Chapter 204 203: Pitch-Black

Sun Tiandang looked at Mu Lin. "You've got a lot of nerve. Death is staring you in the face, yet you're still putting on a front. If I had your guts, my cultivation achievements would be far greater than they are now."

Mu Lin tilted his head, stretched his muscles, and remained perfectly calm.

"We'll see what you're made of once we get started, won't we?"

Sun Tiandang spoke with a condescending air of authority.

"All you have to do is accept your fate! I'm in a hurry!"

Mu Lin was displeased. "You're a Divine Realm expert, after all. Have you no sense of reason?"

Sun Tiandang laughed heartily. "Since when has this world ever been reasonable? For an Innate Divine Realm expert to be spouting such nonsense, aren't you just bored?"

He took a step forward, and a powerful gust of wind swept toward Mu Lin.

Dust from the ground was kicked up, flying straight for Mu Lin's eyes.

But with a single shake of his arm, Mu Lin generated a gust of his own that blew all the dust away.

"Nice move!" Sun Tiandang chuckled, then grinned greedily like a child who'd just seen a new toy. "To be able to react so calmly under my assault... it seems you're no ordinary person."

Mu Lin couldn't be bothered to reply, instead bracing himself for the next wave of attacks.

Suddenly, Sun Tiandang took a step back and vanished from Mu Lin's sight.

Mu Lin released his divine sense, locking onto Sun Tiandang's position.

He spun around, precisely blocking Sun Tiandang's strike.

"Trying to sneak attack me? You're a few centuries too early for that!" Mu Lin shot a kick at Sun Tiandang.

Sun Tiandang hastily flipped away, unleashing countless techniques in the process.

The corner of Sun Tiandang's mouth curled up. "Not bad! So even that move couldn't get you."

Mu Lin couldn't be bothered with small talk. To him, this was all just child's play.

Sun Tiandang laughed boisterously. "This is just like my fight with Dong Wu back in the day. What a rush!"

'If this is all Dong Wu was capable of, I probably could have taken him out too,' Mu Lin thought.

'Then again, Sun Tiandang did say it was the Dong Wu from many years ago. After all these years of cultivation, he's probably not the same pushover anymore.'

Mu Lin spun around, kicking up several pieces of rubble from the ground that spiraled toward Sun Tiandang.

They flew with a WHOOSHING sound, carrying an immense, ear-piercing pressure.

Divine Doctor Zhao quickly covered Zhao Ling'Er's ears. She was already injured; if her ears were damaged by this sharp shriek, it would be a disaster.

'I never thought Mu Lin had this kind of power, to be able to hold his own against Sun Tiandang. He probably wasn't even going all out before! The gap between us is just too big.'

The stones spiraled in front of Sun Tiandang. He threw a punch, and the air before his fist compressed under the immense, sudden pressure.

Anything seen through this pocket of air looked as if it were viewed through a magnifying glass, with all the lines distorting.

Without even making contact, the spinning stones were instantly turned to dust, which scattered into the air.

Mu Lin's expression changed. He had thought this move would have a decent effect, but he never expected it to be neutralized so completely. This was going to be troublesome.

He said gravely, "To cultivate both brute force and Qi Force simultaneously... interesting."

Sun Tiandang licked his lips, seeming to savor the atmosphere of battle. "You know? My opponents are usually too weak, so I rarely get to go all-out. I've hardly ever had a fight like this."

"I didn't expect you to be this strong. It's a good thing I was free and came myself. If it had been anyone else, they might not have been able to take you down so easily."

"But since I'm here, I have no intention of letting you leave alive. It's not for any other reason than this: you have desecrated the honor of the Ning Family."

Mu Lin's expression remained very grave.

"To walk two paths at once, paths that even conflict with each other, and still reach this level... Your talent is truly incredible."

Sun Tiandang chuckled coldly. A compliment from an enemy certainly had its value.

However, it didn't make him feel any sense of mutual admiration. Mu Lin had desecrated the Ning Family, and for that, Sun Tiandang would make sure he was ground to dust.

Then Mu Lin spoke. "Under normal circumstances, I might have let you go, just to see how far you could grow."

"But now that you've hurt Divine Doctor Zhao and Ling'Er, I'm afraid that's no longer an option. I will make you suffer!"

As he spoke, Mu Lin's aura changed, becoming different from before.

