The Azure Emperor was taken aback by Li Qiang's sudden change of heart, after his earlier vow not to save anyone. He hardened his expression and said, "Was everything I said just now just empty talk? Saving people here... is practically suicide! Is Qian Shanyong worth such a risk?"
Li Qiang glanced at Qian Shanyong and thought he could still hold on.
"Master, Qian Shanyong is my friend. Without him... I wouldn't have been able to come to Xinbo Cape at all. He's worth saving!"
He stated unequivocally that he was going to save people, without having time to offer further explanation.
Although the Azure Emperor was somewhat annoyed, he did not want to argue with Li Qiang at this time; that would be too unwise.
The Azure Emperor said calmly, "How will you save me?"
Chiming interjected, "Didn't you say that we could just use offensive methods?"
The Azure Emperor then realized that these two little fellows had been trying to trick him into revealing information from the very beginning, and it seemed they would definitely not stand idly by.
He reminded them helplessly, "That comes with a prerequisite: the person being rescued cannot resist in the slightest. Otherwise, if they aren't rescued... you'll be dragged in too."
Li Qiang looked at the Azure Emperor and suddenly laughed, "Master, Qian Shanyong is Luo Heaven High Immortal in your Immortal Realm. How can you, as the leader, stand idly by? Aren't you afraid of disheartening your subordinates? Heh heh, if you want to be lazy, then teach your disciple. I'll go rescue him, and you can guide me."
Seeing that he couldn't stop them, the Azure Emperor had no choice but to say, "Since you insist on saving them, go ahead and do it. I'll tell you how."
Li Qiang was betting that the Azure Emperor wouldn't dare risk getting himself involved, and that rescuing people required the Azure Emperor's support, given his extensive experience.
Li Qiang winked at Chiming and carefully flew towards Qian Shanyong.
Chiming remained seated on the ground, refusing to get up. He pleaded, "I heard that the fewer people involved in a rescue, the better. Senior brother, I'll leave the rescue to you. I'll keep watch here."
Li Qiang turned around and laughed, "You little rascal, I'm not going to steal anyone, what are you doing keeping watch... uh..." After saying that, he realized that his words were inappropriate, so he stopped talking and turned his head to stare at the place where Qian Shanyong had fallen.
The Azure Emperor appeared beside Li Qiang, anxiously warning, "Be careful, this is Xinbo, don't be careless."
He was truly afraid that Li Qiang would fall into the Ancient God Restriction. If Li Qiang fell in, the key to unlocking the Ancient God Repository would be lost. The Ancient God Repository was a matter of life and death for all of them, so he dared not be careless at all.
Li Qiang chuckled inwardly, but said seriously, "Master, I'm being very careful." With the Azure Emperor backing him up, Li Qiang knew his chances of saving the person were much higher this time.
The heat storm raged around Li Qiang, and he carefully used the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Sword to protect himself. He had learned to grasp the balance in this, neither letting himself drift away with the wind nor forcibly breaking through the heat storm.
He used the spiritual technique taught by the Azure Emperor to solidify his form and flew forward through the gaps in the heat storm. When he encountered the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire, he used Fire Essence to collect it. Having traveled this far, he had gradually become accustomed to the environment here.
Emerging from the Thousand-Forged Stone, after flying less than 500 meters, one could clearly see Qian Shanyong struggling desperately, the golden light of the Wrath of the Heavenly God flashing continuously.
Li Qiang suddenly felt immense pressure around him. The heat storm seemed to have vanished abruptly, and an invisible suction force was quietly pulling him towards Qian Shanyong's direction.
The Azure Emperor said in a deep voice, "Don't struggle. Relax, the pressure will disappear in a moment."
Li Qiang wasn't entirely confident about saving the person, but he couldn't bear to watch Qian Shanyong fall into the Ancient God Restriction. Although they were enemies when they first met, Li Qiang felt that Qian Shanyong was a decent friend among the immortals after getting to know him Qian Shanyong.
