Time rewinded, half an hour ago.
Although the Zhang family's wedding banquet was grandly held.
The old master Zhang, however, was a cautious, experienced, and steady person.
He had already dispatched eight Zhang family cultivators, each at the fifth or sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage, around the town.
Each of them held a mid-grade artifact great axe and a low-grade artifact shield, standing guard to prevent any outsiders from causing trouble.
However, what old master Zhang did not expect was that someone would indeed come to cause trouble today. But the troublemaker was not a petty clown, but a man-eating tiger descending the mountain.
...
Having passed the first checkpoint by means of an invitation, Wu Tao was inadvertently exposed during the questioning by the eight exceptionally shrewd Zhang family disciples guarding the banquet.
The eight Zhang family disciples, armed with mid-grade artifact great axes and low-grade artifact shields, directly attacked Wu Tao.
In the next moment, Wu Tao met the first charging Zhang family disciple head-on with a punch, not dodging or evading. The punch landed squarely on the great shield held by the disciple.
Boom!
The sound was deafening, like thunder, and could be faintly heard even from thousands of kilometers away.
But as the thick dust gradually dissipated, the faces of the surrounding Zhang family disciples were filled with dumbfounded astonishment.
When the fist met the shield, the low-grade artifact shield shattered like broken paper.
Wu Tao's fist momentum, however, was still unabated. After shattering the great shield, it followed the bursting shield fragments and struck the chest of the Zhang family disciple.
A force exceeding several thousand jin sent the Zhang family disciple flying backward as if hit head-on by a mythical beast, knocking down several others.
This caused the wall of people formed by the eight Zhang family disciples to be thrown into disarray, their formation in shambles.
Not only did this Zhang family disciple completely lose his breath in the next second, but the two behind him also bled from all seven orifices and lost their lives.
The remaining five Zhang family disciples stood stunned, their eyes filled with horror and fear.
What kind of monster was this person before them, to possess such terrifying strength?
They stood frozen, but Wu Tao did not.
Wu Tao, with the momentum of a tiger descending the mountain, unleashed his iron fists without pause.
The five Zhang family disciples, now jolted from their shock, reacted.
As if they were deeply attached to their fallen brethren, their eyes turned a blood-red hue. They immediately raised their axes and, with immense ferocity, swung their mid-grade artifact great axes horizontally.
...
However, Wu Tao merely snorted upon seeing this and charged into the midst of the five. The Qi and blood within Wu Tao's body surged like a mighty river. His fists and feet moved in unison; anyone struck would be sent flying, and upon falling, would bleed from all five orifices, unable to fight again.
Wu Tao's momentum was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain; wherever he went, no one could withstand him.
In the time it took for a single stick of incense to burn, Wu Tao had easily dealt with the eight Zhang family disciples guarding the town.
Following this, Wu Tao single-handedly charged into the depths of the town, killing several other Zhang family Qi Refining disciples who had the misfortune of crossing his path, before finally arriving in front of the Zhang family's banquet hall.
The dozen or so Zhang family disciples greeting guests in front of the banquet hall immediately spotted Wu Tao, who was conspicuous with bloodstains and a menacing expression.
The leader of these Zhang family disciples, a Zhang family cultivator at the tenth layer of Qi Refining, stepped forward and asked Wu Tao, "Who are you, and what is your business here?"
Wu Tao scoffed at the question, clutching the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber, his eyes like those of a dead man, gazing coldly at the group blocking his path.
This made the dozen or so people in front of him tremble with cold, their faces uneasy, feeling as though they were under a constant, sharp gaze.
"You asked me earlier what I was doing here? Now I'll tell you what I'm here for!" With these words, Wu Tao's bloodthirsty aura erupted, arrogant and unrestrained.
"Today, this place will be your burial ground. Not a single person from the Zhang family will escape."
Wu Tao, wielding the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber, pointed at the surrounding crowd. A sharp, demonic saber energy was poised to erupt. Wu Tao was enveloped in blood mist, like a demon king descending upon the world.
...
"Damn it!"
"Fellow cousins, let's make our move."
"To slay this troublemaker, no matter how great the feud, one shouldn't disrupt someone's wedding day."
"Kill!"
"If we don't kill him, how can we uphold the family's prestige!"
"Kill, chop him dead."
"Annihilate him."
Over a dozen low to mid-grade artifact sabers, swords, nails, seals, and claws shot into the sky, all swarming towards Wu Tao.
"Futile struggle. Regardless, today, none of your Zhang family will live."
Taking a step forward, the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber was raised in his palm. Wu Tao's face was ferocious, his saber pointing at the crowd as he slashed down. Killing intent soared, and the saber energy was bone-chilling.
The Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber was a demonic saber crafted by a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator using the bones of a crimson bloody flood dragon, supplemented by Netherworld Dark Blood Stone. Its power was immense. If it had no side effects, it would undoubtedly be a top-tier demonic artifact.
Once drawn, it must taste blood! *Splat!*
*Splat!*
*Splat!*
Under the immensely powerful and continuous saber light, over a dozen low to mid-grade artifact sabers, swords, nails, seals, and claws shattered one after another, followed by screams of excruciating pain.
