Chapter 968: Refining the Treasure Robe

"Tsk, another strange script. Now that I'm in the spirit realm, I've become illiterate. Apart from the Spirit Realm Common Language, I can't recognize a single other script."

Li Qing sighed deeply and forced himself to examine the Spirit Gold Page.

Beyond the text, it was filled with bizarre, talisman-like diagrams and patterns, making it seem like he was looking at an indecipherable tome.

Yet these peculiar characters were strangely taxing. After staring at them for a short while, Li Qing felt a dizzying mental fatigue.

"The content on this Spirit Gold Page must be extraordinary. Merely imprinting three or four bytes of its runes into my sea of consciousness placed such an overwhelming burden on my divine soul."

"Let alone not recognizing this script, even if I could, I doubt I could comprehend this page for long right now."

Still, having obtained it, there was no reason to discard it. He stored it in his storage bag, hoping to learn the script someday.

"I need to make language learning a priority. The spirit realm is vast and teeming with diverse races. Knowing more languages will always be beneficial."

"Otherwise, even the most precious inheritance would remain incomprehensible."

Li Qing's intuition told him that the value of this Spirit Gold Page might rival that of the earth-grade spiritual treasure, the Golden Threaded Robe, he'd acquired earlier.

Having thoroughly scoured the lakebed chamber, Li Qing found it completely stripped of any remaining valuables.

The only item of remaining value was the Crystal Coffin, but it wasn't particularly precious, and Li Qing didn't want to push his luck too far.

"Thank you for your generosity, Senior. I shall take my leave!"

With that, Li Qing retreated from the chamber and soared upward, bursting through the lake's surface.

Splash!

A tall figure emerged from the water with a splash.

The herd of wild deer drinking at the lakeside scattered in panic, startled by the sudden appearance.

"Phew! Finally out. I'll fly west and find a place to refine the Golden Thread Treasure Robe."

Li Qing took a deep breath after breaking free from the lake and set off westward.

His haul was substantial, and he needed to carefully digest it to convert it into personal strength.

The area was primarily mountainous, with rolling hills dotting the landscape.

After flying for about two days, Li Qing still hadn't seen any familiar landmarks or other cultivators who had entered the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

"This secret realm is truly vast. Not a single soul in sight," Li Qing frowned slightly. He finally descended and casually concealed himself behind one of the hills.

As night fell, Li Qing decided to begin the initial phase of master recognition with the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, to ensure he could use it without delay in case of any accidents.

He was quite familiar with this process. In just over a day, the robe had already been imbued with his aura and refined multiple times.

"This should be sufficient for now," he said.

With a slight movement of his willpower, the Golden Thread Treasure Robe materialized, clinging tightly to his body.

A mere injection of mana would cause the robe to emit a protective spiritual light. This light would render him immune to standard attacks from the Divine Transformation realm, whether they came from spells, divine abilities, physical force, or soul attacks.

Of course, special powers like the Kunpeng divine power would still be effective.

But this was only a preliminary activation. If he unleashed its full power...

Under the night sky, a blinding golden light erupted. Li Qing's towering figure seemed to don golden armor, and behind him flowed a cape of golden light, making him appear like an immortal warrior descending to the mortal world.

The overwhelming aura of the spirit treasure swept outward. Li Qing felt as if he were enveloped in a thick layer of spirit metal, rendering even ordinary attacks from the Void Refinement realm virtually ineffective against his defenses.

"What a powerful spirit treasure," Li Qing thought. "But fully activating it consumes too much mana. Even with the primordial qi of heaven and earth, it still requires a massive amount of mana."

"With the amount of primordial qi I can currently mobilize, I can only barely maintain the Golden Thread Treasure Robe at seven-tenths of its full power."

"Of course, this is partly because my refinement of the treasure isn't deep enough."

If he reached the late divine transformation realm, he should be able to barely unleash the robe's full power. But to control it as easily as his own arm, he would need to reach the void refinement realm.

Once he advanced to the void refinement realm, his control over the primordial qi would expand dramatically, and the mana within his body would multiply severalfold!

The golden light receded as Li Qing deactivated the Golden Thread Treasure Robe's defenses. He was more than satisfied with the spirit treasure's power.

"Good. Now I can search for other opportunities within the Heavenlight Secret Realm."

A smile playing on his lips, Li Qing soared into the sky and continued his journey westward.

After another two or three days and nights of continuous flight, Li Qing finally left the mountainous region behind.

The terrain ahead gradually leveled out, and a vast grassland stretched before Li Qing's eyes.

This grassland was unique. At night, countless peculiar spirit grasses glowed brightly, resembling stars scattered across the earth.

"Finally, I've reached the location from the intelligence reports. This must be the Fluorescent Grassland."

Seeing this, Li Qing finally understood his position within the secret realm.

This area lay in the eastern part of the central region. According to the intelligence of various races, the Fluorescent Grassland was extremely important.

For within this grassland grew a precious spirit herb: the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit!

The Earth Spirit Grass Fruit was one of Li Qing's primary objectives for entering the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

Not only he, but all the other races also valued this fruit highly, ensuring fierce competition.

"If my predictions are correct, I should encounter members of other races here."

Previously, he might have felt nervous, but now, with an earth-grade spiritual treasure in his possession, he was confident he could contend with the heavenly prodigies of the powerful clans.

Bathed in moonlight, Li Qing's figure flashed through the air, transforming into a streak of light as he swiftly plunged into the vast Fluorescent Grassland.

Shortly after he left, low bushes erupted from the ground where he had stood.

"Hmph, just a human divine transformation cultivator."

"The fish is too small to warrant casting the net. We'll wait for a bigger catch."

"..."

A muffled voice faded away, and the bushes that had erupted from the earth retracted into the soil, vanishing as if they had never existed.