Chapter 489 – Returning Home in Glory

“Who would have thought that a single act of kindness from back then would bring me such a favorable outcome.”

Naturally, Celestial Master Hetian did not wish for death either. It was only because of his resolute will and the knowledge that he could not survive that he sought a successor and prepared to face his demise with composure.

Yet, what he never expected was that, despite his willingness to accept death and having chosen a successor, the final outcome was that, at the very last moment of his life, he was saved by the very successor he had selected.

Relying on the Life Authority, Mu Lin replenished the missing foundation of the old Celestial Master—this was also the most difficult part of healing him.

He had merely been affected by the rules of a Deity at the level of his true spirit, not by an unstoppable taboo. Heavenly Martial True Lord and the others were capable of suppressing, even destroying, the anomalous force within the old Celestial Master’s body.

However, previously, the old Celestial Master’s foundation had been extremely weak, and the foreign power of the Alien Realm Deity had fused with his true spirit. For Heavenly Martial True Lord and the others to cleanse the corruption would have meant cleansing Celestial Master Hetian himself. This was why they had been somewhat helpless.

But this problem did not exist for Mu Lin, who wielded the Genesis Authority. With ease, Mu Lin replenished Celestial Master Hetian’s foundation.

Once the foundation was robust, the remaining tasks became simple. Those taboo aspects were directly eliminated by Mu Lin using Purification and Fated Death.

Although, after removing those elements, much of the old Celestial Master’s power was also ‘killed’ along with them, because his foundation was now solid, destroying a part of it only left him weakened, no longer facing the original fate of death.

In fact, thanks to Mu Lin’s assistance, this weakened state would soon come to an end.

…

Freed from his ailing body, the old Celestial Master was filled with emotion.

While he was reflecting, the other Celestial Masters looked on with undisguised envy.

“To have forged such a favorable connection with Your Majesty Mu Lin and to be revived by Him under certain death—Old Ghost Zhang, your fortune truly is remarkable.”

“Hahaha, my fortune has always been good, but it’s also because I was willing to look after the younger generation that I received such favor. You all should help the juniors more as well.”

Good deeds yielding good rewards—the tangible reality right before their eyes led many Celestial Masters to genuinely consider taking on more disciples.

However, some Celestial Masters understood that Mu Lin was exceptional; a situation like his was rare and not something one could seek out.

“Enough of that. Your situation is a once-in-a-millennium occurrence. Not everyone is like Your Majesty Mu Lin, possessing supreme talent.”

To this, Zhang Hetian did not refute.

“You’re right. A situation like Mu Lin’s, along with my own circumstances, is indeed a once-in-a-millennium event.”

“But even ordinary Prodigies can be of help to us. More importantly, taking on a few more Prodigies and teaching a few disciples costs us nothing. And forging more favorable connections will always yield good outcomes.”

…

As the Celestial Masters conversed, persuaded by Old Celestial Master Hetian—or rather, moved by his experience—some truly began to consider taking on disciples.

There was no helping it; Celestial Master Hetian’s situation was simply too enviable.

To be rescued in a desperate situation, to have one’s foundation replenished, gaining more time and greater potential to ascend to higher realms—who wouldn’t desire such a fortunate turn of events?

Of course, even if they were to take on disciples, they would only accept prodigies—precisely because in the cultivation world, it was common for disciples to assist their masters. This was why the great aristocratic families and peerless powerhouses frequently invested in prodigies.

…

The revival of Zhang Hetian made his old friends envious.

As for Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang, the revival of their grandfather filled them with excitement and joy.

At the same time, they no longer had to worry about the Agricultural Militia having two saints coexisting—Mu Lin had long since outgrown the position of Agricultural Militia Commander.

His temples now spanned the entire Northern Wastelands, and he had become, like the Heavenly Martial True Lord, a shared ruler of the Northern Region.

In fact, the faith in Mu Lin was gradually spreading southward.

