BOOM!

A thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth as the main gate of the Fire Cloud Sect crumbled in an instant. Boulders shattered, and dust billowed into the air. Everyone in the sect was startled, their faces etched with terror.

Under the starry sky, amidst the settling dust, a figure slowly walked onto the plaza of the Fire Cloud Sect.

The Fire Cloud Sect was the largest ancient martial sect in Jiangling, with a long and storied heritage. It had stood for hundreds of years, and never before had anyone dared to forcefully shatter its gates. Yet tonight, someone had done just that—a blatant provocation!

"Who goes there?"

Instantly, a Fire Cloud Sect Elder appeared in the plaza, accompanied by a group of disciples. Each wielded a sharp blade, their eyes fixed on the newcomer.

The visitor was dressed in casual clothes, with short, cropped hair and eyes that shone like stars. It was Lin Mu.

Lin Mu walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back. Glancing at a huge sculpture in the center of the sect's plaza, a cold smirk touched his lips.

"River City Lin Wudi, here for a visit!"

As soon as he spoke, the Fire Cloud Sect erupted in an uproar.

Lin Wudi! It was him!

"Lin Wudi, the tenth-ranked Martial Arts Grandmaster on the Heavenly List!"

"Why has he come to our Fire Cloud Sect?!"

"It's over... it's all over! Our sect is doomed!"

The faces of the Fire Cloud Sect disciples showed sheer panic. The name Lin Wudi was as renowned as a clap of thunder, and now that the man himself stood before them, they were so terrified they dared not even breathe too loudly.

"Lin Wudi!"

The Fire Cloud Sect Elder was a crone over sixty years old, wielding a Serpent-head Crutch. Her eyes were frosty as she stared at Lin Mu. "Our Fire Cloud Sect has no grudge against you," she demanded coldly. "Why did you destroy our gate?!"

"No grudge?" Lin Mu's face was devoid of emotion. "Does the Fire Cloud Sect need me to remind you of what you have done?"

The crone gripped her crutch tightly, her voice turning to ice. "What do you mean, Lin Wudi? The Fire Cloud Sect has a centuries-long legacy of integrity and honor. When have we ever wronged you?"

"Hahaha! Such integrity and honor!" Lin Mu laughed, but his voice was devoid of warmth. "Your Fire Cloud Sect dispatched two Elders and several disciples to River City with the intent to destroy my company and kill my wife. Have you forgotten this so soon?"

Hearing his words, the crone's face changed drastically. "You are River City's Lin Mu?" she exclaimed.

Shock filled her heart as she scrutinized Lin Mu, her pupils narrowing. "That's right... that's right! River City Lin Wudi, you share the surname Lin... No wonder, no wonder!"

Her expression twisted with rage. "If you, Lin Wudi, are also Lin Mu, then it was you who killed our Young Sect Master and our Elders and disciples!"

"Indeed," Lin Mu stated indifferently. "They merely got what they deserved."

"Hahaha, what they deserved?" The crone let out a sharp laugh. "I really don't know where you get your confidence from, Lin Wudi! Your company was destroyed, and your wife was harmed, yet you claim my Elders and disciples deserved to die? You'll say anything, won't you!"

Lin Mu's expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly, "In a conflict between Martial Artists, family should not be harmed. Yet your Fire Cloud Sect crossed even that final line. And you ask why they deserved to die?"

"Fine!" The crone slammed her crutch onto the ground. "In that case, there's nothing more to say! Today, I will see for myself if you, the tenth-ranked Grandmaster on the Heavenly List, live up to your reputation!"

I heard that River City Lin Wudi was heading north to Jiangling to destroy the Fire Cloud Sect. Today, I'll make sure he never returns!

The crone snorted coldly. "Disciples of the Fire Cloud Sect, heed my command!"

"We are here!"

Though the disciples were afraid of Lin Mu, they all stepped forward in unison under the crone's imposing command.

"Form the array!" the crone ordered with another cold snort. "I'd like to see how a single man like you, Lin Wudi, can stand against hundreds of my Fire Cloud Sect disciples!"

"YES!" the Fire Cloud Sect disciples roared in furious unison.

Scorching True Qi began to flow between them, vaguely coalescing into streaks of red flames. A single spark can start a prairie fire. These flames gathered at a terrifying speed, merging into a great fireball above the plaza. The ambient temperature surged, drenching everyone in sweat.

"Lin Wudi, since you dared to destroy our sect's gates, you can be the first to taste our Fire Cloud Sect's Fire God Formation!" the crone sneered sinisterly, raising her Serpent-head Crutch as her True Qi erupted.

BOOM!

In midair, the massive fireball exploded with fearsome power, unleashing a giant fire dragon that roared toward Lin Mu. The dragon radiated a temperature high enough to annihilate anything. An Inner Strength Martial Artist would be vaporized, and even a Martial Arts Grandmaster wouldn't dare face it head-on. This was the combined, full-force attack of all the Fire Cloud Sect disciples!

However, Lin Mu didn't even blink, his expression calm as he watched the fire dragon approach. "You dare present such a paltry fire-gathering technique before me?"

He smiled faintly and simply blew a breath.

WHOOSH!

A wind rose, instantly gathering into a gale. As it swept past, the mighty fire dragon began to dissipate, bit by bit, until it vanished completely without a trace.

The full-force attack from all the Fire Cloud Sect's disciples, blown away by a single breath?

The disciples stared in horror, their faces a mask of shock. The crone's expression changed dramatically, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at Lin Mu.

"What a Lin Wudi! I have indeed underestimated you!" Her eyes now brimmed with murderous intent as her figure flickered to the center of the plaza, where her disciples quickly surrounded her.

"Disciples, lend me your strength!"

At her call, all the Fire Cloud Sect disciples wildly mobilized their True Qi, gathering flames and channeling them into the crone. She spread her arms wide, eagerly absorbing the power. In moments, she was transformed into a living inferno, the temperature radiating from her body terrifyingly high.

BOOM!

An overwhelming aura burst from the crone as the flames covering her body exploded outward, releasing a fearsome heat.

"Lin Wudi, so what if you're ranked tenth on the Heavenly List?" the crone's sinister voice echoed from within the inferno, filled with endless murderous intent. "At this moment, my cultivation level is no weaker than yours. Today, I will see just what is so remarkable about a legendary Grandmaster like you!"

As her words fell, the crone's fire incarnation charged directly at Lin Mu. The ground in her wake was left with pitch-black scars where the hard tiles had melted from the extreme heat. It was a testament to the strange power of the Fire Cloud Sect's cultivation technique.

Lin Mu's eyes narrowed as he watched the flaming figure approach. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He took a step toward the inferno, and then another. In the palm of his hand, a faint wisp of flame flickered into existence.

"Fire God Formation?" Lin Mu said with a scornful shake of his head. "I am also curious how your mere mortal fire compares to my Purple Extreme Heavenly Flame."

The two rapidly converged!

The flaming figure suddenly morphed, and a giant python made of flames emerged, lunging to bite Lin Mu as if to devour him whole. The terrifyingly high temperature scorched the very air.

However, Lin Mu responded by simply lifting a hand, upon which a purple flame danced.

The Purple Extreme Heavenly Flame!

"SEVER!"

As his hand rose and fell, the seemingly faint purple flame erupted with a heat that could melt mountains and boil seas. His palm, now like the sharpest blade in the world, sliced the fire python clean in two.

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