Chapter 130: The Might of a Single Snort

"Hum..."

The overwhelming rain of purple arrows suddenly froze, hanging in the air before Zisu and Ding Ning like a shimmering arc. As the brilliant sword light dissipated, a dense cluster of cold-glinting swords hovered suspended in front of Zisu.

"Whoosh..."

Like a gale sweeping across the land, a crushing wave of spiritual pressure descended suddenly from the sky, instantly permeating the entire area and enveloping the Tianshan disciples present.

"Aunt Master Wan!" Sensing the spiritual pressure, Zisu looked up in astonishment. She saw the array of swords hanging in the air, and high above, a snow-white Heavenly Crane slowly flapping its wings. Standing on the crane's back was Tang Wan, dressed in plain robes. Zisu hurriedly pulled Ding Ning up, stood, and bowed respectfully.

"Aunt Master Wan," Ding Ning, looking somewhat disheveled, followed her senior sister's lead and stood up, greeting Tang Wan high above with a respectful voice.

Lu Zhenbei’s expression turned abruptly tense. Watching the cold-glinting swords suspended in mid-air, beads of sweat began to roll down his forehead. According to his sect's intelligence, there was indeed a woman named Tang Wan among the first generation of Huashan disciples, and the way the two women he had just injured addressed the figure on the crane confirmed this. However, according to his sect leader, Tang Wan only possessed the cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Refining and had already died on the monster-hunting battlefield. Yet, the cultivation of this woman before him seemed...

Under this spiritual pressure, the group of Tianshan disciples shifted their gazes, waiting for Elder Lu's reaction. The woman on the crane was clearly extraordinary; before she had even made a move, their spiritual artifacts had been restrained, and their connection to them completely severed. Terrified, the disciples looked to Lu Zhenbei for guidance.

Sweat beaded even more densely on Lu Zhenbei’s forehead. His heart felt as if it were hanging by a thread, oscillating between hope and fear. His gaze darted hesitantly between Tang Wan and the swords floating in the arena.

Controlling a single sword was a trivial task even for a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, but to command such a dense swarm of blades was something Lu Zhenbei knew he could not achieve. More terrifying still was the spiritual pressure; he had witnessed such pressure several times during his days at Tianshan—it was the distinct spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. *The woman on the crane is a Foundation Establishment cultivator,* he thought, his heart filled with trepidation.

"Clatter..."

The floating swords all fell to the ground as Tang Wan released her restraint. Each blade struck the earth, clashing against one another with a chaotic, ringing sound.

"Whoosh..." A milky-white porcelain bottle shot down from the crane's back and landed in Zisu's hand.

"This is a bottle of Life-Restoration Powder. You and Ding Ning take it to treat your injuries first." Tang Wan had witnessed their injuries, and her heart was filled with fury toward the Tianshan disciples. To bully her Huashan disciples right at the foot of their own mountain—no wonder her Senior Brother had granted her permission to kill without mercy.

"You are disciples of the Tianshan Sect. What business do you have at Huashan?" Tang Wan’s tone was icy as she looked at Lu Zhenbei amidst the crowd.

"Our Sect Leader has challenged your Sect Leader to a duel atop Huashan in three days' time. We are merely the advance party," Lu Zhenbei replied, lowering his pride and speaking with extreme caution. There was no doubt the woman on the crane was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—a being he could only look up to. He spoke in a subservient tone, secretly praying she wouldn't fly into a rage over him injuring her two disciples.

"You injure my disciples, and this is how your 'advance party' behaves?" Tang Wan looked at the anxious Lu Zhenbei, her eyes burning with rage. Just now, after Ding Ning took the Life-Restoration Powder, she had coughed up another mouthful of blood, proving that Lu Zhenbei had indeed intended to kill them. *Daring to slaughter my Huashan disciples—you truly have a death wish,* she thought, her heart seething.

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it was all a misunderstanding!" Lu Zhenbei broke into a cold sweat, acting with utmost terror. He inwardly regretted his actions; if this woman were to lose her temper, he and his men would likely be slaughtered on the spot.

"If I kill all of you now and tell Lu Tiannan it was a misunderstanding, what do you think he would say?" Tang Wan asked, her voice dripping with mockery.

"Senior, please spare us! We truly did not know these two were experts from your sect. We have offended you, and we are willing to accept any punishment," Lu Zhenbei pleaded, bowing repeatedly. Facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had completely lost his nerve, thinking only of how to escape with his life.

"Zisu, how do you wish to punish them?" Seeing Lu Zhenbei’s submissiveness and the silence of the other disciples, Tang Wan hesitated and turned to Zisu and Ding Ning for their input.

Zisu’s brows tightened, her eyes flashing with fury. "A life for a life, and for those who caused injury, strip them of their cultivation." Having just walked through the gates of death, she felt no sympathy for these Tianshan disciples.

Lu Tiannan’s face darkened. *What a vicious woman, wanting me to strip myself of my cultivation? If I lose my cultivation, I might as well be dead.* A glimmer of malice flickered in his eyes.

A trace of hesitation crossed Tang Wan’s beautiful face; she felt the punishment was perhaps too cruel. However, when her gaze swept over the pile of swords on the ground, her expression turned sharp once more. If she hadn't arrived so quickly, Zisu and Ding Ning might have already lost their lives.

"You heard her, Lu Tiannan. My junior sister has spoken. Those who feel they deserve to lose their cultivation, do it yourselves. Those who feel they deserve to die, hurry up and end your own lives."

Ding Ning let out a cold snort, interjecting before Tang Wan could speak further, sneering at the Tianshan disciples. Once upon a time, the Purple Robe Sect had to hide from the arrogant Tianshan Sect, but now, with the backing of an Aunt Master at the Foundation Establishment level, she hoped these disciples would dare to strike again—that way, Tang Wan could unleash her power without restraint.

Lu Zhenbei retreated a few steps behind his disciples and suddenly shouted, "To hell with that! You think you can make me cripple my own cultivation with a few words? Don't get cocky just because I gave you a little respect! Men, attack! Capture these two wenches, and I refuse to believe the one in the sky won't come down!"

Tang Wan was taken aback, looking at the shouting Lu Zhenbei with astonishment. She could not understand how the man who had been so timid moments ago had suddenly become so brazen.

"Whoosh, whoosh!" Receiving his order, several Tianshan disciples leaped forward to seize Zisu and Ding Ning. While they naturally feared a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their ingrained obedience to their sect ran deep. Even knowing they might die, they charged.

"Bastards!" Ding Ning cursed in anger.

Zisu frowned, quickly stowing the Life-Restoration Powder into the pouch at her waist. She crossed her fingers in a sword gesture to command her Zining Sword, but her fingertips felt light—she suddenly remembered that her sword had been shattered.

"Hmph..."

An angry cold snort exploded in the air like a thunderclap, echoing instantly across the entire scene.

Under the impact of this sound, the Tianshan disciples charging toward Zisu swayed like drunks. Their momentum collapsed, and the one in the lead stumbled, falling to the ground unable to rise.

Lu Zhenbei stood at the back, staring in shock at his stumbling disciples, one thought spinning in his mind:

"The power of a single hum... to reach such a level!"