Chapter 71: An Unexpected Fight (1/2)

Lin Mu looked at the six darkly dressed individuals who were standing a hundred meters away from him. They noticed him at the same moment Lin Mu noticed them. They tensed up and then placed their hands on the hilts of the swords they were carrying.

It looked like the men were hiding something as they were trying to cover something behind them. Even Lin Mu became nervous upon seeing the men, as he could tell that something was definitely wrong.

”I thought the routes were already blocked. What do we do now first brother?” One of the darkly dressed men spoke.

”Dammit! those guys can't even do a single task correctly,” Another man said.

”Silence! It's just a kid, we'll take him as well. Master will be fine with some extra goods, anyway.” The man named the first brother grimly spoke.

The first person to react among the six was the man to the very right. He walked towards Lin Mu and then started running as he drew his sword from its sheath.

”Focus and brace yourself. Use your spirit sense there may be cultivators.” Xukong spoke in a firm tone.

Lin Mu instinctively started chanting the calming heart sutra. His mind tranquilized and he could think clearly. The movement of the man approaching him slowed down by a notch and he could see the man's tracks.

As soon as the man got in the range of Lin Mu's spirit sense, he detected that the man was not a cultivator and was instead at the 9th stage of the body tempering realm. Felling assured Lin Mu drew his sword, set his hand straight, and entered a stance.

Lin Mu bent to the side in an effort to dodge the man's blade and barely scraped by.

”That was close.” Lin Mu muttered.

”You're not gonna avoid the next one.” The man spoke.

The man approached Lin Mu again and slashed at him, which he blocked with his short sword. Lin Mu then pushed back and deflected the sword.

”How?” The man exclaimed upon seeing Lin Mu's strength.

Lin Mu had an advantage over the man as he was already in the 10th stage of the body tempering realm, along with being a cultivator at the Mid-stage of the Qi refining realm.

The companions of the man noticed this and were just about to warn him when…

”AAARGH!!” the man shouted as he was stabbed through his heart.

Lin Mu took advantage of the moment when the man was shocked and stabbed through his heart. The man collapsed in the next moment, freeing Lin Mu's attention.

”Fourth brother! No!” Shouted the darkly dressed man who had spoken the first time.

”He's strong, we have to be careful. Fifth, sixth, pull his attention, third attack him from the back.” First brother spoke.

”Second brother, wait for the right moment to strike. This boy is not simple.” First brother spoke again.

The men named fifth and sixth advanced towards Lin Mu from the opposite side, while the man named third circled around Lin Mu. The remaining two men were glaring at Lin Mu, looking out for an opportunity.

Knowing that it will be difficult for him to go against three people at once, Lin Mu decided to split them up, beforehand. Lin Mu withdrew the hatchet from his ring and strengthened his arms with spirit qi.

Seeing that a hatchet had appeared in Lin Mu's hand out of thin, the three approaching men were a little stunned. Grasping this chance, Lin Mu hurled the hatchet at the man named as the sixth brother with all his strength.

A whirling sound could be heard as the hatched spun through the air and then buried itself in the chest of the man. Unable to utter even a single word, the man crashed to the ground; his life or death unknown.

”RETREAT! He's a cultivator, he has a spatial treasure!” The second brother yelled.

”Quick.” First brother spoke, as he tensed his jaw.

Now that the battle was tilting in his favor, Lin Mu did not want to slow down and let go of the lead. He instinctively chanted the severing heart sutra and targeted the two men, fifth and third brother.

The two men slowed down as their eyes turned dull. Lin Mu 'blinked' forward and appeared at the sides of the two men. Amplifying his short sword with spirit qi, Lin Mu slashed through the two men in a single smooth stroke.

The defenses of the two men could not resist the sharpness of a spirit weapon, thus they were split into halves.

Horrified and furious at the development, the remaining two men shouted and sprinted towards Lin Mu. Rage burned in their eyes, as they regretted underestimating Lin Mu.

The man named first brother reached Lin Mu in the next moment and struck him with his sword. Lin Mu sensed his cultivation and estimated it to be at the mid-stage of the Qi refining realm. Blocking the strike with a buckler, Lin Mu twisted to the side. Suddenly Lin Mu's spirit sense detected something coming at him from the back.