Mu Lingqing's voice rang out behind me, sharp and urgent, with none of her earlier condescension left.
I didn't look back. I kept walking.
She hurried after me, her footsteps quick as the aura of a late-stage Tower-Ascending Realm cultivator surged behind me. I walked at an easy pace, as though strolling through my own backyard. After a few steps, she realized I had no intention of stopping, and the confidence drained from her voice.
"Y-you, stop! The mountain-protecting formation really will kill intruders! I'm not trying to scare you!"
"Then let it try," I replied casually.
"You!"
She caught up beside me, glanced at me, then looked down at the ground beneath our feet.
Nothing was amiss with the jade tiles of the inner peaks' mountain gate. The formation patterns on either side showed no reaction. There wasn't even a trace of the oppressive force the restrictions should have put in the air.
Her face grew paler, and her breathing quickened.
"How can this be? Why isn't the formation reacting? What did you do?"
"Nothing." I glanced at her and smiled. "Maybe your formation's broken?"
Mu Lingqing had no answer to that.
She opened her mouth, then swallowed whatever she had meant to say and hurried to keep up with me.
I headed toward the peak that looked tallest in the distance, covering dozens of miles with each step.
She had no choice but to chase after me. Before long, fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead. I might have looked like I was out for a stroll, but keeping pace with me took everything she had.
I wasn't in any hurry to shake her off. The young woman kept looking around as we went, as though waiting for someone to appear.
"No need to look," I