A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

The entrance to the Ancient God's Lair is hidden between three stars.

At this moment, Luo Cheng, Li Qiang, Qingdi, Yuan Gu, and others, along with a group of ancient immortals and reclusive immortals, all stood in the void. Looking into the distance, three stars were engulfed in towering flames, churning and shifting in the void.

Such an environment would be difficult for even Mahayana cultivators to survive in; only Celestial Immortals could barely endure it. Of course, Celestial Immortals could only operate on the outer perimeter, demonstrating just how dangerous the interior of the Ancient God's Treasury was. Among those present, only Luo Cheng and Qian Shanyong were slightly weaker; the rest were all at the Heavenly Monarch level.

With a series of booming sounds, the divine restrictions surrounding the three stars began to pulsate rhythmically. Luo Cheng and Li Qiang stood beside the Azure Emperor, awaiting his instructions for the next move. The ancient immortals of Bona also quieted down, waiting for the entrance to open.

Time flowed slowly, and the flames in the void constantly changed shape. In Luo Cheng's eyes, the divine runes in the void were rearranging. Gradually, a passage opened up in the void ahead, and an ancient temple could be vaguely seen.

"Could that ancient divine treasure be on a star?" Li Qiang asked curiously.

"No," the Azure Emperor said succinctly, then explained, "According to our research, these stars only provide energy for the outer divine array. The central area of ​​the Ancient God's Treasury contains ancient cultivation stones."

"Ancient Cultivation Divine Stone?" This was the second time Li Qiang had heard this name.

"A single ordinary ancient cultivation stone possesses the energy equivalent to ten Hengxing (a type of star)," Qingdi added.

Li Qiang then realized that the true energy source of the divine array was the ancient divine stone.

Once the divine barrier at the entrance stabilized, the Azure Emperor looked at Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng and said, "You two stay at the entrance and don't go in."

"No!" Dai Nanfeng said firmly. They'd come all this way; how could they leave empty-handed? Everyone knew that the Ancient God's Treasury contained divine artifacts; obtaining even one would greatly increase one's strength.

The Azure Emperor said coldly, "It doesn't matter if you die, I'm afraid you'll break the divine restrictions and ruin our plans."

These words were extremely harsh. Qian Shanyong, however, remained undeterred: "I possess a divine artifact; I want to give it a try."

Luo Cheng observed silently. He knew the true origin of the Ancient God's Treasury; even an ancient god, let alone an ancient immortal, would risk death. Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng, relying on their cultivation as Luo Tian Shangxian, wanted to venture deeper, clearly unaware of the true danger of the Ancient God's Treasury.

At this moment, Li Qiang spoke up: "Qingdi, Lao Qian and the others have arrived, let them in."

The Azure Emperor's tone was calm and unwavering: "Do you know that this is harming them?"

"My senior brother and I aren't as skilled as them, and we can get in. Lao Gan and the others should be fine, right?" Li Qiang insisted.

Upon hearing this, Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng both cast grateful glances at Li Qiang.

"Junior brother, you're the one who's really harming them by doing this," Luo Cheng sighed softly.

The two were unconvinced. Dai Nanfeng said, "I have lived for hundreds of thousands of years. What haven't I seen? Today I want to see the ancient god's treasure."

"Since you're courting death, then so be it." The Azure Emperor said no more, and turned to the Heavenly Lord beside him, "You two will enter in pairs, one after the other."

"Follow the law!"

The five Celestial Lords split into pairs and entered the passage one after another. Celestial Lord Li Jin and Venerable Bo Ju walked together. Just as they entered the Ancient God's Treasury, a mournful wail rang out: "How pitiful I am!"

It was naive of him. He clearly waited until his grandmaster, Boju, entered before daring to show himself. The ancient immortals around him frowned upon seeing him, as if they had encountered a plague god.

The Azure Emperor ignored Tianzhen and said to Luo Cheng and Li Qiang, "You two follow me."

Yuan Gu greeted Qing Di and entered alone. Only after the Immortal Realm trio (Yuan Gu, Qing Di, and Bo Ju) had all entered did Bo Na Gu Xian dare to follow, demonstrating the powerful and domineering nature of the Immortal Realm trio.

Luo Cheng and Li Qiang followed closely behind the Azure Emperor, whose expression was solemn: "Remember, once you enter the Ancient God's Treasury, you must not save anyone."

"Why?" Li Qiang was like a troublemaker. Luo Cheng, on the other hand, appeared calm, simply because he knew more secrets; the more he knew, the more cautious he became.

The Azure Emperor patiently explained, "There are many taboos within the Ancient God's Treasury, and those who attempt to save others often perish themselves in the process." He recounted the story of the first opening of the Ancient God's Treasury, saying, "At that time, many ancient immortals did not perish in perilous places, but rather fell into divine restrictions while attempting to save others, ultimately perishing."

"What if my senior brother is in danger? Can't I save him either?" Li Qiang pressed.

The Azure Emperor glared at him: "It's not that I can't save them, but there's a condition: when saving them, I need to attack the trapped person, and the person cannot resist."

