Li Qiang laughed and said, "There's one condition: you have to fight me."
Xuan Long was startled, thinking that Li Qiang was really ignorant of his own limitations. He knew De Liuheng's strength all too well. Even if he didn't take out the Xingtian Immortal Artifact, Li Qiang would not be able to defeat him, not even to a draw. Li Qiang's condition was simply a death wish.
He blurted out, "Brother... are you tired of living?"
De Liuheng laughed heartily, his thick beard flying wildly. He suddenly felt a bit of goodwill towards Li Qiang; it was quite remarkable that he could say such things to him. As if someone had tickled a sore spot, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Alright! No problem, how do you want to fight?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin was also a little puzzled, wondering what Li Qiang was thinking.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Just fighting isn't a condition. My condition is—I can fight, but you can't fight back."
De Liuheng exclaimed in surprise, "What?"
Xuan Long immediately understood Li Qiang's meaning. He couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself, "This little guy is really a little monster."
Heavenly Lord Lijin also laughed loudly, "Good, these are the conditions! Brother, De Liuheng is indeed a good target for practice, haha."
De Liuheng shook his head repeatedly. He hadn't expected Li Qiang to offer such a condition. However, he didn't care. With the strength of Luo Heaven High Immortal, he felt that even if Li Qiang had cultivated to godhood, his power wouldn't be that high. Therefore, obtaining a Wuyun Divine Pill was still worthwhile.
He stroked his mustache, nodded, and said, "Alright, I agree to your conditions." With that, he put away the divine pill in his hand.
Heavenly Lord Lijin cautioned, "Lord De, you should still be careful; he might not be that bad."
De Liuheng said nonchalantly, "Thank you for the reminder, Heavenly Lord. I will be careful." He stood up and asked, "Where should we fight?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Don't rush, I still need to prepare. It's rare to have Luo Heaven High Immortal test his skills on me, hehe, I have to do my best, right?"
Li Qiang turned to Heavenly Lord Lijin and asked, " Heavenly Lord, will you be going to Xinbo Cape?" He was trying to extract information about Xinbo Cape.
There are no cultivators in this realm who know about Xinbo Cape, so there are no records of it. Only the immortals in the Immortal Realm know about it, but no immortal is willing to tell Li Qiang. This is his biggest worry. Now he inquires whenever he has the chance, even if it's just a few words, it's better than knowing nothing at all.
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed and said, "Of course we'll go. The Azure Emperor might also go, but I can't say for sure. Lord De Liuheng and I will be in the third group to go."
Li Qiang asked in shock, "So, the first batch was Lord Gu Xing, then who was the second batch?"
De Liuheng said, " Gu Xing was in the first batch, and the second batch included Heavenly Lord Fanqi and Luo Heaven High Immortal Chi Wuyu."
Li Qiang asked, "Is the Immortal Realm planning to go to war with Xinbo Cape? Why send so many experts?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed and said, "Go to war? You must be joking. How could the Immortal Realm possibly go to war with the people of Xinbo Cape? They are ancient immortals... We have other matters to resolve this time. Brother, I heard you are also planning to go?" He seemed to know everything.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "My master and elder brother are trapped. I must go and save them. Also, I need Gu Xing Star's Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror to help my master and elder brother reincarnate. He can't be harmed either."
Li Qiang had no interest in matters of the Immortal Realm; his only thought was to save his master and elder brother.
Heavenly Lord Lijin asked, "When you were cultivating the Divine Pill, did you bring High Person Tianzhen out of the Beiye Divine Formation?"
Li Qiang asked in surprise, " Your Heavenly Lord, how do you know everything? I... this... is it possible that High Person Tianzhen cannot be released?"
Xuan Long remained silent; he already knew about Li Qiang releasing High Person Tianzhen.
This was the first time De Liuheng had heard of it, and he exclaimed in surprise, " High Person Tianzhen? Oh my... incredible..."
Li Qiang was a little confused. "What's so amazing? Isn't High Person Tianzhen an ancient immortal?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin said, "By releasing him, you've offended a powerful person, someone even I wouldn't dare offend. He and High Person Tianzhen are mortal enemies. You'd better be careful when you see him in the future."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "What do their grudges have to do with me? Who is that person?" Although he said that, Li Qiang was also worried. He knew that High Person Tianzhen was very powerful, no less than someone like Heavenly Lord Lijin. His mortal enemy must be even more powerful.
Heavenly Lord Lijin said, "Your releasing him means he's connected to you. That person is also Primordial Hermit, the patriarch of High Person Tianzhen..."
