There is only one way to enter the Xinbo Ancient God Repository. When Tianzhen led everyone there, there were already more than a dozen ancient immortals scattered in space waiting for them.
Ancient immortals almost always traveled alone, so from a distance they appeared as scattered stars. Only Tianzhen's group was the largest, and when they gathered together, they were very conspicuous.
Li Qiang looked around and pointed into the distance, saying, "Look, who are they? There seem to be three or four people gathered together. Hmm, they seem to be flying towards us."
Tianzhen glanced at them and said, "Ignore those ancient immortals; we don't need to deal with them." He turned to Mist Star Cold Woman and said, " Cold Woman, whoever comes, go and greet them. We're not traveling with anyone; we'll go on our own."
Mist Star Cold Woman said coldly, "You go ahead and say what you want; I can't be bothered with them."
In Tianzhen anger, Tianzhen blurted out her catchphrase again. "I'm so pitiful..."
Tianqu said calmly, "I'll do it. You know Cold Woman's temper."
Qian Shanyong's voice trembled slightly as he said, "Brother Li, that is the Azure Emperor."
Li Qiang asked in surprise, " The Azure Emperor? Where is he?"
Xuan Long pointed and said, "Those are the people you were pointing to earlier." His expression was a little strange.
Li Qiang understood immediately and asked, "You want to notify them?"
The situation was getting increasingly strange, and Li Qiang was a little confused, unsure of whom he should trust.
He clearly sensed that High Person Yuangu, Azure Emperor, and High Person Boju were in cahoots, while the other ancient immortals seemed to be acting independently. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
Qian Shanyong recalled High Person Yuangu's instructions and felt a little more confident. He did not stop Xuan Long, since they had already arrived at the edge of the Ancient God Repository, and the Azure Emperor should not do anything to harm him.
Tianzhen frowned slightly and said, " High Person Yuanmu has arrived so early. Oh, I see..."
After a moment's thought, Li Qiang understood. High Person Boju and High Person Yuangu were outside, while Azure Emperor was inside. The three of them had long been well prepared. The other ancient immortals simply couldn't compete with them. The Ancient God Repository was almost completely controlled by the three of them. As long as Li Qiang opened the Ancient God Repository, those ancient immortals scattered outside would have no chance.
Tianqu was one of the few ancient immortals who had no interest in the Ancient God Repository. He sighed, "I wonder who's going to be unlucky this time. Every time the Ancient God Repository is opened, it's a severe test for the ancient immortals."
Chiming asked with great interest, "Do you always end up losing miserably?"
Mist Star Cold Woman turned her head, sized up Chiming, and sneered, "Little guy, you like fighting so much? You didn't come to the Ancient God Repository to fight. If anyone makes a rash move and disrupts the Ancient God Repository, it will cause public outrage, and no one can bear that responsibility..."
Chiming scratched his head and muttered, "It wasn't me who said that. Didn't you hear him say it? Entering the Ancient God Repository is a test for all ancient immortals."
Tianzhen couldn't help but explain, "The fighting all happens outside. Once we're here, no one dares to make a move... The so-called test is entering the Ancient God Repository and passing through the Ancient God Restriction. Without knowledge, it's easy to get trapped inside, or more likely, to be thrown out by the Ancient God Restriction. Do you think the Ancient God Repository is so easy to enter?"
Upon hearing this, Li Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. Since fighting was prohibited here, there was no need to fear those ancient immortals. However, he still had some doubts, so he asked, "What if a fight breaks out?"
Tianqu said, "Those will be restricted or expelled by experts. Don't try to do it. The Ancient God Restriction here are very magical, almost interconnected. A slight mistake will affect everyone who goes in."
Qian Shanyong had been keeping a close eye on the Azure Emperor's group. Suddenly, he said, "They've really come." His tone was filled with fear.
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Qian, we can't fight here, don't worry."
Qian Shanyong, "It's nothing, we'll have to meet sooner or later anyway, sigh."
The Azure Emperor arrived extremely quickly; before Li Qiang and the others could even exchange a few words, they were already almost there.
Xuan Long whispered, "Lord Gan, let's go and greet him." Qian Shanyong nodded, and the two flew forward, bowing and hovering, awaiting the arrival of the Azure Emperor.
Li Qiang was very curious. He grabbed Chiming and flew to Qian Shanyong's side, waiting quietly.
Soon, the Azure Emperor and his entourage arrived.
