Immortal Refiner

Facing the challenger’s aggressive stance, Li Qing merely smiled, showing no resentment toward the younger man’s impetuousness. Instead, he regarded the youth with admiration.

In his view, young people should be brimming with vitality, especially Martial Artists who tread the path of the Martial Dao. They needed that indomitable spirit.

However, Li Qing couldn’t linger here. He had to journey to the Boundary River Domain to search for his missing disciple.

”Heh, your Martial Dao Will is commendable,” Li Qing remarked, ”but remember this: excessive rigidity breaks easily. Sometimes, tempering your sharpness can smooth your path in the Martial Dao.”

”As the saying goes, ’A heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears clumsy.’ Concealing your talents might not be a bad thing.”

”Young man, if you ever reach a new realm in vital energy martial dao, perhaps you’ll stand a chance against my current self.”

Li Qing chuckled softly, not expecting the youth to grasp these words so quickly. The young man had a long life ahead of him, with ample time to gradually comprehend their meaning.

After a moment of contemplation, Miao Tuo remained steadfast in his challenge against Li Qing.

A burning battle intent blazed in his eyes, as if he wouldn’t rest until he had tasted defeat.

”Senior Dao Guardian, please enlighten me!”

With these words, Miao Tuo assumed a fighting stance. His vital energy erupted from within him like an ancient, savage dragon awakening.

Qi-Blood Embracing the Core, the Martial Dao Unity Realm—this state truly possessed extraordinary power.

Having fused his vital energy and true qi, Miao Tuo had undergone a complete transformation, as if reborn.

Under normal circumstances, Li Qing would have gladly guided such a promising junior, helping him advance further on the path of the Martial Dao.

But now, he was urgently searching for his missing disciple and couldn’t afford to linger.

So Li Qing unleashed a single strike.

No, to be precise, Li Qing merely extended one finger—just one finger.

Boom!

The finger moved with deliberate slowness, so slow that even a mortal could follow its trajectory.

Yet Miao Tuo, who had unleashed his vital energy and assumed a martial stance, felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure.

The finger Li Qing pointed at him felt like the collapse of heaven and earth before his eyes, freezing the blood in his veins.

Before that finger, Miao Tuo’s mind went completely blank, utterly devoid of thought, leaving him utterly clueless about what to do next.

In the next instant, Li Qing’s finger halted just before Miao Tuo’s forehead, never actually touching him.

Li Qing’s mastery of body arts had already reached the fourth-tier, making him fully capable of battling a true Transformed Demon King!

Combined with the overwhelming aura he had unconsciously cultivated over the years, how could a fledgling Martial Artist like Miao Tuo possibly withstand such pressure?

Miao Tuo collapsed to the ground, his forehead drenched in sweat.

This is terrifying! The pressure from Li Qing’s finger was utterly overwhelming. Merely hovering before his forehead had completely extinguished the fighting spirit in his heart.

Watching the young man sprawled on the ground, Li Qing slowly withdrew his hand, turned, and left the martial alliance’s territory.

It wasn’t until moments later that Miao Tuo finally regained his senses. He glanced at Alliance Leader Yan, who stood helplessly nearby, and urgently asked:

”Uncle Yan, where is Senior Dao Guardian going?”

Yan Xishan replied helplessly, ”To the Boundary River Domain.”

Upon hearing this, Miao Tuo immediately sprang to his feet and shouted outside, ”Quick, bring out my Jade Blood Azure-Veined Steed! I’m riding with Senior Dao Guardian!”

As he spoke, Miao Tuo rushed out, quickly disappearing from sight.

Yan Xishan, hearing Miao Tuo’s words, immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

”This is bad! Crown Prince, you mustn’t!”

As the Crown Prince of the Blood Martial Dynasty and heir to the throne, how could he leave the Royal City so casually?

Unfortunately, Miao Tuo’s mind was made up. He moved with lightning speed, even channeling his Martial Dao cultivation to mount his steed in record time. Then, he charged out through the southwest gate of the Royal City.

A lone rider, a cloud of dust trailing behind him—a truly dashing figure!

He was a descendant of Miao Xi, the founding emperor of the dynasty. Though two generations removed, he had grown up hearing tales of Li Qing’s legendary deeds.

In fact, every prince and princess born into the Blood Martial Dynasty’s Royal Family, not just disciples of the martial alliance, was taught to revere Li Qing as the dao guardian.

