A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

Upon hearing Luo Cheng's words, the Azure Emperor understood his meaning and immediately laughed heartily: "It's alright. If you can dig it away, even if you take all seven of my Heavenly Lords to the Origin Realm, it won't matter."

"Then I won't be polite!"

Of course, this was just a joke between the two. Another important reason is that the two are evenly matched and can have a dialogue on equal terms.

Although the Azure Emperor had some estimate of Luo Cheng's true strength, he could not make an accurate judgment.

The Azure Emperor suggested, "We, as fellow disciples, have never truly sparred before. Why don't we find a place to have a match?"

"OK!"

"Then don't resist, come with me."

Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng smiled knowingly and replied, "Alright, lead the way."

The Azure Emperor hadn't expected Luo Cheng to be so completely unguarded. His earlier words were a test; and Luo Cheng was, in turn, testing him.

In this world, there are only a handful of people that Luo Cheng can completely trust, such as Lin Chen, Li Qiang, and Fu Shan, but not Qing Di.

The Azure Emperor is a cunning and ruthless ruler!

At this moment, the Azure Emperor enveloped Luo Cheng with the power of the Immortal Realm's origin. It appeared that Luo Cheng offered no resistance, but in reality, he was confident.

When the Azure Emperor used his primordial power to envelop Luo City, he sensed that even if he launched an attack with his primordial power, he probably wouldn't be able to harm Luo City in the slightest.

Therefore, he became increasingly curious about Luo Cheng's strength.

Before long, the two arrived at a vast, empty starry sky in the Immortal Realm, where there was no one and no stars around.

Clearly, the Azure Emperor did not want others to watch the battle, which also shows that he was not entirely confident in this exchange.

Luo Cheng spoke up, "Senior brother, since this is a friendly spar, let's not use weapons."

"good!"

Both were cultivators of divine power, and the cultivation method they practiced was the "Heavenly Recommendation Chapter for Cultivating Divine Power." Therefore, when they circulated their divine power, they did not use any supernatural abilities, divine techniques, or immortal arts; they only used pure divine power to compete.

Divine power is a type of energy of extremely high rank.

Back when Li Qiang had just condensed his Divine Chess Power, he felt that it was incredibly domineering and contained immense destructive power. Because of this, Li Qiang believed that after cultivating to godhood, he would no longer be able to refine magical artifacts that would allow mortals to establish their foundations.

In fact, the power of the gods is a highly inclusive and active force.

Now, the Azure Emperor has a very deep understanding of the Divine Chess Power. In his hands, the Divine Chess Power seems to possess the energy of life, and can be transformed at will—into a fist, into a palm, or condensed into various weapons, such as swords, knives, and spears.

The power of the Divine Chess combines strength and flexibility, containing endless variations.

Luo Cheng's understanding of the Divine Chess Power is equally profound; he can do what the Azure Emperor can do.

"Senior brother, the power of divine chess can also evolve into the power of laws."

As Luo City evolved, the power of divine strategy transformed into the power of thunder, the power of fire, and even the power of ice.

"Wonderful!" the Azure Emperor exclaimed sincerely. "Indeed, your mastery of the Divine Chess Power has reached a profound level."

Soon, he noticed something amiss: "Your divine chess power... seems somewhat different?"

Luo Cheng explained, "Senior brother, Divine Chess Power is merely a power cultivated by those who cultivate gods, far inferior to true divine power. Only by truly becoming a god can one completely transform Divine Chess Power into divine power—that is the power belonging to the gods."

"Oh?" The Azure Emperor immediately understood. "So, your Divine Chess Power has begun to transform into Divine Power?"

"That's right."

"You've become a god?"

"I am still at the fifth level of the Divine Cultivation Realm."

"Uh!" The Azure Emperor was speechless for a moment, feeling a blow to his heart. He had already cultivated to the Eight Immortals Heaven, and the next step would be the Nine Gods Heaven. Once he reached the Nine Gods Heaven, he could trigger the Divine Tribulation, and only after overcoming the tribulation could he truly become a god. With his cultivation at the Eight Immortals Heaven, coupled with his understanding of the laws and his exquisite use of divine chess power, he was already a peak expert in the lower realm.

However, Luo Cheng, with only the fifth level of the Heavenly Realm, was able to fight him to a standstill.

