Li Qiang's first move threw several renowned experts from Qianjie Star into disarray. Old Man Baihuang couldn't help but look at Li Qiang with newfound respect, wondering how this suddenly appearing Li Qiang could possess such extraordinary strength.
Hen Buyi had just sent a telepathic warning to him to be careful of Li Qiang, without explaining why. However, his serious expression showed that Hen Buyi also took Li Qiang very seriously.
The Old Man Baihuang said in a deep voice, "I apologize for my rudeness, please continue."
White-Haired Wu Chen had learned everything from Fu Shan, and he was extremely pleased with himself. He was utterly shocked to learn of Fu Shan's current status in the Cultivation Realm, and his underling Li Qiang was even more unexpected. Now, there was no problem for his faction to flourish within the Chongxuan Sect. He quietly nudged Li Qiang and said, "Brother, go up and talk to him, hehe, I'll stand up for you!"
Fu Shan was immediately at a loss. Since his elder brother had spoken, he couldn't very well stop Li Qiang any longer, so he could only say, "Brother, now is not the time to fight. We need to quell the disaster brought about by the appearance of the divine artifact first."
Li Qiang smiled and said, "I know, don't worry."
Master Mingjue of the Sea Circle Pavilion suddenly transmitted his voice. "Young brother, be careful of that person in blue. He is Henbuyi, Loose Immortal Hen Buyi from Xiaojue Heaven."
Li Qiang nodded his thanks, then flew out of the crowd again and said, "Alright, I'll speak. It's definitely not good for everyone to scramble for the artifact when it appears. Who will care about the people of the Green Basin then? Besides, fighting might break out in the process. My suggestion is to divide the area into zones, with each side guarding one side. Whichever side the artifact flies to, that side should make its move, and the other side should not compete for it. To ensure fairness, I suggest that two Loose Immortal oversee the process. You can ask Senior Hen Buyi from Xiaojue Heaven for your side, and we can ask my master, Qi Junsha, for our side."
Faced with such a large scene, Li Qiang spoke eloquently and without fear, and the leaders on both sides secretly admired him: This young man is remarkable.
Old Man Baihuang envied Fu Shan for having such a brother, and he also agreed with Li Qiang's suggestion. Hen Buyi was even more shocked; how had this young fellow known his identity and background so clearly?
After a moment's thought, Old Man Baihuang nodded and said, "Alright, I have no problem with that. How about True Person Green Peak?"
Fu Shan discussed the matter quietly with the others, and since no one had any objections, Fu Shan said, "Alright! It's settled then. We'll be responsible for blocking one side of the Green Basin, and you'll be responsible for the other side."
Both sides started getting busy, arranging manpower and preparations.
With the divine artifact about to be unearthed, every cultivator was on edge. In addition, there were more than two thousand scattered cultivators in the air, most of whom came to witness the artifact's birth, while others coveted it and were ready to take advantage of the chaos. The scene was extremely chaotic.
Geng Feng led Qin Bantong and Qin Feiqing to fly over and meet up with Li Qiang.
Upon seeing Qin Bantong, Li Qiang exclaimed happily, "Brother Qin, what brings you here?"
Qin Bantong felt an indescribable sense of relief when Li Qiang called him "Big Brother." He exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, Brother Li, I should call you the World-Wreaking Demon King now! Uh, Senior... Hello, Elder Sister Hua!" He immediately bowed respectfully when he saw Hua Meiniang looking at him with a half-smile. He was terrified of this Little Demoness.
Hua Meiniang chuckled, "You've come to join the fun too? What's wrong? Itching for a fight again?"
Li Qiang laughed, " Elder Sister Hua is bullying people again..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone called out, "Hey, little one, come here!"
Hua Meiniang smiled and said, "Fifth Brother, Third Brother is calling for you."
Qin Bantong was puzzled. "What's with all this talk about the fifth and sixth brothers? When did Old Master Hou become Hua Meiniang's third brother? That's strange."
Li Qiang said, "Excuse me, Brother Hou is calling me." He nodded to Qin Feiqing again, then turned and flew away.
