The silvery-white ball of light from the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl met the War Soul Saber.
Chi Wuyu's Yi Crow Hook was completely shaken back into his body. The enormous shock caused him to lose his subtle control over the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl. Relying on the profound power possessed by Luo Heaven High Immortal, he forcibly activated the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl to resist the War Soul Saber.
In an instant, the extremely cold Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl tightly enveloped the shadow of the War Soul Saber, and a huge blast of cold air emanated from it.
The moisture rising from the Illusory Tree Planet, upon encountering this extreme cold, immediately transformed into hailstones that rained down with a "whoosh," marking the first hailstorm in the history of Divine Wood Gorge.
The powerful cultivators, including Mu Jue, had already landed above Divine Wood Gorge. They released their flying swords in an attempt to mitigate the damage the hail had caused to Illusory Tree Planet.
Li Qiang suddenly realized that his slashing War Soul Saber had been slowed down; it felt as if the blade had struck into thick, sticky liquid, leaving him feeling powerless. He rubbed his hands together and shouted, "Open!"
Driven by the fighting spirit of the Divine War Soul, the War Soul Saber was not completely sealed by Chi Wuyu. With Li Qiang's shout, the War Soul Saber once again shone with dazzling light.
This head-on confrontation is the most foolish way to fight. Chi Wuyu has experienced countless battles and has rarely encountered someone like this. Li Qiang actually relied on a divine weapon to fight him head-on, which left him speechless with bitterness.
The quality of a divine artifact is inherently superior to that of a celestial artifact, putting him at a significant disadvantage in such a contest. He had invested considerable effort in cultivating the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl, and he couldn't bear even the slightest damage to it. For this reason alone, he was unwilling to continue this head-on struggle.
Chi Wuyu regretted underestimating his opponent. He shook his shoulders, and two black shadows emerged from them. They paused slightly before flying towards his feet. He teleported to the left, and the black shadows on the ground silently shot towards Li Qiang.
In terms of combat experience, Li Qiang was no match for Chi Wuyu. Just as Chi Wuyu teleported, Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl suddenly disappeared into the air.
Li Qiang's War Soul Saber also activated at that moment. Having lost its target, the blade slashed directly at the Illusory Tree Planet below.
No one expected Chi Wuyu to dodge, and Li Qiang was no exception. This was a strike that he had gathered all his power and the killing intent of his Divine War Soul. He had no spare strength to control the momentum of the strike. Only a powerful immortal like Chi Wuyu could escape from a divine weapon with ease; it would be difficult for an ordinary immortal to dodge it.
The cultivators watching from below suddenly sensed something was wrong; an invisible pressure in the air suddenly increased.
Hou Pijing saw it most clearly. He channeled his inner energy and shouted, "Everyone below, scatter!" His voice exploded like thunder. With his Mahayana Realm cultivation, his shout could be heard not only by the cultivators below but also by people far away.
Mu Jue cried out in distress. He realized something was wrong and casually waved his hand, covering all the disciples and followers around him that he could take with him, and teleported to a safe place.
Chaos erupted in Divine Wood Gorge as cultivators fled in droves. A massive golden light, like a roaring, charging monster, hurtled towards Divine Wood Gorge from the sky.
Divine Wood Gorge extends from west to east, while the War Soul Saber descends from south to north, forming a massive cross shape.
Li Qiang tried his best to control the outburst of the War Soul Saber, but suddenly a dark shadow flashed in the corner of his eye, and he subconsciously released the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel.
The two attacks, Yi Crow Hook, struck simultaneously from the left and right. Li Qiang was no longer able to retrieve his divine weapon and could only watch as the War Soul Saber fell.
Chi Wuyu sneered, "Even if you have a divine artifact, it's useless! Huh, the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel of the Gu Xing?" He suddenly realized that Li Qiang could not be harmed, but he also could not control the attack of the Yi Crow Hook anymore; its speed was simply too fast.
Almost simultaneously, the War Soul Saber and the Yi Crow Hook erupted.
