Chapter 252: Just One Strike!
"Ignorant fool!" Ma Liu sneered. "Tear off his limbs for me!"
He didn’t plan to kill Lin Mu outright. First, he would chop off Lin Mu’s limbs, whittling him down to a human torso. Then, he would toss him into a gu pot and let him experience a fate worse than death.
"Kill!"
Upon Ma Liu’s command, several men rushed toward Lin Mu with their blades raised.
WHOOSH!
The blades whistled through the air, carrying a fierce, murderous aura. The Miao man who led the charge had a cold, murderous glint in his eyes. Clearly, killing was second nature to them, something they did without feeling. For them, taking a life was as simple as slaughtering a chicken or a sheep.
Lord Liu had ordered them not to kill, so this strike was aimed at Lin Mu’s shoulder. If it landed, it would definitely take off his entire arm.
"Too slow."
However, faced with such a swift attack, Lin Mu simply shook his head. He sidestepped, easily dodging the man’s blade. Before his opponent could even react, Lin Mu’s arm shot out and seized the man’s wrist. With a sharp pull, Lin Mu slammed his shoulder into his attacker’s.
CRACK!
An excruciating pain instantly shot through the Miao man’s body. Just as he was about to scream, he was already flying through the air.
THUMP!
The Miao man landed hard on the ground, bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He was already dead. The Miao Knife he had been holding was now held effortlessly in Lin Mu’s hand.
Although the Miao Knife was not exclusive to the Miao People, it was revered as a weapon of their kin. Legend had it that Chi You, the leader of the ancient Tribal Alliance of the Three Miao and Nine Li, carried a Miao Knife, which is why it was later known as the "Ancestor of the Miao Knives."
This type of weapon had a long, exceedingly sharp blade. The Miao Knives used by Ma Liuye and his men varied in length. The long ones measured about five feet, while the short ones were around a foot and a half. But they all shared the same design: the blade curved outwards, and the spine of the blade followed the curve of the edge. Besides two blood grooves on either side, the blades were also etched with two wavy, nail-print-like patterns. This design not only made the Miao Knife sharper but also ensured that any wound it inflicted would bleed ceaselessly.
Lin Mu only needed a single glance to recognize that this blade was based on the improved design by the famous anti-pirate general, Qi Jiguang. Examining the Miao Knife in his hand, Lin Mu’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"A good blade!"
The knife felt slightly heavy in his hand, but Lin Mu barely noticed. To him, it was as light as a feather.
After I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll be able to refine my own life-bound Flying Sword. A trace of anticipation flickered in Lin Mu’s heart. But for now, I’d better deal with these pests first.
As the thought settled in his mind, he swung the Miao Knife.
CLANG!
A crisp sound echoed as the Miao Knife parried an assailant’s attack. Seeing Lin Mu’s impossibly swift response, the Miao man’s expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to switch his angle of attack, a sharp, dark blur flashed before his eyes.
PFFT! The sharp blade effortlessly sliced open his throat, and blood gushed out. The Miao man’s eyes bulged. He hurriedly clutched his throat as his Miao Knife clattered to the ground. He collapsed, dead beyond any doubt.
With two men killed in an instant, the entire hall fell into a brief, stunned silence. Lin Mu, however, remained calm, his expression as impassive as if he had merely stepped on two ants.
"What are you morons staring at? Kill him for me!"
Seeing Lin Mu’s skill, even Ma Liu was momentarily shocked. But what storm haven’t I weathered? How could I be scared by such a small scene? Seeing his subordinates frozen in a daze, he became furious.
"Kill!"
A few of the Miao People exchanged glances and then charged at Lin Mu together, their Miao Knives slashing out quickly.
"Heh." Lin Mu chuckled, twisting his wrist.
The Miao Knife traced a graceful yet bloody arc through the air.
CLING! CLANG! CLANG!
A series of sparks flew as the Miao People suddenly felt their weapons lighten. Lin Mu had sliced a section clean off their Miao Knives. At the same time, Lin Mu’s wrist flicked again.
SHLICK! SHLICK! SHLICK!
With the sickening sound of a blade slicing through flesh, fresh blood sprayed from the chests of several Miao People.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Several more bodies fell into a growing pool of blood, their eyes wide open in death. A metallic scent began to permeate the hall.