Geng Feng remained silent, following closely behind him.
Upon arriving at Fu Shan's group, Fu Shan instructed, "... Finally, please have Master Mingjue oversee and command the Sealing and Subduing Grand Formation to minimize the impact of the divine artifact on the Green Basin. Also, Big Brother Mo and Fifth Brother will provide support at any time. Alright, if there are no further questions, proceed immediately; time is running out."
The leaders of various sects immediately dispersed. Fu Shan said with some worry, "I haven't received any news from the Sacred City yet. Fifth Brother, be careful."
Li Qiang said, "They won't not come; it's just a matter of when they'll make their move."
Geng Feng didn't understand and asked, "What does this mean? Is the Sacred City sending people too?"
Qi Junsha said, " Fengzi, this is none of your business. Go help out at the Ancient Sword Academy; you can't get involved here."
With a mournful face, Geng Feng pleaded, "Senior, why do you always try to get rid of me?"
Li Qiang knew that Qi Junsha was only saying that to avoid implicating him, so he advised, "You go ahead first. If there's a fight, I'll definitely ask you for help. Oh, and by the way, please take care of Brother Qin for me; he likes to fight too..."
Geng Feng Li Qiang's meaning. Qin Bantong liked to fight but wasn't very skilled. With so many experts around, he could easily suffer a great loss. He frowned, shook his large head, and sighed, "With such poor skills, nobody wants to fight me! Sigh!"
Qi Junsha glared at him, Geng Feng didn't wait for him to speak before hurriedly flying away, muttering, "Someday I'll also become a Loose Immortal immortal, hmph... hmph! How dare they! They're kicking me out! Humph!"
Li Qiang suppressed a laugh and said, " The Fengzi is furious."
Qi Junsha squinted and whispered, "I'm doing this for his own good. He's too obsessed with power; if he continues like this, he'll stray onto the demonic path."
In winter, the Taling Barren Mountain are gloomy and overcast. The gray sky oppresses the earth, making it hard to breathe. Vast primeval forests shiver in the cold wind. The animals in the forest have long since migrated away, and only the wind howls in the silent forest.
Suddenly, the earth trembled again. Some old trees and withered branches could not withstand such violent shaking and fell down one after another. For a moment, there was a rumbling sound in the forest and dust rose everywhere.
The rumbling vibrations grew louder and more rapid, like hundreds of drums beating simultaneously in the underworld, terrifying all the cultivators in the air. In an instant, the earth seemed to twist and turn, the mountains bounced up and down with the violent tremors, and the dust rising from the ground enveloped the entire barren mountain.
No one knows which desolate mountain the Wrath of the Heavenly God is hidden beneath; everyone is waiting for the moment it will reveal itself.
All the cultivators stared intently at the desolate mountain below, awaiting the birth of the legendary mysterious artifact.
Li Qiang asked in a low voice, " Big Brother Mo, what kind of disaster will occur when the Wrath of the Heavenly God is unleashed? Is it just an earthquake?"
Mo Huaiyuan's expression was solemn as he said, "Brother, that depends on the attribute of the artifact. And regardless of its attribute, earth fire and magma will follow. If there are other unpredictable elements, it will be even more difficult."
Fu Shan, listening from the side, was also alarmed. Fu Shan asked, "Brother, what is the attribute of the Wrath of the Heavenly God? Many of our experts have made calculations, but we can neither determine its attribute nor find its exact location. The artifact seems to roam within a hundred miles of the Taling Barren Mountain, almost as if it were alive. If we knew its attribute, we could find a way to counter it."
Mo Huaiyuan said, "I've also tried to calculate it, but I can only figure out a little bit. It seems to be fire-attribute, and it seems to be related to Heavenly Gold Sand, but I can't be sure. It's a very strange artifact."
Fu Shan's spirits lifted. Mo Huaiyuan's speculation gave him a way to control the situation. He immediately sent a telepathic message to the leaders of various factions, instructing them to prepare pure Yin Law Treasure.
