Chapter 181 183: Cultivation Gone to the Dogs

After arriving at the Li Villa, Wei Jianjun didn't enter directly. Instead, he stood guard outside, trying his best not to disturb the Li Family's daily life.

However, the Li Family's servants were quite interested in him and came over to strike up a conversation.

One of the Li Family's servants chuckled and said, "Sir, who are you looking for?"

Wei Jianjun said, "I'm not looking for anyone. A friend entrusted me with the task of protecting everyone in the Li Family."

The servants exchanged smiles. "What trouble could we possibly get into?"

Wei Jianjun opened his mouth, then closed it. 'This really isn't something I can easily explain,' he thought.

If he did, the servants would panic, which would only create more chaos.

Seeing that Wei Jianjun didn't seem to be there to cause trouble, the servants let him be and left him sitting there.

Wei Jianjun closed his eyes to rest and meditate, preparing for the battle to come.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

A powerful presence had abruptly appeared before him.

It was a withered-looking old man.

The old man glanced at Wei Jianjun and said, "What are you doing here?"

Wei Jianjun said calmly, "I'm here to fulfill a promise to a friend. Since I agreed to protect the Li Family, I will see it through. But you, Qiu Qianlong, why have you come?"

The old man snorted. "To annihilate the Li Family!"

Wei Jianjun's expression turned extremely grim. "Must you really do this? The Li Family is a minor house. Isn't the Di Yang Li Family afraid of losing face by stooping this low?"

"I, Qiu Qianlong, get paid to do a job. Killing a pig is killing, killing a man is killing. Killing a hero is killing, killing a villain is killing. Who cares about losing face? I've killed women and children, so what? I still eat and sleep just fine."

As Qiu Qianlong spoke, he gazed at the sky with a carefree and detached air.

Wei Jianjun's face was incredibly dark. Qiu Qianlong's strength far surpassed his own; there was simply no way he could win.

If Qiu Qianlong decided to force his way through, even if Wei Jianjun threw his life away, he could only hope to delay him for a few minutes at most.

Qiu Qianlong stared intently at Wei Jianjun. "Get out of my way, and I'll pretend I never saw you!"

But Wei Jianjun didn't budge an inch. "Then you'll have to go through me."

Qiu Qianlong sneered. "You want to oppose me? Or do you want to oppose the Di Yang Li Clan? With your pathetic level of cultivation, are you even worthy?"

A trace of sorrow appeared in Wei Jianjun's eyes, but he remained motionless. He sighed calmly, "I've already given my word, so I won't back down. Do what you will. I will only follow the path of my heart."

Qiu Qianlong laughed loudly. "A fine 'path of my heart'! In that case, you can go die! Do you have no consideration for your family at all? You are the Wei Family's sole pillar of support. What do you think will happen without you? I don't need to spell it out, do I?"

Wei Jianjun gritted his teeth. Of course he knew. But first, Mu Lin had healed him, and for the sake of righteousness, he had no reason to back down. Second, he was optimistic about Mu Lin's strength and wanted to bet big on him.

If he died protecting the Li Family, then Mu Lin would take good care of the Wei Family. The Wei Family might even become stronger than when he was alive.

'Will he?'

Wei Jianjun couldn't be sure, but from his interactions with Mu Lin over the past two days, he seemed to be a person who valued relationships deeply. 'What could make a more lasting impression than the sacrifice of a life?'

The logic was sound. So, he might as well give it his all.

Qiu Qianlong gave a cold smile, and then his figure vanished, dissolving into a wispy mist.

He was gone without a trace.

Although Wei Jianjun was a Grandmaster, he felt utterly lost in the face of another Grandmaster's techniques.

All he could do was put up his guard first and try to find a way to counterattack.

But Qiu Qianlong gave him no such chance. Appearing out of nowhere, he landed a kick on Wei Jianjun, sending him tumbling away like a leather ball.

Dust plumed from the ground, creating a white, hazy cloud.

"Is that all? There are far too many frauds in this world calling themselves Grandmasters."

Even among Grandmasters, a slight difference in cultivation level could result in a world of difference in combat power.

Qiu Qianlong's skills had Wei Jianjun completely outmatched.

Wei Jianjun propped himself up, struggling to steady his body and get back on his feet.

The current scrapes and bruises were merely superficial. For a Grandmaster, they were nothing.

