Chapter 170: Northern Black Waters
Spiritual power is inherently formless, yet it is manifested from the three treasures of essence, breath, and spirit, transforming the illusory into the tangible and projecting it outward.
Once spiritual power becomes tangible, it naturally affects the real, natural world. Weaker manifestations can summon the wind and rain to stir up a gentle breeze or a small ripple; stronger manifestations can summon tempests and torrential downpours.
Liu Dan went even further than both of these. His materialized spiritual power could influence and even manipulate space itself, making space move according to his will. The clear void transformed into a towering ocean with undulating water, and spatial folds turned into rolling layers of waves!
Walking through the air is naturally different in difficulty from walking through water. The difference lies in the substance surrounding them; water is denser than air, so naturally, the force required to break through and walk through it is greater!
As for the weight of space, no one knows it, as it can be said to be ever-changing—it can be light or heavy!
When light, it is lighter than air. With skillful manipulation, one can even ride the wind and cover ten zhang in a single step; when heavy, it is heavier than iron and stone, stabilizing the heavens and earth to the point where every step is an agonizing struggle!
The instant the space before him shifted, Zhou Yi immediately perceived the change, and his body involuntarily paused. Even with the formidable might of the Mountain-Backing Saber—which now bore the imprint of nineteen heaven-and-earth world paintings—he felt himself reduced to a mere mortal under this sudden shift!
Aside from barely managing to maintain his flight, his speed of movement through this space, which had transformed into a rushing river, was truly no different from that of a mortal!
The distance between the two was not great, but that was relative to the speed of a cultivator. Though not quite reachable in the blink of an eye, it normally wouldn't take much time. But at a mortal's pace, the time required…
Realizing this, Zhou Yi immediately stopped his movement and hung suspended in the air. He released his left hand while letting his right hand, which wielded the saber, hang by his side. The Mountain-Backing Saber—the great technique imbued with his hopes and carved with nineteen heaven-and-earth world paintings—had lost its effectiveness before he could even strike!
"Could it be that it takes nineteen heaven-and-earth world paintings just to match this pressure?"
Zhou Yi lowered his head and pondered inwardly. Although, given his current strength, nineteen was not the upper limit of the world paintings he could carve, the fact that even the nineteenth painting could only match the might of a casual blow from his opponent—who didn't even seem to have used his true strength—meant something profound!
Under such circumstances, adding a few more paintings would likely make little difference!
More importantly, what made Zhou Yi's heart sink continuously was that, up to this point, Liu Dan's attitude toward him was akin to someone playing for amusement, much like an adult teasing a child!
Moreover, Liu Dan had achieved all of this without borrowing the amplification of any formation array, relying purely on his own innate strength!
By this estimation, Liu Dan's strength was terrifying. If he continued to use the Mountain-Backing Saber as his offensive means, even if he carved a few more paintings, the effect would likely be negligible!
The most ideal outcome would merely be forcing Liu Dan to display his actual strength, but against strength amplified by a formation array, he would still be helpless!
Furthermore, even for this slim possibility, Zhou Yi had no certainty!
Thinking of this, Zhou Yi raised his eyes to glance at Liu Dan, who was watching him with keen interest and showed no hurry to attack, before lowering his gaze once more!
Whoosh!
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the Mountain-Backing Saber!
"The Mountain-Backing Saber is indeed a fine weapon, but after all, its foundation is limited. No matter how powerful the heaven-and-earth world paintings are, they are enough to deal with ordinary people, but facing him..."
The Mountain-Backing Saber was, after all, a mortal martial art with limited power. Even with the blessing of the heaven-and-earth world paintings to break through mortal boundaries, its inherent foundation remained fixed, leaving a shortcoming that could not be bridged!
"It seems that since I have already transcended the mortal realm, I must ultimately use transcendent means!"
With this thought, Zhou Yi shifted his gaze to the dantian space, focusing on the single droplet suspended there, rotating along an unfathomable rhythm.
"Fortunately, I am now someone who possesses transcendent means as well!"
"Fortunately, I have just cultivated it, and the period of nurturing it with spiritual power has been brief. Even if I take it out to use now, there won't be any major loss!"
Zhou Yi grinned, his thoughts stirring. A flash of pitch-black light swept across the fingertips of his right hand, which hung by his side, and a spherical droplet quietly appeared.
Rumble!
The moment the droplet appeared, faint rhythms emerged around it, stirring the surrounding space into several vortex-like anomalies.
The anomalies were illusory, mere shadows, incomparable to Liu Dan's ability to genuinely affect reality!
Yet, by the same token, the droplet was merely a droplet. It had not been catalyzed by spiritual power, yet it produced this spectacle relying solely on its own profound nature. It had made initial contact with reality, which was more than enough to prove its might!
"Indeed... the gap between cultivation methods and martial arts is truly as vast as heaven and earth!"
Looking at the initial display of the black water, Zhou Yi sighed inwardly. Compared to the mundanity of the Mountain-Backing Saber, the black water was far too brilliant.
High in the sky, Liu Dan kept his eyes on Zhou Yi, awaiting his next move with great anticipation!
And Zhou Yi did not disappoint him. As he dismissed the Mountain-Backing Saber and the droplet reappeared in his hand, it dealt him a profound shock, though he kept his expression perfectly neutral.
"What cultivation method is this?"
Liu Dan gazed intently at the black water. Ever since its manifestation, it had been able to effortlessly influence reality by its mere presence alone, meaning its power could not be underestimated. This alone proved the terrifying caliber of the cultivation method that could produce such black water!
A method like this was something Liu Dan had never seen, nor even heard of!
With Liu Dan's discerning eye, he could naturally perceive the power contained within that tiny droplet of black water. He calculated its potential in his mind, then mentally reviewed every cultivation method he had ever seen or heard of in his memories. Not a single one could boast such formidable power right upon initial cultivation!
"Where did he acquire this cultivation method?" With a conclusion reached, a new question arose in Liu Dan's mind. According to his understanding, although there were all sorts of monsters on Peerless Island, slaying them could yield various cultivation methods. However, these dropped techniques were not without reason, and there was always an upper limit to their potency!
For a method like this, let alone seeing it, he had never even heard of it!
"As expected, someone who can draw such high-level attention is indeed extraordinary!" After pondering for a moment, Liu Dan smiled faintly inwardly, the light in his eyes brightening a fraction.
"Since it is extraordinary, let me test just how extraordinary you are!"
Once his mind was made up, Liu Dan's thoughts shifted. The space that had previously remained in place, rippling with waves, immediately seemed to come alive, pressing forward toward Zhou Yi.
Rumble!
As the space moved, the sound of crashing waves echoed in all directions. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, it appeared ordinary yet contained boundless might, carrying an overwhelming momentum as it crushed down toward Zhou Yi!
Before such a vast spatial river, Zhou Yi's figure seemed as small as an ant, and it appeared as though he would be ground into dust by the river in the very next instant!
Such were the thoughts of everyone present, save for Liu Dan and Zhou Yi. They all knew Liu Dan's strength, and though Zhou Yi had exceeded their expectations several times, in their hearts, compared to Liu Dan, he was nothing more than an ant!