Chapter 314 – God of Madness and Fire

The East Sea Kingdom offered Mu Lin many things, but joining them also meant immense trouble.

If he were still poor and barefoot, Mu Lin would naturally be willing to take a gamble. After all, he understood the principle that the greater the storm, the more valuable the fish.

But now, Mu Lin had already put on shoes.

With investments from the Yan Family, the Chu Family, and other noble clans, Mu Lin currently lacked no resources. Naturally, he had no desire to stir up trouble and only wished to cultivate in peace.

Thus, in the end, Mu Lin intended to decline the East Sea King’s invitation.

At the same time, Mu Lin shook his head at the East Sea King’s actions. “Still thinking of fighting for power and profit at a time like this. Indeed, humanity possesses lofty morals, but also inherent flaws.”

…

The East Sea King’s invitation to Mu Lin was not only known to Mu Lin himself; Prince Liang, who had been keeping a close watch from the outside, also noticed it.

Upon discovering that the East Sea King had made the first move, Prince Liang immediately grew furious.

“You… despicable! Sneaking ahead like that.”

Such an accusation did not faze the East Sea King, who merely sneered coldly. “What do you mean by ‘sneaking ahead’? I extended my invitation openly and honorably.”

At this point, he even chuckled and said:

“Or perhaps you already regard Mu Lin as your subordinate and forbid him from interacting with others.”

This was a trap for Prince Liang. Prodigies disliked being constrained, especially since Mu Lin and Prince Liang had no formal subordinate relationship.

If Prince Liang were to agree with the East Sea King’s words now, claiming Mu Lin as his subordinate and objecting to Mu Lin’s contact with others, such an action would likely alienate Mu Lin or provoke his rebellious spirit, driving him away from Jade Province.

Fortunately, although Prince Liang’s influence was somewhat weaker, he was not foolish:

“…I never said that.”

The fact that his counterpart did not take the bait left the East Sea King slightly disappointed. However, he quickly moved past it and said with a light laugh:

“Since Mu Lin has nothing to do with you, then my invitation to him is none of your business, right?”

“…”

These words made Prince Liang clench his fists in anger.

At that moment, Prince Liang very much wanted to punch the East Sea King directly. However, his Earth Master cultivation level had been elevated through the Dragon Vein, whereas the East Sea King had advanced through his own efforts and had hopes of progressing even further.

Whether in terms of strength, potential, or influence, Prince Liang was inferior to the East Sea King. This meant that even if he was furious, he could only swallow his anger.

However, after this incident, he no longer had any intention of feigning cordiality with the East Sea King.

The latter, not wanting to be a nuisance, did not linger in front of Prince Liang either. Soon, the East Sea King took his leave and returned to his own courtyard.

What neither Mu Lin nor Prince Liang knew was that not long after the East Sea King returned to his courtyard, a Daoist Sect Prodigy arrived in his room—and that cultivator was none other than Lingxu Zi.

Yes, the very same Lingxu Zi who had betrayed the Jade Purity Sect and collaborated with the Evil God Scion.

In Heartcage City, he had also been severely injured. Yet, upon meeting the East Sea King, he disregarded his injuries and bowed respectfully to him.

At the same time, his face showed a hint of unwillingness and unease.

“My apologies, Your Highness. This subordinate failed to complete your task and did not manage to revive the Scarlet Overlord.”

Scarlet Overlord! Revival!

If Mu Lin were here, he would realize that Lingxu Zi’s defection also harbored a conspiracy.

And in fact, this made much more sense.

The Demonic Sect recognizes only strength and does not dwell on formalities. For this reason, its members can collaborate with Evil God Scions—as long as they emerge victorious in the end, no one will hold them accountable. Instead, they will be praised for their exceptional methods and brilliant execution.

The Daoist Sect, however, is different. While it also operates on the principle of survival of the fittest, it maintains a facade of morality and principles.

Lingxu Zi’s collusion with Evil God Scions is undoubtedly a stain on the Jade Purity Sect.

Even if Lingxu Zi ultimately succeeds, it would be difficult for him to return to the Daoist Sect. Instead, he would likely be hunted down—the risks and negative repercussions of cooperating with Evil God Scions are too great, and the Jade Purity Sect would never condone such actions.

Thus, even if Lingxu Zi manages to seize the Divine Blood heart, his gains would be minimal, and he might even suffer losses.

Yet, despite this, Lingxu Zi still chose to betray the sect. Such an illogical, even foolish, move left many bewildered.

Some even speculated that Lingxu Zi had been marginalized and mistreated within the Jade Purity Sect, leading him to rebel out of resentment.

Mu Lin had once thought the same.

But if he were to come here, he would realize he was wrong—terribly wrong. Lingxu Zi was neither foolish nor driven by momentary rage to collaborate with Evil God Scions.

He had an escape route, which is why he chose to betray.

Moreover, if Mu Lin were here, he might even understand why the cooperation between Evil God Scions and Demonic Sect cultivators proceeded so smoothly… East Sea King must have been involved.

As for why East Sea King allowed the Scarlet Overlord to awaken, it certainly wasn’t because he had pledged allegiance to the Evil God and become a follower.

Rather, East Sea King wanted to plunge Jade Province into chaos.

If Jade Province remained stable, his East Sea Kingdom would have no pretext to intervene. Any attempt to do so would be met with united opposition.

But if Jade Province fell into turmoil—especially widespread chaos—his intervention would no longer be seen as an invasion. Instead, the families and people of Jade Province would welcome his forces with open arms, offering food and drink to greet their liberators.

