"Kneel before me!"
The old man, his face grim, stared at Li Xuan before unleashing a palm strike.
In the next instant, a terrifying pressure surged towards Li Xuan. The onlookers, their faces filled with dread, turned to the old man, for this pressure was even stronger than the aura Lin Chuan had exuded during his ascension.
But soon, the crowd was stunned again. Under such immense pressure, Li Xuan remained unfazed, even looking at the old man with a peculiar expression.
"So, your strength is only at the Half-step Void Breaking realm. If not for some special means, this Fellow Daoist Lin Chuan would have likely killed you. With your capabilities, by what right do you impersonate the Heavenly Dao?" Li Xuan asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
The moment the old man released his pressure, Li Xuan had discerned his true power: Half-step Void Breaking. He had not truly reached the Void Breaking realm like Lin Chuan.
The Void Breaking realm, as understood, was the ability to shatter illusions and see oneself clearly, thus elevating one's state of mind and consequently increasing their power.
"Kill him for me!"
The old man's expression shifted drastically this time. He clearly hadn't expected Li Xuan to see through his strength. Moreover, he had just sensed a disturbance with his Soul Devouring Worms. With a thought, the old man directly activated the Soul Devouring Worms within the souls of all the strong individuals present.
However, the old man's face changed again moments later. The surrounding powerhouses looked at him with expressions of surprise.
When the Heavenly Dao Tablet was discovered, the remaining dozen or so people in the high heavens had their Soul Devouring Worms suppressed by the tablet. It could be said that all the powerhouses in the sky at this moment were no longer under the control of the imposter Heavenly Dao.
"How... how is this possible?!"
The imposter Heavenly Dao muttered in disbelief, then his gaze suddenly shifted to Li Xuan.
"Are you wondering why they aren't obeying you?" Li Xuan smiled faintly at the sight. With a thought, he summoned a Soul Devouring Worm egg, which had been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Tablet within the Prison of Suppression, and held it between his fingers.
"This worm is called the Soul Devouring Worm. Once it enters the soul, it can lie dormant. When it has fed on souls to grow, it establishes a firm foothold within them. Whoever controls this worm can then control you."
Li Xuan looked at Lin Chuan and the others, then continued, "You can all recall, when you first moved into that so-called mansion, did you feel a slight sensation, like a mosquito bite?"
"My memory is not poor. I did feel something at the time. But as you said, I only thought it was an illusion. Now that you mention it, I can attest that it is true," an old man spoke up.
"May I ask, if this is true, why were we not commanded by him?" a middle-aged man asked Li Xuan suspiciously.
Li Xuan chuckled at the question. "Because, just now, I have temporarily suppressed the Soul Devouring Worms for all of you. He cannot control them at this moment."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the old man's command to kill him, they realized he had indeed been controlling the Soul Devouring Worms.
However, Li Xuan's next words caused their hearts to sink.
"While I can temporarily suppress these Soul Devouring Worms, I cannot maintain it for long. At that point, I cannot guarantee your lives."
The others could no longer remain calm. Even a mortal would not wish to have their life controlled by an outsider, let alone beings who were considered the pinnacle of this three-dimensional space.
"How did you know all of this?!" The imposter Heavenly Dao finally understood. No wonder Li Xuan was so fearless. But he couldn't fathom how Li Xuan had learned everything and managed to suppress the Soul Devouring Worms ahead of him.
"Do I need to answer you?" Li Xuan sneered. If not for the Heavenly Dao Tablet, he too might have fallen victim.
"You just wait!" The imposter Heavenly Dao's face turned ashen as he glared at the crowd around him. Then, with a movement, his body began to fade. It was clear he intended to flee.
"Trying to escape? Did you ask me first?" At this moment, Lin Chuan, who had been silent, let out a cold snort. Then, a golden light shot from Lin Chuan's hand, forcefully immobilizing the now ethereal imposter Heavenly Dao.
Lin Chuan's heart was a tumultuous sea of emotions. If not for Li Xuan's warning and his own discovery, he would have likely fallen into the imposter Heavenly Dao's grasp. Furthermore, after Li Xuan's explanation and the imposter Heavenly Dao's own words, Lin Chuan could see the truth of the matter clearly.
"Thank you for saving my life!" The crowd, seeing this, turned their attention to Lin Chuan, as he was the strongest among them. However, Lin Chuan's gaze shifted to Li Xuan, and he bowed deeply, saying,
"It's nothing. I almost fell for his trick, otherwise, I wouldn't have risked acting." Li Xuan waved his hand dismissively.
Lin Chuan nodded. If he were in Li Xuan's shoes, he would have done the same. After all, in this chaotic land, deception was commonplace.
"Please enlighten us, why did this fellow impersonate the Heavenly Dao and keep us captive?" Lin Chuan asked.
Li Xuan shook his head. He was not privy to this information. However, his gaze shifted towards the imposter Heavenly Dao, who was still held suspended in mid-air.
Lin Chuan followed his gaze, and a long sword appeared in his hand.
"What was your purpose in doing all this?" Lin Chuan asked sternly.
The restrained imposter Heavenly Dao let out a cold snort, as if he had nothing left to lose. Without any further delay, he spoke, "Keeping you all captive was naturally to allow you to reach Void Breaking, so I could devour you and break through the limits of this three-dimensional space to ascend to the four-dimensional space!"
Three-dimensional space, four-dimensional space.
Lin Chuan and the others frowned. Although they were already at the pinnacle of this three-dimensional world, they were unaware of the true nature of their existence. Hearing the imposter Heavenly Dao's words, it was all unfamiliar.
"Three-dimensional space is the general term for the world we inhabit. In fact, not only this chaotic land, but many continents outside also exist in three-dimensional space. And four-dimensional space is a level higher than ours," Li Xuan explained when he saw their confusion.
Only then did everyone understand that the imposter Heavenly Dao's actions were all in pursuit of ascending to the four-dimensional space.
"The seniors who ascended in the past, what were their fates..." a man suddenly said, as if a thought had struck him.
"Those fellows were naturally devoured by me. But I must say, the flesh and blood of your human race is the most pure and delicious," the imposter Heavenly Dao said shamelessly, as if he had nothing to lose.
The crowd was instantly enraged. Some of these seniors were individuals they knew personally, and some were even their descendants. How could anyone accept the fact that their ancestors had been eaten?
"Since we know the reason, how should we deal with this fellow?" Lin Chuan asked Li Xuan. After all, it was largely thanks to Li Xuan that they had learned the truth, and asking Li Xuan was a sign of respect.
Li Xuan pondered for a moment. "Let's kill him."
However, Li Xuan soon frowned, because upon hearing that he was to be killed, the imposter Heavenly Dao's lips curved into a smile.
"With you lot, you think you can kill my disciple?"
In the next instant, a hoarse voice suddenly boomed from nowhere.
Li Xuan's expression darkened at the sound. So, the imposter Heavenly Dao had been so cooperative with his answers because he was buying time!