Translator: AnubisTL
After the Heavenly River Sect elders settled into the Lingyun Sect, another four months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the cultivation world of the Azure Ridge Domain remained unexpectedly calm, with no new disturbances arising.
The Shangqing Sect's reaction was equally subdued. They made no moves against the Lingyun Sect, instead focusing all their efforts on consolidating their war gains.
Of course, the Lingyun Sect remained vigilant. They understood that this was merely the calm before the storm.
How could the Shangqing Sect, now vastly strengthened, simply ignore the Lingyun Sect?
They were merely waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The Lingyun Sect's leaders, including Sect Leader Xu Yun, racked their brains over this, deeply concerned.
"If you ask me, we should strike now, before the Chi Demon Tribe fully emerges from the demon's den! Let's eliminate the Shangqing Sect threat while we still can!"
"Agreed. The Shangqing Sect just endured a major war. Their current strength is all bluster; their sect ancestors must still be weakened."
"Strike while the iron is hot!"
In the secluded council hall, the Grand Elders of the Talisman Hall and Formation Hall were fiercely advocating for war, their expressions urging immediate action.
Upon hearing this, the purple-robed elder seated at the head of the table grimaced, his face etched with worry.
"This is unwise, utterly unwise! Are you trying to exhaust this old bone to death?"
"Senior Brother Devourer of Heaven has yet to return. Launching a war against the Shangqing Sect without him would be reckless!"
Ancestor Bing Yun, seated beside him, nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Even with Ziqing and myself, we would struggle to subdue the Shangqing Sect's core formation true lords."
"Moreover, the Shangqing Sect possesses a third-tier demonic beast guarding their sect—the Mountain-Bearing Turtle! This creature is likely over a thousand years old, its power unfathomable."
With both core formation ancestors voicing their concerns, the war hawks tempered their aggression, their earlier bellicose demeanor softening.
Sect Leader Xu Yun sighed softly from his position.
"The elders who ventured to the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains recently returned. The situation is grim. The demonic qi surrounding Snow Mountain Peak has grown even denser."
Everyone understood the implications perfectly.
If the demonic qi outside the secret realm was already this dense, the situation within the Cold Wind Secret Realm must be far worse. It might even have become an outer layer of the demon's den.
The damaged gaps in the Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation must have widened considerably.
A deathly silence fell over the council hall, each face etched with solemn gravity.
"Previously, cultivators in the foundation establishment realm could pass through the gaps in the sealing formation. Now, even those at the core formation realm might be able to enter and exit!"
"The only good news is that we've obtained the Water Spirit Pearl fragment. If Martial Uncle Devourer of Heaven can summon a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator from the outer domain to assist us, our chances of victory in this battle will greatly improve!"
A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!
Such a being was an awe-inspiring figure, a towering peak beyond reach. It had been countless years since a cultivator of this realm had openly appeared in the Azure Ridge Domain.
Though these words were meant to inspire hope, everyone understood the reality: such a cultivator couldn't simply be summoned at will. Even finding one would be an immense challenge.
"For now, all we can do is remain vigilant against the Shangqing Sect and the demon's den. We must not act rashly until Martial Uncle Devourer of Heaven returns."
Wild Cloud Peak, inside Li Qing's cave abode.
For the past four months, he had enjoyed a rare period of tranquility. However, Li Qing had little interest in resting. Instead, he focused entirely on enhancing his strength.
Boom!
A torrent of vital energy erupted, shattering the layers of old skin and blood scabs that had encrusted his fleshly body.
Having sacrificed ten years of his lifespan, his physical form had finally reached the late second-tier stage!
"Ten years of lifespan... not a bad price," Li Qing gasped, then casually cast several Purifying Water Techniques to cleanse his body of grime and shed skin.
"But if second-tier cultivation is already this brutal, what horrors await in the Third-Tier?"
Li Qing muttered to himself, silently calculating.
To cultivate this body refinement secret technique, he had sacrificed a staggering eighty years of his lifespan!
This was nearly the entire lifespan of a long-lived mortal—a truly terrifying price.
Of course, the gains were substantial. With a body now comparable to a late second-tier demon beast, Li Qing would be virtually unmatched among foundation establishment realm cultivators.
Thinking of this, Li Qing exerted a slight force, and powerful streams of qi erupted from between his fingers.
It was no exaggeration to say that his current physique gave him the confidence to tear apart even top-grade magical artifacts with his bare hands.
However, he currently lacked any spare top-grade magical artifacts to test this theory. The Heavenly Net Banner was too valuable to risk tearing apart casually.
Next, Li Qing produced a talisman paper imprinted with a golden longblade.
But he quickly chuckled self-deprecatingly and retracted the golden blade talisman treasure.
