Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 914 Casting a Wide Net to Buy at the Bottom
The cloak slipped down, revealing an ordinary young man's face, a few years older than Xiao Ran. His gaze fell on Xiao Ran, his expression calm and indifferent, as if the person before him was not a nemesis, but a long-awaited old friend.

"Before you arrived, I anticipated that we would meet here one day," the man's voice was calm, yet carried a chilling edge that seemed to pierce the soul. "I just didn't expect this day to come so suddenly." His gaze swept over the five-dragon bracelet on Xiao Ran's wrist, which was humming and vibrating, and a faint mockery appeared on his lips.

"Pretend to be a ghost!"

Xiao Ran snorted coldly, clearly not believing what this person said.

If this person were truly capable of divination, he should have died out there long ago.

Seeing that Xiao Ran didn't believe him, the man didn't argue. He simply said, "This isn't a place to fight. You came here for the Tree of Destiny, right? We can make a deal: you can take any destiny from the Tree of Destiny you want, but we'll take the tree with us."

As Xiao Ran had predicted, the Changchun Association's style remained as beastly as ever.

Others come for their destiny, but this guy just wants to uproot the tree.

Even Lu Da couldn't help but curse upon hearing this: "You're talking nonsense! I've never seen such shameless people as you. Others pick the fruit, and you steal the trees. Doesn't that mean future generations will be deprived of their blessings?"

"Hahahaha." The man chuckled upon hearing this. "Not so. Although this tree is magical, it is ultimately hidden in this dangerous place. We are moving this tree to send it outside the mountains so that it can bring blessings to the world. Everyone can obtain the destiny from the tree to complete their own destiny. Master, isn't this a great act of kindness?"

Lu Da was speechless for a moment upon hearing this, scratching his head: "Really?"

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but upon closer reflection, it seemed to make sense.

After all, if this tree were moved outside, more people could indeed enjoy the tree's destiny and make up for the deficiencies in their own fate.

"You don't believe him for a second."

Seeing that Lu Da was confused, Wu Man directly pointed out, "You just don't know the morals of Changchun Hui. He turns hospitals into slaughterhouses, extracting bone marrow to make medicine. If this stuff falls into his hands, just imagine, will he let others benefit from it for nothing?"

After saying that, Wu Man went even further and said bluntly, "At that time, I'm afraid that you will be doing this out of kindness, but you might also be capable of altering fates and manipulating destiny."

What is meant by "manipulating one's destiny"?

It involves altering the influence of one's original destiny, making artificial modifications, and creating destinies that should never have existed in the world.

For example, a "gold-devouring fate formation" can be created specifically to devour the wealth of other people.

Or it could be devouring someone else's lifespan, luck, or so on.

In short, the Changchun Association is absolutely capable of doing this.

This ability sounds mysterious, but any professional who reaches rank B can definitely do it.

"hiss!"

Lu Da gasped. Even though he was ruthless in killing and arson, he never imagined that people could be so beastly.

"Heh." Faced with Wu Man's words, the man just smiled contemptuously, seemingly disdainful of Wu Man's suggestions, which were not worthy of his attention, and he was too lazy to even respond.

He simply looked at Xiao Ran and said, "This matter is mutually beneficial if we cooperate. Otherwise, if we continue to stalemate here and miss the opportune moment, everything will be meaningless."

Xiao Ran glanced sideways in the direction of Yinshan Daoist and the others.

They discovered that the Yinshan Taoist and his group stood silently to the side, looking as if it were none of their business.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran considered it for a moment and said, "Okay."

Jin Chanzi and the others were quite surprised to see Xiao Ran agree.

But as unexpected as it may be, Xiao Ran had already agreed to their request and naturally wouldn't say anything about it.

"Haha, a wise man submits to circumstances. You are even more outstanding than I thought." The man looked Xiao Ran up and down, speaking as if he had seen her long ago.

Are you very familiar with him?

Wu Man stepped forward and asked.

Xiao Ran didn't respond, but looked at the man and asked, "I haven't asked how to address you yet."

"call?"

The man glanced sideways at Po Jin and the others; "They all call me Dragon Head, but I prefer to be called Old Master Chao."

The term "chaofeng" refers to the head manager of a pawnshop.

The man called himself a "shopkeeper," could he be from the pawnshop industry?

However, Xiao Ran thought about it again and felt that the name was too suggestive and was likely a smokescreen deliberately thrown out.

He whispered to Wu Man and the others, "This person is very strange. Be careful, everyone. If something seems wrong, it's best to retreat first."

Regardless of the other party's profession, as long as they can become one of the hosts of the Five Dragon Rings, their strength must be no less than his, and may even be stronger.

The fact that the other side isn't making a move right now is most likely because they're hesitant to act, and don't want to miss the opportune moment for the divine tree to appear.

"Ahem, everyone, please continue."

The old magistrate turned to look at Yinshan Daoist and the others. An old man next to Yinshan Daoist stepped out of the altar and began to fiddle with things on it.

Jin Chanzi glanced at the altar. This altar was actually very similar to the Starry Sky Golden Disc on the treasure ship, and the principle was probably similar as well. However, this altar was obviously much larger than the golden disc on the treasure ship.

