Deep within a dense forest, Cao Wenbin and Qin Yunmeng suddenly appeared on the branch of a tree, seemingly from thin air. Fortunately, both of them were light enough, and the branch was strong enough to hold their weight; otherwise, they might have fallen, gracelessly, to the forest floor below.
"Young Master, what should we do next?" Qin Yunmeng asked, glancing around warily.
Cao Wenbin paused for a moment, surveying his surroundings. He felt a sense of disorientation—every direction was thick with trees, and it was impossible to see beyond the dense foliage. However, just as he was about to choose a direction at random, a faint, almost imperceptible sound seemed to beckon him westward.
"The Devouring Art and the Tomb of the Devouring Emperor… they must be reacting to each other," he muttered to himself. "Truly, in this world, everything is interconnected; one move here shifts everything there. The workings of karma, inexorable."
His lips twisted into a slight smile. "If only Wu Chengqian knew…"
He left the thought unfinished, a smirk lingering on his face, and began moving westward with renewed determination, Qin Yunmeng close behind. After only a few minutes, however, they both stopped abruptly—a corpse lay ahead, just a few meters away, sprawled out across the ground. Blood still seeped slowly from the fresh wound in its chest.
"There must be another entrance," Cao Wenbin murmured, his expression growing tense as he immediately went on guard. Meanwhile, Qin Yunmeng knelt beside the corpse, examining it closely. After a few moments, she straightened up, looking back at Cao Wenbin with a grave expression.
"Young Master," she said, "this man was killed by Wu Chengqian."
Cao Wenbin's gaze sharpened. "Are you certain?"
She nodded emphatically. "This wound—it's unmistakably from the Emperor's Sword. Wu Chengqian loaned it to me once; I know its mark anywhere."
Cao Wenbin's face darkened as he fell silent. He hadn't expected Wu Chengqian to be this relentless. A powerful Emperor-level warrior had not been able to stop him, and now he had somehow managed to penetrate the tomb's entrance as well.
"It appears I'll have to come up with something to hinder him before reaching the tomb myself," Cao Wenbin muttered. A plan beginning to form, he didn't hesitate any further and, with renewed urgency, began moving westward with even greater speed. His intention was to circle around and gain enough time to set up a trap before Wu Chengqian caught up.
***
"Damn it! How can this place be so endless?" Wu Chengqian's eyes flared with frustration as he gazed out over the sprawling forest around him. He had abandoned every other objective on this journey for the sole purpose of tracking down and killing Cao Wenbin. Yet now, he hadn't even managed to catch sight of him.
"Am I really going to go home empty-handed?" he muttered darkly to himself. Frustrated, he was about to climb a nearby tree to gain a better view when Die Ke, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"Did you hear that?" Die Ke said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Wu Chengqian immediately stilled, listening intently. After a moment, he caught the faint sound Die Ke had heard—a soft, almost ethereal voice.
"A woman's voice…" he murmured, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. He exchanged a knowing look with Die Ke, and without another word, they both sprinted toward the direction of the sound.
Moments later, they arrived at the source of the voice, but as Wu Chengqian took in the scene before him, his face twisted with rage.
"Cao Wenbin, you're a damned coward!" he spat. "Can't even protect your own woman!"
Bound tightly to a tree before them was none other than Qin Yunmeng. Her clothing was torn, and she was in clear distress. Wu Chengqian and Die Ke, both well-experienced in battle, quickly pieced together what must have happened. From what they could surmise, Cao Wenbin had encountered a powerful enemy and, unable to hold his ground, had abandoned Qin Yunmeng as a decoy to ensure his own escape.
"Despicable scum!" Wu Chengqian seethed. "Cao Wenbin, you're no better than a beast. I swear, I'll kill you myself—and make sure your mother suffers this same shame!"
Just as he was about to launch into a tirade, Die Ke interrupted with a calm nudge on his shoulder.
"We're alone here. Spare us the theatrics," he said dryly. "You might as well free her before continuing your righteous fury. Unless, of course," he added with a smirk, "you'd like to… linger a while?"
Wu Chengqian's expression froze, and for a brief moment, a spark of temptation flickered across his face. But it passed just as quickly, and he shook his head with a rueful grin.
"I don't care for an audience," he muttered, stepping forward to untie her. But as he reached out, the ropes binding Qin Yunmeng suddenly loosened and fell away on their own. In that same instant, Qin Yunmeng, who had appeared faint and unresponsive, sprang to life, pulling a dagger from behind her back.
Before Wu Chengqian could react, she drove the blade deep into his side, catching him completely off-guard. The attack would have been fatal had he not twisted at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a blow to his heart.
"Why?" he gasped, staring at her in shock and disbelief.
Wu Chengqian had been drawn to her for months, yet never would he have imagined that this very woman would turn on him, wielding a blade against him with deadly intent.
Isn't it said that even a venomous tiger won't harm its own cubs? Then why had his "mother"…
A chill ran through Wu Chengqian's body as a horrifying thought occurred to him: could she have realized that he was no longer the original Wu Chengqian?