Chapter 54: An Eye for an Eye, a Hundredfold Return

In the core area of the tower duel.

Vast Qi surges!

Two figures, each interlaced with extreme ferocity and domineering waves, stir up a towering plume of smoke and wildly raging purple electric arcs in the primeval forest!

Finally, under the countless moving gazes, they collided heavily!

Boom!

In the instant of impact.

It seemed as if the earth itself shuddered violently, and a visible Qi ripple centered on the two spread outward in all directions, raising gusts of fierce wind.

Lin Zehong swung his long sword, stepped back a few paces, and dispersed the purple thunder arcs on the blade.

He lifted his gaze toward the slightly staggering Yao Mengzhen ahead, smiled faintly and said, "Yao Mengzhen!"

"As a Ten Grade Lian Qi Realm cultivator, you've already earned pride by reaching this point with me!"

Hmph!

Yao Mengzhen let out a cold snort and ignored it.

But the jade hand gripping the long blade trembled involuntarily, and blood dripped down the web of the palm.

"It seems you're not the only one nearing the limit."

"Even the disciples of Longtan Peak are now close to their limits!"

Lin Zehong smiled squintily and looked to the side.

There, black and cyan torrents suddenly collided.

Clearly, Xuan Yue Feng held an absolute advantage, and Longtan Peak's retreat was only a matter of time.

Yao Mengzhen's willow‑like brows twitched, and her gaze instinctively turned toward the Longtan Peak disciples.

It was seen that Qiu Ning Shui and the main forces had already been wounded.

Ordinary disciples began falling in sheets, collapsing en masse.

The encircling ring formed by Xuan Yue Feng kept tightening, compressing the Longtan Peak disciples' maneuvering space, adding a tragic grandeur to Longtan Peak's current plight!

"I must defeat you!"

Yao Mengzhen's eyes flashed as she clenched her long blade tightly.

As the First person of Outer Peak of Longtan Peak, she must do something!

Even if it costs her last breath!

"Just because of you?"

"Since Li Mu does not appear, then I'll first use your head to raise a banner for my Xuan Yue Feng!"

Boom!

Lin Zehong sneered, thrusting a sword toward Yao Mengzhen!

"Senior sister Yao!"

Qiu Ning Shui saw the scene and shouted in surprise!

But that sword came from Lin Zehong far too quickly and fiercely!

Yao Mengzhen was already at the end of her strength, and could not fend off Lin Zehong's ferocious assault!

Pfft!

A sharp sword flash sliced across Yao Mengzhen's arm, leaving a deep, bone‑visible wound.

Instantly, blood gushed like a spring!

Whoosh!

Though the blade missed vital points, Lin Zehong thrust again, aiming straight for Yao Mengzhen's throat!

Murderous intent flashed in Lin Zehong's eyes; he swore to deliver the final blow to Yao Mengzhen!

Seeing the sword rush toward her at breakneck speed, Yao Mengzhen resignedly closed her eyes!

Boom—boom—boom…

But at that moment!

A piercing sonic boom suddenly erupted across the heavens and earth!

Yao Mengzhen's gaze, along with countless others present, shot upward sharply!

Then they saw a violet‑black thunder silhouette.

It hurtled through heaven and earth at a terrifying, indescribable speed!

Huh

"Look, everyone!"

"What is that!"

The sudden turn of events caused many disciples from Purple Canopy Peak and Little Heaven Peak to show startled expressions, raising their hands toward the eastern sky.

But while they were stunned, the violet‑black thunder silhouette drew ever closer.

The speaker's eyesight was still very sharp, instantly spotting that the figure soaring toward the battlefield was a living human!

The person was surrounded by sudden purple lightning, standing on a stone pillar, moving several times faster than many avian demons!

Breaking through the void!

The person was still at a distance.

This made many present unable to see clearly, only vaguely recognizing the figure as a youth like themselves!

Yet while they thought this, the youth was already right before them!

Li Mu!

When Lin Zehong realized the thunderous silhouette was Li Mu, his face filled with astonishment as he shouted, and his long sword veered aside from shock.

And Yao Mengzhen also seized this precious opportunity to block with his knife, then hurriedly turned to gaze at the sky!

When Yao Mengzhen saw clearly that familiar youthful figure, his originally despairing, dull peach-blossom eyes instantly regained their sparkle.

That thunderous human figure that charged into the battlefield's sky seemed to possess a special kind of magic.

This caused the battlefield, where everyone had already gone berserk and entered a white-hot frenzy, to immediately calm down considerably.

Disciples of both Xuan Yue Feng and Longtan Peak fixed their gazes, unblinking, upon that figure treading through the air.

Hmph!

"Li Mu, I thought you, brat, would shrink like a turtle and not dare come!"

"Since you've come!"

"Then stay here forever!"

"I will hack you to pieces to console the spirits of my junior brothers Qin and Zhao in heaven!"

Lin Zehong saw Li Mu attacking from midair with a tearing sound; his face showed no fear, and his whole body burned with fierce fighting spirit.

Whoosh!

"Bounding Thunder Myriad Li!"

However, before Lin Zehong's words had finished, that astonishingly fast purple-black light streaked down like a meteorite from afar.

And before Lin Zehong could react.

A long blade crackling with purple-black arcs, wrapped in brutal, terrifying power, slashed fiercely at his chest!

Whoosh!

In an instant, the smile on Lin Zehong's face froze!

His inner qi surged wildly as he raised his sword horizontally to block in front of his chest.

Boom!

A low, booming sound seemed to echo in everyone's ears across the field!

Immediately after.

Everyone then saw Lin Zehong, who just moments ago had been invincible.

