Chapter 119 – The Yin Soldiers Pass Through

Being silently and eerily stared at by one human after another, both Wan Yangyu and the old man felt a chill run down their spines.

Especially Wan Yangyu, who had never imagined that most of the tavern’s customers had been replaced by Mu Lin’s Paper Figures.

“So eerie… If we really clashed, even without that inexplicable attack, we would lose, and lose miserably…”

At this moment, Wan Yangyu was utterly convinced.

The old man who had barged in was also somewhat shaken.

If possible, he truly did not want to provoke someone like Mu Lin.

However, it was not that he didn’t want to provoke Mu Lin, but rather that Mu Lin would not let him go.

Yet, being pushed to the brink gave him a sense of liberation.

“Hah, invisibility, substitutes, curses, disguises… You are indeed strong and hard to kill, but if I can’t kill you, can’t I kill the people in the city?”

“Huff…”

As he spoke, he spread his arms wide, releasing all the Malevolent Ghosts and evil spirits he had been nurturing.

“Go, slaughter, enjoy, devour everything to your heart’s content!”

“Since you won’t come out, I’ll make the entire Quanshi City accompany me to the grave!”

“You old scoundrel, how dare you!”

Zhuang Ding’s reckless actions made Gu Quan, the chief constable of Quanshi City, unable to sit still, and he roared in anger.

Inside Quanshi Tavern, Mu Lin narrowed his eyes.

He knew the old man was using a provocation tactic to force him out.

But it had to be said, although this method was clichéd, it was indeed quite effective.

He truly could not stand by and watch the old man slaughter the city.

More importantly, Mu Lin was not afraid of him.

When it came to sinister methods, Mu Lin was even more eerie and ruthless. As for direct confrontation, Mu Lin was absolutely confident he could defeat him.

Thus, looking at the swarming Malevolent Ghosts, Mu Lin felt no fear. Instead, he clapped his hands and said, “Want to face me head-on? Very well, I’ll grant your wish.”

Hearing this, the old man’s face lit up with joy.

‘Just a brat, easily provoked into coming out… Huh?’

Before his joy could fully bloom, the old man froze.

One reason he froze was that as soon as Mu Lin finished speaking, the ground of Quanshi Tavern began to shake, cracking open, and then billowing Black Mist surged from underground, spreading all around.

Clearly, Mu Lin’s Main Body had been hiding underground in Quanshi Tavern all along—something he had never anticipated.

The second thing he hadn’t expected was how powerful Mu Lin could be.

The Black Mist surged like a tide, spreading everywhere, and within it, Yin Soldiers on horseback, armed with swords, leaped into reality.

There were also Ghost Messengers in black official robes, holding Soul-Binding Chains and wearing Ghost Messenger tokens at their waists, arriving in the Mortal Realm.

Nearly a hundred Yin Soldiers and dozens of Ghost Messengers, though surrounded by a cold and eerie aura, also carried a sense of solemnity and majesty.

This impression made the old man’s evil spirits and Malevolent Ghosts seem completely outclassed by Mu Lin’s Netherworld Soldiers.

The former resembled a mob of ruffians, while the latter were a disciplined, regular army. This alone highlighted the gap between them.

In terms of appearance, his Malevolent Ghosts were utterly defeated, which made Zhuang Ding’s expression darken. But soon, he snorted coldly and said, “Hmph, Malevolent Ghosts aren’t judged by appearance, but by strength…”

He wanted to say something to save face, but unfortunately, as the two armies clashed, those face-saving words could no longer be spoken.

As the real battle began, the gap between the two sides became even more apparent.

“Jie jie…”

“I want you dead…”

“Kill!”

“For the charge, there is only life or death!”

“Boom…”

With just one charge, the Yin soldiers riding spectral warhorses scattered the countless malevolent spirits and ghosts summoned by the Black-Robed Elder.

This scene completely shattered the elder’s composure: “Impossible.”

He refused to believe it and could not understand.

His malevolent ghosts were more numerous, and their strength was comparable. He could not fathom why such ghosts would crumble at the first touch.

But he was not the only one who was confused. Wan Yangyu, who was observing from the sidelines, Dongfang Ya and Qi Qiu outside, and even the elder’s own malevolent ghosts were equally bewildered.

When the army of Yin soldiers charged, the malevolent ghosts under the Black-Robed Elder, driven by their cruel and violent nature, did attempt to counterattack. However, it was futile. A special protective force rendered most of their attacks ineffective against the Yin soldiers.

This was the protection of the City God’s power.

In contrast, whether it was blades and swords or Soul-Binding Chains, the Yin soldiers could inflict unbearable pain upon them.

Especially the latter—once trapped by the Ghost Messengers’ Soul-Binding Chains, most malevolent ghosts would become utterly powerless, unable to rise again.

If they struggled fiercely, the Ghost Messengers would wield the chains like whips, lashing them against the malevolent spirits.

“Crack!”

“Sizzle…”

After being struck by the Soul-Binding Chains, the malevolent spirits and ghosts under Zhuang Ding would scream incessantly as if burned by fire.

It must be said that countering trumps all, and specialized attacks are divine.

The Netherworld Soldiers’ suppression of malevolent spirits and ghosts was just that overwhelming.

Even though the strength of the two forces was similar, and the Black-Robed Elder’s malevolent ghosts and spirits outnumbered Mu Lin’s subordinates, the end result was the malevolent spirits and ghosts being beaten into wailing and screaming incessantly.

“Roar!”

Witnessing his subordinates being slaughtered, the elder could no longer stand idly by.

After a furious roar, he charged toward the Yin soldiers. Then, with a “Bang!” he was intercepted mid-air.

