Noe said goodbye to his disciple and headed straight south. Along the way, everything went surprisingly smoothly: the weather was good, the people were friendly, and it was estimated that they would reach the Southern Royal City (Nam V??ng Thành), the capital of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, in about 20-30 days. Accompanying Noe were his trusted companions: Huo Ming (H?a Minh) ??, Han Chang ??, Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) ?, White Tiger (B?ch H?) ??, and Tu Zhong Sha (Th? Trung Sa) ??. Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) ???, whose duty was to protect Noe and also serve as a spy for the Jade Royal Family (Hoàng gia Chau Ng?c), still had to regularly send reports to his Shadow Guard Squad (??i ám B?) about Noe’s trip and purpose.
- Assassination Plot and Distorted Prophecy (?m M?u ám Sát Và L?i Tiên Tri B? Bóp Méo) ??
Upon receiving Feng Chen's message, the King of the Jade Nation (Vua Chau Ng?c Qu?c) ?? and the Shadow Guard Squad immediately formed their own calculations, continuously using 500-mile urgent dispatches day and night, constantly changing horses to keep up with the pressing situation.
Feng Chen was instructed to delay the journey as much as possible, citing sightseeing, dining at exquisite restaurants, buying equipment, and other trivial matters, which made Noe suspicious ??. Noe opened the Celestial Record (Thiên th?) ?? to check Feng Chen's background file and was surprised to find the young man had no name, only a long serial number: "Shadow Guard Commander of the Jade Royal Family, Name is 14235." He also had no parents, having been abandoned as a child and raised by an Elder who fled the Black Heaven Sect (H?c Thiên T?ng). This information moved Noe due to Feng Chen's circumstances, so he remained silent and observed further, unsure of what to do.
The King of the Jade Nation saw this as a golden opportunity: if Prophet Noe reached the Southern Barbarian Kingdom and the Heavenly Dao's message was spread, helping the people of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom escape calamity and grow powerful like the Western Wolf Nation, it would become a great threat. But if the Heavenly Dao punished the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, it would be a perfect opportunity for the Jade Nation to expand its territory southwards.
The Shadow Guard Squad, closely monitoring Feng Chen, were trained to be swift, ruthless, and merciless by nature, and they took a bold step, aligning with the King's intentions. They decided to assassinate Noe right in the Southern Barbarian territory. This would both complete their mission of stopping the Prophet and create a justifiable reason for the Jade Nation to attack the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, accusing them of assassinating the Jade Nation's Prophet, thereby gaining public support.
The Shadow Guard Squad noticed that Feng Chen harbored special affection for Noe, losing a crucial trait of the Shadow Guards (ám B? Quan): being ruthless and completing the mission at all costs. Feng Chen might obstruct the mission due to personal feelings. They signaled Feng Chen to go far away from Noe's lodging for a secret meeting of the Shadow Guard Squad. They set a trap, locked Feng Chen at the meeting spot, and then secretly launched their attack immediately afterward.
They were confident in their strength with two high-ranking members and twenty intermediate members. Every Shadow Guard member from the intermediate rank upward possessed a Demonic Artifact/Energy (Ma khí) (such as a Demonic Sword, Demonic Saber, Demonic Spear, Demonic Staff...)—weapons that granted ordinary people sudden bursts of power, enough to defeat cultivators (Tu tiên). However, using the Demonic Artifact came at a steep price: some paid with lifespan, flesh and blood, sanity, or even their soul ??.
- Fateful Ambush and Divide and Conquer Strategy (Cu?c Ph?c Kích ??nh M?nh và Chi?n Thu?t Chia ?? Tr?) takt
The Shadow Guards set up an ambush (ph?c kích) on a narrow, deserted road, splitting into two teams: one blocking the front, one blocking the rear. They concealed themselves perfectly within the surroundings, so much so that even Tu Zhong Sha, with his extremely keen senses, did not perceive the danger. Only Noe, with his exceptionally sharp intuition due to his connection with the gods, sensed it.