Gradually, the pressure increased, and all sounds seemed to be drowned out; the surrounding silence was frightening.
If it weren't for the Azure Emperor's reminder, Li Qiang probably would have struggled uncontrollably. That quiet feeling was like a final burst of energy before death.
Li Qiang didn't dare to move an inch, not even daring to turn his head to look at Azure Emperor. It seemed like a long time had passed when suddenly, with a deafening roar, he heard the violent thunderclap once again.
The Azure Emperor whispered, "Stay steady! Stay still!"
Li Qiang was secretly alarmed. If even the Azure Emperor was so cautious, it meant that he had not exaggerated the power of the Ancient God Restriction.
Li Qiang whispered, "Should we remind him?" He suddenly felt like a thief; Chiming was right, wasn't he acting as a lookout?
Qian Shanyong entered alone, and he was very Qi Ingestion. With the Wrath of the Heavenly God and strength close to that of the Heavenly Lord, he felt confident that he should be able to enter. He was even more Qi Ingestion when he heard that Gu Xing had also entered alone.
Qian Shanyong refused Tianzhen's help and excitedly rushed in alone. However, he did not expect that Gu Xing was able to break in not entirely by luck and strength, but because someone had given him guidance.
When Gu Xing arrived, the Heavenly Cave was only temporarily opened for a very short time, and it was even more dangerous than it is now. From this, it seems that Gu Xing's realm is much higher Qian Shanyong's.
Driven by the Wrath of the Heavenly God, Qian Shanyong charged forward recklessly. In order to avoid a burst of Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire, he triggered Ancient God Restriction and was firmly sucked in.
When Qian Shanyong calmed down and began to struggle, he realized that something terrible had happened. The suction force of the Ancient God Restriction was extremely strange, and no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free. Even the Wrath of the Heavenly God was of no use.
He began to panic. Seeing that the Ancient God Restriction was about to engulf him, he suddenly realized that what the Azure Emperor had said was true, and that he really shouldn't have risked entering.
Just as Qian Shanyong to give up in despair, he suddenly saw Azure Emperor and Li Qiang flying towards him. He wasn't surprised that Li Qiang came to save him, but what was surprising was that Azure Emperor was also willing to come to his rescue. He was so excited that his eyes lit up.
Li Qiang's voice echoed in Qian Shanyong's ear, "Brother Qian, we're here to save you. The Wrath of the Heavenly God must be withdrawn. I must attack you to free you from the Ancient God Restriction. You can't resist at all... otherwise we'll all be trapped. Can you do it?"
Qian Shanyong had already given up hope, but he never expected that the Azure Emperor and Li Qiang would come to his rescue. He nodded repeatedly and transmitted his voice, "Okay, I understand. Tell me if there's anything else I should be careful about."
Li Qiang secretly admired him; this guy was indeed extraordinary, remaining so calm even in such a dire situation.
The Azure Emperor whispered a few words of advice to Li Qiang before flying to the side to avoid any potential impact.
Li Qiang transmitted his voice, "Brother Qian, I'm about to begin, be careful!"
He tried to unleash the Ninefold Evolving Gilt, a golden light striking Qian Shanyong like lightning. With a loud bang, Qian Shanyong trembled violently. Relying on his profound cultivation, he forcibly withstood the heavy blow, and immediately felt his body tighten, as if the Ancient God Restriction had pulled him once again.
He felt a little flustered and couldn't help but want to struggle. If it weren't for his absolute trust in Li Qiang, he would never have been willing to passively take the beating.
The Azure Emperor transmitted his voice. "Attack continuously, do not stop!"
Li Qiang gritted his teeth and unleashed a series of Ninefold Evolving Gilt Strikes, while simultaneously transmitting his voice, "Brother Qian, don't move! Don't move!" He found it amusing to himself; the Ancient God Restriction here were truly bizarre, and the methods for rescuing people were also too strange—they didn't even allow people to fight back when they were being attacked.
