Chapter 223 – Chu Lingluo Gets Eaten

The City God Domain was not only related to Mu Lin’s strength but also connected to the favor of the Human Dao will. Therefore, Mu Lin was very eager to bring it to fruition.

However, joining the military would mean strict management and numerous powerful figures, leaving Mu Lin constrained and unable to act freely.

Entering the Demon Suppression Division was different. While major cities still had their restrictions, going to remote small towns would be like being far from the emperor’s reach—everything would be at Mu Lin’s disposal.

As long as his strength was sufficient, he could even say “I want to protect the town” on the first day and “I want to protect my town” on the third.

Thinking this, Mu Lin immediately made a decision.

‘I’ll choose the Demon Suppression Division. Moreover, I don’t even have to wait until graduation to take up the post. Given how much they value me, if I negotiate with them, I can secure a trial opportunity before graduation.’

With this in mind, Mu Lin turned to Yan Yunyu beside him and gave his instructions.

“I prefer the Demon Suppression Division…”

Hearing this, Yan Yunyu’s face lit up with joy. She also hoped Mu Lin would stay in the Demon Suppression Division—it was stable, and she could see him anytime.

However, Mu Lin’s next words caused her expression to change slightly.

“But I want to add one more condition. The Dao Palace has holidays, and during those breaks, I’d like to take up a post outside for a trial.”

“Are you planning to go to the main city? I’ll help you arrange it right away…”

At this moment, Yan Yunyu still held onto some hope, but Mu Lin shattered it directly.

“No, I want to go to a small town in another region… the more dangerous, the better.”

Understanding Mu Lin’s intention, Yan Yunyu could no longer hold back.

“Brother Mu, it’s too dangerous there. Even if you care deeply for the people, you should wait until after graduation…”

Sensing Yan Yunyu’s concern, Mu Lin smiled and patted her head. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of seeking death. Since I dare to take up a post elsewhere, I naturally have confidence. Have you forgotten my Substitute Paper Figure Art?”

Thinking of Mu Lin’s extraordinary Substitute Paper Figure Art, Yan Yunyu’s anxious heart finally settled.

As for Mu Lin, he valued his safety even more.

When he took up the post outside, he wouldn’t let his main body appear but would instead have the paper figure take the forefront.

This way, even if danger arose, he would only lose a paper figure.

After deciding to join the Demon Suppression Division and take on a trial during the holidays, Mu Lin didn’t let Yan Yunyu leave.

After some thought, he spoke to her. “You should actively spread the news about the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram. I’ll also draw a few more diagrams in the coming days… I’m in great need of resources now.”

Dongfang Ya’s arrival had indeed affected Mu Lin.

He no longer wanted to owe too many favors to the aristocratic families.

Previously, Mu Lin dared to accept so many resources from the aristocratic families because he had two things to rely on.

The first was naturally his own rising talent and strength—under such circumstances, no one would want to offend him.

The other was that the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram was in his hands—a money tree and treasure trove. As long as Mu Lin revealed it, he could gather immense resources.

Now, he decided to release this asset.

However, this decision of his made Yan Yunyu somewhat unhappy. She regarded this as her family’s heirloom treasure.

No matter how many resources they borrowed, she didn’t want to sell something that could be considered a foundation.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t refute Mu Lin’s decision.

However, she had a plan.

“Brother Mu, I’ve been thinking. The Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram is an invaluable treasure. Exchanging it purely for Spirit Stones would be a bit of a loss for us. So, I want to use this True Intent Diagram to trade for some rare resources that we normally can’t obtain, like Life Fruit, Six Yin Spirit Nurturing Water, Heavenly Pure Qi…”

“Alright, you decide.”

Once they had agreed, Yan Yunyu left to handle the arrangements, while Mu Lin waited outside the Tower of Time.

He didn’t have to wait long. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Dharma Image – Zhong Kui strode out of the Tower of Time.

It still appeared majestic and imposing, its aura and strength faintly surpassing Mu Lin’s.

Mu Lin wasn’t surprised by this.

Outside, he had only cultivated for two days, but inside the Tower of Time, Dharma Image Zhong Kui had cultivated for a full ten days.

The vast difference in time, combined with the fact that Dharma Image Zhong Kui could directly absorb the Spiritual Energy from the gourd without needing to refine it, meant that Zhong Kui had now reached the mid-stage of the Spirit Sea.

