"Get out, get as far away as you can..."
"Luo Qing, you..." The arrogant young man gritted his teeth, his face full of resentment, but seeing Luo Qing raise his hand again, he could only flee in panic.
Watching the group flee in terror, Luo Qing said with a forced smile, "Senior, I've made some progress on the information you asked me to gather about the Western Heaven Battle Palace. Few have seen the true face of the Western Heaven Battle Emperor. Legend has it that he has dazzling golden hair, a handsome face as if carved by a knife, and a powerful charm in his deep eyes that is unforgettable. He also possesses an aura of majesty that surpasses heaven and earth..."
Luo Qing was clearly trying to change the subject, but Jiang Liu didn't care about those teenagers at all.
He took out several pages of portraits. The first one was of a blond man, incredibly tall and imposing, but the artist had not painted his face; only his back was shown.
It is incredibly majestic, like a mountain, a knife, or a sword, sharp and incomparably powerful, yet also incredibly heavy.
"These paintings were done by my father on the spot. He was the only one who had been to the Western Heaven Battle Palace and seen the back of the Western Heaven Battle Emperor, but he could only express one or two parts of his aura... Below are the four holy sons of the Western Heaven Battle Palace, who are disciples of the Western Heaven Battle Emperor."
Jiang Liu continued flipping through the pages. He saw a man in black who looked extremely ordinary and unremarkable, but his eyes were always burning with a fierce fighting spirit.
A handsome man carrying a three-foot-long sword on his back. He was tall and slender with bright eyes and sword-like eyebrows. He exuded an incomparably sharp sword intent, as if he were a peerless divine sword that had been drawn from its sheath. Wherever the sword pointed, everything in the world would be cut down by him.
A man with a burly build, as tall as an iron tower, had what appeared to be fine dragon scales covering his body, making him look like a peerless, ferocious dragon.
The last picture shows a beautiful woman with a graceful figure and alluring curves. In particular, a beauty mark under her phoenix eyes is quite eye-catching, adding to her charm. She is truly a stunning beauty.
"Has Luo Tianshen emerged from seclusion?" Jiang Liu put away the portraits; the ink on them was fresh, indicating they were newly painted.
"Yes, he just came out of quarantine yesterday..."
Looking at the first portrait of the Western Heaven War Emperor, Jiang Liu was impressed by the divine spirit and imposing presence of Luo Tianshen's back. He felt that Luo Tianshen's strength had improved significantly. He asked, "To be able to paint such a picture, it seems that he has made considerable progress!"
Luo Qing smiled broadly, his expression revealing genuine admiration, and said, "I must thank you for your guidance, senior. My father emerged from seclusion yesterday, having already reached the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign realm. He had intended to pay his respects in person today, but the Blood God Clan, the Power God Clan, and the Bone God Clan joined forces, forcing my father to rush to the front lines overnight. He instructed me to thank you, senior, and apologize for not being able to pay my respects in person. He will return as soon as he has finished dealing with his affairs!"
"No problem, I have a few questions, let's see if you can solve them!"
Luo Qing scratched his head and nodded, saying, "Senior, please ask away. I will answer everything I know."
Jiang Liu said, "First, show me your Luo Shen clan's 'Luo Shen Dharma Body'!"
Luo Qing's face immediately turned bitter, and he said with a wry smile, "The Luo Shen Dharma Body is hailed as the most beautiful super Dharma Body in the Great Thousand Worlds, ranking eleventh on the list of ninety-nine Dharma Bodies, but the cultivation conditions are harsh, requiring the cultivator to have a beauty that can topple kingdoms and unparalleled talent..."
"Hmm? A face that could topple kingdoms? Can only women cultivate this Dharma body?" Jiang Liu asked.
"Indeed, since the time of the Goddess of the Luo River, no one in our clan has been able to cultivate such a Dharma body. It is because the cultivation method is too harsh... Not only does it require a woman to cultivate, but also a beauty that can topple kingdoms, and even more so, unparalleled talent!"
"The Luoshen Technique is a secret art passed down through your royal family, so you obviously have no right to show it to me!"
Luo Qing could only nod repeatedly.
"Your Luo Shen clan is skilled with swords, but when it comes to spirit arrays, you don't have any top-tier spirit arrays to boast about! I mean the kind that can fight against Earthly Sovereigns, not the ordinary ones..."
Luo Qing nodded again.
"Then do you know which lineage in this Little Western Heaven Realm has top-tier spirit arrays or battle arrays?"
