Chapter 466 Squaring Accounts One by One
Seeing Li Mu’s eyes resting on them, those extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners almost wet their pants at this moment.
They had just witnessed the death of Fairy Emperor of Light.
A martial arts giant who was so arrogant and overwhelmingly powerful was beaten to death by Li Mu as if he were just a sandbag. At least that was what it looked like in their eyes.
That was brutal.
Too savage!
In the minds of the extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners, Li Mu had upgraded from a sandbag that everyone could bully into a grand devil.
“Didn’t you just roar that you will kill me like killing a dog?” Li Mu demanded, with a look of scorn and a wicked smirk. “Come on, I’m giving you a chance to kill me.”
The extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners all paled in fear. How could they utter a reply in that circ.u.mstance?
In particular, the faces of Zhangsun Changkong, the Demon Broadsword, and the young man of the witch tribe went blotchy with a blush. Because of fear and horror, their facial features were kind of screwed together. How they wish to give themselves some hard slaps!
If they had known it, they would hide in the crowd and keep their mouth shut.
They could not help asking themselves why they had to play with fire.
At that time, many were envious of the black-clothed young man carrying a sword and that pair of sisters.
There was no doubt that those people had won the bet by refusing to take on Li Mu when Fairy Emperor of Light picked them to challenge him. It was sure that Li Mu gave them a hard time.
Boom!
From the deep pothole created by that huge fleshless palm in the distance, the giant golden ape jumped out.
The golden hair covering his body gradually faded, the tail also disappeared, and his figure began to shrink. Gradually, he resumed his human figure as the brawny old man surnamed Ma. A gold brilliance wrapped around his naked body, and soon a layer of clothing materialized and enveloped him.
“Grandpa Ma!” Nannan rushed over in surprise. She jumped to the shoulder of the old man surnamed Ma and said, “Grandpa Ma, are you okay? The big jerk held me back and didn’t let me help you.” The little girl then pointed a finger at Li Mu grumpily.
The old man surnamed Ma shot a mixed look at Li Mu.
Although he had been thumped into the earth, he still sensed everything that happened outside.
It never occurred to him that it was Li Mu’s burst of power that killed Fairy Emperor of Light.
That was unbelievable! He knew about the origin of Fairy Emperor of Light, and so he understood how difficult it was to a man in such a high realm. A Sage might not be able to do it. But this young sinner actually killed…
He had to admit that the means pa.s.sed on within the sinners were awe-inspiring.
The old man surnamed Ma also detected that the wisp of martial power left that the sinned cyan bull had infused into the teenage boy. In spite of that, the young sinner named Li Mu was indeed heaven-defying. He must have employed some other skills when he took out Fairy Emperor of Light, achieving something that even the Sages could not.
“This young man is definitely more than he appears to be.”
For some unknown reason, the old man surnamed Ma had a hunch that a storm might be stirred up by that young sinner and would soon sweep across the galaxy.
Nevertheless, personally, he did not find Li Mu’s sinner ident.i.ty repulsive at all.
Because those from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits had pretty the same status in that galaxy as those sinners. They all had to put up with the unjustified accusations and liabilities imposed upon them, enduring defamation and vilification. They had been wearing shackles for thousands of years and never saw a chance to be freed.
As to what kind of people those important figures domineering the galaxy was, he had a much deeper comprehension about it than the “ignorant” young sinner.
“Thank you.” The old man surnamed Ma nodded to Li Mu. Then, without another word, he carried Nannan on his shoulders, turned on his heels, and strode away.
“Big jerk, you have gotten the payback. You were almost beaten to death and really suffered. And you also saved Grandpa Ma. So, Nannan reluctantly forgives you for taking my bellyband… Hee hee, if you have the nerve come to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, I’ll invite you to taste our peaches.”
The little girl called Nannan riding on the shoulders of the old man surnamed Ma, looked back and waved at Li Mu.
