The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Let go of my sister! Let go of my sister!"

A frail-looking boy, dressed in tattered clothes, rushed desperately toward a group of Su family guards, attempting to free his older sister from their grasp.

But the boy, weak and sickly, was no match for the trained guards. One of them sneered before landing a vicious kick to his stomach, sending him flying several meters. He hit the ground with a dull thud, curling up in pain as his face turned deathly pale.

"Hmph! A worthless Sun clan brat dares to challenge us?"

"Exactly. Your sister should be honored that we've taken a liking to her. Once we've had our fun, we'll return her to you. What's your hurry?"

"If you interfere again, I'll cut your head off right here. You're nothing more than a slave under our Su family—killing you would be nothing."

The guards jeered cruelly, their words cutting deep.

The young woman they held struggled in vain to break free. Her eyes darted toward her injured brother, worry and despair filling her gaze.

"P-please, let me check on my brother. You… you want me, don't you? Just let me see him and make sure he's okay, and then… I'll go with you willingly."

Her voice trembled as she begged, her delicate face pale with fear.

Slap!

One of the guards struck her across the face without hesitation.

"A mere slave dares to negotiate with us?"

"Take her to the side room, brothers. Let's show her what happens to those who resist!"

"Ha! Sounds good!"

The guards dragged the young woman toward a nearby room, their faces twisted with vile grins.

Tears welled in her eyes as terror and despair consumed her. She struggled frantically, but her resistance only provoked more blows from the guards.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound cut through the air.

In the midst of her hopeless struggle, a figure suddenly appeared. With a casual wave of his sleeve, the newcomer unleashed a force so precise and deadly that it decapitated the guards in an instant.

Blood sprayed across the young woman, freezing her in place.

She stared in shock at the headless bodies that now littered the ground. For a long moment, she couldn't move, couldn't think. Then, the reality of the scene hit her, and she let out a piercing scream.

Her cries immediately drew the attention of other Su family guards.

Clang, clang, clang!

A dozen guards rushed toward the scene, their weapons drawn. When they arrived, they found the lifeless bodies of their comrades, a blood-soaked young woman, and a man in tattered robes standing nearby.

The man was none other than Yun Yanshui, who had just finished collecting his debt and was preparing to leave the Su family estate.

"You're quite ruthless," an aged voice called out calmly, cutting through the tense air.

Yun Yanshui turned toward the source of the voice and saw an elderly man dressed in white robes standing atop a nearby rooftop. The man radiated the aura of a Embryo Breath cultivator at the eighth-stage peak.

Beside him stood a cold-faced middle-aged man clutching a long blade in his arms. This one carried the aura of a seventh-stage Embryo Breath cultivator.

"Ruthless? Hardly. I was just in a bad mood and decided to kill a few mortals for fun. Is that a problem?"

Yun Yanshui smirked, his tone dripping with mockery as he looked at the elderly man.

Initially, Yun Yanshui hadn't planned to intervene. However, when he noticed the despicable behavior of the guards, he decided to use the opportunity to draw out the two rogue cultivators who had been hiding in the Su family's shadow.

Now that they had finally revealed themselves, his goal was achieved.

"This is the Su family estate. It's not a place for you to vent your frustrations," the middle-aged man with the blade said, his tone icy and hostile.

His role was to support the Su family in secret, ensuring no one caused trouble within their territory. But now, this rogue cultivator had already killed two elders in the council hall and a group of guards outside.

It was a blatant display of defiance, as though he didn't even consider the two of them worthy of attention.

"And what if I want to vent here? What are you going to do about it?" Yun Yanshui replied with a smile, his voice filled with casual disdain.

As he spoke, he waved his sleeve, sending a violent gust of wind sweeping through the courtyard.

The dozen Su family guards rushing to the scene were caught in the terrifying gust that emanated from Yun Yanshui's sleeve. In an instant, their bodies disintegrated into ash, scattering into the air.

The same gust tore through the inner courtyard, reducing pavilions, towers, and other structures to rubble. Dust and debris rose in a towering cloud, accompanied by a deafening rumble that echoed across the estate.

"How about that? I just killed a bunch more. What are you going to do about it?"

