Li Qiang said fiercely, " Old Chi, if you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame me for making things difficult for you."
Four or five sword lights swept up from below, heading straight for the two.
Enraged and resentful, the Devil Venerable Chiming roared and charged at the approaching figures. He rampaged wildly, ignoring the protective sword light emanating from them.
Li Qiang knew he was about to reach his limit, so he quickly stopped him, saying, " Old Chi, this is none of your business, get out of here!"
The Devil Venerable Chiming said angrily, "Get out of my way!" He kicked away a cultivator who was approaching from the left, ignored the flying swords shooting from behind, grabbed the cultivator blocking his way, and threw him away with a swing of his arm.
The cultivators were shocked, and one of them shouted, "Retreat! This person is too powerful!"
Devil Venerable Chiming Demon Lord, hesitant to harm anyone, flew angrily into the sky and roared, "Anyone who dares to approach me will regret it for the rest of their life... You damn bastard!"
His last sentence was a curse directed at Li Qiang.
The power displayed by the Devil Venerable Chiming immediately intimidated the group below, and no one dared to pursue them any further.
Li Qiang flew down and asked, "Are you a disciple of the Buddha Sect?"
A Baldy man asked suspiciously, "We are Buddha Sect disciples from Jinyang City. May I ask who you are?"
Li Qiang held up his hand, revealing the Buddha Finger he wore. Before he could speak, the Buddha Sect disciple exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! This... this is..."
He immediately bowed in mid-air and said, "This disciple greets the Grand Elder."
Li Qiang nodded and asked, "What are you doing?"
The Buddha Sect disciple replied respectfully, "Elder, the fighters here are experts from three different sects. The Buddha Sect has a crystal mine here... Alas, Elder, could you please stop them from fighting...?" As he spoke, he anxiously looked down, where many cultivators and Buddha Sect disciples had already been injured.
Li Qiang said, "Okay, we'll talk about it later. You stay with me and cover your ears."
Li Qiang suddenly shouted, "Stop it, all of you!"
The sound was like a thunderclap, even making the Devil Venerable Chiming tremble. He muttered under his breath, "Shouting so loudly... it's so noisy!"
The cultivators fighting in the great rift seemed to have been swept away by a gust of wind; they staggered and lost their footing, unable to continue fighting.
Li Qiang then shouted, "Each faction, send out a leader to come and greet us!"
His tone was arrogant and overbearing, because in this situation, only overwhelming power could get him to speak; otherwise, no one would listen to him.
Three experts immediately flew up from below, one of whom was Baldy. He wore a loose gray robe, held a string of brown beads in his hand, and had a round face with gentle and kind eyes. He looked at Li Qiang and asked, "Excuse me...?"
The Buddha Sect disciple next to Li Qiang quickly bowed and said, "Elder Qingjing..." He then leaned closer and whispered, "He has the Buddha Finger of the Grand Elder of the Buddha Sect."
Qingjing Qingjing's eyes lit up; he was incredulous. "Grand Elder? Impossible! They've been missing for a long time."
Li Qiang didn't want to explain further, so he showed him the Buddha Finger on his finger and said, "Elder Qingjing, please introduce these two friends."
Elder Qingjing revealed an extremely excited expression and said loudly, " Qingjing pays respects to the Grand Elder!" After everyone bowed, he introduced, "This is Qian Feng, the ancestor of Mo'an Mountain, and this is Yao Xueweng of Wild Frost Tower." His tone revealed a hint of hatred.
Qian Feng and Yao Xueweng looked at Li Qiang with suspicion and unease. Li Qiang seemed to have some kind of relationship with the Buddha Sect, and the strength he displayed was too great. The guy in the sky was even more powerful.
The two men reluctantly stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Greetings, senior."
Both of them were at the Late Soul Formation Stage stage, and when they saw a master like Li Qiang, their aura was noticeably weaker.
Li Qiang said calmly, "Treat the injured first, then we can talk over there."
