Immortal Refiner

After returning to the sect from the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing immediately entered secluded cultivation within his cave abode.

His breakthrough to the mid-Nascent Soul stage had severely depleted his vital essence. Even after refining essence blood from the corpses of two Transformation Stage Demon Kings, he had failed to fully replenish his reserves.

However, his recent journey to the World of Eternal Night yielded a vast quantity of third-tier exotic beast blood from Giant Mushroom City, finally allowing him to restore his vital essence to its peak.

In the days that followed, Li Qing remained in seclusion, focusing his mind on cultivation within his cave abode.

Relying solely on meditation and closed-door cultivation would naturally lead to progress as slow as a turtle’s crawl. At such a sluggish pace, even by the time the demonic cataclysm drew near, Li Qing’s cultivation might not have advanced significantly.

Therefore, he channeled his energy into other areas, such as refining the Soul Refinement Scripture and perfecting his daoist arts.

”Gathering the essence of heaven and earth, nourishing one’s own vital essence—this is the foundation establishment stage.”

Seated cross-legged within his cave abode, Li Qing softly recited the profound scripture, gradually refining it.

In this manner, he finally completed the foundation establishment Chapter of his self-created daoist art, the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra.

With this accomplishment, Li Qing exhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and quietly contemplated the cultivation manual he had created.

Through this process, he gained profound insights into the Great Dao, deepening his understanding and clarifying the path he wished to pursue.

”Once the cultivation Chapters of the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra are further refined, I’ll be able to switch to cultivating the past with a single thought, making it far simpler and easier than switching to any other superior cultivation manual.”

”This is likely one of the greatest advantages of creating one’s own cultivation manual. As its founder, my understanding of this technique is unparalleled.”

As he spoke, Li Qing opened his eyes, a restrained divine light gleaming within them—a testament to the strength of his divine soul.

Through years of cultivation, Li Qing had come to realize the paramount importance of a strong divine soul, which could bring benefits in countless ways.

The most direct benefit was that a powerful divine soul greatly facilitated the deduction and refinement of daoist arts. With thoughts flowing effortlessly, his mind sharp and clear, he could accomplish even the most complex tasks.

Therefore, he placed great emphasis on cultivating the Soul Refinement Scripture. During this period of seclusion, he devoted nearly half his energy to tempering his divine soul.

”Incredible! I haven’t even fully completed the first layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture, yet my divine soul has already grown this powerful!”

”Even a late-stage nascent soul cultivator probably wouldn’t be this powerful,” Li Qing murmured to himself.

Boom!

A formidable wave of divine sense surged forth, effortlessly enveloping the entire mountain gate area.

Every detail within the Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate, from the grandest structures to the smallest ant, fell under Li Qing’s divine sense observation. Nothing escaped his notice.

Yet this wasn’t even the limit of his divine soul’s power. Had he wished, Li Qing could have extended his divine sense even further.

However, such an expansion would have drained his divine soul power excessively. Li Qing quickly retracted his divine sense back into his Sea of Consciousness.

The Soul Refinement Scripture was divided into five layers. Li Qing was still a short distance from completing the first layer.

Once he achieved that, his divine soul would grow even stronger!

”Truly worthy of being a Mysterious Classic Secret Manual from the upper realm! It directly enhances divine sense so vividly!”

The enhancement of his divine sense left Li Qing deeply entranced. He finally understood what Senior Bai Ling had experienced.

Dao Lord Bai Ling had once told him that his obsession with cultivating the Soul Refinement Scripture had caused him to neglect his spiritual energy cultivation, even forgetting various cultivation techniques.

It wasn’t until his lifespan was nearing its end that he finally realized his mistake, but by then it was far too late.

He ultimately passed away while meditating on Beast King Mountain, leaving behind only a wisp of lingering will in the world. Only after passing on his inheritance did he finally relinquish his lingering obsession and dissipate into heaven and earth.

Dao Lord Bai Ling’s experiences served as a stark warning for Li Qing. No matter how deeply he immersed himself in cultivating the Soul Refinement Scripture, he always maintained a mental boundary.

Regardless of his progress, he vowed never to let cultivating the Soul Refinement Scripture hinder his overall cultivation progress.

Over the next two years, Li Qing successfully cultivated the first layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture, further enhancing the strength of his divine soul.

While he couldn’t gauge the exact power of a Divine Transformation stage cultivator’s divine soul, Li Qing felt confident that his own was now comparable.

