Translator: AnubisTL
Having obtained nearly the complete inheritance of the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch, Li Qing had no further reason to remain in the core space and imdiately departed.
The rewards he had reaped were truly extraordinary, so abundant that even Li Qing, with his typically composed deanor, couldn't help but feel a surge of intense excitent.
The Great Dao is within reach!
This ti, the Great Dao truly seed attainable. With the complete Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art in hand, he could continue his cultivation without reservation.
Moreover, should he successfully achieve nascent soul formation in the future, he could return to this place and subdue the third heavenly spirit fire—the Profound Yellow True Fla!
Given his previous experience, subduing the Profound Yellow True Fla should be considerably smoother in the future. After all, they had already cooperated once before!
"Hah! Next up is the Fire Jade Bee Queen. This place lacks sufficient fire essence. If I don't take that hive of Fire Jade Bees with , they'll gradually perish."
With that, Li Qing left the magma sea in the core space and returned to the intricate, interconnected tunnels of Fire Cliff Cave.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Reaching the tunnel junction where the Fire Jade Bees resided, he found Cao Xiu waiting patiently nearby.
"Senior Li! You're back?!"
"The commotion outside Fire Cliff Cave just now was deafening. I dared not move about. Do you know what's happening outside?"
Cao Xiu looked at Li Qing, who was slowly approaching, his face lighting up with relief. After confirming Li Qing was unhard, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"The matter has been resolved. It wasn't a major issue. Next, I'll subdue this nest of Fire Jade Bees and then we can leave."
With that, Li Qing approached the Red Jade Beehive suspended in mid-air.
Around the beehive, which resembled crimson jade, nurous Fire Jade Bees sward, their vigilance focused on Li Qing as he slowly approached.
Soon, as Li Qing neared the base of the Red Jade Beehive, the Fire Jade Bees finally sward out en masse.
Buzz! Buzz!
The dense swarm of Fire Jade Bees surged toward Li Qing, fiercely defending their hive and queen bee with unwavering courage.
Of course, Li Qing was no ordinary core formation realm cultivator. Not only had his body cultivation realm reached the peak of the third-tier, rivaling late third-tier demon beasts, but he also possessed a protective magical artifact:
The Golden Jade Garnt!
With a subtle movent of his divine sense, the protective garnt woven from Golden Silk Silkworm threads shimred with spiritual light, repelling the surging Fire Jade Bees.
Ignoring the bees' harassnt, Li Qing extended his divine sense, probing into the Red Jade Beehive above.
The beehive's structure was incredibly complex, divided into nurous chambers.
Inside, many unhatched Fire Jade Bee eggs lay dormant, while young, hungry larvae greedily sucked up the dwindling Fire Origin Nectar.
But Li Qing's focus was on the Fire Jade Bee Queen, who resided at the very heart of the hive.
"Found her!"
Li Qing's eyes flickered slightly before he leaped into the air, soaring directly toward the beehive.
His divine sense was formidable, rivaling the soul strength of a nascent soul realm cultivator.
He didn't even need to breach the Red Jade Beehive; he could imprint a Master-Servant Spirit Contract from the outside.
Boom!
Li Qing unleashed his divine sense, probing deep into the entire beehive.
Instantly, the Fire Jade Bee Queen inside began to tremble violently, as if engaged in a desperate struggle.
But her resistance proved short-lived. Within a few breaths, she surrendered, allowing Li Qing to forcibly imprint his divine sense imprint upon her.
With the task complete, a triumphant smile gradually spread across Li Qing's lips.
The process had gone remarkably smoothly. He had successfully subdued the Fire Jade Bee Queen!
"I underestimated my current divine soul strength. Subduing a re second-tier spirit insect was indeed no challenge at all."
As soon as he spoke, Li Qing commanded the Fire Jade Bee Queen to recall all the Fire Jade Bees relentlessly harassing him outside.
The mont the command was issued, the buzzing Fire Jade Bees instantly fell silent and swiftly retreated into their beehive.
This unique communication thod among Fire Jade Bees allows them to receive and strictly execute any command issued by their queen bee.
