"This…" The heavyweights of the Jiangling underworld were all stunned.

This young man was so powerful? He killed Chang Wei with a single poke of his finger?

"This? This…"

Zheng Mingye, along with his peers Master Chen and Master Li, were so shocked they couldn't speak, their hearts churning like a stormy sea. The great Chang Wei from the Eight Extremes Gate, a martial arts master whose very disciples could slay countless experts, had been killed just like that?

"Good!"

"A job well done!"

"Damn, that was satisfying!"

"From now on, I, Chen Jindou, will follow Mr. Lin's lead!"

Several of the heavyweights instantly burst into applause. Master Chen and Master Li were especially loud, their faces flushed with excitement and elation. As long as Chang Wei was dead, they could leave this place alive.

"Hehe, to think that Jiangling has such a master. What a surprise."

Just as everyone was clapping and cheering, an indifferent voice drifted down from the second floor.

CRASH!

The moment the word 'master' was spoken, all the glass in the building shattered. The voice was like a lion's roar, its power immense. The exploding glass flew everywhere, sending many people screaming and scrambling for cover. Fortunately, a few large lights were installed on the ceiling of the fighting pit; otherwise, the entire place would have been plunged into darkness.

In the next moment, a figure leaped from a shattered window. Covering more than ten meters in a single bound, he landed like an Azure Hawk on a pillar in the ring. The fighting stage itself was built of stone. Although it had been cracked by the force of Chang Wei's fall, it was still exceptionally hard. Yet when this man landed, there was a thunderous BOOM, and cracks like a spiderweb instantly spread across the entire stage.

This scene silenced the entire crowd, until a single voice suddenly rose.

"Now, allow me to make an introduction."

Upstairs, a middle-aged man slowly walked out, glaring fiercely at Lin Mu.

"Fang Ping!"

Zheng Mingye's pupils shrank as he cried out the man's name in shock. Fang Ping, a member of the Fang Family's branch lineage! He was also the true owner of this underground fighting pit. All of this had been orchestrated by Fang Ping!

Fang Ping stared coldly at Lin Mu. "Lin Mu, you destroyed my Fang Family and killed my kin. Today, I am here to take your life!"

Having spoken, Fang Ping turned excitedly to the middle-aged man on the stage, his voice trembling. "This is Southern Butcher Nangong Xiu, one of the four grandmasters of the Martial Arts World. Lin Mu, no matter how strong you are, how could you possibly stand against Grandmaster Nangong!"

"What? Southern Butcher Nangong Xiu!"

"Nangong Xiu, one of the four grandmasters!"

The crowd immediately erupted in a furious uproar.

Nangong Xiu was an old-school Martial Arts Grandmaster. Ranked alongside East Madness, Western Poison, and Northern Blade as one of the four great grandmasters, he possessed an incredibly high Cultivation Level. Legend had it that after his defeat at the hands of Sword God Shen Lang, he left Huaxia and traveled overseas to practice his arts, seeking a breakthrough in his Cultivation Level so he could challenge the Sword God again.

Unexpectedly, he had returned.

Nangong Xiu stood atop the pillar with his hands behind his back, projecting an immense pride. He appeared to be around forty years old, dressed in a simple dark cyan robe and a pair of black cloth shoes. Standing there, he had the air of a great master from the martial world. Most unsettling, however, were his eyes, which were a frightening, ruby-like crimson.

"I had planned to avenge the Fang Family before challenging that Lin Wudi," Nangong Xiu's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear him clearly. "To encounter such a young talent here is truly a delightful surprise."

"Nangong Xiu? You think you're the Southern Butcher just because you say you are?" Chen Jindou suddenly shot to his feet, pointing and shouting, "Want to bet Mr. Lin can pierce your skull with one finger?!"

Despite the power Nangong Xiu had displayed, many in the crowd refused to believe he was the real Southern Butcher. After all, the man had been missing for far too long. There had been no news of him for decades.

"When I am speaking, who gave you the right to interrupt!"

Nangong Xiu suddenly grinned, a red light flashing in his eyes. His figure moved like a Ghost Charm. With a light tap of his toes on the pillar, he shot toward Chen Jindou as swiftly as an Azure Hawk swooping down on a rabbit.

By the time everyone's senses caught up, Nangong Xiu was already back on the stage. In his hand, he now held a blood-drenched head.

It was Chen Jindou's.

"Master Chen!"

Zheng Mingye's face turned pale. But when Nangong Xiu's gaze fell upon him, his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. Nangong Xiu's stare was simply that terrifying.

Zheng Mingye said nothing. Below the stage, the crowd was utterly silent. No one else dared to speak out. While none of these heavyweights were soft, after witnessing Nangong Xiu's methods, who wasn't afraid to die? If his entrance was meant to intimidate, this was a clear warning—killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, threatening them all with a human life. Chen Jindou had been a man of some status in Jiangling, yet his end was so gruesome he didn't even have time to scream.

Who else could this be but the Southern Butcher? It was common knowledge that when the Southern Butcher killed, he loved to exterminate entire families. He had committed countless atrocities in his time, until the Sword God finally took action and drove him overseas.

It seems we won't make it through this today, Zheng Mingye thought with a bitter smile. Even with Lin Mu here, we're facing the Southern Butcher. He was ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Rankings, but that was years ago. Now that he's returned, how much stronger has he become? He didn't dare to imagine it.

Could Mr. Lin possibly… Master Li's face was pale, but looking at Lin Mu, a flicker of hope ignited within him, only to be immediately extinguished by the bleak reality. That's Nangong Xiu, the Southern Butcher, a Martial Arts Grandmaster! No matter how powerful Lin Mu is, how could he possibly stand against him?

On the stage, however, Lin Mu's expression remained calm, unchanging from beginning to end.

"You are quite impressive!"

Nangong Xiu suddenly turned his gaze to Lin Mu, speaking slowly.

Lin Mu's brow furrowed slightly. Nangong Xiu's tone was that of an elder praising a junior. For anyone else, it would have been a great compliment. But for Lin Mu, it was an insult.

Who was Lin Mu? He was the Eternal Emperor, who herded gods in the Starry Sea! How could his experience and wisdom possibly be compared to that of a mere mortal warrior? It was like a firefly telling the moon, "You're quite impressive!" The absurdity was the same.

"To have achieved so much at such a young age is truly rare," Nangong Xiu continued, his hands behind his back and his expression one of immense arrogance. "Let's do this. I will overlook whoever you've killed and whatever trouble you've caused. From now on, you will follow me. Be my disciple!"

"Grandmaster Nangong, you can't!" Fang Ping cried out. "You promised me you would kill this man!"

"What are you, to think you can order me to kill for you?"

Nangong Xiu's crimson eyes flashed, and he struck out at Fang Ping with his palm.

BOOM!

Fang Ping didn't even have time to scream before his body was obliterated into a spray of blood and flesh. The onlookers felt a chill run down their spines. The Southern Butcher truly lived up to his name; his thirst for slaughter was terrifying.

Nangong Xiu looked back at Lin Mu, his satisfaction growing. "So young, and yet the murderous intent in your heart is already so strong. It fits my Martial Way perfectly. Take me as your master, and I will wholeheartedly teach you everything I know!"

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