My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 294 Xia Lin's Many Tricks

An outburst, then repayment.

This is the essence of deceiving fate and altering destiny.

Ten minutes of incredible good fortune—which could even be considered a kind of wish fulfillment—corresponds to three days of intense but not necessarily fatal bad luck.

"We might have to endure some tough times for the next three days..."

Just as he finished speaking, a flash of sword light appeared in the sky.

A passing cultivator undergoing tribulation keenly sensed the subtle energy fluctuations below, glanced at them, and immediately drew his sword to attack!
"All extraterrestrial demons, die!!"

Good guy...

Misfortune has already tested its strength...

Xia Lin's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "What are you doing here, a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator, getting involved in this mess?"

Just as Xing Fanwu drew his greatsword, about to teach this seemingly young Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator a lesson for being so red, Xia Lin quickly pulled Xing Fanwu back.

"Let's go! Don't waste time with him!"

The normal approach when facing misfortune is to avoid taking action, just run away, and do nothing if you can avoid doing anything.

Xing Fanwu seemed to realize something, decisively sheathed his sword, and then raised his hand again, and the fog of war bloomed from his hand, covering Xia Lin and the other two.

And so, the three figures vanished right before the eyes of this unknown cultivator undergoing tribulation.

……

"You need to think of a solution. My abilities tell me that we're likely to be in big trouble in the next three days, the kind that's a matter of life and death."

Amidst the fog of war, the clown uttered these words to Xia Lin.

He then explained again, "I have divination skills."

The king of the circus is known for his many jobs, so it makes perfect sense for a circus to employ a fortune teller.

In fact, even without the clown's reminder, Xia Lin realized that this misfortune was likely to be more troublesome and fierce than the misfortune in the Black Flag instance.

There's no other reason than that this Ash Zone is too dangerous, with too many powerful individuals, and Xia Lin has too many opponents.

This gives misfortune a great deal of room to maneuver.

From this perspective, this attempt to deceive fate does indeed have a flavor of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The premise is that Xia Lin did not make any preparations.

In reality, Xia Lin had already prepared for misfortune.

The brilliance of deceiving fate and altering destiny lies precisely in this!
The first point is that the severity of the misfortune is not fatal, and the second point is that it gives users opportunities to find loopholes and exploit them.

"Let's go to Wujian Gorge!"

Xia Lin spoke in a deep voice.

The words "Boundless Gorge" also made the Clown and Xing Fanwu pause for a moment.

Soon, the two exchanged a glance and nodded to Xia Lin in unison.

"That is one way."

……

Both the Clown and Xingfanwu had read the original novel of "The Legend of the Immortal Swordsman," so they naturally knew what kind of place Xia Lin was referring to as Wujian Gorge.

This place is a renowned and secret realm.

This secret realm is fraught with danger, but also full of opportunities—that is indeed true.

In the middle of the story, the protagonist Lin Fan ventured deep into the Wujian Gorge and obtained a great opportunity there.

"The reason I'm going to Wujian Gorge is because Wujian Gorge has this special rule."

"Upon entering, the intruder's strength will be sealed... Those above the level of immortals will be sealed down to below the level of immortals, while those below the level of immortals will remain unaffected."

This is a rule set by an ancient Immortal King before his death, which has lasted for countless years, solely for the purpose of selecting a successor.

—Speaking of which, such secret realms of inheritance are quite common in novels. As a widely circulated popular novel, it is quite reasonable for The Legend of the Outer Gods and Immortals to have such a plot.

But now, this has become Xia Lin's opportunity.

"In the original story, it wasn't written whether the extraterrestrial demons would have their power sealed upon entering the Boundless Gorge, but I think it's highly likely they will."

Immortal cultivators are also one of the professions in the profession system. It doesn't make sense that the Immortal King's restrictions only apply to immortal cultivators; they would most likely also apply to other professions.

"And we currently have two pressing problems."

As they continued on their way, Xia Lin spoke again: "One, NO.259."

He went too far down the path of breaking limits. Even though the personality of Xin Zhan did not completely disappear, it was suppressed to the limit.

Without Xia Lin's luck boost, Xin Zhan is destined not to be able to maintain control of the body for long. It's possible that NO.259 has already regained control of the body and is gradually getting closer to Xia Lin under the influence of luck.

"Secondly, there is that native named Zhengqun."

Despite the fact that Xia Lin seemed to be having a pleasant chat with Zheng Qun while in a lucky state, Xia Lin's behavior was not as impressive as it appeared.

But once Xia Lin's bad luck struck, things changed.

Xia Lin didn't believe in the character of the villains in the novel...

How many villains with ideals and ambitions, who are wicked yet righteous, and possess great personal charisma can there be in a novel?

