Translator: AnubisTL
The demon extermination proceeded unexpectedly smoothly, taking only three days to completely eradicate all traces of demonic qi from beneath the magma.
Li Qing initially suspected a trick by the Formless Demon Ancestor, but through the sealing formation, he confirmed that the Formless Demon Ancestor's Dao Body had indeed been completely annihilated.
"I was overthinking it," Li Qing murmured to himself, feeling considerably relieved. "The sealing formation left by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch has been maintained day and night for tens of thousands of years. Even the most powerful demon, deprived of any replenishment, would have long since perished."
"Moreover, it was merely a Dao Body, not the demon's true form."
The entire process unfolded without incident, an outcome both unexpected and entirely logical.
From this day forward, the Human Realm had eliminated a major threat.
"Not bad," the Profound Yellow True Flame's childlike voice echoed in Li Qing's Sea of Consciousness.
Hearing this praise, Li Qing smiled bitterly, his gaze filled with regret as he looked down at the bottom of the sealing formation.
There, a crimson spirit pearl had grown exceedingly dim.
This was the Fire Spirit Pearl, a supreme treasure of this realm, containing the purest fire-attribute spiritual energy in existence. Obtaining it would grant any immortal cultivating fire dao techniques an incomparably smooth path forward.
Unfortunately, the Formless Demon Ancestor's earlier claims were no empty boasts.
Over tens of thousands of years, he had continuously exerted some influence on the Fire Spirit Pearl, forging a connection between himself and the pearl.
Thus, at the moment of his death, the Fire Spirit Pearl suffered a catastrophic impact. Over half of its Primordial Essence had been lost, leaving only a meager remnant.
This Holy Artifact, once a supreme treasure of heaven and earth, was now likely rendered half-useless.
Li Qing sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he was destined to be without this supreme treasure and unable to obtain the complete Fire Spirit Pearl.
Otherwise, his future dao would have been boundless. Even with his mediocre cultivation aptitude and poor innate talent, he would have soared to unimaginable heights.
As if sensing Li Qing's thoughts, the Profound Yellow True Flame spoke softly:
"The five elements spirit pearls are true wonders of heaven and earth. They were the primary reason for the demonic race's invasion of this realm."
"But this artifact will never truly vanish. The lost Primordial Essence merely merges with heaven and earth, destined to reunite one day."
"Moreover, there's no need for such regret. The Heavenly Monarch once said that the five elements spirit pearls of the lower realm hold little value for cultivators at the late divine transformation stage. This is precisely why he left them here in the first place."
Late divine transformation stage cultivation...
Hearing this, Li Qing couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. He was currently only at the early Nascent Soul Realm, with even reaching the mid-Nascent Soul Realm still a distant prospect.
What the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch considered useless, the five elements spirit pearls, were to him true Holy Artifacts.
But Li Qing quickly composed himself, his gaze shifting to the Profound Yellow True Flame's primordial origin within the Crimson Radiance Hall. His eyes burned with fervor.
Though he couldn't obtain the complete Fire Spirit Pearl, subduing the Profound Yellow True Flame would be a significant consolation.
Sensing Li Qing's wolf-like hunger in his gaze, the Profound Yellow True Flame said calmly:
"I merely offered you a chance at a trial. Whether you pass it depends entirely on yourself."
"And I must warn you beforehand," the voice continued, "if you haven't prepared adequately for this trial, you risk certain death. Even as the Heavenly Monarch's successor, I will not lower the standards."
Hearing this, Li Qing took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "Understood. What is the trial?"
As his words faded, a sea of earth-yellow spirit fire surged through Crimson Radiance Hall, instantly engulfing the entire space in a thick, blazing inferno.
The trial had begun without warning!
Ancient Demon Realm, in an unknown region.
This was a realm of eternal darkness, where night reigned supreme and not a single ray of light could penetrate.
The moment Li Qing completely obliterated the Formless Demon Ancestor's Dao Body in the lower realm, ripples seemed to stir across this eternally dark sky.
Soon, massive faces began to materialize within the deep night.