No one dared to disagree with him. Qian Feng, Yao Xueweng, and Elder Qingjing immediately summoned their disciples and instructed them to treat the wounded.
The group flew to the side and landed on the ground. Li Qiang asked, "What are you fighting about?" In fact, he had already guessed that it must be about fighting over the crystal mine, and there shouldn't be any other reason.
As expected, Yao Xueweng of the Wild Frost Tower spoke first, "The crystal mines on Crimson Planet have always been developed by our Wild Frost Tower. The Buddha Sect later found a crystal mine in another location, but the entire vein is connected. Considering that we are all cultivators from Linming Planet, our Wild Frost Tower and the Buddha Sect agreed to divide the territory and mine separately. Who knew that some time ago, cultivators from Mo'an Mountain forcibly intervened, mining crystals in the middle section of the Wild Frost Tower and Buddha Sect Sect's mining areas, and seizing our territory..."
Before Yao Xueweng could finish speaking, Qian Feng from Mo'an Mountain shouted, "Anyone with the ability to come to Crimson Planet can mine crystals. Crystal mines cannot be monopolized by you. Besides, we found the mining area ourselves. When we were excavating, neither of you spoke up. But now that we've discovered it's a rich mine, ha! Now you're all getting anxious, scrambling to claim it as yours. Is there such a cheap deal?"
Yao Xueweng glared at him and shouted angrily, "You still think you're right? We've asked to talk to you several times, but you've kicked us out every time. Do you think we're easy to bully?"
Elder Qingjing didn't dare to interrupt because Li Qiang was there; she just listened silently.
Li Qiang sighed inwardly. He had witnessed firsthand the conflicts of interest among cultivators, which were no different from those in the mortal world. He couldn't help but say, "Just for this kind of struggle? Strange, how did you all cultivate to your current level?"
Qingjing smiled wryly, "Elder, cultivating on Linming Planet is extremely difficult. The crystal mines on Linming Planet itself have been completely depleted. Without the support of crystals, no sect can survive. Every sect is trying to find crystal mines. If they can find them on a planet near Linming Planet, it means that the sect can prosper. Alas, for the sake of crystal mines, every sect will go all out. Because of this, cultivators often fight each other, which has nothing to do with their personal cultivation level."
Bored while waiting in the sky, the Devil Venerable Chiming quietly flew behind the group and interjected with great interest, "Who won just now? You should keep fighting, hehe. As long as you wipe out one faction, you can take over their territory. If you wipe out two factions, haha, then congratulations, you can completely monopolize this crystal mine, haha, go ahead and fight!" He seemed to be enjoying the chaos, wishing that all these people would die so he could take advantage of the situation.
Li Qiang knew this was his nature, so he ignored him. The others, however, broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that this guy was truly vicious.
The Devil Venerable Chiming scanned them, muttering, "So fat! So fat! What a pity! What a pity!"
No one else understood what he was saying, but Li Qiang did. He laughed and scolded, "Are you ever going to shut up? Shut your mouth!"
The Devil Venerable Chiming could only raise his hands helplessly and say, "Fine, I won't talk about it anymore! Ugh, so annoying!"
Li Qiang thought for a moment and said, "Fighting like this isn't a solution. You probably don't want your disciples to get injured or even die over the crystal mine. Coincidentally, I have a deep connection with the Buddha Sect. If we fight for it by force, both of your factions..."
Upon hearing this, the Devil Venerable Chiming became even more excited. He interrupted Li Qiang and laughed strangely, "Haha, brother, you don't need to lift a finger. I'll take care of wiping out both of these factions. I guarantee none of them will escape!" He suddenly sprang up and grabbed Qian Feng and Yao Xueweng with one hand each.
Qian Feng and his companion were furious. They simultaneously unleashed flying swords to protect themselves, but the Devil Venerable Chiming paid them no heed. He forcefully pierced through the protection of the flying swords with his arms and tightly bound the two of them.
