Immortal Refiner

The scene inside the stone hall was horrifying. Seven or eight burly men were tightly bound by iron chains. Not only that, but their tendons had been severed, and chains even pierced through their shoulder blades.

Li Qing immediately recognized them as Martial Artists with formidable physiques, specializing in External Martial Arts and having reached the Inner Strength realm.

Each man exuded an indomitable spirit, even after repeated bloodletting from their wrists and the severing of their tendons. Their brows still held a defiant glint.

The floor was stained with blood, and even from outside, Li Qing could clearly smell the pungent metallic scent.

Several Black-Feathered Men stood inside, their wings retracted. One of them, a sinister grin plastered across his face, held a sharp dagger, preparing to reopen the wound on a man’s wrist that had just begun to heal.

”Come on, shout a few more times. I hear your vital energy martial dao is linked to your emotions. The more enraged you become, the more your Vital Energy surges, and the more blood you’ll lose.”

The weakened bald man slowly raised his head, having prepared for this moment. He spat directly at the Black-Feathered Man.

”Pah! You filthy, cowardly mongrel! If it weren’t for your ambush in the city, how would I have been captured and brought here? You lot are nothing but creatures of darkness!”

The Black-Feathered Man, his face twisted in a sinister grin, merely tilted his head to dodge the spit. He sneered, ”Heh, if not for the mountain leader’s orders, we would have already wiped out your so-called martial alliance long ago.”

The bald man let out a miserable laugh, his voice filled with contempt. ”Hahahaha, you cowards? You wouldn’t dare even look our alliance leader in the eye without immediately kneeling and kowtowing!”

The constant barrage of insults had finally worn down the Black-Feathered Man’s patience. He stepped forward, brandishing his short blade, and sneered, ”Do you think we spilled so much blood for nothing? Do you see that blood pool?”

As he spoke, he pointed to a pool at the center of the stone hall. It was filled with thick, crimson blood, and several Black-Feathered sorcerers stood around it, channeling Red Moon Secret Power to keep the pool’s contents perpetually active, preventing them from clotting.

”Even if your alliance leader were at the eighth level of Vital Energy cultivation, or even at the ninth, or even if he were to forge his own path in the vital energy martial dao, what difference would it make?”

”Our mountain leader is about to undergo a metamorphosis in this blood pool. Once he emerges, he will be able to absorb even more Red Moon Secret Power!”

”When the mountain leader’s strength reaches its peak, we will storm Giant Rock City and turn every mortal within into blood slaves.”

”Once that day arrives, even we will be able to enjoy the benefits of the blood pool.”

As the Black-Feathered Man spoke, he eagerly extended his short dagger toward the bald man.

Suddenly, a soft sigh echoed through the stone hall, seemingly from nowhere.

”Sigh.”

In a hall filled with curses and shouts, a sigh should have gone unnoticed. Yet everyone stopped what they were doing, because the sound was so clear, as if it had been whispered right beside their ears.

”Who?! How dare you play tricks and feign mystery here!” The Black-Feathered Man scanned the hall warily, trying to find the source of the sigh.

They didn’t have to wait long. A tall figure slowly emerged from the entrance of the stone hall, holding a spear.

”Who are you? How did you get into the mountain?” The Black-Feathered Men in the hall stared at the spear-wielding figure with suspicion, immediately on guard.

This was Tianliang Mountain, now a gathering place for Mysterious Persons. How could an ordinary person like this possibly be wandering freely within!

”Stop! I’m asking you a question! Do you have a death wish?”

”How dare you! If you take another step toward the blood pool, I’ll flay you alive and refine your blood into the pool!”

The newcomer was Li Qing. He held a bone spear with a pair of bat-like wings, its azure shaft gleaming in the dim light. He stepped slowly into the hall, each step deepening the killing intent in his eyes.

”So Tianliang Mountain has finally become a scourge,” Li Qing said, his voice as cold as the purgatory, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard him.

Before long, a Black-Feathered Man could no longer contain himself. He unfurled his black feathered wings and charged at Li Qing.

”Hei Yin, wait!” his companion shouted, but it was too late.

Whoosh!

A sonic boom echoed through the air. The Black-Feathered Man, Hei Yin, had barely taken flight when a spear pierced his chest, pinning him firmly to a pillar in the stone hall.

The bat-like wings of the azure bone spear were stained with blood, slowly fluttering and stirring the air in an eerie dance.

No one had even seen how Li Qing had moved. Hei Yin was dead before anyone could react.

The sight of Hei Yin pinned to the pillar sent a collective gasp through the hall.

”Hiss!”

Li Qing raised a single hand, and the azure wind spear embedded in the pillar began to tremble. In a way that defied all understanding, it pulled itself free and flew back into Li Qing’s hand.

”Something’s wrong with this guy! Go alert the mountain leader!”

