ng Hao stood beneath the shade of a towering pine tree, the dappled sunlight scattering across his robes like shimring gold thread. A cool mountain breeze rustled the leaves above, the scent of earth and spirit herbs mingling in the air. Yet amidst this serenity, his eyes glead with contemptuous amusent as he gazed at the group of approaching female cultivators.
A cold laugh escaped his lips—low, sharp, and brimming with disdain.
These won... did they truly think they could intimidate him?
Foolish, he thought, shaking his head slightly. Completely and utterly foolish.
Though he had only just stepped into the Golden Core realm and lacked the deeper techniques and spells that ca with it, the sheer difference in cultivation alone created an insurmountable chasm between them. These won—two at Foundation Building and the rest still struggling within the Qi Gathering realm—were nothing more than ants in his eyes now. Crushing them would take no more effort than swatting a fly.
And yet, ng Hao mused, they bark orders with the confidence of wolves.
He found their ignorance sowhat amusing. As a Golden Core cultivator, his spiritual presence naturally exceeded their ability to sense without permission. Unless he actively released his pressure, they had no way of knowing the height of the mountain they dared to climb.
Their arrogance, to him, was laughable.
His eyes casually swept over their uniforms—the embroidered snowflakes upon blue and green robes, the signature of the Jade Ice Palace, a sect renowned for its strict cultivation of ice-attribute techniques. Equal in rank to his own sect, it was backed by a Divine Transformation realm powerhouse, a terrifying figure that even the most prideful sects dared not offend lightly.
These two at Foundation Building must be core disciples, he assessed silently. Wang i and her companion Su i... If I kill them outright, it may bring unnecessary trouble. It seems the situation calls for delicacy.
Still, even as ng Hao asured his options, a smirk crept across his face—calculated and just mocking enough to provoke.
Sure enough, Wang i noticed it. Her eyes narrowed like a predator’s, the corner of her lips twitching with indignation.
"Hmph!" she snapped, her voice echoing through the clearing like ice cracking on a lake. "Boy, how dare you mock us? You must truly be courting death! We’ve already shown rcy. Hand over the treasure that caused the spiritual disturbance, and co with us obediently. Otherwise, don’t bla us for what follows!"
Her words were spoken with the self-righteous fury of soone convinced of her superiority. The other disciples fanned out slightly, surrounding him with false confidence gleaming in their eyes.
ng Hao gave a slight shrug, then responded in a lazy tone, "Treasure? Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just taking a stroll to clear my mind. I haven’t co across any treasure. And as for going with you... I’m afraid I have plans today. Quite busy, actually."
His smile deepened, his tone still pleasant, even as his eyes grew colder.
"I’ll take my leave, then," he added nonchalantly, as though dismissing a group of curious onlookers rather than a potential threat.
But in his heart, a sigh echoed.
Sigh... Her killing intent is already manifesting. Talking is pointless now. She’s not letting this go. If I let her live, it’ll only invite more trouble later.
His fingers tightened slightly at his sides.
Looks like I’ll need to silence them here. This won’t be clean, but... with the right pressure, perhaps I can make it quick.
He exhaled deeply, shaking his head as if regretful of the situation.
At that mont, Wang i’s expression darkened, her spiritual energy beginning to surge.
"Enough of this nonsense!" she barked, whirling around to face her fellow disciples. "He’s stalling. If he won’t hand it over, we’ll take it by force!"
With a sharp wave of her hand, she gave the command. "Catch him!"
Her voice rang with authority, and the green-robed disciples reacted imdiately. Drawing their spirit weapons, they began channeling their qi, charging toward ng Hao with the zeal of those assured of victory.
The clearing erupted with tension.
Sword light flashed in the air, leaves scattered beneath the sudden gusts of spiritual wind, and spirit talismans lit up with activated formations. The mountain birds took flight in fright, fleeing from the impending clash.
Yet ng Hao remained still—unmoving, unfazed, and expressionless.
His robes fluttered in the rising energy around him, but he made no move to defend or flee.
Instead, a faint glow began to build at the center of his chest—subtle at first, like a flicker of candlelight.
But then, in a single breath, that light exploded outward.
A torrent of pressure swept through the clearing like a divine gale. The air itself seed to still under its weight, and the charging disciples ca to an abrupt halt, their expressions shifting from arrogance to confusion, then to terror.
The overwhelming aura of a Golden Core cultivator descended like the heavens themselves pressing down upon mortals.
Wang i and Su i staggered back a step instinctively, their eyes wide with disbelief. One of the Qi Gathering disciples fell to her knees, unable to resist the invisible force that now smothered them.
"You—!" Wang i began, but her voice faltered as the truth hit her.
ng Hao lifted his head slowly, his gaze sharp as a sword’s edge, the smirk gone from his lips.
"You wanted to take in?" he said, voice steady and cold. "You thought I was so helpless cultivator who stumbled onto fortune?"
His spiritual pressure deepened.
"Then let show you what true cultivation feels like."
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