The Guidance Pool is located in a large aerial castle above the western part of Spirit Gate Tower City. This black castle is built of large black rocks, with towering walls extending upwards in a stepped pattern. The entire castle is an equilateral hexagon, with a pointed tower at each corner. A huge pillar sits atop the pillar, and a spirit lamp emits a pale fluorescent light, making the entire castle appear eerie.
The castle has no doors or windows; it can only be entered from the air. At the very center of the castle is the Guidance Pool.
Gu Mei'er was teleported to Spirit Gate Tower City, landing above the Guidance Pool. Mei'er tried her best to control herself and refused to fall. Since her self- Liberation by Violence, she had been afraid of everything unfamiliar. After being forcibly teleported away, she couldn't help but cry, and in her panic, she didn't know what to do.
Four Spirit Sword Body flew up from the ancient castle, each with a black rope around their hand. One of Spirit Sword Body said, "Welcome to the Guidance Pool. Please enter and bathe."
Mei'er suddenly felt a lightness on her body; the teleportation power had dissipated. She quickly floated backward, crying out, "I'm not going to any Guidance Pool! My brother will be here soon! You... you... don't mess with me, or I'll beat you up!" She was terrified, yet she still tried to intimidate them.
The four Spirit Sword Body were also somewhat confused. This was the first time they had ever seen Spirit Sword Body being teleported to the Guidance Pool, and this Spirit Sword Body was even wearing spirit armor and protected by flying swords, indicating that she was a young girl who had only recently cultivated into Spirit Sword Body. What surprised them most was that Mei'er had no illusionary mist around her, and her physical solidity was even better than that of Spirit Marshal, with colorful light emanating from her body. Normally, those who could reach the Guidance Pool were Spirit Body, and only after bathing in the Guidance Pool could they cultivate into Spirit Sword Body. None of the four of them had ever seen anyone like Mei'er.
The leader, Spirit Sword Body, was shrouded in a thick black mist, his face barely visible. He cautiously asked, "May I ask where you came from, young lady?" He dared not be careless.
Mei'er retreated in a panic, the blue light of her Illusory Star Sword gleaming coldly. She still held a few Flame Thunder she had found in the Great Illusion Buddha Realm in her hand, ready to throw them at any moment. She said, "I don't care about you! I'm not going to the Guidance Pool, so don't force me, stay away from me..." As she spoke, she raised her small hand, ready to throw out the Flame Thunder if things went wrong.
The four Spirit Sword Body dared not rush forward, because Mei'er looked like an angry kitten, baring her teeth and showing her claws fiercely. She looked extremely dangerous, yet also very comical.
Just as the stalemate was at hand, a Spirit Sword Body suddenly shouted, " The Spirit King Grand Venerable has arrived!"
Mei'er became even more nervous. Of course, she knew that the Spirit King Grand Venerable was the supreme being of the Spirit Ghost Realm, just like the Ghost King Grand Venerable, and was the ruler of the Spirit Ghost Realm. Both were legendary and powerful figures.
A procession flew in from the sky, led by twelve Spirit General, each with a Spirit General pearl above their head that shimmered with a soft white light. Following them were over a hundred Spirit Sword Body, circling a large chariot on all sides. All the Spirit Body in the Spirit Ghost Realm knew this was the Spirit King Grand Venerable's imperial chariot. The chariot was pulled by two sacred beasts of the Spirit Ghost Realm, the Silver-Horned Cauldron Lion, followed closely by two Spirit Marshal and twenty-four Spirit General — the Spirit King Grand Venerable's guards.
The imperial carriage was originally heading into the distance, but for some reason it suddenly turned and flew straight towards Mei'er.
The Spirit Ghost Realm is a black and white world, but there are exceptions; all colors belong to the Spirit King Grand Venerable. This imperial chariot emits a five-colored light, and the two sacred beasts are also glittering with golden light, making it particularly conspicuous in this black and white world.
Mei'er only then thought to run, but it was too late. She secretly groaned and prayed incessantly, "Brother, come quickly! Brother, come quickly!"
The four Spirit Sword Body in the ancient castle struck a strange pose, raising their hands high, crouching down and lowering their heads. Although Mei'er was very scared, she was amused by the four people's actions.
