Immortal Refiner

But one couldn’t blame others for not asking. Li Qing rarely sparred or dueled with others on an arena like this.

In the past, whenever he drew the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, his opponents were either severely wounded or killed outright. Who would have the presence of mind to ask the name of such a killing sword?

”This sword is named the Immortal Slaughtering Sword. I ask Your Highness Liyang for your guidance,” Li Qing said, as his mana began to flow into the treasured sword.

At the mention of the words ”Immortal Slaughtering,” the atmosphere in the arena fell silent once more. Even Prince Liyang was taken aback by the name’s sheer bloodlust.

”To dare name it the Immortal Slaughtering Sword... Your Excellency possesses truly grand ambitions,” Prince Liyang remarked.

Even in the vast Spirit Realm, it was estimated that at least several hundred thousand years had passed since the last successful ascension to the Immortal Realm. Today, rumors of the Immortal Realm had grown increasingly faint.

”It is merely a name I chose on a whim. Your Highness’s praise is undeserved,” Li Qing replied calmly.

If he knew the names of the other two killing swords I plan to forge, who knows how he would react.

”Please instruct me!” Prince Liyang’s expression suddenly turned utterly murderous as he struck out with the Black King Spear, suppressing Li Qing.

Boom!

The terrifying force shattered the air along its path, its momentum reaching its peak.

Without a word, Li Qing swung the Immortal Slaughtering Sword in a horizontal slash.

Clang!

As the two spirit treasures collided, the newly repaired Dao Discussion Platform once again spiderwebbed with countless cracks.

Golden sword qi and jet-black spear light intertwined, appearing evenly matched at first glance. But soon, the golden light grew more dazzling.

Ultimately, the killing sword that had been fused with a Golden Essence Baleful Light, combined with the Immortal Slaughtering Sword’s own extraordinary quality, surpassed Prince Liyang’s lifebound magical treasure by a notch.

However, the latter did not recall his spear. Instead, he drew the Heavenly Wolf Bow.

Seeing this, Li Qing activated the Golden Thread Treasure Robe and the Great Sun Golden Flame within his body.

Boom!

A golden great sun emerged above his head, its brilliant light reaching an extreme level of dazzling. A cloak of golden light also draped over his body.

At this moment, Li Qing seemed to have transformed into a golden war immortal, with the golden great sun above his head, his entire being holy and transcendent.

Soon, the air tore as a series of sonic booms erupted. Before Li Qing could even react, nine streaks of spiritual light arrows slammed into his body.

Fortunately, protected by the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, he didn’t suffer the same devastating injuries as the giant elephant before. The golden light deflected each of the spiritual light arrows. Li Qing only felt a slight impact on his physical body and a minor disruption in his qi and blood, but he was otherwise unharmed.

”Another Earth-grade spiritual treasure...” Prince Liyang immediately recognized the quality of the Golden Thread Treasure Robe on Li Qing’s body. It was absolutely an Earth-grade spiritual treasure, and an extremely rare defensive one at that.

He knew that attacking Li Qing with ordinary arrows would no longer have any effect. Only by fully unleashing the Heavenly Wolf Bow’s true power could he hope to break through Li Qing’s defenses.

But Li Qing had no intention of letting him easily charge up a devastating strike. The golden sun above his head erupted, spewing out sheets of golden fire.

Boom!

Prince Liyang, unlike Yan Huizhi, lacked a fire-resistant spiritual treasure. His expression shifted slightly as he retreated.

But the Great Sun Golden Flame seemed to be everywhere. Soon, golden flames began to burn on his body, and before long, his treasure armor showed signs of damage.

Enduring the excruciating pain of the Great Sun Golden Flame, Prince Liyang managed to draw the Heavenly Wolf Bow.

But this time, he did not immediately release the string. Instead, he held the drawn bow for a long moment.

Such willpower made the hearts of everyone present tremble slightly. They thought to themselves that this prince was truly extraordinary—his resolve was unyielding, and his mind was undisturbed.

Even the Empress nodded secretly, a trace of admiration gleaming in her phoenix eyes.

Li Qing, seeing this, was also deeply impressed by the prince’s willpower. He knew all too well how agonizing the Great Sun Golden Flame was to endure; he had suffered greatly himself when refining it.

But he had no time for further contemplation. Prince Liyang’s fingers trembled slightly, signaling that he was about to release the string.

Li Qing took a deep breath, fully activating the Golden Thread Treasure Robe. Then, dividing his mind, he formed hand seals with both hands.

”Five Elements Creation and Destruction!”

This was a powerful Five-Element Divine Ability he had comprehended while studying the Five Elements Secret Method. Within his body, he manifested the cycle of generation and destruction of the five elements. The hand seals he formed continuously intertwined, endlessly repeating the two states of creating the world and destroying all things.

Prince Liyang’s eyes snapped open. In that instant, he released the fully drawn bowstring.

Twang!

The entire world fell silent, leaving only the single, vibrating note of the bowstring.

The onlookers instinctively held their breath, their gazes fixed on Li Qing.

The protection of the Golden Thread Treasure Robe was pierced clean through. The golden light on his body shattered, and the golden light cloak behind him vanished in an instant.

Yet Li Qing suffered no actual harm. In his palm, a Five Elements Dharma Seal had blocked the spiritual light arrow.

The next moment, a violent wave of spiritual power exploded from before him, instantly surging outward.

The Body Integration Stage experts present had already anticipated this and immediately acted to suppress the spiritual shockwave.

Before the light could even fade, a soft roar, a symbol of auspiciousness, resonated between heaven and earth.

”Wuuu-hou!”

Along with this auspicious and melodious roar, the entire sky was dyed with a layer of five-colored radiance.

The next instant, a five-colored Qilin stepped out from the dazzling light.

”A Qilin?! The True Spirit that represents auspiciousness has actually appeared!”

”A Qilin has descended upon the world?!”

”No, this is the Qilin Treasure Art unleashed by Prince Liyang. He truly mastered the True Spirit Inheritance!”

”Hiss... A True Spirit’s Treasure Art Inheritance is no ordinary secret technique. How will that man respond?”

”And this is the Qilin’s true body! Prince Liyang’s fortune is truly remarkable; he must have obtained true qilin blood, otherwise, he could never have manifested the Qilin’s true body!”

”...”

The entire arena erupted in commotion. This was the highest level of the Qilin Treasure Art—transforming one’s own body into a Qilin. Without true qilin blood, it would be absolutely impossible to master the technique to this extent.

Even the princes present felt their pupils tremble.

This was a level only the Emperor of Great Yu—their Imperial Father—could reach. Even they themselves were unable to manifest the Qilin’s true body.

”That kid is finished... With the Qilin Treasure Art unleashed, who among his peers could possibly compete with Prince Liyang?”

But before the words had even faded, the Dao Discussion Arena, which had been filled with an auspicious aura, was suddenly pierced by a wave of bone-chilling cold.

The chill came so abruptly that no one reacted in time. The Qilin’s true body was simply too dazzling, and everyone’s attention had been fixed on it.

Soon, the crowd followed the source of this cold, domineering aura.

From within the billowing dust, eighteen golden eyes, each glowing like a lantern, suddenly emerged.

Hiss—Roar!

As the sound of a serpent’s tongue flicked out, the dust cleared.

Boom!

A colossal nine-headed serpent coiled its massive body. The creature radiated a chilling aura, yet it looked extremely noble and domineering, in no way inferior to the five-colored Qilin!