Chapter 292 : Coming for Me?
Chapter 292: Coming for Me?
The thirtieth of July, an auspicious day for all affairs.
On this day, the Prince of Linjiang’s Residence shut its doors to guests, claiming that the Prince of Linjiang had entered seclusion to refine the treasured Xuantian Battle Armor.
During this period of seclusion, no visitors would be received.
It was said that the emperor had dispatched a team of Feathered Forest Guards to the Prince of Linjiang’s Residence for his protection, a clear sign of the emperor’s favor.
Also on this day, a seemingly unremarkable security escort team quietly departed the capital, heading south.
Among them, Chen Ming was disguised as an inconspicuous middle-aged man, seated on the carriage shaft, his face hidden beneath a bamboo hat, feigning sleep.
The coachman beside him was a young escort with sun-darkened skin—an undercover agent of the Six Doors Authority.
With the cover provided by this undercover agent, Chen Ming successfully left the capital, en route to Jiangzhou.
"Find a secluded place later and break through to First Grade."
He calculated inwardly.
He had long saved up enough experience points, but during the Trial, there was no need to break through.
After the trial, he didn’t want to draw too much attention either.
Now, with this imperial mission taking him away for several months, it was only natural that he would make a breakthrough during his journey.
From an outsider’s perspective, the Prince of Linjiang had always possessed peerless talent—emerging from seclusion and advancing to First Grade would be seen as perfectly reasonable.
Though reaching First Grade in his early twenties was a bit exaggerated, the aura he carried was already dazzling—one more halo wouldn’t matter.
“Uncle, ahead is Tao County.”
Suddenly, the escort beside him spoke up.
Upon reaching Tao County, they could board a boat and go downstream, a faster and more convenient alternative to the land route.
“Mm.”
He straightened up and stretched lazily.
At that moment, a terrifying will descended from the sky, causing his hair to stand on end. An overwhelming sense of danger triggered his internal Gang Origin, forming a Defensive Gang Qi Shield that enveloped his entire body.
Divine Repository Realm!
Chen Ming was shocked. Who had the audacity to unleash such unrestrained divine sense near the capital?
“Uncle? What’s wrong?”
The escort next to him was almost blown off the carriage by the shockwave of the Gang Qi, his face filled with alarm.
Then, the terrifying will receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace.
Chen Ming withdrew his defensive shield and noticed that the young escort beside him seemed completely unaffected, leaving him with a sense of unease.
Not just the escort—no one in the entire escort team, man or horse, appeared to notice the horrifying divine sense.
Was it because their cultivation was too low?
Chen Ming wondered, an ominous feeling rising within him.
What was the Divine Repository Realm expert’s purpose in doing this?
Were they searching for someone?
No—
Could they be after me?
…
Meanwhile, on a hill outside Tao County—
A man in a dark robe stared downwards and asked solemnly, “Did you find the person?”
“No.”
The brocade-robed man beside him replied. His age was indiscernible, and his presence was almost nonexistent. His demeanor was indifferent as he said, “There was one Second Grade, but his Gang Qi wasn’t ice-attribute, nor was he carrying a Peerless Divine Weapon.”
“How strange.”
The dark-robed man frowned. “By all accounts, he should’ve left the capital in the past couple of days. If he was heading south, he must’ve passed through Tao County.”
The brocade-robed man said blandly, “This old man agreed to strike once. If we don’t find him, that’s your problem, not mine.”
The dark-robed man replied respectfully, “Senior Li, rest assured. If he doesn’t appear within two days, we’ll consider this matter settled, and we won’t renege on our promise.”
“That’s fine then.”
As they spoke, the escort team had already entered Tao County.
Over the course of the day, several other groups passed through. Each time, the brocade-robed man probed with his divine sense, his control precise—only Third Grade martial artists and above could sense it, instinctively reacting and triggering their Gang Qi.
This was how he identified each traveler’s cultivation level and Gang Qi attribute.
As night fell, Tao County, being a major passage to the capital, saw countless travelers every day.
Yet the two still found nothing.
