Justin Su was also deeply shocked by the scene before him. Among all the elders, Elder Jian and Elder Yao ranked near the top in strength, but he never imagined they could be so easily defeated by a woman from the Jade Maiden Sect.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He stared intently at Senior Azure—Ian Song's disguised form—and asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you? There’s absolutely no way the Jade Maiden Sect has a master like you!"
Ian Song couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Who told you I’m from the Jade Maiden Sect?"
Justin Su pressed on, "Senior, since you’re not from the Jade Maiden Sect, why get involved in this karma? If you agree not to interfere in our feud with the Jade Maiden Sect, the Miao Clan will reward you handsomely."
"A handsome reward? How handsome are we talking?" Ian Song asked with a half-smile.
Seeing that Song Yan didn’t reject him outright, Justin Su’s hopes rose. He said, "I am Justin Su, the adopted son of the Miao Clan patriarch. As long as Senior agrees not to interfere, I can personally offer you five hundred thousand low-grade spirit crystals!"
"Five hundred thousand low-grade spirit crystals? Are you trying to pay off a beggar?" Ian Song sneered.
Hearing Ian Song’s scornful reply, Justin Su’s face stiffened. Down below, the Jade Maiden Sect disciples were left gaping—their entire sect’s assets amounted to just one hundred thousand low-grade spirit crystals, yet this Senior Azure dismissed five hundred thousand as beneath notice. Did that mean, in her eyes, they were even worse off than beggars?
But thinking about it, it made sense. Senior Azure had spent several hundred high-grade spirit crystals to set up the Guardian Mountain Formation for them—equivalent to millions of low-grade spirit crystals. Why would she care about a mere five hundred thousand?
After a brief silence, Justin Su continued, "If Senior is not satisfied, I can report to my adoptive father. I’m sure he’ll give you an answer you’ll find satisfactory."
A master who can casually defeat two mid-stage Nascent Soul experts is worth recruiting no matter the cost. If the Miao Clan could bring her under their banner, their power would rise significantly.
"Heh, so it sounds like your Miao Clan is pretty wealthy, huh?" Ian Song asked thoughtfully.
Justin Su explained, "Senior, you may not know, but our Miao Clan is a renowned cultivation family in Yuyang Commandery. Take Elder Jian and Elder Yao for example—they’re guest elders in our clan, and their annual base salary is at least one million low-grade spirit crystals. If they earn merit, there are extra rewards. If Senior is willing to join our clan, your salary would be no less than theirs!"
Ian Song laughed, giving Justin Su a playful look. "You’re pretty smooth with words, kid. Too bad I’ve got no interest in being a mere guest elder for your clan. Now, if you made me your patriarch, maybe I’d consider it!"
"Senior, you—!" Justin Su’s face darkened.
"Enough. Stop wasting time here. Take your men and go. As for those two—" Ian Song glanced at Elder Jian and Elder Yao, who were several hundred meters away. "They’ll stay here as hostages for now. Go back and tell Skye Miao: if he wants his guest elders returned, he’ll need to bring two thousand high-grade spirit crystals as ransom!"
"You there! Do you really think you’ve got us dead to rights?"
Hearing that the woman actually intended to ransom them, Elder Jian and Elder Yao were furious. Though they weren’t as strong as her, they were confident that if they tried to escape, she wouldn’t be able to keep both of them!
Ian Song sneered, "Of course I’ve got you dead to rights! If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try!"
"Fine! Let’s see if you can really hold onto us!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, Elder Jian blurred into a streak of light, shooting off into the distance, while Elder Yao, perfectly in sync, darted off in the opposite direction.
"Heh! You’re not going anywhere!"
With a light shout, Ian Song stepped forward, instantly crossing several kilometers to catch up with Elder Jian, slapping a palm at his back.
"Die!"
But just then, Elder Jian suddenly twisted around, his face contorted with rage. At the same time, he spat out a black flying sword aimed straight at Ian Song’s brow.
The flying sword shot forward at incredible speed—given how close they were, it reached Ian Song’s brow in an instant.
But—
"Ding!"
Unhurried, Ian Song flicked his finger, sending the flying sword spinning away. At the same time, his palm landed squarely on Elder Jian’s chest.
"Ah!"
With a miserable scream, Elder Jian’s true essence abruptly recoiled into his body. Ian Song grabbed him by the neck—his palm strike had nearly shattered Elder Jian’s nascent soul, leaving him unable to use his true essence for the moment.
Like picking up a chick, Ian Song swung Elder Jian in one hand and instantly appeared in front of Elder Yao, who had already fled several kilometers away.
"I’ll fight you to the death!"
Elder Yao swiftly summoned a purple jade hairpin, and with a flash of incantations, it split into thousands, raining down on Song Yan like a storm.
"Break!"
Seeing this, Ian Song sneered and swung his fist.
His fist seemed to carry a special power—wherever it passed, the jade hairpins were forced back.
"Bang!"
Ian Song’s fist slammed into Elder Yao’s chest.
With a muffled groan, her whole body trembled, and all her true essence shrank back into her nascent soul—she was unable to use it for the moment.
Then, Ian Song—holding Elder Jian in one hand and Elder Yao in the other—appeared before the stunned, utterly shaken Justin Su. "Justin Su, right? Hurry back to the Miao Clan and report. Make sure Skye Miao brings plenty of spirit crystals. Otherwise, I’ll cripple their cultivation!"
"Yes, Senior. I’ll take my leave!"
Justin Su took a deep breath, bowed to Ian Song, then summoned his flying treasure ship and, along with nine other Golden Core cultivators, headed back to Yuyang Commandery.
Whoosh!
With a blur, Ian Song landed in the Jade Maiden Sect’s plaza. He casually patted Elder Jian and Elder Yao, took their storage rings, and tossed them to Abbess Yvonne. "Find a place to lock them up!"
Yun Gu hesitated, but in the end said nothing and ordered the elders to take Elder Jian and Elder Yao away.
Justin Su pushed the treasure ship to its fastest speed and rushed back to the Miao Clan to report to Skye Miao.
Upon hearing the news, even Skye Miao, the clan patriarch, was stunned. He stared suspiciously at Justin Su. "Is everything you said true?"
Justin Su gave a bitter smile. "Adoptive father, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s all true. The nine guards who went with me can vouch for it!"
With Justin Su’s assurance, Skye Miao’s heart tightened. A master who could easily capture both Elder Jian and Elder Yao must be at least late-stage Nascent Soul, or possibly even at the Spirit Severing stage.
How could the Jade Maiden Sect possibly have such a powerful ally?
Thinking of this, he stared intently at Justin Su. "Did you notice what kind of technique that woman used?"
Justin Su thought for a moment. "I couldn’t tell, but her physical strength was incredible, and she was extremely fast! Oh, and adoptive father, she said you should bring plenty of spirit crystals to ransom the elders, or she’ll cripple their cultivation!"
Hearing this, a murderous gleam flashed in Skye Miao’s eyes. He said coldly, "Well, my Miao Clan has kept a low profile for years, and now someone dares to trample on us. Fine, I’ll go meet her myself and see what kind of deity she is to be so arrogant!"