" Fu Shan? You mean Fu Shan!" Wu Chen exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement.
Li Qiang didn't understand why he was so surprised. "Brother, I'm not lying to you, it really is Brother Fu Shan."
Wu Chen shouted, "Good lad! I, White-Haired Wu Chen, am so happy, haha, hahaha!"
After learning that Wu Chen was Li Qiang's older brother, Mei'er became much more polite, smiling and saying, "I'm Gu Mei'er, I'll call you Big Brother from now on. Big Brother, do you know Grandpa Fu?"
Wu Chen nodded and said, "Little girl, I'm Fu Shan's guide. Do you think I wouldn't recognize him? Haha."
Li Qiang was nearly scared to death. Seriously? Fu Shan 'Fu Shan mentor was practically his master. Although they addressed each other as brothers and were of equal rank, in reality, the relationship between each mentor and the brothers they trained was far closer. The core brothers within the Chongxuan Sect were also divided into several systems of inheritance, each with its own characteristics and all passed down through a single lineage. Wu Chen was delighted that Li Qiang was actually Fu Shan's younger brother; it seemed his lineage had a chance to flourish within the Chongxuan Sect.
Li Qiang stammered, "B-B-Brother, I... I'm scared..."
Wu Chen didn't understand his meaning, and said with a smile, "Brother, what are you afraid of? There are only a few dangerous places here, but you don't need to be afraid of the rest with your big brother here."
Mei'er understood what Li Qiang meant, and she whispered, "Brother, I'm sorry, Mei'er didn't know he was one of our own."
Wu Chen, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Mei'er said shyly, " Brother Wu, don't be angry, Mei'er just now..."
Li Qiang quickly interrupted her, laughing, "Brother, it's nothing, have a taste." He took out a plate of various spiritual fruits and handed it to Wu Chen, secretly glad that he had helped Wu Chen without hesitation. If he had just left without paying attention and then found out that Wu Chen was one of his own, it would have been hard to come by with regrets.
Wu Chen's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the spirit fruit and started eating it, muttering something indistinctly.
Wu Chen devoured the plate of spiritual fruits in a whirlwind.
Wiping his mouth, Wu Chen let out a satisfied sigh and laughed, "It's been a long time since I've eaten anything, haha, my little brother is truly extraordinary, you give me whatever I want."
Li Qiang smiled slightly. If he wanted to flatter someone, who could stop him? However, he was only flattering Wu Chen because of Fu Shan, who was Fu Shan's guide. Li Qiang asked, "Brother, how long have you been in the illusion?"
Wu Chen smiled bitterly, "I can't remember, it's been too long. I was teleported here while we were fighting with magical Law Treasure. Damn it, if I didn't have so many Immortal Stone, I wouldn't have made it through. Unfortunately, I eventually ran out of immortal Immortal Stone and had no choice but to imprison myself. Hey, how did you end up here?"
Li Qiang briefly introduced the recent situation. When Wu Chen heard that the Buddha Sect had long been destroyed and this place was just a ruin, his reaction was almost the same as Qi Junsha's. He was so angry that he jumped up and down, looking very unwilling.
When Li Qiang mentioned entering the ruins in search of the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand, Wu Chen's expression turned serious. After pondering for a while, he said, "Strange, where did the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand from if there's no demon? Could it be...? But that shouldn't be the case." He said very seriously, "Brother, you need to be careful. The situation here is somewhat complicated. The appearance of the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand signifies a major upheaval, but I can't say for sure what it is."
Li Qiang had heard similar statements far too many times and had become somewhat numb to them.
Mei'er had been thinking about the secret cave, which was one of the five great secret caves of the Buddha Sect. She couldn't help but interject, "Brother, Brother Wu said you can go into the secret cave. Shall we go in and take a look?"
Wu Chen glanced at Mei'er and said, "Brother, you received the Illusory Devil Pearl?"
Li Qiang pointed to his neck, revealing a string of beads.
Wu Chen was secretly surprised and said, " Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads, good heavens! You got this treasure, haha, it seems the Buddha Sect has truly vanished." He added, "No wonder you learned the Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands... You're incredibly lucky, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to obtain the Illusory Devil Pearl."
Li Qiang had something on his mind that he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Brother, can the core brothers of the Chongxuan Sect become disciples?"
Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh and said, "Is it because of the matter of becoming Old Freak Daoist's disciple? Damn it, that guy got off easy. Ancient Sword Academy has really made a killing this time. It's alright, the characteristic of our sect is that core brothers can do whatever they want, whether it's taking on disciples or becoming a disciple, no one will care. Actually, Chongxuan Sect is a peculiar sect. Eh? Didn't Brother Fu explain this to you?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "No, Brother Fu didn't have time to tell me all this before we parted ways. Besides, I've only been cultivating for a very short time, haha, we'll get to know each other better later."
Wu Chen sighed, "Alas! When I took Fu Shan under my wing, I also left him to his own devices. I only cared for him for less than a hundred years before leaving. Not long after, I was trapped in the Great Illusion Buddha Realm. I never expected that it would be his underlings who rescued me. Heh, this is really fucking interesting, haha."
He added, " The Ancient Sword Academy is in big trouble now. With Old Freak Daoist and my brother going, hehe, it's going to be quite a spectacle. Sects like theirs are very particular about seniority and strength. Old Freak Daoist's seniority in the Ancient Sword Academy is terrifying. It's funny to even think about it. My brother... never mind, you'll understand when you get there. Our Chongxuan Sect is much better; we can do whatever we want without so many restrictions."
" Ancient Sword Academy? Master is a cultivator from the Ancient Sword Academy?" Li Qiang finally realized and exclaimed in surprise, "I saw cultivators from the Ancient Sword Academy on the Heavenly Road Grassland just a few days ago. I never imagined that Master was from the Ancient Sword Academy."
Wu Chen said, " The Ancient Sword Academy ranks second among the cultivation sects on Sealed Fate Planet, and its strength is much higher than our Chongxuan Sect. Old Freak Daoist is the number one expert in the Ancient Sword Academy. Strange, this person has an extremely strange and arrogant temperament and doesn't look down on others. He has never accepted disciples, and he rarely pays attention to other cultivators except for those from the Ancient Sword Academy. Why would he accept you as his disciple?"
He didn't know that after Qi Junsha Loose Immortal to the level of a rogue immortal, her entire personality underwent a significant change. Moreover, at the time, he was only half-heartedly accepting disciples; after getting to know her for a while, he officially decided to accept her as a disciple because he and Li Qiang got along well.
Mei'er asked doubtfully, " The Ancient Sword Academy's current strength is definitely not ranked second. I remember it was either fifth or sixth. Although it was considered a major sect on Sealed Fate Planet, it was on the verge of decline. They haven't produced any outstanding cultivators since then. Even a cultivator from a family with a lineage like Mei'er knows that joining the Ancient Sword Academy is not as good as going to another sword sect."
Wu Chen said, "It seems the Ancient Sword Academy has fallen into ruin. However, once the Old Freak Daoist returns, hehe, the Ancient Sword Academy will probably rise to prominence again."
Li Qiang sighed, "I'm still quite unfamiliar with the Cultivation Realm. I haven't even been to Sealed Fate Planet yet. Hehe, I really long to go there. I wonder what Sealed Fate Planet is like."
Wu Chen and Mei'er were both surprised. Wu Chen said, "Brother, you've never even been to Sealed Fate Planet? I can't believe it. It's alright, I'll take you back after things are settled here."
"I need to go to Heavenly Court Star first, and then I can go to Sealed Fate Planet. Brother Fu is fighting with someone on Bada Star, and I need to rush over to help."
Wu Chen exclaimed, "What? Who is Brother Fu fighting with? I'm going too!" Even Li Qiang himself didn't know that he had unintentionally invited many experts to help Fu Shan.
Wu Chen said, "Brother, you go into the secret cave. With the Illusory Devil Pearl, there shouldn't be any problems. I'll guard you outside. Little girl, you stay outside too; you can't get in."
Mei'er regretfully flew down, beckoned to the Blue Light, and said, "Brother, be careful, come back quickly, Mei'er is waiting for you outside."
Li Qiang nodded, then handed Wu Chen a pile of Immortal Stone, saying, "Brother, here, take this. I'll be out soon."
Wu Chen felt that Li Qiang was very considerate in handling things, as what he needed most right now was Immortal Stone. He then reminded him, "Brother, don't rush. Just take whatever you want inside; it's all unclaimed. Hehe, actually, I don't know exactly what's inside either, so be careful."