Well… the faith spreading southward was not that of King Yama.

Without facing life-threatening crises or receiving life-saving favors, many people, especially the powerful and noble, found it utterly unacceptable to be judged by King Yama after death.

Given this, spreading his faith to the south would inevitably face numerous obstacles, even to the point of sparking a civil war.

The faith Mu Lin spread to the south was that of the Lord of Mount Tai.

And this matter was closely related to Yan Yunyu, Chu Lingluo, and Ji Lingsha.

Although he had come to the Northern Region, Mu Lin had never severed his ties with the south.

Relying on the Black River Water and the Void-Crossing Ship, Mu Lin’s clones frequently traveled between the north and south.

At this moment, under Mu Lin’s command, a large ship laden with resources was carrying the women back to the south.

As for why, despite using the Black River Water to connect the north and south, a Void-Crossing Ship and Mu Lin’s clones were still needed to oversee the journey—this was naturally because this passage was not safe.

The teleportation via Black River Water was closely related to depth.

For short distances, Mu Lin’s teleportation would only occur in shallow layers, allowing him to protect himself with mana alone.

But if they were to travel tens of thousands of miles via Black River Water, Mu Lin and the others would need to descend deep into the Black River’s depths.

As they were now, they were traversing the depths of the Abyss of the Black River—a place devoid of any light, like an abyss, hollow, deep, and terrifying to behold.

Apart from the deep Black River, there were also faint, shadowy demonic figures lurking here.

These were the forbidden beings and evil spirits suppressed by the Black River Water.

Though the Black River Water was said to dissolve everything, it could not destroy the essence of anomalies; it could only suppress them at the riverbed.

Moreover, this suppression was not entirely stable.

When people or objects passed by, these anomaly evils could be disturbed and launch attacks on humans.

The deep, all-dissolving Black River and the pervasive anomalies made it extremely difficult for ordinary people to teleport through this river.

Fortunately, the Void-Crossing Ship, crafted during the peak of Prince Liang’s Manor, was quite capable. With its layered arrays and shields, the ship could fully withstand various threats and traverse between the north and south.

And Mu Lin, overseeing the journey, was able to guard against all sorts of unexpected events.

“Hum!”

As purification light bloomed, the evil aberrations gathered around the ship and the erosion of the Black River Water were immediately weakened significantly.

Seizing this opportunity, Mu Lin also connected with the paper substitute above the Black River.

“Go!”

At Mu Lin’s command, the Void-Crossing Ship leaped forward, breaking through the water and emerging from the Black River.

Mu Lin and the others also returned to the Southern Province by this means.

Upon reaching their destination, everyone exchanged glances before parting ways to act separately.

He himself went to Anping City—the place where Mu Lin had begun his journey, and also where his respected teacher Dongfang Ya, as well as Master Meng Rui, who had helped him greatly, resided.

Mu Lin had never been a selfish person. Having attained a Divine Position and now wielding Authority, he was capable of assisting Dongfang Ya and Master Meng Rui. Under such circumstances, he naturally would not remain indifferent.

As for Yan Yunyu, Chu Lingluo, and Ji Lingsha, they each returned to their own homes.

Their return was not merely for family visits but also involved various arrangements.

Take Ji Lingsha, for example. Her return to Prince Liang’s Manor caused quite a stir.

“The young lady has returned! Princess, Your Highness has returned!”

“Your Highness, Princess…”

“Young lady…”

As soon as she entered her home, her return triggered a series of exclamations, and numerous members of the Ji family’s branch lineages hurried toward Prince Liang’s Manor, displaying ingratiating attitudes toward Ji Lingsha.

Although Prince Liang had only one daughter, over a thousand years, the branch lineages of Prince Liang’s Manor had grown numerous. If all were counted, even ten thousand would be a conservative estimate.

At this moment, all these people treated Ji Lingsha with utmost respect and flattery.

However, Ji Lingsha showed no sign of happiness at this; instead, she snorted coldly.

