Translator: CinderTL
"Abandon all illusions and prepare for total war."
Huang Daozhen, his Heart-Mind restored to clarity, delivered this grim news to the Supreme Sages around him, including the Three Sages of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.
"Yuan Taiji still intends to gamble everything?" the Human Sage Venerable asked gravely.
"They... can't afford to lose," Huang Daozhen thought, his understanding clear.
If the Profound Yellow Sect had offended a special existence like Li Chunjun, one who defied all conventional logic, they too would find no peace.
Unless they were willing to completely kneel and beg for Li Chunjun's forgiveness, this hidden threat would remain a thorn in their side, leaving them in constant dread.
But clearly...
The Wu Ji Sect believed they still had a fighting chance.
In such circumstances, why would they humiliate themselves by kneeling and begging for mercy?
"The Wu Ji Sect's strength does surpass our Profound Yellow Sect's," an elder slowly said. "But with Liu Yu, the Quasi-Tenth-Tier, the balance of power would completely shift. I don't understand why the Wu Ji Sect is willing to tear off all pretense and fight us to the death."
"Is it relying on Yuan Taiji?" the elder continued. "His strength is likely no greater than the Demon-Quelling Great Emperor's. How can he possibly contend with Liu Yu?"
He was Wu Chen, the foremost expert of the Profound Yellow Sect in the Profound Yellow Great World.
Ten thousand years ago, he had clashed with Yuan Taiji. Though slightly outmatched, in a life-or-death struggle, he might have been able to drag Yuan Taiji down with him.
Therefore, his doubts were entirely justified.
"Though Liu Yu is a Quasi-Tenth-Tier being, she remains a spirit-type life form. Her influence is confined to the Profound Yellow Great World. Once she leaves it, her power projection will be severely disrupted," the Heavenly Sage Venerable observed with clarity. "The Wu Ji Sect, having rivaled the Taixu Sword Sect for hundreds of thousands of years, possesses undeniable foundations. It's highly probable they've developed methods to interfere with Liu Yu's descent."
He glanced at Supreme Sage Wu Chen. "Even if Liu Yu manages to descend, it will take time. I believe this is the source of his confidence in acting."
"Not just that!" Huang Daozhen interjected, his voice grave. "In this dark horned prison battle, the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace have deployed over two hundred dharma manifestations. Given the prison's confined space, with little room for maneuver, even a Supreme Sage would face mortal danger if trapped within!"
He glanced at Supreme Sage Wu Chen.
Wu Chen clearly understood his meaning. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "If those two hundred-plus dharma aspects were united in purpose, even I would stand no chance against them."
He emphasized, "Even if those two hundred dharma aspects were highly motivated, the outcome would still be uncertain. Only if they were as scattered as sand, lacking any coordination, would I be able to annihilate all two hundred-plus dharma aspects from both major powers."
"Yet Supreme Elder Li Chunjun accomplished it."
Huang Daozhen looked at the others. "The Heavenly Palace forces indeed seemed like a disorganized rabble. However, the Wu Ji Sect's fifty-nine great dharma aspects entered with perfect order, clearly having undergone special training. Even if the training period was short, they must have possessed sufficient coordination. Moreover, Yuan Taiji would have prepared trump cards for them. Based on this, even if they faced seasoned Supreme Sages, they could have crushed them."
He paused. "Yet they failed! In other words, Supreme Elder Li's true strength at this moment..."
"A top-tier supreme sage?!"
The Human Sage Venerable was momentarily stunned by Huang Daozhen's deduction.
Then, looking at him with disbelief, he repeated, "You're saying... Supreme Elder Li possesses the combat power of a top-tier supreme sage?"
"Indeed," Huang Daozhen nodded. "Even if his inherent strength doesn't reach that level, with the aid of certain treasures, he must have attained it."
This theory was met with incredulity not only by the Human Sage Venerable but also by the other supreme sages of the Profound Yellow Sect, who found it dreamlike and absurd.
Li Chunjun, a dharma manifestation...
A dharma manifestation who had ascended to this realm less than a year ago, yet he wielded the combat power of a top-tier supreme sage?!
When Li Chunjun was still a nascent dharma manifestation, the Profound Yellow Sect had invited him to become a Supreme Elder. At the time, these supreme sages had vehemently opposed the decision.
No matter how exceptional Li Chunjun might be, a Void Refining cultivator sitting on equal footing with supreme sages...
It would utterly diminish their prestige.
Had Huang Daozhen not revealed Li Chunjun's status as a supreme disciple personally taught by the Supreme Sovereign, these Supreme Elders would never have agreed.
The result...
How long had it been? According to Huang Daozhen, Li Chunjun had not only attained Supreme Sage-level combat power, but had also become a top-tier supreme sage, surpassing even seasoned veterans like themselves!
How was this possible?!
"Before Li Chunjun entered the dark horned prison, I spoke with him," Huang Daozhen explained, meeting the incredulous gazes of the crowd. "At that time, he already possessed 50,000 years of Dao cultivation and Qi. His dharma aspect was originally a standard Void Storm Dharma Aspect, but Your Excellency Liu Yu optimized it, making it comparable to a Supreme Dharma Aspect!"
"Even with that, his combat power would only be around 200,000," Wild Earth, another Supreme Sage from the Profound Yellow Sect, interjected. "Did Liu Yu grant him a Quasi-Immortal Artifact? Boosting his combat power to 300,000?!"
Wild Earth was one of only three Supreme Sages in the Profound Yellow Sect who possessed Top-Tier Dao Artifacts. Combined with his 110,000 years of Millennial Magic Power and high-grade dharma manifestation, his combat power reached a staggering 290,000—second only to Wu Chen!