Her face was draped with tears that trickled down when she worried about her Grandpa Ma moments ago. From behind the crystal clear teardrops, she broke into a smile. She looked very innocent with her round face, larges eyes, and porcelain-like skin. She was quite like an open book, for she always had everything written in her face.
Li Mu quickly arched his hands toward the back of the old man surnamed Ma and said aloud, “Senior, thank you for your help today.”
He was genuinely grateful.
If it had not been the sudden appearance of the old man surnamed Ma that attracted the attention of Fairy Emperor of Light, Qing Feng would not have had an opportunity to sneak out and crack the underground seal so soon. If he did not come, Li Mu had no idea how long the show would be on before he fully caught Fairy Emperor of Light’s attention.
After all, that old thing was a fairy emperor. How sensitive his divine consciousness could be! Perhaps he was able to notice any subtle movement under his nose. Once he was altered, how could things go so smoothly on that day? If he discovered the plan beforehand, perhaps the one who met his doom that day would be Li Mu himself.
The old man waved without turning his head or slowing his paces.
“Senior, could you tell me your name? Whenever you need me in the future, I will come and do all your biddings.” Li Mu called from behind.
The grace of giving a drip of water when in need should be returned with a spring indeed.
That was Li Mu’s life principle.
Kindness and hatred were clearly distinguished to Li Mu.
“Grandpa Ma says that you also saved him today, so you don’t have to thank him,” said Nannan’s voice from the horizon. “If you want to know the name of Grandpa Ma, it’s all up to whether you have the nerve to come to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits in Ziwei Star Region, hee hee.”
At last, the young and the old left the Five-finger Mountain that had been turned into ruins.
Li Mu looked thoughtful after they took off.
“Brother Mu, are you okay?” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu, who finally got out of her plight, rushed over to Li Mu. She looked all anxious and concerned, and the tears on her face had not yet dried.
Li Mu smiled but instantly screwed up his face in pain because the smile made the wounds on his face hurt more. Then, he raised a hand and wiped her tears before saying, “I’m fine, only that I’m afraid I will stay ugly for a while. It will take me some time to recover… Let’s drop this for now. I’ve got to collect the debt and open my delivered package.”
Although a wisp of the cyan bull’s martial art power had been infused into Li Mu’s body, it could not stay long, so the time Li Mu had been limited.
“Just tell me, in what way do you prefer to die?” Li Mu demanded, glancing at the extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners. “You have a chance to vent your spleen or seek revenge. You can choose to fight me one-on-one or in groups. Either way, you are not a match for me.”
“Don’t bring this too far,” blurted an extraterrestrial pract.i.tioner who was staring at Li Mu. “We did something wrong. But we can apologize. Isn’t that enough for you?”
Boom!
Li Mu crushed him with a punch right off.
“I really don’t want to waste my breath on this kind of moron,” Li Mu motioned to the air and the storage utensils and weapons and other items the man dropped soared across the field into his hand. Li Mu gave them to Ming Yue and said, “First categorize them, then take your time to organize the items.”
“Sure.” Ming Yue put on a broad smile.
Beside them, the four members of the Four Men’s Symphony all flushed in the cheeks with excitement.
They had been s.n.a.t.c.hed from the jaws of death.
That phrase was perfect in describing what they had been through.
With Li Mu’s victory, their destiny took a sharp turn as well.
The knitted brows and the other three could not help but exclaim how wise and lucky their previous choice was.
If they did abandon Li Mu at that time, it would be even more difficult to establish a comrades.h.i.+p with Li Mu. Without Li Mu’s comrades.h.i.+p, they would have to deal with the hunting of the forces in the Brilliance Immortal Galaxy all by themselves. In that case, they would be isolated and helpless.
Now that they had taken refuge under Li Mu’s wings, there was more leeway for them in the future. And they might have the hope to rebuild the Hun Yuan Sect one day.
