Chapter 3442: Blueback’s Defeat!
Chapter 3442: Blueback’s Defeat!
The elders of the Martial Fist King Sect were already calculating how they would deal with Lin Mu after this. One of their own elders was still in the tournament, and there was a real chance that he might have to face Lin Mu later.
Of course, that was only if he managed to defeat Cattaleya first. But even that small possibility made their expressions grim.
The clash between the two body cultivators continued for nearly a minute. Nothing could be seen inside the storm of energy, light, and debris. Waves of force kept surging outward, making it impossible to see what was happening at the center.
It was only after two full minutes had passed that the energy finally began to fade. The air calmed, the light dimmed, and the dust slowly settled.
What appeared before everyone was no longer a ring. It was a massive crater. The ground had collapsed inward, forming a deep pit that reached almost to the bottom of the giant stone palm that supported the stadium. If not for the defensive arrays dispersing part of the impact, the force might have torn straight through the structure itself.
"Who won?!" someone shouted.
"Can anyone see them?!" another cried.
The audience stood up in a wave. Staff members and the referee flew toward the crater, trying to locate the fighters. Neither Lin Mu nor Blueback could be seen at first.
Just as tension reached its peak, a sound rang out.
WHOOSH!
A figure shot out of the crater, glowing in golden light. Brown symbols swam across his skin like living things. Though his body was no longer flawless, fine cracks could be seen spreading over his arms, chest, and shoulders.
Yet those cracks were already closing, healing at a visible speed.
It was Lin Mu.
"He’s out!" someone screamed.
"Lin Mu! It’s Lin Mu!"
"Master is out!" Meng Bai shouted in excitement.
"Of course," Cattaleya said confidently, as if there had never been any doubt.
"Though I did not expect such destruction," Daoist Chu muttered, staring at the ruined ring.
"He is not alone either," Elyon said quietly, pointing.
Everyone finally noticed what Lin Mu was holding. In his hand was an unconscious man, his body limp and covered in fading blue patterns.
"It’s Blueback!" Dongxu Ning cried out.
The crowd exploded with noise. Cheers, gasps, and shocked cries mixed together as they realized the truth. Lin Mu was standing. Blueback was unconscious. The outcome was clear.
The referees quickly flew forward, checked Blueback’s condition, and confirmed that he had lost consciousness completely. Then they turned to the crowd, their voices amplified by formation arrays.
"The winner is... LIN MU!" they declared.
The stadium erupted.
The name Lin Mu was shouted again and again, echoing across the city as countless cultivators celebrated the end of one of the most terrifying and magnificent battles they had ever seen.
The stadium was now in absolute chaos.
Cheers, screams, gasps, and stunned silence all mixed together into a single deafening storm of sound. People jumped from their seats, cultivators floated into the air to get a better view, and some even forgot to breathe properly.
"LIN MU!"
"ONE PUNCH MAN!"
"WHAT WAS THAT ATTACK?!"
"I THOUGHT THE STADIUM WAS GOING TO DISAPPEAR!"
Some people were crying from excitement. Some were laughing hysterically. Some were just staring with their mouths open like wooden statues that had forgotten how to close their jaws.
Lin Mu, meanwhile, stood calmly in the middle of it all, holding Blueback in his arms.
He gently placed the unconscious man on the ground and crouched beside him. His immortal sense swept through Blueback’s body carefully.
"Mostly exhaustion," Lin Mu muttered softly. "Some internal strain. A few cracked bones. Nothing fatal."
He was genuinely relieved. He had enjoyed this fight, and he did not wish for Blueback to die from it.
What shocked Lin Mu more was how well Blueback’s body had endured.
The Lapis Link Body Array Totemic Art was terrifying. It had actually damaged his Burdenless Dominator Physique to a noticeable degree. Fine cracks were still healing on his own body, something that almost never happened.
The last time this had occurred was against Grand Elder Huo, who had been a Transcendent, and the Ancestor of the Ephemera Sect, whose strength had also reached Transcendent.
For a technique to reach that level of pressure was nothing short of monstrous.
But Lin Mu knew the truth.
Blueback had lost not because his body was weaker, but because he had burned through every drop of his Immortal Essence. Lin Mu had used nearly sixty percent of his own Immortal Essence to defend against that final strike.
If Blueback had even ten percent more energy, the outcome might not have been so clean.
Still, a win was a win.
Lin Mu stood up and waved to the stunned staff members nearby.
"Please take care of him," Lin Mu said calmly. "Inform me when he awakens. I wish to speak with him."
The staff stared at him as if he were a walking calamity wrapped in human skin.
"Yes, yes, of course, Daoist Lin Mu!" they said hurriedly, lifting Blueback with great care.
As they carried Blueback away, Lin Mu finally turned toward the audience seats where his companions were.
Meng Bai was already jumping up and down like a child who had been given unlimited sweets.
"MASTER! MASTER! THAT WAS AMAZING!" he shouted, waving both arms wildly.
Cattaleya crossed her arms proudly. "Obviously. If he lost, I would have been embarrassed to stand next to him."
Daoist Chu stroked his beard slowly. "That technique of his opponent was truly fascinating. A pity that its creator did not live to perfect it."
Elyon nodded. "That man is not finished yet. If Lin Mu helps him, he will become something very dangerous."
Dongxu Ning clasped her hands together, eyes shining. "That was the greatest fight I have ever seen."
Lin Mu returned to them, smiling lightly. "You are all exaggerating."
"No, we are not," Meng Bai said seriously. "I almost fainted from excitement."