Chapter 118 – Confronting the Spirit Pool Realm

The old man hiding in the shadows was horrified to discover that shortly after the second auditory hallucination appeared, his physical body began to suffer severe issues.

His weakened body could no longer withstand the highly corrosive Mana. Even while sitting still, his flesh began to decay.

What terrified him even more was the inexplicable realization that his weakness… was permanent.

In other words, as long as the curse remained, his body would continue to be eroded. Even if he consumed precious Spirit Medicine, it would only slow the erosion, not completely eradicate it.

This was the terror of the Curse Art, and the reason why, in many legends, those afflicted by curses would remain weakened for years.

The abnormality in his body chilled the old man to the bone, but what truly frightened him was the thought: if there was a first and a second… there would surely be a third!

“After the first nail-like auditory hallucination, my mind was affected—my spirit grew listless, and I experienced intermittent dizziness. This caused the Malevolent Ghosts I control to become somewhat unruly.”

“After the second hallucination, my body suffered a major issue, unable to even bear my own Mana.”

“What about the third time? What will happen to my body then?”

“After the fourth or fifth time, will I simply die?”

The terror in his heart made it impossible for the old man to remain seated any longer.

At this moment, he truly understood one thing: in Quanshi City, the one with little time left, unable to wait any longer, was himself—not Mu Lin.

The one who needed to take the initiative was also him.

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Once he had made up his mind, the old man immediately contacted his nephew, Zhuang Zhan, ordering him to go to Mu Lin at once and find out his whereabouts.

Naturally, Zhuang Zhan was reluctant to follow this order.

“Uncle, we mustn’t rush. Mu Lin is no fool, and he already harbors suspicions about us. If we act hastily, we’ll make mistakes, and he might discover something. If that happens, I’ll be exposed…”

Zhuang Zhan’s reasoning was sound. In the past, the old man hiding in the shadows would not have rushed either.

But the past was the past, and the present was the present. With his own life hanging by a thread, how could he still have the patience for slow, careful planning?

As for the issue of his nephew being exposed—as a Demonic Cultivator who practiced by consuming humans—the old man’s moral standards were undoubtedly extremely low. Not to mention a nephew, even if it were his own son, he could always have another. But if he died, everything would be lost.

Thus, without any hesitation, he declared, “I am not discussing this with you. This is an order!”

“Uncle… ah!!”

Before Zhuang Zhan could say anything more, the old man directly employed a secret technique, subjecting him to unbearable agony.

Then, his voice echoed eerily.

“Go find Mu Lin. Lure his true self out, and you may still have a chance to live. If you fail to lure him out, you die!”

“…Yes.”

With his life hanging in the balance, controlled by the old man, Zhuang Zhan had no choice but to submit after being punished.

Urged on by the old man, Zhuang Zhan soon arrived at Quanshi Tavern, where he found Mu Lin sitting by the window, leisurely enjoying the view.

After calming his nerves, Zhuang Zhan approached Mu Lin and flattered, “Lord Mu Lin.”

“Is there something?”

“Yes, my lord. Your earlier methods were extraordinary, capturing many Malevolent Ghosts. However, because of this, you have drawn the attention of the mastermind behind Quanshi City. I was wondering if you might need our protection.”

“Very well.”

“Huh?”

This response left Zhuang Zhan momentarily stunned, but inwardly, he felt a surge of delight.

However, before he could show his delight, Mu Lin’s next words came out.

“Have the soldiers surround the tavern.”

“…Sir, your main body isn’t here. Surrounding this place is useless…”

“Who said this isn’t my main body?”

“…”

Zhuang Zhan really wanted to say that no one needed to say it—anyone with half a brain could deduce that this definitely wasn’t his main body.

Of course, Zhuang Zhan didn’t express these disrespectful thoughts. He merely replied respectfully, “Sir, you jest. I believe protecting your main body is more important. The mastermind behind this is cunning and full of schemes…”

He wanted to say more, but before he could finish, Mu Lin shook his head and said helplessly, “You’re too impatient, and your intentions are too obvious… But I can’t blame you. The one who should be most anxious is the mastermind behind this. His situation must be quite dire right now.”

As soon as these words were spoken, before Zhuang Zhan could respond, Wan Yangyu sighed beside him.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed something off about Zhuang Zhan—Zhuang Zhan wasn’t foolish, but as Mu Lin had said, he was too impatient and his intentions were too obvious. When people become impatient, they inevitably make mistakes.

Thus, when Zhuang Zhan fixated on Mu Lin’s main body, Wan Yangyu immediately sensed something was wrong.

