The three women, including Heavenly Aunt, looked at Li Qiang with a slightly nervous expression.
A hint of joy flashed across the Azure Emperor's face as he asked, "How is it?"
Li Qiang asked curiously, "Why do I have this feeling that books are familiar... like I've seen them somewhere before... um..." He fell into deep thought.
The Azure Emperor, the Heavenly Aunt, and Boju even more tense.
The Azure Emperor asked, "Have you seen a similar star map in the Ancient God Repository?"
He offered a reminder.
Li Qiang suddenly opened his eyes, two golden rays flashing within them. He slapped his thigh and jumped up. "Oh, I remember now, it was that star map... There are so many treasures in the Ancient God Repository, hehe, luckily I memorized them."
He took out the Star-Fixing Disc, marked out an area on it, and marked the entire star Star-Fixing Disc. Although it only took him a short while, he expended a great deal of his Divine Yi Power, which was a very mentally taxing task.
Heavenly Aunt seemed relieved, and she smiled, "It seems our calculations were quite accurate."
The Azure Emperor nodded and said, "This little fellow is incredibly lucky. Hehe, thank goodness for him, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome."
He picked up a pair of Guardian Divine Armor, examined it, and laughed, "This armor is quite good. We can wear it using the Phantom Shadow Escape Method, which will reduce a lot of danger."
Li Qiang asked, "What is the Phantom Shadow Escape Method?"
The Heavenly Aunt said, "It's the Cultivation Method of External Avatar. It uses a clone to replace the original body. If danger arises, the original body can leave immediately, and the clone will take its place. This is one of the most Cultivation Method of External Avatar... Your master will teach you the basic Cultivation Method of External Avatar later."
The Azure Emperor took the Star-Fixing Disc from Li Qiang and quickly memorized it. He handed the Star-Fixing Disc to Boju and then closed his eyes to ponder.
After reading it, the three of them fell silent, each with a serious expression as they pondered something.
Li Qiang put away the Star-Fixing Disc; although he had the star chart, he couldn't understand its mysteries.
The Azure Emperor spoke first, saying, "It's more complicated than I imagined. What do you all think?"
Heavenly Aunt said, "We should be able to handle the journey ahead... Thanks to the Guardian Divine Armor, it won't be too difficult. The key is that there are a few difficult points in the middle. It seems that the Guardian Divine Armor alone is not enough; in some places, we will still need to rely on our strength to get through."
Boju laughed and said, "If the three of us can't do it, then no one in the world can."
Li Qiang asked, "Since you can make predictions, could you predict whether we can successfully reach the main hub?"
The three Heavenly Aunt laughed. Heavenly Aunt said, "Hehe, my niece doesn't quite understand speculation, does she? It's very difficult to speculate about one's own affairs, and there isn't enough time right now. Every variable is different, so we don't speculate about the outcome of our actions."
Li Qiang asked, "Could you predict my next move?"
The Azure Emperor shook his head and said, "No, we're acting together. Everyone's thoughts are constantly changing, and our cultivation levels are too high for us to predict."
Li Qiang didn't understand their words and had never put any effort into speculating. He laughed and said, "Forget it, let's take it one step at a time. I don't think any difficulties can stop you."
Heavenly Aunt asked, "Do you know the Cultivation Method of External Avatar? This is very important. Having such Cultivation Method as cover in the Illusory God Main Hall will greatly reduce the danger."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "I only know a little bit about books... uh, basically nothing." Looking at the Gold Puppet on his wrist, Li Qiang knew that his External Avatar was still in the beginner stage. The clone formed by the Gold Puppet could not deceive the Ancient God Restriction, and it could not wear the Guardian Divine Armor. If he wore the divine armor with his real body, there would be too many concerns.
The Azure Emperor frowned slightly and said, "This is troublesome. The Cultivation Method for External Avatar takes a long time to learn. Once you put on the Guardian Divine Armor, you won't be able to come out... Hmm, let's try it out. First, learn the Cultivation Method, and then learn the Phantom Shadow Escape Method."
Li Qiang was very interested in the Cultivation Method of External Avatar. He had always wanted to learn it, as such a Cultivation Method would greatly increase his strength. He smiled and said, "I learn things very quickly. Please give me the Cultivation Method, Master, and I'll try to learn it faster." He didn't tell them that he had already learned the basic Cultivation Method of External Avatar.
