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Translator: AnubisTL
Outside the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm, the twelve days the Formless Saint Ancestor had been waiting for finally arrived.
With an air of effortless ease, he raised his hand and pointed a finger at the moonlit void.
Instantly, the dense moonlight in the sky poured down like liquid mercury, cascading across the heavens.
The frost-like moonlight coalesced in mid-air, effortlessly forming a shimmering, illusory gate of moonlight.
This was the loophole the Formless Saint Ancestor had calculated, allowing him to slip into the secret realm undetected.
In the entire Human Realm, only he possessed the ability to accomplish this feat. Ordinary cultivators, even great powers at the divine transformation stage, couldn't withstand the mental strain required.
"Heh, it's time for this farce to end," the Formless Saint Ancestor murmured, a sinister smile creeping across his face.
His figure leaped forward, vanishing through the moonlight gate in an instant.
As the light and shadows around him shifted, the Formless Saint Ancestor found himself within the secret realm. He clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
In the next moment, he materialized before a small wooden hut.
Beside the hut stood a Jade Locust Tree, its branches laden with Jade Locust Rice. Each grain was crystal-clear and distinct, glistening like jade.
These Jade Locust Rice plants had been planted during Li Qing's qi refining realm days. Many years had passed, yet he had never once harvested them.
This precious medicine was highly beneficial for restoring a cultivator's vital energy.
"Such leisurely pursuits," the Formless Saint Ancestor remarked casually, plucking a translucent grain of Jade Locust Rice and placing it in his mouth.
Before the rice's sweet, refreshing fragrance could fully bloom on his tongue, the Formless Saint Ancestor vanished again.
This time, he appeared at the Soul Nurturing Temple.
The dilapidated daoist temple had been reduced to complete ruins. The slightest disturbance caused its crumbling structures to disintegrate into dust.
The Formless Saint Ancestor's gaze lingered on a stone tower within the temple, its surface crisscrossed with spirit gold chains. He shook his head slightly, then shifted his gaze elsewhere, saying nothing.
Next, his figure materialized in various locations within the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm. The medicinal fields where Heavenly Star Grass had once grown were now completely barren, harvested clean.
But soon, he realized that the person he sought was nowhere to be found within this secret realm!
"Intriguing," the Formless Saint Ancestor murmured, his eyes narrowing, the smile on his face unwavering. "Vanished into thin air. Where could he possibly be hiding?"
He was certain, absolutely certain, that Li Qing had not left the secret realm during the time he had been waiting outside.
This meant the secret realm held hidden depths. Could there be undiscovered secrets or restrictions?
Things are getting more interesting!
The Formless Saint Ancestor took a deep breath and activated his divine sense.
Boom!
His divine sense was vast, instantly covering the entire Soul Nurturing Secret Realm.
With such a formidable divine soul, few cultivators in the entire Human Realm could even compare to him.
The powerful divine sense power swept through every corner of the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm, leaving no stone unturned. Even the smallest mountain crevices were meticulously scanned.
Yet the final result was a blank slateβnothing was found.
Li Qing had truly vanished, as if he had evaporated into thin air!
"No hidden places, yet the person is gone."
As he spoke, the Formless Saint Ancestor's smile gradually faded, replaced by a hint of solemnity.
This was highly unusual. Even he had found nothing!
Not even a cultivator in the Divine Transformation stage could escape his divine sense!
For the first time, he felt things slipping out of his control. Was this cat-and-mouse game about to end in his defeat?
In an instant, the Formless Saint Ancestor considered abandoning the secret realm and using all the disciples of the Lingyun Sect to force Li Qing to reveal himself.
It was the most despicable tactic, one he had always disdained using. Yet now, he was seriously contemplating it.
But the question remained: even if he used the Lingyun Sect's disciples to pressure Li Qing, would the latter foolishly appear and walk into his trap?
To be honest, after living for countless years, the Formless Saint Ancestor had witnessed far too many instances of human coldness and betrayal.
Some people would even kill their own siblings, parents, or dao companions for the sake of their own path to enlightenment. Such things were hardly surprising.
Cultivators lived for eons, and their hearts had long since turned to ice.
Formless Saint Ancestor began divining Li Qing's existence, hoping to pinpoint his location.
But alas, perhaps due to his Chaotic Void Destiny, all his calculations yielded nothing but blankness, providing no valuable information whatsoever.
"This child harbors a great secret. My curiosity grows stronger by the day!"
In the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing remained unaware that the Formless Saint Ancestor had infiltrated the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm.
His artifact refinement had reached a critical stage, demanding his undivided attention. He had to focus all his energy on the Black Furnace before him.
Within the pitch-black forge, a killing sword radiating a brilliant golden light was already taking shape.
As strands of golden light leaked out, the razor-sharp intent contained within surged skyward, as if to tear apart the entire dark Heavenly Domain.
A spirit treasure refined from pure Geng Metal would undoubtedly possess far greater killing power than spirit treasures of the same rank!
But this wasn't enough. Li Qing sought not merely an ordinary killing spirit treasure, but one capable of channeling the power of a formation art!
"Although the Killing Array Diagram remains incomplete, if this sword is refined so simply, it won't meet my expectations."
Li Qing frowned slightly, pondering deeply.
"Refining formation flags requires an array guide, but I haven't yet determined what kind of formation art the future Killing Array Diagram will employ."
"The only certainty is that this will be a composite spirit treasure, and its killing intent must pierce the heavens!"
As this thought crossed his mind, a flash of spiritual light suddenly illuminated Li Qing's mind.
He realized what could serve as the array guide for the future Killing Array Diagram!
Taking a deep breath, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes.
Boom!
A terrifying malevolent energy erupted from his body, so dense it seemed almost tangible. This single surge of malevolent energy could have shattered the resolve of even some core formation realm cultivators with weak minds!
Li Qing was not a bloodthirsty man. Throughout his years of cultivation, he had consciously restrained himself.
Yet, even so, countless lives had been taken by his hand.
In the World of Eternal Night, he had slaughtered countless strange beasts. In the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm of the demon realm, he had slain numerous demon races. From the mortal realm to the cultivation world, countless lives had been lost at his hands.
Each time he stained his hands with blood, the malevolent energy within him grew denser.
Over time, this accumulated malevolent energy had unconsciously become incredibly thick.
The malevolent energy surged skyward, causing even the Blood Moon in the night sky to seem to subtly retreat.
If an ordinary nascent soul realm cultivator possessed such overwhelming malevolent energy, it would be nearly impossible to suppress, inevitably corrupting their mind sooner or later.
Fortunately, Li Qing's divine soul was exceptionally powerful, far surpassing that of cultivators at his level, allowing him to completely suppress it.
Even so, the increasingly dense malevolent energy might still impact his dao in the future.
At worst, it could cloud his spirit platform; at worst, it could fundamentally alter his mind.
(End of the Chapter)
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