Chapter 958: Greatly Enhanced Strength

"The Flying Spirit Clan isn't one to be trifled with. Golden Roc's willingness to withdraw so readily stems from the fact that Wild Bull Ridge was the true instigator of this incident."

"Very well, I won't linger any longer. Your city affairs must be pressing. I'll leave you to your business."

With that, Gu Tian strode away with earth-shaking steps, his massive form shaking the ground as he departed.

Among the Flying Spirit Clan forces already soaring into the distance, one member voiced his discontent:

"Ancestor Golden Roc, are we truly letting this go? The human race grows increasingly arrogant. Relying on their alliance with the Giant Spirit Race, they even dare to aid Wild Bull Ridge's rabble in assassinating our clan's elites!"

Golden Roc Ancestor replied grimly, "Of course not. The Heavenlight Secret Realm is about to open. To survive his impending tribulation, Lingxu will undoubtedly send his four strongest divine transformation cultivators into it."

"Since they're the four strongest divine transformation cultivators, the human cultivator who dared to harm my disciple must be among them."

"Tell Azure Phoenix and Red Phoenix to keep a close eye on those human cultivators entering the Heavenlight Secret Realm."

As he spoke, the Golden Roc Ancestor's voice grew colder.

He had clearly understood Gu Tian's unspoken message: the list of entrants for the Heavenlight Secret Realm had already been submitted, and no changes would be permitted.

Anyone who failed to appear would likely be the culprit, the human cultivator who had harmed his disciple.

In Profound Ancient City, the human residents breathed a collective sigh of relief as they sensed the departure of the terrifying Golden Roc Elder, experiencing the elation of surviving a near-death experience.

"Phew, we made it."

"It was the Giant Spirit Race's intervention that saved us. Otherwise, today's outcome would have been unimaginable."

"Body integration realm experts are truly terrifying. I still haven't recovered from the shock."

"Who was it who brought this disaster upon Profound Ancient City? We almost lost our lives because of them!"

"..."

After the survivors' initial relief, a wave of grief washed over them.

The death toll was staggering, with casualties reaching into the millions, the vast majority being mortals without any cultivation.

The entire city was plunged into grief and desolation. Some mourned, some wept, some blamed, some seethed with hatred—each trapped in their own torment.

Li Qing stood outside his cave abode, gazing down at the myriad faces of Profound Ancient City. He sighed deeply.

"The past cannot be undone, but the future can still be shaped."

"The Flying Spirit Clan's arrogance stems from the human race's weakness. Wild Bull Ridge was the true instigator, yet the Flying Spirit Clan only dares to harass Profound Ancient City."

"And ultimately, the Night Owl Clan's void refinement realm expert brought his death upon himself."

Li Qing shook his head, once again feeling the weight of his own inadequacy.

If I had reached the body integration realm, or even the great ascension realm, the human race wouldn't have suffered such a calamity today.

He turned and retreated into his cave abode, resolving to cultivate with unwavering focus.

The compensation demanded from Profound Ancient City was astronomical. With the death of a void refinement realm cultivator, even City Lord Lingxu's entire fortune would barely cover the debt.

This debt could only be repaid over a century, requiring annual shipments of vast quantities of spirit stones, spirit pills, spirit herbs, and other invaluable resources to the Flying Spirit Clan.

For the next hundred years, Profound Ancient City would have to tighten its belt and endure hardship.

Thus, a peaceful year passed in the blink of an eye.

The human residents of the city gradually emerged from their grief, realizing that life must go on regardless.

During this year, a cultivator in the divine transformation realm perished during his eighth minor heavenly tribulation. Having cultivated the Dao for 3,600 spirit realm years, he was considered a long-lived figure among cultivators in his realm.

Yet, failing to overcome the heavenly tribulation, he ultimately turned to calamity ash.

Without reaching the void refinement realm, even in the spirit realm, true immortality and carefree existence remained elusive.

Due to the incident outside Giant Spirit Royal City, relations between the Flying Spirit Clan and Wild Bull Ridge plummeted to freezing point. The tension between the two clans grew increasingly palpable, hinting at imminent war.

Rumor had it that their body integration realm leaders had already clashed in secret on multiple occasions, but the details remained shrouded in mystery.

The waters of Tonggu Continent grew ever murkier.

Moreover, the opening of the Heavenlight Secret Realm was drawing near. In less than a few months, all races would send cultivators below the void refinement realm into the realm to compete for opportunities.

For every race on the Tonggu Continent, the opening of the Heavenlight Secret Realm was a momentous event, and they would spare no effort in preparing for it.

Legend had it that after each expedition into the Heavenlight Secret Realm, each race would gain one or two new void refinement realm experts, who would become pillars of their clans and whose future dao paths would be bright.

Li Qing had also made the most thorough preparations he could.

Over the past year, he had used all the Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits he possessed to refine Jade Bone Pills, which he then sold to the Golden Abundance Trading Company in exchange for merit points.

With over a million merit points at his disposal, Li Qing naturally exchanged them for numerous Brahma Clarity Pills to enhance his cultivation and maximize his strength.

Boom!

Within Li Qing's cave abode, a surge of spiritual energy erupted, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy like a tide, condensing it into a dense torrent that poured into his body.

The area affected by the spiritual energy's turbulence expanded rapidly, drawing in the spiritual energy from several nearby Floating Islands as well.

As the Spiritual Qi Tide surged into him, Li Qing's aura grew increasingly formidable, climbing steadily until it reached its peak.

"Hah!"

Seated cross-legged in his cave abode, Li Qing exhaled deeply and slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.

Mid divine transformation realm!

"After consuming so many Brahma Clarity Pills, I've finally reached the mid divine transformation realm. It truly wasn't easy."

Having ascended to the spirit realm less than three years ago, he had already advanced to the mid divine transformation realm—a remarkably rapid pace of cultivation. Had he remained in the lower realm, he would never have been able to progress so quickly.

This progress was thanks to the spirit realm's abundant cultivation resources, the Brahma Clarity Pills, and his own innate aptitude with all five spirit roots.

Moreover, Li Qing's progress over the past year wasn't limited to his mana; his fleshly body had also grown significantly stronger.

With a subtle mental command, the bones and tendons within his body transformed into a substance as lustrous as jade!

His strength had surged dramatically!

"If I were to encounter Mo Ying again, defeating him wouldn't require much effort."

As he spoke, he clenched his fist, producing a crisp cracking sound.

"But this still isn't enough. Entering the Heavenlight Secret Realm means facing heavenly prodigies from all races."

"Although the cultivation limit is set at below the void refinement realm, that only applies to their realm. There will undoubtedly be opponents who possess combat power equivalent to the void refinement realm while still in the divine transformation realm."

"I need to find other ways to enhance my self-preservation capabilities!"