The Azure Emperor handed Li Qiang a white Jade Slip and said, "This is a cultivation Cultivation Method. Give it a try. Once you learn the Cultivation Method, the Phantom Shadow Escape Method will be easy to learn. After you learn it, an illusory image will form around you. When you put on the Guardian Divine Armor, you can hold it up. If you want to take off the armor, just move your real body out, and the illusory image will remain inside the armor. If you try to retract the illusory image, the armor will mistakenly think you have disappeared."
Li Qiang examined the white Jade Slip and was overjoyed. This was the complete Cultivation Method for External Avatar. He had already learned the first part, and the rest contained all sorts of clone Law Technique, as well as the insights of the Azure Emperor.
The Cultivation Method of External Avatar can be considered a top-tier cultivation method, and it seems that the Azure Emperor has already revealed everything to Li Qiang.
After finding the Phantom Shadow Escape Method, Li Qiang closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, and then a faint shadow began to appear on his body, as if a halo was enveloping him.
The Azure Emperor, the Heavenly Aunt, and Boju all showed expressions of surprise; this learning speed was simply too fast.
Li Qiang's body suddenly moved, leaving a phantom image in place while his real body was already outside.
Li Qiang laughed happily, "Great! I've learned it. It's truly an amazing method!"
The Azure Emperor asked in surprise, "It's impossible to learn so quickly. Have you studied... No, that's not right. If you studied it, why don't you know the Phantom Shadow Escape Method?" The Azure Emperor, as expected of a supreme being of a realm, hit the nail on the head with just one sentence.
Li Qiang said, "I only know the most basic clone technique, which is a little different from the Cultivation Method my master gave me. Hehe, because I had learned it before, I picked it up quickly, so don't be surprised."
The Azure Emperor smiled and said, "I see, no wonder you learned so quickly."
Li Qiang said, "Wait a moment, let me learn another movement Movement Method." He didn't care whether the three were in a hurry or not, and closed his eyes to ponder again.
About five or six hours later, he suddenly said, "Okay, I understand." In an instant, three identical Li Qiang appeared in the square, but they all performed the same actions.
The Heavenly Aunt laughed and said, "That's far from enough." As soon as she finished speaking, three Heavenly Aunt appeared in the square, and each of them performed a different action.
One of her clones stood in front of Li Qiang and said, "Each clone should have its own independent thoughts." She pointed to the other clones in the arena, where one was strolling around and another was sitting cross-legged.
Li Qiang was utterly impressed; this was truly amazing. He asked, "Master, how can I control three clones?" As he finished speaking, the three clones he had conjured gradually faded away.
The Azure Emperor said, "Each clone is your true form. What do you want to control? You have three clones. What do you need them for? Clones aren't for show."
With top experts like Azure Emperor, Heavenly Aunt, and Boju guiding him, this was an extremely rare opportunity, and Li Qiang certainly wouldn't let it slip by. He pondered Azure Emperor's words repeatedly in his mind.
Heavenly Aunt said, "Let him think about it more. Once he understands it, the Cultivation Method of External Avatar will be easy to comprehend, and it will be easier to learn it again."
Li Qiang remained silent, pacing back and forth in the square, carefully recalling the records on the Jade Slip.
This is a bottleneck in cultivating the External Avatar. It has nothing to do with cultivation level; it's purely a matter of application techniques. It can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words. Others can only offer hints but cannot explicitly tell him how to do it. He must figure it out himself.
Boju whispered, "Aren't we being too hasty? Actually, he has already mastered the Phantom Shadow Escape Method, which is enough. The Clone Great Method might be a bit too difficult; it's hard to master it in such a short time."
The Heavenly Aunt smiled and said, "With the three of us explaining, if he still can't understand..."
The Azure Emperor shook his head and said, " The Clone Great Method is very difficult to explain clearly; he must figure it out himself. In fact, it's both difficult and easy—it can be done in the blink of an eye. Let's see how lucky the little guy is."
Li Qiang walked around the square, muttering something to himself. As he walked, a phantom emerged from him, quickly solidifying into a physical form that looked exactly like his real self, head bowed, also muttering something.
Another phantom emerged. The three walked forward in a line, looking extremely eerie.
The Azure Emperor sighed and whispered, "He still hasn't grasped the essence."
Suddenly, the last clone in line raised its head, looked around, and said with a smile, "Ah, I understand, I understand..."
