Chapter 45: Two Options for You
Li Cheng stared at the approaching flying warship, and it wasn't difficult to infer from their spiritual sense communication that these people were here for him!
To seek someone out, yet they arranged a Concealing Formation on the flying warship and even employed so many Loose Immortals, who would believe there wasn't malice intended?
"From their words, it seems the Pill Tribulation drew them here, and to find me, could it be they intend to kidnap me?" Li Cheng thought secretly.
"Fellow Daoist ahead, please board the ship for a chat!"
The flying warship stopped several miles away, the Concealing Formation was withdrawn, and a robust voice came from the warship. Upstodatee from n(0)/v𝒆/lbIn/.(co/m
Obviously, the fact that Li Cheng had discovered them had been noticed, so they simply stopped.
At the bow of the ship, a burly middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a domineering presence, and calmly fixed his gaze on Li Cheng miles away.
Li Cheng crossed his arms in front of his chest, sizing up the middle-aged man, and clearly sensed that he was a Ten Tribulation Loose Immortal!
Seeing that Li Cheng made no move, the middle-aged man took the initiative to step into the void and stopped two yards away from Li Cheng, before saying, "Are you Eighteenth Elder Li Cheng of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?"
"How can you tell?"
Li Cheng faintly guessed that ever since the last Pill Tribulation, his appearance had probably already spread.
"Fellow Daoist is surrounded by the aura of thunder tribulation and unscattered Pill Qi, plainly having recently faced a Pill Tribulation. Looking across the entire Southern Domain, the only one who could attract such a tribulation is Eighteenth Elder Li Cheng of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect," the middle-aged man calmly spoke.
Li Cheng understood the reasoning behind this deduction, which wasn't wrong, and he smiled, saying, "It seems my reputation isn't small."
"Of course, who in the Southern Domain doesn't know the name of the Eighteenth Elder of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?" The middle-aged man's expression remained calm, as if his resolute face was paralyzed and incapable of additional expressions.
The tone shifted as the middle-aged man said, "I am Supreme Elder Wan Zhongshan of the Taoist Mysterious Sect, and this visit is specifically for you!"
Li Cheng glanced at the flying warship behind Wan Zhongshan and laughed, "Elder Wan really thinks highly of me, to mobilize more than thirty Loose Immortals just for my sake?"
"Only in this way can the sincerity of our Taoist Mysterious Sect be showcased!" declared Wan Zhongshan.
Sure, bring so many peerless experts and call it sincerity?
It's clearly a threat!
Who brings a pile of nuclear bombs to express sincerity?
"Let's get straight to the point, we'd like to invite you to join the Taoist Mysterious Sect. As long as you agree, you'll immediately receive the same treatment as the Sect Master!" Wan Zhongshan's paralyzed face still showed no extra emotion.
Li Cheng began to understand why the old Sect Master desired to conceal the Heavenly Mechanism, not only to prevent others from prying into the production of so many Responding to Calamity Pills but also to avoid other forces from snatching people.
Unfortunately, before they could conceal the Heavenly Mechanism, the Pill Tribulation had already descended.
"Think it over!"
"The sect ranked number one amongst the top ten, the confidence is just different. It's a pity, I'm not interested in Alchemy!" Li Cheng's face lost its smile as he spoke indifferently.
No sooner had the words left his mouth, Li Cheng suddenly felt that what he said sounded very much like what Master Ma said: "I'm not interested in money!"
However, what he said was the truth; he really wasn't interested in Alchemy.
Wan Zhongshan frowned. From a distance, the expressions of people on the battlefield were stunned, not interested in Alchemy?
If he were not interested, could he have achieved such a high level?
Undoubtedly the number one in the Alchemy Dao, yet claiming not to be interested in Alchemy?
This statement… seems a bit too bold!
Wan Zhongshan laughed, his normally stoic face unexpectedly revealing a hint of amusement, "1 have already been quite polite, Elder Li, it would be better for you to agree!"
"Or what?" Li Cheng's expression remained calm.
Wan Zhongshan pointed to the flying warship, "Originally, I prepared to lead my men in a raid on the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, directly take you away, and incidentally take those Responding to Calamity Pills you just refined."
"But since I've encountered you here, it has saved us the trouble!"
Li Cheng sneered, scoffing, "With just this few people, you think you can raid the Heavenly Mechanism Sect? Are you still dreaming?"
So many Loose Immortals, while powerful, would be masochistic to enter the enemy's home ground!
Which ancient sect didn't have defensive measures laid down by Immortal predecessors?
Having just said that, Li Cheng suddenly frowned, the Taoist Mysterious Sect wasn't foolish either, how could they be unaware of the consequences of entering the enemy's territory?
But they came anyway!
To dare to do so, unless…
Li Cheng's Spiritual Sense surged, sweeping towards the flying warship, and indeed, he faintly sensed a powerful presence within the cabin!
Immortal!
"Such a strong Spiritual Sense, this old man has already done his best to conceal my aura, yet you still discovered it!" A distant voice came from within the cabin.
Talk about cheating!
The Taoist Mysterious Sect actually hid an Immortal!
Recalling the past, even the Remnant Soul of a True Immortal was terrifyingly powerful, and now, here was a living Immortal!
Although I do not know his Realm, he definitely won't be weaker than that Remnant Soul, after all, this is a genuine Immortal.
"No wonder you could trigger the Pill Tribulation, with such powerful Spiritual Sense… Very well, Elder Li, you have two choices!"
"First, willingly leave the Heavenly Mechanism Sect and join my Taoist Mysterious Sect, we'll offer you the same treatment as the Sect Master!"
"Second, 1 will forcibly take you away, and along the way, cause a disturbance at the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. How many survive in the Heavenly Mechanism Sect then will be a matter of fate!"
The ethereal voice rose, and the might of the Immortal permeated the heavens and earth, making one's scalp tingle!
Listening to the Immortal's words, Li Cheng calmed down instead, a smile slowly spreading across his face, "I've always been curious what kind of characters the number one ranked Taoist Mysterious Sect was composed of. Turns out, it's just a bunch of self-righteous idiots!"
Wan Zhongshan frowned, "So you choose the second option?"
Li Cheng's gaze moved away from the flying warship, staring straight at Wan Zhongshan before him, "Loose Immortals should obediently stay within their sects. It's very dangerous to wander about without a cause!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Cheng flicked his fingers, and the Heaven's Hidden Soul Nourishing Flame spread out far and wide, instantly enveloping an area of more than ten miles!
Aboard the flying warship, the Immortal reacted very quickly, instantly activating his Immortal power to wrap around the flying warship. But no matter how fast he was, he could not protect Wan Zhongshan who was right in front of Li Cheng!
The Heaven's Hidden Soul Nourishing Flame, enveloped in the Rule of Fire, unleashed terrifying heat waves that shocked Wan Zhongshan into fully activating his True Yuan for protection while he rapidly retreated.
But in an instant, his protective True Yuan was burned through by the Heaven's Hidden Soul Nourishing Flame, and the mysterious power even surged into his sea of consciousness, rapidly devouring his Spiritual Sense!
At this moment, the entire sky was filled with blue flames!
Just as Wan Zhongshan was severely injured in a face-to-face encounter, the Immortal protecting the flying warship finally managed to act, grabbing through the air, his Immortal power dispersed the Heaven's Hidden Soul Nourishing Flame around Wan Zhongshan, and also pulled him back to the flying warship.
But no sooner had he saved Wan Zhongshan, they discovered that Li Cheng had disappeared!
The blazing flames dissipated quickly, and Li Cheng's figure was nowhere to be found in the arena.
"You can run from the monk, but not from the temple. Ancestor Master, let's just go straight to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect!" Wan Zhongshan, gravely injured, said through gritted teeth.
"Idiot, do you really think the Heavenly Mechanism Sect is so easy to attack? Li Cheng went to the north.. 1'11 go after him, you all keep up!"
Chapter 46 Master, Hit Him!
Wan Zhongshan wished he could rush straight to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect at once, confident that with an Ancestor Master from the Immortal Realm present, they would be invincible.
However, to his surprise, the Ancestor Master seemed to have no intention of going to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect and simply vanished into thin air after leaving a message.
Wan Zhongshan frowned, "Well, our target is Li Cheng, after all. Activate the warship, catch up with him!"
"Elder, how is your injury?" a Loose Immortal asked with concern.
Wan Zhongshan let out a helpless sigh, "My eleventh Loose Immortal Tribulation is only decades away, and there's no chance of recovering within that time!"
The Loose Immortal's eyes showed shock, suffering such serious injuries after merely staying in Li Cheng's Spiritual Fire for one or two seconds?
How powerful must that Spiritual Fire be?
If he can't recover, the next Loose Immortal Tribulation will be the day Wan Zhongshan's soul is scattered!
"Right now, only by obtaining the Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pill can elder brother safely transcend the Loose Immortal Tribulation," the Loose Immortal said thoughtfully.
Wan Zhongshan nodded, "The Ancestor Master sensed that Li Cheng had previously refined quite a few Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pills, catching him will resolve the issue."
As he spoke, Wan Zhongshan swept his gaze over the crowd, "Everyone give it your all to stimulate your True Yuan, and catch up as fast as possible!"
Li Cheng, running at full speed, did not return to his sect but headed to the location indicated on the map of the Immortal Stone.
He knew the Taoist Mysterious Sect's people would surely pursue him, and logically, returning to the sect would be the safest, given that the sect had measures left by the ancestors, which could handle ordinary Immortals without a problem.
But Li Cheng didn't dare to take the risk; if the ancestors' measures couldn't stop those Immortals, the Heavenly Mechanism Sect would suffer heavy losses.
On the contrary, the place pointed to by the Immortal Stone was very likely to be shrouded in a Natural Array, seeing as the stone came from an Array Pattern Stone.
Natural Arrays, even Immortals wouldn't be able to break through them easily.
Therefore, finding that place might actually be safer.
