Translator: AnubisTL
The Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation was located at the deepest level of the Cold Wind Secret Realm.
Here, a shocking breach was clearly visible in the once-seamless array, with waves of demonic qi surging from the fractured formation.
As the Lingyun Sect elders approached, a jet-black demonic claw emerged from the fissure.
Its razor-sharp talons instantly pierced the solid ground, and moments later, a Demon Lord covered in grotesque bone spikes crawled forth.
A chill ran down the spines of everyone present at the sight.
"The ancient demonic race! The ancient demonic race is breaking free!"
Many cried out in alarm, their voices tinged with panic.
But some elders remained calm and quickly steadied the group's resolve. "Quickly, capture it alive! Half our mission will be complete!"
Li Qing moved first, drawing a five-colored rope from his waist and hurling it forward.
A burst of five-colored spiritual light erupted as the rope shot out like a striking python.
Indeed, this five-colored rope was the second Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope that Li Qing had refined!
Whoosh!
"Bind!" Li Qing murmured, then coiled the high-grade magical artifact around the snarling ancient demon that had just emerged.
Within mere breaths, the demon was tightly restrained by the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope.
Li Qing continuously channeled spiritual energy, tightening the rope's grip.
The surrounding elders sighed in relief, showering him with praise:
"Well done!"
"Hahaha, Junior Brother Li, your methods are truly remarkable! A great achievement with a single move!"
"This rope is indeed extraordinary."
Despite the accolades, Li Qing felt no joy. He sensed that the bound demon showed little panic.
"Senior brothers," he said, "please spare me your flattery. Let's subdue this ancient demon together!"
Before the elders could respond, the demon let out a sinister chuckle:
"Gurgle... grrr..."
In the next instant, Li Qing's spiritual perception flared with an ominous premonition.
The demon's body suddenly swelled, contorting into grotesque shapes.
Danger!
Li Qing's pupils constricted sharply. He released the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope and attempted to retract it.
Boom!
The ancient demon's body suddenly exploded, unleashing a torrent of demonic qi that surged outward in a violent shockwave.
In an instant, the entire area around the sealing formation was saturated with dense demonic qi, causing the Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation to dim noticeably.
Several elders who were too close to react in time were sent flying, their bodies riddled with scars and their fleshly bodies continuously corroded by demonic qi.
"It self-destructed!" Li Qing muttered grimly, retrieving the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope. However, the magic artifact's spirituality had been severely damaged.
The once vibrant five-colored rope now appeared dull and lifeless, with wisps of demonic qi swirling across its surface.
Repairing it would require considerable time and effort.
Compared to the critically injured elders, Li Qing fared relatively well. Only a magic artifact had been damaged, and restoring it wouldn't be too difficult in the future.
"Ugh... ah..."
"The demonic qi has pierced my heart meridian! Does anyone have a heart-protecting pill? Does anyone have a heart-protecting pill?!"
This was an extremely rare medicinal pill. Even the elders of the pill hall struggled to find anyone who possessed such a remedy.
"Quickly get him to the secret realm exit! Let the two Ancestors treat him!"
The surrounding cultivators frantically began to move, attempting to transport him to the exit for treatment.
But it was already too late.
The demonic qi within the elder's body, like a venomous serpent, was rapidly devouring his life force.
In the blink of an eye, the man's face turned black, his eyes bulged, and he was unmistakably dead.
The atmosphere in the chamber instantly became deathly silent.
This brutal, bloody scene drove home a stark reality: their mission was a gamble where their lives hung by a thread.
"Let's go in," someone said in a low voice. "Our fellow sect elders are waiting for our rescue."
One by one, the cultivators resumed entering the breach in the sealing formation.
As cultivators who had successfully reached the foundation establishment realm, their mental fortitude was generally strong. Only a few teetered on the brink of collapse.
Li Qing, who had clawed his way up from being a rogue cultivator, maintained an exceptionally calm demeanor.
Just another death, he thought. He had grown accustomed to such sights back in the qi refining realm.
Without uttering a word, he silently followed the group, entering the grotto-heaven through the breach in the Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation.
"So this is the grotto-heaven where the remnants of the ancient demons are suppressed? The spiritual energy here is indeed scarce, almost completely depleted."
"It's no different from the legendary End of Dao Era. With such dense demonic qi permeating the surroundings, only ancient demons could thrive in a place like this."
The darkness was absolute, so thick you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face—a perfect description of the place.
