ér duó tiān māo men zhēn zhèng de shén xiào ， zhèng duì yìng zhe tā men de míng zì 。
而夺天猫们真正的神效，正对应着祂们的名字。
The essence of the divine cat, Pippa, was truly boundless. Under the influence of the dark smoke, it persisted for thirty-three days without showing any signs of weakening. Through the absorption by the dark smoke, Eland had nearly mastered all aspects of Pippa's medicinal properties.
yǐ tiān shì rén 。
以天视人。
Pointing coldly at the orange cat within the dark cloud, the dark smoke instantly transformed into a giant cauldron. Although only its shape changed, the restrictions on Pippa seemed to increase tenfold. The agile and vigorous orange cat appeared as if its limbs were bound, no longer able to move swiftly. It could only slowly attempt to break through.
guò wǎng yào cái duì rén tǐ de yào lǐ xiào guǒ ， dāng tuì biàn wèi duó tiān māo hòu ， biàn xiāng yìng de zuò yòng yú tiān 。
过往药材对人体的药理效果，当蜕变为夺天猫后，便相应的作用于天。
The surrounding yellowish-orange light around it was also unstable, swaying like a breeze, seemingly about to collapse at any moment.
wàn wù shēng sǐ lún huí ， rú tiān dì hū xī liú zhuǎn 。 bái qián ， lǐ shēng sǐ 、 shùn zì rán 。
万物生死轮回，如天地呼吸流转。白前，理生死、顺自然。
The newly born dark smoke cauldron stood in the expanse beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm. Eland personally took charge and first invited the Eternal Senior to observe.
yuán chū zhī zhōng ， guò qù yǒu jīng fén dà shèng ， shū lǐ dào xiāo dào miè 、 què bǎo xiān jiè qiān qiū wàn dài cháng cún 。 ér tài wēi shèng cháo ， zhǐ píng yī jì 【 bái qián 】， biàn kě qǐ dào jīng fén dà shèng jìn bàn gōng xiào 。
原初之中，过去有经坟大圣，梳理道消道灭、确保仙界千秋万代长存。而太微圣朝，只凭一剂【白前】，便可起到经坟大圣近半功效。
Then he wrote a scroll of illusory scriptures with flowing brushstrokes and tossed it into the dark smoke cauldron. This scroll was the initial creation chapter from his previous life, obtained from Shan Hua.
dà dào shēng téng ， wú shǐ wú zhōng 。 pí pá ， jié dào zhī shēng 、 yùn yù wàn wù 。 xuán huáng jiè ， yǒu shù míng ruò mù ， zhǎng guǎn tiān xià shēng jī 。 rán ruò mù zhī shēng jī ， lái zì xuán huáng jiè běn shēng 。 xuán huáng chāng shèng ， ruò mù zì rán fán shèng wú yōu 。 dàn tǎng ruò xuán huáng shuāi ruò ， ruò mù yě jiù gēn zhe diāo bì kū wěi 。 rán 【 pí pá 】 zhī shēng jī ， nǎi jié zì yú dào 。 tiào chū dān yī kě néng xìng de xiàn zhì ， yǒu dà dào liú zhuǎn zhī chù ， pí pá jiē néng jié dào jiàng shēng 。
大道升腾，无始无终。枇杷，截道之生、孕育万物。玄黄界，有树名若木，掌管天下生机。然若木之生机，来自玄黄界本生。玄黄昌盛，若木自然繁盛无忧。但倘若玄黄衰弱，若木也就跟着凋敝枯萎。然【枇杷】之生机，乃截自于道。跳出单一可能性的限制，有大道流转之处，枇杷皆能截道降生。
The initial creation of the mountains and seas was an experience by the Sage of Great Simplicity after observing the Sages of Mount Lianshan and Returning to the Sea, creating the divine realm from nothingness. It contained both the principles of mountains and seas and the path of Great Simplicity.
yī jì 【 pí pá 】， kě bǎo shì jiè shēng jī ， wàn shì bù yí ！
一剂【枇杷】，可保世界生机，万世不移！
The foundation of the dark smoke cauldron was precisely "Great Simplicity" and "Eternal."
