Translator: AnubisTL
At the peak of the most majestic mountain near the Nether Pool in the Azure Radiance Pool, a subtle ripple began to emanate.
Buzz!
The spiritual energy between heaven and earth instantly transformed into an invisible vortex, converging from all directions before pouring back down.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Qing, sensing this disturbance, couldn't help but look up.
Five days had passed since he obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill. Liu Hanyue had already adjusted her state, bringing her essence, qi, and spirit to their peak.
"Is it starting?" Li Qing murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the cave abode at the mountain's summit.
Moments later, the previously subtle fluctuations in aura suddenly intensified, becoming palpable even from such a distance.
Someone was breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Soon, the entire Azure Radiance Pool was alerted. Whether they were rogue cultivators from the inner or outer layers, all stopped their activities and turned their gazes toward the source of the aura.
"Is this... someone undergoing Foundation Establishment?!"
"It's definitely Foundation Establishment. Years ago, I witnessed a Senior's Foundation Establishment from afar. The aura fluctuations are exactly the same."
"Hiss! Which Senior Master is actually attempting Foundation Establishment at the Azure Radiance Pool?"
Rogue cultivators residing in the outer layers of the Azure Radiance Pool gathered, their gazes filled with envy as they turned toward Liu Hanyue's cave abode.
Among the crowd, a small boy wrapped in a thick fur coat clutched his mother's hand, his body trembling slightly. The aura pressure generated during Foundation Establishment at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm was still too intense for him.
"Mother, is this what Foundation Establishment looks like?"
Xu Sanniang nodded, her eyes filled with envy. "Yes, Cao'er. You must work hard in your cultivation and succeed in Foundation Establishment one day, understand?"
The boy nodded, as if he understood, and continued to observe.
Meanwhile, a few Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators residing in the inner-layer cave abodes emerged from seclusion to monitor the progress of the person undergoing Foundation Establishment.
"The aura is very solid. It seems this person has a very firm foundation, increasing their chances of success significantly."
"Wood-attribute spiritual energy dominates the world. It appears this person cultivates a wood-attribute cultivation manual. Judging by their aura, their Spirit Root aptitude must be quite exceptional as well."
"Looks like we're gaining another fellow cultivator," someone said. "I wonder who it is, starting Foundation Establishment so quietly."
...
At that moment, Li Qing, being closest to the cave abode, felt the most acutely the changes in Liu Hanyue's Foundation Establishment process.
The surrounding spiritual energy instantly thickened, especially at the peak of the mountain, where a vast torrent of spiritual energy surged down like a celestial infusion.
"So this is what Foundation Establishment feels like..."
Li Qing observed and studied, while simultaneously spreading his spiritual sense to guard against any intruders.
Having promised to act as Liu Hanyue's Guardian, Li Qing intended to fulfill his duty diligently. Once Liu Hanyue successfully completed Foundation Establishment, he would gain another valuable connection. Moreover, regardless of whether any incidents occurred, she had promised him a reward for his service.
Li Qing naturally hoped for a smooth process. While Daoist Qingyang was watching over them, it was best to avoid conflict if possible. Standing guard and earning a reward without lifting a finger was an ideal situation!
Unfortunately, this wish was destined to be dashed.
A furious roar erupted from the outer perimeter of the Azure Radiance Pool, brimming with murderous intent and hatred.
"Liu Hanyue, if I let you succeed in Foundation Establishment today, I, Shi Tong, would rather kill myself here!"
With this furious roar, several figures with formidable auras soared through the air, heading straight for the mountain peak where Liu Hanyue was undergoing Foundation Establishment.
"Hmph, I thought you'd gather the materials and return to your clan. I didn't expect you to have such connections, coming all the way to the Azure Radiance Pool to have someone refine a Foundation Establishment Pill for you."
"What a clever plan! Refine the pill, then immediately begin Foundation Establishment. If we'd been just a day late, you might have already succeeded."
"Today, we'll sever your Dao, leaving you to live in eternal regret. I bet your father, Liu Haide, will be heartbroken, haha!"
There were five attackers in total, each at the Late Qi Refining Realm, with one at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
The rogue cultivators who had been spectating from the outer perimeter were stunned. They quickly retreated, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
They wondered what deep-seated hatred could drive someone to violate the Heavenly River Sect's territory just to ruin another's Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment cultivators on the other peaks were also surprised, having no idea such a situation had unfolded.
"Looks like we're in for a show," Li Qing thought. "The crucial moment of Foundation Establishment is the most vulnerable to interruption. Even a slight misstep could cause the liquefied mana to backfire."