However, it would be inaccurate to call the one who stopped him a person.

A terrifying Yaksha with a green face and fangs, wielding a Steel Fork, intercepted the elder from the air.

Like the Netherworld Soldiers, the Burial Yaksha had also undergone a significant transformation.

Although its appearance remained terrifying and ferocious, clad in black Judge’s robes, it now exuded a unique aura of authority.

At the same time, its body was covered with talismanic inscriptions bearing the characters for Adamantine Force.

This was the Adamantine Force Talisman Array.

As Mu Lin’s top general, the Yaksha possessed a high rank and exceptional carrying capacity. Therefore, although Mu Lin could not stack the Adamantine Force to nine layers, he had inscribed three sets of Adamantine Force Talisman Arrays on the Yaksha.

Three times three equals nine. This stacking increased the Yaksha’s strength ninefold compared to its original state, allowing it to intercept the Black-Robed Elder.

“Roar!”

“Swish!”

After being intercepted, the elder immediately charged forward. Similarly, the Yaksha fearlessly thrust its spear in response.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The elder was like a frenzied tiger. A single swipe of his claw could make the air shriek, leaving claw marks several meters long on the ground or tearing through buildings with a single strike.

However, Mu Lin’s Yaksha was no weakling either. With its innate flying bloodline, its speed was already extremely fast.

Now, with three layers of enhancement and three sets of Adamantine Force Talisman Arrays inscribed, the Yaksha’s strength and defense were fully complemented.

With speed, strength, and defense all maximized, the Yaksha had no fear of clashing with the old man.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Their battle resembled two afterimages darting wildly through the air, and wherever they passed, the air exploded, the earth tore apart, and countless houses collapsed.

In the intense confrontation, it was ultimately the Black-Robed Elder who fell at a disadvantage.

Logically, this shouldn’t have been the case. Although the Yaksha’s strength, defense, and speed were not lacking, it was ultimately only a manifestation of Mu Lin’s visualization, and in terms of martial arts, it was no match for the old man.

When the two fought, the Yaksha could only land one hit on the old man, while the old man could strike the Yaksha three to five times.

In such a duel, normally, the Yaksha should have been defeated.

Unfortunately, the old man was not normal. His Corpse Dog Po and Devouring Thief Po had already been nailed shut by the Coffin Nails.

The former caused his head to occasionally spin, preventing him from focusing entirely on the battle.

The latter, moreover, caused his body to lose its immune system. And because he cultivated Demonic Qi, the more intense the battle, the faster the Demonic Qi circulated, and the more severely his body was corroded.

It could be said that he was fighting the Yaksha under the two negative states of ‘occasional dizziness’ and ‘continuous bleeding.’ Under such conditions, it would be strange if he could win.

Not to mention, the Yaksha, though tainted by the Sky Burial Power, also wielded it. As long as it struck its opponent, the power of Sky Burial City would invade the enemy’s body.

Under normal circumstances, such injuries would have little effect on the old man, as he could rely on his formidable physique and Demonic Qi to resist them.

But now, with his immune system collapsed, he was completely unable to withstand the erosion of the Sky Burial Power.

In just these short dozen or so breaths, a large portion of his body had already been corroded by the Sky Burial Power.

In the eyes of Mu Lin and Wan Yangyu, several parts of his body had decayed and aged.

“If this continues, I will die…”

Once he confirmed this, the old man erupted completely.

“Boom!”

Accompanied by a violent burst of energy, his black robe revealed its true form—it was clearly a black tiger skin.

At this moment, the tiger skin fused with the old man’s flesh.

“Roar!”

During the fusion, the old man’s body expanded and mutated. Soon, a black demonic tiger with wings sprouting from its ribs appeared before the Yaksha.

“He actually fused with the demonic tiger? So, those Malevolent Ghosts were all his familiars?”

While Mu Lin was astonished, the Black-Robed Elder, having unleashed his full power, finally managed to suppress the Yaksha.

“Thud!”

A powerful blow directly smashed the Yaksha from high in the sky into the ground, creating a large crater.

After knocking down the Yaksha, the old man did not press his advantage. Instead, he quickly turned and charged frantically toward Mu Lin’s Main Body.

“He noticed, didn’t he?”

Thinking this, Mu Lin remained unpanicked.

As the old man charged, “Clatter, clatter…” countless chains, serpent-like, shot out to bind him.

Moreover, Yin Soldiers riding Yin Spirit warhorses either charged at the old man, hurled Spears, or drew bows and fired arrows at him.

In this short time, the old man’s familiars had already been mostly cleared by the Yin Soldiers. Now freed up, they all turned their attacks toward the old man.

At the same time, a little girl dressed in the attire of a Judge, holding a book in her hand, appeared beside Mu Lin.

Faced with the frenzied tiger, the little girl showed no fear. Instead, she giggled and delivered her judgment.

“Raising Malevolent Ghosts, herding evil spirits, devouring humans, slaughtering the innocent, and resisting underworld law enforcement… Zhuang Ding, your crimes are heinous. You shall suffer the punishment of a thousand cuts, endure the torment of bronze pillars and boiling oil, and fall eternally into the Avici Hell…”

As the little girl recited the old man’s crimes, passed judgment, and pronounced his sentence, she was not merely justifying Mu Lin’s actions.

This was her method of attack.

Among the two great Judges of the City God, the Martial Judge is responsible for capturing Malevolent Ghosts and evil spirits, while the Civil Judge is tasked with delivering judgments.

At the same time, in this world of gods and ghosts, the Judges naturally possess power.

Among them, the Martial Judge’s power lies in enhancing himself, while the Civil Judge can use judgment to bind and kill.

(End of Chapter)