Chapter 373 372: Saber Maniac

Mu Lin's lips curled. "The Military Suppression Bureau has gotten quite brazen, I see. A Grandmaster-level fugitive is nothing to you now."

"No, that's not what I meant! I was just saying…" Yun Cheng trailed off. He realized it was better not to elaborate. 'What if I say the wrong thing and make Mu Lin hate me?'

He had to manage this relationship carefully. The line between earning Mu Lin's favor and his ire was razor-thin. He had to walk a tightrope to avoid the worst-case scenario.

"Alright, I understand. Then I'll have to trouble you to keep a close watch, sir. We'll be sure to make it worth your while later on!"

Mu Lin slowly nodded in agreement.

Yun Cheng took some files out of his briefcase and handed them to Mu Lin.

"This is the fugitive's file. Please take it. The page on top is a summary, which should help you digest the information much more quickly."

Mu Lin took the file and glanced over it briefly.

With a Practitioner's eidetic memory, he had already committed it all to mind and would not forget.

As they spoke, Mu Lin sensed something was off and turned to look toward a corner.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Mu Lin barked suddenly, his stern command making the atmosphere chillingly tense.

A person slowly emerged.

The man exuded a malevolent aura. A long sword hung at his waist, and his wild appearance was quite frightening.

Furthermore, his presence was incredibly oppressive.

Mu Lin pursed his lips, watching in silence for a moment before speaking. "A Grandmaster who uses a sword. That's rare."

When Yun Cheng heard Mu Lin's words, he began to tremble from head to toe.

The terrifying nature of a Sword Cultivator was the stuff of legends among countless Martial Artists, a long-held source of fear.

The Sword Cultivator pointed at Yun Cheng. "Dog of the Military Suppression Bureau, scram. This has nothing to do with you."

Terrified, Yun Cheng was frozen in place, not daring to retreat an inch.

Mu Lin gestured for Yun Cheng to get behind him.

Trembling, Yun Cheng hastily nodded.

Even though he was a captain, his first priority was self-preservation. The instinct was simply too deeply ingrained.

"Mr. Mu, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. Your sentiment is enough. Now, just watch me," Mu Lin said coolly.

Yun Cheng nodded obediently.

Mu Lin walked up to the Swordsman and looked him up and down.

"Are you here for He Zongshan? He worked so painstakingly for you people, and you want to kill him in return? Don't you think that's a bit much?"

The Swordsman said coldly, "He has already betrayed us. A traitor does not deserve to live."

"And you won't reflect on your own actions? Drugging his mother to blackmail him, leading him around by the nose… Anyone would be furious with what you've done. That's not betrayal, that's called seeing the light. If you people don't take a good look at yourselves, I'm sure your future will only get worse."

"Shut your mouth! Who are you to pass judgment on Elder Deng? If you want my forgiveness, you'd better chop off your own tongue!"

As he spoke, the Swordsman charged straight at Mu Lin.

The sword light was blinding, looking as if it was about to envelop Yun Cheng.

Yun Cheng panicked. 'If I can't dodge this, I'll be devoured by that sword light and be deader than dead!'

Mu Lin raised a hand and shoved Yun Cheng aside.

Just as Yun Cheng moved, the surging sword light grazed past his body.

Yun Cheng's heart hammered in his chest. THUMP THUMP THUMP. 'He just saved my life!'

Mu Lin's expression was grim. With a thought, his Gang Qi spread rapidly, wrapping tightly around his skin. He perfectly executed the Vajra Shield, even using extra True Qi to fortify its weak points.

Having set up his defenses, he prepared to counterattack. He casually pushed a fist forward, which was filled with Profound Thunder True Qi to accelerate its speed.

BANG.

Fist and sword light collided in the span of a single breath.

With a BOOM, the sword light shattered. In an instant, the scattered fragments transformed into rampaging torrents of Qi Force.

This Qi Force slammed violently against the wall, leaving behind shocking scars.

If one didn't know what had happened, they would assume the damage was caused by a savage beast.

The Swordsman's expression turned grim. He said coldly, "Innate Divine Realm? A Horizontal Training Grandmaster?"