Noe seemed to receive a reminder from a radiant, god-like figure associated with time. This deity had the appearance of an ancient man, wearing an hourglass ? on his chest and many time keys at his belt, and called himself the Time Sorcerer (Pháp s? Th?i gian). Immediately afterward, Noe woke up with a start, having seen a brief vision of his companions being killed by two groups of black-clad figures in front and behind.
Noe immediately told everyone to stop and recounted what he had seen. Only then did the group notice the surrounding anomaly: the space was too quiet, even the usual sound of birdsong was absent, and small animals had disappeared ??. Small animals are extremely sensitive to killing intent, possessing a high level of vigilance, and they will flee or move elsewhere to ensure their safety.
While everyone was preparing their weapons and equipment, Noe closed his eyes, as if sleeping, entering the Samadhi State (Tr?ng Thái S?-ma-chi)—a state of extremely deep meditation. His soul immediately entered a spiritual world called the Dream Realm (M?ng gi?i) ??. When Noe entered here, external time almost froze and passed extremely slowly. This was the special ability of a Dream Prophet (M?ng Tiên tri), the ability to see the future while asleep or in the Dream Realm.
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Noe arranged his Dream Realm exactly like the real world, creating figures resembling his companions and opponents, using the knowledge from the Celestial Record, centering on Noe’s position and expanding outward. His friends were like emotionless chess pieces, and Noe was the player, arranging the formation, and letting the Celestial Record execute. Noe would observe the result, then rearrange the formation; his goal was for everyone to survive and escape this dangerous situation.
Noe ?? has participated in many wars, and he knows himself well: when he is in battle, his reason almost disappears ??, leaving only the emotions of survival and determination, making use of everything he has in hand to win.
Because of this nature, planning and preparing for all situations rationally is very necessary. He must know clearly when to attack and when to retreat, there must be a clear plan, not letting emotions drag him into the battle. He must never forget the overall goal for the sake of an immediate victory.
The group consisted of only six people. They realized the perilous situation and were all confused about what to do. Noe, after a brief nap, was mentally refreshed and began to plan the group division. Noe assigned:
- White Tiger ?? and Tu Zhong Sha ?? to go first for comprehensive offense and defense;
- Noe ?? and Huo Ming ?? in the middle as the main damage source and central figures;
- Han Chang ?? and Wang Chen ? in the rear with strong control abilities.
Tu Zhong Sha quickly sat down, transforming rocks and dirt into sand, filling the large flask on his back. He then summoned two Sand Elementals (Lính cát) ??? carrying shields, flying on either side for cover. These two Sand Elementals used energy from Tu Zhong Sha’s two bracelets called the Primordial Sand Ring of the Thick Earth (H?u Th? S? Sa Hoàn). The bracelets had 10 energy stones that supplied power directly to the Sand Elementals; when the energy ran out, the Sand Elementals would disappear. This was a common Magical Treasure/Artifact (Pháp b?o) of the Immortality Sect of the Thick Earth (H?u Th? B?t Di?t Phái). Depending on one’s control ability, one could summon from one to an army of thousands of Sand Elementals. The higher the grade of the bracelet, the more Sand Elementals one could control.
White Tiger was quite simple; he only carried Iron Claw Gloves (Bao tay có vu?t s?t). These iron claws were like small knives that could fly out of the gloves as an extended arm of White Tiger, launching surprise attacks, enhancing White Tiger's Object Manipulation (Ng? V?t) ability. They could fly according to White Tiger's will, but they would automatically return when they exceeded a ten-meter distance from the gloves.
Noe had his Silver Bow (Cung B?c) ?? ready and used his Prophet ability to bless his teammates, increasing their power.
