Gang Feng nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips as he considered something. Wu Tian has been in the pond for so long. The Mind-Bewildering Powder must have completely obscured his true nature by now. Afterward, he will obediently become the Heavenly King Country’s most formidable weapon. This is the greatest good deed I have ever done. A man with Wu Tian’s potential might have revolted one day, causing rivers of blood to flow. But now that he will obediently listen to Xiao Shimin, this entire region will enjoy peace. In my eyes, this is the most merciful act of my life!
Inside the pond, Wu Tian sat down cross-legged. Spiritual Energy surged into his body, pouring in wildly.
A smile touched Wu Tian’s lips. Why? Because he had heard every single word the others had said, loud and clear. He was about to prove them all wrong.
Another hour went by.
"He’s still unharmed," said the man being stepped on by the little creature, his expression one of utter disbelief, as if he were seeing a ghost.
"What a talent," Gang Feng chuckled, then a thought occurred to him. "Junior Brother Wu Chen, it looks like you’re about to have to call someone ’Daddy’."
Hearing this, Wu Chen gave a dry laugh. He looked embarrassed but forced himself to say, "With so much Spiritual Energy pouring into him, I think he’s about to die. He isn’t fated for this. That’s right, he definitely isn’t fated for this."
Suddenly, the pond’s surface began to churn violently. The water splashed outward, as if something tremendous had occurred.
"What’s going on now?"
"I have no idea."
Everyone present stared blankly at the scene. The water of the Heavenly King Pond, which had always been calm, had never roiled like this before.
The next moment, they saw the Spiritual Energy within the pond gathering together, forming a brightly glowing sphere that was clearly visible to the naked eye. The water in the pond, however, having lost its Spiritual Energy, no longer looked as beautiful. It now resembled an ordinary pond.
"I know what that is! It’s the Spiritual Energy origin of the Heavenly King Pond!" Gang Feng exclaimed.
"The origin only reveals itself to someone it acknowledges. Does this mean... he is the one acknowledged by the Heavenly King Pond?" Am I dreaming? Wu Chen wondered.
There were countless Sacred Lands for cultivation in the world. These lands were all filled with immense Spiritual Energy and possessed an origin. However, the appearance of an origin was an exceptionally rare phenomenon.
A thought struck Gang Feng, and he said, "If it loses its origin, this Heavenly King Pond will be ruined."
Wu Chen added, "We must stop him."
Gang Feng hurriedly shouted at Wu Tian, "Don’t touch the origin! Let it return to where it belongs!"
But Wu Tian ignored him. He simply opened his mouth and inhaled. Instantly, the vibrant Spiritual Energy origin was swallowed directly into his body.
BOOM!
The Spiritual Energy coursed through Wu Tian’s entire body.
My Immortal Spiritual Power has increased a fair bit. Wu Tian was pleased. As the origin entered him, his Immortal Spiritual Power naturally rose to a new level. He was now at the peak of the Eighth Rank of the Tongxuan realm.
But that wasn’t all. As the origin entered Wu Tian’s body, it mysteriously found its way into his Dantian Zifu. There, the Pangu Nascent Soul was hacking away at the chaos. When the origin entered, it transformed into the Water’s Origin. The Pangu Nascent Soul glanced at the Water’s Origin and shook its head, as if to say, Not enough! It still isn’t enough!
Wu Tian’s Spiritual Sense also witnessed this. He was speechless regarding his Nascent Soul, but he also found it novel and amusing, wondering how it would ultimately develop.
「...」
"He... he seems to have eaten something! Everyone, look! The Heavenly King Pond has no more Spiritual Energy! It seems... it seems like it’s been rendered useless," one person stammered.
The group being stepped on by the little creature also looked over, their gazes shifting to Wu Tian with complex expressions. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The Heavenly King Pond losing its Spiritual Energy? Who could have possibly anticipated that? Everyone had assumed it would be passed down for generations to come.
"This..." Wu Chen was stunned. He took several deep breaths before regaining his composure.
Gang Feng’s eyes were also wide with shock. After a long moment, he said in a frustrated tone, "We traded the Heavenly King Pond for a single talent. I’m not sure if it was worth it."
Sighing, he walked forward just as Wu Tian emerged from the Heavenly King Pond. "Come with me to see His Majesty the Emperor and Prince Xiao Tian."
Gang Feng turned to leave, but after only a few steps, he paused, noticing Wu Tian hadn’t followed. He furrowed his brow, turning back with a look of shocked disbelief. "You..." He didn’t know what to say.
It was Wu Tian who smiled. "Are you surprised that I didn’t fall for your little scheme?"
It had only been a suspicion before, but Wu Tian’s words confirmed it. Gang Feng was astonished. How could the Mind-Bewildering Powder in the pond have had no effect?
"Rumor has it there are people who can live without a heart," Gang Feng said, trying to sound clever as he speculated. "Could it be that you’re one of them?"
Wu Tian shook his head.
Gang Feng froze.
"You plotted against me. Kill yourself," Wu Tian said suddenly. His tone was indifferent; in his eyes, a life was as insignificant as an ant’s. He directly ordered Gang Feng to die. Dare to scheme against him? Death was the only option.
Gang Feng involuntarily took a step back.
Seeing this, Wu Chen walked forward. He too was astonished that Wu Tian was completely unaffected, but now was not the time to dwell on it. "Amitabha. I advise you to know what’s good for you and leave."
Wu Tian laughed.
Wu Chen said, "Judging by your expression, you must think we were in the wrong and that killing us would be perfectly justified. But do you have any idea what we were actually trying to do?"
Gang Feng also brought his hands together in a Buddhist gesture. "I’d rather not elaborate."
"No, we must let him know," Wu Chen insisted, looking at Wu Tian, his eyes full of righteous indignation.
Wu Tian’s brows furrowed. For a moment, he almost thought he had misunderstood them.
Wu Chen continued, "We plotted against you not to kill you, but in the hope that you would submit to the orders of the Heavenly King Country. From then on, there would be peace under heaven. Think about it. With your strength and arrogance, you’re bound to feel dissatisfied with the Heavenly King Country one day. How many people would die then? We wanted to control you for the sake of everyone in the world."
Gang Feng nodded. "It was for the people of the world."
At first, Wu Tian thought he had misunderstood them, but it turned out there was no misunderstanding at all. They truly believed they had done nothing wrong. How incredibly presumptuous!
Just because you believe it to be so, does that make it reality?
"The two of you can come and die together," Wu Tian said, pointing a finger first at Wu Chen, then at Gang Feng.
Wu Chen and Gang Feng’s brows furrowed.
"These hands have never taken a life," Wu Chen said.
Gang Feng nodded. "Mine either. I have never killed a single person."
"We already explained it to him," Wu Chen added, "but he refuses to understand our reasoning."
With a sincere expression, Gang Feng said, "It is a profound principle: sacrifice the few to ensure the happiness of the many. He doesn’t understand."
Wu Chen nodded. "We won’t kill him, we’ll just teach him a lesson."
"Agreed," Gang Feng nodded again. "My Buddha is compassionate."
They both clenched their fists simultaneously. A light flickered over their knuckles, a sign they were invoking their Spiritual Power and a Martial Arts Technique. The next instant, their eyes sharpened. Pushing off the ground, they shot toward Wu Tian.