Translator: AnubisTL
Outside the Ancient Imperial City, three figures soared into the sky in single file, rapidly disappearing into the horizon.
"If the Soul Return Grass weren't so exceedingly rare and precious, I wouldn't have taken you to that yin-yang cave under any circumstances!" True Lord Wood Dragon grumbled, adopting a miserly demeanor.
Indeed, these three figures were Li Qing and his companions, who had departed immediately after the grand auction. As agreed, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing had followed True Lord Wood Dragon out of the Imperial City without delay, heading toward the secret location containing the yin-yang spirit liquid.
Hearing this, Li Qing chuckled and replied, "Senior Wood Dragon, you're mistaken. As a True Lord in the core formation realm, the yin-yang spirit liquid holds little value for you. Exchanging it for a rare and precious spiritual herb is hardly a loss!"
True Lord Wood Dragon remained unconvinced. "That's not the point," he retorted. "The Soul Return Grass has limited uses. Aside from refining the Soul Return Pill, it's practically useless."
"While core formation spiritual materials may be useless to me now, their intrinsic value remains. If I put them up for sale, they'd attract fierce competition."
This was undeniable. Li Qing didn't argue, simply nodding with a faint smile.
"Senior Wood Dragon, your righteousness is truly admirable. This act of kindness, This Li will forever remember it."
True Lord Wood Dragon, ever straightforward, waved his hand dismissively. "A mere cultivator who hasn't even reached the pseudo core formation stage? I care nothing for your gratitude."
"Just hurry up and follow me. I'm still considering whether to try my luck in the eastern Great Wilderness Domain afterward."
By "try his luck," he was referring to the bounty placed on the demon fox by both the righteous and demonic paths. The reward was a portion of dragon marrow, a prize that would tempt any core formation realm cultivator.
"I advise Senior not to wade into these murky waters," Li Qing said after a moment's thought. "This matter is likely far more complex than it appears."
Surprisingly, the usually blunt True Lord Wood Dragon didn't argue. He remained silent, as if weighing the pros and cons of the situation.
The fact that both the righteous and demonic paths were staging a grand auction and offering such a priceless reward as dragon marrow made it clear that this affair was far from simple.
Li Qing had expected True Lord Wood Dragon to accuse him of meddling, but to his surprise, the True Lord merely nodded slightly.
"What you say isn't entirely without merit, but this is dragon marrow we're talking about!"
"In all the world, only the dragon vein beneath the Ancient Imperial City is said to produce dragon marrow."
"You young ones can't possibly understand the significance of dragon marrow to core formation cultivators like us."
"Forget it. What's the point in explaining all this? Just hurry and follow me."
With that, True Lord Wood Dragon accelerated his flight speed.
Once a cultivator reaches the core formation realm, they can fly without relying on magic artifacts, using only the condensed true essence within their bodies to soar through the air.
Naturally, Li Qing couldn't even hope to match the escape speed of the two core formation realm cultivators beside him. He could only exert himself to the utmost, piloting his magic artifact to keep up.
Judging by Shen Ningbing and True Lord Wood Dragon's effortless pace, they were likely holding back. Otherwise, he doubted he could even catch a glimpse of their retreating figures.
Li Qing couldn't help but feel envious.
The journey proceeded smoothly, or rather, exactly as it should have.
After all, the two core formation realm True Lords made no attempt to conceal their auras, instead releasing them to intimidate any would-be challengers.
Not to mention anything else, the rogue cultivators they encountered along the way, sensing Li Qing's group's aura, retreated as if they had seen a ghost, not daring to even glance at them.
"Hiss! That scared me to death! I thought they were here to kill and plunder."
"Two core formation realm seniors... they look like they just came from the grand auction."
"..."
Finally, after flying at full speed for about six or seven days, traversing countless regions, they approached their destination.
It was an extremely deep rift valley, appearing from above like a scar splitting the earth.
The bottom was completely invisible to the naked eye, shrouded in pitch darkness.
Moreover, dense, poisonous miasma continuously billowed from the rift, making it seem utterly devoid of life.
"It's within the Poisonous Miasma Rift," Senior Wood Dragon said. "I discovered a highly poisonous flower there earlier and couldn't resist plucking it. After taking it, I found a yin-yang cavern deep within the rift, where yin-yang qi intertwined and surged. There's definitely yin-yang spirit liquid inside!"
"If I hadn't possessed some knowledge of feng shui and terrain analysis, I might never have found it."
As he spoke, True Lord Wood Dragon couldn't help but feel proud of his own good fortune.
However, this was not unusual. True Lords who achieved core formation as rogue cultivators often possessed some degree of Fortuitous Destiny—an inexplicable phenomenon beyond comprehension.
"Senior Wood Dragon, please lead the way. I'll entrust you with this Soul Return Grass now," Li Qing said sincerely, retrieving the herb from his storage pouch and generously handing it to the True Lord.
True Lord Wood Dragon raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected Li Qing to be so cooperative; he'd assumed he'd need to show the young man the yin-yang spirit liquid before obtaining the Soul Return Grass.