Yun Yanshui chuckled, his gaze locking onto the middle-aged cultivator clutching a long blade. His voice carried an unmistakable tone of mockery and challenge.

"You're courting death!"

Infuriated, the middle-aged cultivator's expression turned dark as he prepared to attack.

"Don't act rashly! This man's cultivation is far beyond our league!"

The elderly white-robed cultivator urgently transmitted his voice to his companion, his tone laced with warning.

The middle-aged man hesitated, his eyes flickering toward the destroyed buildings and the ease with which Yun Yanshui had annihilated their comrades. Slowly, he regained his composure. The sheer power behind that casual attack was far beyond what an ordinary Embryo Breath cultivator could achieve.

"Why are you targeting the Su family? We've done nothing to provoke you," the white-robed elder said, his voice calm but wary as his sharp eyes studied Yun Yanshui.

"No particular reason," Yun Yanshui replied nonchalantly. "I just felt like causing a bit of trouble here."

"This is nothing but senseless bullying!" the middle-aged cultivator spat, his anger boiling over.

"Come closer and say that again," Yun Yanshui said with a smirk.

With a casual wave of his hand, a powerful suction force surged toward the middle-aged man. Before he could react, his body was dragged through the air, and Yun Yanshui's hand clamped tightly around his throat.

"Now, what was it you said about me being unreasonable? Care to repeat that for me?"

Fear flooded the middle-aged cultivator's eyes. Though he was a peak seventh-stage Embryo Breath cultivator, he couldn't muster even the slightest resistance against Yun Yanshui.

"Please, senior, calm your anger! If you're here to save that pair of siblings, we can release them! Just spare my companion's life," the white-robed elder interjected hurriedly.

"Save them? You misunderstand. I didn't kill your men for the siblings' sake. That was merely incidental—I did it for you two," Yun Yanshui replied with a faint smile.

With a sudden twist of his hand, a sickening crack echoed as he snapped the middle-aged man's neck.

The lifeless body slumped to the ground as Yun Yanshui casually reached for the storage pouch at his waist. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled it free.

"You're just after cultivation resources!" the white-robed elder exclaimed, his voice trembling as he watched Yun Yanshui's efficient looting.

Realizing he stood no chance against such a foe, the elder's face darkened. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled.

Whoosh!

Before he could take a second step, Yun Yanshui appeared in front of him as if by magic. A wave of oppressive spiritual pressure bore down on the elder, forcing him to the ground, unable to move.

"Think carefully before you act! The Su family is supported by the Yulin Wang Clan!" the elder blurted, his voice trembling as he tried to muster a threat.

"Perfect. I've been meaning to kill someone from the Yulin Wang Clan," Yun Yanshui said coldly, his smile vanishing.

The pressure around him intensified, and the white-robed elder didn't even have time to scream before his body was crushed into a mangled heap of flesh and blood.

Like before, Yun Yanshui reached down and claimed the elder's storage pouch, tucking it away with practiced ease.

"Should I just wipe out the entire Su family while I'm at it?"

He glanced around the sprawling estate, stroking his chin in thought. Now that he had confirmed the Su family was indeed backed by the Yulin Wang Clan, the temptation to deal a decisive blow lingered in his mind.

"No, better leave it to the Sun brothers. My uncle has plans for this," he muttered, shaking his head.

Deciding against further involvement, Yun Yanshui turned and sauntered out of the Su family estate.

As he strolled through the grounds, the Su family's servants and guards fled in terror, treating him as though he were a plague. None dared step in his way.

Even Su Yinglong and the other family heads, who had rushed to investigate the commotion, could only watch helplessly as Yun Yanshui departed.

"G-grandfather… I-I brought a demon into our home," Su Yue stammered, her voice quivering with fear as she struggled to process what had happened.

She stared at the corpses of her two masters, who had fallen so easily to Yun Yanshui. Regret gnawed at her—if only she hadn't followed Su Shengyun, this calamity might have been avoided.

"Inform the Wang Clan. This is beyond us. Only the Wang Clan can handle this," Su Yinglong said grimly.

He had no time to reprimand his niece. His mind was focused entirely on the overwhelming power of the nameless rogue cultivator.

Against such a foe, only the Yulin Wang Clan's cultivators might stand a chance.