A voice echoed out that was cold in its bearing yet still pleasant to the ears, “Taking so long to slay a single red-skinned salamander, truly useless. Now scram!”

****

Everyone looked over to see two figures approaching from a short distance away. One male and the other female.

The female was in front whilst the male travelled behind. The youth never lifted his gaze to stare upon the woman. All this time, his stare was either towards the ground or the plain all around them instead.

The male was a youth of about seventeen or so. He wore what appeared to be a sect’s robe and his long upper back length hair that slightly waved in the wind granted him a heroic bearing of sorts.

Even though he was quite handsome with a fair complexion, his expression was of extreme haughtiness, as if looking at these people was below his station. When he saw the poor quality of their robes, which was only a little above rags, the look of disgust on his face grew.

The girl, on the other hand, was honestly breathtaking. Her figure was enough to put hourglasses to shame. Her dark cerise coloured hair was only shoulder length, and a bang covered part of her face, granting a mysterious air that increased her allure even more.

There was no doubt about it. This was a beauty that was of calamitous levels. Though her beauty lost in comparison to Yaomu Shou and even worse Shen Ling, it was on the same level as Zi Yu, who was a great beauty in her own right.

An even more striking characteristic was her skin. It was a fiery red and there was a faint heat that she constantly exuded that could be felt. This was in extreme contrast to her expression, which remained frosty the entire time.

She didn’t even spare the disciples a glance; she made her way towards the red-skinned salamander and inspected it up close. The youth followed behind her and didn’t say a word, allowing her to do as she pleased in peace.

“We’ll take the red-skinned salamander. It’s barely passable,” she said in a low voice.

“As you wish, milady!” the youth energetically replied. He was just about to store its corpse in his storage ring when a shout stopped him.

“That’s our kill! Get your own!” Feng Yu’s face was red with fury!

Not only did these shameless people hurt her comrade after their sneak attack. They proceeded to ignore their existence and were even moving to take this corpse which they suffered many injuries from as their own!

No one would be willing to suffer such indignation! Did this couple take them as air!?

However, the girl didn’t even look at them while the youth’s face turned frosty at their audacity to say anything.

“Do you know who we are!?” the youth asked loudly.

“No, and I don’t give a flying damn who you are! Step away from the red-skinned salamander before I slap your head into your ass!”

“Gah!”

The youth nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard this. Even the cold beauty in front spared Feng Yu a side-glance when she heard this. However, there was a hint of disdain in her eyes. As if she looked down on Feng Yu for using such brazen words.

Obviously, Feng Yu, much like everyone else, was being influenced by Long Di.

“How dare you!”

The youth flew into a rage when he heard this!

“A mere third dan martial disciple and you dare speak to us like that!?”

With just a glance, he could tell what Feng Yu’s cultivation base was. This meant that his cultivation was a few levels above hers.

She was well aware of this fact as well, but she didn’t dare back down. They bullied her junior brother and there was no way she could take that lying down.

“I dare because you’re both shameless pigs!” she spat out.

“Die!” the youth shouted.

Shing!

He swept his sword in a strange arc before several sword lights came flying towards Feng Yu.

The sheer number of them cut off any paths of retreat for her. Not that she would dare to, as behind her were the severely injured Tie Lang and Jia Yan who she had to protect with her life!

After all, below Long Di, they were her responsibility!

D-Dum!

Her cauldrons burst into existence as she furiously drove the somatic essence in her body!

Feng Yu had advanced her cultivation recently and was using these battles to solidify her cultivation base. After all, they were taught by their elders that foundation was the most important thing. This was a lesson they were never going to abandon.

Both the youth and the woman were a bit taken aback that Feng Yu had two high-grade cauldrons and another cauldron that was being forged into higher levels!

The youth grew jealous of Feng Yu’s cauldrons and released an extra sword strike that was stronger than the others.

The grip on her sword tightened as she gritted her teeth in preparation for the strike!

“Army On The Horizon!”

Feng Yu’s shout heralded the eruption of the somatic essence in her body in a wave as it channelled through the sword in a split second!

This was the martial technique that Long Di bought for her at the auction. It was a high-rank mortal grade martial technique and known for its ferocity!

The wave of somatic essence was like a furious army ravaging the land as they charged onwards with steps tempered for death-or-glory!

The wave destroyed several of the sword strikes, causing the youth’s eyes to widen slightly in shock!

However, that was it. After all, he just casually released an attack while she had to execute a martial technique to fend off the attack. The difference in levels became painfully apparent at this point.

Ping! Pang! Pling!