Qian Shanyong and Xuan Long had already bowed down. Xuan Long said, " Luo Heaven High Immortal Xuan Long of Luotian pays respects to the Azure Emperor."
Qian Shanyong then said, " Qian Shanyong of Luo Heaven High Immortal pays his respects to the Azure Emperor." The two remained motionless, waiting for the Azure Emperor to speak.
Li Qiang was very curious, and he silently observed the Azure Emperor. Chiming, on the other hand, had a different feeling. He admired the Azure Emperor immensely. He was very envious that the Azure Emperor could command such respect from two Luo Heaven High Immortal, and he thought the Azure Emperor was quite powerful.
The Azure Emperor was a tall and robust young man with dark blue-green hair, which was gathered on top of his head with a blue-gold hair crown. His face was ancient and simple. He was dressed casually in a blue robe embroidered with dense silver dots, like a starry sky, and a silver-white belt around his waist.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking thoughtfully at everyone, followed closely by Heavenly Lord Lijin and De Liuheng.
Li Qiang guessed that he was the Azure Emperor, but he didn't feel that he was as majestic as he had imagined. He looked like an ordinary immortal. His appearance was also very ordinary, with nothing special about him. The only special thing was his eyes, which were clear and bright, as if they could see through everything at a glance. That was the manifestation of the divine eye cultivated to the extreme.
Li Qiang felt that the Azure Emperor and the Heavenly Lord Lijin had some similarities, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what they were.
Just as the three Azure Emperor stopped, two more golden streaks flew in. Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed, "Hehe, Fan Qijun and the others have arrived."
Upon hearing the name " Fan Qijun," Chiming couldn't help but shudder. He didn't know why he felt an inexplicable fear of Fan Qijun.
The Azure Emperor said, " Tianzhen, Tianqu... Oh, Cold Woman is here too?" He ignored Xuan Long and Qian Shanyong and greeted the three ancient immortals, including Tianzhen.
Mist Star Cold Woman said, " Yuanmu, you're really something now... By the way, is he your disciple? Hmph, he's got some skills. He even destroyed my secluded place, the Extremely Profound Ice Eye. You'll have to compensate for that loss!" She started picking a fight right away.
Li Qiang felt very uncomfortable. Although he had never regarded the Azure Emperor as his master, he was still somewhat uneasy about being reported on so soon after their first meeting. He held back his words and watched how the Azure Emperor would respond.
Heavenly Lord Lijin and De Liuheng both nodded slightly to him, and Li Qiang returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his gaze still fixed on the Azure Emperor.
The Azure Emperor seemed quite surprised. He laughed and said, " Cold Woman, are you joking? Don't you know his cultivation level? Heh, don't say I'm ignorant. Even two more of him wouldn't be a match for you. How could he possibly destroy your secluded retreat? Were you just not here?"
Mist Star Cold Woman was speechless for a moment, then said, "If you don't believe me, ask Tianzhen!"
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed and said, "Sister Mist Star probably wants to enter the Ancient God Repository with us. As for the destruction of her secluded place, hehe, that's just an excuse. Otherwise, why would they come together?" He pointed out Mist Star's intentions incisively.
The Azure Emperor laughed heartily, "Not bad, I didn't expect even the Cold Woman wouldn't tell the truth, haha."
Li Qiang realized that all these ancient immortals were acquaintances; judging from their tone of voice, they were very familiar with each other.
Sure enough, Mist Star Cold Woman said sweetly, "Hmph, nothing can be hidden from you. Lord Lijin is getting more and more clever."
The Azure Emperor said, " Xuan Long, Shanyong, get up. You are Li Qiang? And who is this?" He pointed at Chiming and asked.
Li Qiang said, "He is also a cultivator, named Chiming. This junior greets Venerable High Person Yuanmu."
He deliberately didn't call himself the Azure Emperor, but instead addressed him as the Venerable High Person Yuanmu.
Mist Star Cold Woman asked in surprise, "Eh, you don't call him Master?"
The Azure Emperor waved his hand to stop Mist Star from asking further questions, saying, "Oh, Chiming? You must be the Devil Venerable Chiming? I didn't expect Demon Venerable to be able to cultivate divinity. Interesting."
As they were talking, Heavenly Lord Fanqi arrived with Chi Wuyu, and the scene immediately became lively.
When Chi Wuyu saw Li Qiang, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. Li Qiang, on the other hand, had long since let go of his resentment towards Chi Wuyu after Hou Pijing's injuries had healed.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Li Qiang couldn't help but joke, " Chi Wuyu, how about you and I have another fight here?"
