Chapter 1084
Where Did It Come From?
"What do you know!" the leader glared at him. "I've heard that this Shi Ji is quite famous in the martial arts world, and he's very secretive. He must possess extraordinary skills or be hiding something valuable like a treasure map. If we capture him and force him to reveal his secrets, we can make a fortune!"
After devising their plan, the group began searching for information about Shi Ji, hoping to find his whereabouts. However, they were unaware that the treasure and secret they imagined simply did not exist; Shi Ji was merely a free-spirited god who enjoyed wandering the world.
Meanwhile, Shi Ji in the divine realm also sensed something amiss in the mortal world. Although he was in the divine realm, his connection with the mortal world was not completely severed. He frowned slightly, a sense of unease rising within him.
"Could something have happened to Yan'er?" Shi Ji wondered to himself, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Knowing Yan'er as he did, he was intelligent and resourceful enough that she wouldn't easily fall into danger. So, where did this strange aura come from?
Shi Ji decided to descend to the mortal realm himself to investigate. He transformed into a streak of light and descended to the mortal world once more. He did not go directly to Yan'er, but first conducted a secret investigation, and finally discovered the group of people who were plotting against him.
Shi Ji sneered, already having made up his mind. He decided to teach this group a lesson, to let them know that greed and ignorance come at a price. So, he deliberately revealed his whereabouts, leading the group to a secluded place.
Just as the group was overjoyed, thinking they had finally found Shi Ji's whereabouts, they discovered they had fallen into a trap. Shi Ji emerged from the shadows, coldly looking at them: "You've come for this so-called treasure?"
The group was intimidated by Shi Ji's imposing presence, and for a moment, no one dared to speak. Seeing this, Shi Ji sneered and continued, "Greed is one of humanity's greatest original sins. It is both pathetic and laughable that you would attempt to harm others for the sake of illusory wealth."
The leader of the group, though terrified, still forced himself to say, "Shiji, we...we just want some money. If you...you let us go, we promise we won't bother you again."
Shi Ji smiled lightly, but with a hint of coldness: "Let you go? You are willing to harm the innocent for the sake of greed. How can I let such people go so easily?"
The leader's expression changed, as if he wanted to say something, but he was rendered speechless by Shi Ji's glare.
Shi Ji continued, "Do you think I'm just an ordinary wandering swordsman that you can bully me at will? Today, I'll show you that greed comes at a price."
After saying that, he waved his hand lightly, and the group of people were frozen in place, unable to move.
“I will not kill you,” Shi Ji said calmly, “but I will make you reflect on your mistakes here until you truly realize them.”
After saying this, Shi Ji turned and left, leaving the group of people who were frozen in place looking at each other in great fear.
After dealing with this group of greedy people, Shi Ji felt much relieved. He did not forget the main purpose of his trip, so he immediately went to Yan'er's residence.
Seeing that Yan'er was safe and sound, Shi Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yan'er was overjoyed to see Shi Ji's sudden return, and the two embraced tightly.
"Why did you suddenly come back?" Yan'er asked.
Shi Ji smiled gently: "I sensed something was amiss in the mortal realm and was worried that something might have happened to you, so I came back to check on you."
Upon hearing Shi Ji's words, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint appeared in Yan'er's eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She gently leaned against Shi Ji's chest and softly said, "You're so thoughtful, always caring about me."
Shi Ji stroked Yan'er's hair and said with a smile, "Of course, you are very important to me. However, I have to return to the God Realm as soon as possible to deal with a crisis, so you must take good care of yourself."
Upon hearing this, Yan'er sneered inwardly, but feigned concern and asked, "Crisis? What kind of crisis? Can you handle it?"
Shi Ji sighed: "It's a major crisis concerning the safety of the divine realm, and I must go back. But don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible."
Yan'er nodded and said, pretending to be obedient, "Then you must be careful. I'll wait for you to come back."
However, after Shi Ji left, Yan'er's eyes immediately turned cold. Her previous gentleness and concern for Shi Ji were all a pretense. In reality, she had been secretly plotting how to use Shi Ji, and even wanted to kill him.
