Immortal Refiner-Chapter 614: The Price [2.3k]

Translator: AnubisTL

The bone demon giant wolf was far superior to the Terrorclaw Lizard. With a single glance, it saw through Li Qing's facade.

This being, who appeared to be a Transformed Demon King, was no true demon beast king!

Though Li Qing's aura was condensed, it exerted little pressure on the wolf. The energy radiating from him suggested they were beings of the same level.

Yet the bone demon giant wolf, cunning and cautious by nature, refrained from attacking Li Qing directly.

It howled skyward once more: "Awoo!"

Immediately, the demonic beast skeletons summoned by the wolf just now began to stir.

One by one, the skeletons turned toward Li Qing, their sunken eye sockets glowing with eerie green flames—identical to the color radiating from the bone demon giant wolf's pupils in the distance!

Its high spiritual intelligence prevented rash action. Instead, it planned to use these skeletons to probe Li Qing's true strength.

Boom! Boom!

A colossal ape-like demonic beast skeleton charged forward with astonishing speed, closing the distance to Li Qing in an instant.

"Hmph, they're just mere corpses," Li Qing sneered, his gaze darkening. "Even if they were still alive, what could they possibly do?" A chilling killing intent erupted from his eyes.

With these words, Li Qing leaped into the air, pitch-black flames flowing from his fingertips.

Boom!

The Spirit Devouring Demon Flame surged forth from Li Qing's palm, churning and surging outward.

The scorching demon flame immediately engulfed the leading demonic beast skeletons. Crackling sounds echoed from within the inferno—the sound of bones being incinerated into ash!

Heavenly spirit fire, inherently yang and righteous, clashed violently with the extremely yin and malevolent nature of the demonic beast skeletons summoned by the bone demon giant wolf. The moment they made contact, the reaction was akin to pouring oil onto a raging fire.

While the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame possessed immense power, two exceptionally powerful skeletons managed to break free from the sea of flames.

Two golden-horned bone bulls charged forward, their bones still wreathed in pitch-black flames, adding to their fearless, death-defying aura.

Even the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame couldn't harm these two bone bulls!

Li Qing frowned, wondering about the true origins of these creatures. How could even heavenly spirit fire fail to damage their skeletal remains?

There was no doubt these bone bulls had been incredibly powerful demon beasts in their lifetimes.

"Intriguing," Li Qing mused. "These golden horns still retain such potent spirituality."

"Allow me to assess the material composition of these golden horns!"

With that, Li Qing descended, casually summoning his Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer.

"Aow!"

Fan Tong, who had been observing the battle for some time, finally succumbed to his battle lust. He roared skyward, his tiger's might reverberating across the Great Rift Valley, carrying clearly for hundreds of miles!

With a sudden surge of power from his four paws, Fan Tong's majestic tiger form lunged forward, a torrent of savage energy engulfing him as he charged toward the bone demon giant wolf.

Since breaking through to the third-tier of core formation, Fan Tong had rarely engaged in true life-or-death battles with other demon beasts.

During the assault on the Shangqing Sect, the battle had ended too quickly. He hadn't even exchanged a single blow with the Mountain-Bearing Turtle before the latter fled in haste.

Now that Li Qing had finally brought it to such a promising battlefield, Fan Tong couldn't suppress the itch in its bones. It yearned to engage in a proper clash with a demon beast.

After all, it was a third-tier tiger demon. Though it had been docile while guarding the mountains of the Lingyun Sect, its primal ferocity remained untamed at its core.

Thus, Fan Tong charged past the endless stream of demonic beast skeletons crawling from the ground and immediately targeted the bone demon giant wolf as its opponent.

Seeing Fan Tong's aggressive advance, a human-like contempt flickered in the bone demon giant wolf's lupine eyes.

This black tiger was merely at the early stages of the third tier. In the demon realm, the wolf had defeated countless beasts of this caliber.

The bone demon giant wolf quickly ceased summoning skeletons and prepared to confront Fan Tong head-on.

Both combatants possessed innate divine abilities, but neither showed any inclination to use them.

In an instant, the tiger and wolf locked in a brutal, primal struggle, relying solely on their raw, savage fleshly strength.

