Chapter 238 – You Are the Challengers

The Servants of the Gods, their minds shattered, had hoped that the Raven Servant would break through Mu Lin’s chest and emerge. Naturally, this did not succeed.

The Crimson Wine Gourd, elevated to the level of a mid-grade Mystic Treasure through the blessing of Merit, was not so easily breached.

In fact, Mu Lin didn’t even need to devote much attention to controlling it.

After swallowing the Raven Servant, Dharma Image Zhong Kui shifted his gaze toward the Cultists who had betrayed humanity.

Without hesitation, he casually extended a hand, and the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword was summoned by Zhong Kui. Then, like a swimming dragon, the sword was wielded by Mu Lin as it slashed toward those Cultists.

“Swish…”

“No, spare me!”

“I was forced…”

“Sir, I’ve been wronged…”

“Bastard, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Faced with the attack, some begged for mercy, some wept and pleaded, while others attempted to resist.

Unfortunately, all of it was futile.

Blessed by starlight, the Demon Slayer Sword’s offensive power was extraordinary. Especially with stars like Pojun, Wuqu, and Tanlang—renowned for their martial prowess—among the seven stars, their power imbued the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword with unstoppable force.

With a sweep of starlight, numerous Cultists were beheaded.

Throughout this process, the Spells they unleashed—whether offensive or defensive—could not withstand the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword, each shattered by a single strike.

“It almost has the flavor of ‘one sword breaking ten thousand spells.'”

Of course, this was said in jest. Mu Lin knew full well that his Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword was less a flying sword and more a celestial Spell.

Fortunately, Mu Lin held no particular obsession with being a Sword Cultivator.

He didn’t care whether his swordsmanship was pure, only whether the ability was effective.

Without a doubt, the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword was an exceptionally useful weapon.

…

The celestial sword and the proactive assault of Dharma Image Zhong Kui also shattered the last shred of hope for the Servants of the Gods.

By now, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, these Servants of the Gods and Cultists understood one thing—the Raven Servant was dead, and he had been devoured alive by Mu Lin without any ability to resist.

This scene filled the divine attendants with fear.

Toward Dharma Image Zhong Kui, they felt a dread akin to that of a natural predator.

Driven by fear, some wanted to flee, but others prepared to face the battle head-on.

Tie Xun, a follower of the God of Wild Hunt, was one who intended to confront Mu Lin directly.

Staring at Mu Lin and Dharma Image Zhong Kui, Tie Xun said with a cold, rigid expression, “Human, I admit I underestimated you, but don’t think you’ve won. In the Bloodthirsty Jungle, I await your arrival!”

“Come, let’s see which of us is the prey!”

He was issuing a challenge, but Mu Lin did not comply. Instead, he sneered, “You want me to go to you? You’re not worthy.”

With a somewhat condescending sweep of his gaze over the crowd, Mu Lin spoke indifferently:

“Remember one thing: you are the challengers.”

“Also, your time is not plentiful. Seven hours—you now have only seven hours left to live.”

“Within these seven hours, find me and kill me. Only then will you have a sliver of hope for survival. Fail to find me, and you will all die.”

As Mu Lin’s words, like a judgment, fell, a “thud!”—the sound of a nail piercing flesh—echoed in the ears of the Servants of the Gods.

Then, they were horrified to discover that their own condition had become abnormal.

“This is… a curse! You can actually curse us Divine Servants—you’re a Curse Master!”

“Why the surprise? Did you think only you scum could curse others?”

“Fighting evil with evil, violence with violence—that’s my philosophy. Since you dared to provoke me, be prepared to live forever in death and fear.”

After saying this, Mu Lin walked toward Yan Yunyu and the others.

Hmm, when passing by the Pleasure Maiden, her expression shifted uncertainly, but in the end, she still didn’t dare to make a move.

She was never the type who enjoyed direct combat, and more importantly, Zhong Kui devouring the ghost had terrified her.

She had no confidence in defeating Mu Lin.

As for sacrificing her own death to gather intelligence for her companions—such a thought had never crossed the Pleasure Maiden’s mind… If she were that noble, she wouldn’t have become a Cultist in the first place.

Selfishness and kicking others when they’re down—that’s the true nature of Cultists. Self-sacrifice for others? Such people wouldn’t survive three days among Cultists.

And all of this was within Mu Lin’s expectations.

From the memories of the Assistant Priest, Mu Lin clearly knew that most Cultists were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong—the more ruthless you were, the more they feared you.

This was also why Mu Lin had been so aggressive earlier.

However, despite all his planning, there were things Mu Lin hadn’t anticipated.

When he approached, whether it was Qin Yuan, Zuo Li, or the other Disciples of the Dao Palace, all of them took a fearful step back.

Clearly, Mu Lin devouring the ghost hadn’t just frightened the Servants of the Gods—it had also made them wary of Mu Lin.

Especially after learning that Mu Lin not only devoured ghosts but was also skilled in curses, the way they looked at him became somewhat peculiar.

Was the King of Malevolent Ghosts right beside them?

Fortunately, they quickly came to their senses. Realizing that Mu Lin wouldn’t harm them, they immediately stepped forward to express their gratitude.

Mu Lin didn’t wish to say much about this.

“Let’s go.”

With that command, Mu Lin transformed into an ink dragon once again, performing Riding Clouds and Mist, pulling all the Disciples and Yan Yunyu into the mist.

