Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Mu Lin: "Lay Down Your Arms and Surrender Gracefully, Keep Your Noble Title"

"Weakling, you should be the one kneeling!"

When facing the evil god’s resentment, Mu Lin’s first instinct wasn’t purification or destruction—he sought dominion, treating the divine remnant as inferior.

Such arrogance should’ve been fatal.

Yet this pride perfectly fueled his willing heart fire. As he acted,

Boom! The city god’s manifestation erupted with blazing domination flames, locking in brutal combat with the evil god’s resentment.

"…"

A mortal daring to control divinity? This audacity stunned even the corrupted remnant.

The chorus of whispers in Mu Lin’s mind briefly stilled.

The pause lasted mere seconds. Then the resentment struck back with redoubled fury.

"…Mortal…defying gods…"

"Kneel…submit…"

"Die…all must die…"

"Insects… never failed…my master …"

"Save me…help…"

"Wails…"

The dead god’s remnant couldn’t focus—mere frustration and malice remained. Its threats fractured mid-curse, shifting incoherently.

But divine rank mattered.

Though fractured, the onslaught warped Mu Lin’s City God Realm.

The Yin soil reeked of rot. Skeletal hands clawed upward from putrid earth.

Mist spread like spilled ink across the realm. Shadowy figures moved within it, accompanied by ghostly whispers and leering spectral faces.

Yet the City God Realm fought back.

"The Spirit of the Formation—we fight to the death!"

"Kill!"

The Beiwai Army struck first. Like crashing waves against cliffs, their advance crushed the spreading mutations.

Their collective will manifested Cangshan Yumen Pass—a towering fortress shielding Mu Lin’s city god’s manifestation.

To reach Mu Lin, the resentment now had to breach this legendary barrier.

No easy task. Cangshan Yumen Pass drew power from both the Beiwai Army’s final battle-cry and human belief—countless souls believed these gates impregnable, home to deathless warriors who’d rise eternally to defend them.

Such unwavering faith became an immensely powerful force, making Cangshan Yumen Pass nearly impervious to corruption – even the evil gods’ resentment couldn’t penetrate it.

"Kill!"

"The city stands while we breathe."

"We’ll never yield!"

The Beiwai Army and Cangshan Yumen Pass served as the primary defense line of Mu Lin’s City God Realm, directly confronting the evil god’s resentment.

The secondary defense came from the Other Shore Flower sea.

These resentment-devouring flowers actively broke down and absorbed the malicious energy.

This process indeed strengthened the floral expanse – fresh Other Shore Flowers sprouted from consumed resentment.

Yet the lingering remnants of foreign gods proved formidable adversaries.

Though long deceased, their residual hatred still held terrifying power.

Alarmingly, many newborn flowers became tainted, transforming into twisted blossoms.

Instead of petals, these corrupted flowers bore spectral masks brimming with malice – Yin soldiers whose distorted features endlessly chanted praises to ‘s divinity.

"Mortal! You comprehend nothing of divine majesty! The glorious remains eternal, the Naturally Holy Being commanding universal laws…"

Instead of refuting, Mu Lin calmly nodded at the evil blossoms:

"True, gods possess might. But yours fell dead regardless. I’ll surpass them."

"I’ll ascend as God of Gods, commanding death’s domain and all underworlds, becoming world’s cornerstone."

"Show wisdom – surrender now. Serve me faithfully, and I might resurrect your master as Yin Court deity after my apotheosis."

This wasn’t mere rhetoric. Mu Lin genuinely envisioned this divine supremacy as his destined path, steadily working toward godhood.

His conviction to command deities stemmed from profound understanding – as death’s incarnation through hell, resurrecting fallen gods seemed achievable.

This absolute belief in his future dominion made Mu Lin’s spiritual flames burn fiercer.

Naturally, the evil god’s resentment rejected this arrogance, erupting in fury:

"Silence, worm! How dare you claim dominion over gods? ‘s glory demands your eternal torment! May black flames scorch your soul for eons! My master’s eternal reign…"

"…Prostrate yourself, mortal…"

These weren’t true believers nor divine manifestations – merely death’s lingering spite.

Thus their arguments looped endlessly without coherence.

Losing patience, Mu Lin unleashed his heartfire upon the cursed blossoms.

