Translator: AnubisTL
After scouring the pig-man's Sea of Consciousness, Li Qing retained only the most crucial information in his mind.
He purged all other mundane details, eventually forgetting even the pig-man's name.
Absorbing too many foreign memories was never a good thing.
As a cultivator of immortality, one must maintain the clarity of their spiritual platform. It was best to erase such memories completely.
Before leaving the room, Li Qing left behind a second-tier crimson crystal.
For a pig-man living in the slums of Precious Lotus City, even a lifetime of toil might not earn him such a crystal.
This single crystal could change his destiny forever.
Having completed his task, Li Qing turned and departed, heading toward the Blood Lotus Sect's main headquarters in the city.
Weaving through streets and alleys, Li Qing moved with utmost stealth, attracting no attention whatsoever.
Ahead, a massive structure resembling a budding lotus flower stood at the heart of Precious Lotus City!
This extraordinarily shaped building was interconnected in all directions, divided into five layers both inside and out.
Li Qing frowned slightly as he gazed at the lotus-shaped structure. Instinctively, he released his divine sense power, intending to probe the building's peculiar nature.
"Something's wrong!"
Li Qing abruptly retracted his divine sense. His spiritual perception had triggered an ominous premonition.
The Lotus Building ahead seemed to harbor a potent danger. Reckless exploration would likely be unwise.
"The Blood Lotus Sect is indeed no ordinary organization."
"Forget it. I can do without the third-tier crimson crystal and the immortal dao heritage. Time to leave!"
With this thought, Li Qing, concealed in his hiding spot, immediately decided to return to the Great Wilderness Domain.
When things look bad, make a quick escape!
Whatever mysteries lay within, he resolved to investigate them only after achieving core formation.
If that still proved impossible, he would have to find another way to fulfill his promise regarding the third-tier crimson crystal.
As this thought crystallized, the surrounding environment around Li Qing suddenly dissolved into illusion.
After a long moment, Li Qing vanished completely from his spot.
However, immediately after he left, a divine sense suddenly emanated from the innermost chamber of the Lotus Building—the Lotus Core.
"Hmm? Am I imagining things?"
"Just now, I faintly sensed an extremely powerful divine sense power flash by. Could it be a cultivator from the outer domain?"
The divine sense expanded rapidly, instantly spreading beyond the building and continuing to extend outward.
Alas, the surrounding area remained tranquil, unchanged from its usual state.
The person paused briefly, then transmitted an order via divine sense:
"Issue a decree: the entire city is under martial law. Deploy sect members to search every corner of the city, leaving no suspicious detail overlooked!"
As the divine sense echoed outward, the Blood Lotus Sect's guardians emerged from the lotus petals, their faces immediately showing reverence:
"We obey the sect leader's command!"
Unfortunately for the Blood Lotus Sect, their efforts were destined to be futile.
The person who had caught their sect leader's attention was already beyond this realm.
The scene shifted, and the spiritual energy in the world suddenly surged, filling the air. Li Qing, having returned, couldn't help but exhale in relief.
"Whew! It feels like a lifetime ago!" Li Qing sighed, gazing at the familiar scene within his cave abode.
He immediately checked the cave's restrictions to ensure everything was normal before extending his divine sense beyond the entrance.
Soon, four spirit letters outside the cave caught his attention.
Though his time in the World of Eternal Night had been lengthy, only a little over a year had passed in the outside world. He had even returned several times during that period.
"Four spirit letters in just five months since my last visit? What on earth has happened?"
"Hopefully, there's news about the Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar."
As he spoke, Li Qing opened the letters one by one, then scanned their contents simultaneously with his powerful divine sense.
In an instant, he had read all four messages. Yet in that fleeting moment, his expression shifted rapidly through a series of emotions: surprise, joy, gloom, and shock!
All four distinct emotions flashed across his face in the blink of an eye.
"This..."
"The Great Wilderness Domain never gets a moment's peace, does it?"
Li Qing's jaw dropped, clearly stunned by the contents of the spirit letters.