Zhengqun doesn't have that kind of influence.

His tendency to go back on his word is the true nature of this minor villain.

Upon hearing Xia Lin's words, Xing Fanwu and the clown both suddenly understood.

Xing Fanwu said, "If they don't cause us any trouble within three days, that would be the best-case scenario."

"But if they come within three days, we'll hide in the Boundless Gorge and fight them using the secret realm's rules."

Because of the unique rules of the Boundless Gorge, everyone's strength upon entering is roughly at the same level—unless a Celestial King intervenes to change the rules. But such bad luck, akin to defying fate, shouldn't be so bad as to attract the only two Celestial Kings in this Ash Zone…

Xia Lin tried it last time, and the negative bad luck that could be supposed to defy fate really wasn't this exaggerated.

Under such rule suppression, Xia Lin and his two companions were not entirely powerless to fight back against Zheng Qun's elders and NO.259.

Xia Lin was having bad luck, but the clown and Xing Fanwu were not.

Both of them were capable of fighting normally, possessing near-sequence level strength. Protecting Xia Lin for three days in a special situation like Wujian Gorge was not an insurmountable task.

Having said that, Xing Fanwu looked at Xia Lin solemnly and said, "Don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will keep you safe!"

This person has pretty good character...

Xia Lin shook his head.

"Don't take action."

Even in a special environment like the Infernal Realm, if Xia Lin were to fight an enemy while suffering from bad luck, he would most likely die.

Luck is a irrational thing.

After saying that, Xia Lin chuckled.

"You two will watch me do it in a bit. Here's my plan..."

……

Bad luck is certainly not enough to directly attract the attention of a Celestial King or Heavenly Immortal to attack Xia Lin.

But bad luck will inevitably lead those who have a negative entanglement with Xia Lin to coincidentally arrive at Xia Lin's location.

Wujian Gorge is not far from Zhongnan Sect—because this place is a plot point in the early to mid-stages of the story. In the early to mid-stages of the story, Lin Fan's strength is not strong, and his space for movement is naturally not large. Therefore, Zhongnan Sect, Dongchuan Sword Sect, and Wujian Gorge are very close to each other.

From the outside, Wujian Gorge appears to be a rift valley that is only a few dozen miles long.

But its interior is unfathomably deep.

To enter, one only needs to leap down and will be teleported to the Boundless Secret Realm left behind by the ancient Immortal King.

Several hours later, two groups of people appeared one after the other in front of Wujian Gorge.

It was Zhengqun, who was "calling on friends and family," and NO.259, who was all alone!

Logically speaking, these two groups of people should never be able to get along peacefully.

Previously, the appearance of NO.259 almost scared Zheng Qun to death, and he also killed Zheng Qun's protector Wang Li.

But under the influence of bad luck, Zhengqun made a "reasonable" choice.

Put aside your hatred and grab the treasure first!
Once someone dies, they're gone; the dead can't be brought back to life... That No. 259 is not someone to be trifled with either; there's no need to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Rather than seeking revenge for Wang Li and his own pants, Zheng Qun preferred to obtain the legendary Antarctic Cave first.

If Xia Lin were there, she would definitely roll her eyes a few times.

That NO.259 is not to be trifled with, but I, Xia Lin, am easy to mess with!?

Zhengqun: Then you're definitely better than NO.259.

Regardless of what Zhengqun thought, things just happened that way.

The voices of his subordinates rang in his ears.

"The trail ends here. It seems the person you're looking for has already entered the Boundless Secret Realm."

Zhengqun nodded slightly, glanced at NO.259 who stood motionless on the opposite side of the canyon with a blank look in his eyes, and then looked at his own team's lineup behind him.

There is one Golden Immortal, three Immortal Lords, and seven True Immortals, with numerous disciples and grand-disciples below them.

Thinking of the rules within the Wujian Gorge, Zhengqun suddenly clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

"Alright! Perfect, this Antarctic Cave Heaven should belong to me!"

In the special rules of Wujian Gorge, having more people means having more power and being more powerful!
He laughed wildly three times, then turned to look at the golden immortal his father had sent.

"Uncle Li, please stay here and guard against any unforeseen events."

The unexpected result was naturally No. 259.

The Golden Immortal named Li Xunhu nodded slightly.

"can."

Upon receiving a response, Zheng Qun immediately led his men towards Wujian Gorge, leaped inside, and chased after Xia Lin.

On the other side of the canyon, seeing Zheng Qun leading his men into the Wujian Gorge, NO.259 also curled up a sinister smile.

Without the Antarctic Cave, Zhengqun was insignificant in his eyes, and there was no need to deliberately target him.

The key is still Xia Lin and the clown.

Thinking of this, NO.259 looked down at the bottomless Wujian Gorge.

