When one's Profound Qi has been cultivated to a certain degree, it naturally stabilizes; as long as there is no advancement, the color of the Profound Qi will absolutely not change. Only after advancing, even if one suppresses their power, they can no longer emit the Profound Qi colors of a lower realm.
For instance, a Heaven Profound master, no matter how much they try to show off, cannot emit the Profound Qi colors of the Earth Profound realm!
This is a certainty.
The only possibility for the color of the Profound Qi to change is: Advancement!
This is an irreversible process!
But has anyone ever witnessed a person, within the span of a mere breath, advance directly from Jade Profound to Earth Profound, then break through the early stage of Earth Profound, to the middle stage, to the late stage, and finally to the peak of Earth Profound?
Anyone with a remotely functioning brain would never believe such a thing could happen!
Yet now, this paradox, something unbelievable to any rational mind, was occurring live, right before the eyes of the Third Elder, a Supreme Divine Profound master!!
Even witnessing it with his own eyes, the Third Elder instinctively rubbed them subconsciously. This, this—am I not dreaming?
But it didn't matter. Even if he were at the peak of Earth Profound, how could he possibly contend against my Supreme Divine Profound might? The Third Elder comforted himself, letting out a sharp cry: "…Boy, stop playing tricks and being mysterious! It's useless. The Profound Pill, take it—"
He had intended to say, "Take the Profound Pill and surrender," but as soon as he uttered the word "take," the remaining two words, "surrender," were suddenly choked back due to extreme shock!
Damn it, is this world gone mad? Or have my old eyes simply failed me?
In the time it took him to rub his eyes, the bright yellow Profound Qi light enveloping the black-clad figure, which represented the power of the Earth Profound peak, had vanished. In its place appeared an elegant, pale blue layer!
The pale blue expanded gradually, turning into medium blue, then sky blue, deep blue, until finally it reached the azure of the deep ocean!
Heaven Profound Peak!
The Third Elder felt an overwhelming urge to collapse right there!
In the span of taking a breath—or even before the smell of flatulence could even register—this kid had actually ascended from the peak of Jade Profound to the peak of Heaven Profound? An entire leap across nine ranks!
Holy crap! Could this guy in black be a ghost?
Just as he thought this, something even more staggering occurred to the Third Elder: the vast, ocean-blue color vanished from the figure before him. This time, no other color emerged to replace it.
But the very lack of color made the Third Elder even more astonished: Could this black-masked fellow have actually entered the Divine Profound realm in this instant? He gazed at the black-clad figure with doubt, noting that the mysterious person's gaze, initially showing a hint of impatience, was now calm and composed. Slowly, he became even more poised. Looking back at the Third Elder, his expression shifted from detached to pity, and finally, it turned to contempt.
What the Third Elder saw now was the look in Jun Mo Xie’s eyes beneath his mask. The Third Elder felt that these sharp eyes were filled with a heroic disdain for everything under heaven, cold and ruthless, as if holding the power of life and death!
This was the gaze of a Divine Profound Supreme! Sharper than Shi Chang Xiao’s, and even more piercing than that of his own City Lord, Han Feng Xue!
Heavens! Earth! Gods! The Third Elder shook his head. What in the world was happening?
At that very moment, Fei Meng Chen descended with a clear whistle, forming a triangle with Jun Mo Xie and the Third Elder. Three people, three points, perfectly measuring out an equilateral triangle, without the slightest deviation!
Fei Meng Chen, as the Imperial Preceptor of the Yu Tang Empire, was naturally the most cautious. Seeing the Third Elder of Snow Wind Silver City seemingly locked in a standoff with the black-clad man, he became instantly suspicious: Could this black-clad man be a master comparable to a Divine Profound? Is he making the Third Elder of Snow Wind Silver City so wary that he dares not act rashly?
Thus, the three stood there, none willing to make the first move.
If Fei Meng Chen hadn't arrived, the Third Elder, despite his churning stomach, would have been forced to attack. Even if the opponent truly was a Divine Profound expert, at worst, he would only struggle to succeed!
And once he attacked, he could seize the Profound Pill!
Because this seemingly stronger-than-Divine-Profound expert was no more significant than an ant before him!
But now that Fei Meng Chen was present, neither dared to attack!
If the Third Elder moved, his back would be exposed to Fei Meng Chen! And he was facing such an unfathomably mysterious powerhouse now. If these two ganged up on him from front and back, it would truly be difficult to survive! This situation was utterly unlucky and agonizing!
Fei Meng Chen naturally harbored the same concerns, though his thinking ran a layer deeper than the Third Elder’s: He had always known that whoever managed to obtain this Profound Pill could not be an ordinary person. Look at this—he was trapped now! If the Third Elder of Snow Wind Silver City dared not act rashly, why was he in such a hurry? Why didn't he wait for Shi Chang Xiao to arrive? He truly regretted it. Landing here immediately placed him in a pincer attack between two Divine Profound masters—what kind of situation was this? Damn, utterly doomed!
