Li Hanyuan walked out of the shop, stood on the steps at the entrance, and looked coldly at Su Wan’er, who was collapsed on the ground.

His face had already returned to a state of calm, and the momentary astonishment from earlier had disappeared.

Quite a few people had already gathered on the street. Although this alley was secluded, the commotion from the fight just now was so loud that it had attracted cultivators from several nearby streets.

The crowd whispered among themselves, their gazes darting back and forth. A few cultivators recognized the Heavenly Veil Sect inner disciple robes Li Hanyuan was wearing and discussed it in low voices, but no one dared to step forward.

Although the Heavenly Veil Sect was not the most powerful faction, it was still not something ordinary rogue cultivators could afford to provoke.

“Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?” Ruan Se was still crouching beside Su Wan’er, supporting the back of the young girl’s head with one hand. She raised her eyes, her amber pupils looking coldly at Li Hanyuan. “Private fights are forbidden in Yunze Market. Do you not know this? Are you not afraid of the Law Enforcement Hall coming to apprehend you?”

Li Hanyuan’s gaze paused on Ruan Se for a moment. Not wanting to cause unexpected complications, he suppressed his impatience and cupped his hands: “Fellow Daoist, there is something you do not know. This woman was originally a personal disciple under the Sect Leader of my Heavenly Veil Sect. She secretly fled down the mountain several months ago, and the sect has been searching for her ever since. Running into her here today, I am simply cleaning house. This is the internal affairs of the Heavenly Veil Sect. The Yunze Market’s Law Enforcement Hall may manage everything under the sun, but surely they wouldn’t go so far as to interfere with a sect disciplining its own disciple, right?”

His words were high-sounding and spoken loudly, seeming more like they were meant for the surrounding crowd of observing cultivators to hear.

Sure enough, a few cultivators in the crowd nodded, seemingly agreeing with his statement. A Sect cleaning its own house was indeed its own business; it was not an outsider’s place to interfere.

“As for the damages caused to your esteemed shop…” Li Hanyuan glanced at the Spiritual Herbs and Magic Tools scattered across the floor. “The Heavenly Veil Sect will send someone to your door later to negotiate compensation. Not a single coin will be short.”

After saying that, he lifted the hem of his robe and turned to leave.

Beside him, Zhou Ruoshui had not said a word from beginning to end. She stood half a step behind Li Hanyuan, her gaze falling on Su Wan’er.

Back in the Heavenly Veil Sect, she had never found Su Wan’er pleasing to the eye. Now, someone had finally vented this frustration on her behalf.

“Wait.” Ruan Se gently placed Su Wan’er on the ground and stood up.

“You keep claiming this girl is a disciple of your sect. Those are just empty words. Do you have any proof? Where is the disciple token? Where is the Sect roster? If you have neither, then this isn’t cleaning house, but rather committing assault in the streets. The people from the Law Enforcement Hall will be here soon. If you truly have nothing to hide, fellow Daoist, you might as well stay and explain everything clearly before you leave.”

Li Hanyuan turned around, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes. Su Wan’er’s token had already been confiscated back at the Cliff of Reflection, and it was even more impossible for him to carry the Sect’s roster on his person.

“Fellow Daoist, why must you endlessly pester me?” Li Hanyuan’s tone deepened slightly. “My Heavenly Veil Sect wouldn’t stoop to lying over such a trivial matter. Today, I, Li, truly have urgent matters to attend to and cannot stay long. If there is anything else, we can discuss it later. When the time comes, the Sect will naturally send someone to explain things to Yunze Market.” After he finished speaking, he ignored Ruan Se and turned around once again, taking a step forward.

Just as he was about to step away, a surge of sword intent slashed through the air from the end of the street.

That sword intent was silent and formless, yet it made the hairs on everyone’s body stand on end.

The dozens of observing cultivators looked as though their throats had been simultaneously seized by an invisible hand. The noisy discussions vanished in an instant, leaving behind only gasps of astonishment.

Li Hanyuan’s foot froze in mid-air, the hairs on his back standing up one by one. He had never felt such sword intent before.

A middle-aged rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage felt his legs go soft and plopped directly onto the ground. His companion beside him tried to help him up, only to realize his own extended hand was trembling as well.

Subsequently, the crowd silently parted to create a gap, and Lai Li’an walked in through that opening.

His chest heaved violently and his breathing was rapid. Although he looked wretched, no one found him amusing.

Lai Li’an’s gaze passed over everyone and landed on a deathly pale young girl.

Su Wan’er’s moon-white dress was heavily stained with blood, her eyes shut tight. Just a short while ago, she had been so full of life.

Lai Li’an’s heart gave a sudden clench. He stepped closer and bent down, gently brushing aside the loose hair on Su Wan’er’s forehead with one hand. When his fingers touched her ice-cold skin, they trembled slightly.

Then he straightened up, his gaze slowly sweeping across the surroundings. “Who did this?!”

The surrounding cultivators’ gazes involuntarily landed on the same person.

Li Hanyuan, finding himself at the center of attention, felt his heart skip a beat. He instinctively took a half-step back before immediately stopping himself.

