Immortal Refiner

”Fellow Daoist, to be honest, I did visit the Heavenly Origin Continent once in my younger days. I can even tell you how to get there.”

”I’m willing to share this information freely, but could you do me a small favor in return?”

The speaker was a one-eyed dragon with disheveled curly hair and a scraggly beard, his demeanor resembling that of a notorious sea pirate. His tone was boastful and his manner completely unrefined.

Li Qing remained skeptical of the pirate’s claims.

This one-eyed pirate was merely a mid-divine transformation realm cultivator. How could he have possibly crossed such a vast distance to reach the Heavenly Origin Continent?

”I’ve heard that the human race thrives on the Heavenly Origin Continent, and the great dao flourishes there. Why would you ever leave such a place to come to this desolate corner of the world?” Li Qing asked skeptically.

The one-eyed pirate scratched his head and chuckled dryly. ”Ah, it’s a long story. To be frank, I’m actually a native of the Heavenly Origin Continent!”

”But I angered some powerful figures I couldn’t afford to offend. Forced to flee, I became a pirate, forever barred from setting foot in human territory. Otherwise, I’d meet a gruesome end.”

”During my years as a pirate, I’ve had my share of opportunities and fortunate encounters. Once, while exploring overseas, I was caught in a spatial storm and ended up in this godforsaken place.”

”As for how to return to the Heavenly Origin Continent, I do know a route, but it requires at least void refinement realm cultivation and a substantial amount of spirit stones to activate the teleportation formation.”

Hearing this, Li Qing raised an eyebrow and fell into deep thought.

He hadn’t expected the man to be a human from the Heavenly Origin Continent—a rather unexpected turn of events.

If what the man said was true, Li Qing would indeed need to extract this information from him.

After a moment’s contemplation, Li Qing spoke, ”What assistance do you require from me? Let me be clear: I’m preparing to use the teleportation formation to reach the Azure Profound Continent and can’t afford to waste much time.”

The One-Eyed Pirate’s face lit up immediately. He exclaimed, ”Don’t worry! We’re in the same batch. Look, I’m also planning to go to the Azure Profound Continent.”

With that, he produced his teleportation formation token, identical to Li Qing’s, marked with the numbers seventy-eight and one hundred sixty-four.

This meant he was the seventy-eighth person to register for the teleportation formation, while the number 164 above indicated the current number of people who had gathered.

Once the total reached 200, the token would glow and heat up, signaling that the teleportation formation would activate in three days. Whether or not everyone was present, the formation would transport them away.

Missing the deadline would mean losing the 30,000 spirit stones, leaving them to wait for the next batch.

”So, what ’small favor’ do you need me for?” Li Qing asked, not rushing to agree. He always made sure to understand the situation first.

These pirates who dared to venture into the open sea were all desperate daredevils, living with their lives hanging by a thread. If the risk was too great, he wouldn’t agree.

”Heh, don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous.”

”There’s Monkey Island in the outer sea. The Monkey King died in the great heavenly tribulation, leaving the island leaderless. It’s the perfect time to strike.”

”This news is still highly confidential—very few people know about it. I’m planning to find a partner to pull off a heist there.”

The One-Eyed Pirate lowered his voice, glancing around furtively before continuing, ”On Monkey Island, there’s a spirit brew called Monkey Wine. Monkey Demons drink this brew from birth to enhance their potential and strengthen their innate aptitude.”

”This spirit brew isn’t just effective for Monkey Demons; newborns of other races can also use it to improve their foundation.”

”That’s why Monkey Wine is highly sought after by major powers. If we could get our hands on a batch and sell it on the Azure Profound Continent, it would fetch an astronomical price!”

Li Qing remained silent for a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully. ”If the Monkey King died in the great heavenly tribulation, why not act alone instead of revealing this information to me?”

”Because I genuinely need an accomplice. Monkey Island isn’t just home to the Monkey King; it’s also guarded by several powerful Monkey Demons in the void refinement realm.”

”Moreover, the island is protected by Flight Restriction restrictions. Once inside, realm-breaking talismans and other escape techniques become useless—even the five elements escape technique won’t work.”

”For this task, you only need to maintain a small formation outside the island. I’ll handle the actual theft of the Monkey Wine myself.”

If all he had to do was maintain the formation, it was indeed a minor favor.

”So, what do you say? If we succeed, I’ll give you one-tenth of the Monkey Wine, and I’ll tell you everything I know about the Heavenly Origin Continent—every single detail!”

Hearing this, Li Qing took another deep breath and nodded. ”Alright, I’ll help you this time. What exactly do you need me to do?”

Seeing Li Qing’s immediate agreement, the One-Eyed Pirate quickly produced a hexagonal formation plate.

”See this? I’ll set up this small formation outside the island. It has both teleportation and restriction-breaking capabilities.”

”When I give you the signal, activate the formation to briefly create a gap in Monkey Island’s restrictions. This will allow me to escape using the realm-breaking talisman.”

”Once I’m out, reverse the formation. It will then perform a short-range teleportation, allowing us to escape safely.”

This formation plate was truly remarkable, its design utterly bizarre. It could simultaneously perform two completely distinct functions:

When activated normally, it could break through restrictions. When reversed, it could even execute short-range teleportation.

Li Qing had some understanding of formations and recognized the plate’s ingenious design. The refiner of this formation plate must have possessed astonishing mastery over formations, their skill bordering on divine craftsmanship.

”Such an exquisite formation plate,” Li Qing marveled. ”Truly unprecedented and unheard of.”

The One-Eyed Pirate couldn’t help but reveal a hint of pride, yet surprisingly, he humbly replied, ”It’s nothing special. On the Heavenly Origin Continent, this is merely a minor technique. Some formation masters possess methods that seem to steal the very good fortune of heaven and earth.”

Impressed by the formation plate’s extraordinary capabilities, Li Qing ultimately agreed to the task. He was eager to witness firsthand just how miraculous this artifact truly was.

”Excellent. I am Xia Wushuang. How should I address you, fellow daoist?” Xia Wushuang asked, gesturing to his single eye as he spoke.

Truly unparalleled! Li Qing thought to himself.

Li Qing chuckled softly and replied casually, ”Limitless.”

”So you’re Fellow Daoist Limitless! Then let me offer my advance wishes for a successful collaboration!”