Looking at the grinning young master of the Zhao family leaning in, and the haughty Second Realm cultivator standing with his chin held high, Su Yueli frowned slightly.
A Second Realm cultivator...
And these few martial artists around the Third Realm.
Come to think of it, she hadn't seen characters of this level in several hundred years.
In a daze, Su Yueli recalled a time long ago when she was still a minor martial artist struggling in the mortal world. Back then, encountering even a Second Realm cultivator required her to exhaust every drop of her wits and risk her life in a desperate struggle.
Looking at them now, these people were no different from ants in her eyes.
“What are you looking at, you lowly vagrant? Keep looking and I'll gouge your eyes out!”
Seeing Su Yueli frown, a servant of the Zhao family barked harshly. Holding his blade, he walked over and reached out, attempting to grab her shoulder.
The eldest Han sister, Han Qingling, turned deathly pale. Summoning the last of her strength, she took another step forward to block Su Yueli, shouting angrily, “Zhao Tiancheng! If you have the ability, come at us sisters! What kind of skill is it to bully an innocent passerby!”
“Innocent?”
The young master of the Zhao family let out a wicked laugh, his gaze sweeping over Su Yueli. “In this place, any woman I set my eyes on is far from innocent! Take her!”
The younger Han sister, Han Yu, lay in the mud and cried out anxiously, “Miss, run! Don't worry about us!”
In the face of their clamor and the sisters' cries, Su Yueli's expression did not change in the slightest.
She merely stood quietly in the rain and gently raised her right hand.
Seeing this, the young master of the Zhao family and the Second Realm cultivator blanked for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Stroking the goatee on his chin, the Second Realm cultivator sneered contemptuously, “You certainly know how to read the situation. Knowing that resistance only leads to death, are you preparing to surrender quietly?”
“Once I'm done playing with her, I'll give her to you.”
The young master of the Zhao family agreed with a lecherous grin, “Then I shall trouble you, Immortal Master.”
The next moment.
Su Yueli gently closed her palm, clenching it into a fist.
“Bang!”
The air within a hundred-foot radius seemed to be completely sucked dry in an instant, before suddenly collapsing inward!
A terrifying physical pressure erupted out of thin air. The young master of the Zhao family, the Second Realm cultivator, and the dozen or so Zhao family servants surrounding them instantly shattered, turning into clouds of thick blood mist!
The fine drizzle falling from the sky was dyed crimson by the blood mist, only to be washed into the soil by the wind and rain.
The entire official highway fell silent in an instant.
Only the rustling of rain pattering against the leaves remained.
The Han sisters, collapsed on the ground, were completely dumbfounded.
Their eyes widened and their minds went entirely blank as they stared blankly at the empty road ahead.
The overbearing young master of the Zhao family, the high-and-mighty cultivator, and the dozen or so ferocious servants from just a moment ago... were just gone?
Not even a single complete bone remained; they had been directly turned into a shower of blood mist?
Su Yueli slowly retracted her hand and gave a casual wave. “No need to thank me.”
With that, she turned around, preparing to continue on her way.
She truly hadn't wanted to interfere in mortal grievances and disputes.
However, the evil desires in the hearts of the Zhao family's young master and the cultivator had been too intense, and they had actively provoked her.
Moreover, even when these Han sisters could barely protect themselves, they had still desperately urged her to escape.
Trading that shred of kindness for their lives could be considered a fair exchange.
Seeing Su Yueli about to leave, the Han sisters finally snapped out of their immense shock.
The older sister, Han Qingling's heart pounded like a drum. Looking at Su Yueli's calm and unbothered back, a glimmer of hope flashed in the depths of her despair.
Such methods... were simply unheard of!
Even those high-and-mighty sect elders in Luochuan City could never completely erase a Second Realm cultivator just by clenching a fist!
“Senior, please wait!”
Disregarding the severe pain wracking her body, Han Qingling dragged her younger sister down to kneel in the mud and kowtow.
