Destiny in Cinders

Chapter 86: One Sword to End a Life

When the demonic cult nibbled away at the frontier of Grand Chen, they brought all kinds of supplies from the outside world to the settlements in the northwestern mountains. By being their lifeline, they didn’t just win the hearts of the locals, they were also able to have a constant source of manpower to supplement their logistical needs. While the demonic cult’s evil reputation was well known outside of the northwest of Grand Chen, they were able to contend with Grand Chen’s many factions within the northwestern mountains.

”It’s coming!” The airship let out rhythmic hums as it streaked through the air. It didn’t take long before An Jing saw it approaching him. He was currently at the halfway point up a small hill, standing atop a raised part of the ground, looking at the dot in the distance.

He hadn’t run too far. Instead, he settled down at a suitable spot to prepare for his strike. The sword case that was longer than a meter was mounted stably on the ground. He locked onto a tiny white silhouette on the airship from all that distance away. His eyes glowed faintly when the OverSight’s target-acquisition system synchronized with his field of vision, hence the name, ”overlaid sight.”

The airship continued to course through the clouds. There wasn’t a need for them to cruise quietly in this part of the deep forest at all. They weren’t worried about An Jing noticing them and running off either since they had more than enough troops to surround him and hunt him down. What they would never expect was that An Jing chose to strike back rather than run or hide.

”Captain, we just spotted our target. He’s on that hill over there, seemingly waiting for us,” said a cultist with a telescope on the ship’s observation deck.

”Oh?” Instructor Li sounded surprised. ”Did he think things through then? Has he given up on running and chosen to surrender?”

”We can’t be too careful,” Xu Changjing, the white-robed scribe, said. ”Perhaps he’s going to make a desperate final stand. The younger they are, the quicker they try to throw their lives away. Let us be prepared.”

He approached the front of the ship with Instructor Li, wanting to see what An Jing was up to.

Then, the observer discovered something and reported in a doubtful tone, ”The target has an odd object in his hand. It appears to be some kind of artifact. Odd... Where did he get something like that?”

”Artifact?” Instructor Li and Xu Changjing felt a start and furrowed their brows, sensing that something was amiss. However, they weren’t too worried as they were only six li away from An Jing, a small distance to close.

”Maybe he got it from the Crimsonguard or pilfered it from a storehouse in Direlife Manor,” Instructor Li theorized, eyes locked onto An Jing. Then, his irises constricted. ”Not good!”

Instructor Li backed off and hid his body in a blind spot before yelling, ”Change course! Execute ascending evasive maneuvers immediately! The artifact is dange—”

It was too late. An Jing saw nothing but Xu Changjing and Instructor Li’s heads from his vantage point. They had been incredibly careful, but it still wasn’t enough. One after another, the targeting reticles of the sword case’s core and scope clicked into place, centering around the head of the scribe. Next, a powerful stream of spirit qi flowed out of the crucible into the accelerator rails of the sword case, forming azure sparks of electricity. Then, he pulled the trigger.

A white sword beam shot out with an audible whoosh like the first rays of dawn peeking across the horizon, tracing a faint white arc in the air. Xu Changjing knew that it was too late to dodge. He knew his fate. It’s true! It’s like he said, ”Let it not be said that you wandered unwarned!” Hahaha!

The scribe laughed heartily and said, ”As expected. This child isn’t someone we can confine in a tiny lake. His threat was genuine! How truly fortunate for our cult!”

In a bright flash, the flying sword hit its target, shattering both Xu Changjing and his lifevessel.

”What kind of artifact is that?!” Instructor Li panicked when the sword case fired. He drew his sword and raised a barricade-railing beside him to shield himself. He had backed away one step slower than Xu Changjing had, only to see the azure flash from An Jing’s artifact. Feeling an immediate threat to his life, he channeled every ounce of aura he had and compressed it.

Even if he could block it, he needed the time to prepare. It took at least ten seconds to focus and gather his power before he could unleash it all in an instant to block the strike! Even martialists of the Fortification Realm would end up heavily injured or killed with the slightest misstep, let alone him!

”Old Xu, you...” Still stunned, he had planned to sound the retreat. Xu Changjing’s worries turned out to be true. They had looked down on An Jing far too much and had nowhere enough manpower to capture someone like him. They would’ve only succeeded had Supervisor Zhang been there to work with them.

Instructor Li couldn’t spot a single trace of the scribe. Then, he noticed that the right side of his body and armor were dripping with blood. Nothing but a pair of legs standing on the observation deck. Then, a gust of wind and the ship’s sudden ascent caused the half-corpse to fall over.

”Old Xu—!”

The pained cry of Instructor Li didn’t affect An Jing one bit. He was putting away the sword case as quickly as he could before making his great escape. This time around, there would be nobody left with a special ability to track him down.

”The white-robed scribe... Come to think of it, I don’t even know his name,” An Jing said somewhat regrettably. If he did, he would surely use it to mark this milestone and close the chapter of his life that he spent in Direlife Manor.

Even so, he knew that it wouldn’t end that easily. The demonic cult would never give up on trying to get him back. The next time they made their move, they wouldn’t do so with such a tiny unit. The same also applied to Grand Chen and the heavenly fiends who were no doubt still trying to look for him.

The battle with the demonic cult would no doubt draw their attention too, not that it mattered. By the time the factions of Void Embrace tracked him down again, he would definitely have obtained even more cultivation resources, equipment and techniques from Skysource and Yvelbane. If this was a race, An Jing wouldn’t necessarily take first place, but he wouldn’t be last either.

As the winter breeze blew across the northwestern mountains, An Jing disappeared into the wilderness without a trace.