In his haste, Yao Xueweng unleashed a lightning talisman aimed at the face of the Devil Venerable Chiming. To his utter horror, the Devil Venerable Chiming opened his mouth and swallowed the talisman, casually smacking his lips and grinning at him, his snow-white teeth gleaming with a chilling light.
Qingjing cried out, "Don't hurt them!"
Li Qiang felt that the Devil Venerable Chiming was like an untamed lion, ready to attack at any moment. It was extremely dangerous to have him by his side. He happened to be standing next to the Devil Venerable Chiming and watched helplessly as he suddenly made his move.
In truth, the Devil Venerable Chiming didn't dare to actually hurt anyone. He turned to look at Li Qiang and saw a fist coming towards him, growing larger and larger. What was most terrifying was that the fist was also flashing with golden light. He only had time to turn his head to the side before he heard a loud "boom," and the Devil Venerable Chiming felt himself being thrown into the air.
A punch imbued with Divine Yi Power struck, causing the Devil Venerable Chiming to scream in agony.
Li Qiang said coldly, "Children shouldn't touch or lay hands on adults while they're talking!"
The Devil Venerable Chiming Demon Lord fell from the sky in a disheveled state, shouting angrily, "I was helping you... why... why did you hit me?"
Li Qiang was amused by him. "Oh? You were actually trying to help me. Sorry... sorry, wrong number. Um, let me see... does it hurt?"
The Devil Venerable Chiming saw stars after being punched like that. He held his head, feeling extremely annoyed, and angrily ran to the side and squatted down. He was becoming more and more afraid of Li Qiang.
Qian Feng and Yao Xueweng stood frozen in fear. They had never been captured so easily before. Even against a cultivator at the Body Integration Realm, they could usually put up a fight, but just now they couldn't dodge at all.
The two realized at the same time that the Devil Venerable Chiming did not seem to be from the Cultivation Realm, but they never imagined that he was Great Gods and Devils from the Black Devil Realm.
Because the Devil Venerable Chiming is under Devil Restraint, as long as he doesn't unleash his demonic power, cultivators won't easily discover that he is Great Gods and Devils.
Qingjing had been keeping a close eye on the Devil Venerable Chiming. As a master of the Buddha Sect, he had an innate sensitivity to demons, and he had begun to suspect the Devil Venerable Chiming's identity.
Seeing this, Li Qiang deliberately changed the subject, saying, "By the way, where was I? My companion here gets excited easily, so please don't mind him."
Qian Feng said with lingering fear, "I followed your instructions, senior."
Yao Xueweng's face turned pale, filled with anger and fear. Seeing that Qian Feng had expressed his stance, he hurriedly said, " Wild Frost Tower will follow Senior's arrangements unconditionally."
Li Qiang hadn't expected them to be so agreeable. It seemed that the terrifying strength of the Devil Venerable Chiming had instilled fear in them, making them dare not act recklessly any longer.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "That's for the best. Actually, we're all sensible people. If the three of you continue fighting, the result will be mutual destruction, and you won't gain anything. If another cultivation sect comes along to compete with you at this time, hehe, I'm afraid you won't even be able to keep your existing crystal mines."
Elder Qingjing said, "Yes, I know that the cultivators of Wondrous Dragon City are also coveting the crystal mines of Crimson Planet. They once sent someone to negotiate with the Buddha Sect, hoping to join forces with the Buddha Sect to seize the crystal mines of Crimson Planet..."
Yao Xueweng trembled. He understood perfectly well that if the cultivators from Wondrous Dragon City joined in, Wild Frost Tower would be no match for them. He quickly asked, "Elder Qingjing... you... you didn't agree, did you?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, " Qingjing said it like that, of course we can't agree." He realized that Yao Xueweng was not shrewd enough and was the kind of person who believed everything he heard.
