There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Chapter 1023 Sparring with Lieyang?
Upon hearing this, Lieyang's eyes gleamed with a fiery red light, and a deep smile appeared between his brows. "So, fellow Daoist, you mean you're restless and yearning for a spar with me?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, directly using his cultivation to repel Gong Wu and He Feng, and the cloud bridge in the starry sky, which was flashing with firelight, also disappeared instantly.

Wang Ping met Lie Yang's eyes, maintaining the same smile as Lie Yang, and said, "How can my meager cultivation compete with you, fellow Daoist? But sometimes we must fight back. For example, in the matter of Earthly True Monarch this time, he was a bit too aggressive. I can't just keep tolerating him. You owe him, but I don't."

Lieyang smiled and said, "It is indeed Fellow Daoist Diwen who is at fault here, but there are some explanations. Fellow Daoist may wish to come to my Daoist temple to discuss this in detail."

Wang Ping nodded.

Then Lieyang said, "What you just said has made me want to fight. Why don't you spar with me?"

Wang Ping met Lie Yang's fiery eyes, and Lie Yang smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I just want to spar with you. I have no other intentions."

"What kind of procedures should we have?"

Wang Ping asked, and he also became interested, wanting to try his luck as the number one person below the Dragon Lord.

Lieyang clasped his hands and said, "Let's spar based on the characteristics of the rules, without using magical artifacts or secret techniques."

"It's interesting."

Lieyang looked up at the empty starry sky ahead and said, "Follow me."

As soon as he finished speaking, under the watchful eyes of many True Yang Sect disciples, he transformed into a streak of fire across the vast starry sky.

Then, two intertwined beams of light tore the sky into an aurora band. As the emerald green runes vanished, the starry sky within tens of thousands of miles seemed to be reassembled and shattered as if played in reverse. And where the crimson array flashed, the solar wind was twisted into a roaring fire tornado.

"Activate the protective array!" He Feng crushed the emergency jade talisman and issued orders to various ecological zones. Then, three hundred and sixty bronze mirrors formed a tight array, creating a protective barrier around Mars.

As Gong Wu watched the battle in the starry sky, it reminded him of the battle on the outer planet and Wang Ping's earth-shattering power, deepening his awe.

Daoist Hefeng was also mesmerized. He couldn't connect Wang Ping, who was fighting against True Lord Lieyang, with the junior cultivator from Thousand Wood Temple back then. He had never experienced the battle on the extraterrestrial planet up close, and this was the first time he had felt Wang Ping's power. Previously, his awe of Wang Ping came from the title of 'True Lord', but now it was a true crushing of power.

In the distant starry sky, the two intertwined forces have already merged.

Lieyang treads on the burning array diagram, each rune pulsating with the characteristics of Nirvana. He draws his fingers across his brow, and a wisp of fire spirit energy transforms into a crimson chain that spans the starry sky. The chain links are engraved with 'heart fire' patterns, and wherever it passes, even the vacuum ripples with scorching wrinkles.

A vibrant green light appeared around Wang Ping, and the time-related properties carved a gear-shaped array in the void. When the Heartfire Chains pierced through the array's core, all the gears suddenly reversed their rotation. The disciples watching from afar were collectively dizzy upon seeing this; it was an illusion caused by the reversal of time.

In the reversal of time, the 'Heart Fire' property unleashed by Lieyang vanished into nothingness.

"Excellent technique!" Lieyang laughed loudly, then suddenly clasped his hands together.

Then, countless burning runes erupted like supernova explosions, their 'light and heat' properties compressed into three incandescent singularities within a fraction of a breath. Some True Yang Sect disciples in the distance immediately screamed and closed their eyes, their irises burned across thousands of miles.

Wang Ping slowly raised his left hand, and the mysterious light with the characteristic of 'corruption' condensed into a pitch-black curse mark in his palm. When the light and heat singularity attacked him, the curse mark suddenly split into a spider web, and each node burst out with the characteristic of 'reproduction'. The three singularities that were enough to vaporize stars actually collapsed into ash in the black spider web like rotten fruit.

The playful expression on Lieyang's face disappeared, and he became serious. His hand seals changed, and instantly a flame impact light screen with the characteristics of 'Nirvana' was formed, forming a ring of destruction that connected end to end in the starry sky. The surface of the ring was covered with dense runes with the characteristics of 'explosion'.

"Go!" Wherever the star ring passed, space shattered like layers of glass.

Wang Ping took a half step back, his robes were torn open by the shockwave, but what gushed out of the cracks was not blood, but a deep green light containing toxic properties. These streams of light precisely seeped into each of the explosion runes, dyeing the crimson star rings a sickly dark green.

He Feng and Gong Wu, who had been observing the battlefield from thousands of miles away, suddenly knelt down and vomited. They had only observed the properties of the toxin, which showed signs of infection in their spiritual veins.

