CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 556: SECOND TARGET: YIN YANG TEMPLE

Lin Xiaosu finally experienced for the first time in his life the combat power of the Enlightenment Realm.

He finally truly sensed the gap between the Enlightenment Realm and Observing Heaven.

With his current combat power, no matter what kind of Observing Heaven, he feared none. Even if it was the remnant from ten thousand years ago, today’s Saintess Qian Ling, once she reached Observing Heaven, he could still tear through her defenses with one strike of Li Ren Tears.

However, the Enlightenment Realm and Observing Heaven are completely different concepts.

True Yuan and True Qi are qualitatively different.

Zheng Tianyan’s strike utilized True Yuan.

He countered the strike with all his might, seemingly effectively intercepting, causing cracks to spread across the Giant Finger in Misty Rain Jiangnan, and even making Zheng Tianyan involuntarily stagnate.

But this interception almost led to the collapse of his Blood Tower.

He practiced the Rejuvenation Secret Technique, excelling in self-healing, and even integrated the "flower of the wood rules" from Saintess Qian Ling. This miraculous rule power could regenerate severed limbs on the battlefield and instantly heal injuries. Yet, even with so many methods of healing, Lin Xiaosu still took a full two hours to recover from the internal injuries.

Only because these injuries weren’t ordinary, they were True Yuan injuries!

True Yuan is fundamentally different from True Qi; correspondingly, injuries caused by True Yuan are far more severe than those caused by True Qi or swords.

His eyes slowly opened.

On the Spring River, spring was in full bloom.

Behind a ghost mask, his gaze was gentle.

Feng Ji gently exhaled: "Better?"

"Almost!" Lin Xiaosu smiled, "I have a rather surprising discovery."

"What?" Feng Ji’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could it be that Zheng Tianyan was still around?

But why are you smiling?

Lin Xiaosu said, "Senior Sister, you’ve gained some weight on your thighs."

Feng Ji’s eyes widened a bit: "That’s your ’amazing discovery’?"

"Yes, you didn’t have much meat on your thighs before, but now they are really quite full..."

Feng Ji’s thigh jolted, causing Lin Xiaosu to bounce up. Feng Ji gave him a sidelong glance: "Just now you were half-stepping on Naihe Bridge, now you’re already spreading such talk. I must admit, the injured and dying junior brother is a more obedient junior brother."

"It’s not that bad, I’ve always been quite well-behaved."

"You’ve never behaved!" Feng Ji said, "The impression you’ve left on me has always been one of cunning and calculation! But junior brother, I suddenly feel that you miscalculated today. Of course, it might be me who miscalculated."

"You mean... Zheng Tianyan’s appearance went beyond our expectations, and we ended up creating a crisis for ourselves?"

"Isn’t that so? After killing those two elders, we should have anticipated Zheng Tianyan’s personal arrival," Feng Ji said. "Alright... the responsibility lies with me!"

After meeting him this time, her mind was overwhelmed with emotions that defied explanation, and she seemed to have lost her usual Jianghu vigilance, casually discussing in front of the corpse of the elder from Tianyan Palace, without any foresight of the consequences.

His lack of Jianghu experience is understandable, but hers was inexcusable given her past experience in Jianghu.

Yet, she once had Jianghu experience, so why did she commit such a basic error today? Was it her confidence in his cunning and cleverness, or did her mind become muddled upon meeting him?

Lin Xiaosu faintly smiled: "Those two elders, each of us killed one. The one you killed didn’t have the chance to crush the Communication Talisman, but the one that died at my hands, I clearly saw, crushed the Communication Talisman before dying."

Feng Ji’s heart leapt: "Did you actually know that Zheng Tianyan would come soon?"

"I was waiting for him from the start!"

Feng Ji stared at him for a long moment: "Why?"

"Two reasons!" Lin Xiaosu said, "The first reason, I really wanted to personally test the combat power of the Enlightenment Realm because in the upcoming battle, my biggest opponents will be from the Enlightenment Realm. Without firsthand experience, I’ll lack a direct parameter, and making battle plans would become biased."

Feng Ji’s eyes slowly shut briefly: "And the second reason?"

"The second reason relates to our upcoming actions!" Lin Xiaosu said, "This time, my journey in Kun Cang is to connect various parties and play games with Kun Cang. A person too afraid to meet alone with entities from the Enlightenment Realm has no say."

"Is that why you refused the company of Lord Li from Chunshui Palace?"

"Yes, with her or Lord Hua, or even Lord Lu accompanying me, I could certainly navigate Kun Cang. But could people truly see me? They would only see the giants of the Enlightenment Realm by my side, and perceive that I’m a fox relying on the tiger’s might, hiding under the tiger’s protection. How much weight would my words carry then?"

Feng Ji exhaled lengthily, her body leaning slowly forward: "Is there another reliance... your Space Law?"

Space Law...

Being spoken of by others for the first time...

Lin Xiaosu gently smiled, "What I know about Space Law is merely superficial! This spatial crack, at most, can give him a scare. Just a slight change in his attack mode, and Space Law would be ineffectual against him."

Feng Ji slowly nodded: "I think so too! Then the question arises... how did you ensure he would be truly frightened?"

"Because he’s unsure if I may have other, more frightening back-ups, and because this is Kun Cang, where many desire Lin Xiaosu dead, it’s not worth it for Zheng Tianyan to take a risk with his own life."