"This person must have taken a Foundation Establishment Pill," he continued. "While it guarantees the heart meridian remains unharmed, failure to establish a foundation is a regret that would haunt one for a lifetime."
"Could this Liu Hanyue be the Liu Clan's prized jewel?" Li Qing wondered. "And those people... they look like remnants of the Shi Clan."
"Interesting," he mused. "Are they the cultivation clan that betrayed the Heavenly River Sect?"
The five cultivators from the Shi Clan were desperate men, willing to risk their lives to disrupt Liu Hanyue's Foundation Establishment.
Watching the five Late Qi Refining Realm Shi Clan remnants charge forward with murderous intent, Li Qing felt a slight chill run down his spine. He knew that without Daoist Qingyang's presence, he would never have accepted this Guardian request.
"They're here!" Li Qing gripped his iron hammer in one hand and tightened his grip on the Storm Pear Blossom Nails, a hidden weapon, in the other.
Boom!
Before Li Qing could even react, a solid streak of spiritual energy, like a rainbow, shot out from the Foundation Establishment Cave Abode and directly struck the five Shi Clan cultivators hurtling through the air.
"Hmph, you rogue cultivators are truly vile! You'd stoop to disrupting someone's Foundation Establishment!"
The one who struck was Daoist Qingyang. He sat atop his Precious Lotus Boat, one hand supporting a Yellow Bronze Cauldron, the other forming a hand seal as he coldly watched the five fleeing Shi Clan remnants.
The spiritual energy beam moved with incredible speed. Only two of the five managed to erect defenses, while the other two were severely wounded by the attack.
"Cough, cough, cough! Who are you?! We're here only for personal vengeance! Please, Senior, don't interfere!"
Shi Tong, the leader of the group, stared at Daoist Qingyang on the Precious Lotus Boat with extreme wariness. He was at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, but against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was utterly outmatched.
"Azure Radiance Pool is a rare place for secluded cultivation. I won't allow you to disrupt its tranquility."
Daoist Qingyang's words were elegantly phrased. Though he had been hired by Liu Hanyue, he had cleverly framed his actions in terms of righteousness, immediately positioning the five Shi Clan members as enemies of all the rogue cultivators in Azure Radiance Pool.
"Heh, so it was you who helped Liu Hanyue refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. Senior, may I know your daoist name so I can die with clarity?"
Shi Tong's eyes were filled with the resolve to die. He knew he wouldn't escape this day with his life and was prepared to fight to the death to stop Liu Hanyue's Foundation Establishment.
"I am Daoist Qingyang."
Upon hearing this, Shi Tong roared, "Split into two groups! Shi Jin and Shi Bao, you two charge up the mountain and disrupt Liu Hanyue's Foundation Establishment! The three of us will hold him off!"
With that, Shi Tong took the lead, charging toward Daoist Qingyang with two other Shi Clan disciples.
"If I let you succeed, it would be a laughingstock," Daoist Qingyang said, his voice growing colder. With a single hand gesture, he activated the Yellow Bronze Cauldron in his grasp, sending it crashing down!
Boom!
This high-grade magical artifact, the Pill Refining Cauldron, instantly expanded to an enormous size, blotting out the sky as it descended upon the remaining Shi Clan members.
"Kill!"
Among the five Shi Clan members, only Shi Bao, the fastest, broke free. He stepped onto a leaf-shaped Magic Artifact, his movements ethereal and unpredictable, as he swiftly charged toward the Foundation Establishment Cave Abode where Liu Hanyue was cultivating.
The remaining four cultivators had failed to escape and were desperately resisting the Yellow Bronze Cauldron's suppression.
Daoist Qingyang glanced at Shi Bao with a hint of surprise, then turned away without pursuing him.
Shi Bao, riding his leaf-shaped Magic Artifact, was overjoyed, thinking he had succeeded. He flew towards the mountain peak at lightning speed.
But soon, a calm voice echoed from the foot of the mountain: "Fellow Daoist, you're severely injured. You should stay here and recover. Don't engage in such dangerous pursuits."
Shi Bao's face stiffened slightly. He glared fiercely at the source of the voice and roared, "Who are you?"
The speaker was naturally Li Qing, but he wasn't foolish enough to reveal his name. Unlike Daoist Qingyang, he didn't have the confidence to be so reckless.
"I'm just a nameless rogue cultivator, here as a Guardian on behalf of someone else."
Shi Bao glared at Li Qing. "A mere rogue cultivator, a dog like you, dares to stand in my way?"
As his words fell, he lightly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A flash of white light erupted, and a massive white python shot out!
Hiss!
Li Qing was slightly startled, not expecting his opponent to have a Demon beast.