Attempting to withstand the power of a talisman treasure with his bare flesh was bordering on foolishness. Even now, he had no confidence in succeeding.
"Now, it's time to accelerate my cultivation!" Li Qing sighed, showing no intention of relaxing. He immediately sat cross-legged and began practicing the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art.
With the aid of the Netherworld Cold Fire, his cultivation speed finally became respectable, no longer crawling along at a snail's pace.
Time flowed by, and before he knew it, another two months had passed.
Li Qing found himself immersed in these peaceful days of cultivation, feeling his cultivation level steadily improving at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Having grown accustomed to years of secluded cultivation yielding little progress, Li Qing was almost becoming addicted to this rapid advancement.
He couldn't help but sigh, wishing every day could be like this.
Alas, life rarely goes as planned.
In the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains, a torrent of demonic qi erupted, piercing the heavens like a geyser!
Boom!
The white clouds that had been drifting leisurely across the azure sky were instantly stained ink-black by the dense demonic qi, darker than any storm cloud.
Moreover, the entire sky around the snow mountain gradually darkened, as if a jar of ink had been poured into a basin of clear water.
The Lingyun Sect, situated on the snow plains, immediately sensed the abnormal fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
On Cloudsoar Island, Sect Leader Xu Yun's expression grew grave as he gazed toward the snow mountain. Staring at the distant patch of pitch-black sky, he murmured to himself:
"The Chi Demon Tribe is finally about to emerge. The Lingyun Sect's greatest calamity in millennia has arrived."
On the majestic main peak of one of the Lingyun Sect's Spirit Mountains, spiritual energy flowed with extraordinary density. Lush greenery surrounded the peak, and wisps of purple qi occasionally rose into the air.
A purple-robed elder, his face etched with resignation, emerged from his cave abode.
"Sigh, they never let me catch a break. Just finished sparring with a core formation true lord from the Shangqing Sect, and now I have to fight ancient demons."
"The worst part is, we might have to face powerful enemies from both sides simultaneously!"
True Lord Ziqing's expression was utterly dejected, bordering on a death wish.
On another Spirit Mountain's main peak within the sect, spiritual energy was equally abundant.
However, this peak seemed unaffected by the sect's Grand Formation. Snowdrifts piled up around it, ice crystals glittered everywhere, and waves of bone-chilling cold radiated outward.
Inside a cave abode at the mountain's summit, Ancestor Bing Yun's voice carried a hint of sorrow.
"The sect's calamity is upon us, Ningbing. Prepare yourself. When life and death hang in the balance, use the Void-Piercing Talisman I gave you."
"Master..." Shen Ningbing's icy voice echoed through the cave abode.
"Say no more. Facing this demonic calamity, no one can claim they'll survive, not even I."
"You must live. Survival is our only hope. Do you understand?"
With that, the voice faded into silence.
The shattering of the sealing formation went unnoticed by most.
Yet Li Qing, who was diligently cultivating in seclusion on Wild Cloud Peak, sensed an abnormal tremor within the Netherworld Cold Fire in his body.
"Hmm? What's this? Why is the spirit fire so restless?"
Li Qing frowned in suspicion, a growing unease stirring within him.
He ended his cultivation session and slowly emerged from his cave abode.
Before he could ascertain the cause of the disturbance, a disciple rushed toward him, sweat beading on his forehead, clearly having been running for some time.
"Elder Li! This jade slip was sent by Senior Brother Sect Leader. It contains the ancient demonic language and information about the ancient demonic race, apparently extracted by Ancestor Devourer of Heaven!"
Li Qing paused briefly before accepting the jade slip.
"Understood. Thank you for your trouble," he nodded.
"It's no trouble at all. This is my duty. With the ancient demonic race about to emerge, we can only do our part."
"But Elder Li, you've always been a model and example for us disciples. Please lead the sect to victory in the coming battle!"
With these words, the disciple bowed and departed, flying toward the cave abodes of the other elders to deliver jade slips.
Watching the young disciple disappear into the distance, Li Qing turned his gaze toward the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains. His pupils suddenly contracted, stunned by the sight before him.
On the horizon, a dense cloud of demonic qi was swirling and spreading. His exceptional vision allowed him to clearly discern the scene.
"They've come!"
Li Qing gripped the jade slip tightly, finally understanding the source of the unease he had felt earlier.
The ancient demonic race was emerging!
Without hesitation, Li Qing used his divine sense to absorb all the information etched within the jade slip into his Sea of Consciousness.
Moments later, a flood of information about the Chi Demon Tribe flooded his mind.
"So, the ancient demon suppressed within the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains is called the Chi Demon Tribe. And this must be the ancient demonic language—the common tongue of the demonic race."
(End of the Chapter)
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