Each face was distinct. Some bore human features, others resembled demon beasts or spirit birds, while still others were utterly bizarre, their features twisted into grotesque, indescribable forms.
Suddenly, a faint voice echoed through the night:
"Hmm... a Formless Dao Body I left behind tens of thousands of years ago has been extinguished."
"No matter. Let me deduce heaven's will and see what that Dao Body experienced during its millennia-long existence."
As the voice faded, boundless light erupted across the night sky. The grotesque faces began to converge, ultimately dissolving into nothingness within the radiant glowโtrue formlessness!
This was a powerful technique of the Formless Demon Ancestor. He could manifest countless Formless Dao Bodies, each possessing an independent personality, identity, and cultivation level.
When a Dao Body perished, he could glimpse heaven's will, channeling all its experiences back to his true form, thereby comprehending the entire chain of cause and effect.
Yet this time, the expected revelation of heaven's will failed to materialize. Instead, he was met with an impenetrable fog.
The Formless Demon Ancestor's voice resonated once more:
"Intriguing... heaven's will has been obscured, as if it never existed at all."
"I recall that Dao Body was sent to a Minor World to seize a spirit pearl. Hiss... which Minor World was it again?"
...
After a long silence, the area fell still again, devoid of any movement.
Li Qing remained unaware that his obliteration of the Formless Demon Ancestor's Dao Body had awakened the peerlessly powerful Demon Ancestor from its slumber, drawing its attention to the matter.
At that moment, he was enduring an excruciating trial within the Crimson Radiance Hall.
He had never imagined that the Profound Yellow True Flame's trial would be so brutally straightforward: an endless torrent of spiritual flames relentlessly burning his fleshly body and divine soul.
Trapped within the Crimson Radiance Hall, he was plunged into utter agony, wishing for death.
The Profound Yellow True Flame seemed omnipresent, erupting even from within his body, with occasional tendrils surging from his dantian.
"This is a Fire Tribulation, an inevitable process for taming heavenly spirit fire," the Profound Yellow True Flame's youthful voice echoed faintly in Li Qing's Sea of Consciousness. "Judging by your reaction, you seem utterly unprepared."
"If you can't endure this and wish to give up, release your nascent soul. I'll try to preserve your physical body intact."
To Li Qing, the voice now sounded like a death warrant from hell.
The spirit fire showed no mercy. As a naturally born heavenly spirit fire, it lacked any concept of compassion, treating this trial with its full might.
The terrifying Profound Yellow True Flame seemed determined to refine him completely.
Left with no choice, Li Qing mustered all his strength to resist, continuously circulating the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art and pouring his true essence into countering the spiritual flame's destructive power.
Having reached the nascent soul realm, his mana reserves were indeed far more substantial than before. However, they were no match for the full-force assault of the Profound Yellow True Flame at its peak.
As a result, his internal mana rapidly drained away like a receding tide.
Li Qing considered using his two heavenly spirit fires to retaliate, but the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame and Netherworld Cold Fire had yet to mature to the same level of power as the Profound Yellow True Flame, which could even suppress a demon ancestor's Dao Body.
Therefore, Li Qing could only use his two heavenly spirit fires to protect his Sea of Consciousness and dantian, preventing them from being scorched by the terrifying flames.
But mana had its limits, while the earth-yellow spiritual flames outside continued to surge relentlessly, seemingly inexhaustible.
Li Qing's heart sank.
What other options do I have?
He racked his brain for solutions. Suddenly, he remembered his body refinement technique, the Brahma King True Body!
This domineering technique, in its later stages, involved tempering the body with Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire to enhance one's body arts cultivation.
However, the Brahma King True Body manual Li Qing possessed was incomplete, ending at the third layer. He had been unable to find the remaining sections to this day.
As his mana continued to drain and the vitality of his fleshly body waned, Li Qing's anxiety grew.
At this rate, death seems inevitable.
Is there any other way?
Li Qing sank into deep contemplation once more, convinced that he needed to find a way to replenish at least some of his mana to prolong his survival.
