Chapter 98 - Wu Earth Essence

“If you calculate against others, they will also calculate against you… will also calculate against you…” Fang Rui repeated the words spoken by Leng Yan, as if reminded by them. However, he soon broke into a smile and said, “It’s a pity, the person who could scheme against me is already dead! Now in this world, no one can plot against me!”

Leng Yan chuckled, looking at Fang Rui, and said, “There are always skies beyond skies, and people beyond people. Whether you’re an immortal or a divine being, you’re still human, and none are without limits. So there are indeed people who can outscheme you; you just don’t know about them yet!”

“Heh…” Fang Rui lightly tapped his forehead and laughed. “Leng Yan, oh Leng Yan, you truly are remarkable as my pawn. In just a few words, you almost made me waver, almost made me doubt my own calculations. As long as I waver, if I have any doubts, mistakes will occur, giving you an opportunity! Impressive, quite impressive!”

Leng Yan smiled, not expecting Fang Rui to be so astute, so quickly seeing through his intentions. Indeed, Leng Yan was targeting the mind, aiming to make him waver.

“That’s right. Since my intentions have been seen through, there’s nothing more. But let me remind you. Just because you can reincarnate and rebuild, doesn’t mean others can’t…”

Fang Rui’s expression paused, and he smiled, “I now feel that I may have made a mistake. I shouldn’t have come to find you, and definitely shouldn’t have talked so much. Now, you’ve planted a ‘growing’ seed in my mind!”

Leng Yan looked at the rotating sun essence wheel in his palm, constantly pondering how to gain the upper hand in this psychological battle, paving a path for future survival.

“Since the ‘seed’ can be planted, it shows that you still have doubts in your heart, doubts about whether those who threaten you are truly dead. Isn’t that so?” Leng Yan’s words were purely probing, trying to find a flaw in Fang Rui’s response and seize the initiative.

“Heh… Indeed! But I trust in my strength to eliminate obstacles!”

Leng Yan snorted, “Fang Rui, there’s no need to perform for me. Since you have made me your pawn, how could you not count on my intelligence?”

“Everything I just said was all within your expectations, wasn’t it?” Leng Yan said suddenly, his expression calm.

This abruptly halted Fang Rui’s smile, leaving him visibly surprised. He asked, “So, does this mean you were also putting on an act with me?”

Leng Yan waved his hand dismissively, “No, I’m merely ‘fishing for information’. Since you’ve prepared for tens of thousands of years, with your intellect, you must have cleared all possible variables. How could you tolerate your greatest enemy having a chance to reincarnate?”

“You’re even smarter than I imagined!” Fang Rui nodded with a bitter smile, as if finding his own misstep amusing.

“My intelligence is nothing compared to you, an ancient entity of ten thousand years. It’s childish in comparison! Every move I make is within your calculations, isn’t it? You came here today to put pressure on me, to make me speed up my cultivation, so that I may quickly achieve your goals. Now, I indeed feel the pressure, and it’s quite heavy!”

“In that case, I should take my leave! Remember-when we meet next time, only one of us will survive to control this universe! I am certain that the person will be me, and you are destined to become my stepping stone.” Fang Rui turned and slowly walked away into the distance.

Leng Yan moved his palm, and the sun essence wheel radiated light, rapidly spinning towards Fang Rui’s back.

Fang Rui didn’t turn around, yet the sun essence wheel couldn’t get close to his body, as if an invisible force was blocking its advance. Leng Yan also felt that this force was beyond his ability to resist.

“Now you’ve recognized my strength! Goodbye, then!” Fang Rui didn’t look back, leaving only his voice echoing in the air, his figure having vanished without a trace.

Looking at where Fang Rui disappeared, Leng Yan exhaled a long breath. The depth of Fang Rui’s mind was far beyond what Leng Yan could comprehend now. The attempt to affect his mind had no effect. Those final words were just Leng Yan’s bluff, hoping to glean some hints from Fang Rui’s expression. Unfortunately, Fang Rui’s expressions were all fabricated.

Leng Yan could now manage to conceal his emotions on his face, let alone Fang Rui, this ten-thousand-year-old creature. Those expressions were clearly put on display just for him!

