Chapter 1061: Suppressing Huang with Thirty Percent Strength
"Huang slumbers in the Spirit Dissolving Green River, deep within the Spirit Transformation Gorge."
"The Spirit Transformation Stones found here, which suppress fluctuations in spiritual energy, are formed by the gradual crystallization of the river's water over eons."
"If the stones possess such power, the river itself is far more formidable. Even a Dao Integration cultivator risks drowning if they linger in its depths for too long."
"For Huang, however, this is a rare sanctuary for cultivation. With all spiritual energy fluctuations suppressed to their absolute limit, he can focus entirely on tempering his physical body."
His expression grim, Zhou manifested a protective barrier and led the group down into the Spirit Dissolving Green River.
They descended deeper and deeper.
Unlike an ordinary river that grows darker with depth, the Spirit Dissolving Green River seemed to be its own source of light. No matter how far they descended, their surroundings remained an unchanging, unnerving expanse of eerie green.
The deep, verdant water acted as a buffer, gradually muting even Li Fan's spiritual sense, which was far stronger than that of an average cultivator.
Fortunately, Li Fan's anxiety eased after he consulted Tianyang and learned that the materials of his puppet body, along with its Source Power essence, were completely unaffected by the river's strange properties.
This subtle fluctuation of energy did not escape the notice of the two Dharma Propagators.
"Senior Tian's methods are truly impressive!"
As this was one of the Immortal Alliance's most secret sites, it was not their first visit; they had long ago mastered the techniques needed to navigate the river's treacherous waters, albeit with some difficulty.
Yet this Elder Tian from the Federation of All Worlds seemed entirely unbothered by its effects...
Their estimation of Tianyang's power rose yet again.
"We're here..."
Dharma Propagator Zhou murmured, his gaze fixed on a whirlpool below.
Li Fan followed his gaze and saw a gaunt, skeletal figure concealed within the vortex.
The vortex spun for a moment before abruptly subsiding. Then, its direction reversed, and it began to violently jet a column of river water upward.
Only then did Li Fan realize the truth: the whirlpool was generated by the skeletal figure's very breath as it inhaled and exhaled the river water!
"So that's Huang..."
Wasted away to little more than a skeleton, Huang's appearance seemed to utterly belie the notion of a powerful physique.
And yet, the faint, dark-gold sheen of his skin was strikingly conspicuous even in the green depths of the river, hinting at the extraordinary nature of his body.
"Huang is deep in slumber. If we wake him abruptly, we'll undoubtedly face a tempestuous assault," Zhou explained, glancing at Tianyang.
At a thought from Li Fan, a look of haughty confidence crossed Tianyang's face. He shot forward and slapped Huang squarely on the head.
Dharma Propagators Zhou and Wei both felt their eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
They instinctively pulled Li Fan back, putting some distance between them and the awakening figure.
After a moment of silence, a terrifying aura erupted from the riverbed, as powerful and sudden as a volcano.
Huang's eyes snapped open, revealing the ruthless, brutal gaze of a primeval beast awakened from its slumber.
His focus instantly locked onto Tianyang's small frame.
Faint golden light flickered in his eyes. Huang stared at Tianyang, who stood perfectly still before him, and raised his hand high.
Boom!
The calm, silent Spirit Dissolving Green River suddenly churned with violent energy.
The water instantly became a raging torrent, and the three observers—Li Fan, Zhou, and Wei—struggled just to hold their ground against the powerful current.
And yet...
Huang's descending hand, charged with devastating power, was caught and held fast by a deceptively small one.
It couldn't move an inch.
"Hn?"
Huang's expression shifted drastically.
He tried to wrench his right hand free.
But even when he unleashed the full might of his body, he could not break the hold.
His body shrank in an instant, transforming from a gaunt man into a child with the emaciated look of a famine victim.
Having slipped from Tianyang's grasp, he shot backward.
"Just who are you?"
To be defeated in the realm of raw strength, where he held absolute confidence, by a complete stranger... The shock that rocked Huang was immense.
He showed none of his legendary madness, instead studying Tianyang with extreme caution.
"Hahahaha! Huang, I never thought I'd live to see the day you were humbled like this!"
Dharma Propagator Wei's voice drifted down from above, and only then did Huang notice the three onlookers.
"Don't be surprised, Huang. This is Senior Tian of the Federation of All Worlds. His power has already reached the Longevity stage. It's only natural you are no match for him," Zhou explained, an irrepressible smile on his face.
"The Federation of All Worlds? What the hell is that?!" Huang shot his two former colleagues a dark look.
"Exactly how long have I been asleep?"
"Only fifteen years?" Huang asked, a mixture of shock and disbelief in his voice.
"I should be questioning you," Zhou sent via spiritual transmission. "You fancy yourself the guardian of the Xuanhuang Realm, yet you were completely unaware of a power as formidable as the Federation of All Worlds hiding right under your nose?"
He proceeded to fill Huang in on all the recent events within the Immortal Alliance.
"Remnants of the Xuantian Sect have been stirring up trouble? They possessed a Dharma Propagator and usurped control of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?"
Hearing of this upheaval, Huang did not react with explosive rage.
Instead, he grew chillingly calm and contemplative.
He began questioning Dharma Propagator Zhou, probing for every detail.
"How much have you learned about this Federation of All Worlds?"
"Absolutely nothing... and don't give me that look. This Federation is like it materialized out of thin air. We can't trace their origins, their roots, anything. They don't match the records of any known hidden powers. If our Xuanhuang Realm wasn't the last one standing in this Star Sea, I'd suspect they were from another cultivation world entirely."
...
The three Dharma Propagators rapidly exchanged information.
Then, they all turned their attention to Li Fan and Tianyang.
"It's fortunate Senior Tian intervened," Wei said with a relieved salute. "Otherwise, knowing Huang's temper when he wakes, he would have raised a huge commotion. It would have alerted the cultivators in the gorge above, and perhaps even Chen would have been tipped off."
Huang scowled, while Zhou just grinned.
"Your strength... is immense."
"I had to use thirty percent of my full strength just to hold you down."
Without any instruction from Li Fan, Tianyang saw the defiance in Huang's eyes and offered the comment as a sort of consolation.
Huang's expression darkened even further.
He knew an expert of Tianyang's caliber had no reason to exaggerate.
"Thirty percent of his strength..." A strange mix of hopelessness and hope bloomed in Huang's heart.
For thousands of years, he had followed the Heavenly Venerate's method, tempering his body day and night without cease.
He had long felt that he was approaching a plateau, a limit to his physical potential.
As a Dharma Propagator, he could no longer defy the principles of heaven and earth.
His path of cultivation, it seemed, had reached its end.
But the appearance of this Senior Tian offered him a new glimmer of hope.
Huang had always been a direct man. Right there, in front of everyone, he began to ask for guidance.
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