Immortal Refiner-Chapter 655: Change [2.2k]

Translator: AnubisTL

The complete Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art!

For Li Qing, this was an irresistible temptation, perhaps the cultivation manual he desired most at this stage!

He was about to break through to the nascent soul realm, but the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art he practiced remained incomplete, abruptly ending at the core formation realm. There were no further Chapters.

Originally, he had planned to switch to another fire dao cultivation technique after reaching the nascent soul realm, using it as a temporary substitute for the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art. He would revert to the original manual once he found its missing Chapters.

However, this approach had a significant drawback: the higher one’s cultivation level, the more time it took to switch to another technique.

If possible, no one would willingly change cultivation manuals mid-cultivation unless a superior alternative presented itself!

"I never imagined such a place would lie beyond the stone gate," Li Qing murmured to himself.

Before him, the second-tier corpse puppets he had encountered earlier were ascending the steps that emerged from the magma sea, approaching the ancient Crimson Radiance Hall.

As they moved, the corpses they carried began to rapidly wither and shrivel!

Immediately afterward, wisps of dark purple smoke began to rise from the churning surface of the magma sea.

Drawn by some unseen force, these deep violet tendrils merged into the shriveled corpses that had just been drained.

Before the ethereal wisps could spread far, the ancient Crimson Radiance Hall overhead shuddered violently, as if awakening from a long slumber.

Rumble!

The ancient hall trembled, and all the purple smoke that had emerged from the magma sea vanished instantly, as if purged by some purifying force.

At the same moment, the turbulent magma sea calmed, its fiery waves subsiding into a placid, molten surface.

Through the Spirit Gold Puppet’s vision, Li Qing witnessed this scene clearly, immediately understanding what was happening.

"So that’s it. Something is being suppressed within the earth’s core?"

"Are these corpse puppets being controlled by whatever’s sealed below? Is it trying to escape its confinement?"

Li Qing speculated inwardly, eager to observe more.

With only this limited information, he couldn’t yet determine whether the situation was truly dangerous.

Li Qing was particularly curious about the mysterious entity suppressed within the magma sea. What exactly could it be?

"Dark purple wisps of smoke..."

Before Li Qing could ponder further, a figure emerged from the ancient Crimson Radiance Hall above.

The figure wore modern-era robes and moved with fluid grace, showing no signs of the stiff, lifeless movements of the corpse puppets. This was a living, breathing cultivator.

When Li Qing clearly saw the figure’s face, he gasped.

He recognized this person—an old acquaintance he had encountered before!

"Daoist Qingyang... What’s he doing here?" Li Qing’s mind raced with questions, sensing he had stumbled upon a shocking secret.

Fortunately, Li Qing’s divine sense was strong, and he had concealed the Spirit Gold Puppet’s aura using a Jade Ruyi. As long as he remained unseen, outsiders would find it nearly impossible to detect the puppet’s presence.

Li Qing also discovered two crucial pieces of information.

Daoist Qingyang had already reached the core formation realm. Perhaps he should now be addressed as True Lord Qingyang.

In addition to this, the corpse puppets Li Qing had seen earlier were also controlled and animated by True Lord Qingyang, not by the entity suppressed beneath the magma sea.

This meant that, excluding the mysterious being sealed beneath the magma sea, there were three core formation realm combatants present.

Of course, if these were the only threats, Li Qing was confident he could handle them. However, he still wanted to understand True Lord Qingyang’s true purpose for being here.

Having witnessed everything that had just transpired, Li Qing realized that Qingyang was assisting the suppressed entity in breaking free.

As Li Qing pondered this, a faint tremor rippled through the magma sea below. A deep, raspy voice spoke in a guttural, incomprehensible language that no ordinary cultivator could understand.

"Kuru Xi Jili..."

Yet Li Qing recognized this strange tongue. During his time at the Lingyun Sect, he had once acquired fragments of memory containing this language.

It was ancient demonic language!

The entity suppressed beneath the magma sea was a powerful member of the ancient demonic race!

A chill ran down Li Qing’s spine. The meaning of the ancient demonic words was:

"Still too slow! If you want to obtain more of the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s inheritance from the hall, bring me more and stronger cultivators as sacrifices!"

"Only then can I unlock more of my power and help you breach more of the Crimson Radiance Hall’s seals, allowing you to claim more of the inheritance."

