Immortal Refiner

Figures gradually emerged along the eight golden paths, each a victor in the competition for the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit.

A majestic white lion soared through the air, its mane billowing in the wind like a cloud of white mist beneath its paws.

Bai Xing had grown even stronger, its aura now at the peak of the late third-tier, just a step away from the transformation stage.

It was far more powerful now than when it first entered the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm.

After consuming the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit, it had laid a solid foundation.

Combined with its previous seclusion in the Tempering Life Spirit Pool, Bai Xing now possessed a truly formidable foundation. This potential might indeed allow it to successfully achieve transformation.

If that happened, the Lion Clan of the demon realm would rise as a new royal clan, dominating the Grasslands of the entire demon realm.

”Roar!”

Bai Xing roared skyward, its lion’s roar reverberating through heaven and earth.

The phrase ”majestic and heroic” perfectly described its imposing presence.

Close behind followed a giant wolf, its entire body encased in bone armor, its wolf eyes glowing with an eerie green light.

Late third-tier!

After consuming the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit, the bone demon giant wolf had finally taken this crucial step, becoming a powerful late third-tier demon beast and joining the elite ranks of the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm.

”You Gu of the Giant Wolf Clan actually won! It seems the blazing demon weasel is in grave danger.”

”A bone demon giant wolf in the late core formation stage... Could this mean the Giant Wolf Clan is destined for a resurgence?”

Many demon races watched this scene with awe, their voices heavy with emotion.

This wasn’t an impossible outcome. Even if the Giant Wolf Clan’s bloodline wasn’t strong enough to support successful transformation, consuming a Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit would change everything.

It would now have a chance to break through to the transformation stage!

”Awoo!” The bone demon giant wolf stood tall in the air, letting out a long, resonant howl that echoed across the land.

The howl was deep and powerful, filled with ancient might.

It was clear the bone demon giant wolf was immensely satisfied. The future of the Giant Wolf Clan would now be revitalized because of it!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, victors emerged from the other golden paths as well.

The jade azure serpent transformed into a streak of green lightning, darting and flickering through the air.

Its aura remained restrained, revealing little change to the other demon races.

However, the vibrant sheen of its scales made it clear to all that the jade azure serpent had grown significantly stronger.

Its venom was already a threat to many demons present, but after consuming the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit, its power had surged, making its poison even more lethal.

Soon, light and shadows flickered again on the other two golden paths.

Suddenly, a clear breeze swept through the area, rustling the golden leaves on the golden giant tree’s branches with a shush-shush sound.

Shush-shush! Shush-shush!

A monkey rode the wind, its movements graceful and unrestrained.

Wind Ape!

It had successfully reached the summit of one golden path through its sheer speed, claiming a Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit as its due.

Next emerged a small rat with azure bat wings, its speed equally impressive and its movements even more ethereal.

Azure Wing Rat!

It too had gained immense benefits, its aura now remarkably solid, bringing it even closer to the transformation stage.

The demons entering the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm this time were terrifyingly powerful, with more than one Transformation Seed among them!

If Jin Lie and the three-headed profound crocodile hadn’t fallen to Li Qing’s hand, this generation of demons would undoubtedly have left an indelible mark on the history of the demon realm.

The Azure Wing Rat soared through the air, surveying the scene before speaking, ”Hmm? Has Crocodile Third Sky still not emerged?”

The Wind Ape scratched his head. ”Yeah, we sensed an intense pressure earlier, likely from a demon king—and one from the Profound Crocodile Clan at that!”

Soon, a demon who had emerged early reported, ”No demons have returned from the golden path chosen by the three-headed profound crocodile since it entered!”

This news sparked speculation among them.

The jade azure serpent chuckled in an effeminate voice. ”Heh heh heh, it seems some impudent little demon provoked Crocodile Third Sky, driving him into a furious rage.”

”That must be it. No wonder Crocodile Third Sky summoned the Crocodile Spirit of his ancestors and drenched an entire golden path in blood!”