He took a step forward and stepped inside without hesitation!

NO.259 definitely knows the plot of The Legend of the Immortals.

He was also well aware of the special features of Wujian Gorge.

Entering the Abyss of No Return may seem like an unwise move, but that's just the style of a Limit Breaker!

They didn't know how to weigh the pros and cons; they just threw punches and fought, leaving their fate to fate!

Furthermore, Xia Lin removed six skills from NO.259, but this did not include the limit-breaking skill, Enjoy the Joy of Battle.

The unique rules of Wujian Gorge are actually quite suitable for NO.259 to improve his attributes.

...After a powerful free fall, everyone's vision blurred, and a feeling of dizziness surged over them.

When he regained consciousness, what came into view was the enormous main gate of the celestial palace in the distance, and the solitary figure sitting in front of the main gate.

A strange feeling arose in the native's heart, while NO.259, the Ash District Walker, heard a clear notification sound.

This informed everyone of the special rules of this place.

[You have entered a special scene within this Ashen Zone: the Abyss.]

[There are restrictions here. Your level and skill assessment permissions have been detected as insufficient to overcome these restrictions. Therefore, you will be subject to the following limitations.]

[One: All your skill assessment permissions are based on your actual level; the weighted average of the Third Law is invalid!]

The eleventh level Immortal King realm limit directly restricts the weighting of the third law of NO.259!
[Second: Your attribute points cannot exceed 1 million (the sum of racial stats and base attributes multiplied together) (temporary attributes are also subject to restrictions).]

The two restrictions of the Boundless Secret Realm directly brought the attributes of some people present to the same level.

NO.259, however, was not afraid at all.

As a Limit Breaker, he enjoys fighting.

No matter how strong the opponent is, he has the courage to throw a punch!

But the third notification tone completely stunned NO.259, and even its blank eyes vaguely regained focus.

You have entered the Termination of War Zone. Within this zone, you are unable to take action.

[Skill permission check in progress... Check failed. You cannot be exempted from the effects of the Ceasefire Domain.]

Just as the notification sound ended, in the distance, Xia Lin, sitting alone, grinned and showed his white teeth to the pursuers who appeared in front of him.

"You're here, bro? Sit down, what are you standing there for?"

"For the next three days, let's eat and drink well, don't be shy, treat this place like home."

……

The rules of the Boundless Realm suppress the weighting of skill judgments and attributes.

This environment, in turn, gave Xia Lin a great deal of room to utilize one of his tools.

This item is called: The Sage's Scroll!
The sage's scroll records three sayings of the sage, each with its own profound application.

Cease hostilities, and that is one of them!

This piece of equipment, crafted by Xu Jie, is itself a foundational-level piece of equipment, and the authority to determine its effects is also foundational-level.

Logically, under normal circumstances, this equipment should not be effective on NO.259.

Under the weighted criterion of the double third law, NO.259 doesn't fall for these fancy tricks...

However, this equipment has a story in the Infinite Realm.

Right under Xia Lin's nose, NO.259 raised his hand.

However, no matter how much he wanted to attack, he couldn't make the "punch" motion at all!

The concept of attack has been banned by the Ceasefire Domain!

Xia Lin sighed deeply, feeling a little regretful.

When Xia Lin used the Ceasefire effect of the Sage's Scroll for the first time, he discovered that Ceasefire was a field skill, not a buff skill.

In other words, this thing is not affected by unstable mutations. Xia Lin is in the Zhige Domain and will be affected by Zhige just the same way.

—Otherwise, once the war is stopped, and then the unstable mutation is introduced, regardless of whether the mutation result is good or bad, Xia Lin will eventually be able to take action.

If others can't make a move but Xia Lin can... wouldn't that be amazing?

He shook his head and sighed, no longer wanting to think about these trivial matters.

Xia Lin looked at everyone present again.

"Three days. This field will last for a full three days."

As he spoke, Xia Lin took out a deck of cards from his personal space.

Holding the cards, Xia Lin smiled at No. 259 and Zheng Qun.

"Hey friends, wanna play a game?"

……

Xia Lin smiled happily.

Because he did find a way to ward off bad luck.

The Infernal Realm + The Termination of War Zone!

Unless a Celestial King appears, no one else can help!

And even misfortune has to follow basic logic, right?

As the crucial place for the Immortal King to select his successors, the dangers of the Boundless Realm lie behind the door; the entrance itself is the safest spot.

The test behind the door could not possibly emerge on its own and strike Xia Lin's vitals.

As for external dangers—man-made disasters—they are suppressed by the Ceasefire Domain, and natural disasters are unlikely to destroy the Immortal King's inheritance site.

With the help of effective equipment and advantageous terrain, the enormous crisis was instantly averted.

