The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Why was the Yagyu Shinkage school able to take root so easily?

Why did Li Tianhao's power grab, which seemed to go smoothly, ultimately fail to truly shake the foundation of the regime?

The reason for this is that Li Zhengkai was the one who truly sided with Zhu Wushi.

In the original storyline, Duan Tianya and Shangguan Haitang's investigation was actually a well-orchestrated show by Li Zhengkai!

He used Li Tianhao and the Japanese to draw all the attention and conflict, while he remained behind the scenes, coldly manipulating everything.

Even the death of the former gang leader was likely due to his disagreement with cooperating with Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, which ultimately led to him being ignored by Zhu or secretly killed by Li Zhengkai.

"Is that so? I wonder what instructions you have, Divine Lord?"

Li Zhengkai remained calm and, following Lin Mu's lead, planned to stall for time and wait for rescue.

"As expected, the truth couldn't be hidden!"

Seeing Li Zhengkai's wary attitude, Lin Mu knew that his identity had not fooled the other party, so he immediately took action without saying a word.

Li Zhengkai's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he launched the first attack.

His movements were strange and agile, his steps swift and accompanied by multiple illusions, which was definitely not the style of the Giant Whale Gang. His two fingers were like lightning, striking Lin Mu's major acupoints like a storm. The finger wind was sharp and piercing, and the sound of it cutting through the air was hissing. It was an extremely profound and ruthless acupoint striking technique!

Lin Mu neither dodged nor avoided, but secretly activated his "Invincible Vajra Divine Skill," causing a faint, barely perceptible golden light to emanate from his skin.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

Several finger strikes hit their mark precisely, producing a crisp sound like striking metal, yet they couldn't budge the object in the slightest!

"Such powerful external martial arts skills!"

Li Zhengkai was startled. Seeing Lin Mu charging towards him despite the attack, he immediately changed his move, turning his fingers into a palm. The palm wind howled, and a surge of intense internal force, containing a penetrating and tearing power, rushed out, heading straight for Lin Mu's temple.

But Lin Mu was faster.

"The Spider Silk Locks the Gate!"

Lin Mu stopped probing and moved his ten fingers rapidly as if playing a musical instrument. Threads of soft, sticky spider silk, imbued with true energy, shot out and, as if alive, wove together in the air into a vast, inescapable net, covering Li Zhengkai from all directions and instantly blocking all his escape routes.

"Fire Cloud Blade!"

Li Zhengkai gave a low shout, his fingers pointing like knives, as if trying to cut the spider silk.

However, the spider silk was exceptionally flexible and contained Lin Mu's pure Yang true energy. When he slashed at it, he only cut off two strands. The remaining spider silk instantly stuck to and wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and waist. The more he struggled, the tighter the entanglement became.

"What kind of evil technique is this?!"

Li Zhengkai was both shocked and furious. He had never encountered such a troublesome and bizarre move before. He tried to use his internal energy to break the spider silk, but found that the spider silk was even tougher than iron chains and could not be broken at all.

Lin Mu did not answer, but instead struck Li Zhengkai's dantian with his palm.

Within his palm, a terrifying suction force began to brew and rotate.

Li Zhengkai's expression changed drastically in an instant.

Lin Mu's palm felt like a bottomless black hole vortex, and his own pure internal energy, cultivated over thirty years, was like a flood that had been released, completely out of control, pouring out wildly and surging into the other's body!

"Absorption... Absorption Technique?!"

Li Zhengkai was utterly terrified, his voice distorted with extreme fear: "You...how could you...this is impossible! Divine Marquis, he..."

He struggled desperately, but his body was entangled in layers of spider silk, and he was powerless to break free.

He could only watch helplessly as the internal energy he had painstakingly cultivated rapidly dissipated, and his body quickly became weak and withered as if it had been drained of its energy, his skin lost its luster, and his muscles atrophied.

"It seems I was right, you really are the loyal dog he buried here."

Lin Mu's eyes were icy cold. As he spoke, he accelerated the circulation of the "Absorption Technique," devouring Li Zhengkai's life's cultivation.

"No... spare me... Divine Marquis... will never... let you go..."

Li Zhengkai's voice became hoarse and weak, filled with endless resentment and despair, before finally dissipating completely.

In less than ten breaths, Lin Mu completely devoured the internal energy of a mid-stage Innate Realm expert.

Li Zhengkai lay limp on the ground like a boneless lump of mud, his eyes completely glazed over, his martial arts completely destroyed, and his breath barely clinging to life.

Lin Mu casually shattered Li Zhengkai's heart with a flick of his finger.

Looking around the elegantly decorated room, still fragrant with the scent of ink, Lin Mu's lips curled into a cold smile.

