Chapter 109 – The Tongue Extraction Punishment

In addition to guiding departed souls and capturing malevolent spirits, the City God also possesses the authority to conduct trials.

It is not entirely the jurisdiction of Yama alone; if billions of departed souls were all judged by Yama, such a great deity would have no time for anything else, spending every day on trials.

This is clearly impossible.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Yama is similar to the supreme court of the previous world, handling only important trials. Ordinary departed souls are judged independently by the City Gods of various regions.

As deities, especially those whose primary duty is judgment, City Gods naturally do not conduct trials like mortal officials, running around to gather evidence.

They have a special method for trials. The life records of departed souls documented in the subsidiary Book of Life and Death serve as the decisive factor in the City God’s judgments.

Of course, there are limitations. The subsidiary Book of Life and Death is, after all, not the true Book of Life and Death, and its power is greatly diminished.

Firstly, the subsidiary Book of Life and Death under the City God’s control only has the authority to record and cannot be altered.

Secondly, it can only record the lives of departed souls within the City God’s Domain. Outsiders, as well as demons and monsters born elsewhere, cannot be recorded in the subsidiary Book of Life and Death.

Currently, Mu Lin has not been officially recognized by the national fortune, and the power of the subsidiary Book of Life and Death is even more diminished.

Fortunately, the City God has another function related to this method.

As a deity in charge of punishment and judgment, the City God, like the mythical beast Bixi, can discern right from wrong within their own Dharma Domain.

This authority, combined with immense pressure, allows the City God to intimidate those with weak minds, making them afraid to lie.

Undoubtedly, Cai Tian was intimidated by Mu Lin. The City God’s authoritative shout shattered his mental defenses, causing him to answer instinctively.

“Yes, I do believe a Third-Class Spirit Root is trash.”

“Hmph!”

This made Mu Lin snort coldly.

“Starting from the same point, you have a Second-Class Spirit Root (as informed by Yan Yunyu), yet you are only at Spirit Awakening Perfection now. I, with a Third-Class Spirit Root, am already in the Gushing Spring Realm. If a Third-Class Spirit Root is trash, then what are you? Garbage even worse than trash!”

“…”

Intimidated by Mu Lin, Cai Tian dared not speak, only mumbling weakly.

If it were merely a confrontation between the two, and Mu Lin had shattered his mental defenses and Dao heart, he might have let him go. Unfortunately, Cai Tian had not only provoked him but also insulted Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo.

Mu Lin was no saint. Although he did not regard the two women as his wives, their being offended still angered him. Thus, with a thought, Mu Lin activated the characteristic: Transcendence.

—After several days of experimentation, Mu Lin had determined that the Transcendence characteristic elevates one’s status to protect against external influences.

Elevating one’s status not only enhances resistance but also empowers mystical arts.

The divine might of the City God also falls within the scope of Transcendence’s enhancement.

Therefore, after activating Transcendence, Mu Lin’s divine might as the City God reached its peak. In this state, Mu Lin delivered his judgment.

“For sowing discord, slandering and harming others, being glib-tongued, and arguing with cunning words, I, in the name of the City God, pronounce you a treacherous villain, deserving the punishment of tongue extraction!”

“No…”

“Stop!”

When Cai Tian stepped forward to ‘expose’ Mu Lin’s true nature, Wan Yangyu and the others initially watched with amusement, completely unconcerned.

But soon, they realized something was wrong. After exchanging glances, they saw that Mu Lin, whose true nature was supposedly being exposed, remained unfazed, while Cai Tian, who was preparing to expose him, turned pale and broke into a cold sweat.

This unimaginable scene surpassed their wildest imaginations, causing their minds to momentarily freeze.

By the time they regained their senses, they saw Mu Lin, majestic and stern as a prison, delivering judgment upon Cai Tian.

Though the judgment was merely verbal at this moment, Wan Yangyu sensed something amiss. After instinctively shouting out, he quickly rushed toward Mu Lin.

However, it was already too late.