His Spiritual Sense quickly swept over Lai Li’an: Mid Golden Core.

That was right, only Mid Golden Core. He took a deep breath, suppressing his earlier fear bit by bit.

Just a mere Mid Golden Core. That burst of sword intent from earlier was most likely just a bluff.

“So what if it was me?” Li Hanyuan straightened his back, his tone even carrying a hint of mockery. “Yunze Market forbids private fights. Surely, fellow Daoist doesn’t intend to lay a hand on me?”

Zhou Ruoshui stood behind him, having observed Lai Li’an from the very beginning; she was more cautious and sharper than Li Hanyuan.

That sword intent was too real, but the Eldest Senior Brother’s words also made sense. The rules of Yunze Market were set right here, and the people from the Law Enforcement Hall could arrive at any moment. No matter how strong this person was, he surely wouldn’t kill someone in the middle of the street.

Thinking of this, she felt a bit more reassured and coldly watched everything unfolding before her.

Whether they fought or not didn’t matter to her. Li Hanyuan had the Magic Treasure given by their Honored Master to protect him, which could withstand even an attack from a Peak Golden Core cultivator. No matter how imposing the person in front of them was, it would just be a waste of effort.

She even secretly calculated in her heart how she would report Su Wan’er’s matter to their Honored Master after the Eldest Senior Brother finished teaching this person a lesson. She would just say that Su Wan’er was taken away by an unidentified person in Yunze Market, her whereabouts were unknown, and the Eldest Senior Brother tried his best to pursue them but returned empty-handed.

Ruan Se stood where she was, coldly staring at Li Hanyuan’s self-righteous face, feeling a surge of disgust.

This person had just nearly killed a Foundation Establishment Stage girl with a single palm strike, yet now he stood here speaking so righteously that “Yunze Market forbids private fighting,” acting as if he were the one who actually followed the rules.

But she really had no proof. If Su Wan’er was truly a disciple of the Heavenly Veil Sect, then legally speaking, this matter was the Sect’s internal affair, and outsiders could not intervene.

“I don’t give a damn about that,” Lai Li’an’s voice erupted from his throat, every word carrying a boiling killing intent. “You hurt my disciple, so pay with your life!”

His hand reached into his robes, his fingertips touching the edge of that talisman.

Li Hanyuan also assumed a defensive posture, slightly raising his right palm where a ball of crimson Spiritual Power had already taken shape. A smirk even tugged at the corners of his mouth. A whole minor realm lower than him, and he still dared to clash head-on?

The protective Magic Treasure on his body was an Earth-Grade High-Rank Defensive Magic Tool personally refined by his Honored Master. Let alone a Mid Golden Core, it could even block the full-force strike of a Peak Golden Core cultivator.

If this person really dared to make a move, he wouldn’t mind cleaning up another ignorant Rogue Cultivator for the Sect.

Lai Li’an tore open the talisman. The world instantly lost its color, and a ferocious sword scar appeared in the sky.

The Spiritual Qi in the air was torn by an irresistible force, surging toward that sword scar.

Li Hanyuan’s pupils violently contracted. He watched as the sword scar in the sky slowly transformed into a massive transparent sword.

The giant sword hanging above his head made his soul scream.

All the combat experience he had accumulated over decades of cultivation became utterly meaningless in this moment. This was not a power he could comprehend; this was not something he should be facing.

“Are you kidding me…” Li Hanyuan smiled bitterly. He finally realized that the sword intent from earlier was not a bluff. On the contrary, it was merely the residual might of the talisman while it was still sealed.

And now, the seal had been broken.

Behind him, Zhou Ruoshui slumped to the ground, her face twisted beyond recognition. She gripped the hem of Li Hanyuan’s robe in a deathly clutch: “Senior Brother, save me! Senior Brother…”

Li Hanyuan wanted to answer her, wanted to turn around and pull her up, but his body refused to obey.

The giant sword suspended overhead had them firmly locked down. The sword intent, as vast as an ocean and as deep as an abyss, crushed down on him from all directions.

The Earth-Grade High-Rank Protection Magic Tool he was so proud of began to crack inch by inch. Li Hanyuan’s legs could finally hold on no longer, and his knees smashed heavily into the ground.

The sword light fell, the earth shuddered three times, and then everything returned to a dead silence.

When the crowd’s vision finally cleared, they saw Li Hanyuan kneeling in place, maintaining his posture of looking up at the sword light, his entire figure still holding the silhouette he had in life.

Then a gust of wind blew past, and his body crumbled into a fine cloud of flying ash, scattering with the wind. Beside him, Zhou Ruoshui, who was curled up on the ground, also turned into a pile of ashes.

One sword, two people, and not a single bone remained.

The spectating cultivators stood stunned in place. No one spoke, and no one moved. Everyone was looking in the exact same direction, watching the man bend down to pick up the unconscious girl.

Lai Li’an held Su Wan’er in his arms, turned around, and walked toward the end of the street. The crowd automatically parted to make way for him; no one dared to say a single word, nor did anyone dare to take a second look.