However, after thinking it over, Luo Qing realized that the Divine Dao experts of the Western Continent had suffered heavy losses during the Fierce Beast Calamity.
With the Divine Dao in decline, it was only natural for the Immortal Dao to rise in its place.
Especially for Acquired Beings and Nature Spirits with weak Foundations, the Immortal Dao was clearly easier to follow than the Divine Dao.
At the thought of the Immortal Dao, Luo Qing's eyes lit up.
His cultivation along the Immortal Dao had relied entirely on an old qi-refining technique and the Eye of the Great Dao's analysis and deductions.
He had never truly seen any other, more advanced Immortal Dao methods.
If the Immortal Dao really flourished in the West, there would certainly be no shortage of profound cultivation techniques. It would be well worth his while to seek them out.
"I'm coming, Western Continent!"
Luo Qing cried out inwardly, throwing himself into the Western Continent without a moment's delay.
Nearly twenty thousand years had passed since the Fierce Beast Calamity, and the Western Continent of the Primordial Wilderness had begun to recover a little vitality.
Moreover, with the entire Wind Spirit Tiger Clan wiped out, the various famous Divine Dao mountains had each established their own domains.
At some point, a cultivation method known as the Immortal Dao began spreading across the Western Continent.
Over the past twenty thousand years, one Immortal City after another had risen abruptly across the Western Continent.
With the rise of the Immortal Dao, it inevitably infringed upon the interests of the Divine Dao gods.
In recent years, the Divine Dao and Immortal Dao forces, large and small, had rubbed against each other constantly, and their conflicts had grown more frequent.
In a vast stretch of beautiful mountains and steep ridges near the Southern Domain in the Western Continent, deep within a canyon.
A group of Divine Dao Innate Gods was facing off against a group of Immortal Dao Acquired Beings and Nature Spirits.
Among the Innate Gods, a Metal God who stood at the head of the group flashed a trace of embarrassment and anger in his eyes.
"Feng, your people from Wangyue Immortal City have crossed the line. This is the territory of Cangyun Mountain. Do you really intend to fall out with us?"
Feng Lingzi was a late-stage Golden Immortal and one of Wangyue Immortal City's experts.
"Fire Cloud Gold God, save your breath. This Strange Wind Canyon is a former settlement of the Wind Spirit Tiger Clan. We will not yield it."
Feng Lingzi smiled as he replied.
The Wind Spirit Tiger Clan had once been a tyrant of the Western Continent. Even an ordinary settlement of theirs was a rare treasure land to Golden Immortals.
Over the past ten thousand years, more than a few lucky individuals had discovered secret settlements of the Wind Spirit Clan and obtained treasures from them.
Innate Spiritual Roots, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials, treasure artifacts, Divine Treasures... all of them were extraordinarily rare.
Wangyue Immortal City would never give them up.
Just as the gods of Cangyun Mountain and the immortals of Wangyue Immortal City were on the verge of fighting.
Luo Qing happened to be passing by a thousand li away.
Ever since entering the Western Continent, Luo Qing had stopped relying on the Fire Escape Technique to travel.
Instead, he had begun riding the clouds and mist, while the Azure Light in his eyes flashed from time to time.
As he traveled, he used the Eye of the Great Dao to search for treasures.
And indeed, along the way, Luo Qing discovered quite a few spiritual materials that could be refined into Acquired Spiritual Treasures.
Suddenly, the Divine Dao and Immortal Dao auras confronting each other a thousand li away caught Luo Qing's attention.
Luo Qing was not one to meddle. He cultivated both the Immortal and Divine Paths, and at present he had no reason to favor either side.
But the overwhelming fiendish aura beside them was particularly conspicuous in the Eye of the Great Dao.
What surprised Luo Qing even more was that although this Grievance Fiend Qi was exceptionally fierce, it actually contained a vibrant strand of Geng Metal Qi.
Compared with the overwhelming Grievance Fiend Qi, this strand of Geng Metal Qi was exceptionally weak.
Yet its vitality surged vigorously, and the Grievance Fiend Qi seemed to be faintly protecting it. It was truly extraordinary.
At this time, the cycle of reincarnation had yet to appear in the Primordial Wilderness, and the Netherworld was incomplete. But living beings died far too frequently, so Grievance Fiend Qi was widespread throughout the Primordial Wilderness and was quite common.
