Translator: AnubisTL
Unnoticed, several more days passed.
Thanks to the restorative spiritual energy of the millennial spirit milk, Li Qing managed to persevere, maintaining his control over the Netherworld Cold Fire.
Finally, the Demonic Essence Gold, sealed by pure yang power, emitted a final, trembling resonance.
Buzz!
Within the cave abode, the pure yang power that had permeated the air dissolved like ice and snow.
"We did it! We finally broke the Pure Yang Seal!"
Gui Fan, who looked like a beggar from exhaustion, appeared utterly drained.
Days of relentless focus on guiding the Netherworld Cold Fire to break the seal had nearly depleted his mental power, pushing him to the very limits of his spiritual endurance.
Seeing the Demonic Essence Gold restored to its original state, Gui Fan finally relaxed the tension that had gripped him for so long.
Li Qing also breathed a sigh of relief. Maintaining the Netherworld Cold Fire for days had left him utterly exhausted. Whenever his true essence neared depletion, he would take a small sip of the millennial spirit milk.
This repeated cycle had unexpectedly stabilized his cultivation, eliminating the need for further time spent consolidating his cultivation realm.
"Phew! Congratulations, Brother Gui Fan! You've obtained a supreme treasure. I'm truly looking forward to seeing what form your natal magic treasure will take in the future," Li Qing said with a smile, ceasing his control over the Netherworld Cold Fire.
Seeing this, Gui Fan seemed to recall something. He spoke up:
"Wait a moment! Activate your Netherworld Cold Fire again!"
Li Qing paused, slightly puzzled by Gui Fan's intentions. But remembering he still needed to ask for the dragon marrow later, he ultimately complied.
Boom!
The Netherworld Cold Fire surged forth once more. Li Qing asked curiously, "Brother Gui Fan, the seal on the Demonic Essence Gold has already been broken. What else do you plan to do?"
Gui Fan smiled mysteriously and retrieved a purplish-gold gourd from his person. To Li Qing's surprise, he began drawing the Netherworld Cold Fire into the gourd, not directing it toward the Demonic Essence Gold this time, but openly collecting the cold flames before Li Qing's eyes!
Li Qing's face darkened instantly. So, he's just freeloading on my heavenly spirit fire!
"Heh heh, Brother Limitless, please forgive me," Gui Fan said shamelessly, showing no hint of embarrassment. "My Great War with that Zhang Xiao is imminent, and I need every advantage I can get."
Despite his frustration, Li Qing had no choice but to agree. Though annoyed, he reminded himself of the five drops of dragon marrow he would receive later and forced himself to suppress his displeasure.
Li Qing had always been the one taking advantage of others; this was the first time someone had freeloaded off him!
Only after Gui Fan's peculiar purple-gold gourd was filled with ghostly white cold flames did Li Qing cease channeling the Netherworld Cold Fire.
Gui Fan sealed the gourd with a satisfied expression.
"Hahahaha, many thanks, Brother Limitless! With these cold flames, we'll catch that fellow completely off guard!"
As he spoke, he stowed the purple-gold gourd away, along with the Demonic Essence Gold scattered on the ground, into his storage pouch.
Finally, under Li Qing's watchful gaze, Gui Fan reluctantly produced another pitch-black gourd.
"Rest assured, you'll get the dragon marrow I promised."
Though his tone was reluctant, Gui Fan opened the small, pitch-black gourd.
The moment the gourd's stopper was removed, a fleeting flash of dark golden light erupted.
Li Qing's eyes lit up at the sight, his gaze fixed intently on the black gourd.
"Brother Gui Fan, this is truly unfair! I've toiled tirelessly for days, only to discover you possess such a vast quantity of dragon marrow and yet only offered me five drops!"
"My millennial spirit milk was hard-earned," Li Qing retorted.
Hearing this, Gui Fan rolled his eyes dramatically. "Brother Limitless," he scoffed, "you can't possibly think this gourd holds as much as that purple-gold one, can you?"
"This black gourd is specifically designed to hold dragon marrow; it has no storage capacity. What you see is what you get!"
"Dragon marrow is a spiritual object born from heaven and earth, nurtured within dragon veins. Once extracted, it can only be preserved in containers made from spirit wood; otherwise, its spirituality will gradually dissipate."
As he spoke, Gui Fan, paying no heed to whether Li Qing possessed such a container, directly retrieved five drops of dragon marrow from the black gourd.
The five drops of dark golden, gelatinous substance shimmered in the air, radiating specks of golden light with an ethereal glow.
"Alright, secure the dragon marrow yourself. If you lack a proper container, consume it as soon as possible to prevent its spirituality from fading."
With that, Gui Fan carefully resealed the black gourd and, without lingering, turned to leave the cave abode.
Li Qing swiftly collected the five drops of dragon marrow floating in the air. But as if struck by a sudden thought, he immediately called out:
"Oh, by the way, Brother Gui Fan, I want two mountain peaks on Nanyang Spirit Peak!"
