Translator: AnubisTL
Boom!
As the Netherworld Cold Fire spread through his meridians, Li Qing gradually regained control over his true essence.
He channeled his cultivation manual with all his might, forcing the true essence in his meridians to recede into his dantian.
Though he couldn't completely submerge his true essence into his dantian in one go, this was far better than the uncontrollable state he had been in just now.
During this process, Li Qing glanced at his Lifespan with a pang of regret. He realized he had unknowingly lost over fifty years, and the number was still dwindling.
"Junior sister Shen, please come out soon," he sighed, then abandoned concern for his dwindling lifespan, focusing entirely on controlling the true essence in his meridians.
Time ticked by. As Li Qing's true essence gradually returned to his dantian, the Profound Yin Qi in the yin-yang cavern ceased its relentless pressure on his body.
The oppressive, viscous sensation that had made him feel trapped in a swamp gradually dissipated.
Immersed in mastering his true essence, Li Qing slowly lost track of time.
In the cavern's profound silence, Li Qing was accompanied only by the dense yin-yang qi swirling around him.
Having nearly lost track of time, Li Qing was startled awake by the faint sound of footsteps echoing from the cavern's depths.
"Senior Brother, I've retrieved the yin-yang spirit liquid for you!" Shen Ningbing announced, holding aloft a sphere of liquid that shimmered with colors resembling a three-dimensional yin-yang taiji symbol.
Hearing her voice, Li Qing's eyes snapped open. His face lit up with delight as he saw the sphere of condensed yin-yang spirit liquid in Shen Ningbing's hand.
"Finally! Let's retreat immediately. This place is too dangerous to linger!"
As he spoke, Li Qing forced himself to his feet, still struggling against the lingering pressure in the air, and prepared to leave with Shen Ningbing.
But then he noticed a peculiar black-and-white mark on the back of Shen Ningbing's hand.
"Junior Sister, what's this mark on your hand?" Li Qing asked, his brow furrowing.
Shen Ningbing shook her head. "I'm not sure. Deep within the cavern, there's a pool containing just over one portion of yin-yang spirit liquid."
"After taking all of it, this mark mysteriously appeared on my hand."
"Also, along the way, I saw several shattered skeletons. They likely perished during the yin-yang qi eruption."
Li Qing fell silent, secretly memorizing the mark's appearance, planning to investigate it later if the opportunity arose.
"Since you're not seriously injured, let's get out of here first. We can investigate this strange mark later."
It wasn't that he didn't care about Shen Ningbing, but the yin-yang cave was no place to linger.
Although he had regained partial control over his true essence, remaining here would continue to drain his lifespan at an alarming rate.
In just the past few moments, he had lost a staggering 286 years of lifespan!
The number representing his remaining lifespan had plummeted to 721 years!
And it was still slowly decreasing, though not as drastically as before.
After storing the yin-yang spirit liquid, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing slowly made their way out of the eerie yin-yang cavern.
Feeling the oppressive Profound Yin Qi that had been weighing down on him dissipate, Li Qing felt an immense sense of relief, as if a massive mountain had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
In that instant, he regained complete control over the true essence within his body. With a single thought, he gathered all his true essence into his dantian.
To his surprise, his dantian suddenly felt heavy and swollen, as if it were about to burst.
"Senior Brother... your cultivation level?" Shen Ningbing asked, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Indeed, Li Qing had reached the peak of the foundation establishment realm—the so-called pseudo core formation stage!
The time he had spent in the yin-yang cave had granted him a massive surge of mana, equivalent to over a decade of arduous meditation and cultivation.
"Heh, the terrain here spontaneously initiated Yin-Yang Harmonization, forcibly elevating my dao foundation in an attempt to equalize my cultivation level with yours, restoring the Yin-Yang balance of this place!"
While his cultivation level had undoubtedly increased, Li Qing's tone and smile carried a bitter edge.
