Translator: AnubisTL
Hearing Li Qing's final words, Fatty Wu finally grasped the true difficulty of Li Qing's path of cultivation.
"You've really... Ah!"
"Recently, my master plans to use a flawed magic treasure to create several talisman treasures. I'll ask him to give you one of the copies."
Fatty Wu sighed deeply and shared this news with Li Qing, which was his original purpose for visiting.
Talisman treasure?
Li Qing was slightly taken aback. He had been diligently cultivating body arts in his cave abode and hadn't heard about this.
"Is that true? Replicating talisman treasures will temporarily diminish a magic treasure's power and spirituality. The Ancestor Devourer of Heaven..."
Fatty Wu waved dismissively. "It's nothing. My master's treasury is overflowing. He wouldn't even notice losing a flawed magic treasure."
"He's doing this to improve the survival rate of the sect elders. Since it doesn't matter who gets it, I'll put in a good word for you."
Hearing this, Li Qing said gratefully, "Then thank you. I owe you one for this."
Li Qing didn't feign modesty and refuse the offer. This was a life-saving treasure, and obtaining it would significantly increase his chances of survival.
There was no reason for him to be humble about such a matter.
"Let's not stand on ceremony, you and I. Oh, by the way, remember when I went down the mountain to eliminate demons and uphold justice, searching for that Demonic Path cultivator who slaughtered the mortal villages?"
"I discovered that the culprits were actually two cultivators in the foundation establishment realm!"
"They've already fled Mu Kingdom territory, and unfortunately, I couldn't catch up to them. But I managed to imprint their images from the Seas of Consciousness of some mortals. Take a look."
With that, Fatty Wu pulled out two portraits from his storage pouch.
Though the artistic skill was mediocre, the aid of spiritual sense had allowed him to capture the likenesses of the two men.
The moment Li Qing saw them, his pupils constricted slightly.
The figures in the portraits were none other than Ling Ying, with his perpetually gloomy expression, and the wizened, elderly Liu Hongyuan!
"So it was them..." Li Qing murmured, narrowing his eyes.
"What? You recognize them?" Wu Chong's demeanor instantly turned serious, his gaze burning with intensity.
It was clear he had gone to great lengths to investigate these two individuals.
Li Qing nodded. "They are elders of the Shangqing Sect. They even visited our Lingyun Sect recently. You can confirm this with the sect leader."
As he spoke, Li Qing connected the dots, linking together the various events that had transpired recently.
"I've long suspected something was amiss with the sealing formation on Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains. Now I'm almost certain these two are responsible."
Wu Chong gasped. "But they're only at the foundation establishment realm! How could they possibly influence an ancient formation on the snow mountains?!"
"Don't forget the mysterious stone egg on the mountain. Their massacre of several mortal villages was likely a blood sacrifice to that egg. They probably used its power to accomplish all this!"
Of course, these were merely Li Qing's conjectures. Though not entirely accurate, they were remarkably close to the truth.
The slaughter of mortal villages in the Mu Kingdom was indeed Ling Ying's doing. He had merely used the blood of countless mortals to refine Crimson Crystals, then gifted the purified crystals to the Crocodile Venerable.
Finally, with the Crocodile Venerable's power, they breached an irreversible gap in the ancient formation sealing the ancient demon.
"I must report this to Master and Senior Brother Sect Leader immediately!" Wu Chong declared, rushing out of Li Qing's cave abode with surprising agility for a man of his size.
Watching Wu Chong's figure vanish in a blur, Li Qing sighed deeply.
"These are turbulent times indeed!"
He couldn't predict how events would unfold. The Shangqing Sect and Heavenly River Sect were at a critical juncture, while the Lingyun Sect was preparing for war after the ancient formation's breach.
The future of the immortal dao in the Azure Ridge Domain had suddenly become shrouded in uncertainty.
Faced with this impenetrable fog, Li Qing could only focus on becoming stronger, constantly improving his cultivation to ensure his survival in the chaos.
Rogue cultivators like himself were the most vulnerable in such turmoil, lacking any real means of self-preservation. They could easily be caught in the crossfire of battles between high-level cultivators, crushed by stray energy waves, or conscripted as cannon fodder to test restrictions or formations in dangerous areas.
The spirit stone miners captured from the Heavenly River Sect's spirit stone mine might have fared relatively well. Though they would likely spend the rest of their lives as mine slaves, at least they had kept their lives.
"If I had remained complacent and stayed at the Liu Clan as a spirit stone miner, my fate today would have been unimaginably miserable."
In that scenario, forget about foundation establishment—his cultivation would likely have peaked at the late qi refining realm by now.
With these thoughts, Li Qing resumed his body refinement practice.
