Immortal Refiner

The moment the Hydra appeared, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Another True Spirit!

Moreover, it was the Hydra, a True Spirit known for its ferocity. This True Spirit was extremely mysterious, and there were very few records of legends related to it.

No one had expected that Li Qing, who they thought was about to be defeated, would actually unleash a secret technique no less powerful than the Qilin inheritance at this moment.

"It's truly a rare sight. I actually witnessed a Qilin and a Hydra fighting fiercely against each other."

"Although they are not true True Spirits, the scene is shocking enough."

"True Spirits fighting each other? Who can witness such a thing with their own eyes? It is only recorded in some myths and legends."

"Even His Highness Prince Liyang has used his True Spirit inheritance, yet the outcome of this battle is still undecided."

"..."

Amidst the sounds of astonishment, the five-colored Qilin, stepping across the sky, began to move. Its body brought with it ten thousand feet of auspicious light, stepping towards the Hydra below.

"Hiss!"

The Hydra showed no timidity and actually met the attack head-on, its movements swift and unparalleled.

In the blink of an eye, the nine snake heads bit down on the five-colored Qilin's body, their golden vertical pupils containing an extreme aura of violence.

"Roar!" The five-colored Qilin roared, and the pair of golden horns on its head released boundless light, fiercely scraping off a layer of scales from the Hydra.

The pain quickly surfaced in Li Qing's mind. After merging with the Snake Spirit, although he could control extremely strong power, he would also feel the pain as if it were his own.

However, despite the pain, he could feel boundless power surging from his body, a feeling he had never experienced before.

In the next moment, he wrapped the snake body around the five-colored Qilin, forcibly dragging it to the ground.

Under the terrifying force of his bite, the sharp snake teeth finally pierced through the five-colored Qilin's defenses, gnawing out the blood from its body.

The five-colored Qilin spat out a rainbow light with an auspicious aura, directly severing one of the Hydra's heads.

Bang!

The huge snake head fell to the ground, its sharp snake teeth still stained with a trace of scarlet blood.

The pain of the severed head further stimulated the violent emotions in Li Qing's heart. After transforming into the Hydra, he would be affected by its ferocious aura.

Crack!

The five-colored Qilin's bones were twisted and broken. The Hydra's power was simply unbelievably terrifying,缠绕 (chan rao) around the five-colored Qilin's body, making it unable to move at all.

Although Li Qing's Snake Spirit was refined from the essence blood of an eighth-order Underworld Python, he had fed it with nearly eight thousand years of life force since he refined it.

Li Qing only stopped feeding it after it had grown to its limit.

This was a fully-fledged Snake Spirit, and a Snake Spirit in the image of a Hydra. The power it could unleash was almost comparable to a Great Demon in the Integration Stage.

However, Prince Liyang did not intend to give up. He once again used a divine ability from the Qilin Treasure Technique.

"Roar!"

Dense auspicious energy surged from the Qilin's body, and the bones that had been crushed by the Hydra quickly healed.

"Heavenly Mandate Calamity Transformation Technique, the Qilin's innate treasure technique! Prince Liyang actually used it?"

"This is a treasure technique comparable to the Phoenix Nirvana, capable of warding off disasters and calamities. It is an innate treasure technique that only the auspicious beast Qilin can use."

"His Highness Prince Liyang's opportunities are truly profound. I wonder where he obtained the Qilin True Blood..."

Many ministers present were very good at assessing the situation. They saw amazing potential in Prince Liyang, who might be a candidate to inherit the throne in the future.

Especially the Qilin True Blood, which was not an ordinary thing. They suspected that His Majesty the Emperor had a hand in it, but they did not know if there were any other profound meanings in it, which was worth pondering over and over again.

After recovering from his injuries, the five-colored Qilin broke free from the Hydra's entanglement with a barbaric posture, and then fled again with auspicious steps.

However, Li Qing pursued relentlessly. He urged the Snake Spirit to chase after it, the coldness and violence in his pupils becoming more intense.

True Qilin Steps on Heaven!

Boom!

Along with two loud noises, two more of the Hydra's heads exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

But soon, the remaining six heads bit down on the five-colored Qilin's body again, holding on tightly without letting go.

Before long, one of the Hydra's heads stretched out to the five-colored Qilin's face, and stared at it.

