86: The once-hero, Mu Dao Ren, died!

Lu Xiaofeng’s figure showed no pause.

Fast!

Fast as a phantom!

He absolutely gave Master Gusong no chance to catch his breath, no chance to beg for mercy, not even a chance for a desperate wail!

The moment Master Gusong’s body hit the ground, Lu Xiaofeng was already upon him like a shadow!

His eyes were cold as frost, devoid of anger or satisfaction, holding only bone-deep killing intent.

Those two fingers, which had once gripped countless Sharp Weapons, simply and swiftly pressed against Master Gusong’s glabella.

“Pfft!”

A soft thud, yet chillingly clear, made hearts turn cold.

The half-sentence Master Gusong tried to utter was directly stifled in his mouth.

His eyes, wide with pain and terror, instantly lost all their luster, leaving only hollow, dead ashes.

Lu Xiaofeng slowly withdrew his fingers, a trace of dazzling crimson staining his fingertip.

He raised his eyes and slowly scanned the deathly silent crowd.

“Personal grievances, settled.”

Lu Xiaofeng’s voice was not loud, yet it clearly echoed in the ears of everyone in front of Sanqing Hall, carrying the heavy finality of a matter concluded.

“Now, it’s time to discuss official business.”

“Lu Xiaofeng, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Whatever grievances you had with Master Gusong, you could kill him, but why did you castrate him?” Daoist Mu frowned and said:

“What you did was a bit too much.”

“Indeed, it was too much…”

“Killing is merely a nod of the head. Although Lu Xiaofeng is powerful, he shouldn’t humiliate people like this.”

“I actually think Lu Xiaofeng has never liked killing. For him to be angered to this extent and resort to a lethal strike, there must be a reason.

Lu Xiaofeng, tell us the reason, and let everyone judge!”

“Alas, Wudang is becoming increasingly weak. Now, not only do those who use sabers not unbind their blades at the Sword Unbinding Platform, even those who use swords dare not unbind them!”

Lu Jiuyuan looked at Ximen Chuixue, and Ximen Chuixue looked at Lu Jiuyuan. The two exchanged glances, raised their eyebrows, and then both looked at Lu Xiaofeng.

Lu Xiaofeng walked over to them with a dark expression, gritting his teeth as he whispered, “Bastards, don’t let your imagination run wild! It’s not what you think!”

“Do the real business, you bastards!”

Lu Jiuyuan’s gaze returned to Daoist Mu, and the confrontational aura rising from both of them made the surrounding people involuntarily step back.

“Shi He, he is your disciple, he is the apparent Old Handle of the Saber, he is the avenging spirit.”

“Gusong, he is Youling Villa’s ‘Cousin’.”

“Long Meng, he is Youling Villa’s General, he is your hidden agent planted within the Righteous Path.”

“Ye Lingfeng is your disciple, Ye Guhong and Ye Xue are your children.”

“Zhong Wugu, Du Qi, Old Woman Lou… these people who should have died, they are all the specters of your Youling Villa!”

With each sentence Lu Jiuyuan spoke, Daoist Mu’s face grew a shade darker, and the surrounding atmosphere became a degree more oppressive.

“You orchestrated the Heavenly Thunder operation, plotting against Lu Xiaofeng and the entire Wudang Mountain’s Sect Head succession ceremony, all for one thing.

To conceal your true objective, to conceal what was hidden in the hilt of the Seven Stars Sword! To cleanly and legitimately become the Wudang Sect Head.”

“Inside the hilt of the Seven Stars Sword is the reason your Master did not pass the position to you, but to Daoist Mei. It is also the evidence of your affair with Shen Sanniang.”

“If one is determined to condemn, one can always find an excuse! You are taking things out of context and twisting the facts,” Daoist Mu said coldly, “Everything is your one-sided story. How can your words alone convince the heroes of the world?”

“Wrong, I am enumerating your crimes, not explaining to anyone! I am telling you, Old Handle of the Saber, whether you admit it or not, today, I will kill you!

No one can stop me!”

At these words, the calm on Daoist Mu’s face finally shattered completely!

Too much bullying!!!

He clenched his jaw, and an uncontrollable killing intent instantly erupted! His hand, hidden in his sleeve, was about to move violently!

However, Lu Jiuyuan’s movements were even faster! Even more decisive!

“Buzz—!”

The mournful Sword Cry of the Guhong Sword, like the tearing ice wind of the Nine Heavens ripping through heaven and earth, once again resounded through the sky!

A clear, solitary, and absolute Sword Light, seemingly condensing all the killing intent in the world, traversed a distance of about three zhang as if teleporting, striking directly at Daoist Mu’s throat!

The target was clear, the killing intent overwhelming!

Triple speed + Heavenly Demon Disintegration Skill!

This “Buzz—!”

