Untitled Draft

"Big Sister Qiu, say a little less," Mo Ling'er urged from the side.

"I'm not wrong!" Qiu Shuihan gave no quarter. "A Nascent Soul Realm Second Layer cultivator—what right does he have to eat with us? What right does he have to ride the same flying vessel?"

"Big Sister Qiu!" Mo Ling'er cried.

At the same time, Wu Er shouted, "Enough!!"

"Don't go too far! Go back to your room!"

"Tch! Wu Er, you dare speak to me like that? You think I don't dare make a move?" Qiu Shuihan snapped angrily.

As she spoke, she pointed at Jiang Ming. "Because of a piece of trash like him, you're talking to me this way? Huh?"

In a flash, Jiang Ming had already appeared before Qiu Shuihan. Her face drained of color as she prepared to defend herself, but Jiang Ming's large hand seized her throat with lightning speed, lifting her entire body into the air.

With her throat clutched, Qiu Shuihan discovered that the spiritual energy within her was like stagnant water. She could not stir it in the slightest.

Lin Hu and Xu Jiang, who had been watching the show, sprang to their feet, while the attendants aboard the flying vessel rushed over at once.

"What kind of trash are you?" Jiang Ming asked, his golden eyes unfathomably deep.

"Brother Jiang, don't act rashly!" Wu Er urged.

"Brother Jiang Ming, don't!" Mo Ling'er cried.

As for Lin Hu and Xu Jiang, both merely stared at Jiang Ming expressionlessly.

Feeling the immense force around her throat, Qiu Shuihan's eyes were filled with terror, yet she could not utter a word. In Jiang Ming's hand, she was like a toy that he could toy with as he pleased.

"Brother Jiang, don't be impulsive. Although Qiu Shuihan was in the wrong, there's no need to come to blows. Brother Jiang, do me a favor. I'll discipline her afterward—put her down first," Wu Er said anxiously.

Qiu Shuihan's temper might have been terrible, but she had come with him after all. Moreover, she was Qiu Saint's only granddaughter. If something happened to her, he would be in trouble too, and Jiang Ming would have to bear a Saint Realm expert's fury.

That was not something he wanted to see. If it could be avoided, it should be avoided.

"Brother Wu, I have to give you that much face," Jiang Ming said calmly.

Wu Er breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, thank goodness!

Jiang Ming punched Qiu Shuihan in the lower abdomen. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her face twisting in agony.

With that one punch, Jiang Ming had directly crippled her Dantian. Everyone knew that a cultivator's Dantian was the root of all cultivation; the Nascent Soul was anchored within it as well. Once the Dantian was lost, the Nascent Soul would steadily dissipate, leaving one with the short lifespan of an ordinary person—unless the Dantian was reforged and cultivation resumed, or one possessed another body.

"Brother Jiang, you..." Wu Er stared in shock, though inwardly he relaxed. As long as she was not dead, it was fine. For great lineages like theirs, even a ruined Dantian could be restored. As long as she was alive, it was fine.

"Brother Wu, I've already given you plenty of face. If an ordinary person said that to me, I would've already cut them down," Jiang Ming said with a smile.

"Haha, thank you for giving me face, Brother Jiang!" Wu Er laughed.

Jiang Ming released Qiu Shuihan.

She collapsed limply to the floor, her eyes vacant. Wu Er was talking with Jiang Ming and did not pay her any attention. Only Lin Hu went over to support her.

"Brother Jiang, we welcomed you in good faith, yet over such a minor matter, you struck with such viciousness. Isn't that far too cruel?" Lin Hu said in a low voice after examining Qiu Shuihan's condition.

Xu Jiang gave Lin Hu a strange look, then silently retreated several steps. The other four all belonged to great Martial Domain lineages; only he came from a small family. He had no desire to make enemies.

Besides, anyone with eyes could see Jiang Ming's strength.

After settling Qiu Shuihan down, Lin Hu strode up to Jiang Ming. His massive body stood before Jiang Ming like a wall.

"You want to fight me?" Jiang Ming asked.

"That was a sneak attack earlier. Don't think you can contend with the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm just because of that. Apologize, and I won't make a move," Lin Hu said in a muffled voice.