Feng Yu tried to quickly destroy the rest of the remaining sword strikes, but a single one, the one the youth released in jealousy, broke through her defences and left a deep cut on her upper chest!

If it was even an inch higher, it would have run through her neck!

Feng Yu’s knee met the ground as she held her chest in pain. Blood kept pouring out and her somatic essence empowered body had trouble healing the injury right away like it normally would.

Jia Yan, who was behind Feng Yu, was angered to no end! He held Tie Lang, who was lying in his arm while his other hand held the handle of his axe.

“What right do you have to take our kill?” he tried his best to remain civil, so he directed his question towards the woman since she seemed to be the one in charge.

However, her response was something that he never expected her to say.

“When you’re done with her, gouge out his eyes for daring to look at me and cut out his tongue for speaking to me,” the cold woman said without turning her head.

“Consider it done, milady,” he declared.

The youth came right before Feng Yu with his sword raised high, intending to finish her off before moving on to Jia Yan, “I won’t waste any more words on trash. Be on your way!”

“Let that sword fall and your life will be hurried from the realm of the living,” A voice filled with killing intent echoed out that caused the youth’s movements to pause.

The cold beauty looked up to see Zi Yu staring at her with her chin held high. Her single rune-covered horn, ebon hued hair and violet-coloured skin, which carried an alluring glow, coalesced into a beauty that caused even the youth to stare in spite of himself.

The woman, seeing that Zi Yu carried herself with much more elegance than the riff-raff, paid some attention to her, “What authority do you have to stop my-”

“Who gave you the right to talk to me?” Zi Yu cut her off with an ‘I’m-more-arrogant-arrogant-than-you’ tone.

The woman was speechless in the face of this. In any other setting, she would be the unreasonable one. Yet it was like this woman was running a competition… and winning by the look of it.

However, this was to be expected. After all, Zi Yu’s status as the heiress and young miss of the Zi family was not a title to be taken lightly.

The only reason why her arrogance and status wasn’t highlighted before was because Long Di, and by extension, his friends, didn’t give a flying banana about it. Combined with the fact that Yaomu Shou would have slapped the blue off her skin in the face of any arrogance, she was grounded in more ways than one.

In fact, it was Yaomu Shou that sent her to deal with this. The former was so angry at the current sequence of events that she was afraid she might kill these two idiots without a second thought.

As a result, she sent Zi Yu in her stead. It was also a good chance to see what the young miss of the Zi family was really like.

“You’re not going to lower that sword of yours?” Zi Yu asked the youth in a cold tone.

She took out a fan that hid her mouth from view. She lightly fanned herself with it as she stared him down.

“M’lady?” he looked towards the woman, a bit unsure.

“You’re going too far!” the woman remarked, anger finally creeping in.

“And you’re not!?” Zi Yu snapped at her. “You’re going to kill these kids because they’re standing up to you for stealing their kill and you’re shameless enough to say that I’M going too far!? Are you serious!?”

“Who cares for these beggars!? What are they, your salves! Your servants! Do you truly want to offend us for some minions!?” the woman couldn’t understand Zi Yu’s intentions.

Of course, she also noticed the other person (Yaomu Shou) some distance away, however, she didn’t pay attention to her since she was apparently staying away. If she came closer, she would deal with it then.

“They are not minions, servants or slaves. Though I cannot call them friends, they’re not people you’re worthy to touch!” Zi Yu spat out the last word as if to make it sting!

“I intended to settle this peacefully with you since you appeared to be of a higher breed. It seems, however, that I was mistaken. A pureblood does bark like a mongrel if it hangs around them. We are from the Nether Immolation War Temple! This entire region is under our jurisdiction!” as she said this, the disdain on her face grew.

Zi Yu’s expressions changed multiple times when she heard this. Many things could be discerned from her words, and Zi Yu knew she found herself a troublesome person to deal with for several reasons.

“Feng Yu, Jia Yan, Tie Lang, let’s go,” Zi Yu decided.

“But sister Zi Yu!” Feng Yu didn’t want to leave like this.

“Listen to me please,” ZI Yu looked at her with pleading eyes.

The woman smirked when she saw this. It was to be expected, of course. The overseers of a region had a sort of hegemony over it where their word was law!

Seeing this, Feng Yu relented and decided to leave with Zi Yu with her apprentice brothers. They were leaving behind the red-skinned salamander.

“Wait!”

Zi Yu’s expression changed as she turned around to the woman, wondering what she stopped them for.

“That girl there,” she pointed at Feng Yu. “She insulted me and my escort. Leave an arm and she can go.”

“Excuse me?”

It was at this point that shit, very poetically, hit the fan.