Then, the other clone scratched its head and said, "Oh, I see, haha."
In an instant, the two clones seemed to come alive.
Li Qiang then created three more clones.
After creating five clones, he finally realized that he could only create a maximum of five clones; any more than that would be beyond his capabilities.
Li Qiang walked over with a grin, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Master, and thank you for your guidance, Aunt and Uncle." The Cultivation Method of External Avatar was the great art he had always dreamed of. Now that he could create five avatars, it was equivalent to increasing his strength fivefold, or even more, out of thin air.
The Azure Emperor was very satisfied. Li Qiang's comprehension was extraordinary; he had mastered the External Avatar Technique so quickly. He didn't know that Li Qiang had dabbled in the Buddha Sect Cultivation Method, which also required comprehension to learn.
Heavenly Aunt said, "Alright, let's go inside."
The Azure Emperor waved his hand and unleashed a beam of white light, which transformed into a star-shaped Law Treasure that affixed to Li Qiang's arm. This artifact was the Divine Link that the Azure Emperor and his companions cultivated, a treasure specifically used for communication.
The Azure Emperor said, "I will teach you two spiritual techniques. One technique is for drawing closer together, and the other is for communicating. Because of the Guardian Divine Armor, the Ancient God Restriction are basically unable to stop you."
These two magic techniques are very simple, and Li Qiang learned them in no time. "Good, this makes it even safer."
He secretly admired the Azure Emperor and his group for their meticulousness. They had planned almost everything meticulously before taking action, leaving no room for error. They were true masters.
Upon entering the Illusory God Main Hall, the four quickly donned the Guardian Divine Armor. Once in the Guardian Divine Armor, each of them shrunk to just over a meter tall.
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh, "This is really too ugly." His voice quickly transformed into a wave-like sound.
Boju exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, it actually transforms into divine energy! Interesting divine armor!"
The Azure Emperor shouted, "Let's gather together." The four quickly huddled together and were then teleported into a pavilion.
This is a Death Pavilion.
A roar resounded, and a towering Guardian Divine Beast bellowed angrily.
The Azure Emperor said, "This is not the starting point. We must find the starting point, otherwise we will not be able to reach the central hub."
Boju said, "I'll take down this divine beast, and then we'll find a way out."
He lunged forward and grabbed the divine beast by the neck. Because he was wearing the Guardian Divine Armor, his hand was actually a silver-white claw, with streaks of silver light shooting from its tip.
With a loud "crack," the divine beast let out a deafening roar and was instantly killed by Boju.
Li Qiang was sweating profusely. Boju's attack was so powerful and swift that it left him dumbfounded. With a single strike, he killed a divine beast whose strength was even greater than that of an ordinary immortal.
A wisp of green smoke rose from the divine beast's head and was immediately absorbed by Boju's divine armor.
Boju suddenly realized, "Good heavens, the divine beasts here fight whenever they meet... I sensed it; the energy possessed by this divine beast has been absorbed by my divine armor."
Li Qiang said, "I understand. The lower-level Guardian Divine Beast are on the outer layer, while the higher-level beasts are inside. To go deeper, we must continuously absorb the energy of these Guardian Divine Beast so that the divine armor can have stronger abilities, and... so that we can avoid triggering the Ancient God Restriction." He discovered that his Ninefold Evolving Gilt was unusable, and he could only rely on the abilities and various restrictions of the Guardian Divine Armor.
The Azure Emperor said, "That's right, I thought so too. Alright, now that we've obtained the star map, let's set our position here on the Star-Fixing Disc. After visiting a few more places, we can confirm our location on the star map and find our true starting point."
Li Qiang hurriedly took out the Star-Fixing Disc, divided up a new area, marked the current location, and said, "Okay, I've recorded it. Let's continue."
He knew that the method he was using was like the blind men and the elephant; only by exploring little by little and then comparing it with the star map could he find the starting point. It was a pity that the Luoge Grand Hall was not on the route map, otherwise it would have saved him a lot of trouble.
They then ventured into seven more pavilions, five of which were Death Pavilion, one Passage Pavilion, and one Illusion Pavilion.
Inside the Death Pavilion, the Azure Emperor made two moves, his divine armor absorbing energy twice, transforming from silver-white to a very pale gold, seemingly showing signs of evolution. Li Qiang also made two moves, his divine armor emitting a faint golden light. Heavenly Aunt made one move.
