Chapter 182: Frosty Methods

What Mu Lin did next left Qiu Qianlong utterly astonished.

The stubborn frost on the ground instantly thawed, and blood began to gush from the stump of his severed arm.

The sight was horrifying.

Mu Lin lifted his leg and sent Qiu Qianlong flying with a kick.

"You son of a bitch," Mu Lin cursed. Qiu Qianlong tumbled away wretchedly, leaving a gruesome trail of blood on the ground.

He was in even worse shape than Wei Jianjun had been moments ago.

With his arm severed, the flow of energy throughout his body had been drastically altered.

The techniques he had just perfected were now useless. It was like breaking the legs of an adult accustomed to walking and forcing him to walk on his hands—completely unnatural.

He was completely at Mu Lin's mercy.

Wei Jianjun was dumbfounded. He was genuinely terrified. 'Things can actually be done this way!'

Qiu Qianlong was an Innate realm master, yet Mu Lin was thrashing him like a child.

Mu Lin's power far exceeded his imagination. He had suspected Mu Lin was strong, but he never dreamed he could be *this* strong!

Seeing Wei Jianjun still on the ground, Mu Lin walked over and asked,

"Elder Wei, can you get up?"

Wei Jianjun stared at Mu Lin with pure adoration, forgetting to answer.

"Grandmaster Wei!"

Wei Jianjun hastily replied, "No, no, I don't deserve such an honor!"

He then scrambled to his feet.

"Mu Xiaoyou, to be able to beat an Innate Divine Realm master into such a state... You are simply incredible!"

Mu Lin paused. "Divine Realm? Him? You've been tricked!"

Mu Lin mercilessly exposed the truth. "His strength might be a hair stronger than a Grandmaster, but that's about it."

"He's at Half-Step Perfection, but as long as he hasn't truly reached it, that final half-step is an insurmountable chasm. Plenty of people get stuck there for a lifetime."

"Using a grand title to scare people… how pathetic," Mu Lin said, walking up to Qiu Qianlong and unleashing a flurry of brutal punches.

He wasn't using any special techniques—just heavy, powerful fists raining down on Qiu Qianlong's face.

Missing one arm, Qiu Qianlong's internal power was in disarray, leaving him with only his raw muscle strength.

And how could that possibly compare to Mu Lin, who was at his peak?

Relying on sheer muscle, he slammed his hand on the ground and sprang backward like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

He finally managed to land on his feet.

Qiu Qianlong struggled to redirect his energy and seal the wound on his arm.

At his high realm, such a feat would normally have required but a single thought. But with a missing arm, he had to recalibrate everything.

It felt completely unnatural.

'It's all that Mu Lin's fault. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this predicament.'

"But I *am* in the Divine Realm! Once I kill you, I'll have all the time I need to stabilize my cultivation!"

Mu Lin burst out laughing. "You still think you'll get to stabilize your realm?"

He took a massive stride forward, the ground shaking violently from the force. Mu Lin used the momentum to launch himself into the air, hurtling straight toward Qiu Qianlong.

Rage flared in Qiu Qianlong's heart. He frantically channeled his internal energy, pouring all of it into his one remaining hand.

The intensity of the internal energy gathered in that hand was immense as he unleashed a strike at Mu Lin.

Mu Lin also gathered power in his own fist and met the attack head-on, refusing to back down.

When they collided, it felt as if the very earth shook.

Qiu Qianlong immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and stumbled back several steps.

"Impossible... Impossible! How can this be!" Qiu Qianlong cried out in sheer terror, pointing a trembling finger at Mu Lin.

An ordinary Grandmaster wouldn't have been able to withstand that punch.

The only way Mu Lin could have taken it was if he had already entered the Innate Divine Realm before him.

'But how is that possible? He's too young!'

"You old bastard, stop hiding! Take off that Disguise Mask! Don't think I can't see through you!"

Qiu Qianlong roared at Mu Lin, "The number of Divine Realm masters in Nanjiang can be counted on one hand! Which bored old relic are you, coming out here to bully the younger generation?"

Mu Lin was completely baffled. "What's he talking about? Elder Wei, can you explain?"

Elder Wei looked just as confused, but he ventured a guess. "He thinks you're some old master from the Divine Realm who's using a Human Skin Mask to play around with a fake identity."

Mu Lin tilted his head. "Do I look that bored?"

'Do you not?' Elder Wei thought to himself.

"My name is Mu Lin. I don't hide who I am, and I'm not some disguise for another person," Mu Lin said, slowly walking up to Qiu Qianlong.

Qiu Qianlong retorted angrily, "A Divine Realm master this young? No one would believe it!"

