The sky began to darken as I stood at the edge of the clearing, my eyes fixed on the horizon. Two hours had passed since we'd positioned ourselves in the precise location I'd calculated. Guy Noble and his twenty Marquis-level cultivators remained in formation around , their faces etched with growing impatience.
"Are you certain about this, Liam?" Guy asked quietly, his voice carrying a hint of concern. "We've been waiting a long ti."
I nodded, trying to project more confidence than I felt. "The Man with the Mustache was right about the decoy. The true Ten-thousand-year-old dicinal Material will appear here."
Clara stood beside , her small hand clutched in mine. Her eyes darted nervously between my face and the sky. The Man with the Mustache paced nearby, constantly checking his ancient compass.
"It should be any mont now," I said, as much to reassure myself as the others. "Just a little longer."
Guy sighed but nodded, signaling his n to maintain their positions. The atmosphere grew tense as minutes ticked by in silence. Just as I began to doubt my calculations, the air suddenly crackled with energy.
"Look!" Clara pointed upward.
A blinding flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that shook the ground beneath our feet. The clear blue sky rapidly darkened as ominous clouds rolled in from all directions.
"It's beginning," the Man with the Mustache whispered, his eyes wide with awe.
The earth beneath us rumbled and groaned. Several of Guy's n stumbled, struggling to maintain their balance. A second thunderclap, even louder than the first, echoed across the clearing, causing birds to scatter from nearby trees in panic.
"This is far more dramatic than the decoy herb's ergence," Guy observed, bracing himself against the trembling ground. Text acquired from M|V|LEMP&YR.
I nodded, my heart racing with anticipation. "A true sign of its value."
Suddenly, the dark clouds overhead began to transform. Their ominous blackness dissolved, replaced by swirling patterns of vivid color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—dancing across the sky like a living aurora.
"Seven-colored auspicious clouds," the Man with the Mustache gasped. "I've only read about this phenonon in ancient texts!"
The spectacle was breathtaking. The multicolored clouds ford intricate patterns, spiraling toward a central point directly above us. The light they cast bathed the entire clearing in a prismatic glow, turning ordinary trees and rocks into works of art.
"This is magnificent," Clara whispered, her face illuminated by the rainbow light. "But won't others see this too?"
Her words sent a chill through . She was right—this display was visible for miles in every direction. Anyone with knowledge of rare dicinal materials would recognize these signs imdiately.
"Guy," I called out urgently, "double your periter. We're about to have company."
He nodded sharply, barking orders to his n. Half of them spread outward, forming a wider defensive circle around our position.
"Too late for that," the Man with the Mustache muttered, pointing toward the treeline. "Look."
Shadowy figures were erging from the forest, keeping their distance but clearly drawn by the celestial display. I counted at least a dozen—all powerful cultivators based on the auras they exuded.
"They're just watching for now," Guy said, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. "But once the herb appears..."
"We need to be ready," I finished, my muscles tensing in anticipation.
The air in the center of the clearing began to shimr and distort. A pillar of multi-colored light shot down from the clouds, striking the ground with enough force to create a small crater. Within this column of light, sothing began to materialize—a delicate, luminous plant with five heart-shaped leaves, each one pulsing with its own internal light.
"There it is," I breathed. "The True Celestial Grass."
The herb hovered a few feet above the ground, rotating slowly within its protective light. Its beauty was srizing—far more spectacular than the decoy Ms. Hayward had claid. Each leaf shimred with what looked like tiny constellations, and its stem glowed with a pearlescent sheen.
"We need to move now," Guy urged. "Before the others react."
I stepped forward cautiously, approaching the column of light. The herb seed to respond to my presence, its rotation slowing as if inviting to take it. I reached out, my fingers inches from touching it—
"Watch out!" Clara scread.
I leapt backward just as a blur of movent streaked past where I'd been standing. A hooded figure landed gracefully on the other side of the herb, one hand extended toward the prize.
"Defensive positions!" Guy shouted, drawing his sword. His n ford a tight circle around us as more figures erged from all directions.
"Well, well," a cold female voice called out. "It seems Baldwin's prediction wasn't entirely wrong after all."
Ms. Hayward stepped into the clearing, her expression fierce. Behind her stood a dozen elite cultivators, including Baldwin Daniels himself, whose face twisted with vindictive pleasure at the sight of .
"The herb is mine, Knight," he snarled. "I tracked it first."
"Yet you were fooled by a decoy," I replied calmly, assessing our situation. We were now surrounded by at least thirty powerful cultivators from various factions, all with their eyes fixed on the floating herb.
"Enough talk," Ms. Hayward snapped. She raised her hand, and her followers tensed, ready to attack. "Take it."
Chaos erupted. Three of her n lunged forward simultaneously, only to be intercepted by Guy's cultivators. Steel clashed against steel as battles broke out across the clearing.
A figure materialized directly behind —soone using spatial movent techniques. I whirled around, unleashing my Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist. The attacker's eyes widened in shock as my fist connected with his chest, sending him flying backward into a tree with enough force to snap the trunk.
"Liam, the herb!" the Man with the Mustache yelled, ducking under a sword swing.
I turned back to see the protective light around the True Celestial Grass beginning to fade. It was now or never. I dashed forward, dodging between combatants.
A blinding flash of silver cut through the air toward —a Martial Saint Weapon. I couldn't dodge in ti, but before it could strike, Guy appeared, deflecting it with his own weapon. The impact sent shockwaves through the clearing, knocking several lesser cultivators off their feet.
"Go!" Guy shouted, engaging the weapon's wielder—a grim-faced elder from a rival sect.
I continued my charge, focused solely on reaching the herb before anyone else. Ms. Hayward appeared in my peripheral vision, her hands weaving a complex spell. I braced for impact, but before her attack could land, Clara stepped between us.
"Leave him alone!" she shouted, her small body suddenly radiating dark energy. Ms. Hayward's spell dissipated harmlessly against Clara's aura, her expression shifting from confidence to confusion.
The Man with the Mustache skidded to a stop beside , his breathing ragged. "Hurry! The protective field is collapsing!"
He was right—the column of light was rapidly fading, leaving the herb vulnerable. I lunged forward, my hand outstretched, fingers just inches from the glowing leaves.
"Almost there," I muttered, feeling the herb's energy pulsing in response to my proximity.
Suddenly, the air in front of rippled and distorted. A figure in a black robe materialized out of nowhere, directly between and the herb. Before I could react, the figure's hand closed around the True Celestial Grass.
The multicolored clouds overhead instantly dispersed. The figure turned slowly to face , and I caught a glimpse of familiar eyes beneath the hood.
"It's you!" I exclaid, shock coursing through my body.
The black-robed figure inclined his head slightly, the precious herb now securely in his grasp. Around us, the fighting montarily paused as everyone registered what had just happened.
"The herb is gone," Ms. Hayward hissed, her face contorted with fury.
Guy moved to my side, sword still drawn. "Liam, who is that?" he whispered urgently.
I couldn't answer. My mind was racing, trying to process the identity of the thief who had appeared from thin air to snatch our prize. How was this possible? And more importantly, what was I going to do about it now?
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