Dugu Jue returns

"Weren't you supposed to be in the Shadow Hall? What are you doing here?" Zhuge Xiang asked, taking a few steps forward as he saw Lu Yuling standing gracefully at the door.

"Is that even a question? I've been missing you a bit," Lu Yuling, her face slightly flushed with a hint of shyness, as she lowered her head.

However, as Zhuge Xiang lowered his head, he heard Lu Yuling's voice, barely audible. "This senior brother from the Shadow Hall next to me has been pestering me ever since I joined the Shadow Hall. With your cultivation at the Void Splitting Realm Ninth Layer, I have no choice but to ask you for help."

Looking at Lu Yuling's side, there was indeed a man following her. He looked to be in his early twenties, and he was quite handsome, standing tall and upright like a pillar. He was indeed quite dashing. At his age, he had the cultivation of the Void Splitting Realm Ninth Layer, and with his good looks, it was no wonder that he had the right to pester Lu Yuling.

"Haha, I was just about to go find you, but I didn't expect you to miss me even more," Zhuge Xiang laughed heartily, understanding the situation perfectly. Without any politeness, he stretched out one arm and pulled Lu Yuling into his embrace.

Holding Zhuge Xiang in her arms, Lu Yuling stiffened slightly, but quickly relaxed and leaned obediently on Zhuge Xiang's shoulder, looking quite affectionate.

The entire Battle Hall Quest Hall erupted in commotion, especially the Inner Sect Disciple, including Mo Buyan, who had gone out for drinks with brothels the previous night; their eyes widened in disbelief.

Last night, he stayed overnight at Flower Full Building and won the favor of Miss Qin Qing, which already made them envious of Zhuge Xiang's good fortune with women. Unexpectedly, in the Shadow Hall, he actually had such a beautiful confidante. This junior sister's charm was even more than that of the famous Miss Qin Qing.

"If life could be like Junior Brother Zhuge's, what more could one ask for?" The Inner Sect Disciple, who had drunk with the courtesans yesterday, murmured, his eyes filled with envy.

"It seems this junior sister passed the assessment along with Junior Brother Zhuge and then joined the Shadow Hall," Mo Buyan said from the side. There was no other explanation; otherwise, a junior sister with such charm would have been famous throughout the Inner Sect, with countless talented young disciples pursuing her.

The disciple standing behind Lu Yuling, seeing the interaction between Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling, had a slightly changed expression, a hint of anger flashing across his face. He stepped forward a few steps and said, "Junior Sister Lu, are you saying that this is the boy you're looking for? Don't be fooled by him. With only the cultivation of the Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Layer, he's practically committing suicide in this Battle Hall. How could he possibly protect you?"

The male disciple's words caused the disciples in the Quest Hall who had drunk with Zhuge Xiang the previous night to secretly roll their eyes.

The Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Layer? That's true, that cultivation level is too weak. However, his combat strength is far beyond what can be judged by cultivation level alone. Just last night, a dignified Sword Cultivator at the Innate Realm was killed by him with Sword Slash. You, a mere Void Splitting Realm guy, dare to provoke him? Isn't that just suicide?

Aside from Mo Buyan and the others, the other Inner Sect Disciple also looked at the male disciples of the Shadow Hall with somewhat strange eyes. Although they had only heard about Zhuge Xiang's deeds at the Flower Full Building, they had personally witnessed him blocking the attack of a disciple at the Return to Simplicity Realm and even cleaving a disciple at the Return to Simplicity Realm away with a single sword strike.

As soon as he spoke, the Shadow Hall disciple noticed that the Battle Hall disciples were looking at him strangely. However, after thinking about it, he realized that Zhuge Xiang was indeed only at the Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Layer, a difference of more than one small realm. He was relieved that what he had said was true. However, the gazes of the Battle Hall disciples around him still made him feel a little uneasy.

"Who is this guy? Should I make him disappear?" Zhuge Xiang did not answer the Shadow Hall disciple's clamor. Instead, he lowered his head and asked Lu Yuling in his arms with deep affection.

The tone suggested that this expert at the Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm considered making the other party disappear as a trivial matter.

Zhuge Xiang's attitude infuriated the Shadow Hall disciple to the point of utter despair. How dare this Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Layer cultivator blatantly disregard him, a ninth- Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm? He dared to ignore him when Zhuge Xiang spoke to him?

"You bastard! Didn't you hear me talking to you? Is this how you treat your senior brother?!" The Shadow Hall disciple glared angrily and said in a deep voice, unleashing the aura of the Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm, pressing down on Zhuge Xiang.

"No, he's in the same squad as me, let him leave," Lu Yuling said softly, shaking her head and leaning against Zhuge Xiang.

"Okay," Zhuge Xiang nodded to Lu Yuling, then raised his head to face the Shadow Hall disciple in front of him, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly. "Get lost, this is not a place for you. As for manners?"

At this point, Zhuge Xiang smiled and shook his head, "Don't forget where you are. This is the Asura Sect, and we are disciples of the demonic path. How dare you talk to me about manners here?"

"You bastard! I challenge you to Duel!" Enraged, the Shadow Hall disciple spoke recklessly, challenging Zhuge Xiang to Duel despite Zhuge Xiang's cultivation being only at the Meridian Opening Realm.

