Chapter 981: Encountering Hu Sheng

Li Qing watched from the foot of Fallen Soul Mountain for a long time before taking his first step.

Boom!

In an instant, he felt as if his divine soul were shackled, its power severely suppressed.

He attempted to project his divine sense outward, but it only extended about ten zhang before fading. The range had shrunk dramatically.

"This mountain truly lives up to its name, Fallen Soul," Li Qing mused. "Though my fleshly body remains unaffected, climbing upward is still incredibly difficult."

With a sigh, he continued his ascent.

Each step he took added weight to the burden on his divine soul. A typical divine transformation cultivator would likely struggle to even reach the halfway point.

Fortunately, Li Qing had cultivated the Soul Refinement Scripture. His divine soul's strength already surpassed that of the late divine transformation realm, nearing the level required for the void refinement realm.

As he climbed Fallen Soul Mountain, Li Qing's divine soul gradually refined itself, though the changes were imperceptible.

This was a form of tempering rarely encountered elsewhere—a method specifically targeting the divine soul. Those who endured it would emerge with significantly strengthened souls.

Yet despite such immense benefits, few were willing to ascend the mountain.

To significantly strengthen one's divine soul, one must endure unimaginable trials—a torment few could withstand.

Those who forcibly scale the mountain often end up with a damaged divine soul and nothing to show for their efforts.

It's a classic case of losing both the lady and the soldiers, which is why Fallen Soul Mountain has never been prominent in the Heavenlight Secret Realm, far less renowned than other treasure grounds hiding opportunities.

But precisely because of this, Fallen Soul Mountain remains largely overlooked. If the Creation Origin Liquid truly exists here, Li Qing believes his chances of obtaining it are quite good.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Li Qing's steps grew heavier with each stride. Faint bloodshot streaks appeared in his eyes, as if he were enduring some unimaginable torture.

Hoo!

He let out a long sigh and slowly sat down, abandoning the climb for now. Instead, he focused on adapting to the current pressure on his divine soul.

Blindly continuing the ascent would have been reckless. While his fleshly body remained unharmed, the consequences of a damaged divine soul would have been far more devastating than any physical injury.

After a short while, Li Qing stood up again, his eyes now burning with renewed resolve.

Fallen Soul Mountain was a desolate landscape, devoid of any green vegetation. Only pitch-black rocks stretched as far as the eye could see, creating a monotonous and bleak scene.

As Li Qing approached the halfway point of the mountain, a pained groan suddenly echoed from a natural cave to his side.

Hearing the sound, Li Qing's eyes narrowed instantly.

"Lord City Lord, I fear I may have failed your trust."

Inside the cave lay Hu Sheng, clad in a black trench coat, his face contorted in agony.

His divine soul had reached its limit. Without finding a way to escape, only one fate awaited him: the complete exhaustion and death of his divine soul.

After observing for a moment, Li Qing revealed himself.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, your situation looks dire," Li Qing said with a light smile.

He hadn't expected this human fellow daoist, who had entered the Heavenlight Secret Realm with him, to be so dedicated to the mission assigned by City Lord Lingxu—willing to risk his life by venturing all the way to the halfway point of the mountain.

Clearly, he had already surpassed his limit. At this point, he couldn't even manage to descend the mountain.

His divine soul felt as though it were bearing the weight of a thousand jun, making it impossible for him to control his body freely.

Hu Sheng, slumped against the rock face, struggled to turn his head. His gaze fell upon Li Qing, who stood there with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Li Qing appeared to be in much better condition than Hu Sheng, far from the desperate state he was in.

"Fellow Daoist Li... you actually came."

"Quick! There might be Creation Origin Liquid hidden deep within this cave abode. Go in and check!"

Hu Sheng, disregarding his own life, urged Li Qing into the cave, prioritizing the mission assigned by City Lord Lingxu over his own survival.

This surprised Li Qing. Normally, anyone in such a situation would first beg for help.

Hu Sheng was a native cultivator of Profound Ancient City, and his loyalty to the Human City-State ran deep.

Yet abandoning someone to die when a simple act of assistance was possible seemed inappropriate.

Li Qing grabbed Hu Sheng, pulled him out of the cave, and prepared to lower him down the cliff.

But Hu Sheng stopped him, his voice weak. "Don't waste your strength on me. Save it! The most important thing is to go into the cave and look for the Creation Origin Liquid!"

"Are you truly trying to throw your life away? I know you respect City Lord Lingxu, but is it worth risking your life for a Creation Origin Liquid that might not even exist inside?" Li Qing asked, his brow furrowed. He had never encountered such a self-sacrificing cultivator since entering the cultivation world.

Hu Sheng shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Li, you didn't grow up in Profound Ancient City. You can't understand how lowly the human race used to be on the Tonggu Continent."

"Only after City Lord Lingxu rose to power did our situation gradually improve."

"For the human race to continue establishing itself on the Tonggu Continent, we must rely on the Lord City Lord. We must ensure he safely passes through the next great heavenly tribulation at all costs."

Li Qing shook his head in disagreement. "The future of the human race doesn't rest solely on City Lord Lingxu. It lies with you, with me, and with all human cultivators."

"Power gained through reliance on a single person is ultimately hollow. Even if that person were in the great ascension realm, it wouldn't guarantee the long-term prosperity of our race."

"If something were to happen to City Lord Lingxu in the future, I might very well advance to the void refinement realm, or even higher realms."

Hu Sheng was stunned into silence for a long time by Li Qing's words.

Advancing to the void refinement realm was an impossibly difficult feat, a hope so faint that he hadn't even dared to aspire to it.

Even among dozens of divine transformation cultivators, it was rare for a single void refinement realm expert to emerge—in fact, the odds were even slimmer.

Having grown up in Profound Ancient City, Hu Sheng had witnessed countless divine transformation cultivators meet their bitter end during the tribulation of breaking through to the void refinement realm.

"That's enough for me. I can descend the mountain on my own now," Hu Sheng said, his mobility restored. Though the burden on his divine soul hadn't significantly lessened, he could now control his fleshly body.

"Fellow Daoist Li, continue deeper into the cave. It leads to the core of Fallen Soul Mountain. The pressure on your divine soul will increase exponentially. Proceed with caution."

Li Qing nodded. "Thank you for the warning. I'll see if I can find Creation Origin Liquid inside."

With that, he turned and continued toward the massive cave entrance halfway up the mountain.