Below the area controlled by the cultivators of Qianjie Star, a black dot spread out from a valley, indicating a large-scale ground collapse. Old Man Baihuang was both surprised and delighted, never expecting the divine artifact to emerge within his controlled area. He shouted, "Attention everyone! Activate the God-Restraining Grand Formation! Prepare your Law Treasure!"
The Old Man Baihuang's skill was extraordinary; his voice was even more astonishing than thunder, and those around him were all thrown back a distance.
Situ Yong and Zi Ying, along with other experts, immediately flew away. Hen Buyi said, "Brother, be careful!" He also flew to the side to be on guard, preventing the cultivators from Sealed Fate Planet from interfering.
A hazy blue light quickly enveloped the earth beneath the feet of the cultivators from Qianjie Star; the God-Restraining Grand Formation had been activated.
The violent tremors and rumbling suddenly ceased, and gradually, all sounds disappeared. The earth seemed to have suddenly died, eerily silent, with only the dark, gaping hole in the ground, like the eye of a god, staring at the sky.
A deep roar came from the black hole. The sound wasn't loud, but it made every cultivator shudder. The sound was extremely threatening, like the sound of death.
"Crack," "Crack," two crisp cracking sounds.
Just as all the cultivators were listening intently, suddenly, with a loud "boom," a large amount of white mist, mixed with mud and rubble, shot out from the black hole.
Seeing this from afar, Li Qiang was startled. He remembered seeing signs of an impending volcanic eruption on television back home—it looked just like this. He couldn't help but shout, "Watch out for volcanic lava!"
Before the words were finished, another deafening roar erupted, and a stream of dark red magma gushed out, shooting straight towards the God-Restraining Grand Formation in the sky. Immediately afterward, several more craters appeared, spewing out large amounts of magma.
Seven or eight pillars of fire shot into the sky, like giant burning muskets, causing the God-Restraining Grand Formation to shake instantly.
Situ Yong roared, "Damn it, everyone give it your all... activate the formation at full power!"
Lava fell on the barren mountain, instantly igniting a raging fire that spread with the wild wind. For the time being, no one dared to fight the fire, as no one knew what else might spew out from the fire pit.
Fu Shan was secretly alarmed. If the erupting magma alone was so powerful, who knew what terrifying things might happen once the divine artifact was unleashed? He repeatedly reminded everyone to be careful. Fortunately, the pressure was all under the control of Qianjie Star and had not yet affected this area.
Amidst the rumbling of the volcanic eruption, a deep roar followed, this time even clearer.
Mo Huaiyuan's expression changed slightly, and he asked in confusion, "Strange, it seems like something is protecting the divine artifact?"
The rising smoke was suppressed by the blue light, flowing along the edge of the light, looking extremely eerie. The forest below was completely shrouded in smoke, making it impossible to see what was happening, and the cultivators in the air all showed unease.
The Old Man Baihuang cursed, "What a mess, what a load of crap, damn it! Scream!" He flicked his wrist and shot out a bolt of Yin Thunder.
With a soft thud, a cloud of cold air spread out, and a large hole was torn open in the thick smoke below, allowing everyone to once again see the surging, leaping, fiery red lava. The Old Man Baihuang shouted, "Use Yin Thunder to dispel the smoke!"
The cultivators of Qianjie Star immediately unleashed various kinds of Yin Thunder, which blasted away the thick Yin Thunder, revealing the scenery below indistinctly before everyone's eyes.
The Old Man Baihuang laughed heartily. Before his laughter subsided, a series of explosions, as dense as popping beans, rang out. Countless silver-white light spots shot out from the underground black hole. The God-Restraining Grand Formation was pierced through by those light spots as if it were just for show, and screams of agony filled the air.
Hen Buyi shouted, "That's Heavenly Gold Sand! Flying swords can't block it, dodge it!"
The cultivators of Qianjie Star quickly dodged. They had been careless, thinking that the flying swords could block them, but they were severely injured. Many of them were torn apart by the Heavenly Gold Sand.