Wei Jianjun told himself that his internal injuries were already healed. Right now, there was nothing that could hold him back.

He had to give it his all and unleash his strongest counterattack against Qiu Qianlong.

But Qiu Qianlong's figure was like a phantom, flickering through the white mist, drawing ever closer. He raised his leg and kicked Wei Jianjun again.

The Protective Gang Qi cracked like an eggshell.

Wei Jianjun staggered back in a sorry state. "You... You've actually reached a higher level!"

Qiu Qianlong roared with laughter. "That's right! You're the noble one who only kills those who deserve to die. I'm the scoundrel who'll kill anyone for the right price. Look how things have turned out now!"

"I've broken through! I've stepped into the Innate Realm! From now on, the gap between us is like that between a mortal and a god. My lifespan will be several times longer than yours!"

Qiu Qianlong's words sent shockwaves through Wei Jianjun's heart.

'If that's really true, then the heavens are truly unfair!'

'Why does he get to be like this, while I have to suffer so much?'

After his smug declaration, Qiu Qianlong began preparing his next wave of attacks.

In reality, he was exaggerating his cultivation level. It wasn't actually that high.

He was still a small half-step away from the Innate Realm.

He thought that with a little more time, he would surely succeed.

For now, he would first kill this hypocrite Wei Jianjun, then clean out everyone in the Li Family, inside and out.

"Wei Jianjun, you can die in peace! I'll send the Li Family to you one by one. You can continue protecting them in the Underworld!"

"Did you ask for my permission?" As the voice rang out, the surrounding air turned bone-chillingly cold.

It was so cold that Qiu Qianlong felt as if he had come out underdressed.

Qiu Qianlong sensed Mu Lin's presence and turned his head to look.

Mu Lin's expression was calm. He didn't see how this showdown was any different from the last one.

This Qiu Qianlong wasn't all that much.

'Just kill him and be done with it.'

Mu Lin rubbed his hands together, preparing to make his move.

But Wei Jianjun shouted himself hoarse at Mu Lin, "Mu Xiaoyou, run! Qiu Qianlong isn't someone we can handle! He's already an Innate Person! He's on a completely different level from us!"

Mu Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh?!"

Then, he sized up Qiu Qianlong with great interest.

With his hands behind his back, Qiu Qianlong gloated, "That's right. I have already stepped into the Innate Realm. I am no longer in the same league as an ant like you! Seeing as you have such a high cultivation at your young age, your talent must be exceptional. Acknowledge me as your master, and I can give you a leg up, help you become even stronger."

He wasn't the least bit afraid that Mu Lin would kill him after becoming stronger, because even the slightest gap in power between Grandmasters could create a massive difference in combat strength.

'It would take Mu Lin a few hundred years to even think about killing me.'

Mu Lin said, "At the watchtower, that was you, wasn't it?"

Qiu Qianlong puffed out his chest proudly. "That's right, it was me! So what?"

"So nothing. You just deserve to die!"

Mu Lin lightly tapped the tip of his foot on the ground. From that point, an aura of extreme cold rapidly expanded outward.

In an instant, it reached Qiu Qianlong.

Qiu Qianlong immediately felt something was wrong. He was about to move when he realized a layer of frost had already fused his shoes tightly to the ground.

They were stuck together as if by glue, rendering him immobile.

"Not a bad trick," Qiu Qianlong said with a slight smile. But in a life-or-death battle, tricks alone weren't enough. He could crush someone like Mu Lin at any time.

"But you're still the one who's going to die!" With that, he threw a punch straight at Mu Lin, aiming for his heart meridian.

His hand was suffused with a sinister, venomous aura. The moment Mu Lin made contact, it would instantly invade his entire body and poison him.

But the extremely cold aura was faster. It froze the venomous aura and, in a single sweep, actually froze half of Qiu Qianlong's body.

Qiu Qianlong's expression changed again and again. 'What is happening?!'

'I'm supposed to be the one in control here! Who the hell do you think you are, kid?'

Mu Lin briskly stepped forward, raised his fist high like a hammer, and brought it down, shattering Qiu Qianlong's arm.

Because it was frozen solid, it was incredibly brittle. A single punch was all it took to snap the arm clean off.

Qiu Qianlong watched, wide-eyed and in disbelief, as his own arm was broken.

He was a Grandmaster! The toughness of his physical body should have been obvious to all. Yet Mu Lin had broken his arm. 'How is that possible?!'