We’ve planned this operation to annihilate the Heavenly River Sect with meticulous care. It’s guaranteed to succeed.”

”It’s a pity those fools from the Zhong Clan couldn’t contain their hatred and rashly attacked the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine. That alerted the sect and spoiled our perfect plan.”

Liu Hongyuan frowned slightly. ”I heard that a Heavenly Spirit Root will be attending the Ascension Conference. I can’t shake the feeling that this is a trap deliberately set by the Heavenly River Sect.”

Hearing this, the Demon Eagle Wanderer sneered. ”Heh, let’s just hope the fish they’re trying to catch can’t handle the bait!”

(End of the Chapter)

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