"happy!"

Lieyang was engulfed in flames, his spiritual veins swirling rapidly, and the flames around him quickly rose higher. This was the 'burning' characteristic of the Fire Spirit's rules. Then, he took the Seven Star Steps in the starry sky, each step leaving an inextinguishable footprint. When the seven steps formed a formation, the entire Martian orbit was ignited into a dazzling aurora.

Wang Ping clasped his hands together, and the mysterious light of time intertwined in front of him to form a hexagonal crystal shield. When the sea of ​​blazing fire collided with the crystal shield, a miracle occurred. The flames were not blocked, but instead retreated back into Lieyang's body as if time had reversed.

Suddenly, the blazing sun withdrew its power, and all the flames transformed into three hundred and sixty crimson pieces hovering in the starry sky. He pointed at these fire pieces and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this game of chess?"

Each spark is a crystallization of characteristics compressed to the extreme.

Wang Ping flicked his finger, releasing a corresponding number of emerald-green lights. Each light precisely enveloped a fire element, and toxins and healing, time and nirvana, corruption and burning—all opposing characteristics—formed a perfect balance in the starry sky. When the last pair of light spheres returned to their positions, a sudden downpour of spiritual energy fell across the entire star field. This was a celestial phenomenon caused by the harmonization of the rules.

"Let's stop here, shall we?"

Wang Ping bowed and spoke.

Lieyang nodded as he looked at the fire he could no longer muster, his fighting spirit extinguished at that moment, and his gaze toward Wang Ping became somewhat complicated.

Although the battle just now was about the characteristics of the rules, he clearly felt that Wang Ping's cultivation was no weaker than his own. If they were to fight to the death using their respective secret cultivation methods, he estimated that he would not have a chance of winning.

Wang Ping was also considering Lieyang's strength. In the sparring just now, he had used 60% of his cultivation to barely maintain a draw with Lieyang's unique abilities. If he were to add the Heavenly Craftsmanship and Earthly Script, he would probably only be able to barely hold his own even if he used all his strength, and might even be suppressed.

"Fellow Daoist truly deserves to be called a genius of humanity. In just over a thousand years, you have been able to deduce the secret techniques of the Six Realms and cultivate to such a level in such a short time."

Lieyang suppressed his other thoughts, suppressed the fire spirit light around him, and approached Wang Ping with a smile, saying, "But I have to tell you, Diwen's cultivation is no less than mine, so he can be considered to have benefited from misfortune."

He was completely distancing himself from Earthly Literature, and after saying that, he invited Wang Ping to his Mars Dojo for a detailed discussion.

Wang Ping certainly wouldn't refuse.

Observing Mars up close, everything here made Wang Ping feel uncomfortable.

From afar, he could see pure flames surging in the abyss of the Martian crust. The incandescent flame core in the central region burned black spots that continued to collapse into space. The golden flames in the innermost circle were like liquid sunlight, with hemispherical bulges constantly rising on the surface. When they reached the critical point, they exploded silently, ejecting tiny black sparks the size of needles.

The purple flames in the middle layer formed continuous waves, each surge cracking with fine lines at the crest, revealing the bluish-white core of high temperature. The outer crimson fire blanket appeared calm, but in reality, every inch of it was undergoing explosions imperceptible to the naked eye. Occasionally, bursts of fire would suddenly accelerate, drawing bright trails like lyre strings in the air.

The ground is a semi-solidified sea of ​​magma, with serpentine streams of fire occasionally shooting out from the cracks, briefly circling in the air before disappearing into other cracks.

Lieyang's dojo remained unchanged, devoid of palaces, pavilions, or towers, only a barren expanse of fiery red. Upon returning to the dojo, he immediately transformed into a golden crow and plunged into the churning lava, subsequently manifesting his primordial spirit clad in blue Taoist robes.

“My place is very barren, and I have no wine or fresh fruit to offer you, fellow Daoist.”

As Lieyang spoke, he waved his hand, and the fiery red rock in front of Wang Ping instantly transformed into a stone table and stone bench. He then invited, "Fellow Daoist, please have a seat."

Wang Ping bowed in greeting, and as he felt the scorching heat emanating from the stone bench, he once again noticed the absence of Yu Lian's complaints.

"We were playing the game and we were saying, 'You have to give me a two-piece handicap first. I want to play black and go first.'"

As Lieyang spoke, he pointed to a chessboard on the stone table, which was an admission that Wang Ping's divination of magic was superior to his own.

Wang Ping smiled as he picked up the white piece, and as he waited for Lieyang to make his move, he asked directly, "How are your negotiations with Diwen going? Were your words at the Yixi meeting just to appease me?"

Lieyang replied with a smile, "After the last gathering, I contacted Fellow Daoist Diwen immediately, but he said to wait until he came out of seclusion before we could talk about anything. I contacted him several more times, and it wasn't until a year ago that I received his response."

