As Li Qiang and Mei'er appeared in the air, the crowd below erupted into chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been poked open.
A group of experts flew into the sky and surrounded the two. The two leading cultivators slowly rose up and hovered on the left and right in front of Li Qiang and Mei'er. Both of them had the cultivation level of the Body Integration Realm. In the Cultivation Realm, cultivators with the cultivation level of the Body Integration Realm can be considered as grandmasters.
Unlike Xuan Long, Li Qiang couldn't freely transform and conceal his cultivation level. Although he transformed the Extinction Heaven Divine Armor into ordinary battle armor, his cultivation level was so high that it gave the impression that he was at least at the Body Integration Realm or higher.
The two men looked very serious, because Li Qiang's aura was no less imposing than theirs, and the little girl seemed to be a master as well. However, with their limited knowledge, they couldn't discern Mei'er's true strength, which truly shocked them.
One of the men was dressed in lead-gray armor, with a square face that gave him a dignified appearance. His beard was so thick that it covered his mouth, and his eyes were deep-set, gleaming with a chilling light. He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
The other expert was a female cultivator. Li Qiang had rarely seen a female cultivator with the cultivation level of the Body Integration Realm. She was wearing a rose-colored battle armor and a black cloak, which made her look beautiful and elegant. Her pair of dark eyes were fixed on Mei'er, but there was no hostility in her eyes.
The female cultivator asked, "Who are you?" At the same time, she waved her hand at the surrounding cultivators and said, "You all step back!"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "And who are you? Why did you destroy the teleportation array?"
Mei'er approached Li Qiang Li Qiang arm, and curiously looked at the people. Little White flew over from a distance, its silver fur shimmering.
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of monster is that? It's so beautiful! Quick, catch it!"
Immediately, seven or eight cultivators surrounded them.
Mei'er was displeased. She called out in a sweet voice, " Little White, come here right now!"
Little White bared its teeth and swaggered at those people, but it didn't look threatening at all. Even when it was angry, it still looked cute. Only Li Qiang knew what kind of monster the Heavenly Lion Divine Beast was. If it really got angry, how could these cultivators possibly withstand it?
Li Qiang said calmly, " Little White is back."
With a flash of silver light, Little White had already moved into Li Qiang's arms, barking twice defiantly at the cultivators.
Everyone was very surprised. No one had ever seen a monster that could teleport. Only when they saw Li Qiang holding it did they believe that the monster was indeed someone else's pet.
Li Qiang's nonchalant attitude made the cultivators even more unsure of his true strength. The female cultivator in the lead politely said, "We are cultivators who migrated from Dry Rock Planet. My name is Meng Yaying, and this is my senior brother Meng Yong. Are you local cultivators?"
Seeing how polite the other party was, Li Qiang felt embarrassed. He scratched his head and laughed, "Hehe, we were just passing by, but we got here a little earlier than you. My name is Li Qiang, and this is my little sister, Gu Mei'er. We stopped you from destroying the teleportation array because we needed to leave."
Those people clearly didn't know who Li Qiang and Gu Mei'er were, and their expressions visibly relaxed.
Meng Yaying smiled and said, "So it seems we've misunderstood... Please wait a moment." She turned and gave a few instructions to her disciples, then discussed it with Meng Yong before saying to Li Qiang, "Can we talk?"
Mei'er knew that when cultivators encountered cultivators from other sects on their journey, they would usually exchange ideas. This would greatly increase their cultivation experience. More formal sects even had people specifically responsible for recording these exchanges and collecting them in the sect's records. Exchanges between experts were especially important.
Li Qiang hesitated; he didn't want to delay too long.
Mei'er knew that Li Qiang was unaware of many of the rules of the Cultivation Realm, so she quickly transmitted her voice, "Brother, this is an unwritten rule of the Cultivation Realm. Don't send experts to invite us to exchange ideas. It would be very impolite to refuse. It won't take much time."
The surrounding cultivators had dispersed, led by sect experts, and headed away into the distance of the forest. Only Meng Yaying, Meng Yong, and three other disciples remained.
Meng Yaying quietly watched Li Qiang and the other man, waiting for his answer.
Li Qiang smiled and said, "Okay, let's talk over there."
Meng Yaying smiled, looking very pleased. "Brother Li, Miss Gu, please!" Her three disciples rushed over first, cleared a space, then laid out a thick felt mat and stood respectfully to the side.
