Immortal Refiner

The former site of the Lingyun Sect lay completely buried under a thick blanket of snow, erasing all traces of the once-thriving cultivation sect.

Because this location served as a spatial node connecting to the demon realm, Li Qing had ordered it guarded, prohibiting rogue cultivators from cultivating here.

However, exceptions were made for core formation realm cultivators. If such a cultivator arrived, the Lingyun Sect disciples stationed here would inform them about the spatial node’s connection to the demon realm. Should the cultivator still wish to cultivate here, they would simply need to pay a portion of their spirit stones.

Perhaps due to the Lingyun Sect’s current prestige, no cultivator had dared to violate these rules to this day. No core formation realm cultivators had appeared either.

As a result, the former Lingyun Sect site remained eerily desolate, with only a few disciples standing guard in the distance.

At that moment, a tall, silent figure descended soundlessly onto the high-grade spiritual vein land.

It was Li Qing. He completely suppressed his aura and extended his divine sense, observing the surrounding landscape.

Through his divine sense, Li Qing spotted the dilapidated structures buried deep beneath the snow—the ruins of the Lingyun Sect.

He slowly closed his eyes, and vivid memories flooded his mind:

The arduous journey that led him here, where he used an ascension token to join the sect and narrowly escape disaster.

The impossible feat of achieving foundation establishment after consuming multiple foundation establishment pills, despite everyone’s doubts.

His methodical cultivation within the sect, his painstaking refinement of artifact refinement techniques, and his quiet accumulation of contribution points to exchange for cultivation resources.

The sect’s crisis, when its ancestors fearlessly stood against the demonic race, safeguarding its peace.

The sect’s final moments, when Ancestor Devourer of Heaven sacrificed himself to send a group of Lingyun Sect disciples onto a spirit boat, dying valiantly in battle.

These scenes remained as clear as day in Li Qing’s mind.

At that moment, an inexplicable sense of peace settled over his heart, as if he had undergone a spiritual cleansing.

”All that is past,” Li Qing murmured with a hint of melancholy, sighing softly. He then bowed deeply toward the former mountain gate.

”Ancestor Devourer of Heaven, your disciple Li Qing has rebuilt the sect upon the ruins of the Shangqing Sect.”

”The blood debt owed to the sect has been repaid in full!”

After speaking, Li Qing remained silent for a long while before slowly rising to his feet.

He carried no lingering regrets regarding matters related to the Lingyun Sect, yet after paying his respects here, his heart felt noticeably calmer.

Having completed this task, Li Qing’s figure blurred slightly, and he vanished from the spot.

Leaving the former site of the Lingyun Sect, Li Qing faced two paths forward.

He could either head south, cross the snow mountain, and journey to the Great Wilderness Domain to reflect on his cultivation journey there.

Or he could travel north and then west, revisiting the events that occurred before he joined the Lingyun Sect.

”The Great Wilderness Domain is currently in chaos, and I only left it a few years ago. The memories of that time remain vivid, so there’s no need to revisit it.”

”But before my foundation establishment, I was a rogue cultivator in the qi refining realm, living cautiously and humbly. It might be worthwhile to retrace that path and see if I can uncover any lingering regrets from that time.”

With that, Li Qing set off northward, leaving the snow plains behind and embarking on a journey through the magnificent landscapes of the Azure Ridge Domain.

During his journey, Li Qing abandoned his usual lightning-fast flight, even forgoing the use of his spirit boat. Instead, he began to measure the great earth on foot, traversing mountains and rivers, and immersing himself in the beauty of the natural world. Finally, he paused at a Spirit Vein Land brimming with spiritual energy.

”If my memory serves me right, this was once the Tang Clan’s territory,” Li Qing murmured, gazing at the Tang Clan’s Spirit Vein Land. ”It seems the changes in heaven and earth have transformed this second-tier spiritual vein into something extraordinary.”

For the Tang Clan, this was undoubtedly a stroke of good fortune. If this transformation continued, the spiritual vein might even ascend to a third-tier status. However, without sufficient strength, the Tang Clan could face disaster.

Standing at such a height, Li Qing could foresee potential future events with a single glance.

His thoughts soon drifted back to past encounters with the Tang Clan. He recalled the time he presided over the Lingyun Sect’s ascension conference, when the Tang Clan Patriarch had caused a disturbance. But with Li Qing and Shen Ningbing’s swift suppression, the matter had quickly been resolved.

Li Qing had no intention of dwelling on such trivial matters. Those past incidents now seemed like mere trifles to him.

Besides, the Tang Clan had become a vassal family of the Lingyun Sect, and many of the sect’s most promising disciples were members of the Tang Clan.

