Chapter 208 – The Feather Clan: The Holy Race

Search, rescue, disguise—within the blood-colored hell that was Cloud City, Mu Lin moved swiftly.

Soon, most of the Disciples who had entered were gathered together by Mu Lin.

During this process, Mu Lin also retrieved the Merfolk Tribe.

As the first group to pledge allegiance to Mu Lin, they were naturally regarded as his trusted aides and placed at the very center of the formation.

This sight filled many of the Foreign Races with regret and envy.

They envied the Merfolk Tribe for being able to pledge allegiance to such a well-rounded powerhouse, while their regret stemmed from:

“Damn it, why wasn’t it me who discovered Mu Lin’s talent!”

Among these many Foreign Races, the one who regretted it the most was undoubtedly Fox Spirit Bai Zhi.

Her beauty was no less than Baili Xiuling’s, and the resources of the Demon Fox Clan were no fewer than those of the Merfolk. Because of this, she had the opportunity to compete with Baili Xiuling.

Unfortunately, one misstep left her with no chance to turn things around.

Especially after discovering that her master, Yuan Ce, whom she had pledged allegiance to, treated Mu Lin with an unusually favorable attitude—even bordering on flattery—she realized that she would forever be one step below Baili Xiuling.

Two people who were once nearly equal, yet now she could only look up at the other. In such a situation, how could her mood possibly be good?

…

Mu Lin did not notice the complex gaze of Fox Spirit Bai Zhi. After gathering everyone, he focused most of his attention on Chu Hongxuan and Yan Zhanpeng.

Ordinary Disciples, after being rescued by Mu Lin, were mostly filled with gratitude and immediately conceded defeat.

But these two still harbored a slight reluctance to yield.

This wasn’t to say they were ungrateful, but rather that they could have survived just fine without Mu Lin.

The former (Chu Hongxuan), like Mu Lin, had taken the path of evolution under the Blood Moon.

Moreover, due to having fused with the Sala Giant Tree, his foundation was exceptionally solid. After being tainted by the blood moon radiance, he had progressed even further than Mu Lin.

Mu Lin’s dragon monster was only at the early Spirit Sea stage, standing eight or nine meters tall.

Chu Hongxuan’s blood tree, however, nourished by the Blood Moon and blood mist, had transformed into a demonic monster tree towering a hundred meters high. Above and below the tree, thousands of Crimson Demons had gathered.

“Such a formidable presence could already be called a blood general.”

It must be said that Jade Lake Dao Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the leader among the Dao Palaces of the Southeast Region.

Gathering the most elite Disciples of the Southeast Region and selecting the best among them, the Prodigies who emerged here all had commendable qualities.

As Mu Lin marveled, Chu Hongxuan hesitated for a moment before conceding defeat to Mu Lin.

Under the Blood Moon, faster evolution wasn’t necessarily better—one had to maintain their sanity.

The demonic monster tree Chu Hongxuan had transformed into was indeed a colossal entity, immensely powerful, but his sanity was also being constantly tormented and corrupted by endless whispers due to the aberration of his physical form.

Had Mu Lin arrived any later, he would have lost his sanity and turned into a Crimson Demon that knew only slaughter.

In that case, according to the assessment’s judgment, he would be considered dead, and this assessment would end in failure for him.

It was Mu Lin’s arrival and the use of the Source Rune “Stabilize” that steadied his condition and slowed the corruption he was suffering.

Under such circumstances, he naturally owed Mu Lin a favor.

…

While Chu Hongxuan conceded defeat, Yan Zhanpeng remained unconvinced.

He was almost entirely unaffected by corruption and hadn’t been attacked by Crimson Demons. A special Mystic Treasure had concealed his aura.

In fact, the reason Mu Lin was able to find him was because he was doing the same thing as Mu Lin—saving others during this crisis.

Both understood one thing: this was an assessment, not a true life-or-death battle.

And in this Doomsday Calamity, going to great lengths to save others and preserve humanity’s strength was a highly rewarding option, capable of earning favor from the Demon Suppression Division, the military, and other influential figures.

After all, no one wanted to invest in someone who was a selfish and ungrateful wolf.

Yan Zhanpeng excelled in this regard, but precisely because he did so well, he felt somewhat unconvinced by Mu Lin.

As they locked eyes, the atmosphere between them grew tense.

At that moment, Yan Yunyu, a member of the Yan Family, stepped forward and spoke to Yan Zhanpeng: “Cousin, you lost this time. If not for this unexpected turn of events, Brother Mu Lin could have cursed you to death from the shadows without even showing himself.”

This made Yan Zhanpeng raise an eyebrow, but he remained silent. However, while he stayed quiet, one of his subordinates did not.

