Xuan Long didn't believe it at all. He tilted his head and said, "Nonsense! You've never been to the Immortal Realm, you don't know anyone, how could you possibly know who's coming?" The longer he chatted with Li Qiang, the more comfortable he felt, like meeting an old friend, and he became more and more casual in his speech.
Li Qiang has now cultivated to the realm of the Ordinary Heart in the Second Desire Heaven, which is a very peaceful state of mind. This realm also subtly influences those around him, even immortals.
Li Qiang looked at Xuan Long with a grin, "How about we make a bet? What if I guess right...?"
Xuan Long burst into laughter, nodding repeatedly. "Alright! I'll make a bet with you! Name your stake, and I'll play along." He himself found it strange that he couldn't help but laugh when he was with Li Qiang. After all, he had cultivated diligently for years, and his facial expressions were usually frozen, let alone laughing.
Li Qiang said, "If I win, hey! Don't get excited, I said if. If I win, hehe, you just need to grant me one request. Similarly, if you win, I'll grant you one request too."
Xuan Long thought to himself, "Are you kidding me? Losing is like putting a noose around my neck. Immortals can't make promises lightly; once they do, they have to keep them no matter what."
He remained silent, lost in thought.
Li Qiang suddenly laughed and said, "Forget it, let's not gamble. I'm not very confident either. Besides, it's not honorable for an elder to bet with a junior like you if you win, and it's even more embarrassing if you lose, haha."
Xuan Long tilted his head, taken aback by Li Qiang's words. He snorted and said dismissively, "Even I can't guess who's from the Immortal Realm, so you have no chance! Fine, let's bet!"
Li Qiang extended his hand and said, "Let's seal the deal with a high five."
Xuan Long extended his hand, and the two gently clapped three times.
Li Qiang then said, "Someone from the Immortal Realm, hehe, I guess it's Lord Gu Xing."
Although Xuan Long was an immortal, his reasoning ability was far inferior to Li Qiang's, and he had less information to make inferences, so he couldn't understand it at all. He repeatedly said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Lord Gu Xing never returned to the Immortal Realm, how could he possibly come back from the Immortal Realm? This is utter nonsense."
He suddenly thought for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Haha, I'm sure to win this time!"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "We'll know when he gets here. It's too early to draw conclusions now."
He had just suddenly realized that the Star Palace had existed for a very, very long time. Mo Huaiyuan alone had lived there for thousands of years, yet he had never seen any Lord Gu Xing. In other words, during this period, Gu Xing was not in the Star Palace.
So where did the Gu Xing go?
If he were still in this realm, there's no doubt he would never abandon the three treasures: the Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror, the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel, and the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation. Therefore, there's only one possibility: he reincarnated and ascended to heaven. Only in the case of ascension could these things be left behind.
As Xuan Long once said, cultivators who reach the Mahayana Realm can ascend to the Immortal Realm without using the Reverse Passage. Because the Reverse Passage is closed, Gu Xing can only return to the Immortal Realm by reincarnating and cultivating again. Gu Xing's long absence likely means he has already returned to the Immortal Realm.
Another clue is the sudden disappearance of the Great Illusion Star Sword Sect.
The Star-Absorbing Sword was discovered in the Star Palace. Li Qiang suspected that the Great Illusion Star Sword Sect was founded by the reincarnation of the Gu Xing Star. Therefore, this sect was once quite famous on Sealed Fate Planet and was recorded in the classics of various cultivation sects. Later, it disbanded and disappeared because the Gu Xing ascended to heaven.
Although Li Qiang still had a few questions he couldn't answer, he had a clear general idea of what was going on. After cultivating the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation, Li Qiang's intuition had become extremely sharp.
Seeing Li Qiang's confident demeanor, Xuan Long was also puzzled, but he couldn't understand it and couldn't figure it out, so he could only say, "Alright, I'll follow you and wait for the people from the Immortal Realm to arrive."
After learning that he would Qi Deviation from cultivating the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture, Li Qiang became more relaxed and stopped deliberately avoiding immortals. Since he was going to die anyway, it didn't matter whether he died sooner or later.
His purpose in deliberately making a bet with Xuan Long was for the sake of Mo Huaiyuan and Qi Junsha. If something were to happen to him, he wanted Xuan Long to help them reincarnate, thus putting his mind at ease. He smiled and said, "Old Dragon, I'm going to Snow Dragon City for a visit. Why don't you come along?"
