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Chapter 94: An Ambush
Baek Ji-Min, still feeling the warmth of the golden energy, closed her eyes. It felt as if she were in the middle of a grassland, under the shade of a tree. The gentle breeze touched her skin, refreshing her body. The temperature was perfect—not too hot, not too cold—creating a balance that made her feel completely relaxed.
She wasn’t sure how long she remained in that state, but she enjoyed it immensely. When she finally opened her eyes, the sky had started to show shades of orange, a sign that the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon.
It felt as though she had just woken up from a beautiful, fleeting dream—one she couldn’t even remember the last time she experienced. She turned to her side to look for the young man, but all she found was the empty cliff. When she couldn’t find him, she smiled bitterly.
"I didn’t even ask his name. "
She had done something crazy the night before—talking to a stranger, revealing a few of her secrets, telling him her story to the point where she had nearly been overwhelmed by her own inner demons. She had also allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of him. The embarrassment was enough to make her want to dig a hole and bury her head in it.
"I must have been out of my mind last night. It seems like my pent-up emotions exploded when I met that man. "
She sighed and began to check her body. To her shock, her mind felt clearer, free of the negative influences that had clouded her thoughts. Her body felt lighter, more energetic, and...
"I’ve broken through to the Middle Earl stage!" she exclaimed.
She didn’t fully understand how, but she believed the ’dream’ she experienced while being enveloped by the golden energy had truly helped calm her mind and repel the inner demon and all of that caused by that young man. That energy also helped stabilize her chaotic energy, which had been disrupted by her unstable emotions and loss of control over her energy circulation. As a result, she was able to make a breakthrough.
She thought it was a blessing in disguise. Initially, she had only wanted to satisfy her curiosity, but in the end, she gained far more than she expected.
"It seems I’ll have to ask Mother about him."
If he had been invited to the meeting, then her mother surely knew who he was! She stood up, brushing the dust from her clothes, ready to return and meet her mother. But suddenly, she remembered something.
"Ah, yes! Didn’t he say I could find him at the Plum Blossom Tower?" She facepalmed, but this time, her smile was neither forced nor bitter. With a light step, she walked away from the top of the cliff.
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On the main road in the middle of the Flower Garden’s forest, a carriage raced forward at full speed. Aldrian and his group had already left Thorny Flower Garden before dawn, ensuring their departure remained secret by traveling the same path they had entered. The sun had yet to make its appearance, and the darkness still lingered.
They had already covered half the distance to Blooming Flower City, where they planned to stay until the sect master of the Piercing Heaven Sect sent an invitation. The atmosphere inside the carriage was light—Eleine and Sylphia chatted and giggled among themselves, while Xin Haotian sat in silence, eyes closed as if asleep. Aldrian, on the other hand, quietly enjoyed the scenery of trees rushing by.
"I hope that helped her overcome her anguish," Aldrian thought, reflecting on Baek Ji-Min.
"That was a close call. If I had been a little later, she would have been consumed by her inner demon."
Sensing her chaotic energy earlier, Aldrian had known he had to intervene. He hadn’t expected her trauma to resurface so intensely while telling her story, triggering the awakening of her inner demon. He had used his energy to dispel it and added an illusion to calm her further.
Gazing serenely out of the carriage, Aldrian pondered the heavy burden borne by those marked by the Heavenly Demon’s name. Even their surrounding people could become affected by the karma of such a destiny bearer.
As he pondered, suddenly he sensed multiple presences surrounding their carriage. Despite the full speed of the silver-horned horse, these figures were able to match their pace. Aldrian wondered who they were—their movements were silent and melded seamlessly with the wind, reminiscent of assassins.
The sun still hadn’t fully risen, and the forest’s tall trees cloaked the area in shadow, creating the perfect setting for an ambush.
"Twenty of them, several at the Earl and Marquess stages, and two are Dukes," Xin Haotian said, eyes still closed.
