"Many thanks."

Zhang Daoyun bowed deeply toward Lin Mu's departing figure, expressing his respect.

"Should Master Lin ever have a command in the future, we of Dragon Tiger Mountain shall not hesitate to face a thousand deaths!"

Lin Mu simply waved his hand, not taking it to heart.

But what he didn't know was that when the apocalypse arrived and the holy war began, Zhang Daoyun of Dragon Tiger Mountain would lead three thousand disciples down the mountain, never to return.

That day, three thousand Heavenly Masters descended from Dragon Tiger Mountain, their sword light illuminating the mortal realm.

That day, tens of thousands of demons were slain as the Heavenly Masters protected the common folk.

「...」

"Master, you..."

A disciple walked over, his face flushed with fervor.

"Lin Wudi has been defeated by my hand. From today onwards, Dragon Tiger Mountain shall officially seal itself off!"

Zhang Daoyun sat cross-legged, his expression calm.

The disciple was shocked. "Master, why?"

His master had clearly defeated Lin Wudi, so why seal the mountain?

Zhang Daoyun didn't explain, instead saying something inexplicable. "A great calamity is approaching. We will seal the mountain and wait for the right moment."

After the disciple left, Zhang Daoyun looked at the peach blossoms fluttering across the mountain and cursed with a smile, "You've done it now, Lin Wudi. By cutting down all my mountain's peach blossoms, you've destroyed the greater part of Dragon Tiger Mountain's thousand-year Great Array."

"PFFT!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Daoyun spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, yet his complexion improved significantly.

Zhang Daoyun muttered, "Lin Wudi, you're in the limelight now, surrounded by enemies. I can only help by suppressing the news for a while. Hurry up and grow stronger. People like us can't hold on for much longer."

「...」

"What? Lin Wudi was defeated?"

"Hahaha, I knew it! How could Lin Wudi possibly be Master Zhang's opponent? Still, being able to fight Master Zhang makes it an honorable defeat."

"Defeated is defeated. What's so honorable about it?"

"If you think you're so good, why don't you go and try?"

As the news spread from Dragon Tiger Mountain, the initial shock among the public gave way to a sense of predictability. After all, no one believed Lin Mu could be Zhang Daoyun's match.

"He was actually defeated."

At the foot of the mountain, an old man sighed softly upon hearing the result, but he also smiled. "To be able to take a sword strike from Heavenly Master Zhang truly makes it an honorable defeat."

"Grandpa, since Master Zhang won, will he kill Lin Wudi?" a woman in martial attire asked.

Jiang Yawei sighed. "In a battle between such powerful experts, the outcome is always life for the victor and death for the vanquished."

"What?"

Jiang Mingyue's expression changed as she exclaimed, "You mean... Lin Wudi is dead?"

Jiang Yawei nodded. "That should be the case."

As this word spread, the Martial Arts World was instantly shaken.

Lin Wudi is dead? Killed by Zhang Daoyun?

This...

Countless people cried out in shock, though many also cheered, and many more sighed in regret.

"What a pity. I had hoped to one day battle you, Lin Wudi, only for you to die at Zhang Daoyun's hand."

"To lack a worthy rival in life... what a regret, what a shame."

"Lin Wudi? Hmph. You're lucky you're dead. Otherwise, I would have killed you myself!"

For a time, rumors were rampant.

When Lin Mu heard this news, he was momentarily stunned. His eyes then flickered as he realized there must be something strange about this matter. Although it was his first time meeting Zhang Daoyun, the man was certainly not someone who chased fame with empty claims.

If I wanted to refute it, I would only need to reveal my identity, and Zhang Daoyun's lie would crumble. So, why would he do this? Sealing the mountain...

Lin Mu turned to look back at Dragon Tiger Mountain, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Zhang Daoyun, thank you.

Casting one last deep glance at Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lin Mu headed directly for Jiangling.

At that moment on Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhang Daoyun stood on the summit, nodding slightly as if bidding someone farewell.

"You really won?"

Shen Lang appeared behind Zhang Daoyun, a trace of curiosity on his face.

