The iron ring slammed into the wooden dome
A terrifying sound erupted, like metal crashing against metal, as metal spears and splinters of wood scattered in every direction like a destructive storm that spared nothing.
At the same moment
An entire forest of trees surged from beneath the ground, violently attacking Jian Long's position.
But
"Where is he?!!"
Li Fei Le shouted, his body covered in blood after being torn by the wooden fragments from the shattered dome, of which nothing remained.
His eyes searched the sky first… then dropped to the ground, scanning frantically—
Until he found him.
Just a few meters away…
About to unleash a lightning strike.
At that moment, Li Fei Le understood the truth.
Jian Long had already anticipated that he would exploit his moment of weakness after the attack, so he chose to act one step ahead—
Using the chaos caused by the explosion to vanish from sight, then descend to the ground, to a place his opponent would never expect…
Closing in enough to deliver a decisive blow.
Li Fei Le reacted instantly.
Tree trunks burst from beneath Jian Long, wrapping around his lower body in an attempt to restrain him—
But…
It was already too late.
The lightning shot was released.
Li Fei Le tried to dodge, shifting slightly off its path—
But it still struck him, even if only superficially.
And yet…
A massive surge of electricity flooded his body, coursing through him like a destructive current.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air—
Then he collapsed to the ground.
Despite everything… Li Fei Le did not die.
He clung to his consciousness with great difficulty, gathering what remained of his will to make one final attempt—
Tree trunks surged forth, wrapping tightly around Jian Long's entire body, binding him completely.
In that moment… Jian Long fell under his control.
With a single thought, Li Fei Le could have killed him—
And he would have…
If not for a massive shadow, circular in shape, with a radius of nearly five hundred meters, that suddenly enveloped the entire area.
In an instant—
Both of them froze in place.
Neither could move.
Silence fell, as all eyes turned toward the source of this вмешательство.
Anyone capable of stopping a battle like this… had to be at least a Rank three Gu Master.
Then, he appeared—
Luo Zu.
His face, painted in black and white, carried an imposing presence, while a heavy aura radiated from him, pressing down on the surroundings.
He cast a brief glance over the scene, then calmly ordered:
"Some of you… bring a medical-path Gu Master for him."
He gestured toward Li Fei Le, then walked toward Jian Long.
The latter was still bound within the red wooden trunks.
Luo Zu extended his hand—
And grabbed one of the trunks.
Then, with a simple motion…
The steel-like wood shattered as if it were nothing.
The restraints broke instantly, freeing Jian Long, who fell to the ground.
Without hesitation—
He quickly bowed, expressing his thanks to Luo Zu.
However, Luo Zu showed no appreciation for his gratitude.
He looked at him with a stern gaze, then said coldly:
"You attempted to kill Li Fei Le… therefore, starting from today until the end of the journey, you will pay him your entire daily wage."
"What?!!"
Jian Long froze in place, unable to believe what he had just heard.
He immediately protested:
"Why am I the one being punished?! He was the one who attacked me first!"
But Luo Zu's response was a heavy, oppressive gaze, as if crushing his will.
"Do not argue with my judgment."
Under that suffocating pressure, Jian Long had no choice but to remain silent… and swallow his anger.
Luo Zu turned and left, and the crowd dispersed under his command.
As the area gradually calmed—
Someone stepped forward from the crowd.
His head was completely shaved, revealing the smooth shape of his skull.
He spoke with a tone of admiration:
"That was an impressive fight."
At first, Jian Long did not recognize him due to the darkness of the night.
But as he drew closer…
his features became clear.
"Zhou Quan? Is that you? What are you doing here?"
"Did you forget that we agreed I'd guide you to the Gu worm shop after work?"
"Oh… right."
Jian Long replied as he recalled it, and the two of them headed toward the market together.
As they walked between the caravan tents, Jian Long couldn't hold back his curiosity:
"Did you watch the fight?"
Zhou Quan nodded, but his gaze this time was different—more serious, more appreciative.
"Yes. I watched it from beginning to end… what you showed was truly impressive."
A faint smile appeared on Jian Long's face, pleased by the praise.
However, he couldn't suppress his dissatisfaction and said in a resentful tone:
"Did you hear Luo Zu's judgment? That I have to give my entire daily wage to Li Fei Le until the end of the journey… that's clearly unfair, isn't it?"
But Zhou Quan's response was unexpected:
"On the contrary, he was lenient with you."
Jian Long's smile froze.
"What?"
he said sharply, as if confronting Luo Zu himself:
"Are you joking?! Didn't you see that he was the one who attacked me first?!"
Zhou Quan's expression changed slightly, clearly displeased by his tone.
"Watch your words."
Then he added in a firmer voice:
"First, show me some respect—I'm older than you. Second… don't you know?"
He paused briefly, then continued:
"Gu Masters have the right to fight each other whenever they want, as long as it doesn't result in death or permanent injury."
He then looked at him directly and added coldly:
"In fact… I could start a fight with you right now, beat you into the ground, and no one would object."
Jian Long forced himself to ignore the insult and focused on the main point.
"Is that true?"
He frowned slightly, then said:
"But… don't you think the punishment is excessive?"
Zhou Quan looked at him with a hint of mockery, then said:
"Excessive?! You were about to kill him. What did you expect would happen to you?"
He paused for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone:
"You're lucky he didn't die. If he had, you would've been expelled from the caravan immediately. And if you had caused him a permanent injury, his clan would have demanded heavy compensation from yours."
He let out a light breath, as if calming himself, before adding:
"If you want my opinion… despite your impressive performance in that fight, you shouldn't have fought him in the first place."
He looked directly at Jian Long and continued:
"Think about it—what did you gain? Nothing."
"You risked your life and nearly died if not for Luo Zu's intervention. And in the end… you lost a significant amount of primeval stones."
Then he said in a firm tone, as if giving undeniable advice:
"Keep this in mind—before you do anything, weigh the losses against the gains."
"And don't act based solely on your emotions."