A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

After stepping into the Illusionary Star God Array, everyone felt as if they were walking on thin ice.

Luo Cheng and Li Qiang had already channeled their divine power into their eyes, activating their divine eyes.

With their divine eyes, they could see through illusions. In their vision, the structure of the divine array was clearly visible—golden patterns intertwined like lines, various colored energies flowed like streams, and nine-colored chains appeared and disappeared, exuding a mysterious aura.

Li Qiang asked in a low voice, "Senior, can you see these lines and colored lights?"

"able."

"What are all these?"

"The golden patterns are the veins of the divine array, the various colored lights are the energy flows, and the nine-colored chains are the laws," Luo Cheng explained.

While meridians and energy flow were relatively easy to understand, the word "law" left Li Qiang completely bewildered.

"Senior brother, what is a law?"

"In the vast universe, there exists an invisible force of laws. For example, there are basic laws such as metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, light, and darkness, as well as higher-level laws such as time, space, and even the laws of fate and cause and effect."

Upon hearing this, not only was Li Qiang shocked, but even Gu Xing, Xuan Long, and Qian Shanyong turned their heads, a hint of emotion flashing in their eyes.

The laws are the highest existence; only those who reach the level of ancient immortals can come into contact with the power of the laws.

But Li Qiang came from the world of science and technology, and his understanding of "laws" was completely different from that of the immortals present. He had studied physics and chemistry, and couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, are the laws you're talking about the same as the laws of physics and chemistry?"

"They're somewhat similar, yet fundamentally different." Luo Cheng thought for a moment, then gave an analogy: "You know about gravity, right?"

"Of course!" Living in a technological world, this is basic common sense.

"So, do you think gravity is useful for cultivators?"

Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh: "If Newton saw cultivators, he'd be turning in his grave."

"Hehe." Luo Cheng chuckled, "The physical laws of Blue Star are merely scratching the surface of the laws."

Hearing this, Li Qiang vaguely understood: "Senior brother, are you saying that with our abilities, we can use the power of laws without relying on external objects, which is a thousand times more advanced than the methods in the technological world?"

"Exactly."

Luo Cheng said no more; he knew Li Qiang already understood.

Take weapon crafting as an example. Earthlings need a furnace and to adjust the proportions of ore according to physical rules to forge a knife; while cultivators can directly release true fire and use their divine sense to easily forge spiritual weapons. Another example is the Mind Refining Method of the Chongxuan Sect, which requires no equipment. It uses the void as a furnace, divine sense as a guide, and true fire as fuel to forge spiritual weapons.

Of course, these are merely basic applications of the laws. True masters of great power can control the laws and unleash world-destroying might. Like the Illusionary Star Array before us, it is a chaotic array laid out by the Celestial Venerable using the laws as its bones, primordial energy as its blood, the void as its chessboard, and the stars as its pieces.

Lone Star overheard their conversation, his expression turning grave. Unbeknownst to him, his attitude towards Luo Cheng had subtly changed.

The higher one stands, the deeper one's cultivation, and the more one understands the terror of the laws.

Having reincarnated and undergone numerous tribulations, Lone Star's cultivation has reached a level close to that of a Heavenly Monarch, just one step away from becoming an ancient immortal, and he has already touched the edge of the laws. It is precisely because of his past interactions that he understands the weight of Luo Cheng's words even more clearly. It is simply unbelievable that a cultivator whose cultivation is only equivalent to the early stage of a Golden Immortal could have such a profound understanding of the laws.

The more Gu Xing looked at Luo Cheng, the more unfathomable he seemed, muttering to himself: This little guy is simply a monster. A thought even flashed through his mind: Could he be a reincarnation of an ancient immortal?

The group continued on their way.

Li Qiang stared intently at the divine array patterns, eager to try: "Senior brother, if we can see the divine array patterns, can we find the correct path?"

Luo Cheng countered, "What do you think?"

Li Qiang observed it carefully for a long time, but found the patterns to be chaotic and disorganized, making him dizzy: "Senior brother, this divine array recognizes me, but I don't recognize it."

"hehe."

"Senior brother, can you understand it?"

"can't read."

"So even my senior brother can't understand it, then I'm relieved." Li Qiang immediately felt a sense of balance.

Luo Cheng, however, took it for granted. The Illusionary Star God Array was set up by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Even ancient gods would be in danger if they rashly entered it. It would be strange if he could understand it with his current cultivation level.

It's important to understand that even for those who become gods, the path from a divine being to an ancient god is an insurmountable distance. For an immortal to ascend and cultivate from a divine being to a near-god requires immense fortune and monstrous talent. Like the Goddess of Joy whom Li Qiang encountered after his ascension in the original story, she had cultivated for tens of millions of years but was only a near-god.

Millions of years! For mortals, that's an unattainable distance. This shows how difficult cultivation is. Which of the four ancient gods of the divine realm didn't cultivate for countless eons?

The array capable of trapping an ancient god is unimaginably mysterious and terrifying. This is why Luo Cheng has always remained cautious.

Luo Cheng didn't voice these thoughts, nor did he need to.

Guided by the Lone Star, the group passed through the outer array and were about to head to a side hall where the divine artifacts were stored.

Before leaving, Lone Star solemnly warned again: "When you see bubbles later, don't be curious, and definitely don't touch them with your hands."

"Understood!" Xuanlong and Qian Shanyong replied in unison, their expressions extremely serious.

Luo Cheng also looked solemn. Only Li Qiang's eyes flashed with curiosity, which was caught by Gu Xing, whose eyes turned cold.

Seeing this, Luo Cheng quickly warned, "Junior brother, curiosity will get you killed in a place like this."

