Or else what?

Both Sky Yin Sect elders looked up in utter disbelief.

"Which fellow Daoist is interfering with the affairs of the Sky Yin Sect? Why not show yourself?" shouted the uninjured, short-statured elder.

The other Sky Yin Sect elder looked as though his eyes were about to spew fire, but he managed to restrain himself, casting a cautious gaze toward the three members of the Xiao family instead.

"Heh, the Sky Yin Sect is truly full of trash." Chen Xiang's figure quietly materialized between the two opposing parties.

Patron Liu, Xiao Tingming, and Xiao Lin were all deeply shocked upon seeing Chen Xiang.

"Young Master Chu? How..." Xiao Lin's expression flickered.

She had never imagined that Chen Xiang was also an immortal cultivator, yet despite the obvious events of the past few days, she had remained entirely oblivious.

Xiao Tingming was astonished by Chen Xiang's formidable strength and perplexed as to why he would help them.

As for Patron Liu, he was struck dumb. He knew Chen Xiang and had even urged Xiao Tingming to chase him away earlier, threatening to deal with the youth himself if necessary.

However, the golden light from a moment ago had easily repelled the elder's flying sword and inflicted injuries upon him. This clearly demonstrated that the youth possessed immense power!

Cold sweat broke out across his back at the thought, and he secretly considered himself fortunate. Had he not been recalled to the sect due to urgent matters, he undoubtedly would have foolishly courted disaster by hunting the youth down.

Hearing Chen Xiang's words, the two Sky Yin Sect elders flew into a rage.

Never before had anyone dared to insult them as trash to their faces—at least, not openly.

"Audacious! Knowing full well that we belong to the Sky Yin Sect, you still dare to make a move?"

"Hmph, fellow Daoist, be careful lest your words bring catastrophe upon your head!"

Both elders shouted in simultaneous indignation.

Chen Xiang picked at his ear and said indifferently, "I can't be bothered to talk to you lot. Hurry off and receive your final curtain!"

With that, Chen Xiang's figure blurred and vanished into mid-air.

The pupils of the three Sky Yin Sect members constricted violently.

"Such blinding speed!"

Before they could even react, Chen Xiang appeared directly in front of them.

He swept his Coiling Dragon Staff horizontally across the space.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Following three dull thuds, the three men were instantly blasted into mists of blood.

"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang', for slaying a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. You have obtained fifty thousand experience points and one lower-grade Nascent Soul."

"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang', for slaying a Golden Core stage cultivator. You have obtained ten thousand experience points and one Golden Core."

...

Madam Xiao and the others stared blankly at the sky, utterly dumbfounded.

"Just like that..." Madam Xiao felt her throat go dry.

The enemies who had driven her to despair were eliminated with such effortless simplicity?

Miss Xiao parted her lips slightly, gazing fixedly at Chen Xiang's silhouette. Her eyes held a faint, lingering mixture of yearning and dread.

Xiao Tingming stood rooted to the spot in shock, a surge of burning fanaticism creeping across his face.

"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang', for instilling fear in a cultivator. You have obtained one hundred prestige points!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang', for inspiring awe in a cultivator. You have obtained forty prestige points!"

...

Chen Xiang frowned slightly and glanced toward a corner below.

"Heh, interesting." A smile curled the corner of his mouth.

Then, Chen Xiang swept out a hand, and a formidable suction force erupted from his palm.

In the next instant, a battered figure was dragged out from the darkness.

It was none other than the short-statured Sky Yin Sect elder.

Chen Xiang knew that this was an escape technique from the Shadow Tactics manual. It could be executed instantaneously, but at the cost of massive consumption. The elder's current strength was less than ten percent of his peak, making him vulnerable enough for even Madam Xiao to kill with ease.

Yet, just seeing the man use this secret technique irritated Chen Xiang.

He had finally acquired a Heaven-grade intermediate movement technique, only to find he couldn't even cultivate it. How could he not be annoyed?