“Hmph, you weren’t like this before.”

These words made Uncle Fu, who had just arrived, smile.

“Princess, you cannot expect all clan members to share your foresight.”

Ji Lingsha’s poor attitude naturally had its reasons.

After all, she was a woman. Even as the legitimate daughter, many members of the branch lineages did not want her to inherit the princely title, preferring instead for Prince Liang to adopt a child.

Because it concerned the right of succession, Ji Lingsha had previously found herself virtually surrounded by enemies within the clan, apart from those in Prince Liang’s Manor.

When she followed Mu Lin and went north, her situation worsened initially.

—In the early days, Tianshi City faced difficult circumstances, and Ji Lingsha had to request resources and talent from Prince Liang’s Manor to support the north.

Such large-scale demands naturally displeased many branch lineage members.

Especially since Prince Liang’s Manor was being suppressed by the major Aristocratic Families in the south, resources were already scarce. Under such conditions, having to allocate a portion to support the north only increased the dissatisfaction among those branch lineage members.

This involved interests, and conflicts over interests are the most perilous.

Of course, the fact that the branch lineage members of Prince Liang’s Manor were now very enthusiastic toward Ji Lingsha, even somewhat obsequious, indicated that her crisis had long been resolved.

Indeed, this was the case. Ji Lingsha’s crisis was resolved even before Mu Lin ascended to the Divine Position.

When Mu Lin first entered the Northern Wastelands, his situation was indeed difficult, but before long, he initiated a major campaign and emerged victorious.

In that battle, Mu Lin slaughtered countless Evil Spirits, drove many Demons and Monsters out of human territory, and recaptured many Blessed Lands and Spirit Mines.

And Mu Lin was no saint; he would not hand over all these reclaimed resources to the northerners. Consequently, a significant portion of the resources belonged to Mu Lin.

However, he did not have many clan members and had no desire to manage such trivial matters. As a result, the rights to mine and develop these resources were ultimately entrusted by Mu Lin to Yan Yunyu, Chu Lingluo, and Ji Lingsha.

—These three women are Mu Lin’s wives, and in the future, these resources will most likely be passed down to their children with Mu Lin. Entrusting these resources to them, Mu Lin naturally feels at ease.

Mining resources is not only a matter of authority and wealth but also a fast track to elevating one’s cultivation realm.

With control over these things, Ji Lingsha and the others are no longer seen as outsiders who take from their maternal families, nor as liabilities. Instead, they are regarded as benefactors and prodigies who have given Prince Liang’s Manor the opportunity to restore its former glory.

During this period, riding on Mu Lin’s momentum, Prince Liang’s Manor has also achieved significant development.

Those members of the Liang clan who were once suppressed by the Aristocratic Families have now found employment, purpose, and access to resources.

By being able to expand the pie, Ji Lingsha has naturally gained the recognition of many Liang clan members.

Impoverished clan members hoping to share in the benefits naturally go out of their way to flatter her, which is why she has returned in such splendid style.

However, it is clear that while the clan members have changed their attitudes, Ji Lingsha… still remembers the past.

Of course, remembering aside, she greatly enjoys the flattery and welcome from everyone.

Seeing former enemies now submit to her fills Ji Lingsha with immense satisfaction.

“Following Brother Mu was the right choice. If I hadn’t married him, even if I had inherited the title of Prince Liang, others would not have submitted to me and would have constantly caused trouble…”

As she reveled in the joy of returning in glory, Uncle Fu spoke up.

“Princess, is there anything you need us to do upon your return this time?”

“There certainly is, but more importantly, I’ve brought back many wonderful things this time.”

“Wonderful things… Has Young Master Mu reclaimed some resource sites again?”

Uncle Fu’s guess made Ji Lingsha laugh.

“Hehe, too narrow, Uncle Fu, your vision is still too narrow! What I’ve brought back this time is far more valuable than mere resources!”

(End of Chapter)