"I was rushing the whole way to inform as many people as possible. I’d just give a quick warning whenever I met someone and then leave immediately. Otherwise, I doubt I would have missed it," Qin Muxian recalled.

"Master, do you know the truth behind this?"

After Zong Ziqi asked his question, Jiang Xu also pricked up his ears.

"Mm, this matter is indeed very strange."

Qin Muxian began to analyze:

"From your description, this person’s appearance doesn’t match anyone I can recall. Furthermore, to be immobilized before you even saw your opponent... and for it to happen to more than twenty people at once."

Qin Muxian pondered for a moment, his expression growing grave.

"I can use the Body Stabilization Technique myself, actually. But it has many limitations. The target must either have a Cultivation level far below yours or be severely injured. You also have to physically touch them, and you can only affect one person at a time. It’s quite impractical."

"It’s impossible to do what you described—immobilizing more than twenty people from a distance for such a long time. I can’t do it, and I doubt any other Foundation Establishment Cultivators have that kind of ability either."

"If what you described is accurate, then there’s only one possibility: that person used a Divine Power!"

Zong Ziqi was amazed.

"Master, what’s a Divine Power?"

Qin Muxian straightened up, knowing that as their master, it was time for him to answer their questions and clear their doubts.

He chose his words carefully before explaining:

"What we call a Divine Power is an extremely special phenomenon in the Cultivation Realm.

They differ from ordinary Magic and Martial Arts. Typically, only Cultivators with profound cultivation and a deep comprehension of the Laws of Heaven and Earth can successfully master them.

Once a Divine Power is mastered, its might often far exceeds that of conventional methods, breaking the limitations of many standard forms of Magic."

"Since ancient times, the Golden Core Realm has been an important milestone in the Cultivation Realm.

There has always been a saying: ’Once a Golden Core is swallowed, one learns their fate is not decided by the heavens.’

If Foundation Establishment Cultivators have just set foot on the path of Cultivation, then Golden Core Cultivators have already secured a firm foothold on that thorny and arduous road to immortality."

"But why is the Golden Core Realm so important? Is it just because one possesses that single Golden Core? Not at all.

The Golden Core is merely a medium. With the Golden Core inside their bodies, Golden Core Cultivators can perceive the Laws of Heaven and Earth, which allows them to comprehend those Laws.

Once their understanding reaches a profound depth, a Golden Core Cultivator can use their own comprehension of a Law as a lever, with themselves as the fulcrum, to move the very Laws of Heaven and Earth. They can make the fundamental principles of the world serve them, thus creating all sorts of incredible powers.

This is the kind of power that Cultivators call a Divine Power."

"Legend says there are three thousand Great Daos between Heaven and Earth. The number ’three thousand’ isn’t meant to be precise; it signifies an amount too great to count. Similarly, the Laws are also innumerable, and the Divine Powers derived from them are even more countless.

In Taoism, the most famous Divine Powers are the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Techniques and the Earth Demon Seventy-Two Skills.

The Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Techniques include Mediation of Creation, Inversion of Yin and Yang, Moving Stars and Changing Dipper, Returning to Heaven and Returning to the Sun, Call the Wind and Summon the Rain, Earthquake and Mountain Shaking, Riding the Mist and Clouds, Divide the River into Land, Vertical Earth Golden Light, and Overturning Rivers and Seas, among others.

The Earth Demon Seventy-Two Skills include Communication with the Dead, Exorcism, Carrying Mountain, Water Ban, Clone, Invisibility, Continuation, Body Stabilization, Demon Slaying, Inviting Immortals, Chasing Soul, Soul Capture, Summoning Clouds, Taking the Moon, Transportation, Marriage Dream, and Fragmented, among others.

The most famous in Buddhism are the six Divine Powers of the Buddhist Family: Telepathy, Celestial Eye, Celestial Ear Power, Divine Foot, Destiny Communication, and Leakage-Free Communication."

"For example, the immobilization technique you mentioned is, in my opinion, very similar to the ’Body Stabilization’ Divine Power among the Earth Demon Seventy-Two Skills."

After hearing Qin Muxian’s explanation, a stunned Jiang Xu couldn’t help but feel an intense curiosity about Divine Powers.

’This Divine Power... I wonder if the panel can raise its Skill Level.’

’If I could raise a Divine Power’s Skill Level to the Perfect Level, would it become as powerful as my Magic has?’

At this thought, a question suddenly occurred to Jiang Xu.

’The Magic I’ve raised to the Perfect Level of skill, while not yet as powerful as a Divine Power, already shows the basic form of one in its functionality.’

’If I raise a Perfect Level Magic by another Skill Level, will it transform directly into a Divine Power?’

’Or will it take two more levels to get there?’

But when he thought of this, Jiang Xu felt a sense of dread.

’That’s because the required Limit-Breaking Points increase tenfold with each breakthrough.’

’Breaking a Magic through to the Perfect Level already costs 10 Limit-Breaking Points, so the next breakthrough would require 100 points.’

’That would take more than two years.’

But then Jiang Xu reconsidered. ’I can live to be one hundred and thirty now. I can afford to spend a mere two years.’

Zong Ziqi, who was standing nearby, knew about Elder Demon Su because Jiang Xu had already told him the whole story:

"Master, since only Golden Core Cultivators can use Divine Powers, doesn’t that mean the person who did this was Elder Demon Su?"

"But that’s what’s so strange. I’ve met Elder Demon Su many times, and he looks nothing like you described. More importantly, why would a Demon like him let people off so easily? And why specifically target Female Cultivators?"

"So does that mean there’s a fourth Golden Core Cultivator in the Secret Realm now?"

WHOOSH—!

Two whistling sounds cut through the air.

Drawn by the sound, Jiang Xu looked up and saw Elder He and Elder Gu, whom he had previously seen in the cave, floating in the air.

The two now had majestic expressions and imposing auras. Their injuries had clearly healed completely, and the weak, sickly state they’d been in before was gone.

The two elders arrived at Linglong Mountain and landed directly in front of Qin Muxian.

"Martial-Nephew Qin, we owe this all to you," said Elder He, who had come specifically to thank Qin Muxian. "It was only because of the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass you gave us that Fellow Daoist Gu and I could heal our injuries, recover our strength, and finally confront Elder Demon Su to save the entire Secret Realm. So, name your price. I’ll do my best to fulfill any request you have."

"Indeed, Martial-Nephew Qin. Elder Demon Su injured me. Without that Treasure Medicine, forget about my future cultivation path and lifespan—it was questionable whether I would’ve even made it out of the Secret Realm alive." Like Elder He, Elder Gu also urged Qin Muxian to make a request.

"Oh, you two Elders are far too kind!" Qin Muxian quickly humbled himself, not daring to take credit. "We were only able to preserve our lives thanks to you both. The grace of having my life saved is far greater than the small matter of giving you medicine. I haven’t even had a chance to thank you properly, how could I dare ask for treasures?"

"Actually, there is one matter I must report to you both. Something seems rather odd." Then, Qin Muxian told them everything the mysterious man had done.

But when he finished speaking, the expressions of both Elder He and Elder Gu changed drastically. "It’s Yan Demon Venerable!"