"Fan Li, if you don't come out, Lin Mu will destroy your sect's gate and kill every last one of your disciples today!"

Killing Liu Xiu hadn't dampened Lin Mu's murderous intent toward the Fire Cloud Sect in the slightest. He had once sworn to annihilate them, and he intended to keep his word.

"Lin Wudi, you dare!" The old crone's face contorted as she pointed a trembling finger at Lin Mu and shrieked, "If you dare make a move, I will fight you to the death!"

"You think I don't dare?" Lin Mu let out a cold laugh and stomped his foot. A terrifying power surged from his body.

RUMBLE!

The great hall of the Fire Cloud Sect trembled violently before collapsing under the horrified gazes of all the sect's Disciples.

"Ah!" the old crone screamed, her eyes seeming to split with rage. "I'll fight you to the death!"

With a furious roar, she charged directly at Lin Mu.

"You seek death for disrespecting the Commander!"

However, before the old crone could even get close, Jia Jianguo drew his pistol and fired a single, precise shot into her head.

BANG!

The crisp report of the gun echoed as the old crone's head exploded. She collapsed to the ground without another sound.

"Ah, the Fourth Elder is dead!"

The faces of the Fire Cloud Sect Disciples turned ashen, and they scrambled backward in terror.

"I will count to three. If you don't come out, I will give the order to open fire and wipe your Fire Cloud Sect from existence!" Lin Mu declared, his voice carrying clearly for a hundred meters as he stared coldly at a distant point.

"One!"

As Lin Mu began his count, the Disciples' faces grew even paler. A few tried to make a break for it, but with two thousand soldiers standing at the ready with their rifles, escape was impossible. Two quick shots rang out, and the two fleeing Disciples fell into pools of their own blood.

"Two!" Lin Mu called out the second number coolly, as if he hadn't seen a thing.

"Sect Leader, please save us!"

"Sect Leader, if you don't show yourself, we're all going to die!"

The remaining Disciples of the Fire Cloud Sect dropped to their knees, kowtowing and begging desperately for Fan Li to appear.

"Three—" Lin Mu raised his arm high, poised to give the command.

"Stop!" the Great Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect suddenly roared. He stepped forward to face Lin Mu and demanded, "Lin Wudi, you've killed so many of our people. What more do you want?"

"What do I want?" Lin Mu replied nonchalantly. "If I recall correctly, your Sect Leader, Fan Li, sent a message that he was waiting for me in Jiangling. I have come today as requested. Why does he refuse to see me?"

"Could it be that the esteemed Sect Leader of the Fire Cloud Sect is nothing but a coward?"

Lin Mu's words pierced the hearts of every Fire Cloud Sect Disciple like silver needles.

This Lin Wudi is simply too overbearing!

But not only was his strength unfathomable, his status was terrifying. He was a Major General of the Military Department who could order executions on a whim. What chance did their Fire Cloud Sect stand against such a man?

"Our Sect Leader is no coward who fears death!" the Great Elder snorted. "The Sect Leader is in closed-door cultivation and naturally cannot see you. If you want a fight, I will be your opponent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from his body. His red robes seemed to ignite with a layer of phantom flames, making him look like a Fire God incarnate.

"That's... a Martial Arts Grandmaster!" one of the Disciples cried out in shock. His cry was met with expressions of wild joy from the others.

"The Great Elder is a Martial Arts Grandmaster! We're saved!"

The revelation that the Great Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect was a Martial Arts Grandmaster was enough to shock the world.

"Commander, this..." A hint of worry touched Jia Jianguo's face. A Martial Arts Grandmaster wasn't someone who could be dealt with by ordinary firearms.

"Heh, it's of no concern," Lin Mu said, his expression calm. He didn't even blink, seemingly unsurprised by this development.

"Lin Wudi, I had no desire to reveal my true strength, but you have pushed us too far," the Great Elder snarled, his aura intensifying as the murderous intent in his eyes thickened. "Today, I have no choice but to ensure none of you leave here alive!"

"You dare!" Jia Jianguo's expression changed drastically.

The Great Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect wants to kill us all!

"Hmph, there's nothing I wouldn't dare!" the Great Elder said coldly. "If I kill you all, who's to say the Fire Cloud Sect was responsible?"

"Die!"

The flames engulfing the Great Elder's body swelled, shooting up to three meters high.

WHOOSH!

A wave of terrifying heat washed over the crowd, forcing everyone to stumble back in shock.

"All of you, stand back," Lin Mu said calmly as he took a slow step forward.

"Lin Wudi, take this palm strike!" The Great Elder's killing intent was palpable as he charged at Lin Mu. "Fire Cloud Palm!"

He thrust his hand forward, and the roaring flames instantly coalesced into a massive fiery palm that slammed toward Lin Mu. Jia Jianguo and the soldiers stared in horror. Though they were military men, they were still ordinary mortals. They had never imagined a human could wield such incredible power.

Yet, in the face of the Great Elder's attack, Lin Mu's expression remained unchanged. He even continued to walk calmly toward his opponent.

"Commander, look out!" Jia Jianguo yelled, but then a shocking scene unfolded.

The fiery palm struck Lin Mu's body and simply vanished, dissipating like melting snow.

"This..."

Not only Jia Jianguo, but the Great Elder himself was stunned into silence.

"I have constructed the Twelve-Fold Towers, rendering me impervious to blades and spears, invulnerable to water and fire. How could you possibly harm me?" Lin Mu glanced at the Great Elder and added lightly, "Since I've taken a palm from you, it's only fair that you take one of mine."

As his voice fell, Lin Mu raised his hand and sent a palm strike of his own flying forward.

At the sight of this attack, the Great Elder cried out in disbelief, "The Fire Cloud Palm?!"

The palm strike Lin Mu had unleashed was identical to his own, the signature secret art of the Fire Cloud Sect!

"Impressive, Lin Wudi! To learn my Fire Cloud Sect's ultimate technique after a single glance, you truly are a prodigy!" The Great Elder took a deep breath as the flames around him surged, forming a protective sphere in an attempt to block the incoming attack.

BOOM! BOOM!

However, as the palm made of condensed flames descended, the temperature of the air skyrocketed, and the Great Elder's face fell.

This isn't the Fire Cloud Palm!

From this attack, he felt a profound sense of dread. It was a terrifying power capable of annihilating everything.

Run!

It was the only thought in his mind. Acting on instinct, the Great Elder shot backward, not daring to meet the palm head-on. But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun the attack. With the speed of lightning, the fiery palm slammed into his body.

BANG!

The Great Elder was smashed into the ground as the flames covering his body erupted, completely engulfing him.

"No..." he screamed, his voice filled with sheer terror. "Sect Leader, save me!"

He struggled frantically, crying out for help.

"Sigh..."

Suddenly, a soft sigh echoed from the back mountain of the Fire Cloud Sect. Everyone looked up, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Stretching across the sky was a Flame Avenue, a path of pure fire that extended from the back mountain to the airspace directly above the square.

A figure was walking slowly along this fiery path. He was clad in a robe of flames, appeared no older than forty, and possessed vibrant, fiery red hair that danced in the wind.

This person was none other than the Sect Leader of the Fire Cloud Sect, Fan Li—ranked thirty-second on the Heaven's List

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