The men's face twisted in anger.
“You’re seeking death!”
The two men roared and unched forward.
But before their bdes could even close the gap, Jin Yu vanished like a streak of light.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared at the same spot, alone.
Min Li and Haozi had been pulled safely back several meters behind him.
Jin Yu raised his arm slowly.
The sanctum sword Technique came alive, but different from before
A sword of pure Qi surged into form, humming with a sharp, unstable pulse.
With a casual flick, he sshed forward.
Cng!
The men's weapons shattered on impact. The Qi sword passed clean through, hitting both men in the chest and sending them stumbling backward.
Their own bdes collided weakly with Jin Yu’s chest, producing only a faint metallic shring.
The Qi on their swords dissolved upon contact with his body, leaving no mark.
The two men looked stunned.
“Late-stage Essence Core...” one of them muttered, his tone heavy with disbelief.
“So that’s your confidence,” the other growled. “But don’t get cocky. You might be stronger, but two mid-stage Essence Core cultivators are more than enough to kill you!”
“Attack!”
They lunged again, moving in perfect sync.
This time, they struck from opposite sides, one targeting Jin Yu’s throat, the other his ribs. Their new bdes buzzed with dense killing intent.
But Jin Yu didn’t even blink.
With a single backward step, his body blurred. The two swords crossed where he had just stood but sliced through nothing.
Suddenly—Boom!
Jin Yu dropped from above, his Qi bde crashing down like a meteor.
One of the men raised his sword in time, only to have it snapped in half. The force of the blow drove him into the ground, forming a small crater beneath his feet.
The second man tried to retreat, but Jin Yu’s bootless foot shed out, catching him in the side.
Crack!
The man spiraled through the air, coughing blood as he smmed into a tree hard enough to split it down the middle.
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Fear)
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Fury)
Min Li eyes widen when he saw Jin Yu's feet. “Young master isn't wearing a boot?!"
Haozi mouth also formed an O shape "I didn't notice!"
One of the men coughed blood and staggered to his feet, veins bulging in his neck. “We… we are guards of the third elder! You dare injure us?!”
Jin Yu’s eyes flickered with amusement. “Oh? Should’ve led with that. I love spping dogs of the so-called ‘elders.’”
The other man, now on one knee, trembled with rage. “You won’t leave this forest alive.”
Jin Yu cracked his neck. “Then stop talking. Show me.”
Jin Yu stepped forward, casual and unhurried.
The two men, battered but unwilling to back down, roared and charged once more.
Their Qi surged wildly.
Jin Yu didn’t dodge this time, he met them head-on.
Bang! Bang!
With two clean strikes—one elbow to the chin, one knee to the gut, he sent them both sprawling.
Bones cracked, teeth flew.
One man crashed face-first into the dirt, groaning like a dying animal. The other tried to crawl, but a precise stomp to the back of the neck pinned him ft.
Both men gasped, unable to stand.
“Mid-stage Essence Core?” Jin Yu scoffed, flicking his wrist to dissolve his sword into mist. “Disappointing.”
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Fury)
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Fury)
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Humiliation)
He kicked them in the head, knocking them unconscious.
He turned and waved zily. “Min Li, Haozi, get over here.”
The two rushed forward, still half in disbelief.
“Master,” Min Li grinned, “you didn’t even give us a turn!”
“You’re lucky I didn’t forget you were here,” Jin Yu smirked. “Now, do me a favor, drag these trash deeper into the forest. Make sure they don’t see the road anymore.”
Haozi blinked. “We’re not… killing them?”
“No need. I want them confused, lost, and terrified when they wake up,” Jin Yu said calmly, gncing toward the thickest part of the woods. “and when they do....we have fun.”
As the two began dragging the unconscious men into the shadows of the trees, Jin Yu turned toward the carriage.
He patted one of the horses, then flicked his fingers, summoning a thin Qi thread that wrapped around the reins of all the beasts.
“Let’s go,” he muttered, tugging the entire setup effortlessly. “We’re not taking the road anymore.”
The stallions neighed once, then moved forward.
Jin Yu guided the horses and carriage off the trail, deeper into the woods, the brush swallowing their path behind them.
Above, the trees grew thicker and air darker.
As Haozi and Min Li dragged the beaten men deeper into the woods, Jin Yu walked behind, clearing the undergrowth for the stallions until they reached a quiet, shaded clearing.
A massive tree stood in the center, its thick limbs perfect for what he had in mind.
“Hang them up,” Jin Yu ordered casually.
“By the neck or…?” Haozi asked, half-joking.
“By the ankles,” Jin Yu said with a smile. “Let their heads dangle. I want the blood to rush a little, it helps with the rage.”
Min Lei raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. The two quickly tied thick ropes from the carriage’s storage and hoisted the unconscious men high up into the branches, letting them swing like overripe fruit.
Once the job was done, Jin Yu parked the carriage and tethered the horses quietly nearby. He sat on a rge root beneath the tree, Rainbow on his wrist, still quiet.
“Master… we’re not moving again?” Min Li asked.
Jin Yu gnced up at the two men, who were beginning to stir.
“We’re staying here for a while,” he said, his voice calm. “I have questions, and they have tempers.”
He looked at Haozi. “Fetch water. Let them wake up slowly. I want them refreshed before I ruin their moods.”
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Humiliation)
Ding!
Influence +10,000 (Killing intent)
Jin Yu chuckled.
“Good,” he said. “They're already mad, and we haven’t even started talking yet.”
He leaned back against the tree, folding his arms behind his head, eyes narrowing as he watched them twitch awake.
“Time for some fun.”