Feng Ji pondered for a moment: "This hinges on the fundamental trait of Kun Cang’s major giants to prioritize self-preservation?"

"Yes!"

"Then... do you actually have a genuine trump card against the Enlightenment Realm?"

"Senior Sister... do you think I’m stupid?" Lin Xiaosu asked her.

"You’ve probably received many negative evaluations in life, like deserving death, or being a spineless offspring, or being lustful... But I suppose no one would call you stupid," Feng Ji’s gaze flickered as she spoke truthfully.

"Someone who knows me well, Senior Sister you are!" Lin Xiaosu said, "I may have many flaws, but the one advantage is not being stupid! Do I not understand how Kun Cang’s Enlightenment Realm entities think? Do I not know that the moment I enter Kun Cang, the world would teeter with murderous intent? So why dare to come here? If I had no trump card capable of killing an Enlightenment Realm with one strike, I doubt anyone would believe it!"

"Modern... technology? As outsiders would term it: black technology?" Feng Ji asked.

"Haha, Senior Sister, if you step out of Kun Cang now, in theory, you could quickly integrate with the outside world. You sure adapt quickly to new things!" Lin Xiaosu laughed, "Let’s go, we’re heading to the Yin Yang Temple."

"Just like this, taking the boat?"

"Hmm, the biggest advantage of meeting Zheng Tianyan today is that I can now openly visit every peak and forbidden zone in Kun Cang."

The small boat drifted leisurely, with the two people at the bow appearing relaxed.

Lin Xiaosu’s last words carried profound meaning.

Why did meeting Zheng Tianyan today clear his path in Kun Cang?

It’s simple, a straightforward logical deduction...

Does Zheng Tianyan hate him?

He hated him from the start! Because Lin Xiaosu broke Tianyan Palace’s blockade on Shenghua Valley, allowing Hua Miaoyi to emerge and sweep through two mountain peaks, indirectly causing thousands of deaths that could be blamed on him.

He hated him even more today because two top elders from Tianyan Palace died right before him.

But why didn’t Zheng Tianyan kill him?

This question will soon spread throughout Kun Cang.

After gathering relevant information, the giants will become curious, and the answer will be evident—Zheng Tianyan was intimidated by him.

What exactly intimidated a giant of the enlightenment realm?

Unknown!

As long as this remains unknown, no giant in the Kun Cang Enlightenment Realm will dare to take risks.

And those below the enlightenment realm would dare even less.

Because this lad’s courage rivals a stubborn bull, at the Observing Heaven level, top elders really drew their swords...

There’s reason to believe that Lin Xiaosu’s path ahead will at least have some surface tranquility.

This tranquility is based on Kun Cang’s unique ecology and human nature.

A mountain peak loomed ahead of the small boat.

The peak bathed in sunlight, while the valley below looked particularly deep.

If the mountain is yang, then the water flowing through the valley below is yin.

Here lies one of the Upper Three Sects of Kun Cang, the Yin Yang Temple.

Feng Ji’s voice transmitted secretly: "Did you detect Zheng Tianyan?"

"He should have really left now!"

"Did the drama we staged on the boat truly deceive him?"

Lin Xiaosu’s lips curled into a faint smile: "People always want to believe in secrets overheard, it’s a flaw of human nature."

What does this statement reveal?

It reveals that Zheng Tianyan was actually eavesdropping on their conversation aboard.

Did Zheng Tianyan believe it?

He truly believed it!

Because Lin Xiaosu exposed his greatest trump card, the Space Law: he knew only the basics, and relying solely on Space Law couldn’t counter Zheng Tianyan.

This matched Zheng Tianyan’s self-assessment.

However, he clearly had another trump card—the outside world’s black technology!

As long as technology from the outside world comes with the word "black," it always leaves people in awe.

Zheng Tianyan left.

Even though he clearly realized how he had become a stepping stone for Lin Xiaosu, he could only leave because he was a calculating man, fully understanding Kun Cang’s ecology, and he wouldn’t risk himself for others...

Yin Yang Temple, Yang Jiu Lie, Yin Jiuyou...

This fish has already willingly presented itself to you, if you don’t seize the opportunity, how can the Upper Three Sects reclaim its prestige?

Then you’ll be standing in front of me, Zheng Tianyan, and others can’t say I’ve been weak, right?

The small boat docked.

Like a boat docking on desolate mountains.

This mountain embodied the Taoist style of free clouds and wild cranes.

The mountain path was paved with green stones.

But many green stones showed damage.

Weeds thrived in the stone cracks, branches and leaves scattered everywhere, lacking temple monks to sweep them, simply because Taoists don’t play "do not let dust settle on the Spirit Platform" games, what they seek is unity of heaven and man.

If rain falls, mothers marry, leaves fall, stones break, it’s all the Dao!

Forcing embellishments deviates from the path.

Lin Xiaosu and Feng Ji strolled up, looking very relaxed.

Lin Xiaosu even posed a question: "Senior sister, in reality, as this demon-faced witch, you can’t hide from anyone in Kun Cang now, right?"

"I was dragged into it by you, now even three-year-olds probably know who I am," Feng Ji said.

"But why do you still wear the mask?"

"I’m ugly, afraid of scaring little children."