Translator: AnubisTL
After subduing the ninth insect, Li Qing didn't immediately store it in his spirit beast pouch.
The pouch was already occupied by Fan Tong, and it couldn't accommodate both Fan Tong and the ninth insect simultaneously.
After allowing the ninth insect to rest and recuperate for a while, Li Qing and Lin Jing mounted it and set off.
To their surprise, the ninth insect's soft, pliable body proved far more comfortable to ride than Fan Tong's back, offering both stability and speed.
If aesthetics weren't a concern, riding the ninth insect would be an excellent travel option in the future.
Of course, after enduring a series of battles in the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing's mana reserves were severely depleted.
Riding the ninth insect did manage to conserve a small amount of mana, which was one of its few advantages.
Thus, the ninth insect, still in a dazed state, dutifully carried Li Qing and Lin Jing forward without complaint.
"Master, are we heading back now?" Lin Jing asked, patting the ninth insect's soft body as she lay sprawled across its back.
Li Qing retrieved a sheet of uniquely textured paper from his storage pouch, etched with intricate lines.
"Let's not head back yet," he said. "Since we're already in the Autumn Mountain Domain, we might as well check this place out. It'll save us the trouble later."
Unfolding the map, Li Qing's gaze settled on one corner.
This was a map he had obtained from the Blood Lotus Sect's book pavilion, detailing information about a secret realm within the Autumn Mountain Domain. Within that realm lay a heavenly spirit fire that had haunted Li Qing's thoughts ever since he first learned of it.
This concerned his second heavenly spirit fire—he absolutely had to investigate!
"I wonder if we can still enter that secret realm now that the End of Dao Era has begun," Li Qing murmured to himself.
Unfortunately, Yue Qiusheng had died too abruptly, leaving him no chance to ask about such matters.
Logically, each secret realm should be an independent space, or rather, a miniature world.
Just like the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm he had discovered in the Azure Ridge Domain, or the Cold Wind Secret Realm within the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains!
The opening conditions for these secret realms varied. Some required special tokens, while others could be forcibly opened by cultivators using their true essence to carve a path.
The presence of heaven and earth spiritual energy was largely irrelevant. Even in the End of Dao Era, Independent Space Secret Realms remained stable and impervious to collapse.
Such places existed since ancient times and would persist indefinitely unless subjected to catastrophic destruction.
The Cold Wind Secret Realm, for instance, had been opened through the combined efforts of Ancestor Devourer of Heaven and Ancestor Bing Yun of the Lingyun Sect. Although Li Qing was now a core formation realm cultivator himself, he still lacked confidence in his ability to replicate such a feat.
"Hmm, worrying about this now is pointless. Let's get there first," Li Qing muttered, shaking his head. He firmly memorized the map's route and transmitted the precise coordinates to ninth insect via divine sense.
Receiving the command, ninth insect obediently began moving toward the designated location.
At this moment, ninth insect once again demonstrated its remarkable endurance. Despite having recently survived a relentless pursuit, it remained full of energy and recovered swiftly.
Strange beasts were now scarce in the Autumn Mountain Domain. Even the occasional encounter posed no obstacle, as Ninth Insect devoured them all.
Along the way, they occasionally encountered people from the Autumn Mountain Domain. But upon seeing Ninth Insect, they were terrified out of their wits and fled at the first opportunity.
Thus, they arrived at the location Li Qing had indicated without incident.
Autumn Mountain Domain: a rugged mountain range.
This mountain ridge had been severed in the middle, clearly not by natural forces but by some mysterious, artificial means!
Due to the End of Dao Era and the sun's subsequent extinction, the mountain range now appeared barren and desolate.
Most remarkably, not even mushrooms grew here.
Only jagged rocks littered the landscape, devoid of any mushrooms or strange beasts!
"Hmm..."
Li Qing extended his divine sense, detecting something unusual.
"The terrain here is quite complex. This place might have once been a Spirit Vein Land!"
Slowly rising to his feet on Ninth Insect's back, Li Qing surveyed the surroundings with his naked eyes.
Unfortunately, Li Qing wasn't a feng shui master and couldn't discern the true nature of the terrain. He would need to consult a specialist to determine what made this place so extraordinary.
If this had once been a spiritual vein, it meant immortals would undoubtedly have been drawn here.
Yet when Li Qing meticulously scanned the area with his divine sense, he found no trace of previous immortal habitation.
Logically, a Spirit Vein Land would naturally attract cultivators to establish cave abodes and cultivate using the abundant spiritual energy.
But here, there wasn't even a hint of a thatched hut, let alone a cave abode.
"Stay here and don't move," Li Qing instructed, his expression growing serious. With a single step, he soared into the air above the mountain ridge.
Seeing her master's grave demeanor, Lin Jing couldn't help but worry. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, "Master, be careful!"
"Don't worry," Li Qing replied, his hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the ridge. "Even if this place holds ancient mysteries, we're in the End of Dao Era now. It can't stir up any real trouble."
If his intuition was correct, the independent grotto-heaven secret realm should lie at the break in this mountain ridge.
As for the strange terrain surrounding him, Li Qing was at a loss.
Each profession has its specialization. As an artifact refiner, his ability to discern the unusual nature of this terrain was already quite remarkable.
Without hesitation, Li Qing slowly extended his hand and unleashed a condensed scarlet true essence strike, aiming directly at the fractured ridge.
Boom!
The true essence, which should have shattered the mountain rock in a single blow, instead dissipated into the air like a mud ox sinking into the sea.
Moments later, faint spatial distortions rippled through the air ahead.
"I was right. The entrance to the secret realm must be here," Li Qing murmured, narrowing his eyes. He stepped forward through the void, arriving at the spot where the spatial ripples had appeared.
He formed hand seals before him, regulated his breathing, and channeled the remaining true essence within his body.
"Open!"
With a low roar, Li Qing unleashed a crimson pillar of true essence from his hands, continuously bombarding the void ahead.
He was emulating the actions of Ancestor Devourer of Heaven and Ancestor Bing Yun, forcibly opening the secret realm's passage with his immense mana.
Without knowing if there were other special methods to open this secret realm, Li Qing could only rely on his immense mana to force his way through.
Boom!
Li Qing's mana was being rapidly depleted as the tremors in the space ahead intensified.
Finally, under Lin Jing's awestruck gaze, a fissure appeared in the space before them!
Such a feat was utterly extraordinary!
If only I could learn such techniques, Lin Jing thought, a pang of inexplicable disappointment rising within her. How wonderful it would be to be as powerful as my master.
In the air, Li Qing didn't relax even after the fissure appeared.
He continued to channel his mana into the secret realm, striving to widen the opening.
After all, this was a mysterious and unknown secret realm. Rushing recklessly through the fissure without assessing the situation would be foolish.
Just as Li Qing's mana reserves began to dwindle, the fissure finally expanded significantly!
The secret realm had opened a passage for Li Qing!
(End of the Chapter)
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