Chapter 1013: The Great Ascension Clash

After returning to his cave abode, Li Qing resumed his deep secluded cultivation.

He remained completely oblivious to the clamorous wars raging outside, focusing solely on his arduous pursuit of the immortal cultivation path.

During the early stages of this seclusion, Li Qing first refined the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art anew.

The new chapters of the cultivation technique he had comprehended in the Fire Domain were now more complete, leading to minor adjustments across all previous realms.

This refinement process consumed several months.

Although Li Qing's cultivation level didn't increase, he reaped significant benefits.

The circulation of mana within his body became smoother, and his mana reserves grew considerably. This refinement proved to be nothing short of a metamorphosis.

"If I advance to the void refinement realm in the future, I can ascend directly without any bottlenecks and seamlessly integrate the cultivation technique," Li Qing exhaled deeply, his aura now far more condensed. Having fully assimilated the cultivation technique, he finally stabilized his cultivation realm, which he had only recently broken through to the late divine transformation stage.

He still possessed several Earth Spirit Grass Fruits, but he wasn't in a rush to use them to enhance his cultivation.

He planned to accumulate more experience and deepen his understanding of his current realm, ensuring a solid foundation.

Next, he began studying the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra, which he had obtained from Fallen Soul Mountain.

The entire contents of the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra were deeply imprinted in his sea of consciousness, every detail laid bare before him.

"This is somewhat different from what I imagined. The disparity between this and the Kunpeng Treasure Technique is significant; it's not a true True Spirit Inheritance."

After careful study, Li Qing gained considerable insight into the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra. He had initially assumed it would be similar to the Kunpeng Treasure Technique, allowing him to cultivate True Spirit divine power within his body.

However, this was not the case. The Nine Serpent Heart Sutra originated from a race that worshipped the true spirit nine-headed serpent, rather than being a direct inheritance from the serpent itself.

"This is quite peculiar. This heart method isn't a cultivation technique in the traditional sense. Its scope is remarkably broad, making the term 'heart method' particularly apt."

The Nine Serpent Heart Sutra is divided into three layers. The first layer is straightforward and easily understood. Once mastered, it directly enhances the fleshly body, mana, and divine soul, providing tangible and comprehensive benefits suitable for any being.

However, the second layer of cultivation becomes significantly more profound and intricate.

The second layer involves nurturing a Serpent Spirit. This requires obtaining essence blood from a serpentine demon beast, the stronger the better.

At this stage, one must implant the demon beast's essence blood into their own body and nourish it using their divine soul, mana, and qi and blood.

Once cultivated, a Serpent Spirit would manifest within the body. This spirit not only assisted in combat but could also merge with the cultivator, transforming them into the Snake Aspect and unleashing power far beyond their normal limits.

The third layer was even more bizarre, involving sacrifice.

Upon mastering this layer, one could sacrifice their painstakingly nurtured Serpent Spirit to an unknown entity.

However, this sacrifice often granted temporary access to unfathomable, terrifying power. If the Serpent Spirit was of exceptional quality, it might even allow the cultivator to borrow the power of a true spirit!

"So, all the previous cultivation efforts would be wasted," Li Qing mused. "Still, as a last resort in dire circumstances, it's quite a useful trump card."

Sacrificing the Serpent Spirit to gain unknown power, potentially even borrowing the strength of a true spirit...

In a life-or-death crisis, this would indeed provide an additional means to break free from the predicament.

"In that case, the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra is worth cultivating after all. At the very least, the amplification gained from mastering the first layer is considerable enough that I shouldn't abandon it lightly."

As for the subsequent two layers, Li Qing wasn't in a rush to cultivate them, especially since he currently lacked high-quality demonic beast essence blood from serpentine creatures.

With this in mind, Li Qing resolved to dedicate his time and energy to cultivating the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra, focusing intently on comprehending the first layer.

Although the sutra's contents were imprinted in his mind, attempting to cultivate it proved far more challenging than he had anticipated.

The heart method was notoriously difficult to master, its passages dense with arcane complexities. Even Li Qing's void refinement realm divine soul struggled to grasp its intricacies within a short period.

Fortunately, Li Qing possessed unwavering patience. Undeterred by the arduous cultivation path, he plunged deeper into its depths with relentless determination.

Time slipped by unnoticed, day after day, until several months had vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the outside world, the war between the Giant Spirit Race and the Tree Demon Clan had reached a fever pitch. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, with even body integration realm old monsters falling in battle.

As for the human race in Profound Ancient City, these days had been far from peaceful.

Even though they were stationed behind the front lines, providing support, the immortal dao war was fraught with unpredictable dangers.

Consequently, the human reinforcement teams had also sustained significant losses. Several divine transformation realm cultivators and powerful body refiners had perished, their bodies never recovered.

By this stage of the war, it should have been a fight to the death. Yet, both races had mysteriously ceased hostilities.

For over ten days, the fighting ground fell silent. No one knew what had transpired during this period.

When violent spiritual power fluctuations erupted from beyond the Tonggu Continent, the continent's powerhouses realized that the ancestors of the two races had finally clashed.

Once this was confirmed, the entire Tonggu Continent fell into a deathly silence. No one dared to act rashly, all patiently awaiting the outcome of the ancestors' battle.

The extreme spiritual power fluctuations, even at such a vast distance, clearly conveyed their terrifying might.

This was merely a clash in the void beyond the continent. Had the battle occurred within the continent, the very heavens would likely have been torn asunder, plunging the entire Tonggu Continent into a great calamity.

Even Li Qing, who had been in secluded cultivation, couldn't resist emerging from his seclusion.

He gazed skyward, his eyes filled with awe as he looked toward the location where the two great ascension realm experts were locked in combat.

"Truly overwhelming," Li Qing murmured to himself. "Even at this distance, I feel an instinctive sense of suppression."

Although the Giant Spirit Ancestor had exuded great confidence in his attitude toward the Tree Demon Clan's ancient ancestor during their confrontation in the Fire Domain, the latter was, after all, an ancient ancestral tree that had lived for countless ages. Both being at the great ascension realm, the difference in their strength couldn't be too significant.

The battle between the two clans' ancient ancestors raged for a full seven days. As the aftershocks gradually subsided, the powerhouses of all races grew increasingly anxious.

They desperately sought to know the outcome of this pivotal clash, for it would profoundly impact the future of the Tonggu Continent, potentially reshaping its entire landscape.

Even the humans in Profound Ancient City were on edge. If the Giant Spirit Ancestor were to fall, their future prospects would undoubtedly become precarious.