Chapter 319 – The Grave Lord's Realm Closes: The Terrifying True Spirit Karma Diagram

“The Substitute Paper Figure that controls the Crimson Holy Grail shall be called the Lord of the Blood River, the King of Asuras!”

In the end, Mu Lin settled on the name ‘Blood River.’

However, he soon realized that both his King Yama and the King of Asuras were rather pitiful.

In his previous life, King Yama possessed at least the Cultivation Level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, while the so-called Lord of the Blood River and King of Asuras wielded the Yu Tu and A Bi swords, achieving the Cultivation Level of a Quasi-Saint, ranking among the great powers of the world.

But in this world, his Divine Position as King Yama was only that of an Earth Immortal, and the Crimson Holy Grail… due to its nature as a Spirit Tool, its rank was merely that of an Earth Master. Of course, it was ultimately just an object, and Mu Lin’s Paper Figure could not fully merge with it, leaving the Divine Position of the Lord of the Blood River incomplete and unfinished.

“Even if it were completed, an Earth Master-level King of Asuras would still be rather pitiful. In the primordial world of my past life, such a being wouldn’t even qualify as a foot soldier.”

Having subordinates so weak yet bearing such grand titles left Mu Lin feeling somewhat awkward. Fortunately, he soon remembered that the strength of the Deities in his True Spirit Karma Diagram was not fixed.

“The True Spirit Karma Diagram is a summary of my strength. As my power grows, my understanding of the world deepens, or as I command and control more artifacts, both the upper and lower limits of the strength in my Netherworld Palace·True Spirit Karma Diagram will increase.”

“Just like now…”

“Hum!”

With a thought from Mu Lin, an illusory yet real diagram appeared in his palm. As the diagram reflected upon the Crimson Holy Grail, a wisp of its aura was absorbed into the True Spirit Karma Diagram. Then, beside the fifth-tier Divine Position of King Yama, an imprint of the Crimson Holy Grail appeared.

Well… being able to so easily reflect the Crimson Holy Grail into the True Spirit Karma Diagram was because Mu Lin had previously refined the Holy Grail.

Moreover, it was only natural that the Crimson Holy Grail’s inclusion in the diagram did not merely add another Divine Position, allowing Mu Lin to assume another identity—that would be no different from him directly using the Crimson Holy Grail before.

As the synthesis of all Mu Lin’s Cultivation Methods, a mythical-level technique that subtly surpassed the heavenly rank, the abilities within the True Spirit Karma Diagram could interconnect.

Now, with the Crimson Holy Grail integrated into the diagram, the entire True Spirit Karma Diagram trembled intensely.

“Hum!!”

When the tremor subsided, Mu Lin noticed a faint line connecting the Crimson Holy Grail to the other positions. As their abilities merged, his other strengths also improved.

For instance, beside the first and second tiers of Netherworld Soldiers and Ghost Messengers, several new ranks appeared—Asura Soldiers (Scarlet Demonic Monsters) and Asura Generals.

“Speaking of which, relying on the Crimson Holy Grail’s ability to manipulate flesh and blood… I can also create Ox-Head and Horse-Face.”

Such an operation was indeed feasible. As Mu Lin’s thoughts shifted, Ox-Head and Horse-Face truly appeared in the first and second tiers.

Of course, though called Ox-Head and Horse-Face, their essence remained Scarlet Demonic Monsters created and tainted by the Crimson Holy Grail using blood.

The only difference was that, compared to ordinary Demonic Monsters, they each possessed an additional Soul-Reaping Chain.

Shifting his gaze further, Mu Lin looked toward the third tier.

Then, he discovered that the County City God also had faint lines connecting to the Crimson Holy Grail, and as a result, the County City God gained an additional ability—Blood Prison.

