Chapter 91: You... You, you, you!!

“You foolish child, I was merely granting you some courtesy—do you truly believe yourself worthy to call me brother?” The young man glanced at Lin Hao with undisguised contempt, his words cold and sharp. Then he turned his gaze to the alluring woman and said with a smile, “Junior Sister Xu Qing, are you hurt?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Xu Qing replied icily, refusing to acknowledge him further.

But just then, the aura around Zhao Min, who stood at Xu Qing’s side, suddenly surged. A flying sword shot toward Xu Qing with lethal intent!

Xu Qing’s pupils contracted sharply. The attack was so sudden, and she was distracted by her conversation with the man surnamed Xiao—there was no way to avoid it! The blade was about to pierce her when the man named Xiao moved. In an instant, a sword of spiritual energy formed in his hand and shot directly at the incoming flying sword.

A sound like clashing metal rang out. Zhao Min’s magical weapon was knocked aside by force, and Xu Qing’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as she launched herself at Zhao Min in retaliation.

“It’s over…” Despair filled Zhao Min’s eyes as she felt the terrifying pressure emanating from Xu Qing. Even though Lin Hao had displayed some impressive skills before, she doubted he could save her this time…

“Frost Chill.” Lin Hao glanced indifferently at Zhao Min, murmured softly, and in a flash, a sword of spiritual energy condensed in his hand, surging with boundless cold, and shot straight toward Xu Qing.

“Not good!” Xu Qing’s attack was just about to reach Zhao Min when a powerful sense of mortal danger welled up within her. Feeling the consuming cold radiating from Lin Hao’s sword, she paled in terror and hastily formed seals to defend herself. Their powers collided in a flash.

With a thunderous boom, Xu Qing was sent flying backward by the impact as a frigid aura spread in all directions. Even Zhao Min, caught in the backlash, suffered significant injuries from the freezing force.

“Aren’t you going to leave?” Lin Hao, having finished, took another sip of clear wine from his gourd, glanced at Xu Qing, and a barely noticeable trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes.

“Impossible to win…” Xu Qing met Lin Hao’s gaze, and a chill rose from her spine, spreading instantly throughout her body. An icy fear crept into her heart.

“How strange… I wonder if you can withstand a blow from me.” The man surnamed Xiao, observing the scene, looked grave. Spiritual energy surged around him as a remarkable, slender blade took shape in his hand.

The blade was entirely crimson, its faint glow hinting at a mysterious, inexhaustible power. Even the three magical treasures that Ji Tianya had once gifted Lin Hao paled in comparison.

“Excellent weapon!” The moment the man drew his blade, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. Spiritual energy roiled around him as he took a step forward, absorbing the energies of heaven and earth. A staff materialized in his hand, which he swung directly at the man surnamed Xiao.

“Courting death!” The man’s eyes flashed with killing intent as he met Lin Hao’s attack, his blade clashing against the incoming staff. The distance closed in an instant.

“Explode!”

Just before their weapons met, Lin Hao detonated his staff. Chaotic spiritual energy erupted forth, and with a thunderous crash, a tempest swept over them both.

The man surnamed Xiao was caught in the storm, spit out a mouthful of blood, and staggered backward. His spiritual energy was in disarray, his expression dark as murderous thoughts surged within him. He had not anticipated that Lin Hao would fight so recklessly, with no regard for his own life.

In contrast, Lin Hao fared much better. His body, tempered to the eighth stage of energy condensation, withstood the blast; his blood surged within him, but he was otherwise unharmed.

“Demonization!”

Before the man could react, Lin Hao’s eyes gleamed, a grin splitting his face as he stepped forward, drawing in vast amounts of spiritual energy. He approached in a flash and unleashed a demonic punch.

A frenzied, tyrannical aura spread out. The demonic fist loomed before the man’s eyes, growing larger by the second. Sensing the overwhelming madness and power radiating from Lin Hao, the man’s face twisted in terror. He hastily formed seals to defend himself, but there was no escape.

A deafening crash resounded as the man’s defensive spell shattered; Lin Hao’s demonic punch landed.

A dull thud echoed out. The man’s chest caved in under Lin Hao’s fist, and he was sent crashing into a mountainside, gouging a deep pit in the earth.

Zhao Min and Xu Qing stared in disbelief at the spectacle before them. Xu Qing was stunned that Lin Hao could so easily defeat the man surnamed Xiao. For Zhao Min, the realization dawned that she truly belonged to a different world from Lin Hao—not because she was so far above him, but because Lin Hao had already surpassed her by an unimaginable margin…

“Run!” Xu Qing, shaken by Lin Hao’s ferocity, turned and flew off into the distance as soon as the thought formed. Seeing this, Zhao Min’s eyes flashed coldly. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled her magical weapon after Xu Qing.

“Explode.”

A brilliant light flashed from the weapon. Xu Qing’s eyes widened in extreme terror as she sensed the overwhelming force surging from the artifact. Her hair stood on end as she hastily formed seals to defend herself.

A violent explosion shattered the air. A tempest arose overhead, filled with murderous energy. Xu Qing coughed up blood and, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted to the ground.

“So ruthless…” Lin Hao glanced thoughtfully at Zhao Min. Landing, he dragged the severely injured, blood-spitting man surnamed Xiao and walked toward where Xu Qing had fallen.

“Buy your life with money.” Tossing the battered man beside Xu Qing, Lin Hao’s voice rang out, emotionless and unreadable. Though his tone was calm, it sent a chill deep into the hearts of both.

“Senior… Senior Brother…” Xu Qing, trembling, quickly pulled a storage pouch from her waist and offered it to Lin Hao with both hands, her voice quivering, “This… this is everything I have…”

“Very well, you may go.” Lin Hao nodded after accepting the pouch, then fixed the man surnamed Xiao with a peculiar look and said quietly, “In my opinion, your life is worth more. Think carefully.”