The waters of the Giant Whale Gang are indeed very deep.

Iron-Blooded Marquis Zhu Wushi's tentacles were also longer and more concealed than he had expected.

Chapter 55: The Man in the Net

Lin Mu had just killed Li Zhengkai and hadn't even had a chance to use the Golden Eye's ability to rewind time and obtain information when he felt a chill run down his spine.

Using the X-ray vision of his Golden Eyes, Lin Mu saw more than a dozen figures rapidly approaching the courtyard!

Without hesitation, he stored Li Zhengkai's corpse into his system space, formed hand seals, and silently chanted, "Transformation Technique!"

"boom!"

With a soft sound, white smoke rose and then quickly dissipated.

Lin Mu's figure disappeared, and standing in the same spot was Li Zhengkai, the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, whose clothes and demeanor were exactly the same.

Almost simultaneously, with a loud "bang," the courtyard gate was slammed open, and a group of people filed in, looking menacing.

The leader was about fifty years old, with a thin face and sharp eyes like a hawk poised to strike. He wore a long, narrow Japanese samurai sword and a short sword at his waist, and exuded a chilling aura of oppression. He was none other than Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, the head of the Yagyu Shinkage school, who was at the early stage of the Grandmaster level!

Beside him stood a woman dressed in a light purple Japanese girl's outfit. Her appearance was exquisitely beautiful, but her eyes were filled with frost. She held a sharp blade and was about to hang a short sword. Although her aura was not as powerful as her father's, it was still sharp and intimidating. She had reached the peak of the Innate Realm. She was none other than Yagyu Yosuke, the daughter of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

On the right is a slightly overweight man from the Central Plains with a fawning and greedy expression; he is Li Tianhao, the current nominal leader of the Giant Whale Gang.

Behind them followed a group of Japanese samurai from the Yagyu Shinkage school and members of the Giant Whale Gang.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's gaze swept across the slightly messy courtyard with lightning speed, finally landing on "Li Zhengkai." His Chinese was fluent but cold and hard: "Chief Li, are you alright? I just heard some commotion here."

Lin Mu imitated Li Zhengkai's voice and tone, sounding slightly "still shaken," and said: "It's alright. There were indeed thieves who sneaked in and attacked just now, but fortunately Mr. Liu Sheng arrived in time and scared them away."

He deliberately made his voice sound slightly weak and short-tempered, typical of a scholar.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami nodded slightly, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, his right hand fingers twitched almost imperceptibly.

In that instant, he and Liu Sheng Piaoxu beside him seemed to be of one mind, and attacked at the same time without warning.

"Keng!"

Two gleaming blades suddenly appeared, crisscrossing and slicing through the air. The incomparably sharp blade energy was not a direct strike, but rather cleverly blocked Li Zhengkai's dodge routes to the left and right.

With his spider-sense alerting him, Lin Mu knew something was wrong the moment Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's fingers twitched. Before the blade even arrived, the chilling killing intent already stung his skin.

He lightly touched the ground with his feet and slid backward like a nimble bird, narrowly escaping through the gaps in the blade's energy. However, the sharp aftershock still managed to tear a long gash in his chest.

"boom!"

The transformation spell automatically dissipated due to the intense energy fluctuations and the attack, and white smoke once again filled the air.

However, before the smoke cleared, Lin Mu used his transformation technique again!

When the smoke suddenly dissipated, the person who appeared was wearing a black battle robe, his long hair turned dark green with a few strands of silver, and was tied up high with a spider-shaped hair ornament. His face was covered by half of a strange green mask, only revealing his chin and thin lips, and his aura became sinister and unpredictable.

Lin Mu chuckled lightly, looking at the prepared-for-all Liu Sheng Piaoxu with a hint of curiosity: "Oh? You were seen through. I thought my disguise was flawless, how did you see through it, Mr. Liu Sheng?"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami stood with his sword in hand, his eyes even colder: "Your appearance and voice are impeccable, but Chief Li has been immersed in calligraphy and painting for many years, and his gentle, scholarly air cannot be learned."

"Besides, when he's startled, his tone won't be as calm as yours."

He was secretly alarmed; if it weren't for this subtle difference, he would have been almost completely deceived.

If the other side launches a surprise attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I see, I've learned something. I'll definitely pay more attention to these...details next time."

Lin Mu, now transformed into a person caught in the net, nodded slightly, seemingly accepting the offer humbly, but in reality, his inner energy surged, and his ten fingers curled slightly.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and Yagyu Hyouse stood on either side, their auras locked on Lin Mu: "Who exactly are you?"