Fan Tong fought with ferocious intensity, its tiger eyes burning crimson. Abandoning all defense, it relentlessly attacked, completely disregarding its own injuries.

The bone demon giant wolf's white, bone-like armor served as its best defense, rendering it fearless against Fan Tong's reckless, death-defying attacks.

The brutal battle immediately caught Li Qing's attention.

"You blockhead, Ninth Insect, go help Fan Tong!"

"And you, cowardly lizard, if you want to drink from my soup, help clear out the other demonic beast skeletons!"

Li Qing immediately issued orders. With the Tempering Life Spirit Pool about to open, any further delay would only attract more demon beasts, complicating the situation further.

The most urgent task was to eliminate the bone demon giant wolf and secure a spot in the Spirit Pool.

However, he was currently entangled with two golden-horned creatures, unable to assist Fan Tong directly. He could only rely on Ninth Insect to stall them.

Bang! Bang!

Two muffled crashes echoed through the air.

The golden-horned bone bulls had simultaneously charged, their horns colliding. Li Qing gripped the Peerless Hammer horizontally, barely managing to block their combined assault.

"Even in death, they're this strong," he muttered. "How much more troublesome would these golden-horned bulls have been in their prime?"

"It's truly unbelievable. Even such powerful demon beasts can perish in this Myriad Beasts Secret Realm. I clearly underestimated the ferocity and brutality of this demon realm."

This Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, which had buried countless demon beasts, was the perfect domain for the bone demon giant wolf.

And that creature was only a mid-third-tier demon beast. If it had been a late-third-tier demon beast, it would have been even more formidable.

Brahma King True Body!

Li Qing's eyes suddenly blazed with a sharp light as he activated his strongest body refinement technique.

A surge of immense power erupted from his body, forcefully pushing apart the two golden-horned bone bulls.

"Kill!"

Li Qing roared, channeling his pure and abundant true essence into the Peerless Hammer.

Boom!

The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer suddenly expanded, smashing violently down on one of the bone bulls.

The hammer, imbued with the force of ten thousand tons, struck the golden horn of the bone bull.

An overwhelming force swept through the creature, instantly pulverizing its entire body, leaving behind only a single golden horn.

"You're next!"

Li Qing shifted his gaze to the second golden-horned bone bull and once again unleashed his natal magic treasure.

Boom!

Another earth-shattering explosion reverberated through the heavens and earth. The Peerless Hammer, forged from Primordial Chaos Stone, effortlessly shattered the second golden-horned bone bull.

With the two strongest demonic beast skeletons eliminated, Li Qing wasted no time. He first collected the two remaining golden horns, then immediately flew toward Fan Tong's location.

The bone demon giant wolf now harbored thoughts of retreat. It had never imagined that even after summoning the two strongest golden-horned bulls, it would still be unable to subdue Li Qing.

And that wasn't all. The black tiger currently locked in mortal combat with it was no ordinary beast either.

Though its cultivation level was only at the early third-tier, the primal ferocity radiating from its very bones was terrifying, even to a creature born in the demon realm.

The wolf couldn't fathom why such a ferocious tiger would deign to serve as a pet beast to a human.

In truth, Fan Tong, having consumed vast quantities of crimson crystals, possessed strength that subtly surpassed that of other demon beasts at the same cultivation level.

Treating this creature as a mere early third-tier tiger demon would be a grave mistake.

And that's exactly what this bone demon giant wolf was!

"Let's see what makes you think you can target me, you mangy pup!"

Li Qing's icy voice echoed through the sky. Two flame emblems materialized in the palms of his hands—one black, one white!

These were two shattered origin great fire seals, forged from the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame and the Netherworld Cold Fire within Li Qing's body. Though they radiated no overwhelming aura, they sent a faint tremor of dread through the bone demon giant wolf.

"Fan Tong, fall back! Ninth Insect, block its escape!"

With these words, Li Qing raised his palm, poised to strike.

Before his command could fully register, Ninth Insect sprang into action, its tentacles lashing out to seal off the bone demon giant wolf's retreat.

Fan Tong cast a reluctant glance at the bone demon giant wolf. The battle had left it battered and bruised, its black fur torn open to reveal gruesome wounds beneath.

Though it yearned to continue fighting, obedience was the wiser course for now.

Fan Tong immediately retreated at full speed.