Chi Wuyu couldn't utter a single word.
Heavenly Lord Lijin advised, " Wuyu. Is your fighting spirit still so strong?"
Chi Wuyu sighed softly and bowed, saying, " Wuyu wouldn't dare."
Heavenly Lord Fanqi was a handsome man, tall and slender, who appeared very capable. He wore a black immortal armor with crimson trim, and a black cloak with faint golden light shimmering on both sides of his shoulders.
That was the only divine artifact that the Heavenly Lord Fanqi, and it was with this artifact that he established his current status.
The Azure Emperor scrutinized Li Qiang closely. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I don't understand, kid. Why is your cultivation progressing so quickly? Didn't Gu Xing tell you to be moderate?"
Li Qiang said casually, "I accidentally ate a divine pill, and my cultivation level started to rise uncontrollably. There's nothing I can do about it."
Heavenly Lord Lijin asked curiously, "Oh, did you take the Seven Assemblies Pill?"
Li Qiang shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "Yeah, I took the Adversity-Crossing Divine Pill. If I hadn't, I probably would have self-destructed. Who knew the Adversity-Crossing Divine Pill would be so powerful?" He was too embarrassed to say that he had taken the wrong pill.
The Azure Emperor's face showed a hint of surprise. " Seven Assemblies Pill? The last stage produced a real pill?" After speaking, his gaze swept over Heavenly Lord Lijin.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Yes, five were conceived, but unfortunately, the last two flew away with Beiye Pill Cauldron."
The Azure Emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "So that's how it is. Hehe, Yuangu really thought of everything. In that case, the yellow pill king from the last pill set is now in your hands, isn't it?"
Few people know the effects of the last pill in the Seven Assemblies Pill. Those who have never seen the Beiye Heavenly Scripture cannot possibly know it. Even Li Qiang did not know this record because the Beiye Heavenly Scripture that Heavenly Aunt showed him was incomplete.
Seeing Li Qiang nod, the Azure Emperor continued, "Could you give me that yellow pill king?"
Everyone was stunned. The Azure Emperor's blatant demand for divine-grade spiritual spirit medicine was completely unexpected. Except for Heavenly Lord Lijin, everyone else looked at Li Qiang.
Chiming cursed inwardly. He knew that this batch of spirit pills was one of a kind, and the Azure Emperor wanted the best right away, which was really annoying. However, despite his extreme displeasure, he dared not act recklessly in front of these peerless experts.
Li Qiang was unaware that even the High Person Yuangu could not cultivate the Seven Assemblies Pill. Only a cultivator with Divine Yi Power like himself could cultivate a real pill. Therefore, the last pill was truly a top-grade one.
The Azure Emperor looked at Li Qiang with a half-smile, wanting to see how Li Qiang would refuse him.
Li Qiang smiled faintly. He didn't care about any divine pills at all. He wasn't even sure if he could leave Xinbo Cape alive, so whether he could possess a divine pill was even less important to him. Especially after being Adversity-Crossing Divine Pill once, he was already wary of the pill's effects.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Since High Person Yuanmu needs it... alright, I'll give it to you." He took out the King of Divine Pills and tossed it to the Azure Emperor.
Although no one knew the exact effects of the Last Pill, they all knew it must be extremely precious. Seeing Li Qiang give it away without hesitation, everyone was a little incredulous, thinking that Li Qiang was being excessively generous.
The Azure Emperor was originally just a half-joking, half-serious probe, but he didn't expect Li Qiang to be so straightforward. Little did he know that Li Qiang had always been like this, and his generosity wasn't just because he was the Azure Emperor.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." He put away the divine pill, glanced at Tianzhen, and said, " Xinbo's Heavenly Cave will open in a little while. More ancient immortals will arrive soon. These two will come with me. Tianzhen, you two can go in on your own." He indicated that he would personally lead Li Qiang and Chiming away.
Tianzhen couldn't help but cry out, "That won't do! Grandfather instructed us brothers to take both of them with us no matter what..."
The Azure Emperor's expression changed slightly as he said, "Oh, it's nothing. I'll explain to Boju later." He exuded a cold aura, and everyone involuntarily took a step back.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Li Qiang secretly pondered to himself that the Azure Emperor was a bit too domineering, but in any case, Tianzhen had been quite good to him.
So Li Qiang said, "Since we're all here, let's go in together. Why separate?"
Heavenly Lord Lijin explained, "It's harder to walk when there are too many people; it's easier to walk when there are fewer people."
