Chapter 453: Cut Your Peach Blossoms Twelve or Thirteen!
"CRY!"
"ROAR!"
As soon as Zhang Daoyun’s voice fell, a dragon’s cry and a tiger’s roar echoed from the sky. All the Thunderbolt transformed into azure dragons and fierce tigers, plunging straight down and rushing toward Lin Mu along with the sword light.
"Heavenly Master Secret Technique, the Dragon and Tiger Divine Skill!" Shen Lang suddenly cried out, his face filled with disbelief.
He hadn’t expected Zhang Daoyun to have actually mastered the legendary Heavenly Master Secret Technique of Dragon Tiger Mountain. According to legend, the Dragon and Tiger Divine Skill was the strongest secret technique created by the first-generation Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Only those who inherited the position of Heavenly Master could cultivate it.
However, hundreds of years had passed, and this secret technique had long been lost in the chaos of war. Even after generations of Heavenly Masters from Dragon Tiger Mountain scoured the ancient records, they could only restore a portion of it. The versions practiced by later generations were incomplete, so they could not grasp the true method. But Shen Lang had never expected that Zhang Daoyun knew the complete Heavenly Master Secret Technique. Without the complete version, it was impossible to summon the Dragon and Tiger Divine Skill.
Meanwhile, the crowd watching from the foot of the mountain stared up in disbelief at the dragon, the tiger, and the sword in the sky. It was like a furious strike from the gods, descending from the heavens.
"What kind of move is this? It’s too terrifying!"
"It must be a secret technique from Dragon Tiger Mountain. It’s simply too powerful!"
"I wonder if Lin Wudi can block it!"
"Block it? What could he use to block it? Lin Wudi is doomed!"
The impact of this battle was immense, and many people had come to watch. Those who witnessed this scene immediately broke into discussion, and none of them believed Lin Mu could withstand this move.
"It’s too strong!" Dongfeng Po Tian said with a grave expression. "If it were me, I simply couldn’t withstand it."
Yao Kuohai’s voice trembled as he said, "If even you can’t withstand it, how can Lin Wudi? He’s dead for sure!"
Sword Qi raged like a tempest, and murderous intent poured down like a torrential downpour. Amidst the storm, Lin Mu suddenly rose to his feet, as immovable as a great reef. An azure divine light flickered in his eyes, as brilliant as a river of stars and as vast as the universe.
The Thunder Sword in Zhang Daoyun’s hand was indeed real Thunderbolt—Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!
This move was, without a doubt, the most powerful strike Lin Mu had faced since his rebirth. Although he could control Thunderbolt, the Thunder Law of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion was also second to none. Furthermore, Zhang Daoyun was a prodigy who had actually managed to fuse Thunder Law with swordsmanship to unleash such immense power.
For the first time, Lin Mu’s expression grew solemn. This was because Zhang Daoyun’s sword strike was a Divine Soul attack! If he failed to withstand it and his Divine Soul was damaged, recovery would be exceedingly difficult.
"Hah." Letting out a soft breath, a smile touched Lin Mu’s lips. "As expected of Heavenly Master Zhang Daoyun. You haven’t disappointed me."
As his voice fell, Lin Mu neither summoned his sword nor cast any spells. Instead, he simply began to walk, step by step, toward the sky.
"What is this kid doing?" Seeing Lin Mu ascend into the sky one step at a time, Shen Lang’s expression changed drastically. "Could it be... he plans to block this sword with his physical body? Impossible!"
The kid is insane!
Zhang Daoyun’s mental manifestation spoke, "Lin Wudi, if you have no counters, you may concede. For the sake of Shen Lang and that person in the Capital, I can spare your life!" Seeing Lin Mu make no move to cast a spell and intending to block the sword with his body alone, the manifestation’s tone grew cold. "To think you can block my sword with just your physical body... Are you not delusional?"
"Whether I am or not, you will soon see, Heavenly Master Zhang!" Lin Mu laughed heartily as he stomped on the void.
Heavenly Emperor Nine Steps—
First Step: Mountains and Rivers Shatter!
The earth trembled and the mountains swayed. Dragon Tiger Mountain itself quivered slightly. Zhang Daoyun’s eyes narrowed.
At the same time, Lin Mu had already taken three more consecutive steps.
Second Step: Ghosts and Gods Cower!
Third Step: Heaven and Earth Change!
Fourth Step: The Stars Tremble!
Gales howled and lightning flashed as thunder roared. It was as if the apocalypse had descended upon Dragon Tiger Mountain. The light in Zhang Daoyun’s eyes flared.
"What a Lin Wudi!" he couldn’t help but praise. "To think you can channel the power of heaven and earth with your steps alone. You truly have made me see you in a new light!"
"But... it’s still not enough!"
