Immortal Refiner

This was no ordinary foe, that much was certain!

If it were just some run-of-the-mill creature, the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch would have simply slain it. Why would he bother to merely suppress it?

Clearly, the entity sealed beneath the magma sea posed a formidable challenge even for the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch, perhaps even beyond his ability to subdue.

”I only came here to tame a Fire Jade Bee Queen,” Li Qing sighed, a hint of retreat already forming in his heart. ”Now it seems this place is far more troublesome than I anticipated.”

He considered whether to stick to his original plan: tame the Fire Jade Bee Queen from the Red Jade Beehive and withdraw.

He could return to deal with this anomaly later, after advancing to the nascent soul realm. That might be a safer approach.

But Dao Lord Bai Ling seemed to sense Li Qing’s thoughts. He chuckled softly, ”If you leave now, this looming crisis could escalate into a cataclysmic disaster.”

”Even in my era, legends of the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch circulated. He lived far earlier than I did.”

”Moreover, as far as I know, during the demon realm’s invasion war, Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s opponent was a Dao Body of the Formless Demon Ancestor!”

”This demon ancestor excels at manipulating minds, making him an extremely troublesome and formidable foe.”

Formless Demon Ancestor!

Just hearing the name filled Li Qing with a sense of helplessness. This was a demon ancestor of the demon realm! Even if it was merely a Dao Body, it was clearly beyond his capabilities to confront.

No wonder even Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch could only suppress it within the magma sea at the earth’s core, unable to completely annihilate it.

”Senior Bai Ling, do you truly believe I could pose any threat to this demon ancestor?”

”This is an existence even Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch couldn’t defeat!”

Li Qing forced a bitter smile, feeling the insurmountable obstacles ahead were far too great for a mere Core Formation Realm cultivator like himself to overcome.

Though unfamiliar with the specifics of the demon realm, he understood that the Formless Demon Ancestor must be an existence of heaven-defying power.

Dao Lord Bai Ling didn’t deny this. If Li Qing were to confront the Formless Demon Ancestor directly in his current state, it would undoubtedly lead to his demise.

Even in his prime, Li Qing wouldn’t have stood a chance against the demon ancestor’s Dao Body.

”Don’t worry, I’m not sending you to your death,” Senior Bai Ling assured him.

”Based on what you’ve said, the Formless Demon Ancestor remains sealed beneath the Crimson Radiance Palace. However, True Lord Qingyang is capturing cultivators as sacrifices to help the demon ancestor break free.”

”If we stand idly by and allow this demon ancestor to escape, the mortal realm will face an unprecedented calamity.”

This was the truth. Whether anyone in the immortal realm could withstand the Formless Demon Ancestor’s Dao Body was a grave question.

If that happened, not only the Azure Ridge Domain but all the great domains would be plunged into utter devastation.

”Senior, please tell me directly what I can do,” Li Qing asked.

”First, stop True Lord Qingyang outside from capturing any more cultivators for sacrifice. The more sacrifices the Formless Demon Ancestor receives, the greater the power he can wield!”

”Second, enter the Crimson Radiance Hall and reinforce the seal left by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch!”

Upon hearing this, Li Qing’s expression turned slightly unnatural.

The first point wasn’t too bad. Outside Fire Cliff Cave stood three Core Formation Realm cultivators, including True Lord Qingyang, whose cultivation was only at the mid Core Formation Realm. Even with the addition of two third-tier corpse puppets, Li Qing wouldn’t feel too much pressure.

But the second point presented a real dilemma.

To take control of Crimson Radiance Hall and reinforce the seal—all under the very nose of the Formless Demon Ancestor!

Especially since True Lord Qingyang had been offering sacrifices to that demon ancestor for years. Who knew how much power the demon ancestor could now wield?

”Ah, if only we’d discovered this anomaly sooner!” Li Qing sighed, still struggling to make a decision.

The destruction of Lingyun Sect had left a deep shadow in his heart, cast by the ancient demonic race. That was why he had always ordered strict surveillance of the former Lingyun Sect site, fearing that the spatial node there might one day undergo a mutation.

”Senior, do you truly believe I have the ability to accomplish the second point?” Li Qing asked with a wry smile.

Dao Lord Bai Ling shook his head noncommittally. ”I cannot say for certain. But the fact that you cultivate the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art is enough!”

