Immortal Refiner

The Formless Demon Ancestor, disregarding whether Li Qing wanted to listen, began speaking:

”The two Holy Artifacts are located within the Crimson Radiance Hall and beneath the magma sea, respectively. The Holy Artifact within the Crimson Radiance Hall is a heavenly spirit fire known as the Profound Yellow True Flame!”

A heavenly spirit fire within the Crimson Radiance Hall?

The words struck Li Qing’s mind like a thunderbolt. Even if he wanted to ignore the Formless Demon Ancestor’s voice, he couldn’t.

He never imagined that one of the Holy Artifacts would be a heavenly spirit fire—a true treasure worthy of being called a Holy Artifact.

Li Qing’s composure wavered. His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the ancient hall before him.

If this was indeed the inheritance left by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch, then the demon ancestor’s words carried considerable weight.

After all, the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch was the progenitor of fire arts, having created the heaven-defying Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art. He had harnessed the power of heavenly spirit fires to accelerate his cultivation.

It had to be admitted that the Formless Demon Ancestor was a master of manipulation. With just a few words, he had shaken Li Qing’s resolve.

Sensing Li Qing’s wavering resolve, the Formless Demon Ancestor continued:

”The second Holy Artifact is even more precious than the Profound Yellow True Flame, especially for cultivators like you who specialize in the Fire Dao.”

”It is the supreme treasure of this realm—a complete and flawless Fire Spirit Pearl!”

A complete Fire Spirit Pearl! One of the five elements spirit pearls!

Li Qing instinctively swallowed hard, his breathing growing noticeably heavier.

At that moment, he finally understood why True Lord Qingyang had been so determined to free the Formless Demon Ancestor from his seal. If he were in Qingyang’s place, he too would have found it nearly impossible to resist the allure of these two Holy Artifacts!

Whether it was heavenly spirit fire or a complete Fire Spirit Pearl, both were irresistible treasures for any cultivator.

Possessing either of these Holy Artifacts would provide Li Qing with immense assistance.

”Heh, what do you say? If you cooperate with me, both Holy Artifacts can be yours.”

”Rest assured, I have no intention of harming the mortal realm. Once freed, my sole purpose is to return to the holy realm. I can swear any Heart Demon Oath to prove it.”

The Formless Demon Ancestor chuckled softly, his tone calm yet utterly seductive.

Even Li Qing, who had mentally prepared himself beforehand, couldn’t help but consider the feasibility of cooperating with the demon.

But just then, Dao Lord Bai Ling’s voice echoed in his mind:

”Boy, don’t be swayed.”

”The Formless Demon Ancestor excels at creating heart demons and exploiting the flaws in human nature. Any lapse in your mental defenses could give him an opening.”

”Before partnering with a demon ancestor’s Dao Body, you’d better ask yourself if you’re truly worthy of such an alliance.”

These words jolted Li Qing awake, cold sweat breaking out across his body.

What was I thinking? he wondered, horrified. Actually considering cooperating with him?

That would be like seeking a tiger’s skin—a deal that would inevitably end with him being devoured to the bone!

No wonder he’s the demon ancestor most skilled at manipulating hearts, Li Qing thought, shaken. I almost fell under his influence without even realizing it.

Of course, the sheer value of the two Holy Artifacts the demon had mentioned also played a role in his near-lapse.

True Lord Qingyang’s stubborn obsession was likely rooted in this, something that would drive any cultivator mad.

At that moment, the Formless Demon Ancestor spoke up again, his voice dripping with contempt:

”Hmph, so it’s just a lingering obsession clinging to this world. Since you’re already dead, why cling to this realm? Enter the cycle of reincarnation already.”

Seeing his existence revealed, Dao Lord Bai Ling abandoned his concealment and emerged directly from the Immortal Spirit Green Gold.

Dao Lord Bai Ling’s face still wore his usual refined and gentle smile as he gazed down at the magma sea below.

”I’ve long heard of the demon realm’s massive invasion of the Human Realm, with one of their primary objectives being the acquisition of this world’s five elements spirit pearls,” he said.

”Your imprisonment here by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch must be related to the Fire Spirit Pearl, wouldn’t you say?”

”You expect us to believe you’d help us escape only to hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t fall for that.”

Yet the Formless Demon Ancestor remained unperturbed, responding calmly, ”If you refuse to believe me, so be it. But the inheritance within Crimson Radiance Hall won’t be claimed so easily.”

With that, the Formless Demon Ancestor fell silent, making no further sound.

Li Qing, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, now had a rough understanding of the situation.

So the demon realm’s invasion of the Human Realm had been for the five elements spirit pearls of this world.