“Cousin Yunyu, as a member of the Yan Family, you should know our family’s ability—wealth can move even the gods. If this secret technique were used, Cousin Zhanpeng could have found Mu Lin.”

Hearing this, Yan Yunyu did not refute it. She merely replied calmly, “Cousin Zhanpeng could indeed have found Brother Mu, but that would be under normal circumstances. Just now, anomalies were swarming everywhere, making it difficult for you to even move. Under such conditions, do you still think Cousin Zhanpeng could have found Brother Mu?”

“He could. Anomalies pose no threat to Cousin Zhanpeng. He has already cultivated the Auspicious Golden Body; he just hasn’t used it yet.”

The words “Auspicious Golden Body” naturally silenced Yan Yunyu.

She acknowledged the power of this ability. If he truly possessed such a skill, Yan Zhanpeng could indeed have forced his way out of the swarm of anomalies earlier.

As for why he hadn’t done so before, it was naturally because, at that time, not only was Mu Lin his opponent, but Chu Hongxuan, Yuan Ce, and others were as well.

Mu Lin was using their hands to clear the demonic monsters in the city, while Yan Zhanpeng wanted to use Mu Lin’s hands to eliminate Chu Hongxuan, Yuan Ce, and the others.

Thus, at that time, he was merely focused on survival.

However, the arrival of the Blood Moon calamity shattered both of their plans.

Since neither could convince the other, Yan Yunyu finally proposed, “Since neither of you is willing to concede, let’s set this matter aside for now… The difficulty of the Blood Moon calamity is far from over. Next, this catastrophe will undoubtedly escalate. At that time, we’ll see who can hold out until the end.”

Yan Zhanpeng: “As you say, Cousin Yunyu.”

Mu Lin: “Agreed.”

In the end, Mu Lin and Yan Zhanpeng joined forces, awaiting the next phase of the calamity.

What left Mu Lin speechless was that soon, disaster found them.

But what left him at a loss for words was that this calamity was not brought by the Blood Moon or monsters, but by members of the Foreign Races.

To be precise, it was the Feather Clan’s leader, Tian Yun.

She was a woman with six wings on her back, exuding an aura of nobility and pride.

Flying in mid-air, she had been drawn here by the hundred-meter-tall Chu Hongxuan.

However, upon approaching, she discovered that those gathered here were all humans—the disguises of Mu Lin and the others were easily seen through by her.

When she first arrived, she had no intention of immediately engaging in battle with Mu Lin and the others. Instead, she demanded in a commanding tone, “Tell me, where is Blood Cherry, the top-ranked disciple of your Jade Lake Dao Academy.”

Naturally, such a condescending inquiry would not receive a response from the humans.

As a self-proclaimed dominant race, they held a certain disdain for other Foreign Races.

This was especially true among the scions of noble families.

Unfortunately, most of the humans Mu Lin had just rescued were precisely such scions—they were stronger and could endure longer.

Moreover, influenced by the Blood Moon, their minds were somewhat agitated and chaotic.

Seeing Tian Yun’s haughty expression and hearing her commanding tone, they naturally felt indignant.

Thus, someone immediately sneered, “Tell you? Bah, why should I tell you?”

“Exactly, who do you think you are…”

“A Foreign Race—who gave you the audacity to speak to us in such a tone!”

The disciples below felt they were being looked down upon, while Tian Yun in the sky, upon hearing these words, instantly turned cold-eyed, feeling insulted.

“Disrespecting the Holy Race—you shall suffer the agony of flames burning your bodies and the torment of iron spikes piercing through you!”

“Buzz!”

As her judgment fell, a scene that widened Mu Lin’s eyes unfolded. Those who had just cursed the Feather Clan were indeed engulfed in flames or pierced from within by abruptly appearing iron spikes.

This sight left Mu Lin utterly stunned.

And when he sensed the strength of the Feather Clan member in the sky, he was even more bewildered.

In his Sensing, the Feather Clan member’s power was actually at the Spirit Sea Realm—and at the mid-stage at that.

What was more astonishing was that the Feather Clan member in the sky was the same age as him.

“Where did this so-called Holy Race come from?”

“And how did her strength improve so rapidly?”

“Blood Cherry can enhance her power through slaughter—I can accept her rapid rise to the Spirit Sea Realm. But how did you manage it?”

The Feather Clan member who called herself part of the Holy Race struck Mu Lin as sudden, as if she had emerged from the ground out of nowhere.

However, Mu Lin soon noticed that while he was astonished by the Feather Clan member’s strength, Chu Hongxuan, Yan Zhanpeng, and the others were not.

Their expressions were grave, yet they also seemed to take it for granted.

“???”

“You know her?”

(End of Chapter)