At this moment, he was flung backward like a fired cannonball with a 'bang!'

His body scraped the ground as it flew over a thousand meters, finally slamming hard into a rock!

His whole body was embedded in it, forming huge cracks that spread outward in all directions.

Swish!

For a moment.

The battlefield, which had been filled with earth-shaking shouts of killing, suddenly fell silent as if an invisible hand had pressed the mute button—deadly quiet.

Under the gaze of countless eyes on the field, the youth's surrounding purple-black arcs gradually receded, finally revealing his figure.

It was Li Mu!

But at this moment, his handsome, elegant face was suffused with a terrifying, chilling killing intent.

His gaze first flicked to Lin Zehong, who had just leapt down from the rock face again; that beast-like icy stare made Lin Zehong's heart involuntarily feel a chill.

Then Li Mu withdrew his gaze.

He reached out and grabbed Yao Mengzhen, whose whole body was drenched in blood and could barely stand.

Then he lifted his eyes to look at the surrounding Longtan Peak disciples, all covered in wounds.

Yet in their eyes at this moment, there was no blame for his belated arrival.

Nor did they resent him for beheading Qin Zhixiang at the Ziyang Daochang, personally igniting the long-smoldering fuse of conflict between Longtan Peak and Xuan Yue Feng.

All they had was the same fervent gaze as at the martial arts tournament, with every Longtan Peak disciple staring at him with wild fervor.

"Hhh..."

Li Mu said nothing; he slowly turned his neck, his gaze sweeping over each Longtan Peak disciple present.

Finally, Li Mu exhaled, as if making some resolution, the two golden flames in his black pupils flickering wildly.

"An eye for an eye!"

"A tooth for a tooth!"

"Repay a hundredfold!"

Li Mu's voice was not loud.

But every word was resonant and powerful, ringing out and echoing across this bloody battlefield.

But just as Li Mu's words fell, a cold, murderous voice sounded faintly.

Hmph!

"Repay a hundredfold?"

"Then let me kill you first!"

"Li Mu!"

"Careful!"

At that moment, Yao Mengzhen suddenly saw a black blur dart out from Xuan Yue Feng at extreme speed, rushing to attack Li Mu.

In an instant it reached behind Li Mu, its long sword turning into a sharp lightning bolt with a 'whoosh, whoosh...' sound of tearing wind, stabbing toward his back.

And Li Mu, with his back to that person, seemed unaware of the danger behind him, standing still.

Until the sword tip was barely an inch from Li Mu's back!

Crack-crack-crack!

In an instant, a flash of purple-black electricity burst forth, accompanied by a cracking 'kala' sound almost simultaneously with thunder.

Before the Xuan Yue Feng ambushers' eyes, a crescent moon and brilliant stars suddenly appeared.

He glanced sideways again, still seeing ahead the simple wooden tower and his junior brother's blank, chilling stare.

Just as this Xuan Yue Feng disciple was still puzzled by the rather strange perspective before him,

The next second!

He suddenly felt his entire world start to spin wildly, and before his eyes appeared a headless corpse still standing!

Immediately, a "Thump!"

A gush of scalding blood spurted from the severed neck, and from his viewpoint it looked exactly like a red fountain!

The sudden rain of blood that fell was so bewitching, ghostly!

"So…"

"My head was cut off, huh."

Accompanied by the final consciousness surfacing in his mind.

The world before his eyes completely fell into a chaotic darkness.

"Ah!"

A few other Xuan Yue Feng disciples, hoping to seize the once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance while Li Mu had his back turned, tried to rush in for a joint ambush.

Seeing this scene, they could hardly believe their own eyes!

The one who just charged forward was Wu Feiyang!

He ranks sixth on the Fame List, and his cultivation has reached the half‑step Concentration Realm!

Yet such a powerhouse, in front of Li Mu, behaved like a head‑butting beast, killed on the spot?

Wasn't Li Mu only an eighth‑grade Refining Qi Realm when he was at Ziyang Daochang?

Tell me, is this person also an eighth‑grade Refining Qi Realm?

One slash sends Lin Zehong flying!

One slash beheads Wu Feiyang!

This is…

What kind of hellish joke is this!

Crucially, that's not the thing that frightens them the most!

What truly terrifies them is that an eerie golden flame had inexplicably ignited on Li Mu's right hand.

Then.

Li Mu lightly paced to the still‑standing headless corpse, reached out and gently patted its shoulder!

"Boom!"

The golden flame, like fire searing oil, instantly burned the headless corpse to ash.

As "Clang, clang…" crisp sounds rose and fell, the person's Dao robe, spirit artifact, and pills scattered across the ground.

But the person vanished, turning into dense golden mist that enveloped Li Mu.

Finally, Li Mu swallowed it in one gulp.

The atmosphere between heaven and earth grew slightly silent.

"Goo‑dong!"

"Screech!"

Immediately followed by the sound of a rolling Adam's apple, gulping, and a sharp intake of cold air!

The Xuan Yue Feng disciples, seeing Li Mu look toward them, recoiled as if struck by a powerful electric shock, their faces horrified as they hurried back.

Their once fierce faces were now filled with terror!

Just now, their companion!

Actually…

Was actually eaten alive by Li Mu like that?

A bone‑piercing chill suddenly rose from their soles up to their hair.

It made everyone shiver violently!

"Li Mu, it seems you are determined to push Longtan Peak disciples onto a dead end!"

Accompanied by a cold, deep voice, the previously panicked Xuan Yue Feng disciples turned their heads to look toward the sound.

Behold!

Lin Zehong, at some point, had already arrived before Li Mu.