Xuan Long stretched lazily and said, "Alright, I've been cooped up here for thousands of years, I'll go and have some fun in the Cultivation Realm."
Li Qiang clapped his hands happily and laughed, "Great! I love a lot of people... But, Lao Long, could you please pretend to be an ordinary cultivator and just walk out like that? Hehe, it'll scare people to death."
Xuan Long was deeply shocked. He had already sensed Li Qiang's condition, which was a state of being beyond life and death, a state of mind that was considered extraordinary and saintly.
He was puzzled: how could he have cultivated such a magnanimous state of mind? He couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for Li Qiang. He said, "Your three friends should be awake by now, let's go back."
Li Qiang refused to leave immediately. He said, "Old Dragon, you still have quite a few rare medicinal herbs here. No one else can get in, and it would be a real waste to let them go to waste. Why don't you let me collect some to help people in need?" In fact, many of Li Qiang's ideas were different from those of the immortals. The immortals did not have any concept of helping people in need because they were not from this world at all.
Xuan Long found this intriguing and laughed, "Go ahead and pick them if you want. I'm already prepared to give up here."
Li Qiang collected along the main vein of Ling Mountain. There were many rare spiritual fruits here. He had studied the Jade Pupil Slip of the Spirit Coil Sect and had some knowledge of most heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Xuan Long was patient enough and waited quietly to the side.
Li Qiang was very careful when collecting them, only gathering mature spiritual fruits and herbs. He was unwilling to deplete the resources and wanted to leave Spirit Root for future generations.
Xuan Long admired Li Qiang's approach. Judging from his behavior in collecting medicinal herbs, the young man was not greedy. He couldn't help but point out to Li Qiang that some plants, though seemingly inconspicuous, were actually spiritual seeds he had brought from the Heavenly Palace in the Immortal Realm and cultivated. They could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "These medicinal herbs are enough for me to refine several batches of elixirs, but it's a pity I haven't had the time."
Xuan Long said, "Alchemy is also a subject for us immortals. I didn't expect you to like it too. Let's exchange ideas sometime."
In the Cultivation Realm, alchemy often uses wood and stone as ingredients, while in the immortal Immortal Realm, alchemy, in addition to wood and stone, also emphasizes the use of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, making it a much higher level of alchemy—the so-called immortal pills. However, these miraculous pills are not for ordinary people to consume. Without profound cultivation, consuming them would be like taking poison—certain death.
Li Qiang was overjoyed to hear this, but he deliberately feigned a smile and said, "Hey, I'm an honest man, I believe whatever people say, Lao Long, don't try to fool me, hehe."
Xuan Long chuckled, tilting his head and saying, "What's there to fool you about? In the Immortal Realm, there aren't many experts skilled in refining elixirs, but every immortal knows the basic refining methods. It's nothing special, hehe, we can talk about it another time."
When the two returned to the cabin, Xuanyuan Yiqing and the other two had already woken up.
The immense gains this time delighted the three of them. Thanks to the elixirs given to them by Xuan Long, Xuanyuan Yiqing and Dan Boyu made great progress in their Nascent Soul Early Stage realm. In the Cultivation Realm, once one has initially formed the Nascent Soul, it is considered that one has truly entered the hall of cultivation. The two were overjoyed and congratulated each other.
The one who benefited the most was Bai Shengzhen, who jumped from the Late Fusion to the Late Heart Stirring. Even the young man himself felt that his progress was unbelievably fast.
When the three saw Xuan Long and Li Qiang enter, chatting and laughing, they quickly bowed and thanked Xuan Long for his kindness.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Senior Xuan Long is traveling with us and will also visit Snow Dragon City."
He spoke casually, but Xuanyuan Yiqing and the other two were stunned, especially Dan Boyu, whose heart was pounding with excitement. The fact that the immortal senior was coming to Snow Dragon City was truly astonishing. He stammered, "Senior... Senior... is going... to... that... to..." His face turned bright red, but he couldn't get the words out.
Li Qiang, watching from the side, felt exhausted for him and couldn't help but interject, "It's Snow Dragon City! Hey, brother, there's no need to be so nervous. It's just an immortal, what's the big deal... uh, yes, it's an immortal senior..." He realized that this was wrong and that he couldn't belittle Xuan Long just to comfort the three of them, so he quickly stopped talking.
Xuan Long laughed and scolded, "You brat, you really don't take immortals seriously at all. I'm Luo Heaven High Immortal, a well-known figure in the Immortal Realm. What, from what you're saying..."