Soon, Li Cheng had already flown past the valley from last time, and the direction indicated by the Immortal Stone was now very clear, apparently very close!
"What's the use of running? Hehe, just stop, I, from the Taoist Mysterious Sect, simply wish to invite you to join us!"
The Immortal's voice transmission echoed in Li Cheng's ears.
Li Cheng spread his Immortal Sense over three thousand miles and found that the Immortal was always two thousand miles behind him, sticking to him like a persistent ointment, impossible to shake off!
Li Cheng didn't respond and continued to rush forward.
"Stop wasting your energy, this old man is at the Complete Heavenly Immortal Realm, do you really think you can escape?"
"Just submit obediently!"
Complete Heavenly Immortal?
Li Cheng's eyelids twitched, the strength of that previous True Immortal's Remnant Soul was still fresh in his memory, this was a being just one step away from entering the True Immortal existence!
Could it be hundreds of times stronger than that Remnant Soul?
But after thinking for a moment, Li Cheng faintly felt something was amiss.
The aura given off by this Complete Heavenly Immortal didn't seem much stronger than that of the previous Remnant Soul!
Logically, when an Immortal falls, if only the Immortal Infant remains, its combat capability should be less than one-tenth of when it had a physical body.
And a Remnant Soul, which is the Soul Power remaining after the Immortal Infant shatters, would have a combat capability that is countless times less.
By that calculation, the Remnant Soul definitely possesses only a mere fraction of the power of its peak, perhaps even less than one hundredth or one thousandth!
In that case, compared to that previous Remnant Soul, the elder of the Heavenly Immortal Realm must be lying; surely he had just entered the Heavenly Immortal stage—after all, he wasn't much stronger than the Remnant Soul!
Since he had just become an Immortal not long ago, what was there to fear?
Having easily inflicted heavy injury on a ten-tribulation Loose Immortal, this newly promoted Immortal definitely wouldn't be stronger, having only the advantage of Immortal Yuan over True Yuan.
Immortal Yuan, a level higher than True Yuan, is a qualitative difference; probably because of this difference, the elder was able to withstand his Spiritual Fire, right?
What Li Cheng didn't know was that when the elder had resisted before, he couldn't have held on for long.
Why did he have to run so fast?
If he had persisted a little longer, maybe the elder's Immortal Yuan protection would have been burned through, after all, this was Spiritual Fire imbued with the Rule of Fire.
Even the laws of the Lower World are not to be underestimated.
Just as he prepared to stop and deal with the old man, a faint voice suddenly rang out in his head, "Hit him… Immortal Infant…"
"Hm? Purple Void Jade Emperor's Tripod?" Li Cheng was taken aback, the voice was clearly emanating from the Purple Void Jade Emperor's Tripod!
"Yes, master, hit him!"
The voice was very childish and somewhat indistinct, but the message was clear: it was urging Li Cheng to attack!
"I was planning to do just that!"
Li Cheng stopped running, turned around, and looked at the old man rapidly approaching him, "You only became an Immortal recently, didn't you?" Whoosh!
The old man arrived in an instant, stopping several miles away from Li Cheng, with a hint of confusion crossing his eyes. Was he actually persuaded by his own words and no longer fleeing?
But what did he mean by asking if he had just become an Immortal?
The old man recounted his own journey of cultivation. Fie had ascended more than ten thousand years ago, having been an Immortal for just over ten thousand years indeed, which was not very long.
He nodded slightly, "Yes, that's right. What's your point?"
Contempt flickered in Li Cheng's eyes, "I thought you were something formidable. A recent Immortal, and you dared to pursue me?"
The old man was taken aback, then immediately thought that there must be powerful figures from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect lying in ambush nearby, or else where would Li Cheng get the confidence to say such a thing?
He quickly released his Immortal Sense, but he couldn't detect any powerful beings concealed in the shadows.
Under these circumstances, either Li Cheng was feigning composure, or the being hiding in the shadows was of far greater strength than him, making them undetectable to him.
For a moment, the old man became worried. If there really was a powerful being far stronger than himself hidden in the darkness, then that would be disastrous!
Given Li Cheng's mastery of the Alchemy Dao, knowing powerful Immortals was quite normal.
Li Cheng saw the old man's struggle and became even more certain of his own guess!
'Indeed, this old man is simply at the early stages of the Heavenly Immortal realm, just bluffing!' Li Cheng thought to himself.
"Master, I want… the Immortal Infant!" The muddled voice of the Purple Void Jade Emperor's Tripod appeared in Li Cheng's mind again.
Li Cheng was puzzled, what would a tripod want with someone's Immortal Infant?
Was it to absorb Immortal Yuan in order to advance to an Immortal Artifact?
But within the Lower World, bound by the Order of Heaven and Earth, an Immortal Artifact could not be born, at best it could become an exquisite half-Immortal Artifact, which would always fall short of becoming a true Immortal Artifact. Upstodatee from n(0)/v𝒆/lbIn/.(co/m
Only in the Immortal World could it become a genuine Immortal Artifact.
What Immortal Artifact from the Lower World wasn't brought down from the Immortal World?
"I wonder which senior is present? 1 am conducting Taoist Mysterious Sect's business, please show yourself!" the old man's voice echoed forth.
Li Cheng's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. Did this guy think he had backup?
What a great opportunity!
Seeing the old man distracted and scanning the surroundings, Li Cheng didn't hesitate to strike!
A distance of just a few miles, Li Cheng closed it in an instant, launching a punch toward the old man's head.
Even though the old man was distracted, his reaction was extremely quick. He tilted his head slightly and dodged Li Cheng's attack, and instead reached to grasp Li Cheng's wrist.
Li Cheng turned his fist into a palm and struck fiercely. The old man, utterly unconcerned, met it with a palm of his own. At once, a tremendous surge of power emanated from where their palms met, sending both of them reeling backwards.
The old man's brow furrowed as he exclaimed, "Just Complete in the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, how could you be so strong?"
This strike sent him staggering back more than a dozen steps before he could steady himself, whereas Li Cheng was only pushed back a single step!
He knew very well that if it weren't for his advantage of possessing Immortal Yuan Power, that punch might have killed him!
"Indeed, an old geezer with no shame, your strength is just as it appeared, you fooled me claiming to be at the Complete stage of a Heavenly Immortal!" Li Cheng inwardly muttered.
Quietly making his estimations, Li Cheng felt that this man's strength was comparable to that of a Ten Tribulations Loose Immortal!
He could be killed!
Chapter 47 The Secret Land Hidden by the Formation
Having gauged the old man's strength, Li Cheng felt nothing but disdain.
A venerable Immortal, yet he would falsely boast of his Cultivation to scare others.
The embarrassing part was, he had actually fallen for it!
This matter must not get out.
Thinking about it, it made sense, the Immortal Yuan inside an Immortal isn't something True Yuan could compare to, how could a cultivator from the Lower World see through his Cultivation?
So, just bluff, after all nobody could see through it.
As long as it could fool people, that was enough.
Just as the old man had stabilized his stance, Li Cheng had already swooped in front of him again, throwing another fierce punch at his chest.
The old man only managed to stack his palms in front of his chest in time but had no chance to counterattack. When the punch landed, he felt as if his palms and chest were struck by a mountain, with his internal energy and blood churning non-stop.
With Li Cheng's half-immortal Artifact level physical strength, going all out, unless faced with an Immortal Artifact, what could withstand it?
In the blink of an eye, Li Cheng had thrown more than a dozen punches, finally causing the old man to cough up fresh blood!
The old man wanted to use the momentum of Li Cheng's punches to retreat, but Li Cheng, sticky like a plaster, wouldn't give him the chance to open any distance!
For a moment, the old man couldn't use any of his techniques.
Otherwise, with a few Immortal spells, he was confident he could turn defeat into victory.
After all, close-quarters combat wasn't his forte.
And now, his Immortal Yuan was being disrupted by the force of Li Cheng's attacks, making it increasingly difficult to mobilize!
Desperate, the old man quickly said, "Stop, let's talk this over!"
"You think I'm a fool? Giving you a chance to catch your breath? It's not impossible, just hand over your Immortal Infant."
Li Cheng kept bombarding with punches, while the old man struggled to retreat. In just a short few breaths, they had covered dozens of miles.
Suddenly, sensing something, the old man disregarded the intense pain in his palms and chest, and with all his might, spat out saliva laced with blood at Li Cheng!
"What the? Spitting during a fight, are you really an Immortal?"
Li Cheng quickly dodged, staring incredulously at the old man as he turned and fled.
A venerable Immortal, acting so shamelessly?
We are not children, how can he spit during a fight?
The old man headed straight for the valley below without a moment's hesitation.
Li Cheng started to wonder if this Immortal elder had discovered some Demon Beast excrement down in the valley?
He's already spat, the next step might be to hurl Demon Beast dung at him!
But as he looked toward the valley, Li Cheng raised his eyebrows, "A Natural Array!"
Looking at the map on the Immortal Stone, the red dot had turned green without a doubt, the Treasure Map pointed right here!
Li Cheng was somewhat speechless; this had been his prepared escape, yet now the old man was taking advantage of it?
Seeing the old man about to enter the valley, Li Cheng didn't hesitate to flick his fingers into a sword and fiercely unleashed a Sword Qi.
Bang!
The old man's back was instantly lacerated and his body was slammed into the valley by the powerful blow, vanishing from Li Cheng's view.
He hadn't actually disappeared, but entered the Natural Array that enveloped the valley, rendering him invisible from the outside.
Li Cheng landed above the valley, and with a slight beckoning of his Spiritual Sense, he discovered that the Natural Array spanned for three miles, perfectly encasing the valley. The scenery of the valley that was presented was merely an illusion!
"The surface shows an illusion; Array Masters below level eight wouldn't notice anything abnormal!"
"What's happening inside can only be known by entering or breaking the Formation."