Yan'er turned and went into the inner room, taking a sharp dagger from a hidden cabinet. Looking at the dagger, a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: "Shi Ji, do you really think you know me? Hmph, when you return, it will be your death day!"
At the edge of the divine realm, Shi Ji was intently preparing to cross the boundary gate and return to the mortal world. His heart was filled with longing for Yan'er, and he desperately wanted to see her. However, the moment he stepped into the boundary gate, a powerful and mysterious force suddenly swept over him, binding him tightly.
Shi Ji was startled and immediately realized that he had been ambushed. He struggled desperately to break free of the restraints, but the force seemed to be alive, tightly binding him and rendering him unable to move.
"Hahaha!" A burst of wild laughter echoed at the edge of the empty divine realm. "Shiji, you have finally fallen into our trap!"
Shi Ji looked up and saw a group of mysterious men in black emerge from the shadows, their faces bearing sinister smiles, as if they had already foreseen Shi Ji's doom.
"Who are you? Why did you ambush me?" Shi Ji asked calmly, while secretly channeling her divine power in an attempt to break free of her restraints.
"Hmph, you don't need to know who we are. All you need to know is that today is your death day!" the leader of the men in black said viciously.
Shi Ji knew this battle was inevitable. He took a deep breath, gathered his divine power, and prepared for a desperate fight. However, he was also deeply puzzled: who had leaked his whereabouts? And who wanted to kill him?
Despite facing danger, Shi Ji remained calm and tried to extract more information from the man in black.
“Since you know my name, you must also know my status in the divine realm. Are you sure you can withstand the wrath of the gods if you kill me?” Shi Ji said calmly, her gaze fixed on the leader of the men in black.
The leader of the men in black sneered, "Hmph, do you think we're afraid? Since we dared to ambush you here, we've already made thorough preparations."
"Oh? So thorough preparations? Could it be that someone instructed you?" Shi Ji deliberately probed.
"Haha, that's a good question. But we won't tell you who's behind it all," the man in black laughed smugly.
Shi Ji's heart skipped a beat. He noticed the tone and expression of the man in black when he mentioned "the person behind the scenes," and he didn't seem like a simple greedy person. He began to suspect the true motive behind this ambush.
"Since you won't tell me, I won't ask any more questions. However, before I die, could you tell me who leaked my whereabouts?" Shi Ji continued to probe.
The man in black paused, seemingly surprised that Shi Ji would ask such a question. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "You should ask your confidante about that." Confidante? Shi Ji's heart skipped a beat. Could it be Yan'er? He began to recall the details of their acquaintance and her previous unusual behavior. Could all of this be a carefully orchestrated trap?
Shi Ji was filled with a mixture of doubt and anger. He no longer concealed his strength and decided to quickly deal with the man in black in front of him, and then go to Yan'er to ask her for clarification.
He took a deep breath, and his divine power suddenly erupted, forming a powerful energy storm that instantly engulfed the surrounding men in black. The men in black were astonished to discover that their previous assessment of Shi Ji's strength was completely wrong; at this moment, Shi Ji was like a war god, unstoppable.
"Since you won't tell me, then I'll find the answer myself," Shi Ji said coldly. At the same time, his divine power swept across the entire battlefield like a storm, making the men in black appear so small and powerless in the face of this power.
Soon, the men in black collapsed to the ground, incapacitated. Shi Ji did not kill them, but merely subdued them, because he was eager to find Yan'er to verify the truth of the matter.
After dealing with the men in black, Shi Ji immediately transformed into a streak of light and returned to the mortal realm, heading straight for Yan'er's residence. When he saw Yan'er, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
"Shiji, what's wrong? You seem very angry." Yan'er tried to soothe Shiji's anger with a gentle tone, but Shiji remained unmoved.
"Yan'er, tell me, did you leak my whereabouts to those men in black?" Shi Ji asked directly.
Yan'er's expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure: "What are you talking about? How could I possibly do such a thing?"