Li Qiang stared in disbelief for a long time before finally saying, "Grandmaster? The Grandmaster of High Person Tianzhen? What nonsense is this? Could his Grandmaster be High Person Boju?... Uh, how could the High Person Tianzhen be in Heavenly Aunt's Beiye Pill Cauldron?" The more he spoke, the more confused he became.
De Liuheng exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you know quite a lot! You even know High Person Boju?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed, "It's High Person Boju. The two of them are sworn enemies. As for High Person Tianzhen in Beiye Pill Cauldron, he was imprisoned by High Person Yuangu. Hehe, High Person Boju probably entrusted High Person Yuangu to discipline High Person Tianzhen. High Person Tianzhen is an extremely troublesome person. Who knows what trouble he will cause this time he has emerged from the world."
Li Qiang was so confused he almost fainted. "Good heavens, they're all high-ranking officials. We kids can forget about getting ahead. It's too late to regret it now. Even if it happened again, I'd still let him go."
He understood that perhaps Heavenly Aunt wanted to use him to release High Person Tianzhen; otherwise, she wouldn't have left the magic formula to dispel the Beiye Divine Formation in the Beiye Heavenly Scripture.
De Liuheng said, "Good, you dare to do it and take responsibility! Haha, I really want to see how capable you are. Come! Come! Let's find a place to have a match. Heavenly Lord, Wood Dragon, you two will be witnesses. Are you ready?" He was a little impatient.
Li Qiang was constantly plotting how to use this opportunity to let Luo Heaven High Immortal test his newly cultivated divine weapon. The best part was that De Liuheng couldn't fight back or retaliate; at most, he could only defend himself.
He was happy just thinking about it; what could be better than this? He couldn't help but smile silently.
Heavenly Lord Lijin smiled and nodded, saying, "Lord De is really impatient. Alright, Wood Dragon, let's go take a look." He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and the four of them moved away together.
Four people landed and a book was placed on the surface of a planet.
This is a planet that Li Qiang has never been to before. The land is crimson red and desolate. The air is very thin, the sky is very blue, and not a single cloud can be seen. The ground is covered with small, reddish-brown pebbles. There are no traces of plants or animals. Looking into the distance, the horizon seems to be drawn in a circle around him. The world is completely silent.
This appears to be an uninhabited planet.
Li Qiang examined the Star-Fixing Disc, De Liuheng exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, you have Star-Fixing Disc for two realms? It seems you have quite a few immortal friends."
Li Qiang ignored him. He realized that he was actually on Qianjie Star, and couldn't help but smile wryly, " Heavenly Lord, why did you choose this place?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin said, "This place is good. I passed by here on my way here and didn't see any signs of large life forms. It's the perfect place for a battle."
Li Qiang said, "This is a cultivation planet, quite famous in the Cultivation Realm around here. It's called Qianjie Star. This is my first time here. Strange, why is there no one here?"
Xuan Long said, "There's nothing here, so I'm afraid no one will come. Cultivators must cultivate in places with Spirit Vein. They might be elsewhere. As long as there's no one here, we can have a duel."
De Liuheng flew about ten meters off the ground. He swayed slightly, revealing his jet-black immortal armor. A series of crackling sounds rang out, and countless blue starlight emerged from the armor, as if thousands of fireflies had gathered together. His figure gradually disappeared into the starlight. In a short while, a band of starlight circled around him, and he seemed to have grown larger, appearing incredibly powerful.
De Liuheng shouted, "Come on! Let me see what you're capable of! Don't disappoint me, haha!"
His smug look annoyed Li Qiang. Li Qiang rolled his eyes and deliberately looked him up and down, secretly wanting to mess with him.
This was the first time Li Qiang had ever seen black immortal armor, and he also had no idea what the starlight swirling around De Liuheng was.
He asked casually, " My Heavenly Lord, Lord De's immortal armor is quite distinctive. Hmm, its aura is extraordinary. What kind of immortal armor is it? By the way, what famous Xingtian Immortal Artifact does Lord De use?"
De Liuheng was full of vigor, just waiting for Li Qiang to make a move, but to his surprise, he chatted leisurely with the Heavenly Lord, and even praised himself from time to time.
Heavenly Lord Lijin a laugh and said in a serious tone, "Well, De Liuheng's immortal armor is very famous, called the Dark Nether Immortal Armor. His Xingtian Immortal Artifact is the Slaughter-Pursuing Axe, also known as the Immortal-Exterminating Axe. However, don't worry, the Xingtian Immortal Artifact cannot be used casually. His own immortal weapon is a Star-Gathering Escape, which can transform into seven kinds of immortal weapons. Its characteristic is that it is unpredictable..."