Qingjing said, "Yes, the Buddha Sect has clearly refused to cooperate with Wondrous Dragon City. Although our Buddha Sect only has this one crystal mine, we can still maintain the sect's normal needs if we use it sparingly. However, this time the Buddha Sect is in a difficult position... Mo'an Mountain has taken up one-third of our mining area, making it difficult for us to even maintain our minimum needs. If we don't fight for it, alas, it will be difficult for the Buddha Sect to gain a foothold in Linming Planet." His tone was full of helplessness.
Li Qiang hadn't expected Linming Planet's Buddha Sect to be so difficult to reach. He asked, "Is this the only mine here? Are there any elsewhere?"
Yao Xueweng smiled wryly, "We're already doing well just to hold onto Crimson Planet. It's relatively remote, so the major sects don't pay much attention to it. That's why we can still protect these crystal mines. If we want to find new deposits, the prospectors must be experts, and they also need magical Law Treasure for prospecting. Only the major sects have the talent and strength for that. Ordinary cultivation sects like ours can't do it."
Qian Feng also complained, "Yes, if there were plenty of crystal mines, we wouldn't need to fight. The struggle between sects over crystals has never stopped, and large-scale battles are not uncommon. We ordinary sects, sigh..." He sighed deeply and lowered his head.
Li Qiang thought it made sense. There were so many cultivators in Linming Planet, especially beginner cultivators. The consumption of crystals was considerable. Beginner cultivators were the foundation of every cultivation sect. If a cultivation sect wanted to establish itself in Linming Planet, crystals were the key.
The Devil Venerable Chiming was extremely distressed. His most powerful methods were Devil Restraint the Demonic Restriction; otherwise, he could have secretly corrupted the people before him. Releasing the little demon now was useless. He couldn't help but want to cause trouble. Although his strength in the Black Devil Realm was weaker than the other two Great Gods and Devils, his wisdom was very high. It was precisely because of his wisdom that he was tightly controlled by the Devil Restraint. He was unwilling to suffer any loss now.
Li Qiang then asked, "Are there many crystals on this planet?" He was becoming interested in the crystal mines here. If the reserves of crystals were abundant, he planned to help the three sects explore for them, and he could also take this opportunity to find enough crystals himself.
Elder Qingjing said, " Crimson Planet is a very small planet. This place is a huge valley. Other places are not only desolate, but also have a harsh climate, making them unsuitable for mining. There is only this one mineral vein here. Even if there are minerals elsewhere, they cannot be mined. Only cultivators with a certain level of cultivation can come here to mine. Ordinary people simply cannot survive here."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I'll ask someone to try and find another vein. If we can, the three of you won't have to continue arguing. It would be best if you three formed an alliance and divided the obtained crystals among yourselves. If any outside sects try to seize this place, the three of you can unite to deal with them. The combined strength of the three of you should be no weaker than that of a major sect, right?"
Everyone was taken aback. Hiring people to prospect for minerals? A three-way alliance?
Li Qiang's proposal and suggestion were truly unexpected. I originally thought he would act as a peacemaker, letting the three parties divide the mine equally and just let it go. I never expected him to come up with such an opinion.
The Devil Venerable Chiming squatted on the ground and muttered, "How boring! What's the point of prospecting for minerals and forming alliances? Once the interests aren't balanced, ha, won't we still end up fighting to the death? Boring, so boring."
Qian Feng was the last to arrive and compete for the mine. He sensed that Li Qiang didn't intend to exclude his sect, and he was overjoyed. He quickly said, "Senior, prospecting requires special Law Treasure. There are very few experts in prospecting within the Linming Planet Society, and they are not easily willing to agree to help others."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "I won't invite Linming Planet's people; I have my own friends."
The Devil Venerable Chiming said sarcastically from the side, "You're only following me, where are you going to find friends? You're lying."
Li Qiang suddenly laughed and said, " Old Chi, if I can immediately find some friends to explore for minerals, what will you give me in return?"