"Dead things belong in hell. Your power becomes mine now."

"Hsss!"

"No! *’s light endurrrres…"

As flames consumed the screaming Yin soldiers, Mu Lin’s will clashed directly with the evil god’s lingering hatred – a spiritual rivalry manifesting through burning flowers.

Mu Lin had assumed the rivalry would drag on.

But to his surprise, within mere moments, the ghostly visage of the Other Shore Flower fell completely under his heart fire’s dominion.

"Emperor of Lidu who commands death, Lord of Mount Tai who governs all – you are my true master, the peerless prodigy destined for greatness, the chosen savior who will reign over this dark world…"

Ignoring the spectral flower’s chants, Mu Lin stared in disbelief at his effortless victory. The ease of success made him wary. "Could this be a trap?"

After careful inspection, he exhaled in relief. "The Grave Lord’s seal still holds. Most of the evil god’s resentment remains suppressed – only wisps escaped."

He realized another crucial detail – though the evil god’s whispers had filled his ears, its true name remained hidden. Clearly, the Grave Lord had sealed that dangerous knowledge. In this world, names held resurrection power.

…

With this reassurance, Mu Lin grew bolder. A low hum resonated as he channeled massive resentment into the City God Realm. The Beiwai Army crushed the dark energy first, then the Other Shore Flowers broke it down. His heart fire finished the process, purging mutations while asserting control.

This cycle not only expanded his Other Shore Flower sea but served as unconventional yin-yang balancing. As the legitimate City God, Mu Lin’s path to advancement required two duties: safeguarding mortals to collect worship energy, and cleansing land resentment through geomancy.

By subduing the evil god’s malice, he’d fulfilled both obligations. Golden wisps of merit began coalescing around his city god’s manifestation. "If I keep refining like this, my manifestation will evolve into a Governor City God."

…

Within the City God Realm, his divine avatar tirelessly continued divine practice. Meanwhile, Mu Lin’s physical body hesitated outside the Grave Lord inheritance secret realm before plunging through the entrance.

The world shifted instantly. One moment he stood on human-inhabited Ping An Ancient Street – the next found him in a burial ground that perfectly embodied its master’s name. The Grave Lord’s secret realm lived up to its ominous reputation.

Upon entering the Grave Lord’s secret realm, Mu Lin found his vision overwhelmed by endless graves of varying sizes. The entire world seemed composed of nothing but burial mounds.

"Too many graves… What’s buried here anyway?"

After brief consideration, he wisely avoided investigating the graves. There was no time for exploration anyway. The evil god’s resentment had already been corroding the outside world, and the corruption within the secret realm proved far worse.

After mere moments of standing still, countless whispers of resentment began chattering in his ears. The maddening tone threatened to drive anyone insane. Though resistant, Mu Lin knew he couldn’t withstand this indefinitely – especially as the whispers kept intensifying endlessly. If these hundreds of voices multiplied to thousands or millions, even his resolve might crumble.

His feet sank into suspiciously soft soil. Staying motionless too long would risk being swallowed by the earth entirely. "Can’t delay. Need safer ground."

Attempting to fly using magic energy failed immediately. "This oppressive weight… Magic is restricted here!" Testing confirmed while not completely nullified, nine-tenths of released power got sealed away. Weak spells proved utterly useless.

"This Place is truly dangerous," Mu Lin muttered while scanning his surroundings. Thankfully, the spiritual veins from Ping An Ancient County still supplied him energy despite the restrictions.

Exhaling steadily, he released paper crane after paper crane. After an hour of meditation and over a hundred cranes sacrificed, he finally spotted salvation – a worn yellow dirt road winding through the graveyard. Many others had already found this path.

Half an hour later, Mu Lin stepped onto the narrow path. Immediately he sensed the difference – an enduring power radiating from the dirt repelled both the evil god’s resentment and maddening whispers, letting him relax slightly.

"No wonder this is called an inheritance secret realm, not forbidden places. This must be the Grave Lord’s trial path."

But after two steps, recognition struck. The familiar earthy texture…

"Xuan Huang’s Malevolence!" The road was paved with this legendary high-grade energy. Mu Lin never imagined such rare power being used as mere pavement, yet it made sense – only supreme-grade energy could withstand divine resentment.