Chapter 299

Chapter 299: The Chance to Become State City God

Prince Liang didn’t believe Mu Lin could defeat six unparalleled geniuses at the combining Essence and Evil realm. Others thought the same.

“If facing just one opponent, Mu Lin—who’s created miracles before—might’ve succeeded through desperate struggle. But six enemies? Impossible.”

“Among these six, two carry divinity. One has a Spirit Void physique. Another boasts an indestructible powerful body. The Black Fiend Fierce Tiger’s physique matches holy beasts, rivaling even the Dragon Prince. Though Wandering Bug lacks special traits, he clawed his way up from hordes of demon cultivators.”

“Mu Lin’s gifted, but these six are equally exceptional. How could he fight six alone?”

Many nodded in agreement.

“His flaws go deeper. His Cultivation period’s too brief, and his realm lags behind… What a shame.”

“Those demon sect bastards! Don’t they fear unleashing catastrophe? This involves evil gods!”

“Elder Ge, calm yourself. The evil gods perished long ago. The Grave Lord’s seal remains firm—breaking free won’t be easy. At worst, the seal around its heart might loosen slightly.”

“Hah! It’s your complacency that emboldens those demonic scum!”

…

While some feared the evil gods’ revival, others dismissed such worries.

Meanwhile, Master Meng Rui, Si Ye, and Dongfang Ya grew frantic as Mu Lin neared the City of Heart’s Prison. The fiery Dongfang Ya cursed loudly, hands planted on her hips.

“Fool! Why play hero? Let stronger experts handle any revival! What can your weak Cultivation achieve?”

Si Ye muttered, “Why not stay in safer outskirts? Why come here?”

Master Meng Rui fretted, “Can we warn Mu Lin? He’s in grave danger here.”

Si Ye shook his head. “Communicating’s nearly impossible…”

…

Unaware of their concern, Mu Lin hadn’t come to thwart the evil gods’ descendants—he lacked such lofty ideals. His true purpose lay in studying the Grave Lord’s magic.

Having mastered the Big Dipper Zi Wei formation, Cycle of Life and Death, and Sky Wall Palace Formation, Mu Lin possessed solid formation knowledge. This let him detect patterns others missed.

Surveying the secret realm’s countless grave mounds, Mu Lin noticed they weren’t random. Each mound connected to paper figures, burial money, tombstones, rice bowls, and incense sticks—elements forming small ritualistic arrays.

This realization alone proved significant. But when Ink Dragon, the River Lord, made another discovery, Mu Lin’s mind reeled.

“Underground rivers? Made of Black Water?”

Channeling the ink dragon’s vision, Mu Lin confirmed it—the entire secret realm hid a sprawling water network beneath its graves. Tributaries wove through the earth like veins, linking every grave mound above.

His formation expertise clicked. The subterranean Black Water network perfectly mirrored the surface grave system.

The two combined to form a massive super formation.

"Countless tombs serve as formation nodes, underground river networks act as formation patterns, supplemented by paper figures, tombstones, incense sticks, and food sacrifices… Those eerie corpses buried beneath the tombs undoubtedly serve both as seals and formation junctions."

"The Grave Lord’s ambition is staggering – this entire world is one giant formation."

"Yet this makes sense. Only such a grand formation could truly seal an eternal evil god, preventing its name and immortal essence from leaking."

"By the way, is this the Ten Thousand Yin Heaven-Severing Formation? The Cosmic Coiling Dragon Formation? Or the Hundred Thousand Soul Burial Array? Or perhaps another?"

Recognizing the Grave Lord’s grand design, Mu Lin naturally followed the formation’s threads.

As he observed and contemplated, his cultivation methods’ progress soared dramatically.

When creating this formation, the Grave Lord must have poured all his knowledge and effort into it. This unnamed grand forbidden formation represented the culmination of his lifelong cultivation insights.

For ordinary people, comprehending such a formation would be impossible. Formations resemble mathematics – advanced studies require foundational knowledge. Only proficient formation masters could barely perceive the Grave Lord’s patterns. Fortunately, Mu Lin qualified. Having mastered multiple Earth-level and Heavenly Level Formations, he clearly grasped the Grave Lord’s techniques.

Combined with his diligent nature, Mu Lin’s progress kept rising:

Great Yin Living Scripture +11, +32, +18…

"This ritual mystery could enhance my Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral, allowing constant formation coverage to suppress intruders…"

City of Heaven’s Funeral +137, +198…

"Yin-Yang transformations and life-death balance… The Cycle of Life and Death shares these principles. All advanced cultivation methods share common roots…"

Cycle of Life and Death +91, +73…

"Using tombs as defensive structures could improve the Sky Wall Palace Formation…"

Sky Wall Palace Formation +32, +35…

The Grave Lord’s path resembled Mu Lin’s, but more advanced. Seeing this roadmap made Mu Lin’s cultivation skyrocket. Following formation threads, he reached a core node near City of Heart’s Prison.

"This core node controls the Grave Lord’s power… Wait, why here?" He suddenly realized: "Of course – the strongest seals contain divided parts of the evil god’s body. Following the formation inevitably leads to containment zones like Heart’s Prison."

Though studying this core would accelerate his progress, Mu Lin initially wanted to leave. This conflict zone attracted too many power-hungry experts who’d never believe his scholarly intentions.

But as he turned to leave, Mu Lin froze. The core seal lacked an owner. Controlling it would make him ruler of this Earth-level "city" – transforming hostile environments and inhabitants into allies.

Normally, controlling a node offered limited benefits. But Mu Lin possessed both immortal cultivation and a City God body needing territorial control. Previously suppressed as an outsider, his divine form could only secretly absorb Yin energy from the Grave Lord’s tomb.

Seizing this core would change everything. His City God body could advance from County City God (Manifesting Earl) to State City God (Majestic Marquess), equivalent to leaping from Essence-Evil realm to High Mastery of Transformation.

Though territorial deities weaken outside their domains, Mu Lin’s Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figures could project power. Even trapped in the tomb, he could wield state-level divine authority.

Mu Lin clenched his fist. "I must claim this formation node!"