The Devil Venerable Chiming Lord grinned and laughed, "I can lose anything, but if I win, will you let me go? Haha, I bet you won't dare."
He excitedly jumped up and walked to Li Qiang's side.
Everyone was completely confused. The relationship between the two was too strange, and several people had many questions in their minds.
Li Qiang chuckled inwardly. Giving the Devil Venerable Chiming no time to ponder, he immediately said, "What's there to be afraid of? However, you must swear to your inner demon that if you lose, you must obey me for the rest of your life. Do you dare?"
Everyone present paled. Such an oath to one's inner demons was terrifying; no cultivator would dare to make such a vow.
The Devil Venerable Chiming was also taken aback. Unlike cultivators, he possessed his own inner demon, which was his very essence. Even with his cultivation as Great Gods and Devils, he dared not make any oaths to his inner demon, for he would face extremely dire consequences if he broke them.
But he was truly Qi Ingestion by Li Qiang's words, so he said, "What's there to be afraid of? If you lose... then don't bother with me anymore!"
His gaze swept over everyone present, and a sense of fear suddenly arose in their hearts.
Li Qiang knew in his heart that if he lost, the Devil Venerable Chiming would immediately turn on the people here, but he knew he would never lose, so he said, " Old Chi, don't just talk the talk, swear an oath."
Seeing his deliberately provocative expression, the Devil Venerable Chiming hesitated for a moment, but finally, he made up his mind and loudly swore an oath.
He realized that he was already under Li Qiang's control, so losing wouldn't matter much, but winning would allow him to do whatever he wanted.
Li Qiang couldn't help but sigh, "Even the Great Gods and Devils and demons yearn for freedom."
The oath of the Devil Venerable Chiming Lord materialized into a black bead and landed in Li Qiang's hand.
Li Qiang laughed loudly, " Old Chi, you've lost." He immediately made a hand seal, and the surrounding air instantly became extremely cold, with a large army of Spirit Body appearing in the sky.
The Devil Venerable Chiming Lord roared, "I'm so angry!"
As he finished speaking, the black oath bead in Li Qiang's hand emitted a faint red light and began to beat rapidly like a heart. Li Qiang knew that the oath had been fulfilled.
Spirit Marshal Xianmu and Spirit General Panshi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."
The five Spirit Sword Body warriors then bowed in salute, a scene that deeply shocked Qingjing and the others.
The Devil Venerable Chiming pounded his chest and stamped his feet, crying out, "I'm such an idiot!"
He then remembered the Twin Spirit and Ghost Venerables, Li Qiang's friends. What was so strange about him summoning a few Spirit Body to prospect for minerals? He had been so foolish as to make a bet with them; what else could he be but an idiot?
Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm are relatively unfamiliar with the Spirit Ghost Realm. Most of the information about this realm comes from legends and ancient records, and very few people have actually witnessed it firsthand.
Qian Feng asked cautiously, "Senior, who are they?"
Elder Qingjing exclaimed in surprise, "They are Spirit Sword Body! How could there be so many of them?"
With his inner demons controlled by Li Qiang, the Devil Venerable Chiming Lord's wish was dashed once again, leaving him extremely displeased. He said irritably, " The Spirit Sword Body is nothing! The two Venerables of the Spirit Ghost Realm are his friends. Damn it, I'm so stupid! How could I forget that? Sigh!"
Yao Xueweng suddenly thought of an important question and asked, "Senior, may I ask your honorable name?"
The Devil Venerable Chiming couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I'm dying of laughter, I'm dying of laughter, wahahaha, hahaha! After talking for so long, I still don't know who this kid is, hahahaha!" He was extremely depressed and took the opportunity to vent.
The others, including Elder Qingjing, looked embarrassed. Li Qiang smiled and said, "I am Muzi."