Li Qiang shrugged and said, "It's nothing. I was just telling them not to be nervous. Hey, they're just timid."
Dan Boyu calmed down amidst their teasing and said respectfully, "Thank you for your willingness to go to Snow Dragon City, Senior. As a cultivator from Snow Dragon City, Boyu feels immensely honored. Xuan Long."
He spoke very sincerely, because the visit of immortals to Linming Planet, a great city of cultivation, was only recorded in ancient books, and modern cultivators had never witnessed it.
Xuan Long said calmly, "I went to Snow Dragon City at the invitation of little Muzi. Listen carefully, I don't want to disturb anyone. I'll go and leave quietly, so you don't need to be so excited."
In truth, he didn't care about these cultivators in the Cultivation Realm at all. It was only because Li Qiang's temperament changed greatly after he cultivated the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture that Xuan Long felt good about him and was willing to go for a walk with him. If Li Qiang were still a cultivator, Xuan Long probably wouldn't have paid him any attention, no matter how good Li Qiang's skills in making friends were.
Li Qiang said, "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Let's not make a fuss, we can just have some fun ourselves."
Xuan Long said, "I'll change my appearance and then go out." He stretched out his hands, and golden light flashed slightly. His appearance had changed drastically. From the outside, he looked no different from an ordinary cultivator, and even one of the lower levels.
Li Qiang knew this was an illusion he had created, and couldn't help but admire him inwardly. He truly was a celestial being; his methods were indeed superb.
Although Li Qiang can also use illusions, it's difficult for him to maintain that ability for an extended period.
He said, "Alright, let's go. Old Dragon, why don't you see us out? The capable should do more." He beckoned for Xuanyuan Yiqing and the other two to move closer to him so that Xuan Long could teleport.
Xuan Long casually waved his hand, and golden light flashed, filling the room with wind. The small house was now empty.
Bai Shengzhen opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself surrounded by a vast expanse of white. He then heard Dan Boyu exclaim in astonishment, "This... this seems to be the territory of Snow Dragon City."
Li Qiang couldn't help but burst into laughter. He suddenly remembered Qi Junsha, who also liked to run around. He hadn't expected Xuan Long to be the same way.
His original intention was simply to have Xuan Long lead everyone to the Beiling Mountain, but unexpectedly they ended up near Snow Dragon City. The Ascetic Cultivation Road was only just begun before it was over. It's really interesting to think about.
Xuan Long asked, puzzled, "What are you laughing at? Is something wrong?"
Li Qiang explained with a smile, but Xuan Long waved his hand dismissively and said, "No need. What's so great about the Ascetic Cultivation Road? I already had them take elixirs. The Ascetic Cultivation Road won't lead to such rapid progress. If they want to take it... they can do it themselves next time."
He really looked down on this method used in the Cultivation Realm.
Xuanyuan Yiqing, quick-witted, said in an admiring tone, "Senior is an immortal, a role model for juniors, and..."
Xuan Long interrupted him, saying, "What 'Immortal'? If others hear that, how can I go into the city with Muzi? Hmm, you three just call me... call me Uncle-Master, and Muzi Uncle-Master. We'll pretend to be a small sect, haha, and take our nephews into Snow Dragon City to broaden their horizons, that's it!" He actually got playful too.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Why don't you pretend to be their master? Hehe, are you afraid that it will become real?" He winked at Xuanyuan Yiqing and the other two.
Xuan Long wasn't fooled. He tilted his head and laughed, scolding, "Nonsense! You can't just casually become a master. You've already gotten a huge advantage by letting you pretend to be my junior brother, and you still dare to spout nonsense."
Li Qiang said with a grin, "Alright! Alright! You're in charge, okay? Greetings, senior brother, haha." He then burst into unrestrained laughter.
Xuanyuan Yiqing, Dan Boyu, and Bai Shengzhen were overjoyed. They saw Li Qiang blink and they all saw him. The three of them hurriedly stepped forward and said in unison, "Greetings, Senior Uncle! Greetings, Junior Uncle!" Their faces were full of joyful smiles. Whether it was true or not, they called him Senior Uncle and Junior Uncle willingly.
Xuan Long couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. It had been a long time since anyone had addressed him like that, stirring up distant memories—a bittersweet feeling. He turned around and said softly, "Get up. Don't be too happy yet; it's just a form of address."
Li Qiang said, "Of course! Immortals don't want to associate with us mortals, haha, don't hit me, I'm just telling the truth... Ouch!" Xuan Long kicked him, and Li Qiang yelled, "Look at that! This is how he treats his junior brother!"