Huo Ming held the Wood Fire Staff (M?c H?a Tr??ng), creating a small sun ?? right above the staff's head, which sped up his fire spellcasting. He took a notebook worn at his waist; he used his Talisman Manipulation (Ng? phù) ability, controlling the talismans inside the notebook to fly around him. These were defensive talismans, creating energy shields to repel all dangers.
Han Chang held the Profound Ice Crescent Blade (Huy?n B?ng Nguy?t Nha ?ao) and summoned two Ice Elementals (Lính b?ng) ?? carrying swords flying on either side. Han Chang’s Ice Elementals were similar to Tu Zhong Sha's Sand Elementals, but the item controlling them was a ring worn on his finger called the Primordial Ice Ring of the Profound Ice (Huy?n B?ng S? Gi?i Ch?).
Wang Chen was always in a state of readiness, gripping the Violet Demonic Short Blade (T? Ma ?o?n ?ao) ??? tightly, his eyes emanating an air of mystery. His main ability was Sword/Blade Manipulation (Ng? ki?m/Ng? dao). The small blades could shrink or enlarge at will and were also equipped with Explosive Talismans (Bùa n?) ?? to increase their combat power.
All six people spurred their horses and rushed forward. White Tiger's and Tu Zhong Sha's horses were suddenly caught in a trap and stumbled, but both managed to jump off their saddles and continue running ahead. The remaining four followed closely behind. Immediately, a volley of flying darts affixed with Explosive Talismans, carrying considerable power, shot out from both sides. The two Sand Elementals helped Tu Zhong Sha block most of the attacks, and although they gradually dissolved, they quickly recovered as the sand in the flask continuously replenished them.
White Tiger took a full hit and was wounded all over ??. He immediately used a Healing Potion (Th?y d??c) flask to recover his strength and stayed close to Tu Zhong Sha. Noe's and Huo Ming's horses were both killed, forcing them to run on foot and continuously shoot arrows and fireballs into the surrounding trees and bushes to intimidate the opponents.
Han Chang and Wang Chen also ran on foot, always ready to fight, but lagged quite far behind as they were attacked by a group of 6-8 Shadow Guards. Han Chang, along with his two Ice Elementals, could fight against 3 Shadow Guards simultaneously.
Wang Chen was unusually strong, creating two hands of shadow that dragged the opponents toward him. The Demonic Artifacts did not weaken him but made him more vigorous, along with an extremely terrifying scream, which made the surrounding Shadow Guards hesitate. Tu Zhong Sha and White Tiger were also held up by another group of Shadow Guards, allowing Noe and Huo Ming to run ahead. Noe provided supporting fire from a distance, while Huo Ming used his tiny sun to blind the opponents.
Noe had tried many times; the combat capability of the Shadow Guards was frightening, especially their coordinated ability to fight in formation. If they were allowed to regroup, even Cultivators (Tu tiên) like them would not be able to withstand it and would be killed instantly. Noe's strategy was divide and conquer (chia ?? tr?), extending the enemy's formation and constantly creating surprises, leaving the opponents unsure of what to do.
- Group 1 (Rear Blockade): Wang Chen and Han Chang were the slower group, with the highest control, slowing, and defense capabilities, so they stayed to hold back the enemy. Since the enemy's goal was to kill Noe, they would not use full force to kill them but would try to bypass them to push forward.
- Group 2 (Decoy): White Tiger and Tu Zhong Sha were both comprehensively offensive and defensive, with very fast movement speed. They would act as decoys, running ahead to increase the distance from Group 1. They would continue running on the main road until nightfall, then split up. Tu Zhong Sha’s two sand figures could change into the shapes of Noe and Huo Ming; from a distance, it would be impossible to tell if they were sand figures or people.
- Group 3 (Retreat): Noe and Huo Ming abandoned the main road and ran through the forest, a preferred environment for an Elf Immortal and a Half-Elf. Their eyesight was excellent at night, making it extremely difficult to surround and capture them, not to mention the camouflage ability of both in the woods.