Destiny in Cinders

”What?! There are terrestrial-vein nodes that have fallen into the hands of the True Fiend Cult?!” Upon hearing this news, Zheng Mo broke into a cold sweat despite the freezing temperature outside. He had always suspected the cult was up to something terrible after being in the city for so long, but he hadn’t expected them to quietly take control of the terrestrial-vein nodes.

Zheng Mo didn’t question the message An Jing had left behind. There was zero motivation for the boy to fabricate such a claim. Besides, he could easily confirm the truth within a few hours by leading an investigation team himself. What truly terrified him was the daily reports claiming everything was normal.

So what did this mean? It was undeniable proof that the True Fiend Cult had infiltrated the government. Furthermore, while these spies might not hold prominent positions, their numbers were surely large enough to manipulate an entire information network.

I admit I can’t compete with Shu Zheng. I can neither control the city’s many information channels nor manage every minor official and government staff... But when did the True Fiend Cult manage to plant its roots so deeply without detection?

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Mo forced himself to calm down. Perhaps they infiltrated during Shu Zheng’s time and just stayed hidden... There must be forces in Keensight acting as fronts for the cult! Furthermore, the forces under his command, specifically the city guards and constables, had also been infiltrated by the True Fiend Cult.

I can’t afford to be reckless right now. Stifling his growing unease, Zheng Mo looked over at the three crippled martialists. Their wounds suggested their attacker was extremely skilled. Such swift and lethal application of force! And to think he’s actually a Dustdawner... He must be the heir to a powerful tribe.

Leaning in for a closer look, Zheng Mo muttered to himself, ”If I had a few such valiant fighters under my command, would I ever have to worry about chaos in Keensight?” He was one of the mandated literati who were capable of optimizing feng shui, summoning wind and rain, harnessing terrestrial veins, and operating formation discs. In a true sense, they were a blend of geomancer and esotericist, while seamlessly doubling as talismanists.

Of course, such immense power didn’t come freely. Even as the mandated literati possessed the skills of these professions, they likewise inherited the full measure of their vulnerabilities. First of all, they couldn’t leave the core of the geomantic formation or the jurisdictional boundary without authorization. And because they drew upon the power of heaven and earth, they had to harmonize the flow of their aura and spirit qi with the cosmos. If they were away from the altar, which was situated at the government office, spirit-energy activation would slow to a crawl. Finally, mandated literati could only fully unleash their abilities with a seal, just as a talismanist’s power was entirely bound to their talismans and artifacts.

In the past, Zheng Mo had partnered with Shu Zheng. With the adept taking the lead, he could comfortably channel his spirit energy and use his official seal to activate the formation, which granted him power beyond an ordinary Fortification esotericist. He could even use the formation disc to trap and completely crush three great fey that each rivaled a Clearing Realm adept. But without Shu Zheng, Zheng Mo wouldn’t even dare leave his residence.

The city manager sighed. Why would a genius like that take orders from him? A young Dustdawner with that kind of talent would undoubtedly join one of the Dustdawn Sects, aiming for nothing less than the Void Divine Treasures Realm. Setting aside the formidable tribe behind the boy, the compensation City Manager Zheng could provide wouldn’t even cover his monthly allowance.

”Where is this warehouse?” Snapping out of his thoughts, Zheng Mo asked Shopkeeper Zhang and promptly received a reply.

”Along the river on the west side of the city! The one Honor Pavilion uses for moving timber!”

”Honor Pavilion?” Zheng Mo’s mind worked rapidly. He wasn’t ready to brand Honor Pavilion a True Fiend Cult base just yet, but he couldn’t shake the creeping suspicion that it had been quietly infiltrated and taken over. As a major local trading guild, Honor Pavilion influenced everything. By utilizing them as a springboard, the cult could extend its reach into the government and across the urban district.

”Old Wang, take the team. Let’s get moving.” Without wasting any time, he led his forces toward the warehouse, adding a final precaution. ”Grab the least injured cultist. I’ll interrogate him on the move!”

The other two cultists were left to the expert interrogation of the prison guards in the government office. Zheng Mo already anticipated the outcome: the two survivors would mysteriously succumb to their wounds mid-interrogation, and any attempt to gather information from them would be futile. Even if he suspected foul play, he would find absolutely no proof linking the interrogator to the True Fiend Cult. But none of that mattered. Since he was aware of the heavenly fiends, he would proceed with extreme caution.

Before long, Keensight’s garrison marched grandly toward the riverside warehouses to the west. Upon arrival, they found the surrounding area soaked in blood. Decapitated bodies and severed heads of both the warehouse guards and martialists from the True Fiend Cult littered the snow. Blood trickled steadily through the partially open warehouse doors, melting the snow at the entrance before the biting cold froze it into a sheet of crimson ice.

”This...” At the sight of this, even the seasoned constable’s expression faltered. Having survived the carnage of the battles at the northern frontier, Constable Wang had seen horrors ten, if not a hundred, times worse than this. He had once stood among the ruins of the northern barbarian tribes, and helped erect trophy mounds using their severed heads. But that was war, and war was a different beast. What lay before them now was the work of a solitary individual, and that person...

The partially open door swung wide as An Jing emerged from the warehouse, carefully carrying a girl whose arm and leg tendons had been slashed. She was barely breathing. Looking up at the stunned guards, he said calmly, ”Is there a physician here? The captives inside are in critical condition. This child hasn’t eaten in ages, and her limbs have been crippled. Get her some porridge.”

”I’m a physician!” Suppressing his fear, the team’s physician stepped forward to examine the child in An Jing’s arms. He cast a quick glance at Zheng Mo, and upon receiving a nod of approval, pulled a small bottle from his waist pouch. An Jing instantly recognized it as the jadedew which he had once taken himself.

But this wasn’t concentrated jadedew, just a diluted, sugary syrup meant for fast energy recovery. The old An Jing might have failed to see the essence of the jadedew, but he was now certain that its raw ingredient was a spirit plant similar to Skysource’s evergreen wood, one that could easily be mass cultivated. While the formula for creating jadedew might not be a secret, the method for growing the spirit plant certainly was.

As the jadedew trickled into her mouth, color visibly returned to the little girl’s pale face. After handing the child over, An Jing turned and gestured to the others. ”What are you waiting for? Get in there and rescue the victims!”

At his words, they all snapped out of their trance and scrambled into action. The interior of the warehouse was a vision of absolute hell. The heavenly fiends required a catalyst of human despair, decay, depravity, and resentment. For this reason, the chosen sacrifices, which included children and those with the right birth charts, were never meant to survive and were thus subjected to crippling mutilations.

Most of the victims only had severed tendons, which was considered a best-case scenario, given that such injuries could be fully healed in Void Embrace. However, some were robbed of their sight, and others of their hearing. A few boys had even been castrated, among other unspeakable acts of cruelty.

The victims remained numb and mute until the realization of their rescue set in. Then the room erupted into agonizing cries. A few people were so overcome with emotion that they nearly collapsed, prompting An Jing to use a focus talisman to calm them down.