AWOO!
The black dragon shrieked in agony as its horn shattered, its dark aura disintegrated, and its vital blood gushed out. A single sword strike had broken it.
But the Sword Qi did not stop there.
The horn, the head, the claws, the tail.
The terrifying Gigantic Dragon was cleaved in two by the greatsword.
The boundless dark aura spread in all directions, causing every mountain and forest it touched to wither instantly.
Such horrific destructive power, yet it was shattered by a single sword strike from Lin Mu.
Ao Guangās expression twisted in horror as a premonition of death washed over him.
Thereās such a powerful Cultivator in the secular world? Twelve-Fold Towers... an exiled immortal of the extreme realm. The secular world, the Ancient Land... which is the true cradle of Cultivation? Between myself and Lin Wudi, who is the true Immortal?
No, I canāt die! Iām a Cultivator from the Ancient Land! How could I die in the secular world? I... I have to escape!
Terror filled Ao Guangās face as he ripped a talisman, harnessing the light of his sword and channeling all his Mana to flee toward the horizon.
"I have a sword that can slay Immortals."
Lin Muās killing intent surged; he had no intention of letting Ao Guang escape.
A blade of light manifested in Lin Muās hand. In a flash, it seemed to tear through space itself, appearing behind Ao Guang.
"No!"
Ao Guang wailed in despair, trying to break his final seal. He would rather be crushed to death by the worldās external pressure than miss this final chance to kill Lin Mu.
Unfortunately for him, his speed at undoing the seal was far slower than Lin Muās blade of light.
PFFT!
The light pierced through him. His head was run through, and his body froze in mid-air.
A moment later, a streak of white light shot out from Ao Guangās body. It fled toward the horizon, moving even faster than he had on his Sword Talisman.
"A mere Foundation Establishment Divine Soul thinks it can escape from me? Get back here!"
With a wave of Lin Muās hand, the white light reversed course and flew back, landing in his palm.
The white light converged, revealing a miniaturized Ao Guang.
He pleaded bitterly, "Lin Wudi, a clean death is the most one can ask for! Youāve already destroyed my physical body; must you annihilate my Divine Soul as well? Spare me, and I can recommend you to an Ancient Land Sect."
"With your talent, it wonāt take many years for you to become the foremost expert in the Ancient Land. Why languish in the cage of the secular world?"
How arrogant he had been, and how pathetic he was now. It was both pitiful and laughable.
"Rest assured," Lin Mu said faintly, "I will not destroy your Divine Soul."
Ao Guangās Divine Soul was overjoyed, thinking he had a chance to survive.
Once I return to the Ancient Land and restore my body, Iāll think of a way to torture this fool Lin Mu! So much for āLin Wudiā... heās just an idiotic Mortal, foolish enough to release a tiger back into the mountains.
Lin Muās voice turned icy. "You poisoned Luo Li, intending to refine her into a Cauldron. How could I possibly let you die so easily? My hatred will not be appeased until I have tormented your Divine Soul for a thousand years."
"No, you canāt do this! I am a great Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion! You canāt... AHHH!"
With a few flicks of his fingers, Lin Mu used Samadhi True Fire to refine the Ao Guangās Golden Sabre he had acquired into a ring-shaped Magic Artifact, into which he cast Ao Guangās Divine Soul. The ring was filled with Samadhi True Fire, and Ao Guangās Divine Soul would be burned by it day after day, unable to die even if it wished to.
He had won. Lin Mu, Lin Wudi, was victorious.
At that moment, not only the Divine Machine Camp but also the martial arts powerhouses who had been observing from Changbai Mountainās Heavenly Lake had just arrived.
They arrived just in time to witness Lin Mu, Lin Wudi, defeat Martial Alliance Leader Ye Kuangren, suppress the Western Deity Raceās Thunder God, and kill a Foundation Building Immortal from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion.
Even seeing it with their own eyes, they still found it hard to believe.
That Lin Wudi was so terrifyingly powerful. He could defeat those in the Reaching the Divine realm and strike down those in the Foundation Establishment realm.
A god! A deity! Only a true god could achieve such legendary feats.
From this day forward, Lin Mu was a living myth, the number one person in the world.
Previously, by crushing the Qin Family and wiping out the Han Family, Lin Mu had already become the top figure in the Martial Arts World. After today, even the gods of the West and the Immortals of the Ancient Land would have to bow their heads before him.
All the Martial Artists were filled with reverence and bowed respectfully. How fortunate they were to have personally witnessed the birth of a Martial Way legend.
"Do as you please. Iāll be back shortly."
