This single palm thrusting forward felt as if it would rend the world into chaos. Yan Zaizen, backed by twelve regalia acting as array flags, galvanized a vast spatial force. This force was like a torrential oceanic wave crashing down on all before it.
"This?!" Eshe felt her mind tremble and her body become unstable. At the moment, for everyone in the group, even flying became difficult. Regardless of who, they each took measures as their heavenly-infused true-essence erupted to achieve some semblance of stability.
However, as they felt the power further, disbelief started to cover their expressions. Even if they stabilized themselves, they weren't able to retreat or advance at will, as if they were isolated in a small, metal box in erratic motion.
Yan Zaizen's eyes lit when he saw this effect. An array was capable of executing arts with external forms of energy, but it needed a controller. Luckily, the restraints for cultivation base was far inferior to comprehension. For an array of this level, Yan Zaizen could barely maintain it while executing his art.
This art was called Oceanic Spatial Seal. It was a sealing art of space, capable of restricting an enemy's movements while simultaneously controlling it. If Yan Zaizen wanted, with a flip of his palm, he could crush them into meat paste with waves of spatial power.
Eshe and the others immediately felt this disadvantageous situation, a sensation of deadly crisis exploded in their minds. However, they were cultivators of the Fortune Cemetery, many even born in their harsh environment. They wouldn't lay down and die without a fight.
The two black knights roared in defiance, causing a slight ripple to occur in space. The fire and lightning above their heads exploded and engulfed their entire bodies. In seconds, they became figures of fire and lightning. Even the color of their armor changed to fiery-red and lightning-yellow.
Yan Zaizen was slightly startled at this, but only slightly. With this array in his hands, unless a cultivator was a Heavenly Commander, breaking free would be an insidiously difficult endeavor.
That, however, didn't stop those from trying. The two knights aura escalated quickly in intensity. Before long, they reached the third-floor, then the fourth-floor and stabilizing there. This form of advancement left Yan Zaizen curious.
In his entire life, he had never seen a person increase their cultivation directly. There has been formations which can enhance battle prowess, but never a direct increase in cultivation base. It was as if their heavenly shrines suddenly gained two additional floors.
The bestial roars from the knights didn't cease. The others wanted to distance themselves as the heat and lightning was chaotically surging about, fearing they may suffer consequences if they remained.
The knights weren't the only ones who were decisive. Bronzelion, who wielded a brown ruler larger than his body, grunted in madness and insanity. Yan Zaizen could sense a berserk aura erupt. As it did, it produced berserk-like energy that seemed unruly and uncontrollable. Bronzelion's vital energy started to escalate, but in a slightly different manner than the others.
His body, which was about two-three meters, suddenly grew ten times in size. The ruler became engulfed in marks that looked like inscriptions. These inscriptions seemed to resonate with Bronzelion. In a blink, the ruler turned into liquid and penetrated his orifices. It was quite an odd sight.
His body that was about thirty meters suddenly reached ninety meters, turning into a literal giant. As for his vital energy, it contained a berserk quality, but his vital energy did not increase in intensity. Instead, his physical body seemed to have become far, far stronger than before. It seemed no weaker than the two knights.
Watching all this, Yan Zaizen was rendered speechless. He had one thought:
So decisive!
The moment the situation seemed deadly, they activated their trump cards without reservation, even if it would severely weaken them later. Yan Zaizen didn't even intend to kill them. Just 'claim' some of their possessions…
He wasn't sure what the trade-off for such a power increase was, but he couldn't help but feel respect. This didn't mean he was going to let them go. In actuality, he wanted to know what they did, reinforcing his desire in making them stay.
With a thought and a bit of manipulation, he changed arts from the Oceanic Spatial Seal to the Spatial Chains: Restriction art. The world was no longer a cataclysmic wave of spatial force, but they became chains numbering in the millions. These chains were small, nearly invisible to the naked eye, but they wrapped around each other countless times causing a very odd twisting appearance to emerge. At first sight, no one would expect these twisting space to be chains
These chains were far too quick, as if they traversed the spatial void, and wrapped all individuals within. Despite their struggles, they couldn't even move a single millimeter unlike before. This technique's restraining factor was undeniably greater than Oceanic Spatial Seal.