Mu Lin said, "Whether you believe it or not is your problem, not mine. The Zhou Family is very important to me. You've got a lot of nerve, daring to hurt them."

Qiu Qianlong's mouth twitched, but he remained silent.

Mu Lin continued, "For their sake alone, I can't let you live."

With that, he erupted with power and shot toward Qiu Qianlong like a cannonball.

If he made contact, the sheer force would blast Qiu Qianlong to smithereens.

Fighting for his life, Qiu Qianlong desperately scrambled backward.

He'd already tried clashing head-on, and that hadn't worked. The only option left was to run.

With just a couple of quick taps on the ground, Qiu Qianlong had already leaped a great distance away.

"I may not be able to kill you today, but you can't stop me from leaving! I'll let you keep your head for now, but I'll be back to collect it!"

Wei Jianjun grew anxious. On the one hand, one should never pursue a cornered enemy; he might fall for one of Qiu Qianlong's dirty tricks.

On the other hand, Qiu Qianlong was incredibly powerful. If he was truly determined to make an enemy of Mu Lin, Mu Lin's life would be plagued with trouble.

"Mu Xiaoyou, we have to chase him! We can't let him get away!"

After a moment of deliberation, Wei Jianjun gritted his teeth.

It was better to deal with this now than let it fester. With him here, he could at least offer Mu Lin some help.

"Elder Wei, stand back. Don't get in the way," Mu Lin called out.

Wei Jianjun froze. 'What did he just say? Told me not to get in the way?'

'I, Wei Jianjun, am a Grandmaster, for crying out loud! What does he mean, don't get in the way?'

But a moment later, Wei Jianjun understood exactly what Mu Lin meant.

He saw Mu Lin raise a hand, and a plume of pale mist shot from his palm. The mist instantly caught up to Qiu Qianlong, completely engulfing the lower half of his body.

The surrounding temperature plummeted by what felt like seven or eight degrees, and Wei Jianjun couldn't help but shiver.

'Why is it so cold!'

But Mu Lin didn't wait for the mist to dissipate. He ran straight through it, heading forward.

As Mu Lin passed through the mist, it rapidly converged and flowed back into his body.

The temperature returned to normal just as quickly. It was a miraculous sight.

'Wei Jianjun recalled the cooling jade that Mu Lin had carved from a raw stone earlier. Could it be related?'

'He wasn't sure. He could ask later.'

Following after Mu Lin, Wei Jianjun saw that a thick shell of ice had encased Qiu Qianlong's lower body, rendering him immobile.

'That white mist is truly vicious.'

Mu Lin walked up to Qiu Qianlong, squatted down, and said coldly,

"Well? Still running?"

Qiu Qianlong was utterly helpless. Trapped by the ice, he truly couldn't run.

But that didn't mean he was ready to give up and die!

A venomous glint appeared in his eyes as a plan suddenly formed in his mind.

"I'm not running! I'm not running! I can't run anymore!"

Qiu Qianlong lay on the ground, completely still.

Mu Lin walked over, reaching for the back of Qiu Qianlong's collar.

Suddenly, a cloud of cyan-green poison gas erupted from Qiu Qianlong's remaining hand, shooting directly at Mu Lin.

Wei Jianjun's face fell in horror. If Mu Lin fell for the trick, wouldn't Qiu Qianlong regain the upper hand?

Not only would the entire Li Family be wiped out, but Mu Lin would also surely die.

Even he himself would face Qiu Qianlong's wrath.

But to his amazement, Mu Lin simply made a grasping motion in the air. The cloud of bluish-gray poison gas was instantly confined within his palm, completely immobilized.

"Heh heh," Mu Lin chuckled. "You old poison dog, you shouldn't underestimate the heroes of this world."

He then pinched Qiu Qianlong's mouth open and stuffed the ball of bluish-gray poison gas right inside.

Qiu Qianlong was flabbergasted. He began to cough violently, desperately trying to expel the gas.

It's a known fact that even a venomous snake can be killed by its own poison. Qiu Qianlong's lungs couldn't withstand the insidious venom he had refined. His face quickly turned a ghastly purple, contorting in agony.

But as a Half-Step Innate master, his powerful constitution kept him from dying. The agonizing corrosion, however, was unbearable.

"Run! Go on, run if you can!" Mu Lin taunted, kicking Qiu Qianlong a few times and sending shards of ice flying.

Seeing his predicament, Qiu Qianlong hurriedly said, "Let me go! I'll give you money! I swear I'll never come after you again!"

Mu Lin replied, "First, I don't need your money. Second, you'll definitely come back for me."

"No! I promise! I can swear on it!"

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "Your younger brother was Qiu Qianhe, wasn't he? I'm the one who killed him. Even if only for revenge, you're bound to come looking for me again."