"Fellow Daoist, spare me! Do not kill me! I am an inner sect elder of the Sky Yin Sect!" The Sky Yin Sect elder cried out in panic the moment his cover was blown.

Chen Xiang replied indifferently, "What does that have to do with me?"

The elder's pupils constricted, unable to believe someone remained completely unfazed by the backing of the Sky Yin Sect.

"Fellow Daoist, I am willing to offer you all my lifelong treasures, if only you will spare my life!" the elder ground out through clenched teeth.

"No thanks, trash items. Besides, once I kill you, those things will belong to me all the same. Alright, enough nonsense, goodbye!" Chen Xiang said coldly.

The elder's face turned ashen. He had never imagined he would be reduced to such a plight.

"Stop!"

Just at that moment, a vigorous voice rang out.

Everyone looked over in astonishment.

Xiao Tingming looked at Chen Xiang with an expression of unwavering determination.

"Young Master Chu, our Xiao family has treated you as an honored guest, but why have you resorted to such ruthless violence, even slaying my family's relatives?" Xiao Tingming demanded in a deep, accusatory tone.

"???" Several black question marks appeared over Chen Xiang's head. Had this man lost his mind?

"Tingming, what are you doing?" Madam Xiao, enduring her injuries, staggered forward to pull him back.

She had not expected Chen Xiang to possess such terrifying strength. Since he could annihilate the two Sky Yin Sect elders so easily, this was their family's golden opportunity to escape. She had no idea what Xiao Tingming was thinking.

The surviving Sky Yin Sect elder also stared at Xiao Tingming in utter confusion.

Ignoring Madam Xiao's actions, Xiao Tingming cupped his fists in a salute toward the surviving Sky Yin Sect elder and said, "This humble commoner, Xiao Tingming, pays respects to the Elder. Please forgive us for failing to welcome you properly from afar."

Following this, he fixed his gaze back on Chen Xiang, his expression darkening slightly as he said, "Young Master Chu, the Xiao family does not welcome you. Please leave!"

Madam Xiao's expression shifted drastically. She stepped forward to block Xiao Tingming and said, "Tingming, what has gotten into you? Young Master Chu just helped us eliminate our enemies; we should be expressing our gratitude. We can leave the city right now—why are you acting like this?"

Miss Xiao was equally bewildered, but hearing Xiao Tingming's words, displeasure flashed across her face. "Father, Young Master Chu saved our lives! Why are you trying to chase him away?"

Chen Xiang narrowed his eyes, studying Xiao Tingming for a moment.

Only then did he notice that despite the man's outward composure, his eyes betrayed an unmasked terror alongside a burning, greedy fervor.

"Oh? You truly want me to leave?" Chen Xiang paused, temporarily suspending his spell rather than finishing off the elder, and spoke indifferently.

"No, Senior! Tingming didn't mean that! Let me talk some sense into him!" Madam Xiao's heart skipped a beat, terrified of provoking Chen Xiang. She placed herself in front of Xiao Tingming and spoke in a rush.

Miss Xiao's expression also changed, and she whispered, "Chu... Immortal Master, my father didn't mean it that way. Please give him another chance."

The Sky Yin Sect elder breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Chen Xiang had temporarily postponed his execution, though he dared not utter a word for fear of drawing the youth's wrath. At the same time, he watched the internal conflict among the others, hoping to seize an opportunity to flee.

Cold sweat poured down Xiao Tingming's forehead, yet he gritted his teeth and stubbornly pressed on. "My in-laws came to fetch my daughter. You had no grievance with them—why did you slaughter them? You are an immortal cultivator, and I am powerless against you, but I only ask that you leave now. Otherwise... otherwise..."

He stammered through his "otherwise," completely unable to articulate a threat.

"Otherwise what?" Chen Xiang smiled faintly, though his gaze turned chillingly cold.

He had never expected that his decisive rescue would be repaid in such a manner. Yet, he was not entirely unreasonable; he could clearly see that greed had clouded Xiao Tingming's judgment.