De Liuheng was left hanging in mid-air by Li Qiang, and his momentum unknowingly diminished considerably. He shouted again, "Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm coming down."
Xuan Long tilted his head, secretly amused. For a super expert like De Liuheng with extraordinary strength, it might not be so easy for Li Qiang to mess with him.
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "Lord De, don't be in such a hurry. I'm just asking the Heavenly Lord for advice, so I don't embarrass myself later. You're Luo Heaven High Immortal, a remarkable figure even in the Immortal Realm. If I just start fighting randomly... then I'll be going against my original intention. I really want to learn from Lord De."
Hearing Li Qiang's words, De Liuheng felt a little embarrassed. "I was indeed too impatient, but you should hurry up too. Your dawdling is making people anxious." He seemed unaware that Li Qiang was teasing him.
After waiting for a while, seeing that Li Qiang was still talking to Heavenly Lord and Xuan Long, he slowly landed on the ground. But as soon as he stood up, Li Qiang flew up and said with a grin, "Alright! Begin!" The Supreme Radiance Shuttle transformed into a golden light and flew over.
No one expected Li Qiang to act so decisively.
De Liuheng let out a strange cry, a flash of golden light, and he instantly teleported into the air, his reaction as fast as lightning. The golden light that Li Qiang shot out struck the ground, creating a trench more than a meter deep with a loud bang.
Li Qiang's control over the Supreme Radiance Shuttle was already quite strong, but he still wasted some energy. He protested, "Lord De, you can't dodge!"
De Liuheng realized he was in a passive position. He said, "If I don't fight back... I can't even dodge."
Heavenly Lord Lijin said, "Lord De, you really can't hide. If you want to hide, there aren't many people in the Immortal Realm who can hit you." He spoke up for Li Qiang.
Xuan Long also said, "Yes, if an immortal doesn't want to fight, they can always escape, unless they get trapped in a formation. What Lord De is doing is unfair."
De Liuheng was at a loss for what to do, overwhelmed by the three's coordinated attack. He steeled himself and said, "Alright, I won't dodge... I won't dodge anymore. But don't worry about what kind of magical artifact I use to defend myself."
He realized that Li Qiang was using a celestial artifact, and he could only defend and not counterattack, which was even more difficult than attacking. He was a little unsure of himself, so he prepared to Xingtian Immortal Artifact to defend himself in case of danger.
Li Qiang didn't care what he used to defend himself. He knew that no matter how he hit him, the guy would be fine. He could use him to test his newly cultivated War Soul Saber.
He shook his arm, and a golden light shone from his shoulder, instantly revealing his newly cultivated divine armor.
This time, it wasn't just De Liuheng was surprised. A golden light flashed in Heavenly Lord Lijin's eyes, and he whispered, "Divine Armor? Evolving Incantation Divine Armor!"
Li Qiang finally learned the name of the War Soul Saber's scabbard; it was actually called the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor. What should the War Soul Saber be called then? He didn't have time to say more and urged the Supreme Radiance Shuttle to strike.
With a casual wave of his hand, De Liuheng used the starlight gathered around him to block the view in front of him.
Although Li Qiang had retrained the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, it was still far inferior to De Liuheng's Gathering Star-Gathering Escape. The Star-Gathering Escape silently neutralized the Supreme Radiance Shuttle.
Li Qiang felt a jolt throughout his body. He hurriedly retrieved the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, secretly astonished. This was too powerful. He began to reassess the strength of the Luo Heaven High Immortal.
Xuan Long shook his head slightly. He didn't know what to say, but he understood very well that the gap between Li Qiang and De Liuheng was too great. Whether it was their skill or their weapons, they were not on the same level. Unless Li Qiang came up with another surprise, even if De Liuheng stood still, Li Qiang would have no way to deal with him.
Heavenly Lord Lijin watched with a smile. Ever since he saw Li Qiang put on the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor, he knew that this little guy was no ordinary person. In his memory, the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor should also be paired with a divine artifact, but he was a little skeptical that Li Qiang could obtain it, so he watched with great anticipation.
De Liuheng laughed, "You can't be that bad, can you? I heard Chi Wuyu suffered a little loss at your hands, haha. Don't even think about sneaking up on me. I'm not even fighting back, so what kind of tricks are you up to? Just show me your strongest strength if you still want me to respect you."
Li Qiang couldn't help but feel ashamed. It seemed that De Liuheng's second place as Luo Heaven High Immortal was definitely not something he got by chance. This guy was actually wise in disguise and had already seen through his tricks.