What made Wan Yangyu sigh was the reason behind Zhuang Zhan’s impatience.

“To be honest, Brother Mu, when you said earlier that your goal was to rank in the top three, I had some doubts and thought you might be overestimating yourself. But now, I’m convinced, and I truly believe you have a chance of securing third place.”

He had no choice but to be convinced. Having once led a team to clear the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens, he knew all too well how powerful the demonic fiends on that level were.

Their Spirit Pool Realm cultivation level completely overpowered his team, and the complex circumstances meant they could be ambushed at any moment.

If not for their good luck and some powerful magical artifacts provided by their families and the Dao Palace, they would have stood no chance against such formidable demonic monsters.

Even so, it took the combined efforts of several people to overwhelm the demonic monsters on the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens, and countless casualties occurred during the battle. That was also why they only received a “Good” rating.

Compared to the hardships they faced during their challenge, what about Mu Lin? After entering the Tower of Illusory Heavens, he simply sat in the Quanshi Tavern, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery.

The number of times he was seen taking action was only once.

Yet, with just that one move, he drove the demonic monster into a desperate situation.

From the moment Zhuang Zhan risked exposing himself to find Mu Lin’s true body, Wan Yangyu knew the mastermind behind Quanshi City was desperate—desperate enough to risk everything.

If not for such urgency, a valuable sleeper agent like Zhuang Zhan would never have been exposed at this time.

‘Logically, Gushing Spring should be no match for Spirit Pool, but when it comes to Mu Lin, everything changes. With just one strike, he drove a Spirit Pool Realm demonic monster to such madness. How strong exactly is Mu Lin?’

Awe, shock, and… a sense of relief—these were Wan Yangyu’s current emotions.

At this moment, he truly felt that it was a good thing he wasn’t Mu Lin’s enemy.

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but glance at Cai Tian, and an idea surfaced in his mind.

‘I need to discuss Cai Tian’s situation with Teacher Qi Qiu…’

From Zhuang Zhan’s urgency, Wan Yangyu deduced many things, and when the former was exposed by Mu Lin, his expression twisted.

“Bastard, that old scoundrel, if he hadn’t kept pushing and pushing, how could I have been exposed!”

“And you, you bastard, why couldn’t you just ignore those lowly commoners…”

“Bastards, all of you bastards, go die!”

After being exposed, Zhuang Zhan completely tore off his disguise and became somewhat crazed.

“Swish!”

With a thrust of his spear, he charged toward Mu Lin, intent on killing him.

However, after taking just one step, his body stiffened, and his spear-thrusting motion halted abruptly.

The next moment, blood sprayed from his mouth, and as it did, his body slumped weakly to the ground.

“Hiss… my, my heart…”

“Wh-when…”

He didn’t understand, nor could he comprehend when Mu Lin had launched the attack.

  Wan Yangyu, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief, even an urge to shed tears.

‘Damn, finally it’s not just us suffering!’

When that unfathomable, ghostly attack had struck him, Wan Yangyu had been mentally shattered, his body and mind chilled to the bone.

But seeing such an attack target others, witnessing their shocked and bewildered faces, gave him a sense of satisfaction as someone who had been through it.

While Wan Yangyu felt relieved, Mu Lin was somewhat dissatisfied.

“He actually didn’t die.”

Deep beneath Quanshi City, inside the Nether Spirit Coffin, Mu Lin glanced at the paper figure in his hand.

This paper figure was identical to Zhuang Zhan, with his True Name written on it. At this moment, the lifelike paper figure was pierced through the heart by a long Coffin Nail.

Relying on the connection between the paper figure and the human body, normally, Zhuang Zhan’s heart would have shattered as well.

Unfortunately, besides Mana, a martial artist’s Qi and Blood was also a supernatural force, possessing some supernatural resistance. This prevented Mu Lin’s Curse Art from unleashing its full power.

Moreover, martial artists, due to their focus on physical cultivation, possessed extremely tenacious vitality. Even with a pierced heart, they wouldn’t die immediately.

This made Mu Lin sigh.

“Indeed, at higher levels, simple methods like stabbing or piercing are rarely enough to curse an enemy to death. Fortunately, Zhuang Zhan isn’t particularly strong—at least, his cultivation level isn’t as high as the mastermind behind Quanshi City, nor does he possess that supernatural resistance.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin shifted his consciousness back to the tavern in Quanshi City. Casually pulling out two paper figures and giving them a light blow, two Yin Soldiers dressed in black official uniforms appeared before Mu Lin and moved to apprehend the heart-damaged Zhuang Zhan.

