"...this person is very powerful."
"Yeah, he's not using any skills, no wonder he could defeat big brother's black fog."
The hot spring was halfway up the mountain, surrounded by dense bamboo forests. The edges of the spring were decorated with pebbles and ground lamps, and overhead, half of the Earth could be seen.
On the water's surface were palm-sized ice boats, chilling beverages, fruits, snacks, and more.
In Li Qianxia's words, this was the modern version, the Moon's version of the legendary 'Pool of Wine and Forest of Meat.'
The Central King took a sip of liquor, the chilly liquid stimulating the taste buds before flowing down the esophagus, spreading a hint of cold throughout the body.
The heat of the hot spring warmed her body, and this touch of chill combined perfectly with it.
She let out a sigh involuntarily, feeling utterly refreshed. Earthlings really knew how to enjoy life.
Although that ice boat was made from the remains of the previous Frost Queen, she had no acquaintance with her, and previously, there had been enmity between the Central King and the winter season, so she had no psychological burden whatsoever.
She turned her gaze to the massive holographic display before her.
In the display, a player dressed as a Daoist was seated on what was said to be a calming cushion. His Daoist robe and the talismans stuck on it were similarly capable of stabilizing the mind.
The Tribulation took place over the sea.
The Daoist formed sword seals with his hands, unleashing thousands of talisman swords that surged like waves, resembling an enormous, serpentine, and fierce Tong Tian Python.
"Fast!" the Daoist directed his sword seal to the black fog.
Boom!
The talisman swords, like a Flood Dragon attacking, akin to a swarm of bees biting, and even like ferocious beasts in a flood, furiously swept away the black fog.
The black fog stood still, unmoving as if the talisman swords had not inflicted any damage upon it.
"My brother isn't unharmed; he's just bluffing. After turning into black fog, he can't use skills," Li Qianxia emerged with her delicate white shoulders above the water, drinking iced cola and commenting, "Before becoming black fog, he used 'Emotion Control,' and now, as long as the mind of the Daoist becomes agitated, he will immediately reveal his true form and strike."
Zheng Qing nodded, "The Special Warfare Bureau also thinks your brother, when in the form of black fog, can't use skills, but there's debate over 'Emotion Control.' Some believe it's inherent to the black fog; others think it's a skill used before transforming."
"Both are correct." Li Qianxia replied with a playful smile, her long hair highlighted with a touch of red, tied into a bun behind her head.
"Both correct?" Zheng Qing was puzzled.
"The black fog can plunge those who see it into despair, but it seems that the Third-Level and the Second-Level Human Tribulations don't. It might be restricted just like my brother's Divine Body."
"How powerful is your brother when exerting his full strength in the Supreme Immortal Tribulation?" Beia asked curiously, her bust half-submerged in the hot spring, like two small glowing orbs attracting all life that yearned for light.
"Full strength?" Li Qianxia placed her cola on the ice boat, caressing her left shoulder with her right hand as if washing it, "When my brother first cultivated the Divine Body, the game's evaluation was 'The Earth is yours.'
The Central King remembered the way Li Changzhou slaughtered the people on the Four Seasons Star, that 3,000-meter-tall Divine Body, destroying heaven and earth with a mere flick of his hand.
"Is the Divine Body stronger than an Immortal?" Zhou Ying asked curiously.
Now that both had become Immortals, the Divine Body was still three thousand meters tall, the strength remained the same, but the duration had indeed increased.
The Gu She Divine Woman had made no progress, still available only once a day, for thirty seconds each time. However, the effect remained unchanged. That is, once transformed into the Gu She Divine Woman, Yang Qinglan, who had become an Immortal, could still 'increase her ability by tenfold.'
Within these thirty seconds, Li Changzhou would have to run.
Yang Qinglan generally didn't use the Gu She Divine Woman to deal with him (excluding certain man-woman interactions) but used the 'Low-Level Omniscience - Thought Processing Information Capability Enhanced Tenfold' effect for cultivation.
"He won." Suddenly, Beia spoke up.
In the display, the Daoist, with sweat soaking his head and face turning green as if he might vomit at any moment from nervousness, finally dispersed the black fog without presenting any flaws along the way.
The black fog slowly vanished, and in its place emerged Li Changzhou's true body, appearing out of the void.
The Daoist's spirits lifted, his expression exhilarated. If he could defeat Li Changzhou in his true form, he would become an Immortal!
"Hypnosis." Zheng Qing explained, "Before the Tribulation, he was suggested by a psychologist who had become a player for eight whole days, his emotions consistently at an intense level of excitement. Now, having defeated the black fog, he's finally escaped the 'Emotion Control.' But being too excited also—"
"Not necessarily." Li Qianxia smiled profoundly.
Zheng Qing was taken aback.
"You mean," Beia looked at Li Qianxia's slightly proud and pretty face, "this person hasn't escaped 'Emotion Control' yet?"
"If the Second-Level Human Tribulation really contained my brother's complete combat consciousness."
The possibility that the Daoist's excitement was being manipulated by Li Changzhou was valid, but why hadn't the initial combat analysis report even mentioned it, not even a 2% chance?
After pondering for a moment, Zheng Qing speculated, could the analysis report itself be a form of hypnosis? Strengthening their confidence?
"Fast!" The Daoist's shout pulled her thoughts back to the present.
It was still the overwhelming talisman swords, but this time Li Changzhou, with a flip of his hand, gathered clouds and produced lightning, thunder rolling like dragons, electrically disabling the sky-full of talisman swords.
Amidst the bright light and thunderclaps, a black and a red blade light tore through everything, imprinting on the Daoist's retina.