Su Wen watched them advance and calmly marked a nearby point beside Du Yue in his mind, designating it as the mountain gate, just in case something went wrong.
He took a slow, deep breath and glanced at Du Yue, who sat cross-legged, silently cultivating as she stabilised her breakthrough. Her gentle expression, flawless composure, and slender figure radiated an indescribable serenity.
Just looking at her was enough to quiet his racing thoughts, wash away all tension, and steady his Dao Heart. In that moment, everything else seemed trivial compared to protecting her.
Su Wen drew his sword. His posture straightened, his presence sharp and composed. Stepping onto the sword with effortless confidence, he rose into the air, stopping roughly a fifty metres above the ground.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down upon the approaching cultivators, an aloof aura surrounding him… like an arrogant young master who had never once placed others in his eyes.
He looked at the cultivators approaching with ill intentions for a brief moment, his gaze calm yet sharp, then said coldly,
"Do you think I'm the only one guarding her? I'll give you one last warning… turn around and leave. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."
His voice was steady, but every word carried unmistakable threat.
He paused, then bowed solemnly toward a seemingly random direction, his posture respectful and restrained.
"I'll have to trouble Senior Lu to guard my junior sister…"
All the excited cultivators halted in their tracks, stunned. In their greed, they had completely forgotten to consider the possibility of a powerful backer.
At that moment, a chill crept into their hearts.
If there truly was a senior hidden nearby, then they were no longer walking toward fortune… but toward their own deaths.
"Y-you… who are you? And where is this senior you mentioned?" one of the group leaders, a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, asked. His tone remained arrogant, yet a trace of nervousness betrayed him.
"Boss, don't listen to him. He must be bluffing," said a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a ruddy face, though even he swallowed subconsciously after speaking.
"Do you think we're newborn cultivators who were born yesterday?" another group leader sneered, though his eyes still swept cautiously over the surrounding groups.
Su Wen glanced at them indifferently, as if looking at a group of dead men, and slowly drew his Grade 2 sword.
The instant the sword left its sheath, a domineering aura erupted. Grade 2 Sword Intent merged with Grade 2 Space Intent, wrapping around the sword like intertwined streams of white and black light, piercing straight into their eyes.
At the same time, he released all three of his cultivation paths.
The pressure crashed over the area like an invisible mountain.
The entire group fell silent… including the Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
A Mid-stage Foundation Establishment in spirit cultivation.
Peak Soul Awakening in soul cultivation.
And a body cultivation already close to completing Brain Refinement.
When combined, the terrifying pressure was enough to suppress even Peak Foundation Establishment experts.
Several cultivators involuntarily took half a step back, their breathing growing heavy and uneven.
He spoke slowly; his voice cold as a blade cutting through ice.
"You can try taking one more step forward. I promise you… you won't leave without leaving your life behind."
Su Wen casually pulled out a fancy, expensive-looking pendant, flashed it with a hint of arrogance, then tucked it away just as quickly. It was the same pendant he had once used to fool Du Yufeng.
"I am Jiang Li, disciple of the Great Eastern Sect."
His tone was casual, yet carried unquestionable authority.
He then pointed toward the blue-robed girl stabilising her cultivation.
"And this is my junior sister, Du Yue."
Finally, he looked back at them with pure disdain.
"Do you think trash like you is worthy enough to make my Peak Nascent Soul senior show his face?"
What no one noticed was the cute girl who appeared to be quietly stabilising her cultivation. A faint, cunning smile had already curved on her lips.
All the surrounding cultivators fell into panic. The greed and excitement from earlier vanished completely, replaced by fear and hesitation.
Their faces turned pale, their breathing became uneven, and their legs trembled as they unconsciously took several steps back, as if the invisible pressure might crush them at any moment.
They believed Su Wen… not only because of the pendant, but also because of the overwhelming aura he was releasing. Only disciples of great sects could possess such cultivation power.
Su Wen looked at their panicked faces coldly and calmly prepared his next move.
He had already taken two steps forward.
The first was displaying his terrifying strength.
The second was faking his identity as a disciple of the Great Eastern Sect.
Now, he only needed to take one step back to complete his strategy.
"Now," he said lazily, his tone mocking, "why are you all looking like wronged village girls? Come… finish what you started."
He then added slowly, his eyes filled with disdain,
"Otherwise, leave. I don't have much time to waste on trash like you."
When the cultivators heard this, their expressions instantly relaxed, as if they had been dragged back from the edge of death.
None of them dared to move recklessly anymore.
They immediately dropped to their knees and bowed deeply, their foreheads scraping against the ground.
The group leader who had spoken arrogantly before now lowered his head respectfully.
"We apologise, young master. We were blinded by greed and forgot our place…"
"Please be magnanimous and forgive us for our mistakes. We swear we will never dare to look at your junior sister ever again in this lifetime…"
He then turned and bowed toward the direction Su Wen had bowed to earlier.
"Thank you, senior, for your mercy. We will never allow greed to blind us again."
Seeing him speak first, the other cultivators immediately followed.
"We deserve death for our foolishness!"
"Please forgive us, young master!"
"We swear upon our Dao hearts, we will never offend your junior sister again!"
"Thank you, senior, for sparing our lives!"
Their voices overlapped as they grovelled on the ground, terrified of missing their chance to survive.
After apologising to the hidden senior, the leader finally turned back to Su Wen and bowed once more.
"Please give us a chance to make up for today's offense… If senior or young master ever needs anything, please command us at any time. We will obey without hesitation."