Chapter 657 - 351: 3 Moves Can Cripple You

Chapter 657: Chapter 351: 3 Moves Can Cripple You

On the grassy bank of the lake, a man in silver-white armor sat swaying his fishing rod. His eyes were fixed on the water’s surface as if he were expecting something. Behind him, a massive tree provided shade from the sun. The tree looked as though it had grown there naturally; it blended seamlessly with the earth without the slightest sense of incongruity. However, Jiang Man knew that the man had just temporarily transplanted this tree here as well. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a fruit tree this time.

"You aren’t looking forward to my arrival this time," Ting Fengyin said softly, turning his head to look at Jiang Man.

"Not at all." Jiang Man shook his head and asked curiously, "Are you not eating fruit anymore, Senior?"

"I didn’t have any new ones, so I just brought this one over. It’s not bad. Do you want to pluck some leaves to take back with you?" Ting Fengyin asked.

Jiang Man didn’t think the leaves would be of any use. After all, when Ting Fengyin transplanted trees, he never considered their utility. Some were pleasant to look at, some were delicious, and others were simply brought over by fate.

That was until Ting Fengyin explained, "This is a Celestial Secret Tree. Its leaves contain heavenly secrets and can also conceal them. When you’re out and about, neither your aura nor your karmic traces can be tracked. Not only that, but they also provide a boost when infiltrating Arrays."

He pointed to the unique aura swirling around his body and continued, "Do you see this aura on me? These are heavenly secrets.

"The Celestial Secret Tree is quite dissatisfied with my actions and wants to exact revenge.

"It’s trying to leak my heavenly secrets, hoping my enemies will come and kill me.

"So, you’d better only pluck a few. Otherwise, it will backfire. This tree is incredibly vindictive."

Jiang Man, who had been itching to act, instantly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He had originally wanted to strip the tree bare. Sighing at the tree’s behavior, he remarked, "It really is ignorant. It has no idea who it’s dealing with."

"Don’t blame it. It’s just too weak to perceive my true heavenly secrets, which is why it’s acting so arrogant," Ting Fengyin said.

Jiang Man fell silent for a moment before asking, "Senior, how many can I pluck?"

Ting Fengyin glanced at him. "Just take whatever. As long as you don’t go overboard, it won’t even bat an eye at you. All its hatred is focused on me."

Jiang Man had no choice but to climb the tree and begin plucking. Not daring to be greedy, he carefully picked the leaves one by one, planning to stop the moment the tree reacted.

"Have you caught any fish, Senior?" Jiang Man asked.

"Almost," Ting Fengyin replied casually.

That meant he had caught absolutely nothing, Jiang Man realized. He then asked, "Senior, do you have any method to quickly locate the Supreme Heart Hall?"

"Do you have a target in mind?" Ting Fengyin asked, his eyes still glued to the lake.

"Yes," Jiang Man replied as he plucked the leaves. He then listed three locations: a mountain range, a Sea Area, and a stone forest. All three were places where the seven emotions and six desires fluctuated abnormally—areas that could not be entered, investigated, or scryed for heavenly secrets.

"It’s in the Sea Area," Ting Fengyin answered directly.

Jiang Man was taken aback. "Why?"

Ting Fengyin lifted his fishing rod slightly. "I casually knocked it over there. Even if others didn’t see it, how could I miss it?"

Jiang Man sighed in admiration. It truly was easier to get things done when you had connections. Now, he knew exactly where to go for his mission. Still, that place must have been incredibly sturdy to remain completely intact after being swatted into the Sea Area by Ting Fengyin.

Just as Jiang Man plucked his hundredth leaf, he suddenly felt as though some of the leaves were focusing their attention on him. Sensing this, he didn’t dare push his luck. He climbed down from the tree and took a seat beside Ting Fengyin.

Ting Fengyin was looking at him. "You’ve reached Primordial Spirit Perfection. You’ve progressed very quickly. It’s a shame such Talent was wasted in your earlier years."

"Breaking through to the Returning Void Realm also requires a quota," Jiang Man explained. Without a quota, it would have been useless to break through earlier; he would still be stuck in this Realm for a while regardless.

He quickly changed the subject. "Senior, given my current state, what do you think my chances of winning are if I face the Bai Family Ancestor?"

Ting Fengyin held up three fingers.

Jiang Man was surprised. "Thirty percent? That high?"

"Three moves. That’s all it will take for him to cripple you," Ting Fengyin said flatly.

Jiang Man was even more astonished. Was the gap between them really that vast?

Ting Fengyin elaborated, "He’s different from the others. His foundation is extremely solid, his methods are vast, and his combat experience is rich. Coupled with the fact that he descended from a higher Realm, he is virtually unmatched among those at the Primordial Spirit Realm.

"If you give him time to prepare, he’ll be even harder to deal with.

"However, when he was at Primordial Spirit Perfection back in the day, the gap between you two wouldn’t have been that large.

"You’d have a fifty-fifty chance."

A fifty-fifty chance? Didn’t that mean he was guaranteed to win? But that was the Ancestor’s past self; his current state was a completely different story.

"When do you plan to strike?" Ting Fengyin asked.

Jiang Man pondered for a moment before answering, "I plan to do it when I go out on a mission so I’ll have an alibi. It should happen within the next few months."

Ting Fengyin nodded. "It’s best if you kill them both together. Otherwise, there’s no way to shed this identity. If the karma isn’t erased, there might be dangers in the future."

Jiang Man expressed his understanding. Besides, as long as he had enough time, he wouldn’t be in any danger.

He then brought up the matter of the Water God with Ting Fengyin, asking if it was possible to summon the deity under his current circumstances.

Ting Fengyin shook his head, giving a negative answer. Summoning the Water God in that situation would be completely meaningless.

Feeling helpless, Jiang Man asked if the Water God had any weaknesses.

Ting Fengyin thought for a moment before replying, "The Bai Family Ancestor should know. You can ask him when you kill him."

"Would he even answer me?" Jiang Man asked curiously.

Ting Fengyin shrugged. "That depends on whether you have a way to make him talk."

Jiang Man felt that would be rather difficult.

Afterward, Ting Fengyin lifted his fishing rod several times, but there was nothing on the hook.

"There are no fish here," Ting Fengyin sighed.

Jiang Man recalled the fish they had kept here last time. Where did they go? He decided that when he returned, he would look up some fishing techniques and come back to show off his skills to Ting Fengyin.