Chapter 970: The Great Sun Annihilation Flame

The griffin in the early divine transformation realm was less fortunate. It was crushed to death by the Annihilation Furnace, its demon spirit unable to escape.

"Where do you think you can run?"

The griffin's demon spirit burrowed through the earth at breakneck speed. Once it broke free from the furnace's coverage, it soared toward the heavens.

"Not bad, but still not fast enough!"

Li Qing sneered. A pair of black-feathered bone wings materialized behind him.

Activating the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings while simultaneously channeling Kunpeng divine power from within, he increased his already formidable speed by more than half.

Whoosh!

His figure transformed into a streak of light as he gave chase.

"How can he be this fast?!" The Griffin Clan member's face paled in horror. Li Qing had suddenly closed the distance behind him, his speed far surpassing his own, rivaling even the void refinement cultivators of his clan.

"Wait... those black feathers... did you help Wild Bull Ridge kill Big Brother Chi Xiao?"

Li Qing remained silent, his expression utterly cold.

"Still have the nerve to worry about other things? Do you really think you can escape?"

As his words fell, Li Qing unleashed his full power. He poured every ounce of Kunpeng divine power within him into the Kunpeng Extreme Speed, pushing it to its absolute limit.

Boom!

The Griffin Clan member's terror intensified, not because Li Qing was about to catch him, but because he suddenly sensed a pressure emanating from Li Qing's human form, a pressure that resonated with his own bloodline.

He glanced back and saw the flapping human figure seemingly transforming into a Kunpeng, his form completely merging with the void.

That was the last image he saw. In the next instant, Li Qing's figure closed the distance and shattered his escaping demon spirit with a single finger.

Soon, a shower of light rained down, completely annihilating the Griffin Clan member, a late-stage divine transformation realm cultivator.

Having finished, Li Qing halted his movement and leisurely strolled back toward the scorched, blackened grassland behind him.

Along the way, he continuously assessed his own strength and evaluated his combat power.

"I can now easily kill ordinary late-stage divine transformation cultivators without expending much effort."

"However, the heavenly prodigies of various races would likely prove more challenging to deal with."

Examples include the Little Bull King of Wild Bull Ridge, the male and female Phoenix Birds of the Flying Spirit Clan, and the Giant Spirit Race itself!

"No information about any outstanding prodigies among the Giant Spirit Race's participants in the Heavenlight Secret Realm has surfaced. They seem to be hiding their abilities exceptionally well."

Despite this, Li Qing would never underestimate this formidable race.

The Giant Spirit Race was the most powerful race on the Tonggu Continent, rivaled only by the Tree Demon Clan. How could such a mighty race possibly lack exceptionally gifted middle-aged and younger generation prodigies?

The less news that circulated about it, the more it proved its extraordinary nature. Even the Giant Spirit Race was reluctant to reveal it prematurely, keeping all information about it concealed.

Returning to the previous battlefield, Li Qing retrieved the Annihilation Furnace and began cleaning up the area.

"A pity the heat was a bit too high. The wings of both Griffins are now charred beyond recognition."

Li Qing clicked his tongue, a hint of regret in his voice.

Fortunately, the essence blood within both Griffin corpses remained intact. Li Qing extracted it all and filled eight white jade bottles.

Though it couldn't compare to the essence blood of Ancient Savage Beasts, it was still valuable. Many body refiners in Profound Ancient City would undoubtedly clamor for it.

"Hmm, these two Griffins carry quite a few spirit stones—over a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones in total. To bring so many to the Heavenlight Secret Realm..."

Li Qing clicked his tongue, his face beaming with delight as he pocketed all the spirit stones.

Although spirit stones weren't widely circulated within Profound Ancient City, they remained hard currency on other continents.

Over a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones—that was an incredibly substantial sum, even exceeding the wealth of some void refinement cultivators.

This was an unexpected windfall, and Li Qing's heart swelled with joy.

Apart from the spirit stones, the two Griffins didn't possess many other items of value. Li Qing barely glanced at them, too lazy to even inventory them. He simply stuffed everything into his storage bag, saving it as a rainy-day stash.

Next, he removed the wings of the two Griffins—a total of eight pairs of fleshy wings. Unfortunately, they had been charred to a crisp, still coated in ash.

After a quick cleanup, Li Qing sprinkled them with salt for simple seasoning and began devouring them in large bites.

"The taste is slightly bitter," he muttered. "The fire was too intense. It overcooked the meat, making it tough."

"These Griffin wings probably have poor meat quality to begin with. They'd be better suited for making soup."

"Still, the conditions in the Heavenlight Secret Realm are harsh, so I can't afford to be picky."

And so, Li Qing devoured every last bit of the four-winged Griffin' wings.

He felt a surge of vital energy coursing through his body, a sign that he had overindulged.

Without hesitation, Li Qing sat cross-legged on the ground and began refining the dense life essence to nourish himself.

Just then, a radiant pillar of light suddenly erupted in the distant sky.

Buzz!

Li Qing, who was refining the essence, jolted awake and opened his eyes, turning toward the source of the light.

"What's going on? Could a rare treasure or opportunity be emerging?"

Li Qing narrowed his eyes. He had been exploring the Fluorescent Grassland for several days, searching every corner, but hadn't seen even a single Earth Spirit Grass Fruit.

This vast grassland was too extensive to fully explore in just a few days. Apart from encountering the two Griffin, Li Qing had gained nothing.

"It seems there's an anomaly in the Fluorescent Grassland. Should I go take a look?"

After a moment's thought, he decided to check it out, hoping to join the commotion.

Protected by the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, he was confident he could hold his own against opponents on the level of the Little Bull King, at least for a while, and wouldn't need to flee in panic upon first contact.

Moreover, the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit was of great importance to him.

With this thought, Li Qing shot forward, transforming into a rainbow streak across the night sky, like a shooting star.

Whoosh!

Beyond Li Qing, figures soared into the air from all corners of the Fluorescent Grassland, streaking toward the radiant pillar of light.

The dazzling, eye-searing beam made the anomaly visible even from great distances.

Even those outside the Fluorescent Grassland noticed the disturbance.

In an instant, the grassland became a convergence point for all manner of forces.