Yet even with all that, his combat power still fell short of 300,000.
According to Huang Daozhen, Li Chunjun had surpassed him in combat power in such a short time?
"I, along with the Three Sage Venerables, have high hopes for Li Chunjun. We believe he has a very high chance of achieving dao unification. Do you think he possesses no special talent?" Huang Daozhen asked, glancing at him.
"Special talent?" Wild Earth Supreme Sage's pupils constricted sharply. "Are you saying..."
"Based on my understanding of Supreme Elder Li and the information I've gathered from our interactions, his unique divine ability should amplify his combat power by forty to fifty percent!" Huang Daozhen declared solemnly.
"Forty to fifty percent?!"
Not only were Supreme Sages Wu Chen and Wild Earth stunned, but even the Three Sages of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity exchanged astonished glances.
The amplification provided by a Special Life was similar to that of Dao Artifacts and Quasi-Immortal Artifacts, which typically diminished the effectiveness of top-tier Dao Artifacts and Quasi-Immortal Artifacts. But...
Li Chunjun was only at the dharma manifestation stage!
For Supreme Sages, even top-tier Dao Artifacts that barely enhanced their combat power by ten percent would still provide a solid boost of over ten percent to Li Chunjun's combat power!
In other words, Li Chunjun's combat power could definitely reach 330,000!
If he were equipped with a Quasi-Immortal Artifact...
His combat power would likely skyrocket to nearly 400,000!
Whether it was nearly 400,000 or 330,000, both figures already met the standard for a top-tier supreme sage!
Surpassing all the supreme sages present from the Profound Yellow Sect, including Supreme Sage Wu Chen and Sect Leader Huang Daozhen.
"Supreme Elder Li, does he truly possess such power?"
The Wild Earth Supreme Sage's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Never measure legendary figures like Supreme Elder Li by our standards! If he didn't possess such combat power, how could he have defeated over two hundred dharma manifestations in the dark horned prison?" Huang Daozhen concluded the discussion.
He continued, "If I can deduce this, Yuan Taiji, with his meticulous nature, couldn't possibly have overlooked this possibility!"
Huang Daozhen paused, his gaze sweeping across the assembly. "Knowing that Supreme Elder Li likely possesses combat power as high as 330,000, rivaling his own, what makes Yuan Taiji believe he can restrain Liu Yu and still capture Supreme Elder Li?"
The crowd exchanged puzzled glances.
After a long silence, the Heavenly Sage Venerable finally spoke, "There are only two possibilities!"
His expression turned grave as he said, "One possibility is that he summoned Wu Tongtian or Yuan Guiyi! These two supreme sages... each possesses a combat power exceeding 400,000! Especially Wu Tongtian—ten thousand years ago, he clashed with the Heaven Origin Sword Master multiple times. Though he never won, the fact that he could survive those encounters suggests his combat power might even surpass 500,000!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Yuan Guiyi had been cultivating with the Supreme Truth Sovereign for millennia, so his current strength remained unknown.
But Wu Tongtian...
The peerless powerhouse second only to the Heaven Origin Sword Master in the Profound Yellow Great World—no one doubted his might.
"The second possibility is that Yuan Taiji has been concealing his true strength," the Heavenly Sage Venerable said gravely. "Perhaps his combat power isn't merely 330,000!"
"Concealing his strength?" Huang Daozhen frowned. "Ten thousand years ago, he fought Qian Yuan, the Sect Master of the Taixu Sword Sect, and nearly fell beneath Qian Yuan's blade. Even then, his displayed combat power barely reached the level of a top-tier supreme sage. If he was still holding back even when his life hung by a thread, that seems... unlikely."
"This is different."
The Heavenly Sage Venerable said, "Don't forget, Yuan Taiji offered the Star Abyss to the Supreme Truth Sovereign. That Sovereign returned from the Abyss laden with treasures and, in high spirits, bestowed upon Yuan Taiji a Supreme Treasure, causing his cultivation to skyrocket. This is entirely plausible, and all these events occurred within the last ten thousand years."
"The Supreme Truth Sovereign!"
The words sent a wave of shock through the assembly.
The Supreme Truth Sovereign!
Yuan Taiji had presented the Star Abyss to the Supreme Truth Sovereign, who reaped immense rewards. Though the Sovereign accepted Yuan Guiyi as a disciple and elevated the Wu Ji Sect to the Immortal Alliance Council, who could guarantee that Yuan Taiji hadn't received further benefits from the Sovereign?
This was a Supreme Sovereign we were talking about!
Even a mere hair shed from such a being could empower a Supreme Sage to dominate the Void Refining Realm!
"This... this..."
The Supreme Sages exchanged helpless glances.
Supreme-level methods...
They were utterly beyond their comprehension.
After a long silence, the Heavenly Sage Venerable finally spoke, "Let's notify Your Excellency Liu Yu immediately."
He continued, "Let's hope that with sufficient preparation, Your Excellency Liu Yu can reach the site without interference from the Wu Ji Sect and arrive at the scene first!"
He paused, then added, "We must also have faith in Swordmaster Li. Perhaps his emergence from the dark horned prison will bring us an unexpected surprise."
The others nodded in agreement with the Heavenly Sage Venerable's words.
They could only try to think positively.
As the Wu Ji Sect and Profound Yellow Sect grew increasingly tense, the dark horned prison ahead, which had been compressed and sealed for over half a year, suddenly began to tremble.
This tremor...
Every Void Refining expert familiar with the dark horned prison immediately understood what it meant.
"Attention! The dark horned prison is about to open!"
(End of the Chapter)
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