Translator: AnubisTL

Purple Scale?

Li Qing quickly realized she must be referring to the purple qilin.

This name is even more slapdash than mine! Such lazy naming!

After mentally scoffing, Li Qing chuckled and said, "Oh, you mean that purple-skinned sheep? I saw it acting up just now and casually slaughtered it. I was even thinking of taking it back to make soup later."

As he spoke, Li Qing dragged the "corpse" of the purple qilin from behind him. Its limbs lay stiffly on the ground, making it look truly dead.

The sight made Wang Chan’s head buzz, and she nearly stood up from the Yin-Yang Pool again.

But she recovered quickly, immediately confirming that the qilin was still alive, merely knocked unconscious.

She had been momentarily flustered earlier and hadn’t noticed this.

In the next instant, Wang Chan retrieved a soft, gray robe. Rising from the pool, she turned, and the loose robe instantly draped over her graceful figure.

"Fellow Daoist Li, now that you’ve attained the esteemed status of a Nascent Soul senior, you should refrain from such frivolous jokes. It’s unbecoming of your position," Wang Chan said, her tone slightly frosty, clearly displeased by what had just transpired.

Li Qing didn’t take offense. In truth, he had indeed seen her unclothed, which was undoubtedly his fault.

"Heh, my apologies for the impropriety, Fellow Daoist Wang Chan. I was too forward. Please forgive me," Li Qing offered a casual apology.

Wang Chan’s expression softened considerably at his words. After all, the man standing before her was a Nascent Soul cultivator; she couldn’t afford to hold a grudge.

"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Li, when did you realize my true identity? Did you know all along that I was a woman?" Wang Chan asked, her sword-like eyebrows furrowing slightly with concern.

With nothing to hide, Li Qing replied truthfully, "I suspected after obtaining the Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid. Seeing you earlier merely confirmed my suspicions."

"Who would have thought that Crown Prince Yan, the crown prince of Yan, once hunted by both the righteous and demonic paths of the Great Wilderness Domain, was actually a woman?"

The moment these words left Li Qing’s lips, Wang Chan fell into a brief silence, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

After a long moment, she murmured, "Brother Li, you still haven’t explained your purpose for coming here. Surely you’re not truly after this humble woman’s skin, are you?"

Li Qing chuckled dryly. "Ha ha ha ha, Fellow Daoist Wang Chan, you jest. This Li’s heart is solely devoted to the Dao, and with the great calamity looming over heaven and earth, I have no time for such trivial matters."

"To be frank, I came here to collect some yin-yang spirit liquid and to explore the mysteries of this yin-yang cavern."

As he spoke, Li Qing’s gaze drifted to the Yin-Yang Pool.

Though Wang Chan had now donned her robes, her jade-like feet remained bare, lightly touching the yin-yang spirit liquid, sending ripples across its surface.

If cultivators in the foundation establishment realm outside saw this, they would surely wail in anguish, decrying such a waste of heavenly treasures. This was an entire pool of supreme core formation spiritual material—how could it be so carelessly trampled upon!

Of course, there might be some foundation establishment fellow daoists with more... peculiar tastes who would consider this a perfect finishing touch, savoring every moment. But let’s not dwell on that for now.

Li Qing had indeed come for the yin-yang spirit liquid, but the pool’s spirituality had diminished significantly, greatly reducing its efficacy. Moreover, Wang Chan had just bathed in it herself.

He couldn’t possibly bring back a batch of bathwater to the foundation establishment elders who had toiled tirelessly for the sect, could he?

As if sensing Li Qing’s gaze and discerning his thoughts, Wang Chan’s fair cheeks flushed slightly. She cleared her throat and said:

"Brother Li, you’ve already reached the nascent soul realm. I never imagined you would still need a spiritual object to aid core formation."

"However, before entering the pool to cultivate, I collected some Yin-Yang Spirit Condensation Liquid. If you need it, fellow daoist, please take it."

With a hint of embarrassment in her voice, Wang Chan produced a White Jade Gourd and promptly handed it to Li Qing.

Somewhat surprised to receive the gourd, Li Qing hadn’t expected such generosity from her.

Although yin-yang spirit liquid was merely a spiritual object to assist core formation, its value was considerable. The demonic path sects in the Great Wilderness Domain would likely be willing to pay a hefty price to acquire it.

But then, Li Qing reconsidered. Wang Chan was a princess of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, and she harbored an eternal hatred for the demonic path sects. How could she possibly aid her enemies in such a way?

Using his divine sense, Li Qing probed the White Jade Gourd and discovered it contained a truly substantial amount of yin-yang spirit liquid—enough for five people, with some to spare!

