Chapter 312 – Aftermath of Victory

As an entity capable of revitalizing flesh, the Scarlet Divine Blood held boundless wonders. By now, Mu Lin understood why Mingling Zi and Lingxu Zi had risked the evil god’s revival to cooperate with the Evil God Scion.

Even he couldn’t help but feel tempted.

It could be said that obtaining it essentially granted Mu Lin a ticket into Mortal Shedding—and a risk-free one at that.

“No, it’s more than just risk-free. The Divine Blood can devour other essence blood, which elevates my upper limit in Mortal Shedding and allows me to forge a perfect foundation.”

Of course, this was merely the ticket. The Scarlet Son’s ability to transform into that thirteen-headed aberrant form was due not only to the Scarlet Divine Blood but also to his prior collection of vast amounts of special demonic monster blood.

If Mu Lin wished to achieve similar feats, he too would need to gather the essence blood of demonic monsters and Divine Beasts.

“But this difficulty is infinitely easier than entering Mortal Shedding.”

Beyond the Divine Blood, the Scarlet Divinity also held endless wonders.

However, this thing had a high degree of compatibility with the Divine Soul.

Even Mu Lin couldn’t erase the consciousness within the Divinity in a short time.

Thus, he could only slowly extract and grind it away using the power of the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array and the Other Shore Flower Sea.

…

Here, Mu Lin was refining the Deity’s consciousness, seeking to transform it into nourishment for his own advancement.

Outside, seeing the Scarlet Overlord swallowed whole by Zhong Kui and subjected to continuous refinement, both the Clan Elders of the Aristocratic Families and Prince Liang’s group were stunned.

After a long while, their bodies relaxed slightly, and they let out deep sighs.

“Did… did we win?”

“Probably, right?”

Initially, they lacked confidence, but after an incense stick’s worth of time passed without any further mishaps, their tense hearts finally settled completely.

Upon realizing their safety, as their bodies relaxed, a chorus of discussions erupted outside.

“He actually won. Mu Lin truly killed a Deity.”

“It’s not that exaggerated. The so-called Deity consciousness hadn’t truly revived; it only possessed slight instincts. Otherwise, Mu Lin would never have prevailed…”

“Even with just instincts, it was incredibly powerful! If you went in, could you guarantee you’d kill that Deity?”

…

These words left many silent. The Deity’s power was evident to all; if they were to enter, they truly had no confidence.

Soon, someone brought up an even more important matter.

“Actually, Mu Lin’s victory isn’t that remarkable. While he is strong, there are still a few like him within the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty. What truly matters is his youth… He’s only in his teens and has cultivated for just half a year. I can hardly imagine how powerful he’ll become in the future.”

Youth represented the future and infinite possibilities. Looking at Mu Lin shrouded in the pitch-black Black Mist, even those who despised him acknowledged one thing—as long as he could grow safely, he would inevitably achieve the status of Celestial Master.

Moreover, having witnessed his growth speed firsthand, none believed it would take him overly long to become a Celestial Master.

“Perhaps we’ll witness a super powerhouse who becomes a Celestial Master in about a century.”

“…A century? That’s far too short.”

For ordinary people, a century was a long time, but the people of Ping’an Ancient County were not ordinary. A hundred years was merely a fraction of their lives.

Therefore, upon hearing someone assert that Mu Lin could become a Celestial Master in about a hundred years, some immediately refuted it.

However, while many rejected the idea, even more acknowledged it.

“A hundred years to become a Celestial Master is indeed an exaggeration, but Mu Lin succeeded in Sha Refinement within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. With his cultivation speed, he truly has a chance.”

“Anyway, I have faith in him.”

“Me too, and I don’t think he’ll perish midway… An untrained Prodigy may not amount to much, and there are too many accidents that can lead to their demise. But Mu Lin isn’t among them—he simply cannot die!”

Recalling how Mu Lin had been killed nearly a hundred times yet remained lively and active, everyone agreed that he wouldn’t easily meet his end.

Then, some began to envy the Yan Family and Chu Family for their incredible luck.

“Speaking of which, the Yan Family and Chu Family have truly stumbled upon an enormous bargain this time. By merely offering some Spirit Awakening and Gang Sha-level resources, they’ve gained a Celestial Master as an ally…”

“…”

Hearing this, even more people felt disheartened.

