The visitors were Tianhong from Heavenly Melody City and Buliban, the island lord of Blackwater Island.
Li Qiang called out from afar, "Brother Tianhong, Brother Buliban..."
Wu Chen immediately realized that Tianhong was a master, and he unconsciously straightened his back and glanced over.
Tianhong chuckled, flew closer to Li Qiang, and said, "Brother, you're here too. And who is this?" He was also quite sensitive to experts.
Li Qiang grabbed Wu Chen and said, "This is my elder brother, White-Haired Wu Chen."
Tianhong couldn't help but exclaim, " White-Haired Wu Chen One of the Seven Great Masters?" He suddenly realized that it was very impolite to address him like that, and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, " Tianhong greets Senior."
Wu Chen realized that Tianhong was also a rare expert, so he couldn't be disrespectful and quickly helped him up, saying with a smile, "Brother, no need for formalities." Everyone greeted each other again.
Lu Chengchao said with some unease, "The major sects of Sealed Fate Planet haven't arrived yet. Alas! The demon is about to be born, and there's no time left."
A disciple from Heavenly Halberd Peak flew over to inform Lu Chengchao, "Second Martial Uncle, Ninth Martial Uncle, the Tower-Suppressing Heavenly Lightning Array has been set up. Please return to oversee it. Eldest Martial Uncle said that the main force of Sealed Fate Planet might not be able to make it." The atmosphere immediately became tense. Lu Chengchao apologized to everyone and flew back to oversee the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder.
A piercing long howl rang out. Shi Qingming frowned slightly and said, "The signal indicates that everyone must evacuate. I apologize, seniors, I must go and meet up with my disciples."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Brother Shi, you can go now. We can talk again later."
Chen Zhili of the Hundred Swords Gate also took his leave.
Tianhong said, "Let's observe the situation here before making any decisions. Why are there so many cultivators, yet Heavenly Halberd Peak says they don't have enough people? What's causing everyone to be so tense?"
The group landed on an abandoned tower, the spire of which had long since collapsed, leaving only the height of seven or eight stories.
The island lord of Buliban asked, "Why didn't Senior Qi come?"
Li Qiang said, "We got separated, and we don't know where he went."
As they were chatting, Geng Feng flew over upon hearing the news, yelling from afar, "Haha, the Little Madman is here!" Upon landing, he immediately spotted Tianhong, and, startled, his smile vanished as he bowed respectfully, saying, " Geng Feng greets Grandmaster Uncle."
Wu Chen looked ahead and said, "They've scattered. Good heavens, this is quite a mess."
In the distance, countless flying sword lights burst outwards like exploding fire rings, instantly filling the sky with flashing sword light, a truly beautiful sight, as a large group of dark blue monsters soared into the sky.
Geng Feng said, "Those are remnant souls and vengeful spirits, forcibly possessed by some creatures and cultivated through very cruel methods. They are extremely powerful and difficult to eliminate. Hehe, even the Old Madman had a hard time fighting them, but it was very exciting."
Wu Chen nodded. "This is a method used by the Black Devil Realm. It seems that the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch has a very deep level of demonic cultivation. If we can't control him, the cultivators here will be in danger."
The retreating cultivators quickly passed by Li Qiang and his group.
Divine Envoy Kaben said, "Let's retreat too. The Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder is ready and will affect this area. This time it's an eight-ringed Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder, second only to the most powerful nine-ringed one." He was too embarrassed to say that after Li Qiang destroyed Long Qianyue's Law Treasure, the Tower-Shaking Star, on the Heavenly Road Grassland, Heavenly Halberd Peak could no longer unleash its most powerful nine-ringed Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder.
Wu Chen said calmly, "It's no problem with such a long distance, there's no need to back up."
Among this group, White-Haired Wu Chen, held the highest position. Since he said not to back down, no one dared to retreat. He casually conjured a protective shield, enveloping everyone inside, and laughed, "Watching the show isn't bad either."
Wu Chen remained standing outside the protective barrier, hands behind his back, as if leisurely admiring the scenery. Li Qiang couldn't resist coming out as well, and as a result, no one wanted to stay inside the protective shield, so they all stepped out.
Li Qiang called out, "Everyone, put on your armor and release your flying swords! The monster is almost here!" He first released the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist, Tianhong also put on his armor. Except for Wu Chen, everyone released their flying swords.
