A strange silence fell over them. Le Gui stared in disbelief. “You… weren’t poisoned?”

“What do you think?” Di Jiang glanced at her sideways, lips still stained with blood, his smile carrying a wicked charm.

Le Gui was still in shock, and so were Yaoyao and her group. For a moment, no one moved. Among all present, only Di Jiang remained unbothered.

“Those immortal sects weren’t entirely foolish. They knew the Soul-Extinguishing Formation alone wouldn’t be enough to kill me, so they planned from the start to use it alongside the Bone-Eroding Poison. You people… you must have infiltrated Wuyou Palace long before the formation was set up, didn’t you?” Di Jiang changed his posture, shifting even more of his weight onto Le Gui. She nearly lost her balance under the added pressure.

“What does that mean? I don’t get it.” Le Gui struggled to keep herself upright.

She expected another insult calling her an idiot, but instead, Di Jiang simply gave her a faint look before tilting his chin toward Yaoyao. “Explain.”

Yaoyao let out a cold laugh. “So what if we did? From the moment we entered Wuyou Palace, our only mission was to bide our time until the formation was set so we could administer the poison. Once successful, even the slightest wound from the formation would allow the poison to devour you completely.”

“Did you understand that?” Di Jiang asked.

Le Gui looked confused. “Uh…”

[It sounds like a layered plan—one trap set on top of another. The people outside focused on the Soul-Extinguishing Formation to injure Di Jiang, while the ones inside were responsible for poisoning him to ensure he couldn’t recover.]

“Correct.” Di Jiang nodded.

Le Gui hesitated. “Correct about what?”

“The Bone-Eroding Poison on its own isn’t potent enough to kill—not even an ant. But when used on wounds inflicted by the Soul-Extinguishing Formation, it becomes incredibly lethal. If they wanted me dead, they needed both elements together,” Di Jiang said, sounding pleased. “The plan was well thought out. Too bad their one fatal mistake… was entrusting the most crucial step to someone completely incompetent.”

[Wait… is he talking about me?]

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Di Jiang gave her a sidelong glance.

[…Damn it, he really means me.]

Le Gui wanted to argue, but no words came to mind. She could only swallow her frustration in silence.

“Useless indeed,” Yaoyao spat, the bitterness in her voice evident. “If I had known you couldn’t handle even this simple task, I would never have entrusted it to you.”

[Sister, be reasonable! Did I ever ask you to entrust it to me?!]

Before Le Gui could retort, an overwhelming force erupted from Di Jiang. The pressure swept over the area like a tidal wave. Yaoyao instinctively raised her sword to shield herself but was still forced onto her knees, sinking three inches into the grass.

Le Gui, watching from the side, subconsciously checked her own limbs…

Still intact. Still functional. Still perfectly fine. She let out a breath of relief.

“And who do you think you are to insult someone who belongs to me?” Di Jiang’s lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes held no warmth.

[That was almost touching… but wasn’t it you who called me incompetent first?] Le Gui subtly shrank back, doing her best to remain invisible.

Yaoyao must have been thinking the same thing, but she was too occupied resisting the immense pressure to voice it.

By now, the group’s initial determination had already been shaken. The revelation that Di Jiang wasn’t poisoned had diminished their fighting spirit, and now, under the sheer force of his presence, their resolve was crumbling further.

Sensing her companions’ hesitation, Yaoyao gritted her teeth and shouted, “Don’t be fooled! Even without the Bone-Eroding Poison, the wounds from the formation fueled by two thousand Nascent Soul cultivators are enough to shake his foundation! Set up the formation—slay the demon!”

The remaining cultivators forced themselves to stand and raised their swords to form a battle formation, launching a fierce attack on Di Jiang.

A single sword split into thousands, creating a storm of blades that roared forward. The sudden surge of wind sent Le Gui stumbling, and she quickly hid behind Di Jiang for cover.

As the countless sword tips tore through the oppressive aura and closed in inch by inch, Di Jiang suddenly felt bored.

“Overestimating your strength.”

With just a slight raise of his hand, the seemingly unbreakable sword formation was instantly overturned. The cultivators who had just been charging forward scattered like ants across the grass, with nearly half of them perishing on the spot.

For the first time, Le Gui witnessed so many living people die right before her eyes. Her mind went blank, buzzing like an old television stuck on a static screen, leaving her completely dazed.

Di Jiang glanced at her before standing up gracefully. Le Gui felt a sudden lightness in her body and then saw him walking towards the bushes where Juzi was hiding.

Her gaze followed him blankly until he pushed aside the bushes and snatched an apple from the cowering Juzi.

[He just slaughtered a bunch of people and now he’s eating an apple?! This is even more terrifying!]

Le Gui was on the verge of tears. The thick scent of blood in the air was suffocating.

She had long known that Di Jiang was mercurial and ruthless, but she had never witnessed his brutality firsthand. She also had no real sense of how powerful he was until now. Looking at the corpses scattered across the ground, she finally realized just how lucky she was to still be alive.

Di Jiang had already walked two meters away, so he naturally couldn’t hear her complicated inner voice. Di Jiang took a few bites of the apple before reaching out toward Juzi again. Reluctantly, Juzi dug out another apple from its hiding spot, but seeing how slow it was, Di Jiang slapped it without expression.

“Who wants to eat something that’s been touched by your hooves?” With that, he tossed the apple away.

Le Gui and Juzi both let out a heartbroken whimper as they watched the apple arc through the air and plop into the lake.

A low groan sounded from a severely injured man nearby.