Meng Yong invited Li Qiang and Mei'er to sit down first, and then he and Meng Yaying sat down cross-legged. He instructed his disciples to take out some rare fruits, arrange them on a tray, and place them on a felt mat before asking, "Brother Li, where are you planning to go?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I'm going to Sealed Fate Planet."
Meng Yaying exclaimed in surprise, " Sealed Fate Planet? That's a very far place. I've heard of it; it's a place where cultivators gather."
Li Qiang nodded and asked, "May I ask why you destroyed the formation? Were you being chased?"
Meng Yaying untied and put away her black cloak, laughing, "No one's chasing us, hehe, sorry, we just want to stop the cultivators behind us from coming in. We've scouted this place before; it's a planet half desert and half forest, with some crystal deposits, though not too many. But if only the cultivators of our Silent Yang Sect mine and use them, it's more than enough. If a few more cultivation sects come, it will be hard to stay safe. So, we plan to destroy the teleportation array and cultivate on this planet from now on."
Li Qiang understood the importance of the crystals. He laughed and said, "So that's how it is. Hehe, why are you migrating? Is it because the crystals on Dry Rock Planet have run out?"
Meng Yong smiled wryly, "Who would willingly leave their home? Dry Rock Planet has more than a dozen cultivation sects, and it seems they'll all have to relocate this time. Sigh..."
Li Qiang was curious, as Meng Yong's words were unclear. Just as he was about to ask, Meng Yaying said, "My senior brother is the most reluctant to leave. He's feeling a bit down. Let me explain."
Li Qiang nodded.
Mei'er nestled obediently against Li Qiang's shoulder, her little hand stroking Little White's head as she listened intently. She loved listening to stories, and although Meng Yaying's stories weren't exactly tales, she listened to them as if they were.
Meng Yaying said, " Dry Rock Planet is the most famous fire crystal producing area, producing extremely precious top-grade fire crystals and Heavenly Gold Sand. Other crystals are also abundant. If there is any shortcoming, it is that there are only a few places on Dry Rock Planet suitable for habitation. Only a few valleys are suitable for mortals to live in. The rest of the place is unbearably hot. Most of the place is constantly spewing magma. Originally, our sects had long been used to it, but more than ten years ago, a monster suddenly flew in... Alas..." There was some resentment in her tone as she slowly lowered her head.
"A monster?" Li Qiang reacted almost immediately, and asked doubtfully, "Could it be the Great Flame Spirit Beast?"
Meng Yong and Meng Yaying looked up in surprise and asked in unison, "How did you know?"
Mei'er couldn't help but giggle; their expressions were just too funny.
Li Qiang sighed. He had witnessed the birth of the Great Flame Spirit Beast firsthand, which had even led to the immortals hunting him down. How could he explain it in just a few words? After a moment's thought, he guessed why the Silent Yang Sect had moved away.
Li Qiang said, "I'm just guessing. Will this Great Flame Spirit Beast spew out golden orbs of light?"
The two of them were completely stunned. Meng Yaying exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Li, how did you know? Alas, even if all the cultivators on Dry Rock Planet joined forces, we still couldn't defeat that beast. Countless people died or were injured. As long as it spews out that golden light, it is almost indestructible. No matter how powerful the formation is, it can wipe it out. We are no match for it at all."
Meng Yong added, "What's even stranger is that I couldn't hurt it no matter what attacks I used, and we even joined forces to unleash a massive amount of magma to try and burn it to death..."
Li Qiang was also surprised. Using magma to burn the Great Flame Spirit Beast? That was a terrible idea. He couldn't help but say, "It'll probably only get stronger the more you burn it."
Mei'er laughed and said, " The Great Flame Spirit Beast is a fire-type spirit beast, so it's not afraid of fire at all."
Meng Yaying smiled bitterly, "We only realized at the very end that it was a beast of fire nature..."
Li Qiang asked, "You moved here just for this reason?" He had a feeling that things might not be that simple.
Meng Yaying said, "As long as we don't provoke the Great Flame Spirit Beast, we'll be safe. But ever since it appeared on Great Flame Spirit Beast Dry Rock Planet Dry Rock Planet, countless cultivation experts have come to hunt it. Almost every year, a group of experts goes to hunt it, each time enraging it and making it impossible for us local cultivators to move around. This beast attacks any cultivator it sees, and we can no longer live here. We also have no way to obtain crystals from the Fire Rock Zone. Therefore, the cultivation sects on Dry Rock Planet have all begun to migrate outwards."
Mei'er's eyes Jingjing immediately upon hearing this, and she said with a grin, "Brother, let's go get it! Hehe, let's find a companion for our Little White, okay?" She was a well-known little money-grubber and loved searching for treasures the most.
