The Ferocious God in the Celestial Master's Mansion

As the golden lightning tore through the rafters of the wooden house, the sinister look on Gong Qing's face hadn't yet faded.

He looked up abruptly and saw a figure carrying the force of a thunderbolt, like a god of death descending from the sky, smashing through the roof tiles and landing heavily before him with a murderous aura that had been dormant for thirty years. The figure's coarse Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, and his gray hair was disheveled by the strong wind. His pair of crimson eyes, like two inextinguishable wildfires, were fixed on him.

"Who are you?!" Gong Qing exclaimed in shock, the hairs on his body standing on end. He had been lying low in Longhu Mountain for three years, knowing everyone from the elders of the Celestial Master Hall to the servants at the mountain gate. But this old Taoist priest was someone he had never seen before, nor had he ever heard a single rumor about.

What alarmed him even more was that the old Taoist's surging Qi was powerful and domineering, carrying an extremely yang and strong thunderous pressure, and it even had the aura to rival that of the old Celestial Master!

Lu Liang, standing behind him, trembled with fear. His long, pale fingers, which had been poised to strike, froze in mid-air, too afraid to move. He could feel the killing intent emanating from the old Taoist priest, like a tangible blade scraping against his skin.

But Zhang Yulei simply ignored their shock.

His gaze swept across Gong Qing's face and landed on Tian Jinzhong in the wheelchair. His eyes, which had been burning with anger, softened instantly.

"Second Senior Brother."

Her voice was hoarse, yet carried a subtle warmth.

Tian Jinzhong was taken aback at first, then his pupils contracted sharply, and an incredulous light burst forth from his cloudy eyes. He looked at the old Taoist priest with gray hair and beard in front of him, at those familiar, somewhat ruthless eyebrows and eyes.

"Junior Brother... Junior Brother?!" Tian Jinzhong cried out, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "How... how did you get down here?!"

How did he end up here?

Shouldn't he be in seclusion on Tranquil Cliff for decades, detached from worldly affairs?

A storm raged in Tian Jinzhong's heart. He looked at the sword in Zhang Yulei's hand that was flashing with lightning, and at the chilling murderous aura emanating from him, and for a moment he forgot that he was in danger.

Zhang Yulei nodded slightly to Tian Jinzhong.

This action exhausted all his gentleness.

The next second, he abruptly turned his head, his gaze falling on Gong Qing once more. His eyes regained their previous coldness and ruthlessness.

"Gong Qing, acting leader of the Quanxing Sect." Zhang Yulei's voice, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, carried a chilling edge, "You have been lurking in Longhu Mountain for three years, deceiving the sect and plotting against my second senior brother. Today is your death day!"

Gong Qing's face turned deathly pale instantly.

How did he know who I was?!

How could he know my purpose?!

A strong sense of fear welled up in Gong Qing's heart. He wanted to escape, to turn around, to mobilize all his Qi and become a blur, rushing out of the wooden house.

But his body seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.

The murderous aura emanating from Zhang Yulei was incredibly intense. It was so intense that it seemed to have transformed into an invisible net, trapping him firmly within it.

"You...you can't kill me!" Gong Qing's voice trembled with despair. "I am the acting leader of Quanxing! If you kill me, Quanxing will never let you go! Never let Longhu Mountain go!"

"Quanxing?" Zhang Yulei scoffed, a cold smile curving his lips. "A bunch of clowns. Decades ago, I could slay the Ghost Face and break the Yin Soldier Soul-Devouring Array; decades later, I can slay you and annihilate Quanxing's ambitions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yulei moved.

His movements were incredibly fast.

Before Gong Qing's horrified eyes, the black sword in his hand transformed into a golden streak of light, slashing towards Gong Qing's neck like lightning.

There were no fancy moves, no earth-shattering roars. Only a sword light that was incredibly fast.

"Pfft—"

A soft sound, like a sharp blade slicing through silk.

Before Gong Qing could finish speaking, his head flew into the air.

Hot blood gushed out from his neck like a fountain, splattering all over the ground and covering Lü Liang's body and face.

