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PayPal - DarkChaoticSoul
Kofi - DarkChaoticSoul
PATREON - DarkChaoticSoul
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Golden light bathed the sky as the sun slowly sank towards the horizon, its warm rays reflecting across the endless snow. The temperature had dropped significantly as night gradually approached.
The couple leisurely made their way down the volcanic mountain. Su Wen wore a warm smile as Du Yue happily hummed a tune beside him, clinging to his arm.
"It's getting late, Wife. We should hurry a little," Su Wen said.
Du Yue leaned a little more of her weight against him. "It's fine, Husband. We still have plenty of time."
Su Wen didn't say anything. He simply adjusted his posture to support more of her weight before slightly quickening their pace.
As they reached halfway down the mountain, Su Wen suddenly frowned. Several unfamiliar auras had appeared within his range of perception, and his expression immediately became alert as Soul Sense silently spread through the surrounding area, sensing numerous figures hidden nearby.
He instinctively glanced at Du Yue. Seeing that she showed no reaction whatsoever, he couldn't help feeling slightly confused. "Wife... It looks like we're not alone."
Du Yue's expression remained unchanged. "Mmm. They're just ants. You can ignore them."
Su Wen wanted to say something, but suddenly...
"Girl... you're quite arrogant." A rough middle-aged voice echoed throughout the mountainside. "Let me see what you're capable of."
The next instant, a powerful Golden Core pressure descended upon them.
Su Wen and Du Yue slowly came to a stop. Su Wen raised an eyebrow as he looked towards the source of the voice.
Several dozen metres away stood a middle-aged man dressed in grey robes. Behind him stood around thirty men, all dressed similarly. Four of them were at the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm, while the rest were at lower realms.
The man at the front was none other than Si Song, the leader of the Hungry Bandits.
Beside him stood Thane. The swelling on his face had already disappeared after Su Wen beat him this morning. He pointed directly at Su Wen, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "Boss! He's the one who killed Brother Kael. And that bitch is Du Yue, the woman you were looking for."
Si Song merely glanced coldly at Su Wen before dismissing him. In his eyes, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator was already as good as dead, no matter what his background was.
However, the moment he heard the name "Du Yue", his eyes narrowed and his body tensed slightly. He carefully examined Du Yue with his Spiritual Sense.
Her appearance perfectly matched the bounty portrait, but he couldn't see through her cultivation. Instead, his eyes immediately lit up as greed surged through his heart, clouding half of his reason.
'According to the reports, she failed her heavenly tribulation. It's impossible for her to have broken through. She must be carrying some kind of treasure that conceals herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made it all the way here alive.'
A greedy smile slowly spread across his face. "So... You're Du Yue from Moon City?"
Su Wen's heart tightened. 'There are still people hunting her this far away...?'
Beside him, Du Yue remained completely silent. Her expression didn't change in the slightest.
However, inside... she was already annoyed. This scum had interrupted the peaceful time she was spending with her Husband. Seeing that she didn't answer, Si Song's desire finally overwhelmed his reason.
"Hahaha!"
He burst into loud laughter. "I wasn't expecting you to be found so soon, and right here under my nose, no less! Those guests are looking for you. As long as I hand you over, I'll gain their favour. Then the entire Greenstone City will belong to me!"
He smirked. "You are my lucky golden ticket."
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. Without wasting another second, he rushed towards the couple. Spiritual Qi surged violently around him as his right hand transformed into a claw, reaching straight for Du Yue. He intended to capture her alive, not wanting to give her any chance to escape.
Du Yue merely raised an eyebrow. She slowly lifted one delicate hand before curling her fingers slightly.
Flick.
Terrifying Grade 4 Sword Intent mixed with Snow Intent erupted from her fingertip. Si Song's expression changed drastically. "This...!"
He never finished.
Puchi!
The icy Sword Qi pierced straight through his forehead. For a single heartbeat, the entire mountainside fell silent.
Then...
Bang!
His head exploded. Fragments of crimson-red ice scattered through the air. His headless body continued charging forward for several more steps before collapsing heavily at the feet of the couple.
Silence.
No one spoke.
The feared leader of the Hungry Bandits... the notorious Si Song.
A man whose name alone was enough to make countless people tremble in fear throughout the region... had died.
She had killed him with nothing more than a casual flick of her finger, her attack as effortless as breathing.
Su Wen was stunned. 'Is killing a Golden Core cultivator really as easy as flicking a finger?'
Then his gaze landed on Si Song's corpse with a strange expression. 'He came so fast and left so fast too. She isn't a lucky golden ticket... she's a lucky death ticket.'