"Cease resistance or die." In a voice effusing a dense imperious authority, Yan Zaizen said. The others were shocked, their hearts trembling at his voice. It was as if they stood before a sovereign that could easily decide their fates.
However, this didn't cause Bronzelion or the black knights to cease, instead...their resistance increased. To have your fate in the hands of another, what worse outcome was that? They directly ignited their heavenly shrines or ignited their vital essence. The explosive power gained from that pushed them to nearing a power close to the fifth-floor.
Yan Zaizen was truly taken aback now. Three individuals with strength at the second-floor originally were, in a moment of absolute defiance, capable of exhibiting power infinitely close to the fifth-floor! If someone had told him before that this was possible, he would not believe it.
How could he?
The difference between a second-floor and third-floor of equivalent foundation was about three to four times greater, but second-floor to fourth-floor was hundreds of times greater. In the cultivation world, each progression in rank, floor, or realm instituted a vast difference. As one continued to climb closer to the peak, the difference between each only enlarges.
This was an undeniable fact.
Yet…
"I gave you your choice." Even though he was curious, his soul cultivation base wasn't enough to search their souls for an answer at this moment, and he was a man of his word.
Pointing forward, three spikes of solidified space emerged. Yan Zaizen felt his heart and cultivation base become unstable. Currently, he was using the array to power his arts, but executing two arts simultaneously was a difficult feat. This even included the fact that first-floor wasn't completely 'full'.
He only used a portion of a heavenly crystal to power the heavenly materials, but he needed a complete heavenly crystal, equivalent to a million heavenly drops, to fully stabilize his cultivation base.
Despite the strain and pain, the three spikes sent forth and in a blink, pierced the bodies of the three. In a second, their exploded as spatial blades erupted from their insides like a flock of scared birds.
With a grasp, his true-essence wrapped the remaining souls of the three and sent sealed them. They were kept in his Meteor Ring. At the moment, he couldn't get access to their secrets, but it shouldn't take long.
Three spatial objects, a ring and two bracers, appeared in his ring as well. His eyes were bright with excitement. Turning to Eshe and the other two, they weren't resisting but their eyes showed fear.
Yan Zaizen ignored Iceborn and her companion, turning towards Eshe, his gaze sharp.
Seeing Yan Zaizen turn his focus to her, she panicked inwardly but remained calm outwardly. Even though Yan Zaizen was a hidden expert, the situation wasn't unsalvageable. "Daoist Ascension, I'm no longer resisting."
She decided to play ignorant. After all, Yan Zaizen had profound spatial power. If he suspected she used him as bait, she could righteously deny it. With everyone being able to bypass the Yaoguai, it was only expected that she assumed Yan Zaizen had a treasure or art to evade detection.
Even though that wasn't the case, because evading Yaoguai detection without a specific technique suited for it was impossible and not something a weak outsider would possess, but Yan Zaizen didn't know that.
Her thoughts were irrelevant. Yan Zaizen softly smiled, however. "Daoist Eshe, no need to continue. I'll need proper compensation for your actions." Yan Zaizen didn't even consider her attempt to remain ignorant. It didn't matter if she did, but he couldn't kill her yet.
He will kill her, but Esi, her sister, would know and depart far away if she had a life talisman. If that happened, finding her without a powerful sense in this vast, vast lands would be nigh impossible.
She had to die too.
Therefore, he didn't reveal any killing intent but just dissatisfaction and lust as his eyes roamed Eshe's body.
Witnessing Yan Zaizen's calm and desire, her eyes lit up. Her mind moved a thousand paces a second and smiled. "Daoist Ascension, these two women obtained two pieces of inheritance within the mountain: A mid-grade heavenly-tier pill and a Soul of a Mountain." She immediately informed Yan Zaizen of Iceborn's treasure.
Iceborn and her companion didn't show any shock at her reveal, and when they looked at Yan Zaizen's lust towards Eshe, they had their own thoughts. Iceborn spoke, "I give both pieces of these treasures to you, Daoist Ascension."
Two items emerged from her ring with a thought, both of which were a bottle.
When Yan Zaizen saw these bottles, his eyes widened in shock. A green translucent mountain trembled endlessly. It looked like glass, but its existence was based in spirituality.
"A true mountain soul!"