The appearance of High Person Yuangu and Gu Xing was truly astonishing.
Tianzhen couldn't understand how High Person Yuangu knew about such a secret matter. He pointed to the Illusory God Main Hall and said pitifully, " Chiming is in the Primordial Realm. Li Qiang went in. Does the Shangren need to see them?"
High Person Yuangu was stunned, and said incredulously, "You mean... Li Qiang has already entered the Illusory God Main Hall?"
Gu Xing was also stunned. Entering the Illusory God Main Hall alone was practically suicide, and he couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.
Qian Shanyong said, "Master, Brother Li has indeed entered the Illusory God Main Hall. We will wait for him here."
High Person Yuangu sighed and said, " Tianzhen, it seems you were the one who instigated him to go in. If he gets trapped inside, you'll be in big trouble... I can guarantee you'll never be able to complain about being pitiful again..."
His scalp tingled with Tianzhen, and he asked tremblingly, "Then, what should I be called?"
High Person Yuangu said calmly, "He is the disciple of the Azure Emperor, and your ancestor values him highly. If something happens to him, I can't imagine what you would do... Don't think that just because you have the Primordial Realm, you can freely enter and leave the Illusory God Main Hall. If it were that easy, I would have gone in long ago. Do you think we're all fools?"
Tianzhen kept her head down, muttering something unintelligible.
Qian Shanyong felt a little uneasy. He asked, "Master, Brother Li just went in. Is there any way to tell him to come out?"
High Person Yuangu shook his head and said, "There's no way to go in and find him. The Illusory God Main Hall is filled with layers upon layers of Ancient God Restriction. Alas! Tianzhen, you know that ancient immortals once entered the Illusory God Main Hall to explore, and five experts fell into it that time. Many others have tried to explore it since, but who has succeeded? You... never mind, I'm a step too late. Everyone, please sit down and let me do some calculations."
Gu Xing stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say something but then holding back; clearly, he dared not disturb High Person Yuangu.
After a while, Tianzhen suddenly realized that High Person Yuangu and Gu Xing had not come for the Illusory God Main Hall, but to find Li Qiang and Chiming, which meant they had nothing to do with him. Chiming was currently in the Primordial Realm, and they had no idea where Chiming was, so they could only come to find Li Qiang in this realm.
Tianzhen immediately became curious. What important matter could have alarmed even High Person Yuangu?
High Person Yuangu opened his eyes and said with a wry smile, "Even I found it difficult to predict this time. The Ancient God Restriction in the Illusory God Main Hall is too powerful."
Gu Xing jumped up from the ground in a panic, thankfully he didn't leap into the air, as the space above ten meters was also restricted. He said anxiously, "What do we do then?"
With a beaming smile, Tianzhen asked, " High Person Yuangu, could you tell me... what business do you have with those two?"
Gu Xing spoke up from the side, "Senior, it is...?"
High Person Yuangu waved his hand and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you... Gu Xing, you'd better listen to my arrangements."
Gu Xing bowed and said, "Yes."
Tianzhen was so angry that he squeaked twice and then fell silent. High Person Yuangu had no intention of telling him anything.
Given his Tianzhen nature, he should have immediately and shamelessly pestered Yuan Gu Shangren, but he was very wary of High Person Yuangu's Beiye Pill Cauldron, so he could only swallow his anger and stand aside in a daze.
Qian Shanyong and Dainan Fengyu were the younger generation, and they stood quietly to the side. Qian Shanyong, in particular, was even less willing to say anything, given his rather delicate relationship with Gu Xing.
High Person Yuangu considered for a moment and said, "We can only wait here. Tianzhen, when Li Qiang left, did he say when he would be out?"
He could only hope that Li Qiang would get out soon; if he got trapped inside, that would be a real problem.
Tianzhen said listlessly, "He said he'd come out to meet us once we found the right place, but he didn't know how long it would take."
High Person Yuangu nodded and said, " Gu Xing, you wait here. I'll go back first. When Li Qiang appears, you can discuss it with him again."
Gu Xing bowed and said, " Gu Xing respectfully sees you off, Venerable One."
High Person Yuangu glanced at Tianzhen, then vanished without a trace after a ripple.
He can freely enter and exit this realm thanks to Ringed Jade Heaven, but he cannot enter powerful Ancient God Restriction. Ordinary Ancient God Restriction do not pose any obstacle to him.
