Chapter 291 – First Barrier of the Grave Lord's Tomb: The Secluded Black River

After deciding to accelerate, Mu Lin did not recall all his Substitute Paper Figures, instead leaving four or five outside.

At the same time, a Paper Carriage was also blown out by Mu Lin.

“Neigh…”

“Giddy up!”

Inside the carriage was a coffin (Nether Spirit Coffin). Mu Lin lay inside the coffin of the carriage, letting the Paper Horse pull it forward.

The four or five Paper Figures drove the carriage and accompanied it on the side.

Further out, over a hundred heavily armored black-armored soldiers (Beiwei Army) loyally guarded the procession.

“For the will to break the enemy, there is only death, no retreat!”

The hundred-plus Beiwei Army soldiers were precisely the minimum requirement to summon the Jade Gate Pass of Cangshan.

Their appearance caused the projection of a dilapidated, majestic fortress to emerge around Mu Lin, protecting everyone.

All of the above were precautions Mu Lin had taken to deal with danger—if danger were encountered now, the Beiwei Army would withstand the first wave of attacks.

If they could hold, all would be well. If they couldn’t, the four or five Substitute Paper Figures would block the second wave.

If even they couldn’t hold, the Yin-Spirit Carriage and the Nether Spirit Coffin would take the attacks.

Only when they too were defeated would Mu Lin’s Main Body face a crisis.

These layers of protection greatly increased Mu Lin’s sense of security.

At the same time, for Mu Lin, who possessed the Royal Authority Domain, having more people not only meant greater momentum but also genuinely enhanced his strength.

Thus, even though he felt such a grand display might attract more attacks, Mu Lin still proceeded with his army.

“Rumble…”

And so, with hooves thundering like thunder, they charged forward.

…

“Save me…”

“Mu Lin, I am your…”

“Wuwuwu…”

“Little brother, come play…”

Just as Mu Lin had anticipated, his grand display attracted countless attacks.

The first stretch of the road was still manageable, with only hands performing Soul Summoning, eyes full of malice staring fixedly at them, or voices emerging from graves, continuously murmuring curses or seductive whispers to lure Mu Lin and the others.

Such attacks couldn’t even breach the desolate Jade Gate Pass of Cangshan, enhanced by the Royal Crown, let alone threaten Mu Lin.

What made Mu Lin narrow his eyes was the second stretch of the road.

Whether due to long-term disrepair or the deepening resentment of the Evil God, the graves along the second stretch had been completely torn open.

Aberrant figures wandered aimlessly around the Yellow Mud Road.

Many Evil Aberrations lingered by the roadside, staring fixedly at every passerby.

Most chillingly, by this point, the Yellow Mud Road was no longer entirely intact.

The Yellow Mud Road, made of Central Wuji Sha, had sections missing or damaged.

Clearly, even the unchanging Central Wuji Sha could not withstand the centuries of relentless erosion and corruption by the Evil God’s resentment.

These layers of crisis had also caused many people on this road to fall victim or halt their progress.

Of course, this had little to do with Mu Lin.

Faced with the aberrations by the roadside and those blocking the way, Mu Lin’s Beiwei Army knew nothing of fear. Instead, they charged forward with fearless momentum, rushing, surging, and breaking through!

“For the will to break the enemy, there is only death, no retreat!”

“Kill!”

“Crunch!”

“Boom!”

“Rip!”

The Beiwei Army, advancing with unwavering determination, crushed all the monsters on the Yellow Mud Road like an unstoppable tank.

Even if they couldn’t completely crush or shatter them, they could still push them aside, allowing Mu Lin’s carriage to speed past.

Such fierce and fearless momentum made the East Sea King’s eyes gleam with admiration.

“What an iron army!”

“To think that Mu’er not only excels in personal strength but can also summon an army to fight. Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”

The repeated praises filled Prince Liang with both pride and worry.

“Fourth Brother, he is my son-in-law.”

“Heh…”

In response to Prince Liang’s words, the East Sea King merely smiled without speaking.

…

The two men’s competition over Mu Lin left the Third Prince of East Sea King, Ji Yu, feeling both frustrated and helpless.

