The Azure Emperor displayed remarkable patience, explaining incessantly, "With me looking after you two, and the three of us flying separately, there won't be any problems as long as you follow my instructions. Xinbo, I've been here many times and am very familiar with the situation inside. If you go in on your own, firstly, you won't know the way, and secondly, your skills are still a bit lacking. Even with divine artifacts protecting you, it won't be enough. Experience is very important in places like this."
Chiming said, "Master, don't worry, even if you were trapped, I wouldn't save you..."
The Azure Emperor was taken aback. Although what he said made sense, it just sounded awkward.
Li Qiang chuckled. "Junior brother, can't you be a little more tactful? How can you talk like that?"
Chiming said solemnly, "I am following my master's teachings; you are just saying one thing and meaning another."
Li Qiang laughed loudly and said, "Forget it, don't make it sound so nice."
The Azure Emperor couldn't help but sigh. In the Immortal Realm, everyone treated him with utmost respect. Even the Seven Heavenly Lord dared not joke around with him recklessly. These two disciples had only just entered the sect and were already so unrestrained. It would be difficult to discipline them in the future.
He coughed and said, "Alright, I've explained the rules for entering Xinbo. Have you all remembered them?"
Li Qiang and Chiming exchanged a smile and said in unison, "Yes, we've got it. We won't save anyone! Haha."
The Azure Emperor looked at the two clueless little fellows with a wry smile, and couldn't help but sigh, thinking, "This is going to be troublesome from now on."
Li Qiang thought for a moment and asked, "Master, is there really no way to save people in Xinbo?"
The Azure Emperor shook his head and said, "Actually, there is a way, but it is extremely dangerous and very few people know about it." He considered it for a moment and decided to tell his two disciples, because being prepared is always better than being unprepared.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "What solution? I think there should be a solution to everything; it just depends on whether you know how."
The Azure Emperor said, "The only way is to attack the person who is trapped, but you can't use Law Treasure. You have to use attack methods like the Immortal Thunder Instruction. Most importantly, the person trapped must understand your meaning, otherwise if they retaliate with Law Treasure, they will drag you in as well. You two little ones, remember, the people in Xinbo are very cautious and sensitive. Try not to make a move if you can avoid it, understand?"
The Azure Emperor repeatedly gave instructions, his concern evident in his words, which touched both Li Qiang and Chiming.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Yes, Master, we will be careful." This time his attitude was very serious.
The Azure Emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good, we're almost there."
As they spoke, the three of them approached Xinbo and could clearly see the huge waves of fire rising from Xinbo surface.
The Azure Emperor slowed down his flight, and the golden light protecting the three of them instantly shone brightly.
Although Li Qiang is not afraid of fire, he has never been close to a star like the sun. For him, getting close to such a star is an inconceivable thing.
A huge heat wave rolled in. Li Qiang estimated that the three of them were still some distance away from Xinbo. If they flew at full speed, they could reach it in about ten minutes. But at their current slowed-down speed, it would take several hours to reach the black spots on Xinbo's surface.
The Azure Emperor reminded them, "Both of you have divine artifacts protecting you. When you enter Xinbo, you must be careful to protect yourselves. The temperature there is similar to that of the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire. Be especially careful that you can only protect yourselves and not use your divine artifacts to break through the heat flow, otherwise it will trigger the Ancient God Restriction. Just follow me and fly." His expression was very serious.
Li Qiang knew this was no time for jokes, so he nodded obediently and said, "Yes, we'll be careful."
As the three approached the surface of Xinbo, the rumbling sound grew louder and louder, occasionally punctuated by bursts of thunderous explosions.
The Azure Emperor adjusted its direction and descended vertically into the Heavenly Cave on the surface of Xinbo.
Enormous flames erupted from the surface of Xinbo, their temperature capable of easily melting gold and iron. The surging heat completely distorted the surrounding space, and layers of bluish-white flames spread into space. The closer one got, the more intense the heat became.
The heat emanating from Xinbo began to slow down the three's flight speed; it was a tremendous impact.
Chiming cried out, "Oh dear, it's so hot!" His battle armor shimmered with a flickering starlight.