“Li Mu, don’t rush into bloodshed. One day, you will go beyond this world and enter the Brilliance Immortal Galaxy. If you make enemies out of us today, you will find yourself the enemy of the universe in the future. Then, you won’t be able to move even a step forward.” An extraterrestrial expert cautioned with an awkward look.
However, Li Mu did not even bother to look at him but throw another punch. After bombarding that expert, Li Mu summoned all his treasures over through the air.
“Do I need you to tell me this bulls.h.i.+t now?” Li Mu snarled, genuinely feeling ashamed for those people’s IQ and brazen face. “If I don’t kill you, will you let go of me in the future?”
“I can swear on that…” Another extraterrestrial expert quickly raised a hand, ready to make a vow.
Kaboom!
That man was bombarded as well.
After summoning the treasures that man carried, Li Mu said, “I’m sorry. I don’t believe in the vows you sc.u.ms made.”
“Well, seems that he won’t give us a chance to live. Let’s take on him together… Fight him to death!” Advocated an expert who previously threatened to kill Li Mu for Fairy Emperor of Light. He encouraged others to fight as a group.
Blast!
He was bombarded, too.
“A group of fat pigs holding up together is still not a match for a lion. Hey, wake up and stop daydreaming!” Li Mu taunted mercilessly as he took away that man’s properties.
“Aargh…” An expert could not bear the tension had almost had a nervous breakdown. He screamed and turned tail to escape.
Kaboom!
He was also blasted into pieces.
And his treasures fell into Li Mu’s hands.
“You should be forgiving whenever you can…”
Kaboom!
“What on earth do you want? We…”
Kaboom!
“Bah, you murderous demon! You will die the hard way!”
Kaboom!
“No, no, no, I don’t want to die, please! It’s not good to kill me. I’m willing to be your slave…”
Kaboom!
One punch after another, Li Mu bombarded those shameless extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners like smas.h.i.+ng watermelons.
Eventually, there were only a dozen people left, including Zhangsun Changkong the Demon Broadsword, the boy of the witch tribe, Emperor Qin Ming, Lord Qu and his black-clothed servants, as well as the experts of the Heavenly Deployment Sect.
They had not talked nonsense so far. They just stood motionlessly there, frightened, infuriated, and desperate, only that they did not dare to speak.
Because they had seen the pattern— whoever spoke would be bombarded by Li Mu’s punch.
Li Mu killed several hundred extraterrestrial pract.i.tioners as easily as reaping leeks, leaving only a dozen of them still alive. His murderous intent was rampant!
The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.
The area of ruins in the Five-finger Mountain was now like a pig slaughterhouse.
The remaining dozen people were scared out of their wits.
Li Mu’s eyes skimmed over the dozen experts. Then, without another word, he whipped out a long broadsword that he had picked up in the outskirts from his storage appliance and hacked at Zhangsun Changkong.
“You…” Zhangsun Changkong was both taken aback and enraged. Subconsciously, he pulled his broadsword out to fight.
Clang!
The clash of the blades ricocheted off the mountains.
The desperate Zhangsun Changkong was surprised to find that he had blocked Li Mu’s blow.
“What’s happening?”
Soon, he came to notice that Li Mu’s Broadsword-using method and fighting strength did not seem to be as strong as before. It appeared that his strength was waning.
That discovery made him overjoyed.
“Did the power pumped into Li Mu finally begin to decline?”
Zhangsun Changkong the Demon Broadsword perked up. He employed all the skills he had learned his entire life and started a fierce fight against Li Mu.
The blades flashed dazzlingly.
The momentum of the Demon Broadsword was potent like the lightning. It surged up one second and vanished the next. It was indeed an extremely mighty and superb weapon.
Moreover, Zhangsun Changkong had also mastered the art of producing Broadsword Intent. When his broadsword lunged out, a demonic sound roared, which made people see all kinds of illusions. The sound undermined people’s willpower and lured their souls away like a host of demons dancing in riotous revelry, which was very impressive.
