Chapter 116 – Cursed Paper Figure Reaches Grandmaster: Trait—Fixing Seven Po!

“Find the mastermind? Why should I go looking for it?”

This statement completely baffled Wan Yangyu.

“???”

His face full of question marks wasn’t because he had doubts himself, but because he thought Mu Lin had a problem with his head.

However, he soon noticed that as Mu Lin spoke, he gave him a strange look, as if he were the odd one.

That look, combined with Mu Lin’s usual air of mystery, made Wan Yangyu lose confidence.

Even though he clearly knew it was Mu Lin who had the problem, he cautiously asked:

“Brother Mu, the mastermind is right here in Quanshi City. If you don’t find it, how can you kill it and clear the trial?”

This made Mu Lin smile.

“Who said that to kill someone, you must go to their side?”

Glancing out the window, Mu Lin said with a cold, distant tone, “Now, the situation has reversed. The enemy is in the open, while I am in the shadows.”

“And it’s not that I’m in a hurry to find him—it’s he who must urgently find me.”

“He has only seven hours left to live. If he doesn’t find my true form within seven hours, his time will be up.”

…

Mu Lin’s voice was cold and distant, and as he spoke, the source of all the malevolent spirits in Quanshi City was also taking action.

However, just like Wan Yangyu, the mastermind also believed the enemy was in the open while he was in the shadows, and that the enemy was the one urgently seeking him out.

Thus, he wasn’t particularly anxious at the moment and didn’t see Mu Lin as a threat.

At the same time, if Mu Lin possessed the Heavenly Eye, he would discover that the mastermind of Quanshi City wasn’t hiding in some dark sewer but resided in a luxurious mansion.

At that moment, a man walked straight into the mansion, bowing respectfully to a robust elderly man and saying, “Uncle, you summoned me.”

“Yes. That Mu Lin is quite capable and unwilling to back down. We must eliminate him.”

This made the subordinate hesitate. Seeing this, the old man snorted coldly:

“You’re unwilling?”

“No, nephew has no such thoughts. But eliminating Mu Lin will anger the Demon Suppression Division, leading them to send even more dangerous Qi Refiners…”

“Don’t worry. My cultivation method is nearly complete. Once I finish cultivating it, we can head to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain. By then, even if the Demon Suppression Division sends Qi Refiners, they won’t be able to do anything to us.”

This convinced the subordinate.

“I understand. But Mu Lin disappeared as soon as he entered the city. I don’t know where he is.”

“I’ve already created an opportunity for you. Earlier, when I went to exterminate those ghosts, I threatened Mu Lin, saying I would kill him at midnight. When you see Mu Lin later, tell him you learned of this. Then say, ‘Better safe than sorry,’ and request to guard him at midnight to pinpoint his location and create an opportunity for me.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

As he replied, the subordinate raised his head.

If Mu Lin were here, he would recognize that the person colluding with malevolent ghosts to harm him was none other than the Commander of Quanshi City’s soldiers—Zhuang Zhan!

It must be said that the outside world is complex. Those who commit evil deeds are not just malevolent ghosts and demonic monsters—there are also people worse than beasts.

With such an identity, Zhuang Zhan had the opportunity to secretly harm ordinary Qi Refiners.

Unfortunately, Mu Lin, as a Yin Eight Gates Paper Artisan, was anything but ordinary.

‘As a lineage that has persisted for over ten thousand years, the Yin Eight Gates may not be particularly strong in terms of power, but their ability to preserve life is absolutely maxed out.’

‘If you can’t even find me, I’d like to see how you can kill me.’

And soon, the mastermind behind the scenes once again experienced the cunning and viciousness of the Yin Eight Gates Paper Artisan Lineage.

After giving the order to Zhuang Zhan, the old man hidden in the shadows snorted coldly.

“Mu Lin, don’t blame me. I’ve already given you a chance. It’s your own fault for refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Since you’re seeking death, I naturally have to oblige you!”

“And those useless people in the city, what’s wrong with me using some humans to refine pills and extend my life? It’s an honor for those lowly commoners to be of use to me. How dare they cause trouble for me over these worthless lives? You all deserve to die…”

At this moment, the old man felt not a shred of regret, nor a trace of fear. With a sinister glare, he felt that the entire world had wronged him. As for Mu Lin, he believed the latter was simply ungrateful and deliberately seeking death.

However, just as the old man was filled with hatred and resentment toward everything, suddenly, a sense of crisis—a sudden premonition—arose in his heart.

“Who’s there?”

“Who is it?”

The abrupt appearance of danger made the old man shout loudly.

This scene also startled Zhuang Zhan, who was about to leave to handle matters.

Instinctively, he also scanned his surroundings, and, as expected, he found nothing.

“Uncle, there’s no one around…”

Just as he was puzzled, and the old man also thought he might be overthinking, a “thud” sound, as if a nail were piercing through flesh and bone, rang in his ears.

Following the sound came intense pain.

“Ah…”

The pain made the old man let out a scream, and his fierce gaze swept around incessantly.

After failing to find the enemy, unwilling to give up, he waved his robe, releasing a massive swarm of malevolent ghosts and evil spirits from the shadows beneath him to search the courtyard for the enemy.

As expected, he still found nothing.

“Uncle, what’s wrong with you?”

Realizing something was amiss, Zhuang Zhan quickly inquired, but the old man paid no attention to the question. By now, he already sensed that something was wrong.

After the sound of the nail entering his bone, although the excruciating pain no longer struck suddenly, a faint, lingering agony persisted—as if a nail had truly been driven into the top of his head.

And this rusty, long nail driven into his skull not only brought him waves of pain but also left him listless, with a drowsy, sleepy feeling.

  Being a wicked person himself, the old man actually discerned the method used against him faster than Wan Yangyu and the others.