Hearing this, Gui Fan's steps faltered slightly, but he quickly waved dismissively and replied, "Fine, I'll report this matter to the sect later!"
Nanyang Spirit Peak comprises five mountain peaks, each mutually reinforcing the others and benefiting from the abundant spiritual energy of the local spiritual vein.
Li Qing's request for two mountain peaks was naturally for Shen Ningbing.
Over the past few days, Shen Ningbing had been tirelessly working on his behalf, going to great lengths to gather the Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar. He hadn't forgotten her efforts.
Gui Fan didn't particularly care about this matter. The Ghost Sword Sect was vast and powerful; a mere mountain peak on a spiritual vein meant little to them.
After the fall of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, the spiritual vein lands within its former territory had been largely divided between the righteous and demonic paths.
Gaining the favor of a core formation realm rogue cultivator by offering a mountain peak on a spiritual vein was a guaranteed win-win situation.
Watching Gui Fan's figure disappear into the distance, Li Qing finally allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.
He opened his palm, gazing at the five drops of dark golden dragon marrow resting quietly in his hand. He felt that all his recent efforts had been well worth it.
Contrary to what he had imagined, the dragon marrow had a surprisingly viscous, gelatinous texture, each drop distinct and clearly defined.
"Demonic path cultivators may act recklessly, but they're relatively straightforward. Once you earn their respect through strength, forming alliances with them becomes surprisingly easy."
With these words, Li Qing carefully stored the five drops of dragon marrow away. He then stepped out of his cave abode and released his divine sense.
Li Qing's divine sense could now easily envelop the entire Nanyang Spiritual Vein Land. If he wished, he could even peer into the cave abodes of other cultivators without much difficulty.
Of course, some cultivators were more sensitive and had established restrictions within their cave abodes, or even specialized formations to block divine sense probes.
Once divine sense became entangled in such defenses, it would sink like into quicksand, unable to expand or gather information.
Li Qing released his divine sense not out of idle curiosity, but to transmit a mental message to Shen Ningbing's cave abode:
"Junior Sister, come to my cave abode for a discussion."
Before long, Shen Ningbing appeared at Li Qing's cave abode.
She smoothed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and asked softly, "Senior Brother, did you send away the Young Master of the Ghost Sword Sect?"
Li Qing nodded with a chuckle. "Yes, though he acts recklessly, he's surprisingly reasonable. I not only sent him packing but also managed to gain some benefits!"
With a flick of his finger, Li Qing sent a golden bead flying toward Shen Ningbing.
Snap!
Shen Ningbing waved her hand, catching the golden bead. She opened her palm curiously, and her beautiful eyes quickly filled with astonishment.
"Senior Brother, is this... the legendary dragon marrow?"
"No, this is far too precious. I can't accept it!"
With that, Shen Ningbing moved to return the dragon marrow to Li Qing.
But Li Qing chuckled softly and said, "Junior Sister, please accept it. I don't have a proper container to preserve its spirituality, and I can't absorb such a large quantity all at once."
"Besides, you've been running around for me these past few days, neglecting your own cultivation. If you refuse this drop of dragon marrow, I'll think you're treating me like a stranger!"
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing pursed her red lips and stopped trying to return the dragon marrow.
"Oh, by the way, I've arranged with the Young Master of the Ghost Sword Sect for us to have two mountain peaks on Nanyang Spirit Peak for our cultivation."
"Once the Ghost Sword Sect's orders come down, the cultivators in the other cave abodes on your mountain peak should relocate."
"After that, you can cultivate freely without worrying about these matters."
Gratitude filled Shen Ningbing's expression. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
"No need to thank me. As a core formation realm cultivator, the Ghost Sword Sect is more than happy to offer you a few Spiritual Vein Mountain Peaks to foster goodwill."
"Of course, there's another reason I called you here today."
At this point, Li Qing's expression suddenly turned serious.
"What else is on your mind, Senior Brother?" Shen Ningbing asked.
Li Qing replied, "Do you remember the Shangqing Sect's forces sent to the Great Wilderness Domain? I'll have the black market's intelligence network keep a close watch on their movements."
Shen Ningbing naturally hadn't forgotten this matter. A trace of coldness crept across her beautiful face.
How could she ever forget the sect's annihilation?
"Senior Brother, are you planning...?"
Li Qing chuckled softly. "Heh, let's not rush. Now that we have the spiritual materials to refine our natal magic treasures, we should focus on completing that first."
"I'll have the black market's intelligence network investigate the Shangqing Sect's purpose in sending these forces to the Great Wilderness Domain. Once our natal magic treasures are refined, we can then consider our next course of action."
"Regardless, strengthening our own capabilities first is always the right move."
Shen Ningbing nodded. "Senior Brother, I understand!"
With that, Shen Ningbing turned and departed.
The smile gradually faded from Li Qing's face as he gazed in a certain direction, muttering to himself, "They even sent a core formation realm ancestor to the Great Wilderness Domain? If I don't accept this generous gift, I'd feel quite embarrassed."
(End of the Chapter)
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