Eleine and Sylphia, who had lower cultivation levels, couldn’t sense the presences outside. When Xin Haotian suddenly spoke, their wariness increased. Meanwhile, the coachman remained unaware of the figures following the carriage, still guiding the Silver Horned horse at full speed.
Suddenly, the coachman was startled by a massive log blocking the road. He pulled the reins with all his strength, trying to halt the horse. Just before it collided with the log, the horse stopped abruptly. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he was shocked by the sudden appearance of multiple silhouettes rushing toward the carriage. Armed with daggers and throwing knives, they attacked mercilessly.
The coachman froze, watching in terror as the assault came straight for him. Then, without a sound or warning, something moved faster than he could perceive. The next thing he saw was the incapacitated figures in black cloaks collapsing to the ground, their arms and legs broken. The carriage door was already open, revealing Xin Haotian, still sitting calmly with his eyes closed.
Meanwhile, two figures who had been observing from the tall trees remained at a distance, not participating in the attack. Seeing the swift defeat of their comrades, they trembled.
"Mission failed. We had a wrong intel."
"Let’s retreat. We need to reorganize our forces to handle this threat."
Just as they were about to activate their escape talismans, they froze—hands had suddenly appeared on their shoulders.
"You’ll need to gather a lot more people, I think. You won’t catch us off guard with this level of power," a voice said from behind them.
In a panic, they attacked the person behind them to gain some distance and crushed their escape talismans. The scenery instantly shifted to a dark space illuminated only by torches. Believing they had successfully teleported to safety, they relaxed momentarily—until they realized the hands were still touching one of them.
"Can you tell me where we are and what this place is?" Aldrian asked curiously, glancing around. The surroundings resembled a small artificial cave, with little to see.
The two men attempted to launch a combined attack on Aldrian, but their energy flow suddenly went awry. They felt the power within their bodies spiral out of control. Collapsing to the ground, they realized their strength was draining away. Horror filled their expressions as they stared at Aldrian. They tried to end their lives, but they couldn’t move. The energy Aldrian had siphoned into their bodies when he touched their shoulders had transformed into a paralyzing poison.
"Now, let’s see who you are." The only thing reflected in the two men’s eyes was his hand slowly approaching their foreheads.
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In the middle of the forest, the sounds of wild beasts echoed all around. The dense bushes provided perfect cover for a predator to ambush in this untamed environment. From one thicket, Aldrian emerged from an underground passage, parting the foliage that concealed its entrance.
"Sigh, I found nothing. They’re definitely a group of professional assassins. Even from their memories, it’s clear they received their orders indirectly, and there are no identifiable marks on their bodies."
Aldrian focused on his surroundings, reaching out to sense his nearest domain. He detected his domain of Thorny Flower Garden.
"So, this is still Flower Garden’s forest. Does that mean there’s an assassin hideout within Thorny Flower Garden’s domain? Did they know this?"
He set the question aside and teleported to the nearby of Thorny Flower Garden.
--------------------------------- 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
In the Thorny Flower Garden, the sect master Baek Ha-Yoon, faced her daughter in her workspace. Baek Ji-Min felt it necessary to speak with her mother first to avoid any misunderstandings.
"You want to know who that man is? How do you know about him?" Baek Ha-Yoon asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.
"I met him during my visit to the city yesterday," Baek Ji-Min replied with a serene expression. She then explained how she had approached Aldrian, leaving out some details about what she had seen in him.
Baek Ha-Yoon tapped her finger on the armrest after hearing her daughter’s story, deep in thought, before letting out a sigh.
"Actually, I don’t know much about him either. Last night, I wanted to confirm several things with him, but his display of power and the fact that the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture has already chosen its destined one left me with no opportunity."
Baek Ji-Min was stunned. The Heavenly Demon’s Scripture had already chosen it’s destined one? She wanted to ask more when a knock echoed from the door.
"Sect Master, I bring urgent news for you."
