"What?" Huang Zhenhao turned pale with shock, his body trembling slightly.

Is the other party a god? How could that be possible?

"Master Gao, are you deceiving me?" Huang Zhenhao scoffed. "How could there possibly be... be..."

Suddenly, Huang Zhenhao could not continue speaking, because he saw his own daughter suspended in mid-air. A streak of azure light was swirling around her.

The next moment, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.

Pieces of bloody flesh were being carved from Huang Ning's body, falling to the ground. That was blood, it was flesh!

Huang Ning let out a piercing scream. No matter how she struggled, she could not escape the reality of being flayed and deboned.

"Don't kill me! I was wrong!" Huang Ning screamed hysterically, begging for mercy. "I really know my mistake now! Can you please let me go?"

Her voice began to weaken as a feeling known as despair started to engulf her.

"It's not that I never gave you a chance," Lin Mu spoke indifferently. "At Tiger's Lair Mountain, I indirectly helped the Huang Family by changing your feng shui, granting you a lifetime of wealth. In Suzhou, I had no desire to settle scores with you either. But you should never, ever, have dared to insult my woman."

"Tell me, do you deserve to die?"

His cold tone radiated a chilling murderous intent. This chilled not only the others present, but even Huang Zhenhao was severely shaken.

"Stop!" Huang Zhenhao roared. "You, surnamed Lin! If you don't release my daughter this instant, I guarantee you'll die a gruesome death!"

"Are you threatening me?" Lin Mu snorted coldly. With a light wave of his hand, Huang Ning's other arm simply exploded.

The bone-deep agony was enough to drive a person mad or make them faint. Yet, Huang Ning's senses remained unnervingly clear. Every inch of skin, every nerve, vividly recorded the omnipresent pain.

"You..." Huang Zhenhao took a deep breath. "Lin Mu, name your price. What are your conditions to let my daughter go?"

"What makes you think you're qualified to negotiate with me?"

Hearing Lin Mu's absolute refusal, Huang Zhenhao's expression turned grim. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'Always leave a path for future meetings'? Do you really intend to fight the Huang Family to the death?"

"Your Huang Family isn't worthy of a life-and-death struggle with me," Lin Mu said mockingly. "The only outcome will be me slaughtering your entire family, while none of you can even touch a hair on my head."

"Such arrogant words!" Huang Zhenhao sneered. "Do you really think no one can deal with you? I've heard of your immense strength, that even the Spirit Seer calls you master, but there are plenty in this world who are stronger than you!"

"Oh?" Lin Mu looked interested. "Let's hear it then."

"Heavenly Ranking Grandmaster Lin Wudi!" Huang Zhenhao smiled coldly. "Hmph, I've received word that in three months, Lin Wudi himself will take action to execute you! You don't have long to live, yet you still dare to provoke the Huang Family?"

Hearing this, Lin Mu's smile turned strange. "So the Huang Family had a hand in asking Lin Wudi to take action?"

"Hahaha!" Huang Zhenhao burst into laughter. "Lin Mu, for a Grandmaster, you are far too arrogant, showing no respect for the world's experts. Master Lin Wudi has long been displeased with your actions, which is why he decided to personally deal with you!"

Lin Mu asked, "Have you met Lin Wudi?"

"Of course not!" Huang Zhenhao said as if it were a matter of fact. "How could we mortals ever see an immortal figure like Master Lin? Just speaking his name is an immense honor."

Shaking his head, he continued in a mocking tone, "Of course, how would a frog at the bottom of a well like you understand Master Lin's power? You're nothing but an ignorant junior who, with a little bit of strength, thinks he's invincible!"

"Is that so?" Lin Mu narrowed his eyes. "But if I want to destroy your Huang Family, no one can stop me! Perhaps when Lin Wudi learns of this, not only will he not stop me, but he might even act himself to annihilate your family."

At Lin Mu's words, Huang Zhenhao laughed even louder. "Kid, to say you're ignorant of the vastness of the world is an overstatement! An ant, of course, cannot comprehend the vastness of the heavens and the earth! A fool like you will never amount to anything."

"You call me a fool?"

Lin Mu laughed, loud and clear. It was the funniest joke he had ever heard. It was like a reptile questioning an Azure Hawk, "Do you know how vast the sky and earth are? Do you know how high the mountains are?"

The Azure Hawk does not answer, so the reptile assumes it is ignorant. Unfortunately, the pitiful reptile is unaware that the Azure Hawk's home is the sky itself.

"What are you laughing at?" Lin Mu's laughter made Huang Zhenhao's face turn ugly. He felt he was being mocked and humiliated.

"I laugh at how pathetic, lamentable, and pitiful you are!" Lin Mu shook his head. "Do you even know who I am?"

Huang Zhenhao was taken aback, then sneered, "Who doesn't know? You're just relying on your status as the General Instructor of the Southeast Military Academy, which is why no one dares to touch you! But Grandmaster Lin Wudi has slaughtered nearly ten Heavenly Ranking Grandmasters, even Liu Xiu from the Military Department was killed by him, and he destroyed a Martial Alliance Branch. Does it matter who you are?"

Huang Zhenhao's tone was thick with ridicule. "I know the Martial Alliance sought you out to fight Master Lin, but frankly, if I were you, I'd just smash my head against a wall and die. Facing Master Lin, you would only be humiliating yourself."

"So your Huang Family couldn't wait to contact Lin Wudi to help get rid of me?" Lin Mu asked.

"Of course!" Huang Zhenhao declared self-righteously. "A cruel butcher like you is an enemy to all and should be executed! For Master Lin to personally act against you is a blessing you've earned over three lifetimes!"

He wore a look of absolute certainty, as if Lin Mu's fate was sealed. The others around him began to relax as well.

Huang Ning even screamed, "Lin Mu, release me now! When Master Lin makes his move, you will undoubtedly die! When that time comes, I'll have him pull out your tendons, flay you, crush your bones, and scatter your ashes!"

Her tone was filled with venomous hatred. Clearly, she hated Lin Mu to the bone.

"What a pity," Lin Mu sighed deeply.

"Regretting it? Are you scared?" Huang Zhenhao laughed. "It's too late! Of course, if you kneel and kowtow to beg for forgiveness now, I might be able to plead with Master Lin on your behalf, to spare your family and kill only you."

Lin Mu shook his head. "Do you think Lin Wudi would agree to such a request?"

"Why not?" Huang Zhenhao retorted. "My Huang Family gifted him an island! It's worth billions. He was going to kill you sooner or later anyway, so he would surely be happy to form an alliance with my Huang Family in the process, don't you think?"

"But I didn't agree," Lin Mu said.

"When did Master Lin's affairs ever require your approval?" Huang Zhenhao snorted coldly. "Do you think you *are* Grandmaster Lin Wudi?"

"After all that nonsense, you've finally said one thing correctly," Lin Mu said with a smile. "Indeed, I am Lin Wudi."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com