In the Spirit Ghost Realm, no Spirit Sword Body dared to stand before the Spirit King Grand Venerable. Mei'er stood gracefully in the air, her expression strange, a mixture of crying and laughing, and a hint of curiosity.
The twelve Spirit General, each bearing a spirit pearl, immediately surrounded Mei'er. One of them shouted, "Hey! How dare you! How dare you be so disrespectful to the Spirit King Grand Venerable!"
Startled by him, Mei'er released the Flame Thunder she was holding. "Boom!" No one expected Mei'er to throw the Flame Thunder. The shouting Spirit General was caught off guard and was blasted into the sky by the Flame Thunder.
Mei'er was on the verge of tears, repeatedly shouting, "Who told you to yell like that...?"
The other Spirit General flew into a rage and shouted, "Arrest him!"
Mei'er was so frightened that she flung out Flame Thunder wildly. She had a lot of treasures in her hands, including Divine Thunder of various attributes. As she threw them around, she cried and shouted, "Brother, come quick! So many people are bullying Mei'er... Waaah, waaah!" Heaven knows who was bullying whom.
Mei'er's carelessly thrown Divine Thunder sent the twelve Spirit General flying in disarray, leaving them in a sorry state, with even the spirit orbs atop their heads falling off.
Two more Spirit Marshal flew in from behind, one of them a tall girl. She looked at Mei'er in surprise and shouted, "Stop, all of you!"
Another Spirit Marshal said, "Senior sister, this little girl is very strange. There shouldn't be Spirit Sword Body like this in the Spirit Ghost Realm. Hey! Little girl, where did you come from?" His tone was very gentle.
Mei'er was still clutching a Thunderbolt Pearl Li Qiang had given her. She sobbed, "You're bullying me! When my brother comes, he won't let you get away with this! You... you're not allowed to come any closer! Stop! I'm going to blow you up!"
The twelve Spirit General gathered around, utterly humiliated. They had never been so thoroughly outmaneuvered by a mere girl with a Spirit Sword Body. In the Spirit Ghost Realm, everything was ranked by strength, and the level of Spirit General was far superior to that of Spirit Sword Body. Yet, the twelve Spirit General were no match for a mere Spirit Sword Body. Each of the twelve Spirit General generals felt utterly ashamed and humiliated, and they all simultaneously drew their Law Treasure.
The tall girl shouted, "All of you, step back! A bunch of idiots! You can't even beat a Spirit Sword Body cultivator, what are you all good for! How dare so many experts beat up a little girl? Get out of the way!" Turning to Mei'er with a smile, she said, "Little girl, what's your name? I'm Spirit Marshal Heavenly Mist Flower."
Mei'er relaxed a little. "Sister, my name is Gu Mei'er. I came from the Cultivation Realm with my brother. I was teleported here by your people and got separated from my brother. You... sister, you won't arrest Mei'er, will you?" She had a sweet tongue, calling me "sister" all the time, which made Tian Wuhua very happy.
The imperial chariot's colorful light suddenly intensified, and a seven-colored rainbow flashed. A tall young man appeared before everyone. Everyone, including the Spirit Marshal Heavenly Mist Flower, bowed down and raised their hands, saying, "Greetings, Spirit King Grand Venerable." No one dared to look up.
Mei'er knew that this was the Spirit Ghost Realm, one of the rulers of the Spirit King Grand Venerable. She looked over curiously and saw that the Spirit King Grand Venerable was a very young man, wearing a pure black robe with a golden breastplate extending to his shoulders. His face was extremely pale, and his eyes were like two bottomless black pools, flashing with a faint blue light. He wore a golden crown on his head, and held a foot-long scepter in his left hand, gently tapping his right palm.
Spirit Marshal Heavenly Mist Flower secretly transmitted a message to Mei'er: "Little girl, are you out of your mind? Quickly bow!"
Although Mei'er was afraid, she still secretly watched the Spirit King Grand Venerable. She knew the Spirit King Grand Venerable's status in the Spirit Ghost Realm from the ancient texts. She held the Thunderbolt Pearl tightly in her hand, ready to throw it away without hesitation if the Spirit King Grand Venerable did anything wrong.