The Guhong Sword cried!

Lu Jiuyuan moved!

That step he took was not of mortal speed; it was as if space itself twisted and compressed beneath his feet!

A distance of about three zhang was, to him, merely the instant the sword’s edge extended!

His sky-blue cloud-brocade robe transformed into a blur that tore through vision, and the Guhong Sword in his hand completely vanished!

No, it didn’t vanish!

It was fast!

Extremely fast!

So fast it surpassed the limits of human eye perception!

In the world, it seemed only that single, clear, solitary, and absolute Sword Light remained, imbued with bone-chilling coldness!

It was no longer light, but cold death itself, the merciless judgment of fate, it was Lu Jiuyuan’s pure, ultimate killing intent.

Ignoring space, ignoring time, it thrust directly at Daoist Mu’s throat!

Target: throat! A killing blow!

Daoist Mu’s hair bristled, and his cloudy old eyes burst forth with an unprecedented brilliance in that moment of life and death!

He was, after all, Wudang’s last surviving elder, a renowned grand Master for decades, who prided himself on having the third best swordsmanship in the world!

The moment Lu Jiuyuan’s Sword Intent reached him, his lifelong cultivation, decades of dormant ferocity, mixed with the essence of Wudang’s Pure Yang Art, erupted with a roar!

“Clang—lang—!”

A Dragon’s roar, splitting clouds and shattering stones! The wide sleeves of his Daoist robe burst open, and a streak of green light, like a bolt of silk, appeared!

That was a vast and mighty Sword Qi, yet it subtly contained the meaning of the cycle of prosperity and decay!

Like myriad trees flourishing in spring, full of vitality, and yet like autumn winds sweeping leaves, chilling and merciless! It was precisely Daoist Mu’s ultimate Sword Intent—the Withered-Prosperity Sword Intent!

This green Sword Light seemed to appear out of thin air, carrying Daoist Mu’s lifelong martial arts insights and will to survive, meeting Lu Jiuyuan’s certain-kill sword with unparalleled precision!

“Ding!!!”

A sharp explosion, beyond the limits of human hearing, erupted!

It wasn’t the clash of metal, but more like two pieces of Nine Heavens profound ice colliding and shattering! Or like ten thousand tons of thunder exploding in a confined space!

A terrifying Qi wave, centered on the point where the two swords met, violently spread in a ring shape!

“Whoosh—!”

In front of the viewing platform, those with weaker cultivation felt like they were struck by a heavy hammer, grunting and staggering backward, chairs and tables flying and shattering like paper!

The stone slabs underfoot cracked, and dust flew.

Dust and shattered stones were swept up by the violent airflow, forming a turbulent cloud of smoke!

Time seemed to freeze in this earth-shattering clash.

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats, their eyes wide, staring intently at the center of the dust cloud.

The dust slowly dispersed.

Two figures were frozen in place.

Lu Jiuyuan maintained his sword-drawing posture, his sky-blue cloud-brocade robe fluttering, unstained by dust.

The tip of the Guhong Sword was plunged into Daoist Mu’s throat, by only an inch!

And Daoist Mu’s sword, that ancient pine-patterned longsword, blocked in front of him, also blocking Lu Jiuyuan’s sword.

The shock, fury, fierceness, and ferocity that had erupted on Daoist Mu’s face receded like a tide, leaving only an extreme, unbelievable bewilderment.

Did he block this sword? He blocked it!

Did he not block it? He did not block it!

The sharply angled tip of the Guhong Sword had pierced through his sword, and into his throat.

The sword tip penetrated the sword’s spine, its momentum undiminished, accurately piercing Daoist Mu’s throat!

“Ugh…”

Daoist Mu’s throat emitted an unintelligible gasp.

He looked at Lu Jiuyuan, his eyes incredibly complex.

There was shock, horror, fear of that inhuman sword, and unwillingness at his lifelong schemes falling short at the last moment!

“What a fast sword! This speed does not belong to the human world! With this sword, who in the world can block it?”

Little Daoist Gu from Bashan turned and left. Having witnessed this sword, his life was now complete; having seen this sword, he would never use a sword again in his life.

Seemingly hearing Little Daoist Gu’s words, a hint of relief flashed in Daoist Mu’s eyes. It truly was a fast sword! It truly did not belong to the human world.

To be defeated by such a celestial being, his loss was not unjust!

Daoist Mu’s tall body swayed, then, like an ancient thousand-year-old tree being felled, he crashed backward.

“Bang!”

A dull thud, and the dust settled.

A generation’s hero, the true Master of Youling Villa, Wudang elder Daoist Mu, thus met his demise in front of Wudang’s Sanqing Hall, met his demise during the very ceremony where he painstakingly sought to ascend to the Sect Head’s position!

He met his demise after his supposedly foolproof scheme was utterly torn apart!