Bad Water

Lu Yan frowned as several earthen rock walls manifested before him, and he retreated rapidly.

Li Zhongkang shifted his hand seals, causing the talisman chains to change direction, bypassing the stone walls to lash out at Lu Yan.

The swastika symbol following close behind lacked such agility; it smashed through the earthen walls, scattering them into dust, yet its momentum remained undiminished.

Zhang Daoyi curled his lips into a smile, his hand seals flickering in rapid succession, and streaks of pitch-black lightning poured onto the ground like sludge.

"Northern Abyss Pool."

In this moment of extreme peril, trapped on all sides, Lu Yan panicked and fled blindly toward Shaka.

Shaka's leg had recovered by now; he watched Lu Yan with a sinister grin, the Gu King in his hand spitting out black light as it shot directly at Lu Yan.

Strangely, the corners of Lu Yan's mouth hooked upward, and the tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly into a shuriken pattern as his figure turned ethereal.

The talisman chains, the swastika hand seal, the pitch-black lightning, and the Gu insects all passed straight through Lu Yan's body, failing to inflict the slightest harm.

Lu Yan did not stop, quickly reaching Shaka and firing Ivory repeatedly, encasing Shaka in ice where he stood.

"Goodbye."

Watching the terror and confusion on Shaka's face, Lu Yan offered a gentle smile as Ebony unleashed a bolt of lightning.

The ice on Shaka's body shattered into pieces, a pitch-black hole appeared between his brows, and he collapsed stiffly to the ground.

With a relaxed smile on his face, Lu Yan picked up the black jar from Shaka's hand and aimed it at the Gu King hovering in the air nearby.

"Little darling, come on in."

The Gu King spat out black light, its eyes flashing with intelligent brilliance, and it turned to flee.

"Not giving me any face, are you?"

Lu Yan curled his lip, raised Ivory, and fired several shots at the Gu King, but the creature was small and incredibly fast, dodging every bullet.

"Fine, what do you want?"

Li Zhongkang's jade talisman emitted a faint cyan glow, pinning the Gu King in mid-air; with a flick of his sleeve, he captured the creature and glared at Lu Yan with a dark expression.

Lu Yan toyed with the black jar, his expression unreadable: "What do you mean what do I want? You were the ones who came looking for trouble."

Zhang Daoyi retracted his black lightning and frowned: "Is this really not a Blessed Land? How can it be so bizarre?"

Lu Yan looked innocent, pointing to his Mangekyo: "I never said I had a Blessed Land. Where did that rumor come from? This is a dojutsu of my eyes, which comes with its own space."

"Amitabha."

Huiyun pressed his palms together, his face grim: "Donor Lu, we have offended you greatly this time. My Zen Sect will prepare a gift as an apology. Let us part ways here."

Zhang Daoyi's expression was equally sour: "My Celestial Master Sect will also prepare a gift. Let this matter be put to rest. Farewell."

Li Zhongkang simply tossed the Gu King from his sleeve and snorted: "Take this as an apology."

Watching the three turn to leave, Lu Yan hurriedly called out: "Wait, everyone, I have one more thing to discuss."

The three turned back in silence, waiting for Lu Yan to continue.

Lu Yan waved his hand, drawing the surrounding white mist into the Kamui Dimension, and smiled kindly: "The energy of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly thin. Although your sects all possess Blessed Lands and do your best to maintain them, the energy within them is inevitably dwindling."

"While I don't have a new Blessed Land, I do have the energy of heaven and earth and spiritual energy."

"As long as you inject a large amount of this energy into your Blessed Lands, your cultivation will be twice as effective with half the effort. Why worry about your sects not flourishing?"

Zhang Daoyi pondered for a moment before speaking slowly: "What do you want?"

Lu Yan scanned the three men, who were clearly tempted, and his smile grew even warmer: "It's simple. I enjoy reading. As long as your sects provide a few secret manuals, you can take the energy of heaven and earth home with you."