As Zhang Daoyun’s voice fell, beams of light burst from his body and shot into the forms of the dragon and tiger.
CLANG! CLANG!
A sonorous sword hum vibrated through the void. Sword Qi shattered mountains and rivers as Godlight swept across Jiuzhou! Zhang Daoyun intended to annihilate Lin Mu with a single strike!
"Fifth Step: The Buddha Kneels!"
Lin Mu slowly took another step, and a domineering, majestic aura surged from his body. *I am Emperor Zun. Where I pass, all who see me shall submit! Not even a Buddha is an exception!*
"Sixth Step: Evil Demons Weep!"
*I am invincible. Should any dare to offend me, I shall annihilate their body, destroy their soul, and erase their spirit! Even evil demons shall wail in terror!*
"Seventh Step: The Ages Turn!"
*I am who I am. Time cannot bury me, nor can the river of stars conceal me.*
As Lin Mu’s feet fell one after another, his figure rose continuously until he was suspended high in the air. Seven consecutive steps had brought him right before the Dragon and Tiger Divine Skill! Looking at the dragon and tiger forms so close at hand and feeling their terrifying power, Lin Mu smiled faintly.
He extended a finger and gently tapped the dragon’s head.
WAIL!
A mournful draconic cry sounded as the dragon’s form dissipated.
"Pfft!"
With one part of the secret technique broken, Zhang Daoyun’s mental manifestation diminished significantly, and his physical body spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Lin Mu moved his finger again, pointing it at the tiger’s head. "Break!"
The tiger’s form vanished as well. With both the dragon and tiger gone, Zhang Daoyun’s physical body spat out fresh blood once more.
"Lin Wudi, you truly did not disappoint me!" Zhang Daoyun’s eyes sparkled, even as his mental manifestation began to fade, on the verge of disappearing. "But to think you can break my Divine Skill is nothing but a fool’s dream!"
Although the dragon and tiger forms were broken, the blade of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder remained. A large hand suddenly grasped its hilt and swung it viciously at Lin Mu.
"CLEAVE!"
With a resounding shout, the Thunder Sword magnified to several meters long as it slashed down. In that moment, everyone on Dragon Tiger Mountain heard Zhang Daoyun’s voice and witnessed the majestic power unleashed by the sword.
RUMBLE!
The earth quaked and the mountains shook as Sword Qi swirled. Everyone, including Shen Lang, was forced to retreat from the pressure. Only after the sword’s energy dissipated did the crowd hurriedly look up again. However, atop Dragon Tiger Mountain, dust and smoke billowed, and the air was in such turmoil that nothing could be seen clearly.
"Is he dead?"
"He must be dead!"
"I told you! How could Lin Wudi possibly be a match for Master Zhang!"
The people exchanged glances, sighing and shaking their heads. No one could have withstood that last strike. Lin Wudi was no exception, so he had to be dead.
Standing on a distant mountain peak, Shen Lang gazed at Dragon Tiger Mountain and murmured, "Dead? He’s actually dead..."
But at that moment, no one knew what was happening on the plaza atop Dragon Tiger Mountain, which was concealed by the Great Array.
Zhang Daoyun stared blankly ahead and gave a bitter smile. "I’ve lost."
As his words fell, his mental manifestation slowly vanished.
"Pfft!"
His physical body, meanwhile, violently spat out a mouthful of blood as he snapped back to consciousness.
"Zhang Daoyun, you’ve lost," Lin Mu said. He was not in a good state either; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his body was covered in wounds that were already healing rapidly.
Zhang Daoyun’s last-ditch sword strike had been an all-out effort that had nearly cost Lin Mu dearly. Fortunately, Lin Mu had forged the Twelve-Fold Towers, granting him a physical strength unimaginable to ordinary people. That was how he had blocked it. Zhang Daoyun was exhausted from that single strike, his mental manifestation dissipated, and he was unable to launch a second attack. Lin Mu, however, still had the strength to fight on.
That was why Zhang Daoyun conceded.
Zhang Daoyun gave a tragic laugh. "The younger generation is truly to be feared. Lin Wudi, you are more than just the number one of the younger generation; you are truly invincible in this world." Closing his eyes, Zhang Daoyun said, "You won. Make your move."
However, he waited for a long time, but Lin Mu did not act.
Zhang Daoyun opened his eyes slightly, only to see a figure walking slowly down the mountain.
"Since you have conceded, this battle ends here," Lin Mu’s faint voice drifted back. "Zhang Daoyun, today I have cut down a dozen of your mountain’s peach blossoms. As of now, my debt to your Heavenly Master Mansion is cleared!"
He activated Dragon Tamer, and instantly, the majority of the peach blossoms on Dragon Tiger Mountain were severed.