Under the watchful eyes of the entire mountain.
Bang!
Cao Wanchun’s body smashed into the cliffside like a ragdoll, rock shattering under the thunderous impact. The sound echoed across the valley, drowning beneath the roar of the rain. His face twisted with horror, yet his bloodshot eyes blazed with unrestrained fury.
“You bastard!” he roared, a bloodshot gaze fixed on Luo Chen. “I’ll kill you!”
With a hoarse shout, Cao Wanchun summoned his flying sword. The blade shot forward in a streak of silver, cutting through the air toward Luo Chen like a vengeful comet.
Luo Chen didn’t flinch. His hands remained calmly folded behind his back, a cold disdain carved into his expression as he stood unmoving. Without warning, a massive spectral hand materialized beside him, broad and ghostly, yet solid as forged steel. It clamped down on the oncoming sword, halting it mid-flight. The blade trembled violently, straining as though against invisible chains, but could not break free.
From beside Luo Chen, a figure stepped forward. He wore plain black linen, quiet and unassuming, yet the oppressive power radiating from him left no doubt of his strength.
He gave Luo Chen a single, deliberate nod.
In the blink of an eye, he became a crimson whirlwind.
Wang Yuan’s voice rang out, low and merciless. “Defeated Dog, you dare go back on your word? You have brought your death!”
Before Cao Wanchun could react, the blood-red whirlwind slammed into him like a hurricane of blades. The massive spectral hand tore through his defensive spells as though they were no more than paper and closed around his throat.
Crack!
Without another word, Wang Yuan snapped his neck, hoisted the limp corpse like a sack of grain, and turned back.
“President, the petty cur has been slain.”
A suffocating silence fell over Danxia Peak. All eyes were locked upon the scene.
A Foundation Establishment Initiate was dead! He was not wounded, nor was he defeated in a fair duel, but executed like a stray dog. His neck broken and his corpse dangling from another man’s hand.
Not a single soul dared to breathe too loudly. All the rogue cultivators who had watched from the slopes, from the trees, from the safety of the shadows, every last one of them stood frozen in stunned silence.
That black-robed cultivator was terrifying. He had seized a flying sword bare-handed and attacked like a living tempest. He had killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator like slaughtering livestock.
But as the black-robed man turned to look up, so too did everyone else gazing with dread at the figure high above.
Luo Chen, the president of the Luo Tian Society!
He was the true threat.
With a single move, he had crushed three peers of the same cultivation realm. What kind of monster was this? Perhaps only the undefeated sect elites on the Debate Platform’s Elite Prodigy Board could match him.
Only now did the crowd fully grasp what they had just witnessed. No wonder Luo Chen had seemed so arrogant. In his eyes, those three were merely waiting to be executed. He had the confidence to look down on them and the power to back it up.
Suddenly, a ragged cough echoed through the air.
All eyes turned toward Bian Zhong, who, supporting his Dao companion Lu Xiaoyan, was slowly approaching Luo Chen.
Not fleeing? Coming closer? Had they not seen Luo Chen’s subordinate kill so ruthlessly?
Under the weight of countless stares, Bian Zhong offered a bitter smile. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for showing mercy."
The crowd was stunned. Mercy? After being beaten so badly?
Yet Bian Zhong meant every word. Despite the overwhelming force of Luo Chen’s spell earlier, he had clearly held back. The strike, while devastating, had not been fatal. Even after injuring them, Luo Chen had not delivered the finishing blow. If he had pressed the advantage... at least one of them would have died. Likely more.
"I said one move, so it’s one move," Luo Chen replied coolly.
Bian Zhong paused, meeting Luo Chen’s gaze. The contempt he had seen earlier in those eyes was gone.
He gave a deep bow and said, “Since we’ve lost... my wife and I have no reason to linger where we are not welcome. We’ll take our leave.”
Luo Chen nodded calmly. “Until we meet again.”
Bian Zhong offered a wry smile and turned away, supporting the wounded Lü Xiaoyan as they took flight. The two of them, clearly weakened, dared not draw attention to themselves. In their current state, even the most minor provocation could invite predators looking for an easy target. For now, there is only one sensible course, which is to seek out a trusted friend. Someone who could offer shelter and keep them safe while they recovered, even if only for a little while.
Luo Chen watched them go, then withdrew his gaze. "One incense stick’s time is up."
As his voice faded into the wind, countless streaks of multicolored light burst forth from the Langqi Flying Boat, streaking down toward Danxia Peak like shooting stars.
Moments later, the air was filled with shrill screams, agonized cries from those who had stubbornly remained behind, hoping to defy fate.
Only when the last scream faded did the Langqi Flying Boat resume its course, rising steadily toward the mountainside of Danxia Peak. Wherever it passed, cultivators stepped aside in haste, none daring to bar its path.
In the Biyou Valley, a group of shaken cultivators emerged from the shadows, their faces pale as they stared toward the peak. Two Qi-Refining cultivators stood at the valley’s edge, gazing up at the mountain’s looming silhouette.
“That man is far too powerful, and his subordinate isn’t weak either. If our families only send one Foundation Establishment cultivator each, I fear it won’t be enough.”
“We need to report this.”
“Right. I’ll notify the family immediately.”
Without another word, the two took off into the distance, racing to deliver the news to the forces that had sent them.
***
Thud!
A heavy hum echoed across the valley. The massive flying boat settled slowly onto a broad platform halfway up the mountain.
Min Longyu stepped out in a single stride. The sight before him was both familiar and strange, transformed beyond what he remembered. His eyes reddened with emotion. The disgraced descendant of the Min family had returned in such a fashion.
A figure appeared ahead of him. Min Longyu bowed deeply. "President!"
"No need for formality," Luo Chen said lightly, waving his hand. In his other hand, he held the white jade folding fan gifted to him by Qin Liangchen. "How does it feel to be home?"
Min Longyu opened his mouth but was choked with emotion, unable to speak. After a long pause, he finally choked out, “I never imagined returning like this. President, your great kindness I would repay it even with a hundred deaths.”