By controlling the Fire Jade Bee Queen, Li Qing had essentially gained control over the entire Fire Jade Bee swarm.
Unlike the Bandit Cultivator who had hunted Cao Xiu earlier, Li Qing avoided imprinting divine sense marks on multiple bees, a crude thod that would have strained his divine soul.
"Now I've imprinted a few too many divine sense marks," Li Qing sighed. "Fan Tong, ninth insect, three Golden Silk Silkworms, five corpse puppets, and now the Fire Jade Bee Queen! Even with my current divine sense strength, I'm running thin."
If he planned to subdue more demon beasts or spirit insects in the future, he would need to carefully consider the burden on his divine soul.
"Ti to leave!"
Outside Fire Cliff Cave, two figures slowly erged from the pitch-black cavern.
These were Cao Xiu and Li Qing. Having concluded their purpose, there was no reason to linger inside.
"Cao Xiu, what are your plans now?" Li Qing asked, glancing at the young man beside him, who stood half a head shorter.
Hearing this, Cao Xiu pondered for a mont, then suddenly knelt down as if rembering sothing.
"Senior Li, please accept as your disciple!"
Plans? Though Cao Xiu had already reached the foundation establishnt realm, he remained a solitary rogue cultivator.
Li Qing had just demonstrated profound cultivation and extraordinary thods, making Cao Xiu naturally eager to beco his disciple.
Seeing Cao Xiu's sudden kneeling, Li Qing shook his head with a wry smile.
He was reminded of their ti at Azure Radiance Pool, when Cao Xiu's mother, Hu Sanniang, had hoped Li Qing would take her son as his disciple.
At that ti, Li Qing's cultivation was still shallow, and he had no intention of accepting disciples.
Ti had passed swiftly. Over the years, he had unknowingly beco a core formation realm cultivator at the peak of his power, standing at the pinnacle of the Azure Ridge Domain.
Yet even now, he had no intention of accepting Cao Xiu as his disciple.
Dao Lord Bai Ling had previously told him that Cao Xiu might be the ideal cultivator to inherit his legacy.
Having made this prior agreent, Li Qing naturally wouldn't compete with Dao Lord Bai Ling for a disciple.
Dao Lord Bai Ling hadn't yet made up his mind about accepting Cao Xiu as his close-door disciple and heir. He was still considering the matter.
Therefore, Li Qing decided to settle Cao Xiu at the Lingyun Sect for now, until Dao Lord Bai Ling made his decision.
With this in mind, Li Qing retrieved a plain, unadorned jade pendant from his robes. The characters "Ling" and "Yun" were carved on its front and back, respectively.
"You cultivate the tal dao, and my inheritance isn't particularly suited for you," Li Qing said.
At these words, a flicker of disappointnt crossed Cao Xiu's eyes as he lowered his head.
But Li Qing continued, "Take this ascension token to the Lingyun Sect. It will grant you imdiate status as an external affairs elder, giving you a permanent foothold there."
"Life as a rogue cultivator is harsh and precarious. Joining the Lingyun Sect will spare you from such hardships."
"Moreover, I guarantee that if you join the Lingyun Sect, a great opportunity may await you in the future!"
Cao Xiu numbly accepted the ascension token, staring at the characters "Lingyun" carved into its surface.
Join the Lingyun Sect?! Beco an elder?!
This was sothing he had never dared to dream of. The Lingyun Sect was now the immortal dao colossus of the Azure Ridge Domain, its influence towering over the entire cultivation world.
Now that he was already a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, joining the Lingyun Sect seed inappropriate.
He never imagined Li Qing would give him an ascension token from the Lingyun Sect.
"Th-this..."
"Hah!"
"Thank you, Senior Li!"
Cao Xiu kowtowed deeply to Li Qing on the ground. He didn't refuse the ascension token, knowing how crucial it was for him.
"The sect is rebuilding after the war and desperately needs manpower. There's no need for such gratitude."
"Also, here's so Fire Origin Nectar, a spiritual object brewed by Fire Jade Bees. It strengthens your foundation and nourishes your vital energy, allowing you to advance your cultivation further."
