Destiny in Cinders

”Speak,” An Jing said, ”What are you really after? Why didn’t you stop the heavenly fiends from attacking Keensight?”

The Blackguard soldier was shaken by An Jing’s ability. He seemed to feel the icy grip of death from the sword light shooting from his eyes. But as the light faded, leaving him unharmed, the soldier deduced it was a mental technique and his panic turned to relief. ”Using mental techniques on me? How ridiculous! The imperial seal was placed upon our minds; no technique can shake us!” He clamped his mouth shut, resolved to stay silent.

Yet a thought so simple it bordered on foolishness forced its way into his mind. But who am I? I’m a member of Grand Chen’s Blackguard! I have both official rank and real power! Why must I stay silent? Why should I lie?

An inexplicable pride, profound clarity, and sudden wave of courage washed over him. His gaze cleared as he looked up and sneered, ”Ha! You’ll tremble when you hear this! The target we’re tracking is the daughter of King Jing of the North, one of the Eight Sentinel Kings! The exact reason isn’t for me to know, but it’s clearly an event big enough to shake the imperial court. So what if the True Fiend Cult destroys Keensight over it? What a stupid question. Besides, anyone with real worth will survive, and those who outlive the calamity will prove their value. Why should anyone care if a few weeds perish?”

Survivors of an engineered calamity? Grand Chen would actually commit such an atrocity?

An Jing didn’t expect the unyielding Blackguard soldier to suddenly become so cooperative, pouring out everything he wanted to know. However, he quickly put the pieces together. Yvelbane’s instructions to use the sword of his mind to resonate with the soldier had sharpened and refined the latter’s thoughts. This wasn’t an attack, but a form of assistance that fostered candor and transparency, making resistance nearly impossible.

Yet a new question emerged. Could someone masked in secrecy and hidden motives suddenly become a candid, optimistic person and still guard his tongue? Obviously not. But was this truly a technique from an immortal sword? An Jing sensed something was amiss.

It was supposed to be a happy moment, but the sheer weight of the revelation made An Jing frown. ”So you’re cooperating with the heavenly fiends?”

”Cooperating?” The soldier seemed confused instead. ”They’re just dogs. We’re using them. Why on earth should we cooperate with them?!”

With You Ruhui’s true identity revealed and the Blackguards’ inaction laid bare, An Jing refused to waste another breath. He instantly drew his swordstaff, intent on taking the man’s head. Right as his patience snapped and he swung to execute the soldier, black and gold mist billowed from the man’s dark-gold waist plate, quickly condensing into gold-bordered black mystical patterns. The moment it condensed out of thin air, the talisman shot toward the Huai Teahouse, which was the exact location of a terrestrial-vein node.

”Human dao qi and dragon qi! And fiend qi?!” A stunned Yvelbane immediately warned, ”It’s fiend qi masked with human dao qi and dragon qi! An Jing, stop it!”

Without a second thought, An Jing raised his swordstaff. Amid the Blackguard’s frantic shrieks, his own blood poured out his body and congealed at the tip of the blade. In an instant, the sword tore through the air with the shrieking fury of a missile, instantly skewering and shattering the fiend qi talisman.

The fiend qi dissipated and the talisman disintegrated, yet An Jing’s brow remained tightly furrowed. ”What exactly is that? It’s clearly just a wisp of qi but it sent a jolt of imminent danger through me.” Retrieving his blood-lethal qi sword through the air, An Jing was startled to find actual damage on the tip of the blade.

”My sword has never taken a scratch, not even from the vilespawn fiend, but it was damaged by a talisman!” Fortunately, the Blackguard soldier was close at hand. He was barely breathing, but still alive. His vigor surged forth, restoring the sword. Though this method seemed thoroughly demonic, it was simply the way the weapon functioned.

”That’s pure fiend qi from a greater heavenly fiend. It can corrupt almost anything in existence.” Yvelbane said solemnly, ”In theory, terrestrial veins are immune to corruption because they constantly purify themselves. But when combined with human dao qi and dragon qi condensed from terrestrial-vein qi, pure fiend qi can temporarily paralyze their self-purifying ability, corrupting the terrestrial veins and causing them to fail.”

”And you dare deny colluding with heavenly fiends?!” An Jing snapped his head around, eyes blazing as he glared at the shriveled soldier hovering on the brink of death. ”You actually carry a fiend-qi talisman to corrupt the terrestrial veins... So you’re the ones backing the True Fiend Cult! It’s Grand Chen!” Right then, the terrifying depth of the heavenly fiends’ corruption over Grand Chen was revealed to him.

”Haha, I’ve told you! The heavenly fiends are nothing but dogs. The very notion of cooperation is a joke!” Realizing death was inevitable, the soldier forced a twisted smile and erupted into wild laughter. ”It’s your bad luck that a genius like you got dragged into this. Your end will be absolutely miserable! If our mission fails, not a single soul in Keensight will survive, including you!” With those words, he shut his eyes and gathered his aura, clearly preparing to sever his heart meridian.

”Trying to kill yourself?” An Jing wasn’t about to let the soldier commit suicide. Crimson light flashed, and the man was decapitated! His severed head fell as plumes of vigor rose, merging into An Jing’s swordstaff. The soldier’s corpse rapidly withered away. Even if the end result was the same, he was determined to butcher that dog of a man with his own hands!

Although he had been dealt with, the problem remained unsolved. Much like officials whose mandates tracked their life or death, Blackguard soldiers carried talismans that would also alert their comrades nearby of their death, instantly informing the others that the killer was right here.

”Not a chance!” As soon as An Jing decapitated the soldier, the seal within his soul began to activate, only to be interrupted by a hazy, iridescent light radiating from the shed.

Sensing trouble outside, You Ruhui bolted to her feet. The dragonjade resting between her collarbones emitted an iridescent light that pierced straight through the wall. Guided by her will, it enveloped the soldier’s body and forcefully shut down the seal’s activation. The seal quivered and stopped functioning.

This was a major weakness in many of Grand Chen’s methods. If they were fighting an opponent with imperial blood instead of ordinary citizens, all their tricks and wonders would immediately fail and cease to function. This was precisely how You Ruhui managed to cross multiple regions to reach the edge of the northern frontier.

Moments later, You Ruhui opened the window and stepped outside, quietly staring at the headless, shriveled corpse of the Blackguard soldier.

”Well done.” An Jing gave You Ruhui a slight nod. Though he could move the corpse to Skysource through the Grandvoid Pathway to completely neutralize any contingency plans, doing so would cut off his own escape route. ”They chose to ignore the heavenly fiends just to find you. That secret of yours must be monumental.”

”I’m sorry,” You Ruhui said, sounding dejected. ”I had no idea they would push things this far. It’s all my fault.”

”What do you mean, ’your fault?’” An Jing was puzzled. ”Keensight hasn’t been destroyed yet, so why are you rushing to take the blame? Besides, I have a question for you.” Fixing his gaze on You Ruhui, he asked in all seriousness, ”Daughter of King Jing... what exactly did your family do to be hunted so ruthlessly by both Grand Chen and the True Fiend Cult?”