“Sasha...”
A voice rose from the woods behind.
Someone was approaching, deliberately masking their breath and footsteps, but carelessly revealing small traces.
You frowned, noticing your Divine Art "Traffic Light" hadn't warned you.
That was a little odd.
“Sir, sneaking around like that — could it be someone who entered Ancient Cloud Mountain without permission?”
“It’s me.”
A familiar voice answered, it was Ji Wuqing.
A pungent smell of blood followed.
You reacted instantly, moving like lightning. With Quantum Ghost Step activated, you were by Ji Wuqing’s side in an instant and caught her.
“Wuqing!”
Ji Wuqing was covered in wounds, her spiritual treasure battle robe shredded beyond recognition, and the usual purple sword she always carried was broken.
“Cousin!”
Ji Xiaosong jumped when he saw her, panic overtaking him as he froze, not knowing what to do.
You helped Ji Wuqing sit down, channeled divine power to stabilize her wounds, then took out healing pills for her to swallow.
Once Ji Wuqing steadied a little, she spoke to Ji Xiaosong.
“Xiaosong...”
“Ah! I’m here! I’m here! Cousin, you tell me!”
“Go, go watch nearby. Don’t let anyone find me... Remember, you didn’t see me tonight...”
“W-why?”
“Don’t ask! Go!”
“Okay, okay!”
After Ji Xiaosong left, Ji Wuqing, with trembling hands, took out a small formation and tossed it nearby.
This formation could, to some extent, block divination and muffle sound.
“Ah Dou’s in trouble...”
Your pupils shrank, but your hands didn’t stop; you continued to neutralize the pill effects and treat her injuries.
You used a derived technique of the Premonition Divine Ability, the Divine Art "Traffic Light" — think of this Divine Art as a special, enhanced form of divine sense.
You could sense many residual Divine Art energies within Ji Wuqing’s body.
Whoever wounded her must be very powerful.
“What happened to Ah Dou? Is he alive or dead?”
“I don’t know. Our base on Vermilion Violet Star was discovered. The Peace Force launched a full-scale invasion and razed the base to the ground. Many died...
Under their encirclement I fought desperately to find Ah Dou, but I didn’t see any trace of him, not even a corpse...
I know you care about Ah Dou, so I fought my way out to tell you this news...
I think Ah Dou probably isn’t dead...”
“You’re too weak, don’t talk for now.”
You had been following Ah Dou’s situation all these years.
Because Ji Wuqing had to protect Ah Dou and the Torch Society base, she couldn’t take you to see him.
But she frequently shared updates about Ah Dou with you.
A hundred years had passed, and Ah Dou was now a Core Formation cultivator.
In fact, his cultivation speed, among those called Destiny-born, was comparatively slow.
But his combat ability was extremely strong.
Ji Wuqing told you that all the contemporaries together couldn’t match Ah Dou in actual combat.
Ah Dou was practically unbeatable throughout the base.
Facing older masters, he could, at Core Formation, single-handedly fight an Extreme Terrain Realm opponent wielding multiple Divine Arts, not only holding his ground but often winning.
The leap from Core Formation to Extreme Terrain is a qualitative change in combat power — ordinary cultivators can't normally cross realms to fight.
And this was in routine sparring, not life-or-death fights.
If things turned desperate, Ah Dou’s potential would erupt even further, making his combat power terrifying.
However, no matter how strong an individual, facing a large-scale enemy army still left them helpless.
The Celestial River Peace Bureau, commanding the Celestial River Peace Force, had carried out a genocidal strike on the Torch Society base on Vermilion Violet Star, leaving no chance for survival.
And yet, Ah Dou had vanished — alive unseen, dead without a corpse.
“Ah Dou must have fled somewhere, he’s still on Vermilion Violet Star. Chen Yi, find him...”
“More likely Ah Dou was captured alive.”
“Why?”
“‘They’ have always wanted a living human prodigy.”
That had been the case since Firelight Star.
When the Three Major Sects hunted Ah Dou, they insisted on capturing him alive.
Ji Wuqing withdrew a jade-green four-pointed star from her bosom.
“This is my identity spiritual treasure. I’ll change its aura to yours shortly, and from now on, you’ll be the Head of the First Hall of the Torch Society’s Vermilion Violet Star main headquarters...”
Ji Wuqing had told you before that the Torch Society raised new talent in two ways.
The first was to raise them from childhood within the Torch Society, teaching them by word and deed — this cultivates the most loyal faith and eliminates internal traitors.
She hadn’t told you the second way.
Now you knew.
“Keep this thing. With me around, you won’t die!”
You waved your hand, using Pot Heaven Divine Ability to open the Pot Heaven space, releasing the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in a blaze of golden light.
“Old Wan, steady her soul! If her soul scatters, I’ll have you to answer for it!”
The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was speechless.
“Banner sits in Pot Heaven, and the pot falls from the sky! Oh bother!”
After much effort and with the help of some Ji family precious medicines Ji Xiaosong had somehow procured, Ji Wuqing’s life was saved.
Given Ji Wuqing’s cultivation, once her life was secure, her injuries recovered rapidly.
Half a month later, Ji Wuqing regained mobility.
“How long since I returned?”
“Half a month.”
“Crap! I have to leave the Ji family right away!”
Ji Xiaosong didn’t understand.
“Cousin, your injuries aren’t fully healed yet. Stay here and recuperate.”
“No, if I stay it’ll bring big trouble to the Ji family!”
Ji Wuqing barely packed, only changing into clean purple clothes, then prepared to set off.
You followed Ji Wuqing and said, “I’m coming too.”
“I don’t know if my identity has been revealed. It’s not safe for you to follow me.”
“Since Ah Dou was captured, I’m going to rescue him.”
“Good! I’ll take you to the Peace Bureau!”
At that moment, the thudding of war drums, boom boom boom, echoed across the entire Ji Family Ancestral Land!
Ji Xiaosong clapped his hands over his ears and peered up at the sky.
“What’s that noise? It’s driving me crazy!”
The drumbeat turned into visible sound waves and swept in from all directions.
The ripples kept reverberating, forming a massive hemispherical dome that enveloped the entire Ji Family Ancestral Land.
From east, south, west, and north, ten-thousand-mile colored clouds streaked across the sky, and figures could be seen on the clouds — countless soldiers clad in armor and bearing arms.
Ji Wuqing’s long hair trembled.
“The Peace Force!”
You glanced over.
“So this is the Peace Force? Putting on a display like celestial soldiers.”
“How did the Peace Bureau find out so quickly that I’m from the Ji family? I didn’t reveal my identity when I fought at the base, did I?”

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