Luo Cheng then said, "We've already tested the application of Divine Chess Power. How about we try Immortal Techniques next?"

"Just what I wanted!"

Having just finished the contest, the Azure Emperor knew he was slightly outmatched. He thought to himself, "This kid has never been to the Immortal Realm before. I'll see what kind of immortal techniques he knows."

Unbeknownst to him, Luo Cheng had obtained a vast amount of cultivation techniques within the Divine Treasure Tower. The tower's scripture pavilion contained not only cultivation methods for immortality, godhood, and spiritual power, but also numerous immortal and divine arts.

The power of thunder is immense; therefore, most immortals cultivate the Five Thunder Immortal Arts. Back when Luo Cheng fought Xuan Long, he witnessed Xuan Long using thunder-based immortal arts.

At this moment, the Five Thunder Immortal Technique unleashed by the Azure Emperor was even more advanced than that of Xuanlong, not only being more powerful but also more agile in its variations. Each bolt of lightning resembled a sentient thunder dragon.

"Senior brother, I also have some knowledge of lightning-based immortal techniques!"

"Watch closely!"

Luo Cheng had already comprehended the power of laws, including the laws of lightning. He used a trace of the laws of lightning to activate the Five Thunder Immortal Technique, causing the power of the lightning immortal technique to increase tenfold.

"Laws?" The Azure Emperor sensed the fluctuations of the laws and understood.

"Boom boom boom!"

Lightning crackled in the void, countless bolts of electricity intertwined and collided, emitting deafening roars and crackling sounds. Terrifying energy erupted in the starry sky.

If the battle were to take place within a star system, the two of them would likely destroy the entire star.

Luo Cheng and the Azure Emperor's strength is already infinitely close to the level of gods. The power of ancient immortals is enough to destroy stars, while the might of gods can destroy galaxies.

Then, the two began to take turns using their magical arts.

"Do you know fire-based magic?"

"I know a little."

"What about light-based magic?"

"Some, too."

After five days of fierce fighting, the two unleashed tens of thousands of different immortal techniques, leaving the Azure Emperor secretly astonished: 'Where on earth did this kid learn so many immortal techniques?'

Luo Cheng noticed his confusion and smiled, "Senior brother, have you forgotten? The divine artifacts and cultivation techniques all originated from the Divine Treasury Tower."

The Azure Emperor suddenly realized that this kid had been studying at the Divine Treasure Tower.

Luo Cheng then said, "Senior brother, how about we try some divine magic again?"

"good!"

"Heaven-Shattering Technique!"

"The Star-Suppressing Seal!"

Clearly, the Azure Emperor was also proficient in various divine arts—he and Yuan Gu benefited the most from the previous openings of the Ancient God's Treasury.

After exchanging several divine techniques, the two began to compete in supernatural abilities.

"Law of Heaven and Earth!" Luo Cheng unleashed this divine power, transforming into a golden giant ten thousand feet tall.

"You've even mastered this great supernatural power?"

"Haven't you learned this, senior brother?"

"I'm not fighting anymore!"

The Azure Emperor concealed his aura and instantly returned to the Azure Wood Realm. Luo Cheng activated his primordial power and followed suit.

The seven Heavenly Kings and the fourteen Luo Tian Immortals all showed curiosity upon seeing the two return.

"Who's winning?"

The Green Emperor remained silent.

Luo Cheng didn't reveal anything either!

The Azure Emperor felt somewhat frustrated; he hadn't expected Luo Cheng to be such a monstrous talent. He sighed inwardly, "I truly don't know how this kid cultivates..."

Lin Chen walked up to Luo Cheng and quietly asked, "Who won?"

Luo Cheng transmitted his thoughts: "If it were a true life-or-death struggle, the Azure Emperor would have a slight advantage."

"Is the Azure Emperor that strong?"

"This is the Immortal Realm, the Azure Emperor's home ground. He can mobilize the primal power of the entire Immortal Realm."

"I see." Lin Chen immediately understood.

If the Azure Emperor were to travel to the Origin Realm and reach Luo City's territory, he would likely be no match for Luo City.

The Azure Emperor was well aware of this. Therefore, neither of them used their source power during their sparring session—after all, it wasn't a life-or-death struggle.