”While it’s not necessary to explicitly warn them about the future calamities their spiritual vein might attract, a subtle reminder wouldn’t hurt,” Li Qing mused.

With that, he released the aura of a core formation realm cultivator and brazenly swept his powerful divine sense across the entire Tang Clan territory!

The entire process was swift, completed in the blink of an eye.

After this, Li Qing’s figure vanished from the spot.

Within the Tang Clan, many lower-cultivation disciples experienced a sudden, inexplicable heart palpitations, but the sensation quickly faded, like a fleeting hallucination.

However, cultivators who had reached the foundation establishment realm felt the presence with unmistakable clarity!

Among them was Tang Lushan, the Tang Clan Patriarch.

While meditating in seclusion, he abruptly opened his eyes, his body jolting violently as if struck by lightning.

”Who is it?!” Tang Lushan shouted in utter shock.

Just now, he had clearly sensed an irresistible aura sweep past, accompanied by a terrifying divine sense that had penetrated him completely.

”A core formation realm cultivator...” Tang Lushan’s face immediately darkened.

He was certain—the aura he had felt belonged to a core formation realm cultivator. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have filled him with such dread.

”Who could it be? A supreme elder from the Lingyun Sect?”

”No, although the Tang Clan’s relationship with the Lingyun Sect isn’t particularly close right now, it’s certainly not strained enough to warrant the attention of a supreme elder.”

The Tang Clan Patriarch immediately ruled out the most obvious answer. He continued muttering to himself:

”Could it be a cultivator from the outer domain? Recently, some cultivators from the Great Wilderness Domain have indeed come to the immortal realm seeking refuge.”

”The Spirit Vein Land our Tang Clan possesses is growing increasingly rich in spiritual energy. It’s only a matter of time before it attracts the covetous eyes of core formation realm cultivators.”

”I thought this was a stroke of great fortune, but now it seems that’s not entirely the case.”

The Tang Clan Patriarch quickly made his decision: he would report this matter to the Lingyun Sect!

At this point, the only way for the Tang Clan to avoid future calamities was to cling tightly to the Lingyun Sect’s coattails.

Li Qing, having deliberately pranked the Tang Clan, didn’t linger and paid no heed to the Tang Clan Patriarch’s subsequent thoughts or actions.

To him, offering a slight warning, allowing the Tang Clan to realize their precarious situation in time, was already an act of utmost benevolence.

Whether Tang Lushan grasped his intentions or not was of no concern to Li Qing.

In the days that followed, Li Qing continued his journey northwest.

Along the way, he passed by the Lin Clan’s estate.

The Lin Clan Head, Lin Xiaonan, had once forged a favorable connection with Li Qing, resulting in a relatively close relationship between the cultivation clan and the Lingyun Sect.

This time, Li Qing didn’t ignore the Lin Clan. Instead, he paid them a proper visit, openly revealing his identity.

Li Qing’s sudden appearance naturally startled Lin Xiaonan, who received him with extreme trepidation.

Li Qing didn’t stay long, merely pausing for a brief exchange of pleasantries before departing from the cultivation clan.

It’s worth noting that Lin Xiaonan’s eldest son had obtained a foundation establishment pill from the Lingyun Sect, but tragically failed to achieve foundation establishment.

After a period of despondency, Lin Xiuzhu returned to the clan and took over some of its affairs.

Given the Lin Clan’s current wealth, obtaining another foundation establishment pill for him wouldn’t be difficult, so his path to cultivation wasn’t entirely severed.

As for Lin Ya, she remained quietly cultivating within the Lingyun Sect, diligently accumulating Sect Contribution points in pursuit of a foundation establishment pill. Whether she would succeed in achieving foundation establishment ultimately depended on her good fortune.

After bidding farewell to the Lin Clan, Li Qing continued his journey northwest. This time, he returned to the Lingyun Sect’s territory, entering Liang Country.

Liang Country was home to two renowned cultivation clans: the Zhong Clan and the Lu Clan. It was their Clan Heads who had once caused considerable trouble for Li Qing when he was still in the qi refining realm.

Having already warned these clans before the founding ceremony, Li Qing had no intention of visiting them now. The Zhong and Lu Clans had grown wiser, keeping a low profile within Liang Country and abandoning their former arrogance.

As Li Qing ventured deeper into Liang Country, he eventually stopped at a secluded mountain ravine within a wild forest.

Water trickled through the lush forest, and Li Qing strode forward, occasionally startling flocks of birds with his footsteps. Soon, he reached the cliff overlooking the ravine, where a massive fissure split the earth.