Luo Qing frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "The Purple Mountain Sect is an expert in breaking formations, and its sect leader is a high-level Earthly Sovereign. Since they are good at breaking formations, they are naturally also proficient in the way of spirit formations."
"Purple Mountain Sect? What forces in the Lesser Western Heaven Realm possess those ninety-nine supreme Dharma forms?"
"Our clan possesses the Luo Shen Dharma Body, while the Blood God Clan possesses the Blood Shadow Dharma Body and the Blood Kasaya Dharma Body..."
"Hmm, the Blood God Clan! It seems I still have to make a trip to the Blood God Clan!"
Chapter 426 The Storm Is Brewing
Western Heaven Battle City.
For the Western Continent, and even the entire Great Thousand World, this city is undoubtedly an inviolable holy city. Extremely prosperous, it attracts a constant stream of seekers of the Dao, and is regarded as a holy city and sacred ground for martial arts practitioners. However, except for certain specific days, the leaders of various top forces and super-strong individuals rarely come to this city.
Because while they can reign supreme and enjoy great prestige in other places, once they arrive at the Western Heaven Battle City, even dragons have to coil up and tigers have to lie down, obediently daring not to cross the line.
The reason for this is that there is a ruler of the Western Continent in this city.
That was the Western Heaven War Emperor, a renowned Heavenly Sovereign!
This Heavenly Sovereign, though renowned for his martial arts, actually possesses the true innate cultivation method of "dual cultivation of form and emptiness."
In Jiang Liu's view, when a martial artist, a king of a hundred battles, loses the confidence to break through all obstacles with his fists and turns to the path of "dual cultivation of form and emptiness" to break through, he cuts off the path to the highest level.
Sensing the will of the world, summoning the Heavenly Ranking, leaving one's surname will allow one to transcend to the Saintly rank, leaving one's full name will allow one to completely transcend. Only the most courageous and fearless can sprint on the path of cultivation; once one loses their edge, they are basically out of luck.
As is well known, the War Emperor of the Western Heaven War Palace had three thousand beauties in his harem, possessing all the most beautiful women in the world. Moreover, the cultivation technique he practiced was called the Great Emperor's Inner Scripture, which inherently possessed the ability to cultivate dual cultivation. Therefore, this War Emperor was also a first-rate, peerless, and romantic figure.
The Emperor of a Hundred Battles, the Emperor of the Western Heaven, may be able to reach the strength of a Saint-level Heavenly Supreme through the "Dual Cultivation of Form and Emptiness" path, but that is the limit.
Sensing the will of the world and summoning the Heavenly Ranking will be something that is unattainable and can never be touched.
In the world of "Yang Shen," the ancient Emperor Pan created a harem, controlled women, and comprehended the Dao of the Intersection of Form and Emptiness, thus achieving the status of Yang Shen. However, he only achieved the status of Yang Shen and could not reach the other shore.
In the center of the Western Heaven Battle City, there are magnificent palaces, perched high on the mountain, overlooking the entire city.
This palace complex is naturally the location of the Western Heaven Battle Palace.
In the center of the hall stood a magnificent and imposing palace. At this moment, the palace was silent, with several figures standing respectfully and motionless. On the throne above the palace, a figure sat casually, but the immense pressure emanating from him made the people below dare not raise their heads.
This imposing and vast figure was none other than the Western Heaven War Emperor. His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were resting. The people below, although they held high positions in the Western Heaven War Palace, dared not utter a sound to disturb him.
"What has brought you all here? How are you four progressing in comprehending my Ancient War Emperor Dharma Body? Ling Zhanzi, although you can condense a Dharma Body, it's only superficial. Ling Jianzi, Ling Longzi, and Ling Feizi, you all need to work harder. I, the dignified Upper Heavenly Sovereign and Emperor of a Hundred Battles, have disciples who are merely Lower Earthly Sovereigns. If I were to say this, you wouldn't be ashamed, but I would be..."
The silence lasted for a long time before the Western Heaven War Emperor finally opened his eyes slightly. His calm voice, imbued with majesty, echoed in the hall.
"This disciple is ashamed, and will certainly work harder..."
Four of the people below immediately knelt on one knee and responded respectfully.
"Alright, tell me what's going on? Winter, even you've been alerted. Has something changed among the subordinate forces?"
The one whom the Western Heaven War Emperor called Winter was an old man dressed in a white robe. His eyebrows and beard were white, his face was thin, and snowflake patterns were faintly visible on his expressionless face.