That yellow " Buddha Dust " is refined earth essence, somewhat like the "cold" of Mystic Qi. It is something with extreme properties; if you accidentally get even a little bit on it, you will be immediately absorbed into it.
The power of the Buddha Dust lies in its "weight." It can crush anything that enters it, whether it is a person, an object, or even Spirit Body or ghost. Only the Illusory Devil Pearl and a few other Buddhist treasures can avoid the pressure of the Buddha Dust.
Li Qiang had barely touched the rolling Buddha Dust with his foot when he was immediately swept up in it.
Li Qiang felt as if he were surrounded by a thick, yellowish-orange fog. Suddenly, his body felt heavy, and the Illusory Devil Pearl around his neck suddenly shone brightly, shooting out a beam of azure light. Li Qiang immediately felt a sense of relief, and the pressure vanished instantly. With the rolling Buddha Dust, he was transported to an unknown space.
In this peculiar space, yellow gas clouds swirled around everything, much like the Mystic Qi seen in the Mystic Ice Cavern, only the color was different. Many golden crystalline blocks the size of pigeon eggs also floated in the air.
Li Qiang knew these were Earth Essence Crystal, a valuable material for refining weapons, and he casually collected quite a few. What puzzled Li Qiang was that there was nothing else here besides these Earth Essence Crystal; he had originally thought that this secret cave would contain many Buddha Sect relics.
He reached out and touched the spinning Buddha Dust, and his body was swept up in it again. This time, the pressure from the Buddha Dust seemed even greater than before, and the Illusory Devil Pearl once again protected Li Qiang.
In the blink of an eye, Li Qiang was thrown out again, this time to another small space. In the center of this space was a cloud-shaped table with a basketball-sized incense burner-like object on it. It looked very ancient, with raised geometric patterns on the surface and a lid with a carved mythical beast knob. Li Qiang knew that this must be a Buddha Sect treasure.
He tried to retrieve it, but to his surprise, it seemed welded to the table, completely immovable. He tried to pull it with all his might, but it still wouldn't budge. Li Qiang was shocked; the force he had just used could have overturned even a thousand-pound cauldron, yet he couldn't move this tiny thing.
He reached out and pinched the spirit beast knob on the lid, then exerted his strength to lift it. The lid opened easily, and a delicate fragrance wafted out, instantly making Li Qiang feel refreshed. It turned out to be a small Pill Cauldron.
The small Pill Cauldron was filled with swirling mist, and many pale yellow elixirs, each about the size of a thumb, floated up and down in the alchemy chamber. Li Qiang didn't know what type of elixirs they were. He took out a jade box he had found in the ice cave of Heavenly Melody City and collected the elixirs inside—a total of eighty-one. He closed the lid, hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up on collecting the Pill Cauldron.
Li Qiang felt uneasy. He sensed that there were many more of these small spaces within the Buddha Dust, and figuring out how to get out was a major problem. Sure enough, when he was once again thrown into an unfamiliar space by the Buddha Dust, Li Qiang was both amused and exasperated; there was nothing there. After traversing five or six spaces in succession, he began to worry: Where would he be transported to before he could get out?
What's even more terrifying is that each time he leaps into the Buddha Dust, the pressure seems to be greater than the last time, and the resistance of the Illusory Devil Pearl seems to be gradually weakening. Li Qiang thought to himself, if this continues, he'll be trapped inside and die.
They arrived at a new space. Li Qiang had just been squeezed and thrown in by the Buddha Dust when a beam of red light shot towards him. He reacted extremely quickly, and the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist surged out, deflecting the red light. Li Qiang looked closely and saw that there were seven beams of light in the space, intersecting and colliding with each other, making a loud "clanging" sound.
The seven beams of light were red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Upon closer inspection, Li Qiang discovered that they were actually seven Law Treasure of different shapes, each seemingly possessing sentience and engaging in mutual sparring and attacks.
Li Qiang immediately used the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist to cover the area. The Sword Mist slowed down the speed of the Law Treasure' flight, and he swiftly reached out and grabbed one of them. It was a purple hairpin, as long as his palm, with a smooth and delicate surface. The hairpin was covered with wisps of purple light, flashing with a dazzling purple brilliance. It was constantly jumping in his hand, as if it did not want to be grabbed like this.
