Groans that sounded more like a pig being slaughtered echoed throughout the area. Everyone was paralyzed, bewildered, watching the once handsome and dignified young man's face contort in pain, shifting from red to purple.
Alm laughed uncontrollably and remarked, 'Hahahahahah, good hit! The Non-Lethal Strike Technique really has wonderful uses.'
Bruno took a deep breath, calming himself, and added. 'It seems we've found an efficient way to use it. Just make the bastard spit out hate-filled blood or something worse, and his primitive instinct of anger will make his Qi circulate aggressively.'
Ruri watched Denil's previous movements in awe. He let go of her hand and mysteriously and inexplicably attacked right in front of her, then returned to his place. First, there was shock, but then a gentle smile bloomed on her lips. She tried to cover the smile with her hand, but couldn't hide it.
It took just a few minutes, and the imperious young master Innoa finally recovered. He was whole and perfectly fine. He only felt intense pain because that spot was a fatal weak point. No matter how much of a cultivator he was, a light blow, even if it couldn't cause damage, would still hurt tremendously.
The counselors and elders didn't know how to react to this situation. How had this young man been hit by that move that seemed to come from a turtle? Only three figures a little farther away remained silent because they had seen that strange movement before.
A counselor then looked in the direction of the main building, where the patriarch should be watching. He knew that previously, the patriarch couldn't come out to apologize to a young cultivator as it would damage the clan's prestige. However, the situation was now entirely out of control.
Innoa got up, completely disfigured, with dirt-stained clothes. He had never been so humiliated in his entire life, and what was worse was that he couldn't comprehend what had happened. He hesitated for five seconds, wondering, 'How did that fat whale in the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm hit me like that?'
Bruno and Alm stared at the young man with serene calmness, showing no sign of fear. It was as if they were just having fun. However, internally, their minds were racing. 'This got out of hand, damn it,' thought Bruno.
Alm, on the other hand, was extremely excited. 'Now is when things get more fun. He's going to draw his weapon and...'
However, Alm soon noticed something. 'Weird... how come that guy is getting further and further away?' This thought only lasted one second, though. Before he knew it, his body was already running at full speed... or all the speed that body could carry, at least...
'What? Come back, you coward!' Alm shouted in their minds.
Denil's voice then echoed. "I don't take small matters to heart. I have many things to do. Goodbye." The end of his words was almost inaudible as he was already inside the main building. No one realized Denil had been just a few meters from the entrance all along.
Innoa, who had hesitated, finally awoke from his stupor in rage. He quickly rushed toward Alm and Bruno with a black spear in his hand. With a single step, he already passed by the location Denil was a moment ago.
*CRACK!*
Suddenly, from within the ground, a small sphere sprouted and rose, aiming exactly at the same fatal point as before. However, this time, Innoa was alert and blocked it with his spear.
*CLANG!*
The sphere was shattered by the spear, breaking into several pieces. That's when Innoa noticed a strange Qi coming from the laws of the earth and realized it was raw earth iron. Its hardness and weight were remarkably dense.
Everyone saw a fragment fly and hit Innoa's once beautiful and immaculate face. Then, a thin cut extended across the entire right side as drops of blood began to flow gently.
His entire Qi exploded in furious red. His once beautiful face was stained!
He took another step, reaching the door of the main building with fervor. Then he felt a jolt; all his meridians shrunk, and his pores closed.
He stood at the door with a face disfigured by anger and blood.
"Turn back. This is not the place for you to do as you please," the patriarch's voice resonated with the winds.
"HOW DARE YOU INTERVENE! I WILL KILL THAT OGRE NO MATTER WHAT!" He roared, forcing his Qi out of his body.
"You came to our clan as a guest. We showed sincerity and willingness to resolve the issues," the gentle voice spoke, then changed to a stern tone. "However, you've gone too far. If you persist, I will have grounds to force you out. Your father, who owes me a favor, will definitely understand."
Innoa almost vomited blood out of fury. But he knew he couldn't do anything to that mand, so he took a deep breath and spoke. "I came here at your request, but the sect also knew about my trip and gave me a mission."
Innoa laughed and continued. "You want to have cultivators accepted into the sect?"
He then approached the slaves, and with a single motion, he grabbed all the spatial rings. In another vile move, a chain of Qi formed around their necks, and he pulled with force, causing some to scream and others to fall to the ground.
"My mission was to kill some demon beasts in the forest, so the sect sent some elders with me. This mission will take quite a while, so I definitely won't finish it before the Sect Entrance Exam. I want to see if you dare send your young ones to train outside while I'm still here." He spat, smiling.
He then took large steps, dragging the women. "You can send him as well, and maybe I can consider a peace offering later." He concluded, exiting the clan's inner areas and quickly departing through the exit. Everyone in the clan could hear the muffled cries of the poor women being forcibly dragged away.
A disturbing silence hung over the entire place for a long time. The same thought appeared in everyone's minds. 'That useless and gigantic being who caused serious issues to the clan's honor and prestige... he really knew how to create catastrophic-level problems.'
Bruno and Alm now walked slowly through the building's corridors, but they could hear the furious and vicious roaring from outside.
Still holding his hand, Ruri was with her head down. But now, tears refused to stop flowing from her eyes. The happiness of the event only lasted a moment, as she could hear the cries of the women from her own clan.
"That bastard, the kid will definitely be haunted by the screams of those women," Alm said angrily.
'He's angry?' Bruno thought, but only internally, without Alm noticing. He felt that the plan to soften this bloodthirsty villain was going far too smoothly. 'Right! He is thinking about our child who was never born. That's most likely it.'
Alm had never got close to anyone after the death of their wife, so having someone under their care like this made that sparkle appear again, even if just by a little.