Lin Mu rose into the air and vanished from sight.
"Is he going to kill the Thunder God?"
"The Thunder God dared to offend the divine might of Lin Wudi. Does he not deserve to be killed?"
"The Thunder God? Hah, what a joke. If Lin Wudi doesnāt call himself a god, who dares to?"
***
ćAbove the East Sea.ć
The Thunder God furiously commanded the Thunderbolt, desperately trying to escape. The power of the Thunderbolt was formidable in attack, and its speed was exceptional when used for fleeing. Before he became famous, the Thunder God had relied on the speed of his Thunderbolt to escape from countless powerful enemies.
Today, however, he could not get away.
Because the one pursuing him was Thunder Mountain of the Eight Thunder Gods.
The Thunder God had merely stolen the Rod of Zeus and called himself a god. Thunder Mountain, however, was a True God, summoned by Lin Mu from the Upper Realm. Furthermore, with a single touch from Lin Mu, he had broken through the suppression of the Human Realm and could now unleash even greater power.
The Thunder God had nowhere to run.
The Thunder God tried to provoke him, hoping for a slim chance of survival. "Thunder Mountain! For shame! You are a True God from the Upper Realm, yet you take orders from a mere Mortal in the Human Realm. What right do you have to call yourself a god?"
Thunder Mountainās cold snort sounded like a muffled clap of thunder.
The muscles on the Thunder Godās back exploded, exposing the stark white bone beneath. He gritted his teeth in fury.
"You savage Eastern god!" the Thunder God cursed. "You understand nothing!"
Thunder Mountainās voice boomed like a drumroll of thunder. "You are but a Western False God who has stolen a sliver of a Divine Artifactās power. How could you possibly comprehend the majesty of Emperor Zun?"
Emperor Zun. This was the second time the Thunder God had heard Thunder Mountain refer to Lin Mu by that title. Previously, he had just assumed it was a term of respect used in Eastern arts of godly invocation, what the summoned spirit called its host. Now, it seemed it wasnāt so simple.
"Thunder Mountain, I hold no great grudge against your Emperor Zun. In fact, he killed one of my avatars. Iām willing to let the matter drop. Can you just let me go?"
At this moment, the Thunder Godās once haughty demeanor from claiming to be the Deity of All Deities was nowhere to be found.
"Emperor Zun has ordered your death. That is your fate. Whether or not you hold a grudge is irrelevant."
Thunder Mountain said no more. White sparks of Thunderbolt flickered around his body as he increased his speed yet again.
Thunder God and Thunder Mountain. One black, one white. The two bolts of lightning continued their chase across the sea.
The shockwaves from the two godsā Thunderbolts made the oceanās surface explode. Countless marine creatures floated on the surface, their bodies charred and reeking. From tiny fish and shrimp to giant whales and sharks, whether they were at the bottom of the food chain or the apex predators of the sea, none could escape the might of the Thunderbolt.
"Well done, Thunder Mountain."
Suddenly, a voice resounded beside him.
The Thunder God was so terrified his soul nearly fled his body.
Impossible! How could Lin Wudi have possibly caught up? What about Martial Alliance Leader Ye Kuangren? Wasnāt he boasting that heād kill Lin Wudi himself? And what about that arrogant Immortal from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion, the one who turned talismans into swords and looked down on all creation? Couldnāt those two useless fools even slow Lin Wudi down?
The Thunder Godās teeth itched with hatred.
"Lin Wudi! Donāt push me!" he shrieked hysterically. "Zeusās Lightning Sword Thunder is still sealed within me! If I release it, you will die without a doubt!"
"Oh? Then by all means, bring it out and let me have a look," Lin Mu replied, intrigued.
The Thunder God felt utterly frustrated.
How he wished he could strike Lin Mu down.
But the power of Zeusās Lightning Sword Thunder was far too terrifying, and he had never been able to control it. For years, he had used the Aegisāthe Shield of Zeusāto suppress the Lightning Sword. If he used it rashly, even if he managed to kill Lin Mu, he would die from the backlash of the Lightning Sword Thunder.
In ancient Greek mythology, almost all Divine Artifacts were ill-omened.
They would turn on their masters!
P.S. So, while walking in the evening breeze yesterday, I was accidentally hit in the eye by a young ladyās headphones. Nothing felt wrong at the time, and being a gentleman, I didnāt ask for compensation. Then I woke up this morning and couldnāt even open my eye. I looked in the mirror, and my god, itās painful and swollen! Let me state for the record: I do not have a black eye. If Iām lying, Iām a little pig