After hearing tales of Li Qing’s early exploits, how could anyone not feel a sense of reverence for him?

Miao Tuo had finally met the protagonist of the stories he’d grown up hearing and even fought him firsthand. Having personally experienced the power of this mysterious dao guardian, his admiration naturally surged to its peak.

Fueled by this fervent devotion, Miao Tuo ignored the attempts of others in the Royal City to stop him. He left at top speed and pursued Li Qing’s trail.

Southwest of the Royal City lay the Boundary River Domain.

Riding his Jade Blood Azure-Veined Steed, Miao Tuo desperately tried to calm the exotic beast treasure steed he had tamed. But no matter what methods he used, he couldn’t soothe the creature’s fear and unease.

The reason was simple: beside them strode a ferocious tiger covered in deep purple stripes!

Miao Tuo sighed, inwardly cursing his treasure steed for being so spineless.

Meanwhile, Li Qing, sitting atop Fan Tong’s back, had already accepted the young man’s company.

He casually asked, ”I heard the Blood Martial Dynasty also venerates a Ji Ling. Tell me about the one you worship.”

Miao Tuo finally gave up trying to calm his Exotic Beast Treasure Steed and answered honestly:

”It happened at the founding of our dynasty. The grand ancestor emperor, spreading his teachings across the land, unified three vast territories. Near the Royal City, he encountered two strange plants locked in fierce combat.”

”One was a precious tree with azure leaves, while the other was an iron tree covered in thorns.”

”The azure-leaved tree eventually fell, its shattered branches scattered across the earth, and its blue leaves swirled through the night sky like fallen stars.”

”Yet the Thorn Iron Tree was also on the brink of death, its vitality nearly extinguished.”

Later, Miao Xi accidentally made contact with the dying Thorn Iron Tree’s spiritual sense, forging a cooperative bond.

Miao Xi provided the Thorn Iron Tree with strange beast blood to heal its wounds, and in return, the Thorn Iron Tree became the Blood Martial Dynasty’s Ji Ling, offering its protection to the dynasty.

”My understanding of Ji Ling is limited. They are shrouded in mystery and remain in perpetual slumber, making contact with outsiders nearly impossible.”

After hearing Miao Tuo’s explanation, Li Qing nodded slowly.

It seemed the Ji Ling worshipped by the Blood Martial Dynasty had suffered severe injuries and needed to gradually recover through the efforts of the dynasty’s people.

”If the demonic willow in the north awakens, can your dynasty’s Ji Ling protect you?” Li Qing asked.

Miao Tuo shook his head bitterly. ”It would be very difficult. The Ji Ling itself is severely injured, and the demonic willow that destroyed the entire Black Wind Domain is simply too terrifying.”

To transform an entire great domain into a Cursed Land, completely annihilating all life, was no easy feat.

As they continued their journey, the two conversed, eventually delving deeper into the Boundary River Domain.

During their travels, Miao Tuo naturally peppered Li Qing with questions, but Li Qing selectively answered only a few.

Finally, the surrounding temperature gradually plummeted to an extreme chill, and the roar of surging water echoed ahead.

The Boundary River, which bisected the entire great domain, finally came into view.

Though called a river, it was remarkably wide—so vast that its opposite bank was beyond the horizon. This immense width justified its name as the Boundary River.

A river flowed vertically, as if dividing two realms.

”Such a frigid river, yet showing no signs of freezing—truly remarkable,” Li Qing remarked, approaching the Boundary River. He felt a faint chill despite being a nascent soul realm cultivator with a physique comparable to a transformation stage demon king.

Beside him, Miao Tuo shivered slightly, his voice trembling as he said, ”I’ve read some ancient texts, said to have survived from before the Red Moon Era.”

”The texts claim the Boundary River wasn’t always this cold. Even ordinary people could cross it easily by wearing extra layers of clothing.”

”Perhaps the river changed after darkness descended upon the great earth.”

As Crown Prince, Miao Tuo possessed a thorough understanding of his domain’s affairs, making him a qualified heir.

Li Qing stared intently at the Boundary River for a long time, extending his divine sense, but found nothing.

Miao Tuo, unaware of Li Qing’s actions, asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind:

”Senior Li, was the world before the Red Moon Era truly not an eternally dark abyss?”