"Passively taking a beating?" Li Qiang was stunned; this method was unexpected. He looked at Luo Cheng. If it were the two of them, as long as they knew the method, they would trust their senior brother one hundred percent.

Luo Cheng and Li Qiang exchanged a glance; both of them trusted each other implicitly.

The Azure Emperor's heart stirred slightly. Although he and the seven Heavenly Lords of the Immortal Realm were sworn brothers, he could not completely trust them, and even with Yuan Gu and Bo Ju, he harbored some wariness. As the ruler of the Immortal Realm, he was lonely.

With the Azure Emperor leading the way, Luo Cheng and Li Qiang traveled with ease. The Azure Emperor was also a cultivator of gods, possessing divine eyes that allowed him to see the patterns of the divine array. The three traveled swiftly, and Luo Cheng secretly pondered, "It seems that the Primordial Celestial Venerable has only opened a small portion of the area."

It should be noted that the outer array of the Ancient God's Lair is composed of a large number of stars. Luo Cheng speculated that perhaps in order to find a successor, the Primordial Emperor randomly moved millions of stars from the lower realm to set up a star array for the ancient immortals to explore, while the true Heavenly Venerable's Palace was hidden in the core area.

Upon reaching a certain spot, the Azure Emperor landed on a black rock, with Luo Cheng and Li Qiang following closely behind.

"This is a safe area; you may rest here for a while," said the Azure Emperor, swallowing a divine pill and closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Even the Azure Emperor, the supreme being of the celestial realm with boundless magical power, needed to recuperate, which shows just how dangerous the Ancient God's Lair was.

During the rest, Luo Cheng saw many ancient immortals passing by, heading straight for the depths of the ancient god's lair. Once the Azure Emperor had recovered, Li Qiang hurriedly said, "Azure Emperor, let's go too; some people have already gone ahead."

The Azure Emperor said indifferently, "Let them go."

The three continued on their way, but after only a short distance, they saw three ancient immortals trapped by divine restraints, like insects stuck in a spider web, unable to break free no matter how hard they struggled.

Seeing this, Li Qiang's face showed reluctance. Luo Cheng saw through his thoughts: "Junior brother, do you want to save them?"

"They're all ancient immortals..."

Even if you save them, they might not believe you.

Li Qiang could only sigh. One of the ancient immortals caught sight of the Azure Emperor and immediately cried out for help: "Azure Emperor, save us!"

The Azure Emperor merely glanced at them indifferently before saying to Luo Cheng and Li Qiang, "Let's go."

Seeing them leave, the three ancient immortals struggled even more fiercely in despair. When Luo Cheng turned back, he saw them being swept into the Purifying Divine Flame by the divine array and instantly turned to ashes.

Li Qiang was alarmed and became even more cautious in his actions.

As they continued their journey, they encountered several more groups of immortals in peril, including ancient immortals from Bona, ancient immortals from the celestial realm, and reclusive immortals. The Azure Emperor remained indifferent to them all. In his eyes, these people were no different from Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng; since they wouldn't listen to advice, what could he do?

Li Qiang watched as one ancient immortal after another perished within the divine forbidden realm, his heart sinking.

After walking for a while, Luo Cheng suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Old Gan, we really shouldn't have come in!" It was Dai Nanfeng's voice.

"It's my fault that you're in this mess." Qian Shanyong's voice was full of remorse.

"It's not your fault, I was the one who wanted to come in."

Li Qiang recognized their voices and his heart tightened: "It's Lao Gan and Fairy Dai Nan!"

"Let's go take a look!"

"Wait," the Azure Emperor commanded.

Li Qiang paused. Having witnessed the fall of so many ancient immortals, he had already restrained his desire to show off.

Led by the Azure Emperor, the three flew a short distance and finally saw Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng, both of whom were trapped by divine restrictions and unable to move.

Upon seeing the Azure Emperor and his entourage, hope ignited in the two men's eyes. Dai Nanfeng, who had previously claimed to be fearless, now faced with death head-on, finally succumbed to fear and shamelessly begged for help: "Azure Emperor, save me!"

The Azure Emperor snorted coldly, without uttering a word.

Li Qiang looked at Luo Cheng: "Senior brother, I want to save them."

"Have you thought this through? Saving them will put you in danger too," Luo Cheng said.

"I've thought it through."

Qian Shanyong and Dai Nanfeng were deeply moved upon hearing this. Dai Nanfeng had previously coveted Li Qiang's cultivation technique, but now, at this critical moment of life and death, only he was willing to lend a hand.

Having witnessed the dangers of the Ancient God's Lair along the way, they naturally understood how precious this friendship was.

"Thank you," Dai Nanfeng said softly.

Qian Shanyong also said, "Brother Li, no matter the outcome, I will remember this kindness."

Li Qiang's expression was serious: "Old Gan, Fairy Dai Nan, there is only one way to save you. I will use my power to attack you, and you must not resist."

"I understand!" the two replied in unison.

At this moment, they finally understood why no one in the Ancient God's Treasury could save anyone, and why even if they did, they would not succeed. To save someone, or to be saved, requires absolute trust.

Clearly, this condition is met between Li Qiang and them.

After explaining the key to saving the person, Li Qiang was about to take action.