The Ethereal Domains

Obtaining the coveted treasure! . . .

Cha Eun Xiao received the promissory note from Lan Lang-Lang and hurried to the agreed-upon location, a corner of the alley near Zuo Xiang Fu. As he made his way there, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, shrouding the surroundings in darkness.

When he was just a short distance away from the Zuo Xiang Fu, a satisfied smile graced Cha Eun Xiao's face. He took a left turn to discreetly enter the alley. However, as he reached the corner, an ominous feeling washed over him.

"Hmm?" Cha Eun Xiao came to an abrupt halt.

A sense of impending danger engulfed him, a sensation honed through countless life-and-death encounters and ambushes. He trusted these instincts implicitly, knowing that they wouldn't alert him unless the peril was severe.

Cha Eun Xiao sensed a large group of cultivators approaching, converging near his location. 𝒷𝓮𝒹𝓃ℴ𝓿𝓮𝓁.𝓬𝓸𝓂

"Are they coming for me?" He furrowed his brows and shook his head. "It can't be... I'm not significant enough for them to mobilize like this. They can't possibly hold me in such high regard."

Simultaneously, hurried footsteps and murmurs echoed from the opposite end of the alley. It was Zuo Wu-Ji's voice.

Clearly, he had arrived earlier and was anxiously awaiting Cha Eun Xiao's arrival.

Seeing Zuo Wu-Ji here made Cha Eun Xiao rule him out as a suspect. This indicated that the ambush was orchestrated by an unknown party.

"Oh, you..." Zuo Wu-Ji couldn't contain his excitement when he spotted Cha Eun Xiao. He practically skipped over.

"Hush!" Cha Eun Xiao quickly covered Zuo Wu-Ji's mouth. "Did you bring the item?"

Zuo Wu-Ji nodded, his mouth muffled by Cha Eun Xiao's hand, and produced a package from behind him.

Even without seeing it, Cha Eun Xiao knew that it was the crystal. He could feel its presence.

It seemed that Zuo Wu-Ji had grown adept at thievery, given how easily he'd pinched the crystal.

"Here's the promissory note for 750 kilograms of gold. Make sure to repay me," Cha Eun Xiao said as he exchanged the note for the package. A sense of accomplishment washed over him.

"Thank you sooooo much..." Zuo Wu-Ji was on the verge of tears. "Brother, a true brother... From now on, you're my best brother. I... I..."

His excitement made him stutter.

Zuo Wu-Ji's thoughts raced as he considered returning the ruyi to his father, salvaging his reputation, and no longer being a punching bag for his father and grandfather. It was an emotional moment for him.

"Oh, thank goodness! The title of the number one black sheep in the kingdom will soon be taken away from me. You have no idea how stressed I've been these past few days," he reflected.

"Alright, that's enough. Hurry along now. Save your gratitude for another time." Cha Eun Xiao was eager to leave the alley now that he had the crystal. His instincts were practically screaming at him to get away.

Fortunately, Zuo Wu-Ji was equally eager to depart. "Bro, I'll be free again after the auction the day after tomorrow. We must grab a drink together then," Zuo Wu-Ji said as he made his hasty exit.

Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but be impressed. "This guy runs faster than me," he mused.

Now that the coveted crystal he had yearned for was securely held within his grasp, Cha Eun Xiao felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. He turned to leave the dimly lit alley, his fingers gently caressing the package that held the precious crystal.

However, just as he was about to make his exit, an unexpected wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him. It struck him like a bolt of lightning, causing him to stagger and clutch his forehead in distress.

The remnants of poison that had been lying dormant within his body had somehow managed to break free from his control and launch a swift and fierce assault.

"I had it completely under control. How could it resurface so rapidly?" Cha Eun Xiao wondered, his mind clouded by the increasing dizziness.

As the dizziness intensified, it carried a strange eagerness, almost as if the poison itself had taken on a life of its own.

Though Cha Eun Xiao could feel the growing intensity of the dizziness, he remained unaware of the sinister eagerness lurking within the poison. Nevertheless, he had no illusions about the potential threat it posed. With determination, he gritted his teeth and drew his knife. There was no other choice; he had to sever a piece of the crystal and employ it as a defense against the poison that now threatened to claim his life at any moment. At this point, saving his own life took precedence over any concerns about wasting some of the precious crystal.