……
……
Under Eland's guidance, these foundations were further strengthened, though not as powerful as if done by two great experts themselves. It was equivalent to a certain degree of "borrowing."
lǐ fán bèi duó tiān qí yào de xiào guǒ suǒ zhèn dòng ， bù yóu kàn xiàng qí tā yào cái 。
李凡被夺天奇药的效果所震动，不由看向其他药材。
With the new dark smoke cauldron's power instantly expanding several times over, the cauldron became solid and lifelike, seemingly transforming from illusion to reality.
chù lì yú wàn qiān yào cái qián de nà dào hóng wěi shēn yǐng ， dìng rán shì tài wēi shèng dì wú yí 。 sì hū shì duì lǐ fán kuī tàn de mù guāng yǒu suǒ gǎn yìng ， tā de shēn xíng 、 wēi wēi zhuǎn dòng 。 gēn lǐ fán shì xiàn xiāng duì 。
矗立于万千药材前的那道宏伟身影，定然是太微圣帝无疑。似乎是对李凡窥探的目光有所感应，祂的身形、微微转动。跟李凡视线相对。
The dark smoke filled the entire furnace, completely suppressing the last trace of yellowish-orange light.
shí jiān zài zhè shùn jiān ， fǎng fú bèi dòng jié bān ， xiàn rù le jìng zhǐ zhī zhōng 。
时间在这瞬间，仿佛被冻结般，陷入了静止之中。
Facing this enhanced version of the dark smoke cauldron, even a divine being like Pippa could only be suppressed!
sì hū shì yīn wèi lǐ fán xí guàn xìng de 【 huàn yì zhēn 】 shén yòu jiā shēn ， yì huò zhě shì cǐ kè 【 hái zhēn 】 yǐ jīng xiàn rù chén shuì 、 cháng shēng dà dào zhī lì yě bèi lǐ fán pái chū tǐ wài 。
似乎是因为李凡习惯性的【幻亦真】神佑加身，亦或者是此刻【还真】已经陷入沉睡、长生大道之力也被李凡排出体外。
The new dark smoke cauldron was born in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm but had already begun to exceed its boundaries due to the strengthening by two primal forces.
zǒng zhī tài wēi shèng dì bìng méi yǒu yīn wèi zhè chà nà jiān de duì shì ， jiù chá jué lǐ fán de tè shū 。
总之太微圣帝并没有因为这刹那间的对视，就察觉李凡的特殊。
Fortunately, Eland was there as the host, able to withdraw the support of Eternal and Great Simplicity at any time. Otherwise, after devouring Pippa, it might have swallowed the entire Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
dàn yě méi yǒu duàn kāi lǐ fán kuī tàn de shì xiàn 。
但也没有断开李凡窥探的视线。
"Like trying to skin a tiger, but we have no choice."
shèn zhì fǎng fú wēi wēi xiào le xiào ， dà shǒu yī huī ， háo qì shí zú de jìn qíng ràng lǐ fán kàn gè gòu 。
甚至仿佛微微笑了笑，大手一挥，豪气十足的尽情让李凡看个够。
Eland's trump card wasn't just the dark smoke cauldron. With a mental command, countless black dots appeared in various parts of the Yellow-Emptiness Realm and converged towards the expanse beyond it.
yǎn qián suǒ jiàn guāng jǐng ， zhòu rán bèi fàng dà le qiān wàn bèi 。
眼前所见光景，骤然被放大了千万倍。
These black dots were only visible to Eland—his Dao One Worms!
wú shù duó tiān qí yào ， mì mì má má ， rú lián mián yīn yún 、 fù gài le quán bù de shì yě fàn wéi 。
无数夺天奇药，密密麻麻，如连绵阴云、覆盖了全部的视野范围。
"Dark Smoke, ultimately an artificial creation by others with many uncontrollable factors and hidden dangers."
bù jǐn jǐn shì xún cháng yào cái ， shèn zhì lǐ fán zhī qián suǒ jiàn nà shǎn yào zhì jí de duó tiān qī qí yào ， zài qí zhōng shù liàng yě shǔ bù shèng shǔ 、 nán yǐ jì suàn ！
不仅仅是寻常药材，甚至李凡之前所见那闪耀至极的夺天七奇药，在其中数量也数不胜数、难以计算！
"But the Dao One Worm is truly created from nothingness, promoted by me. Pippa can devour White Front, Dao One can devour the mountains and seas. Dark Smoke resembles the Great Void..."