Lu Liang stared at the head that had shot skyward, and at Gong Qing's unseeing eyes, and froze completely.

He didn't even see how Zhang Yulei made his move.

fast!

too fast!

It was so fast that he didn't even have time to react!

A strong, pungent smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. Lü Liang felt a churning in his stomach, and a chill ran from his feet to the top of his head. He looked at the blood-dripping sword in Zhang Yulei's hand, and at those crimson eyes that slowly turned towards him.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream escaped from Lü Liang's throat.

His pupils dilated suddenly. The color drained from his face instantly. As if all his strength had been drained away, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted from fright.

Even in death, Gong Qing could not believe that he would die at the hands of an old Taoist priest he had never met before.

He died so cleanly and decisively, without even a shred of resistance.

Inside the wooden house, there was a deathly silence.

Only the sound of dripping blood echoed quietly.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Tian Jinzhong stared blankly at Gong Qing's headless corpse on the ground, at the head that had rolled to the ground.

He knew that his junior brother was ruthless.

Decades ago, in the Battle of Blood Moon Valley, he single-handedly slew the Ghost Face and slaughtered countless Japanese Onmyoji with his sword. His ruthless methods made him a fearsome figure in the world of supernatural beings.

But he never expected that decades later, Zhang Yulei's methods would become so ruthless.

Before Gong Qing could finish a single sentence, he was beheaded with a single sword stroke.

Without the slightest hesitation, without the slightest delay.

Tian Jinzhong looked at Zhang Yulei, at his murderous eyes, and at the sword in his hand that was still flashing with lightning. His heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Is this... the junior brother who has cultivated at Jingxin Cliff for decades and mellowed out his violent tendencies?

Why is his murderous aura even stronger than it was back then?

Zhang Yulei slowly sheathed his sword, the lightning on its blade gradually fading. He looked down at Gong Qing on the ground, his eyes showing no emotion.

For him, killing a Quanxing demon was nothing more than eliminating the root of the problem.

There's nothing to worry about.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on Lü Liang, who lay slumped on the ground. His bloodshot eyes instantly ignited with a fierce rage.

The young master of the Lü family!

Soul Enlightenment Technique!

It was him who wanted to use that evil Soul-Clearing Technique to steal the Second Senior Brother's memories and torture him to death!

Zhang Yulei's fingers slowly tightened around the sword hilt.

He walked step by step toward Lü Liang.

With each step he took, his shoes left a clear footprint in the blood on the ground.

With each step he took, the murderous aura around him intensified.

He's going to kill Lü Liang!

He must pay the price for his actions!

He must be made to pay with his life as Gong Qing!

Zhang Yulei raised his sword once more.

Golden lightning crackled across the blade.

Just then, the sharp sword light was about to strike Lü Liang.

"Junior brother! Stop!"

A hurried shout suddenly rang out from Tian Jinzhong's mouth.

Zhang Yulei's movements suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Tian Jinzhong, his brows furrowing slightly: "Second Senior Brother, why did you stop me? This kid is from the Lü family, and he knows the Soul-Clearing Technique. He wants to use evil magic on you to erase your memories! Keeping him around is a menace!"

Tian Jinzhong looked at him, his eyes pleading, "Junior Brother, I know you're doing this for my own good. But this child is still young. He... he might not be doing this willingly."

"Not voluntary?" Zhang Yulei sneered. "He followed Gong Qing and sneaked into the back mountain just to force you to reveal your secrets! Keeping someone like that around will only lead to disaster sooner or later!"

"I know," Tian Jinzhong sighed, his voice hoarse. "But he's just a child. And... the Lü family's Soul-Clearing Technique, though sinister, might not be unusable for good. Killing him is easy. But sparing his life might lead to a different outcome."

Zhang Yulei fell silent.

He looked into Tian Jinzhong's pleading eyes, at him sitting in a wheelchair, his limbs crippled, his face pale.

decades.

The second senior brother has had a very hard life.

His hands and feet were crippled, and he was confined to a wheelchair for half his life.

Even so, his heart remained so tender.