He then attempted to cultivate the second layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture.

This second layer proved to be extraordinarily difficult, far surpassing the first layer in complexity.

Forcing his way through would require an immense amount of time. Simply deciphering its mysteries and comprehending its principles would take at least a thousand years.

Even with his abundant lifespan and the potential to extend it further through artifact refinement, Li Qing couldn’t help but feel daunted.

”No wonder... Senior Bai Ling must have been trapped on this second level.”

”Cultivation periods measured in millennia... truly terrifying! Even cultivators at the divine transformation stage couldn’t withstand such prolonged consumption, could they?”

Deeply shaken, Li Qing wisely set aside the Soul Refinement Scripture, temporarily halting his divine sense cultivation.

Meanwhile, news of the demon realm’s impending invasion of this world had become an open secret.

Cultivators across the cultivation world were actively preparing for the crisis, enhancing their strength and acquiring life-saving techniques.

As a result, prices in the cultivation world skyrocketed to absurd levels.

Yet the benefits were undeniable. In the Azure Ridge Domain alone, several exceptionally talented rogue cultivators had successfully achieved core formation!

Such an event had been exceedingly rare in the past, almost impossible.

Now, it was happening in reality, and more than once!

While the increasingly favorable cultivation environment in the Azure Ridge Domain played a role, the root cause was undoubtedly the impending invasion from the demon realm.

Another noteworthy development was the emergence of core formation realm cultivators within the cultivation clans affiliated with the Lingyun Sect.

Once a cultivation clan produced a core formation realm cultivator, it could rightfully claim the title of a ”millennial clan”—a true honor for its ancestors and a source of immense pride for the family.

The term ”millennial clan” didn’t necessarily imply a thousand years of existence, but rather a sustained period of prosperity and influence.

The birth of a core formation realm cultivator guaranteed a clan’s glory and dominance for at least a millennium. Even after their death, their blessings would continue to protect and benefit their descendants for generations.

The growing number of core formation realm cultivators posed no threat to the Lingyun Sect’s dominance, and might not even significantly impact its influence.

As the demonic cataclysm approached, the connections between the great domains had become far more intertwined than before.

Li Qing’s legendary deeds in the Wind Origin Domain had finally spread to the Azure Ridge Domain.

Every cultivator in the Azure Ridge Domain understood that the Lingyun Sect remained unshakable, solely because of the unfathomable Ancestor Limitless within its ranks.

This was a true mountain, pressing down upon the entire cultivation world of the Azure Ridge Domain.

During this period, the Lingyun Sect continued to prove its worth. Another foundation establishment elder had successfully advanced to the core formation realm, becoming the sect’s newest supreme elder!

This individual was Jiang Han, the Grand Elder of the Alchemy Hall. He had once been in constant competition with Li Yuhuan, who was both Li Qing’s registered disciple and his niece.

However, through this healthy rivalry, their relationship seemed to have grown closer, hinting at the possibility of them becoming dao companions.

Li Qing naturally wouldn’t interfere, barely even inquiring about it.

As an elder, he had always been open-minded, never meddling in the romantic affairs of his juniors.

Moreover, Jiang Han had an excellent reputation within the sect, served as the Grand Elder of the Alchemy Hall, and demonstrated remarkable responsibility.

Now that he had successfully achieved core formation, he was undoubtedly a highly suitable candidate for a dao companion.

However, within such a vast sect, where there were joyous occasions, there were also inevitable tragedies, even for a powerhouse like the Lingyun Sect.

On Purple Cloud Peak, within Ancestor Ziqing’s cave abode:

Boom!

A decaying aura erupted, unstable and seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Li Qing, with his powerful divine sense, immediately sensed the disturbance. He jolted awake from his seclusion and rushed out of the cave abode.

”Ancestor?! Ancestor Ziqing, are you alright?” Li Qing descended upon Purple Cloud Peak, his figure hovering outside Ancestor Ziqing’s cave abode as he called out anxiously.

A faint cough echoed from within the cave abode.

Then, Ancestor Ziqing’s weak voice slowly drifted out: ”This old one is fine. My lifespan has simply reached its end. I will soon pass away.”

Li Qing’s heart clenched at these words. Suppressing his grief, he urged, ”Ancestor, release the cave abode’s restriction! The sect’s treasury holds lifespan-extending precious medicines that can prolong your lifespan!”