lǐ fán zhè cái huǎng rán 。
李凡这才恍然。
"Dao One can transform into Dark Smoke!"
zì jǐ suǒ jiàn ， fēn míng shì dà piàn dà piàn de yào pǔ ！ měi zhǒng duó tiān qí yào ， dōu bèi tài wēi shèng dì zhòng zhí zài xiāng yìng de yào pǔ zhī nèi 。 lián mián bù jìn ， wèi wéi zhuàng guān ！
自己所见，分明是大片大片的药圃！每种夺天奇药，都被太微圣帝种植在相应的药圃之内。连绵不尽，蔚为壮观！
While the dark smoke cauldron was focused on refining the divine cat within it, the Dao One Worms were also attempting to erode and assimilate it.
tài wēi shèng dì ， zhèng shì kào zhe zhè yào pǔ suǒ zhòng zhí wú jìn shén yào ， dǎ zào kāi pì héng kuà shān hǎi de tài wēi shèng cháo 。
太微圣帝，正是靠着这药圃所种植无尽神药，打造开辟横跨山海的太微圣朝。
Eland could see that their progress in assimilation was extremely slow but not entirely useless. He shared his insights on the dark smoke with these worms, slightly accelerating their assimilation process.
ér zhī suǒ yǐ miàn duì lǐ fán de kuī tàn ， réng rú cǐ dà fāng de zhǎn shì zì shēn mì xīn 。 zhèng shì yīn wèi dì wáng qì dù ！
而之所以面对李凡的窥探，仍如此大方的展示自身秘辛。正是因为帝王气度！
However, what the Dao One Worms saw of Dark Smoke wasn't exactly the same as Eland's perception.
“ zhè nǎ lǐ shì shén me tài wēi shèng dì ， jiǎn zhí jiù shì qīng dì ！”
“这哪里是什么太微圣帝，简直就是青帝！”
Thus, Eland's assistance had only a minimal effect.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng ， chà diǎn jiù zài zhè wú biān wú yín de shén yào hǎi yáng zhōng mí shī 。 fā xiàn zì jǐ nèi xīn ， jìng rán yǐn yǐn yǒu bèi tài wēi shèng dì qì dù zhé fú de jì xiàng 。
李凡心中，差点就在这无边无垠的神药海洋中迷失。发现自己内心，竟然隐隐有被太微圣帝气度折服的迹象。
"Still, it is a success if we can start."
lián máng zhǔ dòng duàn kāi le kuī shì de mù guāng 。
连忙主动断开了窥视的目光。
Eland continued to command the dark smoke cauldron to focus on dealing with Pippa, giving more space for the Dao One Worms' erosion.
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， fāng cái xīn qíng shāo wēi píng fù 。
许久之后，方才心情稍微平复。
Indeed, Dark Smoke did not disappoint. The black smoke completely enveloped and devoured the last remnants of Pippa.
“ méi xiǎng dào ， tài wēi shèng dì jìng yǐ jīng qiáng dào rú cǐ dì bù le 。 jǐn jǐn shì wǒ tōng guò xuán huáng xiān jiè kuī tàn tā wú shù yào cái qí zhōng zhī yī de shùn jiān ， tā jiù néng tóng shí gǎn yìng dào wǒ zhè biān de qíng kuàng 。”
“没想到，太微圣帝竟已经强到如此地步了。仅仅是我通过玄黄仙界窥探他无数药材其中之一的瞬间，祂就能同时感应到我这边的情况。”
As expected, after devouring Pippa entirely, Dark Smoke didn't stop there. It expanded further, attempting to encompass the entire expanse beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
“ zhī xiǎo le 、 wǒ jiāng liǎng zhǐ duó tiān māo zhèn yā qiú jìn zhī shì 。 dàn ……”
“知晓了、我将两只夺天猫镇压囚禁之事。但……”
Fortunately, Eland had prepared for this and promptly withdrew the support from Eternal and Great Simplicity.
“ tài wēi shèng dì gēn běn bù zài hū 。”
“太微圣帝根本不在乎。”
Without their primal force backing, the swollen dark smoke instantly returned to its original form. The disturbance ceased.