They still refused to take lives easily.

Zhang Yulei felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking it.

He slowly loosened his grip on the sword hilt.

The lightning on the sword blade gradually dissipated.

"Alright." Zhang Yulei's voice was low and hoarse. "I'll listen to my second senior brother. Spare his life."

Tian Jinzhong breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

Zhang Yulei turned his head and looked at Lü Liang, who was lying on the ground, his eyes still cold.

He lifted his foot, walked to Lü Liang's side, reached out, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and lifted him up like a chick.

Lu Liang was still unconscious, his brows furrowed and his face filled with terror.

Zhang Yulei's gaze fell on the corner of the room.

There, the young Taoist priest Xiao Qing, who had been tripped by Gong Qing's silk thread, had slowly regained consciousness. Looking at the scene inside the room and at Gong Qing's headless corpse on the ground, he trembled with fear, huddled in the corner, and dared not even lift his head.

"Xiao Qing." Zhang Yulei's voice rang out in the quiet wooden house.

Xiao Qing trembled violently, abruptly raising his head. Seeing Zhang Yulei's bloodshot eyes, he nearly fainted again. He quickly lowered his head, stammering, "Dao...Daoist Master..."

"Tie him up." Zhang Yulei pointed at Lü Liang in his hand, his voice icy. "Tie him tight, don't let him escape."

"Yes...yes!" Xiao Qing nodded hurriedly, scrambled to his feet, ran to the corner of the room, picked up a hemp rope used for binding firewood, and walked shakily to Lü Liang's side.

Seeing Lü Liang covered in blood, he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. But he dared not disobey Zhang Yulei's orders, so he could only close his eyes and tie Lü Liang up tightly.

After tying her up, Xiaoqing quickly stepped aside, lowered her head, and dared not look again.

Zhang Yulei threw Lü Liang to the ground before turning around and walking to Tian Jinzhong's wheelchair.

Looking at Tian Jinzhong's pale face and his cloudy eyes, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

"Second Senior Brother, I'm sorry to have startled you." Zhang Yulei's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible apology.

Tian Jinzhong shook his head, looking at him with a look of deep emotion: "Yulei... seventy years... you've finally come down the mountain."

Zhang Yulei fell silent.

He looked at Tian Jinzhong, at his crippled limbs, at the wrinkles on his face, his throat tightened, and he couldn't say a word.

decades.

He guarded the Cliff of Tranquility for decades.

I missed my master's passing, I missed the grand occasion of my senior brother taking over the position of Celestial Master, and I also missed my second senior brother's decades of loneliness and suffering.

"Second Senior Brother," Zhang Yulei took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "From now on, I will never let anyone hurt you in the slightest."

Tian Jinzhong looked at him and smiled.

That smile was faint, yet warm.

Like the winter sun, it dispelled decades of gloom.

"Okay...okay..." Tian Jinzhong nodded repeatedly, his eyes slightly reddening. "With your words, Second Senior Brother can rest assured."

Zhang Yulei squatted down and grasped Tian Jinzhong's remaining wrist.

That wrist was withered and thin, covered with wrinkles.

A sharp pain shot through Zhang Yulei's heart.

He looked up and gazed out the window.

The shouts of battle from the front of the mountain still echoed.

The sorcerers of Quanxing are still causing trouble.

Longhu Mountain is still bleeding.

Zhang Yulei's eyes sharpened once again.

He slowly stood up and gripped his sword tightly.

"Second Senior Brother, you wait here." Zhang Yulei's voice was resolute. "I'm going to the front mountain to slaughter all those Quanxing demons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure, like a black lightning bolt, burst through the doors and windows of the wooden house and sped off towards the front of the mountain.

Golden lightning flashed once more.

The sword's cry, like a dragon's roar, resounded throughout the entire back mountain.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Tian Jinzhong watched Zhang Yulei's departing figure and the golden lightning bolt disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest.

A relieved smile appeared on his face.

He knew that the evil spirit of Longhu Mountain had returned.

Zhang Yulei, who once dominated the Blood Moon Valley with his sword and alone, has returned.