As a Seventh Stage Martial Tao practitioner endowed with a formidable physique, Shan Yang could easily lift enormous divine mountains weighing hundreds of thousands of feet.
That was merely pure strength. If he relied on other means, Shan Yang's power could surge dramatically.
This is the difference between Martial Tao and the Immortal Path. Immortal Path cultivators focus on the "spirit," starting from the Golden Core Stage, through the Nascent Soul Stage, Divinity Transformation Stage, and Refining Void Period, where most of their cultivation concentrates on the "spirit."
Martial Tao is different. Although it can condense the Primordial Spirit, it still bases itself fundamentally on the physical body, with vast and ocean-like vigor and blood.
However, at this moment, Shan Yang was terrified within.
He grabbed Lin Yuan's right hand but couldn't lift it at all.
It was as if what stood before him was not a person but an entire world.
But how could that be possible?
A person as heavy as a world?
Shan Yang's mind was like a paste, unable to react for a long time.
He even doubted whether his strength had declined.
"You want to lift me?"
Lin Yuan glanced at Shan Yang.
His expression revealed a hint of strangeness.
Leaving aside his physical body,
As an Eighth Stage of Martial Arts, his body had undergone a five to six times amplification through the Mysterious Gourd.
Every drop of his blood, every strand of hair, by the standards of the Main World, weighed over ten thousand tons.
The weight of the physical body was actually the lesser concern.
The key was the world inside Lin Yuan's body that spanned a circumference of twenty-six million miles.
This world resided inside Lin Yuan. Though it wasn't visible, that didn't mean it didn't exist.
Usually, Lin Yuan operated the power of this world, balancing the gravitational pull originating from the Spirit Realm internal to his body.
But it was merely a balance.
If an outsider tried to lift Lin Yuan,
They would need the strength to lift a world with a twenty-six million mile circumference.
And just how heavy would a world with a twenty-six million mile circumference be?
Probably heavier than several stars combined.
Compared to Lin Yuan's strange demeanor,
Shan Yang quickly came to a realization.
It was not that his strength had waned, but rather that Lin Yuan, whom he considered a 'young fellow,' was indeed excessively heavy.
Heavily beyond imagination.
So heavy that it surpassed his limits of strength.
Therefore, even with all his might, he still could not budge him in the slightest.
Li Qing and Nie Yun looked at Lin Yuan and Shan Yang, who were caught in a deadlock.
In their view, Lin Yuan stood there quietly while Shan Yang held onto his shoulder, seemingly about to straight ascend but then abruptly halted.
Shan Yang's figure violently retreated, like a startled rabbit, stopping by Li Qing and Nie Yun's side, staring intensely at Lin Yuan, "Who exactly are you?"
This scene baffled Li Qing and Nie Yun.
Then the two of them quickly understood.
Li Qing observed Lin Yuan intently and found that she couldn't see through him. The aura emitted by Lin Yuan was flawless and perfect, beyond her insight.
The two Seventh-Rank Martial Taoists realized the gravity of the situation.
The power of their vigor and blood began to spread and envelop the entire Martial Temple and Xianyao City in an instant.
Lin Yuan chuckled softly, then said, "You needn't send me to the Nine Heavens anymore, as my Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit have been cultivating there for years."
The Central Divine China World has its Nine Heavens, a battlefield where Ancient Saints of Refinement Void clash.
And in the Spirit Realm, there is also a Nine Heavens that is far more mysterious than in the Divine Continent, containing many 'marvels' that guide the understanding of the essence of the world.
Thus, decades ago, Lin Yuan had already sent his Yang God and Yin God to the Nine Heavens for enlightenment.
"Cultivating in the Nine Heavens?"
Shan Yang and Nie Yun exchanged glances, feeling an even greater sense of oppression.
Only a Seventh-Rank or a True Immortal had the strength to venture to the Nine Heavens, but even they could only make brief stays.
If they stayed too long, the pressure from the Nine Heavens would be unbearable for Seventh-Ranks and True Immortals.
As for cultivating there? Perhaps only a Tribulation Stage Celestial King had the capability to regard the Nine Heavens as a place of cultivation?
Of course, short-term cultivation, such as a few months or a few years, is likely feasible for peak True Immortals.
The two Seventh Stage Martial Taoists currently had no clear understanding of Lin Yuan's strength, nor the purpose behind his infiltration into the Martial Temple.
"Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit?"
Li Qing gazed at Lin Yuan, somewhat lost in thought.
For hundreds of thousands of years, countless Martial Dao Cultivators had emerged like carp in a river.
And there were many who reached the Fifth Stage of Martial Arts and condensed a Martial Tao Primordial Spirit.
However, among Fifth-Rank cultivators with Primordial Spirits of various forms, Li Qing could only recall one being named the Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit.
The Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit implied the cultivation of two diametrically opposed forces, where a slightest mishap could lead to irrevocable doom.
Fusing Yin and Yang to condense the Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit had only been achieved by Li Qing's master, the Ancestor of Martial Arts, since the inception of Martial Dao.
By her side, Nie Yun and Shan Yang felt indecisive, uncertain whether to attack or not.
If they attacked, the two of them really had no confidence. Shan Yang had just exerted all his strength without being able to move Lin Yuan even slightly; the opponent's strength might not have reached Tribulation, but was likely not far off.
With their combined strength, even combined with peak Seventh-Rank Li Qing, they wouldn't stand much of a chance, and by attacking they might irreversibly sever all relations.
But if they didn't attack...
Nie Yun and Shan Yang looked at Li Qing, deciding to leave the decision to Li Zu.
However, when they turned to look at Li Qing, they noticed her expression changing unpredictably, her gaze fixed on Lin Yuan, seemingly hesitant to speak.