Yao Xueweng was so surprised his eyes almost popped out. He stammered, " Muzi? The Muzi mentioned in the Great Luo High Immortal Decree? I... I was truly blind. Yao Xueweng pays respects to Senior Muzi. Please forgive my rudeness."
The Devil Venerable Chiming Lord shouted, "No, no, weren't you called Li Qiang? When did you start calling yourself Muzi?"
Li Qiang said coldly, "My name is Li Qiang, my nickname is Muzi, and my real name World-Wreaking Demon King. What? You can't?"
The Devil Venerable Chiming was speechless. He slunk away to the side, no longer daring to spout nonsense. His vow and inner demons were in Li Qiang's hands. Unless he returned to the Black Devil Realm, he would be forever controlled by Li Qiang.
Elder Qingjing was overjoyed. Although the Buddha Sect was a major sect in Linming Planet, it was weak and lacked experts. With the appearance of an expert like Li Qiang, the Buddha Sect's resurgence was just around the corner. He respectfully said, " Qingjing invites the Grand Elder to grace the Buddha Sect of Jinyang City with his presence."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "I'll go take a look." He then said to Spirit Marshal Xianmu, " Xianmu, I'll have to trouble you to explore for minerals again. There should be quite a few crystal mines here. We only know of one vein right now. Can you find any other crystal mines within this valley?"
Spirit Marshal Xianmu bowed and said, " Xianmu obeys."
He immediately ordered Spirit General Panshi lead the Spirit Sword Body to explore the mine, while he himself stayed by Li Qiang's side. The only one among these people that puzzled him was the Devil Venerable Chiming. Xianmu was a high-level Spirit Body and was very sensitive to demons. He had already realized that the Devil Venerable Chiming was not a cultivator.
Qian Feng muttered, "Heavens! So it's Senior Muzi who caused such a ruckus in Wondrous Dragon City. No wonder he's so powerful. Strange, didn't Senior Muzi leave with the immortals? How did he end up on Crimson Planet..."
Li Qiang was unaware of just how famous he was in Linming Planet. Almost every cultivation sect in Linming Planet was talking about Li Qiang, and his current fame was comparable only to that of immortals.
Shuang Wanyu from Wild Frost Tower flew over and said, "Uncle Yao, Ye Qian has sent a message..." She looked around at the people around her, somewhat hesitant.
Yao Xueweng said, "Go ahead and speak, there's no need to hide anything."
Shuang Wanyu said, "Great chaos has broken out in Linming Planet. A large amount of Devil Blood Baleful Intent Mist has drifted in from somewhere, mixed with countless demons. All the cultivation sects have been mobilized. The situation is very critical. Many people have been demonized, and some cultivators have also been corrupted. All five major cities of Linming Planet have been sealed off. The most terrifying thing is that no one can tell who has been demonized and who hasn't. Some cultivation sects have started killing each other."
Qingjing sighed, "The demonic calamity has arrived! Alas, Linming Planet will face many troubles from now on."
Shuang Wanyu continued, "All of Linming Planet's large-scale teleportation arrays to the outside world have been sealed off to prevent demonized cultivators from wreaking havoc on other planets. We can't go back now."
Li Qiang was extremely shocked. The Devil Blood Baleful Intent Mist moved so fast, reaching Linming Planet so quickly. He never expected this.
He glanced at the Devil Venerable Chiming, whose face was full of excitement and anticipation. When he saw Li Qiang looking over, he immediately pretended to be nonchalant, but inside he was overjoyed.
Li Qiang immediately instructed Xianmu Mu, "Tell the brothers to move quickly. Once the crystal mine is located, each of the Spirit Body brothers should collect some crystals; I need them urgently. Also, have them collect some on their own, but don't go to the known vein. Go now."
Spirit Marshal Xianmu responded, "Yes, sir!"
He patted the demonic beast beneath him and quietly slipped underground to deliver the message.
Qingjing asked, "Elder, what should we do?"
Yao Xueweng and Qian Feng both looked at Li Qiang, at a loss for what to do.