Mo Huaiyuan burst into laughter upon hearing Nashan's strange cry, finding the guy quite amusing.
Li Qiang shouted, "Everyone, try your best to grab it! Pay attention! Focus your True Essence Power on your palms, be careful not to lose your hands!" Quite a few people had already had their palms and fingers cut by the flying swords, so Li Qiang couldn't help but remind them.
Nashan was dizzy from the dazzling sword shadows. He rubbed his one eye and suddenly noticed a flash of black light in the distance. This kind of flying sword without any luster seemed to go unnoticed. He was overjoyed and muttered, "Whatever it is, as long as it's a flying sword... Don't go! Ouch! That hurts! Haha, I caught it too! Haha! Hahaha!"
Li Qiang shouted, " Nashan, are you out of your mind? Come here!"
Nashan weaved through the chaotic crowd, grimacing as he ran over. The kid had actually used his arm to block the flying sword, and it was now embedded in his arm. He hissed, "Ouch, that hurts!"
Mo Huaiyuan raised his white eyebrows slightly, gently tugged, drew his flying sword, and released a wisp of immortal energy to stop the bleeding from Nashan's arm. He said, "This is a good sword. You have a good eye."
Li Qiang knew that among the flying swords he had taken out were a few particularly good ones, but because there were so many people, these few swords were just there to make up the numbers.
Most of the flying swords he had collected were of good quality. Cultivators who could enter the Great Illusion Buddha Realm were not of low cultivation level, and their flying swords would not be bad either. He never expected that Nashan would get a good one.
Nashan received a black flying sword, five inches long, a rare slender teardrop shape, with lightning flashing in the dark blade, making it a very special flying sword.
Mo Huaiyuan laughed and said, "This is indeed a famous flying sword."
Nashan was overjoyed and asked repeatedly, "Grandpa, what's the name of this sword? Hehe, this is awesome!"
Mo Huaiyuan said, "This is called the Nether Thunder Sword, it's an ancient sword. Kid, you're lucky, you weren't blinded by the sword light."
Nashan laughed triumphantly. He didn't understand the difference between good and bad flying swords at all. He just wanted to catch a flying sword, any kind would do. He would be satisfied as long as he could catch a sword. Who knew that by not being greedy, he would catch a special and good sword.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Go and forge your sword. If you don't understand anything, ask Zhao Hao."
More and more people received flying swords, until finally seven or eight people were left without one.
Mo Huaiyuan said, "They are too weak to collect them." He raised his hand and released a faint white light. His five fingers clenched slightly, and the sword light flying in the air suddenly dimmed. He opened his palm, and the remaining flying swords fell to the ground around him one after another. The brothers who had not received the flying swords all shouted.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Let Zhao Hao keep these flying swords for now. You all focus on cultivating your cultivation. We'll give them to you when you're ready to forge swords."
Zhao Hao put the flying sword into his storage bag and shouted, "You guys are always so lazy, what are you yelling about now? Go back and practice your skills!" He had great prestige, and the brothers didn't dare to talk back. They could only go back to practice their skills with their heads down, feeling both sad and envious.
Mo Huaiyuan's expression suddenly changed, and he smiled, "Brother, you have a friend here."
Li Qiang didn't notice anything amiss and asked in confusion, "Where?" He then asked, "Is it Yu'er?" He quickly stood up.
Mo Huaiyuan laughed, "It's not your Yu'er, it's... good heavens, there are quite a few cultivators here. This is your territory now, hehe, don't let outsiders cause trouble. I'll take you to see them."
He reached out and grabbed Li Qiang, giving a low shout, "Go!"
Outside the capital, the cold wind howled, the heavy snow gradually stopped, and only a few fine snowflakes drifted down. The entire earth was covered in silver, and from the air, it was a vast expanse of white. Although it was night, one could still see very far.
Mo Huaiyuan appeared in the air with Li Qiang.
Li Qiang heard the sound of flying swords cutting through the air from afar. He squinted and looked closely. There were three sword lights flying close to the ground at extremely high speed, bringing up a lot of snow mist as they swept past the treetops.
Mo Huaiyuan whispered, "There are people chasing us. Good heavens, there are so many of them."
Li Qiang suddenly felt uneasy, and he stared intently at the three sword lights flying towards him.
