Wanhua Emerges from Seclusion, Responding with Indifference

The light screen condensed by the Wanhua Guardian Formation, under the relentless bombardment of the Dragon Palace naval force's Myriad Dragons Overturning Seas Wave battle formation, flickered violently and dimmed, like a lone boat tossing in a storm.

Above the light screen, those orderly flowing runes of reason became chaotic and dull, as if they might collapse at any moment.

Xuanjizi, Elder Teng, Yun Xi, and all the disciples forming the array were pale as paper, their auras withered to the extreme.

As the master of the formation, Xuanjizi bore the greatest pressure; golden blood constantly spilled from the corners of his mouth, his hands trembling as he held the seals, and though his Seeking Literary Heart still beat stubbornly, its radiance had greatly diminished.

Fine cracks appeared on Elder Teng's vine-like body, and the protective light condensed by Yun Xi had become as thin as gauze. Even Jin Li, known for his defense, showed white marks across his skin.

They were almost at the brink of exhaustion. The absolute gap in strength could not be fully bridged by will and reason alone.

The continuous attacks from thousands of aquatic troops, led by a peak Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, were simply too terrifying.

"Senior brother... we can't hold on much longer..." a Registered Disciple shouted weakly, his voice filled with despair.

Xuanjizi gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the apocalyptic tide of attacks outside the light screen, a sense of powerlessness surging in his heart.

Could it be that the Academy, having barely established its foundation, was to be destroyed in an instant? Was the spark of the Confucian Dao to be extinguished here?

Just at this critical moment, just as the Wanhua light screen emitted a piercing wail and was on the verge of shattering—

An indescribable change quietly occurred at the very core of the Academy.

It was not an earth-shattering eruption of momentum, nor a tidal wave of energy sweeping across the world. It was a power of "Stability."

It was as if an invisible hand had gently pressed the pause button on time.

The roaring, world-destroying Myriad Dragons Overturning Seas Wave, those countless surging giant waves, piercing ice cones, and explosive water mines, reached some invisible boundary.

They were suddenly frozen, like insects trapped in amber! They were not blocked, nor were they destroyed; rather, the violent kinetic energy and destructive will they contained were forcibly "smoothed out" and "stabilized" by the intervention of a higher-level power!

The boiling sea surface instantly became as smooth as a mirror, not even a ripple remaining.

The deafening roar came to an abrupt halt, and the world fell into an eerie, absolute silence. Even the light seemed to stop flowing; all things were frozen in place.

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

On the side of the Dragon Palace naval force, the smug, triumphant grin on the face of Ao Zhan froze; he felt his connection to the army formation severed by something.

The attack, which had gathered the power of thousands of aquatic troops, vanished without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea. The thousands of soldiers maintained their casting postures, their eyes filled with confusion and horror.

On the Academy side, Xuanjizi and the others felt the pressure around them vanish, the force that was about to crush them disappearing in an instant.

They stared in astonishment at the scene outside, frozen like a painting, unable to believe their eyes.

Following this, a gentle, balanced, vast, and unfathomable aura, like the rising morning sun, slowly permeated from the depths of the Academy.

This aura was not overbearing, yet it carried a silent, penetrating power that instantly enveloped the entire battlefield, smoothing out all restlessness, killing intent, and fear.

A cyan figure appeared silently above the Academy, in front of Xuanjizi and the others.

It was still that simple cyan Daoist robe, still that peaceful and indifferent face. Wanhua had emerged from seclusion.

He did not look at the scarred and withered disciples behind him, nor did he immediately attack the Dragon Palace naval force.

His gaze first swept calmly over the frozen, vast attack, as if admiring an interesting piece of art.

Only then did it fall upon the Dragon General Ao Zhan, who stood at the front of the army formation with a drastically changed expression.

His eyes were clear and profound, as if containing an eternal sea of stars, devoid of joy, sorrow, anger, or resentment, holding only an indifference that saw through everything.

"Disturbing one's quiet cultivation is not the way of a guest."

Wanhua spoke, his voice not loud, yet it reached the ears of every living being clearly, like a spring breeze brushing over a frozen lake. "Using force to suppress others is not the righteous path either."

As he spoke, he casually raised his sleeve and gave a light flick.

There was no brilliant Divine Light, no vast fluctuation of magic power. But the moment his sleeve brushed past, the frozen Myriad Dragons Overturning Seas Wave, which contained such destructive power, began to disintegrate and dissipate silently!

It was not an explosion, nor a counter-clash, but the most fundamental "decomposition" and "return to origin."

The giant waves turned into the softest water vapor and merged into the sea, the ice cones melted into clear droplets, and the explosive energy of the water mines was smoothed into docile spiritual energy...

In less than a single breath, the terrifying attack capable of destroying a world vanished into thin air, as if it had never appeared.

The sea surface completely returned to calm, even more tranquil than before the attack. Sunlight shone down once more, reflecting off the mirror-like sea, casting ten thousand points of golden light.

Silence!

A deathly silence!

On the side of the Dragon Palace naval force, all the aquatic troops, from General Ao Zhan down to the lowest shrimp soldier, were dumbfounded, standing frozen in place as if under a binding spell, their breathing almost coming to a halt.

They could not comprehend what had just happened. What kind of power was that?

With a casual flick of his sleeve, he had neutralized the full-force strike of thousands of aquatic troops? This was completely beyond their scope of understanding!

On the side of the Academy disciples, after the brief shock came uncontrollable excitement and ecstasy!

Xuanjizi and the others looked at the back that was not tall, yet seemed capable of supporting the entire world, their eyes burning with heat, their hearts filled with an indescribable sense of peace and reverence. The Saint had acted!

And he had done so in such an indifferent way that they could not comprehend, yet found deeply shocking!

Wanhua's gaze remained on Ao Zhan, as if he had just performed a trivial task.

"Dragon Palace, do you wish to discuss the Dao with me?" he asked indifferently, his tone calm yet carrying a pressure that reached straight into the soul.

Ao Zhan shuddered, snapping back to reality from his state of extreme shock. Looking into the calm, ripple-free eyes of Wanhua, he felt a chill shoot from the tip of his dragon tail straight to his crown.

All of his arrogance and killing intent vanished in that instant!

He did not doubt for a second that if the other party had wished it, that flick of a sleeve just now would not have merely erased the attack, but their entire naval force!

This was a Primordial Chaos Sage! A being capable of neutralizing even a strike from the Dao Ancestor! And he had actually led troops to besiege his dojo?!

A massive wave of terror instantly gripped Ao Zhan's heart; he opened his mouth, only to find his throat parched, unable to utter a single sound.

All the harsh words and all the threats seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of such an absolute disparity in power.

The appearance of Wanhua, with his incomprehensible and irresistible might, and his detached, transcendent demeanor.

Instantly reversed the situation, completely crushing the raging arrogance of the Dragon Palace naval force.