Immortal Refiner

Bathed in moonlight, the small hillock seemed to possess an air of divine purity.

Li Qing ascended to the summit, then swept his divine sense across the surroundings to ensure no one else was present. Satisfied, he retrieved a simple, ancient Jade Pendant from his chest.

With a slight activation, moonlight cascaded down from the sky like silk, gathering in the void.

Soon, a Moon Gate materialized.

Stepping through the gate, the scenery abruptly transformed. Several towering peaks stood before him, their restrictions channeling starlight into a river that nourished the ancient Heavenly Star Grass growing on their slopes.

Now at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, Li Qing had gained considerable confidence in breaking these second-tier restrictions. He was no longer as helpless as before, forced to stand by and watch helplessly.

”The simplest method would be to buy a few Second-Tier Formation-Breaking Talismans and blast a gap, then use it to create a path,” he mused aloud. ”But Restriction-Breaking Talismans are the most precious type of talisman, practically strategic resources. They’re not easy to come by.”

After a moment of contemplation, Li Qing decided to stick with the more cautious approach, unwilling to risk his life by forcing his way through the restrictions.

”Let’s go hunting!”

As Li Qing’s words faded, he whistled, summoning Fan Tong. Then, he activated the secret realm’s two-world travel function, instantly transporting himself to the World of Eternal Night, a place he hadn’t visited in ages.

Darkness and coldness remained the dominant themes of this world.

Eleven years had passed since his last visit, and the World of Eternal Night had undergone a dramatic transformation. With its three-times faster time flow, thirty-three years had elapsed here.

”The sea turns into mulberry fields,” Li Qing murmured, gazing at the towering mushroom trees that now dominated the landscape. He almost doubted his eyes—these mushrooms had grown even taller, rivaling the height of ancient giants!

”Arooo!”

Fan Tong roared, and through the canopy of giant mushroom umbrellas, a faint crimson moonlight pierced the darkness, converging towards the beast.

”What...”

Li Qing’s eyelids twitched as he watched Fan Tong absorbing the Red Moon Secret Power. He almost retracted the beast into his spirit beast pouch.

However, Fan Tong transmitted a thought through their mental link, assuring Li Qing that everything was fine. It could now safely withstand the crimson moonlight.

A layer of crimson light, like a delicate veil, enveloped Fan Tong’s body, making it strikingly visible in the darkness.

It was clear that Fan Tong was undergoing metamorphosis, but unlike the intense transformation caused by the Crimson Crystal, this process was much gentler.

Just as Li Qing relaxed, a faint tremor suddenly rippled through the surroundings.

Buzz!

Li Qing’s pupils snapped shut in disbelief as he stared at the mushroom trees around him. They had... come alive!

No, ”come alive” wasn’t quite right. The mushroom trees were already living beings. But now, they were moving.

Swish! Swish!

The mushroom trees shook violently, and a torrent of dark red spores rained down from their caps.

Li Qing had no idea what would happen if he were to be covered in them, but he knew it couldn’t be good.

Without hesitation, he tapped his spirit beast pouch, interrupting Fan Tong’s metamorphosis and immediately recalling it to his storage pouch. Then, he turned and fled.

Boom!

Li Qing unleashed his full speed, his Vital Energy surging through his body like a great river in flood, thunder roaring within him.

His movements were agile and his speed utterly absurd. Each step he took left a deep footprint in the earth.

As he sprinted through the dense mushroom forest, Li Qing’s afterimages blurred, a testament to his incredible speed.

Rumble! Rumble!

In the vast Mushroom Forest, Li Qing’s Vital Energy, surging like a tidal wave, was like a drop of water splashing into a pot of boiling oil.

The explosion completely shattered the deathly silence of the Mushroom Forest. Mushrooms danced wildly, and a vast rain of blood-red spores descended like a torrential downpour.

Midway through his escape, Li Qing drew his Crimson Shadow Umbrella, using its rapidly spinning surface to deflect the spores.

After running for nearly half an hour, Li Qing finally burst out of the eerie and sinister Mushroom Forest.

Sweat soaked through his clothes, and in the frigid air, his body steamed like a grotto-heaven’s cauldron, enveloped in a thick mist.

”Hah! Hah!”

Li Qing struggled to calm his racing heart, his face pale with horror as he stared back at the restless Mushroom Forest, as if he’d seen a ghost.

”What... exactly happened? Why did these mushroom trees suddenly come alive?”

”Did some mutation occur in the past thirty years?!”

As he spoke, Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Suddenly, he made a horrifying discovery: during his frantic escape, a few crimson spores had clung to his hand.

Li Qing instinctively brushed them away, only to find that the spores had rooted themselves in his skin, refusing to budge.