When he finally saw clearly, he couldn't help but cry out in surprise, " Elder Sister Hua! Niuniu! Sister Hong! Come quick!"
Mo Huaiyuan asked in surprise, "Is it someone we know?"
Three sword lights suddenly rose up, and Hua Meiniang shouted, "It's you! Boy, run! Your opponent is formidable!"
With Mo Huaiyuan, a rogue Loose Immortal, standing behind him, Li Qiang wasn't afraid of any other cultivators as long as the newcomers weren't the immortal who destroyed the Star Palace.
He laughed loudly, "Hey? Elder Sister Hua, aren't you fearless? Why are you running away?"
Hua Meiniang scolded, "You brat! If it weren't for your two little sisters dragging me down, when would I ever be afraid?"
Mei Jingjing and Qiao Yuhong rushed forward almost simultaneously, each hugging Li Qiang from either side, tears streaming down their faces.
Li Qiang was immediately at a loss and quickly comforted her, " Niuniu, Sister Hong, don't cry. Who bullied you? Big brother will stand up for you!"
After several years apart, Mei Jingjing seemed to have matured a lot. She shyly released Li Qiang and bowed in the air, saying, "Brother, Niuniu missed you so much."
Li Qiang said with a grin, " Niuniu, your big brother misses you too. Who's pursuing you?"
Qiao Yuhong blushed, reluctantly letting go of Li Qiang, and bowed, saying, " Hong'er greets elder brother."
Mo Huaiyuan chuckled and said, "You've got quite a few female confidantes, haven't you... Sigh, who's chasing after you?"
In the distance, a flurry of sword light flickered. Those people seemed to have noticed Li Qiang and his group as well, and their sword light split into two groups, flying in from the left and right to flank them.
Hua Meiniang said urgently, "There are too many of them, let's hide for a while!"
Li Qiang said smugly, "Hehe, they're just asking for it if they rush over here. Don't be afraid, with my big brother here, you can just watch the show."
Hua Meiniang and the other two looked at Mo Huaiyuan with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to see anything special about this young man.
Mo Huaiyuan laughed heartily, raised his hand, and a beam of Blue Light enveloped the three of them. He said, "Little girl, stay inside. Since you're my friend, don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Mo Huaiyuan's tone was extremely arrogant.
Hua Meiniang hesitated for a moment. If it weren't for Mei Jingjing and Qiao Yuhong holding her back, she really wouldn't care about the people chasing after her. She was quite adept at causing trouble when she couldn't win. She chuckled, "Alright, let's take a break. I'm exhausted. The ones chasing us are experts from Qianjie Star, you know."
Upon hearing that they were from Qianjie Star, Li Qiang's anger flared up instantly. He said, "Brother, the people who chased after us are my enemies. Let me have my way first and vent my anger. Damn it, how dare they bully my little sister!"
He seemed completely unfazed. With a top expert like Mo Huaiyuan around, he had nothing to fear.
Mo Huaiyuan nodded and smiled, "Just go for it, hehe, I'll take care of the rest."
Mei Jingjing, Qiao Yu, and Shu Tuhong all said at the same time, "Brother, be careful."
Hua Meiniang also sensed that Li Qiang was different from before, and laughed, "You brat, be careful, your opponent is a master from the Shadow Castle on Qianjie Star."
Shadow Castle was the aerial palace of Old Man Baihuang. Li Qiang had been teleported to Tanbang Star from there, but he didn't know it was Shadow Castle at the time. Li Qiang raised his hand to put on the Billowing Essence Battle Armor and put on the Radiant Sun Ring.
Mo Huaiyuan remained motionless, neither wearing armor nor carrying a flying sword, calmly watching the approaching expert.
The more battles Li Qiang had experienced, the more experienced he became. He calmly asked, " Elder Sister Hua, why are the people from Qianjie Star chasing you?"
Mei Jingjing interjected, "They trapped my great-grandfather in Shadow Castle. We went there to gather information, but they discovered us and gave chase. Sister Hua said we should escape first and find friends for help, because we're too weak to defeat them."
Hua Meiniang said, "They need Master Mei's elixir. If they can't get it, they'll steal it. The old man is clever; he carries all the elixir with him and threatened that if they push him too far, he'll destroy them all, and no one will get them. That's why it's been delayed until now. Hmph, once I find Brother Fu, I'll make them pay." Judging from her tone, she seemed to be quite familiar with Fu Shan.
