The two factions burst into jeering laughter, the sound sharp and ugly, like stones rattling down sheet metal.
“Earthly Immortal Realm Level Five? Please, you should borrow a mirror before you boast. We found the spring first. Why would we ever hand it over to you?” the teal-robed cultivator cackled, clutching his belly until nearly doubled over.
The burly man in black spat at the ground. “You’re tired of living, aren’t you? I’ll pound you back into the womb with one swing.”
He lifted a fist the size of a boulder, letting the threat hang in the air. Beside Jared, Flaxseed’s fingers darted toward the talismans hidden in his robe, but Jared raised one calm hand, halting him. No flicker of emotion crossed his face, the scene unfolded exactly as had foreseen.
Jared turned his palm downward and pressed gently at the empty air.
A low hum, deep as a temple bell, rolled outward. Invisible pressure flooded the hollow, a storm cloud made of pure force settling over the valley. It felt like some primeval beast had opened its eyes after a thousand-year sleep, promising to tear sky from earth with a lazy breath.
The mockers’ grins froze. Color drained, knees buckled, and every man sank as if a mountain had been set across his shoulders.
“W-What kind of force is this?” the teal-robed cultivator gasped. His sword clattered from numb fingers, and each breath scraped his lungs like broken glass while his legs trembled toward collapse.
Terror swam in his widening eyes, terror that the world itself might be ending.
The burly man fared no better. He clenched his teeth until blood beaded at the gums, trying to muster even a spark of spiritual energy, but the weight smashed every channel flat. He stared at Jared, disbelief curdling into raw dread.
No Earthly Immortal should command power like this, only devils from the deepest hells could…
“Now,” Jared asked softly, “Does anyone still think I’m unqualified to claim the spring?”
The words were quiet, but they cracked through the hollow like thunder striking stone.
Every cultivator went snow-pale, shaking so hard their armor rattled, and not a single voice dared rise in reply.
A breath ago, they had plotted to drive Jared and Flaxseed from the mountain hollow. Now the truth struck them like winter thunder.
Jared was no ordinary Earthly Immortal but a predator who had kept his claws sheathed, and they were lambs penned for slaughter under the weight of his aura.
“P-Please… Spare us!” The man in the teal robe was the first to break. With a dull thud, dropped to his knees, scrambled forward, then bolted downslope, limbs flailing as if some unseen beast tore at his heels.
“T-Take the celestial spring, all of it… It’s yours!” screamed while running, terror shredding his voice.
Panic rippled through the rest. Weapons were abandoned where they fell. One after another, they crawled and tumbled out of the hollow, desperate to escape before Jared’s silence turned lethal. Moments later, only Jared, Flaxseed, and the mist-wreathed celestial spring remained.
A breeze teased the white vapor above the water, the drifting wisps whispering of the frenzy that had just torn through the clearing. Flaxseed chuckled, low and pleased.
“These people are really stubborn. They forced you to do things the hard way. If they had known you were this strong, they wouldn’t have been so arrogant,” said, admiration gleaming in his eyes.