Li Qing used the "Nine Serpent Heart Sutra's" bewitching Snake Eyes, in which many overbearing divine abilities and secret techniques had to be used with the help of this pair of snake eyes.

"Nine Serpent Devouring Life Technique!"

The five-colored Qilin, whose body was once again covered in wounds, suddenly weakened a lot, and its aura became listless.

Taking this opportunity, Li Qing stretched out another snake head to face it, its eyes also replaced by the bewitching Snake Eyes.

"Nine Serpent Imprint!"

The originally gentle and beautiful eyes of the five-colored Qilin gradually transformed into golden vertical pupils, and a cold aura also permeated from them.

In Prince Liyang's heart, a phantom of the Hydra gradually occupied his mind. Just as it was about to take shape, the resolute Prince Liyang forcibly broke the Hydra phantom in his mind.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw a killing sword with a strange purple light across his chest.

This killing sword was straight and slender. Although it was not as sharp as the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, it still made Prince Liyang feel a strong sense of unease.

Another Earth-grade spirit treasure level sword?!

After confirming this, he finally lowered his head, gradually faded from the Qilin True Body, and returned to human form.

"I lost."

Although he was very unwilling, he had to admit that he had indeed lost, lost to someone whose cultivation was far lower than his own.

Hearing this, Li Qing slowly put away the Immortal Trapping Sword, and then swallowed the Snake Spirit beside him back into his body.

This was the wonderful thing about the "Nine Serpent Heart Sutra". Not only could he merge with it, but he could also use it to assist his own battle.

Just now, Li Qing temporarily released the fusion with the Snake Spirit. After separating from it, he used the second killing sword to end the battle.

"Thank you for the match, Your Highness Prince Liyang!" Li Qing took a deep breath, and then cupped his fists towards Prince Liyang.

At this moment, the whole audience was in an uproar.

"Wow!"

"He actually really won! What is the origin of this person? With the cultivation of the early stage of the Refining Void, he actually defeated two powerful figures in the late stage of the Refining Void!"

"You must know that he won against no ordinary people. One of them is His Highness Prince Liyang, and the other is Yan Hui Zhi, the young master of the Yan family."

"These two are both geniuses who can exchange blows with cultivators in the Integration Stage, but they were defeated by the same person."

"This young man is likely to become famous. When has the world seen such a stunning and peerless talent, whose brilliance even rivals that of the founding emperor in his youth?"

All eyes on Li Qing became incredibly complex.

There was shock, gloom, awe, and envy in their eyes.

The Empress Dowager, seated on the phoenix carriage, slowly nodded her head. She stood up, her bearing dignified and graceful.

"Indeed, it has been a long time since I have seen such an amazing talent. This Xuan Iron Token shall be yours."

With that, the Empress Dowager generously took out the small Xuan Iron shield from her hand, her smile gentle yet majestic.

Upon seeing this, Li Qing quickly stepped forward, respectfully bowed, and accepted the Xuan Iron Token with both hands.

The Xuan Iron shield was very light, and it carried a faint warmth and fragrance. Suppressing all distracting thoughts, Li Qing said:

"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your reward!"

Hearing this, the Empress's gaze towards Li Qing became even more approving. She said, "I wonder if this young friend has a Dao companion? Several princesses in the palace are at the prime of their youth. I wonder if any of them catches your eye?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Princesses Jianing and Jinhua lowered their heads slightly, feeling shy, not daring to look in the Empress's direction.

Princess Qinghe, on the other hand, revealed a thoughtful expression, seemingly considering the matter of forming a Dao partnership with Li Qing.

Her whole mind was focused on formations, and she rarely wasted energy on matters of the heart. At this moment, she was thinking that if she could form a Dao partnership with this person, it would bring many benefits.

As for Li Qing, he was slightly stunned, and then quickly said, "Thank you for the Empress Dowager's kindness, but I already have a Dao companion. I would never dare to have any improper thoughts towards the princesses."

Hearing this, Princesses Jianing and Jinhua breathed a sigh of relief, but Princess Qinghe revealed a hint of disappointment on her face.

Just now, she had even thought that if she could form a Dao partnership with someone as powerful as Li Qing, she would have someone who could test her modifications to formations at any time, without having to trouble others in the palace.

"I see. In that case, I won't make things difficult for you," the Empress Dowager nodded, not saying anything more.

"I take my leave!"

After speaking, Li Qing quickly returned to Prince Ning's side, and then clasped his fist and said, "I have not failed my mission, Senior Prince Ning!"