Celestial Masters do form alliances and can be befriended.

But normally, to befriend a Celestial Master, one must at least offer resources at the level of a province and the position of a sect leader.

For example, if Prince Liang wanted to win over a Celestial Master… well, he holds no real authority within the province, so he lacks the qualifications to do so.

For example, if the East Sea King wanted to win over a Celestial Master, he would first have to offer a title—at least the position of State Master of the East Sea Kingdom.

And it couldn’t be just an empty title; he would also have to grant corresponding authority, allowing the Celestial Master to mobilize resources within the province, promising access to Dragon Veins for cultivation, and permitting the establishment of a large-scale faction.

Only then would the East Sea King have a chance to invite a Celestial Master into an alliance.

In terms of Spirit Stones, this would amount to at least tens or hundreds of billions.

Even then, it’s not guaranteed that a Celestial Master would be willing to accept.

As for the Chu Family and Yan Family, with some Spirit Awakening and Gang Sha-level resources, totaling less than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, they’ve earned the friendship of a Future Celestial Master. The disparity between their investment and gain is staggering and utterly enviable.

And when some learned that the Yan Family and Chu Family weren’t merely giving—that Mu Lin had also provided something in return (the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram)—their eyes turned even greener.

Filled with envy and jealousy to the extreme, some even began to entertain unconventional thoughts.

‘Yan Yunyu of the Yan Family and Chu Lingluo of the Chu Family… neither seems to be the direct daughter of their respective families. Perhaps I have a chance to intercept…’

Thinking this, the eyes of some Clan Elders from the Aristocratic Families lit up, and they immediately issued orders to their subordinates: “Report the situation here to the family. Specifically emphasize Mu Lin’s strength and his potential to advance to Celestial Master within a hundred years. Then request Heaven Grade Gang Qi from the family and send some direct daughters here… We have a chance to establish a close connection with this Future Celestial Master while he’s still weak.”

“A Celestial Master… our family hasn’t had one in about a thousand years, has it? This is our opportunity—a chance to revive our ancestors’ glory. Tell the Clan Head we absolutely cannot let this once-in-a-millennium opportunity slip away!”

Not all Aristocratic Families possess a Celestial Master.

Moreover, some factions at the Celestial Master level have gradually declined after their Celestial Masters passed away.

Unwilling to continue their decline and unable to even protect their status, they turned their attention to Mu Lin.

Of course, not to oppose him, but to draw him into their own camp.

“Even if we cannot have him marry into our family, merely establishing a good relationship with him would deter others from bullying us excessively.”

With this thought in mind, some immediately took action.

However, while declining noble families sought to rely on Mu Lin to revive their ancestors’ glory, Prince Liang also wanted to rely on Mu Lin to survive the apocalyptic disaster.

Thus, having breathed a sigh of relief, he directly addressed his chief steward of the Prince’s Residence: “Uncle Fu, when will the Heavenly Purity Gang Qi arrive? Also, aside from the Heavenly Purity Gang Qi, what else in our Prince’s Residence might attract Mu Lin? Should we open the Dragon Vein to him to accelerate his cultivation?”

While transmitting his voice, Prince Liang glanced briefly at the East Sea King, his gaze somewhat grave.

Clearly, the East Sea King’s competition for Mu Lin had stirred a sense of crisis within him.

This was especially true after Mu Lin, in a one-on-one battle, annihilated and refined the unawakened Scarlet Overlord. Prince Liang believed Mu Lin’s value had risen further, and his fourth brother would inevitably offer more resources to win Mu Lin over.

To prevent the son-in-law he valued from being taken away, he had no choice but to offer more.

In a way, his guess was correct.

At this moment, the East Sea King was indeed transmitting orders to his subordinates, urging the Prodigy delivering the Gang Qi to hurry.

Besides sending the Gang Qi, he had also promised additional conditions and positions.

“Tell Mu Lin that if he is willing to come to my East Sea Kingdom, I can appoint him as deputy commander of a legion. Once he reaches Mortal Shedding Adept or Earth Master, it is not impossible for him to become a full legion commander.”

“If he prefers not to join the legion and wishes to develop within the Demon-Suppressing Army, I am also willing to support his rise and help him become the commander of the Demon-Suppressing Army!”

(End of Chapter)