Chapter 224 – Life, Death, Illusion, Extinction

“Buzz…”

The moment Mu Lin placed his hand on the Manjusaka, all his insights regarding death within his body surged into the flower.

“Rustle…”

The immense understanding of death, along with the vast power of his Divine Soul, caused the Manjusaka to rapidly grow, sprout, and bloom into beautiful, alluring red flowers.

Subsequently, the blooming Other Shore Flower swayed continuously, developing a sense of closeness toward Mu Lin, who had nurtured it.

Mu Lin, too, was quite satisfied with the Manjusaka.

—While Mu Lin transmitted death and Divine Soul power to the Other Shore Flower to aid its growth, the growing flower also activated its inherent bloodline traits. These traits were first transmitted to Chu Lingluo through the contract of the Azure Emperor Scripture, and then, due to their dual cultivation method, passed on to Mu Lin himself.

These traits and insights also gave Mu Lin a new understanding of the laws of heaven and earth.

More crucially, the rules inherently nurtured by the Other Shore Flower fell into the four major categories of life, death, illusion, and destruction—all of which were precisely what Mu Lin needed most.

“The Chu Family has put considerable thought into this.”

After this reflection, Mu Lin devoted himself to comprehending the rules transmitted by the Other Shore Flower, while continuously channeling his own understanding of death and his vast Divine Soul power into the flower.

Having received Mu Lin’s power, the Other Shore Flower continued to grow.

However, its growth was rather peculiar.

Unlike a tree that grows taller and larger, obscuring everything in its path, the Other Shore Flower, as a flower of indeterminate reality, grew through division.

From one to two, from two to four, from four to eight… soon, a vast expanse of Manjusaka spread beneath Mu Lin’s feet.

The gathering of numerous Manjusaka caused the aura of death to steadily rise in the area.

It was clearly visible that as the Manjusaka grew, everything around—whether plants, trees, lively beasts, or even the earth itself—began to wither, fall silent, and gradually march toward death.

Even Mu Lin felt a sense that death and eternal slumber might be the ultimate liberation.

This was the Underworld Flower that lured people willingly toward death.

Of course, these thoughts were quickly incinerated by Mu Lin’s Dominion Flame.

“I will ultimately transcend life and death!”

While using the Dominion Flame of willpower to resist the Other Shore Flower’s allure toward death, the life-death-illusion-destruction power transmitted by the flower was continuously deconstructed and understood by Mu Lin, then rapidly reconstructed within his own Cultivation Methods and Mystical Arts.

What left Mu Lin somewhat speechless was that the first technique he successfully reconstructed was actually—the Paper Figure Curse Technique.

Originally, Mu Lin’s Paper Figure Curse could only kill, cripple, or pin down the Seven Po of a person.

But now, through the Paper Figure, he could cause the Underworld Spider Lily to parasitize the cursed individual.

This flower could absorb the death of others, using it as nourishment to grow, and death and life are two sides of the same coin.

In other words, once the Underworld Spider Lily took root in a person’s Divine Soul, it could absorb their life force and Divine Soul power, continuously growing and strengthening, gradually leading them toward death.

Even more chilling was that besides life and death, this flower also carried the power of illusion and destruction.

Thus, unless one possesses particularly keen perception, the cursed individual is likely to be deceived by the illusory power, unaware of what has befallen them, and will only perish in confusion amidst continuous weakening.

This is not all. After luring others to their deaths, the mature Underworld Spider Lily will return to the flower sea, enhancing the power of the Manjusaka.

“Feeding on the lives and deaths of others—truly worthy of being the flower of the Netherworld Palace. Its beauty and splendor are entirely rooted upon countless skeletons.”

After sighing with emotion, Mu Lin paid it no further mind. He was not purely good, nor was he purely evil.

Using ordinary civilians to nurture the Underworld Spider Lily was something he could not do.

But dancing upon the bodies of demons and monsters or enemies—this he had no qualms about, even relishing it.

…

With the Other Shore Flower fused with the Paper Figure Curse, Mu Lin gained a peculiar method of cursing.

Beyond this, Mu Lin also discovered that the pure Other Shore Flower Sea itself was a formidable ability—one that could suppress immortality, an exceptionally powerful capability.

Massive demonic monsters and ghosts are difficult to kill, possessing various means of resurrection and contingency plans, much like the demons Mu Lin encountered under the Blood Moon.

Yet the Other Shore Flower is the bane of such immortality.

It does not merely kill the enemy but takes root upon them, absorbing their life and death energy, continuously propagating itself.

Under such circumstances, no matter how strong the enemy’s regenerative abilities, they cannot withstand the Other Shore Flower’s ceaseless absorption.

Even an immortal Deity, if the Underworld Spider Lily becomes a sea of flowers, can be suppressed.

After all, if you recover a little, the Manjusaka absorbs a little—this endless absorption is something even an immortal deity cannot endure.

“This is not killing, but it is a powerful form of sealing.”

Reflecting on this characteristic of the Other Shore Flower, Mu Lin could not help but marvel.

“Truly a flower that grows in the Underworld Hell, capable of causing deities to fall into eternal silence, never to return. Even I, if I were to establish the Underworld Netherworld, would adorn it with these flowers.”

While inwardly marveling, Mu Lin’s actions continued. Soon, the number of Manjusaka exceeded one hundred, and at this point, Mu Lin comprehended another ability of the Manjusaka—memory.

The Netherworld Hell contains not only the Underworld but also the River of Oblivion. This river has the power to wash away all Sin, but while cleansing Sin, it also erases the memories of evil spirits, leaving them blank.

