Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3994: Disciplining The Head

The instant the ruler moved, the air exploded. A terrifying force descended upon the surrounding plains, and the ground beneath Daoist Bone Ruler’s feet cracked from the sheer strength contained within the attack.

Several High Elders immediately became serious. "That strength!"

"Even a Fifth Tribulation Immortal would have their bones crushed by that strike."

"That is Head Bone Ruler?"

"He is holding back." The elders understood the frightening part.

Daoist Bone Ruler was clearly testing Lin Mu with a direct physical strike, yet even that casual attack possessed enough force to seriously injure a Fifth Tribulation Immortal. The disciples watching from farther away felt their hearts tighten.

The Bone Ruler reached Lin Mu when he raised one arm. His palm moved upward and then it met the ruler.

DENG!

A deafening sound exploded across the plains and a shockwave spread outward. Dust erupted from the ground and several nearby disciples staggered backward, while the grass surrounding Lin Mu was flattened in every direction.

Yet Lin Mu did not move.

His palm remained firmly pressed against the Bone Ruler and his feet remained planted. His shoulders were relaxed and there was no pain on his face. There was not even a trace of strain.

The massive force released by Daoist Bone Ruler seemed to have disappeared the instant it reached Lin Mu’s palm. The surrounding elders stared and so did the disciples. Even Daoist Bone Ruler’s eyes narrowed.

Lin Mu looked down at the ruler touching his palm. Then he looked toward Daoist Bone Ruler.

"Hmm." He tilted his head slightly. "Needs more strength."

Several elders went silent.

Lin Mu inspected Daoist Bone Ruler for a moment before asking with genuine concern, "Do you eat properly, junior? Or has our sect declined so badly that they no longer feed the younger generation?"

The expressions of several elders became strange. One Sword Division elder turned his face away while another covered his mouth. The Man Peak elders looked toward the sky. They clearly wanted to laugh but they also clearly wanted to live.

Daoist Bone Ruler’s expression remained calm. Yet the surrounding pressure suddenly became heavier.

Lin Mu smiled. "Did I say something wrong?"

Daoist Bone Ruler’s eyes sharpened. "You insulted me."

Lin Mu waved his hand. "That was concern."

A few disciples nearly burst out laughing but Daoist Bone Ruler continued staring at him.

Lin Mu sighed. "You youngsters are far too sensitive."

The Head of the Law Divisions finally moved again and his wrist turned. The Bone Ruler slipped away from Lin Mu’s palm and swung upward. The attack was extremely fast and it struck toward Lin Mu’s chin with enough power to shatter a mountain peak.

Lin Mu’s eyes followed the movement and his expression remained completely relaxed. He raised one hand and waved it. The motion looked almost lazy and there was no visible surge of Immortal Qi or any enormous manifestation appearing.

The surrounding air suddenly changed as a strange phenomenon occurred.

THAM~

The air around Lin Mu seemed to become solid. Then, almost instantly, the moisture within the surrounding region vanished. The air became as dry as the bone ruler in the Head’s hand.

The change happened so quickly that several elders immediately noticed it. "What?"

Before anyone could understand what was happening, a thin membrane of water appeared before Lin Mu’s palm. It was barely more than a sheet.. Yet the moment Daoist Bone Ruler’s Bone Ruler struck it, the membrane flexed.

BOING!

The ruler bounced away!

The sound was almost absurdly soft compared to the previous clash. Daoist Bone Ruler’s eyes widened slightly as his attack had been deflected. And that too by water. He looked at the thin membrane and then at Lin Mu.

For the first time since arriving, genuine surprise appeared on his face. He had not sensed any substantial Immortal Qi fluctuation or any formation. He had not even detected a Dao skill. The water had simply appeared.

Lin Mu withdrew his hand and the membrane dispersed into countless droplets before vanishing into the air.

He clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Tsk." He shook his head. "Your technique has become rather stiff."

Daoist Bone Ruler stared at him.

Lin Mu continued with the patience of an old master correcting a disappointing disciple. "You rely too heavily on force. A rigid attack becomes predictable. Have you forgotten the principle of countering hard with soft?"

The surroundings became deathly quiet while several disciples stared with wide eyes.

One of them whispered, "Is he lecturing... Head Bone Ruler?"

The elder standing beside him slowly nodded. "He is."

The disciple swallowed. "Why?"

The elder had no answer as this was probably the first time many of them had ever seen Daoist Bone Ruler receive a lesson during combat. Even more shocking was the fact that the lesson seemed reasonable.

Daoist Bone Ruler’s eyes remained fixed upon Lin Mu. "Water?"

He looked at the place where the membrane had disappeared.

Lin Mu smiled. "Did you finally notice?"

"There was no technique."

"Correct."

"There was no Dao manifestation."

"Correct again."

Daoist Bone Ruler’s eyes narrowed. "Then how?"

Lin Mu gave him an amused look. "Do you need this old man to teach you every little thing?"

The surrounding elders nearly lost their composure.

Lin Mu raised his hand again. "Since you enjoy using hard attacks, allow this old man to show you what a proper hard attack looks like."

Daoist Bone Ruler’s expression became serious as Lin Mu’s raised palm slowly moved downward.

The moment it did, the ground trembled.

RUMBLE!

The plains shook, loose stones jumped from the earth and the enormous crater behind Lin Mu began shedding fragments of stone. Then the ground beneath Daoist Bone Ruler erupted!

BOOM!

A gigantic pillar of earth suddenly shot upward!

It was enormous and the pillar rose for nearly a hundred meters, carrying tremendous force as it emerged from the ground.

"Head!"

"Below you!"

"Move!"

Several High Elders shouted warnings simultaneously but Daoist Bone Ruler had already sensed it. His body shifted and he prepared to leap away. Then something even more astonishing happened.