Chapter 440 439: I'm Not from the Capital City

Mu Lin glanced at the experts, his expression calm as he said, "You're all here. That makes things much easier!"

The four Grandmasters blocking Mu Lin's path were all at the peak of their strength, their auras immense. Every move they made seemed capable of causing great change.

Such power was terrifying.

The lead Grandmaster fixed his gaze on Mu Lin. "Kid, do you have any idea what you're doing?" he asked, his voice grim.

Mu Lin shrugged. "I'm here for the same reason you are. Or is this something only you are allowed to do?"

The lead Grandmaster was furious. "What an arrogant kid! Let's get rid of him now, before anyone else arrives!"

The moment he finished speaking, several masters leaped from the ranks, charging straight for Mu Lin.

They were the elders of the guard team from outside. Mu Lin had killed their children, so their eyes were red with fury as they charged, faster than anyone else.

Mu Lin responded with a casual punch. The ferocity of the strike was immense, felling one of the masters in an instant.

It was so clean and decisive it was unbelievable.

Everyone was stunned. Mu Lin's display of power had exceeded all their expectations.

"This..." They couldn't have imagined it was possible to act with such ease.

"You're a Grandmaster?" The lead Grandmaster's expression turned grim. He himself was a Peak Grandmaster, but Mu Lin was so young—far younger than any of them.

A Grandmaster this young implied many things.

First and foremost was the young man's origin.

"Are you from the Capital City? May I ask which faction you serve?" The lead Grandmaster's expression was incredibly grave.

Mu Lin looked puzzled. "I'm not from Beijing. Why would you think I am?"

"You're not?!"

The lead Grandmaster's expression darkened further. 'It would have been better if he'd just admitted it,' he thought. 'To deny even this... this kid must be a pathological liar.'

'It makes sense, though. Someone from the Capital City coming to the East Sea to snatch opportunities... it's not a good look. Hiding his identity is normal.'

'But this is also a good thing. After we kill him, if his sect comes looking for justice, we can just say he never revealed his affiliation. He'll have brought it on himself.'

'A perfectly clean excuse.'

"If you refuse to say, then no one will avenge you when you're dead!" the Grandmaster shouted. "You'll have died for nothing!"

As he spoke, another Grandmaster leaped forward.

He had cultivated his Leg Skills to the point where his kicks whistled through the air like a tiger's roar. His attacks were incredibly sharp as he rushed toward Mu Lin.

Mu Lin wasn't the least bit worried. He stood there calmly, his gaze sweeping over them with contempt.

The whipping kick landed squarely on Mu Lin's shoulder, but a shimmering light merely flashed across his body. Mu Lin himself was completely unharmed.

The attacking Grandmaster's face paled, his expression freezing in shock.

'With my strength, a kick like that shouldn't have done nothing at all,' he thought. 'But this young man just took the full force of my attack without flinching. What is going on?'

Moreover, he could feel an extremely powerful rebounding force radiating from Mu Lin's shoulder.

His own leg felt as if it was about to snap.

The lead Grandmaster instantly recognized the technique, his expression tightening with alarm. "That's the Vajra Shield! Get back, now!"

The Leg Skills Grandmaster was startled. He tried to retreat, but discovered he was already trapped.

Mu Lin's hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. He yanked the man into the air, swinging him around like a whip.

Then, he brutally slammed him into the ground.

A cloud of dust erupted. A moment later, Mu Lin released his grip and stood up. The Grandmaster did not rise again.

The lead Grandmaster now understood perfectly. Mu Lin's strength was not beneath theirs—in fact, it was likely greater. To think they could send one person to take him down had been pure wishful thinking.

And because of that, they had just lost a powerful ally.

And Heaven knew how precious a Grandmaster was.

"All of us, together! We have to pin him down! If we fail to guard the Thunder Fruits, Patriarch Han will have us all strung up and tortured!"

Everyone present unleashed their full arsenals, swarming Mu Lin in a coordinated assault.

Mu Lin stomped his foot coldly. Primordial Gang Force erupted from beneath him, the immense power shattering the ground and sending fragments flying outward in a radial blast.

The fissures radiated with immense energy. Any Martial Arts Grandmaster caught in the blast was instantly sent flying, bleeding from countless wounds.