Deep within the fissure, swirling masses of pink desire miasma gathered.

”Hmm? The Heavenly Desire Flowers that once filled this fissure have vanished without a trace?”

Li Qing studied the area for a moment, then swept his divine sense through the entire fissure. After confirming there was nothing noteworthy, he withdrew his spiritual awareness.

The Heavenly Desire Flower was a rare and precious bloom, highly valued by demonic cultivators who practiced the Dual Cultivation of Harmonious Union. However, in the hands of other cultivators, it served only as a potent aphrodisiac.

Li Qing no longer cared much for the flower. He had come here merely to reminisce about the absurd events that had once unfolded in this place.

”Heh, all that’s in the past now,” he mused. ”I owe my successful foundation establishment largely to that second-tier white ape.”

Having put those memories to rest, Li Qing departed once more.

This time, he didn’t linger in Liang Country but instead flew westward, heading straight for the former territory of the Heavenly River Sect.

The Heavenly River Market!

Yes, the market still existed, remaining one of the most prosperous trading hubs in the entire Azure Ridge Domain.

However, while it retained the Heavenly River Sect’s name, the market had effectively become Lingyun Sect’s cash cow.

Here, rogue cultivators and cultivation clans from the surrounding regions converged to conduct their transactions.

In terms of prosperity, the market was even more bustling than it had been in its heyday.

Yet with such prosperity came its inevitable dark side.

Take, for example, the existence of Bandit Cultivators!

In truth, the Lingyun Sect was already making every effort to deal with these Bandit Cultivators. Missions to suppress them were frequently posted in the Sect Affairs Hall.

However, most of these Bandit Cultivators were rogue cultivators who had turned to banditry. They were skilled at concealment and disguise, making tracking them down an extremely time-consuming and laborious task.

Such entities were destined to never be completely eradicated.

Of course, these Bandit Cultivators were also quite rational. They naturally wouldn’t dare to commit crimes near the Heavenly River Market, lest they provoke the Lingyun Sect’s authority.

When targeting rogue cultivators, they would often follow their prey from a distance, waiting until they were certain they had left the Heavenly River Market’s jurisdiction before striking.

As fate would have it, Li Qing, who had set his next destination as the Heavenly River Market, personally witnessed a pursuit.

”Cao Xiu, where else can you run? You offended several cultivation clans in the surrounding area over a foundation establishment pill. Who can protect you now?”

”Hand over that mysterious beast hide scroll, and I might grant you a swift end!”

In the dense forest surrounding Heavenly River Market, two cultivators on magic artifacts were engaged in a high-stakes chase.

Remarkably, both were at the Foundation Establishment realm. However, Young Master Cao, fleeing ahead, appeared weakened, clearly wounded.

His relentless pursuer, a cultivator with a ferocious face and murderous intent, showed no signs of relenting.

Cao Xiu, desperate to escape, ignored his pursuer completely. He was not one to surrender easily.

”Very well, let’s see if you can outrun my Fire Jade Bees!” The pursuing Foundation Establishment cultivator finally grew impatient.

He produced a peculiar spirit insect pouch.

Soon, a swarm of crimson, jade-like bees buzzed forth from the fiery red pouch.

Cao Xiu’s expression darkened at the sight.

He knew the Fire Jade Bees’ formidable reputation—spirit insects recorded in the Records of the World’s Extraordinary Insects!

Individually, these insects weren’t particularly strong, but their overwhelming numbers made them formidable. They swarmed in massive groups, appearing in droves.

Each Fire Jade Bee carried a venomous stinger at the end of its abdomen, containing a potent fire toxin.

A single sting would inflict searing pain akin to being burned by intense flames. One or two stings might be manageable, but multiple stings could instantly overwhelm even a foundation establishment realm cultivator, causing the fire toxin to permeate their body and lead to a swift death.

Meanwhile, Li Qing narrowed his eyes, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

”Tsk, tsk,” he murmured. ”The spiritual energy environment in the Azure Ridge Domain has truly undergone a dramatic transformation. Even Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators have resorted to becoming Bandit Cultivators.”

”And those Fire Jade Bees... they seem to be a type of spirit insect recorded in the Records of the World’s Extraordinary Insects, right? I recall their ranking being quite high.”

”I wonder if this person only controls a few Fire Jade Bees, or if they possess a Fire Jade Bee Queen.”

As Li Qing muttered to himself, he didn’t neglect to observe the foundation establishment cultivator being pursued.

The man looked vaguely familiar, as if Li Qing had seen him somewhere before.

”Could it really be that kid?”

(End of the Chapter)