"What are you so afraid of? With my help, you’ve already achieved core formation. Do you still doubt me?"

These words were clearly directed at True Lord Qingyang outside the Crimson Radiance Hall, who evidently understood the ancient demon’s language.

"The outside world is stable and peaceful, and the Lingyun Sect maintains strict surveillance over the surrounding immortal realms. I can’t simply do as I please."

"Under these circumstances, being able to bring you foundation establishment realm cultivators as sacrifices is already a remarkable achievement."

"In the Azure Ridge Domain, core formation realm rogue cultivators remain exceedingly rare. Any one of them appearing would draw immediate attention, and they’re not easy to kill."

True Lord Qingyang spoke slowly, his expression as calm and detached as Li Qing remembered.

"Hmph, that’s just your excessive caution. I’ve provided you with two third-tier corpse puppets. Combined with your own cultivation, what fear should you have even if you encounter the Lingyun Sect’s ancestor?"

"Listen to me, your method is too slow. At this rate, when will you ever inherit the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s full inheritance?"

"Don’t you want the two supreme treasures of this realm? You’ve witnessed them firsthand!"

These words carried a fatal allure, causing a flicker of desire to cross True Lord Qingyang’s face.

Clearly, the promise of the two supreme treasures and the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s complete inheritance deeply stirred his heart.

As he pondered, a series of thunderous roars suddenly erupted from outside, as if the area were under attack!

Li Qing, who had been secretly observing through the Spirit Gold Puppet, clearly sensed the commotion.

He was utterly bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

"Damn it!" Li Qing’s lips twitched slightly as he prepared to withdraw the divine sense imprint he had planted.

For True Lord Qingyang, standing atop the Crimson Radiance Great Hall, had instinctively turned his gaze toward the stone gate at the earth’s core.

"A puppet? Who’s spying on me from the shadows?!"

Before his words had even finished echoing, True Lord Qingyang struck, unleashing a fiery palm strike that pierced the air and shattered the Spirit Gold Puppet Li Qing had been controlling into dust.

Bang!

Li Qing, who had already withdrawn his divine sense imprint, his expression immediately darkened. His gaze involuntarily shot upward, seeking to understand the sudden commotion.

"What’s happening? Is someone attacking Fire Cliff Cave from outside?"

But there was no time for contemplation. True Lord Qingyang had already discovered the Spirit Gold Puppet Li Qing had been controlling. Now he had to decide what to do next.

"It seems two core formation realm cultivators have arrived outside. Tell me, boy, what did you see in there?" Dao Lord Bai Ling’s illusory figure materialized.

Li Qing’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t expected two unfamiliar core formation realm cultivators to appear at this critical moment!

This was truly astonishing. He had never heard of any rogue core formation realm cultivators in the Azure Ridge Domain before.

I could pin the blame for the Spirit Gold Puppet on those two core formation realm cultivators outside! Li Qing’s eyes flickered with a sudden idea, and he immediately made his decision.

He moved swiftly, his figure flickering through the Fire Cliff Cave’s tunnels like a phantom. As he passed, he casually collected the spirit fire seeds he had left behind, ensuring True Lord Qingyang wouldn’t notice his presence.

Following the trail of fire seeds, Li Qing quickly located Cao Xiu, who was dutifully waiting near the Red Jade Beehive.

"Senior Li, you’re back! There was a sudden commotion outside just now—"

Before Cao Xiu could finish, Li Qing grabbed him and rushed toward another passage.

Meanwhile, outside the Fire Cliff Cave, two cultivators dressed in Grasslands attire hovered in the air, relentlessly unleashing attacks into the dark abyss below.

"Daring to kidnap the sons of my holy temple! I’ll see what kind of vermin you’re hiding down there!" roared a burly grassland man, wielding a Giant Wolf-Tooth Club. He swung the club downward with earth-shattering force.

Boom!

The impact shook the surrounding volcanic mountains, nearly triggering an eruption!

Beside the burly grassland man stood a lithe woman in an animal hide skirt, her eyes cold and her expression grim.

"Big brother, I’ve scouted ahead. The cave below is a labyrinth, and it’s easy to get lost inside."

The burly grassland man shook his head dismissively. "They’re just hiding inside. We only need to guard the entrance."

Little did he know that deep within Fire Cliff Cave, behind the stone gate leading to the earth’s core, True Lord Qingyang had already sensed their presence.

