Chapter 980: Fallen Soul Mountain

He was naturally tempted by this opportunity, but unfortunately, he had a mission in this secret realm.

The City Lord Lingxu's great heavenly tribulation was imminent, and his primary task here was to collect Creation Origin Liquid for him.

Thus, he shook his head and declined the invitation. "No, I must collect Creation Origin Liquid for City Lord Lingxu."

"We've already wasted too much time. I need to depart immediately."

The bull-headed men didn't press the matter. They laughed heartily, "Excellent! Then we shall part ways here. We'll meet again at Condensed Light Lake!"

Gu Li also stood up, brushing the flower petals from his clothes as he turned to Li Qing. "Brother Li, I must take my leave as well. Before entering, an elder in my clan instructed me to personally inspect a certain place. I can't return without doing so."

"Let us bid farewell then. Until we meet again at Condensed Light Lake!"

Li Qing nodded in agreement. "Safe travels, Brother Gu Li!"

With that, the group dispersed. The Flying Spirit Clan, now leaderless, considered for a moment before deciding to take the Azure Phoenix Saintess and depart.

After leaving the Fluorescent Grassland, Li Qing didn't immediately head toward the potential location of the Creation Origin Liquid. Instead, he found a secluded spot to hide himself.

"Though time is tight, it's best to consume an Earth Spirit Grass Fruit first to strengthen myself."

As he spoke, he retrieved his haul from the trip: ten perfectly round, plump fruits floating in the air, radiating a soft, hazy glow.

Each fruit was nourished by the Heavenly Light, falling to the great earth and absorbing its essence. Within them lay a trace of the Heavenly Light's properties, capable of strengthening one's foundation.

Li Qing casually selected an Earth Spirit Grass Fruit and popped it into his mouth.

Crunch!

A burst of rich juice erupted in his mouth. The fruit was exceptionally sweet, refreshing, and carried an intensely fragrant aroma. It was truly delicious.

One bite and you'll want another!

But immediately after, a colossal wave of energy surged through his body. This energy far surpassed that of the Brahma Clarity Pills he had consumed before. Before Li Qing could even react, he immediately began refining the medicinal power of the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit.

Boom!

The medicinal power was wild and untamed, relentlessly assaulting his body as it coursed through his eight extraordinary meridians. Fortunately, his four spirit fires protected him, forming rings of fire within his body that efficiently refined the scattered energy.

"Hiss! This Earth Spirit Grass Fruit is truly extraordinary. No wonder it's so sought after by divine transformation experts."

"The medicinal power contained within this single fruit, once fully refined, could save me nearly a century of arduous cultivation!"

With that, Li Qing focused intently on circulating the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, determined to waste not a single drop of the medicinal power.

His aura visibly strengthened, and his mana surged forward at a speed far exceeding anything he'd experienced before.

In this way, he took a significant step toward the mid divine transformation realm, his mana growing considerably more profound.

After approximately three days, Li Qing finally refined the energy of the Earth Spirit Grass Fruit completely.

"Good. The remaining nine fruits should be enough to cultivate me to the late divine transformation realm, and there might even be some left over."

Li Qing had a clear understanding of his current cultivation level.

Once he left the Heavenlight Secret Realm, he could use these fruits to advance directly to the late divine transformation realm, possibly without even encountering a bottleneck.

However, he didn't have the luxury of refining the fruits one by one. City Lord Lingxu urgently needed the Creation Origin Liquid, and Li Qing had to depart immediately to gather it.

With this thought, Li Qing mentally reviewed the intelligence he had about the Creation Origin Liquid.

"Within the Heavenlight Secret Realm, Creation Origin Liquid has been discovered in several locations, but these places are all extremely dangerous, some even guarded by Ancient Savage Beasts at the void refinement realm."

"Such Ancient Savage Beasts are far too dangerous. With my current strength, I'd likely struggle to deal with them."

Li Qing pondered for a moment before ultimately choosing two dangerous locations to investigate, hoping to obtain some Creation Origin Liquid.

Though called dangerous, these two locations were relatively peaceful compared to the others where Creation Origin Liquid had been found.

"Fallen Soul Mountain and Yin Wind Burial Grounds are places where Ancient Savage Beasts are less likely to appear, but not entirely absent."

"Moreover, besides me, others might have chosen these two locations to seek opportunities. After so much time has passed, someone might have already claimed them."

"Regardless, I must see for myself. After all, I promised City Lord Lingxu."

With that, Li Qing ceased his cultivation.

Using his knowledge of the Fluorescent Grassland's location to orient himself, he soared toward Fallen Soul Mountain.

Whoosh!

Along the way, he encountered no further dangers or accidents. The Heavenlight Secret Realm was vast, and sometimes it was difficult even to stumble upon another living creature.

Thus, Li Qing flew onward, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent and exotic landscapes of the great earth below.

After two days, a serene, colossal mountain peak slowly came into view.

Even from a distance, one could sense a crushing pressure emanating from the mountain—a pressure that weighed upon the divine soul.

Fallen Soul Mountain!

Once one set foot upon this mountain, the divine soul would be subjected to layer upon layer of pressure. The higher one climbed, the more intense the pressure would become.

Moreover, other deadly traps might lurk within Fallen Soul Mountain.

Only those with exceptionally strong divine souls could hope to find opportunities here.

Li Qing had chosen this as his first location to search for the Creation Origin Liquid because he believed his divine soul far surpassed that of cultivators at his level, giving him a better chance of success.

As he drew closer to Fallen Soul Mountain, the oppressive feeling in his heart intensified. He frowned and slowed his flight speed.

"Legend has it that in remote antiquity, the powers that once dominated the Heavenlight Secret Realm used this mountain to temper the inner sect disciples of their dao lineages."

"Training in Fallen Soul Mountain can sharpen the divine soul and refine the divine sense, making it an effective method for cultivating the divine soul."

"However, since it's a trial, it naturally carries dangers. A single misstep could result in the complete destruction of one's divine soul."

Before Fallen Soul Mountain, Li Qing landed slowly. He didn't dare fly directly to the peak, fearing his divine soul might be crushed instantly.