Translator: AnubisTL
Giant Mushroom City imprisoned a considerable number of third-tier exotic beasts like the Iron-Scaled Giant Sheep. As Li Qing searched through the city, he discovered over a dozen such creatures.
He also noticed a common trait among them: after consuming large quantities of flesh spores, their wounds would gush forth with an endless torrent of fresh blood, as if the flow had no end.
"These flesh spores are quite intriguing," Li Qing murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with interest. "They're specifically designed to stimulate blood production. After ingestion, they cause such an immense amount of blood to flow from the body."
"I wonder where they obtained these spores. Could they be produced by that colossal mushroom beneath our feet?"
Concealed within the city, Li Qing spoke softly, his eyes brightening.
The blood lotus he cultivated in his cave abode required vast quantities of fresh blood for nourishment. If he could adopt this method, its growth rate would accelerate significantly.
This would also greatly benefit Li Qing himself. Not only could he replenish his life essence in abundance, but he could also rapidly advance his cultivation.
"The blood lotus originated from the World of Eternal Night," he mused. "It should be able to absorb the blood catalyzed by these flesh spores, just like this giant mushroom, and derive sustenance from it."
With his plan forming in his mind, Li Qing resolved to seize control of Giant Mushroom City. He would then use the same method to harvest blood, strengthening both the blood lotus and himself.
"The immediate priority should be to identify the city's true ruler and uncover the source of those flesh spores!"
With that thought, Li Qing's figure flickered, vanishing from his spot in an instant.
Within Giant Mushroom City, not a single person with a normal appearance remained. Every resident had undergone some degree of mutation.
Yet the city's inhabitants lived relatively well. Though their bodies had been altered, since everyone looked the same, they had long grown accustomed to their altered forms.
Over the centuries, generations had come and gone. By now, these mutated beings had completely forgotten what the human race's original form was supposed to look like.
In truth, Li Qing didn't need to conceal his appearance. He could have strolled openly through the city streets without arousing curiosity among the mutated residents.
However, he chose to remain hidden, driven by caution.
After all, a city capable of imprisoning and binding so many third-tier exotic beasts must be under the control of a formidable master.
Thus, Li Qing continued his advance deeper into Mushroom City, eventually nearing its central district.
There stood a solitary ancient castle, with virtually no signs of life visible in its surroundings.
After observing the imposing structure from afar, Li Qing finally took his first step forward.
But almost immediately, the castle erupted with a thunderous roar.
A figure draped in a hemp robe and cloak slowly emerged from the castle. On its forehead grew clusters of wrinkled formations resembling lingzhi mushrooms, beneath which a pair of slightly cold and dignified eyes peered out.
The figure leaned on a staff of unknown material, its steps slow and steady, yet imbued with a unique rhythm.
"Outlander," the figure said, "you have wandered through this city for quite some time, finally arriving at my castle. Do you seek an audience with Lord Ji Ling?"
Li Qing, who had been concealing his presence, never expected to be discovered so easily.
Confirming that the staff-wielding figure had indeed detected him, Li Qing abandoned his concealment. He slowly dispelled the cloaking spell, revealing his true form.
"How did you discover my presence?" Li Qing asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
He found this deeply intriguing. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was supremely confident in his concealment techniques, believing that someone without even a trace of cultivation could never detect his presence.
Yet the man merely smiled faintly, gazing at Li Qing with an air of compassionate pity before speaking in a tone of sorrowful pity:
"Ignorant outsider, the moment you set foot in this sacred city, your existence became known to Lord Ji Ling."
"From the moment you entered, every action you took fell completely under my control."
"At first, I paid little attention. But when you effortlessly bypassed the city's guards and arrived here unhindered, I knew you were no ordinary person."
The man's gaze sharpened as he fixed his eyes on Li Qing. "With such abundant vital energy, you must be a peerless powerhouse from the Blood Martial Dynasty in the east."
"Tell me, what is your purpose in coming here?"
The man spoke with the fervor of a fanatical zealot, his condescending tone making Li Qing feel an overwhelming urge to punch him.
But Li Qing suppressed the impulse. He had noticed the mention of the Blood Martial Dynasty!
The Blood Martial Dynasty to the east... The name resonated with a strange familiarity in Li Qing's ears.
