Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Three Percent? You Think I’m a Beggar!

"…"

The moment the phrase "killing innocents to claim merit" was uttered, Young Master Bai Qi truly grasped that slaughtering the people and throwing Ping An Ancient Town into chaos wouldn’t threaten Mu Lin one bit.

As for why Commander Mi had feared this before… simple – he lacked powerful backers.

With connections, repeated failures could be spun as persistent, courageous efforts.

Without connections, even victories might lead to false accusations and execution.

"…"

Having realized this, Young Master Bai Qi no longer wished to speak with such a vile person as Mu Lin.

Yet faced with Mu Lin’s aggressive approach, he had no choice.

"What do you actually want? Know this – while Ping An Ancient Street stands, we’re restrained. But destroy it completely, ruin the foundation we built with blood and sweat, and we’ll become free cultivators with nothing left to lose."

This naked threat implied they’d resort to assassination once their base was destroyed.

As for retaliation from the Demon Exorcism Division or noble families? Free cultivators roaming freely wouldn’t care.

Mu Lin’s eyes narrowed. Push too hard, and scorpions would sting when cornered.

Fortunately, complete destruction wasn’t his goal – or within his power.

Seeing their retreat, Mu Lin stated his true aim:

"The spiritual veins. Every inch under heaven belongs to the throne. The spiritual veins of Ping An Ancient Town are now mine."

Young Master Bai Qi’s face darkened, but he finally spat out:

"Fine. Seventy-thirty split – you get thirty percent."

"Thirty?" Mu Lin’s voice turned icy. "You think I’m a beggar you can toss scraps to? I want it all!"

Third Master slammed his fist. "Impossible! Take the veins and Ping An Ancient Street becomes worthless! Better let you smash it and hunt you endlessly!"

Mu Lin grudgingly adjusted:

"Seventy-thirty then – my seventy, your thirty. Final offer."

Young Master Bai Qi’s glare could pierce stone. After endless moments, he hissed:

"…Agreed."

Yet Mu Lin didn’t halt the Beiwai Army. "Remove the spiritual vein restrictions. Now."

"Our belongings are in those veins! We need time to—"

Lin Qiu cut him off with a chop of his hand: "Your problem. I want access now. The army stops when restrictions fall."

Young Master Bai Qi’s jaw creaked with grinding teeth, hatred burning in his eyes. But he only gestured to the others.

With drawn-out creaks, the sealing wedges withdrew from the spiritual veins.

*Pop!*

“Buzz…”

The moment the restrictions on the spiritual veins were lifted, Mu Lin, as the City God, sensed the remaining spiritual veins and fused with them.

The influx of spiritual veins caused Mu Lin’s power as the City God to surge.

Originally, his City God avatar had already reached the Condensing Essence stage. Now, it climbed even higher:

“My City God avatar is moving toward combining Essence and Evil!”

“Even better, this isn’t the avatar’s limit. If I fully integrate all the spiritual veins here and wield them effortlessly, it could break past Essence and Evil and reach High Mastery of Transformation.”

This possibility lit up Mu Lin’s eyes.

He wasn’t surprised—divine practice progressed faster than the path of immortals when aided by external resources.

After all, divine practitioners could directly wield external power without absorbing it fully.

Qi Practitioners, though, had to Refine foreign energies into their bodies. This extra step demanded more time and effort.

Human limits also meant Qi Practitioners hit bottlenecks, slowing their growth further.

“Still, slow growth has merits. Take the City God of Ping An Ancient City—it can command local spiritual veins for instant power. But if it leaves this place or loses its divine status, its strength crumbles.”

“Qi Practitioners are different. They spend ages Refining Ping An Ancient Street’s spiritual veins into their bodies, pushing their limits to contain the energy. But once done, their power stays firm no matter where they go.”

The divine path offered quick gains; the immortal path promised lasting strength. As an adult, Mu Lin wanted both.

…

The rising value of his power delighted Mu Lin. Soon, he found another surprise.