He had only heard of Ghost Deities and Netherworld spiritual essences being nurtured within Grievance Fiend Qi.
He had never heard of Grievance Fiend Qi nurturing Geng Metal Qi.
"I'll go take a look!"
An idea flashed through Luo Qing's mind. After confirming that there were no Taiyi experts nearby, he concealed his presence and headed toward the place where the Grievance Fiend Qi gathered.
A thousand li was crossed in the blink of an eye.
However, considering that there were seven or eight Golden Immortals and Metal Gods ahead.
Luo Qing naturally would not swagger over in full view of everyone.
Having just arrived, and following the principle that one less trouble was better than one more, Luo Qing decided to play the thief.
As someone determined to become the Ancestor of Artifact Dao, Luo Qing had no shortage of various magical treasures.
He hung a Low-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure that concealed his aura over his body, bypassed the two forces, and quietly prepared to enter the canyon.
However, he was not the only one with the same plan as Luo Qing.
Just after Luo Qing slipped secretly into the canyon.
A mere moment later, a phantom shot out of the ground with lightning speed and flashed into the canyon.
"Who's there?"
"How dare you!"
Everyone from Wangyue Immortal City and Cangyun Mountain changed expression and grew furious.
The two sides had been confronting each other, only for someone else to profit from it.
Without even seeing the newcomer's figure clearly, Feng Lingzi turned to the gods with an ugly expression.
"Fire Cloud Gold God, how about we each take a step back and explore together?
"If we keep delaying, I'm afraid more people will come after catching the scent. When that happens, neither of our sides will gain anything."
"Fine!"
Fire Cloud Gold God wore an expression as if he had swallowed something foul. The treasure originally belonging to the gods of Cangyun Mountain would now have to be divided with outsiders.
But the two sides were evenly matched. If they delayed any longer and attracted even more people, things would become troublesome.
The gods and immortals temporarily reached an agreement and began preparing to enter the canyon in search of treasure.
As for the person who had slipped inside, they were not particularly worried.
This canyon was a settlement of the Wind Spirit Clan. How could a mere Golden Immortal simply charge in?
Even Wangyue Immortal City and Cangyun Mountain had made ample preparations before coming.
At that moment, Luo Qing, who had moved ahead of them, had already encountered a minor problem.
Before entering, Luo Qing had already sensed that this canyon was filled with strange, supernatural winds.
As a Golden Immortal, he had not taken these strange winds seriously. Who could have expected that when Luo Qing had ventured a hundred li deep into the canyon.
The chaotic winds that had originally only raged and scraped away stone suddenly transformed into one of the divine winds of the Primordial Wilderness—the Bone-Scraping Wind.
As its name suggested, any Golden Immortal below its level who fell within it would have their bones scraped and souls severed within a few breaths, while their Nascent Soul Spiritual Fire would be blown out.
Even Golden Immortals and Metal Gods who remained within it for a short while would end up with their sinews and bones softened and their nascent souls shattered.
The tribulations of later generations consisted of the three disasters of thunder, fire, and wind, and the wind disaster contained the Bone-Scraping Wind.
Even though Luo Qing cultivated both the Immortal and Divine Paths and possessed a powerful physical body, he did not dare withstand the Bone-Slicing Divine Wind head-on.
However, this still could not stump Luo Qing. He had little else, but he had plenty of Divine Treasures.
He covered his head with the Low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Sourceless Spirit Disk.
The power of the Five Elements was as firm as a rock. Braving the divine wind's cutting force, Luo Qing entered the Bone-Scraping Windstorm.
A moment later, a furtive-looking Innate God also cautiously arrived before the Bone-Scraping Wind.
A clear and limpid Treasure Pearl was held in his hand. The strange divine winds around him immediately acted as though a mouse had seen a cat.
Even when the Bone-Slicing Divine Wind approached within three zhang of the Treasure Pearl, it vanished instantly.
"Heh heh!"
The man let out a sinister laugh and disappeared into the Bone-Scraping Wind in the blink of an eye.
Before long, the gods of Cangyun Mountain and the immortals of Wangyue also arrived at the Bone-Scraping Wind region.
Two great formations suddenly lit up. Braving the divine wind's devastation, they entered it together.
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