Translator: AnubisTL
The Emperor of Maple Country had died, but the Qian Family didn't rush to announce it. Instead, they immediately mobilized all available resources to handle the aftermath of the Emperor's death.
If not managed properly, this could plunge the entire nation into chaos.
Fortunately, the Qian Family's influence remained substantial despite their recent fall from power.
With Old Master Qian's iron-fisted leadership, a puppet emperor was swiftly installed.
Initially, court officials were shocked and vehemently opposed the move.
But under the combined suppression of the Qian Family and their allied factions, the dissenting voices gradually fell silent.
From that moment on, the Maple Country's government was firmly under the Qian Family's control. Old Master Qian became the Grand Tutor of the Nation, wielding absolute power over the court and the realm.
Li Qing no longer cared about these matters. As long as Maple Country didn't descend into chaos, he wouldn't waste any more thought on it.
For the next few days, he remained in the simple courtyard at Qian Manor.
His heart grew heavy, and he couldn't help but ponder the true meaning of his pursuit of immortality.
Watching one old friend after another pass away was a truly unbearable feeling.
"So this is what it means to say, 'The sages of old were all lonely,'" Li Qing murmured, sensing that his path ahead might be one of profound solitude.
With his extended lifespan, he was destined to witness his companions gradually wither and fade—an inevitability he could scarcely avoid.
After a long while, he sighed deeply, gradually composing his emotions.
He stepped out of the courtyard and made his way to a cemetery not far from Qian Manor.
Led by Qian Linghui, Li Qing stopped before a solitary grave. He gazed at the inscription on the tombstone, "Qian Hong," and stood in silence for an extended period.
Finally, he laid the Qing Hong Sword horizontally before the tombstone. Then, he retrieved a gourd of premium spirit wine and slowly poured its contents onto the grave.
Having completed these rituals, he turned to Qian Linghui, his voice low and solemn.
"Would you like to enter the immortal realm and cultivate with me?"
The question came so abruptly that Qian Linghui froze in place for a long moment.
Seeing her hesitation, Li Qing assumed she needed time to consider or felt reluctant to leave her family.
"It's alright. You can take your time to think it over. You might want to consult with your family members as well."
"Embarking on the immortal dao isn't necessarily a good thing."
But Qian Linghui shook her head quickly, as if afraid Li Qing might refuse, and blurted out, "I'm willing to follow Senior Li to cultivate!"
Li Qing said gently, "There's no need to rush your decision. You still have time to consider. I'm not leaving Maple Country immediately. You should discuss it further with your family."
However, Qian Linghui replied with unwavering conviction, "My great-aunt always longed to see the immortal realm you abandoned the mortal world for. But she lacked a Spiritual Root and was forever barred from the immortal dao."
"I... I want to see that world for her, to fulfill her lifelong, unfulfilled wish."
Li Qing remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Since you've made your decision, spend the next few days bidding farewell to your family."
Qian Linghui nodded vigorously, a hint of longing and anticipation flickering in her eyes.
What kind of world awaits me?
Over the next few days, Qian Linghui carefully said her goodbyes to her family. Amidst heartfelt farewells and blessings, the young woman finally left her family, embarking on her cultivation journey with Li Qing.
Throughout the journey, she constantly wiped tears from her eyes, yet her steps remained firmly planted behind Li Qing.
Li Qing offered no words of comfort. This was a necessary process; only by mastering her emotions could she tread the dao path more smoothly in the future.
Along the way, they passed through many places Li Qing had once visited and stayed in.
In a short time, they had traversed over half of Maple Country's magnificent landscapes.
During this journey, Li Qing's heavy heart gradually lightened, and the lingering doubts about pursuing immortality vanished completely.
This journey had forged his resolve, as if he had undergone a complete spiritual purification and baptism.
Along the way, he passed through Crouching Ox Ridge and found the grave of Ning Yuan, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. After offering a cup of spirit wine, Li Qing continued his journey.
In southern Maple Country, he located the adjacent graves of his parents from this lifetime and knelt in silent vigil for a long while.
Finally, Li Qing arrived in western Maple Country, at Wangyuan City!
He had once camped outside these walls as an apprentice blacksmith in the army, living a precarious existence. Back then, even a minor incident involving Marauders could keep him awake all night in fear.