But Mu Lin remained untouched, calmly facing down wave after wave of attacks.

Wave after wave of his assailants fell.

The lead Grandmaster exchanged two blows with Mu Lin, using all his strength, only to find the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers had split open. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

"How can you be this strong? What realm have you reached?!"

Mu Lin replied, "If you spent less time pursuing unnecessary pleasures, you could be this strong too."

Such words...

Before the Grandmasters and other masters could even process his words, Mu Lin's next wave of attacks descended.

Lightning energy, the Heaven-Falling Palm, and more—he beat them back relentlessly, leaving them with no power to resist.

Seeing that his men were about to be completely wiped out, the lead Grandmaster turned to flee and call for reinforcements.

He had to get the Han Family to send someone stronger.

But how could Mu Lin possibly let him escape? He immediately unleashed a Divine Finger.

The lead Grandmaster's knee was instantly pierced through. He collapsed, his face contorted in agony.

"Who are you?" the lead Grandmaster asked, staring at Mu Lin in a panic. He simply couldn't fathom that such a powerful expert existed out here.

It was too unbelievable.

He had seen the geniuses from the Capital City, and he was certain that even the prodigies of Beijing weren't as fearsome as Mu Lin.

This was a force of four Grandmasters and fifteen Martial Arts Grandmasters, after all.

Doesn't it take an hour just to kill nineteen chickens?

Mu Lin couldn't be bothered to answer. He raised a hand, and with a shock of force, the lead Grandmaster passed out.

Mu Lin moved forward. A moment later, he arrived at the designated spot in the forest and found the Thunder Fruits he had seen earlier.

To his surprise, there were even more now.

The abundant lightning energy from the morning had allowed the tree to form several new Thunder Fruits.

A truly unexpected windfall.

Mu Lin immediately plucked the Thunder Fruits and stored them inside the Cyan Jade Box.

Then, Mu Lin set off again. A few hundred meters away, he dug up the Fang Qing seeds.

He stored them carefully, preparing to make a quick departure.

As he was leaving, he saw the groaning experts scattered across the ground. Mu Lin hesitated for a moment.

'If I don't kill them, they'll surely come after me later.'

'But killing them isn't right either. They were just following orders.'

He thought for a moment. 'Forget it.'

With that, Mu Lin turned and walked away.

Meanwhile, a group of young people was disembarking at the docks.

Pei Yuliang stood among them. These were the young elites who had been granted special permission to enter the island and gather Thunderstruck Wood.

Pei Yuliang had been waiting for Mu Lin since early morning, but Mu Lin never showed up.

The longer he waited, the more anxious he grew.

Eventually, the others grew tired of waiting and set off. Pei Yuliang had no choice but to go along with them.

Pei Yuliang's so-called friends sized him up with disdain. He was well aware of their contempt, but the opportunity was too precious. He could only swallow his pride and endure it.

"Pei Yuliang!"

It was the girl who had mocked Mu Lin the previous night.

"Yes?" Pei Yuliang answered cautiously.

"What is it?"

"We're heading up. You can come along later."

'How is that acceptable?' Pei Yuliang thought.

'Thunderstruck Wood is incredibly rare. A moment's delay, and someone else will snatch it all up.'

'Telling me to wait... Unbelievable.'

'Besides, who knew when Brother Mu would even arrive.'

"Brother Mu might have been delayed. I should just go up with everyone!"

A flash of disdain crossed the girl's eyes. "Are you deaf? I told you to wait here. You can go up the mountain after we come back down!"

Pei Yuliang was dumbfounded. He never imagined they would toy with him to this extent.

'How pathetic,' he thought.

"On what grounds?!" Pei Yuliang fumed internally. 'I've endured all their contempt, and now they're saying I don't even have the right to go on the island and gather Thunderstruck Wood?'

"On the grounds that you're from a backwater place like Di Yang. Don't think for a second you're on our level. Just walking with you feels like I'm breathing polluted air!"

Pei Yuliang was furious, but the gazes from his surrounding 'friends' were cold and indifferent, as if they were looking at an insect.

He was utterly helpless. 'I'm a complete joke,' he thought.

The anger was overwhelming.