Chapter 286: Killing You, Only Takes One Hand!
"Are you Lin Wudi? I’ve had such a hard time finding you!"
As the voice faded, a figure stepped into the hall, and a foul, cold stench filled the room. The man carried a frigid, fetid odor that was incredibly pungent. His hair hung to his shoulders, matted together and greasy, making his age impossible to discern.
Most peculiar of all were the many pouches hanging from his body. Each one swayed as if it held something alive, and the offensive odor emanated from them. As he entered the hall, his eyes immediately fixed on Lin Mu with a strange look in them.
This person is powerful! That was Lin Mu’s first thought. At least, much stronger than Yun Xu.
"Indeed," Lin Mu replied, looking at the man without fear, his expression calm.
"Very good." The man nodded, glancing casually at Fang Fei’s body on the ground. He sighed with a complex expression, "For my disciple to die at the hands of Lin Wudi... I suppose it’s a blessing in a way."
As the man finished speaking, Fang Cheng trembled and stammered, "You... you are..."
The man chuckled dryly. "It seems you’ve guessed who I am."
Fang Cheng was immediately overcome with joy. He began kowtowing repeatedly to the man, "Master Ouyang, this man killed my daughter! I beg you to avenge her! The Fang Family will forever remember your great kindness!"
In the world today, there was only one person known as Master Ouyang: the eighteenth master on the Heavenly List, Xiao Ouyang, Ouyang Ming! His Martial Way cultivation was incredibly high, having reached the rank of Martial Arts Grandmaster years ago. He was even hailed as one of the Four Great Grandmasters, the Western Poison.
I can’t believe he’s actually in River City! If word of this gets out, the entire Martial Arts World will be shaken.
"So it’s Master Ouyang!" Fang Ting’s face also lit up with elation. "Master Ouyang, this man is extremely vicious and has killed countless people. Please, make your move and kill him!"
Fang Ting bowed respectfully. "The Fang Family and the Qiao Family will never forget your kindness!"
Ouyang Ming nodded. "Rest assured. Since this man killed my disciple, I will naturally seek vengeance." He turned to Lin Mu, a peculiar smile on his face. "Lin Wudi? Sixteenth on the Heavenly List? Heh, I didn’t realize the Martial Arts World was so teeming with talent these days. It seems each new generation surpasses the last!"
Ouyang Ming licked his lips, a strange light in his eyes. "Kid, you killed my disciple. You deserve to die." His tone then shifted. "Of course, I don’t want people saying I bullied the young. Considering your age, I’ll grant you the first three moves."
"Master Ouyang..." Fang Cheng grew anxious. He didn’t want Ouyang Ming to give Lin Mu any advantage. Taking immediate action to kill Lin Mu was the safest option.
"What? Do you have an objection?" Ouyang Ming glanced indifferently at Fang Cheng, who shrank back, suddenly remembering that the man before him was a Martial Arts Grandmaster of long-standing fame.
At that thought, Fang Cheng said respectfully, "I wouldn’t dare."
Ouyang Ming looked at Lin Mu with some impatience. "Hurry up, kid. I’m in a rush!"
In his eyes, Lin Mu was already a dead man. Invincible? Sixteenth on the Heavenly List? Such titles were meaningless. He could kill Lin Mu with a mere wave of his hand.
"Heh." Lin Mu suddenly laughed.
"Let me have three moves?" He shook his head slowly. "Let’s not."
Ouyang Ming’s brow furrowed. "What? Are you scared?" In his mind, Lin Mu had to be terrified. As for killing Yun Xu, it was either a fluke, or Yun Xu was simply weaker than imagined.
"If you want to admit defeat, that’s fine too," Ouyang Ming said, his hands clasped behind his back, his tone dripping with mockery. "Just kneel on the ground now. Acknowledge that you’re nothing but a fame-seeking impostor. Announce to the world that you don’t have the strength of a Grandmaster, that you’re Lin the Rat, not Lin Wudi, the Invincible. If I’m in a good mood, I might even let you live a few more days."
Of course, he had no intention of letting Lin Mu go. He would humiliate him first, make him kneel and beg for mercy, force him to admit he was nothing but a coward. Then, Ouyang Ming would test all the poisons he had developed over the years on Lin Mu, making him experience a fate worse than death.
"You’ve misunderstood me," Lin Mu said, shaking his head. "What I mean is, the moment I make a move, you’ll be dead. So, three moves won’t be necessary!"
At these words, not only did Fang Cheng’s face drain of color, but even Ouyang Ming was stunned for a moment.
"How dare you!" Fang Cheng pointed at Lin Mu and rebuked him. "So what if you’re really sixteenth on the Heavenly List? Everyone knows your relationship with the Martial Alliance is poor! They only ranked you that high to provoke the other Grandmasters. Do you really think you possess that kind of strength?"
Fang Cheng was right. The Martial Alliance’s ranking was a clear attempt to set Lin Mu up for a fall. And sure enough, Ouyang Ming was the first to take the bait. That’s why he had come.
"Heh, whether I have the strength or not doesn’t require anyone’s acknowledgment," Lin Mu stated coolly, "and it certainly doesn’t require yours. In my eyes, no one here can stand against me!"
With a grab of his hand, spiritual energy roared out. Fang Cheng cried out in surprise as he was lifted into the air.
"Master Ouyang, save me!" Suspended in mid-air, Fang Cheng’s face contorted in terror as he pleaded with Ouyang Ming.
"Lin Mu, release my brother at once, or you’ll die an even more horrible death!" With Ouyang Ming present, Fang Ting had no doubt that her brother was safe.
"Is that so?" Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively, and Fang Cheng’s body was sent flying toward a wall.
"Master Ouyang, save me..."
Fang Cheng let out a final, shrill scream as his body smashed into the wall.
BOOM!
The wall crumbled, and Fang Cheng’s body was torn to pieces. The entire process had taken only a few seconds. Neither Fang Ting nor Ouyang Ming had time to react.
"You..." Fang Ting’s expression changed dramatically as she stared at Lin Mu in disbelief. She couldn’t fathom that he would actually kill her brother right in front of Ouyang Ming.
Ouyang Ming’s face, too, turned exceedingly grim. He didn’t care in the slightest about Fang Cheng’s death. Even his own disciple, Fang Fei, had just been a plaything he’d grown tired of. But for Lin Mu to dare kill someone right before his eyes, to so blatantly disregard him—that was something Ouyang Ming found unacceptable.
"Good. Very good!" A hint of crimson slowly appeared in Ouyang Ming’s eyes, and the smile on his face grew more sinister. "It’s been many years since anyone dared to be so arrogant in my presence. You are the first, and you will be the last!"
With that, Ouyang Ming waved his palm, and several wisps of gray mist whistled through the air toward Lin Mu. The mist carried terrifying toxins that even an average Grandmaster wouldn’t dare to touch.
"You think you can kill me with this?" Lin Mu scoffed. He strolled forward with his hands behind his back, and all the poisonous mist parted around him, leaving him completely unharmed.
"Ouyang Ming? Eighteenth on the Heavenly List?" Lin Mu suddenly snickered. "To kill you, I only need one hand!"