Li Qingming gritted his teeth with a pained expression, saying, "Who on earth set up this formation? Not to mention a Quasi-Saint, even a sub-saint would lose a layer of skin if they don't die upon entering!"
Li Qingming forced a smile. "It seems that I can't do without using the Controlling Bamboo Skill!"
"Control, Bamboo Escape!"
Li Qingming pinched the Mysterious Technique and shouted lightly.
"Whoosh"
The innermost ring of blue bamboo trembled in unison, and then all burrowed into the ground, the entire ground displaying a strange deep blue color!
Touching the second layer of bamboo that resembled wolf fang clubs, Li Qingming pinched the Magic Spell and raised his claws upwards.
"Control, Hover in the Air!"
The bamboo in the second circle all contorted and shot towards the area behind Li Qingming.
Having passed the second layer, the third layer wouldn't be so easy. If one rashly used the Controlling Bamboo Skill without understanding the Nine Palace Eight Diagram Formation, they would never be able to leave.
"Alas, it's hopeless!" A deeply frustrated Li Qingming sat down on the ground, muttering to himself: "I've never studied Array Dao, it seems I'll have to stay in this formation a little longer. Well, it's just as well. I'll study this formation thoroughly; maybe it will be of use in the future!"
Time inside the formation could not be measured, and it was unknown how much had passed.
Suddenly, Li Qingming, who was sprawled on the ground, burst into laughter: "Enter from the 'Sheng Gate' in the east, make a killing exit via the southwest 'Rest Gate,' and then break out from the north 'Open Gate.' The formation can be broken. Hahaha!"
"Control, Ten-thousand Bamboo"
Following Li Qingming's hand gestures, the Array constantly shifted, entering through the 'Sheng Gate,' severing the 'Rest Gate,' and exiting through the 'Open Gate.'
The formation was broken!
Li Qingming, who broke out of the formation, looked at the Ten Thousand Bamboo Formation before him with deep emotions. Looking up at the main object of the formation in the sky, his mouth watered even more. It was:
"Qian is heaven, Kun is earth. Qian known for change, Kun epitomizes simplicity. Named Qiankun, encompassing heaven and wrapping earth. Controlling Yin and Yang, an inch close, worlds apart."
...
Li Qingming spurred his whole body's True Yuan, his eyes fixedly staring at the Qiankun Map in the sky.
With the Qiankun Map at the center, the fresh and tender bamboo around it displayed the power of the Celestial Stars, with fine starlight pouring down from the azure sky in a hazy radiance. The Qiankun Map was like a painting, engraved with mountains, rivers, and all forms of life, as if encompassing the entire Great Thousand World.
"Another formation! What kind of formation is this?" Observing the formation intently, Li Qingming's brows furrowed into a Sichuan character.
The Qiankun Map served as the formation's eye, with three hundred and sixty-five thick bamboo shoots as the foundation, fourteen thousand and eight hundred striped bamboos as the trunk, and ten thousand thorn bamboos as the branches and leaves, all linked together by the power of the Cycle of Stars.
"The Celestial Stars Formation!" Li Qingming's eyes bulged, "Isn't this formation recorded in the River Diagram and Luo Book, later comprehended by Di Jun at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Court? How could it appear on this small island?"
The confounded Li Qingming, decided to test the formation with his body.
Stepping into this formation, Li Qingming found that the Celestial Stars Formation did not have an Array space. The bamboo within the formation absorbed the power of the stars, locking him down tightly.
Taking a deep breath, Li Qingming rapidly searched his mind for content related to Array Dao.
After a while, Li Qingming suddenly raised his head. His body expanded in the blink of an eye, growing to five meters, fifty meters, until it stopped at five hundred meters.
Resembling a giant beast, Li Qingming howled towards the sky, "Control! All Bamboo Returns to the Root!" With the Bamboo serving as the main stem, they "whooshed" up from the roots, rushing towards the center where Li Qingming was. They continuously gathered in front of him, becoming more and more numerous. It was unclear how much time passed until Li Qingming could no longer maintain his huge form and shrank back to the size of a fist. Only a section of Green Bamboo remained in front of him, glistening with a faint silver light.
"Good! I didn't expect that Magic Treasures could be refined like this... Casually commanding bamboo and refining a powerful Acquired Spirit Treasure, which also contains a Small Celestial Stars Formation. From now on, you shall be named 'Green Bamboo'!" An elated Li Qingming looked up at the Qiankun Map that was about to drop, leaping towards it with ecstasy.