GULP!
Throats bobbed as everyone instinctively took a step back. They were no strangers to killing; they had taken many lives themselves. But compared to Lin Mu’s slaughter, they felt like innocent little lambs.
The expression on his face as he killed... Calm. Indifferent. What a terrifying man. How many people must he have killed to remain so emotionally detached?
Ma Liu’s brows furrowed tightly. He realized he had misjudged the situation completely. This seemingly ordinary young man is actually a fearsome god of death. He must not be spared! He absolutely cannot be allowed to leave this place alive!
Ma Liu made a swift decision.
"Kill him! I don’t care if he’s alive or dead!"
He no longer planned to turn Lin Mu into a human torso. Now, he just wanted Lin Mu dead.
"Kill!"
The Miao warriors’ faces twisted into ferocious expressions as they charged at Lin Mu again. Their companions had been no match for Lin Mu because they were trying to take him alive, which held them back. But now that Lord Liu had ordered them to kill, things would be much simpler!
Lin Mu’s expression did not change in the slightest. With one hand behind his back and the other holding the knife, he strode forward leisurely. With each step he took, another man died wretchedly under his blade. With his current Cultivation Level, Lin Mu could slaughter everyone present with just the knife, even without using his spiritual power.
As time passed, Ma Liu realized something was terribly wrong. More and more of his men were dying, and fewer and fewer were left standing. Every man who fell was killed with a single strike. The living were pale-faced, their will to fight completely gone.
Lin Mu took another step forward.
The remaining men, their faces filled with terror, retreated in unison. One of them couldn’t even hold his blade steady, and it clattered to the floor.
"Sang Tu, kill him!" Ma Liu snarled through clenched teeth, his face as dark as water. "If he doesn’t die, you will!"
Sang Tu’s expression was grave as he slowly stepped forward. As he moved, the dragon tattoos on his body seemed to writhe to life, pulsing with a violent aura. He came to a stop in front of Lin Mu and slowly drew the Miao Knife from his waist.
"Kid, you’re full of surprises," Sang Tu said solemnly, twisting his neck. "Honestly, if I had met you two years ago, I would’ve turned tail and run. But now..."
BOOM!
An astonishing aura burst forth from Sang Tu as a black fog began to emanate from his body.
Releasing True Qi externally? Lin Mu raised an eyebrow but immediately sensed something was amiss.
"Ah, so this is True Qi cultivated through witchcraft and gu-poison," Lin Mu mused with a smile. "It might be enough to scare ordinary people, but in front of me... it’s just a matter of one slash."
Enraged, Sang Tu shouted, "Such arrogance! This is—"
SWISH!
Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of blade light passed by. Sang Tu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. He instinctively looked down.
THUD.
A head promptly fell to the ground as blood sprayed from the neck.
The formidable Sang Tu, Ma Liu’s top warrior, was decapitated before he could even finish speaking? And what was that glow just now? Blade aura? Does such a thing really exist in this world?
At the sight of Sang Tu’s corpse, the remaining men screamed, dropped their weapons, and scrambled for the exit. But they had only taken a few steps before a streak of blade light whistled through the air, striking them all down.
And so, only Ma Liu was left standing in the hall.
THUD.
Staring at the bodies strewn across the floor and the young man standing with the knife, a pale-faced Ma Liu immediately fell to his knees.
"Young man, it was my fault for not recognizing Mt. Taishan! Don’t kill me! I can give you anything you want!" Ma Liu pleaded, terrified. This person was too fierce, too strong! He killed over a hundred of my men in just a few minutes, leaving no one alive!
"I have a lot of money, and numerous women, territories, and properties! I can give them all to you! Just please, don’t kill me!"
The current Ma Liu, desperate and terrified, bore no resemblance to Thunder Mountain’s once-mighty figure.
"For a person like you, living is a waste of resources," Lin Mu said flatly. "You’re better off dead." As he spoke, his knife swept through the air.
"No! If you kill me, the High Priest will definitely—"
Before Ma Liu could finish, his head soared into the air.
Catching Ma Liu’s head in his hand, Lin Mu looked at the fear and despair frozen on the man’s face and said indifferently, "Taking your dog’s life wasn’t as hard as I imagined."
"It only took one strike."