“Something’s off.”
The dark-robed man grew suspicious. He was certain the target left today. His spy had seen it but didn’t follow closely to avoid being noticed.
The man must have changed his appearance.
But appearances could be changed—cultivation methods could not. This person practiced ice-attribute techniques and carried a Peerless Divine Weapon. He shouldn’t have been hard to find.
To ensure nothing went wrong, he had deployed men along other key routes out of the capital, making escape nearly impossible.
And yet, no news had come.
Could that brat fly or vanish into thin air?
No—
Something had been overlooked.
After a moment of contemplation, the man asked, “Senior, did any unusual Second Grades pass through today?”
The brocade-robed man pondered. “Unusual Second Grade? You mean…”
“Not your typical Second Grade.”
“There was one—the escort team this morning had one. His Gang Qi was incredibly strong, comparable to a common First Grade. His divine sense was unusual too—”
The dark-robed man’s eyes lit up fiercely. “It must be him!”
“But his true energy attribute wasn’t ice, and he wasn’t carrying a Peerless Divine Weapon.”
“There are ways to change Gang Qi attributes. That man has methods far beyond commoners. Please, senior—chase him down and kill him.”
“What if you kill the wrong person?”
“Better to kill by mistake than to let him escape,” the dark-robed man growled.
“Very well. Remember what you promised me.”
“Of course.”
…
“Eighty percent chance they’re after me.”
A hundred miles away, deep in the mountains, Chen Ming sat cross-legged in an empty cave, sealing the entrance and preparing for his First Grade breakthrough.
That morning, he had been alarmed by the Divine Repository Realm expert’s divine sense.
Luckily, he had always been cautious and had already switched his Gang Qi to fire attribute.
Moreover, he hadn’t brought the Frost Chi Sword on this trip—he never intended to pose as a disciple of the Hanshan Sect.
It just didn’t feel reliable. The Hanshan Sect had been exterminated for colluding with the Blood Demon Sect. No sane member of the Blood Demon Sect would believe someone wielding the Frost Chi Sword and claiming to be from Hanshan Sect.
That plan sounded like something the emperor would come up with on a whim.
Chen Ming had his own ways. His martial world experience far surpassed that of an emperor raised in the palace.
“Good thing I didn’t bring the Frost Chi Sword, or I’d be dead by now.”
He felt genuinely fortunate for his prudence.
“But who’s trying to kill me?”
He mulled it over. Was it the Duke of Jingguo’s Residence? Or some other force whose interests he had threatened?
Anyone who could mobilize a Divine Repository Realm expert wasn’t ordinary.
Risking so much to kill him, the newly minted Prince of Linjiang, wasn’t due to some petty grudge. It had to be a deep vendetta—like a father’s death or a stolen wife.
Or perhaps his existence blocked someone’s path.
The first suspect that came to mind was the emperor.
The emperor had every reason to kill him—after all, he’d been cuckolded.
And he had the means to do it.
But on second thought, Chen Ming didn’t think it was the emperor. If he really wanted him dead, there had been countless better opportunities. This method was far too inefficient.
That left only one likely answer.
It had to be connected to the Six Doors Authority.
The most likely suspect—Shang Xiangrong.
Very few people knew about his secret mission out of the capital.
The emperor, the Princess Royal, and Shang Xiangrong.
The emperor and Princess Royal seemed less likely.
Of course, it was also possible a leak occurred somewhere—he couldn’t rule that out.
Either way, the Six Doors Authority was no longer trustworthy.
The agents and intel Shang Xiangrong had given him were no longer reliable.
“I’d always heard the court was a place of treachery and bloodless murder. Didn’t expect to learn that lesson so soon.”
With that thought, Chen Ming no longer hesitated.
No matter what, power came first.
With his current strength, he didn’t stand a chance against a Divine Repository Realm expert.
Since the enemy was so determined to kill him, there would definitely be ambushes waiting in Jiangzhou.
“Alright, let’s add points!”
Chen Ming dumped twenty million points into the Five Elements True Art, instantly pushing the technique to the ninth level!