The Ferocious God in the Celestial Master's Mansion

The moment Zhang Yulei's hand touched Lu Jin's back and he placed him firmly on the ground, he noticed the person in his arms stiffen abruptly. The previously relaxed shoulders suddenly tensed, and even the wrists resting in Zhang Yulei's arms seemed to exert a subtle force.

His heart stirred slightly, but before he could speak, he saw Lu Jin's eyelids tremble slightly, and her eyes, which had just lost their blood color, slowly opened.

The dim sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling into Lu Jin's eyes and dispelling the last trace of the frenzied crimson, leaving only clarity and a lingering weariness. He blinked blankly at first, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Yulei's wrinkled yet angular face beside him, then noticing the other's hand hanging at his side—in that hand, he was clutching a completely black smartphone, its screen still lit, fixed on a photograph.

In the photo, he is bound to an ancient pine tree by the Golden Light Mantra, his hair disheveled like a tumbleweed, his eyes bloodshot, and his mouth stretched wide, revealing an almost ferocious appearance, looking exactly like an enraged wild beast. Beside him, Zhang Zhiwei is making a standard peace sign at the camera, his eyebrows curving, smiling like a mischievous child who has stolen candy, his smug look is simply irresistible.

Lu Jin's gaze lingered on the photo for a full three seconds. Then, his cheeks turned red at a visible speed, from his ears to his neck, and finally spread to his entire face, turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Zhang Yulei!"

A powerful roar suddenly erupted from Lu Jin's throat. He struggled to sit up, but having just escaped the madness of the Twelve Labors of Passion Array and exhausted most of his internal energy, his body was as limp as a puddle of mud. He managed to prop himself up halfway before collapsing back down, collapsing to the ground, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhang Yulei. "How could you be so improper, just like the Old Celestial Master! You spent thirty years in seclusion on Tranquil Cliff, and all you did wasn't cultivate a pure and desireless mind, but some crooked path of aiding and abetting evil?"

Seeing his exasperated yet helpless expression, Zhang Yulei's lips twitched involuntarily. Just as he was about to offer an explanation, his wrist was swiftly grabbed by a hand.

It is Zhang Zhiwei.

The old master's movements were astonishingly fast. Almost the instant Lu Jin roared, he had already pounced, his fingers as nimble as eels, snatching the smartphone from Zhang Yulei's hand. He didn't even glance at Lu Jin, simply shoving the phone into the lapel of his Taoist robe, patting his chest as if it were some rare treasure. His movements were fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Jin watched helplessly as the phone disappeared into Zhang Zhiwei's arms, his chest heaving with rage, and the veins on his forehead throbbing. He stared intently at Zhang Zhiwei, his teeth grinding, his eyes blazing with fury.

Normally, even if he couldn't beat Zhang Zhiwei, he would still pounce on him and fight to the death for the prize. But now, he couldn't muster any strength at all, he couldn't even sit up straight, and could only lie on the ground staring blankly, looking as pathetic as a tiger whose teeth had been pulled out.

"Zhang Zhiwei!" Lu Jin gritted her teeth, growling each word slowly and deliberately, "Hand over your phone! Otherwise... otherwise I'll never forgive you!"

Zhang Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, slowly straightened his Taoist robe, and smiled in an annoying way: "Otherwise what? You think you can get up and beat me up? Old Lu, I'm not trying to criticize you, but at your age, you still have such a fiery temper. No wonder Gao Ning's Twelve Labors Formation took advantage of you."

As he spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest, making the spot where he was hiding his phone even more secure. His smug expression almost made Lu Jin gasp for breath and faint.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Zhang Yulei quickly coughed twice and stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, senior brother, Old Lu just woke up and is still weak, don't tease him."

Lu Jin glared at Zhang Zhiwei before turning her gaze back to Zhang Yulei. Remembering the questions she'd asked in her moment of rage, she frowned and asked, "By the way, Zhang Yulei, why did you come down the mountain? Didn't you say you were going to stay at Jingxin Cliff for the rest of your life? And what about those Quanxing bastards? Gao Ning, Yuan Tao, they all ran away?"

His words immediately quieted the room.

Zhang Zhiwei raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Zhang Yulei, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. He had been busy dealing with Lu Jin and hadn't had time to ask his junior brother about his whereabouts after going down the mountain. He had assumed that, given Zhang Yulei's current temperament, even if he went down the mountain, he would at most scare away those Quanxing demons and wouldn't easily start a killing spree—after all, the events at Blood Moon Valley had weighed on him for decades.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yulei's smile faded slightly. He slowly squatted down, his gaze falling on Lu Jin's pale face. His voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable chill: "They didn't escape. Gao Ning, Yuan Tao, and the other four, including Shen Chong, are all dead."

These few words, spoken lightly, struck Lu Jin and Zhang Zhiwei like a thunderclap.

Lu Jin's eyes widened suddenly, his anger freezing instantly, replaced by utter disbelief. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time, feeling his throat dry and his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Gao Ning, Shen Chong, Dou Mei! The core figures of Quanxing!

Yuan Tao! A ruthless character who is proficient in weapon forging and holds the power of the Nine Dragon Princes!

Any one of these people could have caused a stir in the world of supernatural beings, but what happened?

Were they all killed by Zhang Yulei?

