Immortal Refiner

After Daoist Jin Bao’s cultivation was completely destroyed, he was assigned a menial position in the sect’s Hall of Technique Transmission.

For months, he had been using his position to pore over the hall’s vast collection of scriptures, desperately searching for a way to restore his cultivation.

Alas, he found neither a method to regain his cultivation nor even a way to resume his path of cultivation.

Finally, Daoist Jin Bao gave up completely. A year later, he bid a sorrowful farewell to the Lingyun Sect, feeling too ashamed to continue accepting the sect’s stipend.

Having made up his mind to leave, Daoist Jin Bao remained unmoved by all attempts to persuade him to stay.

”Sect Leader Xu, there’s no need to say more,” he insisted. ”As a cripple, my continued presence here would only waste the sect’s resources.”

”In the Hall of Technique Transmission, watching those vibrant disciples, my heart aches even more.”

”Let me return to secular life. I’ll become a leisurely, wealthy old man, living out my remaining years in peace.”

Hearing these words, Xu Xia opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

”Senior Brother Jinbao, you don’t have to do this. The Lingyun Sect is vast—”

At this point, Xu Xia finally fell silent, letting out a deep sigh.

”Ah!”

Daoist Jin Bao left behind his storage bag, which contained all his accumulated wealth from his years of cultivation, including the magic treasure, the Golden Light Dart!

”Sect Leader Xu, please erase the memories of the Cultivation Technique Inheritance I received from the Hall of Technique Transmission. This will prevent them from falling into the hands of villains in the future!”

Sect Leader Xu Xia’s heart trembled slightly at these words. He reached out to accept the storage bag, agreeing to fulfill this request.

A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure invites trouble. With his cultivation completely gone, Daoist Jin Bao had no way to protect these items. If they fell into the wrong hands, they would become a death warrant.

In the end, Xu Xia used his divine sense to erase all Lingyun Sect-related cultivation technique inheritances from Daoist Jin Bao’s Sea of Consciousness, leaving him completely alone in the world.

Sect Leader Xu Xia spoke, ”Senior Brother Jinbao, please wait here. I will ask the ancestor for an ascension token. If any of your descendants later embark on the immortal dao, they can use it to enter the Lingyun Sect.”

”This storage bag of yours will also be sealed within the sect. When your descendants enter the Lingyun Sect, it will be returned to them!”

Daoist Jin Bao no longer refused. This was the best possible outcome.

A moment later, atop Azure Cloud Peak, Li Qing sighed softly after hearing Xu Xia’s account.

”Alas, this is all we can do. Have someone keep a close eye on Jin Bao’s activities in the mortal world. If he encounters any difficulties, remember to offer assistance.”

”If any of Jin Bao’s descendants are born with spirit root aptitude, guide them to the Lingyun Sect.”

With these words, Li Qing retrieved an ascension token from the Lingyun Sect and handed it to Xu Xia.

Several days later, outside the Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate, Daoist Jin Bao, clutching the ascension token, cast one last glance at the ethereal, immortal scenery.

He bowed deeply toward the sect before turning and leaving without looking back.

On Azure Cloud Peak, Li Qing sighed again.

Daoist Jin Bao would likely now settle down in the mortal world and start a family. With the Lingyun Sect’s protection, his descendants would undoubtedly live comfortably.

Having witnessed this transition from immortal to mortal firsthand, Li Qing understood the immense gulf between the two realms.

Once a lofty cultivator, Daoist Jin Bao had failed his breakthrough attempt, his cultivation completely destroyed, forcing him to return to the mortal world as an ordinary mortal.

Such were the perilous trials of the dao.

News of Daoist Jin Bao’s fate spread quickly throughout the sect, causing many disciples to feel a sudden dread about their own paths ahead, some even hesitating to take another step forward.

Yet many more, with unwavering resolve and lofty ambitions, remained undaunted by the dao’s dangers, clinging to their grand visions.

The incident caused quite a stir within Lingyun Sect, but as time passed, it gradually faded from memory.

Regardless, cultivation continued.

In the remaining time, Li Qing patiently awaited news of True Monarch Chen Yuan’s tribulation crossing.

During this period, he diligently studied various immortal dao scriptures, comprehended inherited daoist arts, and expanded his knowledge and understanding.

At the late-stage nascent soul realm, even the most urgent desire to advance one’s cultivation could only lead to futile anxiety.

What he needed now was time to accumulate experience. He had advanced too rapidly in recent years and needed to gradually consolidate his foundation, progressing step by step.

Amidst these tranquil days of cultivation, a shocking piece of news reverberated throughout the cultivation world, originating from the Northern Ice Plains.

The Northern Ice Plains, an endless expanse of snow and ice, boasted the Human Realm’s most vast and deepest permafrost layer.

The cultivation environment here was far from ideal, comparable to the Azure Ridge Domain—a great domain relatively barren in spiritual energy.

Yet, due to prolonged peace, this great domain had still produced a number of nascent soul realm cultivators.

These Nascent Soul True Monarchs had made significant contributions to repairing the Demonic Realm Rift in the Northern Ice Plains, earning the respect of all cultivators in the domain and enjoying unparalleled prestige for a time.

But no one could have imagined that these revered Nascent Soul True Monarchs would all perish!

The moment news of their deaths spread, the entire cultivation world of the Human Realm erupted into a frenzy.

”How is this possible? All the nascent soul realm cultivators in an entire great domain wiped out?”

”Are you joking? They were Nascent Soul True Monarchs! How could they die so mysteriously, without a trace?”

”Could it be that some great power in the divine transformation stage went mad and slaughtered all the nascent soul realm cultivators in the domain in a fit of rage?”

”It’s hard to say. Only a cultivator at the Divine Transformation Stage could pull off something like this. But it’s also possible that an Ancient Demon of the Transformation Stage, stranded in the Human Realm after failing to return to the Demon Realm, is responsible!”

”That’s not an unreasonable theory!”

In short, this incident captured the attention of cultivators throughout the Human Realm.

Soon, through the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild’s investigation, more details about the incident were revealed.

”All the deceased Nascent Soul True Monarchs had their nascent souls extracted, and their entire faces were carved off, leaving them faceless corpses!”

”If not for details in their clothing, the identities of the corpses would have been impossible to determine.”

”Most of the deceased Nascent Soul True Monarchs died in their own cave abodes. It’s said that cultivators near their cultivation sites never noticed any unusual activity. The deaths were silent and swift, with no signs of battle.”

When these details came to light, cultivators throughout the cultivation world felt a growing sense of unease.

This was terrifying. If even Nascent Soul cultivators could be killed so silently, only someone at the Divine Transformation Stage could be responsible.

Li Qing, who was living a leisurely life at the Lingyun Sect, naturally heard about this news as well.

When Li Qing examined the details of the deceased, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his expression turned grave.

”It’s one thing to extract the nascent soul, but to carve away the face as well... Who could have done this, and what was their motive?”

”Moreover, even self-detonation of the nascent soul was impossible. This method is terrifyingly precise—even a great power at the Divine Transformation Stage might struggle to achieve such a feat.”

Through these details, a name flashed through Li Qing’s mind:

Formless Saint Ancestor!

”Could it be that this Demon Realm Saint Ancestor’s dao body has descended to the lower realm?”

The thought sent a chill down Li Qing’s spine.

The victims were all Nascent Soul cultivators, aligning perfectly with the Demon Realm’s goal of invading the Human Realm. It was impossible not to suspect demonic involvement.

(End of the Chapter)

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