Leaving the paper figure Yin Soldiers to deal with Zhuang Zhan, Mu Lin turned his gaze outside the window.

“As expected, you should be making your move…”

And indeed, things unfolded just as Mu Lin anticipated.

Discovering that Zhuang Zhan’s reconnaissance mission had failed, the old man who had arrived nearby immediately acted in a fit of rage.

“Boom!”

Amidst the sound of shattering ground, a black figure pounced into Quanshi City’s tavern like a fierce tiger, lunging to seize Mu Lin.

Naturally, Mu Lin had no intention of waiting passively.

“Swish!”

A blood-stained Paper Sword was summoned by Mu Lin and slashed toward the old man.

Simultaneously, he reached into his robe again, intending to pull out a few more paper figures.

Unfortunately, this move did not succeed… Soon, Mu Lin learned just how powerful a Spirit Pool Realm demonic monster could be.

“Roar!”

Facing Mu Lin’s attack, the seemingly frail old man let out a thunderous roar.

The roar resembled the howl of a tiger, yet also echoed like a clap of thunder.

The ferocious roar carried an overbearing will.

Amidst the violent roar, Mu Lin’s Paper Sword was sent flying as if it were mere paper.

Beside him, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo were also stunned, their eyes vacant and their Divine Souls unsettled.

Mu Lin… well, Mu Lin was fine. Although the thunderous roar could shake one’s soul, his robust Divine Soul, his City God Status acknowledged by the Human Dao, and his Transcendence Trait all allowed him to ignore such effects.

However, the old man possessed not only a mighty roar but also immense strength and swift speed.

—After regaining his senses, Mu Lin grabbed the Blood Sword that had been sent flying and swung it at the old man.

But with his lack of martial prowess, he was easily dodged by the old man. In the next moment, the old man extended his hand and, with a deft move, seized Mu Lin by the throat.

“Speak, what have you done to me…”

Naturally, such a question received no answer.

Even with his throat gripped, Mu Lin showed no urgency. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.

“Heh, you’re in a hurry, but there’s no need. Being anxious won’t help…”

“Bastard!”

Realizing Mu Lin was toying with him, the old man flew into a rage and tore off one of his arms.

Unsurprisingly, the severed arm turned into scattered pieces of paper.

This sight only fueled the old man’s fury further.

“Cough… Pfft…”

Then, overwhelmed by rage, he began to cough.

Even blood was coughed up—ever since his Devouring Thief, one of the Seven Po, had been nailed down, the old man’s body had been continuously corroded by Demonic Qi and Baleful Qi.

Now, consumed by rage, the Demonic Qi within him erupted violently, causing him to sustain injuries.

This only deepened Mu Lin’s smile.

“See, I told you not to rush.”

“You little bastard…”

The sarcastic, mocking words only enraged the old man further—he had tried to suppress his anger, but it was impossible.

Setting aside the constant influence of the Demonic Qi and the looming threat of death hanging over him, which left him unable to relax, one thing alone made it impossible for him to control his emotions.

His Corpse Dog Po, which governed vigilance, spirit, and mental state, had also been nailed down by Mu Lin.

Without this Po to govern him, his spirit remained perpetually exhausted. In such a state, he could barely control the Malevolent Ghosts under his command, let alone suppress the fury in his heart.

Understanding his own predicament, he grew increasingly desperate.

“Bastard, scheming behind someone’s back—what kind of hero are you? If you have the guts, come out and face me one-on-one!”

“Or perhaps everyone in your Demon Suppression Division is nothing but a bunch of despicable, shameless cowards.”

“Heh…”

This immediately drew a laugh from Mu Lin.

“Despicable, scheming behind someone’s back—are you sure you’re talking about me?”

“Don’t get our roles mixed up. You’re the villain here. I’m the good…”

Crack—driven by Mu Lin’s infuriating expression and his own uncontrollable rage, worsened by the tormenting headache, the old man tightened his grip and snapped Mu Lin’s neck.

“Rip…”

Mu Lin, whose neck had been snapped, instantly transformed into a shattered Paper Figure. Before the old man could show any other emotion, a voice sounded beside him.

“So, old man, you’re too impatient…”

The sudden voice made both the old man and Wan Yangyu look over.

Then, with their gazes tightening, they discovered that although the person standing up was a stranger, his voice was unmistakably Mu Lin’s.

What frightened them even more was that the guests in the tavern stood up one after another.

And all of them stared at the old man with eerie, unsettling gazes.

(End of Chapter)