Translator: AnubisTL

After Li Qing finished cultivating, the spirit materials he had commissioned True Monarch Tianbao to procure had finally arrived, at least in part.

Some of these materials were purchased with a hefty sum of spirit stones. The Lingyun Sect paid a staggering 120,000 spirit stones to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for them.

Among these materials was a particularly precious one called Void Moon Crystal Sand—a rare spirit material used in crafting treasures. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion insisted on a trade rather than selling it outright for spirit stones.

Ultimately, Li Qing retrieved a dragon-head-shaped ancient stone from the sect treasury. This had been a Lingyun Sect treasure since the sect’s founding, and even now, no one knew its true nature.

After examining the stone for some time, True Monarch Tianbao finally agreed to the trade.

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Tianbao has recognized the origins of this Dragon Head Stone? Would you be willing to share what you know?" Li Qing asked curiously.

"Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. I am not one to go back on my word. I am merely indulging my curiosity."

With the deal already struck, there was no turning back. However, Li Qing was eager to learn the truth about the Dragon Head Stone.

The stone had been lying in the Lingyun Sect’s treasure vault since its founding. After the Shangqing Sect destroyed the Lingyun Sect, and Li Qing rebuilt it, the stone remained hidden.

The Dragon Head Stone had remained hidden in the treasure vault for years, its origins unknown to anyone. Yet no one wanted to simply discard it.

Now, Li Qing had reluctantly brought it out for trade, driven by his desperate need for Void Moon Crystal Sand, a crucial spirit material for refining a heaven-piercing spirit treasure.

True Monarch Tianbao lightly stroked the small mustache on his lip and chuckled. "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, please don’t take offense. It’s not that I intentionally concealed anything; I simply don’t know what this stone truly is."

"However, when I was younger, I was fortunate enough to see similar items in the Merchant Guild Headquarters. Later, I learned they were part of our guild master’s personal collection. What they were exactly, I never found out."

His words sounded genuine, but Li Qing couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret after hearing them.

The guild master of the Merchant Guild Headquarters? Could it be the legendary Divine Transformation Stage Old Monster who presided over the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild?

If even a Divine Transformation Stage Old Monster treasured such an item, it must indeed possess extraordinary value!

As Li Qing pondered this, True Monarch Tianbao narrowed his eyes and teased, "The trade isn’t officially finalized yet. If you’re having second thoughts, it’s not too late to back out."

Hearing this, Li Qing calmly shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Tianbao, you’re underestimating this Li’s character. If I said I wouldn’t go back on my word, then I naturally intend to keep it."

"Moreover, even if this Dragon Head Stone truly is the skull of a true dragon, it’s now yours!"

These words earned Li Qing a newfound respect from True Monarch Tianbao.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, you’re truly a forthright and decisive man! Refreshing!"

"As for the remaining high-grade Thunder Sound Bamboo and Fourth-tier Demon Bird Wing Bone, though I haven’t found them yet, I can assure you they’ll likely be auctioned at the Ten Thousand Treasures Grand Gathering in a year’s time!"

"You might want to prepare in advance. I doubt these spirit materials will be traded solely for spirit stones. They’ll probably be exchanged through barter."

Li Qing was already aware of the upcoming auction hosted by the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild.

This was a grand auction destined to draw powerful cultivators from across the lower realm’s great domains. The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild’s influence was simply too vast and profound!

It seemed he truly couldn’t afford to miss this grand auction.

After all, he still hadn’t received any news about the Thunder Sound Bamboo, especially the high-grade variety, which was an exceptionally rare spiritual object.

"Hehe, thank you for the information, Fellow Daoist Tianbao. I won’t miss this grand gathering," Li Qing said with a smile, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.

With the deal concluded, Li Qing escorted True Monarch Tianbao out of the sect.

Watching the figure recede into the distance, Li Qing murmured to himself, "Now I just need to get my hands on a Thunder Sound Bamboo with sufficient age, and I can begin refining the true Wind-Thunder Silver Wings!"

