He had won, for he was completely suppressed by Zhang Xiaohu in terms of cultivation techniques and physique, leaving Ling Fei with no power to resist.
He had never experienced such a frustrating battle in his life, and he felt that Zhang Xiaohu's victory was unfair.
But before he could argue for himself, he was taken away by the elders of the Qingtian Hall.
It was already humiliating enough, so there was no need to say more embarrassing things.
What unfair victory? When he used his own flames to suppress the flames of others, he never said his victory was unfair.
As they left, the group of people stared at Zhang Xiaohu with meaningful glances.
It was clear they had misjudged him; Zhang Xiaohu was still very powerful, even without the advantage of elemental suppression.
The tenacity in his eyes when he unleashed his full power was a characteristic of geniuses.
And their Saint Son of the Qingtian Hall had clearly become a stepping stone.
"Wuhu! Brother Hu, you're famous! I've already captured the heroic posture of your battle. I'll have them make tens of thousands of copies immediately to shock the entire cultivation world!"
Zhang Xiaohu frowned and said with some difficulty, "Miss Shen, I don't think this is a good idea. Aren't we supposed to develop properly? This is too ostentatious..."
Shen Yingxue stared at Zhang Xiaohu and said, "Brother Hu, don't you understand? Whether it's the demonic or righteous path, you need to fight to obtain sufficient resources! You don't have a system for being a hermit king, so what's the use of hiding here?"
"I... I don't want to kill innocent people..."
"You don't want to kill innocent people? But who says fighting means killing innocent people? Please use your brain to think. The cultivation world is nothing more than fighting and killing. Killing a great demon brings great merit!"
Zhang Xiaohu fell into contemplation. At this moment, Liu Ruoyi also walked over and patted Shen Yingxue on the head: "Don't corrupt him!"
"That Ah Hu, don't listen to her nonsense. She's already been spoiled..."
Zhang Xiaohu suddenly said, "But, in this world, I can't distinguish between justice and evil."
Liu Ruoyi was stunned. She was about to use her persuasion skills, but Shen Yingxue quickly replied.
"Brother Hu, this is just an ordinary cultivation world. There's no so-called righteous or demonic path. These cultivators who divide themselves into factions are actually the same to us! If a righteous cultivator does something like killing innocent people, then he is evil. If a demonic cultivator never participates in killing innocent people, then he is righteous! This is the value system of our Xia Kingdom. You don't need to dwell on the so-called righteous and demonic paths!"
"But... what if I'm treated as a demonic cultivator that everyone wants to hunt down?"
"So what? Wasn't my master also scorned by both sides when she was young? But as her strength grew, who dared to question her? When you reach a certain level of power, the justice you uphold is true justice!"
Zhang Xiaohu suddenly felt enlightened, as if his head were made of stubborn wood.
"I think I... understand something..."
Shen Yingxue smiled at Liu Ruoyi: "Great Elder, what were you going to say just now?"
Liu Ruoyi coughed twice: "Ahem... nothing, nothing. This idea is quite good, but I have a question. What is this Xia Kingdom you were talking about?"
"Oh no! My stomach hurts, Great Elder, I need to go back to seclusion!"
Liu Ruoyi: "..."
Zhang Xiaohu's eyes suddenly lit up. He said to Liu Ruoyi, "Great Elder, this disciple wishes to go down the mountain!"
"Ah? What are you going down the mountain for?"
"To eliminate demons and protect the Dao!"
"Wait, there's no need, Ah Hu. Xiao Xue was just talking nonsense. We can develop properly in the sect and participate in any major events that come out in the cultivation world, can't we?"
"No! I need to see clearly what is righteous and evil in this world. I must practice my beliefs, otherwise, my mind won't be clear!"
Damn it, the newly crowned Saint Son was about to run away from home to roam the cultivation world!
Ultimately, Liu Ruoyi agreed. Zhang Xiaohu was still the Saint Son of the Wanhua Palace. Outside, he could report to the sect anytime he felt wronged. No sect in this world dared to provoke the Wanhua Palace lightly.
This was because Zhang Xiaohu truly needed to experience some things. He was becoming confused by the righteous and demonic conflict in this world and needed to practice the justice in his heart with a righteous heart.
In the sect, no one disliked Zhang Xiaohu. Hardworking people always gained favor, but your efforts must yield results to impress others.
Moreover, his personality was so straightforward that it was impossible to imagine him being a bad person. His personality was the polar opposite of Shen Yingxue, who had been corrupted by the Empress.
About a month later, the footage of Zhang Xiaohu's powerful victory over Ling Fei spread throughout the cultivation world. Everyone knew that another genius was about to emerge.
He could use flames imbued with imperial intent, making him the nightmare of all fire-attribute cultivators.
Two years later, Zhang Xiaohu's name had spread throughout the entire cultivation world.
Some said he was the most upright cultivator in this world, for those he helped praised his righteousness.
However, cultivators of the righteous path called him a complete demonic cultivator because he had killed many outwardly righteous cultivators who, despite committing atrocities like slaughtering cities, claimed their sacrifice was for the greater good. No one rebuked them because they belonged to powerful factions and were not to be trifled with.
But Zhang Xiaohu paid no mind to these matters. He would kill these beasts on sight!
The cultivators of the demonic path also gnashed their teeth in hatred towards him because Zhang Xiaohu had killed even more demonic cultivators. Unlike the righteous cultivators who concealed their misdeeds, the demonic cultivators committed evil without hesitation.
Naturally, more of them died at Zhang Xiaohu's hands.
Thus, Zhang Xiaohu's reputation was unpopular with both sides, and he was cursed as an orphan without principles.
It was somewhat reminiscent of the Wanhua Empress in her younger days.
The Wanhua Palace naturally faced reprimands from various parties. The Wanhua Empress herself came forward and calmly stated: "I support whatever my Saint Son does. Do not oppress him with power, and do not allow anyone a whole major realm higher than him to attack him, or I will pay a visit to your ancestral graves. Of course, if he dies, it will be due to his inferiority in skill!"
The Empress's word was as good as gold.
Those geniuses had long been displeased with Zhang Xiaohu. How could such pure justice exist in this world? Wasn't this a slap in their faces?
Thus, Zhang Xiaohu stirred up a bloody storm and became a public enemy of the cultivation world.
It was ironic that he had always been doing things to eliminate demons and protect the Dao, never killing an innocent person, yet he had ended up on the kill lists of two factions.
Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohu was not alone; he also brought along Xuan Yang Que.
This was a sixth-tier demonic beast comparable to a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse. Moreover, he possessed immortal artifacts, making it impossible for geniuses from less powerful factions to deal with him.
This road was long, and Zhang Xiaohu did not know what changes he could bring to this diseased world, but he knew that righteousness and demonic nature should not be defined as they were now...