After the old man fiddled with it for a few moments, the sound of a machine turning came from under the altar.

The altar, which was already quite large, was now slowly expanding outwards, revealing some grooves, which were one meter deep and three meters wide.

The old man waved his hand and said to Lao Chaofeng and the others, "It's done. Put the five-colored stones inside."

Old Chao nodded to Po Jin, who then flicked his hand, filling the pits with a large amount of multicolored stones. Each pit required at least a thousand catties of multicolored stones to be filled.

Once the deep trench was filled, the old man did some calculations with his fingers, looked up at the sky above, and said, "The time has come."

As he finished speaking, the multicolored stones in the slots suddenly emitted a bright light, illuminating the entire altar. Then, these multicolored stones melted like liquid, merging with the entire altar along the channels in the slots.

"puff!!"

The stars on the altar suddenly lit up, corresponding to the stars in the sky. In an instant, countless stars twinkled in the heavens, falling one after another.

The number of stars is increasing, and it can no longer be described as a simple meteor shower.

The stars fell like a torrential rain, but as they approached the valley, they transformed into countless tiny rays of light, sprinkling down on the center of the altar!
"Rumble..."

The core ley lines of the entire Great Silent Mountain Range throbbed violently, as if a slumbering giant had been awakened.

"Boom—Crack!!!"

Amidst a deafening tearing sound, the earth burst open, creating a bottomless canyon. Blazing white light, like liquid sun, surged and erupted from the depths of the earth's core.

Wherever the light reached, the mountain rocks silently melted away, and space distorted and vibrated.

The outline of an indescribable giant tree slowly rises, accompanied by a pulse that makes all things tremble.

"Kakakaka..."

Countless branches grew wildly under the starlight, their thickness beyond measure, covered with mysterious natural patterns as far as the eye could see.

These branches quickly transformed into nothingness, extending ever deeper into the sky, as if taking root in the vast and boundless darkness.

The falling starlight sprinkled onto the branches, transforming into fruits that resembled stars, hanging from the branches.

Everyone was stunned by the scene before them.

Even Xiao Ran was shocked. Although she had heard about the wonders of the Destiny Tree from the ginseng spirit, seeing is believing.

Only by witnessing its magnificence can one truly appreciate the magical mystery of this Tree of Destiny.

“It appeared!!”

Po Jun and the others from the Changchun Society stared wide-eyed at the precious tree.

One of the elders, Old Man Baiju, stared at the shimmering fruit and couldn't help but breathe heavily: "The Phoenix Facing the Sky!! That's a top-tier destiny, extremely rare in the world. The Book of Destiny records that the last person with this destiny was Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty. With this destiny, his official career soared to great heights, reaching the highest position among officials."

Then, glancing again, the one next to it had an even better destiny. (Previous chapter).

This kind of destiny protects one and can invoke the blessing of the God of Literature, granting extraordinary talent; a single stroke of the pen can communicate with ghosts and gods.

Only a handful of people in history have this destiny, such as Zhang Heng and Cao Zhi.

Unfortunately, no one with such a destiny has been seen in later generations.

At this moment, these destinies can only be ranked at the very bottom of the Destiny Tree; the truly powerful destinies are still at the top of the Destiny Tree.

Looking further up, one sees countless destinies like stars and emeralds, dazzling and jewel-like, making it impossible to see them clearly.

Old Chao Feng said to Xiao Ran, "According to the agreement, you can take it first, however much or whatever you want, but I can only wait for you for ten minutes. After ten minutes, this tree is mine."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran glanced at the Tree of Destiny before him and immediately understood the old strategist's scheme. He thought to himself:

"That old guy is wicked. The branches of the Destiny Tree extend into the depths of the underworld, and the deeper you go, the harder it is to touch. If I don't have the means, at best I can only get the ordinary destinies at the bottom."

As Xiao Ran's thoughts raced, a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: "Ten minutes? That's enough."

Xiao Ran walked to the tree and looked at the countless brilliant destinies on the Tree of Destiny in front of her, glancing left and right for a moment.

"Ten minutes? All of these are mine?"

Old Chao glanced at the time: "9 minutes and 40 seconds left."

Seeing this, Xiao Ran nodded and continued to observe patiently, as if trying to find the most valuable destinies among them.

"Elder Bai, will there be any problems with this?" Po Jin asked quietly from the side.

There are some aspects of his destiny that he cares about very much, because he has been unable to break through them because his own destiny has some flaws. He hopes to find ways to complete his destiny here.

"Humph!"

The elder of the Changchun Association, Old Man Baiju, couldn't help but sneer: "What's there to be afraid of? Even if he's mistaken, he probably can't tell how many top-tier destinies are among them, not to mention..."

Old Man Baiju chuckled inwardly. The most powerful destinies were all on the innermost treetops; what ability did Xiao Ran have to retrieve them? And how many could he possibly obtain?

Suddenly, Xiao Ran stopped and summoned the [Decapitation Sword] from his hand.

"go with!"

The sword's edge transformed into a cold gleam, shooting towards the darkness. However, just as the Decapitation Sword touched the void above its head, it suddenly sank into a quagmire, trembling and halting, before finally falling helplessly to the ground.

