Daoist Master Qing Yu was prostrate on the floor, kowtowing relentlessly and begging for mercy while the others watched in terror. The only sound in the frighteningly silent hall was the dull thud of his forehead striking the floor.

The atmosphere was utterly eerie.

Lin Mu was silent, not saying a word. This only made Daoist Master Qing Yu more desperate, as he dared not stop for fear of further enraging him.

"Enough!"

Just then, a person stepped out from the crowd. It was Zhang Xian. He clutched his chest with one hand, his face still pale, and he coughed intermittently. He looked at Lin Mu with firm resolve.

"So what if you are truly Master Lin? What right do you have to be the Master of the Three Rivers when you humiliate Daoist Master Qing Yu like this?"

The crowd was startled, looking at Zhang Xian with a mixture of surprise and admiration. He was the first person to dare speak to a Martial Arts Grandmaster in such a way. Moreover, he was speaking up for Daoist Master Qing Yu without any apparent fear that Lin Mu would strike him down.

Sure enough, Lin Mu remained silent. At this, the crowd's admiration for Zhang Xian grew.

A flicker of smugness crossed Zhang Xian's eyes, but his expression grew even more resolute, bordering on sorrowful indignation.

"Since you are a Martial Arts Grandmaster, the Master of the Three Rivers, you should seek the welfare of the martial artists of the Three Rivers Area, not indulge in indiscriminate slaughter," Zhang Xian declared loudly. "You have previously slain countless peers, and now you utterly humiliate Daoist Master Qing Yu. Tell me, is this the Master Lin renowned throughout the Three Rivers Area? Is this the conduct of a Martial Arts Grandmaster?

"Are you not afraid that your peers in the Martial Arts World will grow dissatisfied with you and curse you for your lack of virtue?"

Zhang Xian's final shout was clear and forceful, resonating through the hall. Everyone felt a jolt. Stirred by his words, they all straightened their backs and stood behind him.

There's safety in numbers! they thought. Even if Lin Mu is a Grandmaster, would he dare defy the entire world and kill us all?

Daoist Master Qing Yu was also stunned. He looked at Lin Mu with a complicated mix of emotions: resentment, fear, and even jealousy and humiliation. Of course, there was no shortage of ridicule either. After all, Lin Mu was simply too young.

So what if you're a Grandmaster? Once you're branded with the crime of wantonly killing the innocent, you'll find it impossible to take a single step in this world.

This was Zhang Xian's goal and method: not just to kill the man, but to destroy his reputation. If Lin Mu truly dared to do something so radical, the Martial Alliance would not let him off. All martial artists under heaven were governed by the Martial Alliance.

"Are you finished?" Lin Mu asked, looking at Zhang Xian with an expression as placid as still water.

For some reason, Zhang Xian felt a flicker of fear when he met Lin Mu's gaze. However, the thought of so many people standing behind him gave him courage. No matter how formidable Lin Mu was, he was still just one person.

"Hmph. What if I am? What if I'm not? Are you actually going to kill me?" Zhang Xian snorted coldly, his face a mask of scorn.

So what if you're a Grandmaster? I'm still here, pointing at your nose and scolding you as if you were a mere child.

"If you're done talking," Lin Mu said blandly, pressing his palm forward toward Zhang Xian, "then you can die."

"You... You dare!" Zhang Xian shrieked, his voice sharp and horrified, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

Lin Mu's face was mocking. "Did you not know that a Grandmaster must not be insulted? To do so is to court death."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying power erupted from his palm.

ROAR!

It was the roar of a dragon.

CRACK!

A bolt of black lightning shot from Lin Mu's palm, screaming toward Zhang Xian.

Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!

"No..."

In that moment, Zhang Xian was finally, truly afraid. His earlier grandstanding and righteous rhetoric were meaningless against a single sentence from Lin Mu.

A Grandmaster must not be insulted; to do so is to court death!

This was an iron law of the Martial Arts World. Not even the Martial Alliance Leader himself could say a thing if he were present.

PFFT!

Before Zhang Xian could finish pleading for his life, the crackling lightning bolt descended, incinerating him into a pile of fine ash. His Divine Soul was utterly obliterated. The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder destroyed both soul and spirit, leaving no chance for reincarnation.

Zhang Xian was dead. Annihilated without a trace.

A cold wind blew through the hall, and everyone shivered. They were completely cowed by the power Lin Mu had displayed.

Control over thunder!

Such a god-like ability was possessed by fewer than five people in the entire world. And Master Lin, the Master of the Three Rivers, had become famous in his battle at Wufeng Town precisely for wielding thunder.

At this thought, everyone exchanged glances. Then, with a series of thuds, their knees buckled, and they all fell to the ground.

"Master Lin, this was all Zhang Xian's doing! It has nothing to do with us!"

"Yes, Master Lin, please spare our lives!"

"..."

These martial artists, who had just been standing with Zhang Xian, now begged for their lives without any sense of shame. They even began to denounce Zhang Xian, condemning his treacherous heart with the harshest of words. To them, as long as they could save their own skins, they would do anything Lin Mu asked.

Lin Mu looked down at them, his eyes devoid of pity or emotion.

They're nothing but a bunch of spineless trash. Killing them would only dirty my hands.

With that, Lin Mu turned his gaze to Daoist Master Qing Yu.

"Do you want to live?" he asked, his voice carrying an unreadable chill.

Daoist Master Qing Yu trembled. "Yes! Please, Master Lin, give me a chance."

"Fine." Lin Mu nodded, his tone indifferent. "Since you wish to live, I will grant you that opportunity."

The corners of Lin Mu's mouth lifted into an impossibly cold smirk. A deep, unsettling chill washed over Daoist Master Qing Yu and everyone else in the hall.

"I'll leave these people to you," Lin Mu said. "You know what to do."

Although Daoist Master Qing Yu had suspected it, hearing the words confirmed made his eyes bulge as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"This..."

He wanted to protest, but Lin Mu had already turned and was walking toward the second floor.

"You can refuse."

The voice floated back, devoid of emotion but laced with a relentless killing intent.

"But you will bear the consequences."

A cold sweat drenched Daoist Master Qing Yu. He finally understood. To this Master Lin, it didn't matter how many people died. But the people here today absolutely had to die. Because they had all wished for Master Lin's death.

"Hff... Hff..."

Realizing this, Daoist Master Qing Yu slowly rose to his feet, a scarlet, manic glint appearing in his eyes. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live!

"No!"

"Daoist Master Qing Yu, you can't kill us!"

"Daoist Master Qing Yu, how could you!"

As the Daoist Master approached, everyone instinctively scrambled back, their faces masks of pure terror. But he completely ignored their pleas, his gaze uncharacteristically merciless.

"You disrespected Master Lin earlier. Now, you are simply reaping what you sowed."

Daoist Master Qing Yu closed his eyes, then snapped them open and muttered, "Don't blame me for this."

With that, he transformed into a gust of wind and charged into the crowd.

"You old charlatan! If you think you can kill me, I won't go down easy!"

"Right, let's fight him!"

A few of the more hot-blooded martial artists roared, preparing to fight to the death.

However, though Daoist Master Qing Yu was no match for Lin Mu, he was still a powerful figure half a step into the Grandmaster realm. How could this crowd possibly be his match, no matter their numbers?

And so, another bloody massacre unfolded in the club.

The first was by Lin Mu's hand.

This one was because of him.

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