Mei'er mustered her courage and asked, "What... what do you want to do?"
The Spirit King Grand Venerable remained silent, quietly observing Mei'er. He noticed her unusual Mei'er. First, Mei'er possessed a rainbow-colored aura. In the Spirit Ghost Realm, Spirit Body with rainbow-colored auras had the greatest potential to cultivate to the Spirit King Realm. Second, this small Spirit Sword Body possessed such a solid physique; even Spirit Marshal -level expert couldn't compare to her. To test Mei'er's cultivation, he deliberately intimidated her, saying, "Little girl, daring to cause trouble in the Spirit Ghost Realm, you must have some kind of backing." He shifted slightly, feigning an attack.
Mei'er was already nervous, and when he startled her like that, she didn't hesitate and fired a Thunderbolt Pearl bolt. The Spirit King Grand Venerable was also careless; he hadn't expected Mei'er to possess such a powerful and yang-like weapon, and was forced to retreat repeatedly by the blast. All the Spirit Body were dumbfounded. Mei'er looked so timid and tearful; who would have thought she would dare to blast even the Spirit King Grand Venerable?
The Spirit King Grand Venerable was delighted. It was the first time he had seen such a bold girl with such great potential. He put away his scepter, rubbed his hands together slightly, and countless star-like flowers flew up from his palms. The Spirit Marshal and Spirit General retreated rapidly, both surprised and frightened. The Spirit King Grand Venerable personally attacking a young girl with Spirit Sword Body was truly astonishing. At the same time, they were also filled with anticipation and excitement, as they rarely saw the Spirit King Grand Venerable take action.
Mei'er was truly terrified. She cried out and retreated, desperately maneuvering the Illusory Star Sword until it was impenetrable. She sobbed bitterly, repeatedly crying out, "Brother, where are you? Come save Mei'er! Help!"
This made even the Spirit King Grand Venerable feel embarrassed to put too much pressure on her. He had only wanted to test Mei'er's potential, and the little girl's crying softened his heart.
The star-shaped flowers that flew out from the hands of the Spirit King Grand Venerable gradually condensed into a ball in the air. The Spirit King Grand Venerable gently waved his palm, and the star-shaped flowers transformed into a long strip of starlight that wrapped around and entangled Mei'er.
Mei'er's cries changed; she felt immense pressure, the sword light compressed to her side, unable to expand further. After all, she was just a young girl who had only recently cultivated the Spirit Sword Body, utterly powerless against the supreme being of the Spirit Ghost Realm, and the Spirit King Grand Venerable was only showing mercy.
Even so, the Spirit King Grand Venerable was extremely surprised. The tenacity shown by Mei'er delighted him. In the Spirit Ghost Realm, no Spirit Body contend with him, nor did Spirit Body even dare to entertain such a thought. He carefully circulated his spiritual power, afraid of accidentally harming Mei'er. He laughed and said, "Little girl, surrender. You can't defeat me."
Mei'er choked back tears, "My brother is coming soon, and he won't let you get away with this!"
The Spirit King Grand Venerable laughed, "Oh, is your brother Spirit General or Spirit Marshal? I'd like to meet him..." Before he finished speaking, a deafening roar came from afar, and in an instant, the sky seemed to darken.
Mei'er was overjoyed. She burst into laughter through her tears and screamed, "My brother is here! My brother is here!"
The Spirit King Grand Venerable's expression immediately turned serious. He recognized the roaring voice as belonging to a powerful expert, one he had never seen before, unlike anyone from the Spirit Ghost Realm. He clasped his hands together, and the Star Flower suddenly enveloped Mei'er. He said calmly, "Keep an eye on her. Let me deal with her brother. It's been a long time since I've encountered such a powerful expert."
Mei'er was bound by the Star Flower spell of the Spirit King Grand Venerable, and she cried out in distress, "You're so mean! You're bullying a little kid..."
No one paid any Mei'er; everyone's attention was focused on the person who emitted the howling sound.
