Watching the cold, aloof face rapidly approaching—lofty, cruel, and indifferent—Chen Miaomiao let out a cold laugh.
How should she put it? Although she wasn’t picky about what she ate, she certainly wasn’t one to suffer losses.
In the blink of an eye, Li Cun leaped in front of Chen Miaomiao and aimed a fierce kick at her abdomen.
Since the person before him was merely a mortal, Li Cun didn’t bother using Lingqi—she simply wasn’t worth it.
But the unexpected happened in that very instant. Before anyone could even register their movements, Li Cun was sent sprawling to the ground, tumbling head over heels.
Meanwhile, Chen Miaomiao casually brushed off her sleeves, looking relaxed and utterly at ease.
As a top-tier hunter proficient in Guwu, dealing with someone like him without using Lingqi was as simple as handling a child.
Humiliated and bewildered, Li Cun was left in a sorry state. To add insult to injury, Chen Miaomiao even pitied him, saying, “Little one, you seem rather frail. Have you eaten today? Without putting in some effort, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to scratch Benzun’s skin.”
“You…” Li Cun was left speechless by her retort, his face flushing a deep crimson. Without another word, he gathered a surge of Lingqi in his hand and hurled it straight at Chen Miaomiao.
The explosive surge of Lingqi sent Chen Miaomiao’s sleeves billowing wildly, as if she were standing directly in the path of a storm.
Standing firm amidst it all, Chen Miaomiao knew that success or failure hinged on this moment!
Seizing the perfect opportunity, she raised her hand and gave a gentle, effortless wave.
“Boom!”
The condensed Lingqi shattered instantly under her strike, dispersing like bursting bubbles into a misty haze, stunning everyone present.
After all, Li Cun was considered one of the “elite” in Yunluo Zhen. He had already reached the ninth stage of Lianqi, just one step away from Zhuji, making him the most accomplished cultivator in their group. Gathering Qi to harm others or break through defenses was second nature to him.
But… this woman in white had effortlessly suppressed him with a mere wave of her sleeve?!
Watching Chen Miaomiao’s relaxed smile, Li Cun stared in disbelief. As he snapped back to reality, his rage surged, fueled by either shame or fury.
His original intention had been to impress the young lady of the Chen family, hoping she would take him back to the Chen estate so he could advance further in his cultivation.
Who would have thought that today, in this very place, he would be humiliated by a mortal incapable of cultivation? How could he possibly endure this?!
“Don’t get too cocky!”
Li Cun gathered his Qi once more and launched another attack. The Lingqi landed softly on Chen Miaomiao’s sleeves, leaving not even a trace, let alone causing her any harm.
“Impossible!”
Li Cun roared, drawing the long sword from his waist and slashing fiercely at Chen Miaomiao.
The blade was sharp, its sword energy ringing with a metallic hum. Startled, Chen Miaomiao recalled that even the Tiejia Shou hadn’t been able to harm her in the slightest. Could this lackey possibly be more powerful than Zhuji Zhongjie?
Take a risk, and a bicycle might turn into a motorcycle!
She decided to gamble!
Chen Miaomiao raised her arm, calmly blocking the strike.
“Clang!”
Not only did Li Cun fail to harm Chen Miaomiao, but he was also sent flying by her “Qilin arm.”
He crashed heavily to the ground, rolling over seven or eight times like a stray dog, coughing up blood and wailing in agony, clearly in excruciating pain.
“Ah… ah… save me…”
A terrifying, destructive energy surged from his sword-wielding hand into his internal organs, wave after wave, like an unrelenting tide.
“Ah… save me! Save me…”
Chen Miaomiao: “…”
Witnessing Li Cun’s miserable state, Chen Miaomiao was now absolutely certain: the white robe she wore possessed a “damage reflection” ability.
Any harm inflicted upon her would be reflected back onto the attacker.
The Tiejia Shou from earlier must have died in the same way.
Tsk, thrilling!