Such an extraordinary phenomenon clearly indicates a high level of expertise in the art of ice and snow.
The man immediately stepped forward and said in a hoarse voice, “My Emperor, this matter is neither a huge nor a small one. The four great divine clans of the Lesser Western Heaven Realm have been fighting each other for over a thousand years without any unusual occurrences. However, just a few days ago, in the battle between the Luo God Clan and the Blood God Clan, the Blood God Clan's patriarch, Xue Lingzi, perished…”
"Blood Spirit Child? If I remember correctly, he should have already stepped into the Upper Earthly Sovereign realm!" The Western Heaven War Emperor remained calm and unmoved, naturally not taking the death of a mere Upper Earthly Sovereign seriously.
"He had just been promoted to the Upper Earthly Sovereign a year ago, and only then did he join forces with the Bone God Clan and the Power God Clan to prepare to annihilate the Luo God Clan, but he died in this battle!"
The Western Heaven War Emperor slowly closed his eyes and said, "The current patriarch of the Luo Shen Clan is Luo Tian Shen. He does have some talent, but he is burdened by the clan's affairs. The Luo Shen Technique is also a cultivation method that favors women. He will never be able to reach the level of a Heavenly Supreme! He still cannot kill Xue Ling Zi..."
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. The key issue is not the death of that Blood Spirit Child, but the person who killed him!" Old Man Winter said solemnly.
"Hmm, to kill a high-level Earthly Sovereign, one must at least be at the peak of the Earthly Sovereign realm and possess a divine artifact. Otherwise, with Xue Lingzi's strength, plus his Blood God Clan's Blood God Arm and Blood Shadow Avatar, he could easily have escaped alive. Who killed him?" The Western Heaven War Emperor narrowed his eyes, revealing a strong killing intent, and said in a deep voice, "In the Western Heaven Continent, besides the Western Heaven War Palace, no other force could kill Xue Lingzi. Did a powerful figure from another continent interfere in the struggle between the four great divine clans?"
"The information we have doesn't yet allow us to determine which continent the expert came from. We only know that Xue Lingzi was cleanly and swiftly killed. According to the patriarchs of the Bone God Clan and the Power God Clan, that person wielded a blood-stained blade that reeked of endless blood, as if it could cleave even the heavens and earth in two! Xue Lingzi died under that blade, his very soul unable to escape. The patriarchs of the Bone God Clan and the Power God Clan fled without a fight, and without engaging him, we cannot yet ascertain his strength," said Elder Winter.
"A master of the sword?! Even his soul couldn't escape... Interesting. This person's strength should be at the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign realm. If he had reached the Heavenly Sovereign realm, I could sense him. But I didn't sense any Heavenly Sovereign aura. Winter, you've accumulated over a hundred years at the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign realm, so go there yourself. It should help your breakthrough. Although I don't interfere in their conflicts, if outsiders intervene... hehe..."
The old man nodded and said, "Then I will go..."
"Take these four good-for-nothings with you and let them see the world. Oh, and bring the Myriad Mountains Spirit Tablet. That person was able to kill Blood Spirit Child with a single strike; that sword must be extraordinary. With the Myriad Mountains Spirit Tablet, you'll be almost certain of victory. However, it's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary. If you want to break through in this battle, don't rely on external objects..."
“Yes, sir…” Old Man Winter bowed and withdrew.
"Yes, Master!" The four disciples accepted the order and left.
Chapter 427 Master of Spirit Arrays
Just as the killing intent in the Western Heaven Battle City was rising, before it descended upon the Luo Shen Clan, Jiang Liu did not seek trouble with the Blood God Clan. Instead, he plunged into the cultivation of the spirit array.
How could the Luo Shen royal family not have any hidden cultivation manuals? The "Luo Shen Technique" is related to the Luo Shen clan's inheritance, so Luo Qing dared not show it to Jiang Liu. However, he had no reservations about the world-shaking manuals he had collected over the past thousand years.
Jiang Liu was engrossed in studying a spirit array of Earth-grade Grandmaster level, yet even with his divine rune cultivation approaching that of a Source Celestial Master, he couldn't see through it.
The restrictions in acquired and innate magical treasures, such as Origin Heaven Techniques, Divine Patterns, and Spiritual Arrays, are actually related and even complementary. Obtaining one leads to two, and learning one leads to three.