Xuan Long shook his head helplessly, realizing he couldn't do anything about Li Qiang. He said irritably, "Kid! Let's go, stop muttering, or I'll beat you up!"
Dan Boyu hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "We're still quite a distance from here to Snow Dragon City. Should we fly there, or walk?"
Li Qiang spoke up first, "Let's walk around and see the scenery. Flying through the air won't let us see anything; it's pointless."
Xuan Long nodded; he didn't care which way he went.
The group walked through the thick snow toward Snow Dragon City.
The surroundings were covered with a thick blanket of white snow. There were no pedestrians or tall trees in sight. The only thing on the snow was large chunks of ice. Nearby, there were also many local white pine trees with milky-white trunks and branches covered with icicles that glistened in the reflection of the snow. Several oddly shaped little animals roamed in the snow.
Dan Boyu led a few people over a hillside, where a cacophony of voices could be heard in the distance.
Li Qiang squinted and looked ahead. Below the hillside was a huge ice surface, flat and smooth, like a giant mirror. In the distance, many Little Hei black dots were moving on the ice surface. Li Qiang knew that were people moving around. The black dots were clustered together in triangular frames, but because of the distance, he couldn't see clearly what they were doing.
Li Qiang asked, "Where is this place? Why are so many people on the ice? What are they doing?"
Dan Boyu laughed and said, "Uncle-Master, this is the famous frozen lake below Snow Dragon City. Those people are ordinary citizens of Snow Dragon City, fishing by breaking through the ice."
Xuanyuan Yiqing exclaimed in surprise, "So this is Heaven-Sealed Lake beneath Snow Dragon City! I know it produces a famous delicacy here—the fine-scaled, broad -Sharp-Mouthed War Fish. In our Wondrous Dragon City, this fish is incredibly expensive. I've only heard of it, but I've never tasted it."
Xuan Long tilted his head, a strange expression on his face. He didn't speak, and slowly walked down the hillside. No one noticed his expression.
Li Qiang said curiously, "Let's go take a look." He was very interested in these local customs.
Dan Boyu nodded and said, "That's right, Senior Brother Xuanyuan's knowledge is indeed extraordinary. This is Heaven-Sealed Lake. It is said that this lake is extremely deep, and no one knows where it leads beneath the ice. Some people speculate that Heaven-Sealed Lake leads directly to the blue sea thousands of miles away, but no one can confirm it. In the past, some powerful cultivators went down to investigate..." He paused and then said, "But very few people have returned, and even those who have returned keep quiet about it."
Xuan Long suddenly interjected, "What's down there is just a Water-Gathering Immortal Formation, set up by a friend of mine a long time ago. However, he returned to the Immortal Realm long before the Reverse Passage was sealed, and the main vein of Beiling Mountain is also where he lived in seclusion. Of course, you cultivators can't go down there."
Dan Boyu suddenly realized that Heaven-Sealed Lake was actually the work of an immortal, which explained why even the experts who explored the lake were in such a sorry state.
The group walked over, chatting and laughing.
Li Qiang approached a large triangular frame and saw a dozen people dressed in thick leather robes casting lines and baiting the hooks. In the middle of the frame was a large wheel with finger-thick white fishing lines wound around it. Attached to the lines were small red balls and black weights. Some people were busy stuffing the small balls into the mouths of worms the size of eggs.
Dan Boyu explained, "This is a 'bo hook.' Once the Sharp-Mouthed War Fish bites, the red ball will burst open, and the sharp needle inside will get stuck in the fish's head."
This is a large ice vent, about seven or eight meters in diameter and five or six meters deep. The lake water below the vent is mixed with ice shards. Three men are constantly using a large net to scoop up the ice shards from the vent, while simultaneously stirring the water to prevent it from freezing over.
The fishing line on the wheel slowly descended and was quickly released.
Li Qiang asked an old man next to him, "Grandpa, how many Sharp-Mouthed War Fish can you catch in one go?"
The old man hurriedly stood up. He had already recognized Li Qiang and his companions as cultivators, and quickly said with a smile, "You flatter me, haha. If you're lucky, you might catch a Sharp-Mouthed War Fish and some other fish. You must be from out of town. Sharp-Mouthed War Fish are not easy to catch."
Li Qiang sensed that there were cultivators among this group, but their cultivation levels were all very low; perhaps they were family members of these fishermen.
A burly man shouted, "Lift the rope!"
