No matter how low-key the Netherworld Sect was, it couldn't hide from everyone. After all, no matter how small the commotion of building a Sect was, how small could it really be? There must be spies from other forces among them.
Although they all came from a certain family, which family hasn't had a few scoundrels?
As the saying goes, to fight external threats, one must first pacify internal ones. Li Qing revealing his strength wasn't about conquering them; it was about making them move. If they didn't move, how could he catch them?
As for the Death Contract, to put it nicely, no matter how deeply they hid, they couldn't pose much of a threat to Li Qing. To put it bluntly, they weren't even worthy.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Li Qing said, "I don't know if there aren't any, or if you're just afraid to step forward. If there are, and you have a desire to repent, you can privately find an Elder to explain clearly."
"No matter which force you belong to, I will not pursue it."
"The reason I want you to come forward is because, as spies for other parties, you still have other uses. So not only will I not pursue it, but I will also give you certain rewards."
"Alright, that's all I'm going to say. How you choose is up to you."
Under the watchful eyes of the Netherworld Sect members, Li Qing completed the inauguration. The moment the God Test prompt sounded in his mind, it signified that the Netherworld Sect was officially established.
It was that simple.
Afterward, several Elders led Li Qing and the others on a tour of various parts of the Netherworld Sect, finally bringing them to a magnificent hall at the highest point.
This hall was named Netherworld Palace, and it was in no way inferior to the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Behind the Netherworld Palace was a small manor, complete with pavilions, terraces, gardens, and baths, truly a case of 'though the sparrow is small, it has all its internal organs'.
Though slightly compact, it wasn't oppressive.
After the tour, Li Qing dismissed everyone. Even Snow Empress and the others were taken by Hu Bitian to their respective residences and did not linger in the Netherworld Palace.
The Fourth God Test rewarded him with a 20,000-year increase in spirit ring cultivation.
At this point, following his sixth spirit ring, Li Qing's fifth ring also reached the 100,000-year level, and even his lowest-year first ring had reached over 60,000 years.
At this rate, after completing all the God Tests, all his spirit rings might reach 100,000 years.
All 100,000-year spirit rings, not to mention their actual combat power, just releasing them would be enough to scare people. Ordinary Titled Douluo would probably not even have the courage to fight him.
[Fifth Test: Prevent Bibi Dong from hunting spirit rings]
After receiving the reward, Li Qing focused on the fifth test. It seemed Bibi Dong was already prepared, but he didn't know if she intended to hunt 100,000-year Spirit Beasts on her own.
Or if she had bowed to Qian Daoliu.
Bibi Dong shouldn't be so confident as to think she could hunt a 100,000-year Spirit Beast by herself, as the only 100,000-year Spirit Beasts Spirit Hall knew about seemed to be Da Ming and Er Ming.
Even if Bibi Dong had twin spirits, the chances of success were not high, so the latter possibility was greater.
However, it was not a big problem. He didn't start a direct war; he just didn't want to fight Spirit Hall in Spirit City, because no one knew what contingencies the Angel God might have left behind.
In other places, even if everyone from the Hall of Offerings was present, he would not be afraid.
Li Qing called Hu Bitian and asked him to arrange a trustworthy person to notify Chen Xin and the others, telling them to secretly go to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Afterward, Li Qing also left the Netherworld Sect with Snow Empress and the other two.
As for the spies, let Hu Bitian and the others deal with them. After all, as long as Spirit Hall was destroyed, whether there were spies within the Sect or not would no longer matter.
Li Qing and his three companions either took mountain paths or uninhabited areas. At full speed, they finally arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest a week later.
They did not enter the town but waited at the agreed location with Chen Xin and the others. The specific whereabouts of Bibi Dong and her group would be investigated by disciples already arranged by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
About half a day after Li Qing and his three companions arrived at the agreed location, Chen Xin and the others also arrived.
Ning Fengzhi did not accompany them. After all, with Snow Empress and the others, Li Qing already had eight Titled Douluo-level combatants on his side, and among them were individuals like Li Qing and Snow Empress.
Whether Ning Fengzhi was there or not made no difference.
Bibi Dong proactively sought out Qian Daoliu, and Qian Daoliu did not make things difficult for her over such a minor matter. He immediately dispatched four Titled Douluo—Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard, as well as Thousand Might Douluo and Subduing Demon Douluo—to assist her.
In addition, there were many Pope Knights.
The role of the Pope Knights was not to help with the hunt, but to find the exact locations of the King of the Forest and the Titan Giant Ape. Spirit Hall only knew that they were in the Star Dou Great Forest.
This was already the third day since Bibi Dong and her group entered the Star Dou Great Forest.
Bibi Dong and the four Titled Douluo, Thousand Might Douluo, Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard, and Subduing Demon Douluo, camped in an open area, quietly waiting for the Pope Knights who had spread out to bring back the locations of the King of the Forest and the Titan Giant Ape.
"Why do you look unwell?"
Thousand Might Douluo looked at Subduing Demon Douluo with some confusion. How could a dignified Titled Douluo catch a cold or get sick?
Subduing Demon Douluo shook his head and said, "I don't know why, but I always have an ominous premonition, as if some danger is approaching us."
"Danger?"
Thousand Might Douluo laughed, "With five Titled Douluo here, what danger could there be? Could it be that those two 100,000-year Spirit Beasts would actually deliver themselves to our doorstep?"
Subduing Demon Douluo secretly thought, "Yes, with five Titled Douluo gathered here, what danger could there be?"
Not to mention those two 100,000-year Spirit Beasts delivering themselves to their doorstep, even if all the Titled Douluo from the Upper Three Sects came, even if they couldn't win, they could retreat safely.
Maybe he was just overthinking it.
Thousand Might Douluo comforted him, "You, you've just been running around too much with Qian Renxue lately, seen more, and thought more. Nothing will happen, don't worry."
Ever since Qian Renxue began her God Test, she had been tirelessly completing tasks.
Some tasks she certainly couldn't complete on her own, so Qian Daoliu arranged for Thousand Might Douluo and Subduing Demon Douluo to assist her in completing the God Test.
And after witnessing Qian Renxue's growth rate, they finally truly understood why Spirit Hall had been able to stand firm all along.
The Qian family, the Angel God's inheritance, the guardians of faith—as long as the Qian family didn't fall, Spirit Hall would never be destroyed, because the method of improving strength through the God Test was too brutal.
What kind of genius could compare to someone who was cheating?
Li Qing was a genius, right? But in front of Qian Renxue after she began her God Test, he really wasn't enough to look at. After all, according to her progress, she could reach the peak Douluo level in at most three to five years.
Perhaps even higher.
What good was Li Qing being a genius if he hadn't also started a God Test?
"Found them!"
Just then, a Pope Knight member ran over, his face full of excitement. The four Titled Douluo, Subduing Demon Douluo, Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard, and Thousand Might Douluo, all stood up and looked sideways at a tent not far away.
Hearing the commotion, Bibi Dong slowly walked out of it and said, "Depart!"