Li Qiang was in no mood for jokes at this moment. He realized the seriousness of the matter. Mei Youbing's elixir was very important in the struggle on Bada Star. If the people of Qianjie Star got their hands on it, it would be very disadvantageous for Fu Shan.
Mo Huaiyuan glanced at the approaching cultivators and said calmly, "There are twenty-seven people in total. Fifteen are Nascent Soul Realm experts, two are Leaving the Body Realm, and the last one is a powerful expert in the Spirit Severing Late Stage..."
He glanced at Hua Meiniang and the other two, shook his head, and said, "They've really gone to great lengths. It seems they're afraid you'll escape; otherwise, there's no reason for them to send so many experts to chase after three young girls."
Li Qiang was also surprised. Not to mention there were two Leaving the Body Realm experts, he knew very well the significance of Spirit Severing Late Stage expert. Although he possessed countless powerful Law Treasure, the gap was too large to be of any use. He laughed, "Brother, I'll leave the Spirit Severing Realm expert to you. Hehe, they're not in the same realm; a fight would be fatal."
Hua Meiniang giggled and said, "Boy, you're quite clear-headed. You know how formidable a master in the Spirit Severing Realm is. I ran away as soon as I saw her. This person is on par with Situ Yong, ranking third among the four kings of Qianjie Star. Her name is Zi Ying..." As she spoke, the flying sword light had already surrounded the five people from all sides.
Leading the group was a woman clad in purple armor, draped in a purple cloak, who gracefully flew in like a purple sprite, aloof and untouched by worldly concerns, exuding an aura of chilling coldness like an iceberg.
Li Qiang said, "Good heavens, this is the first time I've ever seen such a peculiar woman. Is she the Zi Ying?"
Hua Meiniang laughed, "Hehe, she's quite formidable. Even my sister avoids her. You'd better watch out." For someone as fearless as Hua Meiniang to avoid her, this woman is truly extraordinary.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Oh, thanks for the reminder, Elder Sister Hua! Hehe, brother, she's yours now!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Huaiyuan laughed and said, "Nonsense, what do you mean by 'it's yours'? I don't like such a cold and aloof woman..." The three of them chatted and laughed as if no one else was around.
Zi Ying said coldly, " Hua Meiniang, you're quite something, always coming up with all sorts of tricks to escape. Now you can't escape, can you?" Her voice was clear and melodious.
Li Qiang simply couldn't connect her with the people of Qianjie Star, not because she was extremely beautiful, but because of her aloof temperament, which had absolutely no hint of evil in her.
Mo Huaiyuan said, "Get out of here now! Immediately..." He turned to Li Qiang and asked, "What's the name of the person who's trapped?"
Li Qiang said, " Mei Youbing in Rejuvenation Valley."
Mo Huaiyuan said, "Yes, release Mei Youbing, or don't blame me for being impolite." His tone was as authoritative as an emperor's.
Zi Ying reacted as if she had heard a Fengzi speak, uttering only two words: "Arrogant!"
The experts from Qianjie Star all burst into laughter. They had never seen anyone speak like that before, so arrogant as to treat such a large group of masters as if they were nobody. Only Li Qiang understood that Mo Huaiyuan was not arrogant at all; he had the ability to say such things.
Zi Ying carefully examined Mo Huaiyuan, and suddenly she was moved, because she couldn't see through him with her spiritual sense. What kind of cultivation level was that? But she was also a worldly person and wouldn't be intimidated by Mo Huaiyuan's words. She said, "Alright, it seems you're very powerful. Do you dare to gamble with us?"
As expected of one of the four kings of Qianjie Star, she was already prepared for both advance and retreat as she spoke.
Li Qiang secretly praised her. This Zi Ying was quite shrewd. It seemed that the people of Qianjie Star were giving up their advantage of numbers and suffering a loss. In reality, in the battles between cultivators, especially between experts, numbers were useless. By gambling, she could grasp the balance of advance and retreat. As long as she figured out Mo Huaiyuan's background, she could easily find a solution.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Alright, what are you betting on?"