Qian Shanyong was struck by the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Light, his body radiating chaotic light. His immortal armor could not withstand it and began to crack. However, he could also clearly feel that the Ancient God Restriction was loosening.
The Azure Emperor transmitted his voice to Qian Shanyong, saying, "Idiot! Just because I don't want you to struggle or resist doesn't mean you can't use defenses. If you keep going like this, you'll be killed before you even escape the Ancient God Restriction... The Ninefold Evolving Gilt is a divine artifact!"
Qian Shanyong was both amused and exasperated. He hurriedly made a hand seal, and his body immediately flashed with red and white light. He thought to himself, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You only spoke up when you were almost beaten to a pulp by Ninefold Evolving Gilt. Sigh, the Azure Emperor is deliberately trying to make me suffer."
Ninefold Evolving Gilt Golden Light continuously struck Qian Shanyong. Li Qiang grew increasingly apprehensive as he fought, unsure when he could rescue Qian Shanyong, fearing he might accidentally smash him into the Ancient God Restriction.
Suddenly, Qian Shanyong shot outwards, and the Azure Emperor shouted, "Stop!"
Li Qiang was startled and had no time to retract the Ninefold Evolving Gilt he had unleashed. Under his extreme control, the golden light of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Sword brushed past Qian Shanyong.
Suddenly, Li Qiang's body tensed up as he was pulled in by the Ancient God Restriction, and his body was thrown out uncontrollably.
He couldn't help but yell, "Damn it! I messed up..."
The Azure Emperor cried out in alarm, "Don't struggle! Don't grab him!" The last sentence was addressed to Qian Shanyong.
As Qian Shanyong watched Li Qiang pass by, he couldn't help but reach out to grab him. However, after the Azure Emperor shouted at him, he was so frightened that he withdrew his hand and watched helplessly as Li Qiang was entangled by the Ancient God Restriction.
A sudden, very familiar feeling welled up in Li Qiang's heart, like the feeling of coming home when he first arrived in Xinbo. He hurriedly shouted, "Don't do it yet, wait a minute!"
Upon hearing this, the Azure Emperor was taken aback, thinking, "Could it be that he possesses the ability to break the Ancient God Restriction?" He turned to Qian Shanyong and said, "Go and wait on that Thousand-Forged Stone."
Qian Shanyong disobeyed the Azure Emperor's order once again, pleading, "I... I want to wait for him here... I... I can't hide on the sidelines..."
The Azure Emperor said impatiently, "You can't help here, what's the use of waiting here?" Qian Shanyong remained suspended in the air, determined not to leave.
Although Li Qiang was drawn in by the Ancient God Restriction, he showed no signs of being trapped. He struggled strangely for a moment, and the suction force seemed to weaken somewhat.
He was somewhat incredulous, knowing that Qian Shanyong's skill was far superior to his own. Suddenly, he felt a heat on his forehead, and an invisible ripple shot out from his Divine War Soul.
Although Li Qiang couldn't see it, he could clearly feel the fluctuations of the Divine War Soul. In an instant, he was swallowed up by the Ancient God Restriction.
Both Azure Emperor and Qian Shanyong were stunned; neither of them had expected Li Qiang to disappear so silently.
The Azure Emperor glared hatefully at Qian Shanyong, then turned and flew back to the Thousand-Forged Stone.
Qian Shanyong stared blankly at the spot where Li Qiang had disappeared, feeling immense guilt and frustration for the first time. After a long while, he listlessly flew to the Thousand-Forged Stone.
Chiming asked, "Where is my senior brother?"
After returning to the Thousand-Forged Stone, the Azure Emperor immediately closed his eyes and sat in meditation, completely ignoring Chiming's questions.
Upon seeing Qian Shanyong return, Chiming grabbed him as if he were a lifeline, asking him a series of questions. Qian Shanyong simply shook his head, unsure of what to say.