Li Qing handed Cao Xiu several jars of Fire Origin Nectar.
This was rely second-tier Fire Origin Nectar, insignificant to Li Qing himself, making it the perfect reward for Cao Xiu.
"I couldn't possibly accept this..." Cao Xiu protested.
But Li Qing insisted, "Just take it. This nectar is of little use to . If you refuse, I'll simply reward it to the sect's disciples instead."
Only then did Cao Xiu nod and accept the Fire Origin Nectar from Li Qing.
With this matter settled, Li Qing nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, prepare yourself and head straight to the Lingyun Sect. If you encounter any problems within the sect, seek out any supre elder and ntion my na."
"I still have matters to attend to, requiring further worldly experience. I won't keep you any longer."
"Finally, rember what I said before: cultivation is like sailing against the current—if you don't advance, you'll be swept back!"
With a gentle smile, Li Qing transford into a beam of spiritual light and vanished, leaving Cao Xiu standing there in a daze.
Cultivation is like sailing against the current—if you don't advance, you'll be swept back!
The sa words, spoken again, struck Cao Xiu with a completely different resonance than before.
"Senior Li is truly an enlightened master."
After parting ways with Cao Xiu, Li Qing, in high spirits, embarked on a new round of ntal refinent.
This ti, he passed through the Heavenly River Market and lingered for so ti at the Azure Radiance Pool.
He then journeyed to the forr mountain gate of the Heavenly River Sect, where he gazed upon the majestic and turbulent scenery.
Seas of clouds surged between towering peaks. As Li Qing beheld this magnificent vista, fresh insights stirred within him.
He recalled the Heavenly River Sect of old, and many past events.
"Even the mightiest sects will eventually fade away."
After leaving, he followed the Black Sand River westward until he reached the foot of a verdant mountain range that stretched endlessly across the horizon.
Small Jade Ridge!
Without hesitation, Li Qing entered the mountain range, following familiar paths from his mories.
Finally, he arrived at a spirit stone mine.
This Spirit Stone Mine had once belonged to the Heavenly River Sect, but the Shangqing Sect later seized it. After further twists and turns, it had now fallen into the hands of the Lingyun Sect.
Compared to its forr glory, the Spirit Stone Vein had beco much depleted. At most, only seven or eight thousand spirit stones could be mined annually, a far cry from its earlier abundance.
Despite this decline, two cultivation clans still managed the mining operations, bringing substantial spirit stone revenue to the Lingyun Sect.
As Li Qing gazed at the familiar mine, a nostalgic smile spread across his face.
He recalled his days working in the mine, his forr mining companions, and Old Zhou, his ntor.
"Old Zhou," he murmured, "the Flying Eagle Bandits who killed you have t their end by my hand. May you finally rest in peace in the Nine Springs."
After speaking, Li Qing suddenly realized that Zhou Tong didn't even have a grave.
He pondered for a mont, then found a sturdy granite boulder in the mountains. Using his finger as a chisel, he carved an inscription into the stone:
"Zhou Tong's Grave: The Finest Spirit Mine Worker!"
He erected the tombstone in a secluded spot near the mine, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and departed.
Next, Li Qing traveled to the Liu Clan's forr Spirit Vein Land.
Due to the changes in heaven and earth, the spiritual energy here had grown exceptionally dense. Though still a second-tier spirit vein, the surrounding spiritual energy was unnaturally rich.
While it couldn't compare to a third-tier spirit vein, the difference was now minimal.
The Liu Clan had long since vanished, and the land was now occupied by the ng Clan.
"The ng Clan..." Li Qing narrowed his eyes, finding the rare surna vaguely familiar. A sudden premonition stirred within him.
Had he ever encountered cultivators nad ng in his life?
Li Qing's brow furrowed as he ticulously searched his mories.
After a long silence, he abruptly lifted his head, his back drenched in a cold sweat.
He finally rembered.
Back when he was at the Heavenly River Sect, he had encountered a down-on-his-luck stall owner. He had purchased two ancient texts from him at an incredibly low price: the Fragnted Manual of Artifact Refinent and the Secret Art of Sealing Wood.