The Azure Emperor said, " De Liuheng, Chi Wuyu, Xuan Long, and Qian Shanyong, the four of you don't need to go in. Stay outside and keep watch."
Qian Shanyong a chill in his heart. The other three Luo Heaven High Immortal bowed and agreed, but he remained silent. After a long while, he said, "I have the strength to enter." He had to muster up all his courage to say those words.
The Azure Emperor smiled slightly and said, "Oh? You have that kind of strength?"
Qian Shanyong was almost overwhelmed by the power of the Azure Emperor. He only managed to barely withstand it by releasing the golden light of the Wrath of the Heavenly God.
Li Qiang couldn't stand it any longer, and he said calmly, "I need both of them to go in."
The Azure Emperor's eyes flickered, and he fixed his gaze on Li Qiang, asking, "Why?"
A slight tremor ran through Li Qiang's heart; the pressure exerted by the Azure Emperor was indeed extraordinary.
Li Qiang had a typical outwardly gentle but inwardly stubborn temperament. He was extremely obstinate and said without backing down, "It's not for any other reason than that I want them all to go in together! Otherwise, I'll leave with them, and you can go by yourselves."
No one expected Li Qiang to say that. The Azure Emperor was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly, "Alright, since you want them to go in so badly, then let them go together. However, I must remind you, Xinbo is not a place for people with their cultivation level to enter. Although you mean well, good intentions can sometimes lead to harm."
Qian Shanyong was grateful to Li Qiang, and he bowed, saying, "I am confident in my ability to protect myself."
De Liuheng, Chi Wuyu, and Xuan Long all indicated that they would not enter the Ancient God Repository but would wait outside.
Heavenly Lord Fanqi chuckled and said, "This little guy is so young, but he has quite the temper. It seems this is the first time Your Majesty has been talked back to like this, haha."
Heavenly Lord Lijin also laughed and said, " Fan Qijun, don't make a fuss. The Emperor won't hold a grudge against him."
The Azure Emperor smiled and said gently, "The little fellow probably has a grudge against me. You two seniors shouldn't get involved."
Li Qiang blushed slightly and bowed, saying, "I was rude, young man."
The Azure Emperor waved his hand dismissively, saying, "No need to apologize. The Ancient God Repository is one of the most dangerous places in this realm. I'm doing this for their own good."
Tianzhen sighed and said, "I'm so pitiful. Fine, Yuanmu, let's go in together." He had no choice but to submit to the Azure Emperor's will, because he simply couldn't win against the Azure Emperor.
The Azure Emperor looked at Li Qiang, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, and asked, "You know what I asked Gu Xing to tell you, right?" His meaning was very clear.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Yes, I know." He didn't want to become Azure Emperor's disciple, but he was too embarrassed to refuse directly, so he just said he knew without revealing his thoughts.
Qian Shanyong kept giving him meaningful glances, hoping that Li Qiang would immediately become his disciple.
The Azure Emperor continued relentlessly, "Well, now that you know, you don't want to be my disciple?"
All eyes turned to Li Qiang. Everyone knew that the Azure Emperor's power was immense; apart from the Divine Realm, his authority influenced almost every realm. If Li Qiang immediately became his disciple, his status and position would rise dramatically.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I don't even know if I'll make it out of Xinbo Cape alive, so whether I become an apprentice or not doesn't really matter, right? The Master wouldn't take a dead person as an apprentice, would he? So, it's not too late to become an apprentice after I get out of Xinbo Cape alive."
Everyone understood Li Qiang's intention to refuse, and they were secretly surprised, looking at him as if he were a monster.
To everyone's surprise, the Azure Emperor didn't seem to mind. He said gently, "You are also a cultivator of the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture, and so am I... However, I entered the divine realm through immortality, you entered it through the Dao, and he entered it through demonic cultivation. No one knows whether we can ultimately succeed... I'm not only taking you as my disciple, but I'm also taking him as my disciple. At least the three of us can help each other in our cultivation."
This time, he didn't use his status to intimidate people, but instead tried to persuade them to take on apprentices.
Heavenly Lord Lijin laughed and said, "Young brother, the Emperor is right. Becoming a disciple is just a formality. The Emperor won't let you follow him forever."
Everyone came forward to persuade him, Li Qiang listened in disbelief. When Mist Star Cold Woman also came over to persuade him, he finally couldn't hold back anymore.