A grinding sound filled the air as he carefully sliced away a portion of the crystal's surface. To his surprise, he soon discovered that the crystal's interior was incredibly tough. With his current strength, he could only manage to scrape off a small amount of powder.

"It's even harder than diamond!" Cha Eun Xiao muttered to himself as he swallowed the powder.

Prior to this moment, Cha Eun Xiao had only possessed second-hand knowledge about the crystal, never having seen or ingested a piece of it. It was only now that he fully comprehended just how resilient the crystal was.

Upon swallowing the powder, a delightful fragrance emanated from the crystal within his grasp, filling the air. He inhaled deeply, feeling an immediate sense of refreshment and relaxation. However, a different form of dizziness soon assailed his senses. He witnessed golden words flashing before his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he felt the package grow weightless. The crystal had vanished!

Yet, inexplicably, the package remained firmly in his grasp. How could the crystal inside it disappear into thin air? It was impossible for someone to have stolen it from right under his nose.

Or had the crystal not disappeared but rather fused with his body? Cha Eun Xiao grappled with this perplexing question. The crystal was substantial in size, so how had it managed to enter his body, and from where?

His confusion deepened, and suddenly, a surge of energy erupted from within his energy center. It all transpired in an instant. Cha Eun Xiao's brow glistened with sweat as a vast influx of spiritual energy coursed through his body. His pulse raced erratically, and despite his struggles, he was powerless to contain it.

"This is not good," Cha Eun Xiao murmured in despair. As a seasoned cultivator, he recognized the gravity of the situation. The sudden surge of energy was far from benign; it was uncontrollable and posed a severe threat. He had craved more power, but this was an overwhelming excess that he had grossly underestimated.

Regret gnawed at him for ever having come into contact with the crystal. Though he knew of its immense power, he had not anticipated the cataclysmic consequences it might unleash.

The current predicament was light-years away from what Cha Eun Xiao had envisaged. He faced a dire choice: to unleash the rampaging energy trapped within his body or risk the poison's demise. If he didn't act swiftly, his very being would face ruin. It was a nightmarish scenario, to say the least.

And in that critical moment...

**BOOM!** A thunderous explosion echoed nearby, accompanied by a fiery burst illuminating the night sky. The unmistakable clash of battle rang out, the cacophony of weapons clashing akin to thousands of blacksmiths forging their iron in unison. Cha Eun Xiao could only lament his misfortune.

His most dreaded fear had become a harsh reality – a fierce battle was unfolding within the Zuo Xiang Fu. To make matters worse, it was happening at the precise moment he found himself ensnared in this precarious situation.

Fortunately, the group of cultivators he had sensed earlier appeared to be targeting the Zuo Xiang Fu rather than him.

Unfortunately, he was currently positioned near the intruders, and he had unwittingly become entangled in their chaos.

With limited options at his disposal, Cha Eun Xiao chose to shield himself by covering his head with the package in his arms, forming an impromptu hood. He then attempted to distance himself from the turbulent conflict.

The sounds of battle grew steadily louder, signaling that the defenders within the Zuo Xiang Fu were rallying and gaining the upper hand.

Suddenly, an unusual horn-like noise pierced the air. Cha Eun Xiao furrowed his brow. "A prolonged sound followed by three short ones – a signal to retreat," he mused.

Amidst the chaotic events unfolding around him, Cha Eun Xiao had barely managed to reach the far end of the alley. It wasn't for a lack of desire to move faster, but rather due to his physical limitations. In an instant, a streak of swordlight sliced through the air right before him.

It turned out that one of the assailants had ventured out and reached his location. With a merciless fervor, the assailant indiscriminately targeted anyone who stood in his path.

Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but feel a bitter resignation. "These individuals clad in black attire, their faces concealed – they're clearly not aligned with the Zuo Xiang Fu. Their swiftness and ruthless efficiency suggest they are highly trained assassins."

Perhaps even more formidable than typical assassins!

As Cha Eun Xiao pondered his next move, the assassin showed no mercy and continued to unleash lightning-fast sword strikes. The sheer force behind each strike imbued the sword with a brilliant green light. The alley's walls shattered, and the ground developed deep fissures. It was as if the very air had been torn asunder by the sword's ferocity.