Chapter 2438: Qingcheng Refining Emptiness

Wang Changsheng's voice trembled slightly. A Mirage Dragon was one of the True Spirits of heaven and earth.

True Spirits referred to demonic beasts with powerful bloodlines and extraordinary innate abilities. Any demonic beast classified as a True Spirit possessed cultivation at least at the Mahayana stage.

True Spirits possessed incredible divine abilities and extraordinary talent. It was said that some powerful True Spirits in the Immortal Realm fed on immortals. To some extent, the Heaven-Devouring Rat was also a True Spirit.

According to ancient texts, the Mirage Dragon was the descendant of a True Dragon and a clam spirit, inheriting the dragon clan's powerful bloodline. It excelled in illusion arts, was skilled at creating illusions, and could bewitch people.

It was already impressive that it hatched as a fourth-tier creature. Its parents must have been at least eighth-tier demonic beasts, corresponding to Mahayana cultivators.

Even a spiritual bird egg laid by a sixth-tier Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrow would hatch into a first-tier spiritual bird. This highlighted the enormous disparity between them. A Mirage Dragon's starting point surpassed ninety-nine percent of all spiritual beasts in the cultivation world.

The Twin-Eyed Rat inherited the bloodline of the Heaven-Devouring Rat, but the strange beast before them was a descendant of the Mirage Dragon. There was a significant difference between the two.

To use Wang Changsheng as an example, the Twin-Eyed Rat was like his great-great-grandson, a descendant several generations removed, though still traceable to him. The Mirage Dragon, however, was comparable to Wang Qingfeng, a direct descendant of Wang Changsheng. The latter's starting point far exceeded the former's; they were not on the same level.

The Mirage Dragon, being fourth-tier upon hatching, created an illusion that almost deceived Wang Changsheng. If it advanced to the sixth-tier, it would undoubtedly be even more formidable.

It would be best to have Wang Ruyan raise this Mirage Dragon. Combined with her cultivation technique, the Mirage Dragon could be put to greater use and also enhance Wang Ruyan's strength.

The Mirage Dragon let out a long cry, emitting a series of peculiar roars. At first, they resembled a baby's cry; listening closely, they sounded like a dragon's roar; and upon further distinction, they seemed like drumbeats—ethereal and dreamlike.

Wang Changsheng felt the surrounding environment blur, and he suddenly appeared in a lush, dense forest where rare treasures were visible everywhere, alongside longevity deer and spiritual apes.

He let out a soft snort, and the rare treasures, longevity deer, and spiritual apes all vanished.

"Truly a descendant of a True Spirit! Given how many treasures there are in Heavenly Venerable Xuanling's cultivation grounds, could it be that he raised an eighth-tier Mirage Dragon?" Wang Changsheng speculated.

He took out more than twenty thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and fed them to the Mirage Dragon. It accepted them readily. After consuming the herbs, it opened its mouth and exhaled a golden misty fog that enveloped its entire body.

After a while, the mist dissipated, and the Mirage Dragon vanished.

Wang Changsheng used his divine sense to search, but couldn't find the Mirage Dragon. This was not a concealment technique but an illusion. He could sense that the Mirage Dragon was still in place, yet his divine sense couldn't detect it at all.

Strictly speaking, everything Wang Changsheng saw was an illusion. A fourth-tier Mirage Dragon possessed such divine abilities, truly worthy of being a True Spirit descendant.

Wang Changsheng let out a cold snort, and the Mirage Dragon reappeared, munching on spiritual herbs.

Wang Changsheng walked out and closed the secret chamber door.

At this moment, the thunderclouds high in the sky had shrunk to only a few tens of feet in size. The thunderclouds churned violently like boiling water, and suddenly, red electrical arcs emerged, forming a mass of crimson thunderclouds, from which deafening rumbling sounds emanated.

"Bing Fire Divine Lightning!"

Wang Changsheng's expression tightened, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

The crimson thunderclouds churned and surged, transforming into a crimson lightning wolf, over a hundred feet long, that plunged down from the sky.

In a large pit emitting black smoke, Wang Qingcheng's face was pale, and he was gasping for breath.