The Black-Feathered Men present were utterly panicked. Hei Yin’s death had been too swift and effortless, sending shivers down their spines and causing their black feathers to tremble uncontrollably. They couldn’t muster the courage to fight back.

But just as the Black-Feathered Mysterious Persons had taken flight, Li Qing released his grip. The azure wind spear shot through the air, leaving afterimages in its wake!

Whoosh!

Like threading beads, it pierced through all the fleeing Black-Feathered Mysterious Persons, killing them instantly.

”Letting you escape like this would make me a laughingstock,” Li Qing muttered to himself. He kept the wind spear hovering in the air, its menacing presence deterring the remaining Black-Feathered Men who hadn’t yet spread their wings. They dared not move.

”Sir... who exactly are you? We are disciples of Tianliang Mountain. Why are you slaughtering us?” One Black-Feathered Man, terrified, collapsed to the ground. His earlier foresight had saved him from spreading his wings and flying away, fearing he would meet the same fate.

The killing intent in Li Qing’s eyes remained undiminished, but he stopped his slaughter. He had questions to ask.

He walked toward the nearest Black-Feathered Man, ignoring the man’s trembling body, and said coldly, ”Which stone hall does your mountain leader reside in?”

Hearing the question, the Black-Feathered Mysterious Person swallowed hard, fearfully asking, ”Which mountain leader are you referring to?”

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Tianliang Mountain indeed had more than one mountain leader.

”How many mountain leaders do you have?” Li Qing asked coldly.

”There used to be three, but now there are only two left.”

As the Black-Feathered Mysterious Person answered, Li Qing kept his spiritual sense spread out, covering the entire stone hall, both inside and out, to guard against any sudden changes.

The mountain leaders he mentioned were likely mutated persons equivalent to the foundation establishment realm. While Li Qing wasn’t afraid, he still had to be wary of a surprise attack.

”Two? Then where did the third mountain leader go?”

At this question, the Black-Feathered Mysterious Person suddenly became hesitant, as if carefully choosing his words.

”Hmph!” Li Qing narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly.

But before he could answer, one of the Inner Strength Martial Artists bound by chains spoke up.

”Honorable hero, I know about this. Tianliang Mountain originally had three mountain leaders. Later, the most senior mountain leader was stripped of his authority and disappeared without a trace.”

”And the current state of Tianliang Mountain is entirely the fault of the two remaining mountain leaders.”

”Back when the old mountain leader was in charge, Tianliang Mountain was still somewhat decent. Now that it’s become like this, the old mountain leader is probably long dead.”

Hearing this, Li Qing nodded slightly in understanding. With a flick of his wrist, a surge of inner strength shot from his sleeve, shattering the Black-Feathered Man’s forehead.

In the next moment, he waved his hand, and the wind spears in the air stirred again, swiftly slaying the remaining Black-Feathered Mysterious Persons.

This scene left the Martial Artists dumbfounded. After years of martial training, they had never witnessed such a miraculous technique!

Most importantly, Li Qing’s form was perfectly normal, showing no signs of mutation. This proved he was definitely not one of the mutated people who had cultivated the Red Moon Secret Power.

Could there be another path?

A path that didn’t involve cultivating the Red Moon Secret Power or following the vital energy martial dao, yet was even more powerful!

The seven or eight Martial Artists stared at Li Qing with burning gazes. If they weren’t bound by chains, they would have knelt down immediately to beg for mentorship.

Their tendons had already been severed, and their vital energy martial dao path was completely blocked. For a Martial Artist, this was the most devastating fate imaginable.

Now, seeing a glimmer of hope, their hearts surged with excitement.

Sensing the Martial Artists’ fervent gazes, Li Qing knew what they were thinking. He sighed softly, then drew his Wandering Dragon Dagger and severed all their shackles and restraints.

”I know what you’re thinking,” Li Qing said, shaking his head, ”but this path isn’t feasible for you.”

His words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the eager gazes of the Martial Artists.

”How can that be...” one of them said with a bitter laugh, their eyes immediately dimming.

Li Qing’s gaze swept over their wounds. Some had festering wrists and ankles, their Vital Energy severely depleted. Not only was martial training out of the question, even walking normally had become a major challenge.

He sighed inwardly, helpless against such injuries.

The immortal cultivation world did possess spirit pills and elixirs capable of regenerating severed limbs, but he had none on hand.

While he sympathized with their plight, Li Qing wasn’t about to expend his time and energy searching for such rare medicines to save them. Saving their lives was already more than he could have been expected to do.

”Here,” he said, producing a few qi refining realm pills for healing and replenishing Vital Energy. ”Take these. I still have questions for you.”

With a flourish, Li Qing produced several pills used by qi refining cultivators to heal injuries and restore Vital Energy, handing them all to the Martial Artists.

(End of the Chapter)

📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c374. [+2].

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

🔥Translated [1k+] Chapters and [2.17M+] Words.