Li Qiang understood Mei'er's meaning; she wanted him to absorb the Wrath of the Heavenly God.
Meng Yaying and Meng Yong's gaze towards Li Qiang and Mei'er had changed; it was the gaze one would give to a dead man, the gaze one would give to an idiot.
Both of them were grandmasters at the Integrated Body Early Stage, and they were well aware of the Great Flame Spirit Beast's power. No matter how many powerful Law Treasure Li Qiang possessed, how could he possibly fight against the Great Flame Spirit Beast?
Meng Yaying kindly advised, "Brother Li, you should be careful and not provoke that beast. We suffered a great loss because we were careless at the beginning."
Li Qiang smiled and asked, "Excuse me, which star is Dry Rock Planet? Could you mark it for me?" He handed over the Star-Fixing Disc.
Meng Yong was stunned, and exclaimed in surprise, "This... this is... a celestial artifact? The Star-Fixing Disc?"
Meng Yaying took it, examined it briefly, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed the Celestial Artifact Star -Star-Fixing Disc; it's a rare treasure." She fiddled with it for a while, then smiled wryly, "We don't know how to use it; it's a Celestial Artifact."
Meng Yong couldn't help but ask, "Who are you people? Why do you have a celestial artifact?" What puzzled him even more was that Li Qiang casually handed over the Star-Fixing Disc, seemingly unconcerned about being snatched away. There was only one possibility: he possessed enough power to completely control the situation, which was why he was so bold.
Li Qiang casually explained to them how to use the Star-Fixing Disc, and then located their current planet.
Meng Yong and Meng Yaying took turns examining the Star-Fixing Disc, and both were astonished. The world contained within the Star-Fixing Disc was beyond their imagination.
After finding Dry Rock Planet, Meng Yaying marked it, returned the Star-Fixing Disc to Li Qiang, and said, "Brother Li, you should be careful. Such rare treasures can easily attract the covetous eyes of others."
Li Qiang immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards these two cultivation experts, because they didn't seem to have any intention of robbing him. He smiled and said, "Would you be interested in accompanying me back?"
Meng Yaying found Li Qiang's suggestion somewhat unbelievable. She smiled wryly and said, "We don't want to provoke that Great Flame Spirit Beast again. Besides, there are too many cultivators Dry Rock Planet lately. It's a mixed bag of people. If we get into trouble, it won't matter to my senior brother and me, but our disciples will be going out to train in the future, and that will be detrimental to them."
As the leader of the Silent Yang Sect, she is responsible for the safety of the sect's disciples.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "If the Great Flame Spirit Beast is subdued, will you still go back?"
Meng Yong shook his head and said, "We're not going back. The Silent Yang Sect's base has been burned to the ground by the magma."
Mei'er couldn't sit still any longer. She said in a coquettish tone, "Brother, I'm taking Little White to play for a while. Call me when you leave, okay?"
Li Qiang smiled and nodded, gave her a few instructions, and then Mei'er took Little White and ran into the forest to play.
Li Qiang then shared some cultivation insights with them. Meng Yaying and Meng Yong were extremely surprised. Li Qiang's knowledge and cultivation methods were far superior to their expectations. Especially when it came to weapon crafting, the two could only listen obediently and could not offer any of their own opinions. The difference in their abilities left these two masters of the Silent Yang Sect speechless.
Meng Yaying couldn't help but question Li Qiang's identity again, because some of the methods he mentioned were not those of a cultivator.
She used her Divine Sense to observe Li Qiang. After all, he was a master of the Body Integration Realm, and she finally realized that Li Qiang didn't seem to be a cultivator. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "May I ask which cultivation sect Brother Li belongs to?"
Li Qiang noticed when she used her Divine Sense to observe him. He knew that Meng Yaying had become suspicious of him. Li Qiang greatly admired her shrewdness and laughed, "Do you think I don't look like a cultivator? Hehe, I really am no longer considered a cultivator."
He stood up, stretched his arms out slightly, revealing the Extinction Heaven Divine Armor, and then sat down again.
Once the illusionary state was broken, the aura emanating from Li Qiang was astonishing, especially the Extinction Heaven Divine Armor, whose exquisite craftsmanship was absolutely incomparable to any other battle armor.
Meng Yaying and Meng Yong both realized they had misjudged him. Although they didn't know what kind of Cultivation Method Li Qiang practiced, one thing was clear: Li Qiang's cultivation level was much higher than theirs.