”I once heard my grandfather say—and he said his grandfather told him—that the sky back then wasn’t a deep, dark void, but rather had a sun that brought light and warmth.”

”I wish I could see what that was like.”

Miao Tuo’s eyes shone with longing, as if he were no longer the sharp-edged Crown Prince but a young man filled with curiosity about the world’s mysteries.

Hearing this, Li Qing sighed softly, avoiding a direct answer.

”The sun not only brings light and warmth, but it also symbolizes hope.”

Miao Tuo murmured to himself, ”Hope...”

For the first time, he grasped a more concrete understanding of the legendary sun, no longer just a vague image.

Ignoring Miao Tuo’s musings, Li Qing observed the Boundary River for a long time, finally discerning some clues.

”This river was likely once the location of an immortal dao faction’s mountain gate. With the arrival of the End of Dao Era, this faction vanished along with it.”

Li Qing murmured to himself, his curiosity piqued.

An immortal dao faction had established its mountain gate within this great river, and Li Qing was eager to uncover whether there was a hidden grotto-heaven within.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten his primary mission: to find his missing disciple.

Could that girl have learned about the river’s special properties from some ancient immortal dao texts, leading her to search for remnants of a bygone cultivation sect within the Boundary River?

Li Qing suspected Lin Jing might be trapped within the Boundary River’s immortal dao ruins. Yet even he, with his current power, couldn’t locate the sect’s entrance. How could his disciple have vanished here?

His solution was simple: if he couldn’t find it, he wouldn’t bother looking!

With that thought, Li Qing soared into the sky, simultaneously activating the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame and the Profound Yellow True Flame within his body.

Boom!

The two spirit fires transformed into colossal fire dragons, surging forth and plunging directly into the Boundary River!

In an instant, the icy river water erupted in a massive explosion, thick mist billowing from its depths.

On the shore, Miao Tuo, astride his Exotic Beast Treasure Steed, stared in utter shock. He had never imagined Li Qing’s methods could be so dazzling and extravagant. Even from a great distance, the scorching heat of the flames sent shivers down his spine.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Streams of heavenly spirit fire crashed into the Boundary River, yet they produced no noticeable effect!

Li Qing frowned. With his current strength, unleashing his tamed heavenly spirit fire should have easily evaporated an entire river. Why was he struggling so much?

This Boundary River was definitely strange!

That’s right. This was once the location of an immortal dao faction’s cultivation sect. It couldn’t be so simple.

Li Qing realized this, but just then, the Profound Yellow True Flame within him finally stirred, sending a long-dormant telepathic message:

”Boy, where have you dragged me? Why is the spiritual energy in this place so barren?”

”And what’s with the Great Yin True Water aura in this river? This isn’t something you can deal with using mere fire. Great Yin True Water can extinguish all the fires in the world!”

The Profound Yellow True Flame, dwelling within Li Qing’s body, naturally remained unaware of the external changes. It only became aware when Li Qing activated it.

However, it hadn’t reacted at all during their time in Giant Mushroom City, likely because there was nothing there that caught its attention.

But now, the Great Yin True Water aura emanating from the great river had instantly awakened the Profound Yellow True Flame.

”Great Yin True Water? Impossible! That’s a legendary immortal artifact!”

Li Qing exclaimed in astonishment, gazing at the vast river beneath his feet. A fervent light ignited in his eyes.

No wonder my heavenly spirit fire couldn’t evaporate it! It’s because of the Great Yin True Water!

”You’re overthinking it,” a voice echoed. ”This river only carries a trace of the Great Yin True Water’s aura.”

”If this entire river were composed of Great Yin True Water, not even a Heavenly Monarch could survive here, let alone a nascent soul realm cultivator like you!”

Hearing this, Li Qing felt no disappointment. Instead, his excitement surged.

The Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra he had created required substances with immense destructive power to temper his body, facilitating a metamorphosis into an even more formidable form.

Originally, he had anticipated using Heavenly Thunder or other spirit fires for this purpose. But this river, imbued with the aura of Great Yin True Water, seemed equally suitable for his tempering process.

If it were a true Great Yin True Water river, he would be instantly annihilated.

But in this diluted state, it might actually prove beneficial.

”The aura of Great Yin True Water...” Li Qing murmured, his gaze sweeping across the vast Boundary River once more.

(End of the Chapter)

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