31: A fine tradition of flexibility

Wang Changhe, the Shadowless Sword God, wielded a Shadowless Sword and had never been defeated by anyone in the same realm.

A hundred years ago, Yun Feiyang fought Wang Changhe for three days and three nights in the capital of Yanshan Kingdom, but neither could claim victory.

Wang Changhe was one of the few people he respected.

“Since you are the junior sister of the Shadowless Sword God, I will naturally give him face. Please step aside,” Wang Changhe said politely to Xu Liying.

Xu Liying heard that Wang Changhe had no intention of letting Lin Mu go, so she spoke again, “Big Brother Lin is my savior. My senior brother will definitely repay him for saving my life. Big Brother Lin’s presence here was also out of necessity, so why not…”

Before Xu Liying could finish, Yun Feiyang laughed loudly again, “Little girl, I think you’ve got something wrong. The reason I give Wang Changhe face is simply respect between heroes, not because I’m afraid of him.”

Then he turned his head and pointed at Lin Mu, saying, “This kid is going to die today, even if Wang Changhe himself comes, he won’t be able to save him.”

Lin Mu listened to these extremely arrogant words and calmly said, “Old bastard, you seem to be overly confident. I’ll return the same words to you: you will die today, and even a Great Emperor won’t be able to save you.”

Lao Mo saw that his master was about to personally enter the fray again, so he grabbed Xu Liying, who was still trying to speak, and leaped a hundred meters into the air.

Lao Mo’s departure seemed to be a signal, and the two simultaneously attacked each other.

Lin Mu knew that this person was extraordinary, and ordinary methods might not be able to kill him in one blow, so he mobilized the Power of the Heavenly Dao condensed from the heavenly dao stone in his sea of consciousness.

The Power of the Heavenly Dao covered Lin Mu’s fists, and he struck Yun Feiyang’s attacking longsword with one punch.

Yun Feiyang’s sword attack towards Lin Mu was merely a casual move. With his current realm, even a casual move carried the Power of Laws. For an ordinary Venerable Realm expert, this single sword strike would be enough to obliterate their soul.

Who knew that the moment the fist and sword met, Yun Feiyang’s divine sword shattered inch by inch, and Lin Mu’s punch, with undiminished momentum, slammed into Yun Feiyang’s chest.

When his divine sword shattered, Yun Feiyang felt a power that transcended laws assailing him.

So he reacted instantly, using a defensive divine ability to take Lin Mu’s punch head-on.

But he clearly still underestimated this power.

The defensive divine ability seemed like paper in front of it, breaking at a touch. Then, that violent power made his blood surge, and his body continuously retreated, constantly spitting out fresh blood as he did so.

It wasn’t until he had retreated dozens of meters that Yun Feiyang barely managed to stabilize himself, half-kneeling on the ground with one hand propped up, blood still staining the corner of his mouth.

“What terrifying power! Just one strike severely injured my body, and even my soul is somewhat unstable. This is definitely not a power that should exist in the human world. Another punch and I might well die here today.”

Yun Feiyang’s thoughts raced, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

When Lin Mu attacked again, he suddenly braced himself with both hands on the ground, knelt down with his other knee, and with his forehead touching the ground, he shouted:

“I surrender!”

This scene came too suddenly.

The jaws of the onlookers almost dropped to the ground in shock.

How could their Sect Master kneel and surrender after just one move? This was too humiliating.

Lin Mu was also a bit bewildered by this scene.

Was this still the arrogant, overbearing Qingyang Sect Master from before?

“What tricks are you playing?”

Yun Feiyang remained prostrate on the ground, his head still touching it, and said, “Young Master Lin, your divine power is unparalleled, unmatched in the world. This old man was blind and offended you, Young Master. As long as you spare my life, this old man is willing to serve you as master, to work like an ox or a horse, and sacrifice everything for you.”

As he spoke, he kowtowed several times with loud thuds.

Lin Mu looked at this Qingyang Sect Master, who had just been so imposing, and couldn’t help but think of Luo Sang.