The Evolving Incantation Divine Armor Li Qiang emitted a dazzling light. The Fire Essence seemed very excited. Li Qiang had a thought and quietly summoned it. The Fire Essence enveloped him along the Divine Armor of the Cursed Derivation and the Book of Curses. The surface of the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor immediately turned into a dazzling purple. All the radiated heat was absorbed by the Fire Essence, and Li Qiang could hardly feel the temperature outside.
The Azure Emperor remained unchanged, showing no apparent effect from the external heat. He turned his head and saw the purple light emanating from Li Qiang, exclaiming in surprise, "Eh? You have a subdued Fire Essence helping you?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Master has such sharp eyes! You saw through my secret at a glance." He flattered him with practiced ease.
Chiming, not to be outdone, said, "Of course! Master's eyesight is definitely amazing. He can tell what's on someone just by looking... uh..." He suddenly realized he'd said something inappropriate. Wasn't that implying that Master had thief eyes?
Before he could remedy the situation, Li Qiang burst out laughing, "Junior brother, don't worry, you don't have anything on you that Master would be interested in, haha."
The Azure Emperor glared at Li Qiang and Chiming, who immediately found it hard to breathe, feeling as if a massive boulder weighed down on them.
Fortunately, the Azure Emperor only glared at him and said calmly, "Don't talk nonsense, or... don't blame me for being difficult as your master." After saying that, he looked ahead again.
Li Qiang patted his chest and said, "Wow, that was amazing, junior brother! Were you scared to death?"
Chiming grinned, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "Don't joke around. If I were that easy to kill, wouldn't Master be blind...?"
Li Qiang said with a grin, "You dare say that Master is blind?"
Chiming opened his eyes wide and argued, "Senior brother, I suspect you have ulterior motives. What I mean is... if I were so easy to kill, would Master have chosen me as his disciple? Wouldn't that be incredibly short-sighted? How could Master be so foolish? Hey, senior brother, I think you have a problem with your comprehension." The two completely ignored the Azure Emperor's warning and continued to talk nonsense and bicker with each other.
The Azure Emperor really couldn't do anything about them. At this time, he couldn't punish the two of them under any circumstances, since he still needed them to open the Ancient God Repository. He could only pretend not to hear and fly forward in silence.
Li Qiang winked at Chiming Chiming, who made a face, and the two of them chuckled quietly. In the first round, the two brothers left the Azure Emperor speechless.
Both of them were afraid that if the Azure Emperor became too serious, their lives would become difficult. Taking advantage of the opportunity to enter Xinbo, knowing that the Azure Emperor would not punish them at this time, the two of them challenged the Azure Emperor's authority without prior agreement. Once they succeeded in challenging him, it would be difficult for the Azure Emperor to strictly control them in the future.
In fact, the Azure Emperor would not have taken these two as disciples if it weren't for the Ancient God Repository. His purpose in taking them as disciples was very clear: he wanted to be by their side when they opened the Ancient God Repository.
He was proud of his status and unwilling to force the two of them, so he offered to take them as disciples in exchange. However, he already had a feeling that these two little guys would be difficult to deal with, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.
The black spots on Xinbo's surface grew larger and larger, and the temperature dropped considerably, while flames still raged around the black spots.
The black spots are a barrier formed by the Ancient God Restriction, with a huge, dark hole at its center, also known as the Heavenly Cave.
The Ancient God Restriction forcefully pushed away the raging sea of flames on the surface. Although the temperature was extremely high, it was not a significant threat to those ancient immortals.
Chiming sighed, "If someone hadn't led the way, I would never have come to a place like this. It's terrifying."
Li Qiang saw streaks of light flying towards the black hole and asked, "Is this the only passage?"
The Azure Emperor shook his head and said, "No, this is just an entrance; inside is a completely different world."
Before long, the three of them entered Xinbo's hot flow zone.
The heat flow was like a flowing sea, rippling and rolling like ocean water. This time, even the Azure Emperor emitted a faint blue light.
Upon closer inspection, the so-called " Heavenly Cave " was nothing more than billowing black smoke, interspersed with bursts of flame, and occasionally bursting forth in large bursts of fire rain.
As they approached the entrance, Li Qiang couldn't help but exclaim, "It's magnificent... it's terrifying!"
Following his gaze, Chiming couldn't help but exclaim, "What a terrifying fire!"