First, the War Soul Saber landed on the Illusory Tree Planet. The huge golden light silently cut into the surface of the Illusory Tree Planet, just like a sharp knife cutting into tofu. Immediately afterwards, a series of explosions rang out.
The Illusory Tree Planet is entirely formed of wood; it is essentially a gigantic tree. With a flash of red light, splinters of wood and dust rose into the air.
The cultivators of Illusory Tree Planet watched in despair as the fire raged; their worst fears had finally come true.
The Yi Crow Hook also erupted instantly.
The Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel spun rapidly, scattering countless silver starlight in all directions.
The dark blue shadow emitted by Yi Crow Hook exploded with a series of loud bangs as soon as it came into contact with Yin Xing.
Li Qiang's slash missed its mark, all his strength concentrated on the Illusory Tree Planet, and the War Soul Saber flew far away. He felt completely exhausted, struck by the Yi Crow Hook. Fortunately, he had the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel for defense, otherwise he would have been finished. Even so, he was knocked into the air by the Yi Crow Hook and rolled around. In his dizziness, he could only passively use the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel to defend himself.
Hou Pijing watched as Yi Crow Hook chased after Li Qiang like a living creature. He could no longer bear it and suddenly shot out his flying sword, blasting it towards Chi Wuyu.
As Li Qiang rolled, he suddenly caught sight of Hou Pijing making a move. He was terrified and cried out, "Brother, no!" He tried his best to retrieve his War Soul Saber. As long as he had the War Soul Saber, he was confident that he could withstand Chi Wuyu's Yi Crow Hook.
However, it is difficult to quickly retract the War Soul Saber. If the power released is forcibly withdrawn, the backlash will be enormous. After all, Li Qiang is using the scabbard to control the War Soul Saber. He has not yet fully mastered and mastered the War Soul Saber, and he has not yet reached the level of controlling the blade with his mind.
Chi Wuyu was extremely experienced in combat. He saw through Li Qiang's intentions, and even as Luo Heaven High Immortal, he dared not underestimate the power of the War Soul Saber. He used the Yi Crow Hook to strike rapidly, keeping Li Qiang in a tumbling position in the air, so that Li Qiang had no time to pay attention to the War Soul Saber.
Chi Wuyu was furious. The attack from the War Soul Saber had made him lose face. Although he dared not harm Li Qiang, he was determined to teach him a lesson.
The golden light of the War Soul Saber sank into the Illusory Tree Planet, Li Qiang tried to retract it several times but it was too late. With the protection of the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel, the Yi Crow Hook could not hurt him, but only knocked him into the air and made him roll around wildly.
Hou Pijing's flying sword had already struck Chi Wuyu; this was a classic sneak attack.
Hearing Li Qiang's shout, Chi Wuyu paid no attention. He didn't care about the flying swords of cultivators at all, and ignored Hou Pijing's flying sword as it came.
However, Chi Wuyu know that Hou Pijing was already a master of the Mahayana Realm.
With a loud bang, Hou Pijing's flying sword struck Chi Wuyu on the back.
Chi Wuyu then realized that Hou Pijing was actually a master of the Mahayana Realm. This sword strike caused him to lose control. His immortal armor flashed with light, and he roared, causing the Yi Crow Hook to retract into his protective body like lightning.
Chi Wuyu flew into a rage, and countless thin silver threads emerged from his body, curling and wrapping around Hou Pijing. These were extremely cold silver threads transformed from Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl.
He couldn't wait to use the Yi Crow Hook; with his left hand forming a magic seal, he swiftly unleashed a strike, cursing, "Bastard!"
Hou Pijing was also very experienced in combat. After hitting Chi Wuyu, he immediately teleported away, but he found that he could not escape. Countless silver threads flashed all around him, and his movements were immediately slowed down.
A figure flashed by, but he didn't leave. He watched helplessly as Chi Wuyu released the immortal technique in his hand. He tried his best to protect himself with his flying sword, and at the same time threw out a protective magic Law Treasure given to him by Fu Shan.