Zi Ying said, "Let's fight with Law Treasure!" She had long since seen through Li Qiang's cultivation level, so she didn't take him seriously. If she had known that Li Qiang was from the Chongxuan Sect, she would never have proposed a magic Law Treasure.
Everyone in the Cultivation Realm knows that every core member of the Chongxuan Sect is a master craftsman. The Chongxuan Sect may be lacking in other aspects, but when it comes to Law Treasure, no cultivator dares to underestimate them.
Hua Meiniang said, "Who's afraid of fighting with magic Law Treasure? Putting aside others, I, Hua Meiniang, would even acknowledge if you could defeat my brother." In order to get closer to Fu Shan, she had worked hard to learn how to forge weapons and knew the process well, so she had great confidence in the Law Treasure of the Chongxuan Sect.
Zi Ying said, "Alright, if we win, the three of you will come with us. If we lose, I will release Mei Youbing."
Mo Huaiyuan didn't care what the competition was about, unless the opponent was Loose Immortal. The experts in the Cultivation Realm were nothing to him, just like when cultivators fought with experts in the secular world. No matter how they fought, the experts in the secular world would have a hard time winning.
Li Qiang glanced at Mo Huaiyuan, a hint of a smile in his eyes. Although he had never fought against Law Treasure before, with Mo Huaiyuan's strength, he didn't care what he fought against. Besides, Mo Huaiyuan possessed many treasures, most of which were treasure-level artifacts, Cultivation Realm magic Law Treasure in the cultivation world. In particular, he had cultivated quite a few Law Treasure obtained from the Great Illusion Buddha Realm during his free time at the Sacred King's Residence's Mansion, and this time he could finally put them to good use.
Li Qiang said casually, "Sure, I don't mind. Please give me your guidance, Miss Zi Ying."
The cultivators from Qianjie Star shouted, "Boy! How dare you address Miss Zi Ying like that? How dare you be so disrespectful to the Purple Immortal King! How audacious!"
Li Qiang laughed heartily and teased, "Another king! How many kings do you guys have? Last time, Situ Yong was also called something like 'Prince.' Oh, sorry, I'm a king too, the World-Wreaking Demon King... Haha!" For some reason, he blurted out this nickname for himself.
Hua Meiniang and the other two laughed so hard they were shaking. They knew Li Qiang was very funny; even after not seeing him for several years, he was still the same, always ready to spout nonsense.
Mo Huaiyuan smiled slightly; he liked Li Qiang's unrestrained manner of speaking.
Zi Ying's expression grew even colder. She was secretly astonished. Situ Yong was ranked second among the four kings of Qianjie Star. He was ruthless and his cultivation was much higher than hers. She had to be wary of him. She never expected that this kid in front of her, who had met him before, would act as if nothing had happened. She really couldn't figure out who he was.
A tall man behind Zi Ying bowed and said, " Purple Immortal King, I challenge for the first round of the duel."
Zi Ying nodded slightly and said, "General Qing, be careful."
Li Qiang sized up this so-called "Blue General." He noticed that the man had rough hands and feet, a square face, narrow eyes with slightly drooping corners, and looked somewhat confused. His armor was blue, and a strange, bright red belt was wrapped around his waist, which occasionally twitched like a living thing.
He flew up and stopped in front of Mo Huaiyuan and the others, saying, "I—Qing Jiang Bei Shifeng of Qianjie Star —have come to learn from you!" His words were crisp and clear, and his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, showing the demeanor of a master.
Hua Meiniang said, "I'm here! I'm here! Oh my, you're Bei Shifeng? I heard you used to be a master cultivator from the Sea Circle Pavilion. How did you end up working as a henchman on Qianjie Star? Hehe, disciples of famous sects are indeed extraordinary." She chuckled, and a large cloud of pink smoke billowed from her Peach Blossom Battle Armor.
Li Qiang shouted, " Elder Sister Hua! Don't snatch it! I've been waiting for ages, it's mine!"
Bei Shifeng was so angry upon hearing this that he almost vomited blood.
Hua Meiniang laughed and said, "Alright, alright! You brat, I won't fight you for it. Go play, but don't cry if you lose."