The ancient demon, imprisoned in the magma sea, spoke urgently: "A perfect opportunity! Two core formation realm cultivators have arrived. Capture them and offer them as sacrifices to me!"

"If you succeed, I guarantee you’ll obtain a supreme treasure!"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of desire crossed True Lord Qingyang’s aged face, and the deep wrinkles on his face softened slightly.

"Two core formation realm cultivators? Where could they have come from? The Lingyun Sect?"

True Lord Qingyang murmured to himself, his decision already made.

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he had no choice but to act.

With a subtle flick of his finger, the corpse puppets surrounding him swiftly sprang into motion.

Among the corpse puppets, two third-tier specimens radiated the most ferocious aura, their movements swift and violent, even generating sonic booms. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Boom!

In the next moment, five corpse puppets teleported through the stone gate and surged toward the Fire Cliff Cave’s exit at breakneck speed.

Their purpose was clear. They were intimately familiar with the labyrinthine passages, effortlessly navigating the shortest route to freedom.

Soon, at the Fire Cliff Cave’s exit:

Two core formation cultivators from the Grassland Holy Temple wore grave expressions. They sensed an astonishing surge of energy rapidly approaching from below.

"They’re here," the Grassland female cultivator murmured, her brow furrowing. "The aura is terrifying, yet it feels devoid of life."

Boom! Boom!

Finally, the five formidable corpse puppets burst from the cave. Before the Grassland cultivators could react, one third-tier corpse puppet seized another and hurled it at them.

Third-tier corpse puppets possessed terrifying strength and bodies of unparalleled resilience, surpassing even many third-tier demonic beasts!

"Corpse refinement? Corpse puppets?!"

"Not good! Evade it quickly! This puppet’s strength is terrifying—we can’t confront it directly. We must suppress it with mana!" the burly man roared, then activated his Wolf Tooth Club magic artifact and swung it at the puppet.

However, the third-tier corpse puppet’s resilience far exceeded his expectations.

Bang!

The corpse puppet withstood the club’s strike with a headbutt, then continued its charge toward the two grassland cultivators, seemingly intent on engaging them in close combat with its fleshly body.

"Azurewood Shadow!" The female cultivator flicked her fingers, conjuring illusory tree shadows that hindered the third-tier corpse puppet’s advance.

Seizing the opportunity, the burly man focused his mind and channeled his divine ability to suppress the puppet.

Yet they dared not lower their guard, for another third-tier corpse puppet lurked below!

Moreover, the puppeteer remained hidden. A cultivator capable of controlling third-tier corpse puppets likely possessed core formation realm cultivation.

As expected, during their struggle with the puppet, True Lord Qingyang finally emerged, strolling leisurely into view.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he stepped onto a massive bronze cauldron that swiftly ascended into the sky.

"Might I inquire if you two fellow Daoists are elders of the Grassland Holy Temple? I’m unaware of any offense I’ve committed that would warrant such a forceful intrusion and accusation."

His words sounded conciliatory, but True Lord Qingyang’s eyes held a chilling glint as he kicked the bronze cauldron forward.

Inside the cauldron, four corpse puppets stood in perfect formation, poised to strike.

Upon seeing the cultivators’ attire, Li Qing immediately recognized them as core formation realm cultivators from the Grasslands. He further deduced their purpose: one of the foundation establishment cultivators Qingyang had sacrificed to the earth’s core earlier had been a spy sent by the Grasslands.

Over the years, True Lord Qingyang had continued to organize secret gatherings to cultivate suitable cultivators, whom he would then sacrifice to the ancient demon sealed beneath Fire Cliff Cave, hoping to break its seal.

He had been carrying out this scheme for many years.

Meanwhile, Li Qing, still undetected, was fully aware of the events unfolding outside Fire Cliff Cave.

"It seems this battle won’t end anytime soon. I might as well play the patient fisherman and reap the benefits later."

"Senior Bai Ling, what do you think?"

As he observed the ongoing battle, Li Qing relayed everything he had witnessed to Senior Bai Ling.

Dao Lord Bai Ling pondered for a long while before finally speaking slowly:

"Now that you mention it, I finally understand why I sensed that familiar qi mechanism."

"The Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch wasn’t suppressing just any ordinary foe."

(End of the Chapter)