Chapter 1003: Fire Domain

After advancing to the late divine transformation realm, Li Qing temporarily halted his arduous cultivation. His immediate priority was to stabilize his mana, which felt somewhat unstable after the breakthrough and required careful consolidation.

Moreover, his supply of Earth Spirit Grass Fruit was dwindling, far from sufficient to sustain him until he reached the perfected divine transformation stage.

"It's time to prioritize refining the second killing sword," he mused.

Li Qing held high expectations for this blade, given the exceptional quality of its spiritual materials. Both the Ghost Eye Purple Gold and the segment of jade bamboo were rare treasures, virtually impossible to find in the mortal realm.

The jade bamboo, in particular, originated from a bamboo demon of the Tree Demon Clan. Its selection for deployment to the Heavenlight Secret Realm underscored its extraordinary potential.

"This refinement must yield at least a Profound-Grade Spirit Treasure."

"The Ghost Eye Purple Gold's boundless adaptability makes it ideal for crafting the Immortal-Trapping Sword. Combined with the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, the dual blades could pose a significant threat even to cultivators in the void refinement realm."

Li Qing murmured to himself, mentally outlining the refinement process for the Immortal-Trapping Sword.

Soon, he retrieved a scroll of handwritten notes he had obtained from the underground chamber beneath the lake in the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

Among the inheritances contained within the scroll were techniques related to artifact refinement, including the method of refining artifacts into crystal silk.

"This aligns perfectly with my own ideas," Li Qing mused. "I'll refine the Ghost Eye Purple Gold Hammer into a vast quantity of Immortal Crystal Silk, then fuse it all into the jade bamboo to forge the Immortal-Trapping Sword."

These Immortal Crystal Silk strands possessed a unique property: they were exceptionally adept at evading detection by divine sense. Even Li Qing himself had nearly failed to notice their presence initially.

Refining the Immortal-Trapping Sword using this method perfectly matched Li Qing's expectations for this killing sword.

The Immortal-Trapping Sword was renowned for its elusive nature and boundless transformations.

Both the inherent properties of Ghost Eye Purple Gold and the jade bamboo itself perfectly met these requirements.

"Refining the Ghost Eye Purple Gold with my own spirit fire would likely take a considerable amount of time. I'll need to find a suitable location for weapon refinement first."

Li Qing's eyes flickered with thought, and his mind naturally drifted to one place:

The Fire Domain of Tonggu Continent!

Divided into nine layers, the Fire Domain had long piqued Li Qing's curiosity. He wanted to explore its depths and see if he could obtain a heavenly spirit fire from within.

Many powerful cultivators on the Tonggu Continent chose the Fire Domain as their weapon refinement grounds. Even old monsters in the void refinement and body integration realms had ventured there to refine their magic treasures using the domain's extraordinary flames.

As an artifact refiner, Li Qing was naturally filled with curiosity about the Fire Domain.

Having finally found some free time, he decided to explore the Fire Domain immediately.

Without delay, he set out, but before departing, Li Qing resolved to gather as much information about the Fire Domain as possible.

After all, this was no ordinary, benign place. The Fire Domain was undoubtedly fraught with peril.

Beyond the fifth layer, the domain's strange flames grew increasingly dangerous, posing a significant threat even to cultivators in the void refinement realm and above.

Throughout history, countless powerful cultivators had rashly ventured into the Fire Domain, only to meet their demise within its fiery depths.

Information about the Fire Domain wasn't particularly secretive and could be easily obtained within Profound Ancient City.

Without much effort, Li Qing gathered a wealth of information about the Fire Domain.

"Legend has it that when the spirit realm first opened, a fragment of the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Fire fell to the mortal world. One ember landed on the Tonggu Continent, eventually forming the Fire Domain we know today."

"In the remote antiquity, a Golden Crow and a fire phoenix clashed in a fierce battle. The Fire Domain was formed from the aftermath of their Fire Dao Divine Power collision and has persisted to this day."

Li Qing shook his head, skeptical of these accounts.

These were baseless rumors, steeped in mythic exaggeration and utterly unreliable.

"Still, it indirectly confirms the Fire Domain's mysterious origins. There might indeed be some hidden secrets within."

He then reviewed recent reports related to the Fire Domain.

The domain was indeed a prime location for weapon refinement among powerful cultivators. Experts from various races had personally visited the Fire Domain. Legend even claimed that the ancient ancestor of the Giant Spirit Race had once used the domain to refine a secret treasure in his early years.

With so much evidence pointing to the Fire Domain's extraordinary nature, Li Qing, as an artifact refiner, felt he would be missing out if he didn't personally explore this legendary realm.

After thoroughly reviewing the information, Li Qing pondered for a long while.

"The Fire Domain is undoubtedly fraught with danger. Once past the fifth pass, extreme caution will be required."

"However, I possess four heavenly spirit fires. Perhaps I can use them to venture deeper."

With these thoughts, Li Qing resolved to depart immediately, without further delay.

Having already gathered all the spiritual materials needed to refine his killing sword, there was no reason to procrastinate.

With this in mind, Li Qing retrieved the City Lord's Secret Edict from City Lord Lingxu and left Profound Ancient City unimpeded.

The Fire Domain lay some distance from Profound Ancient City. Even traveling at full speed, it would take Li Qing at least several dozen days to reach his destination.

After leaving the city, Li Qing soared into the high skies. Using his powerful divine sense, he completely concealed his aura. Finally, he concealed his physical form within the thick clouds above, making his journey significantly safer.

With the Great War of the Two Races reaching a critical juncture, he had no desire to be dragged into the conflict.

Soon, a faint silver radiance emanated from Li Qing's body, enveloping him in a silvery glow.

In the next instant, he seemed to merge into the void itself, making it nearly impossible to detect his presence with the naked eye.

Activating the Spatial Wonder Light to its full potential, Li Qing combined the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings with the Kunpeng divine power within his body. With this triple amplification, his current speed far exceeded the limits of the divine transformation stage.

Even cultivators in the void refinement realm might struggle to match Li Qing's escape speed.

He traveled without stopping. At night, a faint silver streak could be seen darting through the starlit sky like a fleeting meteor.

However, the journey to the Fire Domain was long, and unexpected encounters were inevitable.

Along the way, a powerful Giant Spirit Race warrior intercepted Li Qing.

Mistaking him for a member of the Flying Spirit Clan due to the conspicuous wings on his back, the giant sneered, "So you're just a winged human? I thought you were one of those pesky Flying Spirit Clan whelps."

The giant stood like a mountain, clad in thick armor, his head reaching the clouds. Li Qing felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from him—a body integration realm powerhouse!

"Junior Li Qing greets Senior of the Giant Spirit Race!" Li Qing quickly declared his identity, taking a deep breath.

The Giant Spirit Race old monster slowly replied, "Why are you fleeing with such urgency? What's your destination?"

Daring not to conceal his intentions, Li Qing directly stated his plan to reach the Fire Domain.