Shaking his head, Su Wen turned to look at the remaining bandits, who stood there dumbfounded, as if they still hadn't realised what had just happened. Cold sweat poured down their backs, and none of them even dared to move an inch, terrified that Du Yue would retaliate.
Thane, on the other hand, was the most terrified of them all.
He had considered himself incredibly lucky to have escaped the Central Guild after the Guild Master's intervention, but the humiliation had left a seed of resentment in his heart. When he heard Du Yue's name, he found it oddly familiar, so he immediately informed his boss, Si Song, who quickly gathered his men and rushed here, unwilling to give the couple a chance to escape.
But now...
It felt as though someone had punched him hard in the stomach.
The harmless-looking girl he had tried to coerce earlier could probably kill him with nothing more than a thought, yet she acted like a kitten in front of Su Wen. If he had known she was a Golden Core cultivator, one this terrifying at that, he would never have dared set foot in the same city as her.
Su Wen's gaze landed on Thane, whose face had turned into a strange, constipated expression. "I told you. If I saw you again, I'd kill you."
His voice was cold and sharp, like a sword. Thane's entire body shivered. He wanted to speak, but no words came out.
Su Wen looked towards the remaining bandits. "Wife, we can't let these bandits go. They have harmed many innocent people and deserve to be punished. Otherwise, they'll only continue harming others in the future."
The faces of all the bandits turned ashen. They wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but Su Wen's words had completely extinguished their last hope.
Du Yue didn't say anything. She simply prepared to act.
But just as she was about to take action...
"Well, well... It's sure lively here."
A woman's voice suddenly rang out, accompanied by an even more terrifying pressure that descended upon the entire area. The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze as seven black-robed figures suddenly appeared in the air, each radiating the aura of a Peak Golden Core cultivator.
The woman who had spoken was Zhu Jia. She wore tight-fitting robes that accentuated her curvaceous figure, while her beauty carried a strange charm capable of ensnaring the soul.
Her gaze fell upon Si Song's corpse, and she sighed softly. "Poor guy... Died just like that... What a waste. At least you could've let me have my fill of Yang before you died."
Her tone was soft, like a heavenly melody. A strange fragrance continuously spread from her body, carrying a seductive aura that subtly clouded the minds of everyone nearby.
Most of the lower-realm bandits had already fallen under her charm after breathing in the strange fragrance, while the others were barely able to resist.
Du Yue deliberately allowed the fragrance to reach Su Wen, curious to see whether it would affect him.
Su Wen frowned as the strange scent entered his nose, but he remained calm. He didn't disappoint her. Despite the strange sensation, he remained completely unaffected.
His gaze then shifted towards the man standing in the centre. For some reason, the man looked familiar, yet Su Wen couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
The man's name was Mo Kuan. His expression remained completely emotionless as he looked down at everyone below, but when his gaze landed on Du Yue, he paused for a moment before speaking. "So... you're Du Yue from Moon City, born with a Yin Physique?"
Du Yue simply looked at him without answering. Her expression remained cold and indifferent, as though she couldn't be bothered to waste even a single word on him.
Su Wen's expression, however, turned cold, and a faint trace of worry appeared in his eyes.
Mo Kuan didn't seem to mind her silence. His eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully observed Du Yue. "According to our information, you were seriously injured after failing your heavenly tribulation."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "Yet you've already recovered your cultivation... and even broken through."
His gaze shifted towards Si Song's corpse. "You also killed him without even breaking a sweat."
A faint trace of suspicion appeared in his eyes. "Whatever happened to you after the tribulation... it seems our information was incomplete."
He paused before continuing. "And then there's Young Master K." His gaze became sharper. "He appeared out of nowhere in Moon City and killed the City Lord, his son, and even a Peak Golden Core cultivator. That's too much of a coincidence."
He carefully watched Du Yue's expression, hoping to catch even the slightest reaction. "Which one was his real target? The City Lord and his son..."
He paused. "...or that Peak Golden Core cultivator?"
Yet Du Yue remained completely calm. So did Su Wen. Neither of them gave him anything.
Mo Kuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn't figure out anything from their expressions.
Suddenly, one of the other black-robed figures stepped forward. He appeared to be a young man with narrow, dark eyes and a pair of strange black horse ears twitching impatiently on top of his head. "Why are you talking so much?"
He glanced impatiently at Du Yue. "Don't waste time talking to these insects. Just capture her first, then ask everything on the way back."
His tone was clearly irritated. "The gates of the Five Great Holy Lands will soon open for new disciples. I'd rather spend my time preparing for that."
Mo Kuan nodded without minding the outburst. He took a step forward and looked down at Du Yue. "Come with me. It's a blessing that you've caught the attention of our Young Master. He specifically sent us all the way from the Great Eastern City to this remote place just for you."
