Repay every grudge

Martial artists excelled at combat; Daoists excelled at spells.

Generally speaking, Daoists found it difficult to defeat martial artists of the same rank in a head-on fight.

Whether a martial artist had a weapon in hand made an enormous difference.

Although Zhou Wuji was eager to avenge himself and vent his anger, and had considerable confidence in his swordsmanship, he still had no desire to take risks.

If Zhang Wuding had a sword in hand, he might have no choice but to finish him with the Yin Thunder Pearl.

Zhang Wuding had no idea Zhou Wuji was watching nearby. He was delivering an impassioned speech to his junior brothers and the servants.

"Master was murdered by a traitorous disciple. I swear to the North Pole Heavenly Emperor that I will slay Zhou Wuji and avenge Master!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the crowd before him. "You are all my witnesses!"

"Witnesses to what? To you turning black into white, betraying your master and defiling your lineage?" a voice came from behind Zhang Wuding.

Zhang Wuding flew into a rage. Someone still dared to step forward and provoke him at a time like this?

But he immediately realized something was wrong. That voice was very familiar-it was Zhou Wuji!

The disciples and servants all saw Zhou Wuji too. Beneath the light of the oil lamps, his face was as calm as still water, betraying neither joy nor anger.

For some reason, everyone felt that Zhou Wuji's expression resembled that of the lofty statue of the North Pole Heavenly Emperor. Both had something unfathomable about them.

Everyone was shocked. Zhou Wuji had murdered his master and betrayed the temple-how did he dare return? Moreover, he looked so different from his usual self. It was truly strange!

Zhang Wuding hurriedly turned around. He, too, was astonished to see Zhou Wuji.

How had Zhou Wuji found the nerve to show himself?!

Zhang Wuding had always looked down on Zhou Wuji somewhat. He was no good at martial arts or Daoist arts, had a lukewarm disposition, and was unremarkable in both his conduct and his dealings.

If not for Li Yiyuan's favoritism, how could Zhou Wuji ever have become the second senior brother of Hidden Dragon Temple?

Precisely because he had always scorned Zhou Wuji, he had immediately decided to cooperate with Fang Wuzhen and dispose of him together.

At the critical moment, however, Zhou Wuji had taught him a lesson.

That inexplicable eruption of flames was nothing much. What was formidable was how swiftly and decisively Zhou Wuji had struck back, without the slightest hesitation.

This had also changed Zhang Wuding's opinion of Zhou Wuji. This fellow could not be underestimated!

Zhou Wuji was unlikely to have come out to defend himself merely out of anger. So what was he planning?

Had he found some immensely powerful Law Artifact among Li Yiyuan's belongings? But Zhou Wuji could not draw in primordial Qi; he could not unleash the power of any Law Artifact.

Was he hoping to kill him by relying on the Seven Star Sword's sharpness? Wasn't that just dreaming!

Although Zhang Wuding wanted nothing more than to smash Zhou Wuji's head with a single punch, he could not fathom what Zhou Wuji was planning and did not act rashly.

Everyone present, whether formal disciple or menial servant, came from Siming County. Who would dare disobey him?

With numbers on his side, he had even less reason to rush into danger.

Seeing Zhang Wuding's expression shift without him charging forward to attack, Zhou Wuji guessed that he did not want to take risks.

After cultivating together for several years, Zhou Wuji knew Zhang Wuding, Fang Wuzhen, and the others quite well.

After all, he had awakened the wisdom of his past life and possessed a mature mind.

In his view, Zhang Wuding was confident and forceful but lacked quick wits. Fang Wuzhen had quick wits but lacked the patience to see things through.

Precisely because Zhang Wuding was so confident in his Iron Tiger Fist, he had not carried a sword even at such a critical time.

Fang Wuzhen, on the other hand, always liked to carry a sword.

Everything left traces to follow.

Having advanced to eighth-rank Qi ingestion, Zhou Wuji's mental power had increased greatly. Even now, he had the leisure to consider these details calmly.

The other side had numbers on its side. He could not give Zhang Wuding a chance to organize them.

Zhou Wuji shouted, "North Pole Heavenly Emperor above, bear witness today as your disciple slays the master-murdering traitors Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen!"

As a Daoist cultivator, his master Li Yiyuan had violated the precepts and died after invoking Yin Thunder. His death had been far too disgraceful.

If word spread, his master's lifelong reputation would be ruined.

Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen had stepped forward, providing the perfect opportunity to pin his master's death on them.

This way, his master's reputation would be preserved, and he would have legitimate grounds to deal with the two of them!

Zhou Wuji drew his sword. The divine aperture between his brows contracted and breathed, guiding the Heavenly Pivot Star's power through his entire body.

The reinforcement of Qi made his body light, agile, and full of explosive strength.