Under the guidance of the Azure Emperor, Luo Cheng, Lin Chen, Ning Xin'er, and Princess Lan Qiu entered the Azure Wood Realm together.

Qingmu Realm is the place where the Azure Emperor secluded himself for cultivation and where he handled affairs; it is a magnificent immortal palace.

Upon entering the Azure Wood Realm, the group discovered a hidden world within, an extremely vast area. The outermost layer consisted of verdant tree trunks, enveloping the entire Azure Wood Realm and forming an absolute domain.

It can be said that within the Azure Wood Realm, the Azure Emperor is an invincible being. Even a true god descending would be unable to subdue him. Of course, if he encounters a god of a higher rank, the Azure Wood Realm might still be breached.

According to Luo Cheng's estimation, to break through the Azure Wood Realm, one would need at least the cultivation level of a God-level expert.

Incidentally, the realms after becoming a god are divided into: God, Great God, Chief God, Celestial God, Ancient God, and Celestial Venerable. The cultivation period for gods is extremely long, often requiring hundreds of millions of years to advance to each realm.

Within the Azure Wood Realm lies a self-contained space, where mountains and waters reflect each other, and pavilions and towers are scattered in a harmonious arrangement. Led by the Azure Emperor, the group passed through numerous halls and pavilions, arriving at a welcoming hall.

After everyone took their seats, the Azure Emperor waved his hand, and plates of celestial fruits and drinks appeared, flying to the tables in front of everyone.

The Azure Emperor said gently, "The young ladies have not yet become immortals, so they can only enjoy these spiritual fruits."

Lin Chen and the others had no objections.

On Luo Cheng's desk were celestial fruits and divine fruits, and he immediately recognized that several of the divine items originated from the Illusion Star Temple.

The group chatted as they savored the divine fruits and spirit wine.

Luo Cheng mentioned the establishment of the Heavenly Court and explained his plan to hold a great war of gods in all realms.

Upon hearing this, the Azure Emperor exclaimed, "Junior Brother, you truly have a grand gesture!"

Luo Cheng sighed, "There's nothing we can do; the Origin Realm is short-handed."

The Azure Emperor, able to guess Luo Cheng's intentions, still asked to confirm, "You want to ascend to the Divine Realm with us?"

"Exactly."

"If we ascend together, we do need to make proper arrangements for the matters of the original realm."

"yes."

"If you need more manpower, Junior Brother, I can send a few Heavenly Lords to the Origin Realm to help you."

The Heavenly Emperors stood silently by, clearly obeying only the Azure Emperor's command.

Luo Cheng understood the Qing Emperor's unspoken meaning—the other party intended to interfere in the affairs of the Origin Realm.

Of course, the Azure Emperor wasn't greedy for power. With his current cultivation level, he was close to ascending to the Divine Realm. Once he ascended, he would sever all ties with the lower realm. The Azure Emperor's actions were primarily to maintain stability in the lower realm.

Luo Cheng politely declined, saying, "I feel a little bad about having my senior brother send a Heavenly Lord to the Origin Realm."

This is yet another test!

After several tests, the Azure Emperor understood Luo Cheng's thoughts—the other party was wary of him.

In truth, Luo Cheng wasn't wary of the Azure Emperor himself, but rather of the other seven Celestial Lords. Luo Cheng didn't know much about the seven Celestial Lords of the Immortal Realm. If they were allowed to hold power in the Original Realm, it could create future problems.

The original realm was a home prepared by Luo Cheng for Lin Chen and his disciples, and no hidden dangers could be left behind.

The Azure Emperor then said, "After we ascend to heaven, I hope that the Immortal Realm and the Primordial Realm can coexist peacefully."

"We will definitely live in peace," Luo Cheng agreed, adding, "After I ascend, my disciple will take over the position of the original owner."

The Azure Emperor glanced at the seven Heavenly Lords beside him.

Luo Cheng understood that after the Azure Emperor ascended to heaven, the next ruler of the Immortal Realm would be chosen from among the seven Heavenly Monarchs.

After finishing their business, the Azure Emperor and Luo Cheng exchanged some cultivation insights.

A year later, Luo Cheng stood up and said, "This is Chenchen and the others' first time in the Immortal Realm, so I'll show them around."