Now, the County City God could create a crimson blood hell within his Netherworld Law Domain. This could be used to torment evildoers, punishing them, and could also transform some evildoers or malevolent ghosts into scarlet demonic monsters—no, they should now be called Asura soldiers. Alternatively, with a change in appearance, they could be called Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

“Changing a head or adding a few extra arms is a trivial matter for the Crimson Holy Grail, which can manipulate the essence of life and alter genes.”

“Hmm… another Divine Position has been added to the third tier: Yaksha General. It must be that the Crimson Holy Grail has activated the Yaksha’s potential, allowing them to advance to the third tier.”

“Unfortunately, I only have Blood Yaksha at the moment. If I were to master some special flames, would it be possible to transform ordinary Yaksha into Infernal Yaksha…”

This was indeed a possibility, but special natural flames were not so easily obtained.

“I’m still too poor. Should I really consider East Sea King’s suggestion and pledge allegiance to him first to gather some resources?”

“Forget it. Something tells me nothing good will come from pledging allegiance to him…”

Shaking his head, Mu Lin continued to shift his gaze and looked at the fourth tier. This tier represented Mortal Shedding Adepts and originally had only five Divine Positions: Other Shore Flower Sea, Zhong Kui, Cui Yu, Province City God, and the incomplete Ink Jiao – Hebo (who had not fully mastered the Black River Water).

But now, another Divine Position had been added: Scarlet Blood Jiao – Nine Heads.

Well, this was the new Jiao Dragon formed by the fusion of scarlet power and Mu Lin’s Jiao Dragon body.

Compared to Mu Lin’s original Jiao Dragon body and the Ink Jiao Hebo, who manipulated Black River Water, the Scarlet Blood Jiao abandoned flashy elements, appearing more ferocious and with a more brutal temperament. Correspondingly, its physical strength was also greater.

And its strongest aspect—Scarlet Son – Nest—demonstrated something for Mu Lin: terrifying regenerative abilities.

To kill Nest, Mu Lin had to die dozens of times himself before finally taking it down. Now, the Scarlet Blood Jiao – Nine Heads also possessed such immortality—it could not be killed unless all nine of its heads were destroyed.

Moreover, these nine heads had to be destroyed simultaneously. Otherwise, if only one was cut off, it would simply regrow after some time.

“This makes for a decent meat shield, capable of firmly entangling enemies.”

Aside from the Scarlet Blood Jiao, Zhong Kui had also undergone changes. His appearance had become even more ferocious and terrifying, and his physical strength had reached the level of a Mortal Shedding Adept, rather than relying on the Crimson Wine Gourd to elevate his status.

As for the Province City God, it shared the same lineage as the County City God, so its improvements were similar to those of the County City God.

By the way, the reason the True Spirit Karma Diagram classified the Province City God and County City God into two different tiers was not merely about occupying positions.

After becoming the Province City God, Mu Lin could appoint County City Gods.

Currently, Mu Lin could appoint twelve County City Gods, governing twelve small towns.

These City God positions could be held by others or replaced by his own Substitute Paper Figures.

Thinking this far, Mu Lin shook his head and chuckled to himself.

“Who would have thought that even now, my Paper Figure Art is still playing a role, even an irreplaceable one.”

After all, what resides within the True Spirit Karma Diagram are only Divine Positions. For them to manifest in the world, they require vessels.

Undoubtedly, while paper figures are not the best vessels, they are the cheapest. Mu Lin could easily produce countless numbers of them.

“Wait, my current paper figures are no longer just ordinary paper. The Year-End Power and the dynasty’s fortune have both been infused into the paper I use.”

“Now, to fully unleash the power of the Crimson Holy Grail, the royal Year-End Paper I use would be best soaked in blood, or perhaps adorned with scarlet blood as makeup for the paper figures…”

After pondering this, Mu Lin realized that the cost of his paper figures was no longer insignificant.

Of course, compared to the precious puppets crafted by Master Meng Rui using various materials, Mu Lin’s paper figures were still relatively cheap and offered the highest cost-effectiveness.

At the same time, using paper figures also had a drawback… they required Mu Lin to fold and assemble them by hand.

