Destiny in Cinders

"These two are ninefold Qi Refinement cultivators who have fully nurtured their souls. Once they develop their divine sense, they'll be ready to enter the Foundation Building Realm."

Seeing what An Jing saw, Yvelbane said, "But the martial cultivator has yet to properly grasp the techniques of the Life Nurture Phase. Instead, he relies on pills to accelerate his growth, which has resulted in weak vigor and an unstable foundation.

"The other... seems like a ghost cultivator. His soul is held in a chthonic artifact and nourished with blood lethal qi. He conceals his presence and practices an orthodox nether demonic path. However, it's a rudimentary technique, and the ghost cultivator himself is merely an instrument, nothing more."

"Can you tell which side they're on?" An Jing guided the subunit into a secluded crack in the wall, steering clear of the shockwaves from the battle.

Watching closely as the two cultivators continued to trade blows, Yvelbane said, "They're all rudimentary techniques. There isn't a single core cultivation technique."

"What a pity." An Jing sighed. He had expected to at least identify which side had seized the treasure, but the truth wasn't going to be that straightforward. However, he quickly noticed something far more significant.

"That tiny box the martial cultivator struck aside..."

"It's not the treasure." Yvelbane quickly said when it sensed his train of thought. "It's just a diversion. Perhaps it once stored the ancient treasure, but the real item hasn't left that man's person. Wait..."

Yvelbane's voice suddenly sharpened. "Circulate Sword of Tranquility now! Hold your breath and still your mind."

Though startled, An Jing did as it instructed and quickly sank into meditation, stifling his breath.

Two seconds passed.

Then came a thud, followed by soft footsteps, yet the entire passage trembled under its weight. Pitch-black shadows loomed like leviathans from the abyss. As they swayed and shifted, strange sounds emerged, grating against An Jing's already frayed nerves.

Deep within the meditative state, An Jing smothered the rising rage. He knew precisely what was approaching Ocher Hill to trigger such a warning from Yvelbane. It was none other than a soldier of the Fengdu Guard who had come after the tall man!

Clad entirely in black armor, the soldier moved through the passage of rubble and corpses. His every step conjured a cloud of dark mist that flowed like black water, seeping into every crevice, casting subtle ripples in the shadows.

The ripples were the source of the tremors. It should have triggered a reaction as the Fengdu soldier swept past An Jing, yet Sword of Tranquility possessed such inscrutable power that it seemed like any rusty blade to the senses, allowing the ripple to pass right through him without revealing anything abnormal.

The shadows momentarily enveloped the fallen shopkeeper before receding into the silence. The soldier paused briefly, but quickly pressed on toward the ventilation shaft where the sounds of battle arose.

The sound of footsteps and the tremors ceased. A few moments later, Yvelbane said, "Alright, he's gone. This member of the Fengdu Guard can actually step into the unseen. This is the orthodox netherlinked technique, a true legacy of the North Yin Fengdu. But..."

Yvelbane said, its voice thick with uncertainty, "How's it connected to Luofu? As I recall, the Luofu legacy follows the yang palaces and yin chambers, a grotto technique." Yvelbane had no explanation and simply chalked it up to the passage of time. "Perhaps it merged and evolved later."

Exhaling slowly, An Jing counted himself lucky that he chose to remain in this dangerous spot rather than make a hasty escape. Had he encountered the elusive soldier of the Fengdu Guard, he would have been crushed before he could even use the Grandvoid Pathway to return to Void Embrace.

Fortunately, divine sense was restricted in the black market, forcing the soldier to rely on such an indirect method. Otherwise, a single sweep of divine sense would have left him with nowhere to hide.

But what brought him here? Could he have come specifically for Ocher Hill's shopkeeper?

An Jing shook his head; that didn't feel right. It appeared the soldier was systematically inspecting every abnormality among the nearby shops. The shopkeeper was likely scrutinized only because she was an employee of a Shouyang subsidiary.

The distant echoes of the battle between the martial and the ghost cultivators drifted through the air. An Jing slid the drone goggles back on and witnessed the Fengdu soldier launch a surprise attack on the two. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The gray-haired martial cultivator and the masked ghost cultivator were embroiled in a brutal struggle. Though Yvelbane dismissed their "unstable foundations" and "rudimentary techniques," their combat was still a display of staggering lethality.

The martial cultivator appeared to be using some sort of earth and stone body tempering technique. A majestic crimson armor of stone encased his entire body, giving him the imposing air of a mighty commander.

