The Mirror Master

At his words, the once-raucous main hall fell silent in an instant.

The middle-aged man with a longsword on his back set down his cup.

The male and female Cultivators, who had been chatting just a moment ago, abruptly fell silent.

At another table, the smiles vanished from the faces of three drinking and carousing Jianghu Travelers as their hands moved to the weapons at their sides.

The middle-aged man turned his head to stare at Lu Bai, his gaze sharp. "You’re a clever one," he said slowly, "to know that your death is at hand."

Lu Bai said calmly, "A simple post-house like this, filled to capacity, with even Cultivators present... I really can’t think of any reason for it, unless you’ve all come for me."

"I am Lü Chen of the Xuanjian Sect."

The middle-aged man continued, "Before I kill you, I must ask you one thing."

Lu Bai smiled. "No need to ask. Mo Shaohan and Jiao Wei of the Xuanjian Sect? I’m the one who butchered them."

Lü Chen’s expression darkened. "I was going to ask about something else. My master, True Master Xuan Lu. Where is he now?"

"True Master Xuan Lu?"

Lu Bai was puzzled. He shook his head. "Never heard of him."

"Facing death, and you’re still playing dumb!"

Lü Chen said coldly, "That Mountain Demon Hat of yours, the one that grants Invisibility, was made from an Exotic Beast raised by my very own master, True Master Xuan Lu. The Mountain Demon is dead, and my master vanished in Bluestone City. How could you possibly not know?"

Lu Bai couldn’t be bothered to explain. His gaze shifted to the other two Cultivators. "And what’s your story?" he asked.

The man and woman rose, their hands resting on their Storage Pouches.

The man said in a heavy voice, "True Master Dan Ding was our master. We heard that he died by your hand. Is this true?"

"That’s right."

Lu Bai nodded. "I’m the one who killed him!"

The female Cultivator from Danding Temple snapped, "Since you admit it, there’s nothing left to say! The grudge for our master’s murder is irreconcilable!"

Lu Bai just smiled and turned his head toward the three Jianghu Travelers at the other table.

The burly man on the left, whose hands were a stark bluish-black, grinned and said, "I am Jiao Ping, known in the Jianghu as ’Iron Hand’."

"I am Yan Fu, the Eight-armed Vajra."

The man who spoke was short, but his arms were extremely long, hanging past his knees.

"Soul-Chasing Saber, Miao Yuanshan."

This speaker was pale with thin lips and narrow eyes. He had a slender build and held a Willow Leaf Saber.

"The three of us have no personal quarrel with you, but we are all indebted to Marquis Jingzhong’s Mansion."

Yan Fu said in a heavy voice, "We have come only to repay that debt."

Lu Bai’s gaze swept around the room, flicking past the large man snoring in the corner and up toward the guest rooms on the second floor. "Anyone else who wants to kill me," he called out, "show yourselves!"

The large man gave no reaction, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

The guest rooms on the second floor also remained silent.

The Shopkeeper and his staff were pale with terror.

Lu Bai glanced at them and barked, "All uninvolved parties, get out! Unless you want to get caught in the crossfire and lose your lives."

Upon hearing this, the Shopkeeper and his staff scrambled out the door, fleeing into the distance.

Lu Bai arched an eyebrow. "So, it’s just the few of you? If I’m not mistaken, you’re all merely at the Foundation Establishment and Innate Realms, correct?"

"Don’t get arrogant, Lu Bai!"

Lü Chen of the Xuanjian Sect sneered. "I’ve long heard the reports. Your massacre at the Fujiao Gang was purely reliant on the power of a Divine Weapon. And you only managed to kill True Master Dan Ding because of that Tier Three Exotic Beast of yours!"

"Indeed!"

The male Cultivator from Danding Temple nodded. "Now that you’re in shackles, without your Exotic Beast or Divine Weapon to aid you, any one of us could cut you down with ease!"