After the cultivators dispersed, the dark blue-green monsters immediately launched a fierce attack. They were as dark as rising smoke, and their numbers were countless. Each monster was shrouded in thick black smoke and made ghostly howls.
Geng Feng looked excited, his flying sword swirling around him, constantly gathering and dispersing. Everyone watched as the monster rapidly approached.
Li Qiang was eager to test his newly learned Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder was. Suddenly, he rose above everyone's heads and shouted, "Let me have a go first! Haha! Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder! Go! Go! Go!"
He uttered the word "go" three times, unleashing three beams of red light. This was different from the Divine Thunder he emitted during his contest with Elder Zhi in the Chaos Realm. The red light contained countless golden specks of light, because the power of the Devil-Slaying Thorn was mixed in with it.
The red light swiftly pierced into the thick black fog, which seemed to pause slightly as it rapidly expanded outwards. A series of enormous explosions rang out, followed by flashes of dazzling golden light. The flying monster let out a piercing scream, and countless fragments of bone and flesh flew everywhere.
The thick, sticky fog covering the monsters couldn't block the golden light at all. In an instant, a wide space was cleared in front of them, and all the monsters within the range of the Divine Thunder explosion were wiped out.
Li Qiang discovered that the Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder was truly formidable. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, shouting, "Awesome! Haha! Haha!"
Standing atop the tower, everyone stared in disbelief. Among them, Wu Chen was the most discerning; he recognized the golden specks of light mixed within the red glow, and was therefore particularly astonished. This junior was truly remarkable, having actually mastered the most famous Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder of the Buddha Sect. He had personally experienced it and knew its power.
Geng Feng exclaimed in astonishment, "Amazing! Little Madman... This is incredible! What kind of Law Treasure is this? Its power is boundless!"
He had been fighting these monsters for a long time and knew they were very difficult to deal with. He also discovered that Li Qiang seemed to have learned many powerful techniques after breaking up with him.
The sky suddenly darkened, and the monsters charging outwards strangely stopped.
Wu Chen said calmly, "Good heavens, a demon has been born, this is extraordinary." As soon as he finished speaking, the monsters retreated like a tide, disappearing completely in less than five minutes, revealing the entrance to the cave, a huge, bottomless pit.
The sky grew even darker.
A dark red streak rapidly expanded from the horizon, gradually turning into a vast expanse of blood red, followed by terrifying darkness. A somber atmosphere enveloped everything, making even the air feel oppressive. Silence fell, and the swirling, shifting blood red in the sky slowly converged towards the ruins.
Li Qiang landed and saw that everyone's faces were tinged with the crimson light of the sky, and their expressions were all serious, even Wu Chen's expression was somewhat grave. He asked, "Brother, is the change in the sky and the emergence of the demon a coincidence?"
Wu Chen sighed, "I never expected this. This must be the most powerful demon. Strange? Who is this? How could someone with such profound strength choose to cultivate as a demon in the Black Devil Realm?" His full head of white hair moved without wind as he bitterly smiled, "Everyone, be careful! Alas! I didn't expect to encounter such a calamity so soon after we came out... If things go wrong, don't fight head-on. Run if you can. Remember! Never let the demon possess you."
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected White-Haired Wu Chen, one of the seven masters, to say such a thing. In fact, Wu Chen had already guessed a bit. After all, he was one of the most powerful masters at the time, and he was very knowledgeable. Just from the signs of the demon's emergence, he knew that something terrible was about to happen. This was the first time he had ever seen a demon with such celestial signs.
The Divine Envoy Kaben was most concerned about the development of the situation. The changes here in the Western Continent would directly affect the Tanbang Continent. Hearing this, he was even more alarmed.
Only Geng Feng was eager to try. Seeing Li Qiang's greatly improved skills, he had another bad idea. He thought, "It seems I haven't fought enough. My progress is much slower than Little Madman's. It looks like I have to go crazy for a while."
Strange sounds emanated from the cave, a sound that was neither crying nor laughing, causing extreme discomfort to those who heard it. In the distance, many cultivators with low levels of skill could no longer resist and fell from the sky.
Tianhong, being a master of music, quickly exclaimed, "This is Soul-Seizing Devil Sound! Don't listen to it!" He then put the Whistling Arrow in his mouth. A Soul-Suppressing Melody began to play. Although it only had seven short notes, his repeated playing barely managed to resist the strange sound.