"How can ordinary iron enter the realm of the unseen?" The old man stroked his beard and shook his head.

Meanwhile, Po Jin and the others burst into laughter.

Breaking the barrier, he looked at Xiao Ran and said, "If you don't have the means, why not just leave it at that? When we take the treasure tree later, we'll give you two along with it."

"Sigh!!! In the end, we were too young."

The three old men beside the Taoist priest of Lianyin Mountain couldn't help but show a mocking expression on their faces.

They knew perfectly well that "the unseen realm" was the void where the rules of fate manifested. The star fruits that carried destiny seemed to hang on the branches, but in reality, they were rooted in this elusive soil of rules, which ordinary cursed objects could not truly touch.

Facing the gazes cast by his three old friends, Yinshan Daoist remained calm and composed. He knew all too well that this kid's abilities were far more than that.

"Eight minutes!" Old Chao Feng looked at the time and smiled at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran glanced at the mocking faces on everyone's faces, but her expression remained unchanged.

Summon back the [Decapitation Sword].

With a flick of his wrist, fine silver threads wrapped around the decapitation sword as if they were alive.

Layer upon layer of silk threads instantly enveloped the ancient longsword, making it resemble a cocoon shimmering with a strange luster.

"go with!"

Xiao Ran let out a low shout, and the Decapitation Sword, completely wrapped in the [Fate Stitching], soared into the air once more!

This time, the situation is completely different!

The sword blade, bound by silk threads, seemed to have lost its physical weight, or perhaps it had been endowed with the strange property of penetrating the boundary between reality and illusion.

Like a shadowy figure blending into the night, it pierced into the vast and ethereal void without any obstruction.

"what?!"

"This is impossible!"

"He...he actually went in?!"

In an instant, the mocking laughter ceased. The sneers on the faces of the Broken Forbidden Gate and the White Horse Elder froze, and even the Old Master Chao's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared intently at the sword shadow that had vanished into the darkness.

For the first time, a very subtle ripple appeared on his usually calm and composed face—a deep-seated surprise and a re-examination. His gaze towards Xiao Ran became incredibly profound.

"Don't worry, even if he does manage to pick them, how many of these destinies can he actually obtain? Even if he manages to get two or three top-tier destinies occasionally, he will never amount to anything."

The old man, Baiju, offered words of comfort.

While one or two top-tier destiny charts can influence oneself, their effect is ultimately limited if they cannot form a destiny-inauspicious pattern.

To form a destiny pattern, one needs to select from this densely packed destiny pattern. Even if one is overwhelmed by the choices, the number that can be picked is ultimately limited.

However, at this moment, Xiao Ran's finger twitched, and the Head-Slaying Sword that had vanished into the darkness flashed rapidly. The [Destiny Stitching Threads] wrapped around it did not accurately extract fates in the void as everyone expected, but instead shuttled, connected, and intertwined at an astonishing speed! The sword light and the threads outlined an invisible net with an extremely terrifying coverage area.

He looked at the old magistrate, a cold smile curving his lips: "You said it yourself, no matter how many you pick, they're all mine."

Old Chao Feng's pupils suddenly contracted to needle size, his heart sank, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped him instantly.

"stop!"

Old Chao Feng shouted, his voice slightly distorted with shock and anger, his aura surging, and his ordinary face instantly turned fierce.

But Xiao Ran was faster than him!

Before the old strategist could finish speaking, Xiao Ran suddenly pulled his arm back as if dragging a giant net that had sunk into the deep sea.

The vast net woven by the stitches of fate instantly converged and appeared from the dark heights, crashing down with a breathtaking radiance!
"Crash-!"

In an instant, it was as if stars had fallen to earth! Countless, densely packed, dazzling points of destiny light, like stars in the Milky Way caught in a fishing net, were forcibly pulled down from the treetops.

The entire valley was illuminated as brightly as day by this incredible sight, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The faces of Yinshan Daoren, Baiju Laoren, and other elders of the Changchun Society showed shock and disbelief.

Breaking the seal, he exclaimed in shock, "He...he actually dared to do this?!"

Jin Chanzi, Wu Man, and Lu Da were also dumbfounded. Even though they knew Xiao Ran was incredibly audacious, they never expected him to go to such lengths!

This is no longer picking; this is almost looting!
"stop!!"

At this moment, the old strategist's eyes widened in anger. Gone was his previous composure. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Ran's shoulder.

But since Xiao Ran dared to make a move, how could he not be on guard against this guy? Before the old man's hand could grab him, he used his other hand to throw a punch.

"boom!!!"

With a muffled thud, Xiao Ran's figure swayed a few times, while the old strategist took two steps back. In that instant, Xiao Ran swung his hand and grabbed the net containing countless fates.

Upon closer inspection, the once dazzling treetops were now completely bare, with only scattered destinies hanging haphazardly on them, and most of them were from the lower levels.

Now everyone in Changchun was green with envy.

They told Xiao Ran to pick it, but to their surprise, he bought it at the bottom of the market. They cursed him inwardly, "Beast! What a beast!!"

(End of this chapter)