The villagers had never seen silence like this.
No wind moved.
No insects chirped.
Even the leaves hung motionless on the trees surrounding the burial hill.
Ling Chen stumbled back several steps, Old Yu grabbing his shoulder to keep him from falling. The old gravekeeper's hands trembled — not from weakness, but from a fear he could not name.
In the center of the hill stood two men.
Ren Tianhe no longer looked like a wandering traveler. His posture was straight, his gaze steady, and though he still held only a wooden staff, the air around him felt calm and heavy, like deep water.
The dark-robed cultivator raised one hand slowly.
The moment his fingers moved, the earth beneath Ren Tianhe cracked.
A shallow trench split open between them as if an invisible blade had carved the ground.
Ling Chen gasped.
No weapon had been swung.
Ren Tianhe stepped forward.
He flicked his sleeve.
Nothing visible appeared — yet the space between the two men distorted. The air rippled outward in a circular wave. Dust lifted into the air and scattered like startled birds.
The rogue cultivator slid backward several paces, boots grinding into the soil to stop his momentum.
His eyes narrowed.
"So this is the strength of a Soul Ignition cultivator…"
Ling Chen didn't understand the words, but he understood the danger. Each movement felt capable of destroying the hill itself.
The man's expression sharpened.
"You should have fled with the boy. Protecting him here only invites Heaven's attention."
Ren Tianhe answered calmly.
"Some things are worth standing still for."
The dark-robed cultivator's patience ended.
He stepped forward.
The ground beneath his feet turned black, as if the life within the soil had been drained away. The air around him condensed, forming a pressure so heavy Ling Chen struggled to breathe even from a distance.
Old Yu forced Ling Chen behind him.
"Do not watch," he whispered urgently.
Ling Chen couldn't look away.
The man raised his palm toward Ren Tianhe.
The sky dimmed slightly.
A crushing force descended.
The grass flattened instantly across the entire hill.
Ling Chen dropped to one knee under the weight.
Ren Tianhe did not move.
He closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, everything became perfectly still.
Then—
He opened them.
The pressure shattered.
A shockwave burst outward, kicking up soil and leaves in all directions. The rogue cultivator staggered, genuine surprise crossing his face for the first time.
"You carry no killing intent…" he said slowly.
Ren Tianhe lowered his sleeve.
"I am not here to fight you," he said calmly. "I am here to stop you."
The man frowned.
"You cannot protect him forever."
Ren Tianhe nodded once.
"I do not need forever."
Their eyes met.
Ling Chen felt something he had never felt before.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Understanding.
Ren Tianhe already knew the outcome of this encounter.
And he had accepted it.