Chapter 234 – Suppression of the Heavenly Dao

Upon learning that Mu Lin, who was about to perish together with him, was merely a decoy, the Corpse Tree’s mentality completely shattered.

Even in its extreme mental exhaustion, it knew that Mu Lin in this state would never stop.

Thus, driven to utter madness, it cursed Mu Lin incessantly and launched continuous attacks, hoping to kill him and halt the spread of the Sky Burial Domain.

Unfortunately, all its efforts were in vain.

The forbidden and perilous anomalous power of Sky Burial City was corroding and polluting everything.

This rendered its attacks completely ineffective against Mu Lin, unable even to approach his vicinity.

And so, the Corpse Tree could only watch helplessly as its surroundings grew increasingly hostile and dangerous.

In the end, countless sheets of white paper, like funeral shrouds, completely buried the Corpse Tree, and also buried… Mu Lin.

“Finally, it’s over.”

As everything reached its end, a sigh escaped Mu Lin’s lips from atop a high slope a kilometer away.

At some point, he had already withdrawn from the battlefield.

No, it couldn’t be called withdrawal—the Mu Lin who had invoked the Sky Burial Power had indeed been thoroughly corrupted and polluted by that forbidden force, dying on the spot during the battle.

The Mu Lin standing on the high slope now was the one who had arrived from elsewhere.

He was sighing in reflection, while Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu, who had been evacuated earlier, looked at Mu Lin with a mixture of awe and fear.

Protected at the very center by the Netherworld Soldiers, the two had never engaged in combat from start to finish, and thus, they had not drawn the attention of the Servants of the Gods, the Corpse Tree.

After altering their appearances, they easily withdrew from the battlefield—Fox Spirit Bai Zhi played a crucial role in this, as the fox clan excels in Illusion Art.

Although they did not participate in the fight, they witnessed the entire battle from beginning to end.

As a result, they were astounded by the terrifying combat prowess of the Netherworld Soldiers. Both Lin Qi and Bai Zhi considered themselves geniuses, yet even they were not confident in facing a squad of Yin Soldiers (twelve in number).

And Mu Lin had summoned a staggering three to five hundred such Netherworld Soldiers.

This sheer strength alone left Lin Qi and Bai Zhi utterly horrified.

“Did we really start cultivating at the same time?”

…

The Netherworld Soldiers left Lin Qi with boundless shock, and at the time, he thought that was Mu Lin’s limit.

But soon, he realized he was wrong—terribly wrong.

When the Corpse Tree appeared and displayed its all-suppressing Withering Domain, Lin Qi once felt a wave of despair.

That terrifying Domain caused the Mana within Lin Qi’s body to continuously drain and extinguish.

At the time, he thought he would die silently without the enemy even needing to lift a finger.

Just as he teetered on the brink of despair, Mu Lin once again gave him a surprise… no, more accurately, a fright.

The Withering Domain was powerful, but the Sky Burial Domain summoned by Mu Lin was even stronger and more terrifying.

Whether it was the inexorable pollution that decayed everything, the Ghost Money fluttering through the air, or the eerie weeping, all sent shivers down Lin Qi’s spine.

At that moment, Lin Qi even briefly felt that Mu Lin was the Demonic Monster and Anomaly, while the Corpse Tree was the brave challenger.

And in the end, when he emerged from the Sky Burial Domain filled with worry, only to look up and see another Mu Lin quietly observing from this spot, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for the Corpse Tree.

“Provoking this monster was your greatest misfortune!”

After this reflection, both Lin Qi and the Demon Fox Bai Zhi came to the same decision in their hearts.

“Under no circumstances should we make an enemy of Mu Lin. Otherwise, we won’t even know how we died.”

…

After this battle, those who dared not provoke Mu Lin extended far beyond just Lin Qi and the Demon Fox Bai Zhi.

Outside, the wealthy and powerful individuals who had been discussing how to rescue Mu Lin and the others while watching the battle also extinguished any thoughts of provoking him.

The mutually destructive ultimate move, the eerie and unpredictable substitutes—all of this made it impossible for anyone to claim they could kill Mu Lin.

However, while others grew wary of Mu Lin’s abilities, Mu Lin himself felt somewhat dissatisfied.