The moment after Mu Lin pronounced judgment, two Ghost Messengers clad in official robes, cold and imposing, silently appeared beside Cai Tian and seized him.

Faced with such an assault, Cai Tian naturally had no intention of surrendering without a fight and attempted to resist.

Unfortunately, just as he prepared to act, Mu Lin’s stern and authoritative voice rang out once more.

“How dare you resist!”

Mere words might have meant little, but when Mu Lin’s Divine Soul was overwhelmingly powerful enough to crush Cai Tian, and he held the position of City God, where every word and action carried the weight of strict law, his voice was anything but ordinary.

At this moment, Mu Lin’s words were like divine decree, causing Cai Tian’s body—or more accurately, his soul—to tremble.

The trembling of his soul, coupled with the fear in his heart, made him instinctively halt his resistance.

For Mu Lin to quell Cai Tian’s will to resist with a single command might seem exaggerated, but upon closer reflection, it was entirely reasonable.

With a Divine Soul that overpowered his opponent, a lofty status, and the authority of a Deity presiding over punishment and judgment, Mu Lin’s judgment of Cai Tian within the City God Domain—especially when Cai Tian was truly guilty—made it natural for resistance to be suppressed. If Cai Tian could still muster the will to resist under such circumstances, Mu Lin’s Heaven-Rank Technique would have been cultivated in vain.

If it weren’t for such overwhelming power, those noble families and influential clans wouldn’t exhaust countless resources to have their descendants cultivate Heaven-Rank Techniques.

As Mu Lin reflected on this, the two Ghost Messengers easily subdued Cai Tian. Taking advantage of his stunned state, one Ghost Messenger pried open Cai Tian’s mouth while the other used iron tongs to clamp onto his tongue and yanked it out with brutal force.

“Ah!!! Mmmph…”

Amid his agonized screams, Cai Tian’s tongue was forcibly torn out by Mu Lin’s Ghost Messengers.

“You bastard, how dare you!”

This sight enraged Wan Yangyu to the point of seeing red.

Though his relationship with Cai Tian wasn’t particularly close, Mu Lin’s act of tearing out Cai Tian’s tongue right before his eyes was a direct insult to his pride, fueling his fury to its peak.

However, the next moment, his anger vanished.

Mu Lin’s gaze shifted toward him.

“…”

Eyes are the windows to the soul, and facing Mu Lin’s stare meant confronting the divine authority of the City God head-on.

As a captain who had advanced to the Gushing Spring Realm, Wan Yangyu possessed greater strength in both Divine Soul and willpower compared to Cai Tian.

Yet, despite this, he remained merely a talented individual, one who had yet to fully mature.

In contrast, Mu Lin’s Divine Soul Realm was at the peak of the Spirit Pool, comparable to the Spirit Sea. Moreover, his Divine Soul’s status was that of a Deity acknowledged by the Human Dao.

How could a still-developing talent compare to a Deity, especially when the Deity’s cultivation realm utterly overshadowed his own?

It can be said that the moment their eyes met, a pressure as immense as mountains and seas descended upon Wan Yangyu like Mount Tai, allowing him to experience the same sensation Cai Tian had just endured.

It truly felt like a colossal beast looming overhead, with mountains and oceans standing before him.

Crushed by Mu Lin’s Divine Soul, Wan Yangyu also found himself breathing heavily, his face pale.

However, he performed better than Cai Tian in that, although suppressed by Mu Lin, his mental defenses remained unbroken.

Moreover, he had not committed many mistakes himself, so the full power of the City God could not be brought to bear against him.

Thus, if Mu Lin were to use only divine words at this moment, he would be unable to shatter Wan Yangyu’s mind and force him to surrender.

Furthermore, after glancing at the teacher who had already started fighting nearby, Mu Lin knew he had no opportunity to take action. So, he merely said calmly, “First-Class Spirit Root, Gushing Spring Realm Cultivation Level, daring to meet my gaze—you, not bad.”

“…”

PS: Something came up today, so there might be fewer updates.

(End of Chapter)