Fortunately, Mu Lin possessed the Substitute Paper Figure Art, which allowed him to create hundreds of clones. These clones formed a small workshop, producing paper figures day after day, sparing Mu Lin’s main body the laborious task of folding them.

“I can’t help but feel like I’ve become a capitalist… To prevent my Paper Figure Clones from developing resentment, I should let them rest eternally after a period of use and then summon new ones.”

Well, that was just a joke. Substitute Paper Figures didn’t require Mu Lin to pour all his memories and emotions into them; only a single thought was needed. Thus, his Substitute Paper Figures lacked complex emotions and had no possibility of rebellion.

Even if they were corrupted or taken over by higher-dimensional forces, Mu Lin’s paper figures would remain empty shells, incapable of giving rise to a dark version of himself.

While contemplating the matter of paper figures, Mu Lin turned his attention to the final change brought about by the Crimson Holy Grail’s integration into the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

This change affected Lord Cui Yu and King Yama, with the City God also being slightly influenced.

—Mu Lin could now condemn people to the Animal Realm.

Yes, with a single word, he could turn someone into a pig, dog, cow, or sheep.

The core ability remained the Crimson Holy Grail’s power to corrupt flesh and blood and alter biological forms.

  The difference was that King Yama, Cui Yu, and the Province City God—these underworld deities acknowledged by the will of the Human Dao and entrusted with the power of judgment—could make it easier for those guilty of heinous crimes to be transformed into animals.

“In the past, karma and sin were invisible. But now that I hold a trace of the divine authority of judgment, I can borrow karma to perform certain spells more easily.”

“If an enemy is burdened with immense karma, I could even demote a Mortal Shedding Adept to the Animal Realm.”

Beyond direct judgment, Mu Lin could also use the Book of Life and Death to curse… and punish others by turning them into livestock.

“Blood Prison, Asura, Animal Realm, Blood Dragon, Lord of the Blood River… The fusion of a single artifact has already enhanced the True Spirit Karma Diagram’s power so significantly. If I fused a few more artifacts or some exotic flames, wouldn’t I become invincible?”

“For example, Xue Ying—if her demonic blade were fused into my True Spirit Karma Diagram, could my Asuras level up through slaughter?”

“If that were the case, could I create an Asura battlefield, where Asuras continuously fight and kill each other, thereby increasing their strength and even raising their ranks?”

After envisioning this, Mu Lin believed it was highly possible.

Alas, treasures of Spirit Tool grade are not easily obtained.

If he dared to seize the Blood Blade, the Ge Family would not hesitate to send Mortal Shedding, or even Earth Immortal cultivators to hunt him down—this would be Mu Lin provoking trouble himself, not them bullying the weak.

“So poor…”

Mu Lin had no hope of obtaining a Spirit Tool, nor could he acquire an exotic flame.

After surveying his options, Mu Lin realized that the second ability most likely to be integrated was the Black River Water.

If he could fully command it, not only would the Ink Dragon Hebo be perfected, but Mu Lin could also begin constructing the Nether River Weak Water and transform the Blood Yaksha into a Blackwater Yaksha.

Moreover, the City God would gain an additional Blackwater Prison, allowing him to inflict the Blackwater Punishment upon enemies—dissolving their Mana, bodies, and Divine Souls.

As he indulged in these imaginings, Mu Lin marveled at the power of the True Spirit Karma Diagram. Through the integration of his numerous abilities, this thing had already become something of a BUG; in the hands of an ordinary person, it could even serve as their Golden Finger, enabling them to ascend all the way to the mythic class.

Yet its immense power was only natural, for this was a mythic-grade Cultivation Method formed by the fusion of several Heaven-Rank Techniques, many of which had been elevated to the Grandmaster level, with Divinity also playing a part.

At the same time, the True Spirit Karma Diagram was not without flaws—mythic-grade techniques were powerful, but the difficulty for Mu Lin to enhance it was equally high.

