Translator: AnubisTL
His voice turned icy. "I'm sorry, but these wings are too important to me. I have no intention of selling them. Fellow daoist, please leave."
"And what if I insist?"
With that, the griffin man's speed surged. His hands transformed into razor-sharp claws as he lunged at Li Qing.
His response was a jet-black flame.
Boom!
The Spirit Devouring Demon Flame surged forth, coalescing into a colossal dragon that lunged at the griffin man.
Seeing this, the griffin man abruptly retracted his claws and dodged, but the black flame dragon pursued him relentlessly, like a maggot clinging to bone. Its terrifying heat warped the very air around them.
"A Heaven and Earth Wonder Flame?!" the griffin man exclaimed in shock.
Li Qing ignored his astonishment. His qi and blood surged, condensing the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame into a fist. He unleashed an Overlord Heaven-Shattering Earth-Extinguishing Flame Fist.
Boom!
The terrifying fist force, infused with scorching demon flame, crashed into the griffin man, who had no time to evade.
Bang!
With a single strike, half of the griffin man's body was charred black. Simultaneously, the colossal dragon formed from the jet-black demon flame lunged forward.
A look of utter terror flashed in the griffin man's eyes. He let out a piercing shriek, a sound that was both a lion's roar and an eagle's cry.
The chaotic sound waves spread outward, taking considerable time to disperse the dragon formed from the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame.
When he finally tried to retaliate, he discovered that Li Qing had vanished. The primordial energy of heaven and earth showed faint signs of being manipulated.
Witnessing this, the griffin man spoke with lingering fear, "He's actually a human cultivator in the divine transformation realm, though for some reason his realm seems to have fallen to the nascent soul realm."
"Hmph, once I reach the divine transformation realm myself, I'll definitely settle the score."
Having shaken off the griffin man, Li Qing concealed his Wind-Thunder Silver Wings and continued his journey using his own spiritual power.
It wasn't that he didn't want to kill the griffin man; he feared that doing so would invite unforeseen trouble.
If he were alone, it wouldn't matter much. But there were other humans on the Tonggu Continent, and he couldn't bear the responsibility of bringing trouble to their Human City-State.
The human race was in a vulnerable position on this continent. If he provoked an old monster from the Flying Spirit Clan in the body integration realm, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After all, Gu Li had just told him that the human race on the Tonggu Continent had only one mid void refinement realm cultivator, and the number of divine transformation realm cultivators could be counted on one hand.
If they clashed with the Flying Spirit Clan, they would have no chance of resistance and face annihilation. Their only hope would be to plead for intervention from the Giant Spirit Race.
With this in mind, Li Qing suppressed his killing intent and completely concealed his aura.
"If that feathered bird-man dares to pursue me again, he'll face my ruthless wrath," Li Qing thought fiercely. "If necessary, I'll drag him to the World of Eternal Night and kill him there."
He had considered this earlier, but he wasn't sure if he could still travel to the World of Eternal Night after his ascension to the spirit realm.
What if something went wrong during the process, or if that feathered bird-man had some hidden trump card—like summoning reinforcements from the Flying Spirit Clan? That would be disastrous.
As a newcomer to the spirit realm, Li Qing maintained a cautious approach, refusing to underestimate any being.
Finally, after more than ten days of flight, Li Qing arrived at the Human City-State Gu Li had described, his breath steaming in the thin snow.
But what he saw was no mere city-state—it was a colossal, imposing walled city!
It could easily house over ten million people. The city walls rose like mountains, manned by numerous guards clad in black profound armor, their discipline unwavering.
"These city guards show no signs of mana fluctuations, yet their qi and blood are exceptionally robust—nearly as powerful as third-tier demonic beasts."
"They must be body refiners," Li Qing murmured. "I've heard that body refinement is a thriving dao in the spirit realm. Many humans without spiritual roots choose this path to strengthen themselves."
With a sigh, Li Qing descended, flying toward the city gate below.
The city gate was impressively tall, clearly designed to accommodate the Giant Spirit Race, demonstrating careful planning.
The entire city was enveloped by a formation, its subtle spiritual light radiating a profound aura. Li Qing estimated it to be at least a fifth-tier formation, though he couldn't determine if it reached the sixth-tier level.
Profound Ancient City!
The city gate bustled with activity, mostly mortals, though cultivators were also present.
"The ancient manuals didn't deceive me," Li Qing mused. "It seems not all humans in the spirit realm are cultivators. Even nascent soul realm cultivation is quite rare."
"With so many people at the city gate, I've only spotted two nascent soul realm cultivators."
Li Qing suspected this was due to the human race's weak position on Tonggu Continent.
In the major Human City-States, the situation should be much better, certainly not as dire as this.
Blending into the crowd, Li Qing walked through the towering city gate.
Instantly, a dense wave of spiritual energy washed over him. Even in the outer regions of Profound Ancient City, the spiritual energy rivaled that of a top-tier third-tier spiritual vein in the human realm.
"This city must be built atop a high-grade fifth-tier spiritual vein. The central districts likely enjoy the full benefits of such a vein."
"Moreover, the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth is remarkably abundant here. There's also some indefinable longevity substance present, albeit in trace amounts. Prolonged residence here would undoubtedly extend one's lifespan."
In fact, since arriving in the spirit realm, Li Qing had noticed his own lifespan was diminishing at a much slower rate.
In this realm, a cultivator in the divine transformation realm could likely live for an exceptionally long time, easily surpassing ten thousand years.
"This doesn't make sense. If divine transformation realm cultivators can live for over ten thousand years, why are human experts still so rare?"
"Even with frequent warfare and the inevitable losses of cultivators, shouldn't there be a substantial accumulation of high-ranked cultivators by now?"
Li Qing frowned, sensing there must be some underlying factors he hadn't yet grasped. He resolved to enter the city and investigate further.
Soon, a formation's spiritual light abruptly swept over him, as if attempting to scrutinize him thoroughly.
Startled, Li Qing instinctively concealed the four spirit fires within his body, unwilling to reveal such a crucial aspect of his capabilities.
He discovered that the spiritual light only examined his mana and fleshly body, confirming his race and cultivation level before ceasing further investigation.
"True Monarch, please enter! This is your city entry token. With this token, you may reside in the city indefinitely!"
A city guard clad in black profound armor approached, respectfully presenting a pitch-black token. One side was inscribed with the ancient characters "玄古" (Profound Ancient), while the other bore intricate patterns that seemed to represent his status and contained a trace of his aura.
Li Qing examined the token briefly before asking, "Are there cave abodes available for rent within the city? Also, I'd like to learn more about this continent. Where can I obtain detailed information?"
The guard froze, his expression shifting to surprise. "Senior, are you not from the Tonggu Continent?"
Li Qing didn't deny it. "I ascended from the lower realm," he stated plainly. "Due to an unforeseen incident, my cultivation has been disrupted. I need to find a place with abundant spiritual energy to recuperate for a while."
The guard stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Then, his expression transformed into one of fervent admiration, a genuine emotion radiating from his heart.
"Senior! You're an ascender from the lower realm?" The guard's voice rose in pitch.
Li Qing, puzzled by the man's intense reaction, replied somewhat uncertainly, "Yes, is there a problem?"
(End of the Chapter)
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