Only two people remained to rescue Adrian Yarrow. Just as Liam Duanmu leapt into the fray, another rescuer was run through the heart by a sword.
Noah Duanmu flashed Morgan Shangguan a charming smile in greeting, "Beauty, we meet again!" His gaze lingered on her with a hint of curiosity, but he couldn't discern anything from her expression. He sighed inwardly—such a deep and enigmatic woman was hardly suitable for his eldest brother. He regretted meddling in the past; if only he'd stayed out of it, perhaps his brother wouldn't have become so entangled.
Morgan Shangguan arched an eyebrow, and after a brief moment of thought, understood immediately—Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu must also be heading to Jade Dragon Manor. These two were heirs of the most prestigious estate in the land, and Liam was the Martial Alliance Chief. How could he not be invited to the grand celebration at Jade Dragon Manor?
Although most of Adrian Yarrow’s rescuers had been dealt with, the tide began to turn as Liam and Noah Duanmu joined the fight. The situation quickly reversed, and the black-clad assailants, sensing defeat, grew desperate and more vicious. Morgan finally realized—they weren’t here to kill Adrian Yarrow, but her.
Earlier, the black-clad assailants may have intended to kill everyone, which was why Morgan hadn’t noticed their true aim. But now, in their haste, they had clearly locked onto her as their target.
Who wanted her dead? Her true identity shouldn’t have been exposed, and as Morgan Shangguan, she hadn’t offended anyone—had she?
As she pondered, her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly. Mona Shangguan was struck by a black-clad attacker and sent flying toward the cliff. Whether it was sheer instinct or a desperate refusal to die alone, Mona seized Morgan’s wrist with lightning speed. Morgan failed to dodge in time—perhaps human potential truly knows no bounds.
Morgan Shangguan frowned, raising her hand to shake Mona off. But just as she did, she sensed a strange fluctuation in the air. Her pupils contracted as she watched a surge of black energy hurtle toward her. Instinctively, she raised her hand to block it. The energy collided with her own spiritual power, and the force sent her flying backward. Mona clung to Morgan's wrist with relentless determination, and Adrian Yarrow, who had tried to grab Mona, was caught in the blast—sending all three tumbling over the cliff's edge.
As she fell, Morgan Shangguan’s gaze swept over the group of black-clad assailants, but she couldn’t make out who had struck the decisive blow.
“Your Highness…” The last remaining retainer from the Azure Kingdom cried out in despair—only to be decapitated in a flash.
"Morgan!" Liam Duanmu rushed toward the edge of the cliff, but it was no use. He was about to leap after her when Noah Duanmu hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Brother, get a hold of yourself!"
Struck by the blast, Morgan Shangguan plummeted into the depths below—there was no chance of survival. The black-clad assailants vanished in an instant, and the cliffside returned to its former calm. Only the corpses and blood on the ground bore witness to the battle that had just taken place.
Noah Duanmu clung to Liam, pleading, "Brother, think of our parents! If you jump, Mother will be devastated. And if you die, the martial world will descend into chaos. Do you want to see rivers of blood?" He made the situation sound as dire as possible.
Liam Duanmu leaned weakly against his brother, staring blankly into the abyss below. He could see nothing but drifting white clouds.
Adrian Yarrow clung to Mona Shangguan, and Mona held fast to Morgan Shangguan as the three of them plummeted downward. Adrian frantically searched for something to slow their fall, while Mona, pale and terrified, squeezed her eyes shut and waited for death. Of the three, Morgan was the calmest.
Morgan pried Mona’s desperate grip from her wrist, then tapped the violet gourd at her waist. Instantly, her descent slowed noticeably.
At that moment, Mona’s mind was blank—she was completely unaware of what was happening. Adrian was panicked, desperate to find something to grab onto, or they would all surely die. Neither of them noticed Morgan’s strange behavior.
The little spirit who occasionally came out to play in the wind was always especially excited.
"Master, are you all right? Is the speed too fast for you?"
"Master, is the wind too strong?"
"Master, should we keep flying a bit longer?"
"Master..."
Thankfully, Morgan Shangguan remained calm—otherwise, she surely would have lost her temper!
When they reached the bottom of the cliff, Adrian Yarrow and Mona Shangguan had the good fortune to land in the branches of a lush tree, though they passed out from the impact. Morgan took out two pills and instructed, "Give these to them, and see if there's anywhere to rest nearby." Although Adrian and Mona had survived the fall, they were unlucky enough to have landed on a poisonous tree.
Since she had risked everything to save Adrian Yarrow, Morgan had no intention of letting him die now.
One little spirit quickly slipped the pills into the mouths of the unconscious pair, while the others began to search the cliff bottom. Soon, one returned excitedly, "Master, there's a small wooden hut over there!"
A hut? Morgan frowned. Someone actually lived beneath the cliff?
Morgan followed the spirit to the hut and pushed open the door. Inside, a thick layer of dust covered everything—it was clear no one had lived there for ages. On the floor lay a black skeleton, unmistakably black. It must have belonged to the previous owner.
Several little spirits flitted about, eager to help clean up. Morgan walked toward the wooden bed, but paused at the table in the center of the room. The spirits blew away the dust, revealing several lines of carved words.
The words had been deeply etched into the wood, but time had worn them down, making them hard to read. Still, Morgan could make out their meaning, and as she studied the lines, her brow furrowed.
"When the Demon Seed is born, the Sima clan falls; when the Rakshasa appears, chaos descends upon the world. In troubled times, a savior will arise; but where does the soul return, and which path will the world follow?"
Wasn't the Demon Seed referring to Gong Jueshang? The Sima clan had indeed been destroyed—the first line was already fulfilled!
Morgan glanced at the black skeleton on the floor. Who had this person been? It seemed they had foreseen everything that was about to happen—perhaps even more than Sima Yu's prophecy. The winds of change were blowing through the martial world, and the friendship between the two kingdoms was hanging by a thread. Chaos was truly coming. But what was the Rakshasa? A person? An object? Could it be related to what Felix Yu was searching for?
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