Watching the spot where Fang Rui disappeared, Leng Yan let out a long sigh. The depth of Fang Rui’s mind was far beyond what Leng Yan could currently fathom. The previous attempts to assail his mind had no effect, as Fang Rui was merely acting, making it seem like there was a significant chance for Leng Yan to turn the tables. Leng Yan’s final words were just bluffs, hoping to detect some hint from Fang Rui’s expression. Unfortunately, Fang Rui’s expressions were entirely feigned.

Leng Yan himself could now maintain a neutral expression regardless of his emotions, not to mention Fang Rui, this ancient creature of ten thousand years. Those expressions were clearly just for show!

“Pawn? I’d rather be the player. Since you’re willing to pave the way for me, I’ll walk that path. However, the ending often defies expectations!” Being considered a pawn did not discomfort Leng Yan. If anything, it provided a certain level of safety.

After all, if someone needed him to achieve a goal, then his life was of paramount importance.

Putting thoughts of Fang Rui aside, survival was for his own sake; even a sliver of a chance deserved his full effort!

Turning, Leng Yan walked into the Thunder Marsh, where he recuperated for a few days. Then, he continued south, in search of a teleportation formation.

Over the past few days, Leng Yan had decided that once he left here, he would enter the immortal land and undergo closed-door cultivation for a few years, aiming to break through to the Heavenly Realm.

Riding the wind and controlling his sword, Leng Yan spread his spiritual awareness in all directions.

Along the way, he rarely encountered fellow disciples. Perhaps it was due to the dangers of the south, where few dared to seek teleportation formations.

Ahead lay a canyon, flanked by steep cliffs that resembled towering swords piercing the sky. The strong winds howled through the canyon, creating a “wooo” sound.

This place likely harbored a teleportation formation. This was Leng Yan’s first impression upon seeing the location.

Descending from his flying sword, Leng Yan walked through the canyon. The pebbles underfoot made a “screeching” sound as they rubbed against each other. The winds tugged at his clothes, but a distinct scent of blood lingered in his nostrils.

Drawing his Azure Sky Sword, Leng Yan vigilantly extended his spiritual awareness to cover every corner within a hundred meters.

“Woo…”

A demonic beast’s roar echoed in his ears. Leng Yan looked around but saw no sign of the beast, only the stone walls.

This made the situation even more tricky for Leng Yan. The moon essence wheel rose, with its azure light swirling around him.

Suddenly!

A massive boulder, weighing at least a thousand jin, plummeted from the sky, aiming directly at Leng Yan’s head.

Hearing the unusual sound of the wind above him, Leng Yan glanced up and was alarmed yet remained calm. He raised his hand, and a golden giant sword flashed upward.

“Boom!”

Fragments of the boulder scattered in all directions, but they posed no real threat to Leng Yan. However, more boulders began to fall from the sky-over a hundred in total!

It was not a time for Leng Yan to be careless. He swung the Azure Sky Sword repeatedly, sending out waves of sword qi that formed a net, targeting the descending rocks.

“Crash! Crash…”

The sound of sword qi slicing through the rocks was incessant. Leng Yan bent his knees and leaped into the air, resembling a nimble crane. His palms unleashed fire dragons that shattered the rocks, causing them to fall to the ground.

Suddenly, a yellow shadow burst out from the rubble. Out of the corner of his eye, Leng Yan noticed it, stepping through the Void. He spun around swiftly, and the Azure Sky Sword came slashing down. A radiant beam over ten feet long followed the sword.

This strike landed squarely on the yellow figure, and with a resounding “clang,” the yellow shadow was knocked to the ground by Leng Yan.

Having finally drawn out this entity, Leng Yan had no intention of letting it escape easily. The sun essence wheel whirled out, chasing after it.

The yellow creature suddenly stopped and vanished from sight, leaving the sun essence wheel to strike the ground, sending rocks flying.

Leng Yan recalled the sun essence wheel, gripping the Azure Sky Sword tightly, landing on the ground. His eyes scanned every corner.

“Yellow, rocks. Could it be the wu earth essence? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be unable to sense its presence!” Leng Yan pondered. Suddenly, the stones around him floated up and started advancing.

Leng Yan smirked, choosing not to counterattack. Instead, he set up a defensive barrier around himself, standing still with his sword at the ready.

The rocks moved like clay, enveloping Leng Yan, making him resemble a statue from a distance!

Despite being encased, Leng Yan remained motionless. He was using himself as bait to lure out the wu earth essence.

His spiritual awareness was vigilantly monitoring the surroundings. Suddenly, the yellow wu earth essence appeared on the stone wall!