Some cultivation masters sensed something was wrong and began to roar in resistance. Initially, there were only a few people, but gradually more and more masters began to join in.
Li Qiang found it amusing and also let out a sharp, shrill cry.
Upon seeing Li Qiang's reaction, Geng Feng hurriedly followed. He was also a master of music, and his whistling was unique, like the waves of the sea gradually rising, the tone suddenly changing, like a raging storm mixed with lightning and thunder, emitting bursts of roar.
The simultaneous voices of so many experts caused the entire ruins to tremble.
Li Qiang stopped in surprise, speechless, and said, "Goodness, this is the first time I've heard so many people screaming like ghosts together, it's really scary." His voice was drowned out by the long howls, and almost no one could hear what he said.
Wu Chen stood calmly the whole time. He heard Li Qiang's remark and couldn't help but laugh. He found his little brother quite amusing. Wu Chen really liked the free and easy attitude that Li Qiang displayed.
The strange noises from the cave were finally suppressed, but the crimson light in the sky had completely gathered above the cave.
Wu Chen suddenly said, "Let's retreat!" His tone was very firm.
Li Qiang was very obedient, especially to experts. He immediately said, "Let's go!"
In fact, no one wanted to stay standing there any longer. Hearing Li Qiang's decisive "Go," everyone quickly flew into the air and flew towards the outer perimeter. Soon they retreated to the first layer of defense, which was guarded by cultivators from several small sects.
Just as I stopped, I heard someone whisper in alarm, "The earth is shaking... the earth is shaking!"
The earth began to tremble, and the buildings that had not yet completely collapsed in the ruins swayed and rattled. Soon, most of the buildings began to collapse, and the stones that hit the ground made a loud cracking sound. Puffs of dust rose into the air, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
The experts of Heavenly Halberd Peak, who were guarding all directions in the sky, shouted almost simultaneously, "Prepare the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder! Prepare the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder!" Everyone knew that the demon was about to be born.
The Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder is not used to eliminate demons, but is specifically designed to deal with the Buddha Sect masters. It is the most powerful Law Treasure of Heavenly Halberd Peak and a top-tier Law Treasure in the Cultivation Realm. With each additional Tower-Shaking Star Ring, the power of the Heavenly Thunder doubles. If the nine rings are interlocked, its power is so great that even Loose Immortal would have to avoid its edge.
Of course, Loose Immortal wouldn't just stand there and take a beating, while a demon's emergence requires him to come out of the cave and merge with the bloodthirsty aura above. Therefore, this is Heavenly Halberd Peak's only chance.
" The Star of Tower Suppression... Eight Interlocking Rings!"
" The Star of Tower Suppression... Eight Interlocking Rings!"
"..."
Eight hexagonal rings flew out, their eight colors overlapping and connecting to form a hexagonal pillar that hovered in the air, emitting a rainbow-like glow.
Li Qiang had been injured by the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder before and knew its power well. He asked, "What does 'eight interlocking rings' mean?"
The Divine Envoy Kaben explained it to him in a low voice.
Geng Feng said, " The Fengzi has seen the four interlocking rings of the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder; hehe, its power is indeed astonishing."
Wu Chen suddenly said, "Good! This opportunity is truly wonderful..." He realized that the demon must ascend to merge with the blood demon, so the demon would definitely not escape the attack of the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder.
Bloodlust gathered above the cavern, emitting strange hissing sounds, seemingly summoning a demon. At the same time, the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder was also accumulating energy, eight beams of colorful light enveloping eight halos, each ring shimmering with light, sparks flying everywhere. The eight different colored halos hung high in the air, precisely above the cavern below the bloodlust. From afar, the halos in the sky resembled twinkling lighthouses during a festival, illuminating the dark earth.
Mei'er had been hiding and hadn't spoken, but seeing the beautiful sky, she couldn't help but whisper in Li Qiang's ear, "Brother, what a beautiful sky!"
Geng Feng was standing right next to Li Qiang. He heard everything clearly, and when he suddenly turned his head and saw Mei'er, who was only the size of a thumb, he screamed in fright, "Whoa! What is that?"
Mei'er said coldly, "I am a human being, you are the toy!"
Tianhong was also drawn in by their conversation. He glanced over and exclaimed in surprise, " Spirit Body? Brother, this is Spirit Body! Where did you get it?"
