There is a restriction above the Tanshao Planet, but this restriction is ineffective against immortals.
After Li Qiang landed on the ground, he immediately told Chiming to sit cross-legged. Chiming's face had turned black. Li Qiang gave him the Jiaye Divine Pill and activated his internal energy to help him sort out his disordered Divine Yi Power. Qian Shanyong and the others stood aside to protect the two of them.
The Jiaye Divine Pill is a four-in-one pill, an excellent elixir for both immortals and cultivators. With the help of the Jiaye Divine Pill and Li Qiang's Divine Yi Power, Chiming Ming's power increased dramatically, leaping into the initial stage of the Six Nether Heaven.
However, this would make his future path even more difficult. Relying on the power of the divine pill to cultivate to a higher realm would violate the great taboo of the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation.
Li Qiang stood up, sighed softly, and Xuan Long asked, "Brother, how are you?"
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "His progress is too fast, and his competitive spirit is too strong. It's very dangerous for him to continue cultivating like this."
Qian Shanyong suddenly said, "Do you know how fast immortals can cultivate this Cultivation Method?"
This immediately drew everyone's attention. Dainan Fengyu asked, "Brother Qian, is cultivation for immortals very fast?"
Qian Shanyong nodded and said, "If it were an immortal cultivating, it would take less than a hundred years to reach the Seven Star Heaven realm..."
Li Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "How long has the Azure Emperor been cultivating?"
Qian Shanyong sighed, "Who can calculate how long he cultivated? I only know that when I ascended to the Immortal Realm, he was already the Supreme Being of the Immortal Realm."
Li Qiang stared blankly at Chiming, muttering to himself, "So, this Cultivation Method is quite sinister..."
Qian Shanyong said, "Brother, don't be discouraged. Cultivating too quickly might be detrimental to immortals, but it might be different for you. You started cultivating from a cultivator to a god, while he started cultivating from Demon Venerable lord. The cultivation methods of immortals should be very different."
Li Qiang said, "Who knows what the difference will be? Haha, it's nothing special. I'm already overjoyed to be alive this far. Every moment I live from now on is a bonus."
No one agreed with his words. For immortals, death was a distant prospect. Even Chiming didn't share Li Qiang's view; they believed that their immortality was a matter of course.
Dainan Fengyu chuckled, "That brat's ideas are really strange."
The environment of Tanshao Planet is very ordinary, much like the Western Continent of Tanbang Star, except that no mortals live here.
The planet's surface is covered by forests, grasslands, and swamps, with almost no mountains. Most of the land is flat, and oceans cover half of the planet's area. The climate is pleasant, and the humid, warm air is ideal for plant growth.
Ten days later, Chiming had fully recovered. He stood up and said with a grin, "Luckily, Big Brother had the divine pill, otherwise I would have been finished. Strange, I was fine before, how did I suddenly suffer a qi deviation? Big Brother, your Cultivation Method is terrible. Sigh, it's better to cultivate demonic arts, you never have to worry about qi deviation or self-destruction..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Qiang kicked him and sent him sprawling.
Chiming nimbly flipped in mid-air and landed steadily, chuckling, "I love watching Big Brother go crazy, it's hilarious! Haha."
Li Qiang laughed and scolded, "If you want to live longer, don't rush to improve your cultivation level, you idiot! If you self-destruct, we'll all be in trouble. Remember to be restrained! Damn it, you'll be the one to kill us one day!"
Xuan Long chimed in from the side, "You want him to restrain himself... that's difficult. The Black Devil Realm's style is all about fighting and winning. He won't let go of any opportunity to increase his power. Just watch and see, he might be the second one to self-destruct." He deliberately made it sound serious, intending to remind Chiming.
Chiming understood everyone's good intentions. He grinned and said, "I'm Demon Venerable by birth, after all. Without power... I... I'm suffering..." He slapped his forehead hard. "Alright, alright, I know. I'll be more restrained from now on... Damn it, I must be more restrained! Ugh..."
Qian Shanyong said, "Let's go to the place where the ancient immortals lived in seclusion and pay a visit to our master. Perhaps there are people in the Immortal Realm there as well, so we can learn something about the current situation."
Xuan Long said, "Lord Gan, are you familiar with the ancient immortal who lives in seclusion here? I've only heard that the ancient immortal is named Bobeisi."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "This name is strange... What does 'Bobeisi' mean?"
Qian Shanyong laughed and said, "It seems to mean stubborn, hehe. I've heard he's a very interesting person. Many immortals in the Immortal Realm know him. We call him High Person Bobeisi."