"I understand." Li Qiang listened to Luo Cheng's words.

Seeing that he had suppressed his curiosity, Lone Star set off again: "Stay close to me!"

Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when they saw a series of floating bubbles.

Looking at these bubbles, Luo Cheng couldn't help but think of the Boundary Sea in Perfect World—a single wave in the Boundary Sea is a world in itself. And here, each bubble is a world in itself.

This alone demonstrates the terrifying power and supernatural abilities of the Celestial Venerable. To be able to refine countless worlds into an array, transforming them into part of a divine temple—this is the Celestial Venerable's power. Perhaps it could be said that, to the Celestial Venerable, each world is merely an ornament.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the Celestial Venerable possesses the power of creation. Luo Cheng speculates: Compared to the Immortal Emperor in the Perfect World, who is stronger? Judging solely from methods like "refining worlds as decorations," they should be powerhouses of the same level.

Looking at the bubbles, Li Qiang finally couldn't contain himself: "Senior brother, I can't believe it! Each bubble is a world in itself. I really want to go inside and take a look!"

Luo Cheng said calmly, "You can try. But I must warn you, this bubble world is larger than the cultivation world and the immortal world combined."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Li Qiang immediately became obedient.

The cultivation world alone is enough for him to run away from. If he were to venture into such a world, he might never be able to get out.

"Senior brother is right, once you go in, you really can't get out."

Guided by the Lone Star, the group passed through the bubble area and arrived at a magnificent temple. To retrieve the divine items from the side hall, they first had to pass through the outer hall—the abode of the guardian beasts, whose duty was to protect the divine items within the side hall.

Lone Star instructed, "Qian Shanyong, Xuanlong, you two stay outside and deal with the divine beast."

Qian Shanyong and Xuanlong had no objections; even if they did, they could only keep them to themselves. Gu Xing arranged things this way because Luo Cheng and Li Qiang were cultivators of the divine realm, and their divine eyes could see through illusions, making them useful. The two naturally understood the reason behind this.

"Let's go."

Before leaving, Luo Cheng and Li Qiang looked back and saw Qian Shanyong and Xuan Long confronting two divine beasts.

The divine beast unleashed its power with the force to destroy stars and annihilate systems. Fortunately, the temple was made of extraordinary materials and protected by a divine array, so even if a celestial being from the heavens fought here, he could not shake the temple's restrictions.

Li Qiang then understood why ordinary immortals couldn't enter the Illusion Star Temple—the guardian beasts alone were enough to stop most immortals.

Lone Star led Li Qiang and Luo Cheng deeper into the territory. The further they went, the more complex the restrictions became. Along the way, Lone Star would occasionally ask the two to point out the direction of the patterns and the flow of energy, and then use this information to calculate safe points.

Li Qiang couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined that even Lone Star could calculate something so complex."

"Yes," Luo Cheng nodded in agreement.

After all, he had been cultivating for less than a hundred years, while Gu Xing had been cultivating for over a million years, and his understanding of cultivation was far beyond what they could match.

"Stay close!" Lone Star instructed, taking several steps forward, each step landing precisely on a safe point.

Luo Cheng and Li Qiang followed closely behind.

Suddenly, a passage appeared ahead. Lone Star flew in first, and the other two quickly followed.

The moment I stepped through the passage, a wonderful and bright world suddenly appeared before me.

It felt as if I had stepped from a pixelated world into a vibrant, three-dimensional world.

"So beautiful!" Li Qiang couldn't help but exclaim.

A strange feeling stirred within Luo Cheng, as if he had stepped from a three-dimensional world into a four-dimensional space. This thought flashed through his mind, and he pondered to himself: Could becoming a god be the process of jumping from three dimensions to four?

He couldn't be sure yet; it was just a guess.

Lone Star explained, "This is a secret realm within a side hall, called Emerald Lake. There are divine treasures beside Emerald Lake."

Looking out, a small, verdant hill radiates a faint glow, and beside it lies a pale green lake. Some plants that resemble willows grow along the lake's edge, and wisps of mist rise from the lake.

Lone Star said, "The water in the lake is pure and ethereal, used to baptize mortals, which can transform them completely without any side effects."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiang's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly pulled out a water bottle and ran towards the lake.

Seeing this, Luo Cheng was speechless. He took out a jade bottle, made a hand seal, and uttered a low shout: "Collect!"

However, the jade bottle did not react at all.

"Hahaha!" Li Qiang laughed. "Senior brother, you tried to take a shortcut, but you've made a fool of yourself, haven't you?"

"I almost forgot, there's a divine restriction here," Luo Cheng suddenly realized.

Clearly, one of the functions of the divine restriction is to prohibit the use of supernatural powers to collect the Water of Lightness. He muttered to himself: Isn't Lingxu supposed to be quite generous? Why can't he even let people take the Water of Lightness so easily?

He was unaware that if the ethereal water were depleted, the divine items beside it would wither and die from the loss of spiritual nourishment.

Left with no other choice, Luo Cheng jumped into the lake and personally filled the jade bottle with water.

After filling the water container, he walked to the side of Cuishan Mountain and said to Li Qiang, "Junior brother, this mountain is also a good place. Let's scrape some stone powder and take it with us."

Having said that, he took out a spirit sword and began to scrape against the cliff face of the green mountain.

Lone Star stood to the side, his face darkening. He really hadn't expected that Luo Cheng was the kind of person who couldn't move once he saw a treasure, not even letting go of a stone.

Luo Cheng noticed his gaze and laughed, "Boss Lone Star, you have no idea how scarce treasures are in the cultivation world. I've come all this way, wouldn't it be a waste not to collect as many as I can?"