Chiming's eyes flashed red with anxiety as he roared, "Could he be trapped? Tell me...!"
No matter how much Chiming screamed and howled, Qian Shanyong stood motionless like a piece of wood.
The Azure Emperor suddenly stood up and said calmly, "Your senior brother is alright; we'll see him soon."
Only then did Qian Shanyong react.
Chiming rushed to Azure Emperor's side, exclaiming with overjoyed joy, "Master... you, you didn't lie to me, did you?"
The Azure Emperor nodded and said, "I have no reason to lie to you."
Qian Shanyong suddenly realized that the Azure Emperor had already devoutly calculated the matter after returning to the Thousand-Forged Stone. He lamented to himself, "My brother has fallen into this trap. Alas, it's all my fault for being too careless."
The Azure Emperor glanced at him and said coldly, "For Li Qiang's sake, I won't punish you. However, you don't need to return to the Immortal Realm anymore... You're lucky to have a friend like Li Qiang and for High Person Yuangu to plead for you. Weren't you having a good time on Sealed Fate Planet? You can continue to have a good time there."
Knowing that the Azure Emperor had spared him, Qian Shanyong bowed respectfully and said, "Yes, Qian Shanyong obeys."
The Azure Emperor changed his tone, speaking gently, " Li Qiang will remain in this realm from now on. You know what you should do."
Qian Shanyong was overjoyed, knowing that as long as he did well, the Azure Emperor would completely forgive him. It seemed that Li Qiang was truly his lucky star. He no longer dared to dream of returning to the Immortal Realm to compete for the position of Heavenly Lord.
After Li Qiang was sucked into the Ancient God Restriction, the first thing he saw was the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire. He was so frightened that he hurriedly transformed the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing into a golden light shield to protect his whole body. This time, even the Fire Essence dared not show its face.
Li Qiang stared in disbelief at the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire before him. When he turned around, he saw a vast expanse of Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire behind him, the purple light so intense it dazzled his eyes.
He knew things were going badly. Even if he wasn't afraid of fire, he was helpless against such a Heavenly Fire. It was the most powerful wild Heavenly Fire, with energy far beyond his ability to neutralize.
The Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire roared loudly. Li Qiang looked up and down, and saw a sea of fire all around him, with clusters of purple Heavenly Fire drifting everywhere. He dodged and dodged while trying to figure out how to escape.
Gradually, he calmed down and carefully observed his surroundings. First, he was certain that this was not the most dangerous place, because so far, he had not encountered any insurmountable obstacles. Apart from dodging the drifting Heavenly Fire, he dared not move rashly for the time being.
The purple Heavenly Fire began to gather towards him little by little. Li Qiang secretly groaned. He tried to fly forward, but after dodging several balls of Heavenly Fire, he could no longer escape the overwhelming fire.
Ninefold Evolving Gilt shattered a wall of fire, and in an instant, the surrounding Heavenly Fire surged up on him like a tide. This was a characteristic of the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire; once it encountered an obstacle, it would immediately envelop him.
Li Qiang had been playing with fire for a long time, and his reaction was extremely fast. He immediately summoned the Fire Essence and spread the Heavenly Fire he had collected around him. He used the method of using fire to counter fire. In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Fire that had enveloped him retreated, and a very small portion of the Heavenly Fire was assimilated by the Heavenly Fire around him.
Li Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, having temporarily resolved the threat of the Heavenly Fire. But how to get out?
As he flew onward, protected by the Heavenly Fire, the flames outside could no longer affect Li Qiang. However, after a while, he also felt that he could not withstand it.
The Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire itself exerted invisible pressure, and with such a large blaze, Li Qiang felt increasingly strained. He stopped in a relatively open area and quietly pondered a way out.
Li Qiang recalled the fluctuations of the Divine War Soul on his forehead when he entered. A thought struck him, and after much deliberation, he decided it was worth a try.