Like Heavenly Fire, Mystic Qi, and Dust Brush, Heavenly Gold Sand is an extreme attribute. Its power lies in its "sharpness," making it almost indestructible. At the same time, it is also an excellent material for refining weapons, and it is very difficult to obtain. Therefore, some experts have already begun to use Law Treasure to collect the flying Heavenly Gold Sand.
Old Man Baihuang was furious and roared, "All of you, pay attention! Don't panic! There's something even more powerful yet to come out!"
The area controlled by Fu Shan also began to shake violently.
Master Mingjue shouted, "Activate the Sealing and Subduing Grand Formation!"
A flash of red light appeared, and countless colorful stripes curled and extended outwards, instantly covering half the sky—a truly magnificent sight.
Li Qiang stared in disbelief at the scene below. The surging lava was blocked by the Sealing and Subduing Grand Formation, and the dark red lava, like a roaring monster, continuously spewed up scorching, viscous magma. He thought to himself, "This is amazing! I'm actually standing above volcanic lava and can calmly observe it. It's unbelievable!"
He felt the Fire Essence on his arm stirring restlessly. He raised his arm to look and saw that the Fire Essence, now a protective shield, was emitting bursts of heat, making his entire arm seem to be on fire. Li Qiang was puzzled; what was it that was making the Fire Essence so agitated?
A thought struck Li Qiang, and he immediately released the little Sea Demon, afraid of hurting the little darling. The little Sea Demon darted upwards like an arrow, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, Mo Huaiyuan shouted, "Be careful and dodge the Heavenly Gold Sand!" Countless silver lights shot out from the ground in the area controlled by Sealed Fate Planet, accompanied by a cacophony of sharp screeching.
Li Qiang quickly channeled his Divine Yi Power, and a silver light shot up from the soles of his feet. He dodged slightly and reached out to grab it.
Hou Pijing saw this immediately and shouted, "Be careful! Don't take it head-on!"
Without thinking twice, Li Qiang grabbed it. It felt like he had grabbed a lump of soft mud, but the impact made his whole body tremble. The Divine Yi Power he was using immediately enveloped the lump of Heavenly Gold Sand. When he looked down, he saw that the Divine Yi Power had melted the indestructible Heavenly Gold Sand into a lump of silvery mud.
Retracting his Divine Yi Power, the Heavenly Gold Sand immediately hardened upon exposure to the wind. It was a silvery metal shimmering with countless gold stars, with Li Qiang's fingerprints clearly visible on it. Li Qiang chuckled with delight, realizing that the Divine Yi Power was truly remarkable.
Fu Shan released a net shimmering with Blue Light, his hands forming a magic seal, his expression extremely relaxed. He aimed at a streak of silver light shooting towards him, and with a wave of his hand, the Blue Light net expanded instantly, the silver light plunging into it. The net only slowed down the silver light, it didn't trap it; Fu Shan's purpose was merely to slow down the impact of the Heavenly Gold Sand. At the same time, he unleashed another Law Treasure, a cloud of white mist rushing towards the Heavenly Gold Sand —his precious Cold Soul Pearl.
Like the Purple Flame Heart, the Cold Soul Pearl is a treasure for Foundation Establishment, refined by the White-Haired Wu Chen. However, Fu Shan no longer needs it; to commemorate his mentor, he has cultivated it into a powerful magic Law Treasure.
The extremely cold mist enveloped it, and with a "whoosh!" sound, the intense heat contained within the Heavenly Gold Sand immediately dissipated. Fu Shan smiled; he had received the Heavenly Gold Sand.
Those who dare to collect Heavenly Gold Sand are all grandmasters in the Cultivation Realm. It's almost impossible to collect it without a cultivation level of at least the Nascent Spirit Severing Realm. Only a monster like Li Qiang dared to reach out and grab it. He excitedly grabbed a lot, and almost every piece of Heavenly Gold Sand that passed by him was caught. Not only was Hou Pijing dumbfounded, but even Mo Huaiyuan was deeply impressed, and he had even more confidence in the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation.
