Warning: The next few chapters may cover sensitive topics such as assault and suicide that some may find difficult to read.
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Within Heimu Village near the port.
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Wu Tianmo and the Jiang Fushui arrived at a moderate estate whose door was nearly knocked off it's hinges.
Two mortals of the Zhang Clan stood at the gate preventing entry.
Is it already time to quarrel with this kid... How dare he make trouble here.
Wu Tianmo walked towards the door as the two drew their sabers blocking his path.
He stopped in front of them, with their saber only centimeters from his chest,
"Are you sure you wish to block the Wu Patriarch's path?"
Jiang Fushui walked forward,
"Who dares block my family's door? What gives you the right, are you the ancestor I have never met?!"
The two mortal guards looked at one another nervously, one of them spoke,
"The Zhang Clan's young master, has forbidden any entry into this estate. Especially by..."
He looked at Wu Tianmo's bright red robes, white hair, and piercing red eyes.
He grit his teeth,
"Especially by the Wu Clan..."
There was more that he was instructed to address the Wu Patriarch as but as a mortal he couldn't bear to call a cultivator such a term.
Wu Tianmo took a breath to compose himself before kicking the mortal through the door.
The door had completely come off it's hinges and caught the mortal Zhang Clan member as they both slid down the courtyard.
Just as he was about to get up another guard was sent flying into him, knocking them both out.
Wu Tianmo and Jiang Fushui walked through the gateless door of the estate to find the place covered in broken furniture and two of his daughters already beaten half to death within their own estate.
The other branch family members were all beaten bloody and some even killed.
Jiang Fushui rushed to his daughters side his face red with anger,
"Who... who did this to you?"
Jiang Qing'er, the oldest of the sisters had her robes torn in sensitive places and opened her swollen eyes.
"Father... I'm glad you're here."
As if she remembered something painful she winced.
She noticed the Wu Clan Patriarch they previously spied on and pleaded,
"You must... go inside, Ling--"
She coughed up blood onto the floor before losing consciousness in her father's arms.
Upon hearing these words Wu Tianmo rushed into the estate's central hall, finding Zhang Minghao who reeked of booze attempting to defile Ling'er.
Ling'er stood there with a knife to her throat, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't you... don't you come closer!"
One more step and she would rather die than be touched by him.
Zhang Minghao, whose face was flushed red,
"Beauty, I've already tasted your sisters..."
He licked his lips with a lecherous grin,
"Come to the village's new young master."
He pointed to himself arrogantly,
"Zhang Minghao! hehe... You will have a good life, as long as you obediently...
He looked at Ling'er's seductive body that was partially exposed from the first time he tried to take advantage of her.
He inched closer and closer with a saber in one hand,
"Beauty....."
How hard was it to take that next step...
Was it worth death?
Should she just give into fate...
Wu Tianmo's voice exploded with rage,
"Zhang Minghao! You lecherous bastard! How dare you touch my fiancée."
Zhang Minghao's face turned from straight pleasure to disgust, he turned slowly while raising his saber toward Wu Tianmo.
"Oh, it's you."
He scoffed,
"You damn brat, how dare you speak to me in such a way. You think because you're the "Patriarch" of a one man clan you can talk down to me?"
He smirked,
"You must not know yet. Makes sense, a coward who holds up in his own estate wouldn't know what's happening. Hehe."
He spread his arms wide,
"The Zhang clan has taken over."
He spat on the ground next to him,
"What Wu Clan? I'm the young master of the whole damn village."
He pointed towards Wu Tianmo,
"Now bow down and watch as I take this woman in front of you"
Ling'er's eyes widened, she knew that the Zhang clan was becoming strong but who knew this guy would act so wildly.
Wu Tianmo sighed shaking his head,
"Zhang Guowei... how did your son end up such a disappointment. This is why unruly children need to be beaten."
Zhang Minghao's face flushed red, this time with anger,
"What did you just say? You at the 1st stage of..."
His eyes widened,
"Why can't I see your cultivation..."
Wu Tianmo slowly stepped forward.
A faint crimson aura flickered around him.
Zhang Minghao's heart tightened as if he was facing a beast.
He nervously took a step back, nearly tripping over a low tea table,
"You..... what happened to you. Why can't I see your trash cultivation anymore. I'm at the 9th Stage of Body Reforging.... There is no way you reached the Meridian Opening Realm!"
He didn't have an optical technique, yet when a cultivator was within the same realm you could get a general idea on their strength from just a look.
Zhang Minghao's heartbeat quickened,
There is only a few ways someone can hide their aura... what could it be?
A powerful artifact...
A superior realm...
Or a terrifying bloodline..
Zhang Minghao spat on the ground gaining confidence from the liquor,
"It matters not, you're still an ant! No way you're stronger than me!"
He grabbed the saber's hilt with both hands and dashed towards Wu Tianmo, despite being drunk he was still a 9th Stage Body Reforging realm cultivator.
Wu Tianmo grasped the hilt of his wooden sword and dodged backwards matching Zhang Minghao's pace.
The entry door of the main building was cut clean in half.
Wu Tianmo jumped and landed in the courtyard where Jiang Fushui was crying over the state of his daughters.
His eyes boiled red and he quickly ran out a side door of the estate out of sight.
Wu Tianmo took a stance with his hand on the hilt of the sheathed sword.
As Zhang Minghao jumped out through the destroyed door of the central building toward Wu Tianmo.
Wu Tianmo recalled all of his months of practice and stayed in his prepared stance hand on the hilt of his wooden sword.
He slowly opened his eyes and stepped forward while drawing his blade,
First form of the Crimson Moon Severing Art, Crescent Draw!
Wu Tianmo's sword was drawn from its sheath curving towards Zhang Minghao's stomach.
Zhang Minghao's eyes widened,
Danger!
He confidently and quickly slashed with his saber downwards to meet the strike.
When these two strikes met Zhang Minghao's saber was swiped to the side while cracking slightly, and Wu Tianmo's sword started to splinter.
Wu Tianmo grasped the hilt of his sword, took a second step forward while quickly rotating 180 degrees.
Second form, Blood Arc!
Zhang Minghao began to sweat as his sword hand had already gone numb,
What is this strength! How is this kid so strong already!
Zhang Minghao fiercely yelled as he fixed his grip on the saber attempting to block the next strike coming his way.
Wu Tianmo rotated his body as his sword curved around in a fluid motion colliding with Zhang Minghao's saber.
*Cling!*
The impact blew Zhang Minghao back a few steps, he quickly glanced at his saber and saw that the force of the blow caused large vein like cracks.
Dammit... Dammit! This isn't the force of a kid in the 1st stage of Body Reforging....
Zhang Minghao broke from his momentary daze and looked up.
Wu Tianmo had leapt in the air towards him,
He was in a trance of sorts, as if he was repeating a specific part of the Crimson Moon Sword Dance.
Third form, Falling Moon!
Zhang Minghao planted his feet and raised his saber in a horizontal guard as the wooden training sword was brought down upon him.
Both weapons collided with such great force that they both shattered.
Both of them were sent flying in different directions from the force of the collision.
Zhang Minghao was sent into a nearby pillar holding up the roof, breaking it causing roof tiles to fall on him.
Wu Tianmo was sent flying into a wall, creating a man sized hole peeking into the street.
He was the first to move, using the rest of the wall to push himself out of the small hole back into the courtyard.
He walked towards the unconscious Zhang Minghao.
A thunderous voice roared from the shattered gate,
"Stop! What is going on here!"