Xuan Tian Sect Leader Tinglan Zhenren glanced disdainfully at Xia Mingde, who was paralyzed on the ground.
A hint of contempt flashed in his eyes, as if he were looking not at a corpse, but at a pile of filth.
"Young friend Xia," he said mercilessly to Bai Ying, "a guy like this should have been killed long ago. Such a simple death is too easy for him. Next time, there's no need to hold back. For someone like him, kill him if you want to; what reason do you need?"
After saying that, he glanced mockingly at everyone present, snorted coldly, and released his oppressive aura without any mercy.
A vast and abyss-like pressure suddenly descended.
A faint purple-gold light emanated from Tinglan Zhenren's body; it was the "divine light protecting the body" unique to a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.
Instantly, all the bluestone slabs on the entire street cracked, and wisps of cold air seeped out from the cracks.
The onlookers were stunned.
The old woman's vegetable basket burst open with a "bang," and the vegetable leaves turned into dust in the air; the strong men's bones creaked and groaned as their knees slammed uncontrollably into the ground, cracking the stone slabs like spiderwebs; the children didn't even have time to cry out before they bled from all seven orifices and fainted.
Suddenly, the window frames on the second floor of the teahouse shattered, and the merchants who were peeping inside fell to the street like dumplings. Further away, the glazed tiles on the corner tower of the imperial city crashed to the ground, and the Imperial Guards guarding the city fell in droves like wheat being harvested.
The most awe-inspiring figure was His Majesty the Emperor, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe. The golden dragon phantoms surrounding him twisted violently, emitting painful howls.
The jade pendant hanging from his waist shattered with a "bang," and the jade beads on the twelve-tassel crown broke one after another.
To everyone's astonishment, the emperor staggered and knelt on one knee, his dragon robe covered in dust.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" The old eunuch's eyes were bloodshot, but he couldn't even lift his head. His face was pressed tightly against the ground, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Master Tinglan coldly surveyed all living beings, purple currents swirling in his eyes. He gently raised his hand, and the dragon aura emanating from the emperor flickered and nearly extinguished like a candle in the wind.
Although he didn't say anything, everyone knew that he was clearly showing contempt for imperial authority!
The people stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
They had always believed that imperial power was supreme, and that the emperor, protected by dragon energy, could shield them from the bullying of cultivators. But what they saw before them completely shattered their deep-seated beliefs.
These people had no idea that the dragon energy in the royal city was at most equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Tinglan Zhenren has already entered the half-step Nascent Soul stage, and his cultivation has reached a certain level. Even if he wanted to kill the emperor of the mortal world, it would be an easy thing!
The emperor gritted his teeth and struggled to hold on, while the people had long since reached their breaking point.
The butcher who had once clamored to burn Xia Qingdai alive was now trembling like a leaf; the scholar who had been indignant earlier had his face buried in the mud; the hairpins of several young ladies from official families were all broken, and their carefully styled hair was scattered like straw.
Master Tinglan then let out a cold snort and slowly withdrew his oppressive aura.
But the terror of that moment is forever etched in everyone's hearts—the imperial power they revered was nothing but a pathetic joke in the face of true divine power.
Master Tinglan's gaze swept over everyone present like frost, and everyone whose eyes met felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their whole body trembling. The indifference contained in his eyes was like a god looking down at ants in the dust.
When he turned to Bai Ying, his tone softened slightly: "Girl, remember what you saw today. On the path of cultivation, the strong are respected. If you are soft-hearted, you will surely suffer the consequences in the future."
After saying that, he looked at the people and said to Bai Ying, "The move you used to kill Xia Mingde just now contained the energy of a Nascent Soul cultivator. You are probably at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, just like me!"
Bai Ying hadn't expected Tinglan Zhenren's divine sense to be so sharp. She hadn't deliberately released that wisp of Nascent Soul energy, but he still sensed it.
Bai Ying nodded slightly, her black hair swaying gently in the wind.
This nod resonated like a thunderclap in everyone's hearts.
"Half-step into the Divine Transformation Realm?!"
"This...this is impossible..."
The onlookers' eyes widened instantly, their faces filled with disbelief.
To them, Nascent Soul cultivators were already legendary figures, let alone unparalleled powerhouses like Half-Step Deity cultivators who had touched the threshold of the Heavenly Dao.
Those who had once thrown rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at Bai Ying's residence were now slumped on the ground; several people who had clamored for Bai Ying to get out of the capital were now desperately wiping the cold sweat pouring down their foreheads with their sleeves; even those who had been criticizing Bai Ying from the back of the crowd were ashen-faced and their legs were trembling like leaves.
None of them expected that such a young girl would be at the same level as Master Tinglan, who had lived for over a thousand years!
It was only at this point that they realized just how terrifying the existence they had provoked was.
Her cultivation level was so high that even dragon energy couldn't deal with her.
And they actually dared to do something so extreme...
How dare they do that?
She could have easily killed them with just a flick of her finger, just like she killed Xia Mingde.
Upon hearing Bai Ying's reply, Ting Lan slowly said, "Girl, remember this. If I were you, anyone who dared to lay a hand on me would surely die. I wouldn't spare a single life! The path of cultivation is all about strength. Right and wrong are all nonsense to us! Whoever has the bigger fist is right! If anyone dares to offend me, I'll turn their corpse to ashes. These ants are no big deal, so what? There's no need to reason with them!"
Listen to how domineering Master Lan's words are.
But those who had just been shouting that "in the eyes of cultivators, the lives of ordinary people are cheap and cultivators should not kill innocent people indiscriminately" all knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.
These people dared not harbor the slightest resentment; faced with such a powerful figure, all they wanted was to submit.
Although Master Tinglan is not one to indiscriminately kill innocent people, anyone who dares to provoke him will surely die!
Bai Ying gazed solemnly at the senior from the sect before her and nodded earnestly.
Master Tinglan suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present like a blade. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering without wind, and faint lightning crackling around him.
"Those who threw filth and spoke rudely at Xia's residence, all of you, step forward!" His voice was calm and unhurried, yet it weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. "If no one confesses within three breaths..."
Before he finished speaking, he lightly raised his right hand, and a thundercloud suddenly gathered in the sky, with purple lightning crackling within it. "I wouldn't mind letting everyone present taste the pain of being struck by lightning."
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