Others feared triggering the Ancient God Restriction, but I seemed to be a bit special, perhaps due to the influence of the Divine War Soul.
He suddenly remembered the inscription on the stele that recorded the divine oracle on Purple Soul Star, and hurriedly took it out.
He already knew that the so-called divine script was to be comprehended with Divine Sense. Soon, he used his Divine Sense to examine it, and couldn't help but curse himself for being an idiot.
This divine text contains instructions on how to enter the Ancient God Repository.
It turns out that with the Divine War Soul, Li Qiang didn't need to be so careful when entering. He could simply trigger the Ancient God Restriction and be teleported to the edge of the Ancient God Repository.
He didn't dare struggle when he was trapped by the Ancient God Restriction, and as a result, he was sent to the source of the Ancient God Restriction, the source of power of all the Ancient God Restriction in Xinbo — Extinguished Purity Enclosure.
Fortunately, he had already collected a lot of Heavenly Fire, otherwise even with the strength of Heavenly Lord, he wouldn't have lasted long and would have been Extinguished Purity Enclosure's Heavenly Fire sooner or later.
Li Qiang finally found the key. He unleashed a Divine Spirit Instruction, which he had just learned from the Jade Pupil Slip.
After the Divine Spirit Instruction was unleashed, the surrounding space immediately distorted, and countless rays of light flashed before his eyes. In less than a minute, Li Qiang found himself standing on a vast, empty platform. The environment was very familiar; it was none other than the palace on Purple Soul Star.
The hall was empty, devoid of any people or signs of life. Above the hall, blood-red and book-like fiery clouds rolled. The hall had huge pillars on three sides, with only one side having steps leading upwards. The floor was paved with Ink Fire Purple Cloud Crystal.
Li Qiang knew he couldn't fly up; he could only walk up step by step. After thinking for a moment, he stopped hesitating and slowly began to walk up the steps.
At first, Li Qiang walked up slowly and cautiously, but soon he became impatient and his speed increased. Gradually, he shot upwards like an arrow released from a bow.
After running for more than twenty minutes, the second plateau finally appeared.
There is also a huge, empty hall here, with black pillars on both sides and steps in front.
Li Qiang sighed inwardly. If an ordinary person came here, these steps alone would take him eight to ten years to climb. He simply couldn't understand where so much Ink Fire Purple Cloud Crystal came from to pave the ground.
Li Qiang was unaware that the first main hall was the first Ancient God Repository to be opened, and he was currently in the second Ancient God Repository that had been opened. Going up the steps would lead to the last Ancient God Repository to be opened, and then up to the Ancient God Repository that Gu Xing had opened.
He walked past the main hall and continued running upwards, this time even faster, arriving in less than ten minutes.
As Li Qiang stepped into the main hall, a familiar feeling welled up in his heart once again.
Without hesitation, he walked towards the group of pillars beside him. They were huge black pillars, each with a diameter of hundreds of meters. When he got to the bottom of the pillars, he looked only a tiny bit, like a small ant. The other end of the pillars seemed to reach the sky, with no end in sight.
With a ripple, Li Qiang stepped into the cluster of pillars. The Ancient God Restriction inside did not react to him at all. He knew that the Divine War Soul could completely dissolve the Ancient God Restriction in this hall.
He walked to the middle of the group of pillars and saw a huge purple pillar standing in the center.
Li Qiang took a few steps forward, stood under the pillar, and stared at it intently.
While lost in thought, Li Qiang suddenly felt a fluctuation in the Divine War Soul on his forehead, followed by the shaking of the huge purple pillar.
Li Qiang was immediately pulled by a powerful suction force. He had no intention of resisting and was lifted upwards by the suction.
Purple pillars billowed with wisps of smoke, and purple light shone brightly, as Li Qiang triggered the restrictions on the entire Ancient God Repository.
The Azure Emperor, along with Chiming and Qian Shanyong, were still struggling to fly through the passage, the three of them very close together.