“ duó tiān qí yào ， tài wēi shèng cháo zhōng gēn běn shù zhī bù jìn ……”
“夺天奇药，太微圣朝中根本数之不尽……”
Under Eland's watchful eye, it finally calmed down.
gēn tài wēi shèng dì nà bān qiáng zhě zhī jiān de chā jù ， dé yǐ jù xiàng huà xiǎn xiàn 。 lǐ fán xīn zhōng wú kě bì miǎn de ， shēng chū dàn dàn de cuò bài gǎn le 。
跟太微圣帝那般强者之间的差距，得以具象化显现。李凡心中无可避免的，生出淡淡的挫败感了。
The dark clouds swirled, expelling a few strands of yellowish-orange light that transformed into a golden medicinal pill.
shèn zhì hái shēng chū bù ruò “ tóu chéng ” de zhǒng zhǒng niàn tou 。
甚至还生出不弱“投诚”的种种念头。
"This is Pippa's intercepted life essence."
dào le lǐ fán rú jīn de jìng jiè ， xīn rú míng jìng 、 yī qiè niàn tou lái lóng qù mài ， jiē zài wán quán zhǎng kòng zhī zhōng 。 lǐ fán zì rán zhī xiǎo ， zhè shì tài wēi shèng dì de zhèn shè shǒu duàn 。 yě shì gù yì xiàng tā zhǎn shì nà 【 shèng dì yào pǔ 】 de yuán yīn zhī yī 。
到了李凡如今的境界，心如明镜、一切念头来龙去脉，皆在完全掌控之中。李凡自然知晓，这是太微圣帝的震慑手段。也是故意向他展示那【圣帝药圃】的原因之一。
Eland's eyes lit up with an unusual color as he played with the pill for a long time. Instead of swallowing it, he crushed and scattered it across the Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
“ ruò shì xún cháng rén ， zhī cǐ yī yǎn ， kǒng pà jiù yào chè dǐ chén fú zài shèng dì zhī wēi xià ， zhǔ dòng qù tóu kào tài wēi 。”
“若是寻常人，只此一眼，恐怕就要彻底臣服在圣帝之威下，主动去投靠太微。”
That day, a brilliant sunset filled half the sky in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm, persisting until the moon rose high into the night.
“ nǎ pà chāo tuō jìng qiáng zhě ， kǒng pà yě nán yǐ bì miǎn zhè zhǒng yǐng xiǎng 。”
“哪怕超脱境强者，恐怕也难以避免这种影响。”
From that moment on, the cultivation of life energy in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm subtly changed.
“ hǎo zài ……”
“好在……”
The creatures within the realm were unaware of this change as the quantity and quality of life energy had not significantly altered.
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng ， shǎn guò dàn dàn dì lěng máng 。 hěn kuài jiù jiāng xīn zhōng zhū duō yì yàng niàn tou ， gěi niǎn suì xiāo chú 。 huī fù le zhèng cháng xīn tài 。
李凡眼中，闪过淡淡地冷芒。很快就将心中诸多异样念头，给碾碎消除。恢复了正常心态。
"Only when calamity strikes will the difference become apparent."
“ tài wēi shèng dì suī qiáng ， què hái méi yǒu dá dào gēn shān hǎi tóng gé de dì bù 。 wǒ lián yǔ shān hǎi xiāng dāng de cháng shēng dà dào ， dōu néng qì zhī bù yòng 。 yòu zěn me huì bèi nǐ zhèn shè gǔ huò ？”
“太微圣帝虽强，却还没有达到跟山海同格的地步。我连与山海相当的长生大道，都能弃之不用。又怎么会被你震慑蛊惑？”
"Even if I unleash a world-destroying disaster, eliminating all living beings except those named on the Immortal Register, it would only take about three years for the realm to recover from silence back to vitality under natural restoration."
lěng hēng yī shēng 。 bú shì tài wēi shèng dì de duì shǒu ， què bìng bù fáng ài lǐ fán ná shèng dì de yào cái kāi dāo 。
冷哼一声。不是太微圣帝的对手，却并不妨碍李凡拿圣帝的药材开刀。
Eland's eyes reflected the terrifying recovery of the Yellow-Emptiness Realm with intercepted life essence.
zhī xiǎo le duó tiān māo de dǐ xì ， lǐ fán dòng qǐ shǒu lái ， zài wú gù jì 。
知晓了夺天猫的底细，李凡动起手来，再无顾忌。
"Intercepted... intercepted."