"How is that possible!"

Mu Lin said coolly, "Why would it be impossible?"

The Swordsman muttered to himself, though his voice was louder than he intended. "I know Sun Tiandang from Nanjiang practices Dual Swordsmanship and is a Body Cultivator. But I never imagined I'd find someone else walking the same path here…"

Mu Lin asked, "Who are you?"

The man wasn't sure why Mu Lin was asking, but he answered:

"Beihai Mad Saber, Ye Ying."

Mu Lin thought for a moment, then turned to Yun Cheng. "He doesn't exactly seem like a good guy. Is he a criminal, you think?"

Yun Cheng shook his head. "I'm not sure! I don't know! He's not from our jurisdiction, so I have no idea."

Mu Lin nodded slowly. 'Ah, so that's how it is.' "In that case, scram. Get out of here, or I'll kill you."

Ye Ying was stunned. 'What kind of response is that? Isn't he completely looking down on me?'

"What do you take me for? I've spent thirty bitter years cultivating my Sword Skill, not so I could be ridiculed by you!"

He took a step forward, and a powerful pressure shot toward the heavens, blasting a hole through the clouds above.

'So strong…' Yun Cheng watched, completely dumbfounded.

Then, Ye Ying charged straight at Mu Lin. His movements were incredibly fast and wild, with no discernible pattern, making him extremely difficult to face.

Mu Lin could only meet him with a steady defense, but even that had its limits.

The Sword Gang Ye Ying unleashed was simply too sharp, giving his opponent no opening to counter.

Thus, Mu Lin was forced to simply weather the storm and counterattack where he could, but he was clearly on the back foot.

Seeing Mu Lin being suppressed like this, He Zongshan, who was watching from inside, felt his eyes go red. He rushed out in a fury.

"Mr. Mu, don't worry! I'm coming to help!"

With that, he charged forward.

Mu Lin shouted, "Get back! Go do… whatever!"

'He Zongshan is strong, but he's a fair bit weaker than this opponent. We've never fought together before; we'd probably just get in each other's way. That would be a disaster.'

"Go get me a sword! Any kind will do! No need to rush!"

He Zongshan quickly complied, turning to rush back inside. A moment later, he found a sword and tossed it out.

Mu Lin reached out with a grasping motion, and his Qi Force guided the sword into his hand.

'Feels good, and the weight is just right.' Mu Lin immediately gave it a few quick swings, sending out several rays of sword light.

They struck a nearby rock, which exploded on impact. Dust and smoke filled the air—it was a spectacular sight.

Mu Lin immediately clashed with Ye Ying, the two of them now trading blows back and forth.

Ye Ying was stunned. "How do you know Sword Skill too?!"

Mu Lin just smiled faintly. "When you've got free time, why not learn a few things?"

"Cultivating three Daos at once? Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?!" Ye Ying said with contempt. "The Martial Dao requires absolute focus. You only get a real chance by dedicating yourself to a single path."

'Someone like Mu Lin might be good at showing off,' he thought, 'but in a real, life-or-death battle, he's bound to lose.'

Mu Lin laughed. "Then I'd like to see just how strong you really are!"

With that, he stomped his foot and vanished, reappearing behind Ye Ying in the next instant.

He brought a foot down in a powerful stomp, followed by a beam of sword light that shot straight at Ye Ying. Ye Ying scrambled to defend himself, but it wasn't long before he was sent flying backward with a full-body jolt, though he quickly regained his footing.

That was when he finally got serious. Mustering immense power, he charged straight for Mu Lin.

The two preeminent experts on the Sword Dao were now locked in combat, their exchange brutally efficient and blindingly fast.

'So strong! So strong!' Ye Ying was forced to desperately summon his Qi Force. In a situation like this, only by using his most powerful techniques could he hold on; otherwise, he would be defeated in their clash of sword light.

Mu Lin was thinking the same thing. His mind raced, calculating and strategizing even as he fought.

As his sword qi grew more and more condensed, Mu Lin wanted to end the fight quickly to test its true strength.

He stroked the blade of his sword, then pointed it at Ye Ying.

"Come on, hurry up. Stop wasting my time!"