Chiming interjected, "Is he powerful?"
Xuan Long said, "Of course they're powerful. How could an ancient immortal not be powerful? Chiming, you'd better behave yourself." He couldn't help but warn him.
Xuan Long didn't understand Chiming's temperament. Chiming wouldn't act recklessly without being sure of himself. Just like when he was imprisoned by Gu Xing, Li Qiang made him look bad, but he endured it all. He had a deep-rooted belief that everything should be decided by strength.
Li Qiang asked, "This planet is so big, where does he live?"
Qian Shanyong said, "I know, a friend told me that before."
Li Qiang knew that Qian Shanyong had many friends in the Immortal Realm. He was a well-informed fellow who even knew the Primordial Hermit, so it wasn't surprising that he could find the residence of the ancient immortal.
Qian Shanyong called out, "Everyone, follow me. Don't use teleportation, just fly there." Flying instead of teleporting is a sign of respect, and this rule applies to seniors in the Immortal Realm.
After crossing grasslands and swamps, the five flew over the largest primeval forest on Tanshao Planet. After flying for about the time it takes to eat a meal, they finally arrived at the residence of the ancient immortal Bobeisi.
From above, one can see patches of white clearings in the forest, and as the line of sight stretches forward, a magnificent heptagonal building stands in the distance.
Scattered throughout the forest are many enormous white stone pillars, each topped with a golden-armored warrior, standing motionless like a sculpture. There are also many open-air stone platforms in the forest, and upon closer inspection, one can see people moving about on them.
As soon as the five arrived, the golden-armored warriors who had been standing motionless on the nearby stone pillars suddenly flew up, and four golden-armored warriors blocked their way.
Qian Shanyong said, "Everyone, don't attack. They are just ordinary golden-armored warriors. As long as we don't make a move, they won't attack us first."
As expected, the four golden-armored warriors simply surrounded them without making a move.
Li Qiang discovered that these golden-armored warriors were not real humans, but rather beings created through cultivation. Their faces were covered with masks, and they resembled Qian Shanyong Qian Shanyong, who also wore a mask.
A moment later, a group of people flew in from a distance. Li Qiang was surprised to find that these people looked very much like cultivators. He asked, " Old Qian, are they cultivators?"
Qian Shanyong shook his head and said, "They are cultivators who cultivate using ancient methods, which are not entirely the same as the current Cultivation Realm. However, there are very few of them; they are all disciples and followers of ancient immortals."
The group consisted of about fifteen or sixteen people. The young man at the head of the group raised his hand and cast a spell. The golden-armored warriors surrounding Li Qiang and the others immediately returned to the stone pillar and stood still again.
The young man performed a strange salute, one hand on his forehead and the other raised behind him, bowing slightly as he asked, "Is the visitor a Celestial Luo Heaven High Immortal the Immortal Realm?"
Li Qiang immediately realized that these people were different from ordinary cultivators. Although their cultivation level was not high, they could stand up straight in front of the Luo Heaven High Immortal and speak to him with neither arrogance nor servility, which showed that their cultivation methods were extraordinary.
Qian Shanyong nodded and said, "How is it, High Person Bobeisi? I am Qian Shanyong Qian Shanyong of Luo Heaven High Immortal."
The young man said respectfully, "The Immortal Ancestor has just returned. Greetings, sir. I am Boertie, a guard from the Immortal Abode. Please, sir!"
Boertie wore a white robe and had a very peculiar appearance. His eyes were large and protruding, the kind commonly known as goldfish eyes; his eyebrows were extremely light, almost indistinguishable in color; his forehead was large and bald, and his hair was only left in a patch at the back of his head, combed into a triangular shape; his mouth was also large, with a set of prominent buck teeth, most notably the silver beads embedded in his teeth, like some kind of Law Treasure.
His appearance could be described as extremely ugly, yet he somehow gave off a gentle and generous feeling, and without realizing it, Li Qiang stopped noticing his ugliness.
Xuan Long, Dainan Fengyu, Li Qiang, and Chiming remained silent. Li Qiang pondered to himself, " Boertie? That's a strange name, and her appearance is strange too. Perhaps Zewei is a steward or a guard? Whatever, as long as Qian Shanyong is there to lead the way, I can just follow along. I just wonder what Bobeisi looks like." He kept up closely as he thought these thoughts.