“A curse! I’ve been cursed!”

“Bastard! Aren’t you from the Demon Suppression Division? Controlling paper figures, using curses—why do you, you bastard, employ such sinister methods?”

“You little brat, you’re even more despicable than I am!”

Despite being a thorough villain, the old man angrily denounced Mu Lin’s methods as sinister and ruthless, which shows just how much Mu Lin had broken his defenses.

While the old man raged, Zhuang Zhan felt… palpitations and anxiety.

“Uncle, has that Mu Lin discovered your identity?”

“What’s the hurry? Even if he has found out, what can he do? As long as we stubbornly deny it, we can buy some time. If we kill him during this period, victory will still be ours!”

“Hiss…”

The intermittent throbbing pain in his head and the drowsy state of his mind filled the old man with an unwavering resolve to kill Mu Lin.

Under these circumstances, his orders to Zhuang Zhan became increasingly urgent.

“We can’t wait any longer. Find Mu Lin’s true body immediately. We must kill him as soon as possible!”

The dangerous glint in the old man’s eyes left Zhuang Zhan with no choice but to comply.

…

Through Mu Lin’s careful planning, the situation in Quanshi City had completely reversed.

Now, the old man had come to understand his own predicament and grew increasingly anxious.

As for Mu Lin, he was naturally in no hurry at all.

It should be mentioned that Mu Lin’s main body was not hidden within the buildings of Quanshi City but was instead concealed deep underground.

From Elder Qin, Mu Lin had imitated three high-grade magical artifacts and one top-grade artifact.

Currently, the high-grade artifact, the Nether Spirit Coffin, was functioning effectively, carrying Mu Lin and his two companions as they traveled underground.

“With the Nether Spirit Coffin, my ability to preserve my life has increased at least threefold.”

As he spoke, Mu Lin glanced at the paper figure in his hand.

Beside him lay several paper figures—some representing Wan Yangyu and the others, and one representing the old man.

As for how Mu Lin could create their paper figures and cast curses without having much contact with Wan Yangyu and the others, or even without meeting the old man, it was because his Paper Figure Curse Technique had reached the Master level.

Speaking of the Paper Figure Curse, Mu Lin recalled the top-grade artifact—the Seven-Soul Nails.

“I never expected the Seven-Soul Nails to resonate with the Paper Figure Curse…”

Over the past month, Mu Lin had focused most of his efforts on cultivating the Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture, prioritizing the improvement of his mana cultivation.

Normally, his Paper Figure Curse would not have advanced to the Master level.

But an unexpected event occurred. During his seclusion, Mu Lin often studied the Seven-Soul Nails. Due to his accumulated experience and his unique talent for visualization, he eventually succeeded in visualizing the top-grade artifact, the Seven-Soul Nails.

When the Seven-Soul Nails solidified completely within his mindscape, Mu Lin… fell into a state of enlightenment.

The clarity of thought during this enlightenment allowed Mu Lin to uncover the mysteries of the human body, the composition of the Seven Po, and to grasp the close connection between the Paper Figure Curse and the Seven Po…

“Humans possess Seven Po… Corpse Dog, Ambush Arrow, Sparrow Yin, Devouring Thief, Non-Poison, Filth Removal, Stinking Lung…”

“These Seven Po govern the spirit, qi, heart, stomach, kidneys, intestines, gallbladder, liver, and lungs… If half of the Three Hun and Seven Po are lost, life is in grave danger…”

“Among them, the complete dissipation of the Three Hun Souls leads to soul collapse, while damage to the Seven Po results in physical death…”

“The Paper Figure Curse inflicts harm on a person’s body through certain means. If I target the Seven Po, can I deal significant damage to the enemy…”

The answer, naturally, was yes.

Through this enlightenment, Mu Lin’s Paper Figure Curse Technique leaped to the 4th level, Master. Correspondingly, he also mastered a killing move—Fixing Seven Po.

With his understanding of the Seven Po and the connection between paper figures and humans, Mu Lin could materialize seven coffin nails to stabilize the Seven Po of the paper figure, thereby nailing the enemy’s Seven Po in place.

If all Seven Po were nailed, the enemy would die on the spot.

Even if not all Seven Po were nailed, merely nailing one could still affect the enemy.

For example, the old man, whose Corpse Dog was nailed, suffered from constant headaches and a lethargic spirit. If this continued, even with only his Corpse Dog nailed, it could drive him to madness.

Of course, some might argue that pinning down the Corpse Dog only causes discomfort and mental exhaustion, not outright killing the person. In that case, cursing this way might seem less effective than simply slashing the paper figure with a knife.

However, the matter isn’t viewed that way. After linking to the target through the Paper Figure Curse, directly harming the body is a method used against low-level Cultivators.

Any moderately powerful demonic monster can survive a pierced heart and regenerate flesh and blood.

Thus, attempting to kill an enemy by slashing the paper figure is simply unrealistic.

At the same time, high-level demonic monsters possess strong resistance, and Qi Refiners have various means of protection. This makes Mu Lin’s paper figures unable to fully transfer curses onto enemies of the same rank or higher.

Under these circumstances, directly slashing the paper figure becomes a laborious and unrewarding approach.

But the Seven Po are fundamental to a person. Not only is it difficult to completely remove the effects of pinning the Seven Po, but stabilizing an enemy’s Seven Po can also significantly diminish their combat effectiveness.

Take the old man, for example. In his mentally exhausted state, he now struggles to cast powerful Spells.

Moreover, if this persists for a long time without sufficient mental energy and Divine Soul, the Malevolent Ghosts he controls might even rebel.

“Fixing the Seven Po—this is the method that makes powerful individuals wary… Of course, when dealing with Cai Tian and Wan Yangyu, there’s no need to go to such lengths.”

(End of Chapter)