Tianzhen High Person Yuangu disappear, Tianzhen couldn't help but sigh, "Oh dear, I'm so pitiful."
As soon as Li Qiang stepped onto the steps of the Illusory God Main Hall, he was immediately enveloped by a restriction. An unparalleled force propelled him forward rapidly. He had no control over his body and could only use the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing to protect his entire body.
The surroundings flickered between light and shadow. He sensed tearing forces emanating from the Ninefold Evolving Gilt. Fortunately, his cultivation level was now extremely high. With the Purple Slip balancing his Divine Yi Power, his strength was completely different from before, allowing him to cope well with the pressure brought by the Ancient God Restriction.
Li Qiang didn't struggle deliberately; he knew that the more he struggled, the tighter the restriction would become.
The first layer of the Ancient God Restriction only took people to different places. Li Qiang judged that this was not a truly powerful restriction. As long as he went with the flow, he would definitely be able to get out. As for where he would end up, that was completely unpredictable. He felt like he was just drifting along with the current.
Less than an hour later, Li Qiang suddenly felt the pressure decrease dramatically. His eyes lit up and he found himself standing on a huge platform. The restrictions behind him rippled like water before slowly calming down.
The surface of the pure black platform was rough and uneven, crisscrossed with fist-sized engravings and countless small pits and holes. A faint mist permeated the platform, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Li Qiang scanned the platform with his Divine Sense for a while and found that there were no restrictions or living creatures on it.
The platform was enormous. Li Qiang used his divine eye to estimate that it was at least ten kilometers in diameter and appeared to be a rectangular platform, completely surrounded by barriers.
He dared not use teleportation recklessly in this place. Based on his past experience with Xinbo, he knew that the power of the Ancient God Restriction was unfathomable.
The surroundings were quiet. Li Qiang carefully walked towards the center of the platform, without touching the ground, moving forward in the air, half a foot above the ground.
Since nothing changed, he gradually increased his speed and soon arrived at the center of the platform.
In the center of the platform is a circular platform, about 100 meters in diameter and about one meter high, which is also empty.
Li Qiang landed on the round platform. He had only taken two steps when he heard a sharp roar coming from outside the platform. He was slightly startled and turned around to see a monster staring intently at him.
It was a monster whose entire body shone with golden light; it should actually be called Guardian Divine Beast.
This was the first time Li Qiang had ever seen such a mythical beast. It had a triangular head, a sharp beak like an eagle, and two eyes the size of fists, flashing with a terrifying red light. Its head was small, but its body was large. A sharp golden spike stood upright behind its head, like a sharp sword. The most peculiar thing was that it had a human-shaped body and was wearing golden divine armor. It was a huge creature, standing at least three meters tall.
A wave of energy emanated from it, and Li Qiang immediately understood its meaning. "Who are you? This is the realm of the gods; you must not trespass. You must come with me!"
Li Qiang smiled bitterly to himself. He had no intention of coming to the Illusory God Main Hall. If someone hadn't been pestering him, he would never have entered this place.
Li Qiang had already mastered those so-called divine characters. He transformed what he wanted to say into a wave and transmitted it, "Sorry, I have to go in."
The Guardian Divine Beast let out a deafening roar.
Li Qiang smiled calmly, "You have your responsibilities, and I have my goals, so don't yell at me!"
As the fluctuations spread, the Guardian Divine Beast was enraged, and at the same time, it was also puzzled, as this person's aura was simply too powerful.
It took two steps back, raised its head and roared to the sky, its voice booming like thunder.
Suddenly, another roar rang out, and another Guardian Divine Beast emerged from the light mist.
Li Qiang sighed and said, "Good heavens, two of them! That's outrageous! Group fights are usually my specialty, but this time I was left out and got bullied by a mythical beast."
Actually, he wasn't nervous at all. At worst, he could just go back to the Primordial Realm and then bring Tianzhen and the others in. He wouldn't be afraid even if there were another Guardian Divine Beast, let alone two.
The Guardian Divine Beast flanked him from both sides, and Li Qiang muttered to himself in annoyance, "Sigh, another fight is about to break out. I'm so pitiful!" Before he knew it, he had adopted his Tianzhen catchphrase.
Li Qiang dared not be negligent, knowing that the divine beast that appeared in the Illusory God Main Hall was definitely not to be trifled with. He activated the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor and at the same time awakened the Fire Essence that was in seclusion.