"Lin Hu!!" Wu Er shouted.

"Second Young Master, he destroyed Shuihan's Dantian!" Lin Hu roared.

"She brought it upon herself!" Wu Er said sternly.

"I don't care. He destroyed Shuihan's Dantian, so I'll destroy his too!" Lin Hu said in a deep voice.

Wu Er wanted to say something more, but in the end, he shook his head and said nothing.

He turned to Jiang Ming and said, "Brother Jiang, they're all children of great lineages. Watch yourself."

Jiang Ming nodded. Wu Er was reminding him that they were backed by lineage powers, making sure he understood exactly what kind of people he had provoked.

"So they're merely some petty lineage!" Jiang Ming sneered. There were as many lineages in Central Province as dogs. Any Lesser Saint could establish one at will. Unlike Saint Clans and sacred lands, which required a Greater Saint, the Jiang Clan's incomplete statistics showed that among Saint Realm experts, the ratio of Lesser Saints to Greater Saints was nine to one. In other words, only one Greater Saint could emerge among every ten Saints.

Yet those statistics included the Jiang Clan. Setting aside an Imperial Clan inheritance like the Jiang Clan, the proportion of Greater Saints in the outside world was absurdly small. Across Central Province's hundred regions, only the Eight Saint Clans and Six Sacred Lands possessed Greater Saints, enough to show the gulf between Lesser Saints and Greater Saints.

Wu Er had no particular thoughts about Jiang Ming's arrogance. After all, Jiang Ming came from the Azure Region, where the strongest cultivators were only at the Nascent Soul Realm. It was normal for him not to understand the Saint Realm. Besides, as a youthful genius, his heart naturally soared higher than the heavens.

Xu Jiang's pupils, however, contracted slightly. Unlike Wu Er, he too came from a small family. That unparalleled bearing Jiang Ming possessed was not something a small family could nurture. It was enough to show that Jiang Ming had the confidence to face a great lineage.

Lin Hu's eyes widened. His already enormous body swelled once more, his muscles bulging as he grew to a full two and a half meters tall. Fists larger than sand basins smashed toward Jiang Ming.

Jiang Ming flashed backward two and a half meters. Lin Hu was unlike Chang Litian; as someone who specialized in body tempering, his physical strength far surpassed Chang Litian's. Jiang Ming was not confident he could withstand it with his current body.

Seeing Jiang Ming retreat, Lin Hu pressed forward. The space aboard the flying vessel was not large, and Jiang Ming had never intended to evade endlessly. Fierce golden light erupted from his golden eyes.

Fiery Eyes!

Two golden beams instantly pierced through Lin Hu's body. Then Sunfire clung to him, continuously burning him.

"Ah!!" Lin Hu let out a miserable scream. Even with his body's strength, he could not withstand the Sunfire, though it did slow the rate at which his body was incinerated.

Unable to bear the sight, Wu Er said softly, "Brother Jiang..."

Jiang Ming's eyes glowed as he turned to look at Wu Er. Though he said nothing, Wu Er sensed an intense danger and ultimately fell silent.

Lin Hu's screams came to an abrupt halt. A purple Nascent Soul detached from his body ahead of time; he could feel even his Nascent Soul beginning to burn.

Lin Hu's Nascent Soul appeared beside Qiu Shuihan, and a teleportation vortex emerged. Jiang Ming's eyes lit up again, but Wu Er suddenly tugged him. "Brother Jiang, don't slaughter them all!"

In that brief tug, Qiu Shuihan and Lin Hu had already teleported away. The last thing they left Jiang Ming was a look brimming with venomous hatred.

Jiang Ming frowned slightly as he looked at Wu Er.

"Brother Jiang, if you kill them, you'll offend their lineage to the bitter end," Wu Er said.

"If I don't kill them, have I not already offended them to the bitter end?" Jiang Ming asked.

"At least they're still alive. When the time comes, pay a small price, and I'll help mediate for you," Wu Er said.

Jiang Ming shook his head. "Young Master Wu Er, this world is one where the strong prey on the weak. If you are too merciful, it will harm you someday." As for retaliation, he was not afraid of it. He simply found it troublesome.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Jiang." Wu Er smiled.