The reason for the low price was a verbal promise he had made: that when he beca capable, he would repair a top-grade magical artifact for the stall owner.
However, since he hadn't sworn a great heart demon oath on his dao, Li Qing had gradually forgotten about the matter over the years.
"Even without a great heart demon oath, this still counts as karma," Li Qing murmured to himself. "It might create additional obstacles when I try to break through to the nascent soul realm."
With that, he directly infiltrated the ng Clan.
This clan had only recently risen to prominence. Though its foundation was shallow, its collaboration with the Lingyun Sect in exploiting a Spirit Stone Vein had allowed it to develop at a decent pace.
Li Qing swept the clan with his divine sense, quickly grasping its overall structure.
The ng Clan boasted several late qi refining realm cultivators, many of whom were relatively young and possessed considerable future potential.
As for foundation establishnt realm cultivators, there was only one: ng Mingyun, the Clan Head. His cultivation was at the mid-foundation establishnt stage, with a faint aura suggesting he was on the verge of breaking through to the late foundation establishnt realm.
Without hesitation, Li Qing directly approached ng Mingyun, the Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
"Clan Head ng, please erge from seclusion and et ."
Li Qing stealthily infiltrated the ng Clan's territory, arriving at a small, spiritually rich island in the center of their spirit lake. There, he directly located ng Mingyun, the Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
The telepathic ssage precisely reached ng Mingyun's ears as he ditated in seclusion.
"Hmm?" ng Mingyun's eyes snapped open. Sensing the aura outside, he hastily erged from his cave abode, his face pale with fear.
"This humble one is ng Mingyun, greeting Core Formation True Lord!" he exclaid, dropping to his knees the mont he stepped outside. "Has the ng Clan offended you in any way? I beg Senior to show rcy!"
He didn't even dare to look Li Qing in the eye, his survival instinct driving him to kneel imdiately.
"Heh, get up," Li Qing said with a gentle smile. "I'm not here for revenge or to cause trouble. I just need so information from you."
ng Mingyun felt a wave of relief wash over him. For a mont, his entire body had been drenched in sweat.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the tall, imposing figure standing outside his cave abode, hands clasped behind his back.
"Are you... Limitless True Lord?"
Seeing that he had been recognized, Li Qing nodded with a slight smile. "You've seen before?"
"At the Lingyun Sect's founding ceremony, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Senior from afar!" ng Mingyun replied, his voice filled with reverence and awe.
Li Qing waved his hand dismissively and cut straight to the point. "I'm here to ask if the ng Clan has a cultivator who looked like this in his youth."
As he spoke, Li Qing projected an image from his Sea of Consciousness directly into ng Mingyun's Sea of Consciousness.
Before ng Mingyun could marvel at the power of a core formation realm true lord, he froze, his eyes flickering. "This is Third Uncle-Grandfather? Senior Limitless knows my Third Uncle-Grandfather?"
Thus, through ng Mingyun's introduction, Li Qing finally t the visibly aged Third Uncle-Grandfather of the ng Clan.
His face was now deeply lined with wrinkles, and his hair had turned significantly gray. Only the faint resemblance in his eyes and brows hinted at his forr appearance.
Yes, it's him, Li Qing thought. He's aged considerably since last we t. It seems these years haven't been kind to him.
"ng Qi greets the Clan Head!"
Hearing this, ng Mingyun imdiately helped the old man to his feet, his voice anxious. "Third Uncle-Grandfather, please don't do that! You're embarrassing this junior. I've brought soone who wishes to see you."
As he spoke, ng Mingyun shot ng Qi a aningful glance, its aning complex and unclear.
ng Qi paused, then turned to the tall figure standing behind ng Mingyun.
Li Qing had completely suppressed his aura, appearing utterly ordinary.
ng Qi stared for a long mont, but couldn't recall the man at all. There was no trace of familiarity, not even a faint sense of recognition.
"Heh, it seems Fellow Daoist ng has already forgotten about this Li. Back at the Heavenly River Market, I promised you that once I had the ability, I would repair a top-grade magical artifact for you."