Li Qiang bowed and said, "In that case, I will be presumptuous. Thank you for your guidance, Lord De."
Heavenly Lord Lijin chuckled softly, " Wood Dragon, this little fellow is interesting. What do you think of him?"
Li Qiang had saved Xuan Long's life, and in order to leave a good impression on Heavenly Lord Lijin, Xuan Long took the opportunity to praise Li Qiang: " Heavenly Lord, he is indeed very good. I like his personality and temperament very much, and his comprehension is also very high..."
Li Qiang abandoned his idea of toying with De Liuheng, realizing that De Liuheng was also a respectable expert.
De Liuheng suddenly realized that the aura emanating from Li Qiang had completely changed. He was startled and quickly hid the Xingtian Immortal Artifact, the Slaughter-Pursuing Axe, behind his back.
Having witnessed countless battles, he had seen too many masters fail due to carelessness, so he never dared to underestimate his opponents in battle.
Li Qiang wanted to use the power of the War Soul Saber to improve his cultivation level, ideally to a level where he could fully unleash the " Heart of Madness " without harming anyone. The only immortal master who could hone his skills was someone of the Luo Heaven High Immortal level.
The Luo Heaven High Immortal wouldn't let Li Qiang play around with him for no reason, so this opportunity is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Heavenly Lord Lijin's eyes lit up; he too noticed the change in Li Qiang's aura. He pulled Xuan Long back a little and said, "Hehe, this little guy is quite interesting."
A golden light curtain rose from Li Qiang's back. Heavenly Lord Lijin, shocked, "Heavens! Isn't that the Ninefold Evolving Gilt? The divine artifact Ninefold Evolving Gilt has actually fallen into his hands... I found it strange earlier, how could someone with the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor not have the Ninefold Evolving Gilt... It turns out it really is in his possession."
Just as the light screen of the War Soul Saber rose, Li Qiang heard Heavenly Lord Lijin's words: Ninefold Evolving Gilt – the true name of the War Soul Saber.
He shouted excitedly, " Old De, take this Ninefold Evolving Gilt!" With a wave of his hand, a curtain of light that stretched from the sky to the ground pressed down.
De Liuheng couldn't teleport or dodge; he had to catch the incoming Ninefold Evolving Gilt. With his knowledge, he knew the Ninefold Evolving Gilt was a divine artifact, but he didn't believe Li Qiang could fully control it. He used the Star-Gathering Escape technique, transforming into countless star points to meet the attack.
With a wave of his hand, Heavenly Lord Lijin moved Xuan Long away. His insight was extraordinary; he knew that Li Qiang's attack was no small matter.
The light barrier split into three torrents, converging in front of De Liuheng. This time, the star points of the Star-Gathering Escape seemed unable to withstand it.
De Liuheng's expression changed, and he shouted, "Scatter!" The flying star points suddenly expanded and exploded one after another. He did not attack, but used the changes of the Star-Gathering Escape to offset the impact of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt.
If Li Qiang hadn't cultivated on the meteorite last time, De Liuheng might have been able to block this attack with the Star-Gathering Escape technique, but now he feels extremely strained.
A deafening roar of explosions shook the heavens and the earth. Dozens of cyan streams of energy swirled around De Liuheng's black, Dark Nether Immortal Armor, whistling as he roared, "Good!"
The three golden rays of Ninefold Evolving Gilt converged together, and in an instant, the earth shook and a crisp explosion rang out. The ground beneath De Liuheng's feet cracked open, and the explosive torrents rushed out countless ravines. The crimson sand that shot into the sky spread out like a sandstorm, and the shockwaves it generated were as high as a hundred meters.
After Li Qiang's successful strike, his Heart of Madness " was successfully triggered, and he excitedly roared, " Old De, take another one!"
Li Qiang waved his hands, and a golden dragon reappeared in the air, its burst of golden light sweeping away the flying red sand.
Three illusory figures flashed, and three identical Li Qiang appeared in the air, divided into three directions, each controlling a golden dragon, roaring and rushing towards De Liuheng.
Once the supernatural Divine Ability of External Avatar appeared, De Liuheng finally couldn't hold on any longer. He hadn't expected Li Qiang to possess such Divine Ability.
Seeing three Li Qiang appear in the sky, Heavenly Lord Lijin exclaimed in surprise, "What? How is this possible... The ability to External Avatar... cannot be used without the strength of Heavenly Lord... He..."
He wanted to say that it was impossible, but what he saw with his own eyes forced him to believe it.
