"... interesting."
After a moment of silence, a deep and resonant voice slowly emerged from behind the stone gate. The voice was ancient and weathered, containing an indescribable sense of power.
"Buzz!"
Immediately afterwards, the runes on the black stone gate pulsed violently, and the entire stone gate seemed to come alive, with layers of fine cracks appearing on the surface of the stone wall.
Then, the stone gate shattered.
It didn't collapse, it shattered.
It was as if it was being pushed open by some force growing from within, turning into countless black pebbles that scattered and flew everywhere.
Amidst the flying pebbles, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a young man, tall and robust, his entire body covered with a layer of grayish-white stone-like skin, like an ancient statue that had just emerged from the rock strata.
His face was angular, with deep-set eyes.
The pupils were a deep, dark gray, profound and captivating, like two stone beads polished by countless years.
"Buzz!"
He exuded the aura of a peak Sage.
But that aura was completely different from that of ordinary Sage; it carried a sense of weight and primal force from the depths of the earth, as if he himself were a moving mountain.
" Holy Spirit Clan... Huntian!"
Someone in the crowd shouted out the name, causing a stir. "Holy crap! It really is Huntian! The legendary holy spirit who became a spirit from the stone under the command of Primordial Origin Immortal!"
"The Holy Spirit, born of heaven and earth, is born Sage!"
"He's known as invincible among his peers; once he reaches adulthood, he'll be at the peak of the Quasi-Emperor!"
"Just one step away from becoming an emperor!"
"I heard he fought his way back from the twentieth level, tearing apart a late-stage Sage King- level ancient beast with his bare hands, and even with his body covered in blood, he was still standing on the beast's head, frantically gnawing on it."
That was the most glorious battle on his path to becoming emperor!
"Wasn't he always at level 20? How did he suddenly go back to level 13?"
"Wait... Primordial Origin Immortal? Huntian? Could he be after the Lin Clan son?"
"Nonsense! The Lin Clan son personally slaughtered the remnant soul of the Primordial Origin Immortal and stole the Hunyuan Bell. How could Huntian, as a being under the Primordial Origin Immortal's command, possibly let this go?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their gazes shifting back and forth between Lin Fan and Huntian.
This is going to be interesting!
Huntian stood there, his grayish-white, stone-like skin faintly shimmering with runes, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Fan.
"You... are the Lin Clan son?!"
Huntian remained silent for a few breaths, as if identifying something, before slowly speaking, "You do indeed carry the master's aura."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an intense, suppressed rage.
"Did you kill the remnant soul of the Primordial Origin Immortal?"
"You stole the Hunyuan Bell too?"
His voice remained calm and unhurried, but the oppressive force from the depths of the earth began to rise, and the black pebbles beneath his feet began to move without wind, floating up piece by piece, forming a swirling storm of pebbles around him.
"My master treated me like his own child, taught me how to cultivate myself, and bestowed upon me wisdom."
"I once swore that I would protect him for the rest of my life."
He looked up, and for the first time, genuine emotion flickered in his greyish-gray pupils. "You killed my master, so I will kill you."
"Reclaim the Hunyuan Bell, reclaim the legacy of its master."
"Avenge my lord!"
As soon as the words fell, a terrifying Holy Spirit pressure spread out like a tangible force, causing the void within a hundred feet to tremble and the air to explode with a series of loud bangs.
"Buzz!"
Lin Fan stood directly in front of that oppressive aura, his robes fluttering, yet he remained completely still.
He stared at Huntian, a serious glint in his eyes. " The Holy Spirit Clan... I don't think I've ever killed Holy Spirit Clan."
He paused, then added, "It's a pity it's a rock; I can't eat it."
Huntian's face stiffened.
As a holy spirit, having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, he had long since cultivated himself to the point of being almost indifferent to joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
"You... you're asking for it!"
But upon hearing those words, he still felt an indescribable surge of anger.
boom!
The Huntian stirred.
He didn't use any magic weapons or supernatural powers; he simply raised his right fist and threw a punch in Lin Fan's direction.