Chi Wuyu unleashed Immortal Spirit Instruction commonly used in the Immortal Realm — Fierce Flash. The Cultivation Realm also has similar techniques, which draw upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to generate thunder, fire, and lightning, requiring certain natural conditions to be activated. However, the Immortal Realm's Fierce Flash is different; it can be activated using only one's own Celestial Spirit Energy, boasting incredible speed and extraordinary power.
The azure lightning bolt struck Hou Pijing precisely, "Crack!" "Boom!" Hou Pijing's flying sword, passed down through generations, was blasted apart. Before he could retrieve it, a second Fierce Flash struck, this time slamming into his protective Law Treasure.
Hou Pijing was well aware of the gap between them; he could barely defend against just two Fierce Flash, and if the Yi Crow Hook were to attack, he would be even less able to stop it. However, the Primordial Beginning Sect's Cultivation Method were based on martial arts to achieve enlightenment, Hou Pijing also had his own killer moves.
Hou Pijing's attack gave Li Qiang a chance to catch his breath, and he finally retrieved the War Soul Saber that had been thrown out.
Li Qiang hovered in the air for a moment, just in time to see Chi Wuyu using Fierce Flash to strike Hou Pijing, and he immediately trembled all over.
Since cultivating his divine power, Li Qiang has rarely lost his temper due to his greatly increased cultivation level. However, he has one particular trait: he cannot tolerate others bullying his brothers. When he is thoroughly enraged, he would dare to fight to the death, no matter if the person in front of him is Luo Heaven High Immortal or even the Seven Heavenly Lord and the Azure Emperor of the Immortal Realm.
Hou Pijing's protective magic Law Treasure was knocked down, and his flying sword could not protect him. He was desperate! Seeing the Yi Crow Hook coming, he knew that his physical body at the Mahayana Realm was no match for the immortal weapon, because the armor of the Primordial Beginning Sect was cultivated on the physical body.
In an instant, his whole body was engulfed in bluish flames, and he struggled to lift his hands as if they were carrying a ten-thousand-ton weight. This was the most powerful move of the Primordial Beginning Sect — Primordial Movement.
Li Qiang had studied the Primordial Beginning Sect's Cultivation Method, so he naturally understood that Hou Pijing's move required him to burn his own life force to resist Chi Wuyu.
Li Qiang felt a rush of red before his eyes, as if his head was on fire, and all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head. He roared desperately, "No! Brother!"
He didn't have time to use the War Soul Saber; the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, flashing with purple light, shot out with a whoosh.
Chi Wuyu sensed a slight threat and said coldly, "You're courting death! Even if you burn your life force, it won't help." He thought Hou Pijing was going to threaten him by burning his life force so he could escape. Only Li Qiang knew that Hou Pijing was truly going to fight to the death.
Hou Pijing shouted, "Brother, take care of yourself!" Then he laughed wildly at Chi Wuyu, "Watch me fight you to the death! Hahaha!" He suddenly transformed into a hazy blue meteor and crashed straight into Chi Wuyu.
This desperate, Chi Wuyu! He knew that a master at the Mahayana Realm had reached the pinnacle of this realm; even Luo Heaven High Immortal like him wouldn't dare to directly confront such a desperate approach. He commanded Yi Crow Hook to rapidly defend while simultaneously preparing to dodge.
Li Qiang's Heart of Slaughter intent, and the golden light shooting from his eyes was actually tinged with a deep crimson. After shooting out the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, he only hoped to restrain Chi Wuyu, not to injure him. Then, he used all his strength to hide his figure in the light of the War Soul Saber, and roared as he smashed towards Chi Wuyu.
Most of the cultivators on Illusory Tree Planet witnessed this scene: a blue meteor and a golden meteor simultaneously struck Chi Wuyu high in the sky from the left and right sides, their dazzling light illuminating the sky.
Chi Wuyu was at a loss; he hadn't expected Li Qiang and Hou Pijing to fight so desperately at the same time.