Soon, half an hour pa.s.sed during the fight, but there was still no winner. The two had drawn a tie.
Feeling that Li Mu was no longer that mighty as he previously hammered other people, Zhangsun Changkong became more and more confident. He brandished the Demon Broadsword more smoothly than ever. Relis.h.i.+ng the unprecedented satisfaction, he thought he had seen a sign of a breakthrough in the cultivation of his broadsword skills…
“Haha, little sinner, your power weakened. The external force in your body can’t be diminis.h.i.+ng at the end of the day, can it? If without the external force, won’t you be like a deflated balloon…” Zhangsun Changkong said spitefully. After several tentative attacks, he finally got the answer he desired and burst out laughing.
But before his voice grew faint—
Splatter!
Li Mu’s strength burgeoned, and he swung his broadsword vertically, cleaving the Demon Broadsword in two and cutting Zhangsun Changkong in half from between his eyebrows.
“You…” Zhangsun Changkong sputtered. He was, after all, an expert in the Soldier Realm. His vigor of life was incredibly strong. So, at that moment, he had not died thoroughly. The two halves of his face simultaneously took on an expression of panic and shock as he mumbled, “You… You…”
He was too horrified to speak.
With blatant contempt, Li Mu said, “Had I not wanted to see the so-called miraculous Broadsword-using method of the Demon Broadsword, I would have long blast you into dust with a punch.” As it turned out, Li Mu had deliberately curbed his strength in case he killed Zhangsun Changkong at the beginning of the fight. That man was, after all, a broadsword master of an alien faction. Li Mu did hope to observe the wonders and styles of his Broadsword-using method.
After learning all the essence of the art about that Demon Broadsword, Li Mu split Zhangsun Changkong in two with one strike and settled the battle neatly.
Only then did Zhangsun Changkong register what had happened.
He opened his mouth in an attempt to say something. But Li Mu decisively chopped him into pieces with his broadsword. Tainted by the killing intent, Zhangsun Changkong’s Primordial Spirit also fell apart and he died completely.
Li Mu s.n.a.t.c.hed his storage appliances as well.
“Emperor Qin Ming” who had watched all that on the side, was trembling from head to foot with an ashen face.
He was just an attendant at that time.
If all the threats he had made before became a pile of s.h.i.+t, as long as he could, he would swallow it back without hesitation. And if he had a chance to travel back in time, he would never ever antagonize Li Mu, the nemesis.
However, he could not always have a second chance.
Li Mu did not bother to argue with “Emperor Qin Ming”, either. Instead, he heaved up his broadsword and cast a style of the Demon Broadsword that he just learned in the previous battle, which directly beheaded Emperor Qin Ming and destroyed both his body and soul.
All the ambitions of “Emperor Qin Ming” vanished like soap bubbles.
By that time, the teenage boy of the witch tribe had taken that opportunity and fled several thousand kilometers away with the speed of a ghost.
Li Mu raised his hand.
Swoos.h.!.+
The long broadsword in his hand flew out like a bolt of lightning and pierced the back of the boy of the witch tribe, pinning him to a huge rock. The boy’s limbs began to convulse. He looked just like a dead dog with a broken spine.
By that point, the power of the cyan bull martial inside Li Mu had not completely dispersed. Any strike he launched was still remarkably forceful. Thus, how could the teenage boy of the witch tribe escape from that blow?
“I… I will curse you… even though I’m dying. I… I want you to suffer huge, to wish you’d better die. I…” He hoped to use the last of his power to cast a curse.
He knew very clearly that his curse would not work on such a mighty Li Mu, so he chose to cast it on Qing Feng, the little attendant next to Li Mu. His heart was filled with malice all the same.
A flash of light zoomed by.
Li Mu already landed near the boy. As he grasped the long broadsword, the broadsword power broke out, and its brilliance intensified. Without giving him the opportunity to cast a spell, Li Mu crumbled him into powders.
