"Lord Pig, where did the disciplinary team go?"
Shuiyue, Lu Xueqi, and the other Xiaozhu Peak disciples rushed forward, having missed the sight of Qi Hao's aerial, paw-propelled exit.
"Oh, them? Lord Pig merely chased them away!" Zhu Hao announced, puffing out his chest with an air of immense, justified pride.
Suddenly, a voice, deep and dangerously cold, cut through the atmosphere, accompanied by the arrival of Cangsong and his remaining Longshou Peak disciples.
"Lord Pig, to strike a disciplinary official's disciple without cause—do you not think this is excessive?" Cangsong's eyes were dark, brooding, and fixed on Lord Pig.
"Excessive? I can slap whoever I want. What's it to you, Xiao Songzi?" Zhu Hao retorted, standing his ground with an utterly fearless, almost bored demeanor.
Below, the crowd of assembled Xiaozhu Peak disciples—who had no love for the rigid, judgmental Cangsong—erupted in excited murmurs.
"Wow, Lord Pig is so dominant!"
"He's confronting Master Cangsong directly! I've never seen anyone dare to do that!"
"Lord Pig is my idol! I want to take Lord Pig home and cuddle him!"
The sheer, enthusiastic adoration for Lord Pig—who was, after all, defending their peak's honor against the feared disciplinarian—sent Cangsong's rage into the stratosphere. He knew that if he backed down now, decades of carefully cultivated authority would evaporate, replaced by the legend of the Golden Swine.
He is just a spirit beast! A brute! He only beat the Water Qilin because of his monstrous physical strength. I, on the other hand, am a master of the Dao! Cangsong calculated that even if his raw power was inferior, his mastery of Taoist arts and magic weapons would give him the edge needed to secure a decisive, non-lethal victory.
He stepped forward, his spiritual energy rising sharply.
"Master Zhu is most confident in his own strength," Cangsong spoke, attempting to regain a shred of dignity by sounding reasonable. "While this disciple would never willingly offend a Senior, as the Head of Qingyun's Punishment Hall, I must uphold the Qingyun Sect's code…"
"Stop your blabbering! You just want to fight Lord Pig! Why dress it up in such nauseating righteousness?" Zhu Hao curled his lip in utter disdain. "Today, Lord Pig will remind you exactly who is boss! I'll make you kneel down and sing the most pathetic song of surrender!"
"Lord Pig, be careful!" Shuiyue warned, concern etching her beautiful features. She knew the dangers of fighting a human cultivator with magic weapons and potent secret techniques.
"Worry not! Lord Pig is in a league of his own! Those clumsy, low-intelligence spirit beasts like the Water Qilin cannot compare!"
Zhu Hao gave Shuiyue a confident, reassuring look. The Wind-Thunder Sky Wings materialized behind his back, crackling with energy. He shot into the sky and, using his small claw in an insulting gesture, beckoned Cangsong. "Come, Xiao Songzi!"
"Lord Pig, forgive my offense!"
Cangsong's figure ascended rapidly. His flying sword, reflecting the clear autumn sky with a subtle green light, flew out from behind him. With the sword in his hand, Cangsong's aura erupted, surging toward the heavens.
The powerful clash of their auras immediately stirred the very air, alarming every disciple and elder across the peaks. Countless figures, flying on their swords, began streaming toward Xiaozhu Peak to witness the impossible spectacle: a fight between a sect elder and the legendary Lord Pig.
"Place your bets! Who's got Master Cangsong, and who's betting on Master Zhu?" Du Bishu, a notoriously gambling-addicted disciple from Dazhu Peak, excitedly shook his magical dice.
"What are you betting on, you idiot!?" Tian Buyi roared, scolding him, his face a complex mix of emotions.
"Bu Yi, do you think Master Zhu can match Cangsong?" Su Ru asked her husband nervously.
"Who knows?" Tian Buyi grumbled, hoping desperately for a double knockout. That damned pig gave my wife two pieces of silk! He deserves to be throttled!
Even the extraordinary man in the back mountain's ancestral temple—the reclusive Daoxuan, who was supposedly in deep seclusion—was watching with a knowing sigh. "Junior Brother Cangsong is too rash. Master Pig is not an ordinary spirit beast."
