As a figure emanating intense hostility headed towards the Dixu Realm.
The lords of countless minor worlds and planes along the way sensed something.
They subtly released their divine senses, discerning the identity of the approaching individual.
A group of lords who maintained close informal ties began to communicate amongst themselves.
"Isn't that the Plane Lord of the Qing Realm, Qing Zhengyang? He's heading towards the Dixu Realm, what business could he have there?"
"What else? Have you forgotten that about three hundred years ago, Qing Zhengyang barely escaped with his life from the previous Plane Lord of the Dixu Realm?"
"Hmph, interesting. He didn't dare to go when the old Plane Lord of the Dixu Realm was still alive. Now that he's heard a Nascent Soul cultivator has become the new Plane Lord, he's off for revenge, is he?"
"Hey, wait a minute, I recall Qing Zhengyang wasn't the only one who suffered a loss at the hands of that old Plane Lord of the Dixu Realm..."
As the speaker trailed off, a thought seemed to dawn on them.
Their divine senses probed outwards, and indeed, hidden in the void, beyond those lords merely observing, there were many other dark eyes fixed on Qing Zhengyang's journey to the Dixu Realm.
At this moment, as Qing Zhengyang neared the Dixu Realm, Li Qi's figure flickered forth, blocking his path.
"You? The new Plane Lord of the Dixu Realm?"
Qing Zhengyang's expression was cold as he glanced at Li Qi, his six-stage Void Returning aura exuding immense pressure.
Li Qi's gaze remained steady, seemingly unaffected by the hostility. He said calmly,
"Outsiders are not welcome in the Dixu Realm. If you have no business here, depart swiftly."
"No business? I actually do have something I need from you."
Qing Zhengyang let out a cold laugh, his amusement intensifying upon seeing Li Qi's peak Nascent Soul cultivation.
"Your predecessor injured me, and before I could get my revenge, he died. So, you, his successor, will compensate me."
Li Qi's eyes flickered slightly as he inwardly cursed the previous Plane Lord, who had been dead for over a century.
That old scoundrel had harvested the vital essence of Dixu Realm cultivators in life, and now in death, he had left Li Qi with a mess to clean up.
However, over the years, Li Qi had encountered many Plane Lords.
From them, he had heard that the previous Plane Lord of the Dixu Realm was notoriously reclusive.
But in truth, only Li Qi understood that the previous Plane Lord wasn't reclusive at all.
If he had invited others into the Dixu Realm, and they saw its riches...
Indeed, dozens of large spirit mines, and hundreds of medium-sized spirit mines...
It wouldn't have taken long before the Dixu Realm was plundered dry.
Li Qi's expression remained unchanged as he slowly said,
"How do you wish to be compensated?"
"My demands are not excessive. Ten thousand spirit stones will suffice."
Upon hearing this, Qing Zhengyang stated a figure.
"Your Dixu Realm is not a weak minor world. Its annual output should be over ten thousand spirit stones, right? The previous Plane Lord of your Dixu Realm injured me, forcing me to recuperate for three hundred years. Is ten thousand spirit stones too much to ask?"
Before Li Qi could even respond, the other Plane Lords secretly observing were stunned.
"Ten thousand spirit stones? Has Qing Zhengyang gone mad? He actually has the nerve to say that."
A minor world producing ten thousand spirit stones annually meant three hundred thousand over three hundred years.
But spirit stones weren't calculated that way.
Regardless of the minor world, even if it produced ten thousand spirit stones a year, not all of them would end up with the Plane Lord.
A significant portion would remain in the hands of countless powerful cultivators.
For some cultivators, the spirit stones might be used as soon as they were mined, never reaching the stage of being accumulated.
In summary, for many minor worlds that could mine ten thousand spirit stones annually,
If the Plane Lord received two to three hundred stones, it would be considered immense wealth.
Ten thousand spirit stones... these Plane Lords, without eating or drinking, would need centuries to save up that much.
Li Qi, the party involved, remained expressionless and said lightly,
"Agreed. However, you must collect it from the previous Plane Lord of my Dixu Realm yourself."
Hearing this, Qing Zhengyang's eyes instantly turned cold.
"Since you refuse to pay, I will enter the Dixu Realm myself to take it."
In the next moment, Qing Zhengyang unleashed his six-stage Void Returning aura without reservation, engulfing Li Qi.
The terrifying shockwave shattered nearby falling meteorites into dust.
Then, Qing Zhengyang's palm clenched, and immense pressure instantly materialized around Li Qi, intending to crush him.
Li Qi, however, did not move.
The next moment, as the terrifying pressure bore down on Li Qi,
*Clang!*
A crisp sound echoed.
Li Qi remained unharmed, while Qing Zhengyang's attack completely dissipated.
Li Qi, at his peak Nascent Soul cultivation, had effortlessly blocked the attack from the six-stage Void Returning Qing Zhengyang merely by activating his "Unmoving as a Mountain" technique.
Qing Zhengyang's eyes narrowed in surprise at this sight.
"You can block one attack, but can you block a second?"
With that, Qing Zhengyang's spiritual energy surged again, creating a temporary vacuum around him.
Li Qi's calm voice rang out.
"I never said I would stand here and take your attack."
As Li Qi spoke,
Suddenly, for some unknown reason, Qing Zhengyang felt a premonition of danger.
Simultaneously, the many Plane Lords hidden in the void also sensed something.
Their gazes collectively turned towards the Dixu Realm behind Li Qi.
As they witnessed the changes occurring within the Dixu Realm, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This... this... this! These are all formations."
Above the sky of the Dixu Realm, myriad intricate formations manifested.
Each formation emanated an aura that sent a sense of danger through the secretly watching Plane Lords.
Roughly counting, there were over a hundred of them.
At this moment, these profound formations simultaneously unleashed blindingly brilliant light.
As these lights intertwined, the sense of danger escalated significantly.
Meanwhile, Qing Zhengyang's internal alarm bells were ringing frantically, and a sense of impending death washed over him.
Without hesitation.
Qing Zhengyang, who had been preparing to attack again, turned in terror and fled in the direction away from the Dixu Realm at his maximum speed.
"Since you've come, you're not leaving."
Li Qi's faint voice echoed in Qing Zhengyang's ear.
He subtly moved his divine sense, controlling the numerous formations on the Dixu Realm's firmament.
The next moment.
The formations erupted with multicolored, dazzling light.
Within these radiant beams lay various forms of destructive power.
So-called defensive formations were not merely for warding off attacks.
Killing the enemy was also a form of defense.
The next moment.
The entire Dixu Realm, and a large expanse of the void outside it, were engulfed in this brilliant light, including the fleeing Qing Zhengyang.
As for the Plane Lords observing from afar,
Even with their powerful divine senses, all they could see was a blinding flash of white.
Gradually, the radiant light that enveloped the entire Dixu Realm began to dissipate.
All the Plane Lords cautiously extended their divine senses once more.
But when they clearly perceived everything outside the Dixu Realm that their divine senses could detect,
All of them fell silent.