Chapter 441: Two People on the Verge of Meeting
In just a few months, Orange had gone from having nothing to becoming a Soul Emperor level powerhouse. Her progress could only be described as lightning fast.
Now that she had reached this point, she decided to slow down her cultivation for the time being. Instead of actively training, she let her soul core passively absorb external energy, while she focused more on honing her swordsmanship.
Her power had increased too quickly, and she needed time to adapt.
Even though she had inherited Ye Cheng's experience and cultivation insights from her dream, those memories belonged to someone else, not her.
She still had to internalize them to truly make them her own.
Now was the time for consolidation, so that when she pushed forward again, she could do so even more powerfully.
In the Douluo world, cultivation wasn't just about power it was also about state of mind.
Or rather, this was true in every world some just made it more obvious than others.
After making up her mind, Orange decided to leave the Sun Moon Empire and travel the continent.
Along the way, she would search for the missing fragments of the Flying Rainbow Sword.
She no longer needed to fear being captured.
After disguising herself as a man, she confidently walked toward the massive city gates.
Even though months had passed, the gates were still heavily guarded, with every person leaving the city being inspected.
In a world where Martial Souls defined everything, disguises were useless unless someone possessed the extremely rare twin martial souls.
As long as someone revealed their martial soul, no matter how perfect their disguise, they could never hide their identity.
Orange's original martial soul was simply a tangerine. Before obtaining the Flying Rainbow Sword Fragment, she had only one martial soul.
The guards had been ordered to capture a fugitive whose martial soul was a tangerine, regardless of whether they were male or female.
No one would have ever imagined that in just a few months, Orange had gone from a single martial soul user to possessing three martial souls!
At the city gates, a long line of people waited for inspection.
Each person had to reveal their martial soul before being allowed to leave.
Orange quietly blended into the line, slowly moving toward the gate.
Before long, it was her turn.
"Please display your martial soul," the guard said politely.
His tone was respectful, since Orange looked like a powerful soul master, and offending a strong soul master was never a good idea.
Orange said nothing not because she feared being recognized by her voice, but because she simply didn't feel like talking.
With a silent movement, she extended her right hand.
A dazzling rainbow glow flashed as a magnificent longsword appeared its hilt made of white jade, its blade crafted from pure crystal.
Some of the guards had seen recordings of the Flying Rainbow Sword before, and a few of them hesitated, thinking, Why does this sword look so familiar?
But they didn't think too much about it.
After all, many martial souls resembled each other.
And even if someone's martial soul looked identical to a known divine weapon, it was still just a martial soul not an actual divine artifact.
No one would covet something that wasn't real.
"Please display your soul rings," the guard continued.
Without a word, soul rings began to emerge around Orange, circling her body before floating onto her sword.
This clearly confirmed that the Flying Rainbow Sword was her martial soul.
The guards were shocked at the sight.
This young man had ridiculously high soul ring ages!
But in the end, they were just gatekeepers not people who could question a soul master's power.
Since he wasn't the fugitive they were looking for, they had no reason to stop him.
"My apologies, you may pass," the guard said, bowing respectfully before waving to the other soldiers to remove the barricade.
The massive city gates had been reinforced with high walls, soul tools, and barriers.
If anyone tried to force their way out, they would immediately be met with an onslaught of soul tool attacks.
This was why Orange had never even considered breaking through the gates before the risk was too high.
But now?
The fugitive Orange had just walked straight through the front gate, right under the noses of all the guards.
The moment she stepped out, she felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.
It was like a bird soaring into the sky, like a fish diving into the vast ocean!
A bright smile spread across her face.
Summoning the Flying Rainbow Sword, she expanded it to the size of a door and let it hover in midair.
With a light leap, she landed gracefully on its surface.
"Time to fly~"
Grinning from ear to ear, she soared into the sky, her sword turning into a streak of light, vanishing into the horizon.
The ability to enlarge one's martial soul and fly was not a soul skill it was simply a high level control technique.
Riding her sword, her feet felt as if they were rooted in place, completely unaffected by the howling winds.
For the first time, she felt truly free.
As she flew through the boundless sky, she felt as if all her past burdens were being swept away by the wind.
For years, she had lived behind a mask, manipulating and deceiving, but deep down, this was never who she had wanted to be.
No one was born wanting to play politics.
Before her family was destroyed, Orange had simply been a carefree girl a little clumsy, a little naive, and obsessed with delicious food.
But war had ripped her life apart.
She became a fugitive, left with nothing but hatred and vengeance.
She knew her talent was limited, so she had relied on schemes and manipulation to survive.
The innocent girl she once was had faded away, replaced by someone calculating and ruthless.
But now, everything had changed.
The Flying Rainbow Sword Fragment had transformed her body.
It had given her the power to seek vengeance and the confidence to achieve it.
For the first time, her future wasn't shrouded in darkness.
She could see hope.
And hope was what allowed her true self to resurface.
With a carefree laugh, she tore off her disguise, letting her long hair fly freely in the wind.
She had spent too long hiding her true self it was time to let it breathe again.
…
Watching from the shadows, Ye Cheng was silent.
For once, he felt like he had actually done something good even if it had been unintentional.
Maybe the world didn't need another War God Empress.
Maybe what it really needed… was a woman with a sword and boundless freedom.
What was the point of so much scheming and deception, anyway?
…
After flying for hours, Orange finally landed, choosing a secluded place to rest for the night.
Her entire perspective had changed the weight on her heart was gone.
For the first time, the world seemed bright and beautiful.
Even the wildflowers on the roadside looked like they were smiling at her.
For the next half month, she wandered aimlessly, her joy never fading.
Until…
She suddenly sensed something
A fragment was nearby.
She had almost forgotten that she was supposed to be collecting Flying Rainbow Sword Fragments.
Meanwhile, on the other side
Huo Yuhao's mind stirred as Elder Ye's voice echoed in his head.
"Yuhao, a fragment is nearby!"
"Really?!"
His face lit up with excitement.
Little did he know…
He was celebrating far too soon.
(End of Chapter)
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