Chapter 4007: Recovery And Analysis

Lin Mu thought that if he reduced the area of effect and concentrated the same amount of Immortal Qi and Immortal Essence into a smaller region, the destructive power would rise considerably.

A single mountain peak carrying all that force could be more dangerous than hundreds of ordinary mountains. A compressed wave of water could have far greater penetration than an enormous tsunami.

Lin Mu stroked his chin.

"I’ll have to modify it." He paused, then smiled. "Perhaps I’ll keep the original version too."

There was value in spectacle, especially when playing the role of Mengli Zhenyu. Zhenyu was supposed to be an ancient body cultivator who had spent thousands of years trapped inside the Mad Demon Depths.

A technique that created mountains and tsunamis suited that image perfectly. Lin Mu would simply need another version for actual combat. He closed his eyes again and continued analyzing the battle.

The second major expenditure had been Mountain Collapsing Fist. More specifically, the First Form, Impact. When Daoist Bone Ruler’s Peak Immortal Weapon had come crashing toward him, Lin Mu had used roughly thirty percent of his available Immortal Essence.

That amount had been calculated carefully. Too little would have allowed the Bone Ruler to break through and too much would have caused serious injury to Daoist Bone Ruler at the very start.

Lin Mu had wanted to win, but he had also wanted to preserve the man’s life. The battle was supposed to establish Zhenyu’s strength, not create an irreconcilable blood feud with one of the strongest and more influential elders of the sect.

Fortunately, his judgment had been accurate.

Lin Mu smiled. ’Thankfully, I had a reference to compare.’

His thoughts moved toward another battle, the one against Grand Elder Huo Jianyang of the Xian Sword Sect. That battle had been one of the most useful experiences Lin Mu had gained.

Huo Jianyang had been a Transcendent Immortal and their battle had ended in a draw. At the time, Lin Mu had already possessed an extremely powerful body, considerable Immortal Qi reserves, and a strong foundation in the Spatial Dao.

Yet fighting Huo Jianyang had still been difficult.

Now Lin Mu was stronger and his comprehension had advanced. His body had grown more powerful with him reaching the Essence Meridian Casting Realm and his elemental cores had improved by a lot.

The understanding of his techniques had deepened as well and his control over Immortal Essence had become more refined due to his progress in Three Apertures invoking Technique.

Even so, fighting a true Transcendent Immortal remained a serious matter.

’If I didn’t have such massive reserves of Immortal Qi and Immortal Essence, going against someone like Daoist Bone Ruler would have been far more difficult.’ Lin Mu understood that clearly.

The battle had been enjoyable and that was perhaps the most surprising part. He had genuinely enjoyed it as Daoist Bone Ruler had forced him to use his strength seriously.

Lin Mu had needed to judge his opponent carefully, control the amount of Immortal Essence he used, analyze the defensive treasures, and adapt his attacks. It had genuinely reminded him of the fight against Huo Jianyang.

Fighting powerful cultivators was different from slaughtering weaker enemies. Against weaker opponents, overwhelming strength solved everything. Against experts of the same general level, every mistake mattered.

Every technique needed to be measured, expenditure of energy mattered and every opportunity had to be recognized. Lin Mu had learned something valuable. The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect possessed far more powerful figures than Daoist Bone Ruler.

’I shouldn’t get complacent.’ Lin Mu thought.

That thought caused his expression to become grave. The old man had been among the strongest elders. Yet he was still only one person. There were Peak Heads, ancient elders, hidden experts, the Patriarch himself and then the sect ancestors.

There could even be old monsters who rarely appeared before the outside world other than the Heavenly Stream Immortal who was the Supreme Elder of the Eastern Immortal Court. As such, Lin Mu could not afford to become complacent.

His current disguise had succeeded and his identity had been established in front of a large number of people. Yet the more attention he attracted, the more dangerous any mistakes would become.

He needed to move quickly and he needed to uncover the secrets surrounding the Virtuous Calamity Daoist. Lin Mu reached into his storage treasure and several bottles appeared. He opened them one after another and swallowed a large number of pills.

Medicinal energy immediately spread through his body and Lin Mu began circulating his cultivation techniques. His Immortal Qi slowly began returning and his depleted Immortal Essence also started recovering.

The process would take time, as even with his cultivation speed, restoring such a large expenditure could not be done instantly. Lin Mu settled deeper into meditation and his breathing became steady.

The chaotic thoughts gradually faded and he entered a state of recovery. Meanwhile, far away from the Mad Demon Depths, the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect was entering an entirely different kind of chaos.

News was spreading very fast.

At first, only those who had personally witnessed the battle knew. Then the information reached the various halls, then the peaks, then the Core Court, then the entire sect.

’The Earth Sea Tyrant... had returned!’

Mengli Zhenyu, the ancient body cultivator who had disappeared more than one hundred thousand years ago.

The creator of the Shifting Earth, Churning Seas, Dual Refinement Art.

The former disciple of Wild Peak.

The elder who had fought Daoist Bone Ruler.

The elder who had unleashed a technique capable of creating mountains and raising a tsunami.

The elder who had casually entered the Void afterward.

Every retelling became slightly more exaggerated as some disciples claimed Zhenyu had shattered the heavens while others claimed he had fought Daoist Bone Ruler for several hours.

A few particularly imaginative disciples insisted that the entire sea had risen because Zhenyu had merely raised his hand. The truth was already impressive enough and nobody needed to exaggerate it.