In the midst of the chaos, the three great Loose Immortal Hen Buyi, Qi Junsha, Mo Huaiyuan, simultaneously shouted, "Attention!" and "Be careful!"
"Crack! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The continuous thunderclaps drowned out the sound of the gushing lava. Cultivators with lower levels of skill were thrown into disarray, and many covered their ears. The sound was far more terrifying than a powerful sonic attack. The terrifying roar echoed throughout the entire Green Basin, and it was later said that even the residents of the remote Wangming Kingdom heard the thunder.
The earth within a ten-mile radius was overturned by the deafening roar. The land resembled a wild beast with its skin torn open, and crimson magma surged forth like flowing blood, engulfing everything around it. From the enormous fissure, a long, illusory shadow emerged. Everyone felt a sense of impending doom, and even a super expert like Fu Shan's expression changed drastically.
Hen Buyi glanced at Qi Junsha, his tone filled with helplessness. "Brother, do you even know what that thing is? This is probably a major calamity for the Cultivation Realm."
Qi Junsha stared down, his heart trembling even with his formidable strength. He looked up at Hen Buyi and said, "We absolutely cannot fight each other now. If we don't work together, there won't be many cultivators left alive."
The two stopped monitoring from above and returned to their respective groups. Unfortunately, before they could even express their thoughts and reach a consensus, the phantom at the rift had already soared into the sky.
Li Qiang exclaimed in surprise, "What is that thing?"
Mo Huaiyuan said in a deep voice, "It is the guardian spirit of the divine artifact, the legendary Great Flame Spirit Beast."
The spirit beast flew out, and the entire Taling Barren Mountain was in an uproar.
The scorching magma surrounded it, instantly turning the frigid winter air into unbearable heat, the rising steam distorting the sky. A deep roar came from the spirit beast's mouth, Li Qiang shivered, saying, "What kind of spirit beast is this? I can't see it clearly, it can even become invisible, damn it! Scary!"
No one could see the spirit beast's appearance clearly. Surrounded by lava, only its blurry silhouette could be seen. The only thing everyone knew was that the spirit beast was enormous. With another deep roar, more lava suddenly surged from the ground, flying into the air with the spirit beast's roar but not falling back down.
Mo Huaiyuan transmitted his voice to Master Mingjue: "Maximize the power of the great formation. Don't waste the crystal energy; the spirit beasts are about to attack."
Since Li Qiang began cultivating the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation, he could no longer wear the Billowing Essence Battle Armor. The only weapon he could use now was the Star-Absorbing Sword. Although he had also begun cultivating the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, it was only for a short time, and he was not as adept at using it as he was with the Star-Absorbing Sword Absorbing Sword. As for the Buddhist treasures of the Buddha Sect, he could still use some of them. In his haste, he exhaled the Star-Absorbing Sword Mist to protect himself.
Upon hearing Hen Buyi's idea, Old Man Baihuang smiled bitterly and said, "It's too late..." As he spoke, the spirit beast began to attack.
The spirit beast, accompanied by magma and fire, shot straight into the sky, directly above the God-Restraining Grand Formation of Qianjie Star.
The Old Man Baihuang shouted, "Use your Law Treasure!" He made the first move, sending out two beams of yellow and white light. Instantly, hundreds and thousands of Law Treasure, including Yin Thunder and all sorts of strange contraptions, shot down. Hen Buyi took the lead and teleported to the side, waiting for his chance to strike.
In an instant, a series of explosions erupted, sending sparks flying and lava scattering below. The spirit beast's deep roar immediately turned shrill; it was enraged. Boiling lava was whipped up from the ground in large clumps, shooting straight upwards like a giant fire dragon. The cultivators on Sealed Fate Planet, not far away, watched in awe; such a feat was beyond human capability.
No matter how powerful the God-Restraining Grand Formation was, it couldn't withstand such a terrifying impact. With a deafening roar, the spirit beast charged into the cultivators of Qianjie Star.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the Old Man Baihuang roared, "Scatter, everyone! Don't fight!" He quickly threw out a defensive Law Treasure to protect the people around him.