Whether it was learning other techniques, elevating them to Grandmaster level, and integrating them into the True Spirit Karma Diagram to enrich its foundation, or refining Spirit Tool treasures, neither was an easy task.

The former need not be elaborated upon; for a Cultivator, elevating a single technique to Grandmaster level was already cause for celebration, while continuously integrating techniques was nothing but a dream.

Only Mu Lin, with his Attribute Panel, believed this was achievable.

As for the second method, it was not something an ordinary person could choose either. Even among Aristocratic Families, Spirit Tools were regarded as foundational treasures.

“Even princes and princesses would find it difficult to continuously integrate Spirit Tools… In fact, even if I pledged allegiance to the East Sea King, he might not grant me ownership of a Spirit Tool; at most, he might lend me one for my use.”

“…I’d better focus on learning techniques.”

Spirit Tool treasures were hard to come by, and Forbidden Power was too dangerous. In the end, Mu Lin found that the most suitable path for him was to diligently study more techniques, elevate them to Master or Grandmaster level, and then integrate them into the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

This was the most stable approach and would fully leverage the advantages of his Attribute Panel.

“Once I return, I’ll see if I can find a few more techniques… Hmm…”

While pondering the future, Mu Lin suddenly felt his body grow heavy, and his head began to ache and swell.

“Who’s there!”

This abrupt occurrence made Mu Lin narrow his eyes and warily scan his surroundings.

He initially thought someone was attacking him.

But soon, Mu Lin realized that it wasn’t just his body that felt heavy—it was his true spirit.

At the same time, no one was attacking him; rather, the True Spirit Karma Diagram was too powerful and too vast, while his Main Body’s Cultivation Level was too low. His flesh, his soul, and his Mana were struggling to withstand such immense pressure.

“Right now, I’m holding on solely by the strength of my soul… With the advancement of the Vow Power Heart Flame, my soul power has already reached the Mortal Shedding realm. However, although the quantity of my soul has reached that level and its quality is decent, it has yet to fuse with Gang Qi and undergo true transformation…”

“So I can’t wait any longer. I must complete Gang Condensation as soon as possible, then achieve Gang Sha Unity, in order to bear the True Spirit Karma Diagram.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin even considered directly using the Gang Qi sent by the East Sea King.

However, he soon realized he had no time for that.

The Grave Lord’s Realm began to tremble.

“Rumble…”

“What now!”

The continuous anomalies made Mu Lin frown.

What Mu Lin didn’t know was that this disturbance was caused by him.

The True Spirit Karma Diagram he created had too great an impact and too wide a range, activating some of the Grave Lord’s contingency measures.

As a result, the Grave Lord’s Realm was about to close.

Sensing this, Mu Lin dared not linger. He immediately endured the heaviness in his body and ran toward the exit.

Not only was Mu Lin moving; upon realizing the Grave Lord’s Realm was closing, others began to flee as well.

Or rather, it should be said that when the blood rain fell and ghosts and gods wailed, some had already panicked and started escaping the Grave Lord’s Realm.

Among them, Mu Lin was among the fastest to escape.

With Ink Jiao – Hebo, he could directly teleport to the opposite bank of the Black River, bypassing countless distances.

Moreover, the dangers of the Grave Lord’s Tomb began at the Black River. The first half, with the loess path condensed from Central Wuji Sha, was not particularly perilous.

Thus, Mu Lin, who directly crossed the Black River, quickly emerged from the Grave Lord’s Realm.

As soon as he appeared, he was met with the fervent gazes of countless Clan Elders from the Aristocratic Families.

“Uh…”

The intense stares made Mu Lin’s skin crawl.

But soon, these people were driven away.

Prince Liang had arrived.

Upon discovering that the East Sea King had shamelessly entered the Grave Lord’s Realm to extend an invitation, he could no longer sit still.

As soon as Mu Lin emerged, Prince Liang rushed out immediately to speak with him.

(End of Chapter)