Li Qiang channeled a burst of true energy into the hairpin, and its purple light immediately dimmed, the flickering ceasing. Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh, "Heh, it can't escape now."
The crimson Law Treasure was a needle-shaped object, sharp at both ends, bright red in color, with what looked like a ball of fire burning inside, making it very beautiful. The other Law Treasure were also strange little gadgets. Li Qiang felt that these Law Treasure did not seem to be Buddha Sect artifacts, but rather more like magic Law Treasure used by cultivators.
After collecting the Law Treasure, Li Qiang was truly troubled. Although he had acquired a bunch of various treasures, being trapped here would be no fun. Li Qiang looked at the swirling yellow Buddha Dust with a headache, hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind. He muttered to himself, "Damn it, what's meant to be will be. I'll just have to go for it." He then plunged headfirst into the Buddha Dust.
Suddenly, a heavy weight pressed down on him, making Li Qiang dizzy. He knew something was wrong; the azure light emitted by the Illusory Devil Pearl seemed unable to withstand the immense pressure of the Buddha Dust. In desperation, Li Qiang released the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist, but suddenly an incredibly strong sticky force bound him, and his figure abruptly stopped within the Buddha Dust.
Under that immense pressure, Li Qiang desperately channeled his True Essence Power. In an instant, the Billowing Essence Battle Armor and the Radiant Sun Ring exerted their power simultaneously, barely managing to withstand the immense force. Li Qiang felt as if every bone in his body was about to be crushed. He tried to move, knowing that if he remained still, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold on for long under such terrifying pressure.
Li Qiang hadn't expected the Buddha Dust to be so terrifying. The Star-Absorbing Sword Mist was forcibly compressed to within a foot of Buddha Dust. His defenses actually included the Sword Mist, the Billowing Essence Battle Armor, the Radiant Sun Ring, the Shadow Dream Armor, and the Illusory Devil Pearl, which was why he had been able to hold on until now. But even with such powerful and abnormal protection, he still felt extremely strained. Anyone else, even if the White-Haired Wu Chen himself came in, probably wouldn't be able to withstand such pressure; at the very least, their physical body would definitely be destroyed.
The exertion was immense, and Li Qiang quickly began to weaken. The pressure slowly seeped into his body, causing his entire body to crack and creak, and blood slowly trickled from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. With unwavering willpower, he gritted his teeth and endured the immense pressure. Just when he was about to give in, the Supreme Radiance Shuttle was finally activated.
A flash of golden light, Li Qiang trembled violently. The pressure suddenly lessened, and he abruptly moved, sliding deeper into the Buddha Dust. After several jolts, he fell into a huge space. Little did he know, this space was the true location of the secret cave.
From the air, this space was completely different from what we had seen before. It was surrounded by a soft yellow halo, and countless giant pillars of varying heights were arranged in the air. These pillars neither reached the sky nor stood on the ground, but were suspended in the air.
Li Qiang was no longer too concerned about this strange phenomenon. The arrangement of the pillars almost certainly indicated a powerful formation, but what lay inside was impossible to discern from the outside.
Beside the pillars, there was a small patch of white flat ground, which also seemed to hang abruptly in the air. Li Qiang was utterly exhausted; the struggle within the Buddha Dust had drained him of immense energy, and he was on the verge of collapse. Landing on the white flat ground, he had no time to examine himself, but instead took out two high-grade Immortal Stone and quickly began to recover.
Li Qiang quickly repaired his physical injuries. Although the pressure from the Buddha Dust was only brief, it had still caused him considerable damage. However, it also brought a benefit: it forced his internal energy to increase rapidly. This immense pressure propelled his internal energy to the Middle Leaving the Body Stage.
Li Qiang stood up, feeling an inexhaustible supply of energy, his heart brimming with confidence and fighting spirit. He was somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why he was in such a good mood.
Li Qiang looked around, not in a hurry to enter the large array of pillars. He flew around the outside of the pillars for a long time, observing, but still couldn't figure out what kind of array it was or how to break it. He was at a loss.
The current situation left him in an awkward position, unable to advance or retreat. He had no confidence in forcing his way through this formidable formation, but he also didn't know how to withdraw. This was the first time Li Qiang had ever been so indecisive.