Only Jun Mo Xie among the three was bluffing. Seemingly, only Jun Mo Xie possessed the means to retreat unscathed. The Profound Pill was nothing but scrap, and with Yin Yang Escape as his backup, he could vanish at any moment. Yet, inwardly, he was cursing Eagle Bo Kong and Shi Chang Xiao, those two Divine Profound masters, up and down: Damn these two old fools, why aren't they here yet? Once everyone arrives, I can quickly toss out the Profound Pill, go invisible, watch the show, and quietly reap the rewards! I despise these two Supremes; they aren't even as fast as ordinary Supreme Divine Profound masters.
Now look at this mess—these two old guys are blocking me front and back. This feeling is awful! I dare not move a single finger, lest I reveal a flaw. If I show a weakness, I have to leave immediately. But what about my plan? I, I, I am just too unlucky.
I calculated everything, but I never expected even a battle maniac like Eagle Bo Kong and someone as prepared as Shi Chang Xiao would be late!
The three stared at each other. No ropes bound their hands or feet, yet none dared to move, absolutely motionless; all three stood firm like ancient mountains, displaying the demeanor of peerless masters and supreme experts, yet they were mutually restrained, none willing to be the first bird.
Jun Mo Xie felt cold sweat streaming down his back. If not for the heavy rain covering him, those two old fellows in front of him would have spotted his weakness—that this so-called master was just an imposter!
Finally…
Two muffled grunts echoed from the distance, followed by two sharp cracks, as if something had broken. Then, a terrifying surge of energy pressed down from above. Shi Chang Xiao’s voice echoed remotely: "Brother Fei, you missed your chance. This Profound Pill is mine!"
Before his words faded, Shi Chang Xiao’s black figure flashed in the air. His black cloak billowed against the wind and rain as he flew upward, seeming to encompass the entire downpour!
"Hahaha, Shi Chang Xiao, you celebrate too soon! The Profound Pill is what I want!" A haughty voice rang out sharply, like the clash of metal, causing the blood in the listener’s ears to churn unpleasantly!
A black figure flew low, like a hawk hunting close to the ground. His movement was elegant, his gaze cruel, imbued with a lonely yet disdainful air, flying swiftly, faintly possessing the aura of a king.
Another of the Eight Great Supremes! The Prairie Eagle God, Eagle Bo Kong!
Shi Chang Xiao’s expression shifted. He accelerated his descent, but in terms of speed, Eagle Bo Kong was slightly faster, landing first. The two faced each other from a distance, their four eyes meeting calmly, the light shooting forth seemingly more startling than the lightning in the sky!
Swish, swish—the Sixth and Ninth Elders of Snow Wind Silver City landed simultaneously, each holding half a broken sword. Their faces were slightly pale but otherwise unharmed. They stood behind the Third Elder, forming a united front, their hearts settling down!
The combined strength of the Three, Six, and Nine Elders was now not much weaker than a Supreme Divine Profound!
Moments later, six more figures broke through the curtain of rain and stood quietly behind Shi Chang Xiao—several of his subordinates!
It seemed not everyone had arrived yet.
"It seems all the esteemed seniors were already here. This junior, Lei Jian Hong, pays respects to all the Silver City seniors, Senior Shi, and Uncle Eagle. I convey my master's greetings to all esteemed seniors!" A middle-aged man in white, accompanied by nine others in white, walked slowly out of the shadows. These were the ten fellow disciples of Li You Ran.
This was not surprising; their group was the weakest in strength and thus arrived the latest!
"Strange. What relation do I have with Lei Wu Bei? And his disciple calls me Martial Uncle? How did you people calculate seniority?" Eagle Bo Kong’s eyelids twitched, and he spoke coldly. "Shi Chang Xiao, are you and Lei Wu Bei martial brothers?"
Lei Wu Bei!
Li You Ran and the others were disciples of the fifth among the Eight Great Supremes, the Cold-Blooded Supreme, Lei Wu Bei!
"Bald-tailed Eagle! What nonsense are you spouting?" Shi Chang Xiao retorted, rolling his eyes. "Even if you have grievances with Lei Wu Bei, must you treat a junior greeting you with such an abrasive attitude? Where is the demeanor of a Divine Profound senior! How can I be renowned alongside a buffoon like you!"
"Hmph, this is my temperament, and it’s not up to you to lecture me!" Eagle Bo Kong snorted twice, addressing the ten people bluntly: "You juniors, stop trying to get close to me; lip service is useless! Since you came here, you must also be after the Profound Pill. Forget calling someone Martial Uncle; even if you kowtow nine more times, your Senior Shi won't give the Profound Pill to you. You might as well prepare for a fight! Didn't you see your Senior Shi’s eyes turn red upon seeing the Profound Pill? Honestly, you dare to get involved with this little strength? I look down on you all!"
Lei Jian Hong felt immense bile rise as he cursed Eagle Bo Kong’s entire lineage inwardly, but outwardly, he smiled and said, "The senior speaks the truth." Since Eagle Bo Kong denied any familiarity, he stopped using the titles of Martial Uncle or Martial Senior.
In reality, among the Eight Great Supremes, their disciples usually addressed each other as Martial Uncle or Martial Senior. Eagle Bo Kong was purely twisting logic and picking a fight. This was because only two among the Eight Great Supremes were true loners, and Eagle Bo Kong was one of them.