Chapter 368: Discovery and Ambush

After silently killing Zhao Weizhen, Xu Jin did not leave but remained hidden, slowly approaching the strongest of the seven-stage peak qi signatures—the position of Yangdu Marquis—while carefully sensing his surroundings.

When his sister Jiang Er became entangled in the incident involving the Worship of the Dipper Sect's branch temple, Xu Jin had suspected Yangdu Marquis of being involved, possibly colluding with the Worship of the Dipper Sect.

The Worship of the Dipper Sect had abducted two to three thousand people and operated on his fief for months without him noticing?

Was that normal?

It was not.

But at that time, Xu Jin lacked the ability to investigate Yangdu Marquis; yet the seed of suspicion had been planted then.

Today, the opportunity had finally arrived.

And since Zhao Weizhen was Yangdu Marquis's trusted aide, during Wen Meng's interrogation, Xu Jin casually probed into matters concerning Yangdu Marquis, aside from those related to Ning Yuchan.

The gist was: what secret tasks had Zhao Weizhen carried out for Yangdu Marquis?

One question revealed over twenty such incidents.

Xu Jin now understood Zhao Weizhen's role in Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's eyes—a glove or a scapegoat.

Just like the former aide of the Marquis's household who had come forward to confess and accept punishment when problems arose on his fief.

Whenever trouble occurred, Zhao Weizhen could be sacrificed to sever ties with him.

But could the ties truly be severed?

No.

No one was foolish, and the high-ranking officials of Chen Guo, such as the State Tutor, were certainly not.

Yet they would engage in political calculus and would not act against a powerful seven-stage apex warrior who commanded a large army and wielded deep influence within the military.

As long as it remained within tolerable limits, if Yangdu Marquis showed the proper attitude, certain matters could be easily swept under the rug.

When trouble struck, Zhao Weizhen was Yangdu Marquis's attitude.

Thus, Zhao Weizhen had participated in and executed many of Yangdu Marquis's secret operations.

Of the twenty-plus incidents, more than half involved two star regions: the four-stage Firecloud Star Region and the five-stage Lanshan Star Region.

Xu Jin was familiar with the four-stage Firecloud Star Region—the one where he had obtained the Worship of the Dipper Sect's Star Official seal.

According to the timeline, before Xu Jin entered the Firecloud Star Region, Zhao Weizhen had, on Yangdu Marquis's orders, sent three groups of people there; after Xu Jin exited, two more groups were sent—one of ten elites, another of twenty—both of which vanished without a trace.

The second group had been personally retrieved by Zhao Weizhen from Chen Guo's War City on direct orders.

The timeline matched perfectly.

The Worship of the Dipper Sect within the Firecloud Star Region was almost certainly the product of Yangdu Marquis's collusion with the sect's high leadership.

Then what of the five-stage Lanshan Star Region?

According to the information extracted from Zhao Weizhen, after assuming the post of Right Sima, he had sent one group of people to the Lanshan Star Region, arranged two shipments of supplies, and received multiple shipments from Lanshan every two months—stable and consistent.

Thus, the Lanshan Star Region was very likely Yangdu Marquis's private operation.

Or possibly another product of his collaboration with the Worship of the Dipper Sect.

Xu Jin had realized: the various star regions of the Star River Battlefield were indeed the ideal breeding grounds for the Worship of the Dipper Sect and the Blood God Sect.

With the covert protection and information suppression of a powerful lord, one could grow rich in silence.

Xu Jin was now stealthily approaching Yangdu Marquis to investigate his specific situation.

To observe his exact reaction.

Zhao Weizhen's death would be discovered soon.

But when he drew within eight to nine hundred meters of Yangdu Marquis, Xu Jin clearly sensed his qi signature and cultivation base.

The effect of the Thirty-Six Mingji Star Patterns was extraordinary.

The maximum sensing range was eighteen hundred meters, but the optimal range was around nine hundred meters.

Moreover, the Mingji Star Patterns' utility continued to expand, even aiding in the deduction and comprehension of star patterns.

Previously, when refining the Star Official seal, he had faintly sensed the directions of the other twenty-seven Star Official seals by activating seven or eight Mingji Star Patterns—but activating all thirty-six gave him a clear, albeit faint, direction.

Xu Jin had decided: he must enhance and refine the Mingji Star Patterns next.

Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's cultivation base was normal—seven-stage peak.

But his spiritual soul's fluctuations startled Xu Jin.