Mei'er immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Nonsense! What did you get that from? It sounds awful!" The little girl was angry.
Li Qiang quickly said, "This is my little sister, Gu Mei'er. Let's all get to know her."
Mei'er pouted and said, "I know they're all great heroes and true valiant men. They wouldn't even bother with a little girl like me..."
Li Qiang then realized that Mei'er was also quite eloquent.
Geng Feng shook his messy hair sheepishly and laughed, "Hehe, Fengzi didn't know Little Mei'er was Little Madman's sister. Fengzi apologizes to you." His Fengzi" Fengzi " remarks amused everyone.
Tianhong stroked his beard and chuckled, "Hehe, brother, your sister is quite something. Little sister, don't be angry, this little thing is for you." He took out a finger-thick Xuanbing pillar, inside which were three blue needles.
Mei'er was greatly surprised. Actually, she felt a little inferior, knowing that these people were all cultivation experts, and she was afraid that they would look down on her. So she couldn't help but speak sharply. Little did she know the relationship between these people and Li Qiang. Out of respect for him, no matter how harsh Mei'er's words were, these people wouldn't get angry.
Seeing Tianhong take out a gift, she felt embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry, little sister, I was being rude."
Mei'er took the ice pillar, looked at the blue needles inside, and happily said, "This is the Soul-Piercing Rays, Mei'er can use it!"
Tianhong laughed and said, "That's right, this is Spirit Artifact I got when I first started out. I didn't know how to use it until later when I found out it was a magic Law Treasure for Spirit Body. I'm giving it to you."
Li Qiang said with a smile, "Alright, let's talk about it later. Strange, why hasn't the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder struck down yet? It's making us impatient."
Wu Chen said, "The demon hasn't come out yet, but it will soon. This attack will probably be extremely powerful. Look at the halo in the sky; it's still gathering power... The Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder is truly a treasure; it can be controlled at will."
The Divine Envoy Kaben called out, "They're here! They've come out!"
The surrounding cultivators gasped in surprise. The cavern shook violently, and a terrifying roar suddenly erupted. With this roar, countless monsters shrouded in black smoke flew out of the cavern again, shooting into the sky like fountains, and then rolling in all directions. The blood-red aura in the sky churned even more violently.
Li Qiang clearly felt an immense, terrifying pressure. The weaker cultivators began to flinch. Wu Chen said, "Remember my words, everyone. Don't be reckless."
Someone directed all the cultivators on the outer layer to form a giant halo of light with their flying swords to repel the incoming monsters. In an instant, the Devil Creature crashed into the light wall formed by the flying swords.
Li Qiang didn't include his flying sword, because his Swordsmanship differed too much from the others, making it difficult to maintain consistency. Knowing that his Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder was extremely lethal to these Devil Creature, he simply flew high into the sky to wait.
The Devil Creature that flew out of the cave were endless, but none of them flew high into the sky. Instead, they spread low along the ruins, making the entire ruins look as if they were stained with a thick layer of ink. Against the backdrop of the blood-red demons in the sky, they looked even more sinister and terrifying.
Li Qiang surrounded himself with the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist, his eyes fixed on the cave entrance. He wanted to see what the Demon Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch really looked like.
Soon, a large horde of Devil Creature surrounded the cavern, leaping and bounding around its edges as if welcoming something. A thick, dark red mist, carrying a human figure, slowly rose from the cavern. The ring of Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder began to glow rapidly. Suddenly, someone shouted, "He's not a demon! He's not a demon!"
The thick fog receded to the man's feet, revealing him clearly. Li Qiang recognized him immediately; it was Ming Lingzi, a disciple of Heavenly Halberd Peak and the man with whom he had a grudge. He saw Ming Lingzi looking around with a face full of resentment.
A voice boomed from above. "You wicked creature! Why did you release this demon?!"
Ming Lingzi said viciously, "Useless sect, incompetent elders, why should I follow you? Listen up! The ancestor orders you to retreat immediately, or he will kill all of you ignorant fools and refine you all into demons! Hehe, look at this..." He revealed the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand in his hand.
The cultivators of Heavenly Halberd Peak are now extremely anxious. The Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder has been gathering power for a long time, and its power will gradually weaken if this continues. They all understand now that with the traitor Ming Lingzi around, the demon must be very familiar with the power of the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder, which is why he is unwilling to appear immediately.
