Immortal Refiner

In the southeastern region of the Tonggu Continent, towering mountains and steep cliffs dominated the landscape.

This was the territory of the Flying Spirit Clan, where birds soared across the sky, some transformed members of the clan and others ordinary avian demons.

Unlike the single, unbroken mountain range of Wild Bull Ridge, the Flying Spirit Clan’s territory was composed of multiple spiritual veins, supporting a diverse array of avian species.

Since forming an alliance with the Tree Demon Clan to the south, the Flying Spirit Clan had expanded its territory, claiming a vast expanse of fertile plains as their domain.

Amidst this peaceful domain, a spatial vortex suddenly tore open in the sky.

Boom!

A scarlet figure, drenched in blood and barely clinging to life, plummeted from the vortex.

The disturbance swiftly alerted the Flying Spirit Clan’s ministers, and numerous powerful members soared into the air, fearing an attack.

”Wait, it’s the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son!”

”Hiss... the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son is dying! How could anyone have wounded him so severely?”

”Quick, take the Holy Son to the clan’s holy land!”

In an instant, a golden figure streaked across the sky. Before one could blink, the golden light had enveloped the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son and carried him to the edge of a deep pool formed by a cascading waterfall.

This was the holy land of the Flying Spirit Clan, where all members underwent a baptism ritual after birth to determine if their bloodline would awaken.

After a long while, several figures with formidable auras descended.

”Golden Roc, how is my son?” A middle-aged man with gray wings strode forward, his expression grave.

”He’s still unconscious, but his life has been saved. However, nearly half of his Crimson Phoenix True Blood has been lost.”

Boom!

A thunderous aura erupted from the gray-winged man’s body, shaking the surrounding earth violently, nearly causing it to collapse.

”How could this happen? He was sent to Profound Ancient City to deal with the human race. Why would he sustain such severe injuries?”

”Who did this? Could it be that White-Eyed Giant from the Giant Spirit Race? Or did some rogue elder from the body integration realm break the rules and target the treasure blood within him?”

The gray-winged man’s fury reached its peak. He didn’t even consider the human race of Profound Ancient City as suspects, immediately suspecting the other major clans.

”This is my fault. I shouldn’t have allowed him to act alone. I should have been guarding him in the shadows.”

The Golden Roc Ancestor, normally domineering and overbearing, didn’t dare even breathe loudly in front of this gray-winged Flying Spirit Clan member, speaking in a barely audible whisper.

”Investigate! Find out who did this! This matter will not be allowed to pass!”

This was his most cherished descendant, who had awakened the precious Crimson Phoenix True Blood at birth. The Flying Spirit Clan had kept this a closely guarded secret for years.

It wasn’t until the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son reached the transformation stage that news of his existence gradually leaked out, becoming known to the outside world.

Yet now, this descendant with such a promising future had nearly lost his life, with over half of his precious blood drained.

Such a massive loss of Crimson Phoenix True Blood would undoubtedly damage his origin, inflicting severe harm to his foundation.

Soon, news of the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son’s grave injuries and the loss of over half his Scarlet Phoenix Treasure Blood spread like wildfire.

The various races of Tonggu Continent were thrown into turmoil.

Their first reaction was that some unscrupulous old monster from the body integration realm had targeted the Crimson Phoenix True Blood, launching a secret attack to kill the holy son and steal his blood.

”This is the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son! He’s already advanced to the void refinement realm, practically invincible among his peers! It must be some body integration realm old monster who disregarded the agreements between the races and launched a clandestine attack to seize his true blood.”

”Hiss! Losing over half his true blood—this is a catastrophic blow! The Flying Spirit Clan won’t let this go.”

”Speaking of which, didn’t the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son go to Profound Ancient City alone to deal with the human race? Could a human powerhouse be responsible?”

”Impossible. All the humans in Profound Ancient City combined couldn’t kill the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son. How could two mere void refinement realm human cultivators push him to such a state?”

”Then it must have been a ruthless body integration realm old monster acting in secret. What audacity! To risk the Flying Spirit Clan’s wrath just to strike.”

”Too bad they didn’t finish the job. The Crimson Phoenix Holy Son still managed to return alive. Once he awakens from his coma, the truth will come to light.”

Panic spread through all the clans. Those with body integration realm experts among them immediately launched internal investigations.

The clans had a strict agreement: body integration realm experts were forbidden from interfering in lower-realm affairs. Violators would face joint annihilation by all clans.

As the situation escalated, the Flying Spirit Clan grew increasingly frantic, desperate to vent their fury.

Regrettably, after extensive investigation, they failed to uncover which clan’s body integration realm old monster had been responsible for the attack.

Soon, they turned their accusations directly toward Profound Ancient City, demanding answers from the human race: Did they know who had dared to strike so viciously against the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son?

City Lord Lingxu of Spirit Void City claimed complete ignorance, insisting that all humans had been trapped within the city by the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son, too afraid to venture out. He maintained that he had no knowledge of who had ambushed the holy son.

The enraged high-ranking members of the Flying Spirit Clan nearly broke their restraint and launched an assault on Profound Ancient City.

However, bound by the inter-clan treaty, they ultimately withdrew, resolving to wait for the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son to awaken from his coma and reveal the truth.

Over ten days passed before the holy son finally regained consciousness.

Yet, the situation took another unexpected turn. The holy son’s sea of consciousness had been attacked before he fell unconscious, nearly obliterating his divine soul.

When he awoke, much of his memory had been lost, and his mind remained clouded. He could only babble incoherently.

That day, Ancient Ancestor Hui Yi, the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son’s father, was so consumed by rage that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The case was unexpectedly turning into a cold case, defying all expectations.

Those who knew the truth sighed inwardly. The perpetrator who had targeted the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son was truly ruthless and meticulous, leaving no trace behind—not even sparing his sea of consciousness.

In the aftermath, many weaker races lived in constant fear, terrified of becoming targets of the Flying Spirit Clan’s retaliation.

Meanwhile, those who truly understood the inner workings of the matter maintained a tacit silence, not daring to leak a word.

As for Li Qing, the true mastermind behind this cold case, he had already arrived at the westernmost reaches of the Tonggu Continent.

Standing atop a towering cliff, he faced the ferocious, howling sea winds and gazed out at the endless expanse of the ocean.

Next, he would attempt to cross this sea territory to reach the Floating Azure Archipelago. From there, he planned to use a teleportation formation to jump across continents, ultimately arriving at the Azure Profound Continent!