This was crucial to him, of profound significance.

Once successfully refined, Li Qing would become a true Grandmaster of artifact refinement in this realm, capable of crafting heaven-piercing spirit treasures—a milestone in the art of artifact refinement.

Throughout history, only a handful of cultivators in the entire Human Realm had ever possessed the skill to refine heaven-piercing spirit treasures. Those who did were all peerless experts, dominating the four corners of the world.

Moreover, once the true Wind-Thunder Silver Wings were forged, this heaven-piercing spirit treasure would leave him with few rivals in the Human Realm capable of threatening his life.

With this treasure, even if pursued by a Divine Transformation Stage Old Monster, Li Qing would have a fighting chance!

Furthermore, successfully refining a heaven-piercing spirit treasure would grant him a significant increase in Lifespan, potentially even surpassing the longevity he gained upon entering the nascent soul realm.

With such an extended lifespan, Li Qing’s future cultivation would become smoother. Therefore, no matter what, he had to begin refining the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

After seeing True Monarch Tianbao off, Li Qing left the sect and traveled alone to the central-southern region of the Azure Ridge Domain. This area had once been a moderately sized blessed land, where rogue cultivators gathered to cultivate and exchange resources. Despite having only a low-grade spiritual vein, the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy was dense, making it a popular choice for many rogue cultivators.

However, a massive geological upheaval had reduced the entire central region to ruins. The lush forests and majestic mountains of the past were completely destroyed in the earthquake. For rogue cultivators with lower cultivation levels, such a devastating natural disaster offered no resistance. Most of those gathered here at the time perished.

Upon arriving in the area, Li Qing surveyed the scene of utter devastation before him. "Even in the Azure Ridge Domain, earthquakes of this scale are rare," he murmured.

In the distance, mountains had toppled, and the great earth had been overturned. From above, a massive fissure bisected the land, resembling the spine of an earth dragon.

At the center of the earth fissure, a natural giant well-like grotto-heaven emerged. It was deep and bottomless, radiating an air of mystery.

Even now, many rogue cultivators still gathered around the fissure, hoping to strike it rich and stumble upon some opportunity.

However, only a select few would actually find anything of value.

Li Qing had come to investigate this grotto-heaven that had appeared out of thin air, and to see if he could find more Flame Gold Marks.

Concealing his aura, Li Qing slowly descended and approached the edge of the grotto-heaven. Like the other rogue cultivators, he peered curiously into the depths below.

It was unfathomable. Even his powerful divine sense couldn’t penetrate to the bottom.

The surrounding rogue cultivators murmured among themselves:

"It’s been almost three hours now. That group that went down this morning still hasn’t resurfaced. Could they really have found something?"

"Heh, I bet they’re dead in there!"

"This grotto-heaven isn’t a forbidden land, but over time, quite a few people have lost their lives within it."

"..."

As they spoke, Li Qing’s expression shifted slightly.

Through his divine sense, he saw a group of people, covered in dust, slowly pulling themselves up a rope.

These individuals were not highly cultivated and had clearly exhausted their mana for flight, resorting to this method to return.

"Hmm? Look, they’re coming up!"

"They really are. They’ve been down there for a full three hours. I wonder what they encountered."

As the onlookers murmured, those above began pulling up the sturdy rope to assist them.

"Quick, tell us what you found down there!"

"Why did it take so long? Did you really stumble upon some kind of secret treasure or opportunity?"

"Yes, yes! What did you actually see down there?"

Once the group had climbed up, they faced a barrage of questions from the rogue cultivators. However, they remained impassive, shaking their heads.

"We saw nothing. We did stumble upon a gold mine, though. If any of you are interested in becoming wealthy commoners, you might try mining it for some gold." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Ah, what a waste of time. I’m going back to rest. This has been a complete waste of time!"

This dismissive attitude sparked suspicion among many of the rogue cultivators.

Could it really be that there was nothing more than a gold mine down there?

(End of the Chapter)

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