Translator: AnubisTL
"Gui Fan, the young master of the Ghost Sword Sect? What brings him here?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's here to recruit Senior Li?"
"Hmm, compared to the other giants of the cultivation world, the Ghost Sword Sect's foundation is indeed somewhat weaker. It's only natural they'd consider recruiting True Lord Li."
"Senior Li..."
Hearing the commotion outside the cave abode, the crowd began whispering among themselves before turning their gazes toward Li Qing.
Contrary to expectations, the previously spirited Li Qing frowned, his expression turning grave.
Gui Fan, Li Qing murmured inwardly, involuntarily recalling their encounters in the Imperial City.
"Everyone, I'll be right back. There's plenty of spirit wine in the cave abode. Please enjoy yourselves."
With these words, Li Qing strode out of the cave abode, his vigilance heightened to its peak.
His relationship with Gui Fan could hardly be described as love at first sight. They had even clashed in the Ancient Imperial City.
If Gui Fan's purpose was to recruit him, he would likely arrive full of enthusiasm only to leave in disappointment.
With these thoughts, Li Qing's figure darted out of his cave abode.
At that moment, Gui Fan stood suspended in mid-air, a ghost sword strapped to his back. His brows furrowed as he recognized Li Qing's face, his narrow eyes narrowing further.
"It's you!"
How could he forget Li Qing? Back in the Ancient Imperial City, Li Qing had wielded a Heavenly Thunder Pearl, publicly humiliating him and forcing him to flee in disarray, utterly losing face.
Li Qing chuckled dryly, flashing his brilliantly white teeth. "Brother Gui Fan, it's been a while! You look even more dashing than before!"
"I wonder what brings you here today? Could you please state your purpose clearly?"
Gui Fan curled his lip, never imagining that the rogue cultivator he'd encountered in the late foundation establishment realm had actually achieved core formation—and right within the Ghost Sword Sect's territory.
"Spare me the pleasantries. I'm here on orders from the sect to investigate you—to assess the situation with this new core formation true lord on Nanyang Spirit Peak."
"After all, this is Ghost Sword Sect territory. We can't very well remain ignorant of the name of this newly emerged core formation true lord, can we?"
It seemed there was no malice intended. Upon reflection, this made sense. Even the Ghost Sword Sect, a demonic path sect, wouldn't casually provoke a rogue cultivator in the core formation realm.
Such individuals might lack backing, but they also had no attachments. Living solitary lives, they could become exceedingly troublesome if offended and not completely eradicated.
With this in mind, Li Qing prepared to reveal his name, but quickly stopped himself.
He recalled a message from one of the spirit letters he had recently received: the Shangqing Sect had sent another envoy to the Great Wilderness Domain!
His earlier complacency had made him forget this crucial detail.
After a moment's contemplation, Li Qing calmly replied, "Heh, I call myself Limitless. I attained core formation at Nanyang Spirit Peak. I haven't had the chance to thank your sect properly yet!"
"Fellow Daoist Gui Fan, your timing is perfect. I'm currently hosting a Core Formation Celebration. Why not join me for a few drinks?"
Upon hearing Li Qing's daoist name, Gui Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes. How shameless to choose a daoist name so quickly!
Meanwhile, in the cave abode below, the other cultivators had long lost their appetite for drinking. They had all crowded near the entrance, watching intently to see how the situation would unfold.
Upon hearing Li Qing's daoist name, Limitless True Lord, they silently committed it to memory, resolving to address him by this title in the future as a sign of respect for a core formation realm cultivator.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the daoist name Limitless would likely accompany Li Qing for the rest of his life. As his cultivation grew stronger, he might eventually be addressed as Limitless True Monarch!
Of course, these were matters for the future.
Gui Fan spoke impatiently, "Enough with the formalities. The sect has instructed me to ask if you'd be willing to accept a guest elder position with the Ghost Sword Sect. It just so happens that Nanyang Spirit Peak has been lacking a resident cultivator for some time."
"Naturally, you have two other options. Would you like to hear them?"
As expected, this was an olive branch offering. And the opening gambit was nothing short of gifting him an entire spiritual vein to command—a testament to the Ghost Sword Sect's remarkable generosity.
Before responding, Li Qing wanted to hear the other two options.
"Brother Gui Fan, I'm eager to hear the details!"
A slight smile curled Gui Fan's lips as he continued:
"The second option is to decline the Ghost Sword Sect's invitation. We'll remain separate, like water from a well and river, but you'll no longer be permitted to stay at Nanyang Spirit Peak. Maintaining a core formation realm true lord's daily cultivation needs places considerable strain on the spiritual vein here."