His footsteps never faltered as he strode forward, leaving behind a sky filled with blood rain and the cries of the fallen. Wu Tao's face was cold and indifferent as he madly reaped lives, without the slightest hesitation or wavering, his heart filled with absolute killing intent.
The life of a cultivator is a constant struggle against heaven and man. Those who embark on the path of cultivation are destined for a life and death without regret, with only the distinction between the strong and the weak.
Thus, when he killed,
He bore no psychological burden.
"Those destined for swift death!"
With a swing of the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber, five heads flew into the sky!
"Demon, die!"
The remaining few, still alive, roared in unison, retrieving more low to mid-grade artifacts from their storage bags. Interspersed with several five-element spells, they flew into the sky and once again swarmed towards Wu Tao.
"Foolish."
Wu Tao sneered coldly, holding the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber with both hands, and slashed forward heavily. A violent and terrifying force tore through the air, crackling.
A saber light several zhang long appeared out of thin air, possessing the might to cleave heaven and earth.
Wu Tao advanced step by step, the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Saber in his hand constantly swinging. The white saber light in front rolled and flashed, "Demonic Qi Saber Strike, Torrent of Chaotic Blades."
The saber light transformed into myriad shadows. With a clang, piece after piece of fine saber qi shot out with unimaginable speed. Hundreds, thousands of points, each one a sharp saber qi.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Several low to mid-grade artifacts and a few five-element spells were annihilated and disappeared within two to three seconds, unable to withstand the onslaught.
The remaining individuals, unable to evade, were instantly pierced through like sieves by the thousands of saber qi. Their limbs and heads were riddled with deep, bloody holes.
As the several corpses crashed heavily to the ground, disbelief still lingered in their eyes.
"Why...?"
Wu Tao looked at the wounds on the corpses on the ground, where blood flowed continuously, gradually dyeing the ground red. He said coldly, "A bunch of idiots. I already told you all, everyone from the Zhang family will die today."
Outside the hall, the corpses on the ground grew in number. Many areas were stained blood-red.
Chaotic corpses fell haphazardly, wounds everywhere spewing blood with a *splatter*.
Some were even more tragic, their heads completely severed from their bodies, their arms and legs separated, intestines and organs strewn across the ground. At this point, it was likely impossible for anyone to identify whose body was whose.
Wu Tao cast a cold glance. Outside, a dense rain of blood had fallen, and the environment suddenly fell silent.
...
The eerie silence outside the banquet hall did not seem to be due to awe of the elder's power, but rather as if everyone outside had perished, causing the cacophony to abruptly cease.
For a moment, both inside and outside were silent. An invisible, oppressive pressure permeated everyone within the hall.
"What?"
"Old Master Zhang, you do not welcome me?"
A leisurely voice drifted in. Wu Tao, a cold smile playing on his lips, sauntered in.
Welcome? How could that be possible?
The Zhang family were not fools. The moment they saw Wu Tao's appearance, they knew he was here to cause trouble.
And to choose such a grand wedding day to arrive, regardless of any dispute or conflict, was an outright slap in the face.
In less than a day, the news of the Zhang family's eldest grandson's wedding banquet being disrupted would spread throughout the entire Azure Steel Mountain Range, becoming a topic of casual conversation for itinerant cultivators.
And those who dared to act in such a manner, would they not have the backing?
Moreover, Wu Tao's face was etched with a cold smile, and a chilling killing intent emanated from him. The family disciples who had served as greeters outside were also completely silent.
It was likely they had all met a grim end at this person's hands.
"This person must have some trump card. Today will be difficult to resolve!"
As the saying goes, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. While others in the banquet hall were either utterly astonished or glared in anger, Old Master Zhang suppressed his fury and slowly sat down, exuding an unshakeable demeanor.
Though he remained silent, his gaze was fixed on Wu Tao, appraising him as if trying to discern his origins and intentions.
Wu Tao paid them no mind, ignoring the probing gazes of many. He simply surveyed the festive hall, taking in the entire situation.
The Zhang family's banquet had attracted many guests, and they were a mixed bunch! The tables in the front rows were occupied by dejected itinerant cultivators, likely from the nearby areas.
There was a motley assortment of people, nine times out of ten of whom were using this opportunity to curry favor and build connections, similar to what the grandfather and grandson had encountered outside.
Although there were over a hundred people in the banquet hall at this moment, the majority were outsiders attending the wedding banquet or opportunists playing both sides. They remained silent, awaiting developments...
They were not fools. While they wished to curry favor with the local magnates, the Zhang clan, they were certainly unwilling to stick their necks out and offend someone.
Furthermore, Wu Tao's demeanor was brimming with killing intent and evident confidence, making him appear not to be someone to be trifled with.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became oppressive and stifling, making people feel short of breath. It did not feel like a wedding banquet at all, but rather like a funeral feast.
...
"Clang!"
Just then, the sound of a broken wine cup rang out in the midst of the silent banquet hall.
At this moment, besides the forcibly suppressed sounds of breathing, there was no other sound in the banquet hall. This made the sudden noise all the more jarring.
All eyes immediately focused on the source of the sound.
(New book is being updated, please collect, please vote for recommendation tickets, please share, give more, thank you friends, your support is my motivation!)