If someday someone asks, do not say it was Su Jiu who guided you onto the path of immortality...

The perspective shifts back five seconds earlier.

The remaining ten cultivators on the scene all wore expressions of sheer terror.

A single move—"White Dragon's Roar"—had nearly shattered their courage entirely.

The cultivator who had spoken up, claiming Su Ji had lost his spear, had even choked back the rest of his words under the weight of a mere glance.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, projecting spiritual energy outward to harm others was already difficult, let alone kill.

This kid must have used some underhanded trick.

Yet, even so, it was equivalent to a Golden Core powerhouse suppressing their cultivation to the first level of Foundation Establishment and unleashing a full-force strike.

Those who had survived the chaotic battle thus far still had the basic discernment to recognize this.

The sheer brilliance of that spear strike!

Peerless within the same realm!

Even against opponents two or three minor realms higher, he could still hold his own!

None of those present had the confidence to block it!

From here on out, whoever was targeted by that "White Dragon" would undoubtedly meet their end—body destroyed, Dao extinguished.

Many had already begun considering retreat, their eyes flicking toward the exit of the secret realm at the end of the street…

No matter how great the opportunity, one had to be alive to enjoy it.

But then, in the next second—

Su Ji let out a strange cry and turned tail to flee.

The previously loosened encirclement instantly tightened again.

To borrow a clichéd saying:

"This kid is monstrous—we cannot let him live!"

This thought took root and grew wildly in the minds of every cultivator present.

They were all warriors who had licked blood off blades.

They knew all too well the consequences of sparing a genius enemy who was both ruthless and vindictive.

If they didn’t kill Su Ji here today,

Once his cultivation reached its peak, every single one of them would face retribution.

Having realized this,

Their faces twisted with a desperate, do-or-die ferocity.

"Together?"

"Agreed—let’s join forces first!"

"Right, eliminate the biggest threat!"

"Mm, makes sense!"

Killing intent, thick enough to be tangible, drowned the two of them.

Su Jiu stood frozen in place.

Her coldly beautiful face cycled through a series of emotions.

She could even feel her eyelid twitching uncontrollably.

Su Ji, this bastard…

For a brief moment, she had actually believed he carried the bearing of a true young prodigy…

But Su Jiu had no choice now.

Because the attacks of those ten cultivators were already raining down upon them.

A storm of techniques intertwined, sealing off every possible escape route.

Su Jiu took a deep breath.

Fine.

Since Su Ji had taken advantage of her earlier,

The frustration simmering in her chest could now be vented—

Transformed entirely into icy, lethal intent.

She didn’t summon any magical treasures.

Facing the first slash of a saber, she neither dodged nor blocked.

Instead, she simply extended two fingers like a sword and lightly tapped.

Whoosh.

There was no violent collision, no explosion of spiritual energy.

That saber strike, sharp enough to split boulders,

Upon touching Su Jiu’s fingertip, melted away like spring snow under warm sunlight—vanishing without a sound.

The sneering grin on the saber-wielding cultivator’s face froze solid.

In the next moment, Su Jiu sidestepped a sword thrust aimed at her heart.

Her body twisted at an impossible angle,

Closing the distance to the cultivator who had launched the sneak attack.

Their eyes met.

The cultivator paled, scrambling to retreat—

But in the next instant,

The terror on his face vanished, replaced by blank, mindless confusion.

He turned around, bloodshot eyes bulging, and raised his enchanted sword—

Then viciously stabbed it into the nearest "ally."

"Die!"

The sword struck before his shout even finished.

Thud!

The attacked cultivator stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest, blood gushing from his mouth.

Yet, this was only the beginning.

Su Jiu didn’t attack again.

Every cultivator who met her gaze suddenly stiffened.

Then, without exception, their eyes turned bloodshot, their expressions frenzied as they roared and swung their weapons at their own comrades.

"Bastard! Give me your life!"

A cultivator bellowed—

But his giant axe came down on the skull of the man beside him.

A female shrieked—

Only for her poisoned needles to embed themselves in another’s back.

The entire scene descended into chaos.

The ten-man alliance, united just moments ago, collapsed instantly.

Blades flashed, blood sprayed.

Su Ji, standing behind Su Jiu, watched slack-jawed.

He could only stare as Su Jiu took a leisurely stroll through the crowd—

And then, these ten furious cultivators proceeded to slaughter each other.

From start to finish, aside from that effortless first tap,

Su Jiu didn’t even get a single drop of blood on her clothes.

Su Ji silently retracted the spell he’d been preparing to unleash.

He’d originally thought that if Su Jiu struggled, he’d at least harass the enemies with spells to buy her time.

Now, it seemed he’d overestimated the situation.

This was an attack on the soul!

For Foundation Establishment cultivators still stuck at the level of spiritual energy clashes, this method of combat was nothing short of dimensional overkill.

Su Ji inwardly cursed—this cheat was even more broken than his own.

At the same time, he began wondering: given how often he "bullied" Su Jiu, why hadn’t she ever used her mind control to make him go "confess his sins" to a wall?

Did she… have some kind of masochistic tendency?

Soon, only one man remained standing.

A blood-soaked brute, standing atop three corpses, two magical artifacts embedded in his body—yet he showed no sign of pain.

He grinned, letting out a maddened laugh.

"Hahahaha! Brat! You’ve finally died by my hand!"

He cackled wildly, his gaze locked onto empty air.

In his delusion, Su Ji lay trampled beneath his feet.

Then, under Su Ji’s stunned watch,

The brute raised his bloodied blade—

And drew it cleanly across his own throat.

"I’ll kill you! How dare you dodge my attacks!"

Squelch!

Blood fountained.

The brute’s head rolled to the ground, his face still twisted in the ecstasy of vengeance achieved.

His body crumpled.

Silence.

Only Su Ji, Su Jiu, and a field of corpses remained.

"Well? Are you accustomed to scenes like this? The Dao is merciless. This is the reality of…"

Su Jiu spoke calmly—

Then paused.

She realized Su Ji was gone.

No, more accurately—

Su Ji stood amidst the corpses, leisurely sorting through his spoils.

He emptied pouch after pouch of Heavenly Dao coins onto the ground, soon forming a small golden hill.

Next, he did the same with spirit stones, piling them into another glittering mound.

Su Jiu watched his miserly behavior, then glanced at the carnage around them.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Su Ji finished counting and nodded in satisfaction.

He turned, flashing Su Jiu a grin—unnervingly bright against the backdrop of bloodshed.

Su Jiu was silent for a long time.

Finally, she spoke, hesitant:

"...Why aren’t you taking the magical artifacts?"

Su Ji immediately explained:

"Too troublesome to fence. I’ll pawn them all later—anything good will turn up."

Su Jiu: "..."

"Little Martial Sister, we’re rich now."

"Go on, name it. What do you want? I’ll buy it for you."

Su Jiu didn’t answer. Instead, she studied Su Ji seriously.

"That thing… I suddenly don’t want it as much anymore."

Su Ji blinked.

"Why not?"

Su Jiu didn’t catch the underlying meaning in Su Ji’s words. "Senior Brother, can you promise me one thing?"

Su Ji was puzzled. "What is it? I’ll have to hear it first before agreeing."

Su Jiu exhaled deeply, as if releasing a weight from his chest. "If someday someone asks about it..."

"Just don’t say it was Su Jiu who guided you onto the path of immortality."