He knew that the Azure Emperor's desire for him to become his disciple was not so simple; there must be another purpose. He knew he couldn't escape becoming the disciple he was supposed to take for granted. He glanced at Tianzhen, who was the only one who hadn't come to persuade him, and was watching him sullenly from the side.
Li Qiang pulled Chiming aside and laughed, "I'll be the senior brother, and you'll be the junior brother."
Chiming exclaimed, "How come I'm younger than you?"
Li Qiang knelt in mid-air and said, "Greetings, Master."
Chiming muttered something to himself, then knelt down and said, "I, Old Chi... greet Master." He felt very displeased.
Chiming was different from Li Qiang. He was once one of the supreme beings of one realm, but now he had inexplicably become the disciple of a supreme being of another realm. He felt a strange mix of emotions.
The Azure Emperor smiled with delight and said, "Good, good, you have met your two senior uncles." He pointed to Heavenly Lord Lijin and Heavenly Lord Fanqi.
Now that he had become an apprentice, Li Qiang stopped thinking about it and pulled Chiming aside to say telepathically, "Junior brother, we've gained two more cheap martial uncles."
Chiming grinned, his eyes conveying, "What can I do?"
Li Qiang and Chiming paid their respects to Heavenly Lord Lijin and Heavenly Lord Fanqi again. Only then did Li Qiang learn that the Azure Emperor and the Seven Great Heavenly Lord were brothers, which meant that Li Qiang had gained seven more senior uncles.
Qian Shanyong was the first to step forward and offer his congratulations. He suddenly understood what Heavenly Aunt meant: as long as he was with Li Qiang, the Azure Emperor would never punish him, because he needed Li Qiang to open the Ancient God Repository.
With Tianzhen bitter expression, Tianzhen couldn't help but admire Azure Emperor, who had won over Li Qiang with just a few tricks, gaining a powerful ally effortlessly.
The opening of the Ancient God Repository has even made the Ancestor very nervous. Perhaps the Ancestor has already entered Xinbo to wait. When the time comes, as long as a signal is sent, he can find Li Qiang.
Tianzhen rejoiced, thankfully having received Li Qiang's promise to go with him to the Illusory God Hall, which was her true destination.
Li Qiang had come to terms with it. Since he was going to self-destruct anyway, it didn't matter who he became his master. He hovered in the air, feeling relaxed, waiting to enter Xinbo's Ancient God Repository and witness the most mysterious place in this world. Even if he died, it would be worth it.
Suddenly, out of the blue, the Azure Emperor said, " Li Qiang, don't worry, you won't die."
Li Qiang said with a grin, "What do you mean, 'can't die'? Master, what are you talking about?"
The Azure Emperor smiled slightly and offered no further explanation, which made Li Qiang uneasy.
Tianqu kept his eyes fixed on Xinbo, Xinbo radiance was intense. He squinted, seemingly deep in thought. A moment later, he clapped his hands and said, "Alright, Xinbo's Ancient God Restriction is starting to fluctuate. Everyone get ready, Xinbo's Heavenly Cave is about to open."
Before he finished speaking, the bright, dazzling light began to dim, and a dark shadow spread across the surface of the Xinbo.
Li Qiang asked in surprise, "That's the effect of the Ancient God Restriction?"
The Azure Emperor nodded and said, "That's the outermost layer of the Ancient God Restriction on Xinbo, which can lower the surface temperature of Xinbo. Otherwise, most ancient immortals wouldn't be able to get in."
Li Qiang asked curiously, "Oh, can Master go in?" To him, Master was just a title, which was very easy to say. Poor Chiming couldn't be like him. The boy didn't say a word, feeling very uncomfortable. Listening to Li Qiang and Azure Emperor talking, he opened his mouth several times and then closed it again, constantly scratching his head and rubbing his hands, not knowing what to do.
The Azure Emperor nodded and said, "Yes, if the Heavenly Cave hadn't opened, only about five or six experts in the world could have entered; others wouldn't have been able to."
Li Qiang immediately offered a flattering remark, saying with a grin, "Master is truly remarkable. However, why didn't you go in earlier and wait here... uh..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized that the Azure Emperor was here waiting for him.
The black spots on Xinbo grew larger and larger, and many stars in space began to move towards Xinbo.
Chiming finally managed to utter a sentence: "Senior brother, when do we go in?"
A strange, long howl echoed through space like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, as two streaks of light flew in from the far distance, one after the other.
A golden light flashed in the Azure Emperor's eyes, and he suddenly shouted, "Damn you!"
Li Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "It's the Heavenly Nuo God!"