"Damn it, this guy must have been kicked in the head by a donkey," one of the Quest Hall who had drunk with Zhuge Xiang the night before and witnessed him easily killing a disciple at the Innate Realm shrug patted his forehead and muttered.

"No, I think his head got squeezed through the crack in the door," Mo Buyan said seriously, looking quite pleased with himself.

"To be able to the Return to Simplicity Realm without being defeated, how could this mere disciple of the Void Splitting Realm possibly handle him?" The other Inner Sect Disciple all looked at the Shadow Hall disciple as if he were a fool.

After the Duel was announced, the disciples of the Battle Hall looked at him even more strangely. The Shadow Hall disciple wondered to himself, "Is it because I, a cultivator at the Void Splitting Realm, challenged them, Duel at the Meridian Opening Realm, that they all look down on me?"

Although the Asura Sect reveres combat, their cultivation level is clearly far superior to their opponent's, yet they still challenge them to Duel. This is blatant bullying of the weak, and is even more contemptible than those who avoid Duel altogether.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was of his guess. The disciple of the Shadow Hall hurriedly added, "I see you're only at the Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Layer. I won't use martial arts Skill to deal with you!"

Stunned and speechless, these Inner Sect Disciple thought his challenge to Duel with Zhuge Xiang was incredibly foolish. Now, hearing his "bold words," they felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Many even covered their faces and looked away, saying, "When did such an exceptional disciple emerge from the Shadow Hall? I really can't bear to watch the outcome of this Duel."

"I accept your Duel," Zhuge Xiang said, his expression hardening as he held Lu Yuling in one arm, drawing his Sword of Slaughter and placing it in his hand.

"Hey, aren't you going to let go?" Lu Yuling, who was being held by Zhuge Xiang, watched as they were about to fight a disciple at the Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm, but he still wouldn't let go of her, and couldn't help but whisper.

"Hehe, it's a rare opportunity to take advantage of you, how could I let it pass? I provoked a powerful enemy at the Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm for you today, I've paid such a high price, it's only right that you let me take advantage of you?" Instead of letting go, Zhuge Xiang hugged her even tighter and replied in a low voice.

"Give me something? I think you'd love for me to bring in a few more guys to help you cultivate!" She widened her eyes slightly as she looked at Zhuge Xiang, then rolled her eyes at him.

"Haha, you are the only one who truly understands me," Zhuge Xiang laughed heartily, his Zhuge Xiang.

"Damn it! You bastard, take this!" The Shadow Hall disciple, enraged that Zhuge Xiang had agreed to Duel but was still whispering to Lu Yuling, roared, and took out a Spear from his Storage Ring. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust the spear straight at Zhuge Xiang with overwhelming force.

The Duel was about to begin. In the Battle Hall, all the Sword Cultivator hurriedly reached out and pressed their longswords. As expected, at the same time, all the longswords in the Quest Hall rang out. If they hadn't been prepared in advance, these longswords would have already been drawn on their own.

"Void Splitting Slash!"

With the Sword Intent State activated and the Bloodthirsty Technique Sword of Slaughter instantly unleashed, Zhuge Xiang, Magic Artifact one arm around Lu Yuling and the other wielding his longsword, unleashed a fierce and unparalleled Sword Qi that seemed capable of severing everything, directly cleaving towards the Shadow Hall disciple.

The Sword Qi with 4000 attack power terrified the Shadow Hall disciple. From the moment Zhuge Xiang activated his Sword Intent State, the clear sound of the swords rang out, and the Shadow Hall disciple sensed something was wrong. But as Zhuge Xiang activated his Bloodthirsty Technique, the Shadow Hall disciple instantly felt an indescribable sense of crisis, as if he were being targeted by the most venomous Venomous Snake. Looking at the Sword Qi filled with terrifying power, the Shadow Hall disciple was utterly desperate.

He no longer cared about his previous "bold words." With a tremor of his Spear, it transformed into a streak of light and charged forward. The rapidly spinning Spear was none other than the Poison Dragon Drill martial arts Skill. The Magic Artifact Spear spun at high speed and flew out of his hand, while the Shadow Hall disciple retreated swiftly.

The Sword Qi collided with the Spear, producing a loud explosion. The Shadow Hall disciple's Magic Artifact Spear was shattered by Zhuge Xiang's Sword Qi, but its momentum remained undiminished. Although the Poison Dragon Drill had blocked it, and much of the Void Splitting Slash Sword Qi had been consumed, the remaining Sword Qi still struck the Shadow Hall disciple.

Blood gushed out. Although the Sword Qi was blocked by the Protective Armor, the impact still injured the Shadow Hall disciple, sending him flying...

However, just as the Shadow Hall disciple was about to fly out of the Quest Hall, suddenly, a figure appeared at the doorway. Upon seeing the figure rushing towards him, the Shadow Hall disciple activated his Innate Protective Qi, which sent the flying Protective Qi Barrier flying away.

"What's going on?" the newcomer asked in a deep voice, standing at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Upon seeing the figure appear, Zhuge Xiang's eyes narrowed slightly, a killing intent flickering deep within them. Dugu Jue... he had actually reached the Innate Realm... (To be continued.)