Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows.

In Yidu, Zhu Ju naturally had more than just the Zhu Mansion.

In fact,

The Zhu Mansion was merely a base for him to access and blend into the Magic World. He rarely visited it personally, especially not for traveling between worlds—he would never pick a place with so many eyes and ears.

An empty courtyard.

Zhu Ju’s figure appeared without a sound. Then, with a flash, he vanished from where he stood.

「Zhu Mansion.」

Standing a short distance from the Zhu Mansion, Zhu Ju felt a flicker of doubt. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

’Strange...’

’Everything looks normal, but something feels off.’

The Dao of Ultimate Sincerity grants foresight.

He had practiced martial arts for many years and was accomplished in Magic. While he was no diviner, he had a faint perception of what people called fate.

’Danger!’

The silent, still Zhu Mansion was like a Fierce Beast with its maw wide open, waiting for prey to walk into its trap.

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju melted into the surrounding crowd.

......

WHOOSH!

A figure vaulted over a roof ridge and landed in a narrow alley. Before she could even find her footing, two cold glints of light shot toward her.

CLANG—

TING!

Wielding her twin sabers, Tang Yan parried the attack, but the strain tore her wounds open again. She couldn’t help but stumble back several steps into a defensive stance.

"Old Zhou! Brother Qian!"

She glared at the two men before her, gritting her teeth.

"You’re betraying me, too?"

"..." Brother Qian’s face flushed with shame, and he hesitated for a moment.

"Young Leader, I’m truly sorry. We have families to feed. We can’t just become fugitives like you."

"Xing Suanzi’s death is tied to Young Master Zhu. The Celestial Capital Sect won’t spare anyone connected to him. You can’t escape."

"This is Yidu, and the City Lord is here! The Celestial Capital Sect can’t just run roughshod over everyone," Tang Yan snapped.

"For old times’ sake, I don’t want to fight you."

"Get out of my way!"

Brother Qian visibly hesitated.

"Sorry!" Old Zhou, however, stepped forward and shook his head.

"The Chief of the Escort gave the order. We have to capture you to redeem ourselves. It’s the only way they’ll overlook our past transgressions."

"Hah..."

"We never should have followed you to become guards for that man, Zhu. We didn’t get anything out of it, and now we’re caught in this mess."

The new Dharma Transmission Elder of the Celestial Capital Sect had just been appointed and immediately began purging dissidents and investigating Xing Suanzi’s death.

Anyone connected to the incident was now facing the sect’s retribution.

The Zhu Mansion was naturally no exception.

With Zhu Ju gone, they, the mansion guards, were implicated in the fallout. They had no choice but to pledge their loyalty elsewhere.

"Old Zhou, have you no shame?" Tang Yan’s eyes narrowed.

"I may not like Zhu Ju, but he never once shorted us on our monthly salary. You know exactly how well you’ve lived this past year."

"What’s the use of saying that now? It’s too late," Old Zhou sighed.

"Young Leader, are you going to surrender peacefully, or do we have to force you..."

FWOOSH!

Before he could finish, a blade of light, wreathed in fierce flame and intense heat, shot toward their faces.

Celestial Burning Soul-Seizing Saber!

Celestial Burning,

meant fierce fire.

Soul-Seizing,

referred to its Saber Intent.

It was a Saber Technique built on a Mental Realm that could incinerate anything. Vicious and overbearing, every strike was a killing blow.

But Tang Yan was gravely injured. Unable to muster even thirty percent of her strength, the power of her Saber Technique was drastically diminished.

CLANG...

The two men blocked the attack together. "Young Leader, stop!" Old Zhou pleaded.

"Just surrender. If you swallow your pride, and with the Chief of the Escort speaking up for you, the Celestial Capital Sect might spare you."

"Bullshit!" Tang Yan snarled.

"Tang Qing is the one who gave me these injuries!"

"Insolent wench!" a cold, furious voice boomed.

"You ill-mannered whelp, calling your own father by his name! I should have known you’d turn out to be an ungrateful stray." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

WHOOSH...

A frigid wind blasted them.

Thunderbolt Rupturing Palm!

The Palm Force crashed like thunder. A series of strikes rained down, and the already gravely wounded Tang Yan collapsed on the spot, spitting blood as she flew backward.

SWISH!

A rope shot out from behind her, wrapping around her waist and yanking her back into a hasty retreat.

"Trying to escape?"

Tang Qing snorted. The ground beneath his feet trembled as he launched himself forward, shrouded in Giant Power, and crashed into the darkness.

BAM!

"You must be Ghost Monkey, one of Ye Baici’s people."

"Since you’re here, you might as well stay for good!"

A furious barrage from the Thunderbolt Rupturing Palm sent Ghost Monkey and Tang Yan tumbling back into view, battered by the Palm Force.

"Capture you, and Yanshi will surely reward me handsomely. He might even help me become a Mage!"

Even with his own daughter before him, Tang Qing’s expression remained unchanged as his Palm Force struck at their vital points.

He had only ever wanted a son.

A daughter?

Nothing but a dead-end investment.

WHOOSH...

Just as the two were about to be killed on the spot, a gentle breeze swept through the alley. A figure appeared out of nowhere and, with a mere flick of his sleeve, scattered the incoming Palm Force.

"Zhu Ju!"

Tang Qing, who had been charging in, felt his eye twitch. Without a second thought, he turned and fled.

He was strong, but in the end, he was only a Magician.

Meanwhile, tales of Zhu Ju’s prowess had spread throughout Yidu. His Saber Technique was said to be phenomenal, placing him among the elite, even for a Mage.

"I’ve been gone for a while. What happened here?" Zhu Ju asked, ignoring the fleeing men.

"And who is this Yanshi?"

"Yanshi is Xing Suanzi’s senior martial brother," Tang Yan explained, her expression relaxing at the sight of Zhu Ju. "He’s the new Dharma Transmission Elder for the Celestial Capital Sect in Yidu—a powerful Great Mage."

"Under the guise of avenging Xing Suanzi, he’s captured and killed several Magicians in the city. He’s also gravely injured Elder Ye and Chief Constable Wei."

"Even Rouge Saber and the Mute Girl..."

She glanced at the silent Ghost Monkey and shook her head sadly.

"Is that so?"

Zhu Ju’s brow furrowed.

’Yidu City is Situ Clan territory,’ Zhu Ju thought. ’Theoretically, the Celestial Capital Sect shouldn’t be sending a Great Mage here.’

’In the past, they’ve only ever stationed one or two Mages to oversee things.’