Over the years, he had encountered some information about these spirit pearls, such as the Water Spirit Pearl fragment within Su Xin’s body and the Earth Spirit Pearl shard he had seen in the Ghost Sword Sect’s treasure vault in the Great Wilderness Domain.

Most of these spirit pearls existed only in fragmented form, likely shattered during the earth-shattering war of ancient times.

If the Formless Demon Ancestor’s words were true, then the Fire Spirit Pearl beneath the magma here might be the only complete spirit pearl remaining in this world.

However, given the current situation, neither the Fire Spirit Pearl nor the Profound Yellow True Flame seemed destined for him.

The Crimson Radiance Hall remained stubbornly unresponsive, refusing to resonate with his cultivation of the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, no matter how he tried.

Dao Lord Bai Ling, equally curious, circled the ancient hall, examining it closely. The hall was tightly sealed, with no apparent means of entry.

To breach the Crimson Radiance Hall, a direct assault seemed the only option.

However, such an attack would disrupt the seal suppressing the Formless Demon Ancestor beneath, allowing it to escape.

”This doesn’t make sense,” Dao Lord Bai Ling murmured. ”If the hall contains an inheritance, why would it reject others from entering?”

Suddenly, as if struck by a revelation, Dao Lord Bai Ling paused, then chuckled coldly.

”So that’s it! The ancient hall has been corrupted by demonic qi. It wasn’t the Crimson Radiance Hall that rejected you just now, but the Formless Demon Ancestor imprisoned beneath.”

Such a thing!

Yet, upon reflection, it made perfect sense. True Lord Qingyang had been tirelessly aiding the demon ancestor’s escape for years. After so much time, some progress was inevitable.

Li Qing’s brow furrowed deeply. If this were true, his chances of obtaining the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s inheritance had plummeted.

”Heh, don’t despair,” Dao Lord Bai Ling said confidently. ”The hall is tainted by demonic qi? Then purge it! Activate the two heavenly spirit fires within you to cleanse the demonic energy. Heavenly spirit fire is the epitome of yang energy, possessing a potent counteracting effect against demonic qi!”

Use spirit fire to dispel the demonic qi?!

Having rarely encountered ancient demons, Li Qing had almost forgotten this unique property of the heavenly spirit fire within him.

”I nearly forgot about that,” he muttered.

Once he confirmed this, Li Qing acted without hesitation. He extended his hand, summoning the two heavenly spirit fires within his body.

Boom! Boom!

A black and a white flame erupted before the ancient hall. The moment these flames materialized, Li Qing finally sensed a faint resonance from the Crimson Radiance Hall!

This ancient hall, refined by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch, naturally possessed a unique sensitivity to heavenly spirit fire—a connection even the Formless Demon Ancestor couldn’t sever.

”This might work,” Dao Lord Bai Ling said. ”Let the spirit fire touch the ancient hall. Don’t worry about it being destroyed; the hall seems to have a special capacity to contain heavenly spirit fire.”

Without another word, Li Qing immediately followed his advice.

The black and white spirit fires spread rapidly, as if alive, engulfing the mottled, ancient walls of the hall. Finally, the structure reacted.

Boom!

The massive, ancient Crimson Radiance Hall began to tremble, forcing out wisps of dark purple energy.

Clearly, these were the subtle manipulations of the Formless Demon Ancestor, hidden within the hall.

The moment the dark purple qi was forced out, the magma sea below churned even more violently.

”Two heavenly spirit fires... Could he truly be a successor of the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch?”

The Formless Demon Ancestor finally lost his composure, his voice now tinged with a sinister edge.

”The fruits of my painstaking efforts over countless years... I won’t let you shatter them so easily!”

As his words faded, a dark purple formation slowly emerged from the magma sea. Within the crimson-lit chamber, the light dimmed ominously.

Buzz!

As the Demonic Formation materialized, the heaven and earth spiritual energy within the earth’s core seemed to be suppressed, stagnating like a pool of dead water.

”Die!”

The single syllable, uttered in Demonic Language, reverberated through the chamber.

The moment the word echoed, the dark purple formation below flickered, sending out invisible ripples.

In the next instant, Li Qing, who was desperately channeling the heavenly spirit fires to purge the demonic qi, was suddenly overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts.

Maybe I should just end it all. There’s no point in living anyway.

The path of cultivation is fraught with hardship, and my innate talent is abysmal. Continuing down this path would be meaningless. I might as well embrace reincarnation and hope for a better next life.

What’s the point of cultivating while still alive?

Is death truly the end of everything? What kind of experience is it?

These thoughts and ideas surged uncontrollably through Li Qing’s mind, impossible to suppress.

