"I apologize for interrupting your conversation. But may we know who you are? This area is Heavenly Sect’s Breeding Farm. You have stepped onto our property. And you also killed the Guardian Beast that protects the perimeter."
"Breeding farm...?" Neo repeated.
The two Half-Step cultivators kept staring at him with caution. The First Step man continued speaking, his smile calm and practiced.
"Yes. A breeding farm. Mortals make useful ingredients for many pills, and they can also be good furnaces. So we raise them here."
Neo didn’t blink.
In an instant, everything made sense.
Why the boy saved him.
Why the girl asked if he was a cultivator.
Why they told him to leave the moment they realized he wasn’t.
They wanted his help, but the moment they thought he was weak, they wanted to send him away before the cultivators came.
’The boy... he was trying to protect me.’
A bitter taste rose on Neo’s tongue.
What had this boy lived through to act like this?
How many times had he been forced to watch people taken from them?
Was this why they had no parents?
The First Step cultivator’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I can see you are considering fighting," the man said. "But keep in mind, cultivators have a peace agreement with the Martial Alliance. We can overlook you killing the Guardian Beast, since it may have been a mistake. But if you attack us intentionally..."
World Energy erupted around him like a layer of pressure.
"We will wipe out your sect. A peace agreement does not mean we fear you Martial Artists."
Neo’s expression didn’t change.
"Let go of the girl."
"Are you sure you want this? I don’t understand what gives you the confidence—"
"Let go of the girl."
The man’s smile widened. His polite attitude was only a way to provoke Neo into striking first.
Neo already knew that.
But he didn’t care.
’Use Life Flame Ignition.’
[Master—]
’Do it.’
His Life Flame and Consciousness ignited.
A small amount of world energy filled him. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
The expressions of the three cultivators changed instantly.
"Qi? You’re a cultivator. Then why are you antagoniz—"
He didn’t finish.
Neo moved.
These cultivators were suppressed just like him. Or rather, the strength they could show in this world was also affected like Neo’s.
And they were Half-Step and First-Step.
While Neo’s physical strength was at Stage 8.
They were like ants in front of him.
In a single breath, Neo stood in front of them.
In the next breath, he sliced the wrist of the man holding the girl. Blood sprayed, and the girl fell forward.
In the third breath, Neo kicked the injured man in the stomach. The cultivator flew across the ground like a rag doll.
In the fourth breath, Neo used Beelzebub’s Authority of Temporal Erasure.
The two Half-step cultivators vanished instantly, erased from existence and time. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Neo reached for the First Step cultivator to finish him too, but the man’s strength resisted the Authority. It didn’t work on him.
Still, Neo’s goal was complete.
The girl was safe.
The danger was split.
And the village was no longer under the control of those three men.
The First Step cultivator coughed and pushed himself up. His hand shook, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
"You... you dare...?"
Neo didn’t answer.
His eyes stayed calm.
His breathing stayed steady.
He hadn’t fought to prove anything. He fought because a crying child needed help.
The girl crawled toward Neo and clung to his leg with trembling hands. Her tears soaked into his pants.
Neo gently placed his hand on her head.


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