However, this White Python, with its densely packed scales, was only a mid-stage Tier 1 Demon beast. Li Qing quickly relaxed, summoning Fan Tong to intercept it.
"I'll leave the White Python to you. I'll deal with him."
With that, Li Qing shot forward like an arrow, the Peerless Hammer held casually in one hand, his feet planted firmly on a self-refined flying shield. He charged straight at Shi Bao.
After being reforged into a Magic Artifact, the Peerless Hammer had become even heavier. Yet in Li Qing's hands, it appeared as light as a feather, as if its hundreds of pounds of weight didn't even exist.
But the whistling sound of air tearing through the atmosphere around them made it clear that the hammer was incredibly heavy. This effortless display of strength made Shi Bao's eyelids twitch.
Boom!
The Peerless Hammer whistled through the air, trailing a faint arc of earthy yellow light as it crashed down towards Shi Bao, who was standing on his leaf-shaped Magic Artifact.
The blow was devastatingly heavy. Already wounded, Shi Bao dared not meet it head-on and was forced to hastily dodge.
But even as he evaded, Li Qing's attack didn't falter. He casually flicked out two low-grade flying swords, one red and one blue, which shot forward with lightning speed.
"You're courting death!" Shi Bao slowed his pace, deciding to eliminate Li Qing first.
The two low-grade flying swords moved swiftly, but being merely Inferior-Grade Magic Tools, they posed little threat to Shi Bao.
He channeled his spiritual energy, activating the robe he wore. It turned out to be a Low-Grade Magic Artifact, crafted from Spirit Silkworm Silk and shimmering with spirit patterns!
Buzz!
A green aura materialized, forcefully blocking the two flying swords.
However, Li Qing had no intention of engaging in a turn-based offensive and defensive battle. He possessed numerous Magic Artifacts, though none were of high quality. His plan was to overwhelm Shi Bao with a relentless barrage.
"Kill!"
Li Qing roared, his Crimson Shadow Umbrella unfurling. Its razor-sharp ribs spun rapidly, slicing towards Shi Bao under his control.
Clang!
The protective spiritual light emanating from the Spirit Silkworm Silk robe shattered instantly under the Crimson Shadow Umbrella's assault. Li Qing shifted his divine sense, recalling the umbrella, then swung his other hand with a mighty force.
Boom!
A vast net, shimmering with a water-blue glow, descended from the sky, each strand of its mesh etched with spirit patterns.
Mid-Grade Magic Tool: Water Entangling Net!
This item, capable of ensnaring even the ferocious strange beasts of the World of Eternal Night, easily bound Shi Bao.
Yin-Soft water attribute spiritual power relentlessly invaded Shi Bao's body. At the center of the Water Entangling Net, the Spirit-Stabilizing Stone activated, not only restricting his movements but also impeding the flow of spiritual energy within him.
But Li Qing wasn't finished. He might lack many things, but he had an abundance of Magic Artifacts.
In the next moment, he produced an intricate, jet-black mechanical device. With his thumb, he pressed the activation switch.
Lotus petal-like blades spun the mechanical cylinder at dizzying speed. The instant Li Qing released his thumb, the delicate lotus bud finally bloomed.
Swish!
Bone Nails, each lethally sharp, shot forth from the mechanical cylinder, trailing dazzling tail flames as they pierced toward Shi Bao, who was still ensnared by the Water Entangling Net.
Despair filled Shi Bao's eyes. Already severely wounded, he had no strength to break free from the net's grasp, let alone evade the deadly attack of the Storm Pear Blossom Nails.
Shi Bao stared at Li Qing with a look of utter disbelief, as if to say, "You're no rogue cultivator!"
Indeed, a typical rogue cultivator would consider themselves fortunate just to afford some spiritual rice or pills to boost their cultivation.
There was no way they could possess so many Magic Artifacts for self-defense and protection, especially when combined to achieve such remarkable effects.
But Li Qing was an artifact refiner with a bit of money to spare.
In an instant, Shi Bao felt a piercing pain throughout his body, and the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed.
More than a dozen blood flowers burst from his body, like pear blossoms blooming in a torrential downpour.
With that, Shi Bao was dead. His lifeless form tumbled down the mountain slope.
A moment later, a dull thud echoed through the air.
Bang!
The battle was over!
Li Qing turned his gaze to the other side of the mountain peak. Fan Tong's battle was nearing its end as well. The white Demon python was already torn to shreds by Fan Tong's relentless biting, its body covered in gruesome wounds.
As for Daoist Qingyang's battle, Li Qing didn't even need to worry.
A Yellow Bronze Cauldron stood suspended in the air, crushing the remaining four Shi Clan members into bloody pulp.
(End of the Chapter)
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