In order to obtain the energy contained in the divine armor and thus evade the Ancient God Restriction, they decided to take turns killing the Guardian Divine Beast to upgrade their divine armor.
The illusions within the Illusion Pavilion were utterly meaningless to people as knowledgeable as Heavenly Aunt. Leaving the Illusion Pavilion, they entered another pavilion.
Li Qiang has already recorded eight markers on the Star-Fixing Disc, but the number is still not enough to match the star map.
Upon entering the pavilion, Li Qiang didn't even bother to find out what kind of pavilion it was; he immediately marked the location. He carefully compared it to the star map, then suddenly shouted excitedly, "I've found my current location!"
He had the location of the Luoge Grand Hall, and by piecing together other locations he had recorded, he finally found the current location.
The Azure Emperor asked, "How far is it to the starting position?"
Li Qiang carefully searched for the starting point. After a while, he gasped and said, "Good heavens, we still have to pass through seventeen constellations, which means seventeen pavilions... Hmm, wait a minute, let me see if there's another way..."
He found the Luoge Grand Hall, did some calculations, and asked, "Master, do we have to start from the starting point?" He discovered that he could cut off the route from the Luoge Grand Hall to the middle, which would save a lot of travel time. He could simply take them into the Primordial Realm first and then return to the Luoge Grand Hall.
The Azure Emperor nodded silently, rejecting Li Qiang's attempt to take a shortcut.
The Heavenly Aunt explained, "We must start from the beginning because we don't know what changes might occur if we enter the route midway. Haste makes waste, and we don't need to take such a risk; it's not worth it."
Li Qiang sighed, "What a pity, seventeen pavilions... Heaven knows what kind of monsters we'll run into."
High Person Boju laughed and said, "Judging from the eight pavilions we've passed, these seventeen pavilions should be easy to get through. This is the outer defense; it's not difficult to break through. Hehe, nephew, be patient."
Li Qiang scratched his head with a wry smile. He knew that his master and the others had endured countless years to become gods, and they didn't have much time left to wait. Therefore, they would absolutely not take any risks without absolute certainty.
He thought for a moment, then resolutely said, "Alright, let me also experience the dangers of the Illusory God Main Hall." His words revealed a heroic spirit.
Li Qiang thought to himself that he had only been cultivating for a short time, yet he was now able to stand shoulder to shoulder with three of the most powerful experts and venture into the most mysterious Illusory God Main Hall together. This opportunity was truly rare.
Just as Boju had said, the seventeen pavilions were not difficult to navigate at all, except for one pavilion which took a little longer.
It was a Void Pavilion, completely Sea City, and Li Qiang only got there thanks to Azure Emperor and the others; he had no idea how to get there.
Finally, we arrived at the starting point. It was a very ordinary Passage Pavilion, but its color was quite unique—a light green rarely seen here.
The four stopped in the Passage Pavilion. The Azure Emperor reminded them, "The road ahead may be easy, but there might be some difficulties in the middle. We need to be careful on the rest of the journey. Hopefully, we won't encounter any powerful Ancient God Restriction or unpredictable things."
The Heavenly Aunt said, "The last stretch of the journey will certainly be difficult, but I am confident that I can overcome it."
Boju laughed and said, "We've prepared for so long, we have enough strength to reach the main hub, hehe, especially after obtaining that star map, I'm even more confident."
Li Qiang muttered to himself, "I'm confident I can go in with you guys. If I were alone... I wouldn't go to any central hub."
Following the path through the Passage Pavilion, the four of them slowly flew forward.
The second point is the Death Pavilion.
This time it was Li Qiang's turn to attack. His Guardian Divine Armor turned pale gold, and his claws emitted a deep red glow, as he infused them with the energy of the Heavenly Fire. Fortunately, it was divine Law Treasure, allowing the Heavenly Fire to pass through smoothly; otherwise, it would have been burned long ago.
Li Qiang knew where these divine beasts came from; he had been there himself and almost didn't make it back. He didn't want to kill them, but he also knew that if he didn't kill the divine beasts in the Death Pavilion, the Death Pavilion wouldn't open, and the next location wouldn't appear. To upgrade his divine armor, he had to be ruthless.
He sighed and rushed forward. In an instant, three Li Qiang appeared.
Just as the divine beast hesitated, Li Qiang had already succeeded. Watching the Guardian Divine Beast disappear into the air, he felt somewhat helpless.
