Chapter 407 - 373: Affinity

Chapter 407: Chapter 373: Affinity

"Therefore, this Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water has its benefits and its harms. It is both a tonic and a poison!" the City Lord said, shaking his head.

"I’ve heard that the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water possesses a sort of telepathic quality. They say you can only use it if you have a special connection to it; otherwise, you can’t even lift it. What’s the story behind that?"

Pushing aside his sorrow, Nie Yun took the opportunity to ask the question that was weighing on his mind.

"’Telepathy,’ yes, the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water does indeed have that property. Every person of the Ancient City can communicate with the water from the moment they are born. This is what we call ’compatibility.’ By being exposed to the water’s aura, their soul’s fluctuations align with the water’s. Those of us native to the Ancient City are born with a compatibility of one percent. With Cultivation, this compatibility gradually increases. Legend has it that upon reaching one hundred percent compatibility, not only can one use the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring with no side effects, but they can also move the entire spring itself!"

"Of course, that’s just a legend. In all the recorded history of the Ancient City, no one has ever reached a compatibility of over 50 percent. The strongest was a Great Power from three hundred years ago who reached 49 percent. He could communicate with the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring and make it produce two drops of water annually! It’s a shame, but that senior passed away at the age of sixty-three. Since then, no one in our Ancient City has achieved such a level of compatibility. Even I, the person with the highest compatibility in the entire Ancient City, am only at thirty percent!"

The City Lord shook his head with a bitter smile.

"’Compatibility? Thirty percent?’ Nie Yun was taken aback. ’If even the natives of the Ancient City who can communicate with the water from birth only have that level of compatibility, then wouldn’t outsiders... have no hope at all?’"

"That’s right. The outside world is decadent and vain. That glamorous world is filled with a restless energy that taints the heart. It’s virtually impossible for an outsider to communicate with the water. Never mind outsiders—even if we natives spend just a short time in the outside world, as little as three months, we lose our ability to communicate with the water upon our return. We would then be stripped of our status as core disciples! That is exactly why we, the people of the Ancient City, rarely leave. We remain nestled in this corner of the mountains," the City Lord said.

"’So that’s how it is...’ Nie Yun had been wondering why the people of the Ancient City, with all their strength, didn’t venture out to make a name for themselves. He never imagined this was the reason.

’Even if you reached the Secret Realm and no longer needed the spring water, you could go out and build an empire. But what about your descendants? One generation plants the trees so the next can enjoy the shade. You might live for a few short decades, but your descendants, lacking the spring water and the strength it provides, would surely be unable to protect the legacy you built. In the end, you would only bring them ruin, which is even more tragic!’

"Heh, none of this is much of a secret. Practically everyone in the Ancient City is aware of it," the City Lord said with a smile. "I wonder, does Nephew Mu Yun have any other doubts? Feel free to ask them all now."

"It was just a question on a whim. I have no more!"

Nie Yun smiled, nodded, and said no more.

’I’ve already found out what I wanted to know. The more one talks, the more likely one is to slip up. If I keep talking, I might stir up more trouble. It’s better to stay quiet.’

After that, the group chatted casually for a while longer, the conversation mostly revolving around strength and women, topics Nie Yun couldn’t easily contribute to. The banquet continued for over two hours before finally concluding.

"We’ve had a long and pleasant talk today. Let’s call it a night!" Manor Master Mu Ruo stood up and looked at Nie Yun. "We will go and gather the spring water now. Nephew Mu Yun, why don’t you return to Lixuan Pavilion to rest and wait."

"Then on my master’s behalf, I thank you all. I’ll take my leave."

Nie Yun knew this was his cue to leave. He nodded, then turned and flew toward Lixuan Pavilion, vanishing from sight a moment later.

The moment he was gone, the five Manor Masters and the City Lord didn’t leave to find the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water. Instead, they remained seated in the room, exchanging glances in an unnerving silence.

"What do you all think this Mu Yun’s master wants with so much spring water?" a Manor Master suddenly broke the silence, his face full of doubt. "Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water can only be used by someone with compatibility. Otherwise, no matter how strong you are, it’s no different from venom! Why would he want so much? Could it be he doesn’t know this?"

"He probably doesn’t know. I deliberately brought up ’compatibility’ just now and noticed Mu Yun looked completely lost. If his master knew, he would have told him everything," the City Lord said slowly.

"He doesn’t even know about compatibility, and he’s demanding the spring water? I don’t think this is his master’s order. It’s this Mu Yun, trying to take the opportunity to extort us! If it comes down to it, we should just..." Mu Qi snorted coldly, making a throat-slitting gesture as a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"That’s not impossible, but regardless of whether it’s him or his master, we can’t afford to offend either of them!" the City Lord interrupted Mu Qi, speaking flatly. "The mark inside his body was enough to make you kneel. There’s no guarantee he doesn’t have other tricks up his sleeve that even I couldn’t resist! If we really push them to the point of turning on us, it’s hard to say if our Ancient City could even be saved! Besides, even if I could withstand it, you Manor Masters would surely suffer a fatal blow. It would be a blessing if even one or two of you survived!"