Li Cheng pondered, breaking the Formation from the outside would be simpler, but if he entered, it would be more difficult to break, and heaven knows what risks he might encounter.
However, the old man had already fled inside, and once he recovered, he would certainly not be caught off guard by Li Cheng as before.
With the Immortal prepared, Li Cheng dared not be careless.
Thus, Li Cheng made his decision, to follow in!
If need be, he could break the Formation from the inside, with fourteen chances of Enlightenment at his disposal; using a few wouldn't be too troubling in breaking the Formation.
He flew into the valley without any obstruction, but the scenery before Li Cheng's eyes changed drastically!
From the outside, it looked like a three-mile-wide valley, but upon entering, he found himself in an expansive, infinite, crimson world!
The ground was a sea of red, with magma flowing in many areas.
The sky too was crimson as if it was ablaze.
Releasing his Spiritual Sense, he could see that this scene stretched for three thousand miles around!
And the figure of that old fellow was nowhere within his sensory range.
"An illusion? No!" murmured Li Cheng.
Utilizing the Power of Laws, Li Cheng could sense clearly that this was indeed a real world!
What was strange was that within this world, the Laws of the Sword Dao and Fist Path were circulating.
These Laws were cultivated by sensing the world around them by the strong; they would not normally drift through the world as they were now, like the skull of that Immortal, which had the Laws fused within it.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the circulating Sword Dao and Fist Path Laws had the same aura, clearly belonging to the same powerful being, and as these Laws were unguided, it was obvious that this being had perished!
Since they had perished, under normal circumstances, these Laws would return to the world, merging with it, but they had not!
There was only one possibility, this was the Secret Land of that mighty being!
"Preserving the Secret Land with a Natural Array, I see!"
Li Cheng produced the Immortal Stone, but the map on it had faded, no longer providing any guidance.
Pocketing the Immortal Stone, Li Cheng surveyed his surroundings. He had already probed with his Spiritual Sense earlier; there was no sense of day or night here, no direction. Escaping would probably only be possible in two ways.
The first method would be to find the exit of the Secret Land, yet the exit was that very Natural Array, which was accessible but not exitable; he still needed to break through the Formation.
The second method would be to exert an immense force to directly cut the Secret Land open, forcefully breaking the space barriers of the Secret Land, but judging by the stability of this Secret Land, an ordinary Immortal would also be unable to do so.
Li Cheng was not in a rush to leave, finding the exit was merely a matter of time, and breaking the Formation was also just a matter of time.
Right now, finding that Immortal was the priority.
Sensing the source of the Sword Dao and Fist Path Laws, Li Cheng flew towards it.
If he was not wrong, the old man would definitely be searching for the source too.
After flying over a hundred thousand miles, Li Cheng encountered countless skeletons along the way, presumably those who had strayed into the Secret Land and could not withstand the erosion of the stray Sword Dao and Fist Path Laws, and had perished here. Upstodatee from n(0)/v𝒆/lbIn/.(co/m
The further forward he went, the less decayed the skeletons were, evidently because they had been more powerful in life.
After flying another hundred thousand miles, the landscape finally changed from the crimson volcanic land to the sight of nine lofty mountains.
The nine peaks formed a ring around the central area, and Li Cheng recognized at a glance that it was the Immortal Array recorded in the books, the Nine Palace Heaven Guarding Array!
It was constructed using nine mountain peaks as the base of the Array, the bases were undamaged, but the Formation wasn't activated at the moment.
"You're indeed here, old man, time to hit the road!" Li Cheng spoke lightly, making a beeline for the elderly figure standing before the entrance of the nine peaks. The old man was intently staring at the entrance with a shocked expression.. Hearing Li Cheng's voice, he hastily turned and said, "Don't attack, Li Cheng, there's a big problem!"
Chapter 48 Immortal Spirit Step
A major problem?
Li Cheng snorted in disdain, thinking the biggest problem was that someone wanted to cause trouble!
Seeing his own dissuasion ineffective and Li Cheng still charging at him with murderous intent, the old man hastily continued, "If we don't join forces, we'll both die here!"
As his own attack was about to land, the old man showed no intention of striking, piquing Li Cheng's curiosity—it seemed the elder had indeed discovered something.
Stopping two zhang away from the elder, without waiting for Li Cheng to speak, the elder pointed at the entrance and said, "Look!"
The entrance was a gorge split between two mountain peaks, and through the gorge, one could clearly see a gigantic palace a thousand meters tall at its center!
The Nine Palace Heaven Guarding Array, formed by nine mountain peaks, was there to protect this palace!
Although quite far, one could immediately see the plaque hanging on that grand palace, inscribed with: "Astonished God!"
"Astonished God Palace? What about it?" Li Cheng looked but didn't notice anything unusual.
The elder, looking shocked and wearing a strange expression, turned to Li Cheng and said, "Have you never heard of the number one Artifact Refining Master in the Immortal World?"
Li Cheng rolled his eyes, "I've never been to the Immortal World, do you think I should have heard of him?"
The elder nodded in realization and said, "Immortals have nine major realms. Like me, I'm merely at the first realm, but this master, by the name of Qi Jingshen, is at the ninth realm, the Immortal Emperor!"
"Known as the Astonished God Immortal Emperor, he is the most famous Artifact Refining Master in the Immortal World!"
Listening to the elder's introduction, Li Cheng's eyes lit up—this was a genuine big shot!
Then, that meant the palace must contain countless Immortal Artifacts, right?
However, seeing the palace doors wide open, he assumed someone had already beat him to it.
"You seem very excited, but you should be worried. If even the Astonished God Immortal Emperor perished here, it shows this place is not as calm as it appears on the surface. There's definitely danger lurking, and with our strength, we're afraid we won't make it out," the elder said with a grave tone.
Li Cheng looked at the elder with disdain, "Since you know the Astonished God Immortal Emperor has already fallen, what's there to be scared of?"
The elder shook his head, his face still serious, "An existence like an Immortal Emperor, the highest in the Immortal World, could leave behind a mere fraction of his capability, and that would be enough to doom us forever."
Li Cheng glanced at the elder, not hiding the disdain in his eyes, and stepped toward the entrance.
The elder hesitated to speak, then ultimately clenched his teeth and followed Li Cheng.
Li Cheng clearly sensed through the Power of Laws that the Order of Heaven and Earth here was normal, indicating no interference from arrays or formations, so it should be safe.
Moreover, if an Immortal Emperor had perished in the Kunlun Realm, it must've been the Grand Venerable Bai Jie who killed him a hundred thousand years ago!
After a hundred thousand years, who knows how many powerful beings have visited this place? If there were dangers, they would have been broken by now.
Similarly, if there were treasures, they would have been taken away by others.
[Detected a disciple meeting the requirements, recruit to receive rewards.]
Just as he entered, a prompt sounded in Li Cheng's mind, followed by a big green arrow pointing toward the Astonished God Palace!
Li Cheng raised an eyebrow—what was going on?
This was a Secret Land, almost certainly left behind by the Astonished God Immortal Emperor, but how could there be a disciple meeting the requirements in such a place?
Given the Sword Dao and Fist Path Laws circulating in this area, even someone in the Mahayana Realm might not survive safely, and probably only at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage would it be possible.
So, the disciple ahead who meets the requirements—is he at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage?
If he's already at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, how could he possibly consider becoming a disciple to someone of the same stage?
This disciple may be beyond recruitment.
With that in mind, Li Cheng stopped thinking about recruiting and looked around.
Nine mountain peaks formed a massive valley with the Astonished God Palace standing tall at its center, and although it wasn't a desolate wasteland like the exterior, this place too was barren, without a single plant in sight.
Li Cheng walked straight towards the Astonished God Palace, encountering none of the dangers the elder had spoken of. The two, one in front and the other behind, quickly arrived at the entrance of the grand hall.
Looking around, the grand hall was empty except for twelve thick pillars.
"This Astonished God Palace is built so majestic, how come there's just one great hall?" the elder wondered aloud.
"Are you blind? Didn't you see that among them, six pillars support the grand hall, and the tops of the other six pillars are rooms?"
As Li Cheng spoke, he leapt up to check those rooms, but as expected, they were empty!
The elder also took a look and sighed, "We're too late, there are remnants of the aura of Immortal Artifacts and Immortal Stones, taken away by someone many years ago."
Li Cheng paid no attention to the elder and instead shifted his gaze to the center of the grand hall.
There was clearly nothing there, and he didn't sense any presence, yet the green arrow was pointing right at that place!
Obviously, the person who met the conditions was hiding right there.
He had eluded not only Li Cheng's Spiritual Sense but also the elder's Immortal Sense!
"Even the old man's Immortal Sense didn't detect anything unusual, who is this guy, what's his background?"
Li Cheng's curiosity was piqued, such strong concealment abilities weren't simple at all!
"Eh? Li Cheng, look, this pillar has a secret technique inscribed on it!"
Just then, the elder's voice rang out.
Li Cheng turned to look, and saw the elder staring excitedly at a pillar.
Flying over to take a look, Li Cheng indeed found that a Cultivation Method for a movement technique was inscribed there, named: Immortal Spirit Step!
Examining it closely, Li Cheng questioned, "According to the inscription, this is a popular movement technique, using Space Law to sense the Spatial Veins, stepping out to cross one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles in a single leap. You're so excited, surely you can't…?"
The corner of the elder's mouth twitched, "To use it, one must first perceive the Space Law, and at least master Three Thousand Spatial Rules to execute it, of course I can't."
Li Cheng pondered, mastering Three Thousand Spatial Rules was necessary to execute it, in that case, he wondered how many Spatial Rules one would need to master to use it.
Surely it wouldn't take too many Spatial Rules to execute it!
Perhaps just three or five would suffice.
A single step crossing one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles, that speed was very tempting indeed!
"You look at the other pillars to see if there's anything, I'll memorize the Immortal Spirit Step first," Li Cheng said.
The elder knew that Li Cheng was sending him away to avoid being ambushed.