Li Qiang's Divine Ability to External Avatar is only partially true. If it were a true External Avatar, each clone would have the same power. Li Qiang is far from achieving such Divine Ability, but it can be used to deceive people. Even Heavenly Lord Lijin couldn't tell the difference between the real and fake avatars.
Li Qiang's use of the " External Avatar" technique finally provoked De Liuheng's Slaughter-Pursuing Axe.
De Liuheng felt that he could no longer hold off the attack with the Dark Nether Immortal Armor and the Star-Gathering Escape. He could neither dodge nor evade. If he did not unleash the Slaughter-Pursuing Axe, he would probably make a fool of himself.
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed and said, "Lord De is going to suffer a little loss."
Although Xuan Long didn't speak, he was shocked. When he first met Li Qiang, Li Qiang's strength was not high, but now he was showing extraordinary strength. He had never seen anyone whose power had increased so rapidly.
A cyan light rose rapidly from behind De Liuheng, its soft glow gently scattering across the earth. Suddenly, an unimaginable tranquility filled the world, and even the roaring golden dragon in the sky paused for a moment.
Li Qiang felt a sudden flash of light before his eyes, followed by a feeling of powerlessness spreading through him. He mustered his strength and shouted, " Mad Dragon Slash!" But a trace of fear swept through his heart. He knew that De Liuheng had used the Xingtian Immortal Artifact. Fortunately, he had already entered the " Heart of Madness " state and quickly forgot his fear.
The Slaughter-Pursuing Axe is incredibly powerful, ranking among the top three of the nine great Xingtian Immortal Artifact. In fact, all nine great Xingtian Immortal Artifact are semi-divine artifacts, with the top three being even closer to divine artifacts.
Although Li Qiang's Ninefold Evolving Gilt -Ninefold Evolving Gilt is powerful, it lacks thousands of years of cultivation, and he doesn't fully understand its functions, which puts him at a disadvantage.
De Liuheng felt extremely awkward. He vowed never to do this kind of defensive strategy again. It was simply too humiliating. He was clearly much stronger than his opponent, yet he was forced to be passive and restrained. He could only increase the power of the Slaughter-Pursuing Axe in an attempt to deflect the impact of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt.
Li Qiang unleashed his full power in this attack. Unconcerned about a counterattack, he vented his frustration with unbridled abandon, his " Heart of Madness " thoroughly satisfied. He couldn't help but laugh wildly, "Ah, that's awesome! Haha!"
No one could hear his laughter as three roaring golden dragons converged and exploded above De Liuheng's head.
It was truly a scene of utter darkness, with the sun and moon obscured, the entire planet trembling, the earth undulating like ocean waves, and several circular mountain ranges rising amidst the thunderous roar. The billowing dust turned the entire sky crimson.
Heavenly Lord Lijin shook his head and said, "Alas, the little guy's control is too poor, he has wasted too much of his power. What a pity, what a pity. It seems powerful, but it is actually useless."
He pinpointed Li Qiang's weakness with remarkable accuracy.
Although De Liuheng used the Slaughter-Pursuing Axe to withstand the unparalleled force, he was still smashed into the ground a hundred meters deep.
After a long time, the smoke and dust cleared, and a huge crater appeared in front of him, surrounded by several mountain peaks.
De Liuheng was stunned by Li Qiang's Mad Dragon Slash, his vision blurred. The attack of the divine weapon was extraordinary; even a celestial being like Luo Heaven High Immortal was finding it difficult to withstand.
He leaped to his feet, roaring and cursing, "You little brat, you want my old man dead?!"
Li Qiang was already ecstatic and didn't pay any attention to what De Liuheng was saying. He slightly circulated his power, and with a wave of his hands in the air, three vertical golden lines appeared out of thin air. He wanted to test his sonic attack.
Last time, during the battle with Situ Yong on Heavenly Court Star, his sonic attack was broken by Qian Shanyong and the others. Now that his cultivation has entered another realm, he wants to test the differences in power.
Before De Liuheng could even sheathe his Slaughter-Pursuing Axe, Li Qiang's sonic attack arrived again. He roared in fury, his full beard bristling. "Kid, is this ever going to end?! How long are you going to keep this up?!"
Li Qiang laughed loudly, "Fight until I'm tired, haha."
De Liuheng then remembered that they hadn't agreed on how long the fight would last. He angrily exclaimed, "This divine pill of yours is too hard to earn!" This made Heavenly Lord Lijin and Xuan Long laugh.
Li Qiang shouted, "Behold my Sound Wave Form Manifestation!"