Qian Shanyong was Luo Heaven High Immortal in the Immortal Realm, so his status was naturally different from that of ordinary immortals. Boertie directly led them to the largest building in the central area—a heptagonal platform. As soon as Li Qiang stepped onto the platform, he understood that it was a small teleportation array that led directly into the heptagonal building.
Sure enough, a flash of white light appeared, and everyone was teleported into the building.
From the moment he took his first step, Li Qiang knew that this was a very sophisticated illusion.
He was particularly interested in illusions and had always paid close attention to their study. Therefore, even if it was an illusion set up by an ancient immortal, he was not afraid at all. With his divine eyes, he could see through everything in the illusion. This was completely different from the formation set up by the Primordial Hermit Heavenly Aunt in the beginning.
The people who entered could almost all see through the illusion, but out of respect for their master, they all followed Boertie in silence.
Boertie and his group remained up there, while he alone accompanied them down. As they walked, he said, "This is just a normal illusion. For a more comfortable and pleasant experience, please come this way."
As the scenery shifted, the group arrived at the seaside.
This time, Li Qiang was a little dumbfounded. He knew that this was real water, not an illusion. This level of illusion was a step further than before. A golden light flashed in his eyes, and he used his internal energy to look around. He found that this place was actually a huge underground lake.
Boertie laughed and said, "Please fly over with me."
Chiming muttered under his breath, "Wow, what a big shot..." Before he could finish speaking, Qian Shanyong glared at him.
Li Qiang felt the same way, but he was more composed than Chiming.
Soon, a heptagonal silver platform appeared before them, floating on the sea. A tall man in a blue robe with dark floral patterns stood with his back to the crowd, gazing motionlessly into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
Boertie gestured for everyone to land on the platform, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Immortal Ancestor, our guests have arrived."
Luo Heaven High Immortal Qian Shanyong stepped forward and said, " Qian Shanyong greets High Person Bobeisi."
Bobeisi slowly turned around, glanced at everyone, and said, "Oh, it's Lord Gan from the Immortal Realm. And who are these gentlemen?"
Qian Shanyong said, "This is Luo Heaven High Immortal Xuan Long, Immortal Dai Dainan Fengyu... and... Li Qiang, the disciple of the Azure Emperor, and the cultivator Chiming." He hesitated for a moment, but still revealed Li Qiang's identity.
Li Qiang understood Qian Shanyong's meaning; he said it on purpose to make Bobeisi take it seriously. He shook his head inwardly, unconvinced. The Azure Emperor had not yet accepted him as a disciple, nor did he treat the Azure Emperor as his master. However, he could not refute Qian Shanyong's words and could only remain silent.
Sure enough, Bobeisi showed a hint of surprise on her face. Two Luo Heaven High Immortal, two Divine Cultivators, and one Immortal—such a combination was extremely strange. Moreover, one of the Divine Cultivators was actually a disciple of the Azure Emperor.
He looked Li Qiang up and down, and after a long while said, " The Azure Emperor's disciple? Unbelievable... Now there are cultivators of gods?" His voice was deep and pleasant, like a morning bell and evening drum, penetrating people's hearts.
High Person Bobeisi Boertie. The only difference was his eyebrows; he had a tuft of round eyebrows, with a few strands drooping diagonally from the center of his brow to the corners, giving him a lazy and carefree appearance.
He said, " Boertie, go and prepare... treat us as honored guests... Go."
Boertie bowed and left.
Qian Shanyong was somewhat surprised. He knew what Bobeisi meant by the honored guest treatment—it was reserved for the Heavenly Lord. He said, "Your Excellency, there's no need for such formalities. I've long admired your esteemed name and have come specifically to pay you a visit. However, we cannot linger for too long."
Bobeisi seemed not to hear him and said to himself, "Everyone, sit down. Little brother, come sit next to me." He beckoned to Li Qiang.
Li Qiang smiled slightly, stepped forward and sat down cross-legged. Qian Shanyong and the others also sat down. For a moment, everyone was silent, with only the sound of the waves crashing around them.
Bobeisi pressed down the robes beneath his knees, slowly reclined, and asked, "When did you become the Azure Emperor's disciple, young brother?"
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh and said, "So even ancient immortals couldn't escape the common practice. Is it really that important to become the Azure Emperor's disciple?"
Bobeisi laughed heartily, "Hmm, interesting. It's been a long time since anyone has talked to me like that."
Qian Shanyong. Li Qiang, seeing that Heavenly Aunt was as rude as ever, and had come again this time, quickly changed the subject, saying, "Has quite a few people from the Immortal Realm been coming here recently?"