In the world of "The Great Ruler," the path of spirit arrays already possesses extremely detailed cultivation methods. Jiang Liu began his cultivation from scratch, and only when he reached the Earth-grade Grandmaster level of spirit arrays did he find it slightly difficult to comprehend.
According to ancient texts, this Subduing Dragon Formation is the strongest spiritual formation collected by the Luo Shen Clan. It is a spirit formation of Earth-grade Grandmaster level, which is difficult for even a high-grade Earth Supreme to break, demonstrating its power.
However, this did not stump Jiang Liu, as there was an ancient Bodhi tree in the small world within his body.
Studying the Dao of Spirit Arrays under the Bodhi tree is quite a harmonious combination.
Having stepped out of his small world, Jiang Liu's eyes flashed like lightning, and his face was full of confidence.
"The Way of Spirit Arrays is truly profound. It can enhance the power of magical treasures, strengthen restrictions, and set up deadly techniques, serving both offensive and defensive purposes. Whether breaking or establishing the Immortal Slaughtering Array or the Myriad Immortals Array, it requires profound mastery of array formations. The Way of Spirit Arrays, the Way of Divine Runes, and the Way of Restrictions are interconnected. My comprehension of Spirit Arrays, my advancement to the Source Celestial Master realm, and even the breaking of another restriction on the Immortal Binding Rope are enough to demonstrate that at the highest level of power, everything is interconnected..."
Jiang Liu left the secluded palace and stood at the highest point of Luoshen City, overlooking the entire city.
In Jiang Liu's eyes, what he saw before him was no longer a city, but a great formation.
"Unfortunately, this great formation has been destroyed..." Jiang Liu shook his head and sighed. Perhaps in the distant past, Luoshen City was built according to the great formation and possessed great power. But after countless years, the city may have been invaded, collapsed, rebuilt, and remodeled. In the end, the great formation lost its function due to lack of maintenance.
But a trace of that distant grand formation still remained, appearing in Jiang Liu's eyes.
“The true killing power of this city does not lie in the city itself, but in the Luo River that flows beside it…” Jiang Liu walked to the riverbank, scooped up a handful of water, and looked back. The city walls of Luoshen City were hundreds of feet high, and the dark surface of the walls shimmered with a cold luster. The walls stretched out to the end of his sight without any sign of turning a corner.
On the city wall, the runes that should have shone brightly no longer flickered, and the spiritual energy fluctuations no longer rippled. But in Jiang Liu's eyes, everything about this great formation emerged from the hidden vicissitudes.
"In those distant years, when the great formation was still perfect, the only way to enter the city was through the city gate. Anything that descended from the sky would trigger the city's great formation and be considered an intruder and attacked."
"What a terrifying formation! It must be even more powerful than the Subduing Dragon Formation. The Luo River transforms into swords, each drop of water becoming a sword... It seems this great formation was left behind by the most beautiful woman in the ancient world, the Goddess Luo! It's at least one major realm higher than the Subduing Dragon Formation, capable of blocking even the Heavenly Sovereign..."
Jiang Liu naturally lacked the strength and energy to repair such a spirit array. After a brief period of exploration, he decided to build a grand array based on his own understanding on the foundation of this incomplete array.
Before he could even make a move, Luo Qing learned that Jiang Liu had emerged from seclusion and rushed over. Although he felt that getting along with Jiang Liu was not difficult during their time together, Luo Qing was still afraid that someone might offend him and cause unnecessary trouble.
"You've come at the right time. I've recently gained a deep understanding of the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so I'll use this incomplete array to construct a powerful killing array..."
Luo Qing followed Jiang Liu's gaze, frowned, and thought for a moment before saying, "It is recorded in our clan's records that Luo Shen City was originally protected by a great array. However, it was damaged and destroyed during the war, and no spirit array master emerged in our clan. So it gradually declined and was destroyed! If you are interested, please take action. If you can restore even a trace of the power of the Luo Shui Array, it will be our blessing."
"So this formation is called the Luoshui Formation. Well then, I won't stand on ceremony..."
Jiang Liu lingered around the city wall for a long time before finally making his move.
"Sizzle!"
Around him, streaks of five-colored light shot into the sky, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth transformed into ancient runes that intertwined.
Blood dripped from Jiang Liu's fingertips, the golden blood flowing along the divine patterns like tiny golden snakes, instantly merging into the runes and becoming one with the Dao.
A tremendous sound boomed, as if the heavens and earth were being created, the void trembled, and celestial light danced!
Supremely divine and holy, supremely strong and masculine.