Chapter 1002: Late Divine Transformation Realm

Immediately afterward, Li Qing returned to his cave abode and began refining the bottleneck of the late divine transformation realm.

Advancing from the mid to late divine transformation realm was no easy feat. Even with the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit, Li Qing would still need to spend considerable time breaking through this barrier.

Inside the cave abode, he fully absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, continuously circulating the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art to accumulate mana, preparing to breach the fortified gate.

Over twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Hou Family Patriarch visited Li Qing again, this time bringing three top-grade fire attribute spirit stones.

As agreed, Li Qing handed over the less-than-full bottle of Spirit Devouring Beast essence blood.

Obtaining another bottle of Ancient Savage Beast essence blood, the Hou Family Patriarch's face lit up with joy. Without another word, he hurriedly departed.

"It seems the impending great war has made many in the city restless," Li Qing mused. "They're all desperately trying to enhance their strength, hoping to protect themselves in the coming chaos."

Li Qing naturally couldn't afford to slack off. He returned to his cave abode and intensified his efforts to break through to the late divine transformation realm.

Days passed, and the war between the Tree Demon Clan and the Giant Spirit Race grew increasingly fierce.

High-ranking figures from both sides, all body integration realm powerhouses, clashed in earth-shattering battles.

The Giant Spirit Race's vassal races, such as the Fur Clan and Fishfolk Clan, were also forced into the conflict, deploying their own powerful warriors to the battlefield.

The human race of Profound Ancient City was, of course, not spared from the turmoil.

Though the humans' strength was meager, rendering them incapable of playing a decisive role in the war, the Giant Spirit Race still assigned them missions and tasked City Lord Lingxu with drafting a contingent of human cultivators for logistical support.

True to his word, City Lord Lingxu refrained from assigning any duties to Li Qing, allowing him to continue his undisturbed cultivation.

Amidst the raging war, time continued to flow steadily.

The Tree Demon Clan launched a massive offensive, mobilizing their entire race. Many powerful tree demons, some previously unheard of, emerged from their hidden lairs.

But the Giant Spirit Race was no pushover. One after another, colossal giants were mobilized from their royal city and deployed to the battlefield.

With the participation of the Giant Spirit Race's powerhouses, the flames of war ignited by the Tree Demon Clan were forcibly contained in the central region of the Tonggu Continent, preventing the Tree Demons from advancing any further.

The central region held several strategically vital territories, most notably a massive Spirit Stone Vein, where the two races clashed fiercely.

This Spirit Stone Vein produced top-grade spirit stones, its value immeasurable. Neither race could afford to relinquish it, and they poured vast numbers of troops into the brutal struggle for control.

Just when everyone believed the stalemate would persist indefinitely, a piece of news that shook the entire Tonggu Continent spread like wildfire:

The Flying Spirit Clan had joined the war!

The Flying Spirit Clan, which had long maintained neutrality between the Giant Spirit Race and the Tree Demon Clan, had unexpectedly chosen to enter the conflict.

This revelation sent shockwaves through the continent, striking everyone as utterly absurd.

The Flying Spirit Clan's decision to side with the Tree Demon Clan defied all expectations.

Everyone knew that the Tree Demon Clan's Ancient Ancestral Tree was nearing its next great heavenly tribulation, with little chance of survival.

Meanwhile, the Giant Spirit Race's great ascension realm ancestor remained at the peak of his power, having weathered the perils of his own great heavenly tribulation.

The Flying Spirit Clan's decision was truly baffling.

When the news reached Profound Ancient City, the human cultivators were briefly thrown into a panic.

"It seems the Tree Demon Clan has truly gone all out this time, managing to persuade the Flying Spirit Clan to join their side," City Lord Lingxu sighed. Though he didn't know the specifics, he could guess that the deal involved astonishingly lucrative benefits.

With the Flying Spirit Clan's support, the scales of war gradually began to tip.

This was no weak clan; they boasted multiple body integration realm old monsters with astonishingly powerful bloodlines.

In a short span, casualties among the Giant Spirit Race skyrocketed on the battlefield.

At this critical juncture, Wild Bull Ridge remained silent, with no confirmed news emerging from their territory.

It was unclear whether they were still deliberating or if the Tree Demon Clan hadn't even attempted to court them.

As the war intensified, the Giant Spirit Race was forced to abandon less vital territories, concentrating their forces around strategic locations like massive spirit stone veins.

Under this grand momentum, the missions and burdens placed upon the human race in Profound Ancient City grew increasingly numerous and demanding.

Many human cultivators skilled in artifact refinement, formations, medicinal pills, and talismans were conscripted to support the rear lines of the battlefield.

Despite these reinforcements, the Giant Spirit Race remained at a significant disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Li Qing had reached the most critical stage of his cultivation.

He consumed one of his few remaining Earth Spirit Grass Fruits and pushed his cultivation technique to its absolute limit.

Boom!

The surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi suddenly surged violently, instantly forming a massive Spiritual Qi Tide.

A vast, surging wave of spiritual energy flooded into Li Qing's cave abode. His eyes snapped open, his pupils blazing with intense light.

He devoured every trace of heaven and earth spiritual qi without hesitation, channeling it through his four heavenly spirit fires to refine it into pure mana.

At the same time, the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit he had swallowed began releasing its stored energy.

As the spiritual power within his body reached a critical threshold, a faint sound like a cork being pulled from a bottle echoed within him.

Li Qing's aura erupted, surging upward in successive waves.

At that moment, he finally stepped into the late divine transformation realm, his mana surging with renewed potency.

"Huff! That was tough. I've finally reached the late divine transformation realm," Li Qing sighed, feeling the surge of mana within him.

Having reached this stage, he could now focus on accumulating his cultivation until he perfected the divine transformation realm.

Beyond that lay the void refinement realm!

Within the Heavenlight Secret Realm, Li Qing had refined a Violet Zenith Heavenly Light. This would significantly increase his chances of successfully advancing to the void refinement realm—a tremendous advantage.

"But there's still one problem: what to do about my cultivation technique?"

"The Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art I'm currently practicing only covers the divine transformation realm. There's no further cultivation content beyond that."

Li Qing murmured to himself, his brow furrowing slightly.

He wasn't lacking other cultivation techniques, but switching to a different one would require careful consideration.

The Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra, which he had created himself, was currently limited to the nascent soul realm, and he hadn't yet developed subsequent cultivation chapters.