Think carefully…

The man looked at Lin Hao in terror, wracked with regret. Clearly, Lin Hao intended to bleed him dry. He cursed himself for provoking this man in the first place.

“If what I offer doesn’t satisfy him, my head will roll in an instant… I was too careless earlier. I’m not without the power to fight him…” The man’s mind raced as he forcibly calmed his inner turmoil, managed a respectful bow, and said, “Senior Brother Lin, I…”

But Lin Hao, sensing a sudden unease, raised an eyebrow and kicked him hard.

With a thud, the man was sent flying into a nearby tree, clutching the crimson blade from before.

“Still trying to kill me?” Lin Hao snorted coldly, taking a step forward as a staff of spiritual energy formed in his hand. He strode toward the man.

“You… What are you going to do?!”

The man stared at the staff in Lin Hao’s hand, his face twisted in terror as he pointed and trembled uncontrollably.

“I trusted you, and yet you still want to kill me?” Lin Hao glared at him in mock grief, swinging his staff at the man’s wrist and knocking the blade away.

“Didn’t you want to kill me? Go on, then!” Lin Hao, exasperated, brought the staff down again, this time aiming for the man’s head.

“This is too much!” After taking two blows, the man’s eyes filled with venomous hatred as he glared at Lin Hao, as if etching him into his memory.

“Tsk… you really are something…” Lin Hao looked at him with utter disdain, clicking his tongue as he swung the staff down once more.

Zhao Min watched Lin Hao in a daze, unable to reconcile this fierce figure with the shy youth she once knew in Mangshan Village. What astonished her even more was his rapid growth. Though her cultivation was higher, her combat experience and skill lagged far behind Lin Hao’s.

“You cur! If you have the guts, kill me! Do you think my cultivation is just for show, to be insulted like this?” The man, wracked with pain from Lin Hao’s blows, glared at him with hatred, his aura suddenly exploding outward—a mighty surge of spiritual energy pressing down on Lin Hao.

“Demonization!”

But Lin Hao would not let him finish. As the man hurriedly gathered power for a spell, Lin Hao unleashed another demonic punch, brimming with mad, tyrannical energy.

A violent explosion shattered the man’s spell, and a storm of chaotic spiritual energy erupted.

“You… you!” Lin Hao looked at him, feigning anguish. He spun his staff again and delivered another merciless blow.

“I trusted you, and yet you refuse to yield! You even dare to resist!” Lin Hao scolded him fiercely, bringing the staff down again and again. The man’s agonized screams echoed through the mountains…

Meanwhile, Xu Qing, who had already fled, shuddered at the sound of those screams and hurried away even faster.

“If you have the guts, kill me! What kind of skill is it to humiliate me like this?!”

“Not there, don’t hit me there!”

“Ahhhh!”

“M-master… master, please!”

After nearly two hours, the man surnamed Xiao knelt devoutly before Lin Hao, his whole body trembling as he stammered, “M-master… what do you want… I’ll give you everything…”

“Weren’t you quite tough just now?” Lin Hao looked at him with an odd expression, speaking calmly.

“No, no!” The man, his swollen face grotesque, forced a pitiful smile. “Earlier… I didn’t recognize Senior Brother Lin… I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”

“Little Xiao…” Lin Hao looked at the man’s strained smile with a hint of satisfaction, a sense of pride welling up within him for having rescued this soul from the path of evil. “I may not be a great talent, but I have saved you from a wicked path. Cherish this opportunity and don’t make the same mistake again.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll remember Senior Brother’s words!” The man replied hastily, his expression devout, though his eyes shimmered with unspoken tears.

“Tsk tsk, I know you’re moved, but don’t cry. A man should not shed tears lightly.” Lin Hao shook his head helplessly, seeing the tears streaming down the man’s swollen face.

“Senior Brother Lin, I…” The man’s face was full of bitterness, but before he could finish, Lin Hao waved him off and said, “Enough. That magical weapon of yours is not bad. I’ll take it.”

“Of course, of course.” The man hurriedly erased his mark from the crimson blade and respectfully presented it to Lin Hao.

“That technique you used to walk on air was impressive too.” Lin Hao looked at him with a hint of pride.

“Senior Brother, it’s all here… please have a look…” The man, though seething inside, managed a forced smile as he took out a thread-bound book from his storage pouch and offered it respectfully.

“Buy your life with money.” Lin Hao nodded in satisfaction, gazing kindly at the man. His gentle tone, however, fell on the man’s ears like the judgment of a spectral demon, sending a fresh chill down his spine. Bitter as he was, he handed over his storage pouch.

“All right, you may go.” Lin Hao swept the pouch with his divine sense and was satisfied. The man, overjoyed, ran off in tears, fleeing as fast as he could.

“Who knows when we’ll meet again…” Lin Hao watched him run, a sense of relief and faint regret in his heart.

“Senior Brother Lin…” At this moment, Zhao Min stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

“We come from the same place; there’s no need for formality,” Lin Hao replied, leaning against a tree, drawing a wine gourd from his pouch and drinking quietly.

Zhao Min hesitated, then bowed with cupped fists and fell silent.

Meanwhile, on the main peak of the Sky Profound Sect, a gaunt old man stood quietly, his gaze fixed on Lin Hao and Zhao Min’s distant location. The old man’s aura flickered, his body brimming with the aura of death—like one at death’s door. Behind him waited Zhong Ming, Jian Ru, and Sun Changshou, standing respectfully in silence.

“That youth’s cultivation is too low. His perception is decent, but his fortune is merely average.”