Suddenly, he recalled his first attempt to refine the Netherworld Cold Fire, when he had faced a similar crisis. Back then, he had barely survived thanks to a fragment of a spell bestowed upon him by the Ancestor Devourer of Heaven.
What was that spell again?
A fragmented technique, buried deep within Li Qing's memory, resurfaced:
Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique!
This mysterious, incomplete spell had only been partially recorded in the Ancestor Devourer of Heaven's notes.
The technique had once proven invaluable, helping Li Qing overcome a critical moment.
However, now that he had reached the early Nascent Soul Realm, this mere fragment of a spell could offer little more than symbolic relief.
Clinging to it like a drowning man grasping at a straw, Li Qing repeatedly activated the technique:
Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique! Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique!
But its effect was pitifully smallโa drop in the bucket.
Li Qing's spirits sank to rock bottom. Forcing himself to remain calm, he desperately searched his mind for any other means of self-preservation.
He recalled the inheritance left by Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch and the records and observations Dao Lord Bai Ling had entrusted to him before departing.
As he pieced these fragments together, a faint spiritual light began to flicker in his mind, though it refused to fully ignite.
"What should I do?"
The Brahma King True Body and the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique were both incomplete spells, utterly incapable of saving him.
Neither the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch nor Dao Lord Bai Ling had left any relevant records.
At that moment, Li Qing realized that among all the divine arts and techniques he had acquired, none could resolve his current predicament.
So, what should he do?
If only there were a divine ability that could transform the flames consuming his fleshly body into nourishment for himself.
Suddenly, Li Qing remembered the Fire Jade Bees he had been raising. If only they were here, they could devour every last wisp of spiritual flame.
Alas, he hadn't brought the bees with him. Due to their fragility, he had left the entire hive on Azure Cloud Peak.
Fire Jade Bees... divine ability... Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique... Brahma King True Body divine ability... spell...
In an instant, Li Qing mentally connected these seemingly unrelated concepts.
"All the divine abilities I cultivate were created by great sages of the past and passed down through inheritance."
"Why can't I create my own divine arts and techniques?"
At that moment, Li Qing's mind suddenly cleared, his thoughts becoming crystal clear.
When he was a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, he had created a powerful, heaven-defying cultivation manual that the entire Jianghu fought over. Even today, it remains the most formidable Martial Dao cultivation manual in the Jianghu.
Yes, Li Qing, now in the early Nascent Soul Realm and facing this desperate situation, resolved to create his own spell.
This was no easy task, requiring not only extraordinary comprehension but also profound foundational knowledge.
Fortunately, Li Qing seemed to possess both.
The legacies left by Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch and Dao Lord Bai Ling had laid a solid foundation for him, allowing him to stand on the shoulders of giants.
"Those who consume the morning mist and feed on vital energy become divine and immortal."
"By refining the essence of primordial fire to nourish one's body, one can forge an indestructible form!"
Inspired by the Fire Jade Bee, Li Qing sought to nourish himself with the essence of all fires in the world.
But Li Qing wasn't a true Fire Jade Bee. Recklessly absorbing untamed heavenly spirit fire would only harm him, making it impossible to refine.
At this critical moment, Li Qing drew inspiration from the Withered Wood Meets Spring Technique and the Brahma King True Body. The former allowed him to unleash his potential at the brink of annihilation, while the latter enabled him to temper himself with destructive flames, forging a powerful body.
Moreover, the inheritance left by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch included a divine ability called the Fire Extreme Dharma Body, which Li Qing had already begun to master.
Combining these inheritances, divine abilities, secret techniques, and the unique nature of the Fire Jade Bee, Li Qing finally understood the kind of divine ability he needed to create.
He would transform himself into a furnace, drawing upon the primordial origin of all the world's flames to nourish his body.
Amidst the destructive power of the flames, he would constantly be reborn, cultivating countless true selves.
"Not merely enduring the destructive force of flames, but absorbing them, using them to nourish myself, and then being reborn."
"Shedding the old body, cultivating an imperishable true self."
"..."
Muttering to himself, Li Qing entered a state of profound enlightenment amidst the boundless sea of fire.
(End of the Chapter)
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