"Sect Master..." Long Zai Tian bowed deeply, as did every disciple-miner around them, their tools clattering to the ground in unison.
"What brings you here?" he asked, trying to keep his composure.
"Nothing really..." Hu Man replied with a casual shrug, his tone oddly relaxed. "I just hit a bottleneck and figured a walk might clear my head."
He strolled forward leisurely — but then stopped.
His voice, once light, dropped into a deadly growl. "But seriously, what are you doing, Long Zai Tian?!"
A cold wind swept through the cavern.
"And why," he continued, his eyes narrowing, "did I hear my little princess Mei'er screaming?"
His aura surged without warning, pressing down on the entire mine like a mountain of steel. Long Zai Tian's knees buckled under the crushing pressure.
Though they were both in the Immortal Ascension Realm, Hu Man had reached its peak. Long Zai Tian, still at the third stage, could barely stand under his Sect Master's wrath.
"F-Father!" Hu Mei'er cried, running toward him.
The moment she threw her arms around him, Hu Man's killing intent vanished like mist in sunlight, replaced by warm laughter.
"Hahaha! There's my darling girl!" he said, hugging her tightly.
But then she pulled back with a pout. "Grandpa Long tried to kill Yong'er!"
"Yes, I saw that," Hu Man said, eyes sliding toward Nie Yong with fresh interest.
Then his smile slowly faded.
"But..." he said, tone sharpening. "Yong'er, is it? So much familiarity?"
"Yes!" Hu Mei'er nodded brightly. She grabbed Nie Yong's arm and pulled him closer, Hu Jiao'er following reluctantly behind.
"He is Nie Yong, a disciple of High Heaven Pavilion, and he is our—"
Please don't say it, Mei'er... Hu Jiao'er thought, her heart pounding.
"He is our husband!" Hu Mei'er declared with pride.
No...
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then—
Boom!
Hu Man's aura exploded once more, this time stronger and more furious than before. It thundered through the cave like a divine judgment, flattening everyone present. The disciple-miners dropped to their faces, trembling. Even Hu Mei'er and Hu Jiao'er were forced to their knees, their faces pale from the overwhelming pressure.
Long Zai Tian gritted his teeth as he sank to one knee, sweat forming on his brow.
But Nie Yong—
He remained standing.
Barely.
His legs trembled, sweat poured down his face, and veins bulged along his neck — but he didn't fall. His back was straight, and his eyes remained locked on Hu Man's.
The Sect Master noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Interesting…"
Hu Man's eyes glinted as he looked down at the boy still standing under his crushing aura.
"You'd rather endure pain than kneel to me, huh?" he said coldly.
"I'd rather die than kneel to anyone," Nie Yong replied with a defiant grin. His legs shook violently, his bones groaning under the strain. His spine felt like it was about to snap.
If it weren't for his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, he'd already be a cripple.
Hu Man raised an eyebrow. "Let's see if you can still act arrogantly in a second."
Before anyone could react, he grabbed Nie Yong by the collar and shot into the sky, vanishing like a flash of light.
"Father!" Hu Mei'er cried, reaching out.
"Father! Where are you taking Nie Yong?!" Hu Jiao'er shouted after them.
"Don't worry," Hu Man's voice echoed from the clouds, casual and chilling. "We're just gonna talk."
...
Above the Black Wind Forest
Nie Yong plummeted from the sky.
"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed. The fall itself wasn't fatal—not to someone at his level—but it definitely wasn't pleasant.
THUMP!
He crashed into a bush.
"Ahia..." he groaned, standing up and brushing leaves off himself. A twig stuck out of his hair.
Hu Man descended slowly, feet touching the ground with practiced calm. The air around him shimmered with barely restrained killing intent.
His gaze sharpened, pupils narrowing like a predator locking onto prey. And then—
He smiled.
"While coming here, I was thinking of ways to kill you," he said pleasantly. "And in the process, I accidentally broke through the bottleneck in my Mystic Blood Arts."
Blood-colored energy pulsed around his hand, sinister and thick like molten iron. The aura it gave off made the very grass curl and rot beneath his feet.
"As a thank you…" Hu Man's smile vanished. His voice turned cold. "Why don't I try the new move I just invented… on you?"
Nie Yong stared, pale-faced. Even the twig on his hair fell.
'Oh fuck.'
To be continued...
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Yes, I know... this chapter is shorter than usual... a lot shorter, but I really don't have that much time to write this week, so or this, or no chapter this week. Hoped you liked it anyway.