Accepting the gift without hesitation, Li Qing carefully stored the gourd. This was precisely the yin-yang spirit liquid he needed.

"Thank you, Immortal Maiden Wang Chan!" Li Qing said, clasping his hands in a formal bow.

Wang Chan gently brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair from her forehead with her slender, jade-like fingers. "Brother Li, there’s no need for such formality," she said softly. "Given our relationship, such trivial matters shouldn’t concern you."

"Speaking of which, this secret realm was originally discovered by my Father King. I never imagined you would know of this place as well."

"It’s a pity, though. The greatest opportunity here has already been claimed by someone. I had hoped to seize the moment when the spatial nodes were weakest during the demon realm’s invasion of the Human Realm to ascend to the upper realm."

Ascend to the upper realm?! The opportunity within the yin-yang cavern was related to ascension?!

Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat, his expression one of astonishment.

Break through the void and ascend to the upper realm!

This was the ultimate goal of nearly every cultivator in the Human Realm. To think that such an opportunity lay hidden here was truly unbelievable.

Curious, Li Qing asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you talking about a chance for ascension? How is that possible? If such an opportunity existed, why didn’t Prince Yan use this path to ascend back then?"

Hearing her father’s name after so many years, Wang Chan’s expression darkened slightly.

She shook her head. "Even if my father had resolved all his worldly ties in the Human Realm, it still wouldn’t have been the right time. The barrier to ascension is too formidable. Only cultivators in the late-stage of divine transformation can break through the void and ascend to the upper realm."

"However, with the demon realm’s invasion, the spatial barriers between realms have weakened considerably, making this an ideal opportunity for ascension."

"Originally, there was a Yin-Yang Spirit Seal here. Imprinting it upon oneself is akin to marking one’s fleshly body and divine soul with a beacon for the spirit realm!"

"After breaking through the void, not only will the Yin-Yang Spirit Seal protect you from the void turbulence, but it will also guide you precisely to the spirit realm using the spirit realm beacon!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qing was deeply shaken.

He could hardly believe it, as he had never heard of ascension being made so simple and effortless!

If Wang Chan’s words were true, wouldn’t obtaining this Yin-Yang Spirit Seal mean that one could simply shatter the void and ascend to the upper realm without any obstacles?

And now, due to the demon realm’s invasion, the void’s barriers had become significantly weakened!

Sensing Li Qing’s skepticism, Wang Chan revealed a stone seal without reservation.

"This is the Yin-Yang Spirit Seal. It must be continuously immersed in this Yin-Yang Pool to maintain its activity, or it will lose its effectiveness."

"However, it appears this Yin-Yang Spirit Seal has already been used once. To restore its spirituality and imprint another Yin-Yang mark, it will take at least five to six thousand years."

"My Father King once speculated that this must be the work of cultivators from the upper realm." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Originally, he intended to cultivate to the early Divine Transformation stage before coming here to receive the seal. If he failed, he planned to leave it for future generations. But he never imagined..."

Wang Chan didn’t finish her sentence, her expression darkening further.

Later, the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty was besieged by the righteous and demonic paths, leading to Prince Yan’s demise.

By the time she returned to this place, the spiritual seal had already been used, and the opportunity for ascension had been snatched away by someone else.

An opportunity for ascension would drive even cultivators in the Divine Transformation stage mad with desire!

In truth, this might be the most precious opportunity in the entire lower realm!

Li Qing believed Wang Chan’s words. She hailed from the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, which had dominated the Great Wilderness Domain for countless ages. Their foundation was immeasurably deep, and their knowledge of the secrets of heaven and earth was undoubtedly vast. Moreover, Wang Chan had no reason to deceive him about this matter.

As Li Qing gazed at the Yin-Yang Spirit Seal, a strange glint flashed through his eyes.

The patterns of the seal seemed vaguely familiar—he felt like he had seen them somewhere before!

He and Shen Ningbing had once visited this place together. It was with her help that he had obtained a portion of the Yin-Yang Spirit Condensation Liquid.

Back then, Shen Ningbing seemed to have been branded with a similar mark.

Li Qing had initially been worried, fearing it might be an ominous mark. He later consulted numerous ancient texts but found no records of anything similar.

After confirming that Shen Ningbing remained unharmed within the sect and showed no adverse changes, Li Qing gradually put his mind at ease, eventually dismissing the matter entirely.

Now, it seemed the yin-yang pattern branded on Shen Ningbing’s body was likely this Yin-Yang Spirit Seal.