Jiao Ping laughed. "We three brothers have roamed the Jianghu for many years. We’ve all made a name for ourselves. We’re not like those grunts from the Fujiao Gang. Among Innate Martial Artists, the gap in skill can be as wide as the heavens and the earth."

A faint, unreadable smile played on Lu Bai’s lips. "So," he asked, "are you suggesting a series of one-on-one duels?"

"As if I’d be afraid of you!"

Lü Chen formed a sword seal with his fingers. The longsword on his back shot out of its sheath, humming as it vibrated in the air, its tip pointed at Lu Bai.

"Daoist Lü, don’t fall for his taunts."

Jiao Ping frowned, speaking quickly. "This isn’t a sparring match. There’s no need for honorable duels. Our mission is to take his head and vent the Crown Prince’s fury!"

"Haha!"

Lu Bai let out a long laugh as his Blood Qi surged. With a loud CRACK, he violently shattered his shackles. "If you’re going to kill, then kill! Stop hesitating like old women! Come at me together!" he roared.

BOOM!

Lu Bai stomped. A burst of golden light erupted from the soles of his feet, and the chain connecting his ankles instantly shattered. He shot toward the two Cultivators from Danding Temple.

He was too fast!

Even back in the Inner Strength Realm, Lu Bai could use this technique, Vajra Earth Splitting, to close a short distance in an instant.

Now that he had cultivated to the Innate Seven Meridians, his Blood Qi was several times stronger, making the technique even faster and more ferocious!

By the time the last word of his challenge left his lips, Lu Bai, free of his shackles, was already upon the two Cultivators. His eyes blazed like a Demon God’s, radiating an overwhelming killing intent!

The male and female Cultivators from Danding Temple were aghast.

Fortunately, their hands were already on their Storage Pouches. In a flash of thought, each produced a Protective Talisman.

"How audacious!"

"Watch out!"

Cries of alarm instantly filled the hall.

Jiao Ping leaped into the air, his Steel Whip whistling as he brought it crashing down on Lu Bai’s skull.

Yan Fu’s whole body shuddered. The sleeves on his arms instantly burst apart, revealing a pair of gnarled, muscular limbs encased in fine steel Arm Guards. As he swung them, the air filled with the afterimages of countless arms.

SHIING!

A flash of saber light.

The Willow Leaf Saber left its sheath, slashing at the nape of Lu Bai’s neck. The Sword Technique was sharp and as swift as the wind!

VMMMM!

Lü Chen’s sword-fingers twitched. The longsword hovering above him shot through the air, arriving in an instant!

In that single moment, the battle erupted!

"ROAR!"

Just then, a deafening roar exploded from deep within Lu Bai’s throat. It was like a tiger’s roar echoing through a mountain forest, silencing everything in its wake!

It was too fast, too sudden.

Within the relatively enclosed space of the hall, the power of the Silence Shocking Secret Technique was amplified significantly.

Everyone present shuddered as if struck by lightning, a look of utter confusion flashing in their eyes.

Lü Chen’s longsword faltered for a moment.

Jiao Ping, having just leaped, plummeted from mid-air.

The afterimages of arms created by Yan Fu vanished in an instant.

The saber’s gleam faded, revealing the Willow Leaf Saber frozen in place.

The male and female Cultivators from Danding Temple were closest to Lu Bai, and they bore the brunt of the impact.

They had only just grasped their Protective Talismans. Before they could even tear them to activate them, the tiger’s roar stunned them into a stupor.

Lu Bai didn’t pause for an instant. His eyes bulged as he swung his arms like a pair of Mountain-Cracking Axes. BANG! BANG! His fists smashed into the faces of the two Danding Temple Cultivators.

They were sent flying, their bodies already lifeless before they hit the ground.

Their faces were battered beyond recognition, crushed by Lu Bai’s fists.

From start to finish, the two Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators from Danding Temple never even made a sound. Before they could react, Lu Bai had killed them with his bare hands.