Prince Ning was slightly stunned upon hearing this, and then revealed a smile, saying, "Hahahaha, you little fellow... truly. Well, you have worked hard this time."

"If I gain anything in the Xuan Heaven Divine Palace, I will definitely not forget you."

Li Qing's words were very simple, he wanted everyone else to think that he had helped Prince Ning obtain the Xuan Iron Token, so that others would not covet him.

Prince Ning also cooperated quite well, agreeing to the matter without hesitation.

If he had not valued Li Qing so much before, now it was completely different.

A cultivator in the early stage of Void Refinement was not rare, but a cultivator who could defeat a cultivator in the late stage of Void Refinement, possessed multiple extraordinary treasures, and mastered the True Spirit Secret Transmission, was rare.

The strength that Li Qing had just displayed had already made Prince Ning want to win him over.

In addition, Li Qing had indeed helped him defeat the person recommended by Prince Huai before, which could be considered a favor, so he simply returned it now.

The others present did not have any other thoughts, they naturally assumed that Li Qing had helped Prince Ning obtain the Xuan Iron Token.

After all, very few people knew that Prince Ning already possessed a Xuan Iron Token, so they would not think that this Xuan Iron Token would fall into Li Qing's hands.

If this matter were to be publicized, the pressure Li Qing would have to bear next would probably be considerable.

From the other two Integration Stage princes to the other ministers, and even some aristocratic families, they would all ask Li Qing to purchase the Xuan Iron Token.

"You have become famous now. Many young ladies in the mansions of Jade Capital City will probably look at you with new eyes," Prince Ning joked.

Li Qing smiled wryly and said, "I already have a Dao companion, and my mind is now focused on cultivation. Before advancing to the Integration Stage, I will not think about these matters of love and affection."

To this, Prince Ning simply waved his hand, not saying anything more.

Next, the imperial relatives and nobles exchanged pleasantries with each other, and the other court officials also came forward to congratulate Prince Ning on obtaining the Xuan Iron Token.

A series of auspicious words were spoken very smoothly, even more flowery than what Shopkeeper Fang had said before, it sounded as if Prince Ning was about to reach Dao perfection and directly enter the Mahayana Stage.

Of course, there were also some people who inquired about Li Qing's affairs overtly and covertly. Some ministers were even quite direct, claiming that they still had daughters who were unmarried and could be Li Qing's concubine.

Prince Ning then repeated what Li Qing had said just now, helping him to politely decline these court officials.

From then on, Li Qing was considered to have been labeled as being under Prince Ning's banner.

After this matter was over, Prince Ning took Li Qing away from the palace.

The matter of the small competition in the palace also quickly spread.

The entire Jade Capital City knew Li Qing's name. With the cultivation of the early stage of Void Refinement, he successively defeated two powerful experts in the late stage of Void Refinement, and obtained a Xuan Iron Token for Prince Ning!

When the Xuan Heaven Divine Palace opens in the future, there will be Prince Ning's presence!

For a time, the entire Jade Capital City was boiling, all curious about who this Li Qing was, how his strength was so powerful, that even the Young Master of the Yan Family and the Crown Prince of Liyang were not his opponents.

Soon, more details about the small competition in the palace that day were revealed. It was rumored that this person possessed several Earth-grade spiritual treasures with considerable power, and also mastered a True Spirit Inheritance, which belonged to the Nine-Headed Serpent!

The rumors related to Li Qing spread wider and wider, and someone must be fueling the flames in secret.

As for who was doing these things, Li Qing had no way of knowing. He stayed in Prince Ning's mansion in order to avoid the limelight during this period.

On the other side of Jade Capital City, on a certain mountain, it was completely different from the prosperity of the city. There was only a simple thatched hut that was not worth mentioning.

Inside the thatched hut, Xia Wushuang's voice came:

"Damn old man, I warn you to let me leave quickly. Do you know that my brother Li Qing is now a celebrity in Jade Capital City, and is a capable general under Prince Ning!"

"If you offend me, believe it or not, someone from Prince Ning's mansion will come to ransack your outhouse tomorrow..."

Pa!

Before Xia Wushuang could finish speaking, a crisp slap interrupted him.

"Stop talking nonsense. Not to mention the people under Prince Ning's command, even if Prince Ning himself comes, he won't get any face from this old man."