"Hahaha! You're not bad, kid. I like you!" True Lord Wood Dragon boomed. "Don't worry, this old man wouldn't stoop to swindling a junior out of his spiritual herb. The yin-yang spirit liquid is definitely in that yin-yang cave!"
True Lord Wood Dragon laughed heartily as he accepted the Soul Return Grass from Li Qing. His attention immediately became completely absorbed by the rare spiritual herb.
"The leaves are like black jade, cold to the touch, and imbued with a trace of Profound Yin Qi. Exactly as described in the ancient texts—this is indeed a Soul Return Grass!"
"If this herb is consumed directly, it won't be beneficial; in fact, it might even be slightly harmful. Only when refined into a Soul Return Pill with other potent medicinal ingredients can its true efficacy be unlocked."
"I have no idea where you managed to obtain such a rare herb, young man. Legend has it that Soul Return Grass only grows in extremely yin-aligned locations."
True Lord Wood Dragon, who had spent most of his life dealing with spirit herbs and spiritual herbs, was thoroughly impressed by the quality of this Soul Return Grass.
"Alright, let's go. The yin-yang cave lies deep within the rift," True Lord Wood Dragon said, stowing the Soul Return Grass and leading the way with brisk strides.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Li Qing said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
As they followed True Lord Wood Dragon deeper into the rift, the faint green poisonous miasma posed no threat to the group, easily dispelled with a few minor spells.
The miasma grew denser as they descended, drastically reducing visibility.
"See that? This terrain is known as 'A Line of Heaven,' as if severing yin from yang," True Lord Wood Dragon pointed to the narrow passage overhead.
"And right at the center of this 'Line of Heaven,' there's a cave—a true marvel of nature's artistry!" He gestured toward the cave entrance at the passage's midpoint.
Neither Li Qing nor Shen Ningbing understood feng shui or terrain, so they naturally couldn't discern anything special about the place. To them, the cavern seemed no different from any other natural cave in the mountains.
As if sensing their thoughts, True Lord Wood Dragon spoke up:
"Follow me!"
With that, he flew into the cavern, cutting through the dense poisonous miasma until he reached the entrance. Li Qing and Shen Ningbing followed closely behind. As they approached the entrance and saw the scene inside, they nearly inhaled the poisonous miasma in shock.
"This..."
Within the cavern, dense yin-yang qi swirled, sometimes sinking, sometimes rising, forming what looked like a natural taiji symbol!
Li Qing and Shen Ningbing stared wide-eyed, awestruck by this natural wonder.
"To venture deeper into the cavern, you must pass through this zone of intertwined yin-yang qi," True Lord Wood Dragon explained. "For core formation realm cultivators, it poses no great danger, but getting trapped inside would be troublesome. It could take ten days to half a month to escape!"
"The yin-yang spirit liquid is definitely inside. Whether you can retrieve it depends entirely on yourselves!"
Hearing True Lord Wood Dragon's confident words, Li Qing nodded subconsciously.
In a place where yin-yang qi was so abundant, it would be more surprising not to find yin-yang spirit liquid.
"Thank you for guiding us, Senior!" Li Qing said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
True Lord Wood Dragon raised his chin slightly. "Well? Want this old man to accompany you inside?"
Li Qing pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "That won't be necessary, Senior. Now that we're here, we can retrieve it ourselves."
"Of course, if you'd like to explore the yin-yang cave with us, I wouldn't mind at all."
True Lord Wood Dragon chuckled. "You're a straightforward lad—just my type!"
"Rest assured, if there's no yin-yang spirit liquid inside, you can come find me at Wood Dragon Valley in the southern Great Wilderness Domain later, and I'll compensate you."
"I won't be entering the yin-yang cave myself. Lingering too long might cost me the chance to find that demon fox."
With that, True Lord Wood Dragon soared out of the cavern and vanished from the Poisonous Miasma Rift.
"Senior Brother, aren't you worried he might have already taken the yin-yang spirit liquid?" Shen Ningbing asked curiously.
Li Qing shook his head. "Not at all. True Lord Wood Dragon doesn't seem like the type to do such a thing."
"Of course, appearances can be deceiving. He might have taken it, but it doesn't matter. I can afford to wait."
"With such a dense concentration of yin-yang qi here, I'm sure new spirit liquid will form within the next ten or twenty years."
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing clicked her tongue, clearly impressed by his unwavering patience.
"Hahaha, naturally, if we can avoid waiting, that would be ideal," Li Qing added with a smile, changing the subject.
"Senior Brother, let me go inside. You can guard the entrance for me," Shen Ningbing said calmly.
"Alright, Junior Sister. I appreciate your help," Li Qing replied, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude.
"I owe my core formation to you, Senior Brother. This is nothing to mention."
With that, Shen Ningbing smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear and stepped into the yin-yang cave.
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c522. [+2].
🎁All [3] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [1.1k+] Chapters and [2.46M+] Words.