Meng Yaying and Meng Yong could no longer remain seated. They both stood up simultaneously, Meng Yaying said, "Senior, please forgive my rudeness."
Meng Yong asked with some doubt, "Is Senior an immortal?"
Li Qiang waved his hand and said, "What are you doing? Sit down and talk. Um, Brother Meng, I'm not an immortal, I can't even explain what I am."
Li Qiang really couldn't define himself. He was definitely not a cultivator, nor an immortal, nor a god. He found it funny to think that he had become a hybrid of both.
Meng Yaying and Meng Yong whispered a few words to each other, Meng Yaying said, "Senior, Yaying will accompany you to Dry Rock Planet."
The teleportation array on Dry Rock Planet was bustling with activity. Meng Yaying, along with Li Qiang, Mei'er, and Little White, had just emerged from the teleportation array when several cultivators came to greet them.
This time, Li Qiang did not transform his appearance; only Mei'er remained dressed as a young girl cultivating immortality, as she could not reveal her true form.
Meng Yaying quickly stopped the cultivators, saying, "We will not participate in your operation."
Since Meng Yaying and Li Qiang both exuded the aura of sect leaders, the other cultivators dared not be presumptuous. One of them said, "Seniors, we dare not invite you. Hehe, we are only responsible for receiving cultivators from various sects. Most of the cultivators are gathered in the Fire Rock District."
Li Qiang said, "Oh, Ya Ying, Mei'er, let's go take a look. It's nothing serious."
Meng Yaying, a local cultivator, nodded and said, "Senior, I'm very familiar with the Fire Rock District. I'll lead the way."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Don't call me 'senior,' haha, it sounds awkward."
Mei'er giggled and said, "Sister Meng, you can just call him brother, just like Mei'er."
Meng Yaying and Mei'er were already very close. Mei'er had a very sweet mouth and would call him "sister" as soon as she opened her mouth. She had an Tianzhen and naive look on her face. Most importantly, she exuded a hint of charm that even Meng Yaying couldn't resist. He just thought this little girl was extremely cute.
She hugged Mei'er and laughed, "Alright, I'll still call you Brother Li. I'm not used to calling you 'brother'."
The cultivators responsible for welcoming them stood obediently to one side. They were merely Nascent Soul Realm stage cultivators, far inferior to Li Qiang and Meng Yaying.
Li Qiang asked with a smile, "Approximately how many cultivators are coming?"
One of the cultivators respectfully replied, "There are approximately three hundred cultivators from various sects who have come; all of them are experts at the Nascent Soul Realm or above."
Li Qiang shook his head. He knew very well that over three hundred cultivation experts were no match for the Great Flame Spirit Beast, especially since the Great Flame Spirit Beast possessed the divine artifact, the Wrath of the Heavenly God. These people were even less capable. He then asked, "Are there any immortals or Loose Immortal present?"
The cultivators were startled. Immortals and Loose Immortal were unattainable figures in their minds, and they almost unanimously said, "No."
Mei'er giggled and said, "Brother, cultivators rarely see immortals or Loose Immortal."
Li Qiang said, "More than three hundred cultivators dare to fight against the Great Flame Spirit Beast, heh, that's truly remarkable! Ya Ying, Mei'er, let's go."
Meng Yaying was already very familiar with this place. She said, "Brother Li, I'll be presumptuous this once." A flash of white light, and she teleported away with Li Qiang and Mei'er.
The volcanic regions of the Dry Rock Planet are actually volcanic eruption zones, which are incredibly spectacular when viewed from the air.
Looking out, it was a world of fire, with crimson magma gushing from the ground, some reaching tens of meters high. The ground was crisscrossed with flowing magma, which, after cooling, formed large chunks of black rock.
The volcanic area is the only high ground, surrounded by lava flows. This high ground is about one square kilometer in size and is entirely composed of large blue rocks. It is out of place with its surrounding environment and is a very strange place.
As soon as Meng Yaying, Li Qiang, and Mei'er appeared in the sky above the Fire Rock Zone, they alerted the cultivators below.
A pale blue light shimmered in the center of the volcanic area. Li Qiang knew that someone had set up a defensive array there, probably to protect against the intense heat and danger of the place.
Li Qiang and the other two landed slowly on the ground. This level of temperature had no effect on Li Qiang, but Mei'er felt a little hot and stayed close to Li Qiang.
Meng Yaying said, "Not far from here is a lake of magma, filled entirely with fiery lava that never solidifies. You can find the best fire crystals right on its shore, but unfortunately, that beast has taken it over, and no one can get there."
