Translator: AnubisTL
The emergence of a Divine Transformation stage cultivator in the Azure Ridge Domain was naturally a monumental event!
This meant that if any Divine Transformation stage ancient demons descended from the higher realms in the future, Li Qing wouldn't have to worry about them. That Senior would handle them.
He only needed to deal with ancient demons below the Divine Transformation stage, significantly reducing the pressure.
After all, when the sky falls, the tall stand to support it. Without this Divine Transformation stage Senior's appearance, Li Qing would have been the highest-cultivating person in the Azure Ridge Domain.
With the demon realm's invasion, he would have been the primary target for the ancient demons.
The birth of a Divine Transformation stage cultivator stirred the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth, causing celestial phenomena to mutate.
All cultivators above the Core Formation realm in the Azure Ridge Domain felt this change with remarkable clarity.
Within the Lingyun Sect's mountain gate, the Supreme Elders were awakened from their cave abodes, their gazes turning toward the central region of the Azure Ridge Domain.
"Senior Brother Li, you've returned?" Shen Ningbing asked, immediately looking toward Azure Cloud Peak where Li Qing resided after emerging from seclusion. She soon spotted him, back from the Great Wilderness Domain.
"Yes. A stable void rift connecting to the demon realm has opened in the Great Wilderness Domain. I went there and told Zhang Da to return to the sect as soon as possible," Li Qing replied with a nod.
Shen Ningbing's cultivation had unknowingly advanced to the late-stage core formation, a remarkable progression. Under the pressure of this great calamity of heaven and earth, she had clearly not been idle.
Hearing Li Qing's words, Shen Ningbing nodded slightly, a hint of worry flickering across her cool, composed face.
"Senior Brother, that aura we just sensed...?"
Li Qing's expression grew solemn. "It should be a great power from the Divine Transformation stage making their presence known. With the demon realm's invasion imminent, even these reclusive old monsters can't stay out of it. They must come out to face the threat."
At this, Shen Ningbing's eyes lit up with interest. Her gaze flickered briefly before she spoke, "If it's a Divine Transformation stage Senior, perhaps they can resolve my master's problem!"
"Senior Brother Li, I want to pay my respects to this Senior."
Only then did Li Qing recall that Shen Ningbing's master, Ancestor Bing Yun, had been forced into a desperate situation in the Great Wilderness Domain. She had been compelled to repeatedly use forbidden secret techniques from her cultivation manual.
These secret techniques, when mana ran dry, could forcibly drain true essence and mana, but at the cost of irreversibly transforming her body into an ice crystal form.
Li Qing had witnessed Shen Ningbing's ice crystal body once before, during the foundation establishment realm, when the sect explored the Cold Wind Secret Realm atop the snow mountain.
Over the years, Shen Ningbing had not been idle, constantly searching for a solution and even risking her own safety to test various methods.
Yet, despite her diligent efforts—sifting through the sect's ancient manuals and experimenting with numerous approaches—all had proven futile.
Li Qing frowned slightly at her words.
Logically, with such a great power now residing in the Azure Ridge Domain, he, as the ancestor of the Lingyun Sect, should naturally pay them a visit to show proper respect.
But given the unknown temperament of this Divine Transformation stage Senior, he dared not rashly send Shen Ningbing to meet them.
What if they were a ruthless and wicked individual?
Sensing Li Qing's concerns, Shen Ningbing sighed.
"Senior Brother Li, to be honest, though my master's ice crystal body hasn't changed significantly over these years, I've been by her side day and night. I can feel her life force growing increasingly faint."
"If we delay any longer, I fear my master will truly become a statue of ice!"
Li Qing remained silent for a long while after hearing this.
With the passing of Ancestor Ziqing, only Ancestor Bing Yun, whose body had transformed into ice crystals, remained of the original three ancestors of the Lingyun Sect.
Li Qing couldn't bring himself to abandon her.
"Very well, let's go together to pay our respects to the newly emerged Divine Transformation stage great power. Perhaps this Senior can help resolve Ancestor Bing Yun's problem."
Initially, Li Qing had planned to go alone. That way, even if the Divine Transformation stage Senior harbored ill intentions, he could rely on the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings' extreme speed to escape.
Thus, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing set out together, rushing from the mountain gate toward the central Azure Ridge Domain, where the mysterious grotto-heaven was located.
Their speed was considerable. As they soared across the sky, they quickly reached their destination.
The overwhelming aura that had previously pressed down on heaven and earth had already vanished. The area appeared utterly tranquil, with the grotto-heaven showing no signs of anything out of the ordinary.
But as Li Qing approached, he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible tremor in his heart, as if a peerless ferocious beast lay slumbering beneath the grotto-heaven.
"Is this the concealment method of a Divine Transformation stage great power? I personally explored this grotto-heaven before and found nothing. I never imagined a Divine Transformation stage great power was cultivating here."
With this thought, Li Qing cupped his fists toward the grotto-heaven and spoke with reverence:
"This junior, Li Qing of the Lingyun Sect, comes to pay his respects to Senior!"
"This junior, Shen Ningbing, also pays her respects to Senior!"
Their voices echoed outside the grotto-heaven, but after a long while, there was no response.
The grotto-heaven remained utterly silent, as if nothing existed within.
Shen Ningbing glanced at Li Qing, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Li Qing didn't know what to do. He wondered if this Divine Transformation stage great power was reclusive and disliked interacting with outsiders.
He immediately decided to leave. Since there was no response, there was no point in lingering.
"Very well. It seems this Senior prefers solitude. We shall not disturb him further."
With that, Li Qing prepared to turn and leave with Shen Ningbing.
But in the next moment, the primordial energy of heaven and earth stirred once more, and a vast and boundless aura surged forth from within the grotto-heaven.
