The Wuk Family Ancestral Residence.

The estate was built into a mountain, its buildings stacked layer upon layer from the foot of the mountain upwards, stretching as far as the eye could see.

At night.

The Everlasting Lamps here burned so brightly it was like daytime.

Nearly a hundred attendants were tasked solely with lighting the lamps, and the number of servants and maids attending to the Wuk Clan Members was countless.

But now.

Aside from the grand hall on the summit, which remained relatively intact, all other buildings had been put to the torch and reduced to ruins.

Atop the grand hall.

The Divine Eagle King, Iron Madman, held his dual sabers, his expression complex.

"What a pity!"

"If I could have waited another twenty years, all the Spirituality Objects the Demon Exorcism Hall has accumulated over the years could have been fully integrated into these wings of mine, bringing them to Perfection."

"By then, my Iron-Winged Dual Sabers would have surely become a High Grade Spiritual Artifact, just like those wielded by the Sword Sect Cultivators of old."

According to the records.

Spiritual Artifacts also had different grades.

Although Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts were powerful, they weren’t much different from the Treasures wielded by today’s Treasure Artifact True Men.

Only High Grade Spiritual Artifacts were considered true Spiritual Artifacts, fundamentally different from other Spiritual Artifacts and Treasures.

A fundamental difference.

Unfortunately.

Because of the Wuk Family’s actions, the Demon Exorcism Hall’s millennia of planning had to be abandoned halfway.

The Divine Eagle King had only managed to obtain a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Otherwise, of the four Second Decline True Men that day, two would never have escaped.

"The Wuk Family!"

Clenching his teeth, Iron Madman growled.

"You dared to ruin my grand plans! I will exterminate your entire clan and destroy your legacy to quench the hatred in my heart!"

"Has Wuk Fu’an not been found yet?"

"Reporting to the Hall Master," a person replied, bowing their head.

"We are searching with all our might. The Demon Catchers have also issued a warrant. There’s nowhere for him to hide in this vast world."

"Besides Wuk Fu’an, warrants have been issued for every registered blood relative of the Wuk Family. They will be brought here as soon as they are caught."

"Good!" Iron Madman looked up, his face contorting into a savage expression. "Go bring a few of the Wuk bloodline over. Until Wuk Fu’an is found, we will kill a hundred Wuk Family members every day."

"Until all nine generations of their clan are slaughtered!"

"Yes, sir."

The guard acknowledged the order and hurried away.

"And what of the Sword Sect..." Iron Madman turned his head to look at the old woman holding a Snake-Headed Wooden Staff beside him.

"Has it been dealt with?"

"Rest assured, Hall Master." The old woman chuckled lowly.

"Brother Kou has already taken his men there. The Sword Sect has long since declined; apart from their new Sect Leader, they have no experts."

"Is that so?" Iron Madman snorted coldly.

"The Pig Demon Shiwu died at that man’s hands."

"You always act as if you have everything under control. Did you foresee the Wuk Family’s rebellion? Or my counterattack?"

"Hall Master." The old woman’s face went pale, and her knees buckled as she fell to the ground.

"I have always been loyal to you, Hall Master. Who could have thought the Wuk Family would be so treacherous as to deceive me with false information?"

"Enough!" Iron Madman roared.

"You useless thing! Another mistake and I’ll have your life!"

"It won’t happen, I swear it won’t." The old woman shook her head repeatedly.

"The reason that Sword Sect Leader could kill the Pig Demon Shiwu was because he had the help of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Yun Wuya."

"According to my knowledge, Yun Wuya is grievously injured beyond saving. Now, Zhu Ju alone cannot possibly stir up any significant trouble."

"The Hall Master need only wait for good news!"

"BOOM!"

Before her words had even faded, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted from the grand hall ahead.

"Who is it?"

"Such audacity! How dare you trespass in the Demon Exorcism Hall’s forbidden grounds!"

The former Wuk Family residence, with its uniquely advantageous terrain, had long since become the territory of the Demon Exorcism Hall.

*

*

*

Innate True Qi, from having broken the Seven Acupoints, surged through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians like a torrential river, fierce and boundless.

Including the Forehead Ancestral Acupoint.

Eight Acupoints were now drawing in and expelling Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy.

The Primordial Energy transformed into pure True Qi, powering the Dust Banner to release a Spiritual Light that enveloped Zhu Ju as he flew through the sky.

He vaguely remembered.

How, in the past, he had struggled to acquire a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, only to suffer from insufficient True Qi, daring not to use it lightly.

And now.

Though the Dust Banner was a High Grade Spiritual Artifact, his internal reserves of True Qi and Magical Power felt limitless, inexhaustible.

The cost of controlling the Magical Artifact could be completely replenished by the operation of his Cultivation Technique.

"BANG!"

Before his extreme speed, the thin clouds felt as thick as leather, shattered by the Spiritual Light and dissipating into wisps of mist.

Zhu Ju, wreathed in azure smoke, plummeted violently toward the grand hall below.

"BOOM!"

Like a meteor falling from the heavens, he smashed through the hall’s dome and pierced into the hard mountain rock.