“ mò shā ！”
“墨杀！”
"Where does this intercepted life energy come from?"
hēi sè yīn yún ， gǔn gǔn ér lái 。 jiāng liǎng zhǐ duó tiān māo chóng chóng wéi zhù 。
黑色阴云，滚滚而来。将两只夺天猫重重围住。
Eland looked beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm. He sensed a faint, ethereal presence of life energy coming like divine music, but it arrived without any signs and could not be traced back to its source.
sì hū shì gǎn yìng dào le zhì mìng wēi jī de jiàng lín ， liǎng zhǐ duó tiān māo hún shēn máo fà zhà qǐ ， bù duàn dī hǒu 。 zài dāng mò shā yīn yún jì xù bī jìn ， tā men fā xiàn zì jǐ bìng bù néng dǐ yù duì fāng de qīn shí zhī hòu 。
似乎是感应到了致命危机的降临，两只夺天猫浑身毛发炸起，不断低吼。在当墨杀阴云继续逼近，祂们发现自己并不能抵御对方的侵蚀之后。
After much contemplation, Eland had an inkling.
liǎng zhǐ duó tiān māo zài yóu yù le piàn kè hòu ， zuì zhōng zuò chū le jué dìng 。
两只夺天猫在犹豫了片刻后，最终做出了决定。
"It is not stolen from other possibilities; rather, it is intercepted directly from the Dao itself."
gāo kàng de míng jiào shēng zhōng ， liǎng zhǐ duó tiān māo xiān hòu huà zuò le hēi bái xiāng jiàn 、 jú huáng sè de guāng tuán 。
高亢的鸣叫声中，两只夺天猫先后化作了黑白相间、橘黄色的光团。
"From the flow of [Dao gives birth to Dao, Dao perishes]..."
liǎng gè guāng tuán bǐ cǐ jiē jìn ， jiāng chí le shǎo xǔ ， jiē zhe xùn sù róng hé 。
两个光团彼此接近，僵持了少许，接着迅速融合。
"As long as the Dao continues to exist and does not fall into a state of extinction, this Pippa's intercepted life can continuously draw upon new vitality."
hēi bái guāng yùn ， róng rù jú huáng zhī zhōng 。
黑白光晕，融入橘黄之中。
"This is what makes the divine cat so extraordinary..."
bìng méi yǒu shǐ de jú huáng yán sè bèi xī shì ， fǎn ér shǐ qí gèng jiā yào yǎn duó mù 。
并没有使得橘黄颜色被稀释，反而使其更加耀眼夺目。
Considering all the other medicinal herbs in the Sage Emperor's Garden, Eland had a clearer understanding of the formidable strength of that proud Sage Emperor.
The essence of the divine cat, Pippa, was truly boundless. Under the influence of the dark smoke, it persisted for thirty-three days without showing any signs of weakening. Through the absorption by the dark smoke, Eland had nearly mastered all aspects of Pippa's medicinal properties.
Pointing coldly at the orange cat within the dark cloud, the dark smoke instantly transformed into a giant cauldron. Although only its shape changed, the restrictions on Pippa seemed to increase tenfold. The agile and vigorous orange cat appeared as if its limbs were bound, no longer able to move swiftly. It could only slowly attempt to break through.
The surrounding yellowish-orange light around it was also unstable, swaying like a breeze, seemingly about to collapse at any moment.
The newly born dark smoke cauldron stood in the expanse beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm. Eland personally took charge and first invited the Eternal Senior to observe.
Then he wrote a scroll of illusory scriptures with flowing brushstrokes and tossed it into the dark smoke cauldron. This scroll was the initial creation chapter from his previous life, obtained from Shan Hua.
The initial creation of the mountains and seas was an experience by the Sage of Great Simplicity after observing the Sages of Mount Lianshan and Returning to the Sea, creating the divine realm from nothingness. It contained both the principles of mountains and seas and the path of Great Simplicity.
