Immortal Refiner

The next morning, as the last vestiges of moonlight faded, the rising sun burst forth in radiant splendor.

Within the outpost camp, Li Qing slowly emerged from deep cultivation.

Exhaling a turbid breath, he instinctively glanced at his shoulder. To his surprise, the spiritual energy imprint left by the middle-aged Daoist Nun the previous night had vanished.

”Huh? Gone? Did she suddenly develop a conscience?”

Li Qing was far too shrewd to believe she’d voluntarily erased it. After all, this sensory spiritual energy imprint would naturally dissipate after three days.

That left only one possibility: the middle-aged Daoist Nun had met with disaster the previous night!

”Exploring this underwater grotto-heaven is truly a dangerous endeavor. One night and she’s already kicked the bucket!”

Li Qing muttered to himself, his resolve to retreat resurfacing.

”Since the imprint is gone, I should be able to leave without issue now.”

With that, he stood up.

The commotion at the Black Sand River the previous night hadn’t been subtle. The tremors had been felt faintly throughout the surrounding area. He doubted the Heavenly River Sect could keep this news hidden forever.

Moreover, with the war still raging, the Shangqing Sect would undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on the Heavenly River Sect’s every move.

It was clear that this place would become a battleground in the near future, possibly even drawing a Great War between Core Formation Realm cultivators.

In such a scenario, a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator like Li Qing would be less than cannon fodder.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly left the camp, intending to depart immediately.

But soon, Li Qing stopped. After a moment’s thought, he decided to inform Ye Feng about the situation.

”Well, it does involve the life and death of a Heavenly River Sect Elder. Letting Ye Feng know will at least give him some mental preparation,” he muttered.

With that, Li Qing flew towards the Black Sand River.

The river surged relentlessly, its banks piled high with black mud that was utterly unlike any normal river.

At the river’s most turbulent stretch, several Heavenly River Sect disciples had set up a simple First-Tier Formation to seal off the area.

As expected, the middle-aged Daoist Nun wasn’t there. She must have entered the water.

Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He flew towards the edge of the formation.

”Halt! This is Heavenly River Sect territory. All outsiders, please retreat!” a haughty Heavenly River Sect disciple shouted, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Li Qing.

Li Qing showed no concern about the Tianhe Sect’s hostility. He simply clasped his hands and said, ”I’m here to see Ye Feng. One of your sect’s disciples is a close friend of mine.”

Not long after, a gap opened in the First-Tier Formation, and Ye Feng emerged, looking somewhat surprised.

”Brother Li, what brings you here? Is something the matter?”

Li Qing approached him, lowered his voice, and pointed to his shoulder. ”Brother Ye, the spiritual energy imprint left on me by your sect’s Elder last night has vanished.”

Ye Feng froze, his expression subtly shifting.

It was easy to speak with an intelligent person. Seeing the change in Ye Feng’s face, Li Qing knew he had already guessed what this meant.

Ye Feng’s eyes flickered uncertainly, clearly unsure how to proceed.

”This is truly...”

”That underwater cave abode is far more dangerous than we imagined. Brother Li, now that the spiritual seal is gone, you’re free to leave. What are your plans?”

Li Qing replied honestly, ”I’ll leave the Black Sand River Basin, visit Senior Qingyang, and then cultivate alone, continuing my search for the Spirit Herbs needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator had perished in that mysterious underwater grotto-heaven. Li Qing wouldn’t risk his life by going down there.

He still had his youth ahead of him; now he could simply sit and watch the clouds rise and fall.

”Very well, I won’t keep you any longer. This matter is of great importance, and I need to discuss it thoroughly with my fellow sect members.”

”Until we meet again!”

After a brief farewell, Li Qing stepped onto his Peerless Hammer and soared toward the horizon.

Watching Li Qing’s figure gradually recede, Ye Feng immediately turned back to the others and said, ”Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, I suspect Elder Jingguan may have met with an accident down there!”

His words sent shockwaves through the First-Tier Formation. The Heavenly River Sect disciples stared wide-eyed, disbelief etched on their faces.

”Impossible! Junior Brother Ye, you can’t just say things like that!”

”Senior Brother Ye, how did you learn this? Elder Jingguan is at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm!”

”She’s only been down there for one night. Surely it can’t be that serious...”

As the disciples chattered among themselves, Ye Feng recounted everything Li Qing had told him, word for word.

Upon hearing Ye Feng’s account, all the Heavenly River Sect disciples felt a wave of dizziness wash over them, struggling to accept the truth.

Spiritual energy imprints don’t vanish without reason, especially for Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. If it was said to last three days, it would definitely dissipate after three days.

If the spiritual mark dissipated prematurely, it was highly likely that something unexpected had happened.

At this moment, the disciples no longer cared about Li Qing’s fate. No matter how significant the matter, it paled in comparison to the sudden death of a Foundation Establishment Realm Elder.

Their gazes turned towards the surface of the Black Sand River, no longer filled with longing and anticipation. Instead, they stared into the depths with the same fear and dread one might reserve for a demon’s lair.

The silent consumption of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator’s life sent a chill down the spines of every disciple present.

”What should we do? Should we send someone back to the sect with news?”

”No. This place is too important. We need enough manpower to hold our ground.”