And this was despite Mu Lin holding him back. Every time he performed Fixation, Mu Lin had to absorb the energy stored within Zhong Kui’s body to replenish the consumption of the Stabilization process.

This absorption had consistently hindered Dharma Image – Zhong Kui’s smooth growth.

“I need to slow down my own Fixation. The second round of the assessment is starting in a few days, and I need powerful combat strength to handle it.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin decided to let Dharma Image – Zhong Kui absorb Spiritual Energy at full capacity, aiming to reach the peak of the Spirit Sea, or even Sha Refinement, as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Mu Lin wasn’t afraid of Dharma Image – Zhong Kui losing control. In this world, there was no Zhong Kui; the Dharma Image was Mu Lin.

“Hum…”

As Mu Lin closed his eyes, his consciousness immediately attached itself to Zhong Kui. In the next moment, Zhong Kui took out the Wine Gourd and stored away all the resources Yan Yunyu had just delivered.

After tidying everything up, Dharma Image Zhong Kui returned to the Tower of Time to continue cultivating.

Meanwhile, Mu Lin returned to his own courtyard with the treasure that could transform his Spirit Root.

He was afraid that delays might bring trouble and wanted to refine this treasure quickly.

However, upon returning to his courtyard, Mu Lin raised an eyebrow, noticing that quite a few people seemed to have come looking for him today.

The gentle and delicate Chu Lingluo was standing in his courtyard, her face flushed with shyness, appearing somewhat restless.

Her pitiable appearance stirred a sense of tenderness in Mu Lin.

“Lingluo, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“Ah…”

Mu Lin’s call made Chu Lingluo startle like a frightened fawn, her body trembling slightly.

Then, upon seeing Mu Lin, she became even more bashful. In the end, she didn’t even dare to lift her head to look at him.

Her unusual reaction left Mu Lin puzzled.

“What’s going on? Is she angry? Throwing a tantrum? But her mood doesn’t seem like that…”

As Mu Lin pondered, Chu Lingluo whispered something, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

Due to nervousness and shyness, her words were not only soft but also somewhat jumbled.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had excellent hearing.

Based on what he heard and some speculation, Mu Lin understood her meaning.

“You said you contracted an Other Shore Flower and want to… with me…”

Before he could finish, seeing that Chu Lingluo’s head had lowered almost to her chest, Mu Lin couldn’t bring himself to continue.

In the end, Mu Lin… did not hesitantly refuse.

He was not one to be passive.

“Have you made up your mind? This is a decision that will affect your entire life.”

“Yes.”

This time, though Chu Lingluo’s voice was still soft, it carried a firm resolve.

Upon receiving her affirmative answer, Mu Lin no longer hesitated. Taking Chu Lingluo’s hand, he led her into his room.

…

Two hours later, looking at Chu Lingluo lying beside him, sleeping as peacefully as an infant, Mu Lin was somewhat surprised.

He hadn’t expected that Chu Lingluo, with her delicate frame and sweet voice, could endure for so long.

“The vitality and recovery abilities of the wood element truly are extraordinary.”

After this reflection, Mu Lin, now in a state of clarity, did not sleep. Instead, he embraced Chu Lingluo’s tender body, guiding her into a state of dual cultivation where their minds and bodies merged as one.

“Hum…”

With a slight tremor, Mu Lin’s consciousness instantly elevated, and his mind entered the Sea of Consciousness.

Now, Mu Lin’s Sea of Consciousness had undergone another significant transformation.

First was its scope. After Mu Lin’s Divine Soul had grown strong enough to reach the realm of Sha Refinement, the range of his Divine Soul was no longer limited to a small courtyard or a residential area.

An ancient city now stood at the very center of Mu Lin’s Sea of Consciousness.

Though the city walls surrounding it were somewhat dilapidated, covered in mottled bloodstains and scars from blades and swords, these countless marks of battle did not make Mu Lin’s city appear ruined.

Instead, they imbued the city within his Sea of Consciousness with a resilient spirit—one that had endured the fires of war yet remained eternally unyielding.

Lidu City—this was the manifestation of Mu Lin’s Divine Soul.

Of course, the current Lidu did not quite live up to its name.