"Now that I have the ans, I've co to fulfill my promise!" Li Qing said with a smile.
Heavenly River Market? Repairing a top-grade magical artifact?
Hearing these words, ng Qi finally recalled his days as a struggling street vendor at the Heavenly River Market.
Back then, he was just the orphaned heir of the ng Clan, living a solitary life within the market.
Unfortunately, even with these mories resurfacing, he still couldn't rember Li Qing.
This was perfectly understandable, and Li Qing showed no offense.
With a flick of his finger, he transmitted fragnts of their past encounter directly into ng Qi's mind.
"Fellow Daoist, are you an artifact refiner?"
"I know a little, just a little!"
"The task I require of you isn't difficult. Once your artifact refinent technique has improved, would you help repair a magic artifact?"
"..."
"I can agree to this, but I never take unnecessary risks. Do you understand?"
"Deal!"
Finally, with these familiar images flooding his mind, ng Qi dredged up the long-forgotten transaction from the depths of his mory.
"So it was you all along!" ng Qi murmured, his expression distant. "Fellow Daoist, you truly are a man of your word. After all these years, you still rember our agreent!"
"However, the top-grade magical artifact has already been fully repaired and is now in perfect condition within the clan. There's no need for you to intervene."
This didn't surprise Li Qing. Given the ng Clan's current strength, finding artifact refinent masters capable of repairing a top-grade magical artifact shouldn't have been too difficult.
But this developnt ant he couldn't fulfill his original promise.
"Fellow Daoist ng, the two secret techniques you sold back then proved invaluable. I'd like to repay that favor now. What do you say?"
ng Qi shook his head. "It was a normal business transaction. There's no favor involved. Still, I deeply admire your unwavering commitnt to your word!"
anwhile, ng Mingyun, who had been frantically signaling with his eyes, now felt his eyelids twitching from the strain.
Li Qing laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist, do you have a family?"
Before ng Qi could answer, ng Mingyun interjected on behalf of his Third Uncle-Grandfather:
"Third Uncle-Grandfather has one son, who currently serves within the clan!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing produced a token, an ascension token still engraved with the words "Lingyun": "This token allows you or your descendants to enter the Lingyun Sect for cultivation and grants you a foundation establishnt pill!"
"How you use it is entirely up to you."
ng Qi was utterly stunned. As a cultivator himself, he knew exactly what this ant.
To join the Lingyun Sect and receive a foundation establishnt pill!
Wasn't this the legendary ascension token?!
Without giving ng Qi a chance to refuse, Li Qing tossed the token to him.
"Take it, Fellow Daoist ng! No need to decline!"
The token, crafted from warm, lustrous jade, felt smooth and comforting, yet ng Qi remained in a daze.
With this, Li Qing's purpose was accomplished.
"From now on, the ng Clan only needs to remit ninety percent of the spirit stones mined from the Spirit Stone Vein!"
This declaration, addressed to Clan Head ng Mingyun, served as a boon for the entire ng Clan.
Hearing this, ng Mingyun clasped his hands in gratitude. "This junior thanks Senior for your benevolence!"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Qing's figure vanished without a trace.
"Hahahaha, Third Uncle-Grandfather, do you know who that was just now?" ng Mingyun exclaid excitedly, his voice trembling with excitent. "The ng Clan is finally going to prosper!"
ng Qi examined the ascension token in his hand, his gaze lingering on the Lingyun Sect inscription. Recalling their earlier conversation, he ventured a guess: "I suppose that must have been a core formation ancestor from the Lingyun Sect?"
"Exactly! Third Uncle-Grandfather, I never imagined you had connections with such a powerful figure!" ng Mingyun exclaid.
But ng Qi shook his head calmly and sighed. "Ah, you foolish grandnephew!" he said. "I had my suspicions all along. Your frantic winking earlier was quite unnecessary. I pretended to be reserved precisely to make this Enlightened Master owe the ng Clan a favor!"
"Ah, well, it's done now. This senior is clearly a man of his word. I imagine that if the ng Clan ever faces trouble in the future, we could ask him for help."
"..."
(End of the Chapter)
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