If Li Qing hadn’t cherished his life so deeply and never entertained suicidal thoughts, he might have ended his life in that very moment.

Even without resorting to suicide, his control over the heavenly spirit fire faltered.

The mere effort of suppressing these thoughts and ideas left him drenched in sweat, leaving him no energy to focus on anything else.

”As expected of the Formless Demon Ancestor, master of the human heart! His formless, intangible heart demon techniques have reached the pinnacle of perfection!”

Realizing Li Qing’s predicament, Dao Lord Bai Ling roared:

”Wake up now!”

Li Qing’s mind jolted awake, his consciousness clearing instantly. The dark thoughts and ideas that had plagued him vanished without a trace.

”Activate the Soul Refinement Scripture! Guard your mind!”

”We need to break that Demonic Formation. Otherwise, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

Dao Lord Bai Ling repeatedly warned him.

The Soul Refinement Scripture was a specialized scripture for refining the divine soul, naturally containing incantations to guard one’s mind.

Reacting swiftly, Li Qing immediately activated this peculiar scripture.

However, this alone couldn’t turn the tide. He needed to find a way to break the Demonic Formation.

Yet, with his mind occupied by guarding his divine soul, he couldn’t spare the focus required for such a task.

Moreover, the Demonic Formation appeared profoundly mystical, seemingly impervious to ordinary attacks.

”Hiss... This formation is no simple matter. It would require at least the power of the nascent soul realm to completely shatter it.”

”Boy, why don’t you retreat for now? Find a nascent soul realm cultivator outside to help, or wait until you Break Core and Condense Soul before returning.”

Retreat?

Hearing Dao Lord Bai Ling’s words, Li Qing’s emotions wavered, and his mind nearly lost its grip.

”The power of the nascent soul realm, you say?”

Thoughts flashed through Li Qing’s mind like lightning, and he suddenly remembered something!

He abruptly stood up, ceasing the circulation of the Soul Refinement Scripture. Instead, he swiftly patted his storage pouch.

In the next instant, a smooth, luminous Moon Disc appeared in his hand.

This was a gift True Monarch Yue Xuan had bestowed upon him back at Moonchase Palace in the Great Wilderness Domain.

The Moon Disc could unleash two strikes equivalent to True Monarch Yue Xuan’s full-power attacks. Li Qing had used one against Exquisite True Lord earlier, leaving only one charge remaining.

If it’s this powerful, what would it feel like to blast my own head with it?

The thought had barely formed when Li Qing gasped and violently shook his head.

The Formless Demon Ancestor’s methods were too insidious, constantly influencing his mind. Even a moment of weakness had flooded his mind with suicidal thoughts.

Just now, he had almost activated the Moon Disc and fired it at his own head.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts and emotions, Li Qing flipped the Moon Disc over and channeled true essence into it to activate it.

Boom!

A torrent of condensed moonlight erupted forth!

In an instant, the dark purple Demonic Formation beneath the magma sea was pierced through.

Intense moonlight rippled outward, bathing the entire magma sea in a frosty white glow.

Finally, the relentless suicidal thoughts in Li Qing’s mind ceased.

”Hah!” He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his dread of the demon ancestor reaching its peak.

”Activate the heavenly spirit fire! Purge the demonic qi and reinforce the seal!” Dao Lord Bai Ling shouted in a deep voice.

Before his words had even finished echoing, Li Qing had already begun to act.

Activating both the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame and the Netherworld Cold Fire simultaneously, Li Qing channeled his full power, causing the black and white spirit fires to rapidly engulf the ancient Crimson Radiance Hall.

Instantly, vast quantities of dark purple demonic qi were forced out, only to be incinerated and purified by the heavenly spirit fires.

Finally, the Crimson Radiance Hall resonated with the outside world once more, its isolation broken.

Li Qing, who cultivated the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, immediately established a special connection with the ancient hall.

The massive structure trembled faintly, and its tightly sealed doors swung open for him.

At the hall’s center, an earthen-yellow heavenly spirit fire burned steadily, radiating terrifying heat.

It was the Profound Yellow True Flame!

The Formless Demon Ancestor hadn’t lied—a heavenly spirit fire truly resided within the Crimson Radiance Hall.

Thanks to his Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, Li Qing immediately sensed a peculiar affinity with the flame.

Though the Profound Yellow True Flame was unclaimed, subduing it wouldn’t be easy.

Its power remained undiminished, a fully potent heavenly spirit fire. Even standing at the hall’s periphery, Li Qing felt an overwhelming wave of scorching heat.

”What a terrifying heavenly spirit fire...”

(End of the Chapter)