A huge purple flame immediately erupted from outside the divine armor. This was a defensive method he had secretly learned from the Fire Maniac. With the Fire Essence, he didn't need to cultivate Heavenly Fire separately; he could simply use the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire provided by the Fire Essence.
The Ninefold Evolving Gilt was gathered to his right side, its golden light poised to burst forth.
Li Qiang had no intention of fighting on the platform, so he quickly darted down to the ground. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he hurriedly dodged to the side.
A golden glint flashed in the corner of his eye. Li Qiang turned his head and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn it, another one has appeared!"
Another Guardian Divine Beast has appeared on the platform.
Seeing the three almost identical divine beasts, Li Qiang knew he was in trouble. He felt he might be able to deal with one or even two, but definitely not three.
He focused his mind, preparing to flee back to his Primordial Realm the moment the three divine beasts attacked simultaneously.
Strangely, the three Guardian Divine Beast stood still, simply surrounding Li Qiang in the middle.
Li Qiang said, "Hey, if you don't want to fight, don't just stand there... Get out of here now, or I won't be polite. I don't have time to waste with you."
He naturally regarded the three Guardian Divine Beast as humans, because they could communicate with each other through fluctuations of Divine Sense.
The surrounding space began to distort.
Li Qiang was stunned. He was very surprised that these three things, neither human nor beast, could actually work together to set up a restriction.
He couldn't help but let out a strange cry, "Great-grandfather's troubles! I've seen ghosts, but I've never seen anything like you! Get out of here!"
He finally made his move.
He didn't want to be too passive. Who knew what those three things might do? If he accidentally suffered a loss, he would have nowhere to seek justice and complain.
Li Qiang's current attack methods are very monotonous. Apart from various extremely powerful restrictions, only the Ninefold Evolving Gilt and Heavenly Fire can be considered weapons. He has no time to cultivate the divine artifacts he obtained in the Ancient God Repository. Moreover, he has realized that the more varied the attack methods, the worse the effect often is. Therefore, he adopts the most direct method to start attacking.
The Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Light transformed into a golden beam, slashing straight towards a Guardian Divine Beast.
The Guardian Divine Beast that was attacked did not dodge at all. With a casual wave of its hand, five golden rays flew out from its sharp claws. After leaving its hand, the golden rays suddenly increased in size, turning into five golden pillars of light as thick as water buckets, which spun rapidly like tornadoes and rushed towards it.
Li Qiang felt terrible. He could tell that the divine beast didn't care about him. Being looked down upon by this half-human, half-beast creature made him angry, and he shouted, "Screw your troubles!"
The golden light of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Bell paused slightly, then split into six golden beams. Five of them accurately struck the rapidly rising tornado, while the other, like a golden spear, stabbed it fiercely.
The Guardian Divine Beast hadn't expected Li Qiang to be so powerful, and it suddenly vanished from the spot.
With a series of loud explosions, the five golden rays and the book that Ninefold Evolving Gilt transformed into fell to the ground, while another golden light pierced through the phantom of the divine beast and struck the air.
Li Qiang waved his hand to recall the Ninefold Evolving Gilt, leaving five marks on the black ground.
Li Qiang was secretly surprised. This place could actually withstand the impact of the divine artifact, and the rapid movement of the Guardian Divine Beast also made him feel that it was difficult to deal with.
Li Qiang knew he couldn't afford to waste time and energy fighting these three mythical beasts.
With a quick thought, Li Qiang came up with an idea: to find a way to throw these divine beasts back to the Primordial Realm.
He knew during his fight with Fire Maniac that he could only successfully throw his opponent into the Primordial Realm when the opponent was careless.
Li Qiang quickly retreated.
Suddenly, a deafening howl erupted. The three Guardian Divine Beast each stood in a different direction and simultaneously unleashed countless golden rays. The golden rays rapidly intersected in the air, forming a vast golden net that swept down from the sky.
The black platform suddenly began to fluctuate, and Li Qiang felt his feet sink. The platform had turned into black viscous liquid, and the continuous suction force, like a flowing, Swift Boiling Current, slowed down his attempts to move.
The three Guardian Divine Beast finally completed the encirclement.
The Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Light transformed into a curtain of light, blocking the falling golden net, and the purple Heavenly Fire sank to Li Qiang's feet.
A strange feeling welled up in Li Qiang's heart. The intelligence of these three mythical beasts was too high. They were not like beasts at all, but rather very similar to humans.