It was here that he had taken his first steps on the path of the Martial Dao, and later, the immortal dao.
Outside Wangyuan City, in the desolate borderlands, yellow sand still swirled endlessly, filling one's mouth with grit at every breath.
Here, Li Qing found the small earthen mound where he had buried Master Gu long ago.
The tombstone was gone, and the surrounding terrain had changed significantly. Only the inscription he had carved into the ground with his Martial Dao Will remained deeply etched into the earth.
"This Calamity-Severing Spear awaits a destined wielder. Whoever claims it must sweep my master's grave once."
The Martial Dao Will remained as sharp and intense as ever, showing little sign of fading despite the passage of countless years.
As for the Calamity-Severing Spear that had once stood beside the grave, it was long gone. Likely, it had fallen into the hands of some fortunate soul, who had used it to forge a legendary reputation in the Jianghu.
But that was another story entirely.
"Master, your unworthy disciple has returned to sweep your grave after all these years," Li Qing said with a soft smile, using his daoist arts to erect a new tombstone for the neglected grave.
"Tomb of Master Gu: The greatest blacksmith, the greatest master!"
With this done, Li Qing slowly closed his eyes.
In that moment, he felt his heart-mind had reached perfect completion, like a flawless mirror without a single imperfection.
His worldly trials had finally come to an end.
Now, he could focus on breaking through to the nascent soul realm without any lingering mental obstacles.
After a long silence, Li Qing opened his eyes again, his expression calm and serene, his demeanor as still as a tranquil well.
"Senior Li, where do we go next?" Qian Linghui asked curiously.
Li Qing replied calmly, "To the Grasslands. I need to retrieve something."
"The Grasslands? Are we still going to walk there?" Qian Linghui asked, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Throughout their arduous journey, Li Qing had refrained from using daoist arts or spirit boat travel to temper his mental fortitude, instead relying on mortal methods of travel.
Whether riding horses, traveling by carriage, or walking on foot, Qian Linghui had endured considerable hardship, her frail body already exhausted.
"No, we'll fly there," Li Qing said with a light smile, snapping his fingers.
A Serpent-Head Spirit Boat materialized mid-air, instantly lifting both of them aboard.
In the next moment, the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat soared into the sky at breakneck speed.
Qian Linghui's eyes widened slightly, awestruck by Senior Li's divine ability.
He really can fly!
Before she could voice her astonishment, the scenery around them began to blur.
In the blink of an eye, they had transitioned from the yellow sand-swept borderlands to hovering above an endless expanse of grasslands.
"Senior Li, what are we doing in the Grasslands?" Qian Linghui asked curiously, her eyes fixed on the unfamiliar landscape below.
"Retrieving a pill formula," Li Qing replied casually. "One that will be useful to me."
When Li Qing had slain Emperor Fengwu, he had extracted crucial memories from the emperor's Sea of Consciousness.
The female cultivator he had encountered in Shengtian was indeed from the Grasslands, and she was the same cultivator who had clashed with True Lord Qingyang outside Fire Cliff Cave!
She appeared to be severely injured and had been draining the vital energy from mortals along her journey to replenish her own. To avoid drawing too much attention, she had restrained herself, limiting her killings to small-scale massacres in each city.
However, upon reaching Shengtian, a densely populated metropolis, her actions grew bolder. She drained the life force from hundreds of mortals in a single night, alerting the Maple Country court.
It was this very incident that allowed Li Qing to extract this critical information from Emperor Fengwu's Sea of Consciousness.
"She can't just kill so many people and expect to escape without paying a price," Li Qing mused. "Coincidentally, I've been interested in the Dragon Transformation Pill formula. This might be a good opportunity to investigate it further."
"... "
Over ten days later, the Grassland Holy Temple, still mourning the core formation elder who had died during their southern expedition, was shrouded in grief.
All cultivators affiliated with the holy temple mourned and prayed for the tragically slain elder, hoping for her eternal rest in the embrace of Evergreen Heaven.
No one could have predicted that, amidst the solemn and reverent atmosphere, an uninvited guest would suddenly intrude upon the holy temple!