“Death is not even enough to punish him.”
Hauling his long broadsword, Li Mu turned around and marched back.
“Now is your turn.” Li Mu advanced on the members of the Heavenly Deployment Sect.
Ouyang Zhi and Qian Zhenyun were already too panicked to know how to beg for mercy at that time. They had gone way out of the line before. When they forced Li Mu to hand in the nonexistent mental cultivation method of the Celestial-derived Taoist Deployment, they actually intended to loot Li Mu’s inheritance of the art of tactical deployments. But what should they do now?
They both felt like crying.
The members of the Heavenly Deployment Sect wished that they were just in a nightmare. They hoped to wake up soon and find none of that had happened.
“Hand me all your secret manuals on tactical deployments. Every single one you had! They are mine now.” Li Mu ordered, going straight to the point.
Now that their roles were swapped, he could finally reciprocate them with what the Heavenly Deployment Sect had done to him.
“If we hand over the secret manuals, could you let us go…” Pleaded the one-eyed Ouyang Zhi. He was goggling at Li Mu, his face welling with ingratiation and trepidation.
Li Mu said flatly, “We are all grow-ups. Don’t hold on to such unrealistic fantasies, OK?”
Ouyang Zhi was speechless.
Qian Zhenyun was more quick-witted. He did not try to bargain with Li Mu but proposed, “Okay. I will hand over all the secret manuals. Young hero, all I ask is you spare my worthless life…”
With that, he handed over all the secret manuals on tactical deployments and added, “Young hero, I’m also willing to be your servant, just like the four disciples of the Hun Yuan Sect. My strength is stronger than theirs. I will be much more useful to you…”
Li Mu spat on the ground and said disdainfully, “You, a scourge who veers with the wind and is too cowardice to face death, dare to mention yourself in the same breath with the Four Men’s Symphony that has weathered me through dire perils? How come you have the face to say things like that?”
The knitted brows, the hawk nose, and the other two immediately put on the adrenalized expression as if they could die for their loyal friend.
“Yes, yes, the humble me don’t deserve to be compared with them…” Said Qian Zhenyun. He had a smile plastered on his freckle-rampant face, which was even uglier than his crying face.
Feeling a surge of nausea, Li Mu raised his broadsword and hacked him to death.
Ouyang Zhi, who was standing by the side, was so frightened that his face was as pale as a sheet. He let out a cry and fainted straight away.
“Feigning your death?”
Regardless of whether Ouyang Zhi was dead or not, Li Mu went over and added three stabs in his chest.
When Li Mu was killing pigs in a slaughterhouse on Earth, his skill of adding a critical stab at the pigs was peerless. Some poorly skilled butchers sometimes failed to kill the fat pigs with one stab. That instead inspired the fierceness of those fat pigs, causing them to struggle and howl, and so no other people dared to approach the flailing pigs. Every time that happened, Li Mu went up to add a stab and solved the problem in an instant.
In order to show his respect for such a great master like Ouyang Zhi, Li Mu added three stabs this time, which was an absolute way of making sure of his death.
After confirming that Ouyang Zhi would not come back to life, Li Mu again searched him and took all the storage instruments he carried.
The other disciples of the Heavenly Deployment Sect were all s.h.i.+vering with fear.
Without mercy, Li Mu killed them all, not leaving any of them alive.
“Hit the road. Reflect on yourselves on the way to the underworld.”
Anyway, that group of experts had shown their disgusting side before. None of them were decent. So, killing them all would not wrong any of them. The sooner they died, the sooner they could reincarnate. In the next life, perhaps they would try to be good people.
The black-clothed young man carrying a sword and the old man beside him, as well as the pair of beautiful sisters, watched the whole slaughter with their hearts convulsing in fear. Also, they felt like perspiring. They had rejected to side with Fairy Emperor of Light before, but what if Li Mu had lost control and wanted to kill them as well?