Li Zhongkang looked at Lu Yan's smiling face, his expression thoughtful: "How much do you have?"

"As much as you need."

The shuriken in Lu Yan's eyes spun rapidly, and a pitch-black hole appeared before the three men, a dense concentration of heaven and earth energy flooding their senses.

"Don't waste it, don't waste it!"

Zhang Daoyi wore a look of heartbreaking agony, yet his body was busy absorbing the escaping energy.

"Fine, it's a deal."

Li Zhongkang's eyes gleamed as he nodded heavily.

And so, from the dense forest, roars and shouts erupted from time to time.

"Impossible, don't even think about it!"

"Greedy and insatiable, you arrogant brat!"

"This is the core manual of my Celestial Master Sect; it is absolutely impossible!"

"You're infuriating! You have no sincerity at all!"

An hour later, Lu Yan walked out with a beaming smile, followed by the three men, whose faces were dark with frustration.

As if oblivious to their expressions, Lu Yan said cordially: "Everyone, notify me as soon as you are ready. Once the manuals arrive, the energy of heaven and earth will follow."

"Hmph."

Li Zhongkang's face soured. "I see you've picked up a belly full of bad habits overseas; you're nothing but cunning and deceitful."

The smile vanished from Zhang Daoyi's face as he cupped his hands. "Gentlemen, I shall take my leave."

Even Huiyun could no longer maintain his facade as an enlightened master. Halfway through an "Amitabha," he suddenly sighed, turned, and walked away. His pace appeared leisurely, yet he vanished from their sight in an instant.

"I will have Simu contact you."

Li Zhongkang glared at Lu Yan with resentment, a flash of green light flickered in his hand, and his figure disappeared.

Lu Yan looked at the now-empty dense forest, feeling in high spirits as he strolled toward Xiangyin County, even humming a little tune as he walked.

He hadn't expected that a flash of inspiration in the Naruto World would play such a critical role.

Back in the Naruto World, Lu Yan had considered that if he were to travel to a world lacking in natural energy, he should use the Kamui Dimension to absorb and store a sufficient amount of heaven and earth essence and spiritual energy in advance.

Lu Yan possessed strong control over the Kamui Dimension, allowing him to partition it into small, sealed spaces to store items separately.

Furthermore, Lu Yan could remain inside the Kamui Dimension and use his Mangekyo to control its movement. It was precisely this trick that had allowed him to raid the small treasury from the heavily guarded Root headquarters of Danzo.

With the plan a success and several big fish hooked, Lu Yan's business in this realm was essentially complete; he would be able to return to the Naruto World before long.

Xiangyin County, Chen Mansion living room.

Chen Yulou cupped his hands to thank Zhang the Great Buddha and Er Yuehong. "Buddha, Second Master, thank you both for gracing the apprenticeship ceremony with your presence. Your support has been invaluable."

Er Yuehong smiled and returned the gesture. "I should be the one thanking Chief Chen for the fine medicine. My wife's condition has improved, and I, Er Yuehong, am eternally grateful."

Zhang Qishan stood up, adjusted his military cap, and cupped his hands. "This favor is now repaid. Chief Chen, until we meet again."

Chen Yulou knew that Zhang the Great Buddha always acted with swift decisiveness, and since their relationship was far from friendly, he stood up and smiled. "Until we meet again."

Watching the backs of Zhang the Great Buddha and Er Yuehong, Chen Yulou turned around and sighed. "It is no wonder the Nine Gates have grown so rapidly in power these past few years; both Zhang the Great Buddha and Er Yuehong are formidable figures."

Hua Maguai, standing to the side, chimed in, "Chief, now that you have taken Master Lu as your mentor, our Xieling will surely surpass their Nine Gates."

"Haha."

Chen Yulou laughed without a word. Looking at the sky outside, he worriedly remarked, "Why hasn't Master returned yet?"