Chapter 177 – The Jiao Dragon's Might: The Merfolk Submit

“Boom!”

The terrifying force caused the air to erupt with a deafening blast.

Mu Lin could even feel that the once intangible air now flowed like water, obstructing his punch.

This wasn’t because the Bronze Armored Zombie had the ability to manipulate air, but because Mu Lin’s punch was too fast, creating such high air resistance that it gave rise to this peculiar sensation.

Upon realizing this, Mu Lin did nothing—this was a law of nature. No matter what, as long as something moved too fast, it would inevitably cause friction and resistance with the air.

But soon, something that surprised, or rather delighted, Mu Lin occurred.

After the air resistance appeared, as the patterns on Mu Lin’s scales emitted a faint glow, the stagnant air instantly became smooth. Mu Lin’s speed surged abruptly as a result.

“?!?!”

The sudden smoothness made Mu Lin widen his eyes.

“The friction decreased, and the resistance weakened. Does the Jiao Dragon Body actually possess such an ability?”

It could only be said that the strong were full of surprises everywhere.

“Boom!”

With his speed increased even further, Mu Lin’s domineering punch landed on the zombie’s head before it could react.

Then, a terrifying scene unfolded.

“Boom!”

Under the force of his powerful punch, the Bronze Armored Zombie’s head exploded like a watermelon struck with full force.

No, not just its head—the upper half of its body was also shattered by Mu Lin’s single blow.

“Refreshing!”

“Roar!”

The sheer, visceral violence of obliterating an enemy with one punch filled Mu Lin with exhilaration, and he let out a draconic roar.

However, while he was thoroughly satisfied, the demons and monsters did not share such pleasant feelings.

Sensing Mu Lin’s terrifying aura and his overwhelmingly destructive power, the gathered evil spirits felt a wave of fear.

Similarly startled were the Demon Fox and Merfolk nearby.

After becoming invisible, these two groups had not left.

Like the other young women, they harbored hostility toward Mu Lin and had even planned to secretly ambush him while he was engaged with the evil spirits.

To this end, the two clans had secretly coordinated.

Fox Spirit Bai Zhi: “You’ve heard that rumor too, right? It must have affected you as well.”

In response, Baili Xiuling, the leader of the Merfolk Clan, did not refute this but nodded instead. “Indeed, it has. We must maintain our purity, both physically and in reputation.”

“Then let’s cooperate. If our two clans join forces to drive Mu Lin out, that rumor will undoubtedly be shattered instantly.”

“Agreed.”

With this reply, Baili Xiuling gazed coldly at Mu Lin.

“Don’t blame me. Someone as weak as you is unworthy of us—you’re not even fit to touch us.”

Looking down on Mu Lin had led the two groups to consider an alliance, but that was the original plan.

Now, feeling the terrifying pressure permeating the air and seeing Mu Lin enveloped in lightning like a thunder god, the Demon Fox Clan, after some deliberation, ultimately chose to retreat.

Mu Lin’s strength was too overwhelming, making the Demon Fox Clan unwilling to offend him over trivial matters.

However, as they retreated, they noticed something strange: their greatest rivals, the Merfolk Clan, had not left but were instead staring intently at Mu Lin.

At the same time, an argument was brewing within the Merfolk Clan’s ranks.

With her extraordinary senses, the Demon Fox leader Bai Zhi overheard some of the reasons behind the Merfolk Clan’s argument.

This caused her eyes to widen in shock.

“They actually plan to list Mu Lin as an Earth Grade seed? Have they gone mad?”

The classification of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow was not exclusive to humans; the Demon Race and Foreign Races also used it.

The so-called Earth Grade seed was the Foreign Races’ rating for Human Prodigies, with Heaven Grade being the highest, Earth Grade second, and Mystic and Yellow following.

While Heaven Grade was excellent, precisely because they were too outstanding, ordinary Foreign Races generally lacked the ability to win them over.

Thus, races like the Merfolk and Demon Fox Clans regarded Earth Grade as the highest standard they could achieve, sparing no effort to curry favor.

Now, the Merfolk Clan intended to rate Mu Lin as Earth Grade. Such a high rating naturally left Bai Zhi astonished.

“I admit Mu Lin is strong, but his level is only Mystic at best. How did you rate him as Earth Grade?”

“Moreover, compared to Mystic Grade seeds, Mu Lin has another major flaw—his lowly origins and the fact that he has offended many people. With such circumstances, how could he possibly grow?”

At this moment, Bai Zhi could not understand why Baili Xiuling of the Merfolk Clan would make such an unwise decision.

She did not understand, but Baili Xiuling’s clansmen knew the reason all too well.

Beyond the South Sea, there were Merfolk who lived in water like fish, skilled in weaving, and whose tears could transform into pearls.

Their tears turning into pearls, which could detoxify and illuminate, had spread the Merfolk’s reputation far and wide.

However, despite their fame, the Merfolk’s strength was not particularly formidable.

This situation, akin to a child carrying gold through a bustling market, had brought calamities upon the Merfolk Clan multiple times.

For this reason, the Merfolk had long adopted the practice of attaching themselves to the powerful.

As amphibious Foreign Races, humans had always been their second choice for allegiance, both in ancient times and now.

The Merfolk’s greatest backer or patron was the Dragon Clan of the sea.

Years of subjugation had instilled in the Merfolk an innate fear and reverence for the Dragon Clan.

Then, as Mu Lin fought with all his might, the Merfolk who were preparing to intervene made a startling discovery—Mu Lin was not human but a Jiao Dragon.

Moreover, he was a Jiao Dragon of pure bloodline, with the potential to transform into a true dragon.

This revelation immediately stunned the Merfolk.

“A dragon? A Jiao Dragon? How is that possible? Wasn’t he human?”

“What should we do? Do we still intervene?”

“Silence! Do not disrespect His Highness the Jiao Dragon!”

Thousands of years of submission had made the Merfolk extremely sensitive to the aura of the Dragon Clan, and their fear was deeply ingrained in their bones.

Attaching themselves to the Dragon Clan and becoming their close attendants was even considered an honor by many Merfolk.

Thus, the moment Mu Lin revealed his aura, they knelt.

The current argument was merely about the rating. Some wanted to classify Mu Lin as Mystic Grade, for reasons similar to Bai Zhi’s thoughts.

With his lowly origins and many enemies, Mu Lin might not be able to grow.

However, others held different views and intended to rate him as Earth Grade.

“His origins are not a problem; in fact, they are an advantage for us… Precisely because of his lowly origins, we have a chance to pledge our allegiance. Otherwise, a Jiao Dragon of pure bloodline like His Highness would be beyond our reach.”

“As for his lack of resources due to his lowly origins, that is even less of an issue. Our Merfolk Clan can provide resources for His Highness Mu Lin.”

“Moreover, only by doing so can we offer him assistance, earn his gratitude—this is our chance, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

(End of Chapter)