Shi Ji stared intently into Yan'er's eyes, trying to read the truth from them: "Those men in black told me that you leaked my whereabouts. You just need to answer yes or no."
Yan'er knew she could no longer hide the truth, but she still tried to argue: "Shiji, let me explain, I have my reasons for doing this..."
"What reason? To use me? To kill me?" Shi Ji interrupted Yan'er, her tone filled with disappointment and anger.
Faced with Shi Ji's questioning, Yan'er was speechless, knowing she had been completely exposed. However, she did not want to surrender, but instead began to secretly look for an opportunity to escape.
“Shiji, I…” Yan’er tried to say something, but Shiji’s gesture stopped her.
"Yan'er, I once thought we trusted each other, but now it seems you've been lying to me all along." Shi Ji's tone revealed deep disappointment.
Just then, Yan'er suddenly noticed that the window behind Shi Ji was open, revealing a dense forest outside. A thought struck her; she realized this was a perfect opportunity to escape.
"Shiji, I'm really sorry, but I need some time to calm down." The junior sister tried to calm Shiji down while quietly moving towards the window.
Shi Ji was unaware of his junior sister's intentions. He was immersed in disappointment and anger and did not notice his junior sister's subtle movements at all.
"Junior sister, you should understand that betraying me comes at a price," Shi Ji said coldly, but his gaze did not fall entirely on his junior sister.
This was the opportunity my junior sister had been waiting for. She suddenly rushed to the window, leaped out, and fled into the depths of the dense forest.
By the time Shi Ji came to her senses, it was too late to stop her.
Shi Ji watched his junior sister's retreating figure as she ran into the woods, a complex mix of emotions welling up within him. He found it somewhat laughable that his junior sister had chosen to run away; it seemed she hadn't truly grasped the extent of his power.
He moved swiftly, disappearing into the depths of the forest. His divine senses were fully activated, and he quickly located his junior sister's position. Before long, he intercepted her in a dense grove of trees.
"Trying to escape?" Shi Ji's tone was tinged with mockery. "Junior sister, do you really think you can get out of my grasp?"
The junior sister stopped in her tracks, her face pale as she stared at Shi Ji. She knew that escape was hopeless.
Shi Ji approached step by step, her eyes revealing an unprecedented coldness: "Junior sister, I will no longer show you mercy. Tell me, who exactly instructed you to betray me?"
The junior sister kept her mouth tightly shut, clearly not intending to give in easily. Seeing this, Shi Ji snorted coldly, reached out and grabbed the junior sister's wrist, her divine power penetrating her body and directly suppressing her ability to resist.
"It's alright if you don't want to talk, I have my own ways to make you talk." Shi Ji's tone was extremely cold, and his gentleness and patience towards his junior sister had completely disappeared.
Under Shi Ji's persistent questioning, the junior sister finally couldn't hold on any longer. She said in a trembling voice, "It was...it was someone from the God Realm who sent me to do this. He promised me endless power and a noble status."
"Someone? Who is it?" Shi Ji continued to press.
"I...I don't know his real identity. He always covers his face with a black robe and disguises his voice," the junior sister answered, trembling.
Shi Ji frowned. He understood that his junior sister was likely not lying. The man in black robes was clearly an extremely cautious individual who wouldn't easily reveal his true nature.
Shi Ji took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart. He looked at his junior sister's face, which he had once known and loved deeply, but now felt only strangeness and coldness.
"Junior sister, do you really think that betraying me will get you what you want?" Shi Ji said slowly, her tone filled with disappointment and sarcasm. "That man in black robes is just using you. Once you're no longer of use, he'll throw you away like a rag."
The junior sister lowered her head and listened silently to Shi Ji's rebuke. She knew she was wrong, but it was too late to undo the damage.
"Shiji, I..." The junior sister wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Shiji.
"Enough, junior sister. I don't want to hear any more of your explanations or justifications," Shi Ji said coldly.
Shi Ji's gaze gradually hardened and turned cold. He understood that he couldn't let his junior sister's betrayal go so easily. The anger within him surged again, and he prepared to make a resolute choice. (End of Chapter)