Chapter 316

Chapter 316: Blood Rebirth!

"So, after shedding my mortal body, I’ll turn into a baby Zhu Long?"

Though possible, Mu Lin didn’t want this. He wasn’t a cultivator of the true dragon path but followed the way of the righteous deities of the Yin Court and the Underworld’s City God Realm.

"In the Underworld, the strongest are always humanoid figures like the Yama King and the Emperor of Fengdu. Zhu Long isn’t mainstream. So after shedding my mortal form, my mythical manifestation should be a crowned Yama King… but Zhu Long’s power is too great to abandon."

After some thought, Mu Lin hatched a plan:

"Ancient Gods often had strange traits—snakes coiled around them or patterns etched into their skin. Fu Xi, one of the Three Sovereigns, even had a man-faced serpent body."

"I’ll follow their example. I’ll wear the Zhu Long form as a pendant on my neck or waist, or carve it as a totem pattern on my body."

"If that fails, I’ll become a Yama King with a dragon’s head and human body. No one knows the true appearance of the Underworld’s Yama King anyway. As its creator, my word decides it."

Mu Lin’s mind buzzed with ideas, though they remained just that—ideas. His Zhu Long form hadn’t even taken shape yet.

Transforming into the Yama King posed another challenge. Thankfully, his plans weren’t pure fantasy.

"My Yama King manifestation hinges on the Great Yin Living Scripture and Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral."

"When these cultivation methods reach master-level, they’ll evolve. By then, I’ll know how to build the manifestation."

A glance at his Attribute Panel showed progress. His time in the Grave Lord’s secret realm, studying the Yin Eight Sect’s secrets, had pushed his core cultivation methods close to advancement.

This realization made Mu Lin observe the Grave Lord’s secret realm even more intently. Days slipped by as he refined the Crimson Ruler’s consciousness and unraveled the Grave Lord’s secret techniques.

Three days passed.

Mu Lin never left the City of Heart’s Prison. The Grave Lord’s secret realm stayed open—some cultivators fled fearing evil gods’ revival, while others stayed to scavenge treasures.

Mu Lin ignored them all. Though part of him wanted to claim the entire secret realm, he knew his limits. He focused solely on refining the Crimson Ruler’s consciousness and mastering the Grave Lord’s techniques.

As long as others left him alone, he returned the favor. This solitude let him cultivate undisturbed.

His efforts bore fruit.

First, he gained partial control of the City of Heart’s Prison’s central formation. After three days of unhindered refining, he now commanded one-tenth of its power.

This was no small feat. The city’s formations extended beyond walls—Yin graves, the underground dark river, roaming paper figures, twisted monsters, giant trees, scattered tombstones, and offerings all formed part of its web.

Relying on the formation core, even with only one-tenth of its authority, Mu Lin gained immense power. Now, even if a High Mastery of Transformation cultivator came, he could crush them using the formation’s power.

"…Pity this power only works near City of Heart’s Prison. I’ll revert to being a novice at Condensing Essence stage if I leave."

After sighing, Mu Lin examined his second reward – an advanced cultivation method. Surprisingly, after three days of practicing Great Yin Living Scripture and Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral, it was Heart Lamp of Will that achieved advancement instead.

"Boom!"

Closing his eyes to observe his sea of consciousness, Mu Lin found a blazing great sun radiating divine power – the manifestation of his willing heart fire. When first igniting Heart Lamp of Will, he’d used arrogance as fuel. Slaying gods, the ultimate act of arrogance, made his Flame of Arrogance grow stronger daily without cultivation. Now it advanced again, becoming his first Grandmaster-level heavenly spell.

"Boom!"

The flames surged like physical entity, no longer confined to his consciousness. The great sun-like fire burned through his organs, bones, muscles and skin. Yet instead of harming him, it triggered strange changes.

Mu Lin discovered his body, mind and will had unified. His will now permeated every cell, not just his brain.

"This ability!"

Mu Lin’s face twisted in shock when comprehending this power. Integrating will into flesh carried monumental significance. He formed sword-fingers and slashed his own arm.

"Shick!"

The severed arm fell as blood sprayed. Previously, he’d need Injury Transfer or Root Word "Fixing" to heal. Now, his spilled blood flew back autonomously while the detached arm crawled like a spider to reattach. The wound healed completely within moments.

This regeneration stemmed from cellular-level will integration. But the true prize was Blood Rebirth. Like a certain infamous being, Mu Lin could now revive from any surviving blood droplet unless completely annihilated.

"This is broken!"

For a moment, Mu Lin felt invincible. Yet his pride faded quickly. His Grandmaster-level abilities – complete substitution and Blood Rebirth – were formidable, but others’ heavenly spells at same level would be equally overpowered.

"Heart-Severing Sword, Undying Flame, Eternal Torrent… Others’ Grandmaster skills rival mine. I’m not unbeatable yet."