The Thorne of Destiny-Chapter 168: Sieze
Adrian’s thoughts snapped into sharp focus the moment he saw the Vermilion Spirit Grass clenched in the scrawny disciple’s hand.
Idiot.
That single word echoed in his mind, directed not at the disciple—but at himself. He had been so caught up watching the clash between two Rank 4 beasts that he had nearly forgotten the very reason all of this chaos existed in the first place.
A Rank 4 herb.
Something that could temper fire Qi, stabilize Golden Cores, and even push cultivators toward higher realms if refined correctly.
And now, it was slipping away.
The disciple groaned as he slammed into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. His robes were torn, his body bruised, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Yet despite his miserable condition, his grip on the Vermilion Spirit Grass remained ironclad.
Relief flickered across his face when he realized he was still alive.
Then he saw Adrian.
Their eyes met.
For a split second, confusion crossed the disciple’s face. Then recognition followed, quickly replaced by alarm. He had not expected to run into Adrian here—especially not after watching him being chased by a pack of Flame Wolves earlier.
"You—!"
He barely had time to utter a single word before Adrian moved.
There was no hesitation, no wasted motion. His body surged forward, Qi flooding his legs as he crossed the distance between them in an instant. Even without using Astral Steps, his speed was terrifying to behold for someone in the Foundation Establishment realm.
The disciple tried to scramble backward, panic flashing in his eyes as he struggled to get to his feet.
Too slow.
Adrian’s foot came down like a hammer.
CRACK!
A sharp pain exploded through the disciple’s wrist as Adrian stomped down, forcing his hand open. The Vermilion Spirit Grass slipped free, landing softly on the scorched earth.
"AHH!"
The disciple screamed, clutching his broken wrist as he rolled away. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with fury and disbelief.
"You dare—!" he snarled, struggling to rise.
Adrian didn’t even look at him.
He bent down and scooped up the Vermilion Spirit Grass, carefully storing it inside a jade box before placing it into his storage ring. Only after ensuring the herb was safe did he finally turn his attention back to the Cloudcrest disciple.
Their gazes met again.
This time, Adrian’s eyes were cold.
"You should’ve kept watching the battle," Adrian said calmly. "That greed of yours got the better of you."
The disciple’s face twisted with rage.
"Do you know who I am?" he spat. "I’m a disciple of the Cloudcrest Sect! If you hand over that herb now, I might let you die quickly!"
Adrian laughed.
It was a quiet laugh, almost soft—but there was no warmth in it.
"You people really never learn," he said. "First you used me as bait. Now you think you can threaten me after stealing what I bled for?"
The disciple’s expression darkened. He clenched his remaining fist, Golden Core Qi surging violently from his body. Even injured, even disheveled, he was still a Golden Core cultivator.
And Adrian was only at the Foundation Establishment realm.
Or so it seemed.
"You think you can take me on?" the disciple sneered. "One move. That’s all it’ll take."
He stepped forward, gathering Qi into his palm.
That was when the ground shook.
BOOM!
A deafening impact echoed through the forest as the Ember Earth Bear slammed its massive paw down, crushing what remained of the Flame Wolf’s body into the earth. Blood splattered across the scorched ground, steam hissing as it met lingering heat.
The Rank 4 Flame Wolf was dead.
Its massive body lay broken and still, flames flickering weakly before finally dying out.
The Ember Earth Bear let out a triumphant roar, lifting its head to the sky as its aura surged outward like a tidal wave. Trees bent under the pressure. Loose stones rattled across the ground.
The disciple froze.
So did Adrian.
Slowly, the Ember Earth Bear turned its massive head.
Its gaze locked onto them.
The killing intent rolling off its body was thick enough to suffocate.
The disciple’s face drained of color.
"T-this..." His voice trembled. "Why is it looking at us?"
The bear’s nostrils flared as it sniffed the air.
Blood.
Flame Wolves.
Humans.
And—most importantly—the faint lingering scent of Vermilion Spirit Grass.
Its eyes narrowed.
ROAR!!!
The roar that followed was filled with unrestrained fury.
"It’s coming for us!" the disciple screamed.
He didn’t wait another second.
Abandoning all thoughts of dignity, he turned and ran, Golden Core Qi exploding beneath his feet as he fled in terror. In his panic, he didn’t even spare Adrian a glance.
Adrian watched him go.