Chiming transmitted his voice, "Master, how come my senior brother suddenly disappeared? Could it be that the Ancient God Restriction were ineffective against him?"
The Azure Emperor was anxious and uneasy. Although he had just deduced that Li Qiang was alright, further calculations yielded no results.
He was now focused on reaching the Ancient God Repository as quickly as possible. There were too many variables along the way, and for the first time, he felt powerless and helpless.
Seeing that the Azure Emperor didn't answer his question at all, Chiming was very displeased. He transmitted his voice again, "Master..."
The Azure Emperor impatiently transmitted his voice, "Little fellow, just follow your master, why ask so many questions?"
Chiming rolled his eyes, choked on his words. He flew away angrily, feeling utterly bored, and then transmitted his voice to Qian Shanyong: " Old Qian, didn't you leave with Tianzhen? How come you're the only one left?"
Qian Shanyong was also preoccupied with his own thoughts. He ignored Chiming's questions and simply kept on his way.
Chiming was furious, but he dared not lash out here. He could only sigh and obediently follow the two forward.
The heatwave suddenly subsided, and less than five minutes later, the surroundings became completely quiet. The Azure Emperor's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Quick! Take precautions!"
Although Qian Shanyong and Chiming did not know the reason, they were both very obedient. With a flick of his wrist, the Chiming Yeqi Dragon Staff appeared in Chi Ming's hand, and a huge star-shaped flower burst from the top of the staff, protecting his entire body.
Qian Shanyong stretched out his arms slightly, and golden light Wrath of the Heavenly God, rose from his shoulders.
A dark red light shone from a point in the distance and gradually expanded.
The Azure Emperor gasped, surprised, "A complete disruption of the restriction?"
He immediately stopped flying, Qian Shanyong and Chiming followed suit.
Chiming asked, "What do you mean by 'complete restriction fluctuation'?"
The dark red light quickly spread out, as fast as lightning, illuminating the entire Heavenly Cave. Chiming couldn't help but say, "What a strange feeling."
The Azure Emperor stared incredulously at the fluctuating red light, muttering to himself, "Who? Who activated all the restrictions?"
In an instant, a blinding red light flashed, and the Azure Emperor shouted, "Don't struggle! Let the restrictions send us out!"
In Qian Shanyong used the Wrath of the Heavenly God to protect himself. He saw a flash of red light before his eyes, and an immense pressure squeezed his body, like a mountain pressing down on him. He obeyed the Azure Emperor's words and did not use the Wrath of the Heavenly God to resist.
Immediately afterwards, he felt a sudden darkness followed by a flash of light, and found himself suspended in space outside Xinbo.
Qian Shanyong noticed that the black spot on Xinbo was rapidly shrinking, and bursts of light were constantly erupting around him. Ancient immortals appeared in the flashes of light. He saw that Azure Emperor, High Person Yuangu and High Person Boju had been thrown out, Tianzhen, Tianqu and Mist Star Cold Woman also flew over from other places.
After looking around, he couldn't find Chiming and Li Qiang, so he hurriedly flew over to them.
The Azure Emperor asked, "Who activated the restriction?"
High Person Yuangu remained silent.
High Person Boju said, "It's a pity. We were just one step away from entering the Ancient God Repository. The Ancient God Restriction seems to have originated from the Ancient God Hall, which was opened for the third time. But who could get there so quickly? I don't believe anyone can be faster than me."
The Azure Emperor said, " Yuangu, can you deduce it? I've tried several times, but I can't figure it out. It seems to be blocked by some kind of divine restriction."
High Person Yuangu shook his head and said, "I can't figure it out either. It's very difficult to deduce anything involving ancient gods..." As he spoke, more and more Bona immortals gathered around.
In the distance, a large group of Black Sacred Guards also rushed here.
The Azure Emperor frowned slightly and asked, "What are they planning to do?"