Sun Tiandang was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Mu Lin to have the gall to threaten him. For a moment, he couldn't process what was happening.

'Am I not strong enough, or has Mu Lin lost his mind?'

"If you put as much effort into your cultivation as you do into bragging, who knows what you might have achieved by now!"

Having just crossed the road on her way to mediate, Luo Wanqing's expression shifted again and again as she witnessed the battle inside the Holy Medicine Hall.

Jiang Lan exclaimed in shock, "Where does Sun Tiandang get the nerve to cultivate two paths at once? If he makes a single wrong step, he'll be dead for sure!"

Luo Wanqing was flabbergasted. Her elegant eyes filled with astonishment. In her view, Sun Tiandang was nothing short of a monster.

"Perhaps it's the Ning Family's resources. With the Ning Family pouring so much into him, how could he not be utterly reverent and loyal to them?"

Mr. Qingshan, however, was calmer. "It's inseparable from his talent. If the same resources were given to a mediocre person, they would never achieve such results."

"The paths of brute force and Qi Force are, in essence, polar opposites. To train in both at the same time requires a hundred times the effort an ordinary person could even imagine."

"But if one succeeds, the benefits are also beyond what an ordinary person can imagine. We can't look at these two things separately."

Mr. Qingshan's assessment was so on point that Luo Wanqing's face filled with sorrow. "Does that mean Mu Lin probably won't even last long enough for me to plead for his life?"

Her original plan had been to wait until Sun Tiandang had seriously injured Mu Lin, then step in to mediate and convince Sun Tiandang to spare his life.

That way, Sun Tiandang would save face, and he would have something to report back to the Ning Family.

And she, in turn, would be able to recruit Mu Lin, adding another great general to her manor's ranks.

But now, it looked like Sun Tiandang was going to kill Mu Lin outright, which was a very frustrating development.

Sun Tiandang felt the time was right. He prepared to land a heavy blow and finish Mu Lin off.

Once he was dealt with, the rest of the problems would be minor.

"Reflect on your actions in the afterlife. You're strong, but your mistake was provoking the Ning Family."

Sun Tiandang leaped into the air, bringing his heavy, massive fist crashing down.

Aiming to shatter Mu Lin's skull.

Every hair on Mu Lin's body stood on end under the immense pressure.

But he didn't dodge or evade, determined to settle the outcome right here and now.

Icy True Qi erupted from him like a sword, thrusting straight at Sun Tiandang.

Their fists landed in the same spot at the same time, colliding with a BOOM. A world-obscuring mist shrouded everything.

The surrounding view was completely veiled, making it impossible to see clearly.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

Yet within that impenetrable mist, the two of them were clashing violently.

Fist after fist, heavy blow after heavy blow, with no room for the slightest error.

The sounds made the expressions of the watching crowd from Hidden Sword Manor change drastically.

It was simply terrifying.

This one battle was enough to make them understand the gap between themselves and Sun Tiandang.

They were even more astonished—how could Mu Lin fight Sun Tiandang to such a standstill?

'Heaven knows how he's so strong!'

Inside that cloud of mist, they couldn't see clearly. No one knew what was happening within.

Luo Wanqing pursed her lips, waiting for the outcome.

Her hope of recruiting Mu Lin was rapidly fading.

No matter how the fight went or what the result was, it was impossible for Mu Lin to join Hidden Sword Manor now.

If Mu Lin lost, he would surely die. What use did Hidden Sword Manor have for a dead man?

If Mu Lin fought Sun Tiandang to a draw, how could she, Luo Wanqing, possibly mediate?

As for the option of Mu Lin defeating Sun Tiandang... she didn't even dare to consider it. It was too terrifying. How could it be possible?

If Mu Lin could beat Sun Tiandang, he should have already made a name for himself. He should have already been the most sought-after talent in the Nanjiang Province Martial Realm.

How could he still be a nobody?

Though the hope was slim, the battle seemed to have a Magic Power that held Luo Wanqing's attention captive, making it impossible for her to leave.

After a while, the mist began to dissipate.

Two figures could be seen standing apart, silent.

The violent battle from moments before seemed like a dream; the silent scene gave no hint of what had transpired.

'What on earth happened?'

Luo Wanqing held her breath, afraid that the slightest sound might disturb the scene.

Suddenly, Sun Tiandang smiled.