His Earth Evil True Body at the Perfection Realm was tough enough to withstand a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, its hardness was simply unbelievable.

It also possessed extraordinary resilience.

Beneath his feet, the hard mountain rock was like soft tofu, instantly shattered into countless fragments.

A terrifying explosive force erupted from under his feet, sweeping wildly in all directions.

The grand hall.

Shattered with a deafening crash.

The mountain rock within a radius of dozens of meters was violently thrown aside.

"Who is it?"

"Insolent!"

"How dare you trespass in the Demon Exorcism Hall!"

"Hurry up and die!"

"..."

Cries of alarm, angry shouts, and roars came from all directions, all of them registered by Zhu Ju’s keen senses.

His powerful Divine Soul Power could ’see’ anything within a hundred meters clearly.

Even...

...the insects lying dormant more than ten zhang deep in the earth could be ’seen’ with perfect clarity.

"CLANG!"

With a light flick of his long sleeve.

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword leaped out from his Sword Pouch.

Vast True Qi poured into it, and the Flying Sword instantly burst forth with an unprecedented radiance, flashing out like lightning toward the crowd of Demon Exorcism Hall Cultivators.

"PFFT!"

"PFFT! PFFT!"

Under the control of his powerful Divine Soul Power, the Flying Sword precisely slit throats and pierced hearts and other vital points.

As Zhu Ju strode forward, the figures rushing toward him fell in unison, like rice being harvested.

Even the Demon True Men mixed in among them were completely vulnerable before the Five-Pointed Flying Sword’s sharp and terrifying assault.

Before his breakthrough.

He could already slay three Demon True Men.

Now.

A Demon True Man was as weak and helpless as a toddler before Zhu Ju.

The Flying Sword crisscrossed the area, turning the hundred-zhang space into a battlefield. With every step he took, figures fell to the ground.

"Such audacity! How dare you trespass in the Demon Exorcism Hall’s forbidden grounds!"

Along with a great shout, a Second Decline True Man appeared ahead, pouncing forward like a giant wolf.

"SHIING!"

Zhu Ju’s expression remained unchanged as his Five-Pointed Flying Sword moved to intercept on its own.

Forest of Buried Swords!

Myriad streams of Sword Qi descended from the sky, instantly suppressing the giant wolf.

Before it could break free, five rings flew out in succession, striking it on the head one after another.

"BANG!"

The Five Elements Ring, heavy with immense force, fell like a giant hammer.

The Wolf Demon let out a mournful howl, but it couldn’t block the Power of the Five Elements crushing it, and was smashed into a pulp.

A Second Decline True Man...

...was now just as vulnerable before Zhu Ju.

Even if people and attacks managed to land on him, they could hardly break through the defense of his Earth Evil True Body at the Perfection Realm.

"Courting death!"

A flash of saber light appeared ahead.

’Danger!’

’Hmm?’

Zhu Ju’s eyebrows twitched. His fully-activated Earth Evil True Body was actually trembling with fear before the saber light.

’This is...’

"SHIING!"

With a thought, the Five-Pointed Flying Sword met the incoming saber light.

"CLINK..."

After just one clash, the Flying Sword let out a mournful cry, and its Sword Light shattered instantly.

"A Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact!"

Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up as he murmured.

"No wonder!"

"To think the Demon Exorcism Hall possessed a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact. No wonder the Wuk Family’s long-planned operation failed!"

Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts were extremely rare even in the Main World; many Dao Foundation Cultivators made do with artifacts of this caliber.

The reason Pei Jingque, a Core True Inheritance of the Dragon Head Lineage, was so astonishingly powerful was not just his Nine Acupoints Perfection Cultivation, but also the Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact he inherited from an elder Dao Foundation Cultivator, which was even more feared.

It could be said...

...that if one possessed a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact and could fully unleash its power, they would be nearly unrivaled in the Innate Realm.

Unless the opponent also had a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

"Go!"

Recalling the damaged Five-Pointed Flying Sword, Zhu Ju let out a low whistle. True Qi surged forth, and the Five Elements Ring’s Spiritual Light flared.

A five-colored halo spread across the entire area.

Under the wearing effect of the five-colored halo, the incoming saber light finally dissipated bit by bit.

Although the Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact was excellent, its wielder didn’t seem capable of using it perfectly. Besides, the defensive power of the High Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Five Elements Ring, was not to be underestimated.

"Excellent!"

"So you’re the one who killed the Pig Demon Shiwu?"

Iron Madman strode out, looking at him while holding his dual sabers.

"What a bunch of trash. An expert of this caliber appeared near Tianzui City, and no one knew?"

"Forgive me, Hall Master." The old woman beside him, her face pale, hastily knelt on the ground.

"This person is indeed powerful, but with the Hall Master’s divine might, taking his life will be as easy as turning over a palm."

"Haha..." Iron Madman laughed.

"You useless thing, all you know is how to flatter."

"Zhu Ju!"

"You have some nerve, appearing before me. Since you’re looking for death, then..."

"SHIING!"