The Yin Eight Sect’s followers had buried countless items in Ping An Ancient Street’s negative spiritual veins: coffins, zombies, paper figures, flesh spirit mushrooms, ancient lamps, soul-nurturing wood, thousand-soul banners, weathered altars… Young Master Bai Qi and his group had used the veins to nourish their treasures.

This wasn’t wrong—except Mu Lin’s haste meant they did not retrieve their treasures.

Mu Lin didn’t hesitate. Using his City God authority over the veins, he linked Ping An Ancient Street’s negative spiritual veins to his City God Realm.

“Boom!”

The moment they connected, torrents of negative energy flooded his realm like river water, expanding its boundaries.

As the energy flowed in, the treasures embedded in the veins poured into Mu Lin’s City God Realm.

“Boom!”

Seeing the treasures, dominion flames erupted from Mu Lin’s heart, searing his mark onto each item.

Soon, every treasure bore his imprint.

“These will pair perfectly with my paper figures, boosting their power.”

“The Yin Eight Sect… how generous.”

Even as he silently praised them, Mu Lin kept working.

While absorbing the veins and strengthening his avatar, he also summoned the Yin spirits of the Beiwai Army as chief priest.

He knew Young Master Bai Qi’s faction wouldn’t accept this defeat quietly—this was far from over.

…

Though it was baseless speculation, Mu Lin’s prediction proved correct.

After his departure, surveying the chaos on Ping An Ancient Street and sensing the draining power of the spiritual veins under his control, both Young Master Bai Qi and his subordinates turned grim-faced.

With their foundation half-destroyed, fury blazed in their hearts.

"That little brat dares humiliate us like this? This isn’t over!"

"He must die! Only the Sentence of a Thousand Cuts will quell my hatred!"

Upon returning to their base with subordinates, Zombie King Wu and Qianmian erupted into vehement curses against ‘Lin Qiu’.

Young Master Bai Qi, however, saw deeper into their perilous situation.

As a gang leader, he’d always ruled through prestige rather than loyalty. Today’s defeat shattered that illusion.

His subordinates’ low morale meant little – dispirited followers might simply desert. The real danger lay in the calculating gazes of those who now saw him as a weakened old man past his prime.

Snorting coldly, Young Master Bai Qi confronted them: "You think me cowardly for not acting against that whelp?"

Would-be challengers averted their eyes. After tense deliberation, they forced smiles. "Young Master jokes. You must have your reasons."

Nodding approval, Bai Qi sighed: "Had our foes been only Mu Lin and the Demon Exorcism Division, I’d have crushed Lin Qiu regardless of consequences. As Ping An Ancient Street’s leader, I’d defend our Yin Eight Sect’s honor to the death."

His voice grew heavier: "But with the Grave Lord inheritance approaching, demon sects and evil spirits swarm this place. To protect our legacy… I must endure."

Some rolled eyes at this while others feigned sympathy: "We understand your sacrifice, Young Master."

"…All for Ping An Ancient Street," he concluded mournfully.

While fearing external threats was valid, Bai Qi omitted greater fears – his own ‘allies’ like Zombie King Wu. These gang leaders coexisted through mutual distrust. Any sign of weakness would have them nailing his coffin shut.

This was the third factor Mu Lin had exploited – the stalemate of competing interests, where "three monks find no water to drink."

Having spun his caution into noble endurance, Bai Qi steadied his men before declaring: "Lin Qiu’s arrogance will be short-lived. Those incoming monsters and evil spirits threaten him more than us."

"We’ve ruled here for thousands of years. Had he not provoked us, that brat might’ve scraped a chance at the Grave Lord inheritance. Now he’s made ultimate enemies."

"I’ll bury him where he stands!"

Eyes lit with cruel anticipation.

"Brother Qi speaks truth! The demon sect’s divine children, evil gods’ spawn, and demon king’s heirs won’t spare him!"

"With their power and our sabotage… Lin Qiu’s doomed!"

"Death’s too kind! Let him suffer exquisitely!"