Night fell upon Thunder Fire Peak.
Boom!
Amidst the forest, a surge of magical force erupted, splitting the darkness. Jin Zhouheng melted into the shadows, making his exit swiftly yet grudgingly. His time at the Heavenly Sound Sect had stretched to three months, during which he had finally unearthed the whereabouts and the strength of a certain individual. Tonight presented the perfect opportunity to strike, but his plans had been foiled by the members of the Law Enforcement Hall. They had begun a pursuit. If not for a timely warning, he might already have been gravely injured and captured.
Undercover operatives like him were typically squeezed of all their worth by the Heavenly Sound Sect. Eventually, they were tossed into the Lawless Heaven Tower, a place where one's cultivation would be slowly extracted until death claimed them, either there or in some mine.
He had long heard of the ruthless ways of the Demonic Sect. Death was not to be feared; rather, it was failing to accomplish his mission that haunted him. "I should have acted sooner, the moment I first laid eyes on him," Jin Zhouheng mused, regretting his hesitation. He had assumed he could leave unnoticed and had prepared diligently. As an outer disciple specializing in Qi Refining, the likelihood of being tailed was almost zero. The Heavenly Sound Sect wasn't that stringent in its checks. Yet, here he was, exposed.
Who could have tipped them off?
Boom!
Magical attacks continued to rain down unceasingly. Jin Zhouheng did not intend to flee. He was determined to find Jiang Hao and eliminate him first before devising his next steps.
Deep into the night, Jiang Hao sat with furrowed brows. Purple Qi swirled violently within him, the power coursing through his meridians, desperate to coalesce in his dantian. All this force collided as if poised to transform in quality. Yet, despite much time and effort, the power wouldn't meld into a unified whole. It was a bottleneck.
Yet Jiang Hao did not panic. He continued to circulate the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture, methodically sorting through the power, encouraging it to merge quickly.
In the stillness of the night, Jiang Hao was surrounded by Purple Qi. When both his spiritual energy and blood Qi neared exhaustion, a cracking sound resonated from within. It was the sound of the bottleneck shattering.
A faint golden core began forming in his dantian, rapidly absorbing the power around it. Before long, a fully formed golden core hovered in his dantian, its powerful aura spreading throughout his body. Only then did Jiang Hao slowly open his eyes.
Clenching his fist, he sensed the burgeoning might of the golden core. Feeling the newfound strength, he sighed in relief, "A golden core... I can hardly believe it."
Indeed, it was unexpected. Where once it took lengthy durations to accumulate a mere hundred points of cultivation, the gaze of Senior Sister Yun Ruo had made every moment of his life fraught with danger. Yet it also accelerated his progress tenfold. Could it be that he owed her some gratitude?
Quickly, he brushed away the thought, realizing the catalyst wasn't Senior Sister Yun Ruo, but someone else entirely. Her advent in the Heavenly Sound Sect had surely provoked upheavals. This led to extensive investigations for infiltrators, which subsequently prompted Yun Ruo to keep a close watch on him.
Finally, the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower ended up in his possession, turning him into a bait. Thus the situation morphed into what it was now. If anyone, it was that woman to thank.
And yet... the constant proximity to peril, that too, was her doing. He should be blaming her, he realized.
Scattered thoughts clouded his mind, but he shook his head to clear them and then headed to the courtyard to tend to his blade. All he could do was sit and wait to see if anything would occur tonight.
As the first gleam of sunlight broke the horizon, and just as Jiang Hao assumed that nothing would happen, a figure emerged, walking towards the wooden hut. "It's begun," he murmured, grasping his crescent moon blade and stepping out of the courtyard. He slowly made his way to the stream where the figure stood on the opposite bank.
As they faced each other, Jiang Hao sized up his opponent under the dawn's soft light. The man was stout and sturdy, but his aura was weak, his clothes tattered, and blood seeped from his arms and waist—clear signs of a recent intense battle.
To Jiang Hao, it seemed that the man, despite being capable of wielding late-stage Foundation Establishment strength, might have struggled to match expectations. It was as though he had been allowed to pass, Jiang Hao mused. After all, many wanted to see what would happen when someone touched the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, right? Especially someone like Liu Xingchen, who loved to watch drama unfold.
Jin Zhouheng fixed a fierce gaze on Jiang Hao, snarling, "You can't escape." "I'm not trying," Jiang Hao replied calmly.
"You think someone is coming to save you? Forget it. Those pursuing me are currently trapped by my Divine Ability. They won't reach you before daylight," Jin Zhouheng growled with resentment. "Why did you kill Yun Ruo?" "She was a traitor," Jiang Hao responded evenly, as he began to gather power in his blade.
"Do you have any idea how much Yun Ruo meant to me? She was my hope, my guiding light when I was struggling. In moments of rejection and isolation, she stayed by my side, like a beacon illuminating the darkness of my world, igniting my ambition and drive. Yet... you killed her."
Jin Zhouheng's voice rose with each word, his eyes burning with hatred. Jiang Hao watched his adversary's turmoil and shook his head softly. "I understand now."
"Then do you know I will kill you?" Jin Zhouheng asked, his voice twisted with anger.
Rather than answer, Jiang Hao remarked indifferently, "Do you remember the kindness Yun Ruo showed you?"
"How could I ever forget? Never in this lifetime," Jin Zhouheng bellowed.
"Then take a moment. Dwell on those cherished memories before you come for me," Jiang Hao offered, though his blade had already accumulated enough power.