Chi Wuyu didn't care about Hou Pijing's desperate actions. After all, Hou Pijing had attacked first, and Chi Wuyu had enough reason to punish him. If Hou Pijing had remained calm and didn't attack, Chi Wuyu wouldn't have been able to take the initiative to attack him. But now it was different. Since Hou Pijing had attacked first, Chi Wuyu could retaliate openly and justifiably. The only one who gave Chi Wuyu a headache was Li Qiang.
If Li Qiang were just an ordinary cultivator in this world, no matter how great his abilities were, Chi Wuyu wouldn't care. However, Li Qiang's current status put him in a difficult position, and Chi Wuyu felt a sense of constraint.
Hou Pijing was quite close; he plunged headfirst into Chi Wuyu's protective circle.
A cultivator at the Mahayana Realm would fight to the death, and even ordinary immortals would have to avoid the limelight. Unfortunately, Chi Wuyu was no ordinary immortal. He was the eighth-ranked Luo Heaven High Immortal, a formidable figure that even Qian Shanyong couldn't defeat. He didn't even care about Hou Pijing's suicidal attack.
Chi Wuyu simply threw a punch, Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl transformed into a ball of silver light, slamming hard into Hou Pijing. He then calmly teleported away.
"Bang!"
Hou Pijing felt a sudden darkness before his eyes as a tremendous chill extinguished his burgeoning life force, sending his body flying backward like an arrow released from a bow.
Only then did he realize how vast the gap was between him and the Luo Heaven High Immortal. A single, simple punch had severely injured him; his opponent hadn't given him a chance to fully unleash his life force.
Hou Pijing fell towards the Illusory Tree Planet.
Amidst the flashing blades, Li Qiang clearly saw Hou Pijing being sent flying by Chi Wuyu, and he felt slightly relieved. He knew Hou Pijing was temporarily unharmed because he hadn't even had a chance to unleash his Primordial Movement. Although he was badly beaten, he wasn't in mortal danger.
Li Qiang focused his mind intently on Chi Wuyu, wanting to fight him to the death again.
Chi Wuyu appeared relaxed on the surface, but in reality, he was ambushed by Hou Pijing while retrieving the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl. This is a characteristic of the Primordial Beginning Sect's Cultivation Method; once the Primordial Movement is forcibly stopped, the intention to Primordial Movement will be transmitted to the opponent.
Chi Wuyu's immortal heart was breached, making it difficult for him to fight calmly.
Gan Ling'er protected his disciples and watched from below. He hadn't expected to see such a situation upon returning to his hometown, and he was extremely saddened. When he saw Hou Pijing fall, he disregarded everything and led the experts of the Azure Wood Sect to fly forward to help him.
Seeing Li Qiang rushing towards him like lightning, Chi Wuyu was also tempted to fight.
Five-Pillar Heaven's realm is comparable to that of an immortal. What Li Qiang lacks is the experience and refined skill that immortals have accumulated over millions of years of cultivation. This is something he cannot compare to. He can only hope to win by relying on his powerful divine cultivation and fighting head-on with divine artifacts.
At this point in the conflict, neither side has been able to remain calm.
Li Qiang hated Chi Wuyu for hurting Hou Pijing, which was the most intolerable thing for him. Chi Wuyu was also thrown into disarray because he was touched by the Primordial Movement thought.
The Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl once again shone with a cool, clear light, like a full moon hanging before Chi Wuyu. The Yi Crow Hook encircled the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl, a technique Chi Wuyu was most proud of. He said calmly, "Come on, Li Qiang, I want to see just how powerful your divine weapon is."
He was determined to fight Li Qiang, never expecting that he was influenced by Hou Pijing's Primordial Movement.
Chi Wuyu had just teleported a great distance, but Li Qiang locked onto him with his mind and quickly caught up.
The great fire that broke out on Illusory Tree Planet has been extinguished by the combined efforts of the cultivators. From then on, another canyon was added to Divine Wood Gorge Tree Gorge. It was called One Saber Gorge by the cultivators of Illusory Tree Planet because it was cleaved out by Li Qiang's War Soul Saber.
It is said that some of the inner tree beings were injured as a result, but Li Qiang was unaware that the strike had injured anyone, so his cultivation level was not affected.