This wasn't a lie. Although the spiritual vein here was rich in spiritual energy, it would be stretched thin if another core formation true lord were to reside here.
The more spiritual energy he consumed for cultivation, the less would be available for other cultivators. Naturally, fewer cultivators would be willing to rent cave abodes here in the future.
In the Great Wilderness Domain, many core formation realm rogue cultivators chose to venture out and claim unclaimed spiritual veins for their cultivation.
True Lord Wood Dragon, whom Li Qing had previously interacted with, had seized a particularly excellent spiritual vein in the southern part of the Great Wilderness Domain and even established a renowned medicinal garden.
Numerous cultivators would spend exorbitant sums to acquire rare spirit herbs from True Lord Wood Dragon's garden.
"And the third option?" Li Qing asked.
Gui Fan smiled enigmatically. "Heh, the third option is quite simple. The Ghost Sword Sect would still allow you to cultivate here, even granting you a mountain peak to rule as half-master."
"All we ask is that you offer mutual support to the Ghost Sword Sect in the future, forming what could loosely be called an alliance. You would be free to heed our summons but not our commands."
"However, this option requires you to demonstrate your strength—at least enough for me to acknowledge you!"
Whoosh!
Become an ally of the Ghost Sword Sect!
What an incredible honor! No one had expected Gui Fan's third option to be so generous!
Moreover, Li Qing would even be granted an entire spirit peak to cultivate on.
The announcement sent ripples of shock through the crowd.
Even Li Qing was taken aback. He hadn't anticipated such an opportunity.
The key difference between this third option and the first was that he wouldn't be branded with the Ghost Sword Sect's mark and wouldn't be beholden to them. Instead, he would be treated as an equal.
To be honest, Li Qing was tempted.
While the Great Wilderness Domain was vast, finding an unclaimed spiritual vein wasn't easy—far from it. It would likely lead to conflicts with other factions.
Staying here would indeed be the ideal outcome.
After all, cultivating in the core formation realm was vastly different from the foundation establishment realm. In the latter, a cave abode on a spirit peak could suffice for daily cultivation needs.
But in the core formation realm, one would likely require the spiritual energy of an entire spirit peak to sustain daily practice.
Li Qing subconsciously glanced at the spirit peak where he resided. His recent breakthrough had significantly depleted the spiritual energy across the entire mountain, even after he had prepared a substantial supply of spirit stones in advance!
Although the spiritual energy would gradually recover over time, if he continued to stay here, he would likely have to endure such periodic depletion in the future.
In truth, Shen Ningbing had also achieved core formation. However, she had been concealing her aura while moving in and out of Nanyang Spirit Peak, so the Ghost Sword Sect remained unaware that a core formation realm cultivator had long been cultivating within their spiritual vein.
Moreover, Shen Ningbing had been preoccupied with Li Qing's affairs and hadn't entered deep seclusion, thus avoiding any conspicuous signs of her advancement.
"Well? Have you made your decision?" Gui Fan pressed impatiently.
Li Qing took a deep breath and replied, "I choose the third option. How do I earn your approval?"
A radiant smile finally spread across Gui Fan's face. He slowly reached for the massive black sword strapped to his back, his voice brimming with excitement as he declared:
"Isn't it obvious? We'll have a friendly spar!"
Boom!
In an instant, black flames erupted from the sword in Gui Fan's hand, radiating an eerie, sinister aura.
"Hahaha! That good-for-nothing Zhang Xiao is taking forever to reach core formation. I'll have my fun with you first!"
"This is the perfect chance to finish the fight we started in the Imperial City!"
With these words, Gui Fan's figure flickered several times in the air before he charged at Li Qing, his massive sword raised high.
Li Qing's expression immediately turned serious. He hadn't expected to face such a formidable opponent so soon after achieving core formation.
Yet he felt little fear. Instead, he welcomed the chance to test his current strength against a worthy adversary.
To earn Gui Fan's respect, he couldn't rely on the Heavenly Thunder Pearl. He would have to rely on his own skills.
With a deep roar, Li Qing unleashed his vital energy, his body swelling into a towering figure, nearly a small giant, radiating overwhelming power.
He then unleashed his vast spiritual sense, forming a domain around them to track Gui Fan's unpredictable movements.
Gui Fan closed the distance in an instant, his sword slashing down without mercy!
Whoosh!
Ghostly flames surged toward Li Qing's head.