Bobeisi rested her head on her hand and said slowly, "Indeed, quite a few people from the Immortal Realm have come... Actually, even if you don't go to Xinbo Cape, someone will still take care of things there. The Reverse Passage has been closed for so long, but the Bona People of Xinbo Cape haven't spread, have they? I think... you're still obsessed with the Xinbo Ancient God Repository. Before, only experts above the Heavenly Lord level went to test it out, but now even Luo Heaven High Immortal want to join in the fun. Sigh, it seems the opening time hasn't arrived yet."
Qian Shanyong smile. He couldn't defend himself; given his status, he couldn't say anything.
Li Qiang, however, began to show interest. Qian Shanyong had always been tight-lipped about this topic, refusing to elaborate whenever asked. He couldn't help but ask, "Master Bo..."
"That title sounds too strange," Qian Shanyong quickly reminded him, "Brother, it's High Person Bobeisi."
Li Qiang immediately changed his tune. " High Person Bobeisi, who are the Bona People? And what is the Xinbo Ancient God Repository?"
Bobeisi's goldfish eyes widened in surprise. "You don't know? Then what were you doing at Xinbo Cape?"
Li Qiang said with a wry smile, "I went there to rescue people; my elder brother and my master are trapped in Xinbo Cape."
Bobeisi was even more surprised. "Your master? Isn't he the Azure Emperor? How could he be trapped in Xinbo Cape...? You..."
Xuan Long quickly explained, "The master he mentioned is the one he apprenticed under during his cultivation journey. The Azure Emperor... that came later."
Bobeisi took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "Your master is an immortal? Cultivators can't enter Xinbo Cape."
Li Qiang said, "My master is Loose Immortal."
Bobeisi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You actually became a disciple of Loose Immortal? Strange, for Loose Immortal to be able to go all the way to Xinbo Cape, that's quite impressive."
Li Qiang cursed inwardly. Every time the conversation got to the crucial point, these guys would always dodge the question. He pressed on, "Master, who are the Bona People? And what is the Xinbo Ancient God Repository? I'm really curious."
Bobeisi pondered for a moment and said, "I wonder if you know anything about the origins of the ancient immortals?" Judging from his posture, it seemed he was going to start from the beginning.
Li Qiang scratched his head and said, "Master, to be honest, I don't even know the origins of immortals, let alone ancient immortals. I am ignorant and ill-informed. Please enlighten me, Master." He put on a humble and eager-to-learn appearance.
Bobeisi seemed quite satisfied with Li Qiang's attitude. He coughed and smiled, "In the beginning, there were only cultivators of gods. As for cultivators of immortals and ancient immortals, they appeared later. It is extremely dangerous for cultivators of gods to become gods. The vast majority of them end up self-destructing, and there is no other way to go. Until later, a very powerful figure appeared..."
This was the first time Li Qiang had ever heard this story, and even Qian Shanyong had never heard of it before.
Li Qiang asked, "A powerful figure? Who is he?"
A hint of admiration appeared on Bobeisi's face. "He was a person who had successfully cultivated to godhood. He passed on a unique Cultivation Method to High Person Yuangu, thus creating the first batch of cultivators and ancient immortals. Later, these Cultivation Method were gradually modified by High Person Yuangu and slowly spread."
Only then did Li Qiang realize how powerful Heavenly Aunt was. He opened his mouth to say something, but then held back and continued to listen quietly to Bobeisi's story.
Bobeisi said, " High Person Yuangu... was also a remarkable figure. It can be said that he created the current Immortal Realm. He modified various cultivation methods, giving many people who originally could not succeed in cultivating to godhood a path to follow. As cultivation methods continued to evolve, the current Cultivation Realm Immortal Realm, and other realms gradually formed. Even we ancient immortals who succeeded in cultivating to immortality benefited and no longer inexplicably self-destruct. However, with the changes in Cultivation Method, ancient god cultivators and ancient immortal cultivators have almost disappeared. There are not many ancient immortals left, and most cultivators now are cultivators of truth."
Li Qiang stared blankly at Bobeisi. Only now did he realize why Qian Shanyong to Heavenly Aunt. No wonder he felt so awkward around Heavenly Aunt.
He slapped his forehead hard, then suddenly exclaimed "Hey!" Bobeisi asked curiously, "What's wrong with you?"
Qian Shanyong laughed and said, "He's probably regretting something, hehe."
Chiming asked, "What does elder brother regret?"
Dainan Fengyu chuckled, "Your eldest brother is with High Person Yuangu... hehe, he once tried to fight with the Master... hehe."