“This humble girl is Han Qingling, and this is my younger sister, Han Yu. We thank Senior for saving our lives! If not for Senior's intervention, we sisters would have surely met a fate worse than death today!”
The younger sister, Han Yu, was also filled with shock and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Han Qingling raised her head, grit her teeth, and tentatively spoke, “Senior has saved our lives. I wonder if Senior would be willing to grace our Han family with your presence as a guest? It would allow us sisters to show our hospitality and present a token of our gratitude...”
Su Yueli stopped in her tracks, turned her head slightly, and frowned once more.
With her experience, how could she not see through the little scheme in the sisters' hearts?
Saving them was merely a casual act; she had already fulfilled any sense of duty.
Now, this woman wanted to push her luck and guide her to the Han family, solely wishing to use her prestige to deter their enemies.
This feeling of being used displeased her slightly.
Seeing Su Yueli's gaze turn cold, and though no aura erupted from her, a suffocating pressure washed over them. Han Qingling's heart shuddered violently, and cold sweat instantly drenched her back.
She knew her intentions had been seen through by this senior in an instant!
In the face of a powerhouse of this level, any attempt at clever tricks was practically begging for death.
Han Qingling dared not hide anything. She hurriedly kowtowed again, her voice trembling as she confessed:
“Senior has discerning eyes! This humble girl deserves death for harboring such selfish thoughts!”
“The immortal master hired by the Zhao family died here today. The Zhao family will certainly not let this rest. With the remaining strength of our Han family, we cannot possibly withstand the retaliation that will follow...”
“This girl indeed thought of using Senior's prestige to deter the Zhao family and the forces behind them, in order to preserve the hundreds of lives in the Han family!”
At this point, Han Qingling raised her head, her gaze sincere:
“My desire to borrow your strength is real, but my wish to thank Senior for saving our lives is also genuine! As long as Senior is willing to give us a chance, no matter what Senior needs, as long as our Han family possesses it, we will never hold back in the slightest!”
Hearing Han Qingling's unreserved confession, the coldness in Su Yueli's eyes receded slightly.
Knowing when to advance and retreat, and being honest, she wasn't too foolish.
If the other party had continued to spin lies just now, she would have left immediately, never sparing them another glance.
“I have no time to care about your family's grievances,” Su Yueli said calmly. “I am going to Luochuan City on business.”
Hearing this, the younger sister, Han Yu, whose eyes had been dim, lit up and blurted out:
“Senior! We are the Han family of Luochuan City!”
Su Yueli turned around, sizing up the two sisters with a hint of doubt.
The blood qi in these two women was incredibly weak, reaching only about the early stage of the Third Realm of the martial path at best.
She couldn't help but wonder in her heart. Luochuan City was, after all, a prominent city in the Great Li Dynasty. How could the descendants of a local family be so weak?
Could Third Realm martial artists actually serve as the mainstay of a family?
Seeing Su Yueli observing them, Han Qingling hurriedly added, “Is Senior looking for something or someone in Luochuan City? Our Han family is extremely familiar with all affairs, merchant guilds, and territories within Luochuan City. We will certainly be of help to Senior!”
Su Yueli pondered for a moment before speaking, “I need to go to the Cangji Mountain Range near Luochuan City.”
“The Cangji Mountain Range?”
Delight flared in Han Qingling's eyes as she quickly said, “That mountain range is exceptionally perilous, filled with rampant miasma. Ordinary people can easily lose their way inside.”
“Our Han family has operated in Luochuan City for many years. We have a dedicated herb-gathering team that collects herbs and ores in the Cangji Mountain Range. They know the routes of the outer and middle regions like the back of their hands!”
“We humbly invite Senior to return to the Han family with us so that we can arrange for the most experienced hunter to guide you!”
Hearing this, Su Yueli fell into thought.
The Earth Meridian Fiend Astral Essence she sought was hidden deep within the Cangji Mountain Range. If she had a local who knew the terrain to guide her or provide a map, it would indeed save her a lot of time spent searching blindly.