Looking at the unremarkable old Taoist priest with graying hair and beard, Lu Jin felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He remembered clearly the battle at Blood Moon Valley. Zhang Yulei, alone with his sword, had killed the leader of the Japanese Onmyoji, Oni-Mian, broken the Yin Soldier Soul-Devouring Formation, and slaughtered countless corpses. His ferocious aura was so terrifying that even the Old Celestial Master had to be wary of him. Later, he accidentally killed his comrades and went into seclusion at Tranquil Cliff to temper his temper for decades.

He thought that decades of seclusion had worn away the murderous intent in Zhang Yulei's bones, but he never expected that once this man came down from the mountain, he would be so ruthless. Without even blinking, he killed several core members of the Quanxing Sect!

Zhang Zhiwei, standing to the side, gradually lost his playful smile. He looked at Zhang Yulei, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. He knew Zhang Yulei's background better than Lu Jin, and he also knew better how much the events at Blood Moon Valley had affected him.

"Yulei, you..." Zhang Zhiwei paused, carefully choosing his words, "After you went down the mountain, how many people did you kill in total?"

Zhang Yulei raised his head to meet Zhang Zhiwei's gaze, his eyes calm and undisturbed: "I haven't counted. On the mountain path of the Celestial Master's Mansion, plus those on the back mountain, there are probably... no less than twenty."

"Twenty?!"

Lu Jin gasped, almost jumping up from the ground.

The old master's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Just now, above the Celestial Master's Mansion, he transformed into golden light and defeated many Quanxing demons, but he mostly only crippled their Qi meridians and severed their limbs, without killing them outright. This was partly due to the rules of Longhu Mountain, and partly because he didn't want to commit further bloodshed. But Zhang Yulei was different; he struck with deadly precision, killing more than twenty people in one go, including core figures like Gong Qing and Gao Ning.

Looking at Zhang Yulei's calm and expressionless face, Zhang Zhiwei's worries grew stronger. He wasn't afraid that Zhang Yulei would kill, but rather that he might get carried away and, like in the Blood Moon Valley incident, lose control of his violent tendencies and cause an irreparable disaster.

"Yulei, you..." Zhang Zhiwei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Zhang Yulei raising his hand.

Zhang Yulei stood up, dusted himself off, and looked towards the Celestial Master's Mansion, a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Senior brother, I'm fine, don't worry."

His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "I've remembered and pondered the events of Blood Moon Valley for decades. I know who deserves to die and who doesn't. Those scum of the Quanxing Sect indiscriminately slaughtered my Longhu Mountain disciples and plotted against my second senior brother, Tian Jinzhong. They deserve to die. I killed them, and I have no regrets."

He paused, then turned to look at Zhang Zhiwei, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Moreover, I haven't lost control. These decades of seclusion haven't been in vain. My thunder power is more stable and sharper than it was back then."

Zhang Zhiwei looked into Zhang Yulei's calm yet sharp eyes and remained silent for a moment. He could sense that Zhang Yulei's aura was indeed different from what it had been back then. Although he still carried a chilling killing intent, he had gained a sense of composure and restraint, no longer acting like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins.

He slowly let out a sigh of relief, his brows gradually smoothing out, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips: "Good, a truly clear conscience! You truly deserve to be my junior brother, Zhang Zhiwei!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and patted Zhang Yulei's shoulder with a gentle touch, carrying a hint of brotherly concern. "Since you know what you're doing, then I'm relieved. However, you've killed so many Quanxing demons, especially Gong Qing and Wan Tao. Those lunatics from Quanxing probably won't let this go easily. From now on, the burden on Longhu Mountain will likely be even heavier."

Zhang Yulei nodded, his gaze resolute: "It's alright. It's time to settle debts accumulated over decades. If Quanxing dares to come again, my sword, Zhang Yulei's sword, is ready at any time."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute and unwavering tone, which sent a jolt through Lu Jin's heart.

Looking at the two fellow disciples before him, Lu Jin felt a surge of hot blood welling up in his chest. He recalled how he had been driven mad by the Twelve Labors of Emotion, the blood feud of the Three Ones Sect being wiped out by Wu Gensheng, and Zhang Yulei's ruthless methods of sweeping through acupoints and killing the core figures of the Quanxing Sect after descending the mountain. His eyes welled up with tears.

He struggled to sit up again. This time, Zhang Yulei reached out and supported him, slowly channeling a gentle stream of Qi into his body.

Using the momentum, Lu Jin finally steadied himself. He looked at Zhang Yulei, then at Zhang Zhiwei, took a deep breath, and said in a solemn voice, "Old Celestial Master, Zhang Yulei, we owe a great debt to you two for your help during this chaos at Longhu Mountain. Quanxing killed my Sanyi Sect disciples, disgracing my lifelong reputation; this is an irreconcilable enmity. If Quanxing dares to seek revenge in the future, my Sanyi Sect is willing to fight alongside Longhu Mountain, sharing life and death!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei laughed heartily. Although he knew that apart from Lu Jin, the San Yi Sect was now only a handful of people, he still patted Lu Jin on the shoulder: "Good! Old Lu, that's more like a 'flawless' San Yi Sect leader! Don't worry, with Yu Lei and me here, those Quanxing bastards won't be able to cause any trouble!"

Zhang Yulei nodded, his gaze falling on Lu Jin, his tone softening slightly: "Old Lu, you should first focus on recuperating and restoring your Qi. The remnants of the Quanxing sect haven't been completely wiped out yet. Once you've recovered, we'll work together to drive these scum out of Longhu Mountain completely!"

Lu Jin nodded emphatically, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.