“You guys don’t have to be so nervous.” Li Mu grinned at them and said, “In fact, I’m a very kind person. I don’t like fighting and killing… I’m a good person.”
Upon hearing that, the four of them were speechless.
“Kind?”
“If we hadn’t seen with our own eyes that more than 100 cultivators from outer s.p.a.ce had been killed here, maybe we would really be fooled by you.”
“You have literally nothing to do with the word ‘kind’, okay?”
“You can leave now.” Li Mu motioned them with courtesy.
He did not want others to know the thing that would happen next.
The black-clothed young man with a sword on his back gazed at Li Mu, striving to suppress his fighting desire. Then, he remarked habitually, “You’re strong. I will, come to, you again. We battle. Find which, the winner…”
But before he could finish his words, he was yanked away by the old man next to him.
“You little lunatic is really not afraid of death. At this point, you still dare to challenge this little homicidal maniac? Even if you don’t want to live, could you have the decency to leave an old man like me out of trouble?”
Li Mu turned to look at Bu Feiyan, the elder sister.
The latter’s face instantly showed fear.
“Missy, don’t be afraid. After all, we’ve been in close contact with each other… Don’t worry. Just go. I won’t attack you behind your back.” Li Mu grinned, revealing two lines of snow-white teeth.
Bu Feiyan was speechless. “Why did he mention that again?” Ignoring what her younger sister had to say as she drew out the broadsword fastened to her waist, Bu Feiyan cast a Shutup Curse and dragged her younger sister away without looking back.
No matter what, she reckoned she had better get out of that place first.
Although there was no trace of killing intent in Li Mu’s grinning face, the corpses, blood, and killing intent all over the place made her unable to feel any sense of security.
What happened on that was indeed too overwhelming for the girl full of pride.
“Goodbye, missy. See you again if fate arranges so.” Li Mu waved at them.
The impression the pair of beautiful sisters left him was quite good. He knew they were not villains.
Bu Feiyan turned a deaf ear to Li Mu ridicule. She lugged her younger sister at such a speed that the little girl was lifted off the ground and flew in the air like a kite. Shortly, the pair of sisters disappeared from view.
Li Mu smiled, shaking his head. Then, he walked to Jiang Qingluan, Lord Qu of the Southern Chu, also the “traitor to Earth”.
Of all those who came out of Earth, Jiang Qingluan was the first person Li Mu knew to have betrayed his ancestors.
Any kind of betrayal was absolutely unacceptable.
Moreover, if Jiang Qingluan did not create difficulties again and again on that day, Li Mu and his party would not be forced to such a plight. Originally, Fairy Emperor of Light had already agreed to w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu’s request and was ready to let Li Mu and the others leave. But this Lord Qu pointed out that Li Mu was a sinner and so sabotaged his entire plan.
“You are more powerful than I thought.” Jiang Qingluan looked at Li Mu in the eyes, not showing much awe or fear on his face. Beneath the gold crown, a smile that did not reach his eyes spread across his fair face.
Li Mu said, “Just tell me, in what way do you want to die?”
Jiang Qingluan’s smile was unwavering. He answered, “You are so confident to kill me?”
Li Mu nodded and said, “Killing you is as easy as killing a dog. But given that you know Earth, I’m willing to have a talk with you before you die. If you want to die a little faster and painless, tell me, except you and Yu Hualong, where did the other three people go after they awoke at the altar?”
“You also know about the altar?” Jiang Qingluan was a little surprised. Then, he said thoughtfully, “Yeah, you did not hesitate to fight Emperor Qin Ming for the little idiot, Yu Hualong. It seems that he has told you a lot of things. Um, I was the first to wake up at the altar. As to the whereabouts of the other three, why not take a guess?”
Li Mu sneered, his killing intent swirling.
But Jiang Qingluan’s smile was still stuck to his face like a mask. As if to provoke Li Mu, he continued with a smile, “By the way, as a friendly prompt, none of them ended up well.”