Furthermore, judging from how a mere Second Realm cultivator could run rampant in Luochuan City, there were clearly no top-tier experts in this place, only small fry.
Going to the Han family didn't matter much.
Except...
With this family's meager strength, could they really lead the way? If a Second Realm demon beast were to appear, wouldn't they be completely wiped out?
“Very well. Lead the way.”
After thinking for a moment, Su Yueli nodded slightly.
As long as it made things more convenient, it was fine. In any case, there was nothing in this city that could pose a threat to her.
Seeing Su Yueli agree, the two sisters were overjoyed.
“Thank you, Senior! Senior, please follow us!” Enduring the severe injuries on her body, Han Qingling stood up and pulled her younger sister to lead the way.
Half a day later, the wind and rain gradually subsided.
The three of them walked along the official highway toward Luochuan City.
With Su Yueli traveling alongside them, the sisters' tightly strung nerves finally relaxed.
After taking the healing medicine they carried with them, some color returned to their pale faces.
Along the way, the younger sister, Han Yu, stole frequent glances at Su Yueli.
She truly couldn't comprehend how this woman—who looked not much older than herself and wore a light blue robe so clean it didn't bear a single speck of dust—could turn a Second Realm immortal master into blood mist with just a wave of her hand.
“Senior... are you also a cultivator?” Unable to contain her curiosity, Han Yu asked in a low voice.
Han Qingling gasped in fright and hurriedly tugged her sister's sleeve. “Yu'er, do not be rude to Senior!”
Su Yueli didn't mind and said flatly, “I am not a cultivator. I am a martial artist.”
“A martial artist?!”
Han Yu's mouth fell open, her face filled with disbelief. “A martial artist can turn a cultivator into blood mist? My father is a peak Fifth Realm martial artist, yet he couldn't even take a single blow from that Second Realm immortal master... Aren't martial artists naturally weaker than cultivators?”
Han Qingling also pricked up her ears, her heart similarly filled with shock.
In their understanding, the worldly martial path was merely an inferior, minor path for mortals to strengthen their bodies and prolong their lives.
Once they reached the middle and higher realms, cultivators could fly on swords and manipulate magical treasures, while martial artists couldn't even touch them.
Yet, the senior before them had completely overturned their cognition.
“When the martial path of the world is pursued to its absolute limit, it is in no way inferior to the so-called immortal cultivation,” Su Yueli said calmly.
She didn't explain too much. The mysteries of the Ji Dao physical body and the Flawless Realm were concepts these two low-tier martial artists wouldn't understand even if she explained them.
Han Qingling fell into deep thought, secretly astonished.
She could sense the calmness and power in Su Yueli's words. That utter disregard for cultivators was definitely not a facade, but built upon absolute strength.
As Han Qingling walked, she calculated in her mind.
The family was currently in critical danger, her father was heavily injured, and the Zhao family was pressing hard step by step.
Although this senior was cold, as long as she was willing to stay in the Han family for even a single day, the Zhao family would definitely not dare to make any reckless moves.
No matter what, upon returning to the family this time, they had to serve this senior with the entire family's resources and efforts!
The livelier Han Yu, however, didn't think that much. She simply felt that this cold and beautiful senior was incredibly powerful, and she chattered away along the journey, introducing the customs and local flavor of Luochuan City to Su Yueli.
“Senior, although our Luochuan City isn't large, there's a dish called steamed deer tail at the Yunlai Restaurant in town that tastes absolutely delicious! Once we arrive, I'll take you to try it!”
“Also, regarding the Cangji Mountain Range, I heard there are man-eating great demons in the deep parts, but with Senior here, no great demon could possibly be a match for you...”
Listening to the young girl's endless chatter, Su Yueli's expression remained calm, only giving a slight nod of her head occasionally.
Looking at the long road ahead, her heart was filled with tranquility.
Luochuan City, the Cangji Mountain Range, the Earth Meridian Fiend Astral Essence...
This first primary ingredient for breaking through to the Fourteenth Realm was something she was determined to obtain.
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