Immortal Refiner

Such a massive, majestic mountain had been forcibly severed and transported from the outside world into this secret realm!

What immense power this required! It was truly awe-inspiring!

Even Li Qing, now a core formation realm cultivator, couldn’t help but be moved.

With his current strength, he was confident he could shatter such a towering mountain with ease. The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer would make short work of it.

But to sever such a mountain, then transport it from the outside world into this secret realm—that was beyond comprehension.

The mere act of moving it would likely drain a core formation realm cultivator’s mana in an instant.

While core formation realm cultivators possessed the rudimentary ability to move mountains and fill seas, their targets were never such colossal, majestic peaks!

Li Qing estimated that he would need to become at least a Fourth-Tier Body Refiner to have any hope of moving such a mountain.

”I’ll have to climb it,” Li Qing murmured to himself. ”According to the map, the spirit fire is hidden within this mountain.” He then commanded his ninth insect to begin ascending the mountain.

With its multiple tentacles, the ninth insect adapted effortlessly to any terrain, even this treacherous, towering peak.

Like the barren mountain range outside the secret realm, this mountain was devoid of vegetation, its surface covered only in jagged, hard rock.

Crack!

A rock entangled by one of Ninth Insect’s tentacles suddenly snapped, causing its massive body to shudder violently three times.

Fortunately, the other eight tentacles remained firmly anchored to the mountain’s sides, preventing it from plummeting.

At that moment, Ninth Insect resembled an octopus, slowly climbing toward the mountain’s summit.

Throughout the ascent, Li Qing maintained his spiritual awareness, constantly scanning their surroundings.

Roughly halfway up the mountain, Li Qing’s nose twitched as he detected a faint, acrid odor.

This was a volcano!

Li Qing narrowed his eyes, certain that the pungent smell was the unmistakable scent of volcanic magma.

As Ninth Insect continued its climb, fragments of rock occasionally broke loose and tumbled downward.

Finally, nearing the volcano’s peak, Li Qing leaped into the air, soaring above the crater to survey its interior.

It was pitch-black inside, devoid of the expected molten lava.

This was only natural. The mountain had been severed for countless years, so it was logical that the magma within would have cooled and solidified long ago.

”Could the heavenly spirit fire be inside this volcano?” Li Qing murmured to himself, then turned to Lin Jing below. ”You and Ninth Insect stay here. I’ll go down and take a look.”

The volcanic cave’s entrance was narrow, making it difficult for Ninth Insect to enter.

To be cautious, Li Qing decided to leave Lin Jing and Ninth Insect outside while he explored the cave alone, searching for traces of the heavenly spirit fire.

After all, locating the source fire seed of the heavenly spirit fire required only his divine sense. Lin Jing and Ninth Insect wouldn’t be able to offer much assistance.

”Master, be careful!” Lin Jing said, clenching her fists in a cat-like gesture.

Li Qing nodded and prepared to descend.

But before he could move, a voice echoed from the dark depths of the volcanic cave!

”May I ask... is that a Fellow Daoist from the outside world above?”

The voice belonged to an old woman, frail and weak, her words halting and breathless, as if each syllable drained her remaining strength.

Yet this barely audible voice stirred a tempest in Li Qing’s heart!

Someone is still alive inside!

Could this be one of the cultivators who sought refuge in the secret realm after the End of Dao Era? But why would they be inside a volcano?

Li Qing immediately abandoned his descent, landing on the volcano’s rim with a hesitant expression.

He pondered the situation of the person inside.

Due to the volcano’s immense depth, his divine sense couldn’t penetrate to the bottom, leaving him completely unaware of the person’s condition.

After a long moment, Li Qing decided to speak first:

”Indeed, I come from the outside world.”

As soon as these words left his lips, the elderly woman inside seemed to summon her last reserves of strength, her voice trembling as she asked:

”Is it true? Has the heaven and earth spiritual energy in the Spirit Devouring Realm begun to recover?”

”But why... why haven’t I sensed even a trace of spiritual energy?”

Her voice remained weak and intermittent, as if she might lose consciousness at any moment.

Li Qing paused briefly before replying:

”Senior, the outside world is still in the End of Dao Era. The heaven and earth spiritual energy has not yet recovered.”

After his words fell, the volcano plunged into a long, deathly silence.

For the elderly woman who had been waiting in vain for so long, this news was utterly devastating.

She was like a person dying of thirst in the desert, who had finally spotted a mirage of water only to realize it was nothing but an illusion.

But the old woman inside quickly recovered.

”Wait! If spiritual energy hasn’t revived, how did you enter the Spirit Devouring Realm?”

”Are you trying to deceive me? Without core formation realm cultivation, it’s impossible to open the secret realm’s passage!”

”You couldn’t possibly have survived this long in the End of Dao Era and still have enough power to open the secret realm, could you?”

Her words were sharp and relentless, leaving Li Qing momentarily speechless.

As expected of an immortal cultivator who has lived since the previous era—she’s truly a shrewd one, he thought. She saw through the flaws in my story immediately.

Of course, Li Qing had already prepared his counter-argument.

”Senior, though heaven and earth spiritual energy hasn’t revived, a new path has emerged. Some are drawing power from the Red Moon in the sky, using it to achieve immortality.”

The old woman’s voice trembled with disbelief. ”Impossible! That Blood Moon is utterly malevolent. Its moonlight is saturated with madness, chaos, and malevolent energy. Prolonged exposure will inevitably drive one to insanity.”

”How could such a path possibly lead to immortality? This is clearly a demonic and heretical practice!”

Hearing this, Li Qing clicked his tongue inwardly, impressed by the old woman’s insight. Even in the early days of the End of Dao Era, she had recognized the Red Moon’s sinister nature.

He patiently explained, ”That was true in the beginning. But later, the Blood Lotus Sect in the Autumn Mountain Domain discovered a way to suppress the madness. This led to the creation of an entirely new path.”

”The Blood Lotus Sect? I’ve never heard of such a sect!” the old woman asked skeptically. ”And who is their sect leader?”

”The Blood Lotus Sect Leader’s real name was Yue Qiusheng. He was truly a peerless genius—the one who discovered the Red Moon Dao,” Li Qing said, rubbing his nose and sincerely praising his deceased Fellow Daoist Yue.

To his surprise, the old woman below let out a derisive snort.

”Hmph, Yue Qiusheng? That little brat?”

”He dares to call himself a peerless genius? Back then, he didn’t even qualify to enter the secret realm with us to escape the world.”

”I never imagined that after so many years in the End of Dao Era, this person would also claim the title of ’Venerable Ancestor.’”

Yue Qiusheng... that kid?

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, realizing the old woman inside must be someone of considerable stature.

Poor Sect Leader Yue, who considered himself the founder of the Red Moon Dao, was being referred to as a mere ”kid” here.

For a moment, Li Qing didn’t know what to say.

The old woman broke the silence first, her voice low:

”May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what brings you to the Spirit Devouring Realm?”

”You’ve already attained immortality through the Red Moon Dao during the End of Dao Era. Is there anything here that could still interest you?”

Clearly, she mistook Li Qing for a practitioner of the Red Moon Dao.

Li Qing didn’t correct her. This was precisely the impression he wanted to create; otherwise, explaining his cultivation level and mana would be difficult.

”Senior, to be honest, I came here seeking the heavenly spirit fire.”

”Then you’re far too late. The Spirit Devouring Demon Flame has already been extinguished, and in this End of Dao Era, there’s no hope of rekindling it.”

(End of the Chapter)

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