”The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild also possesses lifespan-extending treasures that can slow the passage of time!”

Ancestor Ziqing was a senior Li Qing deeply respected. Even after reaching the mid-Nascent Soul stage, Li Qing never presumed seniority before him, always maintaining the demeanor of a junior.

Now, as this revered elder approached his final moments, Li Qing felt an overwhelming grief.

Soon, core formation realm cultivators from the other spirit peaks emerged from their seclusion and gathered before Purple Cloud Peak.

”Martial Uncle Ziqing, you...”

”The sect recently acquired several Longevity Pills refined from Spirit Longevity Peaches. Why didn’t you take them, Ancestor?”

”Waaah! Ancestor Ziqing, don’t leave us! Lingyi can’t bear to lose you!”

Many of the sect’s current core formation realm supreme elders were his juniors.

Shen Ningbing and Wu Chong were obvious examples; their masters belonged to the same generation as Ancestor Ziqing, making it natural for them to address him as ”Martial Uncle.”

Chu Lingyi shared a similar connection. Having entered the sect alongside Li Qing, she had received immense kindness from Ancestor Ziqing. Witnessing this elder’s imminent departure from the world naturally filled her with profound sorrow.

”Cough, cough, cough... Those spirit pills and elixirs would be wasted on this useless body of mine.”

”Besides,” Ancestor Ziqing continued, his voice raspy, ”I know my own condition. Those life-extending precious medicines would be of little use now.”

As he finished speaking, Ancestor Ziqing was seized by another violent coughing fit.

”Li Qing!” Wu Chong exclaimed, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

Without hesitation, Li Qing channeled his abundant mana, effortlessly shattering the restriction guarding Ancestor Ziqing’s cave abode.

But by the time they rushed inside, it was already too late.

An aura of dao transformation radiated outward, holy and ethereal.

”Ancestor!” Li Qing strode into the cave abode, his heart pounding, and saw Ancestor Ziqing undergoing dao transformation.

TL/N: Dao transformation = becoming one with the dao, returning to origin.

The ancestor had become emaciated beyond recognition, his vital energy and vital essence completely depleted. Now that he had begun his dao transformation, even a Great Luo Heavenly Immortal would be powerless to intervene.

Yet Ancestor Ziqing remained serene, his gaze calm and accepting. As the group filed into the cave, a faint, relieved smile touched his lips.

”You have done well. The future of the Lingyun Sect rests in your hands.”

Amidst the radiant glow of dao transformation, Ancestor Ziqing gradually faded away. His final spiritual light carried a trace of contentment as he bid farewell to the world.

Ancestor Ziqing departed resolutely, showing no lingering attachment to the world.

Li Qing and the others knelt in deep reverence, bowing deeply in the direction of Ancestor Ziqing’s departure.

After a long moment of grief-stricken silence, they collectively cried out:

”Farewell, Ancestor Ziqing!”

”...”

The passing of a supreme elder with such profound seniority from the Lingyun Sect sent shockwaves through the entire sect and across the Azure Ridge Domain.

For the next seven days, the entire sect held a grand funeral for Ancestor Ziqing. White banners draped the mountain gate, and paper money fluttered through the air like snow.

Amidst this solemn atmosphere, a highly unstable void rift suddenly appeared in the skies above the Azure Ridge Domain.

Pitch-black demonic qi poured from the rift, instantly tainting the surrounding hundred-mile radius of clouds a dark, ominous black.

However, the rift proved unstable, closing after only a few days.

Had it not been for the lingering demonic qi in the air, the cultivators who witnessed this event might have dismissed it as a mere hallucination.

The demon realm’s invasion was finally upon them!

A suffocating pressure descended instantly, crushing the air.

If previous rumors of the demon realm’s invasion had been dismissed as mere speculation within the cultivation world, this sudden void rift served as irrefutable proof of their truth.

It was no longer a rumor—it was reality!

Such unstable void rifts weren’t limited to the skies above the Azure Ridge Domain; similar signs had appeared across several other great domains of the Human Realm!

Having just bid farewell to Ancestor Ziqing, Li Qing stood atop a mountain within the sect, his expression grave as he gazed at the void rift in the sky. He remained silent for a long time.

The moment the void rift appeared, he had sensed it. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be suppressed.

”Void rifts can’t last long. Is this a test?”

”Regardless, the demon realm’s invasion has finally begun.”

(End of the Chapter)

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