The people of Heavenly Halberd Peak were extremely tense. Lu Chengchao shouted sharply, " Ming Lingzi! How dare you be so arrogant! Heavenly Halberd Peak will never let you get away with this!"
Ming Lingzi's body trembled slightly, but he immediately straightened his back, a red glint flashing in his eyes. He roared angrily, "I will never let you go! Surrender, or I'll kill you all!"
The people of Heavenly Halberd Peak were in a real dilemma. If they released the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder now, they certainly wouldn't have time to release it a second time when their ancestor was born. The situation was at a standstill for a moment.
Li Qiang suddenly burst into laughter. "Haha! Ming Lingzi! I'm right here, you useless thing, haha, come and try if you dare. I think you might as well be dead, living in this world will only bring shame upon yourself, haha!" He had already seen through the trick, so he deliberately provoked Ming Lingzi. Only Li Qiang among the people here could possibly distract him.
The people of Heavenly Halberd Peak felt relieved when they heard Li Qiang speak. Someone had to break the deadlock at this point, otherwise things would become difficult.
Ming Lingzi was enraged, his voice distorted as he roared, "I'm going to kill you... I'm going to kill you!" Provoked by Li Qiang, he lost his mind and charged at Li Qiang recklessly, spewing out large clumps of Black Baleful Intent from the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand in his hand.
Li Qiang hovered in the air, coldly watching Ming Lingzi rushing towards him. He had formed a magic hand seal, which was four layers thick, and he could now control it at will.
Li Qiang raised his hand and unleashed a four-layered attack. This was the first time he had ever used a four-layered attack with the Devil-Slaying Thorn. This was a technique that Elder Zhi of the Buddha Sect had taught him, originally intended to deal with Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch, but now Ming Lingzi was trying it out.
A shimmering rainbow once again shot out, but this time it was scattered with countless golden starlight—the starlight of the Devil-Slaying Thorn. Ming Lingzi believed that Li Qiang would be no match for him this time, because the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand in Li Qiang's hand had already transformed into a demon. A cultivator's flying sword could not withstand a demon; once the demon possessed someone, even with high cultivation, one would be completely lost and controlled by the demon. He maliciously wanted Li Qiang to become a sacrifice for the staff.
The Black Baleful Intent shot from the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand was incredibly poisonous, mixed with blood-red demonic shadows. However, Ming Lingzi's luck was truly terrible. The Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder unleashed by Li Qiang was precisely his nemesis. The crystalline rainbow shattered the Black Baleful Intent with overwhelming force and rushed straight towards Ming Lingzi.
This guy was very wary of Li Qiang. Seeing that Black Baleful Intent couldn't withstand the attack, he threw the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand out of his hand and plummeted downwards at the same time. The Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand transformed into a blood-red demon as soon as it was thrown, but before it could change, it crashed into the Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder. He had been betrayed by Ming Lingzi.
The power of the four layers of superimposed Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder was beyond even Li Qiang's expectations. The moment the rainbow touched the demon, it silently pierced into his body. The blood-red demon was actually the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand, and also another Primordial Spirit of the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch. Divine Thunder entered his body, he let out a frantic, mournful scream and struggled to break free.
Li Qiang shouted, "Explode!" The Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder suddenly flashed and exploded.
The power of the Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder was like countless thunderbolts exploding simultaneously. In a series of deafening roars, the demon was blasted to pieces, Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand instantly shattered into countless small fragments, falling down with Mars like a rain of Mars.
This magical artifact was indirectly destroyed by Ming Lingzi. He didn't even have a chance to unleash his demonic power before being used as a shield by Ming Lingzi.
With the demon lord of the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand destroyed, the main demon lord in the cave Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch, was also affected.
He was fully aware of what was happening outside. He had originally planned to have Ming Lingzi trigger the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder, but he didn't expect that this guy would leave on his own and even have the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand destroyed, causing him to be injured before he was even born.
At this point, the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch could no longer hold back; he roared and was about to come out.
The edge of the cave was turned upside down in large chunks, and amidst the rumbling tremors, a blackish-green slurry gushed out. Slowly, a human figure rose from the slurry, looked up at the blood-red demons flying overhead, and let out a terrifying, wicked laugh.
All the cultivators, including experts like Wu Chen, felt Jipi rise all over their bodies. The sound was simply too awful.