The foundation of the dark smoke cauldron was precisely "Great Simplicity" and "Eternal."
Under Eland's guidance, these foundations were further strengthened, though not as powerful as if done by two great experts themselves. It was equivalent to a certain degree of "borrowing."
With the new dark smoke cauldron's power instantly expanding several times over, the cauldron became solid and lifelike, seemingly transforming from illusion to reality.
The dark smoke filled the entire furnace, completely suppressing the last trace of yellowish-orange light.
Facing this enhanced version of the dark smoke cauldron, even a divine being like Pippa could only be suppressed!
The new dark smoke cauldron was born in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm but had already begun to exceed its boundaries due to the strengthening by two primal forces.
Fortunately, Eland was there as the host, able to withdraw the support of Eternal and Great Simplicity at any time. Otherwise, after devouring Pippa, it might have swallowed the entire Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
"Like trying to skin a tiger, but we have no choice."
Eland's trump card wasn't just the dark smoke cauldron. With a mental command, countless black dots appeared in various parts of the Yellow-Emptiness Realm and converged towards the expanse beyond it.
These black dots were only visible to Eland—his Dao One Worms!
"Dark Smoke, ultimately an artificial creation by others with many uncontrollable factors and hidden dangers."
"But the Dao One Worm is truly created from nothingness, promoted by me. Pippa can devour White Front, Dao One can devour the mountains and seas. Dark Smoke resembles the Great Void..."
"Dao One can transform into Dark Smoke!"
While the dark smoke cauldron was focused on refining the divine cat within it, the Dao One Worms were also attempting to erode and assimilate it.
Eland could see that their progress in assimilation was extremely slow but not entirely useless. He shared his insights on the dark smoke with these worms, slightly accelerating their assimilation process.
However, what the Dao One Worms saw of Dark Smoke wasn't exactly the same as Eland's perception.
Thus, Eland's assistance had only a minimal effect.
"Still, it is a success if we can start."
Eland continued to command the dark smoke cauldron to focus on dealing with Pippa, giving more space for the Dao One Worms' erosion.
Indeed, Dark Smoke did not disappoint. The black smoke completely enveloped and devoured the last remnants of Pippa.
As expected, after devouring Pippa entirely, Dark Smoke didn't stop there. It expanded further, attempting to encompass the entire expanse beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
Fortunately, Eland had prepared for this and promptly withdrew the support from Eternal and Great Simplicity.
Without their primal force backing, the swollen dark smoke instantly returned to its original form. The disturbance ceased.
Under Eland's watchful eye, it finally calmed down.
The dark clouds swirled, expelling a few strands of yellowish-orange light that transformed into a golden medicinal pill.
"This is Pippa's intercepted life essence."
Eland's eyes lit up with an unusual color as he played with the pill for a long time. Instead of swallowing it, he crushed and scattered it across the Yellow-Emptiness Realm.
That day, a brilliant sunset filled half the sky in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm, persisting until the moon rose high into the night.
From that moment on, the cultivation of life energy in the Yellow-Emptiness Realm subtly changed.
The creatures within the realm were unaware of this change as the quantity and quality of life energy had not significantly altered.
"Only when calamity strikes will the difference become apparent."
"Even if I unleash a world-destroying disaster, eliminating all living beings except those named on the Immortal Register, it would only take about three years for the realm to recover from silence back to vitality under natural restoration."
Eland's eyes reflected the terrifying recovery of the Yellow-Emptiness Realm with intercepted life essence.
"Intercepted... intercepted."
"Where does this intercepted life energy come from?"
Eland looked beyond the Yellow-Emptiness Realm. He sensed a faint, ethereal presence of life energy coming like divine music, but it arrived without any signs and could not be traced back to its source.
After much contemplation, Eland had an inkling.
"It is not stolen from other possibilities; rather, it is intercepted directly from the Dao itself."
"From the flow of [Dao gives birth to Dao, Dao perishes]..."
"As long as the Dao continues to exist and does not fall into a state of extinction, this Pippa's intercepted life can continuously draw upon new vitality."
"This is what makes the divine cat so extraordinary..."
Considering all the other medicinal herbs in the Sage Emperor's Garden, Eland had a clearer understanding of the formidable strength of that proud Sage Emperor.