The first letter contained intelligence about the Eastern Great Wilderness. Following the joint grand auction of the righteous and demonic paths, many core formation realm cultivators, lured by the promise of dragon marrow, had ventured into the Eastern Great Wilderness in search of the legendary demon fox.
However, their expedition yielded no gains and suffered significant losses.
This time, their actions had inadvertently provoked the emergence of the demon race from the depths of the Great Wilderness.
The Great Wilderness Domain earned its name for a reason. Unlike the Azure Ridge Domain, where demon beasts had been hunted to near extinction, this vast territory not only supported a thriving human population but also harbored the demon race within its wilderness.
Giant Deer Prefecture, where Li Qing stood, was named after a deer demon who had attained enlightenment and ascended to immortality.
"A Transformed Demon Cultivator appeared, instantly annihilating three core formation realm cultivators, body and soul. The remaining core formation true lords who had ventured deep into the Eastern Great Wilderness fled in disarray."
"This Demon Cultivator, calling himself the Nine Nether Demon Monarch, declared this a warning. He vowed to unleash a massacre if human cultivators continued to disturb the peace of the Eastern Great Wilderness."
After murmuring through the contents of the first spirit letter, Li Qing shook his head in amazement.
"No wonder the righteous and demonic paths were willing to pay a portion of dragon marrow to enlist the help of experts from across the land. It turns out there really is a big shot lurking in this Eastern Great Wilderness!"
After silently mourning for the core formation realm cultivators who had provoked such a powerful demon, Li Qing flipped to the second spirit letter.
This letter contained simple yet crucial news: the black market had secured a source for Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar, and Shen Ningbing had personally gone to make the transaction on his behalf.
"Junior Sister Shen is truly a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket," Li Qing mused. "Though she's usually reserved, her dedication to getting things done is unparalleled!"
He was immensely pleased with this development.
Since the transaction had occurred two months prior, Shen Ningbing should be returning soon. By then, he would be fully prepared to begin his core formation process, having gathered all the necessary resources.
However, Li Qing's mood soured as he read the contents of the third and fourth spirit letters.
The third letter contained information about the Shangqing Sect!
The Shangqing Sect had dispatched another force to the Great Wilderness Domain, this time led by a core formation ancestor!
"Excellent. Did they not learn their lesson last time? Sending another core formation true lord?" Li Qing's tone turned icy, a chilling murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
To be honest, he was somewhat surprised. This intelligence had been gathered by Zhang Da's intelligence network and delivered to him and Shen Ningbing without delay.
"I hope you stay in the Great Wilderness Domain long enough... preferably until I successfully achieve core formation."
As he spoke, a wisp of ghostly white flame ignited in Li Qing's palm, incinerating the letter completely.
With the third letter reduced to ashes, Li Qing's attention shifted to the fourth.
This letter was recent, having been delivered to his cave abode just a few days prior.
The sheer volume of information it contained was staggering, leaving Li Qing deeply shocked.
"The righteous and demonic paths have mobilized nearly every renowned feng shui master in the world. After a full year of searching, they have finally located the imperial mausoleum of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty!"
"It's a vast underground mausoleum complex, containing the remains of multiple generations of emperors."
"This discovery has driven both the righteous and demonic paths to the brink of madness. Clashes between the two factions have already erupted as they vie for control of the imperial tombs."
"Among the most notable figures is Gui Fan, the young sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect. Having achieved core formation half a year ago, his first act upon emerging from seclusion was to challenge Zhang Xiao of the Taiyi Sect and the mysterious Pure Yang Physique of the righteous path."
"The relationship between the righteous and demonic paths is no longer as harmonious as it was a year ago."
After reading the letter, Li Qing took several deep breaths to calm his turbulent emotions.
"This newly discovered imperial tomb is merely a catalyst, accelerating the inevitable conflict between the righteous and demonic paths."
"A mountain cannot harbor two tigers. With their common enemy eliminated, the two factions will inevitably clash to establish dominance."
Just as Li Qing finished sharing his insights, a clear, cold voice echoed from outside the cave abode:
"Senior Brother, I'm back!"
(End of the Chapter)
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