“This Qingyang Sect truly has an excellent tradition of knowing when to yield and when to stand firm.”

“I killed your Qingyang Sect’s Grand Elder, and you’re not seeking revenge?”

Yun Feiyang did not get up. He raised his head and righteously said, “The two individuals Young Master Lin just killed had long harbored thoughts of betraying the Qingyang Sect. I should thank Young Master Lin for eradicating these two cancerous tumors for the Qingyang Sect.”

“This is too shameless!”

This thought echoed in the hearts of all the Qingyang Sect members at this moment.

“Oh? So if I tear your Qingyang Sect to pieces, you won’t mind that either?”

Hearing Lin Mu say this, Yun Feiyang raised his head and glanced at the ruins everywhere, saying, “This old man had long wanted to renovate the sect, but I’ve been in seclusion and had no free time. I truly owe it to Young Master for helping this old man dismantle the old buildings.”

Upon hearing these words, some young disciples covered their faces with their hands.

“Old Ancestor, can you be any more shameless?”

Naturally, Lin Mu didn’t believe Yun Feiyang’s words.

However, Lin Mu’s purpose in coming to the Qingyang Sect was originally to use its resources for secluded cultivation and to gather a group of forces to work for him.

“This Yun Feiyang in front of me is indeed a usable person.”

What Lin Mu needed were obedient dogs, not people who wouldn’t listen to instruction.

“My word is my bond. I said you would die today. If I spare you, wouldn’t I be breaking my promise?”

Lin Mu looked at Yun Feiyang with a playful glint in his eyes.

Yun Feiyang smiled fawningly, “The former Qingyang Sect Master is completely dead from now on. I am just one of your ordinary servants.”

Lin Mu was very satisfied with this answer and then gave Yun Feiyang his first command: “Find me a place for secluded cultivation.”

Then Lin Mu pointed to Lao Mo, who had just flown over.

“During my seclusion, if anything comes up, report it to him first.”

“And a reminder to you, his strength is greater than mine.”

Yun Feiyang understood the warning in Lin Mu’s words and hastily nodded and bowed, saying, “Yes, yes, this old man will certainly be loyal and devoted to serving Young Master.”

As he spoke, he looked at the old black-robed man.

Thus, a great battle came to an end, and Lin Mu instantly became the de facto ruler of the Qingyang Sect.

This news spread to every corner of the Yanshan Kingdom the very next day.

Some rejoiced, while others worried.

After the Cui Family learned of this news, Cui Yan, the head of the Cui Family, immediately brought the Cui Family’s high-ranking members to pay respects to Lin Mu.

And they expressed their allegiance to the Qingyang Sect from then on, with everything depending on the Qingyang Sect’s lead.

On the other hand, the Qingyang Sect, due to the Third Prince, did not directly destroy the Lin Family, but instead made them compensate with a large amount of spirit stones and allocated a portion of their industries to the Cui Family.

This temporarily deprived the Lin Family of the ability to contend with the Cui Family.

At this time, Lin Mu was already immersed in seclusion. By analyzing the Great Emperor Yun You’s jade slip, he gained a deeper understanding of the use of spiritual power, no longer relying solely on brute force attacks.

Of course, he did not relax his research on the heavenly dao stone. Having witnessed the Power of the Heavenly Dao last time, he was even more eager to obtain the remaining heavenly dao stones.

Thus, a month passed in devoted seclusion.

During this month, Xu Liying was melancholic every day.

Although everyone in the Qingyang Sect, from top to bottom, treated her with utmost respect and granted her every request, she always felt a sense of emptiness without Lin Mu by her side. Every time she asked Lao Mo, he would say that Lin Mu had not yet emerged from seclusion.

This day, as usual, Xu Liying came to Lin Mu’s place of seclusion again. Lao Mo was still sitting under the tree, meditating, as if he had taken root there.

“Elder Mo, has Big Brother Lin not come out of seclusion yet?” Xu Liying asked, trying to keep her voice low.

Lao Mo didn’t even open his eyes and casually said, “Look behind you.”

Xu Liying turned around at his words and saw Lin Mu standing not far behind her.