Chapter 684: Huge Harvest

‘So that wretch is finally here, is he?’

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Demon Cultivator, Batulu!

He was lying prone, his hands and feet pressed tightly against the hard rock, his head resting naturally on an outcropping.

If anyone were to look down from high above, they would see that his entire body resembled a massive, lurking toad!

This was the renowned Toad Breath Grounding Skill, one of the most famous of all Demon Cultivation Techniques.

In a terrain like the Gen Palace Stone Forest, its Concealing Breath effects were said to be second to none.

This Cultivation Technique focused on channeling all of one’s Qi Blood Power into one’s Demon Heart, allowing virtually none of it to leak out and thereby achieving a completely sealed state.

One’s own long, drawn-out breaths would naturally merge with the terrain, becoming indistinguishable from it. At the same time, this trace of breath allowed the user to sense their surroundings through the land itself.

The moment anyone drew within a few dozen feet, the user could instantly detect them and launch a ferocious surprise attack.

Relying on the Toad Breath Grounding Skill, Batulu had remained hidden behind a rock formation just over a hundred feet from the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle for more than ten days, completely undetected.

When the stone forest had shaken moments ago, Batulu clearly sensed an unusual aura appear within a hundred feet of his position.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t pinpoint the other party’s exact location.

This shocked Batulu. His opponent’s Concealing Breath Method was also incredibly powerful. If he hadn’t arrived a step earlier and taken advantage of the tremor to sense with all his might, he might not have detected their presence at all.

Batulu also couldn’t be sure if his opponent had sensed his own presence.

If he were to completely give up trying to sense his opponent and enter a fully sealed state of Concealing Breath, he naturally wouldn’t have to worry about being detected.

But that was obviously not a viable option, as it would leave him even more passive.

However, Batulu was certain that his opponent must be the one who had hurried over from the Kan Palace—the mysterious expert, Young Master Xiu Chen.

In the terrain of any other Array Hub, Batulu would indeed be very wary of this Young Master Xiu Chen. He might not even dare to oppose him and would most likely have chosen to flee immediately.

But in the stone forest of the Gen Palace Array Hub, with its heavy, oppressive terrain, Batulu wasn’t worried at all. He was even confident that he could slay him.

After all, Demon Cultivators had a natural physical advantage, so the oppressive terrain had little effect on Batulu!

On the other hand, the power of the various Realms that Young Master Xiu Chen could manifest would be severely limited.

Forget just Young Master Xiu Chen; even if Mu Qingfeng were here too, Batulu was confident he could slay them both.

The source of Mu Qingfeng’s power was his reliance on the True Intent of Heaven and Earth.

‘That wretch Mu Qingfeng… We agreed he’d come help me seize the Gen Palace Array Hub, but there’s still no sign of him. He’s clearly screwed me over again.’

‘I was planning on killing him as well, but since he’s not coming, I’ll have to drop it. Without anyone to interfere, killing this Xiu Chen will be even easier!’

‘I’ve hunted many Tier Five Demon Beasts these past few days. Once I kill this Young Master Xiu Chen and take the Demon Heart from this Gen Mountain Profound Turtle, I’ll have enough to finally forge my Demon Core.’

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Batulu completely retracted his aura, entering a state of total Concealing Breath.

He was now lurking in a position behind the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle. Anyone trying to approach would have to pass the creature first, so he no longer needed to sense Young Master Xiu Chen’s location.

He had only been able to secure this position by fighting a fierce battle with the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle earlier, an opportunity he had created for himself.

With his strength, Batulu could have actually killed the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle, but he would likely have been severely injured in the process. It was this concern that had stayed his hand.

But now that the Gen Palace Array Hub was about to open on its own, Batulu could simply kill the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle, enter the Array Hub, take control of the Array Banner, and use the Gen Palace Array to protect himself.

Of course, it would be even better if this Young Master Xiu Chen fought the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle first, leaving them both grievously wounded.

…

‘Damn! This bastard’s Concealing Breath Method is really something else!’

Even after pushing his Concealment Secret Skill to its absolute limit, Chen Cheng still couldn’t sense any aura fluctuations from behind the giant rock, which surprised him.

However, having previously encountered Xiao Yingluo’s Hidden Void Shadow Robe, Chen Cheng was prepared. He didn’t need to see to know that his opponent was most likely still hiding behind the massive rock.

‘No, that’s not right. Hiding like this… he’s not trying to be the oriole stalking the mantis. He’s clearly trying to be the fisherman who profits while the sandpiper and the clam fight it out!’

‘Hah, as if a petty trick like that could fool me!’

‘In that case, I’ll just have to show you what “trapping a dog by closing the door” and “catching a turtle in a jar” really mean!’

After carefully observing the terrain, a wicked smile spread across Chen Cheng’s face!

He changed direction and began to sneak toward the cliff face behind the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle.

“ROAR!”

Suddenly, the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle stretched out its massive head once more, raising it high and scanning its surroundings with eyes as wide as washbasins!

As the overlord of the stone forest at the Gen Palace Array Hub, its senses were clearly powerful!

There was truly no opportunity for Chen Cheng to circle around behind it.

However, Chen Cheng didn’t press any closer. He hid quietly behind a rock and began to calculate the distance between himself and the turtle’s cave.

‘Perfect!’

He muttered to himself as streams of Telekinetic aura surged from his body, rising into the air and coalescing into a ten-foot-tall Cyan Heaven Dharma Aspect.

This already constituted more than half of his Telekinesis. If he were anywhere else, the aspect would be at least twenty feet tall.

Under the heavy pressure of the stone forest, it had been forcefully suppressed to a mere ten feet in height!

Of course, this did nothing to diminish the imposing might of the Cyan Heaven Dharma Aspect!

“Hey! I’m coming for that old turtle tail of yours!”

The Cyan Heaven Dharma Aspect roared, shooting with incredible speed toward the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle’s rear and reaching out a massive hand to grab its tail!

“ROAR!”

The Gen Mountain Profound Turtle was utterly enraged, opening its great maw to let out a furious bellow!