novelapdf Chapter 388. Supressing Rebels - 3
Chapter 388. Supressing Rebels - 3
One after another, the members of the Mistwalker Tribe collapsed to the ground under the influence of Moon Sovereign Transformation.
William continued walking deeper into the settlement at an unhurried pace.
The tribal settlement was roughly the size of a medium-sized village and housed several thousand residents. Wooden huts stood in organized clusters, connected by dirt paths that wound between the structures. Small fires burned throughout the settlement, and the scent of damp earth lingered heavily in the air due to the nearby swamps.
Under normal circumstances, entering a place like this without permission would have been impossible. However, the scale of William’s emotional manipulation made such concerns irrelevant.
The sphere of influence of his ability covered the entire settlement. Any thoughts of resistance that arose within the tribesmen were immediately drowned beneath the overwhelming dread that pressed upon their minds.
For the Mistwalker Tribe, the situation was humiliating beyond words.
Never in their history had they allowed outsiders to casually walk through their territory. Visitors were always screened, questioned, and monitored. Yet now a stranger was strolling through the center of their home as though he owned the land itself.
Many of them burned with anger. Many wanted to attack. Yet the terror gripping their hearts was stronger than any of those emotions.
As a result, nobody could gather the courage to stand against him. Without encountering any resistance, William eventually reached the center of the settlement.
It was only then that his presence finally drew the attention of the tribal chief. The fact that the chief had failed to notice him until now and come out was unusual enough to make William slightly curious.
The curtained entrance to a decorated hut situated near the center of the village suddenly rustled. Moments later, a massive figure emerged from within.
The man stood nearly seven feet tall and possessed a physique that resembled a walking fortress of muscle. Green tribal tattoos covered much of his exposed skin, highlighting powerful muscles that radiated raw physical strength. He wore clothes made of reptilian hides and fangs.
In one hand, he carried a twisted staff made from dark, dried wood. At its tip rested a fist-sized green gemstone that emitted an unusual aura, immediately attracting his attention.
The chief strode forward with visible hostility. What caught William’s attention even more was the fact that he remained standing.
Every other adult in the settlement had already fallen to the ground beneath the pressure of Moon Sovereign Transformation.
Yet this man remained upright. Not because William had deliberately spared him. Something else was resisting the emotional suppression.
William narrowed his eyes.
"That gem..."
His expression became strange as he noticed that a strange energy stirring from the gem was actively resisting his ability.
Unlike the terror displayed by everyone else, the chief’s face showed only anger.
Pure anger.
"How dare you trespass upon our lands!" The towering chief’s voice thundered across the settlement.
William could not help chuckling. "Well, not only did I trespass," he replied casually, "I also made all of them kneel."
The chief’s face twisted further. His teeth clenched so tightly that veins became visible along his neck.
"You shall pay for this."
William stared at him for a moment. The man before him was merely a Full Divinity Realm warrior. His confidence felt completely disproportionate to his actual strength.
He found himself wondering whether the chief was incapable of sensing his cultivation or whether he genuinely possessed some hidden trump card that gave him confidence in going against him.
There was only one reliable way to find out, and that was to test him personally.
William could have ended the situation immediately using a high-ranked ability. He could have also summoned Rah. The natural terror radiating from an absolute godhood existence would have shattered the chief’s resistance instantly.
However, William chose not to do so. Recently, he had begun realizing that his personal combat experience was lacking. His confrontation with Lux had exposed several weaknesses in his judgment and battle instincts.
Strength alone was not enough.
If this tribal chief truly believed he could stand against an absolute godhood cultivator, then William wanted to understand why.
At the very least, it might become a useful learning experience. William glanced toward Dereck. Without saying anything, he activated Blink.
A spatial ripple appeared. The next moment, Dereck vanished and reappeared safely within the capital city. Dereck understood William’s intentions immediately and offered no objections. If a battle erupted, his presence would only become a liability with his pitiful cultivation.