”You’re right. Senior Brother Su Wei has already sent someone back to the sect. I expect Elders from other sects will arrive here soon.”

”Then... should we send someone down to investigate?”

”...”

Li Qing, now far away, couldn’t care less about the Heavenly River Sect disciples’ thoughts. All he wanted was to put as much distance between himself and the impending storm as possible.

In the underwater grotto-heaven, a few strands of grass swayed in a pitch-black cavern.

As dark currents surged, a dried corpse in a Taoist robe slowly drifted out of the cave entrance.

If any disciples of the Heavenly River Sect had witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly horrified. For this was none other than Elder Jingguan, one of their sect’s esteemed elders!

Just last night, she had been a living, breathing person. Now, her essence and blood had been completely drained, leaving her a dried husk.

Her lifeless face still bore expressions of resentment and shock, making it impossible to imagine what she had endured in her final moments!

Meanwhile, deep within the swirling currents of the cavern, a pool of spiritual liquid, interwoven with yin and yang energies, continued to float in the water.

At the very bottom, a stone egg lay peacefully on a high platform. But its surface was already stained with a layer of crimson blood.

As time passed, the bloodstains not only failed to dissipate in the currents but instead seeped deeper into the stone egg, as if the lifeless egg were absorbing them.

Several days later, two Foundation Establishment Realm elders from the Heavenly River Sect arrived at the Black Sand River with a group of disciples.

Upon learning that the middle-aged Daoist Nun was likely dead, the two Elders were deeply shocked.

Working together, the two Elders led their disciples in setting up a Second-Tier Formation, sealing off the entire Black Sand River Basin.

Afterward, the two Elders, unsure of their next move, decided to send disciples back to the sect to report Elder Jingguan’s death.

Several days passed, and the Heavenly River Sect’s unusual activity finally caught the attention of the Shangqing Sect.

Chaos was on the verge of erupting once more in the Black Sand River Basin, which had only recently endured a Great War four years prior.

Countless cultivators from both sects converged here, including Core Formation Realm experts facing off against each other.

A voice filled with fury, like a resounding bell, echoed through the heavens and earth!

”Hmph! Just as our two sects were preparing to negotiate peace, why have you invaded Heavenly River Sect territory? Do you truly believe our sect is so easily bullied?”

Many Qi Refining Realm cultivators were left reeling, their heads spinning from the force of the voice.

But soon, a voice emerged from the Shangqing Sect’s side.

”That’s not quite right. The Black Sand River area fell under the control of our Shangqing Sect four years ago. How can it be considered your Heavenly River Sect’s territory?”

Another Core Formation Realm expert appeared, directly confronting the Heavenly River Sect’s Core Formation Ancestor.

Boom!

The clear sky suddenly darkened, covered by dense storm clouds with flashes of lightning.

From the swirling darkness, a figure stepped forward, radiating with crackling lightning as if he were the god of thunder himself.

”Where is Exquisite True Lord? Have her come out. I want to see if this Exquisite Treasure Physique is truly as terrifying as the rumors claim.”

The moment he appeared, disciples from the Heavenly River Sect gasped in awe.

”It’s Ancestor Kong! He’s finally emerged from seclusion!”

”Excellent! Ancestor Kong has finally broken through!”

”Ancestor Kong possesses a Thunder-attribute variant spirit root, and his Thunder Dao divine abilities have reached the pinnacle of perfection!”

Indeed, this was Kong Ming, a supreme elder of the Heavenly River Sect!

”Hahaha, I heard Old Ghost Kong got a Thunder Spirit Crystal a few years back. You’re so eager to assert your dominance, have you already forged your Natal Magic Treasure?”

From the Shangqing Sect’s side, an elder stepped forward, completely blocking Kong Ming’s oppressive aura.

”Four years ago, my Senior Brother died here. If Exquisite True Lord doesn’t show herself today, I’ll kill you here to appease my Senior Brother’s spirit in the heavens!”

As his words fell, Kong Ming raised a single hand. Dark clouds churned in the sky, and several thousand-foot-long bolts of Heavenly Thunder suddenly struck down, directly at the Shangqing Sect’s formation.

Boom!

A Thunder-attribute variant spirit root possesses terrifying killing power. At the Core Formation Realm, every move is like the wrath of the heavens!

Kong Ming’s title, Perfected Heavenly Thunder, says it all!

Whoosh!

The Shangqing Sect’s Core Formation Ancestor clasped his hands together, rapidly forming a magical seal. Pure spiritual energy surged into the sky, coalescing into an invisible barrier that forcefully blocked the attack.

After the thousand-foot-long bolts of Heavenly Thunder dissipated, the spiritual energy in the area became chaotic.

This is the power of a True Lord in the Core Formation Realm!

Even a simple exchange of blows to test each other left the cultivators below deeply terrified.

Even the residual energy from their battle could prove fatal to them.

Many rogue cultivators who had come to watch the spectacle wore bitter expressions. Without hesitation, they turned and fled, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

Only a handful of cultivators who considered themselves skilled remained, hoping to seize an opportunity amid the chaos. These were desperate souls.

(End of the Chapter)

📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c332. [+2].

🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.

🔥Translated [900+] Chapters and [1.79M+] Words.

🎯For Every 1 Review, I will Upload 5 Extra Chapters0/5 reviews reached.