I long to return home!

Amidst the towering cloud-covered peaks, two blood-red figures were rapidly plummeting, accompanied by the sounds of their fall, the clash of weapons, and the shattering of rocks.

Although he was in the air, the spiritual energy he possessed allowed Shangguan Tou to float without any obstruction. With each strike of his Blood Dragon Sword, he was accompanied by a bloody light, leaving sword marks on the mountain wall.

Xue Wu then firmly planted his feet on the protrusions in the mountain wall, wielding the Blood Demon Halberd to counter every move with ruthless skill, leaving no room for mercy.

Even so, the inconvenience caused by the terrain was still a fatal flaw. Fortunately, the "Blood Demon Armor" was tough enough, and its strength, defense, and agility were all increased many times over.

He seized the opportunity, shattering the mountain peak and leaping out. Wielding the Blood Demon Halberd, he slashed down, its two blades extending wide, incredibly sharp. They slashed the latter's arm, and the blood that flowed out was strangely absorbed by the blades, becoming even sharper.

"The Demon God has descended upon the world!"

Xue Wu roared in fury, and a blood demon appeared behind him, wielding a blood halberd and slashing down, smashing Shangguan Tou to the ground. Suddenly, a blood-red dragon rushed over, baring its fangs and claws, and bit Xue Wu, dragging him down with it.

...

boom!

Two large craters were smashed into the main peak square, filled with smoke. The disciples strolling around the square were immediately attracted by the commotion and came closer. Through the smoke, two blood-red figures appeared.

"Senior Brother Shangguan!"

A sharp-eyed disciple spotted Shangguan Tou's figure to the side, noting his disheveled hair and numerous wounds, and asked in surprise, "Who is fighting against Senior Brother Shangguan?"

"Senior Brother Shangguan is the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator among us. Could someone who could injure him be a Golden Core elder?"

"This doesn't make sense. Why would Senior Brother Shangguan fight with the elder? And why was the fight so brutal?"

"A peerless hero!"

Amidst the puzzled and astonished gazes of the crowd, Xue Wu's figure shot out, shattering the ground several meters in distance, as he swept across with the Blood Demon Halberd in his hand.

Clang!

The sword and halberd clashed again, and the powerful shockwave caused some of the weaker disciples to lose their footing and fall to the ground.

One blow can be blocked, but another will follow. "Peerless Hero" maximizes his fighting spirit, and with each swing of the halberd, his power increases.

"Isn't that Xue Wu?! Why is he fighting with Senior Brother Shangguan? And the two of them are using ruthless moves, showing absolutely no mercy."

"Isn't Xue Wu in the Qi Refining stage? Senior Brother Shangguan is in the Foundation Establishment stage, so how come they fought to a standstill? It seems like Senior Brother Shangguan is at a disadvantage."

"What Qi Refining stage? Haven't you heard? Xue Wu killed countless people and magical beasts after leaving Hundred Weapons Valley, even a Foundation Establishment stage Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle! And that blood halberd he wields is a deadly weapon..."

"..."

The disciples watched from afar, none of them intervening, nor did any of them dare to. They couldn't get involved in a battle of this level, fearing they might accidentally get injured and lose their lives. Besides, they also wanted to know who was stronger between the two, since it was truly astonishing to see a Qi Refining stage cultivator fight a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, both being prodigies.

However, some responsible disciples sought outside help after seeing this, fearing that someone might die.

The bloody battle between the two continued, but unfortunately there was always a gap in their cultivation levels. True Qi and spiritual power were an insurmountable chasm. Even though Xue Wu, empowered by murderous aura, could barely suppress Shangguan Tou at this moment, the latter had entered the sect earlier and learned more techniques. During a brief gap, Shangguan Tou thrust his sword. Although he failed to penetrate the armor, the sword energy entered his body.

Xue Wu staggered backward, blood seeping uncontrollably from the wound inside his armor. He pressed hard on the injured area, causing the blood to congeal and turn into a bloody mist that adhered to the tip of the halberd.

"Evil and heretical." Shangguan Tou looked at Xue Wu with disdain, his blood-red pupils brightened, and the Blood Dragon Sword trembled, revealing the sword spirit within it, which hovered behind him.

Suddenly, Jin Lingjiao flew down from the mountain and immediately saw Xue Wu lying on the ground. She rushed over in a hurry, but it was too late. The dragon roared and galloped away.

Just as the dragon was about to bite Xue Wu, a restriction was placed, and the dragon instantly turned into blood and dissipated.

One by one, disciples clad in yellow robes flew over on their swords and hovered above the crowd. Among them was a middle-aged man in the Golden Core stage, who looked down with a solemn expression.

"You two are fighting for no reason within the sect. Do you think our Enforcement Hall is just sitting around doing nothing?" a disciple of the Enforcement Hall rebuked, then turned to the middle-aged man in the Golden Core stage and asked, "Elder Chu, what do you think should be done about this?"

The middle-aged man was Chu Jiang, an elder of the sect's law enforcement hall.

He had come unintentionally, thinking it was just a minor skirmish within the sect, but upon hearing that it was a fight between the sect leader's disciple and Elder Lin's disciple, which was almost fatal, he hurriedly rushed over.

Both of these disciples held extremely important positions, and those who were favored by one ended up suffering the consequences.

He coughed a few times and said in a deep voice, "Why are you fighting?"

...

Xue Wu and Shangguan Tou glanced at Chu Jiang but neither of them spoke. After glancing at him again, Shangguan Tou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and left without any interest, showing no respect whatsoever.

Chu Jiang could only feel annoyed, not daring to offend him at all, and then looked at Xue Wu again.

"Shangguan Tou attacked first; we were just acting out of instinct," Jin Lingjiao said to Chu Jiang. She then ran to Xue Wu's side, helping him to his feet, and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

Xue Wu quickly shook his head, the murderous aura dissipating from his body, and the Blood Demon Armor disintegrating. Suddenly, Xu Tao, Gu Qingcheng, and Su Changfeng emerged from the crowd. They had heard Xue Wu fighting in the square and rushed over in a panic.

Looking at the shattered ground and the bloodstains everywhere, it's hard to imagine how bloody and brutal the battle just now was.

This is a difficult matter to judge. Both are important disciples, and offending either of them is not a good idea. According to this female disciple, Shangguan Tou struck first...

Chu Jiang frowned, pondered for a moment, and then spoke calmly: "Because the two of you disregarded the sect rules and had a dispute in the sect, the Enforcement Hall has decided to deduct three hundred contribution points from Xue Wu and place him under the jurisdiction of Shangguan Tou. I will personally consult with the sect leader."

"This matter ends here. If it is repeated, the Enforcement Hall will punish it severely."

Chu Jiang shouted angrily, then turned and led the disciples of the Enforcement Hall away.

Xue Wu, supported by Jin Lingjiao and others, left and returned to his small house.

...

Xue Wu's hut had been burned to the ground in the fight, leaving only a pile of wood chips.

He watched as his "home" was destroyed, and though he had a thousand words in his heart, he couldn't say them. In his heart, he cursed Shangguan Tou's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Looking at the burned-down house, everyone choked up. Xu Tao said softly, "Junior brother, if you don't mind, why don't you come and stay in my cave?"

Xue Wu sighed softly, and was about to nod when Jin Lingjiao interrupted him with her voice: "This matter started because of me, so if anyone should stay, it should stay at my place." With that, she pulled Xue Wu toward her cave.

Xue Wu was also taken aback. He had never seen Jin Lingjiao's cave before. Could it be that she lived in the forest?