With that done, William shifted his attention back toward the chief before his figure disappeared suddenly.
Instantly, he reappeared directly before the tribal leader.
Without employing any techniques, mana, or spiritual energy, he simply threw a punch powered entirely by physical strength.
BOOM!
The impact generated a deafening explosion. Air compressed violently before erupting outward in every direction.
A powerful shockwave swept through the area.
Dust and debris exploded into the sky, and the ground beneath them shattered. Cracks spread outward across the settlement center while a massive crater formed beneath the force of the strike.
Yet despite all that destruction, William immediately sensed something strange. A sharp energy had intercepted his fist.
Before the dust could obscure his vision for long, he casually waved his hand and employed his wind element as a surge of wind elemental energy dispersed the debris.
The scene beneath became visible instantly, showing the tribal chief’s figure that still stood unharmed.
Surrounding him was a translucent barrier composed of green, viscous energy.
[Ding, you have come in contact with a new type of energy.]
William’s eyes sharpened. He immediately created some distance between them.
The chief’s expression had frozen in visible shock. That reaction alone told William everything he needed to know.
This man’s reaction time was sloppy, and he had not blocked it; instead, the barrier must have activated automatically.
The staff and the green gemstone seemed to be the reason for that.
William lowered his gaze toward his own fist. Green, sticky, and viscous energy clung stubbornly to his skin.
Without hesitation, he used Variance Energy, which made the strange green energy immediately disintegrate and vanish.
"What is this energy?" William asked internally. "Can it be registered?"
[Ding, the energy is foreign and is not a part of the Aether Energy Tree. Integration with the Aether Core is not possible.]
"Understood."
William had already suspected as much.
The brief contact alone had revealed how abnormal the energy was. It felt completely different from mana or spiritual energy.
It was completely alien to him.
The Aether Core granted him access only to energies that belonged to the Aether Energy Tree.
Anything beyond that would require other ways, whether through quests or purchasing from the System Shop.
Still, the immediate priority right now remained the same, and that was subduing the tribal chief. William slowly circled the crater.
The chief stood at its center, protected by the green barrier, while repeatedly shouting warnings for William to stay away.
William paid little attention. Instead, he launched himself skyward.
His body ascended rapidly before diving back down like a falling meteor. This time, cyan-blue Varience energy wrapped around his fist.
Spell Wave Fracture.
Although the technique was merely at bronze rank, it was being fueled by varied energy. Variance Energy ignored conventional structures and disrupted the very order upon which other energies relied.
The moment William’s fist connected with the barrier, the result became obvious. The green energy ruptured instantly.
The entire defensive structure collapsed; it was completely punctured. The gemstone atop the staff immediately dimmed.
The chief’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as he looked at the barrier that had protected him for years, which had failed in a single strike.
Before he could react further, William seized him by the throat. The enormous man was lifted off the ground effortlessly.
Meanwhile, the surrounding tribesmen had already been released from the emotional suppression. William had done so deliberately.
There was no longer any need.
Watching their seemingly invincible chief dangling helplessly from another man’s grasp was more than enough to crush their confidence.
William casually snatched the staff from the chief’s hand. While holding the struggling warrior aloft, he began examining the weapon with genuine curiosity.
The chief kicked and struggled desperately. His strength, however, accomplished nothing.
Against William’s grip, it was like an insect attempting to break free from steel chains.
"It’s useless," William said calmly, his voice containing neither anger nor mockery.
"You should have obeyed from the beginning."
Just as William considered ending the confrontation permanently, movement emerged from the decorated hut behind them.
Two small figures stepped outside from the curtained entrance. One was a young tribal girl who appeared no older than five or six years old. Holding her hand was an older boy, perhaps ten years old.
The moment William saw them, he paused. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"These children..."
His voice carried genuine surprise.
The chief did not answer him; instead, he continued struggling violently.
"Arghhhh!" His arm stretched desperately toward William to reach his neck, even though a sane-minded person would know that it was useless against a godhood-realm warrior.