Xuan Long and Chiming exclaimed in surprise, "What? How is that possible?"
Li Qiang shrugged and laughed, "That's not true. Sister Fengyu was just playing a trick on me."
Bobeisi stood up and said in surprise, "You've met High Person Yuangu?"
Li Qiang also stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, looked at the ever-changing seawater below, and calmly said, "I've seen it."
Bobeisi couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. "It's a pity I've never met him. Brother, could you introduce me sometime?" He even changed his form of address.
Li Qiang was incredulous. "You're an ancient immortal, how could you not recognize High Person Yuangu?"
Qian Shanyong said, " High Person Yuangu is not very willing to meet certain ancient immortals."
Bobeisi sighed, "Of course I know that, but I greatly admire the spirit and insight of the High Person Yuangu. Although many ancient immortals are dissatisfied with him, or even hate him, there are also many ancient immortals like myself."
Qian Shanyong had long known that High Person Bobeisi supported the Immortal Realm; otherwise, he would not have come here to visit him so rashly.
Li Qiang gradually understood. It seemed that the High Person Yuangu had improved the cultivation method and completely destroyed the ancient immortals' way of passing on their knowledge. This had offended some ancient immortals. The fact that ancient immortal cultivators and ancient god cultivators were rarely seen now showed that these ancient immortals had no successors.
It seems that mortals in the secular world are more suited to cultivating immortality than to the cultivation methods of ancient immortals.
Bobeisi continued, " Xinbo Cape was originally the base of the ancient immortals, but it was abandoned a long time ago. There are still abandoned Bona People there."
Li Qiang stepped into the seawater, splashing water with his feet, and asked, "Who are the Bona People?"
Bobeisi said, " The Bona People were originally the foundation of the ancient immortals, just like the mortals in our secular world. They suddenly gained a strange ability, a rapid ability to reproduce, and they can still cultivate, but no matter how they cultivate, they can never succeed. They usually self-destruct and die after a hundred years of cultivation. Therefore, Xinbo Cape is an extremely dangerous place."
Li Qiang said, "So, the foundation of the ancient immortals is completely destroyed? No wonder that's the case."
Bobeisi sighed, "The vast majority of ancient immortals were cultivated from the Bona People, with only a small number being of the same race as you. In fact, the Bona People are quite similar to you, except that since gaining the ability to reproduce rapidly, they have lost the possibility of cultivating gods or immortals, and even the ability to cultivate truth. We ancient immortals had no choice but to abandon Xinbo Cape. Because the Bona People have a terrifying ability to reproduce rapidly, in order to ensure that they do not spread indefinitely and affect the current Cultivation Realm, High Person Yuangu had to join forces with several Divine Ability and Law Power Primordial Hermit to seal off the entire Xinbo Cape..." He looked up at the sky, seemingly reluctant to continue.
Li Qiang hadn't expected things to be so complicated. He asked, "Will those ancient immortals agree?"
Bobeisi retorted, "You won't agree? Most of the ancient immortals who dared to object... have been imprisoned by them. I was even prepared to fight them, but then I received some news, which is why I decided to stay at the edge of Xinbo Cape and guard this passage."
For some reason, Li Qiang suddenly remembered the ancient immortal he had released from the Beiye Pill Cauldron — the High Person Tianzhen. No wonder Qian Shanyong was so afraid of him.
"What news made you give up the fight?" Chiming asked curiously.
Bobeisi said, " Xinbo Ancient God Repository."
Chiming grinned widely and said, "Are you eyeing some good stuff inside? That High Person Yuangu is really something. Strange, why don't you go search for the Ancient God Repository? What are you doing hiding on Tanshao Planet? I don't understand."
Qian Shanyong was almost scared to death by Chiming. This guy not only talked nonsense, but also provoked people indiscriminately.
Bobeisi's face darkened, and Qian Shanyong, Xuan Long, and Dainan Fengyu could no longer sit still and quickly stood up.
Li Qiang ignored what they were saying. After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized and blurted out, "Is there a way to save the Bona People in the Xinbo Ancient God Repository?"
Bobeisi's gloomy face immediately changed. He looked at Li Qiang with surprise, and after a long while, he asked, "How did you come up with that?"
Li Qiang immediately flattered her. "With the level of an ancient immortal... they wouldn't submit to anyone for a mere treasure, would they?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Shanyong and the others breathed a sigh of relief, secretly admiring Li Qiang's eloquence.
Bobeisi was overjoyed by Li Qiang's words and found the young man pleasing to the eye no matter what.