Despite Li Cun’s continuous cries of pain, none of his companions dared to step forward to help him. They held their breath, staring fixedly at Chen Miaomiao, terrified that the “venerable one” might take offense and strike each of them in turn—that would be disastrous!
Yes!
Venerable one!
In this world, if a Xiushi cannot sense the Lingqi of another person, it means either that person is a waste incapable of cultivating the Dao, or that person is a great power beyond their perception.
The white-robed young woman before them, who effortlessly subdued Li Cun, a ninth-stage Lianqi cultivator, with a mere wave of her hand and without even lifting a finger, was clearly not a waste.
She was the latter!
Undoubtedly the latter!
As for why she appeared so young and so beautiful, that was even more “terrifying upon closer thought.”
It was said that once a Xiushi broke through the Jindan stage and entered the Yuanying stage, they could freely alter their age and appearance, preserving their youth without question.
So this excessively young, unnaturally beautiful white-robed young woman… could she actually be a Yuanying Laozu?!
No wonder she had referred to herself as “Benzun” earlier and called them “juniors.”
Help!
They had actually offended a Yuanying Laozu!!
The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became. Their faces turned pale, and they trembled uncontrollably, not one of them daring to meet Chen Miaomiao’s gaze directly. Among them, the arrogant and overbearing Miss Chen Chuqing of the Chen family was the most frightened.
She was truly terrified…
She had threatened to skin and gouge out the eyes of a Yuanying Laozu…
How dare she?!
It’s over, it’s over! Would she lose her life here today?!
But Chen Chuqing was, after all, a scion of a noble family, well-traveled and adaptable. Forcing down her fear, she gritted her teeth, clasped her hands, and bowed respectfully, saying, “Elder… Elder, it was our blindness and ignorance that offended you. We beg for your magnanimous forgiveness.”
Hearing “Elder” addressed to her, Chen Miaomiao knew she had successfully intimidated them.
Maintaining her lofty demeanor perfectly, she smiled and said, “Blind and ignorant? Hmm, indeed blind and ignorant. Otherwise, why would you be so fond of gouging eyes, cutting off noses, and skinning people?”
Chen Chuqing’s legs went weak with fright, and without another word, she knelt down, exclaiming loudly, “Elder, spare my life! Elder, spare my life!”
As Chen Chuqing knelt, the others were struck with terror and hurriedly followed suit, dropping to their knees.
“Elder, spare our lives!”
“We beg for your mercy, Elder!”
“We juniors have learned our lesson!”
…
Chen Miaomiao neither agreed nor disagreed. With a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, she gazed at the group for a long while, making their hair stand on end and their legs tremble with fear, before finally speaking unhurriedly, “Rise. How could Benzun possibly hold a grudge against a bunch of children?”
They exchanged glances, rising slowly while expressing their gratitude.
“Thank you, Elder!”
“Thank you, Elder!”
But then Chen Miaomiao’s tone shifted: “However…”
Once again, they all knelt in unison, their movements swift and decisive, the dull thuds of their knees hitting the ground sounding solid and heavy. Chen Miaomiao frowned in puzzlement: “Ah, why are you kneeling again? Get up, quickly! If you don’t rise, Benzun will be displeased.”
Hearing this, they hesitantly stood up again.
“This… yes…”
“Yes…”
Chen Miaomiao nodded in satisfaction: “Benzun is merciful. You are still young, and Benzun will not blame you.”
“Yes, Elder is merciful.”
“Elder is merciful.”
“To encounter an Elder like you is a blessing accumulated over three lifetimes.”
Everyone racked their brains to flatter her, and Chen Miaomiao seemed quite pleased, smiling at the corners of her mouth and nodding repeatedly. “Well said, but Benzun doesn’t care for it. Don’t say such things next time.”
The Xiushi were once again terrified to the core, and without another word, they promptly knelt down.
Chen Miaomiao blinked, feigning surprise, and chided in mock anger, “Oh dear, why are you kneeling again? Get up, get up quickly.”