Mu Jue was numb. He stared blankly at the sky, lost in thought. Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as Li Qiang was alive, the Divine Wood Sect had offended a powerful expert they couldn't afford to offend. He was considering what to do next.
Someone shouted, "Look at the sky!"
Only Chi Wuyu and Li Qiang were in the sky. All the other cultivators were guarding the surface of the Illusory Tree Planet. No one dared to fly into the air, for fear of being caught in the crossfire of their battle.
A gigantic halo appeared in the sky, the light transformed from the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl. The dark blue shadow of Yi Crow Hook covered the entire sky. Chi Wuyu, radiating golden light, hovered above the halo, like a god descending to earth, majestic and arrogant.
Li Qiang's anger was completely focused on the War Soul Saber. The golden light of the War Soul Saber, mixed with purplish-red flames, transformed into a golden azure dragon in the air, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced towards Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl.
The roar of the golden dragon was unbearable for the cultivators below, and the entire Illusory Tree Planet trembled.
Gan Ling'er successfully seized Hou Pijing and, with her disciples, set up a protective array around Hou Pijing and the _picture_book_.
Hou Pijing's face was deathly pale, but his mind was clear. He knew that he had suffered a great loss of energy. He stared intently at the sky, still worried about Li Qiang's safety.
Gan Ling'er paced anxiously. As Spirit Sword Body, although he sensed that Hou Pijing's Purple Mansion was completely in chaos, he was powerless to help with his own abilities. If there were any Spirit General, they could at least help Hou Pijing stabilize his injuries, because each Spirit General possessed a Method Formula — the Mind-Concentrating Instruction.
Hou Pijing suddenly said, "Never mind me, watch out for the sky... Be ready to rescue people at any time..."
Gan Ling'er hurriedly stepped forward to support Hou Pijing. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a darkness before her eyes, followed by a sudden bright light. Then, a violent explosion nearly shattered her body.
All cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm collapsed to the ground, with only a few experts managing to hold on.
Chi Wuyu and Li Qiang finally fought back fiercely, and the price they paid was greater than either of them had anticipated.
Li Qiang not only used the War Soul Saber, but also secretly fired out his only Heavenly Slips, a tribulation-crossing Law Treasure given to him by Old Xian. With Chi Wuyu's skill, he was just able to block the attack of the War Soul Saber, but he did not expect that there was actually a Heavenly Slips with tremendous power hidden in the golden light of the War Soul Saber. Now he suffered a great loss.
Li Qiang also suffered a terrible fate. He was first blocked by Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl, and then beaten by Yi Crow Hook until he spat out blood.
Chi Wuyu was thrown upwards, while Li Qiang fell downwards. The two were simultaneously knocked apart by the enormous force, resulting in a situation where both were injured.
Chi Wuyu was the first to recover; he had been knocked out of the atmosphere of the Illusory Tree Planet.
After the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl clashed with the War Soul Saber, it was damaged by the scorching and violent battle intent, and a trace of purple light entered the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl. Chi Wuyu was extremely distressed, knowing in his heart that it would take at least a hundred years of effort to restore the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl's wondrous function.
At the same time, he knew that he had caused a great deal of trouble. If Li Qiang was injured by him, the Azure Emperor would probably never let him off the hook. Although he did not know why the Azure Emperor had taken Li Qiang as his disciple, the Azure Emperor's will was absolutely inviolable.
Li Qiang shot towards the surface of the Illusory Tree Planet like a meteor, piercing straight down from the first level and only stopping at the twenty-seventh level, which was the deepest part of the Illusory Tree Planet.
He barely managed to retrieve his War Soul Saber and Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel before falling unconscious. This was the greatest setback and injury he had suffered since beginning his cultivation as a god.
Chi Wuyu originally came to collect the Divine Wood Liquid, but after finding the Divine Wood Sect, he learned that the Divine Wood Liquid had been collected by two other immortals not long ago. Helpless, he had no choice but to wait here, because this was a matter entrusted to him by Heavenly Lord Liyang, one of the Seven Heavenly Lord. He needed the Divine Wood Liquid and several kinds of spirit medicine from this world.