Seeing that Li Qiang was very reluctant to do this, Heavenly Aunt said, "Nephew, these divine beasts are specifically used to test those who enter. Only if you can meet the requirements of the gods can you proceed to the next step, so... you don't need to feel guilty. This is a test for you from the Illusory God Main Hall."
Li Qiang sighed, "I understand. Alas, I haven't reached the state of doing as I please. Perhaps it's because I haven't cultivated to that level yet. For me... the Illusory God Main Hall doesn't hold much appeal. This isn't a place I want to be..."
The Azure Emperor said, "Little fellow, don't take your blessings for granted. Just because you don't need it now doesn't mean you won't need it in the future. This experience will be extremely beneficial to your future cultivation, especially... the main hub you went to this time is the main hub of the Illusory Star Divine Formation (https://www. hetushu. com. com). For us who are ultimately cultivating to godhood... never mind, you should go and experience it for yourself." He was somewhat dissatisfied with Li Qiang's attitude.
Li Qiang was quick-witted; he understood the Azure Emperor's meaning perfectly. He immediately laughed and said, "Master, I'm just feeling down for a moment. I'll be fine soon, I'll be fine soon... Hehe." He could only defuse the situation with a joke.
Then he urged, "Let's hurry up and leave. This is the Death Pavilion, and we don't know what's next... Strange, there's no treasure here at all."
The Azure Emperor and the others felt helpless against Li Qiang; this little guy was still thinking about finding treasure even after arriving at the Illusory God Main Hall.
The Azure Emperor said helplessly, "Alright, let's go. Everyone stay close together. Although Divine Link, it's best not to get separated." He took the lead and flew forward.
After the Guardian Divine Beast was destroyed, the Death Pavilion became the Passage Pavilion. Facing the seven passages that appeared, thanks to Li Qiang's star map, as long as the corresponding planet is found, the location of the next point can be determined. The Illusory God Main Hall is not a flat plane; in fact, the entire Illusory God Main Hall is like a star map, completely three-dimensional.
The next pavilion was the Ice Pavilion, a place of extreme cold, but it posed no threat to the peerless masters like the Azure Emperor, and they passed through it smoothly in no time.
They continuously overcame various obstacles and witnessed all sorts of different pavilions.
After passing through another Passage Pavilion, Heavenly Aunt said, "Wait a moment, from here we'll enter the middle section of the journey. The next point we're entering might not be a pavilion, so everyone be careful."
Li Qiang thought to himself, perhaps just like the Vortex Crystal Platform, the next point is the key to entering the middle stage.
Thinking of the Vortex Crystal Platform, a thought struck him, and he suddenly understood. Tianzhen and the others had only entered the middle section, and they were still far from truly breaking into the main hub. No wonder they hadn't returned to the Luoge Grand Hall after waiting for so long.
Just as Li Qiang was lost in thought, the four of them had already rushed to the next point.
As soon as they entered, they heard a series of thunderous sounds. The Azure Emperor shouted, "Be careful!" His voice transformed into waves, and the divine armor on the four of them immediately shone brightly.
Li Qiang exclaimed, "What is this thing?"
The Heavenly Aunt unleashed a divine artifact—a silver bottle, shaped much like a plum vase from porcelain. She proclaimed in a delicate voice, "This is the Thunder Tribulation Platform!"
Throughout the space, streaks of lightning twisted and turned, cascading down like waterfalls. After the silver bottle flew out, the lightning seemed to find an outlet, striking down on it one after another, creating a spectacular scene. All the lightning bolts converged, forming a funnel-like lightning bolt that connected to the silver bottle.
Li Qiang couldn't understand how Heavenly Aunt could still use Law Treasure. He asked, "Master, can I use divine artifacts? Why can't I launch my Ninefold Evolving Gilt?"
The Heavenly Aunt had no time to answer; she was focused on operating the silver bottle.
Boju said, "Any artifact that isn't offensive can be used, but the Ninefold Evolving Gilt is not an option."
The Azure Emperor exclaimed in surprise, " Thunder Tribulation Platform! It's comparable to Great Lightning Tribulation! Everyone be careful! Although the Thunder-Collecting Bottle can absorb lightning, it has to pass through the Thunder Tribulation Platform... Oh dear, how could... Three-Tribulation Great Heavenly Thunder have formed here!"