Li Qiang asked, "Were any of your people harmed by the Great Flame Spirit Beast?" He knew from Meng Yaying's repeated use of the word "beast" that someone on their side must have been injured.
Sure enough, Meng Yaying said bitterly, "My junior brother was killed by it. Our Silent Yang Sect lost six experts, and many more were injured. Alas."
As they spoke, they arrived outside the defensive array, which was set up very simply, the most common type.
Li Qiang said, "Let's go in and take a look."
Meng Yaying spoke first, "I'll go." She made a hand seal and led them into the defensive array.
The defensive array was cool. When Li Qiang and his group entered, they were shocked by the horrific scene inside. A large group of cultivators, missing limbs, were lying on the ground groaning. Many more were resting cross-legged, and only a few were busy treating the wounded.
A cultivator hurried over, Meng Yaying stepped forward to greet him, " Gu Lin, what are you still doing here?"
He was a cultivator in the Leaving the Body Realm, his silver-white armor stained with blood, his long gray hair pulled to one side, and his expression was grim.
Upon seeing Meng Yaying, he exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Meng, didn't you leave? Why are you back?"
Meng Yaying said, "Brother Li, this is a local cultivator named Gu Lin. Gu Lin, didn't your master and the others leave too? Why did you stay?"
Gu Lin said with a wry smile, "Several friends from my sect insisted on participating in this hunting expedition. Sigh, look, they just retreated with heavy casualties."
Just as Li Qiang was about to speak, he suddenly heard a strange shout from behind him, " Little Madman? Little Madman! Is that you?"
Li Qiang shuddered upon hearing this; in the Cultivation Realm, there was only one person who would call him "Little Madman."
He turned around and exclaimed in surprise, " Fengzi! Haha, Old Geng! Fengzi... Wow, Brother Tianhong... What are you doing here?"
Mei'er called out, "Brother Fengzi, it's me, Mei'er!"
Meng Yaying stared in disbelief. No matter how imaginative she was, she couldn't fathom how Li Qiang could have such a terrifying nickname.
Geng Feng pounced like a whirlwind, throwing a punch straight at Li Qiang's chest. Li Qiang neither dodged nor flinched, taking the punch head-on. With a loud "bang!", Geng Feng shouted, "What a tough guy, hahaha!" He was practically ecstatic.
Tianhong flew over quietly and looked at Li Qiang with increasing astonishment. He knew that he had already cultivated to the Integrated Body Early Stage, but he couldn't see through Li Qiang's cultivation level at all.
Li Qiang was also ecstatic. Ever since he heard Geng Feng call him a " Little Madman," Golden Venerable Divine Heart had been pounding. He patted Geng Feng vigorously, overjoyed and not knowing what to do. He was just too happy.
Geng Feng looked at Mei'er and asked curiously, "Huh? When did Mei'er get a physical body?"
Mei'er's transformation was so perfect that even Geng Feng couldn't tell. She giggled happily, " Fengzi Brother, Mei'er is an illusion! You're afraid Mei'er will cause trouble, so Mei'er doesn't dare to show her true face, hehe. Fengzi Brother, how did you get here?"
Geng Feng was still the same as before, dressed in all black and looking quite slovenly, but he had already cultivated to the Spirit Severing Realm.
He grinned and said, "How did we get here? We came out to find you guys, huh? Your older brother sent word that you were in some Linming Planet, so I couldn't wait and ran off. On the way, I met my grandmaster uncle, and we came here together. We also happened to find the Great Flame Spirit Beast, haha, so we just joined in the fun here."
Li Qiang walked up to Tianhong and happily called out, "Brother Tianhong."
Tianhong patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you're really something! Haha, I've finally found you."
Li Qiang was touched and said, "Luckily, I'm very curious, otherwise I would have missed it. By the way, how are Brother Fu Hou, and my brothers?"
Geng Feng said, "Good, very good. Senior Fu and Senior Hou have both safely passed their tribulations. Hehe, you don't know, Senior Fu's tribulation was quite earth-shattering. Countless experts came to protect him. Even if Old Madman wanted to help, he couldn't get a hand in. It was truly an eye-opening experience."
Li Qiang knew that with Fu Shan's connections, there was nothing to worry about during his tribulation; he simply had too many friends. He asked, "How is Elder Sister Hua?"
Geng Feng said, "Well, what's wrong with her... sigh."
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh; he knew Geng Feng must have been punished by Hua Meiniang.
Suddenly, someone shouted, " The Great Flame Spirit Beast is flying over! Everyone, get ready!"