Zhengqun's lips twitched, and he said earnestly, "Dude, I was originally planning to be friends with you, and that still stands."

"As long as you hand over the Antarctic Cave to me, I'll take care of all the troubles there!"

As he spoke, he glanced at NO.259.

The arrival of the Golden Immortal Realm protector turned Zhengqun back into that unbridled second-generation immortal.

Xia Lin must be crazy to believe this...

He started shuffling the deck, ignoring Zheng Qun completely, which made Zheng Qun snort coldly and turn to leave with his men.

You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth.

"Three days, huh? I can wait that long!"

The gatekeepers have arrived... but this is normal procedure, and Xia Lin doesn't care.

He simply looked at number 259 with the shuffled cards in hand.

Then I saw NO.259 look Xia Lin up and down a few times, and suddenly speak, his voice low and hoarse.

"You are dead."

Xia Lin curled her lip.

Who wouldn’t say harsh words?

It's useless, you know that?

NO.259 also turned and left, leaving Xia Lin alone in front of the entire Boundless Secret Realm.

There are advantages to having fewer people; Xia Lin was too lazy to socialize with his rivals.

He simply leaned against the jade pillar at the entrance of the Boundless Secret Realm, opened E'ying's recipe book, and began to search for skills in detail.

The ordeal is basically over.

However, many problems still remain.

To survive in this ash zone, or even gain any additional benefits, is impossible with the current set of extraterrestrial demon skills.

—For no other reason than the fact that the natives were targeting Xia Lin, making things very difficult for him.

Xia Lin said there was no major problem.

"So what if you're a cultivator? I can be one too..."

……

Misfortune continued for the next three days.

NO.259 and Zhengqun, these two enemies, tacitly blocked the entrance and exit of Wujian Gorge, without fighting each other, just waiting for Xia Lin.

It's purely a targeted attack.

At the same time, there are also battles between true immortals and powerful beings, endless natural disasters, and all sorts of other chaotic things like a hundred ghosts walking at night.

However, natural disasters could not penetrate the protection of the Immortal King's Secret Realm, and man-made disasters could not get past NO.259 and Zhengqun.

What was originally Xia Lin's bad luck turned into her protector...

But these are all minor issues; NO.259 and Zhengqun are the real manifestations of the bad luck these three days have brought.

Three days have passed.

Zhengqun and NO.259 once again entered Wujian Gorge and arrived at the Wujian Secret Realm.

However, all they saw was emptiness; there was no trace of Xia Lin anywhere.
……

At this moment, Xia Lin had already appeared in a restaurant in a bustling immortal city, several regions away.

Beside him, the clown handed the saint's scroll back to Xia Lin. Xing Fanwu clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "That's a clever trick..."

"But it works well."

Xia Lin smiled and took back the Sage's Scroll. After a quick glance, he saw that two of the three abilities on the scroll had entered a cooldown state.

The ability used was to stop the war and to bring friends from afar!

Therefore, Xia Lin's actions in this game became quite clear.

—Activate the Ceasefire effect before entering the Infernal Realm.

Then he handed the prop, the sage's scroll, to the clown.

Since items in the Ashes don't have a concept of recognizing an owner, whoever gets them owns them and can use them. The Joker can naturally activate the other two unused abilities on the Sage's Scroll: Drawing a Circle as a Prison and Having Friends from Afar.

The key lies in the latter.

After completing this operation, the Joker and Xingfanwu took advantage of the fact that NO.259 and Zhengqun had not yet arrived and immediately fled far away.

Without Xia Lin, that unlucky fellow, and with their good luck and plenty of tricks up their sleeves, plus Xia Lin staying behind to act as a target and draw fire, their departure didn't alert anyone, nor were they caught by NO.259 and Zheng Qun.

The entire three days were spent traveling.

Until they arrive at this place and, at the right moment, activate the "Friends from Afar" skill to bring Xia Lin back to the clown's side.

A simple combination of venue and props perfectly offset the negative effects of deceiving fate.

Just then, the fine wine and food were served.

Xia Lin relaxed and leisurely ate and drank.

With his bad luck over and his luck returning to normal, Xia Lin refused to believe that NO.259 would ever come knocking on his door again, and naturally had the leisure to enjoy fine wine and food.

After eating and drinking to her heart's content, Xia Lin wiped her mouth.

Just then, a commotion arose outside, and Xia Lin turned to look outside.

Then they saw a crowd of pedestrians and a gathering of immortals.

Today marks the opening day of the Xuantian Sect, one of the five great immortal sects, as it begins accepting disciples.

Thinking of this, Xia Lin shrugged slightly and looked at the clown and Xing Fanwu.

"We may have to separate for a while from now on."

(End of this chapter)