In a clearing up ahead, several figures came into view. Young men in Zhi Clan robes, their cultivation fluctuating between the first and second layers of Qi Transformation. They circled a frightened girl, her robes dirtied from struggle, eyes wide with terror.
Their laughter was laced with cruelty.
> "Just like that Liu Yue girl—so proud, so untouchable," one of them sneered. "Let's see how long that pride lasts when she's on her knees."
Lin Xuan's heart went still.
A moment later, the air twisted.
He appeared in the clearing like a phantom, his gaze fixed, voice low and sharp.
> "What did you say... about Liu Yue?"
The disciples froze.
> "Who—?!"
Before the words could form fully, Lin Xuan was already among them. His fist met the first disciple's chest with crushing force, sending him flying into a tree. The sound of bones snapping echoed.
One after another, the disciples tried to retaliate—but Lin Xuan's strength, though still at the 9th layer of Qi Gathering, far exceeded theirs. His blows were precise and devastating. Two more collapsed, unconscious.
The 2nd-layer disciple made the mistake of drawing his sword. Lin Xuan disarmed him with a flick of his wrist, then sent him crashing into the ground with a kick to the stomach that knocked the wind from his lungs.
Only one was left—the strongest among them, a 3rd-layer Qi Transformation cultivator. His face twisted with both fear and rage.
> "You're mad if you think a Qi Gathering brat can stand against me!"
Their clash was fierce. This opponent was no pushover, and Lin Xuan had to exert more effort. Spiritual energy rippled through the forest as the two exchanged blows. Lin Xuan's new techniques, rooted in the Scriptures of Severed Unity, allowed him to temporarily transcend the boundary of his realm.
With a final surge of power, Lin Xuan slammed his palm into the man's chest, sending him sprawling, bleeding and gasping.
> "P-Please... I didn't mean to—" he coughed, crawling back.
Lin Xuan stepped forward, eyes like ice.
> "You should've thought of that before touching Liu Yue's name with that mouth."
The clearing fell silent. The remaining disciple fell limp, defeated.
Lin Xuan looked down at the frightened girl, handed her a pill silently, then turned without a word. He vanished into the woods again, the weight of death and justice lingering in the air behind him.
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