Sure enough, a figure beside Commander Yan suddenly shot forward like a phantom, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. With a single outstretched hand, it seized the man by the throat.
The cultivator didn't even have time to resist before that figure grabbed him like a chick and held him in its grip.
With a savage slam, the figure hurled him to the ground. The rogue cultivator's body went limp as if every bone had been shattered. He lay there convulsing, drawing shallow breaths with no strength left to inhale.
The man who had acted was clearly Commander Yan's trusted aide. After finishing the job, he dusted off his hands as though he had done something utterly trivial.
This display of tyrannical force thoroughly stunned the remaining defiant rogue cultivators.
"Since when has it been your place to criticize the Blue Hawk Guard's enforcement?" snarled Commander Yan's aide, his face murderous as he swept his gaze across the crowd. "Now — immediately — get back to your rooms, all of you, and wait for the Blue Hawk Guard to interrogate you one by one. Anyone not back in their room after a count of ten will be treated as resisting the Blue Hawk Guard. Kill without mercy!"
His tone left absolutely no room for negotiation.
Jiang Chen watched the scene unfold and quietly shook his head. He couldn't tell whether the Blue Hawk Guard truly believed they could coerce everyone here, or if there was some other reason behind this.
Either way, this kind of conduct was far from rational.
The Blue Hawk Guard were certainly formidable — but only within the Blue Smoke Island Domain. How could they know that no other outside forces had people present?
How could they be certain that none of those outside forces included individuals who didn't care one whit about the Blue Smoke Island Domain?
It was fair to say that the risk they were taking was modest, but it was still there.
Still, Jiang Chen suspected that there had to be a reason behind their behavior. As for what that reason was, he had no real interest in digging into it.
By now, Commander Yan's fearsome subordinate had begun his countdown.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
With each number called out, another batch of cultivators slunk away from the scene and retreated to their rooms. Clearly intimidated by the Blue Hawk Guard's heavy-handed tactics, many of the more cowardly cultivators simply couldn't take the pressure and slunk off.
"Five, four..." The man counted on his fingers, a thick sneer plastered on his face. In his view, these cultivators were nothing more than this. A little intimidation, a show of force, and they'd fall in line without a fuss? Did he really have to worry about them revolting?
Nevertheless, there remained a cluster of cultivators on the scene who were still unwilling to submit. They exchanged glances, their eyes betraying a sense of reluctance.
But one look at Commander Yan's imposing aura, and they all ultimately wavered and backed down. After all, Commander Yan's strength was truly not something they could hope to contest.
They didn't even have the capital to resist. Even if every rogue cultivator on the premises banded together, they might not be able to withstand a single powerful strike from Commander Yan.
In the blink of an eye, most of the cultivators had already retreated into the courtyard. The most timorous among them were already back inside their rooms.
The remaining few sighed heavily and shuffled inward as well.
Jiang Chen's gaze suddenly settled on one of the departing figures, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. That silhouette — it was remarkably familiar!
Just as these last few were about to step into the courtyard of the inn, a cold voice rang out from behind them. "You few — stop!"
Their bodies froze mid-step, and they halted. It was clear that being called out so suddenly had put them on edge.