The light network and the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Bell collided, producing a thunderous explosion. The dazzling light swept away the mist on the platform, and the immense pressure slammed half of Li Qiang's body into the platform.
Because of the Heavenly Fire flames that were buried beneath his feet, the Heavenly Fire instantly created a large crater on the platform, and the black viscous liquid quickly solidified under the high temperature of the Heavenly Fire.
Li Qiang grunted; even such a simple blow had left him feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Li Qiang desperately held on to the Ninefold Evolving Gilt, constantly drawing upon the Power of the Primordial Realm to resist this immense pressure.
Gradually, the net of light enveloped him from all directions, binding him tightly.
Li Qiang secretly groaned. He couldn't spare the time to send the divine beasts into the Primordial Realm. These three divine beasts were too powerful, almost equivalent to the strength of three ancient immortals.
In fact, the three Guardian Divine Beast were also struggling greatly; they probably hadn't expected Li Qiang to be able to resist for so long.
The three divine beasts roared simultaneously, each roar adding pressure to Li Qiang. Strangely, Li Qiang was always able to barely withstand the increased pressure, unaware that Li Qiang could draw upon the Power of the Primordial Realm to aid in the resistance.
The two sides are deadlocked.
At this point, it's all about skill; techniques and special tools are irrelevant. What matters is who can persevere to the end.
Li Qiang had no time to think further; he was simply struggling to hold on. The three Guardian Divine Beast dared not back down either; if Li Qiang were to retaliate, they too would be overwhelmed.
Li Qiang felt it was becoming increasingly difficult to extract Power of the Primordial Realm, let alone escape to the Primordial Realm at this time. He regretted his carelessness at the beginning.
The three divine beasts roared once more.
Li Qiang caught a glimpse of another mythical beast appearing on the platform, and he cried out in horror, "I'm so pitiful, how come there's another one..." Now he was really nervous.
The Guardian Divine Beast calmly and unhurriedly performed a Divine Spirit Instruction. Li Qiang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The beast actually knew how to perform Divine Spirit Instruction!
He was stunned and exclaimed, "What is this thing? It's too abnormal!" Helpless, he could only strengthen the protection of the Evolving Incantation Divine Armor.
The optical network began to shrink rapidly. Li Qiang struggled frantically three times, each time managing to open the network a little, but he still had no hope of escaping.
The three Guardian Divine Beast clasped their hands together, and a golden light shot out from their hands, as if they were pulling on a golden rope, the other end of which was connected to the net of light.
As the net of light enveloped Li Qiang, the three divine beasts bowed their heads and bent their backs in unison, and the spikes on their backs shot out a crystalline Blue Light. The three Blue Light connected together, and with a crisp "pop," the blue light shot downwards, landing right outside the net of light.
The last Guardian Divine Beast to appear finally completed a complex Divine Spirit Instruction. It roared and released the Divine Spirit Instruction, causing everything around it to spin rapidly.
Li Qiang was barely holding on; he could no longer see the changes outside. His three struggles had exhausted a great deal of his Divine Yi Power, and he could only remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
Li Qiang realized that the Divine Spirit Instruction unleashed by the mythical beast didn't add much pressure to him. He carefully observed the outside of the light net, where various scenes were rapidly passing by.
Li Qiang suddenly realized that this was a Divine Spirit Instruction that combined teleportation and restriction, probably to take him somewhere.
He sighed inwardly and prayed silently that no superhuman figure would appear, or he would be in deep trouble.
He made up his mind that he would escape to the Primordial Realm as soon as he had the chance. This place was too abnormal. With these four Guardian Divine Beast and the advantages of the natural environment, even if Heavenly Aunt and her people came, they might not be able to get away with it.
I thought that all I had to do upon entering was deal with the Ancient God Restriction, but I never expected to encounter such a monstrous divine beast.
Suddenly, Li Qiang felt himself ascending upwards, and the four Guardian Divine Beast also ascended at the same time.
Li Qiang glanced down at the gradually shrinking black platform below and realized that the ground below resembled a black and white chessboard. The place where he had just been fighting was actually a small black square.
Besides black and white, one could also see colorful grids interspersed among them. With his divine eyes, he saw the layout of the Illusory God Main Hall.
Li Qiang immediately stopped struggling, but maintained the tension of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flow to prevent the light net from completely closing in.
He realized that if these mythical beasts didn't come, he would have a hard time finding any central hub in the grid, and these messy grids would consume countless years of his life.