The surroundings were eerily silent; he could only hear his own long, drawn-out breaths. He closed his eyes, thinking anxiously. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and sighed inwardly: This seems to be a dead end; there's absolutely no way to find a solution.
Suddenly, a hissing sound came from the pillars, sounding jarring in the otherwise quiet place. Li Qiang quickly looked over and saw that the huge pillars had begun to move, each seemingly connected by a spark of electricity. The hissing sound grew louder and louder, and gradually, a muffled rumble of thunder sounded. Each pillar lit up, its originally gray and dull appearance turning fiery red like burning iron.
Li Qiang was puzzled. He hadn't triggered the formation, so how could this change have occurred?
Thunder rumbled, accompanied by dazzling lightning, trembling between the fiery red pillars. Each pillar was struck by lightning, sparking like fireworks exploding at midnight. Sparks of light drifted into the air, resembling glittering stars. The once calm Buddha Dust churned violently, and plumes of yellow smoke shot rapidly into the formation. Only the white flat ground remained unaffected; the rest of the space was completely engulfed in flames, lightning, and smoke.
Li Qiang was amazed; the scene was truly magnificent.
The red-hot pillars began to move rapidly. Just as Li Qiang was getting dizzy from watching them, he suddenly realized something was wrong. The pillars had surrounded the white ground he was standing on. In the blink of an eye, he found himself trapped in the formation, with no time to escape.
Li Qiang didn't even have a chance to curse. He quickly flew out of the Star-Absorbing Sword to protect his whole body. The surroundings were already bright red, and he felt like he had fallen into a steel furnace.
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh, temporarily relieved. When it came to playing with fire, he was a grandmaster in the Cultivation Realm; this kind of fire was still inferior to that of Fire Essence, not to mention he possessed the supreme-grade Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire. He chuckled, "Little guy, time to eat, haha!"
A phantom emerged from Li Qiang's body; it was the Primordial Spirit of the Fire Essence. It seemed quite pleased and rushed towards the nearest pillar. Li Qiang used the method of using fire to counter fire, letting the Fire Essence absorb the raging flames filling the sky.
In a short while, the fire subsided, and the Fire Essence Primordial Spirit turned bright red. It circled in the air a few times before disappearing into Li Qiang's body. A flash of azure energy swept away all the flames on the pillars, and the huge pillars turned into a translucent azure-green. In an instant, Li Qiang felt that the surroundings were full of vitality.
A jade-green crystal tablet slowly flew over and hovered in front of Li Qiang.
This is a crystal monument, three meters high and one meter wide, with an extremely beautiful color, like the new green shoots emerging from an old tree in spring, giving people a pleasing feeling. Two strangely shaped beasts are carved on both sides of the crystal monument. There are no words or decorations on the surface of the monument, and it is as smooth as a mirror.
Li Qiang felt strange. This emerald green color looked familiar to him, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.
While Li Qiang was still pondering what was happening, the crystal tablet began to glow, and two monsters carved on the side of the crystal tablet flew out and enveloped him with a small emerald green light shield.
Li Qiang roared in anger, trying to break through the small light barrier with his Star-Absorbing Sword. The Sword Mist passed through the barrier without any hindrance, but he couldn't get through no matter what he tried. He used every means possible, including burning the barrier with Heavenly Fire, but strangely, no matter what weapons Law Treasure he used to attack, the barrier seemed to be non-existent, and he just couldn't get out.
Standing before the crystal monument, Li Qiang was too exhausted to even curse. He stared blankly at the emerald green surface of the monument, where clouds and mist swirled and shifted in unpredictable patterns. The very center of the crystal monument was recessed, revealing a small, maple leaf-shaped groove.
Li Qiang's heart skipped a beat. The shape was so familiar. He suddenly remembered the little emerald green thing he had gotten from the shop in the Desperation Cape. He quickly took it out and tried to put it into the groove.
Just as the maple leaf-shaped object was inserted, the crystal tablet suddenly exploded, scattering countless beams of emerald light. A deafening thunderclap resounded once more, its intensity like the simultaneous beating of a million war drums.
A thick, emerald-green fog enveloped Li Qiang, quickly carrying him to the center of the pillars.
The instant Li Qiang reached the center of the formation, all the thunder, lightning, and green light vanished, and everything returned to normal. Li Qiang now realized that he had unwittingly stumbled into the most secret place of the Buddha Sect.