"Moreover, you all know, the Ancient City has existed for so many years. Our people don’t go out, firstly because our connection to the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water will fail over time, and secondly, because we’re afraid of provoking some super expert who would then destroy our entire ancestral home! We may seem powerful, but in reality, we’re just tigers trapped in a cage. If we were to go out, we would surely be besieged!" The City Lord shook his head as he said this, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "The Ancient City has been passed down for so many generations. I don’t want it to be destroyed on my watch!"

The overall strength of the Ancient City was far greater than that of the Qi Sea Continent, but they never dared to step outside the Ancient City. In reality, they were afraid of angering some expert and being wiped out in one fell swoop.

"The City Lord is absolutely right. I was reckless..." Hearing the City Lord’s words, Mu Qi broke out in a cold sweat.

It was true. Recalling the power that had forced him to kneel, a deep-seated panic rose within Mu Qi. What if, instead of making him kneel, the person had wanted him dead? He would have been a corpse long ago.

Secret Realm Second Layer and Third Layer experts might be considered masters in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the grand scheme of the entire world, they were pitifully insignificant. A random street sweeper from the Floating Heaven Continent could probably annihilate them all.

"Does the City Lord mean we really have to give him 500 drops of the spring water? That much water is more than half the wealth of our Ancient City. I’m really unwilling to just give it away..." a Manor Master said, clenching his fists.

"Of course we’ll give it to them, but they won’t get it that easily! Since they don’t understand the spring water, we can use that to our advantage. We’ll add a Highly Poisonous substance to the water. Once they use it, the poison will diffuse, killing them silently! Even the strongest expert won’t be able to escape it! Unless they have a compatibility with the water of over thirty percent and can expel the toxin, they will certainly die!"

The City Lord was a ruthless character as well. He snorted coldly, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Though forced by their power to hand over the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water, he had no intention of letting them enjoy it.

Manor Master Mu Ruo’s eyes lit up in understanding. "That’s a brilliant plan! Once they’re dead, we can take back the spring water, purge the poison, and use it again... Heh! Excellent, truly excellent!"

"Mu Ruo is right, that’s my plan. Anyone who dares to force the hand of our Ancient City will die, no matter how heaven-defying their power is. We’ll feign compliance for now. Once we kill an expert of this caliber, the treasures we’ll obtain will be even greater!" the City Lord snorted.

"But, City Lord... if this Mu Yun leaves, how will we track him? If his master is really such an expert, he’ll probably discover us before we even get close. Instead of poisoning them, we’ll be the ones who end up dead!" a Manor Master asked with a doubtful expression.

Before the City Lord could speak, Mu Ruo laughed. "Heh heh, isn’t that simple? Have you forgotten the City Lord’s special talent? He is a Tracking Master. As long as he attaches his Tracking Qi to this Mu Yun, he can find him even if he flees to the ends of the earth. Besides, no matter how strong his master is, as long as he doesn’t have the Celestial Eye Talent, it’s impossible for him to discover it! Only the Celestial Eye Talent can detect the abnormality in the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water. Otherwise, anyone who touches it, no matter how powerful, is doomed to die!"

"Right, I’d forgotten about the City Lord’s Tracking Talent. Besides, there are only a few people in the entire continent with the Celestial Eye Talent. It’s impossible for his master to have it!" This Manor Master’s eyes also lit up, and he laughed as well.

The Celestial Eye Talent was one of the top-ranked special talents. Forget the Qi Sea Continent; you probably couldn’t even find a few people with it on the entire Floating Heaven Continent. What were the odds that this Mu Yun’s master would just happen to be one of them?

Of course, they would never have dreamed that while Nie Yun’s "master" didn’t have it, Nie Yun himself possessed this special talent—and the Tracking Talent as well.

"Alright, since everyone understands, go and make your preparations. Gather 500 drops of the spring water as quickly as possible. Whoever contributes more water will get a larger share of the treasures after we kill this Mu Yun’s master!" the City Lord announced, fearing that the others wouldn’t put in their full effort and throwing out a lure.

"City Lord, is your poison reliable? What if Mu Yun’s master is extremely powerful, not only survives the poison, but also discovers our plot and comes to kill us? Then we’ll be in big trouble!" Just as everyone was about to get up, someone suddenly thought of something and spoke with worry.

Once one reached the Ultimate Venerable Realm, ordinary poisons were mostly useless. A Secret Realm Fourth Layer expert was even stronger, practically Immune to All Poisons. If the City Lord’s poison was ineffective and instead just alerted the enemy, they would have needlessly offended a peerless expert, and the trouble would be immense.

"Don’t worry about that. I obtained this poison from some Ancient Ruins. It’s called Demon Nether Saliva. It’s colorless and odorless. Mixed into the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water, it’s impossible for anyone to detect. Forget a Secret Realm Fourth Layer expert; it can even kill a peerless expert at the seventh or eighth layer of the Secret Realm outright!" the City Lord chuckled sinisterly.

"If that’s the case, then I’m relieved. I’ll go back and get the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water right now!"

"Me too!"

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

In a moment, all the leaders of the Ancient City had left the room, each returning to their own manors to prepare the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water.