Chapter 696: Chapter 696: Cultivation and Assassination Attempt
The descent of tree breath is an affirmation of an exceptionally talented cultivator, and for the tree breath to descend for a human was truly unprecedented. Now, this event has become an explosive occurrence among the elves, with many of them praying and worshipping under the Life Tree. Yet, due to the blockade by the Hall Guards, they were unaware that the one inside was a human.
“Change of the guard.” A squad of Hall Guards approached the periphery of the house and made a hand gesture to the soldiers on duty, signaling the shift change.
“Captain Liruo, it’s you,” said the surprised captain of the guards when he saw who was approaching.
“Her Majesty has ordered that the person inside is of utmost importance, and has specifically dispatched us to guard this place. You may stand down and rest,” Liruo said indifferently. Although she was a young elf maiden, she was also an accomplished cultivator, already a confidant of Mona and a squad captain among the Hall Guards at such a young age.
“Yes.” The elf soldier nodded and, after the soldiers’ silhouettes disappeared into the darkness, a fierce expression slowly emerged on Liruo’s face.
“Stand guard here; no one is allowed to enter,” Liruo turned and ordered the Hall Guards behind her.
Liruo pulled out a dagger from her waist and turned to enter the house, but was stopped by one of the Hall Guards.
“Captain Liruo, Her Majesty has decreed that no elf is to enter this room. You…”
“Just guard the outside, I will bear the consequences for anything that happens,” Liruo said coldly, her sharp gaze leaving the guards at a loss and wondering what to do.
“What, are my orders not to be heeded?” Liruo coldly remarked. She was the captain of this squad of Hall Guards and, although Her Majesty had an order, Liruo’s words were commands all the same.
“Very well, we obey.”
“Wait a second, Captain Liruo, what are you planning to do inside?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Sword spirit, when will you break through?” Ye Shikai lay sweating profusely on the bed, looking as though he had just been fished out of water, and even the sheets were drenched. The Emperor Xuan Scripture was a supreme cultivation technique, and it was inherently difficult to cultivate. The descending tree breath provided a constant flow of Spiritual Energy, but the key lay within Ye Shikai himself. Now, the Spiritual Energy he absorbed turned into Inner Strength within his Dantian, continuously assaulting the fifth level of the Emperor Xuan Scripture, Kun Level, causing the shackles to begin to loosen as Ye Shikai clenched his teeth in persistence.
“The shackles are almost loose, just another breath away from breakthrough. Persist a little longer.” At this moment, Ye Shikai felt utterly drained, spent, with his legs and arms seemingly losing sensation.
“The tree breath is extremely potent, a fluke that cannot be sought. If you miss this chance, it’d be hard to encounter such an opportunity again.”
“Alright, then I’ll hold on.”
“Thump, thump, thump.” At this time, a series of soft footsteps slowly arose. Although the sound was very light, Ye Shikai could still hear them clearly, though he wasn’t sure who it was.
Now was the critical moment for breakthrough. If it were a protector coming, that would be well and good, but if it were someone coming to disrupt, then…
“Blade Spirit, quickly see who’s coming.” Ye Shikai hurriedly said; this was elf territory, and those who came were almost certainly up to no good.
“It seems to be that elf girl named Liruo.”
After hearing this, Ye Shikai felt a chill down his spine, his heart skipped a beat. This capricious elf girl, with no grudge or grievance, was hell-bent on exterminating him. One would think Ye Shikai had wronged her in some way.
“That girl is holding a knife in her hand.”
“What are you saying.” At this moment, Ye Shikai felt an intense chill, whether from the wind or from fear. If he forced himself to stop his breakthrough now, his Dantian would surely suffer from the backlash of Inner Strength. Suffering internal injuries would be the least of his problems, Dantian damage, and exploding meridians, or even bleeding from all orifices, were all possibilities.
“I didn’t expect this elf queen to be so ruthless.”
“Blade Spirit, what do you mean?” Ye Shikai faintly felt that something was amiss.
“When the tree breath descends, it’s a major event in the elf community. Do you think the elf queen would make no preparations? So, under whose orders did Liruo come?” Blade Spirit’s words left Ye Shikai half-convinced. The queen seemed to have some connection with the “Ye Shikai” from two thousand years ago. Would she really order a hit on him? But if not, how did Liruo get in?
“Is it possible to stop the breakthrough now?”
“It’s possible, but I’m afraid that would cost you your life.”
“That’s as good as saying nothing…”
“Don’t panic just yet, wait and see what she’s up to.” Blade Spirit spoke indifferently. Ye Shikai couldn’t open his eyes now, but Blade Spirit could view the outside situation through his consciousness.
“Humph, human, you’ve fallen into my hands at last.” In the room, Liruo picked up a dagger, and under the moonlight, it reflected a cold gleam. Clearly, this elf was here to kill…
“What do we do now?” Ye Shikai asked urgently.
“No, you absolutely can’t stop now. Otherwise, you don’t need her to kill you; you’ll just explode your Dantian and die.” Blade Spirit spoke urgently, and Ye Shikai agreed. To forcefully stop cultivating now would be like drinking poison to quench thirst, the worst plan.
“There’s no other way, we can only take a gamble now.”
“I’m going to kill you now.” Seeing Ye Shikai sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating as if he hadn’t noticed anything around him, Liruo shouted loudly, raised her dagger, and plunged it fiercely towards Ye Shikai.
“Ah.” Just as the dagger was about to strike, a silvery light shot in from outside the window and violently repelled Liruo.
“Who’s there?” Liruo sharply turned, and a figure in black was standing behind her.
The person in black didn’t reply, revealing a sharp blade in hand and charging forward. Liruo saw the black-clothed person’s intention and raised her dagger to block the assault.
“Ji Qian.” Ye Shikai murmured. Although the person in black didn’t speak and their face was covered by a veil, Ye Shikai recognized the figure and the footsteps of the attacker clearly – agile yet powerful. Most importantly, in the Mili Forest, the only person who would come to his rescue was probably Ji Qian.
“Kid, take this chance to break through. Liruo is no match for the Moon God, but since this is elf territory, if Liruo and Moon God start fighting here, it will surely attract more people. Then it’ll be hard to control the situation,” Blade Spirit suddenly said urgently. Not to mention, those elf elders would likely seize this opportunity to remove Ye Shikai for good and eliminate future troubles. At that time, not only Ye Shikai would be in danger, but Ji Qian would likely suffer as well.