Li Qiang said with a grin, "How could I lose so easily? Would I have wasted my World-Wreaking Demon King?" As he spoke, the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist Star-Absorbing Sword Mist quietly emerged, appearing both real and illusory in the darkness. The snow on the ground shone with white light, reflecting the faint silver glow of the Sword Mist.
Zi Ying was slightly startled. " True Illusion Sword Qi?"
Bei Shifeng's narrow eyes suddenly widened. As a disciple of a famous sect, he could naturally recognize what kind of sword technique it was. Without hesitation, he threw out a Law Treasure, a leaf-shaped object that immediately transformed into a flurry of green leaves.
As he made the hand seal, green leaves swirled and gathered around him.
Bei Shifeng said, "May I ask for your guidance?"
The rule of the Law Treasure battle is that one side poses a question, and the other side solves it.
During his time in the capital, Li Qiang learned a lot of useful things and cultivated many Law Treasure artifacts thanks to Mo Huaiyuan's guidance. Even Mo Huaiyuan praised the Heavenly Silk Purple Gold Xun given to him by his master Qi Junsha. After ten days of practice, he was finally able to control it at will.
Mo Huaiyuan secretly transmitted his voice, "Brother, he's a wood-elemental being, and that thing seems to be a wood-spirit magic Law Treasure. If you use the Star-Absorbing Sword- Absorbing Sword's ability to materialize, hehe, he definitely won't be able to withstand it."
Such an opportunity was extremely rare for Li Qiang. With a master like Mo Huaiyuan providing guidance and disciples from prestigious sects like Bei Shifeng battling with magical Law Treasure, it greatly helped his cultivation. This was completely different from a chaotic, haphazard fight.
Li Qiang's mind raced; he pondered what he could use to break the code.
Bei Shifeng, growing impatient, said again, "Please enlighten me!"
Li Qiang casually replied, "You're welcome, haha, I'm here to offer my guidance."
Everyone was stunned; why did he say that?
A ball of bright red flame floated in the air, followed by another. Soon, flames rolled around Li Qiang, and he transformed the Star-Absorbing Sword into a sea of fire. The scorching air spread out, and the bright red light illuminated the surroundings.
Bei Shifeng was greatly surprised. The appearance of such superb materialization made him realize that he had underestimated his opponent.
Qiao Yuhong put his arm around Mei Jingjing's shoulder and whispered, "Sister, look what kind of Law Treasure Big Brother has! His whole body is engulfed in flames, isn't he afraid of burning himself?"
Mei Jingjing didn't understand either, but she had a blind admiration for Li Qiang, and laughed, "No way, my brother is amazing!"
Hua Meiniang said, "This is a technique of materialization, which relies on the power of Law Treasure. I used to practice it too, but Brother Fu broke it, hehe." She wasn't sad at all; instead, her tone was full of pride.
Li Qiang's transformed flames, carrying scorching heat, surged towards Bei Shifeng's green leaves.
Bei Shifeng rapidly formed hand seals, somewhat disbelieving that Li Qiang's materialization technique could truly mimic the properties of flames. Had he known that the Star-Absorbing Sword contained the energy of Heavenly Fire, he wouldn't have fought so recklessly.
The green leaf spun rapidly and flew into the flames.
As the flames burned fiercely, the booming sound grew louder and louder, gradually transforming into the rumbling of drums. Countless flames danced to the rhythm, like hundreds of Fire Essence gracefully twirling. Even Mo Huaiyuan was secretly astonished: What kind of technique was this? Music was actually mixed into the flames.
He didn't know that this sword was created by Li Qiang using the musical rhythms of Heavenly Melody City; he had never seen such a strange sword technique before.
A hint of surprise flashed in Zi Ying's eyes. The True Illusion Sword Qi actually possessed such a sword technique. She was astonished, knowing that Bei Shifeng would be difficult to deal with.
Gradually, the green leaves in the sky withered in the raging fire. Bei Shifeng was shocked and repeatedly spat out his True Essence Power. His cultivation level was higher than Li Qiang's, and he had already Late Soul Formation Stage the Nascent Soul realm. Under his command, the green leaves suddenly transformed into wisps of green energy, nimbly avoiding the scorching flames and searching for gaps in the fire.
The crowd stepped back, creating ample space for Li Qiang and Bei Shifeng to battle with their magical Law Treasure.
