The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 167: Breakthrough! Enlightenment! Assassination!

Breakthrough! Enlightenment! Assassination! . . .

Cha-Eun Xiao's heart ached, burdened by an indelible pain that had taken root deep within. It was a feeling that could never be fully expunged.

"In my previous life, I truly had nothing," he reflected, his thoughts a maelstrom of regret and longing. "All I possessed was an unparalleled cultivation capability. My only friend met a tragic end..."

The memories of his past life, with its loneliness and isolation, weighed heavily on him. But the present was a different story. He had been granted a second chance in this new life, with loving parents, friends, family, and even a homeland to call his own. These newfound connections and responsibilities were his to cherish and protect.

"I have parents, friends, families, brothers, a lover, and a homeland," Cha-Eun Xiao mused, the realization dawning on him. "They are all my responsibilities. They are the things I must safeguard. I have been blessed with great wealth in this life, obtaining everything I yearned for in my previous existence."

Taking a deep breath, he came to terms with the past and embraced his present responsibilities.

"They are all mine now, and I refuse to let them slip away," he resolved.

The image of Su Ye-Yue, with her endearing smile, flashed in his mind, filling him with determination.

"This little girl is truly adorable," he thought with a smile. "I will tread carefully in this life, safeguarding all that is dear to me. I will savor every precious moment."

As Cha-Eun Xiao relaxed and focused on his thoughts, the purple qi within his dantian began to surge. A surge of purple energy radiated from within him, transforming the night sky.

Though it should have been a cloudy and dark night, the clouds suddenly dissipated, revealing a brilliantly illuminated moon. The moonlight bathed the world in a silvery glow, while several rounds of purple light encircled it, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Unbeknownst to the onlookers who marveled at the moon, the purest purple essence in the world was converging towards a specific destination. Streams of purple light flowed towards Chen-Xing City, the General's House, and eventually, Cha-Eun Xiao's body.

The purple qi within him surged at an unprecedented rate, and in the Boundless Space, waves of purple energy filled the surroundings, rendering the entire space a translucent shade of crystal purple.

Within the egg's designated space, an abundance of purple qi congregated, nearly coalescing into a solid mass. The egg voraciously absorbed every bit of purple qi that entered its range, growing in size and clarity. It had expanded from the size of an apple to that of a small watermelon, its patterns becoming more defined.

The nine spaces in the Boundless Space also absorbed the purple qi, unlike the frigid qi that was detrimental to the environment. Instead, the purple qi served to enhance and strengthen the various spaces, a harmonious balance to the extraordinary energies at play.

Within the Wood Space of the Boundless Space, the impact of the purple qi was nothing short of remarkable. The precious plants that resided there exhibited explosive growth under its influence. The Tree of the Cultivating Tea, in particular, underwent a dramatic transformation. Its trunk expanded to the size of a large bowl, and its leaves grew to resemble a massive umbrella, ultimately crowning the tree with a canopy that spanned ten meters in diameter. The leaves took on a shimmering, crystal silver hue, reminiscent of moonlight filtering through a forest canopy.

However, Cha-Eun Xiao remained blissfully unaware of these developments. He was still immersed in the profound experience of the voice within his mind, akin to a voyage through the river of life. His senses were wholly attuned to the voice, rendering him oblivious to his surroundings.

As the purple qi continued to flood his dantian, it swiftly filled the space to capacity. Yet, instead of simply saturating his core, his dantian began to contract, an act of self-purification through compression. This process was repeated multiple times—nine, to be precise—before culminating in a magnificent release.

The meticulously compressed purple qi vanished, leaving behind a minuscule glimmer of purple light. Meanwhile, Cha-Eun Xiao experienced an unparalleled sense of comfort. Unbeknownst to him, he expelled a dark purple substance from his body, a physical manifestation of his inner transformation. He remained ensconced in his profound trance, undisturbed by the physical world.

After a brief interlude, the world returned to its normal state, bathed in the gentle radiance of the moon. Cha-Eun Xiao gradually opened his eyes, his gaze ablaze with newfound clarity. His body felt profoundly different, no longer that of a man without purpose or love.