At the same time, as he watched Mu Lin’s relentless advance, he was also puzzled.

“Is it really wise for Mu Lin to be so extravagant and reveal his trump card right from the start?”

Ji Yu was far from the only one perplexed by this. The Clan Elders of the Aristocratic Families below also couldn’t understand why Mu Lin would act this way.

“Over a hundred Beiwei soldiers—that should be Mu Lin’s trump card. To play it at the very beginning will make many people wary…”

At this moment, Mu Lin seemed to be playing his strongest hand right from the start, and naturally, many found it hard to comprehend.

However, some defended Mu Lin:

“This isn’t much. You’ve just arrived, so you don’t know. Previously, Mu Lin once used three thousand Beiwei soldiers to withstand a strike from a Mortal Shedding Adept. His trump card has long been studied by others.”

Yet, even the person defending Mu Lin shook his head and added:

“Still, it was unwise for him to deploy the Beiwei Army… Although they are on the Yellow Mud Road, judging by the performance of others, it’s clear that mana consumption there is far higher than normal—several times higher, in fact.”

“Over a hundred Beiwei soldiers—the spectacle is indeed grand, but such a display not only makes them more vulnerable to attacks but also drains Mu Lin’s mana excessively. With this level of consumption, he won’t be able to last long…”

“He probably won’t last long, right?”

By the end, the speaker sounded uncertain.

And the others dared not respond.

They had been proven wrong by Mu Lin multiple times and no longer dared to judge his strength based on common sense.

Soon, these people realized the benefit of not speaking too definitively.

The Beiwei Army, rolling forward relentlessly, crushed and pushed aside countless demons and monsters for half an incense stick’s time, yet showed no signs of weakening.

—It wasn’t that they didn’t suffer casualties while fighting the demons and monsters.

But when they fell in battle, their power didn’t vanish. Instead, it merged into the Jade Gate Pass of Cangshan, strengthening the formidable fortress and enhancing the surviving Beiwei soldiers.

[Trait: Fight to Death Without Rest]

What made people narrow their eyes even more was that every time a Beiwei soldier died, the Substitute Paper Figure riding in the carriage would take out a paper Beiwei soldier and gently blow on it.

With a “whoosh,” each breath would bring a new Beiwei soldier back into the world.

Thanks to this ability, the number of Beiwei soldiers never decreased.

And Mu Lin, as well as his Substitute Paper Figure’s mana aura, remained steady as ever—neither increasing nor decreasing.

“With such immense mana consumption, how on earth is he managing this?”

The Clan Elders of the aristocratic families were bewildered, while Mu Lin was filled with awe—a Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figure was truly formidable.

“If it weren’t for the Substitute Paper Figure reaching the Grandmaster level, deepening our connection, it would have been impossible for me to transmit energy across the void… A single Grandmaster-level spell is undoubtedly worth thousands of ordinary spells!”

At this moment, Mu Lin truly understood the saying: mastering a hundred skills is far inferior to specializing in one.

With such admiration, Mu Lin, relying on the overwhelming strength of the Beiwei Army, crushed countless demons and monsters along the way. In this swift advance, he finally caught up to… the tail end of the third group.

There was no other way—previously, during Sha Refinement, Mu Lin had wasted too much time.

To his surprise, among the stragglers of the third group was Princess Ji Lingsha, whom he had encountered earlier.

“Did she pass me while I was refining Sha?”

Now, Mu Lin no longer lacked resources, and thus, he had no desire to get entangled with her further.

Therefore, after merely glancing at her, Mu Lin moved his gaze forward.

And that single glance made him deeply furrow his brows.

He had encountered the first major obstacle since arriving at the Grave Lord’s Tomb.

A vast, dark river, shimmering with black water, lay horizontally like a jade belt or a moat, splitting the Yellow Mud Road in two.

At this moment, on one side of this Black River, thirty to fifty Qi Refiners were gathered, clearly pondering how to cross this great river.

Mu Lin, too, was contemplating.

At the same time, he was also considering the reason for the Black River’s presence here.

“Was this formed by the erosion of anomalies, or did the Grave Lord leave it here to block them?”

(End of Chapter)