Hibernation

Fierce beasts rampaged across the Primordial Wilderness, yet Hundred Gods Mountain had settled into a rare peace.

The nearby fierce-beast tribes had successively fought a battle with Hundred Gods Mountain, then clashed fiercely with the Five Elements Tribe.

Though the fierce beasts held the upper hand, they had suffered heavy losses and temporarily kept a low profile.

The Five Elements Tribe had also moved away from the area, giving Hundred Gods Mountain the air of having a monopoly.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Luo Qing had finally uncovered the secret of the superior-grade Innate Treasure, the Flame Fire Pearl.

"Hmph!"

After seeing through the plot hidden within the Flame Fire Pearl, Luo Qing snorted coldly. This Hunxing really had no good intentions.

According to the Eye of the Great Dao's analysis, the deepest layer of the Flame Fire Pearl had actually already been refined by Hunxing.

If not for the Eye of the Great Dao, it would have been very difficult for Luo Qing to notice this with his cultivation alone.

The Flame Fire Pearl's function was also exceedingly simple.

The longer Luo Qing refined the Flame Fire Pearl, the more harmonious their auras would become.

Until the two became indistinguishable from each other and could merge into one.

After all, the Flame Fire Pearl was a treasure specifically refined by a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

It went without saying how powerful its aura was.

Once their auras connected and began to converge, Luo Qing's aura would inevitably transform and draw closer to that of the Flame Fire Pearl.

Converging with the Flame Fire Pearl was equivalent to converging with Hunxing, the Grand Unity.

Once Luo Qing's aura converged with Hunxing's, not only would his path to the Great Dao be severed, but the superior could also easily control the inferior's life and death through their auras.

Even more terrifyingly, once their auras connected and converged, the superior could devour and refine the inferior without suffering any loss, fusing the two into one.

Thinking of the consequences, Luo Qing's face shifted between livid and pale. He could not help wanting to destroy the Flame Fire Pearl completely.

But when he thought of the pearl's tracking function, Luo Qing held himself back.

Once he destroyed the treasure, Mountain Lord Hunxing would certainly sense it. That would be equivalent to tearing off all pretenses.

It might ruin Hunxing's scheme, but Luo Qing would also surely be unable to escape death.

"If I hadn't known, so be it. But now that I understand everything, how could I possibly let my cheap master have his way?"

Luo Qing gripped the Flame Fire Pearl and sneered, already pondering what to do next.

To put Hunxing at ease, Luo Qing did not leave seclusion immediately.

Instead, he honestly continued cultivating in seclusion.

No matter what escape plan he carried out next, cultivation was the most crucial factor.

The cultivation of a Heavenly God or Celestial Immortal was simply too low, making it extremely inconvenient for Luo Qing to act.

After Luo Qing had Reverted to Innate and achieved the status of an intermediate Innate God, his cultivation had already reached the limit of a Heavenly God and Celestial Immortal.

Now that he had the innate divine ability Nine Breaths to Absorb Qi, along with the boost to cultivation provided by the Crimson King's Innate Position,

in just a hundred short years, the aura of a True God emerged from Luo Qing's cultivation chamber.

He concealed his Immortal Dao True Immortal cultivation at the deepest level, revealing only his True God cultivation.

Only then did Luo Qing leave his cultivation cave for the first time.

Standing outside the main hall of Hunxing's cave residence, Luo Qing glanced at the other four side halls. Yet deep in his pupils lay a hidden, inscrutable light.

Using the Eye of the Great Dao, he had already investigated his four cheap "senior brothers."

They were Metal Gods with the foundations of intermediate Innate Gods, representing Metal, Wood, Water, and Earth.

However, the circumstances of these four seemed less than favorable. There was not the slightest trace of vitality in them, clearly indicating that they had already fallen under Hunxing's control.

After taking a deep breath, Luo Qing's eyes brightened, and his face broke into a delighted smile.

He cupped his hands and bowed toward the main cave residence.

"Disciple Red Flame has successfully achieved the True God realm and is overjoyed. I have come especially to pay my respects to Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cave's great doors creaked open, and a white-bearded Metal God walked out.

Seeing that the newcomer was unfamiliar, Luo Qing hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Exalted God!"

The white-bearded Metal God sized Luo Qing up from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction.

"True God Red Flame, there is no need for such formalities. I am Mountain Lord Hunxing's Divine Servant. As the mountain lord's Nominal Disciple, you may simply call me Old Bai."

"Red Flame greets Old Bai!" Luo Qing bowed again.

Old Bai smiled. "Mm, Red Flame, you are quite impressive. You achieved the True God realm in just a hundred years. However, the mountain lord has recently been meditating and cultivating, so it is inconvenient for him to meet you. Just focus on cultivating in peace.

"Once you achieve the Metal God realm, come pay your respects then."

"Inconvenient to meet me?"

Hmph!

Could it be that he's afraid I've exposed the truth—that my aura is growing increasingly similar to his?

Luo Qing sneered coldly inwardly, but his face showed disappointment.

Then Luo Qing apologized again.

"It was disciple's recklessness. However, I have another matter to ask about. Recently, after remaining still for too long, I have grown restless, and the fire in my heart has been running high.

"I would like to stroll around Hundred Gods Mountain and calm myself. Would that be permissible?"

