The Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Art had also smoothly advanced to the seventh revolution stage.
Li Changsheng stood up and gently shook his body.
Feeling the immense power within, it seemed as though he could crush the void with a single hand.
"What a pity. The Creation Essence Liquid can only be used once. Moreover, if I didn't drink it in front of Elder Gu and still achieved this breakthrough, it would be hard to explain," Li Changsheng thought to himself.
Earlier, he had considered using the simulator to simulate the effects of the Creation Essence Liquid, but he ultimately abandoned the idea.
He had already exposed too much in his efforts to obtain the legacy. Although he could save the Creation Essence Liquid for his disciple, Ximen Xue, by simulating its use, it didn't matter. As long as he became strong enough, what treasures couldn't he obtain?"
"Let's go."
"Sit on the cushion to meditate. It will help you comprehend the Dao."
Elder Gu nodded with satisfaction and led Li Changsheng out of the Cangqiong Hall.
Back in the main hall, Su Qingyu was meditating with calm and steady energy. Over the past half month, her strength at the peak of the Golden Core stage had fully stabilized.
She could now attempt to form her Nascent Soul.
Li Changsheng didn't disturb Su Qingyu. Instead, he turned to Elder Gu and asked softly, "Elder Gu, is there a way to leave Tiannan Region from here?"
"Oh?"
Elder Gu glanced at Li Changsheng in surprise and nodded. "Tiannan Region is a special place within the Cangqing Realm. The four forbidden lands here are also somewhat peculiar. Over a hundred thousand years ago, an immortal artifact from the outside world sealed off the entire Tiannan Region, making it impossible to enter or leave."
"However, this place is the Void. Leaving Tiannan Region isn't difficult."
"The Cangqing Realm?" Li Changsheng looked puzzled. This touched on knowledge he wasn't familiar with.
"The person who taught you the Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Art didn't tell you these basics?" Seeing the genuine confusion on Li Changsheng's face, Elder Gu was slightly taken aback.
"Tiannan Region is part of the Cangqing Realm, which is one of the three thousand lower worlds. However, it's only a medium world. Generally, after transcending the Heavenly Tribulation, cultivators have two choices: either ascend to the Immortal Realm or enter a great world that allows further advancement."
"However, there aren't many great worlds in the lower realms—only nine. Each of these great worlds has a Golden Immortal overseeing it."
"But once you reach the Golden Immortal stage, the only way to continue advancing is to ascend to the Immortal Realm."
The three thousand worlds.
Li Changsheng nodded slightly and said, "After I solidify my cultivation, I'd like to ask Elder Gu to help me leave Tiannan Region."
"Very well."
Elder Gu nodded, "However, that little girl can't leave. Exiting from here would subject her to powerful spatial turbulence. With your physical body, it wouldn't be a problem to withstand it, but her cultivation is too low. It's better for her to stay in Tiannan Region and cultivate for now."
After a pause, Elder Gu turned to Li Changsheng and said, "When you leave, take this person with you."
As he spoke, he pointed to a corner of the hall.
Only then did Li Changsheng notice a black-robed man with a long horse-like face lying on the ground in the corner. His face was twisted in pain, as if a massive divine mountain weighed down on his back, making it hard for him to breathe.
After being in the hall for so long, this was the first time Li Changsheng noticed someone in the corner.
Elder Gu waved his sleeve, and the black-robed man felt the weight lift from his body. He immediately knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Immortal Lord, spare my life! I'll never speak out of turn again."
"It's been thousands of years since anyone came here. Keeping me around will give you someone to talk to."
Elder Gu ignored the black-robed man and simply said to Li Changsheng, "This person is named Mo Chengkong. He's also from the Immortal Realm, a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect. He used to have Earth Immortal cultivation, but he talks too much, so I suppressed him here for over four thousand years. Now, less than one-tenth of his cultivation remains, and he can barely muster the strength of a Transcendence Tribulation cultivator."
"I've placed a restriction on him. I'll teach you the method to control him. From now on, his life and death are in your hands."
Half a year later.
Southern Li Dynasty, Ming Province.
Deep within the Black Mountain Range.
Boom!
A spatial ripple spread out, and two figures were thrown from the void, crashing into the depths of the Black Mountains.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Mo Chengkong spat out the dirt in his mouth and hurried over to Li Changsheng, who was already standing steadily. He flattered, "Young Master's physical body is truly unparalleled. Even facing spatial turbulence, you emerged unscathed. This old servant is truly ashamed."
Li Changsheng glanced at Mo Chengkong, feeling somewhat speechless.
Who would have thought that this fawning old man was once an Earth Immortal powerhouse?
From Elder Gu, Li Changsheng had learned of Mo Chengkong's origins. He was a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect, a major sect in the Immortal Realm. Eight thousand years ago, the Blood Demon Sect faced a great calamity, and a fierce battle erupted deep within the sect.
That battle caused mountains to crumble and the earth to split. The entire Blood Demon Sect was destroyed.
Mo Chengkong was caught in the aftermath of the battle and fell into a rift created by the immense conflict. Miraculously, he survived the turbulence within the rift and arrived in the mortal world, landing in the Void.
And then he was suppressed by Elder Gu.
"Let's go and see where we are," Li Changsheng said indifferently.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Mo Chengkong nodded repeatedly.
Not only was his life now in Li Changsheng's hands—Li Changsheng could kill him with a single thought through the restriction—but he also had an inkling of the identity of the old man in the Immortal Palace. Li Changsheng was that person's successor. If he could curry favor with Li Changsheng, he might not only restore his cultivation but also advance further in the future.
That was why he was doing everything he could to please Li Changsheng.
Since they were new to the area and didn't know where they were, they decided to head in a specific direction at full speed.
The edge of the Black Mountain Range.
Zhao Xuanyuan shielded his two junior sisters behind him, his expression grim as he stared at the dozen or so cultivators in front of him. He had only brought his junior sisters to the Black Mountain Range to gather materials for crafting formation arrays. He hadn't expected to run into bandit cultivators.
If he weren't a fourth-grade formation master and hadn't activated the formation array as soon as the bandits appeared, he and his junior sisters would likely have been reduced to corpses by now.
"If you're here for wealth, I'm willing to hand over my storage bag. We're disciples of the Clear Breeze Sect. Please, give us some leeway."
The leader of the bandits, a cultivator at the Deity Transformation stage, sneered and said coldly:
"What does the Clear Breeze Sect count for?"
"Do you think it's still the days of the Clear Breeze Old Daoist?"
"Kill this guy and take these two tender female cultivators back for us to have some fun with."
The two delicate and fair-skinned female cultivators behind Zhao Xuanyuan paled, looking anxiously at him.
Zhao Xuanyuan's expression also darkened. The Clear Breeze Sect wasn't a major sect. When his master, the Clear Breeze Daoist, was still alive—a Return to Void cultivator—he had been a figure of some renown within a thousand-mile radius.
But now that his master had passed away, the strongest person in the sect was his uncle, who was only at the early Deity Transformation stage. Naturally, that wasn't enough to intimidate these bandits, who had a Deity Transformation cultivator in their ranks.
Just as the formation Zhao Xuanyuan had set up was about to be broken, a streak of red light flashed by.
In an instant, the dozen or so bandit cultivators fell to the ground, reduced to desiccated corpses.
The red light landed and transformed into Mo Chengkong's figure.
"Jie jie!"
"My young master wishes to see you. Come with us!"