The man stepped aside, adopting a defensive stance. His eyes narrowed, determination flashing in his gaze.
"Alright, here I come! Don't regret underestimating me!" Chen Yintin said.
With a swift motion, she raised her hand, and a blade of searing light shot forward, cutting through the air with blistering speed, aimed directly at his midsection.
The man scoffed, sneering at the simplicity of the move.
"Heh, is that all?" he mocked.
With a quick wave of his hand, he unleashed a burst of spiritual energy to intercept the attack, confident in his ability to stop it.
But to his shock, the blade of light shifted mid-air, veering downward, a deadly strike aimed at his most vulnerable spot.
"Wait--no!" he gasped in horror, realizing too late the change in trajectory. His attempt to move was futile.
The blade of light cleaved through the air, cutting with such force that the sound of the strike rang like a crack of thunder.
"Ahhh! My-my jewels!" The man's scream tore through the air, primal and filled with agonizing pain.
His face twisted into a grotesque expression of horror and despair as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his groin. The proud warrior, once confident in his strength, was now reduced to a sobbing wreck.
"You-you've destroyed my future!" he choked out, his voice cracking with agony. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at her in disbelief, his anger now replaced with deep humiliation.
Chen Yinyin's lips curled into a sly, almost playful smile. "You should have kept your guard up. No one told you to be so careless,"
"Vile woman! You... you'll pay for this!" His voice was hoarse, and though it was filled with hatred, it was clear that his pride had taken a far greater blow than his body. He spat blood onto the ground in a desperate, futile attempt to regain some shred of dignity.
The surrounding disciples of the Mystic Frost Sect froze for a moment, stunned by the turn of events. But soon one young man barked a harsh command.
"Brothers, don't let her escape! Capture her alive! She will be our senior brother's personal plaything for this insult!"
The disciples of the Mystic Frost Sect, now filled with rage and a thirst for vengeance, drew their weapons and charged at her, their faces twisted with hatred.
Chen Yinyin didn't flinch. Instead, she grinned, excitement dancing in her eyes.
"A one-on-one fight? I love it!" She cracked her knuckles, her voice full of confidence. "Because when I take you all on by myself, it'll be easier to wipe you out."
Dark energy surged from her body, swirling around her like a storm. A black lotus materialized beneath her feet, its petals shimmering with dark power.
"Bloom of the dead, rise!" she commanded, her voice filled with authority.
The lotus erupted, its petals breaking apart and shooting out in all directions, a storm of dark energy that ripped through the Mystic Frost Sect disciples.
Some of the unlucky ones were killed instantly, their bodies pierced by the sharp petals, their lives snuffed out in an instant. Those who survived the initial onslaught were torn apart, their bodies shredded by the relentless barrage of petals, blood staining the ground in pools.
"Sigh, this is nothing like the last life. My killing methods are so rusty!" Chen Yinyin remarked with a hint of disappointment, eyeing the carnage with a critical eye.
Despite the overwhelming slaughter, a sense of dissatisfaction lingered in her tone.
"Look at this mess," she muttered, watching the last of the Mystic Frost Sect disciples fall lifeless to the ground. "I really need to practice more."
"Vile woman! You dare slaughter my Mystic Frost Sect's disciples! I swear you will die a terrible death!" a voice bellowed from behind.
Wei Wu, accompanied by another senior, had returned from their trip to Empyrean Cloud City, expecting a quiet rest, only to find their sect's disciples nearly annihilated. They had been distracted by the city's pleasures, not realizing the chaos unfolding back at the Taishan sect's gates.
"Back already?" Chen Yinyin called over her shoulder, her voice cool and indifferent. "What a coincidence, I'm tired, so let's call it a day. We'll fight another time!"
Without missing a beat, she quickly dashed toward the Celestial Currents Formation, vanishing into the protective barrier before anyone could stop her.
"Vile woman, come out! Let me kill you!" Wei Wu's voice echoed through the air, but there was an edge of desperation now. He paced, his hands clenched into fists. "How can I explain this to the sect if I don't kill you? I'll be skinned alive for this!"
The man, once filled with fury, now crumbled to the ground, his shoulders shaking with emotion. His sect's disciples had been slaughtered, and with no one left to stop her, he knew the only way to salvage his life was to catch Chen Yinyin and end this nightmare.
"You want revenge?" Chen Yinyin scoffed.
"Killing me is impossible, but you could try your luck with her!" She grinned and playfully stuck her tongue out, pointing towards Lan Yue, who had already flown out of the formation, sword drawn.
"Golden Core Stage?" The man beside Wei Wu muttered, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at Lan Yue.
He clearly remembered her being at the peak of Foundation Establishment only recently. How could she have broken through to the Golden Core so quickly? It didn't make sense, there had to be some trickery involved.
But even with her sudden leap to Golden Core, he wasn't afraid. He still didn't believe she could pose a serious threat.
Without waiting for Wei Wu to give the signal, that man swiftly moved to seal off Lan Yue's escape route, desperate to prevent her from retreating back into the formation. He couldn't afford to let her slip away.
"Little girl, since we can't catch the vile woman, we'll have to take you back instead!" he sneered, his voice full of disdain.
Lan Yue, however, was unfazed. She fully unleashed the power of her Late-stage Golden Core cultivation.
The immense energy radiated from her, shaking the very air around her. In that instant, her presence felt overwhelming, as if the heavens themselves had taken notice.
The two stood frozen in disbelief. The girl who had been nothing more than a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator just moments ago had now reached the pinnacle of power in the Golden Core stage. This was no illusion, she was the real deal.
"Brother, don't be scared!" Wei Wu barked, struggling to regain his composure. "This girl is definitely not a real Late-stage Golden Core powerhouse!"
"You're right, Brother," the man agreed, trying to mask his fear. "We'll just attack together!"
But despite their confidence, the battle didn't last long. After only a few exchanges, the other man found himself pinned to the ground by Lan Yue, his arms pinned beneath her crushing energy.
"Brother!" he gasped in panic, looking up at Wei Wuu. "This girl's cultivation is real! Help me!"
"Hold on, I'll go get help from the sect's experts!" Wei Wu called out, his voice shaky as he backed away.
But before anyone could react, Wei Wu, his face a mask of fear, ran, abandoning his brother in the midst of the chaos.
His legs moved faster than a rabbit fleeing from danger, leaving the man on the ground, bewildered and betrayed.
"Brother Wei Wu, come back! Save me!" the fallen man screamed, but his cries were ignored as Wei Wu vanished from sight, too far gone to even glance back.
The man, utterly forsaken, looked up at Lan Yue with pleading eyes.
"Senior, I'm a good person! Please, spare me!" His voice cracked, his earlier arrogance replaced with terror.
Lan Yue's gaze softened, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. She stood over him, her hand still gripping her sword as she debated whether to show mercy.
But before she could decide, a sickening sound filled the air, a sharp, clean crack as the man's head was severed from his body, the lifeless corpse falling limp to the ground.
"Sister, mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward oneself," Chen Yinyin said calmly, sheathing her massive blade with an almost casual air, as though taking life was no more than a simple task.