Immediately, two people stretched out long hooks, hooked the fishing line to their side, and a dozen people gathered around, lined up, and pulled upwards with shouts of "Heave-ho!"
It was unclear what the fishing line was made of, but it held up well even when more than a dozen people were pulling on it. Li Qiang couldn't resist going over to help, and he grabbed the fishing line and pulled it backward as well.
Dan Boyu was startled and hurriedly shouted, "Uncle-Master, don't interfere!" Before he could finish speaking, there were two loud "bang" and "snap" sounds, and the fishing line was snapped by Li Qiang. He was dumbfounded.
There's a trick to dragging a fishing line: you can't use too much force; you have to drag it slowly. Li Qiang didn't understand this. His strength was so great that even steel wire couldn't stop him, let alone a thin fishing line.
Xuan Long couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Brother, you're quite strong! Haha, let's see what you're going to do now!" He watched the spectacle with great interest.
Because Li Qiang and his companions were dressed as cultivators, the fishermen didn't dare to be too presumptuous, but some of them had already started cursing under their breath.
Li Qiang smiled wryly, "Uh, sorry... ah, I'm sorry... this, that... I'll pay! I'll pay!" He wasn't the type to bully the weak.
The old man seemed to be the leader of the group. He looked somewhat bewildered, and after a long pause, he said with a worried expression, "Alas, we've only just begun fishing. Even if you compensate us with just one Sharp-Mouthed War Fish... alas! After these few days, the Sharp-Mouthed War Fish will dive into deeper waters and won't be able to return until next year. We've missed this opportunity, you see..."
Li Qiang, who rarely blushed, turned completely red after hearing the old man's words. Without saying much, he jumped into the icy mouth with a "plop," leaving the group of people dumbfounded. Just kidding, if he wasn't a master cultivator, he would have lost half his life after going down there.
The old man stammered, "He... he... alas, what is he doing..."
Xuan Long chuckled and said, "He feels hot, hehe, he's going down to take a shower. Don't worry about him, he'll be back in a bit."
He was very curious. Cultivators should not have to pay attention to mortals. It was rare to see someone like Li Qiang who would lend a helping hand, and even worse, he did something bad by breaking someone's fishing line. He wanted to see how Li Qiang would handle it.
Dan Boyu sighed, "Uncle-Master is truly remarkable. The water of Heaven-Sealed Lake is icy cold. Even cultivators must wear armor and use Swordsmanship for protection before going in. Uncle-Master jumped into the lake without any preparation. He is truly amazing."
Xuan Long found it amusing. Li Qiang's current cultivation level was definitely among the top in the Cultivation Realm; he was a super expert. He didn't need to prepare anything. As long as he didn't touch the Water-Gathering Immortal Formation below, there wouldn't be any problems.
As soon as Li Qiang entered the water, he saw the fishing line floating on it. He grabbed it and pulled it back in. The lake water beneath the ice was dark and murky, like a gaping demon waiting for its prey to approach.
Li Qiang slowly wound the fishing line into a large ball, only to find that there wasn't a single fish on the line, and the surrounding area was empty, with no sign of fish. He couldn't help but feel puzzled. "There are no fish in the water."
Suddenly, several afterimages flashed below, and Li Qiang realized that the fish had arrived.
The fishermen on the ice all looked grim, fearing that something might happen to Li Qiang. If something went wrong, the four cultivators who came with him would certainly not agree; they were also afraid that Li Qiang would not be able to find the fishing line, and this fishing plan would be completely ruined.
Just then, a splash was heard at the edge of the ice, and Li Qiang flew out with his fishing line. He threw the line onto the ice and said, "Don't worry, I'll go catch a few Sharp-Mouthed War Fish. Wait for me." He then jumped back into the water.
Li Qiang rapidly dived into the water. It was getting darker and darker around him, but he had divine eyes that could see everything. Gradually, the water pressure began to increase. Li Qiang knew there was a celestial array below, so he dared not be careless. He flew out of the Supreme Radiance Shuttle to protect his body while continuing to dive deeper.
Before long, he saw a large fish. He didn't know if it was Sharp-Mouthed War Fish. He raised his hand and shot out a golden thread that hit the fish's head. He quickly moved to the side of the fish and reached out to grab its mouth.
This fish was as big as a person, with its mouth full of sharp teeth, and its fins on its back were half the height of a person. Its whole body was covered with fine silver scales.
As Li Qiang turned to go back, he suddenly noticed a bluish-green object emitting a pale bluish light, rushing rapidly towards him from the bottom of the water.