After a slight hesitation, the elder said, "Actually, disagreements are better settled than prolonged, we don't have any real grievances, why not let bygones be bygones?"
Li Cheng glanced at the elder, of course, you would want to let bygones be bygones since you can't beat me.
If you could beat me, I'd probably have been captured and taken to the Taoist Mysterious Sect to toil at Alchemy by now.
So, how could we possibly just let bygones be bygones?
"It's not that I can't consider a peaceful solution, there are two conditions, first, I need the Immortal Infant, second, I need a large amount of Immortal Stones, third, you must swear an oath on the Heavenly Dao that you will not harm the Heavenly Mechanism Sect." R/ê/Ad lat𝙚St ch/a/pters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o//m Only
Listening to Li Cheng's calm voice, the elder had a nagging feeling that something was off.
Suddenly, he realized, "Isn't that three conditions?"
"Does it make a difference if it's two or three?" Li Cheng retorted. Did he have to tell him that while speaking, he had thought of the third condition?
The elder pondered for a moment and then nodded, "No matter, I have two conditions as well!" Li Cheng raised an eyebrow, "You think you're in a position to make conditions?"
Chapter 49 Qi Jingtian
Li Cheng raised his eyebrows, this guy, was he trying to push his luck?
Still delusional about proposing two conditions, dream on!
Not to mention whether he would turn two into three like myself, he had no right to propose any in the first place!
The elder's expression turned awkward, and he felt helpless inside. He knew that Li Cheng had the strength to kill him, but he had to propose these two conditions no matter what!
With this thought in mind, the elder gritted his teeth and resolutely said, "Wan Zhongshan has been severely injured by you and needs an Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pill, counting as one condition. The second is to keep our previous battle a secret!"
As he spoke, the elder took out a storage ring, "Here are the Immortal Infants of eight Heavenly Immortals and ten thousand Immortal Stones, my entire fortune. If you agree, 1 will swear right away."
Li Cheng was surprised in his heart, eight Heavenly Immortals' Immortal Infants?
This guy, before descending to the Lower World, had he specifically killed eight Heavenly Immortals?
And ten thousand Immortal Stones, that's a big number too, after all, even the Heavenly Mechanism Sect only has a hundred.
In contrast, the elder's conditions were as good as none!
An Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pill, 1 still have some, not caring for more.
And as for keeping our previous fight a secret, this guy probably also felt that the spitting incident was unbecoming of his status and didn't want it to get out.
Conveniently, 1 wouldn't want the fact that he bluffed me with a falsely reported cultivation to get out either.
With this thought, Li Cheng took the storage ring, "Alright, it's a deal!"
The elder was overjoyed, "I, Feng Wanli, swear by the Heavenly Dao that I will never do anything to harm Li Cheng or the Heavenly Mechanism Sect in the future!"
After taking the oath, Feng Wanli heaved a long sigh of relief, "We really did not get to know each other until we fought. Brother Li Cheng, there are no grudges between us now!"
Li Cheng casually tossed over an Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pill, "You people of the Taoist Mysterious Sect are so full of yourselves, I'm not fit to call you brother. It's better for you to just address me by my name."
Feng Wanli's face was covered in embarrassment as he coughed dryly, "Don't worry, after 1 go out, 1'11 immediately take care of those bastards, and let them know why the flowers are so red!"
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli and started to check the storage ring.
The souls of those eight Immortal Infants had already been erased, leaving only the pure Immortal Yuan. Presumably, Feng Wanli used them as Immortal Elixirs to recover his Immortal Yuan.
Taking out one, Li Cheng tossed it into the Purple Void Jade Emperor's Tripod. "Alchemy with an Immortal Infant?" Feng Wanli asked curiously.
In the Immortal World, he had seen the use of Immortal Infants for alchemy, but this was the Lower World, were there people at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage capable of refining Immortal Infants?
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli again, "Aren't you curious what's on top of those pillars?"
Feng Wanli understood, Li Cheng was hinting that he was being a disturbance, so he reluctantly went to check the pillars.
Li Cheng memorized the Immortal Spirit Step on the pillars and turned to look. He didn't know what Feng Wanli found on one of the pillars, but he was intently observing it. Thê sourc𝗲 of this conte/nt n/o/v/(𝒆l)bi((n))
Without disturbing him, Li Cheng shifted his gaze to the spot the green arrow had pointed to before, only to see that the arrow had moved to the entrance of the grand hall.
Li Cheng was inwardly amazed; no matter how hard he tried, he could not detect anyone below the arrow!
This ability to hide was simply too strong!
If not for the system prompting that this was a disciple meeting the recruitment criteria, Li Cheng would have suspected this was an unsurpassed great expert.
Otherwise, how could anyone hide so perfectly right under his nose?
After all, even Immortals would find it hard to conceal themselves under his Spiritual Sense.
Li Cheng moved in front of the arrow, wanting to scrutinize it closely to see if he could discover any clues, but the arrow began to move left and right.
Li Cheng's gaze followed the arrow's movement, growing more curious, as the person was moving, yet he still couldn't sense anything!
"You can actually see me? That's impossible!" an immature voice rang out, filled with thick astonishment.
See what? 1 can't see a ghost, let alone ghosts!
Li Cheng complained in his mind, but still nodded, "Please reveal yourself!"
The next moment, a three-meter-tall youth appeared before his eyes!
Li Cheng looked up, a trace of surprise flitted through his eyes, a strong figure… this might not be a human!
The youth had a bronze complexion and appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, his resolute face mixed with a hint of naivety, and his sharp eyes were filled with wariness.
His body towered at three meters tall, and most importantly, with a back like a tiger's and a waist like a bear's, and muscles like coiling dragons, moving like a steel tower, as if he possessed the Power of Pioneering Land.
Upon sensing his cultivation, it was merely at the Golden Core Stage!
"Golden Core Stage cultivation, yet possessing a physical strength and resilience not inferior to mine, how eerie!"
"Could it be some special lineage?"
Li Cheng thought to himself, but after having perused all the tomes of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, he found no record of such a bizarre lineage.
"Who are you? Why can you see me?" The youth also sized up Li Cheng, asking. "My name is Li Cheng, and 1 can see you because of a certain special ability." The youth pondered and nodded, "My name is Qi Jingtian."
Qi Jingtian?
Feng Wanli mentioned that the master of the Astonished God Palace was Qi Jingshen, what relation did he have with the youth before me?
"Who is Qi Jingshen to you?"
"Who is Qi Jingshen?" Qi Jingtian countered.
Li Cheng was puzzled, one Qi Jingtian, one Qi Jingshen, no relation?
Shaking his head, Li Cheng said with a smile, "Just some random musings, nothing important. How long have you been here?"
Qi Jingtian shook his head, "I don't know, but it's been a very long time."
Li Cheng was speechless; this fellow gave off the impression of being strong and simple-minded, but what exactly was his background?
"So what do you usually do here?"
Without a second thought, Qi Jingtian answered, "Sleeping!"
"And when you're awake?"
Qi Jingtian revealed a contemplative expression, slowly saying, "When I'm awake… 1 just wander around inside my body, and after looking around, 1 go back to sleep. It seems that's all 1 do."
Internal viewing?
Li Cheng felt it unlikely that he would get any useful information, seeing that this fellow's mind was indeed quite simple.
However, given his simplicity, why not try to take him as a disciple?
One more disciple, who knows how many more moments of enlightenment that would bring. Encountering him surely meant he must find a way to take him on!
With this thought, a smile appeared on Li Cheng's face, "If you've got nothing else to do, would you like to learn Alchemy? Or Formation? 1 can teach you." Qi Jingtian's eyes lit up, "1 can learn Formation? Once I become a powerful Array Master, 1 can break the array outside and leave this place!"
Li Cheng's brow slightly raised; it seemed much easier than he had anticipated! "Of course, you can. But you should understand that if you want me to teach you everything I know, you must take me as your master," Li Cheng said with a smile.
Qi Jingtian didn't hesitate, "1 understand. I've been planning this for a long time. I intended to find a powerful Array Master to learn from!"
"That's why 1 specifically took some Array Pattern Stones from the outside formation and threw them out, hoping they would attract a powerful Array Master."
"Anyone who could decode the Array Patterns on the stones would definitely meet my criteria as a master, and now it's really happened!"
Li Cheng was astonished; was the Array Pattern Stone circulated by Qi Jingtian himself?
But initially, it must've ended up in the hands of someone who didn't know its value, as it was used to build a cooking stove.
Wait, something doesn't add up?
All of a sudden, Li Cheng sensed something amiss. If Qi Jingtian used the Array Pattern Stone to find a master, then what about the Immortal Stone within it that carried a map?
According to previous speculation, it was the transformation of the Immortal Stone that created the Array Pattern Stone, yet the map on the Immortal Stone was man-made!
Now it seemed, someone had already engraved a map on the Immortal Stone and thrown it into the Natural Array, from which the Array Pattern Stone was formed.
Afterwards, Qi Jingtian found the Array Pattern Stone and tossed it outside! That is to say, someone was secretly laying the groundwork for Qi Jingtian! The formation of the Array Pattern Stone, at the least, would require tens of thousands of years. Hence, that person had started laying the groundwork tens of thousands of years ago!
Could it be that Qi Jingtian was already here at that time? As he pondered, a deep astonishment arose in Li Cheng's eyes as he considered a shocking possibility!
Chapter 50 The Great Demon of Heaven and Earth
Li Cheng's eyes flickered with deep shock as he considered a staggering possibility!
That possibility was that Qi Jingtian was not human!
He was this very Secret Land!
Combining what Qi Jingtian had said, Li Cheng found it not difficult to guess that when Qi Jingshen perished, the Secret Land had probably already developed spirituality, which is why he had left a contingency in place to pave the way for Qi Jingtian.
It was unknown how long ago, but as the spirituality condensed and gave birth to Spiritual Wisdom, it became the current Qi Jingtian.
