An old man appeared at the entrance of Qi Shi Xuan.

A pair of triangular eyes stared intently at Lin Mu.

The newcomer was Ding Fengqiu.

Ding Fengqiu looked at Lin Mu and said with a chilling tone, "If you kill him, I'll make you wish for death but deny you even that!"

Two vibrant green snakes were coiled around his wrists, hissing toward Lin Mu.

"Martial Uncle, save me!"

Seeing Ding Fengqiu, Yuwen Jing's face lit up with ecstatic joy, and he scrambled toward him.

"Who can stop me from killing the man I want dead?"

Lin Mu smiled indifferently. His body flickered, and he reappeared behind Yuwen Jing, slapping down with his palm.

"Unc—"

SLAP!

Yuwen Jing had only uttered a single syllable before his head flew from his shoulders, landing right in front of Ding Fengqiu.

PFFT!

Blood gushed from Yuwen Jing's neck like a fountain, spattering across Ding Fengqiu's clothes.

Seeing the lingering pain and despair on Yuwen Jing's face, Ding Fengqiu's expression turned hideous.

"Good... very good... excellent!" Ding Fengqiu spat out, his voice turning glacial. "Lin Mu, you killed my disciple, and today you've killed my martial nephew. This blood feud is irreconcilable. I will kill you today!"

"Go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the green snakes on his wrist arched its body and shot out.

HISS!

Though small, the snake was incredibly venomous. It was a Gu Insect that Ding Fengqiu had spent a great deal to tame. It was called the Puppet Gu.

Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster bitten by it would become completely rigid, no different from a puppet. The snake was exceptionally fast. In the blink of an eye, it was before Lin Mu, its fangs bared to strike.

"Such disgraceful trash. How dare you embarrass yourself in front of me," Lin Mu chuckled, waving his hand gently.

A beam of sword light flashed from his palm, instantly slicing through the small snake.

SCHLICK!

The snake stiffened mid-air before its movement ceased entirely. It fell to the ground in two pieces, cleaved in half by Lin Mu's single strike.

Seeing this, Ding Fengqiu's face paled.

"You dare destroy my Gu Insect? You're courting death!"

Ding Fengqiu roared in fury, and the last green snake on his wrist dropped to the floor.

PFFT!

The moment the small snake landed, it opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of smoke. The stench was incredibly foul; an ordinary person who smelled it would have their flesh rot away.

RUSTLE! RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

Following the release of the smoke, countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants swarmed out from every corner of Qi Shi Xuan. Their sheer number was enough to make one's skin crawl, and every one of them was laced with deadly poison.

"A Gu King?"

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Ding Fengqiu to have nurtured a Gu King.

Ding Fengqiu sneered, "Lin Mu, hand over the Nine-Star Bloodshadow Worm and your cultivation technique right now, and I can spare your life. Otherwise, I'll make sure not even your bones remain!"

These venomous creatures were all summoned by the Gu King under his command. Any ordinary Martial Artist who encountered them would face certain death, and even a Grandmaster would find themselves in significant trouble.

Ding Fengqiu had already made up his mind. Even if Lin Mu surrendered the Nine-Star Bloodshadow Worm and his cultivation technique, he would not be spared. After killing his disciple and now his martial nephew, this grudge would not be so easily forgotten.

However, far from showing fear, Lin Mu's eyes held a look of ridicule.

"When it comes to insect-controlling arts, I'm far more skilled than you."

Lin Mu smiled faintly. He suddenly stared at the Gu King, which was coiled among the swarm with its head held high. An invisible wave of Divine Soul power erupted from him.

A flicker of human-like fear appeared deep within the pupils of the green snake. Its gaze went slack, and it silently turned around to face Ding Fengqiu.

"Hm?"

Ding Fengqiu froze for a second before his expression changed drastically.

"You've taken control of my Gu King?!"

He felt his connection to the green snake snap, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. When a Gu King's control was seized, its master suffered a severe backlash.

"Your barbarian techniques are only good for scaring common folk. Against me, they are completely useless."

Lin Mu snapped his fingers. The green snake leaped into the air and shot toward Ding Fengqiu.

His face contorted in panic, Ding Fengqiu screamed, "Bite him! Go bite him!"

But the Gu King was now under Lin Mu's control. Ignoring its former master's commands, it lunged and bit down. Not only that, but the countless venomous creatures it controlled also swarmed madly toward Ding Fengqiu.

"AAAHHH!"

In the blink of an eye, Ding Fengqiu was enveloped by the horde, letting out a piercing scream.

"Get off me!"

He roared, his True Yuan erupting to blast away the swarms of insects. But the creatures were too numerous. By the time Ding Fengqiu had annihilated them all, his own body was covered in wounds.

The Gu Insects were highly toxic. Even though Ding Fengqiu was ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Ranking, the flesh on his face and body had begun to rot, making for a gruesome sight.

He had spent his life refining and using Gu, only to finally suffer from their backlash. It was a fitting turn of the Heavenly Dao.

Having narrowly escaped death, Ding Fengqiu glared at Lin Mu with a look of pure, sinister hatred. "Brat, I will remember this!"

Lin Mu said flatly, "I never said I was letting you go."

Since this Ding Fengqiu was also a member of the Dark Web, he deserved to die.

"You want to kill me?"

Ding Fengqiu gave a cruel laugh. "Do you think I'm a weakling like Yun Xu? My rank on the Heavenly Ranking is higher than his. If you want to kill me, come back after a few more years of training!"

"Is that so?" Lin Mu said indifferently. "Your rank on the Heavenly Ranking means nothing. Killing you won't be difficult. It's just a matter of one step."

As his words fell, Lin Mu slowly took a single step forward.

The moment his foot landed, the ground roared with a thunderous sound, and the entire floor of Qi Shi Xuan sank.

Ding Fengqiu's pupils constricted.

This boy's power is unfathomable. I am no match for him. It's better to avoid a direct confrontation for now.

Having made his decision, Ding Fengqiu moved to flee even faster.

"I told you. You're not leaving!"

As Lin Mu's voice faded, he took a second step.

When his foot touched the ground, Ding Fengqiu felt an invisible force in the air bind him completely.

"What is this power?!"

His eyes filled with terror, and his heart pounded with fear.

"Heavenly Emperor Nine Steps!"

Lin Mu's cold voice echoed from the sky.

Ding Fengqiu spun around, and his heart seized.

Lin Mu was standing in the air directly above him.

"Die!"

Lin Mu took another step.

As this foot descended, Ding Fengqiu felt the entire world plunge into darkness, leaving only the sight of that one enormous foot.

Heavenly Emperor Nine Steps.

One Step, Rivers Shatter!

Terrify Ghosts and Gods with the Second Step!

Third Step: Heaven and Earth Change!

BOOM!

The foot landed. Before Ding Fengqiu could even scream, he was stomped into a paste of flesh and blood.

A mighty Heavenly Ranking Grandmaster, stamped to death by Lin Mu with a single foot.

If word of this got out, the entire Martial Arts World would be thrown into chaos.

Looking at the devastation around him, Lin Mu smiled faintly. He took out his phone and called Guan Chengye.

"Elder Guan, it's time to close the net."

"Yes, Master Lin!"

Hanging up, Lin Mu looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, "From this day forward, the Dark Web will be no more in River City."

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