"The Venerable Master has given the order! Begin closing the net!"

"The Venerable Master has given the order! Exterminate the Dark Web!"

"The Venerable Master has given the order..."

The great families, together with the power of the Guan Family, launched a bloody purge in River City. For a time, River City was plunged into turmoil, and its people lived in constant fear. The other major families, all tense, shuttered their gates and did not venture out.

After nightfall, the eradication of the Dark Web gradually concluded, but the major families of River City made a shocking discovery. In just a single day, two of the city's great families had vanished, while countless companies and enterprises had gone bankrupt. The Family Heads and the leaders of these enterprises were either thrown in prison or had disappeared completely.

This news left countless other Family Heads and corporate leaders pale with terror. They mobilized various forces to investigate but came up with nothing. After all, the Guan Family had acted personally, and they were following orders from the Military Department. As for the fact that Lin Mu was behind it all, no one dared to breathe a word.

The Dark Web's assets in River City were either carved up by the other great families or delivered to Lin Mu for his disposal. Lin Mu, however, paid this matter little mind. What had captured his attention were three major events that had occurred in the Martial Arts World over the past few days.

First, the Sword God, Shen Lang, had walked into Dragon Tiger Mountain three days prior, a single sword in hand, to challenge Zhang Daoyun, the current Heavenly Master of the Celestial Master Mansion.

The details of that battle never circulated, but it was said that on that day, for miles around Dragon Tiger Mountain, Sword Qi crisscrossed the sky like a divine miracle. At dusk, someone saw a figure resembling the Sword God leaving Dragon Tiger Mountain, his movements graceful and showing no signs of injury.

That night, an order was issued from the Celestial Master Mansion: Dragon Tiger Mountain would be sealed for one year. Any outsiders who trespassed would be treated as mortal enemies.

Sealing the mountain? For a sect, this was an extreme measure, only taken in the face of a true crisis or a monumental event. Thus, most people concluded that in the battle between Zhang Daoyun and the Sword God, the former had suffered a crushing defeat.

The very next day, the second piece of news emerged: Heavenly Master Zhang Daoyun of the Celestial Master Mansion announced that in one year's time, he would challenge River City Lin Wudi.

This news sent shockwaves through all of Huaxia.

River City Lin Wudi! He was a supreme expert, ranked sixteenth on the Heavenly List. Though not yet thirty, he was rumored to be a peerless prodigy. He had cemented his position in the Martial Arts World after his battle on the Bolan River, where he annihilated Yun Xu, the True Immortal of Thunder Law of the Celestial Master Mansion, with his bare hands. That victory earned him his spot on the Heavenly List.

And now, the Heavenly Master Zhang Daoyun intended to challenge him in a year? Was this to avenge his junior brother, Yun Xu? And what was the connection between this and the Sword God's challenge on Dragon Tiger Mountain?

Setting those two matters aside, the third piece of news took even Lin Mu by surprise: the Martial Alliance had accepted Zhang Daoyun's challenge on Lin Mu's behalf.

The Martial Alliance accepting the challenge on Lin Wudi's behalf? What was going on?

Facing questions from all sides, the Martial Alliance offered an explanation: "All martial artists in the world are under the jurisdiction of the Martial Alliance!"

They claimed their reason for accepting on Lin Wudi's behalf was for the sake of the bigger picture. After all, one party was the Celestial Master Mansion, which held the reins of Taoism in the world. The other was the most outstanding, newly ascended Grandmaster the Martial Arts World had seen in a century. If the two were not allowed to fight, the animosity between the Celestial Master Mansion and Lin Wudi would only deepen, which would be detrimental to both the Martial Arts World and Huaxia. Besides, with Lin Wudi's talent, who knew how much stronger he would become in a year?

At this, the Martial Arts World fell silent, and the matter gradually died down.

Lin Mu, however, sensed something else brewing beneath the surface. His relationship with the Martial Alliance was far from good. Their actions were clearly born from a fear that he would refuse Zhang Daoyun's challenge. After all, as the Heavenly Master of the Celestial Master Mansion, Zhang Daoyun's strength was bound to be unfathomable.

Although his name did not appear on the Heavenly List, the consensus in the Martial Arts World was that Zhang Daoyun had already broken into the top ten. By rule, the top ten of the Heavenly List were not publicly announced.

Someone in the top ten challenging someone ranked sixteenth! Anyone could see this would be a battle with a foregone conclusion. That was why the Martial Alliance had been so eager to accept on Lin Mu's behalf.

"The Martial Alliance?"

In his study, Lin Mu smiled faintly. He wasn't worried about Zhang Daoyun in the slightest. It was the Martial Alliance's attitude that displeased him.

They probably would have wanted Zhang Daoyun to come and kill me right now if he hadn't been severely injured in his fight with the Sword God. Lin Mu's eyes glinted with sarcasm. It seems some people are truly eager for my death. The one-year delay isn't for me to cultivate; it's to give Zhang Daoyun time to heal.

"Zhang Daoyun, is it?" Lin Mu laughed nonchalantly. "One year from now, I'll be waiting for you."

...

"Master Lin, you've heard about it, haven't you?"

The moment Guan Chengye learned the news, he sought out Lin Mu, his expression fraught with worry.

"Mm, I've heard," Lin Mu nodded casually, not taking the matter to heart at all.

Seeing his attitude, Guan Chengye felt a touch helpless and urged, "Master Lin, you must not accept this challenge!"

"Oh?" Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Guan Chengye's expression was grave as he said, "Master Lin, Zhang Daoyun's strength is beyond what any ordinary person can imagine. He is a direct descendant of the Celestial Master Mansion, and his life story is the stuff of legends."

Having served in the Military Department and being a part of the Martial Arts World, Guan Chengye knew more about such matters than others.

"Legend has it that he could speak from the moment he was born, and the words he spoke were the countless Daoist scriptures of the Celestial Master Mansion.

"He began practicing with the sword at the age of three. He not only mastered all the sword manuals of the Celestial Master Mansion but comprehended them more completely than any ordinary person!

"At seven, he could fight an Inner Strength expert to a standstill.

"By eighteen, he had entered the Celestial Master Mansion's Ancestral Master Hall and was named the successor by the previous Heavenly Master."

Guan Chengye's voice grew hoarse. "At twenty, it was rumored he had already reached the realm of Grandmaster, though it was never confirmed. But think about it—with Zhang Daoyun's talent, people would believe it even if you said he became a Grandmaster much earlier. After all these years, who knows how much stronger he has become.

"I don't know if there is a realm higher than a Martial Arts Grandmaster in this world, but if there is, Zhang Daoyun is definitely one of those who has reached it!" His face filled with awe. "A person of that realm can hardly be considered human anymore."

Lin Mu's expression gradually turned serious. He had not expected Zhang Daoyun to be so formidable. Of course, it wasn't his realm that was formidable.

It was his innate knowledge.

Perhaps this Zhang Daoyun, just like me, is a reincarnated person carrying memories from a past life. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to know so many of the Celestial Master Mansion's Daoist scriptures and sword manuals. In fact, Lin Mu was almost certain that the man was the reincarnation of a past sage from the Celestial Master Mansion.

If that was the case, then this was a battle he absolutely could not miss.

Since his return, every enemy he had faced had been far too weak to spark any real interest. Now that someone like Zhang Daoyun had finally appeared, he couldn't possibly let the opportunity go.

"Elder Guan, rest assured. I have my own plans," Lin Mu said reassuringly, while thinking to himself, Zhang Daoyun, you had better not disappoint me.

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