Chapter 314

Chapter 314: God of Madfire

The East Sea Kingdom offered Mu Lin many advantages, but joining them also meant great trouble.

Had he been poor and desperate, Mu Lin might’ve taken the risk. He knew turbulent waters bred valuable catches.

But now he wore proper shoes.

With support from the Yan family, Chu family, and other clans, Mu Lin lacked nothing. Comfortably situated, he preferred peaceful cultivation over complications.

Thus, Mu Lin decided to decline the East Sea King’s invitation.

Shaking his head at the ruler’s actions, he muttered: "Still scheming for power at such times. Humans possess noble virtues yet harbor inherent flaws."

……

Prince Liang had been monitoring the situation closely. When he discovered the East Sea King’s move, rage erupted.

"Underhanded! You jumped the queue!"

The East Sea King merely sneered. "No queue-jumping occurred. My invitation was transparent."

He added mockingly:

"Unless you consider Mu Lin your property, to be isolated from others?"

This trap aimed to exploit geniuses’ aversion to constraints. Claiming ownership over Mu Lin would alienate him, potentially driving him from Yuzhou.

Fortunately, though less powerful, Prince Liang wasn’t foolish:

"…I never said that."

The failed trap didn’t faze the East Sea King. He chuckled:

"If Mu Lin’s not yours, my dealings with him concern you not."

"…"

Prince Liang’s fists clenched until knuckles whitened. He yearned to strike, but his Earth Master cultivation depended on Dragon veins, while the East Sea King’s self-forged power promised greater ascension.

Outmatched in strength, potential, and resources, Prince Liang swallowed his fury.

This confrontation ended their pretense of civility. The East Sea King departed for his small courtyard without lingering.

Unbeknownst to Mu Lin and Prince Liang, a Taoist prodigy soon visited the East Sea King’s quarters – none other than Spirit Void Master.

The same traitor who’d abandoned the Yuqing Sect to conspire with descendants of evil gods.

Though grievously wounded from the City of Heart’s Prison, the cultivator bowed deeply despite his injuries. Anxiety and frustration twisted his features.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. This subordinate failed to achieve the Crimson Ruler’s revival."

Crimson Ruler! Revival!

If Mu Lin were here, he’d realize Spirit Void Master’s surrender hid its own conspiracy.

This actually made sense.

Demon sects valued strength above all, allowing cooperation with descendants of evil gods. Victory excused all sins – they’d even be praised for clever tactics.

The Taoist sects differed. Though survival of the fittest ruled, they maintained surface-level morals. Spirit Void Master colluding with evil god descendants became an unforgivable stain for Yuqing Sect. Even victorious, he’d face sect-wide exile and warrants. The risks and scandal made Yuqing Sect disavow such acts.

Thus Spirit Void Master’s rebellion seemed irrational – even if obtaining the divine blood heart, his gains wouldn’t offset losses. Many speculated he’d rebelled from being undervalued or mistreated in Yuqing Sect.

Mu Lin had believed this too. But witnessing This Place would prove him utterly wrong. Spirit Void Master wasn’t foolish or impulsive. He’d kept an escape route, hence the betrayal.

Here, Mu Lin might also understand why demon cultivators and evil god descendants cooperated so smoothly… East Sea King’s involvement became obvious.

The Crimson Ruler’s revival wasn’t due to East Sea King becoming evil gods’ follower. He sought to plunge Yuzhou into chaos. Peaceful Yuzhou repelled East Sea Kingdom’s interference, but chaos let them pose as liberators welcomed by people.

All ruined by Mu Lin.

East Sea King’s third heir cursed: "Damn that Mu Lin! Our failure’s his fault!"

"Father, let me kill him once we trap-"

The heir froze under his father’s disappointed glare.

"Fool. Why kill him?"

"B-but he destroyed our plans! He’s our enemy…"

"Idiot! Failed schemes demand damage control, not revenge. Great minds see beyond setbacks. Mu Lin’s capable – that makes him worth recruiting!"

True to his ruthless nature, East Sea King sought alliance over vengeance despite Mu Lin’s interference. Unfazed by failure, he rang a bell after scolding his son.

"Crimson Child plan failed. Initiate backup."

"Failure? Did Grave Lord leave counters? Or did the nest fail to awaken Crimson Ruler’s consciousness?" The reply came not as single voice, but countless overlapping echoes.

This strange overlapping sound made the voice warped and distorted, yet strangely sacred.

When the Third Heir of East Sea King heard it, he almost fell under its spell.

Clearly, no ordinary human could produce such a sound.

Any powerful being present would’ve recognized East Sea King was communicating with an otherworldly evil god.

The voice didn’t affect East Sea King himself. Sensing the other party’s confusion, he said lightly, "This has nothing to do with Grave Lord. Crimson Child’s Lair obtained divine blood too, awakening the Crimson Ruler’s will. But he’s too weak – your Crimson Ruler wasn’t as powerful as claimed. Even after revival, he got killed by a human. A mere prodigy who only trained for half a year."

East Sea King showed no frustration, instead wearing a faint proud smile.

Though cooperating with otherworldly evil gods, their interests weren’t fully aligned.

Mu Lin slaying the Crimson Ruler with his extraordinary talent greatly boosted human morale – something that pleased East Sea King deeply.

His satisfaction met with silence from the other side.

After a long pause came the layered voice:

"Half a year. Are you certain?"

Even the Third Heir detected shock in that sacred distortion now.

The high-ranking entity clearly hadn’t expected such human talent.

"Easy to verify. Why lie?" East Sea King’s tone turned cold as he got to business. "When will Plan Two’s Mad God descend?"

The distorted voice answered: "When you sacrifice a city. That’s when."

"A warning – though the Mad God of Flames lost his mind, his power remains. The forbidden knowledge made him stronger. More dangerous. If he ruins your world…"

"Don’t worry." East Sea King cut in. "I’ll kill him myself. He won’t cause trouble."

His voice sharpened suddenly:

"Don’t underestimate humans. Even if you descended, I could kill you."

"Humans are why I chose cooperation over conflict, am I wrong?"

"Enough. Send the Mad God to Yuzhou when my signal comes."

—East Sea King hadn’t abandoned plans for Yuzhou.

Since the Crimson Ruler stayed sealed, he’d use other gods to destabilize Yuzhou instead.

Then arrive as savior to claim the territory.

Success meant expanded lands, a dead god’s power to claim, and new possibilities.

His plan was viable. Though merely an Earth Master, the East Sea Kingdom’s long-standing dominance proved their hidden strengths.

"I’ll succeed. Become the first true god-slayer. Save this world."

Noble ambitions filled him.

The countless sacrifices required for his throne?

East Sea King didn’t care.

Greatness required ignoring trivial costs.

And common folk were trivialities to him.

…

While East Sea King plotted confidently,

Beyond the world, the distorted voice summoned its goddess.

Preparing her descent, a decree reached the veiled figure:

"Find the human who killed Crimson Child. If worthy, make him our envoy."

"By Your will."