Behind the billowing black smoke, flames several kilometers high shot straight into the sky, their deafening roars causing the entire Xinbo to tremble. Vast clouds of fire rose into the air, blinding flashes filling the eyes. Golden lightning bolts crackled between the flames, accompanied by a series of awe-inspiring explosions. Clumps of crimson lava were hurled into space, making it seem as if the end of the world was imminent.
Scorching storms swept across the dark spot, posing a great threat to the ancient immortals descending downwards.
The Azure Emperor shouted, "Stay close to me, and don't get swept away by the heat storm." He gave occasional instructions and taught some corresponding spiritual techniques.
Li Qiang and Chiming were both frightened by the violent storm on Xinbo's surface. The two obediently followed Azure Emperor and did as he instructed meticulously, not daring to be naughty at all.
The environment here is too harsh. Even cultivators with the cultivation level of the Mahayana Realm cannot survive here. These flames can ignite the Heart Fire of cultivators, and under the combined attack from within and without, they will be reduced to ashes in no time.
Under the guidance of the Azure Emperor, Li Qiang and Chiming flew into the passage of the Heavenly Cave.
The so-called passage is hundreds of kilometers in diameter, and inside it swirls an equally powerful heat storm, even more violent and turbulent, with wisps of pure, Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire mixed in with it.
The passageway seemed to be filled with explosives, flashes of light bursting out intermittently, accompanied by strange and eerie sounds that sent chills down one's spine.
Li Qiang thought to himself, "This isn't some kind of passage; it's far more terrifying than the Gates of Hell, although I don't even know what the Gates of Hell look like."
He struggled to keep up with the Azure Emperor, because it was impossible to carry anyone through the passage; they had to fly on their own. The Azure Emperor had deliberately slowed down, carefully guiding the two to avoid various strange restrictions.
Li Qiang knew that without guidance, he would have little chance of making any progress with his current abilities.
Apart from the Azure Emperor occasionally offering guidance, Li Qiang and Chiming remained almost completely silent, following closely behind.
The Azure Emperor was deeply surprised. These two little ones were exceptionally quick to understand. He had originally planned to use his great Divine Ability to send them to the Ancient God Repository if all else failed. But now it seemed that he wouldn't have to worry too much about them.
He couldn't help but feel happy. He knew that maintaining his strength was the most important thing in Xinbo. It was best not to use his great Divine Ability Divine Ability possible, because using them once would consume half of his power.
After flying for an unknown amount of time, Li Qiang felt utterly exhausted.
The divine artifact, Ninefold Evolving Gilt, played a significant role. However, since it could not attack anything that came at it and could only passively defend, its power was being consumed rapidly, and Li Qiang was starting to feel the strain.
Chiming was in an even worse predicament. Although his Yeqi Dragon Staff was also very powerful, he had not fully mastered it and could not fully utilize its power.
Chiming said pitifully, "Can I rest for a while? I... my power is being used up too quickly, I don't have time to recover."
The Azure Emperor hurriedly said, "You absolutely mustn't stop! If you stop, the Ancient God Restriction will immediately ensnare you..."
As he flew, he looked around and said, "A little further on, there's a place to rest. It's too dangerous here."
Li Qiang said, "I'll help you fly."
Before he could reach out to pull her, the Azure Emperor shouted, "Stop! Don't pull her!"
Li Qiang recoiled in fright and asked, "What?"
The Azure Emperor said angrily, "The restrictions here are extremely powerful. As soon as you link your escape lights together, you will immediately trigger the restrictions... If we could fly together, I would have already taken you away."
Li Qiang obediently listened to the Azure Emperor's reprimand, and couldn't help but sigh, "I'm so pitiful."
Chiming laughed loudly, "Senior brother, you've been humiliated, haven't you?"
Li Qiang was so angry he wanted to punch him, but then he thought better of it. He couldn't do that here unless he wanted to die. He sighed and stopped talking.
Chiming was overjoyed. He had finally gotten a chance to see Li Qiang get his comeuppance, and he felt very satisfied. Suddenly, he felt that the effort was not so difficult anymore.
Of the three, only the Azure Emperor seemed unaffected. Li Qiang and Chiming were increasingly struggling, but fortunately, their power had greatly increased after entering Xinbo Cape, so they could barely endure it.
