Chapter 285 284: Bloody Battle with the Perfected

After finishing off the third martial uncle, Mu Lin used the brief lull to scan his surroundings.

To his surprise, he spotted two elders from the Di Yang Li Family.

"Well, hello there, Uncles!"

"Who are you calling uncle?! You're the one who killed Tian Xiang, you bastard! My hatred for you is irreconcilable!"

Mu Lin sneered. "So what if that brat is dead? He deserved it! And in my opinion, so do you. Once I'm done with these turtles, I'll take care of you lot!"

'It was just a bluff. I still have to consider Elder Li's feelings, after all.'

'Elder Li is getting old, and his temper isn't what it used to be. I shouldn't make things too hard on him.'

'He wouldn't be able to bear it if he looked around one day and found he had no family left.'

'So, I have to let these guys live. I'll just come back and seize their businesses later.'

"Keep running your mouth, Mu Lin! Vajra Zhenren is here. Your days are numbered! Killing you will be child's play!"

Mu Lin smiled. "Not necessarily! He cultivates a body-strengthening technique, doesn't he? Something like the Vajra Shield?"

Vajra Zhenren burst out laughing. "Well, look at that, someone who knows a thing or two. If you know that, then why are you courting death?"

Mu Lin sneered. "Courting death? I think you're the one on that path!"

Vajra Zhenren was done talking. With a light leap, he lunged straight for Mu Lin.

His Gang Qi conversion was far faster than his third martial brother's. It was virtually instantaneous, happening in the blink of an eye.

Mu Lin instinctively raised a hand to block, not expecting the force to be so much greater than he'd anticipated.

It was no surprise. This was Vajra Zhenren, after all, and Mu Lin was used to fighting opponents who were far weaker.

This was bad. He was forced back several steps before he managed to disperse the force.

Still, he hadn't taken any physical damage. You could say he was lucky.

But Vajra Zhenren gave Mu Lin no time to breathe, immediately pressing his advantage.

"Die!"

Mu Lin was struck, sent tumbling backward.

The sound of the impact was so immense that everyone in the Yang Residence covered their ears.

The residual Qi Force from the clash of two masters was no laughing matter.

Vajra Zhenren said, "You have a good foundation. Given time, you could have become something great. A pity you're still too green."

Scrambling desperately, Mu Lin didn't manage to regain his footing until he reached the gates of the Yang Residence, having crashed through countless trees as thick as two men's embrace along the way.

This Vajra Zhenren was truly extraordinary. His Gang Qi was dense and continuous, protecting his muscles, bones, and even his internal organs. A punch would have no effect on him at all.

'I have to find another way.'

The moment he was sent flying, Mu Lin had already decided to change tactics and fight evasively.

Vajra Zhenren gave chase at lightning speed. "Kneel and beg for forgiveness, boy, and I'll leave you an intact corpse! Otherwise, I'll grind you into paste and feed you to the dogs!"

Mu Lin sneered, and suddenly a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl shot from his palms, heading straight for Vajra Zhenren.

Vajra Zhenren was convinced Mu Lin was at his limit and didn't give it a second thought; the window to dodge was only a split second.

When he saw Mu Lin raise his hands, he assumed it was a gesture of surrender.

He had been too careless.

As a result, the bolt of lightning struck Vajra Zhenren's body dead-on.

Yet his expression remained unchanged as he chuckled. "You held back all this time, just to charge up a little attack like this?"

Vajra Zhenren waved his hand, and the ferocious bolt of lightning was simply dispersed.

Mu Lin's eyes narrowed. A nearly imperceptible fissure had appeared on Vajra Zhenren, a crack so fine that even he himself didn't notice it.

'If I just keep him busy a little longer, it won't take much to shatter this thing completely.'

'That's the simple way to put it. The execution, however, would be far more complex.'

'I need to plan this carefully.'

After a moment's thought, Mu Lin flipped himself up from the ground and got to his feet.

As Vajra Zhenren continued to close in, Mu Lin lashed out with a kick, striking his calf.

Vajra Zhenren roared with laughter. "I'm not some common mortal who'd be hurt by a little tap like that! My Gang Qi covers my entire body. You can stop looking for an opening!"

Mu Lin paid him no mind and just kept kicking him all over.

Vajra Zhenren felt like he was being pestered by a fly, so he swiped at Mu Lin.

But Mu Lin was surprisingly fast, giving him no chance to be caught.

