Chapter 142: Divine Technique

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Divine Technique

Seeing that all eyes were on him, Su Han pointed behind Sect Leader Ji Mie.

Through the window, an old tree with a diameter of at least three meters could be vaguely seen by the corner of the wall.

Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su scrutinized the old tree from top to bottom, but they couldn’t see what was so good-looking about it.

This meeting hall had existed for tens of thousands of years, and the trees outside had been replaced time and again. This particular tree had stood for who knows how many millennia, and no one had ever thought it was good-looking.

’Perhaps... the tastes of great elders are just unique?’

’Just like... how he thinks that fool Zhao Yang has extraordinary talent and doesn’t hesitate to guide him.’

With this thought in mind, Ji Mie and Yu Su exchanged a look and secretly nodded.

"Elder has a unique and discerning eye. This junior failed to notice before... that tree... it is very good-looking."

Su Han glanced at the two of them telling their bald-faced lies but didn’t call them out on it.

"Mm, yes, it is very good-looking!"

Nodding, Su Han thought for a moment, then added, "And not only is it good-looking, it’s also quite miraculous."

"Miraculous?"

Their interest was piqued. A tree called miraculous by a great elder was sure to have something special about it!

"How is it miraculous?"

Su Han pointed to the tree and asked the Nine Destruction Demon Monarch, "If I told you that tree isn’t afraid of fire, would you believe me?"

Sect Leader Ji Mie: "..."

Yu Su: "..."

They exchanged a look, and both could see the disbelief in the other’s eyes.

"Elder, you must be joking. Without the intervention of some special power, it is an indisputable fact that fire overcomes wood."

Su Han smiled. "Want to make a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Mm-hmm."

Su Han nodded. "Let’s bet on this tree. That it isn’t afraid of fire. Neither of us will use any special means. We’ll light the tree on fire, and by the time this meal is over, the tree will be undamaged."

Sect Leader Ji Mie looked at the tree, then at Su Han.

"Can Elder guarantee you won’t secretly use any abilities?"

Su Han frowned. "Are you questioning my integrity?"

Ji Mie hastily said he wouldn’t dare, then gritted his teeth. "If Elder wins..."

Su Han smiled. "It’s just for fun."

After a moment’s thought, Su Han glanced at him. "Since this game started because of the tree, how about this... If I win, all the trees in your Celestial Demon Sect will be the wager, and you’ll lose them to me.

If I lose, I will give a public lecture and offer guidance to your Celestial Demon Sect disciples for three days."

Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su exchanged a look, and both could see that the other was tempted.

Although they didn’t understand where this Elder Guo’s confidence came from.

But that tree had been here for over ten thousand years, and no matter how they looked at it, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

There were at least eighty or a hundred thousand trees just like it throughout the entire Celestial Demon Sect; it couldn’t be more ordinary.

If the Elder could guarantee he wouldn’t secretly use any abilities, this was a bet they were almost certain to win.

If they agreed, they would get three days of guidance. Guidance from an elder suspected to be at or above the Creation Realm would be of immense benefit, even to them.

Besides... even if they lost, it wasn’t a big deal.

It was just trees. They were the Celestial Demon Sect, not Phoenixes or Golden Crows, whose trees—like the Wutong or the Fusang Wood—were so precious.

On any given day, the various branches of the Celestial Demon Sect would destroy dozens or even hundreds of trees for all sorts of reasons.

’Even if we lose them all to the Elder, he can’t possibly burn down every single tree in the Celestial Demon Sect, can he?’

’And even if the Elder was bored enough to burn them all down... at worst, we’ll just plant more!’

It’s not like they had any landscaping regulations to worry about.

With that, Sect Leader Ji Mie nodded.

"Alright! Since Elder is interested, this junior will accept the bet on behalf of the Celestial Demon Sect."

Su Han nodded. "Good."

Glancing at the two of them, Su Han asked, "I’ll be the one to light the fire. You don’t mind, do you?"

He then added, "If you’re worried, you can verify the power of this flame."

Both of them expressed their trust that Su Han wouldn’t resort to trickery.

Su Han nodded, snapped his fingers, and the Sky-Filling Fire Dance morphed into the phantom of a phoenix. It flew from the heavens and plunged headfirst into the canopy of the large tree.

The raging fire spread quickly, engulfing the entire tree in an instant.

Seeing the great fire swallow the tree in the blink of an eye, both Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su broke into smiles.

They turned to Su Han and cupped their fists. "Thank you, Elder."

In their eyes, the only reason this Elder Guo would make such a playful bet with them was, they concluded, to find an excuse to help the Celestial Demon Sect.

’So... Elder Guo is indeed someone who values old connections.’

’Gongyang Ancestor Master really didn’t misjudge him back then.’

Just as they were thinking this, they saw a look of confusion appear on Su Han’s face.

"Thank me for what?"

"Elder, you... lost."

"Lost?"

Su Han pointed to the tree engulfed in flames. "Probe inside the fire with your Divine Thought and take a look."

Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su did as they were told and sent out their Divine Thought. They immediately saw that although the flames were burning fiercely, they hadn’t managed to scorch the tree in the slightest.

The raging fire spread across the tree’s body, yet the tree itself seemed to be separated into another world by an invisible force, completely unaffected by the flames.

"El... Elder."

The first reaction of Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su was that Su Han had cheated, secretly using his power to protect the tree.

Su Han chuckled. "You think this is my doing?"

The two exchanged another look and spread their Divine Thought into the tree, only to find no trace of any external power on it.

In other words... there was no mystical power on the tree at all. The mysterious force they thought was separating the fire from the tree simply didn’t exist.

The fire was well and truly burning on the tree, yet it couldn’t harm even a single leaf or branch.

This bizarre scene left both of them dumbfounded, and they subconsciously looked toward Su Han.

Su Han chuckled without explaining. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed the leg of some unknown poultry, and placed it on the plate in front of Su Yi. He then took a wing for himself and started gnawing on it.

Seeing Su Han start eating again without an explanation, Sect Leader Ji Mie and Yu Su hesitated but didn’t dare to press the issue.

They ate their lunch absent-mindedly, occasionally glancing at the tree engulfed in flames.

An hour later, lunch was over. Su Han wiped his mouth, pointed to the tree which looked exactly the same as it did an hour ago, and smiled at the two of them. "It seems... I’ve won."

Sect Leader Ji Mie nodded stiffly. "Yes... Yes, Elder, you’ve won. But... but..."

Su Han didn’t answer directly. Instead, he turned his gaze to the tree and smiled. "Look again."

As he spoke, Su Han opened his Skill List. Inside the Skill List... lay two selectable skills—

Selectable Skill 1: Divine Skill: Reversed Action.

Selectable Skill 2: King’s Dominating Aura (Nation).

Su Han: "..."

’Holy shit, King’s Dominating Aura again?’

’Could it be that the one who created this Skill Tree... was also my own old ancestor?’

PS: Recommending a new book, "The Strongest Big Boss of the Heavens," from the excellent author of 6 million words, Seven Jumping Fleas. By burning your fortune, you can traverse the heavens. Chu Yi opens his eyes to find himself lying in the castration room, where an old eunuch is gesturing at his crotch with a knife...