”I should have realized sooner,” Dao Lord Bai Ling thought. ”A cultivator who can subdue two heavenly spirit fires likely practices this supreme Fire Dao cultivation technique.”

In his view, practicing the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art significantly increased Li Qing’s chances of gaining recognition from the Crimson Radiance Hall. If even Li Qing couldn’t achieve this, no other cultivator stood a chance.

Li Qing remained silent for a long while after hearing this. Finally, he sighed softly, his decision already made.

Meanwhile, the battle outside was nearing its end.

With two third-tier corpse puppets at his disposal, True Lord Qingyang had gained a decisive advantage in the fight. Even facing two core formation realm cultivators, he hadn’t lost ground.

The burly man from the Grasslands was covered in wounds, their edges faintly blackened—a clear sign of corpse poison entering his system. Corpse puppets refined from millennial yin corpses naturally carried potent corpse poison, which even core formation realm cultivators struggled to withstand for long.

As for the female cultivator, her face was deathly pale. She had exhausted all her techniques, yet she couldn’t gain any significant advantage against True Lord Qingyang.

”This person’s Fire Dao Divine Power is truly extraordinary,” the female cultivator murmured, biting her lower lip, her eyes filled with solemnity. ”I wonder where he inherited it from.”

The burly man was nearing his limit. He felt waves of icy coldness rising within him, and parts of his body were rapidly losing sensation.

These were signs of Corpse Transformation. The corpse poison in his system had reached critical levels, threatening to turn him into a yin corpse. If not eradicated swiftly, his yang energy would be completely drained, leading to his death.

”Elder Mu, we can’t defeat him head-on! Retreat!”

The burly man from the Grasslands had abandoned any hope of a direct confrontation with True Lord Qingyang. The Fire Dao Divine Power the true lord had displayed was terrifying, radiating an aura of invincibility within their shared cultivation realm.

Elder Mu had already considered this. Continuing to fight here would likely lead to consequences they couldn’t afford.

”Retreat!”

Without hesitation, they turned to flee.

Daoist Qingyang remained unmoved, his expression serene. He casually produced a whisk from who-knows-where.

Swish!

With a gentle flick of the whisk, a dense cloud of black smoke erupted, instantly blocking their escape route.

”If you could escape after being poisoned by corpse poison, then all the effort I put into refining these corpse puppets would have been for nothing,” Daoist Qingyang said with chilling indifference, as if discussing the most mundane matter.

As his words fell, the Grasslands warrior’s eyes widened to the size of copper bells, and his body began to tremble violently.

”Ugh... this man has triggered the corpse poison in my body, attacking my heart!”

As he spoke, streams of black blood trickled from the Grasslands warrior’s lips. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t expel the virulent corpse poison from his body. The toxins seemed to have fused with his flesh and blood!

”Fan Erkong!” Female Cultivator Mu cried out in alarm, her face pale with horror.

The potency of the corpse poison far exceeded her expectations. Even her fellow Grasslands companion, a Holy Temple Elder, couldn’t withstand it.

This is terrifying!

Having been fully engaged in combat with True Lord Qingyang’s true form, she had left the burly man to deal with the corpse puppets.

”And you, don’t think you can escape either. I’ll capture you as well. This time, I should finally be able to obtain one of those Holy Artifacts.”

As he spoke, a rare flicker of desire finally appeared in True Lord Qingyang’s eyes.

It was clear that he coveted the so-called Holy Artifact immensely!

What exactly was this object that could make even the usually composed True Lord Qingyang so covetous?

The Female Cultivator Mu reacted swiftly. Realizing the burly man accompanying her was beyond saving, she fled without looking back.

True Lord Qingyang pursued relentlessly, his feet still planted on a massive bronze cauldron containing five corpse puppets.

”Crimson Blaze Heaven-Veiling Palm!”

Boom!

A palm wreathed in raging flames descended like a burning sky, its power terrifying beyond measure!

This was a Fire Dao Divine Power he had obtained from the Crimson Radiance Hall, a technique personally created by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch.

The fiery hand blotted out heaven and earth, as if intent on incinerating all creation.

”Cloud Shadow Evasion!” The Female Cultivator Mu remained calm. Seeing this display of Fire Dao Divine Power, she knew she couldn’t withstand it head-on.

Instantly, she formed a hand seal and activated an extremely rare evasion technique.

This technique allowed her to teleport by manipulating the clouds on the horizon, moving with the speed of instantaneous transmission.