Di Jiang paused, as if suddenly remembering that there were still a few survivors. Just as he was about to finish them off, a figure suddenly darted in front of Le Gui, pressing a blade against her throat.

“…Yaoyao.” Le Gui stared blankly at her former friend.

“Shut up!” Yaoyao refused to look at her and instead glared at Di Jiang. “If you want her to live, let us go.”

“You dare threaten me?” Di Jiang chuckled.

In response, Yaoyao pushed her sword forward an inch, and a sharp pain stung Le Gui’s neck as the blade nicked her skin.

Feeling the cut, Le Gui flinched and hurriedly spoke up. “This is pointless. His Lordship isn’t the type to be threatened. Instead of making things worse, why don’t you just beg for mercy? If he’s in a good mood, maybe he’ll let you go.”

“Shut up!” Yaoyao was furious. “He killed my father! I’d rather die than beg for his mercy!”

“…Can you wake up already?!” If not for the sword at her throat, Le Gui would have grabbed Yaoyao and shaken her. “Look at him! Does he look like the kind of man who would deny his own crimes?!”

Yaoyao hesitated, unconsciously looking at Di Jiang.

Di Jiang stood with his hands clasped in front of him, his posture impeccably proper, yet exuding an air of utter arrogance.

Yaoyao’s conviction wavered even more.

“See? You’re doubting it too, aren’t you?” Seizing the opportunity, Le Gui coaxed, “Since that’s the case, why not put down your sword and apologize? His Lordship is magnanimous. I’m sure he will forgive you.”

“Who told you I was magnanimous?” Di Jiang asked, a hint of amused curiosity in his tone.

Le Gui: “…”

Yaoyao: “…”

After a long silence, Le Gui weakly reminded, “Your Lordship, I am still in her hands.”

Di Jiang let out a soft chuckle, his expression clearly saying, So what?

[You bastard!]

Realizing that her life depended on herself, Le Gui’s eyes turned red as she sorrowfully looked at Yaoyao. “I thought of you as my closest friend.”

Yaoyao’s expression faltered, a trace of guilt flashing across her face.

“You deceived me, but I don’t blame you. But now you’ve seen for yourself—this son of a… this man doesn’t care whether I live or die. What you’re doing is pointless. All you’re doing is hurting me again.”

“Yaoyao, do you really want to keep hurting me over and over?” Le Gui asked, her voice filled with sorrow.

Yaoyao took a step back, her sword hand trembling. But after a brief hesitation, she gritted her teeth and pressed the blade back against Le Gui’s throat.

“If he truly didn’t care, why haven’t I been struck down yet?” Yaoyao took a deep breath and looked at Di Jiang. “Isn’t that right, Your Lordship?”

Le Gui stared at her in confusion, then followed her gaze toward Di Jiang.

Under the scrutiny of both women, Di Jiang let out a chuckle. “Go ahead, then.”

Yaoyao: “…”

Le Gui: “…”

[You absolute monster! If I become a ghost, I will haunt you forever!]

“Need me to help you?” Di Jiang asked, sounding almost patient.

Le Gui almost nodded instinctively—then realized he wasn’t speaking to her.

[Son of a—!]

Yaoyao understood his meaning as well. Her gaze sharpened as she focused on Le Gui.

“Y-Yaoyao… are you really going to kill me?” Le Gui stammered.

Yaoyao remained silent, but the tip of her sword crept closer to Le Gui’s throat.

Le Gui’s heart sank. She glanced between Yaoyao and Di Jiang, then locked eyes with him. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Your Lordship…”

[I curse you, Di Jiang! I curse you a thousand times over!]

Di Jiang arched an eyebrow.

The sting on her neck grew sharper. Le Gui took a deep breath, bracing herself for death—when suddenly, Di Jiang spoke again.

“So slow and indecisive.”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, Yaoyao was suddenly thrown to the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp. Le Gui reacted instantly, snatching up the fallen weapon without hesitation.

Yaoyao struggled desperately, but it felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her, rendering her completely immobile. Looking up at Di Jiang, she saw the indifference in his gaze—it was the same way one would look at an ant.

The overwhelming disparity in power shook her resolve, and despair surged over her like a tidal wave.

Teetering on the edge of life and death, she forced herself to remain calm. “How about we make a deal?”

“You think you’re worthy?” Di Jiang replied coldly.

“The wounds inflicted by the Soul-Destroying Formation vary depending on the person. The stronger one’s cultivation, the harder they are to heal. You suffered severe injuries within the formation, and without intervention, it will take you thousands of years to recover. But with Zhiluo Grass as medicine, you can bypass those years of suffering.” Yaoyao met his gaze directly and got straight to the point. “I know where to find Zhiluo Grass. Let me go, and I’ll retrieve it for you.”

Le Gui, now out of immediate danger, clutched the sword in her arms and did her best to remain invisible.

Di Jiang studied Yaoyao for a long moment before laughing. “And who told you I was gravely injured? A mere Soul-Destroying Formation—do you really think it could harm me?”

“You weren’t injured?” Yaoyao’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s impossible! You were clearly wounded… Was it all just an act?”

“What? You were pretending to be hurt this whole time?” Le Gui was even more stunned.

Seeing the composed expression on Di Jiang’s face, Yaoyao felt as though the ground beneath her had crumbled away. “So you were never injured at all… You only did this to lure your enemies out?”

Le Gui was even more horrified. So… when I pinched him that day… he was actually awake the whole time?!

Di Jiang paused, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, thunder rumbling ominously.

Without a second thought, Le Gui shoved the sword back into Yaoyao’s hands and even helped guide the tip toward her own throat. “Just kill me. Right now.”

Yaoyao: “?”