"The time has come. It's time to ascend."
As this ethereal voice echoed through the grotto-heaven, immeasurable spiritual light erupted within.
Li Qing and Shen Ningbing, who were about to leave, both trembled as a colossal spiritual pressure swept over them.
Li Qing fared relatively well, managing to maintain his composure under the immense pressure without being significantly affected.
However, Shen Ningbing struggled to withstand it. The aura of this Divine Transformation stage great power was terrifyingly potent, stirring the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth. She felt her very body teetering on the brink of disintegration.
Seeing this, Li Qing immediately released his own aura to shield Shen Ningbing, allowing her to barely endure the impact of the pressure.
Only then did Li Qing have time to ponder the meaning of the ethereal voice he had just heard.
What did it mean?
The time has come. It's time to ascend?
Is this Divine Transformation stage great power preparing to break through the void and ascend right now?
Earlier, in the yin-yang cavern, Li Qing had learned from Wang Chan that with the demon realm's invasion, the spatial barrier of this world had been weakened to its absolute limit, making it easy to break through the void!
This was also why the Blood Spirit Sect had been able to open a void rift connecting to the demon realm, siphoning primordial demonic qi!
Li Qing was quite taken aback. He hadn't expected this Divine Transformation great power to be so decisive, completely disregarding the impending calamity that threatened the Human Realm. Instead, he was seizing this opportunity to shatter the void and ascend to the upper realm.
Yet, upon reflection, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
These Divine Transformation stage great powers had been lying dormant in the world for so long, rarely revealing themselves during normal times. Wasn't their ultimate goal to ascend to the upper realm?
With the Human Realm's Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth growing increasingly sparse, and now facing an impending catastrophe from the demon realm, the future cultivation environment would undoubtedly become even more perilous.
At this moment, the spatial barrier between realms had weakened to an unprecedented degree, making it the perfect time to ascend.
It was only natural for this Senior to make such a choice.
Still, despite understanding, Li Qing couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
Not at the Senior's decision itself, but because with his departure, the Azure Ridge Domain would lose one of its few cultivators capable of shouldering such responsibilities.
As Li Qing's thoughts churned, a slightly gaunt figure emerged from the grotto-heaven.
He was a middle-aged man with black hair cascading like a waterfall, but his body appeared unnaturally withered.
The moment he appeared, the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth converged upon him, as if he had become the center of this world.
"After slumbering for over a millennium, I've finally found the moment for ascension," the middle-aged man murmured, his voice resonating across the entire world.
In the next instant, he subtly moved his hands, beginning to mobilize the primordial energy of heaven and earth. This was a power accumulation, preparing to shatter the void in one decisive strike and ascend from this very place.
Li Qing watched this scene, unable to restrain himself: "Senior, the world now faces the threat of invasion by the demon realm. Billions of lives hang in the balance!"
However, such words were too weak and pale to move a Divine Transformation stage cultivator solely focused on ascension.
The man remained unmoved, responding indifferently: "Once I ascend, I care not if this world drowns in flames."
Such coldness!
Li Qing realized that further words would be futile. This Senior would never lift a finger to help this world again.
His sole objective was ascension.
Even if the world burned and the Human Realm crumbled to dust, it would mean nothing to him.
To speak further might even invite disaster.
Finally, Li Qing took a deep breath, his heart calm, and cupped his fists towards the gaunt figure in the sky.
"I wish you a smooth ascension, Senior! I take my leave!"
With ascension imminent, the middle-aged man paid no further attention to Li Qing. As long as nothing obstructed his ascension, he could simply ignore it.
Finally, when the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth had accumulated to its peak, the aloof middle-aged man made his move.
Boom!
The void began to tremble as the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth surged violently. The space here could no longer withstand such an assault.
In the next instant, a thousand-zhang-long void rift materialized abruptly.
The void shattered, and the surrounding clouds, mists, and even light were devoured by the void rift.
He's actually shattered the void! Will I witness the ascension of a Divine Transformation stage great power today?
No matter when or where, this would undoubtedly be a world-shaking spectacle!
Gazing at the forcibly opened void rift, the middle-aged man didn't immediately move. He observed for a moment before murmuring to himself:
"Correct. This is indeed a spatial node connecting to the upper realm. The ancients didn't deceive me!"
"Now, under the pressure of the demon realm, the spatial barrier has weakened, allowing it to be opened so easily."
"Hahaha! I've finally waited for this moment!"
With a booming laugh, the middle-aged man strode forward, ready to plunge into the void rift and ascend to the upper realm.
However, a mutation occurred!
Below, another void rift had opened!
Boom!
In an instant, the surrounding void turbulence completely collapsed, plunging the entire void into utter chaos.
From the newly opened void rift, a thick stream of primordial demonic qi poured forth.
The moment this primordial demonic qi appeared, the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth that the middle-aged cultivator had gathered seemed to be suppressed, quickly subsiding into silence.
Then, a chilling voice rang out, speaking in ancient demonic language:
"Heh heh heh, we knew some human would take advantage of this opportunity to ascend. After waiting so long, we've finally found our first."
"The Formless Saint Ancestor has commanded that all cultivators above the nascent soul realm in this world be captured!"
"..."
Watching this scene, Li Qing felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. This new void rift must be connected to the demon realm—otherwise, how could so much primordial demonic qi be leaking out?
Moreover, he understood the ancient demonic language.
These demons had broken through the dimensional barrier, seemingly acting under the orders of the Formless Saint Ancestor.
Formless Saint Ancestor...
Could the Formless Demon Ancestor's Dao Body, which the Crimson Radiance Hall had suppressed long ago, have originated from this very Formless Saint Ancestor?
Li Qing gasped, his heart sinking into icy dread.
(End of the Chapter)
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