Its only drawback was its immense energy consumption. Even a core formation realm cultivator would struggle to sustain multiple uses.

Bang!

The fiery palm struck empty air, yet it didn’t dissipate.

This was a powerful divine ability from the core formation realm, naturally possessing many profound mysteries.

True Lord Qingyang raised his left hand, and the colossal fiery hand flipped over, slamming upward once more.

”Trying to escape by hiding in the clouds? Once this old daoist burns away the clouds, where will you run then?”

The fiery hand’s power was overwhelming. Even its residual heat, radiating from a great distance, rapidly evaporated the clouds on the horizon.

With the cloud cover gone, Female Cultivator Mu’s escape route was finally exposed. Her expression grim, she continued to flee.

But her speed was no match for the fiery hand. The scorching heat behind her grew closer, threatening to ignite the demon beast hide cloak she wore.

Just as the fiery hand was about to strike, a burst of clear light erupted from her chest.

”The Light Splitting Mirror!”

Crack!

The instant the fiery hand descended, a crisp shattering sound echoed through the air, like a glass mirror shattering.

In the next moment, light and shadow refracted across heaven and earth, scattering the flames in all directions.

Female Cultivator Mu spat out a mouthful of crimson blood but fled without looking back.

True Lord Qingyang narrowed his eyes slightly, preparing to resume his pursuit.

But soon, his body stiffened abruptly, and he dared not move rashly.

He had been locked onto by a qi mechanism, and a profound sense of danger surged through his heart.

Boom!

A nine-story iron tower hurtled through the air at breakneck speed, bearing down directly on True Lord Qingyang’s figure.

”Heh heh, Daoist Qingyang, it’s been many years since we last met. I never imagined you’d already reached the Core Formation Realm. Congratulations, congratulations!”

A hearty voice rang out, yet beneath its jovial tone lay a chilling intent to kill.

The speaker was none other than Li Qing, who still addressed him as ”Daoist Qingyang,” a familiar habit from their past.

”You are...” True Lord Qingyang whirled around with lightning speed, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief as he gazed at the towering figure striding through the sky.

His memory was sharp; even after all these years, he still recognized Li Qing.

”It’s you—that four-spirit root kid from back then! How is this possible? You’ve also reached Core Formation?” True Lord Qingyang’s face paled with astonishment.

The young man who had once begged him for a chance to refine a foundation establishment pill with others had now transformed into a core formation realm cultivator?!

Not only that, but his cultivation level had even surpassed Daoist Qingyang’s, a fact the latter found utterly unacceptable.

”Heh, all thanks to that foundation establishment pill you gave me back then, Daoist Qingyang. Otherwise, how could This Li have achieved such heights today?” Li Qing’s gaze gradually grew complex.

Truth be told, he did owe Daoist Qingyang a significant debt of gratitude.

However, he never imagined that this once-respected senior cultivator would choose to collude with the demonic race, his actions sending a chill down Li Qing’s spine.

If the Formless Demon Ancestor were to break free from his seal, the entire Human Realm would likely be destroyed.

True Lord Qingyang’s eyes flickered as if a memory had surfaced. He lowered his voice and asked, ”Were you the one controlling the Spirit Gold Puppet at the earth’s core earlier?”

”Daoist Qingyang, turn back now. Aligning yourself with the Formless Demon Ancestor is like playing with fire—you’ll only burn yourself.” Li Qing still tried to persuade him to reconsider.

True Lord Qingyang’s expression remained icy as he swung the giant bronze cauldron at Li Qing with a backhanded strike.

”Let’s see what tricks this little qi refining insect has learned since reaching core formation,” True Lord Qingyang said, his voice dripping with malice.

Inside the cauldron, five corpse puppets glared menacingly at Li Qing, their eyes burning with murderous intent.

But Li Qing was no longer the same man he had once been.

Seeing True Lord Qingyang’s unwavering delusion, he finally abandoned all hope of persuading him and prepared to unleash his full power.

”Ah, then don’t blame me, Daoist Qingyang. This is the last time I’ll ever call you Daoist Qingyang!”

Li Qing sighed deeply before unleashing the full force of his inner energy.

Boom!

His cultivation had reached the peak of the core formation realm, just half a step away from the nascent soul realm!

In the next instant, two swirling orbs of black and white spirit fire materialized around Li Qing, rapidly rotating like a yin-yang disc large enough to encircle a person.

”Kill!”

(End of the Chapter)