Vajra Zhenren grew furious and began to pursue him with all his might.

Mu Lin, however, stomped his foot, and as if he were on rollerblades, he shot off into the distance at high speed.

Vajra Zhenren had no choice but to give chase.

It devolved into a cat-and-mouse farce. The stalemate was so drawn-out that the onlookers in the Yang Residence started to yawn.

'This is not good,' Vajra Zhenren thought. 'If I can't catch him, everyone will laugh at me.'

He channeled a massive amount of Gang Qi to his feet. His speed instantly increased, and he blasted through the air resistance.

This was the very moment Mu Lin had been waiting for.

The weak spot on Vajra Zhenren's chest, now deprived of the reinforcement from that massive amount of Gang Qi, was more vulnerable than ever.

He suddenly spun around and thrust a palm at Vajra Zhenren.

Vajra Zhenren saw the move, but he had no idea what Mu Lin was planning.

Before he could react, Mu Lin's palm had already struck its target.

Steady, accurate, and ruthless.

How could a blow this long in the making be for nothing?

Caught completely off guard, Vajra Zhenren felt a strange, stabbing pain in his chest. It rapidly intensified, becoming an unbearable, searing heat.

'What is happening?'

'This is strange…'

A sweet taste filled his mouth, and he coughed up a spray of blood.

Wha—!

He was utterly shocked, unable to believe what had just happened.

Only then did he see the massive, charred wound on his chest.

"How is this possible!"

"It is!" Mu Lin struck again, slamming another palm into the exact same spot.

This blow pierced straight through Vajra Zhenren's body.

Flames erupted from his back.

'My earlier theory was right,' Mu Lin thought. 'The lightning can crack his Gang Qi, but it's too weak on its own to cause any real harm.'

'That's why I needed something stronger, like the Flame Palm.'

'I didn't expect it to be this effective.'

'I put five times my normal power into that Flame Palm. It was pretty fierce.'

It directly shattered Vajra Zhenren's heart meridian.

Vajra Zhenren swayed on his feet, barely able to remain standing.

Mu Lin frowned. 'His heart meridian is destroyed and he's still not dead? Is he a cockroach or something?'

"How did you do it?"

"Lightning to break the Gang Qi, then the Flame Palm to concentrate my attack on the weak point."

"Li Tianhuo's Flame Palm?" Vajra Zhenren murmured.

Mu Lin laughed. "You really know your stuff!"

The corner of Vajra Zhenren's mouth twitched. He said dejectedly, "I have lost. I'm about to die. Can you let my junior brothers and disciples go?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Let me ask you, would you have spared me? Think about what you were saying just a minute ago. Do you really think anyone would buy this act now? Do you think *I* would?"

Vajra Zhenren's expression was ghastly, his face ashen. "Then you can die with me!"

A violent fluctuation erupted from his Dantian. 'Not good!' Mu Lin thought, but it was too late to dodge. The force had already enveloped him.

BOOM!

Thick smoke billowed up from the spot.

The members of the Yang Family, watching from a distance, were puzzled. They wondered what could have caused such a massive explosion of flames.

"Vajra Zhenren must have finished off that Mu Lin kid! Let's hurry over. He'll definitely want to show us the body!"

The crowd rushed over.

Mu Lin pushed himself up from the ground.

'I never thought this old bastard would choose to take me down with him.'

'Thankfully, my True Qi is abundant, and I maintain a constant state of defense.'

'It's all thanks to the old man's training. Without his harsh lessons, my True Qi defenses would never have been this solid.'

'I would've been seriously injured this time otherwise.'

Mu Lin bowed toward the four cardinal directions in thanks, not knowing which way the old man was.

He had a few minor injuries, but they were nothing serious. A little medicinal salve and he'd be fine.

Just then, the people from the Yang Family arrived. They were stunned to see Mu Lin standing there, covered in soot.

Vajra Zhenren lay on the ground, his body shattered.

What on earth was going on?

The members of the Yang and Li families, along with the men Vajra Zhenren had brought with him, all felt a deep sense of unease.

'What happened? Why?'

'The Vajra Shield is such a powerful Cultivation Technique. How could its master die at the hands of Mu Lin?'

'What on earth happened? Did we miscalculate somewhere?'

"Eldest Martial Brother! Eldest Martial Brother!"

"Master!"

Their entire worldview was on the verge of collapsing.

That someone other than Dong Wu existed in this world who could defeat Vajra Zhenren…

…was a terrifying thought.