This ability is similar to the Soup of Forgetfulness, or rather, the Lady of Forgetfulness is the Avatar of the River of Oblivion—she often resides by the Naihe Bridge, beneath which flows the River of Oblivion.

The Other Shore Flower not only blooms beside the Underworld but also takes root near the River of Oblivion. Thus, having been bathed in the river’s waters, the Other Shore Flower possesses the ability to erase memories.

In fact, the “illusion” and “extinction” among the four major characteristics of the Manjusaka’s Life-Death Illusion evolved from this.

“Currently, I can only make others forget memories, unable to manipulate them, but it is still terrifying… Not to mention other uses, this ability alone proves remarkably effective when cursing others.”

Detecting anomalies after being cursed? Forget.

Seeking help from others? Forget.

Attempting to escape? Still forget.

“By forgetting everything, the cursed individual will ignore all abnormalities, believing themselves to be perfectly normal. Then, unknowingly and unwittingly, they will step by step march toward death.”

The illusion ability of the Other Shore Flower is already quite terrifying in its current state, and this is only its initial form. If it grows to its mid-stage, it becomes even more horrifying.

According to Mu Lin’s understanding and inference, by the intermediate stage, it will no longer be just the cursed individual who forgets everything.

The people around them will also be affected by the Underworld Spider Lily, completely forgetting the cursed person.

This is still the mid-stage; by the ultimate form, it becomes truly unrivaled.

Through his understanding of the Other Shore Flower, Mu Lin learned that if there were billions of Other Shore Flowers forming an endless Other Shore Flower Sea, this sea could gather the memories of countless deaths, creating an illusory illusion realm.

Thus, anyone who steps into the flower sea—whether human, evil spirit, or even weakened Deity—would sink completely into this illusion realm. Then, their spirit and body would become nourishment for the Other Shore Flowers.

Thinking this far, even Mu Lin felt a sense of trepidation.

Fortunately, he soon breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Other Shore Flower is indeed terrifying, but it is not ownerless. It coexists with Chu Lingluo and is indirectly under my control.”

“Moreover, the Other Shore Flower has another weakness: its abilities lean heavily toward support and enticement, with its Main Body being neither strong in attack nor high in defense.”

“If one cannot detect it, it is indeed difficult to contend with. But if one can resist the power of forgetting and the Illusion Realm, and locate its Main Body, destroying it becomes quite easy.”

As for resisting the power of forgetting, Mu Lin was quite confident. Whether it was his Transcendence Trait or his lofty City God Status, neither would allow him to be easily influenced.

As for the future, the potential of the Other Shore Flower is indeed promising, but:

“So what if it’s the flower of the Netherworld Palace? You may have some renown in the Netherworld, but I am destined to become the Great Emperor of Lidu, ruling over the Netherworld. In terms of future potential, I, Mu Lin, fear nothing.”

…

Life-Death Illusion. After understanding some characteristics of the Other Shore Flower and cultivating over a hundred of them, Mu Lin stopped.

Not out of fear, but because his Divine Soul power was insufficient.

After regaining clarity, Mu Lin did not immediately leave Chu Lingluo’s dream.

The blooming of numerous Other Shore Flowers had already affected Chu Lingluo’s Emerald Dream, turning it desolate and dilapidated, gradually heading toward a future of extinction.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had a way to deal with this.

Life as Yang, death as Yin; reality as Yang, illusion as Yin… As Mu Lin used Yin-Yang Duality to invert and balance, Chu Lingluo’s Emerald Dream underwent some subtle changes.

First, a small lake appeared on the outskirts of her Emerald Dream.

The place where she resided became a small island in the lake.

Chu Lingluo’s dream of life stood tall on the island, filled with birdsong, fragrant flowers, and vibrant vitality.

Meanwhile, the Underworld Spider Lilies were reflected like moonlit illusions beneath the Lake Surface, where silence reigned and the aura of death permeated.

Well, Chu Lingluo’s Emerald Dream was somewhat weak and could not fully correspond to the Yin aspect of the Other Shore Flowers. To address this, Mu Lin transplanted some Underworld Spider Lilies into his own town.

As for why Mu Lin could alter Chu Lingluo’s mental imagery, it was naturally because the two were in a state of dual cultivation, and the latter had completely opened her heart to him. Under such circumstances, Mu Lin was able to make changes.

“Too innocent… completely opening your heart. As I am now, I can do whatever I want to you, and you would be utterly unable to resist.”

Thinking this way, Mu Lin naturally did nothing.

Even though he could brand the Dominion Flame on Chu Lingluo’s forehead and completely dominate her.

…

After glancing at the sleeping Chu Lingluo, Mu Lin’s consciousness returned to his own Mindscape.

After settling the Underworld Spider Lily, Mu Lin did not rest or fall into slumber. Instead, he brought his consciousness back to reality.

Although he had experienced a moment of pleasure, today’s work was not yet over for Mu Lin.

He needed to consume the Treasure sent by Teacher Dongfang Ya to allow his Spirit Root to undergo transformation.

…

While Mu Lin was alternating between enjoyment and busyness, there were others outside toiling diligently.

For instance, Yan Yunyu was painstakingly negotiating terms with the Demon Suppression Division while Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo were immersed in their pleasure.

At the same time, in the Alien District, some were secretly plotting something.

“Are you certain this will succeed… The Tower of Illusory Heavens is a national Dao Artifact…”

“…I know, but this is only a branch tower, and just one among many. Its consciousness will not remain focused here indefinitely…”

(End of Chapter)