  Then, carrying the group, Mu Lin prepared to fly back toward the location of the Corpse Tree.

However, just as he ascended into the sky, Mu Lin remembered something. He then sent a message to the Pleasure Maiden below before swiftly departing.

……

Mu Lin had left, but Tie Xun and the others’ expressions remained grim.

During this time, they had tried every method to cleanse the curses on their bodies.

Yet no matter how they attempted to dispel them, the curses clung to them like maggots in the bone, stubbornly Nailing their Seven Po, leaving them helpless.

To this, Mu Lin could only say: the Paper Figure Curse, advanced to the Master Grade’s Nailing Seven Po, though somewhat cumbersome and incapable of instantly killing enemies, had sacrificed much to achieve an exceptionally high priority.

While such an ability wasn’t particularly effective against ordinary people, it was a sharp weapon against true powerhouses.

This could already be considered one of Mu Lin’s trump cards, allowing him to seize the initiative in battle.

However, while Mu Lin felt satisfied with the Paper Figure Curse, Tie Xun and the others were utterly disgusted.

The curse could not be dispelled, which meant their lives were indeed as precarious as a candle in the wind, just as Mu Lin had said, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

Under such circumstances, these beings naturally could not tolerate it.

Exchanging glances, they had already begun to consider joining forces.

Of course, before that, they still needed to resolve one matter.

“Shu Rong, what did that human say to you just now?”

“…”

This question left Pleasure Maiden Shu Rong silent.

After a long pause, she finally spoke helplessly: “What if I said Mu Lin didn’t actually say anything at all, and was just pretending to send a voice transmission to sow discord among us? Would you believe me?”

“…”

Tie Xun was naturally unwilling to believe this.

He knew all too well what kind of people his colleagues were. If selling out a teammate could secure their own survival, they would not hesitate in the slightest.

Tie Xun was absolutely certain of this, because he himself thought the same way.

In fact, even without any human interference, he would have considered killing his colleagues.

He could gain power through hunting.

And Pleasure Maiden Shu Rong could also manipulate some fallen individuals through her pleasure-based abilities.

Already distrustful of each other, their lack of trust only deepened after Mu Lin planted a seed of doubt.

Moreover, was Mu Lin’s earlier action truly just a feigned voice transmission? Did he really not promise anything at all?

…

Mu Lin had some inkling of the troubles the others would face later, but he paid no mind to it.

Nor did he care about what choice Pleasure Maiden Shu Rong would make.

In fact, he didn’t even bother to acknowledge the gratitude from Qin Yuan, Zuo Li, and the others after rescuing them.

After briefly comforting Yan Yunyu’s shaken spirits, Mu Lin shifted his attention to Zhong Kui and his Crimson Wine Gourd.

It wasn’t that something unexpected had happened here, allowing the Raven Attendant to escape. Rather, a pleasant surprise had emerged in this place.

…

The Crimson Wine Gourd of Dharma Image Zhong Kui was forged based on the Heaven-Rank Array, the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array.

Because its foundation was a Heaven-Rank Technique, the initial grade of this cultivation method was exceptionally high.

During the forging process, Mu Lin gained the favor of the Human Dao’s will, allowing Merit power to be incorporated into it. This further elevated the grade of Mu Lin’s Crimson Wine Gourd.

Now, it was a mid-grade Mystic Treasure, with its core ability being to annihilate everything through the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array.

Once the Raven Attendant fell into the Wine Gourd, it was continuously shredded by this Heaven-Rank Array.

The powers of twilight, illusion, life, and death surged forth one after another, quickly killing it.

Afterward, the Crimson Wine Gourd’s operation did not cease.

The forces of yin-yang and illusion continued to operate, and soon, the Raven Attendant’s power within the gourd was repeatedly purified.

Through this continuous purification, the impurities in the Raven Attendant’s power were constantly expelled, while some refined Divine Soul power and Qi and Blood energy remained at the bottom of the gourd, awaiting Mu Lin’s absorption.

Up to this point, things had not exceeded Mu Lin’s expectations.

In fact, even the refined Divine Soul power left behind by the Raven Attendant did not overly delight Mu Lin.

Admittedly, this power was indeed pure and potent, and absorbing it would grant Mu Lin some improvement.

If a destitute cultivator obtained such residual power, Mu Lin would have been overjoyed.

But with the support of the Yan Family and the Chu Family, as well as the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram—a veritable treasure trove—Mu Lin never lacked for resources.

For resources at the level of Sha Refinement and Gang Condensation, he could easily obtain and refine them.

In contrast, the Crow Servant contained many impurities. After purification and refinement, not much remained—at least, nothing that could move Mu Lin.

Pure Divine Soul power and Qi and Blood energy truly didn’t capture Mu Lin’s attention, but an unexpected development soon arose.

Under the continuous grinding of the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array, most of the Crow Servant’s power was pulverized by this force of yin-yang and illusionary destruction. However, a unique power not only remained unbroken under the array’s grinding but grew increasingly radiant.

At the same time, Mu Lin was surprised to discover that although this power was filled with an aura of ill omen, calamity, and death, it also gave him a sense of lofty sanctity.

This contradictory feeling made Mu Lin widen his eyes in astonishment.

“What is this…”

(End of Chapter)