Chapter 27: Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment

One moment, the great willow tree was utterly unremarkable. The next, it was bathed in a holy light in Su Han's eyes.

Two large words coalesced above the holy light: Skill Tree.

Su Han was completely bewildered.

'What is going on?'

'How did this perfectly fine tree suddenly turn into a Skill Tree?'

'Aren't Skill Trees supposed to be formed from the Dao Rhyme left behind when a Cultivator uses a technique? Why did this one turn into a Skill Tree just by getting struck by lightning?'

'Could it be... that the real way Skill Trees are formed isn't from the Dao Rhyme of the powerful, but from being struck by lightning?'

'If that's really the case, this could be tricky.'

'A powerful expert leaving behind Dao Rhyme can be arranged, but getting struck by lightning is almost completely uncontrollable.'

Though his mind was in turmoil, Su Han hadn't forgotten the task at hand.

'What's right in front of me?'

'A Skill Tree!'

'As someone with the bug-like ability to gain skills from Skill Trees, how could I possibly pass one by without activating it?'

However, after glancing at the horrified yet unmoving crowd of onlookers, Su Han stopped himself from immediately setting the tree on fire.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat twice, drawing the attention of the crowd. Su Han scanned the onlookers. "I'm sure some of you here recognize me, and some of you do not."

"Allow me to introduce myself."

The moment the words "Crown Prince" left Su Han's lips, everyone present—whether they recognized him or not—had essentially guessed his identity.

"I imagine you have all guessed by now. I am Su Han, the one and only Crown Prince of Prince Jing's Residence."

With that, Su Han pointed to the chess piece on the stool.

"I trust you all saw what just transpired."

"It may be hard to believe, but you cannot deny what you've seen with your own eyes."

"As you've just witnessed, the young man who spent the last several days playing chess here was, in fact, this very chess piece in disguise."

"Every person who lost a match to him had a portion of their Soul Power drained the moment they conceded. While absorbing this sliver of Soul Power isn't fatal, it leaves a person weakened for a very long time."

"For a Demon Fiend to infiltrate Lingzhou City in broad daylight... this is my failure, and the failure of Prince Jing's Residence. For that, I, Su Han, must first apologize to the hundreds of thousands of citizens of Lingzhou City."

Su Han bowed low to the surrounding crowd, then rose.

"Fortunately, the Demon Fiend has now been eliminated and did not cause any great disaster within the city."

"But this willow tree..."

Pointing at the large willow tree behind him, Su Han began to spin a tale with a perfectly straight face. "I'm sure you have all heard of the dangers posed by Demon Fiends."

"This Demon Fiend was able to remain here for days without being exposed because it was under the protection of this willow tree."

"This tree may look like an ordinary willow, but in truth, it was already evolving into a Demon Fiend... The lightning strike just now is proof of that."

WHOOSH!

The moment Su Han finished speaking, the crowd erupted, scattering backward. The circle of onlookers instantly expanded by more than ten meters in diameter.

It was as if retreating a few meters would keep them safe from harm.

This was precisely the reaction Su Han had been hoping for.

"There is no need to be afraid. Although this willow is on the verge of evolving into a Demon Fiend, due to its nature, you won't be in any danger as long as you don't get too close."

"Nevertheless, as a member of Prince Jing's Residence, I cannot allow a Demon Tree that could potentially harm the citizens of Lingzhou City to remain here."

"Therefore, I ask all of you here to bear witness, for today, I will burn this Demon Tree!"

Su Han's words sparked a flurry of whispers among the crowd.

Su Han paid no mind to their discussions.

This time, without asking for Su Xiao'Er's help, Su Han took a few steps back. Tapping his toes lightly on the ground, he executed Moon Shadow Step, soaring gracefully as an immortal to land atop the willow's crown.

Standing on a branch thinner than his pinky finger, Su Han retrieved the kerosene he had stored in his Storage Ring, uncapped the barrel, and began to pour.

One barrel, then a second, then a third.

After three full barrels, the entire great willow was soaked in kerosene.

After dropping back to the ground, Su Han took the lit flint from Su Xiao'Er, stepped back a few paces, and tossed it at the base of the great willow.

FWOOSH!

The kerosene met the flame and erupted. A raging inferno quickly engulfed the great willow.

"I will not tolerate any threat, hidden or otherwise, to the safety of the people of Lingzhou City."

Su Han declared this without a shred of shame, having just set fire to an innocent willow tree.

"Well said!"

A wave of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd, all of them affirming the Crown Prince's dedication to eliminating threats for the good of the people.

Amidst the thunderous applause, Su Han turned back to look at the great willow, now completely swallowed by flames.

Skill Tree: Activated.

Checking the Skill Tree, Su Han discovered it contained only a single selectable skill: Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment.

Without hesitation, Su Han selected it.

A wisp of Dao Rhyme was drawn from the ragingly burning willow tree and disappeared between Su Han's eyebrows.

The moment he acquired the skill, a flood of information regarding Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment surged into his mind.

There wasn't much to explain about a Celestial Chosen Technique; it was an ability born of heaven and earth, representing their might.

The might of the heavens is unpredictable, and so are Celestial Chosen Techniques. Some might be weaker than a simple Fire Creation Magic, while others possess a power that not even legendary Divine Techniques can compare to.

And Celestial Punishment was the ultimate expression of hardness and yang, manifesting the heavens' might as lightning, with the power to shatter evil, vanquish Demon Fiends, exorcise ghosts, and even act as a Godslayer.

Even among Celestial Chosen Techniques, it was considered to be in the highest tier of power.

Just like the other times he had acquired a skill, obtaining the Celestial Punishment Skill also granted Su Han a profound comprehension of Thunder Skills.

With this newfound insight, Su Han could now easily cast Thunder Skills appropriate for his cultivation level. He had gained a supreme attack skill for his rank, shoring up his previous lack of offensive power.

But... the most important thing was that Su Han had obtained the skill Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment itself. The so-called comprehension was merely a bonus that came with it.

It was just like how he could refine a three-star Elixir with his three-star Alchemy skill despite having no cultivation. Even if his cultivation was insufficient, by using the skill itself to cast Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment, Su Han could unleash its maximum power.

'And just how powerful was its maximum power?'

A look at the skill description revealed:

Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment: Shatter Evil, Vanquish Demon Fiends, Exorcise Ghosts, Godslayer.

These eight words, these four terms, all but screamed that once Celestial Punishment was unleashed, nothing could stand in its way.

'This was like... getting a super Divine Technique capable of soloing the final boss before even leaving the Newbie Village!'

'The only thing was, the year-long cooldown time displayed on the skill panel after "Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment" was a bit of an eyesore. Otherwise, Su Han would've suspected he'd been reincarnated as a GM's alternate account.'

'Still, even with a one-year cooldown, this was a heaven-defying, life-saving trump card, wasn't it?'

'Just think.'

'From now on, when I get into a fight, I can start by smashing my opponent with Thunder Skills, which are among the strongest attacks for my rank.'

'If I can't beat them, I'll just use Moon Shadow Step to escape.'

'And if I really can't outrun them, and the enemy is hot on my tail, insisting on a fight to the death...'

'Then... I... won't run anymore!'

'I'll just stop and wait for them.'

'And then... unleash Celestial Chosen Technique: Celestial Punishment.'

'If it has to be a fight to the death, then you can be the one to die!'

Su Han couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement just imagining the scene.