After flying for a while, the Azure Emperor pointed to a place ahead and said, "I've found that place! I almost missed it. Follow me quickly."
Li Qiang looked in the direction the Azure Emperor pointed and saw a huge, flat, round object that appeared and disappeared amidst the flashes of lightning. He exclaimed in surprise, "What is that thing?"
The Azure Emperor said, "That is the most famous Thousand-Forged Stone."
Thousand-Forged Stone is also a rare refining material that can be used to cultivate the Immortal Sword Body. Li Qiang had heard of it long ago, but had never seen it before. He thought that this material only existed in the Immortal Realm, but he did not expect that it was also produced in Xinbo Cape.
He exclaimed incredulously, "Wow, such a huge Thousand-Forged Stone?"
The three of them nimbly darted through the heat storm like fish, and after flying for about half an hour, they finally landed on the huge Thousand-Forged Stone.
Li Qiang and Chiming didn't even have time to see what the Thousand-Forged Stone looked like before they immediately sat cross-legged to cultivate.
The Azure Emperor stood quietly to one side; with his cultivation level, this distance was nothing to him.
The location of the Thousand-Forged Stone is situated in the gaps between various restrictions, making it relatively stable. Due to the exceptionally high temperature here, the raw stone has been refined over hundreds of millions of years, leaving only the most refined parts. Therefore, the Thousand-Forged Stone produced here is the most famous and belongs to the top-grade refining materials.
This Thousand-Forged Stone, as large as half a tennis court, was miraculously suspended in the heat storm under the influence of various restrictions.
A heat storm swirled and surged around them, and the dark red light imprinted on the Thousand-Forged Stone looked so strange.
Streaks of lightning flashed across the chaotic space intermittently, and large sparks flew amidst explosions before being swept away in all directions by the heat storm.
Li Qiang had recovered his strength. Standing beside the Thousand-Forged Stone, he sighed, "This place is truly terrifying."
The Azure Emperor calmly said, "After the Ancient God Repository is opened this time, you will come back to the Immortal Realm with me."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "Master, I don't want to go to the Immortal Realm for the time being. Alas, I haven't been back to my hometown since I left. If I can survive this time, I plan to go back home."
The Azure Emperor turned to look at him, and said in surprise, "You still miss your hometown? I advise you not to go back; you'll be very disappointed."
A blinding red light flashed, and a fiery cloud erupted in the distance, reflecting off Li Qiang's face. He said resolutely, "Master, I must go back, otherwise... I will never have peace of mind."
The Azure Emperor said, "Very well, go back and fulfill your wish. This way, it won't affect your future cultivation... Don't worry, I will instruct Gu Xing to use the most appropriate method to reincarnate your two friends."
Li Qiang knew that the Azure Emperor was well-informed, so he bowed and said, "Thank you, Master." He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. With the Azure Emperor's guarantee, Big Brother Mo and his Master's reincarnation were safe.
Li Qiang asked, "Master, why can't I see anyone else?"
The Azure Emperor said, "Not many ancient immortals entered Xinbo this time. Xinbo... can actually be called a graveyard for immortals. Countless ancient immortals have fallen into the Ancient God Restriction here. When the Ancient God Repository was first opened, I was lucky enough to find this Thousand-Forged Stone. I remember standing on this Thousand-Forged Stone at the time and witnessing many ancient immortals being swallowed up by the restrictions. Alas... it was breathtaking."
Li Qiang broke out in a cold sweat. He pressed on, "Were there many ancient immortals back then?"
The Azure Emperor said expressionlessly, "Not only were there many, but they were all ancient immortals with profound cultivation. When this Ancient God Repository was first discovered, almost all the ancient immortals rushed here. The few who were able to enter the Ancient God Repository were extremely lucky. No one expected that the Ancient God Restriction would be so powerful. I remember that about a dozen ancient immortals were Qi Ingestion and tried to break the Ancient God Restriction, but they all fell into it. Just that one opening alone resulted in the demise of most of the ancient immortals."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "That's strange. Why do they insist on going? Wouldn't everything be fine if they didn't go?"
The Azure Emperor countered, "Don't you understand why they want to go?"