Undoubtedly, Qi Jingshen must have given some hints to the entity before it had developed its Spiritual Wisdom, such as the name and the Array Pattern Stone.
So when Qi Jingtian came into being, he subconsciously knew his name to be Qi Jingtian and knew to throw out the Array Pattern Stone.
This was precisely why Qi Jingtian said he would look at his body when he was awake—even though Li Cheng had not paid attention to it before and had taken it as introspection.
With this realization, Li Cheng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement; a whole world transforming into form, that was the stuff of legends about great demons of heaven and earth!
To confirm his speculation, Li Cheng asked, "Do you know who gave you your name?"
Qi Jingtian shook his head, "Ever since 1 became conscious, I knew my name was this, but 1 don't know who named me."
Indeed, Qi Jingshen had given him a psychological suggestion before he perished!
This Secret Land was crafted by Qi Jingshen, so he named it Qi Jingtian!
Li Cheng looked towards Qi Jingtian, and if he truly was this Secret Land, then his current body must not be his true form!
Being a great demon of heaven and earth, this Secret Land was his true form, and what was seen now must certainly be an incarnation, most likely a flesh body refined using some special method!
When a Cultivator's flesh body is destroyed, leaving only the Nascent Soul, they could utilize special materials to recreate their form and become a Loose Immortal.
The Qi Jingtian before him must be similar to a Loose Immortal, probably with a flesh body crafted for him by Qi Jingshen. After being born with Spiritual Wisdom, he immediately inhabited this flesh body, equivalent to an incarnation.
"Master in the heavens, please accept your disciple's three prostrations!"
While pondering, Qi Jingtian had already knelt down and respectfully performed the rites of apprenticing.
Li Cheng nodded inwardly; countless powerful beings had fallen in this Secret Land, it seemed he had learned everything he needed to from those people.
[Apprenticeship Successful, Reward: Enlightenment Opportunities 5. ]
[Current Remaining Enlightenment Opportunities: 19. ]
As the notification sounded, Li Cheng couldn't help but be overjoyed. A great demon like this indeed was different, merely accepting a disciple, and he was rewarded five times!
Initially, Yun Tianqiong and Ling Xi had only awarded him twice.
Li Cheng wasted no time, concentrating his Comprehension of Array Method and embedding it into Qi Jingtian's forehead.
Qi Jingtian sensed it for a moment and bowed respectfully, saying joyfully, "Thankyou, Master!"
"There's no need to be polite, as long as you don't think that taking me as your master was too hasty or reckless," Li Cheng said.
In the outside world, unlike at the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, in the sect, everyone knew him, and they couldn't wait to become his disciples.
But the Qi Jingtian before him was merely a first meeting.
"Not at all, Master. Actually, I'm very clear that the one who can see me here is my master!" Qi Jingtian said.
"Honestly, Master, this is actually my true form!" Qi Jingtian pointed at the ground below and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
Li Cheng nodded, smiling, "I already knew, but I'm still quite relieved that you're being honest!"
Qi Jingtian looked surprised, "Master, how did you know?"
Li Cheng smiled mysteriously and then asked, "Your true form cannot transform yet; do you wish to use a spatial formation to contain your true form?"
Qi Jingtian was even more astonished. He had guessed that too?
Hastily bowing, Qi Jingtian said, "Please assist me, Master!"
"How large is your true form?" Li Cheng inquired.
"My true form is a circular continent with a diameter of a million miles," Qi Jingtian said with anticipation.
Li Cheng was taken aback. That huge?
To set up an array that covers such a vast area is simply beyond my capabilities!
Moreover, it's a spatial formation, which 1 have never even touched upon to this day!
Unless I find knowledge about this kind of formation and experience several enlightenments, perhaps it might be possible.
Thinking of this, Li Cheng said helplessly, "Currently, I have not come into contact with any spatial type formations, but rest assured, just as soon as I acquire knowledge in this area, I will be able to assist you quickly."
"Master, can't you just store my true form like a storage ring?" Qi Jingtian asked.
Li Cheng shook his head. A storage ring is forged mainly from Sky Meteorite Stone, which contains space rules; it is only through forming an array to utilize these rules that a storage ring is created.
But the storage space in a storage ring is generally only several hundred to a thousand cubic meters; how could it possibly accommodate a continent with a diameter of a million miles?
Only by using a spatial formation to envelop this Secret Land and carry it within the formation would it work.
Of course, if Qi Jingtian's true form could transform, then it would be simple.
After pondering for a moment, Li Cheng felt that setting up a spatial formation might not be quicker than transforming, and moreover, it would eventually be necessary to transform.
With that in mind, after leaving this place, I'll have to search for the materials for a Transformation Pill…
That's not right, Li Cheng suddenly realized, his true form is not a flesh and blood body, so pills would be of no use to him!
'Transformations of great demons of this world are too rarely recorded; I need to investigate thoroughly!'
The great demons of this world are extremely rare to begin with, so the records about them are scarce, but without exception, those who successfully transform are all formidable beings.
"Peacefully continue your cultivation for now. Your master will find a way!" Li Cheng comforted.
Qi Jingtian nodded, "Master, I will take you to a place!"
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli and saw that he had already begun meditating in mid-air, his eyes slightly closed, obviously having started to comprehend the contents recorded on the pillar.
In this state, without interruption, he would certainly need a long time to awaken; conveniently, that meant Li Cheng could go see with Qi Jingtian first.
Upon leaving the hall, Qi Jingtian stepped on the ground, and it cracked open, revealing a bottomless pit.
Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it an abyss.
Qi Jingtian leaped into it just like that.
Li Cheng, without any doubt, jumped in as well, for to doubt him would be to doubt the system, and the system, having recognized him as its master, would not deceive him. V/\IssịT n0(v)eL/b(i)(n).𝘤𝑜/𝓂 for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce
After descending more than ten miles, he arrived at a brightly lit underground hall, where Immortal Qi filled the air.
"Master, this is the place. 1 awoke here originally," said Qi Jingtian.
This underground hall was about a kilometer in size, and its walls were made of Immortal Stones. The white light emitted by the Immortal Stones lit up the hall.
In the innermost part of the hall, there was a round cushion with a Jade Slip and a ring placed on it.
"Immortal Artifact!"
Li Cheng recognized at a glance that the ring was an Immortal Artifact, probably a Storage Ring!
If it was a Storage Ring, then it was very likely that it held the wealth of Qi Jingshen!
"Master, that is for you!" Qi Jingtian pointed at the round cushion and said with some anticipation.
"Have you ever looked inside to see what it is?" Li Cheng asked.
Qi Jingtian shook his head, "From the moment 1 awoke, I felt as though 1 already knew everything about this place, and I also knew not to touch them. They must be left for master!"
Li Cheng understood; it was another of Qi Jingshen's methods!
He grabbed the Jade Slip from afar, and a light immediately emerged from within it!
It was the image of an elder with an aura of Immortal Qi. Though it was only an image, it was still imbued with the fleeting essence of a true immortal.
"Descendant of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, thank you for your efforts!"
In the image, the elder's voice could be heard, and the very first sentence raised Li Cheng's eyebrows; did he know that he came from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?
This was just an image from who knows how many years ago, not a Remnant Soul, and yet he was aware of this matter?
Chapter 51 Tianji Zi's Calculations
Li Cheng was astonished in his heart, this elder must be Qi Jingshen without a doubt, yet, how did he know so many years ago that Qi Jingtian would be taken as a disciple by someone from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?
Such means…
Before Li Cheng could think further, the image continued to transmit, "I, Qi Jingshen, have pursued the Artifact Way all my life, and at the moment of my demise, there were three things 1 couldn't let go of."
"Before descending to the Lower World, 1 sought advice from Tianji Zi, hence 1 left this image so that after my fall, the matters of my concern could be without regret."
"Firstly, the secret land 1 constructed using materials from the Land of Fallen Gods will turn into a major demon of Heaven and Earth, and someone must guide it onto the correct path. Tianji Zi told me that this person is in the Heavenly Mechanism Sect."
"Secondly, I couldn't bear the thought of my Artifact Refining Technique being lost, and Tianji Zi said that the most suitable inheritor is in the Heavenly Mechanism Sect."
"Thirdly, 1 suspect that Tianji Zi is setting a trap, after all, he is the founding Ancestor Master of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect."
"But it doesn't matter anymore, I cannot see the future, 1 can only trust Tianji Zi."
"I have left a remnant soul in the Immortal World, should you reach the Immortal World one day, you must find my remnant soul, so 1 can see whether Tianji Zi has really fooled me!"
As the voice fell, the image dissipated.
Li Cheng reflected on Qi Jingshen's words, filled with immense shock in his heart!
This founding Ancestor Master, had actually calculated up to the present time!
He wasn't intentionally setting a trap for Qi Jingshen to fall into, bringing the benefits to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, but truly calculated that descendants from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect would guide the demon of Heaven and Earth and inherit Qi Jingshen's legacy.
Without a doubt, Qi Jingshen's enlightenment in Artifact Refining was present within the Jade Slip.
"The Heaven Secret Immortal Scroll is even more powerful than 1 had anticipated, I just don't know how the founding Ancestor Master is faring now." Li Cheng murmured to himself, as his Spiritual Sense probed into the Jade Slip.
Indeed, inside were the knowledge of Artifact Refining and Qi Jingshen's enlightenments about this art, an incredibly vast treasury of information.
As long as he could internalize the contents therein, his mastery of the Artifact Way would far exceed that of the Alchemy Dao and Array Path.
Without rushing to comprehend the knowledge and enlightenment, Li Cheng turned his attention to an Immortal Artifact storage ring.
After imprinting his Spiritual Sense and dripping blood for recognition, Li Cheng eventually got to see what was inside.
It was undoubtedly an Immortal-grade storage ring, with an immensely large space inside, spanning a hundred miles, comparable to an ordinary secret land!
But in such a vast storage space, it was filled entirely with various kinds of Immortal-grade Refining Materials!