The Qiankun Map, having lost its controller of the Array and no one to command it, struggled feebly a couple of times before quietly lying in Li Qingming's hands.
Li Qingming couldn't wait to start refining the Qiankun Map.
...
Time passed quickly. Ever since the day he finished refining the Qiankun Map, Li Qingming and Li Yanran mother and child set up camp on Ten Thousand Bamboo Island.
Every day, they would arrange Array on the island, temper their Mana, occasionally cultivate Spells, living a comfortable life.
This day, the Island Protection Array kept shaking.
Li Qingming lay on his younger brother Li Qingquan's shoulder, opening the Island Protection Array. He looked indifferently at the three Daoists standing in the sky:
The elder in the middle was dressed in a moon-white Daoist robe, embroidered with a Tai Chi Diagram. His silver hair was tightly held by a Purple Gold Taoist Crown, and his rosy cheeks sported a long beard that reached his chest. In his left hand, he held a Duster, and underneath him was a greenish Mountain Goat.
To the left of the elder was a middle-aged man in a green robe, with his hair tied up. He stood on blades of grass, and his grizzled hair was also held up by a Purple Gold Taoist Crown. His complexion was like polished jade, and his eyes were gentle. He held an ancient small banner in his left hand, with a few strands of blue hair flowing beneath his chin. Below him was a strange creature with antlers and deer ears, a horse face, cow hooves, a humped body, and a donkey's tail.
To the right of the elder was a young man, with a distinguished nose, thin lips, and sword-like eyebrows that slanted into the few strands of black hair cascading by his temple. His handsome profile was impeccably chiseled, with black hair flowing down, and a Longsword on his back. Below him was a white creature with a single horn, the Kui ox.
Li Qingming jumped down from Li Qingquan's shoulder, clasping his paws together in salute, and bowed deeply, "May I know why the three esteemed Daoists have attacked Ten Thousand Bamboo Island?"
The middle-aged man on the elder's left took an interested look at Li Qingming and said, "The poor Daoist had a whim one day. He calculated that someone who shares destiny with me was in this place, and I was moved. Thus, I travelled southward and upon reaching this island, I struck the Array in hopes of drawing out the master of this island to clear the doubts of my destiny."
"Oh? May I know the names of the three esteemed Daoists? This junior, of the Panda Bear clan, is Li Qingming, and beside me is my younger brother Li Qingquan!" Although Li Qingming had an inkling of who these three people were, he still asked politely.
"Hehe, there's no need for such courtesy, Li young friend. The poor Daoist is named Primordial Venerable, titled Yuqing Daoist; the person in the middle is my elder brother, named Laozi, titled Taiching Taoist; and the young man is my younger brother, named Tongtian, titled Shangqing Daoist!" Primordial Venerable said with a smile, his tone calm.
"What an oversight! It's the real The Three Pure Ones." With the confirmation, Li Qingming felt thrilled inside, resolving to latch onto The Three Pure Ones' coattails tightly.
"Hehe, young friend is quite interesting, knowing about us, The Three Pure Ones," said Laozi. "Although my brothers and I have traveled through the Primordial, our fame has been inconspicuous. Where did young friend hear about us three?"
"Hehe…?"
Li Qingming chuckled lightly, not answering, but inwardly he couldn't help but sneer, "Listening to these three, I might become a disciple of Primordial. Isn't it said in later generations that Laozi and Primordial do not think highly of the Demon Race, calling them 'creatures born damp and hatched from eggs, clad in fur and shell'? Especially Primordial, it was because of this that he lost his own brothers and taught no disciples. Could it be that the legends of later generations are mistaken?"
"Li young friend may not be aware! Since the three of us have undergone Transformation, we have been favored by Heavenly Dao. Whenever we encountered danger, we always had a premonition. Sometime ago, inexplicably, that sensation failed us. A Daoist named Luo Hou wanted to devour our very essence. At the time, a straw-clothed elder saved us!"
Primordial Venerable stroked his beard and said faintly, "Before leaving, the elder specifically advised us. He said there was a chance for me in the south. Hence, the three of us traveled south until we reached this place, where the throbbing in my heart finally ceased."
"So that's how it is!" Li Qingming said with a smile on his face, yet fear churned within him, "An elder? Could it be Hong Jun? How would he know about me being here? Could my transformation into a demon also be Hong Jun's doing?"