Chi Wuyu planned to wait a while to collect some Divine Wood Liquid before leaving. He intended to return if he had the chance, and even if he didn't, he would still have some Divine Wood Liquid to show for himself when he returned. Unexpectedly, he encountered Li Qiang here, and on a whim, he started a fight, which unexpectedly caused trouble and injured Li Qiang.
The entire Illusory Tree Planet looked as if it had been attacked by a violent hurricane, exposing the dark brown wood. The Divine Wood Gorge was even more severely damaged, with most of the epiphytic plants swept away. Milky white sap flowed from the broken wood, and the air was filled with the stench of burning wood, with wisps of black smoke drifting in the sky.
The cultivators of Illusory Tree Planet were terrified. This battle had caused extremely severe damage to their planet, on which they depended for survival. It would be impossible for Illusory Tree Planet to recover its original state without several decades of rest and recuperation.
They secretly rejoiced that the two weren't fighting on the planet's surface; otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if the Illusory Tree Planet had been completely destroyed by them.
Chi Wuyu felt more agitated than ever before. After forcibly stopping Hou Pijing from Primordial Movement, he was affected by the intention of Primordial Movement and could not think calmly. After hesitating for a moment, he actually threw out Star Radiance and left Illusory Tree Planet.
He was solely focused on finding a place to cultivate the Fine Water-Caltrop Pearl, completely disregarding everything else.
Mu Jue led his disciples to Gan Ling'er. He was filled with regret. If he had known this would be the outcome, he would never have seized the territory of the Azure Wood Sect.
When Qian Shanyong and Dainan Fengyu came to them, the Divine Wood Sect handed over all of its Divine Wood Liquid. When Chi Wuyu, they had nothing left to give and had to ask other sects for it. Because the Azure Wood Sect's Divine Wood Well produced a large amount of Divine Wood Liquid, the Divine Wood Sect occupied their territory, which led to a series of conflicts.
Gan Ling'er glared angrily at Mu Jue and said hatefully, " Mu Jue, your Divine Wood Sect must be happy now..."
Mu Jue glanced expressionlessly at Gan Ling'er, then at Hou Pijing lying on the ground, speechless. He simply said coldly, "Let's go!" and led his disciples back to the Divine Wood Sect. But he knew in his heart that he had stirred up a huge mess this time.
Hou Pijing struggled to sit up and said, "Go find... find my brother and bring him back. I... saw him leave behind..." He took out a elixir and swallowed it. Suddenly, he seemed to have aged a lot, and his face was covered with wrinkles.
He shook his head with a wry smile, knowing in his heart that with such injuries, ascension was impossible.
Gan Ling'er directed his disciples to escort Hou Pijing back to his camp. He then ordered someone to retrieve the stored Divine Wood Liquid, dissolve it in the spiritual spring, and soak Hou Pijing in it. He said, "Senior, the Divine Wood Liquid can temporarily stabilize your injuries. I'll take some men to find my elder brother."
He instructed his disciples to guard the area carefully, while he, along with Gan Lingqi and his disciple Gan Muyu, went to search for Li Qiang.
Soon, they found the large hole that Li Qiang had created, located on the northwest side of Divine Wood Gorge. Many cultivators were watching from the cave entrance.
It was a huge funnel-shaped pit. Looking down, layers of wooden flooring were clearly visible. The overlapping openings, Little Hei, resembled the gaping mouths of demons, eerie and terrifying. The cold air emanating from inside slowly formed a thick fog at the openings.
Without saying much, Gan Ling'er flew downwards with Gan Lingqi and Gan Muyu.
Cultivators rarely venture into the inner layers, as they are unfamiliar with the underground conditions and do not know what they might encounter. However, for Li Qiang's sake, Gan Ling'er could not care about such things.
They quickly reached the last level, where there was nothing but a large, human-shaped crater on the ground.
Gan Ling'er panicked. Relying on his Spirit Sword Body's instincts, he quickly searched the area, but strangely, Li Qiang was nowhere to be found.