Old Bai was merely Hunxing's servant god, so he naturally could not make decisions on the mountain lord's behalf.

He was just about to refuse when Hunxing's voice suddenly reached his ear, leaving Old Bai momentarily startled.

Old Bai's expression quickly returned to normal before he spoke.

"True God Red Flame, feel free to do as you wish. However, fierce beasts run rampant beyond the mountain, and baleful energy fills the air, making it extremely dangerous. You should only stroll around within the mountain.

"Also, do not neglect your cultivation. Otherwise, if the mountain lord blames you, you will suffer for it!"

"Thank you for making an exception, Old Bai. Rest assured, I will certainly not disappoint my honored master's expectations!"

Luo Qing exclaimed joyfully, then left the core area in high spirits and appeared within Hundred Gods Mountain.

After leaving the cave residence, Luo Qing naturally did not believe that he now had a chance to escape.

For half a year straight, Luo Qing wandered around Hundred Gods Mountain and admired the scenery.

At times, he exchanged views on the Dao with the other Innate Gods and Nature Spirits in the mountain.

He looked carefree and content, as if he could not be happier.

Inside the core cave residence, the moment Luo Qing left his cave, he came under Mountain Lord Hunxing's surveillance from beginning to end.

Over the years, Hunxing had seen that Luo Qing never slacked off in cultivation and had caused no trouble.

Now that Luo Qing showed no intention whatsoever of leaving Hundred Gods Mountain, Hunxing finally relaxed.

"This Red Flame became an Innate God by Reverting to Innate from an Acquired Being, and he is also a god of fire. Simply meditating and cultivating will probably make it difficult for him to break through to the Metal God realm.

"This is good. As long as he does not leave Hundred Gods Mountain, he cannot escape my control."

This was because Hunxing had thought of the difference between Acquired Beings and Innate Gods.

Innate Gods did not need to pay attention to temperament during cultivation, but Acquired Beings were more troublesome.

Sometimes, a single moment of impatience could cause one's cultivation to go awry and even regress.

Fire gods, meanwhile, were famously prone to agitation.

Hunxing was also worried that Luo Qing's turbulent heart-fire would affect his progress toward the Metal God realm, which was why he had permitted him to relax within Hundred Gods Mountain.

"This Red Flame truly encountered an immense opportunity, transforming from an Acquired Being into an intermediate Innate God. What a pity that the higher one's cultivation, the more difficult it is to undergo such a transformation. Otherwise..."

Watching Luo Qing in the phantom image, Hunxing felt deeply envious and regretful.

Unfortunately, he had understood this too late. By the time he wanted to transform his Foundation, he had already reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

The difficulty of transforming into an advanced Innate God was dozens of times greater for him than for Luo Qing. The thing that could allow Luo Qing to Revert to Innate was useless to him.

Otherwise, the moment Hunxing had seen Luo Qing, he would have ruthlessly plundered the opportunity that allowed him to Revert to Innate.

After Luo Qing had behaved himself in Hundred Gods Mountain for a year, he calculated the time and decided that he could not remain outside for much longer.

During this period, relying on his True God cultivation and his status as an Innate God,

Luo Qing had thrived in Hundred Gods Mountain, making friends with quite a few Innate Gods and Nature Spirits.

On this day, Luo Qing invited every god he knew to come over.

In front of all the gods, Luo Qing took out a fourth-grade Divine Artifact he had refined after breaking through to the True God realm.

"Everyone, this god is unworthy. I come from the Five Elements Fire Attribute and have a slight proficiency in Artifact Refining.

"I would not dare claim to refine fifth-grade Divine Artifacts, but fourth-grade Divine Artifacts are within my grasp. Recently, I plan to temper my cultivation through Artifact Refining. I wonder if any fellow Daoists would be willing to assist me?

"Other than the remaining materials, this god promises not to take a single bit of payment!"

As soon as Luo Qing said this, the more than twenty Heavenly Gods and True Gods he had invited all lit up with excitement.

Whether they were Nature Spirits or Innate Gods,

Innate Treasures were extremely rare. Most of the treasures everyone used were Divine Artifacts refined after birth.

Refining Divine Artifacts was not difficult, and many gods knew how to do it, but their work was too crude and their power extremely weak.

Superior-grade Divine Artifacts were scarce even in Hundred Gods Mountain.

The Divine Artifact Luo Qing had brought out was fourth-grade, and its quality was exceptional. It was absolutely one of the finest among fourth-grade Divine Artifacts.

Even a Mystic God could use it without losing face, let alone a Heavenly God or True God.

"True God Red Spirit, you are overthinking it. You merely want to temper your cultivation through Artifact Refining, right? I will definitely help!" A Nature True God rose from his seat and declared.

"Red Spirit is in trouble, so of course we must do our utmost to help. Count me in!"

"And me! It's only Artifact Refining materials, isn't it? I have some excellent Immortal Copper Ore here. I'll bring it all out to assist True God Red Spirit."

An Innate God who did not look down on Nature Spirits for being proficient in Artifact Refining spoke up. Innate Gods and Nature Spirits alike began eagerly and generously contributing their treasures.

All that talk of assistance was secondary. Superior-grade Divine Artifacts were the real prize.

As he watched the assembled gods deliver Artifact Refining materials one after another, Luo Qing's face was covered in smiles.

His plan had only just begun.