Chapter 286

Chapter 286: Mu Lin: You Don’t Know You’re Wrong, Only That You’re Going to Die

“???”

Being completely ignored caught Ji Ling Sha off guard. As a county princess, she’d always been the favored jewel of heaven, commanding attention wherever she went.

Even on this yellow dirt road toward the Grave Lord’s tomb, crowds still flocked around her, flattering her.

Don’t mock others for foolishness—marrying Ji Ling Sha or earning her favor could save centuries of struggle. In such cases, groveling was natural.

Even Mu Lin, when weak, had once crafted paper trinkets for Yan Yunyu, hoping to gain Spirit Stones from her.

Back then, Mu Lin had sought Yan Yunyu’s favor. Now, he pressed her little head down, making her kneel and serve him instead.

Never having been ignored before, Mu Lin’s dismissal first shocked Ji Ling Sha, then sparked humiliation and rage.

“Hey, Mu Lin! I called you—didn’t you hear?”

Hearing his name shouted, Mu Lin finally turned. His face blank, he asked, “What? And who are you?”

“…”

The question silenced her.

After a long pause, she said suspiciously, “You truly don’t know me? You’re not pretending to ignore me to catch my attention, are you? Let me tell you, this won’t—”

“Huh? Why are you leaving again?”

Mu Lin left without hesitation. He had neither interest nor time to waste on strangers.

Ji Ling Sha’s suspicions weren’t baseless vanity. She believed her father’s sudden matchmaking scheme with Mu Lin had been orchestrated by someone.

Following the logic of “who benefits, who acts,” she blamed Mu Lin. Even if he hadn’t directly persuaded her father, she assumed his allies had. This was why she’d been furious upon seeing him.

But now, watching Mu Lin walk away without sparing her another word, she awkwardly realized her mistake.

Her silence, however, wasn’t shared by the young men around her.

Seeing their “goddess” slighted, one youth roared at Mu Lin:

“You insolent fool! The princess called for you!”

As he shouted, spiritual energy coalesced into a giant hand that clamped onto Mu Lin’s shoulder.

Mu Lin didn’t resist or dodge. The hand seized him, wrenching him around.

Driven by jealousy or a need to show off, the youth squeezed with brutal strength.

*Crack…*

Despite the Body of a Dragon and the Central Earth Evil suffusing him, Mu Lin’s shoulder emitted sickening cracks under the pressure.

His shoulder shattered.

The ease of this “victory” stunned both the youth and Prince Liang, who watched from afar.

Under the East Sea King’s insistent questioning—and his own favor toward Mu Lin—Prince Liang finally admitted Mu Lin was the man his precious daughter had chosen.

As for the earlier rudeness.

"My daughter has been spoiled by me since childhood. She’s always been willful and doesn’t know how to show affection properly. Her earlier action was just trying to get Mu Lin’s attention."

Besides explaining his daughter’s actions, Prince Liang kept praising Mu Lin.

"Fourth Brother, our Ling Sha has good reasons for favoring Mu Lin. Though he’s just begun Refining the Evil, that’s only due to his youth and short training time. When he matures, he’ll surely become a true master. Even now, the Demon Exorcism Division, Canglong Legion, and Kunpeng Legion all recognize his potential…"

To avoid open conflict with the East Sea King and prevent their families from being forcibly tied together, Prince Liang racked his brains to emphasize Mu Lin’s strengths.

This way, the match between Ji Ling Sha and Mu Lin would appear reasonable rather than intentional disrespect toward the East Sea King.

Mentioning Mu Lin’s connections with the Demon Exorcism Division and Kunpeng Legion also served to caution the East Sea King.

However, before Prince Liang could finish his elaborate speech, the cracking sound of Mu Lin’s shoulder being crushed created an awkward interruption.

While Prince Liang wore a dark expression and the East Sea King’s third heir smirked, the East Sea King himself narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

After a long pause, the formidable ruler remarked with unexpected approval, "Seventh Brother, you’ve chosen well. This son-in-law of yours shows promise."

"…"

When Mu Lin’s shoulder shattered, Prince Liang initially thought the East Sea King was mocking him and remained silent.

But soon he realized the situation wasn’t as simple as he’d assumed.

"My arm!"

A shrill scream echoed from the Tianxu Divine Mirror – not from Mu Lin, but from the youth who had crushed his shoulder.

…

"That’s it?"

The young man called Huang Ru initially showed mild surprise when noticing Mu Lin’s body possessed some resilience.

Instead of easing his grip, he maliciously increased his strength.