Li Qiang reached up and touched his forehead, saying, "Isn't it just for the ancient gods' left-behind texts and artifacts? What other reason could there be?"
The Azure Emperor chuckled and said, "If someone can cultivate to the strength of an ancient immortal, would their realm be so low? You underestimate them."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Hehe, that's why I'm so curious."
The Azure Emperor sighed softly, "When you reach our current level, you will find it incredibly difficult to find something that can challenge your limits." He didn't continue speaking, but simply stared intently at the raging heat storm.
Li Qiang suddenly realized and whispered, "I see."
Once they reach the level of ancient immortals, there are very few things in the world that can tempt them to strive for. Only by constantly seeking challenges can they improve themselves. However, with the strength of ancient immortals, it is extremely difficult to find any challenging objects. Therefore, after discovering the Ancient God Repository, the ancient immortals regarded it as their greatest challenge.
Li Qiang finally understood why so many ancient immortals came to Xinbo.
Chiming recovered as well. He stretched lazily, rubbed his face vigorously, and scrambled to his feet, asking, "Master, Senior Brother, how long has it been?"
Li Qiang asked, "How's your recovery going?"
Chiming grumbled, "Pretty much the same, sigh, this unlucky place... The Spiritual Qi is plentiful, but it's too chaotic, it feels very strange."
Li Qiang's gaze fell on the Thousand-Forged Stone beneath his feet. He asked, "Master, is there anything wrong with me taking some Thousand-Forged Stone?"
The Azure Emperor said, "No problem, just don't dig too much. Look, here are black, gold, and red stone eyes, all of which are the finest Thousand-Forged Stone. Don't dig up the blue ones, those are the lowest quality."
The Thousand-Forged Stone, tempered by the heat storm, is bluish-green and covered with numerous stone eyes of varying sizes. Its main colors are black, gold, and red, with a very small number of silver and turquoise.
The stone eyes are round and slightly protruding, each about the size of a fist. They are the most refined materials for refining weapons, and it is difficult to find such high-quality Thousand-Forged Stone even in the Immortal Realm.
Li Qiang squatted on the ground, placed the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Jade on his hand, pressed it against a stone eye, and deftly extended the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Jade along the lines into it. In the blink of an eye, he pulled out a black stone eye as thick as a fist and a foot long. Chiming also realized what was happening and squatted down to start digging.
The Azure Emperor knew how hard-won the Thousand-Forged Stone were, so he didn't stop Li Qiang and Chiming from collecting them. Whether immortals or cultivators, collecting materials was an essential part of any cultivation. He reminded them, "Dig in the middle, don't go to the edges. The middle is the safest place here."
After collecting dozens of stones of various colors, Li Qiang stood up and said, "It's a pity there are even more on the edges. Hehe, I've discovered that the more dangerous the place, the more heavenly materials and earthly treasures... Junior brother, that's enough. Leave some for those who come later."
Chiming stood up with a smile and said, "Who else can come after me? I will absolutely never come to this place a second time." He listened to Li Qiang and stopped digging.
The Azure Emperor nodded inwardly; these two little ones weren't greedy. He called to them, "Alright, let's get ready to go."
Li Qiang suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "Look! It looks like an ancient immortal."
The Azure Emperor said calmly, "That's right, he triggered the restriction." His tone was very indifferent, as if he had seen it all before.
Li Qiang's face showed a look of pity. The Azure Emperor glanced at him and said, "I have seen many ancient immortals entangled in the Ancient God Restriction, and I have also seen people try to rescue them. In the end, whoever couldn't resist intervening ended up getting trapped along with them. So... don't be surprised, this world is just that cruel."
Li Qiang stared intently and asked, "Who is that?"
A blinding golden light flashed, and the person struggled desperately.
The Azure Emperor stepped in front of him, saying, "Don't look! Because you can't save them, so don't look, understand?"
However, Li Qiang had divine eyes, and before the Azure Emperor blocked him, he had already seen who it was.
He cried out, "Heavens! It's Qian Shanyong!" That blinding light was the Wrath of the Heavenly God.
Chiming recognized him too, and exclaimed, "Wow, it really is him!"
Li Qiang said without hesitation, "I will save him! Master, whether you agree or not, I will definitely save him!"