Seeing a crimson lightning wolf pounce, Wang Qingcheng's expression tensed. He quickly formed a hand seal, and a brilliant yellow light erupted from his body. A thick yellow armor materialized, protecting his entire body. The ground suddenly burst open, and yellow sand flew up into the wind, forming a huge yellow sand sphere that enveloped him.

The crimson lightning wolf pounced, opening its gaping maw to easily bite through the yellow sand sphere. Countless yellow earth spears shot skyward, piercing the crimson lightning wolf's body.

A deafening thunderous roar sounded as the crimson lightning wolf transformed into a massive ball of crimson lightning that enveloped an area of several dozen miles. Powerful air currents kicked up countless clouds of dust, making it impossible to see one's own hand.

After a while, the lightning and dust gradually disappeared.

Wang Qingcheng lay on the ground, his entire body scorched black, his aura weak, unable to move. There were horrific wounds on his shoulders, arms, and thighs, revealing bone.

Wang Changsheng flew over from a distance, took out a Golden Mushroom Pill, and placed it into Wang Qingcheng's mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth. Wang Qingcheng quickly circulated his cultivation to refine the medicinal power.

After about fifteen minutes, Wang Qingcheng slowly stood up and excitedly said, "Father, I've advanced to the Void Refinement stage."

His voice was weak and feeble.

"Heal your injuries properly! These are the Golden Mushroom Pills from the Myriad Spirit Sect. Take one every so often to heal; this way, you'll recover faster."

Wang Changsheng took out a green jade box and handed it to Wang Qingcheng. It contained two Golden Mushroom Pills. With three such pills consumed, Wang Qingcheng should be out of life-threatening danger.

Sixth-tier pills for healing lightning strikes were very precious and highly sought after on the market. The Wang family had been unable to acquire them. Although the family possessed the pill recipe and had gathered all the necessary ingredients, they lacked a sixth-tier alchemist, leaving them helpless.

Therefore, the Golden Mushroom Pills had to be used sparingly.

Wang Qingcheng was fortunate; at least he had a few Golden Mushroom Pills for healing and clan members to protect him. Those rogue cultivators who painstakingly advanced to the Void Refinement stage often met their demise without superior healing pills.

Heavenly River Sword Venerable originated from rogue cultivation; it was truly unknown how he withstood the Eight-Nine Thunder Tribulation and survived.

Wang Qingcheng acknowledged and put away the green jade box.

At this moment, Sun Yuejiao also arrived. Sensing the powerful spiritual pressure emanating from Wang Qingcheng, a joyful expression appeared on her face.

"Yuejiao, take Qingcheng back to heal. Instruct everyone to collect spiritual pills and medicines with powerful vital energy, or demonic beasts. Also, send people to capture fifth-tier demonic beasts; sixth-tier ones are fine too, but I need them alive."

Wang Changsheng instructed, clarifying that the demonic beasts were for the Wood Demon's healing.

Sun Yuejiao agreed and left with Wang Qingcheng.

Wang Changsheng blew a whistle, and dots of blue light emerged from the void in front of him, forming the appearance of the Qilin Turtle. Its size had grown considerably again, now reaching two hundred thousand feet.

As for demonic beasts larger than the Qilin Turtle, Wang Changsheng currently only knew of the beast carcass in the Myriad Thunder Sea Domain of the Sky-Blue Realm. He had inquired with Sun Tianhu and Gongsun Yang about colossal exotic beasts and birds, and they listed many types, but none matched the description of the carcass.

Perhaps that carcass belonged to an eighth-tier demonic beast or the remains of a True Spirit. With his current discernment, he couldn't identify its origin. He might be able to once he advanced to a higher realm.

The Qilin Turtle let out a loud roar, sounding somewhat excited.

"Let's go, it's snack time," Wang Changsheng said with a smile. With the Qilin Turtle's immense size, its appetite had also increased dramatically. Even though clan members fed it regularly, it still needed extra meals.

The Twin-Eyed Rat poked its head out from Wang Changsheng's embrace, chirping, as it also wanted to feast.