Though the morning had edged toward noon, dark clouds still draped the sky, casting a heavy chill over Liuyao Town.
Suddenly, an elderly man in a brown robe materialized above, hovering with a calm yet imposing grace. His presence was a suffocating pressure, heavy on every corner of the air. His white hair gleamed, and his gaze fell directly on Xue Yao.
Xue Yao, already alert, felt a different kind of pressure. The old man's gaze was clearly stronger than Xing Mu's. Perhaps the talisman Xing Mu had destroyed was meant to summon a senior expert—and now the elder had appeared before her.
"Greetings, Elder Xing Yang!" Xing Mu called out, his voice trembling with a mix of fear, respect, and excitement.
Elder Xing Yang, senior elder of the Xing Family, paid no mind to the greeting. He descended slowly, his expression utterly calm, his aura a colossal weight, like the shadow of an ancient mountain. His silence was not peace; it was the chilling prelude to violence, carrying a thousand unspoken threats.
Xue Yao swallowed hard, her entire body tensing. She mobilized her power immediately, aware that she couldn't hope to defeat this old man. The distance between them was staggering, like a small bird facing a dragon in the sky. She sensed Xing Yang's aura—roughly that of a seventh-stage Heavenly King.
As she tried to evade, Xing Yang's aura pressed down on her, restricting her movements. She gritted her teeth against the choking pressure, her crimson robe shifting as her body bent slightly. Her celebrated charm was useless now.
'Damn it,' Xue Yao thought. 'I'll remember this, Xing Family!'
"Xue Yao! This is what happens when you offend the Xing Family!" Xing Mu shouted. His voice trembled with excitement and curiosity, watching Xue Yao under pressure.
Xue Yao remained silent, her eyes sharp and cold, burning with hatred toward the old man.
From a distance, Yao Yue had been observing all along. She was slightly surprised by Xing Yang's sudden appearance. Her eyes carried curiosity and a sharp evaluative gaze.
'Two elders pressuring a girl? How disgraceful.' Yao Yue thought, yet she remained cautious, unmoving.
Across the town, people who had come to survey the situation gathered at a distance. Some stood atop rooftops, others on the streets.
"Hey… who's that woman in the crimson robe?"
"Seems like a demonic cultivator. Look at her aura!"
Whispers and speculation spread, as if experts were trying to decipher a mystery.
"I think… I recognize those two men. Aren't they from the Xing Family in the Western Region?"
"What?! Then that demonic woman must be…"
"Exactly! She's here!"
The topic instantly drew attention. The crowd slowly realized who she was. Most likely, she was the demonic cultivator who had ravaged the Western Region and had been hunted ever since. Now she appeared in the Northern Region, completely unexpected.
"Will the demonic woman… survive?" A straw-hatted man's voice cut through the chatter, silencing the crowd for a moment and drawing everyone's curiosity.
Xue Yao remained under immense pressure, fists clenched tightly. She hated this feeling of helplessness. In a fleeting thought, she imagined if the one who had caught her had been the handsome youth she met earlier—perhaps she would have surrendered without resistance. But reality offered no such mercy. Two elderly men were on her, and her heart seethed with frustration and curses. She sighed, trapped and powerless.
The atmosphere grew taut; breaths in the town seemed to halt. All eyes were fixed on Xue Yao.
Suddenly, just as Elder Xing Yang prepared to strike, a sword shot through the void. It moved with blinding speed, the dominant aura carving the air around it. Without warning, the sword struck Xing Yang.
Zing!!
Something fell to the ground, red fluid splattering everywhere. The sword had moved too swiftly to be tracked, even by Elder Xing Yang himself. As he looked at what had fallen, a shocking sight struck his eyes.
"Ahh!!!" Xing Yang cried out, the sting of pain already seeping through him.
His right hand, the one about to strike Xue Yao, now fell lifelessly. The town seemed to hold its breath.
Xing Mu, standing behind, leapt back in shock. His heart sank. The senior elder of the Xing Family, a Heavenly King of formidable stature, had suddenly lost his hand? A chill ran through his body.
Xue Yao herself froze, her hands instinctively rising, eyes widening. How could the man before her, so strong, suddenly lose a hand? Her mind swirled with questions, a spark of hope igniting within her. Was someone aiding her? She sought the source, yet found nothing.
From a distance, Yao Yue's eyes widened in astonishment. An attack had appeared out of nowhere and vanished. She could sense a faint aura of a sword as it struck Xing Yang.
'A sword? Where did it come from?' she wondered.
Her delicate face hardened with concentration. She scanned the area with her spiritual senses, yet detected no hidden master. Her heart thudded; only she seemed to notice the situation behind the scenes. There was someone far stronger observing. Yao Yue swallowed hard.
The distant crowd froze, as if spellbound. Faces filled with disbelief, shock, and awe. A Heavenly King, a body of iron and steel, could have his hand severed just like that—how could it be?
"What… what just happened?!" a voice stammered, disbelief echoing.
A silence spread instantly.
"How is this possible!"
Xing Yang panicked, glancing frantically around for the source of the attack while clutching his wounded hand. His usually unshakable composure, even in a collapsing world, had vanished. Panic replaced calm. He knew only someone far stronger than him could wound him with such ease. Was there a hidden master here? Why had he been attacked?
His breath quickened, his heart raced. The strike could have ended his life if aimed differently. Fear coursed through him.
"Who is it?!" Xing Yang shouted, panic and vigilance intertwining in his voice.
"Old man, if you dare harm her, you might as well kill yourself!"
A young man's voice suddenly echoed across the tense air. Calm, cold, and chilling, it reverberated through the area, capturing every gaze.