The Ethereal Domains

From Humble Beginnings, Purple Skyline Emerges . . .

The sword was hurtling mercilessly towards Cha Eun Xiao's face, and the sword's fierce energy was racing towards him even faster than the blade itself. The sheer force of the sword's energy, known as sword breath, was enough to be lethal on its own, making direct contact with the blade unnecessary for a fatal outcome.

Despite Cha Eun Xiao's powerlessness, his vision remained keen, and he observed the impending attack with crystal clarity. This particular strike was known in swordplay cultivation as the Mountain Cracking Strike. If this strike landed, there would be nothing left of him; it would obliterate every part of his body.

"They want to kill me for no reason, and they intend to tear me apart?" Cha Eun Xiao seethed with anger, his fury reaching a boiling point.

In this critical moment, the unbridled power within Cha Eun Xiao's body, unable to find an outlet, began circulating within him, giving him the illusion of regained strength. Instinctively, he flicked his sleeve and, without hesitation, executed the "Laughing Eight Blast" to both defend against the attack and retaliate.

He laughed as he executed the Eight Blast—a signature move of The Xiao Monarch.

However, it wasn't until he had initiated the move that a realization struck him: "Damn it! I am no longer the Xiao Monarch from my previous life. Despite the surge in strength, my spiritual power is entirely reliant on an external source. I can't squander it. But if I don't use it now, how can I defend myself?"

Unexpectedly, what followed left him astounded.

Once the boundless, raging power found an outlet, it poured forth continuously, showing no signs of abating. With a sharp noise, a powerful gust of wind accompanied by a burst of purple light erupted.

In that moment, Cha Eun Xiao felt a sensation wash over him, akin to an illusion where he was restored to the peak condition of his former life. Had The Xiao Monarch, who once laughed in the face of all challenges, returned?

Puff...

A faint sound emanated as the assailant, who had been charging at him moments ago, found himself unable to continue his frenzied sword strikes. An invisible force unleashed by Cha Eun Xiao's Laughing Eight Blast had rendered him immobile. Even his own sword, under this compelling force, was turned back and struck him with a devastating, unstoppable power.

The Laughing Eight Blast had amplified the strength of the sword strike to an astonishing degree.

The assassin, now facing dire consequences, was not only terrified but also horrified. Fortunately, his battle-honed reflexes kicked in, and he managed to adjust his stance just in time to block the blade. Kacha! Both of his hands were severed simultaneously. The impact of the blade's backside on his head drew blood immediately.

The powerful shockwave sent his body hurtling through the air, like a kite with a broken string. He crashed into a wall with a resounding thud before rebounding onto the ground. While he likely had multiple broken bones, his quick thinking had preserved his life.

Cha Eun Xiao had deflected the formidable Mountain Cracking Strike with a mere flick of his sleeve.

"A master at the Tian-yuan level... Who is he?" The assassins were left dumbfounded, their tone transformed by the unexpected turn of events.

"My goodness, I was almost done with my mission and on my way back. Then, out of nowhere, I cross paths with someone in a narrow alley, and he turns out to be the stuff of nightmares... What kind of rotten luck is this?"

The power within Cha Eun Xiao's body continued its relentless rampage, showing no signs of abating after the recent explosive confrontation. His frustration was palpable as he huffed in exasperation. Casually, he extended his hand into the air and grasped at nothing but space, and with the sound of a sword being unsheathed, a sword materialized before him as if conjured from thin air.

In that moment, he demonstrated the essence of his power: when spiritual energy became a sword, anything could serve as his weapon.

This was none other than the signature technique of The Xiao Monarch—The Long Sky Laugh. While its name might sound jovial, this move was deadly, designed to claim lives and pursue the souls of the departed.

Witnessing the creation of a sword seemingly out of thin air, the assassins from the opposing faction reacted with panic and terror. They knew they were outmatched and promptly attempted to retreat to preserve their lives.

But it was too late.

Rage burned in Cha Eun Xiao's eyes as he advanced and struck. In an instant, a brilliant sphere of purple qi materialized and burst forth, akin to the eruption of a spectacular display of purple fireworks against the night sky. The sword breath vanished as if it sought to turn back the clock by a thousand years.

The strange, muffled sounds of choking were audible as the assassin who had initiated the attack, along with the two who had followed suit, fell to the ground, clutching their throats. Their eyes bulged in desperation as they tried to staunch the flow of blood before succumbing to their injuries.

Three lives extinguished with a single stroke of the sword.

"From nothing, the purple skyline!" The leader, positioned farthest from Cha Eun Xiao, had the opportunity to witness the carnage. As the sole survivor, he was desperate to escape, though a severe wound on his chest and sheer dread in his eyes held him in place. He regarded Cha Eun Xiao with a mixture of shock and fear.

"You're... Ning Bi-Luo! How dare you oppose us? Even though you're the world's top assassin, His Highness won't let you get away with this!"

Cha Eun Xiao raised an eyebrow, bemused. "Ning Bi-Luo? Who's that? The world's top assassin? There's actually an elite cultivator in this mortal realm..." He wondered aloud about the identity of Ning Bi-Luo and the mysterious lord highness.

As he prepared to deliver a final blow to eliminate any potential future threats, Cha Eun Xiao felt the immense power that had been coursing through his body gradually subside, like a receding tide. The crisis of his Jing and Mai exploding had passed, and the surge of power from the Pure Heavenly Crystal's powder had dissipated. The foreign spiritual energy was incapable of persisting without a continuous supply. 𝚋𝚎𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕.𝚗𝚎𝚝

As the support of the spiritual power waned, the sword in Cha Eun Xiao's hand vanished. He retorted, "Humph, you've mistaken my identity."