As he advanced straight ahead, he was as light as the wind and as graceful as drifting clouds. What he used was precisely the Flowing Cloud Sword of the Xiaoxiang Sword.

Drifting clouds seemed slow yet moved faster than a galloping horse, relying on the currents of the wind.

The Xiaoxiang Sword was a sword technique Li Yiyuan had created himself. Its moves were subtle and its variations intricate; none of the other disciples knew it.

Looking at it now, Zhou Wuji found that the Xiaoxiang Sword had a complete framework and a lofty, ingenious conception. It truly was an exceptionally formidable sword technique.

Paired with Heavenly Pivot True Qi, it became even more wondrous and agile.

In the blink of an eye, the Seven Star Sword in Zhou Wuji's hand had thrust straight toward Zhang Wuding's face.

Realizing that Zhou Wuji was moving at an extraordinary speed, Zhang Wuding's expression changed drastically.

Barely any time had passed. How had Zhou Wuji suddenly become so powerful!

The coldly gleaming Seven Star Sword was already upon him. It was too late for Zhang Wuding to retreat.

He could only steel himself and unleash the Iron Tiger Fist, curling his fingers into tiger claws and grabbing straight at the oncoming Seven Star Sword.

Years of training had made his tiger claws hard and fierce. He could grab ordinary blades head-on without injury.

But the Seven Star Sword was no ordinary blade. Though Zhang Wuding's claws looked ferocious, he did not dare truly seize it.

His Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain was a feint. The true killing move was the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound he produced by heaving his lungs.

A tiger roared through the mountain forests, its voice like thunder, cowing a hundred beasts. Such was its might.

The Tiger Roar Thunder Sound of the Iron Tiger Fist used the lungs to expel breath like thunder. Ordinarily, it was a method for tempering the internal organs; against an opponent, its thunderous sound could strike directly at the enemy.

Though the Seven Star Sword was fast, it was not faster than the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound.

Zhang Wuding's chest swelled, then contracted sharply. He opened his mouth and let out a thunderous tiger roar, the sound waves blasting straight at Zhou Wuji's face like an invisible iron hammer.

The Tiger Roar Thunder Sound was extremely overbearing. Even martial artists of the same rank could be shaken until their Qi and Blood surged and they could no longer stand steadily.

For a mere ninth-rank Daoist acolyte like Zhou Wuji, the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound could directly deafen both ears. Even being shaken to death on the spot would be nothing unusual.

Zhou Wuji could not see the sound waves, but through the divine aperture between his brows, he could sense the flow of primordial Qi throughout heaven and earth.

Although Zhang Wuding had not mastered Qi, the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound he emitted left distinct rippling traces in the boundless sea of primordial Qi.

Zhou Wuji sensed the changes in the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound a step ahead. He immediately turned his head and narrowed his eyes, while drawing his circulating Qi inward to protect his divine aperture and Qi aperture.

It was not that he could truly seal his seven apertures. He had only begun to master Qi and was still far from such an exquisite realm.

However, Zhang Wuding's Tiger Roar Thunder Sound was not at a high level either. Simply drawing his Qi inward to protect himself was enough.

The thunderous roar struck, shaking the flesh of Zhou Wuji's face and sending loose strands of hair streaming backward, yet it could not shake his divine aperture or his consciousness.

The oil lamps inside the main hall rocked violently under the impact of the sound waves, their flames flickering between light and darkness.

The faces of everyone standing behind Zhang Wuding changed drastically. Quite a few even went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground...

Fang Wuzhen, who had intended to step forward and help, was also left dizzy and stunned on the spot.

Facing the roaring thunderous sound head-on, Zhou Wuji merely swayed slightly before immediately steadying his breathing and thrusting his sword straight ahead.

Zhang Wuding had never expected Zhou Wuji to withstand the Tiger Roar Thunder Sound. Seeing the coldly gleaming blade upon him, he could only twist his body to evade it as much as possible while clamping both hands toward the blade like tiger claws.

Zhou Wuji condensed his Qi and wielded his sword, changing the Flowing Cloud Sword into the Falling Goose Sword, the fastest thrusting technique in the Xiaoxiang Sword.

The blade abruptly accelerated, becoming a streak of flowing cold light that pierced straight into Zhang Wuding's throat.

How sharp was the Seven Star Sword! Though Zhang Wuding's skin, flesh, sinews, and bones were exceptionally sturdy and tough, they were no different from tofu beneath it.

The snow-bright blade smoothly parted skin and muscle, severed his spine, and pierced clean through Zhang Wuding's throat. Then the blade swept upward, tearing open most of his neck.

Blood flew with the blade, scattering like rain. Standing diagonally behind Zhang Wuding, Fang Wuzhen was splashed across the face with blood... It made his horrified appearance look even more wretched...