Chapter 5: ?? The Seal Weakens, The Flame Rages ??
The thick mist that blanketed the Fogging Forest began to fade, revealing shadowy figures lurking within its depths. Hunters, rogue cultivators, and mercenaries emerged from the gloom, their wary eyes scanning the clearing.
Among them, the forces of the Gu Family stood motionless.
At their center, a solemn-looking elder clutched a broken locket, his fingers tightening around its shattered frame. A faint crimson glow pulsed from the artifact—an ominous sign, a silent warning.
A hushed murmur spread through the crowd.
"Who could have possibly killed Young Master Gu?"
A seasoned cultivator narrowed his eyes. His voice was grim.
"This is no ordinary murder. That artifact was Second Grade—breaking it wouldn’t have been easy, not even for someone at the Foundation Building Stage."
A chill ran down Ji Ru’s spine. She turned to look at Ji Yang, realization dawning upon her.
He wasn’t bluffing.
Before she could speak, the elder examined the locket closely. His expression darkened.
"This locket contains a tracking technique. Whoever killed Young Master Gu… this artifact will lead us to them."
A deadly silence fell over the forest.
Ji Yang’s expression remained unreadable, but his fingers curled slightly. He had expected this.
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?? First Move: The Web of Deception ??
Ji Yang leaned toward Ji Ru and whispered a few words.
She hesitated, but the sharp glint in his eyes told her not to question him. She simply nodded.
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Minutes later—
? Ji Ru gathered several beast corpses, storing them in her spatial ring.
? She smeared fresh blood across her arms and robes, staging a brutal battle.
Meanwhile, Ji Yang slipped into the shadows, his face concealed beneath a dark cloth.
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?? Second Move: The Distraction ??
As Ji Yang crossed into the thickest part of the forest—
? The locket’s crimson glow flared violently.
The Gu Family elder stiffened.
"Wait! The locket is reacting—he’s nearby!"
"Find him! Do not let him escape!"
Shouts rang through the trees as Gu Family cultivators surged forward, chasing after Ji Yang.
At the same time—
? Ji Ru had already slipped past the forest’s edge. She paused for just a moment, glancing back.
But Ji Yang’s words echoed in her mind:
"If you escape first, I can slip away unnoticed. This way, both of us survive."
"I hope you return home safely… I'll be waiting for you."
Clenching her fists, she forced herself to keep moving forward.
Ji Yang was now alone.
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?? The Real Danger: A Shadow’s Arrival ??
Ji Yang was completely surrounded.
? A figure blurred through the trees—the Gu Family elder, a Foundation Building Stage cultivator, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
"Where do you think you're running, boy?"
?? A devastating palm strike tore through the air.
Ji Yang barely had time to react.
?? BOOM! The impact sent him hurtling backward, blood splattering as he crashed into a tree.
Damn it… He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep moving, deeper into the thickening mist.
But then—
?? Something shifted within the fog.
A presence.
Silent. Unseen. Yet suffocating.
Ji Yang’s eyes sharpened.
"Someone… is following me?"
In the dense Fogging Forest, where visibility was almost nonexistent, how had this person tracked him so precisely?
His mind raced. This was no ordinary pursuer.
Taking a slow breath, he spoke—without turning.
"You can come out now."
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? A Shadow Steps Forward ?
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then—
A figure emerged.
Ji Yang felt an unnerving stillness in the air. This person… their presence was almost nonexistent. Even powerful cultivators wouldn’t have sensed them.
Then, a voice—smooth, yet laced with danger.
"So, it’s you, boy…"
Ji Yang’s gaze remained cold.
"You’re an assassin, aren’t you?"
A soft chuckle.
"Interesting… seems like you’ve figured out quite a bit already."
Ji Yang clenched his fists. Blood dripped from his fingertips.
"In a place like this… hunters aren’t the only ones lurking."
The assassin stepped forward, his eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"You won’t last much longer, boy."
Ji Yang steadied his breathing. The wounds. The blood loss. He was running out of time.
"You intend to kill me?"
The assassin smirked.
"No. Killing you now would be a waste. But I am curious about one thing—"
He paused, then his voice turned razor-sharp.
"How did a mere Body Tempering Stage, Second Level cultivator defeat three elite disciples?"
Ji Yang didn’t answer.
? Deep within his consciousness, something stirred.
A familiar presence awakened.
?? A flicker of heat—born from the depths of his soul.
His breath hitched.
"The Yin-Yang Flame…!"
It had remained sealed for so long, buried beneath his weak body.
But now—
?? It was going out of control.
The assassin’s smirk faltered as he sensed the sudden surge of heat radiating from Ji Yang.
His eyes narrowed.
"Well now… what exactly are you hiding?"
The temperature around them began to rise.
"If you won’t tell me…" The assassin’s voice turned sharp. "I’ll just have to cut you open and find out myself."
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?? Ji Yang was injured.
?? His pursuer was stronger.
?? And the seal on the Yin-Yang Flame was beginning to break.
Could he control it?
Or—
?? Would its unsealing bring the same destruction that once shook the God Domain? ??
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[To Be Continued…]
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