Zhang Daoyun chuckled. "Didn't you see for yourself?"

Shen Lang said, "But why do I see that the peach blossoms on your Dragon Tiger Mountain have been almost completely slashed away?"

Zhang Daoyun snorted, "A battle between the powerful has far-reaching consequences. You don't understand a thing!"

Shen Lang sighed. "Then why are you sealing the mountain? Since you won, why not take this opportunity to recruit more disciples?"

Zhang Daoyun's smile faded. "I'm not part of the Martial Arts World. I don't need all that fame and fortune."

"Then what do you want?"

"I only want peace for the nation and stability for the world!"

Shen Lang was stunned.

Watching Zhang Daoyun's departing figure, Shen Lang bowed deeply. "On behalf of all the people, I thank you, Heavenly Master!"

To willingly bear eternal infamy just to protect the hope of Huaxia... Zhang Daoyun truly deserved this bow from him. Lin Wudi, you must not fail the Heavenly Master's painstaking efforts, and you must not disappoint Elder Xiao's expectations!

「Jiangling.」

"Hahaha, great news!"

Lu Tong walked into the Fang Family residence, his face beaming with joy. "Lin Wudi has been defeated!"

Fang Tang was startled, then asked with delight, "Is he dead?"

Lu Tong nodded. "Defeated means dead!"

Fang Tang clapped his hands in excitement and laughed loudly. "Excellent!"

Lu Tong said coldly, "Now that Lin Wudi is dead, about Coiling Dragon Bay..."

Fang Tang replied, "Don't worry, I've already made preparations. Since Lin Wudi is dead, Coiling Dragon Bay is ours!"

「In the afternoon.」

Xiao Juan and a few other sales staff were preparing to leave work when the phone at the front desk began ringing frantically.

"This is bad, Coiling Dragon Bay is on fire!"

Hearing this, Xiao Juan's expression changed drastically. She shouted, "Manager, Coiling Dragon Bay is on fire! Send someone to check on it, quickly!"

Instantly, the entire sales department was thrown into chaos.

When Qin Luoli received the call, her expression also changed dramatically. She demanded, "What exactly happened? How could it suddenly catch fire?"

The security captain in charge of Coiling Dragon Bay said, "President Qin, I don't know either. It just caught fire out of nowhere. I'm sending people to extinguish it now!"

Qin Luoli said coldly, "I don't care what method you use, you must put out the fire as soon as possible! And find out who did this!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The captain hung up. Looking at the half-burnt Coiling Dragon Bay, a sinister smile touched his lips.

"Well done."

Gao Xing walked over and handed the security captain an envelope. "Here is your reward. You're done here."

"Right, right, thank you, thank you."

Taking the money, the security captain left quickly.

Gao Xing watched the raging flames and sneered, "This fire is burning nicely. It won't be long before Coiling Dragon Bay is finished!"

Feng Yang laughed. "Don't worry, it won't burn down completely. This is just part of the Fang Family's plan."

Gao Xing added, "As long as there's a fire here, how can our Qin Corporation keep selling the properties? The Fang Family will step in and take over, and Qin Corporation will suffer a huge loss."

Feng Yang nodded, then said suddenly, "Hey, have you noticed? For such a big fire, there doesn't seem to be any heat."

Gao Xing paused, then said in surprise, "You're right. Logically, we should feel intense heat from this close, but not only do I feel nothing, my neck actually feels a little chilly."

Feng Yang turned to look at Gao Xing. His pupils shrank as he pointed. "You... behind you..."

"What is it?"

Gao Xing glanced back instinctively and let out a shrill scream, his eyes wide with terror.

Because, clinging to his back, was an infant with a head as large as a basketball, its bulging veins making it resemble a Li Gui.

At that moment, the infant revealed its sharp teeth to Gao Xing, a faint smile on its face.

Meanwhile, Qin Luoli was sitting in a Western restaurant, clinking glasses with Lin Mu. "Are you sure nothing will go wrong?"

Lin Mu swirled the red wine in his glass, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Everything is under control."

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