In this way, East Sea King would have a legitimate reason to intervene in Jade Province, even to establish a presence there.

But now, all these plans had been ruined by Mu Lin.

Thinking of this, the third prince of East Sea King cursed angrily, “Damn it! It’s all because of that Mu Lin. If not for him, we would never have failed.”

“Father, once we lure him in, let me be the one to kill him…”

Before he could finish, the prince noticed his father looking at him with profound disappointment.

“Fool, why would I want to kill him?”

“Huh?”

East Sea King’s response left the third prince momentarily stunned. After a long pause, he stammered, “He ruined our plans, thwarted our schemes… He’s our enemy…”

“Foolish! When a plan fails, our priority should be to minimize losses, not seek reckless revenge. Moreover, those who achieve great things do not dwell on trivial grievances. Yes, Mu Lin disrupted our plans, but he has talent. And talent is worth recruiting!”

It must be said that a true schemer remains a schemer. Even though Mu Lin had ruined one of his grand plans, East Sea King harbored no murderous intent toward him. Instead, his first thought was to recruit Mu Lin.

At the same time, the failure of the plan did not discourage him. After reprimanding his son, he immediately contacted a certain entity through a bell.

“The Scarlet Son’s plan has failed. Initiate the second plan.”

“Failure? Did the Grave Lord have other contingencies? Or did Nest fail to awaken the consciousness of the Scarlet Overlord?” Unlike the East Sea King, when another voice sounded, it was not singular but echoed with countless overlapping harmonies.

This peculiar chorus made the voice somewhat distorted and eerie, yet also carried a sacred quality.

Upon hearing such a sound, the third son of the East Sea King even found himself somewhat entranced.

Clearly, one capable of producing such a voice was no ordinary being.

If some powerful individuals were present, they would realize that the East Sea King was communicating with an Extraterrestrial Evil God.

Naturally, such a voice held no sway over the East Sea King. Hearing the other party’s doubts, he replied indifferently, “It has nothing to do with the Grave Lord. Scarlet Son – Nest also obtained Divine Blood and awakened the will of the Scarlet Overlord. However, he was too weak, and the Scarlet Overlord was not as powerful as you claimed. Even after reviving, He was still slain by humans—specifically, by a Prodigy among us who has only cultivated for half a year.”

As he spoke, the East Sea King showed no trace of disappointment over the failure; instead, there was a faint smile and pride in his tone.

It was evident that while the East Sea King collaborated with the Extraterrestrial Evil God, their interests were not entirely aligned.

Mu Lin’s display of extraordinary talent in slaying the Scarlet Overlord, an act that greatly boosted human morale, pleased the East Sea King immensely, filling him with a sense of shared honor.

However, his joy was met with silence on the other end.

Only after a long pause did a voice return:

“Half a year of cultivation, are you certain?”

The voice remained layered and overlapping, brimming with strangeness and sanctity.

But this time, even the third son of the East Sea King could detect a note of astonishment in the voice.

Clearly, the high-ranking existence on the other side had never imagined that such a prodigy could exist among humans.

“Such matters can be verified with a simple investigation. There is no need for me to deceive you.”

Responding coldly, the East Sea King turned to serious matters: “When will the Mad God of the second plan descend?”

The eerie voice replied: “That depends on you. Whenever you offer a city in sacrifice, the Mad God will descend.”

“Let me remind you, although the Mad Flame God has lost His sanity and consciousness, His power has not diminished much due to His madness. In fact, having been tainted by taboos, He has become even stronger and more dangerous. If, after descending, He wreaks uncontrollable havoc upon your world, do not blame me.”

East Sea King: “Rest assured, He will not stir up much trouble or cause significant upheaval. I will personally slay Him.”

At this point, the East Sea King’s voice suddenly turned sharp.

“Do not underestimate us humans. Even if you were to descend, I could slay you!”

“Heh, I have never underestimated humanity. That is precisely why I chose to cooperate with you humans rather than oppose you, is it not?”

East Sea King: “Let it be so… When my signal arrives, send the Mad Flame God over—to Jade Province.”

—The East Sea King had not yet abandoned his ambition to seize Jade Province.

Since the Scarlet Overlord could not break free from the seal, he turned to the Extraterrestrial Evil God, luring other Deities to descend and bring chaos to Jade Province.

Then, he could be invited to Jade Province as a savior, taking control of the territory.

If all went smoothly, he would not only expand his domain but also hunt a Deity, seize everything from Him, and gain the possibility of advancing further.

His plan was well-conceived and truly had the potential to succeed. After all, although his strength was only that of an Earth Master, the East Sea Kingdom had stood firm on the shores of the East Sea for so long, naturally possessing hidden cards and deep reserves.

“I will succeed. I will become the first to truly slay a god. I will save this world.”

As he spoke these words, his heart was filled with lofty aspirations.

As for how many sacrifices would be made along his path to success and ascension to the throne, the East Sea King… naturally cared not at all.

Those who achieve great things do not dwell on trivialities.

And ordinary commoners were precisely the trivialities in the eyes of the East Sea King.

…

While the East Sea King was ambitiously plotting his schemes, elsewhere, beyond the world, the overlapping voices of the Anomalies summoned their divine maidens.

They prepared to send them down to the mortal realm to make arrangements.

As the maidens were dispatched, an edict also reached the ears of a divine maiden veiled in black gauze.

“Find the human who slew the Scarlet Son. Assess him. If his potential is outstanding, recruit him to become my divine envoy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

(End of Chapter)