His face turning a sickly green, Li Qing rubbed and scrubbed with all his might, using immense force to finally dislodge a few of the stubborn spores.

Not long after, the spores bathed in the red moonlight began to sprout rapidly, growing into a tiny patch of mushrooms on Li Qing’s hand.

In that instant, he felt a small portion of the Vital Energy in his hand drain away.

”So it even sucks blood? Are you trying to defy the heavens?”

As the words left his lips, Li Qing immediately activated the Martial Dao cultivation manual he had created: the Limitless Art!

”Limitless Golden Body!”

This move was a Martial Art he had created by combining elements of the Golden Body Technique. It was a more powerful version of the Golden Body Technique, a skill he had already mastered. By infusing his flesh with Vital Energy, he could transform his body into a form as solid as cast iron in an instant.

Finally, the Vital Energy drain stopped, and the tiny patch of mushrooms on his hand ceased to grow.

Li Qing took out the Wandering Dragon Dagger, which he had refined into a Mid-Grade Magic Tool. Using his spiritual energy, he carefully scraped off all the red spores from his hand.

His current physical form was impervious to ordinary iron weapons, but the Wandering Dragon Dagger was clearly not in that category.

The faint spiritual light emanating from the dagger’s blade, like an extended blade of light, caused a slight stinging sensation on Li Qing’s hand.

Only after scraping off the last tiny spore did Li Qing finally exhale, a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

If Li Qing hadn’t been on guard, and these crimson spores had landed all over his body, he would likely have become a dried-up husk by now, his Vital Energy instantly drained.

”This world is getting increasingly dangerous. Even mushrooms are actively trying to kill people. That was a close call.”

As Li Qing sheathed his Wandering Dragon Dagger, a series of piercing sounds suddenly echoed from the other side of the sky.

Sensing the commotion, Li Qing didn’t hesitate. He immediately suppressed his Vital Energy fluctuations, then produced his Jade Ruyi to conceal his aura.

In the sky, several figures with black feathered wings soared through the air, their wings beating constantly. Their bodies were entirely covered in black feathers, resembling the legendary birdmen.

”Why is the Giant Mushroom Forest stirring so restlessly? Has someone trespassed into the Forbidden Land?”

”That’s a terrifying disturbance. Could it be a Martial Dao expert with abundant Vital Energy who dared to intrude?”

”Most likely. These bloodthirsty mushrooms only react this way when they sense a sufficiently potent Vital Energy.”

”Search! I suspect some Martial Dao experts from Giant Rock City are up to their old tricks again, trying to stir up trouble in Tianliang Mountain. Flush out this rat!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The figures scattered, soaring away in four directions. Their massive forms didn’t hinder their speed; they moved like eagles.

Clearly, these winged birdmen were highly adapted to their bodies, their pair of black feathered wings appearing as natural extensions.

Unfortunately for them, Li Qing had concealed himself perfectly, remaining undetected.

After a long while, once the four Black-Feathered Men had departed, Li Qing released his spiritual sense to sweep the area, confirming their absence before emerging and fleeing in another direction.

”In the thirty years since I left, the World of Eternal Night must have undergone drastic changes. There’s so much I don’t know.”

”The Martial Dao experts from Giant Rock City they mentioned... Could the idle chess piece I casually placed back then finally be coming into play?”

Of course, Martial Dao had always existed in the World of Eternal Night. But after the sun went out and food became scarce, these manuals had become rare treasures, swept away into the dustbin of history.

Now, the Red Moon had reawakened the world’s ecosystem, partially replacing the sun. With food no longer so scarce, those Martial Dao manuals were likely being unearthed, ready to shine once more.

As Li Qing muttered to himself, a figure in the sky ahead flapped its black feathered wings, its back turned toward him.

As Li Qing approached, the Black-Feathered Man slowly turned around, his wings fluttering and occasionally shedding feathers.

”Such vigorous Vital Energy. Are you the Martial Dao expert who caused the mutation in the Giant Mushroom Forest?”

The Black-Feathered Man stared at Li Qing intently, as if sizing up a delicious meal. His eyes, sharp like a hawk’s, were piercing.

Just now, while running, Li Qing had relaxed his control over his Vital Energy, allowing a trace to escape his suppression and fall within the Black-Feathered Man’s perception.

Li Qing disliked the predatory gaze. He said coldly, ”I lost my way and accidentally stumbled into this area. If I’ve caused any disturbance, I apologize.”

But the Black-Feathered Man merely licked his lips and said with burning eyes, ”Let me taste your sweet, fresh blood, and I’ll forgive your trespass into this Forbidden Land.”

With that, he flapped his black wings and lunged at Li Qing.

At that moment, Li Qing’s gaze turned icy cold. Killing intent surged within him, and he spat out chilling words:

”You’re courting death!”

(End of the Chapter)

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