After stopping struggling, Li Qiang discovered something incredible: the pressure on the optical network began to ease.
He realized that as long as he didn't struggle, the net of light would only trap him, and it seemed to be taking him somewhere.
Li Qiang decided to wait and see, relaxing slightly as he awaited the unknown destination ahead.
About half an hour later, Li Qiang noticed his body beginning to descend. At the same time, the light net suddenly tightened, and before he could react, the golden light net compressed the golden radiance of the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowing Sword by half.
Li Qiang cursed his opponent for being cunning. He hurriedly spat out a mouthful of Divine Yi Power, and the Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flowed expanded slightly.
In a flash, Li Qiang landed on a huge platform.
The platform was entirely golden, shimmering with dazzling golden light. The Guardian Divine Beast seemed to Fusion with the entire platform. If it weren't for his divine eyes, Li Qiang wouldn't have been able to see anything clearly in the blinding golden light.
The three Guardian Divine Beast released their grip, and the light net, having lost its support, transformed into countless golden stars and disappeared into the air as Li Qiang's Ninefold Evolving Gilt Flow expanded.
Li Qiang's curiosity was piqued. He couldn't understand why his opponents had given up on imprisoning him. At this moment, he was no longer in a hurry to escape to the Primordial Realm. He wanted to see what these things were planning to do.
Four Guardian Divine Beast stood in the four directions. The dazzling golden light on the platform suddenly disappeared, revealing a golden ground. The entire platform's ground looked like molten gold, as if it were slowly flowing, yet the ground was flat and smooth.
Li Qiang was at a loss for what to do. He tried using the fluctuations of his Divine Sense to ask, "What are your plans?"
A wave of energy emanated from the temple. "You are qualified to become the eighth temple guardian. Please decide for yourself whether to stay or be permanently imprisoned."
Li Qiang noticed three more humanoid monsters appear. He asked fearfully, "Are you human or monsters? Answer me first! Where is this place?"
Another wave of energy rippled through the room. "This is the nexus of the main hall of the Illusory God Main Hall. Here, you have no chance of fighting back. Who we are is unimportant. If you are willing to become the eighth guardian of the temple, we will tell you everything."
Li Qiang wouldn't make any promises lightly. He asked slyly, "First, answer me... are you human or monster? Once I know that, I'll consider whether to become the eighth temple guardian."
He was certain that these monsters were not monstrous creatures, but he still couldn't figure out what they were.
A shocking scene unfolded: the golden armor on the seven Guardian Divine Beast began to shrink, and seven people appeared on the platform.
Li Qiang exclaimed, "Huh? People? Who are you?!"
These seven men were all burly men, seemingly possessing boundless power.
After the divine armor retracted, they were about two meters tall, with a wide, shimmering golden belt around their waists, and half of their blue skirts covering their thighs. They had four golden rings on their left arms, and their naked bodies were covered with intricate patterns, the meaning of which was unknown.
One of them stepped forward, stood in front of Li Qiang, and said expressionlessly, "We are ancient immortals trapped in the Illusory God Main Hall. We were fortunate enough to become guardians, Guardian Divine Beast with humanoid beast heads. You also have the qualifications to become the eighth Guardian Divine Beast."
Li Qiang felt a chill run down his spine. The eighth Guardian Divine Beast? That meant he could no longer be a human.
His eyes darted around, and he said, "Are you never going to leave?"
The man, still expressionless, said, "Please answer immediately: yes or no!"
The cold words almost drove Li Qiang crazy; he couldn't understand why these ancient immortals would willingly become a divine beast.
Li Qiang knew that refusing would immediately trigger a fight. He was no match for the seven ancient immortals, especially since they were guardians of the temple. Here, they should be able to draw upon the temple's power.
To buy time, Li Qiang deliberately said, "Uh, hey, this is so sudden. Let me think about it for a bit, okay?"
The ancient immortal hesitated for a moment, perhaps relying on the superior numbers and the powerful Ancient God Restriction surrounding them, before nodding and saying, "Alright, we'll wait for your answer. Don't drag it out too long, or you'll be punished."
Li Qiang quietly left a location mark on the Star-Fixing Disc. He planned to escape, but one thing made him hesitate: should he throw these seven ancient immortals into the Primordial Realm?
He always felt that these ancient immortals were reluctant to take on the role of guardians of the temple; they probably weren't doing it willingly.
Finally, Li Qiang made up his mind, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "I've made up my mind!"