A dazzling golden light flashed, and Li Qiang arrived. He saw Mei'er bound at a glance and was immediately enraged. Without saying a word, he instantly teleported to Mei'er's side, his hand filled with Divine Yi Power, and grabbed her. With a crisp "pop," the star flower shattered instantly, turning into a wisp of green smoke and disappearing without a trace.
Mei'er burst into tears and threw herself into Li Qiang's arms. Li Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted Mei'er, saying, " Mei'er, come to your brother's shoulder, don't be afraid."
Mei'er instantly transformed into a tiny girl the size of a finger, tightly gripping Li Qiang's Fire Essence Immortal Armor.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable was greatly surprised. He never expected that Li Qiang could so easily shatter the Star Lock, and that his skill was comparable to his own. He carefully examined Li Qiang, becoming increasingly shocked. He discovered that Li Qiang was very different from cultivators, and his methods were not those of an immortal. Although the magic Law Treasure he used resembled an immortal artifact, he was definitely not an immortal.
Li Qiang rushed over, his heart burning with anguish. He involuntarily sank once more into the realm of the Heart of Darkness. After rescuing Mei'er, an uncontrollable urge for revenge surged within him. He coldly said, "You bastard! You're that so-called Spirit King Grand Venerable? Why did you bully my little sister? Do you think you're so great?"
Before the Spirit King Grand Venerable could speak, the Spirit General Spirit Marshal behind him were furious. Three Spirit Marshal attacked first, and three beams of spiritual sword light swept towards Li Qiang. The other dozens of Spirit General also unleashed their Law Treasure. In an instant, the air was filled with the sound of "whooshing".
Li Qiang's black mask seemed to distort as he roared, "A bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, get out!" The Supreme Radiance Shuttle suddenly exploded, its flashing golden light blinding everyone. With a deafening crash, he forcefully shattered the incoming Swordsmanship.
The violent tremor forced Li Qiang back a distance, and the Spirit Marshal and Spirit General scattered like pieces of paper blown by a strong wind. The Spirit King Grand Venerable's two deep black eyes became even more unfathomable. He too was enraged. As the ruler of the Spirit Ghost Realm, no one had ever dared to challenge his dignity, not even another ruler Ghost King Grand Venerable.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to step back, and asked, "Who are you?"
Li Qiang actually suffered a minor loss as well. With so many Spirit General and Spirit Marshal attacking at once, he felt he couldn't handle it. He slightly circulated his Divine Yi Power before saying, "I am the World-Wreaking Demon King Li Qiang! And you are that so-called Spirit King Grand Venerable?" He unconsciously used that nickname again.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable was taken aback, wondering who this World-Wreaking Demon King" was. He had never heard of such a thing, and it seemed that there was no such name in the Black Devil Realm World-Wreaking Demon King, let alone in the Immortal Realm or the Immortal Realm Divine Realm. If it was the Cultivation Realm, he didn't seem to be a cultivator.
After thinking for a while without finding a solution, he dared not be careless. If Li Qiang were the overlord of another realm, it would cause a conflict between the two realms, which even he, the Spirit King Grand Venerable, could not bear.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Li Qiang said again, "Let's fight first, I'm itching to fight, take this!" Supreme Radiance Shuttle once again transformed into a golden rainbow and crashed directly into the Spirit King Grand Venerable.
At this point, even the Spirit King Grand Venerable was helpless. He slapped his forehead, and seven skulls the size of bowls flew out, emitting a phosphorescent blue light. At the same time, a golden phantom flew out from the Spirit King Armor on his body, meeting the Supreme Radiance Shuttle.
The Supreme Radiance Shuttle struck the Spirit King Armor with a deafening crash—boom! The Spirit King Grand Venerable retreated rapidly, utterly astonished by the sheer power of the Supreme Radiance Shuttle. The Spirit King Armor was one of the most famous Spirit Artifact in the Spirit Ghost Realm, the Spirit King Grand Venerable's signature weapon, and it had almost failed to withstand the Supreme Radiance Shuttle's attack.