He now held responsibilities and cherished connections: family, lover, brothers, home, and country. Cha-Eun Xiao exhaled deeply, whispering in gratitude, "Is this your way of granting me redemption, O God?"

Suddenly, the tranquility was shattered as the Boundless Space quivered. The gate leading to the second level of the East-rising Purple Qi crackled open slightly. An unsettling sensation coursed through him.

His attention was abruptly drawn to a fierce and deadly presence hurtling toward him from beyond the window. It was a swift and deadly sword technique, brimming with murderous intent—an unmistakable assassination attempt by a top-tier assassin with a single target in mind: Cha-Eun Xiao.

In the dead of night, chaos erupted around the House of Cha, as an ominous symphony of shouts and clashing steel filled the air. Shadowy figures, clad in black, leaped and darted through the vicinity. Some infiltrators hailed from the exterior, while others made their clandestine entrance within the household's walls.

Over fifty enigmatic assailants, concealed beneath veils of darkness, materialized. In response, approximately forty defenders, armed with swords, valiantly confronted this clandestine intrusion.

Atop a watchtower, a resonant horn pierced the night's stillness.

"Assassins!" cried Song Jue, his voice a clarion call that shattered the silence. With a longsword gripped firmly in hand, its blade infused with hues of bloody red, blue, and yellow, he sprinted toward Cha-Eun Xiao's chambers. His weapon bore a name—Blood Glow.

However, six masked adversaries sought to impede his advance, interposing themselves in his path. One of them seemed to recognize something about Song Jue, a spark of realization igniting within him. He shouted, "Blood Blade General! Are you Song Yi-Dao? No wonder you've been conspicuously absent from battle for years, concealed within the House of Cha."

Song Jue's eyes gleamed with an icy intensity. He retorted vehemently, "You know nothing!"

In an instant, the Blood Glow surged forth like a tempest—Boom! Boom! Boom! The six assailants simultaneously spat blood, their forms recoiling in disarray. Six cultivators, each attaining the ninth level of the Grade of Diyuan, found themselves helpless against Song Jue's ferocity. A single sword stroke had wrought considerable devastation.

"Wait... You're not Song Yi-Dao... Even the Blood Blade General doesn't possess this level of prowess..." The masked man coughed, his voice strained as he demanded, "Who are you? Who in the world are you?"

Undeterred, Song Jue's blade flickered once more, and six severed heads tumbled to the ground. Bathed in the eerie radiance of blood, he pressed forward unrelentingly, a harbinger of impending doom.

Two additional masked assailants, their attire as dark as their intentions, intervened to halt his advance. Though their numbers were few, their strength surpassed that of the prior six. Manifesting sapphire-hued auras, these cultivators were clearly of the Grade of Tianyuan. Still, they could merely delay Song Jue's progress momentarily.

With a cry that reverberated throughout the residence, Song Jue bellowed, "KILL!"

An overwhelming aura of death permeated the entire household, as the unrestrained thirst for bloodshed coursed through his veins.

He felt stifled.

Even more so than when he had lost all of his cultivation, this oppressive force now weighed heavily upon him. Despite having regained his strength, he remained restricted by his injuries, a source of boundless frustration. He had been thwarted by two individuals, whose power was merely at the Grade of Tianyuan, and the resentment festered within him.

His battle cry was more than mere words. It symbolized his unyielding determination, his resolve to overcome the formidable odds stacked against him.

[Song Yi-Dao?

Yes, I am Song Yi-Dao, the Blood Blade General.

But you will never truly know who I am!]

He was not only frustrated but also urgently pressed for time. Clearly, their adversaries had dispatched their most formidable operatives for this mission. It was a grand-scale assassination attempt, with the sole objective of ensuring Cha-Eun Xiao's demise.

Their mandate was unequivocal—eliminate Cha-Eun Xiao at all costs.

It was the Absolute Killing Order, a chilling decree that loomed over the world of assassins.