As he swung his stone spear, a ninefold shroud of illusory shadows enveloped him, forming a defense so flawless that neither a splash of water nor a drop of rain could seep through. The shadows blurred into motion, and plumes of white mist scoured the walls. Stone disintegrated into a downpour of dust and debris that violently shook the passage.

Yet the ghost cultivator was even more unfathomable, his movements erratic as he evaded the martial cultivator's attacks from bizarre angles. Every so often, he would slash his spectral sword, unleashing streaks of dark blue qi at his opponent.

Though the shadows shattered the icy qi long before it could reach the man, it slowly eroded his strength. Despite his apparent advantage, the martial cultivator's goal wasn't to defeat the ghost cultivator, but to flee through the escape route. He was aware that a soldier of the Fengdu Guard was right on his tail, and his anxiety mounted with every passing second.

"Burn!" He let out a thunderous roar, striking with full power. A fiery glow ignited on his chest, erupting into a turbid, ashy qi that coiled around his weapon. Searing iron-red cracks spread across the spearhead as it pierced toward the unprepared ghost cultivator. Earthmire Embers—his ultimate move more than doubled his destructive power.

However, his attack missed. Before the martial cultivator could land his blow, he was blindsided by a second opponent. A blinding beam of light pierced his left arm from behind, shattering his stone armor instantly and driving him to his knees. The blazing stone spear clattered to the ground.

A dark shadow emerged. Cloaked in a fierce aura, the soldier seized the ghost cultivator in a crushing grip. The ghost cultivator should have been able to dodge, but An Jing could see black, root-like tendrils erupt from the soldier's palm. Pulsing with life, they snared the man and yanked him back into the soldier's grasp.

The soldier unleashed a ghostfire that churned like a gloomy shadow, forcing a scream from the once-silent ghost cultivator. A cloud of icy, pale energy rose, causing the ghostly figure to diminish.

"Who sent you? The Beishan Alliance? Or is it the Justice Restoration Army?" With a spirit-beam gun in one hand and ghostfire in the other, the soldier simultaneously crushed the martial cultivator and suppressed the ghost cultivator. His swift defeat of both ninefold Qi Refinement cultivators proved the overwhelming combat power of the full body spirit-artifact armor.

"You had the nerve to touch what's ours? Fine. I'll drag you back for a soul-scouring. Then you'll get to taste the exquisite pain of your soul slowly dissipating!" said the soldier.

The ghost cultivator was powerless against the ghostfire. As a flood of information was forcibly stripped from his soul, the soldier's helmet flashed crimson. His gaze fell upon the martial cultivator who appeared unconscious.

"Rogue cultivator, rebel force... the Justice Restoration Army. Of course... only those rebel scum would have the gall to steal from us. But they're not acting alone; other corporations and internal collaborators are pulling the strings from the shadows. Capturing them should earn me some serious merit."

Snapping his attention to the ghost cultivator, he barked, "Who's the one behind this ambush? Huh?" Mid-interrogation, a crimson warning light flared from the soldier's helmet. Abruptly, he pivoted toward the Hexlotus Platform's subunit.

"More vermin spying on us?!"

Flames engulfed the drone and triggered an immediate explosion! A mysterious force rippled outward, searching for the person behind the controls.

"He found us!" An Jing immediately severed the link, a grim look appearing on his face. "Were we tracked through the signal? Skysource is brutal!"

Ocher Hill's secret path was the only covert way out of the black market that An Jing knew of. The Fengdu soldier had now seized the route that was previously held by the ghost cultivator. With the rest of the soldiers almost certainly scouring the lower levels, any impulsive move from him would see him walking straight into a trap.

An Jing activated another subunit at the main entrance, only for a wave of spirit qi to blast it aside. The Purple Mansion sages were clearly still locked in combat, creating an oppressive barrier that made any escape through the main entrance impossible. There was no way out!

So it's back to Void Embrace? What a joke! That's just delaying the inevitable. Right now, I only have to deal with one soldier of the Fengdu Guard. If I stay trapped here, I'll eventually be facing several soldiers or worse, a Purple Mansion sage!

Things in Void Embrace were even worse. The demonic cult was at his heels and heavenly fiends stood in his path! He couldn't afford to lose Skysource as a refuge. The realization brought a laugh to An Jing's lips, and he felt a heat rush through his veins like boiling magma.

"Time to fight!"