Li Qiang was also quite surprised. The strength of this Spirit King Grand Venerable was beyond his imagination. He could easily block the attack from the immortal artifact. It seemed that this guy's strength was close to that of Loose Immortal. Li Qiang knew that if it weren't for his superior Law Treasure, he would have no chance against the Spirit King Grand Venerable and would have been doomed to lose.
The seven skulls grew larger upon contact with the wind, quickly transforming into giants the size of cartwheels, spewing eerie flames from their mouths, and closing in from all sides. This Law Treasure was specifically designed to deal with cultivators; it was a demonic Devil Artifact from the Black Devil Realm that the Spirit King Grand Venerable had obtained by chance. These seven skulls were forged from the nascent Nascent Soul of seven cultivators. The Spirit King Grand Venerable promised to let them convert to Spirit Body in the future, which is how he subdued the seven Nascent Soul. This Devil Artifact weapon is called the Seven Treasures Soul Devourer.
If Li Qiang were still a cultivator, he would probably be doomed. The Seven Treasures Soul Devourer Artifact is specifically designed to target the nascent Nascent Soul of a cultivator. Once someone comes into contact with the Yin Fire it spews out, their mind will be immediately lost. It is an extremely insidious magic Law Treasure.
Li Qiang dared not be careless. He threw out the Golden Lotus Jade Throne and then unleashed seven bolts of Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder. He laughed loudly, "No need to embarrass yourself with this kind of thing! Explode! Explode! Explode..." He shouted "Explode!" seven times, and the Divine Thunder containing Devil-Slaying Thorn blasted the seven skulls into a chaotic dance in the air.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable had bought himself time; he knew Li Qiang was definitely not a cultivator. He retreated hastily, and all the Spirit Body also retreated into the distance, clearing a large space. The Spirit Marshal and Spirit General all extremely excited; judging from this posture, the Spirit King Grand Venerable was about to unleash his ultimate move.
Li Qiang didn't care about his opponent's retreat. He continued to fire his Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder while chuckling, seemingly thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of beating people up.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable flew above the ancient castle, his hands forming incantations. Beams of azure light shot from his fingers, striking the spirit orbs at the six corners of the castle. These orbs emitted a bright white light, crisscrossing and drawing an equilateral hexagon in the sky above the castle. The entire castle trembled slightly, and a large amount of thick black mist surged from the central Guidance Pool, gradually obscuring the entire castle.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable raised both hands and roared, "Rise!"
The earth trembled violently, and the black castle in the sky slowly moved and began to rotate. The equilateral Star Radiance with brilliant colors. The eyes of the Spirit King Grand Venerable flashed with fanaticism. He hadn't used this formation in a long time. If it weren't for seeing Li Qiang's arrogance and immense strength, he wouldn't have used the Guidance Spirit Formation.
Li Qiang suddenly realized something was wrong. A tremendous suction force surged up onto him, and he couldn't stop himself. He was quickly pulled towards the six-pointed star. He cursed angrily and rapidly formed hand seals. This was the third type of hand seal he had comprehended. As he formed the hand seals, his body slowed down, and countless golden flowers appeared out of thin air around him.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable also sensed something was wrong, and he shouted again, "Send the spirit!"
Golden flowers, like a tidal wave, rushed into the hexagonal star array. The Spirit Marshal Spirit General were surprised to find that the Spirit King Grand Venerable had a solemn expression, and his body was emitting a dark golden light. He took out his scepter, and endless starlight shot out from the spirit pearl at the top of the scepter, and the hexagonal star array immediately shone brightly.
Li Qiang had completed his final incantation. He shouted, " Sunlight Shines Everywhere!" He pressed his hands down sharply, and countless extremely fine purple threads shot out from his hands, rapidly entering the dancing golden flowers.
In an instant, the golden flowers transformed into countless dazzling golden spheres, radiating an extremely bright light that illuminated the entire earth. The Spirit King Grand Venerable was greatly startled; the golden light felt like countless sharp needles piercing his body. He rapidly activated his Spirit King Armor, barely managing to block the terrifying light. The other Spirit General Spirit Marshal were not so lucky; one by one, they screamed and scrambled into the ground, their vital energy severely depleted.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, someone burst into a strange, loud laugh and clapped their hands, "Wow, this is fun! It's really exciting! Well done! Well done! Hahaha... Squeak!" The sound was like metal scraping against glass, almost unbearable.