The materials took up half of the storage space, and beyond that, there was nothing else!
These Immortal Materials, Li Cheng did not recognize any of them; he could only judge they were Immortal Materials based on the fluctuation of Immortal Qi emanating from them.
"Not even a few Immortal Artifacts left behind?"
Li Cheng shook his head slightly, no matter how many Immortal-grade materials there were, to refine Immortal Artifacts would still require going to the Immortal World.
In the Lower World, bound by the Order of Heaven and Earth, at best, one could only refine semi-lmmortal Artifacts.
"I must find time for Enlightenment of the Artifact Refining knowledge, and once 1 make this knowledge my own, I naturally won't worry about recognizing these Immortal Materials."
"Master, he is that Qi Jingshen you spoke of! So, 1 have such a relationship with him!" Qi Jingtian's voice rang out, with a mix of joy and wistfulness.
Li Cheng nodded, "He could be considered your father, since he left a Remnant Soul in the Immortal World, when you go there in the future, just look for it."
Qi Jingtian was silent for a few seconds, then nodded vigorously.
"Alright, go up now, that fellow is about to wake up." Li Cheng did not take the Immortal Stones from here.
Those Immortal Stones were considered his disciple's, and it would not be appropriate to take them overtly.
Of course, taking them covertly would be even less appropriate.
After all, he already had ten thousand and one in hand, which would be enough until they were used up.
Back on the surface, the crack slowly closed, leaving no signs that it had ever been open.
"Since your original body cannot leave in the short term, there is no issue with your avatar. Why don't you accompany me with your avatar?" Li Cheng said.
Qi Jingtian looked nervous. He had never left this place, and his understanding of the outside world came from people who stumbled into this secret land.
Now, hearing that he was to leave, he could not help but feel nervous, yet there was also a trace of excitement.
Li Cheng saw through his thoughts and smiled, "You have one senior brother and one senior sister, they will help you integrate into the human world."
Qi Jingtian's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
Just at that moment, the loud laughter of Feng Wanli rang out in the Astonished God Palace, "Haha, the famed Space-Breaking Shuttle of the Immortal World, so this is how it's crafted, I've struck it rich, struck it rich!"
Li Cheng turned to look towards the hall, Space-Breaking Shuttle?
He hadn't examined Qi Jingshen's inheritance jade slip in detail, but since the stuff recorded on the pillar should certainly be in the jade slip too.
"Are you an Artifact Refiner?" Li Cheng asked.
Feng Wanli quickly suppressed his laughter, chiding himself for his lack of composure in front of Li Cheng.
"Not really, but the crafting method of the Space-Breaking Shuttle has always been a closely guarded secret in the Immortal World, known by very few. If I bring it back, I'll definitely receive great rewards from my sect!" Feng Wanli said with a laugh.
"Space-Breaking Shuttle, by the name, is it a flying Immortal Artifact that can break through space?" Li Cheng asked. N/nêw n0vel chap/ers are published o/n n0v/e/(lb)i(n.)co/m
Feng Wanli shook his head in haste, "It's indeed a flying Immortal Artifact. Let me put it this way, it's similar to a flying warship but is countless times more upscale, its speed almost catching up to that of the Immortal Spirit Step."
Li Cheng understood, so it seemed that the Space-Breaking Shuttle was indeed a fine item.
"Then congratulations to you, let's go, it's time to leave!" Li Cheng said casually.
Feng Wanli's expression stiffened, and he said with a wry smile, "I'd like to leave too, but I still haven't found the way out, and… Eh? From what you say, do you have a way out?"
Li Cheng looked towards Qi Jingtian, "Where's the exit?"
"Who are you talking to?"
Feng Wanli looked suspiciously along Li Cheng's gaze but saw nothing, and when he tried to sense with his Immortal Sense, he found nothing as well.
For a moment, Feng Wanli harbored deep suspicions about Li Cheng, was he talking to the air?
Carefully observing Li Cheng, Feng Wanli was even more puzzled. With such strength, it was unlikely for him to suffer from mental disorder.
But why was he talking to the air?
Qi Jingtian slowly looked up toward the sky.
Li Cheng followed his gaze. In the crimson sky, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Li Cheng knew that Qi Jingtian could open the exit.
Feng Wanli followed Li Cheng's gaze towards the sky as well, and asked doubtfully, "Are you alright?"
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli and, not bothering to respond to him, waited quietly.
"After we leave, as your master, I'll first take you back to the sect. Once you've gotten acquainted with the outside world, I'll have your senior brother and sister accompany you on your travels for experience!" Li Cheng remarked.
Feng Wanli was taken aback, what did he mean?
He looked at himself, then heard those words, and noticed the use of 'as your master'.
It's true that you're stronger than me, but when did I become your disciple?
Feng Wanli grew suspicious, perhaps he had performed the rites of discipleship earlier in the hall?
No, definitely not!
Moreover, as a Complete Heavenly Immortal, how could 1 possibly take as my master someone at the Complete Transcendence Tribulation Stage?
There was only one explanation for this!
And that was, Li Cheng had lost his mind!
With this thought, Feng Wanli inwardly sighed, what a shame for an excellent Alchemy master to go mad in such a short time.
What a pity, such profound Alchemy Dao abilities, I'm afraid it will all be wasted!
Cultivators rarely go insane, and even when they deviate in cultivation, it's hard for them to become mad, unless their soul is severely damaged.
"Alas! It seems the world is about to lose a freakishly talented figure in the Alchemy Dao after all!" Feng Wanli sighed, muttering to himself.
Hearing Feng Wanli's words, Li Cheng's eyebrows twitched, "Feng Wanli, I seem to have underestimated you, daring to break a heavenly oath?" To Li Cheng, that implied he was about to make a move against himself!
Chapter 52 Where's the Promised Trap Array?
Li Cheng hadn't expected that even after Feng Wanli had made an oath to the heavens, he would still dare to violate it!
Betraying a heavenly oath would surely lead to complete annihilation!
Li Cheng stared intently at Feng Wanli. Was he willing to pay the price of annihilation just to take him down with him?
But Feng Wanli was no match for him. To kill him, he would either need a powerful weapon or to self-detonate his Immortal Infant!
Feng Wanli looked confused and asked, "How did I violate it?"
"You said the world would eventually have one less alchemy prodigy. Isn't that the same as wanting to kill me?" Li Cheng said indifferently, his majestic aura emerging, with countless array patterns whirling around him.
Feng Wanli was startled and quickly backed away. "Don't act rashly. I mean you no harm!"
He had already experienced Li Cheng's strength. Only by pleading desperately had he managed to escape, and he certainly did not want a repeat of that situation.
"What I meant was… 1 thought you had gone insane…" Feng Wanli hastily explained.
Li Cheng frowned. "You're the one who has gone insane, your whole family has gone insane!"
Feng Wanli's facial muscles twitched. "You're talking to thin air…"
Li Cheng was taken aback and looked suspiciously at Qi Jingtian. Hadn't he revealed himself? Why couldn't Feng Wanli see him?
Qi Jingtian cleared his throat. "Master, during the ceremony to become your disciple, didn't you take a strand of my soul seal? So even if I don't reveal myself, you can still see me."
Li Cheng was puzzled in his heart. When had he ever taken it?
Looking toward his sea of knowledge, Li Cheng was astonished to find that it was indeed there!
Yun Tianqiong, Ling Xi, Qi Jingtian — a strand of each of their soul seals was in his sea of knowledge!
He had not taken them himself. Could it have been the system's doing?
It had to be!
With this strand of soul seal, Li Cheng could clearly sense the state of all three. "I forgot!" Li Cheng coughed and said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Feng Wanli stared in shock. Although he couldn't see Qi Jingtian, he wasn't deaf and had of course heard Qi Jingtian's voice.
"Your disciple? One can hear him but not see him—what a terrifying ability to hide!" Feng Wanli exclaimed.
He was at the Complete stage of a Heavenly Immortal, yet he could not sense the presence of the other at all, which was truly shocking.
Keep in mind, this was just Li Cheng's disciple, not some great power from the Immortal World.
Qi Jingtian showed his form without another word. He could achieve perfect concealment here, but once out of the Secret Land, it wouldn't be so perfect.
Because this was where his true body was located.
"What a robust body!" Upon seeing Qi Jingtian, Feng Wanli exclaimed again.
That three-meter-tall, tower-like figure exerted a tremendous pressure on him. Yet, his cultivation was only at the Golden Core Stage, which left Feng Wanli astounded.
"Enough, ignore him. Let's go break through the formation!" Li Cheng said.
Without any apparent action from Qi Jingtian, a vortex swiftly appeared in the sky, with light circulating in its center.
"Just go through it!" Qi Jingtian said.
Seeing this, Feng Wanli's eyes betrayed a hint of suspicion. Was this opened by Li Cheng's disciple?
With such cultivation, yet able to open the exit of the Secret Land, could it be… Raising an eyebrow, Feng Wanli realized he had made a remarkable discovery!
'This Secret Land is under the control of Li Cheng's disciple!' Feng Wanli thought to himself.
Though surprised, he didn't slow down and followed Li Cheng through the vortex.
The next moment, the three appeared in a thick fog.
Li Cheng, with array patterns dancing around him, sensed their surroundings through the patterns and nodded slightly, "Fortunately, this Natural Array is just a Trap Array. If it were a Killing Formation, it would have been troublesome."
Feng Wanli swept the area with his Immortal Sense, "The rules here are very active, it must be caused by a Formation. In this situation, breaking the Formation won't be easy, I'll try to forcefully break it with brute strength!"
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli, fully aware that this fellow had been repeatedly thwarted and was eager to prove himself, intent on demonstrating that he, as an Immortal, was not just for show.
"Then give it a try!" Li Cheng said offhandedly. DiiScôver 𝒏𝒆w stori𝒆s on no/𝒗/e()/lbin(.)c/o/m
Feng Wanli nodded, Immortal Yuan surged within his palm, and he ferociously struck out in front of him, "Five Xiao Immortal Thunder!"