Wang Chan gently placed the Yin-Yang Spirit Seal back into the pool, allowing it to continue absorbing the yin-yang qi. After thousands of years, the spiritual seal might regain its luster.

But that was a distant prospect. With the threat of the demon realm’s invasion looming, whether any living beings would even survive in the Human Realm remained uncertain. No one had the luxury to consider such distant futures.

"Speaking of which, Brother Li," Wang Chan asked with a light smile, "this yin-yang cavern is remarkably hidden, nestled deep within the Great Poisonous Miasma Rift and concealed by dense poisonous miasma. Ordinary people would never find it. How did you manage to discover it?"

Li Qing replied without a change in expression or a flicker of his pulse, "Earlier, I noticed the thick poisonous miasma outside the Great Rift Valley had suddenly dissipated for some reason. Curious, I came to investigate and discovered this extraordinary place."

The Limitless True Monarch’s skill at deception was quite impressive, weaving truths into his lies so seamlessly that no anomaly could be detected.

Wang Chan didn’t press the matter further. Whether the poisonous miasma had dissipated outside could be confirmed upon their exit. Li Qing wouldn’t dare lie about something so easily verified.

With the yin-yang spirit liquid secured and no other valuable opportunities remaining here, Li Qing had no reason to linger.

Of course, Li Qing didn’t believe that such a mysterious yin-yang cavern would contain only a pool of yin-yang spirit liquid and a spiritual seal.

There were likely other opportunities, such as inheritances, within the cavern, which had likely already fallen into Wang Chan’s hands.

However, Li Qing had no intention of contesting these matters. He didn’t want to compete with Wang Chan for such things.

After all, they had a certain degree of acquaintance, though not deep. The Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid he had used during his core formation had been acquired through a trade with her.

"In that case, this Li will take his leave."

"Since we’ve crossed paths, I should inform Fellow Daoist Wang Chan that the demon realm’s invasion is likely to begin in the Great Wilderness Domain, specifically from the Blood Spirit Sect."

"I advise you to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible!"

With that, Li Qing departed without lingering.

Wang Chan’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this, but she nodded. "This humble one thanks Brother Li for the warning!"

Finally, Li Qing clasped his hands in a farewell gesture and left the yin-yang cavern without hesitation.

Under Wang Chan’s awed gaze, he forcefully withstood the surging yin-yang qi, charging straight through the cavern before transforming into a streak of escape light and vanishing into the distance.

"Truly an extraordinary person..."

"But his audacity is beyond belief! To actually..."

"How utterly outrageous!"

At this point, Wang Chan’s face flushed crimson as she stomped her foot, her jade-like foot splashing droplets across the Yin-Yang Pool’s surface.

The departing Li Qing remained oblivious to Wang Chan’s inner turmoil.

As he flew, he couldn’t help but marvel, "What a remarkable woman! To tame a heaven and earth spirit beast representing auspiciousness..."

"Such individuals often possess great fortune. It’s wise to maintain good relations with them."

With that thought, he arrived at Giant Deer Prefecture, the former site of Sunward City.

This territory belonged to the Ghost Sword Sect, boasting multiple spiritual veins and once serving as a bustling trade hub for cultivators.

Now, due to the immortal dao war and the impending invasion from the demon realm, the city had grown considerably quieter.

Li Qing’s casual move years ago—establishing the black market operated by Zhang Da—had its headquarters within this very city.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Li Qing easily located the black market’s headquarters and finally reunited with Zhang Da after a long absence.

Zhang Da was currently processing stacks of intelligence reports gathered by the black market. Urgent and critical information was encrypted and immediately dispatched to the Azure Ridge Domain.

"Heh, it seems you’re handling that magic artifact prosthetic limb quite well. Perhaps I was overthinking things."

In the darkness, Zhang Da startled at the sudden voice behind him. But he quickly recognized it—Li Qing’s voice!

"Zhang Da pays respects to Ancestor Limitless!"

As an unofficial member of the Lingyun Sect, he naturally addressed Li Qing as Ancestor Limitless. As an intelligence operative, he was well-informed about all the major events that had transpired within the sect over the years.

"Hahahaha, rise, Zhang Da! There’s no need for such formalities between us!"

Li Qing helped Zhang Da to his feet, then produced a White Jade Gourd from his storage bag, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"Fetch a jade container. I have something special for you."

Zhang Da stared blankly for a moment before immediately retrieving a jade box from his storage bag.

When he saw the precious liquid pouring from the White Jade Gourd, his jaw dropped in astonishment.

"This... Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid?!"

(End of the Chapter)

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