“Summoning the Sky Burial Domain to bury everything—the power of this ‘Heaven and Earth Share the Same Lifespan’ technique is indeed impressive, but it has its flaws… Initially, the amount of Forbidden Power I can channel is limited. If the enemy is determined to flee, there’s a chance they could escape.”

“This victory relied entirely on the fact that the Corpse Tree couldn’t move.”

“I need to find a way to bind my enemies, or force them to charge into the Sky Burial Domain.”

As Mu Lin pondered how to refine his abilities, a gentle voice sounded beside him.

“Brother Mu, thank you for saving me. What about Sister Yunyu? Let’s hurry and rescue her.”

Chu Lingluo had also been rescued by Mu Lin.

In fact, her ability to hold out until now was closely tied to Mu Lin.

Through dual cultivation, Mu Lin had planted some Manjusaka flowers in the Sea of Consciousness of her Divine Soul.

Moreover, relying on his understanding of yin and yang, Mu Lin had maintained a balance between life and death within her Divine Soul’s Sea of Consciousness.

This manipulation greatly enhanced Chu Lingluo’s strength, and she was now a Qi Refiner at the Spirit Pool Stage.

In addition, she could also manipulate the Manjusaka flowers.

Earlier, she had used the illusion ability of the Manjusaka flowers to completely conceal her form within this Withered Wood Forest, waiting until Mu Lin arrived.

…

Mu Lin felt gratified by Chu Lingluo’s concern for Yan Yunyu, but he was in no hurry to rescue her. Instead, he continued observing the Sky Burial Domain.

The reason for this wasn’t due to Mu Lin’s callousness, but rather:

“Don’t worry, I have another Clone heading toward Yunyu’s location. We’ll meet up soon.”

Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo—one had a physical relationship with Mu Lin, the other was his most capable assistant. Their positions in Mu Lin’s heart were equal.

Both facing a crisis simultaneously was akin to the dilemma of choosing whether to save a girlfriend or a sister who had fallen into the water.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had Clones, allowing him to save both.

…

Far in the distance, Mu Lin’s Clone transformed into an ink dragon, riding clouds and mist as it rushed toward Yan Yunyu’s location.

Meanwhile, the Clone present at this location quietly observed.

He wanted to see whether the Dharma Domain of the Land of Sky Burial would continue to expand or gradually heal without his guidance.

After some observation, Mu Lin made a grim discovery: the Sky Burial Domain… was expanding.

“But it isn’t spreading without limit. There’s a force restraining it…”

After another careful observation, Mu Lin gradually began to speculate.

“Could this be the world’s suppression force, or perhaps its self-repair ability?”

In most supernatural worlds, the heavens and earth possess a restraining force, and this force is known by another name that many have heard of—the Heavenly Dao.

Some Heavenly Daos have a high degree of awakening, while others have a low degree, but regardless of their level, they possess an instinctive consciousness and subconsciously act in ways beneficial to the world.

For example, heavenly punishment through tribulation lightning is a fundamental method by which the Heavenly Dao maintains the world.

Its primary purpose is to reduce the number of Qi Refiners and lessen their absorption of the world’s Spiritual Energy.

When faced with danger, allowing the emergence of chosen ones or children of destiny in the world is also a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao’s efforts to maintain the heavens and earth.

Now, Mu Lin has discovered yet another way in which the Heavenly Dao maintains the world… the world is self-repairing, preventing the spread of abnormal forces.

“No wonder, within the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, I am not the only Paper Artisan, nor am I the only one capable of summoning the Sky Burial Domain. Yet, in the end, no Forbidden Lands formed by the Sky Burial Domain have emerged. This must be the result of the Heavenly Dao’s suppression.”

“However, this place doesn’t seem to be a cultivation world, and the restraining force of this world is somewhat low. The Sky Burial Domain is gradually spreading… I feel like this could be taken advantage of.”

…

While Mu Lin was deep in thought, on the other side, the Substitute Paper Figure transformed into an ink dragon was gradually approaching Yan Yunyu’s location.

However, her current situation was not ideal.

She was trapped in a lake, and at the center of the lake, there was a woman who appeared exceptionally beautiful at first glance but, upon closer observation, seemed quite abnormal. She was washing her face by the Lake Surface.

Yan Yunyu and the others in her group stood nearby, watching her with extreme vigilance.

(End of Chapter)