Boom!
Five purple thunders roared out, entwining like coiling dragons, unstoppable in their advance, vaporizing mists and scorching the ground black wherever they passed.
Li Cheng and Qi Jingtian's hairs stood on end, but they saw that the attack vanished in a flash.
Sensing something, Li Cheng quickly pulled Qi Jingtian and diagonally flew away, distancing themselves from Feng Wanli.
The next instant, the Five Xiao Immortal Thunder reappeared behind Feng Wanli, struck him in a flash, the thunder exploded, sending him stumbling forward!
As the thunder gradually dissipated, Feng Wanli staggered to his feet, his body steaming, his clothes tattered and his hair a disheveled mess.
"Is this… this is a Trap Array?" Feng Wanli was bewildered.
What happened to the Trap Array?
Why had his own attack turned back on him?
Li Cheng, struggling to hide his amusement, nodded with great certainty, "Indeed it's a Trap Array, your attack was trapped and running amok inside it, of course it's a Trap Array!"
"There's some logic to that!" Feng Wanli smoothed his hair.
Beneath the calm exterior, there was definitely a bitter heart.
"The attack's strength isn't enough, why don't you try with all your might?" Li Cheng added.
Feng Wanli shook his head resolutely without hesitation, 'My attack can't compare to yours. It's better if you do it, with one force that breaks ten thousand laws, only you can succeed!"
After saying this, Feng Wanli, with a sorrowful stride, turned around and walked away, "I'll look around."
Li Cheng's mouth curled slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked around. The Formation was stronger than he had anticipated, and even a Heavenly Immortal couldn't break it open with force.
So much the better!
The stronger it was, the greater the reward after breaking it!
Without hesitation, Li Cheng sat down cross-legged, attuning to the Array Patterns, "Enlightenment!"
"Eh? Unity of Heaven and Man!"
Feng Wanli, who was nearby, quickly turned around upon sensing this. He could feel Li Cheng's aura merging with heaven and earth, entering an Enlightenment state!
"Did any of my words guide him? To think it led him into an Enlightenment state!" Feng Wanli secretly pondered.
Enlightenment, that's the greatest opportunity for a cultivator; those with high comprehension could be enlightened by a casual remark from someone else, pushed into the state of Enlightenment.
But thinking it over, Feng Wanli couldn't figure out which of his comments had provided the guidance, even doubting whether it was his words that triggered it at all.
Doubting was correct, of course not!
Having used one opportunity for Enlightenment, with eighteen left, according to Li Cheng's estimation, it would take one or two tries to break this Natural Array.
Qi Jingtian, sitting nearby, also sensed Li Cheng entering an Enlightenment state, his eyes filled with deep surprise, and he sat down on the ground. Entering Enlightenment just like that?
Thinking, Qi Jingtian mimicked Li Cheng, sitting down on the ground with a flop.
But to no avail!
Suddenly, Qi Jingtian sensed a strange change in the surrounding heaven and earth!
This discovery piqued his curiosity and he closed his eyes, finely attuning to it.
Upon closer sense, Qi Jingtian's Spiritual Sense 'saw' clearly as countless Array Patterns swarmed in from all directions, entwining around Li Cheng!
Being a great demon of heaven and earth, he was naturally highly sensitive to its sensations. At that moment, he was so fascinated by the sight that his thoughts seemed to be drawn, drifting to surround Li Cheng, dancing with those Array Patterns. Following that, the remnants of Sword Dao and Fist Path rules hidden within the Formation, as if they were being pulled, left the Secret Land one after another, flowing toward Li Cheng!
Chapter 53 You must be very free
Li Cheng, immersed in enlightenment, hadn't realized that the numerous Sword Path Rules and Fist Path Rules remnants within the Secret Land were actually surging towards him, all due to Qi Jingtian's action!
In the Secret Land, those were the rules comprehended by a mighty figure of Qi Jingshen's level—how vast was their number?
And with the departure of these rules, the Secret Land began to change!
The originally crimson world began to transform back to its normal state; the land spanning a million miles started to shrink, and the heaven and earth grew thicker.
Not far away, Feng Wanli clearly sensed that Sword Dao and Fist Path rules were entering Li Cheng's body, and having sensed them before in the Secret Land, how could he not know that they were flowing out from there?
"Between these two, who is really the disciple, and who the master? It appears to be the master who is receiving the gift of rules from the disciple."
He only thought that Qi Jingtian had gained the Secret Land's recognition and controlled it, but little did he know that the Secret Land was Qi Jingtian's own body!
The Secret Land was filled with an abundance of Sword Dao and Fist Path rules; Qi Jingtian was unable to control these rules, instead, they became obstacles to his transformation!
Now, these rules, drawn by the strange state of the two, were leaving the Secret Land; thus, the day of Qi Jingtian's transformation was significantly hastened.
This situation lasted for the better part of the day until no more rules flowed into Li Cheng's body, at which point Feng Wanli let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Both kinds probably amount to no less than one hundred thousand. With so many rules, even if he doesn't try to comprehend them, wouldn't a random punch of his invoke thousands?"
"In that case, a single punch could seriously injure me!"
"Luckily, we reconciled…"
Feng Wanli couldn't be more grateful for his own wisdom!
Then, Qi Jingtian was the first to awaken, his eyes sparkling with a sharp light, "My body has shrunk by almost half; the day of my transformation is not far off!"
Qi Jingtian was well aware that once his body shrunk to the size of a normal human, he could take on human form.
By that time, though in human form, he would possess the power of the entire Secret Land, becoming a true great demon of heaven and earth!
Only then could he freely transform between human form and his original form, whether it's presiding over a land of a million miles or moving at will in human shape.
The next day arrived, and Li Cheng awoke from his enlightenment. As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard a prompt in his mind.
[The period of your disciple Qi Jingtian's transformation has been greatly shortened; reward: 6 enlightenment opportunities.]
[Current remaining enlightenment opportunities: 24 times.]
Li Cheng looked towards Qi Jingtian, wondering if he had learned something new as his cultivation level had actually advanced from the early stage to the middle stage of the Golden Core Stage.
Moreover, the time for his physical transformation had been reduced—a piece of good news indeed.
Qi Jingtian was meditating and cultivating, so Li Cheng did not disturb him and prepared to continue his enlightenment.
"Li Cheng, I can feel that the Trap Array has weakened. Were you breaking it during your enlightenment?" Feng Wanli eagerly asked as soon as Li Cheng woke up.
Li Cheng nodded, "Don't force your way through the Formation with brute strength; I've solved about half of it, and it can't hold up against your attacks now."
Feng Wanli raised an eyebrow, skeptical!
You're surely bluffing me, trying to bait me into attacking again, so you can enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself.
"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Feng Wanli said emphatically, carefully watching Li Cheng's reaction.
Li Cheng raised an eyebrow—what was with this guy, suddenly being so assertive? What's the big deal?
And seeing Li Cheng's reaction, Feng Wanli felt certain of his own speculation!
'Indeed, he's trying to bluff me!'
"There's no need to continue breaking the rest; I have managed to open a gap in the Formation. Do you want to leave now?" Li Cheng asked.
Feng Wanli nodded, "After we leave, would you come with me to visit the Taoist Mysterious Sect as a guest? My Taoist Mysterious Sect will surely welcome you with the highest honors!"
"Do I look idle to you?" Li Cheng responded, speechless.
Feng Wanli shrugged his shoulders, "With your cultivation, you don't even need to go into seclusion, you can face the tribulation at any time, so you must be quite idle."
Li Cheng didn't want to explain and instead asked, "It must be tough to get by in the Immortal World, right?"
Feng Wanli was stunned, then shook his head and sighed quietly, "Look at me, here I am enjoying the worship of thousands of disciples from the sect, but in the Immortal World… I'm just an ordinary disciple, tough, tough, tough!"
Li Cheng smiled, see, how foresighted he was!
Ascending to the Immortal World was like asking for trouble.
"Li Cheng, seriously, come visit the Taoist Mysterious Sect! It won't be long before 1 have to return to the Immortal World, and it'll be difficult to meet you then," Feng Wanli said earnestly.
Li Cheng looked at Feng Wanli with suspicion, did he know that he didn't want to ascend?
"Look, don't stare at me like that, the Immortal World is vast and boundless, and your Heavenly Mechanism Sect is hidden from the world. Once you're in the Immortal World, it'll be hard for us to run into each other!" Feng Wanli, thinking that Li Cheng might misunderstand something, quickly explained.
Li Cheng became curious, "The Heavenly Mechanism Sect keeps to itself in the Immortal World? What happened?"
Feng Wanli shook his head, "With my status… how would I know?"
Indeed, in the Immortal World, he was just an ordinary disciple.
Pausing for a moment, Li Cheng asked again, "How did you descend to the Lower World? Sky-reaching Road? Ascend to Immortal Platform?"
"Neither, if a Heavenly Immortal descends through the Sky-reaching Road or the Ascend to Immortal Platform, it's certain death. The only way is through the Ascension Passage, and moreover, the Sky-reaching Road and Ascend to Immortal Platform of the Kunlun Realm have long since vanished."
Li Cheng looked at Feng Wanli with doubt, "But I've heard that the Ascension Passage can't be traversed in reverse? Going against it leads to certain death."
Feng Wanli smiled, "If your cultivation surpasses that of a Heavenly Immortal, indeed it's impossible, but for a Heavenly Immortal, it's possible. Think about it, upon ascending, you become a Heavenly Immortal, right? So why would the Ascension Passage restrict a Heavenly Immortal?" Th.ê most uptod/at𝓮 n𝒐vels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m
Li Cheng understood, no wonder no predecessors from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect had descended to the Lower World in over ten thousand years; it was because there were no juniors ascending!
Without juniors ascending, there's no way to open the Ascension Passage, so how could the predecessors descend?