After a moment's thought, Li Qing stated his purpose: "I wish to know what those flesh spores used to feed the strange beasts are. If possible, I'd like to trade for some."
Before he could finish his request, the old charlatan with spirit mushrooms sprouting from his forehead instantly turned ice-cold.
"So, you're just an ignorant usurper. It's been centuries since an outsider dared to trespass upon this domain and usurp the sacred position of Ji Ling."
"Perfect. Lord Ji Ling hungers for the blood flowing through your veins. Let your blood atone for your disrespect!"
In the end, it's just going to be a fight, Li Qing thought with a hint of resignation. He shrugged, and a pair of wings suddenly unfurled behind him, propelling him into the sky in an instant.
The Lord of the Ancient Castle showed no surprise at the silver, otherworldly wings sprouting from Li Qing's back. He assumed it was merely a mutation of Li Qing's body, only deepening his contempt.
In the next moment, the Lord of the Ancient Castle swung his staff with force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive mushroom below suddenly shed a layer of mycelium.
Immediately afterward, one after another, strange beasts corroded by massive amounts of spores surged skyward, charging directly at Li Qing.
The spore-corroded beasts radiated surprisingly potent auras, with the weakest reaching the level of third-tier exotic beasts. This startled Li Qing.
But he quickly realized these creatures weren't alive—they were corpses!
Their continued movement was likely due to the corrosion spores that had infiltrated their bodies.
"Intriguing," Li Qing murmured, nodding slightly. "Controlling dead beasts with these spores... such a technique is rare in this realm."
He refrained from immediately unleashing his ultimate killing move, instead waving his hand.
In the next instant, several shadowy figures radiating yin energy materialized before him—corpse puppets!
These were the corpse puppets Li Qing had obtained from Fire Cliff Cave: two third-tier corpse puppets and three second-tier high-grade corpse puppets.
This was a formidable force. Any ordinary core formation realm cultivator would flee at the sight of such an array.
However, the enemy also commanded a considerable number of animated beast corpses. The two sides clashed violently, engaging in a fierce battle.
"Hmm?" The Lord of the Ancient Castle frowned, puzzled by where Li Qing had conjured these eerie, yin-infused corpses.
He quickly recalled that when Li Qing first entered the city, he had been accompanied by an even more powerful strange beast. Now, that creature had vanished through some unknown means.
The Lord of the Ancient Castle could no longer maintain his composure. To his astonishment, he discovered that his own strange beast corpses were unable to immediately overwhelm Li Qing's corpse puppets.
Despite their numerical advantage, they couldn't break through his defenses!
Li Qing watched the Lord's expression, a faint amusement flickering in his eyes.
These corpse puppets were refined using specialized corpse refinement techniques, each possessing formidable combat prowess. How could ordinary, unrefined third-tier exotic beast corpses possibly compare?
While the corrosion spores could reanimate the corpses, creating the illusion of life, they were still far inferior to true corpse refinement.
The Lord of the Ancient Castle, his face darkening, paused momentarily before summoning even more third-tier exotic beast corpses to join the fray.
The fungal mycelium covering the giant mushroom peeled back, revealing a relentless stream of bizarre and powerful corpses surging forth.
Li Qing had long grown fearless of such beast-swarm tactics during his time in the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm. Now, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he regarded them with even greater disdain.
He patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing Fan Tong to stretch his limbs.
Having been deprived of a proper, unrestrained battle for far too long, Fan Tong's very bones were itching for action.
"Roar!"
In an instant, he rediscovered his primal savagery, his battle intent surging relentlessly.
Boom!
A dark purple aura shimmered around Fan Tong's massive frame, transforming him into an ancient heavenly demon tiger, his presence overwhelming.
"Aow-roar!"
With a ferocious tiger's roar, Fan Tong charged through the corpses of the third-tier exotic beasts, crushing them beneath his massive paws.
Wherever his feet landed, the corpses were pulverized into dust.
Heavenly Demon Earth-Shattering Stomp!
This innate divine ability, inherited from the ancient Heavenly Demon Tiger Clan, had now been fully mastered by Fan Tong.
The Lord of the Ancient Castle watched with shock.
"Such a terrifying beast... what is its origin?"
Clearly, Fan Tong's display of power far exceeded the Lord's wildest imaginings of exotic beasts.