Then he turned and ran as well.
There was no thought of fighting the Ember Earth Bear. Not now. Not ever.
The forest erupted into chaos as the massive beast charged after them, uprooting trees and smashing through stone like paper. Each step it took shook the earth beneath Adrian’s feet.
Adrian gritted his teeth, pushing his body to its limits.
WHOOSH!
Astral Steps activated.
His figure flickered, vanishing and reappearing dozens of meters ahead. He didn’t slow down, chaining his movements as efficiently as possible while carefully managing his Qi.
Behind him, the Ember Earth Bear roared in frustration, accelerating even further.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
Adrian’s mind raced.
He couldn’t outrun it forever.
Then he remembered something.
A tunnel.
Near the Fire Vein Origin Stone.
A narrow passage that magic beasts of massive size couldn’t easily traverse.
His eyes lit up.
He changed direction abruptly, darting through the forest toward a familiar scorched rock formation. The Ember Earth Bear followed without hesitation, crashing through everything in its path.
Just as the bear lunged forward, its claws nearly grazing Adrian’s back—
WHOOSH!
Adrian vanished again.
He reappeared at the mouth of a narrow tunnel, slipping inside without hesitation.
The Ember Earth Bear slammed into the rock face moments later.
BOOM!!!
The entrance partially collapsed, rocks tumbling down as dust filled the air. The bear roared in rage, clawing at the opening, but the tunnel was too small for its massive frame to force its way through.
Adrian didn’t stop.
He ran. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Deeper.
Faster.
Until light finally appeared ahead.
With one last burst of speed, he emerged from the tunnel and stumbled out into open air.
He froze.
Before him stretched a vast forest.
Trees towered into the sky, their trunks scorched black and their leaves glowing red like burning embers. Heat shimmered faintly in the air, and the ground was carpeted with crimson foliage.
The second region of the Crimson Peak Mystic Realm.
The Crimson Forest.
Adrian took a deep breath, his chest heaving.
Behind him, the distant roars of the Ember Earth Bear echoed faintly before fading away.
He had escaped.
Slowly, a tired smile crept onto his face.
"Worth it," he muttered.
Clenching his fist, he felt the reassuring presence of the Vermilion Spirit Grass within his storage ring.
The real journey was only just beginning.
Adrian did not stop running until his lungs burned and his legs felt like they were filled with molten lead.
Only when the roars of the Ember Earth Bear had completely faded into the distance did he finally slow to a halt. He leaned against the charred trunk of a massive tree, its bark blackened and cracked like burnt stone, its leaves glowing a deep crimson overhead.
Huff... huff...
Each breath felt heavy, the air warm and faintly metallic, saturated with fire-aspected Qi. This was nothing like the scorched plains or the underground caverns he had just escaped from. The Crimson Forest felt alive in a different way—oppressive, watchful, as though the land itself possessed awareness.
Adrian closed his eyes briefly and steadied his breathing.
"I really pushed my luck this time..."
He straightened and swept his gaze across the surroundings. The forest stretched endlessly in all directions, layers upon layers of red foliage and blackened trunks overlapping until they disappeared into heat-hazed distance. Patches of scorched ground alternated with areas where crimson grass grew thick and lush, glowing faintly like smoldering embers.
The fire Qi here was far denser than in the scorched plains.
If he cultivated here for an extended period, it would undoubtedly accelerate the refinement of his Diamond Sovereign Physique—assuming he didn’t get eaten first.
Adrian flexed his fingers, feeling the lingering soreness in his body. The battle with the Scarlet Flame Scorpion, the frantic escape, the chase by the Flame Wolves, and then the madness involving the Ember Earth Bear—each event had stacked upon the previous one without giving him a moment to breathe.
And yet...
His lips curled upward slightly.
He had succeeded.
With a thought, he retrieved the jade box containing the Vermilion Spirit Grass.
The moment it appeared, a wave of warm fire Qi washed over him. The single stalk of deep crimson grass pulsed faintly, its edges glowing like embers caught in a gentle breeze. Even sealed within the jade box, its aura was impossible to fully suppress.
"A Rank 4 herb..." Adrian murmured.
This wasn’t something that could be casually refined or consumed. If handled improperly, it could just as easily cripple him as it could empower him. Still, possessing it was already a monumental gain.
Carefully, he stored it back inside his ring.