The cultivators of Qianjie Star scattered and fled, many of those with weaker cultivation levels already falling to the ground, their screams and curses echoing everywhere. Hen Buyi raised his hand and shot out a triangular, spinning Law Treasure, which hurtled straight down from the sky towards the spirit beast, while simultaneously shouting at the cultivators of Sealed Fate Planet, "Don't just stand there watching the show! If we're finished, you won't be any better off!"
Hen Buyi shot out the Shanxian Seven-Watch Horn, a very peculiar magical Law Treasure. After being released, it immediately transformed into seven long yellow whips, each composed of rotating triangles. They curled and twisted in the air, swiftly encircling from all sides like a dragon descending to earth.
Hearing Hen Buyi's furious roar, Li Qiang said, "Senior Hen is right. If we cannot work together, the losses will be enormous..."
Fu Shan nodded in agreement and said, "Those of us at the Spirit Severing Realm or above, please step forward; everyone else, please step back."
Qi Junsha said, "I'll take command!" He flew high into the sky and shouted, "All experts above the Nascent Spirit Severing Realm, gather together and stop the rampaging spirit beasts!"
Mo Huaiyuan said to Li Qiang, "Brother, wait over there, don't come forward." He then teleported to Hen Buyi's side and laughed, "Let's do it together!"
Hen Buyi was overjoyed. What he feared most was that the cultivators from Sealed Fate Planet would stand idly by or even launch a sneak attack from behind. He loudly thanked them and roared, "All Spirit Severing Realm experts, stay! Everyone else, retreat..." He glanced at Fu Shan and the others who were flying over and then shouted, "The disciples who retreat, together with the cultivators from Sealed Fate Planet, will prevent the spread of the magma."
The Old Man Baihuang understood that only by pooling all their strength could they possibly defeat the spirit beast or drive it away.
Li Qiang disobeyed Mo Huaiyuan's orders. He quietly flew to a spot not far below the spirit beast, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He was very puzzled as to why there was still no news from the immortals of the Sacred City.
The Shanxian Seven-Watch Horn, as expected of Loose Immortal's Law Treasure, used its seven whip shadows to spin and cut down at high speed, suppressing the spirit beast. The lava stirred up by the spirit beast was like a towering wave, flying and splashing in the Nascent Soul could not escape.
Mo Huaiyuan said, "Brother Qi, let's go!" The two of them instantly teleported to the left and right sides of the spirit beast and attacked at the same time.
Qi Junsha's body emitted a blue light, and a dazzling ball of light appeared in his hand.
The Old Man Baihuang saw it from above and shouted in alarm, "Quickly, take cover! That's the Immortal-Gathering Thunder!"
Hen Buyi was also startled. The Immortal-Gathering Thunder was a type of heavenly thunder cultivated by Loose Immortal, and its power was extremely astonishing. It was heavenly thunder combined with immortal spiritual energy, and its power was unparalleled. Every Loose Immortal immortal cultivated a different kind of heavenly thunder, and Qi Junsha's Gathering Immortal-Gathering Thunder looked unique. The Great Flame Spirit Beast also seemed to sense the threat, and it suddenly screamed.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The sound of shattering rang out continuously. Hen Buyi roared, and the Shanxian Seven-Watch Horn in his hand could no longer suppress the struggle of the spirit beast. He shouted, "Hurry up and make your move!" He changed the spells in his hand one after another, and spat out the last breath of immortal spiritual energy, shouting, "Continuous Explosion!" He actually abandoned this Law Treasure and made a final counterattack.
The spinning triangle immediately exploded, a blinding flash before everyone's eyes, and the booming explosions were like countless heavenly drums, roaring in defiance under the beat of the God of War. The magma enveloping the Great Flame Spirit Beast scattered in all directions amidst a series of explosions.
Hen Buyi was horrified. He had lost a Law Treasure, yet he still hadn't broken the Great Flame Spirit Beast's invisibility; he had only blasted away the magma around it.