Meanwhile, Li Qing was equally curious, wondering how his opponent had managed to amass so many third-tier exotic beast corpses. In such a short time, the man had already summoned over twenty third-tier corpse puppets.
The mycelium continued to split open, endlessly spewing forth the corpses of third-tier exotic beasts.
The sheer number was staggering. Could this man have amassed such a vast collection of third-tier exotic beasts?
Before Li Qing could ponder further, the Lord of the Ancient Castle completely abandoned his earlier aloof demeanor.
If he allowed Fan Tong to continue his rampage, the Lord's years of accumulated third-tier exotic beast corpses would be utterly depleted.
"Ji Ling, lend me your power!"
The Lord of the Ancient Castle thrust his staff into the massive mushroom beneath his feet. In the next instant, a formidable aura erupted from his body.
He had drawn immense power from the colossal mushroom beneath him, forging an even stronger connection with the fungal entity.
"Vile beast, die!"
"Having slaughtered so many Sacred Beast corpses, your body will now serve as a guardian for Lord Ji Ling!"
With a wave of his hand, tendrils of mycelium erupted from beneath Fan Tong like living whips.
Swish!
The air cracked as several mycelium whips struck Fan Tong's body, catching him off guard and ensnaring him.
More mycelium whips surged forth, coiling around Fan Tong's body.
These tendrils seemed to penetrate every crevice, relentlessly burrowing into Fan Tong's flesh.
Though Fan Tong's fleshly body was formidable, it couldn't withstand the relentless advance of the fungal filaments, which were now burrowing into its ears, mouth, and other orifices.
Seeing this, Li Qing knew he couldn't stand by any longer.
The Lord of the Ancient Castle, capable of wielding the colossal mushroom Ji Ling in battle, posed a significant threat. While not as terrifying as the demonic willow Li Qing had encountered in the Black Wind Domain, it was proving to be a formidable opponent for Fan Tong.
Boom!
Before the fungal filaments could penetrate deeper into Fan Tong's body, strands of earth-yellow, scorching spiritual flame erupted across the heavens and earth.
In an instant, the pale fungal filaments were incinerated into ash, scattering into nothingness with a gust of wind.
"What kind of technique is this?" The Lord of the Ancient Castle was genuinely panicked now. Li Qing's display of power had left him utterly astonished.
But since Li Qing had already intervened, he had no intention of prolonging this charade.
"This is immortal art!" Li Qing patiently explained, though he cared little whether the Lord understood. Having made his move, Li Qing showed no mercy.
Boom!
A massive, gray-tinged hammer materialized in the air, radiating an aura of overwhelming power that seemed capable of crushing heaven and earth.
And that wasn't all. Earth-yellow spiritual flames erupted from the surface of the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, a special ability of the Profound Yellow True Flame that allowed it to imbue any magical artifact with enhanced power.
A magical artifact empowered by the Profound Yellow True Flame not only gains a significant boost in power but also imbues each subsequent attack with the flame itself!
Li Qing's gaze turned icy as he swiftly made a hand gesture.
In the next instant, the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer crashed down with overwhelming force.
This strike was more than just powerful; it seemed to melt the very air around it. Even Nascent Soul cultivators would hesitate to face such a blow with their fleshly bodies.
Sensing the overwhelming aura of death, the Lord of the Ancient Castle collapsed in terror. This Heavenly Might was beyond his ability to withstand!
Just as the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer was about to strike, the massive mushroom below finally stirred.
Countless fungal filaments erupted from the mushroom's surface, instantly enveloping the Lord of the Ancient Castle in an impenetrable protective barrier.
But Li Qing remained unmoved. He relentlessly drove the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer downward.
Bang!
The hammer struck, sending spiritual flames scattering like sparks. Instantly, vast quantities of fungal filaments dissolved and disintegrated, like snow meeting a red-hot iron.
Boom!
The scorching Profound Yellow True Flame spread rapidly, engulfing the rest of the colossal mushroom.
This was no ordinary fire; it was utterly inextinguishable. Once ignited, it clung like a bone-burrowing maggot, impossible to shake off.
Finally, at that moment, the Lord of the Ancient Castle surrendered. His voice trembling, he cried out, "Stop! Stop now!"
(End of the Chapter)
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