He paused. "Or more precisely... for your Yin Physique."
A proud smile appeared on his face. "Submit to our Young Master, and power, resources, status... everything will be within your reach."
Du Yue finally couldn't listen anymore. "Not interested."
Mo Kuan frowned, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. He looked at her with a condescending gaze. "You're just a country bumpkin who happens to possess a special physique. Back in the Great Eastern City, countless women would beg for an opportunity like this. Yet you've been given one without even asking. You shouldn't waste it."
He glanced towards Su Wen. "Kill that man and come with us quietly. At least I'll leave his corpse intact."
His tone was casual, as though he had just asked her to do something completely reasonable.
Du Yue didn't even hesitate for a second. "Get lost." A trace of darkness appeared in her eyes, unnoticed by anyone.
Mo Kuan's expression immediately became ugly. His patience had finally run out. "Even if you've recultivated to the Golden Core Realm, it doesn't matter. Whether you want to or not is no longer your choice. Nobody defies the Young Master's orders!"
His voice became increasingly vicious. "It should be an honour for you to be of use to the Young Master. Instead, you're being stubborn and rejecting such a blessing."
Su Wen's eyes narrowed. The calmness in his expression disappeared, replaced by a cold glint. He stepped forward and placed his left arm in front of Du Yue, gently pushing her behind himself.
"Who are you? And who's this Young Master you're talking about?" He paused before continuing, his tone completely devoid of respect. "And what exactly do you mean by leaving me with a full corpse?"
"I would've understood if you had said you guys would kill me if she didn't go with you. That's understandable."
He frowned. "But what the hell...? You want her to come willingly, and you also want me to be killed by her?"
He sneered. "What kind of logic is that? And you call this doing her some kind of favour? Should my soul thank you from the Netherworld after you kill me for being so kind and generous?"
Su Wen shook his head. "You people look like a bunch of thugs, threatening to kidnap a poor woman, ordering her to kill her own husband, and then expecting her to accept all of this as some kind of honour and blessing."
"Bullshit!"
He pointed towards them. "If someone beat you, would you feel honoured because you were given the privilege of being beaten by them?"
Su Wen shook his head. "Shameless bastards."
The expressions of all seven black-robed cultivators immediately darkened. A murderous aura instantly filled the surroundings. Even the remaining bandits, who had been secretly gloating at Su Wen's misfortune, were completely stunned.
This guy...
Did he really dare to speak to these people like that?
And the worst part was... they couldn't even deny what he had said.
But the seven black-robed cultivators didn't answer. Not because Su Wen had exposed their hypocrisy, and certainly not because they felt ashamed of what they had said.
It was simply because, in their eyes, Su Wen wasn't even worth answering. However, that didn't mean they would tolerate disrespect from someone they considered an insect.
The next instant, all seven cultivators simultaneously directed their overwhelming cultivation pressure towards Su Wen.
Boom!
Su Wen suddenly felt as though an enormous mountain had been pressed down upon his head. His knees shook, and his blood ran cold as beads of sweat appeared across his forehead.
They didn't speak.
Their overwhelming aura conveyed their answer clearly. Within only a second, Su Wen's face turned pale. His breathing became heavier, and his body trembled beneath the crushing pressure.
Not wasting another moment, he slowly raised his hand. But this time, instead of keeping it in front of Du Yue, he placed it against her back.
Then, with a calm expression, he quietly took a step backwards... and another.
Until he was standing behind her. The moment Du Yue stood between them, the pressure bearing down on Su Wen vanished. It was as though it had never existed.
Su Wen didn't say anything. His face remained as calm as stone.
But when Du Yue glanced back, she noticed the unmistakable grievance and indignation hidden in his eyes. He looked almost like a child who had just been bullied and had run back to his mother for protection.
Du Yue gently patted his head. "Husband, don't be sad. It's not your fault for being so weak."
Su Wen's mouth twitched. He felt even more indignant and wanted to say something. 'He wasn't weak! It was just that these people's cultivation was too high!'
But when he met her completely serious and innocent gaze, his embarrassment made him swallow the words. Du Yue turned her gaze back towards the seven black-robed figures. A faint trace of anger appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"These bad people... "I'll teach them a lesson and make them pay for bullying you."
Su Wen's eyes immediately lit up. "But their cultivation..."
Du Yue cut him off.
She slowly turned around and looked towards the seven figures high in the sky. Her gaze was cold and condescending, as though she were looking down upon them despite them standing high above her.
"Don't worry."
"They're just slightly bigger ants than the one from earlier."