Fortunately, all the cultivators were at the foundation establishment realm, allowing them to use their divine sense to survey their surroundings.
Standing among the group, Li Qing extended a portion of his divine sense, examining the desolate landscape.
"Remember, no matter what happens, we must not separate. Our only hope of survival lies in staying together!"
"There's a disturbance of battle energy over there. It must be other fellow sect members who are trapped. Let's go rescue them."
Each cultivator deeply remembered their mission: to rescue their fellow sect members and capture an ancient demon alive!
Once these two tasks were completed, they could return safely.
Of course, no one had forgotten the ancient demon's self-destruction just moments ago.
This single incident made capturing one alive extremely difficult, almost an impossible mission.
In this spiritually barren environment, no one was willing to waste their precious spiritual energy on anything but fleeing.
Even the slightest reserve of spiritual energy could be the key to survival.
Everyone dispersed their divine senses, taking cautious steps as they swiftly approached the direction from which the aftershocks of battle emanated.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a dozen piercing sounds tore through the darkness ahead.
"Ancient demons! Everyone, be careful!" A cultivator with a powerful divine sense immediately detected the approaching demons and issued a warning.
Without hesitation, Li Qing flicked his fingers, condensing several crimson fireballs from his spiritual energy and launching them toward the source of the commotion.
Boom!
The darkness ahead instantly illuminated, revealing twelve grotesque ancient demons, each more hideous and monstrous than the last.
Roar!
Unable to communicate through language, the moment the two sides met, only one word was exchanged:
"Kill!"
In an instant, waves of spiritual energy surged around them as magic artifacts were hurled out like pebbles scattered along a roadside.
Seeing this, Li Qing's lips twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself that his fellow sect elders must have been thoroughly terrified earlier, as they were now unleashing their full power without holding back in the slightest.
Li Qing moved swiftly as well, activating his fastest wind spear to entangle a massive ancient demon.
"Roar!"
This particular ancient demon was exceptionally ferocious. Despite enduring repeated attacks from multiple magic artifacts, it remained largely unscathed, its defenses remarkably formidable.
Spiritual energy splashed and demonic qi churned as the battlefield gradually fragmented around the twelve ancient demons.
The Lingyun Sect elders, with their numerical advantage, firmly maintained the initiative.
"This demon's physique is exceptionally robust," one elder observed. "It must be a member of the ancient demonic race specializing in body refinement."
"Perhaps this is an opportunity!"
Li Qing narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto the towering, berserk ancient demon before him.
The Ancestor had tasked them with two missions: capturing an ancient demon alive and rescuing their fellow sect members.
Li Qing now intended to subdue this demon, capture it alive, and use this as justification to return to the rear lines and report his success early.
With this done, he would gain some free time, perhaps enough to seize the heavenly spirit fire within the secret realm above.
"Kill!"
The thought ignited Li Qing's ferocity.
With a swift flick of his wrist, four spears—Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain—materialized behind him, each radiating a distinct spiritual light.
Li Qing flipped his hands again, and the spears shot forth in unison.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air crackled as four elemental spiritual energy attacks pierced the massive ancient demon's body.
Yet the creature's defenses proved terrifyingly formidable. The spears, forged from second-tier white ape bone spikes, seemed to do little more than scratch its hide.
"Is it really this tough?!" Li Qing muttered in exasperation, realizing that each ancient demon was more formidable than the last. Against a typical second-tier demonic beast, these spears would have been lethal.
The relentless barrage finally enraged the colossal ancient demon. It locked its gaze on Li Qing and charged forward with thunderous steps.
"Junior Brother Li, be careful!"
Li Qing took a deep breath, ignoring the warning from the fellow sect elder.
"You think you can scare me?!"
Bang!
Li Qing slammed his fist against his chest, unleashing the suppressed torrent of vital energy that had been building within him.
This was the first time he had channeled the full power of his qi blood nine revolutions in combat since mastering the technique.
But he wasn't finished yet!
Brahma King True Body!
In the next instant, after the surge of vital energy, he activated this incomparably domineering body refinement technique.
Rip!
His robes exploded, and his fleshly body swelled to several times its original size. A layer of soft armor, shimmering like moonlight, enveloped his skin.
At this moment, Li Qing, channeling the full power of the Brahma King True Body, reached the pinnacle of his life's martial prowess.
He unleashed a ferocious punch at the charging ancient demon.
The terrifying, earth-shattering force erupted outward, causing the very air to groan in agony.
(End of the Chapter)
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