Having just consumed a blood jade orchid, his vital energy had been significantly replenished, his body once again brimming with vigorous life essence.
He reactivated the Brahma King True Body!
Boom!
This cultivation manual was overwhelmingly domineering. Each activation inflicted terrifying torment on his physical body.
Had he not acquired these spirit herbs, Li Qing would likely have begun sacrificing his lifespan to progress this far.
Of course, even these life essence-rich spirit herbs could only sustain him until the mid-Second-Tier body arts realm. Continuing beyond that point would inevitably cost him his lifespan.
"I can't hold back any longer. Even if it costs me some lifespan, I must push my physical body to the late second-tier!"
Demon beasts typically possess incredibly long lifespans, far exceeding those of humans. Some ancient species with powerful bloodlines boast lifespans that stretch beyond comprehension, making this cultivation manual perfectly suited for them.
For humans, however, practicing this body refinement technique without sufficient spirit herb support would come at an unacceptable cost for most.
Fortunately, Li Qing lacked many things, but lifespan wasn't one of them!
Having refined the Heavenly Net Banner, which granted him an additional seventy years of life, and now confident in his ability to refine top-grade magical artifacts, he would never need to worry about his lifespan again.
Therefore, sacrificing a portion of his lifespan to gain combat power was a price he was willing to pay.
It was far better than dying and losing everything!
Driven by his will to survive, Li Qing continued to focus intently on refining his physical body.
His physical strength was steadily advancing toward the mid-second-tier, and at a surprisingly rapid pace!
Meanwhile, Wu Chong, in a frantic rush, finally located Sect Leader Xu Yun in Cloudsoaring Hall.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader! Senior Brother Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened!"
Wu Chong burst into the main hall, panting heavily. Without even pausing to grab a bite to eat, he pulled out the two portraits he had shown Li Qing earlier.
"Look! These two are the Demonic Path cultivators I've been investigating. And they're actually elders of the Shangqing Sect!"
Wu Chong then repeated Li Qing's analysis and deductions to Sect Leader Xu Yun.
When he finished, Wu Chong looked up and noticed that Sect Leader Xu Yun remained completely calm, not even a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Senior Brother Xu Yun, aren't you shocked? The Shangqing Sect! The sealing formation in the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains was likely sabotaged by them!" Wu Chong insisted repeatedly.
Sect Leader Xu Yun merely sighed softly, giving Wu Chong a look as if he were a fool.
"Junior Brother, we had already suspected the culprits behind this incident, even without your report. The Shangqing Sect launched an attack on the Heavenly River Sect, and then the snow mountain formation develops a breach. The connection is glaringly obvious."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chong paused, then exclaimed in disbelief, "Then what are we waiting for? Now that we know the Shangqing Sect is responsible, we should make them take responsibility immediately!"
Sect Leader Xu Yun shook his head. "Until we fully understand the situation within the sealing formation, our sect cannot afford to waste even a sliver of our strength elsewhere."
"Guarding the remnants of the ancient demon sealed within the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains is the Lingyun Sect's sacred duty!"
"Once this matter is resolved, the Lingyun Sect will naturally demand an explanation from the Shangqing Sect. But now is not the time."
Hearing this, Wu Chong said with some disappointment, "Aren't we letting the Shangqing Sect off too easily?"
Sect Leader Xu Yun frowned. "Matters between sects are never as simple as you imagine."
"Junior brother, you're still too naive. Your considerations are incomplete."
"The Shangqing Sect now wields immense power, daring to launch a direct war against the Heavenly River Sect. We have no choice but to ride this wave, seizing the opportunity to completely subdue the ancient demon within the sealing formation."
"The Heavenly River Sect isn't so easily defeated. They won't fall quickly. While those two sects are tearing each other apart, this is our best chance to eliminate all future threats!"
"Once this matter is resolved, the chaos in the Azure Ridge Domain should finally be quelled."
Wu Chong was stunned by the weight of Sect Leader Xu Yun's words. He never imagined the Lingyun Sect, which had always remained aloof from worldly affairs, would consider entering this conflict.
The allure of becoming the sole immortal dao sect in the Azure Ridge Domain was a temptation few could resist.
Lingyun's Great Prosperity!
These words represented the ultimate ambition of every Lingyun Sect leader, including Xu Yun himself.
Yet, bound by their sect's duty, the Lingyun Sect had long remained detached from worldly affairs, guarding the ancient demons sealed within the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains.
Now, the perfect opportunity had arisen. Sect Leader Xu Yun, with his keen instincts, sensed this chance and reached a consensus with the sect's Ancestors.
A monumental shift, unseen in the Azure Ridge Domain for millennia, was now unfolding.
(End of the Chapter)
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