Instead of leaving, they remained at the foot of the golden tree, awaiting the victors from the remaining three paths.

After a long wait, a black tiger of terrifying ferocity burst forth from the outermost path.

”Aow-hoo!”

Fan Tong roared skyward, his body riddled with deep wounds.

”This black tiger actually defeated the shadow leopard!”

”Hiss, this is no simple matter! The Leopard Clan has always been of average strength, but that shadow leopard underwent the Tempering Life Spirit Pool’s baptism!”

”Now that the Heavenly Demon Tiger Clan of the demon realm has long been extinct, could it have obtained their inheritance from Beast King Mountain?”

”Hard to say. Though this black tiger lacks the Heavenly Demon Tiger’s bloodline, the Heavenly Demon Tiger Clan has been extinct for far too long. Perhaps the inheritance of this mighty royal clan might truly reappear in the world!”

”The Heavenly Demon Tigers... they once dominated the entire demon realm for a considerable period.”

”...”

Amidst these discussions, the various demon races noticed that the final two golden paths remained completely still.

Especially the most radiant golden path, the one claimed by the human race, remained utterly silent, as if no one had ever set foot upon it.

Furthermore, the three-headed profound crocodile’s prolonged absence was also deeply unsettling.

If the human race’s chosen path was the most radiant, granting them the greatest benefits and requiring more time to digest their gains, the demons could understand.

But what about the three-headed profound crocodile? The Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit it devoured couldn’t have been significantly different from theirs. How long could it possibly take to refine its energy?

”Hmph, Crocodile Third Sky isn’t planning to refine the Spirit Fruit’s entire energy in one go, is he?”

”He shouldn’t be so foolish,” one demon remarked. ”He’s about to reach Beast King Mountain. The best course would be to store the remaining energy within his body and gradually refine it later.”

”Could something... have gone wrong?”

An accident?

What kind of accident could possibly happen?

Just as the other demons were pondering this, a great demon suddenly noticed that the three-headed profound crocodile’s golden path was adjacent to the human’s path from earlier!

”This...”

In the next moment, the sky and clouds shifted dramatically as a formidable aura surged from the crown of the golden giant tree.

Boom!

The surviving demons stirred uneasily. The sheer intensity of the aura pressed down on them with crushing force.

”Hahahaha! The Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit truly lives up to its reputation!”

A carefree laugh echoed from the golden path, sounding utterly unrestrained.

Amidst stunned and awestruck gazes, a tall, imposing figure materialized on the three-headed profound crocodile’s golden path!

It was Li Qing, who had just finished consuming the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fruit.

He now stood at the late-stage core formation realm!

”Heh, fellow demon cultivators,” Li Qing said, clasping his hands behind his back, completely unfazed by the countless eyes fixed upon him. ”Why are you staring at This Li with such intensity?”

Soon, a demon race member asked in a trembling voice, ”Isn’t this golden path the territory of the three-headed profound crocodile?”

”Yes, why are you on this path? Didn’t you choose—”

Li Qing’s smile remained unchanged as he replied casually, ”Oh, my path was just too boring. No one even bothered to compete with me, so I decided to cross over to another path to see what was happening.”

”And wouldn’t you know it, I ran right into that three-headed crocodile. So I figured I might as well take care of it while I was at it.”

As soon as these words left his lips, the entire demon race audience fell into complete silence.

Cross over to another golden path and slay the three-headed profound crocodile?

This human is utterly monstrous!

At that moment, every demon beast present, including Bai Xing and those from the royal clan, gazed at the towering figure in the sky with complex and unreadable expressions.

Their pride as demons had completely vanished.

Everyone knew the immense pressure one would face crossing to another golden path—a crushing force equivalent to ten thousand juns!

Since the creation of the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, no demon in the demon realm had ever managed to cross to a second path, defeat their opponent, and claim a second Spirit Fruit!

Yet now, it had happened—right before their very eyes.

(End of the Chapter)