Although Yin Soldiers and Ghost Messengers patrolled its streets, and Yakshas and Demonic Monsters occasionally appeared, the strongest presence here was merely a City God.

Thus, rather than calling this place Lidu, it would be more accurate to describe it as the Mental Image – City God Domain.

“One day, this place will truly become Lidu City.”

With a sigh, Mu Lin shifted his gaze outside the city, where a small Western-style castle stood.

This was left behind when the Little Girl Who Sold Matches appeared. With the significant increase in his Divine Soul’s power, Mu Lin could have erased it entirely.

But in the end, he chose not to.

The reason was that this place was connected to Sky Burial City.

Completely erasing it would mean severing his connection to the Land of Sky Burial.

And the latter, though dangerous, also represented an opportunity—especially after Zhong Kui’s appearance.

After some experimentation, Mu Lin discovered that Zhong Kui, who possessed the Divine Position of a Netherworld deity, could indeed receive feedback from the heavens and earth when purging Malevolent Ghosts.

Moreover, this feedback was not limited to merely increasing Zhong Kui’s power but also elevating his Divine Position.

This meant that if he continued down this path, the potential of the Dharma Image – Zhong Kui would also rise steadily.

However, the feedback from the heavens and earth followed its own set of rules. If Zhong Kui purified Malevolent Ghosts captured by others, he would not gain much Merit.

Only by slaying Malevolent Ghosts that roamed freely and committed numerous evils could Zhong Kui receive substantial feedback.

This forced Mu Lin to either venture into areas teeming with Malevolent Ghosts or wander from place to place, becoming a roaming warrior.

Then, Mu Lin realized he had another path.

As a Dharma Image of the Divine Soul, Zhong Kui could naturally enter Mu Lin’s Sea of Consciousness.

And as a forbidden land, Sky Burial City was filled with countless Malevolent Ghosts and Anomalous powers.

In such a situation, Mu Lin felt that he could channel the Forbidden Power from the Land of Sky Burial, have Zhong Kui slay it, and then use the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array within the Wine Gourd to grind it away.

He succeeded. The reason why the town in Mu Lin’s Sea of Consciousness was stained with mottled blood, as if it had endured the ravages of war, was precisely because a great battle had indeed taken place there.

A battle between the anomalous power of the Land of Sky Burial and Mu Lin’s Divine Soul power.

Those traces of war were the remnants left behind after the conflict.

After observing the Western-style castle and confirming it was temporarily stable, Mu Lin shifted his gaze to the side.

There, in the originally empty gray mist sea, a green halo now appeared.

This was Chu Lingluo’s Mindscape of the Divine Soul.

Due to the barriers of the heart, under normal circumstances, the Mindscapes of two individuals would never come into contact with each other.

However, the two were currently in a state of dual cultivation, as intimate as water and milk.

In such a state, Chu Lingluo’s Divine Soul Mindscape naturally connected with Mu Lin’s.

…

Unlike Mu Lin’s ancient town, which bore the scars of war, Chu Lingluo’s Mindscape was a fairy-tale-like emerald dreamland.

Here, there were all kinds of small animals, all sorts of flowers, plants, and trees. As the central figure, Chu Lingluo slept like a princess atop a large pink flower.

Natural, innocent, lively, and joyful—these were the true colors of Chu Lingluo’s Mindscape.

However, as Mu Lin observed, he noticed a stark incongruity within this fairy-tale dreamland.

A blood-red seed, exuding an aura of death and ill omen, lay quietly beside Chu Lingluo.

Manjusaka.

This was not even a projection but the Main Body itself.

The Underworld Spider Lily, which lured people toward death, could naturally shift between the illusory and the real.

However, because Chu Lingluo was too innocent and had little understanding of death, the Other Shore Flower not only failed to take root and sprout but even seemed somewhat malnourished.

Fortunately, this issue was about to be resolved.

“Hum…”

As Mu Lin stepped into Chu Lingluo’s Mindscape, ripples spread across the emerald dreamland.

And then… nothing else happened.

Sensing Mu Lin’s presence, Chu Lingluo showed no sign of waking.

She had now opened her heart to him completely.

Gazing at her with pity, both body and soul weary, Mu Lin did not disturb her. Instead, he placed his hand upon the Manjusaka.

(End of Chapter)