He could not precisely gauge the level of Yangdu Marquis's spiritual soul cultivation, but he clearly sensed that Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce had already forged a Soul Essence.

The State Tutor Cheng Yuexiao, with his status and resources, had only managed to form a Chuxing of a Soul Essence and had never fully broken through to forge one.

Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce, a seven-stage peak warrior merely commanding a single army, had forged a Soul Essence long ago.

Though the Star River Battlefield offered more resources, this was still unusual.

But if one combined this with Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's collusion with the Worship of the Dipper Sect, then his forging of a Soul Essence became perfectly logical.

Hidden in the shadows, Xu Jin waited silently.

The clerks hypnotized by Wen Meng would awaken within at most fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes, chaos erupted within the military headquarters.

Moments later, Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's unique seven-stage peak qi signature surged violently from the central courtyard and shot toward the Right Sima 's quarters.

Zhao Weizhen's death had been exposed.

Xu Jin did not move.

His current position was eight hundred meters from Zhao Weizhen's barracks.

All he needed to do was remain hidden here and activate the Mingji Star Patterns to observe events.

Zhao Weizhen's death was bizarre.

It resembled a locked-room murder.

The guards outside insisted they had heard no disturbance and had not left their posts.

The clerks inside claimed they had merely dozed off, then found Right Sima Zhao slumped over his desk, motionless—only then did they realize something was wrong.

Injuries?

No injuries whatsoever.

Such a bizarre incident meant someone was lying.

Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce ordered the clerks tortured and interrogated—but gained no useful information.

An hour later, Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce returned to his military headquarters, which resembled a mansion but was heavily guarded by troops.

He summoned another trusted aide: Right Canjun Sun Hui.

"Three matters: First, though Weizhen's death is strange, I can tell he was killed by a spiritual soul technique. Arrange for a covert investigation of everyone who entered Yangdu War City in the past ten days—any unfamiliar faces must be thoroughly examined."

"Second, send someone to secretly investigate Ning Yuchan of the Fifth Division's Second Unit—recent activities." Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce ordered directly.

This directive puzzled Right Canjun Sun Hui. "My Lord, how is Right Sima 's death connected to Ning Yuchan?"

"Not clear yet—only suspicion. Investigate."

"Yes."

"Third: Slow your cultivation slightly. Take over all affairs previously handled by Weizhen—especially those concerning Lanshan Star Region. Do not slacken in the slightest!"

"Beyond managing supplies, intensify military formation training there, strengthen its forces, and at the right moment, carefully arrange the assassination of an alien king to absorb one or two more of Lanshan's celestial and terrestrial star wills, to reinforce control over the region."

"Firecloud Star Region is lost—Lanshan Star Region must not fail." Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce ordered.

"My Lord, rest assured—I will handle it well and report back." "Go."

After giving these orders, Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce stood silently before the window.

Xu Jin dared not approach too closely.

He still did not know the true level of Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's Soul Essence.

He did not know how long he had forged it.

Though Xu Jin's Yuanling Taiguang had advanced rapidly, compared to seasoned veterans like Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce, his breakthrough was still too recent.

Caution was paramount.

But one thing was certain: Yangdu Marquis knew—and even tacitly approved—Zhao Weizhen's targeted harassment of Ning Yuchan, and their conflict.

And Lanshan Star Region was definitely problematic!

Half an hour later, Xu Jin silently slipped out of the camp and returned to the inn.

Fortunately, Xu Jin had been cautious, returning to the inn entirely hidden.

Several hundred meters from the inn, he noticed something amiss.

The Xuantiger Army had dispatched patrol soldiers questioning the innkeeper about Qi Tiansheng's whereabouts.

One must admit, the troops under Yangdu Marquis moved with remarkable speed.

This was also due to Yangdu War City's frontline location and low population turnover.

Qi Tiansheng, the unfamiliar visitor, was quickly identified.

Moreover, five seven-stage qi signatures circled continuously above Yangdu War City—any anomaly would draw all five to converge within a single breath.

Fortunately, Yangdu War City had not been sealed off.

Using his superior stealth technique, Xu Jin crept away at an extremely slow pace, distancing himself forty to fifty li from Yangdu War City before revealing his form, stepping onto the stars, and accelerating toward Chen Guo's War City.

But barely three breaths into flight, an immensely vast and powerful qi signature suddenly stood before him like a mountain and sea, blocking his path.

Before his eyes, Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce appeared, clad in full armor.

"You've done quite the deed on my territory, Chai has been waiting for you!"