After all, both the Sky-reaching Road and Ascend to Immortal Platform are nowhere to be found.
Using another sect's Ascension Passage?
Each sect's cultivation techniques are different; the Ascension Passage would reject them, making borrowing it impossible.
"I was just lucky that a junior who had cultivated the same technique as I had ascended, and 1 could take that opportunity to come down, or else where would I have had the chance?" said Feng Wanli again.
Hearing this, Li Cheng realized, to use the Ascension Passage, one still needed to find a junior who had practiced the same cultivation technique?
Seeing what Li Cheng was thinking, Feng Wanli explained, "Different cultivation techniques mean different auras and forces within the Ascension Passage, and forcibly entering would only cause the passage to collapse, killing both parties."
Li Cheng shook his head, there was no point delving into this; after all, he wasn't ascending, so why bother studying it?
"How will you return?"
"The same way, through the Ascension Passage."
Alright then, however you get back, just hurry up and leave. Don't stay in the Lower World living off others, leading an entire sect's people to become so full of themselves.
Such a calamity for the sect.
Fortunately, it's the Taoist Mysterious Sect that's being afflicted, not the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.
"For going to the Immortal World through the Ascension Passage, do you also need to find someone who has practiced the same cultivation technique?" Li Cheng asked.
Feng Wanli nodded, "That's right, otherwise you'll end up like the Loose Immortals, searching for the Sky-reaching Road or the Ascend to Immortal Platform."
Li Cheng inwardly sighed; both were among the ten great sects, yet the difference between the first and the last was vast, it seemed that there were always people ascending from the other sects.
"I sincerely invite you to come and visit the Taoist Mysterious Sect, you're about to face the tribulation and ascend soon, and it would be good timing for me to tell you about the Immortal World," Feng Wanli added. Li Cheng still shook his head, and then a thought struck him, "Have you ever heard of the 'Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture'?"
Chapter 54 It's Impossible to Cross the Tribulation
"Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture?"
Feng Wanli immediately widened his eyes, exclaiming in shock, "How do you know about the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture?"
Li Cheng looked down on Feng Wanli with contempt. "And to think you're considered an early-stage Heavenly Immortal, getting scared just by the name of a cultivation technique?"
Feng Wanli took a while to steady his mind, frowning, "An early-stage Heavenly Immortal? No, that's wrong, I'm a complete Heavenly Immortal!" Still pretending?
Li Cheng was speechless; this guy really had some thick skin.
"That's not the point. The point is the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture. Just the name scared you so much—tell me what's going on."
Feng Wanli was astonished. "Alright, I was indeed scared because this cultivation technique is taboo!"
Taboo?
Is it because this cultivation technique is powerful?
"In the Immortal World, there are ten great mysterious scriptures, and the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture ranks first. It's said to have been passed up from our Kunlun Realm. As for why it became taboo, I'm not clear on that."
"But anyone who practices the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture will be hunted by countless strong beings in the Immortal World once they're exposed!"
As he spoke, Feng Wanli looked earnestly at Li Cheng, the implication clear had he acquired the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture?
Li Cheng remained calm. "Because the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture is powerful, countless strong beings want to seize it, so it became taboo?"
Feng Wanli shook his head. "Maybe that's a reason, but there's surely more to it. The last known cultivator to practice the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture, it is said, was the Immortal Emperor Tianyuan a hundred thousand years ago, but he hasn't shown himself in a hundred thousand years."
Upon hearing this, Li Cheng grew suspicious. Could that remnant soul have been the Immortal Emperor Tianyuan?
After a brief contemplation, Li Cheng felt sure it wasn't, for that remnant soul wasn't very strong, and an Immortal Emperor is the most powerful being in the Immortal World.
Such beings, even if only a fragment of their soul remained, wouldn't be something he and two nine-caliber Tribulation Loose Immortals could possibly shake, right?
Moreover, that remnant soul had said it was merely a True Immortal.
As for its skull containing the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture, maybe it was obtained by chance, especially since the scripture starting from the tenth layer was incomplete, not whole.
It's also possible he was a descendant of Immortal Emperor Tianyuan.
Too bad he escaped—if he'd been caught, things could have been made clear.
"Li Cheng, you haven't acquired the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture, have you?" Feng Wanli finally couldn't help but ask directly.
Li Cheng looked untroubled. "No, I've just heard that there is such a cultivation technique in the Kunlun Realm, so I asked."
Feng Wanli let out a secret sigh of relief. "That's true. We in the Kunlun Realm are all curious about the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture; after all, it's a cultivation technique that was passed up from our realm and it's ranked first among the ten great mysterious scriptures of the Immortal World."
"Who created it?" Li Cheng curiously asked.
To devise such a powerful cultivation technique while residing in the Lower World was outrageously phenomenal.
Feng Wanli shook his head. "It's far too ancient, probably taking billions of years into account, so who knows?"
"Then that's a pity. Such a monstrous genius, yet he didn't leave behind a name." Li Cheng said.
Feng Wanli chuckled. "It is said that back then, the Cultivation World wasn't divided into the Lower World and Immortal World like it is now; it was a whole entity with no Heaven Tribulations, allowing one to easily become an Immortal Emperor, or even higher."
"Perhaps it was precisely because of that era that an ancestor could create such a heaven-defying cultivation technique like the Chaos Yuan Heavenly Scripture!"
Li Cheng glanced at Feng Wanli with curiosity. This was indeed something he had not known about. In that distant past, was there really no concept of ascension?
This was certainly something to be grateful for; otherwise, if he lived in that era with his current cultivation level, wouldn't he be insignificant?
How much better it is now. Although he is merely complete in the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, he can still defeat an early-stage Heavenly Immortal.
Moreover, he now had an additional hundred thousand laws of two types within him that, even without understanding them, made his combat strength far surpass his former self. Ch𝒆êck out l𝒂t𝒆st 𝒏𝒐v𝒆l𝒔 on n/o/v𝒆/l/bin(.)c/𝒐/m
Thinking of this, Li Cheng felt quite relieved. Good, this was the kind of progress he wanted!
XXX
At this moment, Qi Jingtian awoke, his newly opened eyes brimming with joy, "Master, I've entered the threshold of the Array Path!"
[Apprentice Qi Jingtian has entered the threshold of the Array Path, reward: 1 enlightenment chance.]
[Current remaining enlightenment chances: 25.]
The notification sound followed promptly.
Li Cheng nodded, "Entering the threshold is just the beginning, the path ahead is long. Guard against arrogance and rashness, and continue to work hard!"
Qi Jingtian nodded fervently, "With the Comprehension of Array Method from Master, I believe I can make rapid progress in a short time!"
Li Cheng smiled, that would be for the best; he would earn some more enlightenment chances as well.
"Then let's return to the sect, and you can continue your comprehension after we get back," Li Cheng said with a smile.
Feng Wanli quickly spoke up, "Li Cheng, are you really not going to pay a visit to Taoist Mysterious Sect?"
Li Cheng, with array patterns emerging around him, merged into the Natural Array and opened a gap, "Of course not, I need to go back to the sect for seclusion!"
Having said that, Li Cheng was the first to step out of the Natural Array.
The two hastily followed, and Feng Wanli, not giving up, said, "Seclusion… go to the Universe Mystery Tower. I'll make the arrangements; stay as long as you like!"
The Universe Mystery Tower is the Sect's Treasure of the Taoist Mysterious Sect, where anyone can enjoy the convenience of thirty times the speed of time flow.
It is most suited for seclusion.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Feng Wanli praised himself as a genius, certain that by tempting with the Universe Mystery Tower, he could definitely invite Li Cheng to the Taoist Mysterious Sect!
After all, which cultivator would not want to grow stronger in a relatively shorter amount of time?
Cultivating in the Universe Mystery Tower for a month would mean only a day has passed in the outside world, making it a prime choice for surpassing others.
As long as Li Cheng went, they could take the opportunity to ask him to concoct some pills, and the trip would be worth it!
Li Cheng looked at the hopeful Feng Wanli, "I'm not interested. Don't bring up visiting the Taoist Mysterious Sect again."
Feng Wanli's face, filled with expectation, froze. Not interested in the Universe Mystery Tower?
On second thought, Feng Wanli instantly understood; Li Cheng's cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, and he probably wasn't ready for the Tribulation Crossing, so there was no need to use the Universe Mystery Tower.
Thinking of this, Feng Wanli forced a smile, "Alright then, no more talk about it. When do you plan to undergo Tribulation Crossing? I'll come to observe." Tribulation Crossing?
He had no intention of undergoing Tribulation Crossing!
He had already made up his mind; as long as Heaven Tribulation didn't come on its own, he would definitely not summon it.
"We'll see. Your Taoist Mysterious Sect's flying warship has arrived, let's part ways here!" Li Cheng said.
In the sky not far off, Wan Zhongshan was leading people in the flying warship, searching the area. They could sense that a battle had taken place nearby, but they had yet to find Li Cheng and Feng Wanli.
The moment the two of them suddenly appeared, Wan Zhongshan and the others naturally flew the warship over immediately.
"Look, Li Cheng and the Ancestor Master are standing side by side. It seems the Ancestor Master has subdued Li Cheng!" someone whispered.
Wan Zhongshan frowned, "That's not right. If he had been subdued, their positions would indicate a clear superior and subordinate, but now they stand side by side, which suggests the opposite."
"Is that so? But they seem to be talking and laughing together."
Wan Zhongshan felt puzzled, wondering what exactly had happened. They hadn't subdued Li Cheng, yet they were chatting and laughing together.
With that doubt in mind, he maneuvered the flying warship to stop a kilometer away and led the people to descend.
Without waiting for the others to speak, Feng Wanli directly tossed the Emperor Grade Responding to Calamity Pill that Li Cheng had given him to Wan Zhongshan, "Have you not met Master Li Cheng yet?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned.. Had he been subdued or not?