People naturally bully the weak. Had Mu Lin been strong, Huang Ru might have passed this off as a friendly gesture.

But finding his target vulnerable changed everything.

Now determined to teach Mu Lin a brutal lesson while showcasing his power and loyalty before Ji Ling Sha, Huang Ru sneered inwardly:

‘How dare this weakling ignore the county princess? Perfect chance to earn her favor… I’ll thank you properly after your death, Mu Lin.’

"Crunch… crack…"

Under the immense pressure of spiritual energy, more bones in Mu Lin’s body fractured until half his torso collapsed into mush.

Mu Lin’s mangled body slumped to the ground like discarded clay, drawing Huang Ru’s triumphant grin and jealous mutters from Ji Ling Sha’s entourage:

"Damn! Huang Ru moved first."

"Who knew Mu Lin was this weak? Should’ve acted sooner."

None cared about Mu Lin’s injuries, consumed only by envy toward Huang Ru.

However, just as the other youths wallowed in regret and Huang Ru beamed with delight, a bone-snapping crack suddenly erupted from Huang Ru’s body.

Intense pain followed immediately.

"My arm!"

"Crunch… my body…"

As half his body abruptly shattered, Huang Ru released a bloodcurdling scream, his face twisting in terror.

"Bastard! What did you do to me?"

To his credit, he wasn’t completely stupid. He soon realized who’d caused this – especially when noticing his injuries mirrored Mu Lin’s almost exactly. His head snapped toward Mu Lin as he venomously shrieked, "You!".

The proverb warns against doing unto others what you wouldn’t have done unto yourself. Huang Ru clearly lacked such virtues. As he spewed hatred at Mu Lin, it never occurred to him that he’d attacked first. His current agony was thoroughly deserved.

Mu Lin showed no reaction to the wretch’s plight. Though half-crushed himself, he lay motionless on the ground while relentlessly refining the Central Earth Evil. The evil energy he’d absorbed today already exceeded his limits.

Each refinement made his body stiffer, more stone-like. Previously, only Mu Lin endured this petrifying torment. Now, karma-bound Huang Ru shared every excruciating moment.

"Hummm…"

The unchanging evil energy from the yellow dirt road poured into Mu Lin’s body, gradually giving his flesh the texture of hardened clay. He ignored this transformation completely.

Huang Ru, however, couldn’t remain indifferent. Between the shattering bones and creeping petrification, death’s approach became undeniable. "Stop! Make it stop, bastard!" he howled.

His friends chimed in:

"We’re all humans here! Show mercy, Mu Lin!"

"It was just a minor conflict! No need for life-and-death extremes!"

"Spare him for your own reputation!"

"More friends mean more opportunities…"

Facing these self-righteous peacemakers, Mu Lin didn’t get angry. His calm question cut through the noise: "Are you certain you want to meddle in this feud?"

"We’re not stopping your revenge!" they backpedaled. "We’re protecting you! Too much bloodshed brings divine punishment…"

“Indeed, Huang Ru did have his faults, but aren’t you also to blame…?”

Claiming moral superiority and judging others was these people’s favorite pastime.

Before, their sheer numbers had forced many to endure unfair consequences.

But today, they picked the wrong target – Mu Lin.

By meddling, they’d bound themselves to his karma.

Naturally, this forged a connection between Mu Lin and them.

Through his Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figures, every injury Mu Lin suffered now rebounded onto them through this link.

The youths who’d been preaching morality moments earlier now screamed in terror.

“My body… bastard, I didn’t even attack!”

“Stop this! Make it stop!”

“Mu Lin! You’ll regret crossing us like this!”

Their bodies’ mutations fueled their panic.

All thoughts of mediation vanished, replaced by raw fear and… bitter regret.

Some even struck their own faces, cursing:

“Stupid mouth! Why did I interfere? Why preach tolerance…”

“Damn it! Why couldn’t I just shut up?”

Fear. Regret. Loathing for Mu Lin. These emotions choked them.

Yet despite their hatred, none dared retaliate.

Instead, they begged Mu Lin to spare himself:

“Stop Refining the evil energy! We’ll die, but you’ll break too!”

“At least save yourself!”

Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Mu Lin kept Refining, half his body shattered and paralyzed as he lay on the ground.

Some collapsed in despair. Others knelt, wailing:

“Forgive me, Mu Lin! I shouldn’t have intervened! Spare me!”

These cries finally made Mu Lin open his eyes. He offered no forgiveness, simply stating:

“You’re not sorry for your actions. You’re just scared of dying.”