For this meager advancement, he had sacrificed over two hundred and eighty years of his lifespan!
Losing so much lifespan—nearly equivalent to the entire life of an average foundation establishment cultivator—Li Qing had gained only a decade or so of saved time from arduous meditation and cultivation.
Was it truly worth it?
Li Qing couldn't definitively answer. If he hadn't been able to extend his lifespan through artifact refinement, his heart would have been as cold as ashes.
Nearly three hundred years of lifespan!
How many magic artifacts would he need to refine to recover that?!
The thought sent waves of pain through his heart, for this truly felt like a death sentence.
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment. "Such a miraculous phenomenon? This yin-yang cave is truly extraordinary! Then we..."
As if anticipating her question, Li Qing shook his head and said, "It's not as absurd as you think. To leverage the yin-yang cave's terrain for cultivation advancement, one must first comprehend the Dao of Yin-Yang Coexistence."
"Without understanding the principle of yin nurturing yang and yang nurturing yin, recklessly entering would be suicide."
"Furthermore, this terrain likely only affects cultivators below the core formation realm. Once a cultivator reaches the core formation stage, their mana solidifies completely, becoming impervious to ordinary external forces."
"Otherwise, I suspect the Yin-Yang Harmonization we performed in the cavern just now not only enhanced my dao foundation but might have also diminished your cultivation!"
These were Li Qing's own insights, lacking concrete evidence but likely close to the truth.
There was another point Li Qing didn't mention: using such peculiar terrain to boost one's cultivation would also shorten one's lifespan!
Sacrificing centuries of lifespan for mere advancement in the foundation establishment realm was something no sane person would consider.
Moreover, cultivation gained through this method would result in impure true essence, far inferior to the mana cultivated through one's own cultivation manual!
Without years of refinement to purify this impure true essence, the chances of successfully achieving core formation in the future would be virtually nonexistent.
Fortunately, Li Qing possessed the heavenly spirit fire. With its aid, he could accelerate the purification of his mana and true essence, eliminating these concerns.
Even so, if Li Qing had the chance to choose again, he would never opt for such a forced, unsustainable method to advance his cultivation.
He would rather spend more time in secluded meditation, steadily progressing step by step, building a solid foundation for each advancement.
"There's a reason why feng shui thrives in the Great Wilderness Domain. The mere techniques of dragon vein location and geomancy are enough to occupy countless practitioners for a lifetime."
"From now on, if we encounter such bizarre and unfathomable terrain, I suggest we flee as far as possible!"
With that, Li Qing retrieved Fan Tong, who had been lying prone at the cave entrance, into his storage pouch. Turning to Shen Ningbing, who stood beside him in thoughtful silence, he said:
"Junior sister, let's leave."
Shen Ningbing nodded in response and leaped out of the cavern.
The pair didn't linger long in the poisonous miasma-filled underground ravine. Prolonged exposure to such an environment could only bring harm.
After escaping the ravine, they swiftly flew northeast, heading back toward Giant Deer Prefecture.
Along the way, no foolhardy individuals dared to intercept them. With Shen Ningbing, a core formation realm cultivator, leading the way, their journey proceeded smoothly.
Even in the Great Wilderness Domain, a sacred cultivation ground, core formation realm cultivators were rare and commanded the utmost respect from the vast majority of practitioners.
Thus, after more than ten days of full-speed flight, the pair finally reached Giant Deer Prefecture.
As the familiar scenery gradually came into view, Li Qing, seated aboard the spirit boat, felt as if he had returned to a world he had long left behind.
"We're finally back! This journey has yielded quite the harvest!"
While Li Qing's gains were significant, Shen Ningbing had now become a core formation realm cultivator!
With such power, she could ascend to a position of reverence and authority if she ever returned to the Azure Ridge Domain.
"Let's head straight back to Nanyang Spirit Peak," Li Qing said calmly. "It's time for me to properly prepare for my own core formation."
(End of the Chapter)
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