Lin Mu turned to the side, his arms slightly outstretched, and proclaimed in a loud voice: "Nine Heavens Silver Threads, Eight Trigrams Net Long; Flying Over the Gates of Hell, the Evil Man Controls Impermanence!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly flicked his fingers.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Strands of crystalline spider silk shot out from his fingertips, as fast as lightning, with a sharp and piercing sound as they tore through the air.

These spider silks, infused with pure Yang energy, are harder than fine steel and have extremely strong penetrating power.

This unbelievable attack method made Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and Yagyu Hyouse's pupils shrink, and they instinctively leaped to dodge.

However, the disciples of the Yagyu Shinkage sect and the members of the Giant Whale gang behind them were unlucky. A dozen or so people were unable to dodge in time and were instantly pierced through by the spider silk, with screams rising one after another.

One of the spider silk threads precisely pierced into Li Tianhao's shoulder as he was about to retreat.

The moment the spider silk entered his body, Lin Mu immediately activated the "Star Absorbing Technique." The strange spider silk became a bridge for transmitting power, frantically drawing out the inner strength and essence of the victim from a distance.

"This...this is the Absorption Technique?!"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, with his extensive knowledge, exclaimed in shock and immediately swung his katana, the sharp blade slashing at the spider silk connecting Li Tianhao and the others, attempting to sever the medium.

At the same time, Liu Sheng Piaoxu's eyes narrowed, she let out a sharp cry, her figure spun around, and her long sword was drawn, bringing with it a chilling, bone-chilling flash of light.

"Snow is falling on earth!"

The endless sword energy was like a blizzard in the dead of winter, both beautiful and deadly. It appeared out of nowhere and swept towards Lin Mu from all directions indiscriminately. Each "snowflake" contained the sharpness to cut through metal.

Lin Mu remained calm and pulled back sharply with his ten fingers. Those unfortunate souls strung together by the spider silk, including the terrified Li Tianhao, were instantly pulled in front of him by a tremendous force, becoming ready-made human shields.

"Pfft! Crack!"

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, limbs and severed bodies splattered in all directions. Li Tianhao and more than ten Japanese samurai were instantly cut to pieces by countless snowflake-like blades of energy, their deaths extremely gruesome.

Their sacrifices did, however, somewhat offset the full force of the snowfall.

The remaining scattered blade energy collided with the pale golden protective aura that appeared around Lin Mu, producing a series of muffled sounds before dissipating.

Lin Mu flung aside the "shield" that had been reduced to minced meat, a wicked smile playing on his lips beneath the mask: "Evil Man, Man in the Net, please confess!"

Just then, the system notification sounded in his mind again.

[Ding! You have encountered the lucky figure Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, triggering the side quest: Slay the Son-in-Law.]

[Mission Requirements: Within one year, help Yagyu Tajima-no-kami kill Duan Tianya.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

[Ding! You have encountered the lucky character Liu Sheng Piaoxu, triggering the side quest: Brother-in-law, love me again.]

[Mission Requirements: Help Liu Sheng Piaoxu marry Duan Tianya within one year.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

Lin Mu: "..."

Are these two, father and daughter, at odds with Duan Tianya?

One wants to kill, the other wants to marry—this mission is truly... contradictory yet thrilling.

Upon witnessing Lin Mu's bizarre methods, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami was immediately on high alert.

[A man trapped in a web? When did such a bizarre figure emerge in the Central Plains? Not only can he shoot out spider silk, but he also possesses a technique to absorb internal energy. If this fiend is not eliminated, he will surely become a great threat!]

Thinking of this, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's killing intent instantly surged to its peak!

"Kill the God of Death with one strike!"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami let out a low roar, his aura surging, and he poured his early-stage Grandmaster-level inner strength into the sword without reservation. The katana hummed, and an extremely condensed and terrifying blade of light tore through the air, slashing straight at Lin Mu's head.

This strike embodies all of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's energy and spirit, aiming for a fatal blow!

Almost at the same moment, Liu Sheng Piaoxu understood immediately, mustered his inner energy, and once again unleashed a barrage of icy, snowy blade energy.

"Snowflakes Fall on Earth" blooms for the second time!

The father and daughter joined forces, their combined power perfectly complementing the extreme sharpness of the God of Slaughter's One-Slash and the wide-range killing intent of Snowfall in the Mortal World. One was orthodox, the other unorthodox; one was hard, the other soft. The sword light and sword energy wove a net of death, completely sealing off the space around Lin Mu, leaving him with no way to escape.

If it were an ordinary grandmaster, he would probably be either dead or seriously injured in an instant under this sudden combined attack.

Faced with this earth-shattering combined attack, Lin Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, but he showed no fear.

With a flick of his wrist, a long spear, entirely silver-white and shimmering with a strange metallic luster, appeared out of thin air!

"Buzz!"