The moment Yangdu Marquis's thunderous voice rang out, he drew his bow fully, and three arrows—each woven with countless starlight—shot toward Xu Jin from all directions.

The moment the sonic wave erupted, the arrows were already before Xu Jin.

The instant he saw the arrowlight, the Earth's magnetic field subtly shifted, and Xu Jin dropped straight to the ground without hesitation.

As he fell, he perfectly avoided the three arrows—but they locked onto him like living things, veering mid-flight and plunging into the earth instead.

In the instant he landed, Xu Jin accelerated again.

He instantly pushed his speed to its limit: fourfold Flowflare!

Just as he began to accelerate, two other mid-seventh-rank warriors surged forward from left and right.

Soul Secret Technique: Startling Dream!

In an instant, the seventh-rank warrior blocking Xu Jin's path was engulfed in fading starlight, his expression frozen in daze.

Xu Jin slipped past, but his speed inevitably slowed slightly.

"Think you can escape so easily?!"

The roar of Yangdu Marquis rang out—he had caught up!

The bowstring twanged, and three more arrows flew in rapid succession.

This time, they were extremely close.

The moment the three arrows unleashed sonic waves, they struck Xu Jin's back.

The first arrow sent massive ripples through Xu Jin's Fish-Screen Golden Bell, cracking it inch by inch.

The second arrow struck instantly—the Fish-Screen Golden Bell shattered, and the sixth-rank supreme Gold-Scale Armor's Star-Stacking Technique atop it also collapsed at once.

The third arrow arrived—Xu Jin, stunned, activated the Star Technique: Transplanting Flowers.

Seventy percent of the arrow's starlight veered toward the mid-seventh-rank military warrior to his right; the residual force slammed into Xu Jin's sixth-rank supreme Gold-Scale Armor and was easily blocked.

Thanks to this strike, Yangdu Marquis closed the distance further, and the other mid-seventh-rank military warrior arrived in an instant.

Without hesitation, Xu Jin activated Startling Dream again!

He targeted Yangdu Marquis!

To buy himself a fleeting moment to escape.

But when Xu Jin unleashed Startling Dream, Yangdu Marquis's star energy merely rippled slightly—he showed no sign of effect and pressed his attack without pause.

"A soul secret technique that can shake me? So it really is you!" Now Yangdu Marquis had definitively identified the killer.

At that same instant, the third mid-seventh-rank military warrior recovered from the soul attack and turned once more to surround and kill Xu Jin.

In an instant, three seventh-rank warriors attacked from different directions—Xu Jin seemed trapped in a death sentence!

In that very moment, Xu Jin's mind flashed with decisions.

Between using Earthroot to stand and fight to the death or flee, he chose flight.

With a thought, he activated the Star Technique: Chaotic Stars on the Chaos Star Pendant hanging at his chest—and vanished instantly.

Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce, who had lunged into empty air, immediately roared to his two subordinates: "The Chaotic Space Teleportation Seal—distance won't exceed two hundred li! Search!"

"Send the assembly signal!"

The moment Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce finished speaking, a blinding burst of starlight exploded high in the sky a hundred li away.

Though distant, Chai Ce and his men could still see it clearly.

"There! Chase!"

"Send the assembly signal! Gather forces to block him!"

As Yangdu Marquis charged toward the signal, he issued another order.

But after chasing for only twenty breaths, Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce gave up.

It wasn't that his speed was insufficient.

Xu Jin's fourfold Flowflare was fast—even faster than most seventh-rank warriors—but Chai Ce specialized in wind, and excelled in speed.

If he kept chasing, he could still catch up.

Chai Ce estimated that if he continued, he would catch Xu Jin within at most two quarters of an hour.

But his seventh-rank subordinates couldn't keep up at all.

They would fall farther and farther behind.

What if there was an ambush?

What if the assassin killed Zhao Weizhen on purpose, then lured him into pursuit, just to draw him out?

A fourth-rank ninth-layer cultivator with such astonishing combat power was exceedingly rare.

Not to mention his soul cultivation seemed nearly equal to his own.

Someone like this could not possibly be a lone cultivator—he must have a background.

If someone had set this trap, and he chased alone, wouldn't he be walking right into it?

A man of great wealth does not sit beneath a perilous eave!

He was the commander of the Xuantiger Army—he had no need to risk himself!

So Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce decisively withdrew.

As for losing him—no matter!

Someone this brilliant and extraordinary wouldn't be hard to find!

(End of Chapter)