A flash of saber light sliced through the air.

"Too much nonsense." Zhu Ju’s figure flashed like lightning. The Cross and Vertical Saber sang as it left its sheath, unleashing the Ghost God Limit slash.

Unparalleled Mad Saber!

The saber’s qi, stretching over ten zhang, seemed capable of tearing apart heaven and earth, a heart-pounding sight to behold.

"A good attack!"

Iron Madman’s expression turned grave. He took a deep breath, crossed his dual sabers in front of him, and an invisible Blade Gang erupted.

"BOOM!"

The Cross and Vertical Saber felt like it had struck a turtle shell, and the Powerful Qi disintegrated.

The rock under Iron Madman’s feet shattered as he stumbled back several steps. The muscles in his face tensed, but he had ultimately withstood the blow.

"A fine technique!"

Gritting his teeth, he spun and slashed out with his sabers.

"Now you take a blow from me!"

Eagle Strike!

In his hands, the dual sabers resembled a pair of rotating wings, unleashing a vicious slash that carried the Power of Heaven and Earth of the immediate area.

It was silent, yet as shocking as the heavens collapsing.

Zhu Ju’s expression was unchanged as he achieved Human-Saber Unity and clashed with the attack.

"BOOM!"

A visible shockwave erupted from the point of contact. The grand hall behind them collapsed with a roar, crushing an unknown number of people beneath it.

"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."

The sound of clashes was incessant.

Zhu Ju’s True Qi was abundant and his Saber Technique was exquisite. Every strike carried immense power, kicking up hurricanes from the flat ground.

As for Iron Madman...

...his Physical Body was injured and his strength was clearly lacking. Without his dual sabers, he was weaker than even an ordinary Second Decline True Man.

However.

The ’Iron-Winged Dual Sabers’ were simply too extraordinary.

Their Protective Blade Gang alone could withstand the slashes of the Cross and Vertical Saber, and every strike of his own madly drew in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy.

Wielding the dual sabers, Iron Madman was like a clumsy, ancient behemoth; every movement he made could cause the earth to tremble and the mountains to shake.

"CLANG!"

The two clashed again. Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered, and he slowly raised his left hand.

"Courting death!"

Iron Madman revealed a savage grin, and his Saber Momentum surged.

This slash of his had once severed the Kui Ox Horn of a peak Second Decline Demon, shattered the defenses of the Wuk Family’s Magic Altar, to say nothing of the mortal flesh of a Treasure Artifact True Man.

’Die!’

The saber light fell.

Zhu Ju spread his five fingers, a five-colored halo emerging from his palm as he met the dual sabers.

"CLANG..."

The blades met his palm, and the sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Iron Madman’s expression changed drastically.

He felt as if he had struck a great mountain, and was simultaneously enveloped by an endless force.

Not only had the ’Iron-Winged Dual Sabers’ failed to land a blow, he couldn’t even pull them back.

"A Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact?"

"This left hand of mine is one!"

Zhu Ju’s expression was calm as he spoke slowly.

"Though a Second Decline True Man has a Demon Body, in the end, they’ve only opened their Forehead Ancestral Acupoint. They are inherently a step weaker."

"What makes you think you can compare to me?"

"HUMMM!"

His five fingers slowly applied force. The Power of the Five Elements squeezed madly, and the five-colored halo completely enveloped the two long sabers.

"BOOM!"

"RUMBLE..."

Zhu Ju shouted, forcing Iron Madman back violently, plowing a shallow, hundred-meter-long trench in the hard, rocky ground.

In their wake, a crowd of Demon Exorcism Hall Cultivators were crushed into pulp.

"Nice toy."

"It’s mine now!"

"SHIING!"

Zhu Ju exerted force with one hand, and the Five-Colored Divine Light coiled inwards, directly wrenching the dual sabers from Iron Madman’s grasp.

"My sabers!"

Iron Madman roared, then immediately turned to flee.

With his strongest weapon stolen and his Demon Body incomplete, how could he possibly be a match?

"SHIING!"

A flash of saber light.

Iron Madman’s head slid from his neck.

"..." The old woman at the side looked terrified, then shouted loudly.

"Sect Leader Zhu’s divine skill is invincible, number one in the world! This old one is willing to serve you, Sect Leader, I only beg you to spare my life."

"Too late!"

Zhu Ju lowered his gaze, sheathed his Cross and Vertical Saber, and with the dual sabers in hand, swung viciously behind him.

"SHIING!"

A hundred-meter-long Blade Gang swept across the area.

Another corpse lay on the ground.

’Hmm?’

Despite killing a Second Decline True Man in a single blow, an uncomfortable look appeared on Zhu Ju’s face. He glanced down at the Curved Sabers in his hand, shook his head, and stored them in his Qiankun Bag.

These sabers...

...were not what he had imagined.

「One hour later.」

News of Iron Madman’s death and the destruction of the Demon Exorcism Hall quietly began to spread, though many found it hard to believe.

It wasn’t until someone dared to visit the scene that the truth of the matter was confirmed.

As for Zhu Ju...

...he had already vanished.