The Xiao Monarch, a cultivator renowned for his principles, would not allow himself to be falsely accused.

However, the more Cha Eun Xiao denied his identity, the more convinced the assailant became that he was indeed Ning Bi-Luo. With his masterful fighting style and imposing presence, who else could he be if not the world's top assassin?

The assassin snorted and warned, "Ning Bi-Luo, our paths will cross again. Just wait and see!" He executed an impressive backward somersault, propelled by sheer fear, and skillfully vanished into the darkness, firmly believing that he had narrowly escaped with his life.

The sound of approaching soldiers grew ever nearer.

"I absolutely can't remain here any longer!" Cha Eun Xiao realized the urgency of his situation and made a swift decision to depart from the scene.

Unbeknownst to the fleeing killer, Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but feel a surge of relief deep within him. "The killer didn't attack me. I've actually managed to escape with my life!" he thought to himself, secretly celebrating his narrow escape.

From Cha Eun Xiao's perspective, the escaping assassin possessed the greatest strength among their group, even surpassing the one who had directly confronted him. Engaging in combat with such an opponent would have been impossible given the limited power remaining within him.

Though the last vestiges of his strength were insufficient for a battle, they were just enough to fuel his desperate flight to safety. Cha Eun Xiao moved like a shadow, swiftly vanishing from the alley.

This maneuver was a skill for which he had been renowned in his previous life as the Xiao Monarch: the One Laughter in Skyline.

With a single bound, Cha Eun Xiao covered over a hundred meters before landing heavily on the ground, completely depleting the residual power he had unwittingly gained.

In his prime, the Xiao Monarch could traverse dozens of miles with a single leap when using the One Laughter in Skyline at full strength. However, in his current weakened state and with limited spiritual energy, his performance was far less impressive, a mere hundred meters. The disparity was like night and day.

Although Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but feel a hint of frustration, he also found satisfaction in having escaped the heart of the chaotic battle. As a martial arts master, he understood the factors contributing to his limited range. It wasn't the inadequacy of his One Laughter in Skyline technique but rather the culmination of his poor physical condition and insufficient spiritual energy that restricted his movement.

Unbeknownst to him, the turmoil extended beyond the Zuo Xiang Fu, encompassing the entire capital city.

Shouts and the clamor of horses filled the air as countless soldiers scoured the streets in search of the escaping assassins.

"Catch the assassins!"

"Do not let the assassins escape!"

"Search thoroughly! Leave no suspects unexamined!"

"Better to wrongly accuse the innocent than to let any suspects go!"

The epicenter of this chaos was this very corner of the capital. It was as though a massive stone had been dropped into a placid lake, sending ripples of unrest throughout the entire city. The situation was growing increasingly dire.

Inside Cha Eun Xiao's exhausted body, his spiritual energy had been depleted, leaving him with just enough strength to move his legs, barely enabling him to navigate the streets. By the time he reached his home, he was utterly spent, to the point where he couldn't even muster the energy to lift a finger.

Remarkably, he had passed through countless security checkpoints along the way, with everyone identifying him as the Northern General's dissolute son. With his unsteady gait and flamboyant demeanor, he didn't attract much attention. Even though there was a citywide search underway, no one suspected that one of the Three Lords would be involved, so they had no reason to interrogate him.

As Cha Eun Xiao approached his front door, he suddenly heard a voice filled with anger but also possessing a delicate, sweet tone. It was a girl's voice.

Cha Eun Xiao turned his gaze toward the source of the voice and spotted two elegantly poised young girls standing beneath the lanterns in his home. The girl in front wore a fierce expression, her lips slightly pouted as she glared at him. Yet, beneath that facade of anger, there was an indescribable charm and allure.

Beside the door, a guard wore a bitter expression as he addressed Cha Eun Xiao. "My Lord... The princess has come to see you..."

Cha Eun Xiao immediately felt his scalp tingling. Drawing from the memories that had recently flooded his mind, he realized that the girl before him was indeed his fiancee, handpicked by his current father. She was the daughter of the renowned Royal Highness Hua-Yang, known throughout the capital as Princess Moon.

"Hmm, wasn't it claimed that she is gentle, soft, and virtuous? She just roared like a lioness upon seeing me. What's going on..." he wondered to himself.

Before he could react, his ear was firmly seized by a soft, small hand. "Why don't you come inside!" Princess Moon commanded.

The maids who stood beside her couldn't suppress their giggles as they covered their mouths. Cha Eun Xiao found himself in an incredibly awkward situation, being led through the door with his ear in the princess's grasp.

"Oyi oyi. Take it easy..." Cha Eun Xiao's face wore a bitter expression. It had been only a short while since he had depleted all his powers, and now his body was at its weakest. He was in no shape for this...

"Speak! What have you been up to? You rascal!" Princess Moon demanded, her gaze piercing into Cha Eun Xiao.

Seeing a beauty illuminated by the soft glow of lantern light was an entirely different experience. Princess Moon possessed a face reminiscent of a blossoming flower, with gracefully arched eyebrows, clear and intelligent eyes, a dainty nose, and a small mouth like a cherry. Her hair was delicately coiled atop her head... She truly resembled a figure from classical paintings and poetry. Even as she forced an intimidating and fierce expression, she remained a breathtaking beauty, one in a million. Her ability to transform her countenance was remarkable, rendering her unrecognizable to anyone who might encounter her.