The Great Spirit King Grand Venerable roared, "Ghost King! Don't gloat..."
Then the voice yelled, "Damn it! I'll give you face, go! Hahaha! Hahahaha!" A purplish-blue ball suddenly appeared behind Li Qiang and exploded with a loud bang.
Caught off guard, Li Qiang's incantation dissipated, and he was sucked into the hexagonal star array. Before falling into the array, he looked back and saw a young man dressed entirely in white with a strange smile on his face, beckoning to him. He knew this was the Ghost King Grand Venerable, and he never expected to be ambushed by this guy.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable cursed, "You old bastard! Why did I need you to intervene? You... you're deliberately causing trouble! This is none of your business!" He was furious. It took the combined power of two supreme beings from the Spirit Ghost Realm to seal their opponent into the Guidance Spirit Formation. This victory was truly humiliating, and he felt terrible.
The Ghost King Grand Venerable chuckled, "Damn it, no good deed goes unpunished! Heh heh, old man, who is this person? He actually forced the Spirit King to use the Guidance Spirit Formation. This Ghost King is very curious, heh heh heh heh! Ah, could it be a master from the Black Devil Realm?" He teased.
The Spirit King Grand Venerable sighed and said, "Who knows where he came from? He claims to be the World-Wreaking Demon King, but he doesn't use the methods of the Black Devil Realm. He says he comes from the Cultivation Realm. Tell me, can a cultivator from the Cultivation Realm come to the Spirit Ghost Realm? What a joke." He was very troubled. Li Qiang's strength was not something that could be trapped by a Guidance Spirit Formation.
Li Qiang was swept into the ancient castle. Because of the Supreme Radiance Shuttle and the Fire Essence Immortal Armor protecting him, the Ghost King Grand Venerable Nether Pearl could not harm him. However, after the spiritual technique was scattered, he could not withstand the huge suction force. The Guidance Spirit Formation was just a maze and was not meant to harm people. The surroundings were covered with a thick black fog, similar to the black fog he had seen when he first entered the Spirit Ghost Realm. Not a single ray of light could penetrate it, but the golden light emanating from Li Qiang's body illuminated the surroundings.
Mei'er held onto the Fire Essence Immortal Armor tightly, not daring to speak, for fear of distracting Li Qiang.
Li Qiang asked, " Mei'er, are you alright?"
Mei'er burst out with joy, hugging Li Qiang's neck and giggling, "Hehe, Mei'er knows brother won't leave Mei'er. Mei'er is so scared, that Spirit King Grand Venerable is so fierce!" She chattered happily incessantly.
Li Qiang laughed, "This seems to be another maze. Mei'er, this time we've gotten ourselves into trouble with two great venerables from the Spirit Ghost Realm. We've really gotten into a playful mood, haha, this is really interesting."
As soon as he spoke to Mei'er, he immediately broke free from the realm of the Heart of Darkness. He had already realized something was wrong; the killing and fighting intent within the Heart of Darkness realm was too strong.
Mei'er didn't care if the sky fell down, as long as she was with her brother. She giggled and said, "That Ghost King is so naughty! He actually attacked us from behind. Next time you see him, hee hee, I'll beat him up!"
Li Qiang smiled slightly and said, "After we break this great formation, let's go back. It seems we're not welcome here... Wait, what's going on..." He suddenly felt something was wrong. Due to frequently entering and exiting the two realms, especially since he couldn't fully immerse himself in the realm of the Heart of Darkness, his cultivation had caused a backlash. He felt a sense of panic, and as his mind and spirit trembled, he felt as if his soul was about to be scattered.
Mei'er noticed that Li Qiang's mask was distorted and deformed, revealing an expression of extreme pain. She cried out in alarm, "Brother, brother, what's wrong with you? You... you don't scare Mei'er..." She grabbed Li Qiang's arm tightly, panicked and at a loss.
Li Qiang managed to say, "Mei... er... don't be afraid, hide inside your brother's... brother's Fire Essence Immortal Armor... please, please don't come out, I... I need to cultivate immediately..."