Flames mingled with the sound of drums in mid-air, creating the illusion of a chaotic battlefield filled with red flames and deafening thunderous drumbeats. Except for a few highly skilled individuals, the people from Qianjie Star all unleashed flying swords for self-defense. The drumbeats shook them to their core and made their bodies tingle, but they had little effect on Hua Meiniang and her two companions. This demonstrated Li Qiang's ability to control his power at will.
Qiao Yuhong exclaimed, "Sister Hua, you're so beautiful... so gorgeous!"
Hua Meiniang was a little stunned. She knew very well Li Qiang's original cultivation level. After not seeing him for several years, she hadn't expected him to reach such a high level. She really couldn't understand how this brat had cultivated. She herself had cultivated for nearly a hundred years after reaching the Middle Leaving the Body Stage, and had only recently broken through to the late stage. He, on the other hand, had only been cultivating for a short time and had already reached the same level as her. She couldn't help but say, " Brother Fu is truly amazing..."
Mei Jingjing asked curiously, "Hehe, Sister Hua misses Brother Fu again?"
Hua Meiniang blushed slightly, but offered no explanation, only gently embracing Mei Jingjing.
Qiao Yuhong sighed again, "Big brother is amazing!"
Everyone stared in disbelief; such a high level of magical weapon Law Treasure was a rare sight even in the Cultivation Realm.
Zi Ying realized she had miscalculated. She hadn't expected this unassuming young man to possess such advanced Law Technique, especially since there was a master behind him whose depths she couldn't even fathom. She felt somewhat uneasy, but her face remained impassive, as cold as ice.
With his profound skills, Bei Shifeng desperately suppressed the flames. He was no longer fighting with magical Law Treasure, but relying on his own strength to hold on.
Li Qiang's Star-Absorbing Sword became increasingly agile. Having been honed by a master like Bei Shifeng had been a tremendous help. He began using a technique of distraction to re-transform from the flames. Unlike Bei Shifeng, who used hand seals, he didn't need to rely on them. He simply uttered, "Manifest! Fire Phoenix!"
With a clear cry, a large bird, unlike any seen before, rose slowly from the flames. This was the phoenix Li Qiang had imagined, which he had conjured using his Star-Absorbing Sword, thanks to his superb ability to mimic form.
This was an extremely beautiful fire phoenix, entirely imagined by Li Qiang. The phoenix was fiery red all over, with slender feathers that were clearly visible. A tuft of golden feathers on its head swayed proudly, and its single phoenix eyes shone with golden light. Its two phoenix claws were silver, and its whole body was engulfed in flames, swirling in circles within the fire.
Li Qiang knew in his heart that this phoenix was eight parts like a peacock, because he didn't know what a phoenix actually looked like.
Bei Shifeng was suffocating under the pressure, and he could no longer use any other Law Treasure. He could only spat out his True Essence Power bit by bit, relying on his profound cultivation to desperately resist. Li Qiang was overjoyed and couldn't help but feel playful again. With a thought, the fire phoenix suddenly took off and then abruptly swooped down.
Bei Shifeng gritted his teeth and created seven wisps of green energy above his head. The green energy layered and danced up and down, and with his incantation, it suddenly transformed into seven green leaf barriers, leaving him with no choice but to adopt a defensive stance.
The fire phoenix let out a clear cry and exploded with a bang. Countless thin flames burst through the green leaf barrier like a storm, and the sky full of fiery starlight shattered the green leaves.
Bei Shifeng spat out a mouthful of blood, and all the green leaves that were flying in the air withered and fell to the ground. The flames that had passed through the green leaves gathered again, and a cry came from the fire, revealing the phoenix once more.
The fire phoenix flapped its fiery wings, circling Bei Shifeng at close range. After letting out a shriek, it suddenly said, "You brat, you lost, hehe." Its tone was exactly the same as Hua Meiniang's, and Bei Shifeng was almost scared to death.
Hua Meiniang scolded, "You brat, how dare you imitate your elder sister's tone? Be careful, or I'll beat you up!"
Except for Bei Shifeng, everyone else couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was all too sudden, and even Zi Ying couldn't help but smile slightly.
Mo Huaiyuan shook his head and laughed, "Wow, that's really impressive! It can even mimic sound after mimicking objects. An amazing sword technique!"