That punch was completely unpretentious.
Yet it carried the weight of the earth and the domineering power of mountains, the power of law condensing into a layer of grayish-white stone-like light film on his fist.
Wherever the fist passed, the air was crushed into white shockwaves.
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "So direct?"
He didn't retreat, but raised his fist to meet the attack. The chaotic Gods and Devils and demonic energy flowed on his fist, and the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Force was activated, causing thousands of Giant Elephant Particles to roar simultaneously.
boom!
Their fists collided.
A muffled boom exploded from the point where fist and palm met, transforming into a visible ring-shaped shockwave that spread wildly in all directions.
The stone platform shattered, sending fragments flying and even creating white ripples in the air.
Huntian retreated half a step.
Lin Fan took a half step back.
The two men simultaneously withdrew their fists, and then moved at the same time.
This time, it's a real battle.
Huntian shook his arms, and ancient runes appeared on his stone-like skin, like an array of laws imprinted on his body since ancient times. They began to light up rapidly with his movements.
" The Holy Spirit Domain."
He let out a low shout, and the ground within a hundred feet around him suddenly rose, with countless stone pillars springing up from the ground like bamboo shoots after a rain, spreading outwards and transforming the entire battlefield into a rocky domain under his control.
"This is the innate power of the Holy Spirit!"
One cultivator exclaimed, "I've heard that this ability can suppress opponents, allowing them to only unleash a portion of their power; it's one of their invincible techniques among those of the same level!"
"Boom!"
Each stone pillar was engraved with ancient holy runes, radiating a profound and solid power of law, firmly locking Lin Fan in the center.
" Stone Prison."
Huntian clasped his hands together, and the stone pillars simultaneously began to converge towards the center, like two mountains slowly closing in, about to crush Lin Fan in the middle.
Lin Fan looked up at the approaching stone pillars, and chaotic energy surged around him.
He did not dodge.
He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, and the Law of Chaos and the Law of the Fist Dao condensed into a golden fist imprint in his palm.
" Hunyuan Fist ).
He threw a punch.
The fist imprint wasn't aimed at a single stone pillar, but rather at the very foundation of the entire rocky landscape.
boom!
The fist imprint landed, causing the entire ground to tremble violently. The stone pillars that were closing in seemed to have their foundations removed, and fine cracks appeared on their surfaces.
Then, it shattered.
Everyone was startled. "Wow, that's fierce!"
Huntian's expression changed slightly. "You broke my Stone Prison?"
Lin Fan shook his hand, looking down at his superior position. "This is a pile of stones, not a prison."
Huntian roared in fury, "This is my master's signature technique, you are not worthy to use it!"
He knew that the boy before him was far more powerful than he had imagined.
He was a peak Sage, who had once slain a Half-Step Great Saint! Yet he couldn't even defeat a junior who had just entered the Saint Realm...
He lost all face!
So he stopped holding back, took a step forward, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot. The next instant, he appeared above Lin Fan's head, and with a punch carrying the power of the entire rock domain, he slammed down.
This punch was a punch empowered by the entire domain.
As solid as the earth, as domineering as a mountain.
Lin Fan looked up, his chaotic energy surging rapidly around him. He also threw a punch to meet the attack, the Giant Elephant Particles and Law of Chaos within his body boiling simultaneously.
boom!
The force of Huntian Tian's punch made Lin Fan's right hand go slightly numb.
"He's got something."
Lin Fan shook his hand. "As expected of a general under the command of Primordial Origin Immortal, he's much stronger than those nobodies we encountered before."
Huntian did not answer, and attacked again.
His fighting style was simple: he used both fists and feet.
But every punch and kick he threw carried the power of the entire rocky domain, his strength as solid as a mountain, his laws as firm as earth, forcing Lin Fan to retreat several steps.
As Lin Fan retreated, he suddenly laughed, "You really enjoy using your physical body?"
He stopped, and chaotic energy exploded around him as he fully activated his Chaos Gods and Devils Body: "Then this imperial prince will play with you."