Li Qing, clutching two shattered origin great fire seals, swooped down, ready to unleash the fire seals directly.

"Stop! Human brother, quickly withdraw your divine ability! Let's not fight anymore!"

"Continuing this battle is pointless. The Tempering Life Spirit Pool has more than one seat, and it's only just opened. We can enter together!"

The bone demon giant wolf immediately transmitted its divine sense, desperate to prevent Li Qing from recklessly unleashing the fire seals.

But Li Qing ignored the plea. His face remained cold and resolute as he raised his hand and declared:

"You attacked first, and now you're begging for peace? I have no patience for serving others, especially not a whelp like you."

As he spoke, Li Qing activated the Kunpeng Divine Power within him, preparing to warp through space and escape at any moment.

This was a newly developed technique: pressing the shattered origin great fire seals directly against the enemy's face to maximize their destructive power.

He would then use Kunpeng Extreme Speed to warp through space, escaping the blast radius and inflicting a fatal wound on his opponent.

Li Qing had only ever conceived of this technique in theory, never actually executing it. He couldn't be certain if it would truly work.

Fortunately, the life energy-rich Tempering Life Spirit Pool lay directly behind him. Even if he were caught in the blast, he could quickly retreat into the pool to heal.

Li Qing's momentum surged forward relentlessly. Just as he prepared to unleash the shattered origin great fire seal, the bone demon giant wolf finally buckled under the pressure.

"One beast ancestor token! I'm willing to surrender one beast ancestor token!" the wolf transmitted through divine sense.

Hearing this, Li Qing gradually halted his charge, a smile spreading across his face. "So, you have more than one beast ancestor token. But if I kill you, I'd get all of them anyway, wouldn't I?"

With that, Li Qing resumed his suicidal stance.

Seeing this, the bone demon giant wolf's claws extended, piercing the hard rock ground. "Then come and try!" it roared ferociously. "Do you think this old wolf eats grass!?"

Clearly, it still had trump cards hidden up its sleeve.

The man and the wolf remained locked in a tense standoff.

Finally, Li Qing broke the silence. "So, why did you suddenly attack me?"

The bone demon giant wolf growled low, then transmitted telepathically:

"I sensed the aura of the beast ancestor token on you. It's a natural ability of my kind—we have an innate sensitivity to certain types of bone."

The beast ancestor token was made of a unique bone material, explaining the wolf's keen detection.

Hearing this, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle. This bone wolf is just like a dog, he thought, reacting so strongly to bones.

"Heh, fine. Hand over one beast ancestor token, and we'll call it even."

The bone demon giant wolf found Li Qing's mocking smile unbearable, feeling utterly humiliated and its heart bleeding with resentment.

It had originally planned to use its summoned bone spirits to seize the token from Li Qing, but now its scheme had backfired, forcing it to forfeit one of its own.

Meanwhile, commotion from other demon beasts echoed from the Great Rift Valley's perimeter, and the ground began to tremble.

Clearly, powerful demon beasts were rapidly approaching, promising a fierce battle for dominance.

Continuing their conflict now would benefit neither side.

After all, they were closest to the Tempering Life Spirit Pool, giving them an absolute advantage.

If they continued fighting, the other demon races would undoubtedly swoop in to reap the benefits.

Sensing the commotion outside the Great Rift Valley, the bone demon giant wolf hesitated no longer. It opened its massive maw and spat out a white, bone-like token.

Li Qing made a face of disgust, first using wisps of pill fire to burn away the saliva coating the token before finally taking it in hand.

"Let's go! Into the Spirit Pool!"

With a wave of his hand, Li Qing led Fan Tong, Ninth Insect, and the Terrorclaw Lizard into the Tempering Life Spirit Pool.

The bone demon giant wolf hesitated for a moment before swiftly following behind.

The Tempering Life Spirit Pool was now fully activated. Ahead, bathed in an intense green light, a series of cyan wooden platforms floated in the air.

These platforms were clearly the seats within the Tempering Life Spirit Pool. Only by stepping onto them could one harness the pool's abundant life energy to temper their fleshly body.

Even just approaching the edge of the Spirit Pool, Li Qing felt every cell in his body seemed to be cheering with joy.

The life energy here was simply overwhelming!

(End of the Chapter)

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