As he spoke, he placed a piece.

Wang Ping also smiled and teased Lieyang, "He's so arrogant, he doesn't even reply to your messages?"

It's unclear when it started, but when Wang Ping faced the older generation of Fifth Realm experts like Lieyang and Tiangong, he lost the initial caution and prudence.

“He and I didn’t get along even before he fell into a deep sleep.”

Lieyang said, "Tiangong is on good terms with him, and your Taiyan Sect is also his mortal enemy. They have fought each other more than once. Although he is asleep, the consciousness and memories conveyed by his believers can still be read. Now that he has awakened, he will naturally be wary of your Taiyan Sect."

Wang Ping nodded. He knew the characteristics of the Taiyan Sect all too well. Diwen Zhenjun's current actions were indeed understandable, but this matter could not be explained by reason. "I still stand by what I said. I don't owe Diwen Zhenjun anything. If he wants to fight me, I'm really willing to give it a try."

Lieyang looked Wang Ping up and down carefully and said with a smile, "Even if you don't look for him, he will come looking for you. You're bound to have a showdown sooner or later anyway, so I think you should strike first."

Wang Ping placed a piece on the board and looked into Lieyang's eyes. "The affairs of the world cannot be changed because of his appearance. Time will let him know that the road ahead after leaving the Taiyan Sect will be difficult."

He wouldn't let the Taiyan Sect get bogged down in war at this time. As for the Earthly True Lord's claim of having fought a battle, he wasn't worried at all; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it. As for taking the initiative to go to their door, he wouldn't be so foolish, because doing so would undoubtedly put him on the opposite side of the other True Lords.

With his current cultivation level, he may not be afraid of one-on-one fights, but what about group fights? After all, even the Dragon Lord has to back down when faced with a group fight.

If Diwen dares to provoke him, he will give him an unforgettable memory to enrich his nearly depleted humanity.

After making his statement, Wang Ping suddenly said, "If Earthly True Lord really comes to my doorstep, you mustn't take sides."

"I will definitely stand by your side."

Lieyang affirmed, then smiled and said, "As for Tiangong, he will definitely stand on Diwen's side. Moreover, his cultivation is improving day by day, and his Golden Spirit characteristic can sever cause and effect. Your 'Stealing Heaven Talisman' will have a hard time against him."

Wang Ping secretly noted it down. Metal spirits naturally restrain wood spirits, so he wasn't surprised by this. His real reason for coming here was to find out who the enemy was, who the ally was, and who would be watching the show.

"Before awakening Earthly True Monarch, didn't Fellow Daoist Tiangong often talk about clearing out the extraterrestrial rebels? Now that Earthly True Monarch has awakened, why is he silent again?"

Wang Ping continued to ask in a teasing tone.

Lieyang replied with a smile, "You can ask him yourself. I'm not actually familiar with Tiangong, and I don't like dealing with him. It's just that there are some things that require his approval."

Wang Ping glanced up at Lie Yang, then didn't reply. He focused on the chessboard, and for the next half hour, the only sound between them was the movement of pieces.

Lieyang kept glancing at Wang Ping, his mind constantly replaying their earlier exchange. When the game reached the middle stage, he said, "Back when Huishan Straight Road was besieged, we finally figured out the characteristics of time. I didn't expect you to have already mastered it."

Wang Ping toyed with a white chess piece in his hand, staring at Lie Yang and said, "Your topic has surprised me. Didn't you pay attention to the extraterrestrial war back then?"

"Of course they're paying attention, so you've made them wary. Did you observe Wei Ling's ability to manipulate time?"

"Correct!"

"Indeed, that's how it is. Back when we were discussing the Dao together, we mentioned the ability to observe the Star God, but no one except Huishan tried it. After we besieged him, we investigated everything he had done and found that he had made an agreement with extraterrestrial life forms long before the Demon Clan War."

Lieyang placed a piece on the board as he revealed this information.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping stopped playing with the chess pieces, looked at Lie Yang, and said, "So, most of the Star Gods in this starry sky now possess Wood Spirit characteristics?"

Lieyang casually said, "Maybe so. Huishan must have an incredibly large plan, and the Star God Alliance is his biggest tool. We didn't pay much attention to it at first, after all, switching to the Xuanmen sect had already taken a lot of our effort."

"So Huishan wasn't besieged because he wanted to turn all living beings into puppets?"

"This is just a trigger."

What are his plans?

"I don't know, the plan to besiege him went wrong."

Lieyang paused for a moment before continuing, "At first we just wanted to seal him away, but Huishan went too far and it turned into a life-or-death battle. Tiangong was the most ruthless at that time, as if he had gone mad."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping suddenly felt an urge to bind all the other Xuanmen and Tianmen Zhenjun and examine them with his Heavenly Eye.

(End of this chapter)