"Xiao Songzi, kneel down and sing surrender to Grandpa Pig!"
Zhu Hao moved, his Wind-Thunder Sky Wings transforming his small body into a blur of elemental force. He shot toward Cangsong like a living bolt of lightning.
Cangsong shouted, unleashing a barrage of Taoist magics—powerful spells that struck with the force and majesty of a controlled tempest.
Ding ding ding ding ding!
The Wind-Thunder Sky Wings deflected the magic sword's attacks like two colliding divine weapons. Despite Cangsong being boosted by various secret Taoist arts, Lord Pig's speed and defense completely overwhelmed him.
"Lord Pig is so incredible!"
"Truly invincible!"
The female disciples below cheered wildly, their admiration soaring higher than the fighting pair.
Boom!
After dozens of rapid exchanges, they met in a violent collision. Cangsong was flung backward by the pure force of Lord Pig's wings, looking ruffled and deeply embarrassed.
Cangsong's eyes narrowed, filled now with pure malice. He knew brute force would fail. He held his sword aloft, took seven deliberate steps in a pattern mirroring the Big Dipper constellation, and began a chilling incantation:
"Nine Heavens Mysterious Blade, transformed into Divine Thunder!"
"The magnificent power of heaven, guided by the sword!"
Instantly, the clear blue sky was swallowed by swirling, ominous dark clouds. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a powerful, oppressive gale swept across the mountain. The entire world was suddenly filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.
"The Secret of Divine Sword Controlling Thunder!"
"It's our Qingyun Sect's most powerful defensive and offensive art—the Divine Sword Controlling Lightning True Formula!"
"In Master Cangsong's hands, the Divine Sword Controlling Lightning Technique is like a true Heavenly Punishment! Its power is beyond comprehension!"
A mixture of awe and terror gripped the thousands of onlookers.
On Dazhu Peak, Su Ru's eyes widened in horror. "Cangsong is using the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique! Does he intend to kill Master Zhu?"
On Xiaozhu Peak, Lu Xueqi, Wen Min, and the others stared at the churning, lightning-filled sky. "Master, will Lord Pig be alright? I've never seen such power!"
"Have faith in Lord Pig!" Shuiyue commanded, though even her face held a sliver of genuine fear.
"As big or small as you wish, five thousand times the increase!"
"Immortal Golden Body!"
Zhu Hao calmly activated his signature supernatural powers. His body glowed with an explosive golden light that cut through the encroaching darkness. A terrifying, compressed aura radiated from him, shaking the very air.
The tension was unbearable. Every disciple, every elder, and even the "secluded" Daoxuan held their breath. The sky seemed to press down, the thunder deafening, the lightning violently beautiful.
BOOM!
The loudest thunderclap yet exploded, and a dazzling lightning bolt—thick as a small tree—tore through the dark clouds and struck Cangsong's sword.
The power of the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Secret Technique was immense, but it placed an astronomical burden on the caster. Cangsong swelled, his eyes bulging, fighting to control the raw power of the heavens. He screamed, pointing his sword at Lord Pig.
An astonishing, thick electric light shot out and struck Zhu Hao instantly.
Swish!
Lord Pig's body vibrated violently. He felt a deep, agonizing numbness and an intense tingling. Smoke instantly billowed from his luxurious golden fur, which was now crisped, curled, and singed black.
"Ah! Will Lord Pig be electrocuted into oblivion?!" Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling'er shrieked, covering their mouths in horror.
Zhu Hao exhaled a puff of white smoke from his mouth. He assessed the damage. His magnificent, soft, gleaming golden fur—the source of his personal pride and charisma—was now a disastrous mess of frizzy, smoky black curls. His big eyes, usually filled with amusement, narrowed into slits of pure, boundless fury.
"My head can be cut off, but my hairstyle cannot be ruined!" Zhu Hao roared, his voice tinged with the static electricity of the assault. "Xiao Songzi, you have angered Lord Pig! Lord Pig will beat you to death for this indignity!"
The fight was no longer about rules or spiritual silk. It was now a deeply personal, life-or-death battle over a very bad hair day.