But Li Qing had no intention of letting the strike land. Having cultivated his soul core and advanced to the core formation realm, his spiritual sense far surpassed Gui Fan's.
As if anticipating the attack, Li Qing effortlessly dodged Gui Fan's slashing strike and unleashed a Cannon Fist!
Boom!
Vital energy exploded, tearing through the air as the terrifying fist loomed before Gui Fan's eyes.
The gale-force winds buffeted Gui Fan's face, causing searing pain, but he remained calm. He swiftly retracted his sword, using it to block the savage, beast-like punch.
Clang!
The giant sword in Gui Fan's hand vibrated violently. This wasn't his natal magic treasure, but a top-grade magical artifact he had nurtured for years. It struggled to withstand the overwhelming force of Li Qing's punch.
Using the recoil from the sword, Gui Fan retreated rapidly, abandoning close combat. He instead unleashed several streaks of black sword qi from a distance.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The sword qi streaked through the air, completely sealing off Li Qing's escape routes.
Rather than endure the attack with his fleshly body, Li Qing summoned the Black Furnace from his storage pouch to defend himself.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Black Furnace trembled violently, but it lived up to Li Qing's trust, flawlessly blocking Gui Fan's razor-sharp sword qi.
"My turn!"
Hidden behind the Black Furnace, Li Qing's eyes blazed with a fierce light. He rapidly condensed his divine sense, preparing to unleash the Soul Condensing Slash!
The Soul Condensing Slash was now far more formidable than before. With Li Qing's vastly enhanced divine soul power, he could unleash several soul-severing blades in an instant, without any need for preparation.
The golden blades of divine consciousness sent a chill down Gui Fan's spine.
"A divine soul killing move?! Not only is his fleshly body extraordinary, but his divine soul is also this powerful?"
The thought flashed through Gui Fan's mind as he gritted his teeth and activated a mysterious silver amulet.
A brilliant silver light erupted, instantly neutralizing and dissipating Li Qing's soul-severing blades.
"A rare treasure specifically designed to protect the divine soul? As expected of the Ghost Sword Sect's young sect master—he truly has everything," Li Qing mused inwardly.
But this was far from over. With a swift motion, he drew the Heavenly Net Banner and began to wave it vigorously.
With his current cultivation level, Li Qing could effortlessly unleash the banner's full power without worrying about mana consumption.
Activating not just one, but multiple top-grade magical artifacts simultaneously posed no challenge. Core formation realm cultivators possessed an abundance of true essence, far surpassing anything a foundation establishment realm cultivator could muster.
Boom!
The Heavenly Net Banner trembled violently, arcs of light enveloping Gui Fan and forcibly freezing him in place for a fleeting moment.
Since Gui Fan was also a core formation true lord, completely immobilizing him was impossible. But this brief window was all Li Qing needed to unleash his ultimate attack.
Boom!
A scorching heatwave erupted, instantly raising the temperature of the surrounding world.
In Li Qing's palm, a crimson great seal materialized, seemingly out of nowhere.
This was the shattered origin great fire seal, a divine ability he had mastered long ago but never used since his cultivation breakthrough.
For countless years, this seal had been nurtured within his body. Now, upon activation, its power was terrifyingly immense.
Boom!
Without hesitation, Li Qing hurled the shattered origin great fire seal forward. The air itself warped and twisted from the searing heat as the seal hurtled through the sky.
Temporarily frozen in place, Gui Fan's pupils contracted sharply. His face glowed crimson under the blazing light of the rapidly approaching seal.
In this critical moment, Gui Fan bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist.
Pfft!
With a mouthful of essence blood spewing forth, Gui Fan roared in a low voice:
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Dharma Body!"
A dense black aura erupted from Gui Fan's body, swirling and surging until it completely enveloped him. The swirling darkness coalesced into a colossal figure, its body covered in countless skulls.
He had barely broken free from the spatial restraints when the shattered origin great fire seal descended.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens. The foundation establishment cultivators who had gathered to watch were stunned, their hands frozen in mid-air, unable to cover their ears before the deafening roar struck. A ringing filled their ears, leaving them temporarily deafened.
The sheer magnitude of the blast was overwhelming!
An energy ripple transformed into a shockwave, radiating outward from Gui Fan's position.
The majestic peaks of Nanyang Spirit Peak trembled violently, as if the sudden shockwave threatened to shatter them.
Faced with the clash between two core formation true lords, the foundation establishment cultivators felt their chests tighten and their breath shorten. Their faces drained of color, they bitterly regretted witnessing such a spectacle.
Now they risked being swept away at any moment.
(End of the Chapter)
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