A stone hall, surrounded and guarded by numerous grassland cultivators, suddenly erupted with a thunderous roar.
Boom!
In the next instant, a raging inferno surged forth, engulfing everything in its path with terrifying speed.
The stone hall exploded, its massive bricks shattering into fragments that scattered like fiery meteors, each trailing a burning tail.
The mourning cultivators raised their heads, their faces etched with shock as they stared at the shattered stone hall they had been worshipping, still unaware of what had transpired.
Then, a tall, imposing figure strode out from the wreckage, transforming into a streak of light that vanished from the scene with lightning speed.
Within the ruined hall, a charred corpse slowly toppled over, crumbling into a heap of blackened ash.
"No! Elder Mu Ya!"
Zhaltie, who had inherited Elder Jin Gu's lifetime of cultivation, finally reacted. He rushed to the charred remains, his heart pounding with dread.
Elder Mu Ya was the female cultivator who had clashed with True Lord Qingyang outside Fire Cliff Cave.
"Who could have done this... What exactly happened during the southern expedition?" Zhaltie was on the verge of collapse.
In a short span of time, the holy temple had lost two core formation elders in succession—an unbearable blow.
These elders represented generations of accumulated power, cultivated through the Spirit Transcending Saint Transformation Art. To lose two in such quick succession was a devastating loss.
Zhaltie's gaze swept across the horizon. The towering figure from just moments ago had already vanished like a shooting star, moving at unimaginable speed, utterly beyond pursuit.
"Who exactly is this person?" Zhaltie ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes burning with fury and hatred.
The object of Zhaltie's burning resentment was none other than Li Qing.
With his exceptional ability to conceal his aura, Li Qing had infiltrated the Grassland Holy Temple with astonishing ease. The entire process was almost laughably simple.
Then, striking with lightning speed, he had slain the core formation female cultivator who had slaughtered mortals. Using the forbidden artifact Wind-Thunder Silver Wings, Li Qing had made a swift escape, leaving no trace of his identity. No one had even glimpsed his face!
Propelling the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings with Kunpeng Divine Power, Li Qing's speed reached its zenith, leaving all pursuers in the dust.
"I can't believe it was this easy. It went so smoothly, it's almost suspicious."
With the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings spread behind him, Li Qing streaked through the void, covering a thousand miles in the blink of an eye.
As he thought this, he chuckled softly and shook his head. "This is the downside of having no defensive formations. Enemies can infiltrate without anyone knowing."
"Fortunately, the Lingyun Sect now has a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation. Even nascent soul realm cultivators can't breach it silently."
With that, a satisfied smile crept across Li Qing's lips.
Just moments ago, he had not only slain Mu Ya, the grassland female cultivator, but also obtained the pill formula for the Dragon Transformation Pill from the stone hall.
As she lay dying, Li Qing had invaded her Sea of Consciousness, performing a brief soul-searching and soul-refining.
By cross-referencing the extracted memories, Li Qing confirmed that the pill formula he had obtained was genuine, with no omissions!
Dragon Transformation Pill:
Main Ingredients: Millennial Dragon Blood Vine, Yin-Yang Grass.
Auxiliary Ingredients: Sea Black Ginseng Root, Eight-Hundred-Year-Old Profound Origin Grass Juice, Pure Origin Flower Petals.
This pill can only be taken once in a lifetime and provides a slight boost during the Break Core, Condense Soul stage.
Finally, I've obtained the pill formula!
Li Qing's mood instantly brightened. With the Millennial Dragon Blood Vine already secured, he now only needed to find ways to gather the remaining spirit herbs.
As for who would refine the pill?
Naturally, it would be the immensely capable Senior Bai Ling! With a ready-made fifth-tier alchemist at hand, it was only logical to seek his assistance.
The most precious ingredient in the entire formula was undoubtedly the Millennial Dragon Blood Vine. While the other spirit herbs were somewhat obscure, they could still be found with some effort.
Moreover, Li Qing already had a clear idea of where to search, ensuring the process wouldn't take too long.
With these thoughts in mind, he brought Qian Linghui, whom he had already settled, and set off once more, hurrying non-stop toward the Lingyun Sect.
"Let's go. It's time to return to the Lingyun Sect!"
(End of the Chapter)