Chapter 320 – I Am the Aristocracy!

To be the first to speak with Mu Lin, Prince Liang even sent his loyal servant Uncle Fu to intercept the East Sea King.

Regarding this, that prince was not angered but allowed Prince Liang to proceed.

As for Mu Lin, after some contemplation, he still nodded and agreed to Prince Liang’s invitation… Although Mu Lin possessed outstanding potential, his strength, especially that of his Main Body, was not particularly formidable. Unless necessary, he did not wish to offend these princes.

Leading Mu Lin into a VIP room, Prince Liang first exchanged pleasantries with him. Upon realizing Mu Lin was not adept at such formalities, Prince Liang then shifted the conversation to the main matter.

What raised Mu Lin’s eyebrows was that, before discussing the main matter, this prince, like the East Sea King, presented Mu Lin with a gift of Heavenly Gang Qi as a meeting present.

“This is Aurora Celestial Qi, a type of Profound Clear Qi that can combine with Earth Yellow Evil to form Profound Yellow Qi. It does not possess the thunderous power of Heaven Grade Thunder Gang, but when integrated into the Divine Soul, it will purify your Divine Soul and grant the ability to dispel and purify abnormal characteristics.”

After speaking, fearing Mu Lin might refuse, he proactively added, “Rest assured and accept it. This is what I ought to do.”

“Jade Province can barely be considered my territory, and as the prince guarding it, if the evil god’s revival were to occur, it would cause great chaos in Jade Province, and I would suffer heavy losses. It was you who suppressed the reviving Evil God and saved Jade Province, which also helped me greatly. This Heavenly Gang Qi is what you deserve.”

These words… convinced Mu Lin.

Upon careful consideration, the evil god’s revival strictly speaking had nothing to do with the East Sea King. Accepting his Heavenly Gang Qi indeed left Mu Lin feeling guilty and somewhat uneasy.

But Prince Liang was different; he truly resided in Jade Province, where he also possessed numerous assets.

If the Evil God had truly revived, even if it were eventually suppressed and sealed again,

during that process, countless people would inevitably die, and many areas would be reduced to wastelands. Among these, Prince Liang’s assets would certainly be affected.

His gratitude toward Mu Lin and the gift of Heavenly Gang Qi—accepting it truly left Mu Lin with a clear conscience.

Thinking this, Mu Lin reached out to accept it and said to Prince Liang, “A gift from an elder cannot be refused. Since Your Highness is willing to assist me, this junior will gratefully accept this Heavenly Gang Qi.”

“Hahaha, yes, that’s exactly how it should be.”

With Mu Lin accepting the Heavenly Gang Qi, the atmosphere between the two eased somewhat, and then they proceeded to discuss the main matter.

Unsurprisingly, Prince Liang extended an invitation and sought to recruit Mu Lin.

Perhaps the East Sea King’s invitation had provoked this prince. In any case, to recruit Mu Lin, he went to great lengths.

First was authority and position. Like the East Sea King, he also promised Mu Lin sole command of an army. However, unlike the East Sea King, who offered two choices, Prince Liang could only allow Mu Lin to raise his own army, as he had no existing forces for Mu Lin to take over.

Furthermore, he could not permit Mu Lin to establish a sect in Jade Province.

Even the position of Jade Province’s Demon Suppression Division Army Commander was beyond his ability to promise.

This was not because he lacked confidence in Mu Lin, but rather because he did not hold absolute authority in Jade Province. In fact, he might not even be the second most influential figure there.

‘This prince in Jade Province is likely only the third, fourth, or even fifth in rank…’

With such a low status, the authority and rewards he could offer naturally fell short of those provided by the East Sea King.

Of course, though not as powerful as the East Sea King, he was still a prince, one of the rulers of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, and he did possess some valuable resources.

For instance, opening the Dragon Vein for Mu Lin to cultivate, offering rare treasures, elixirs, resources… He had even gleaned from Mu Lin’s battles that to unleash power beyond his current level, Mu Lin needed a territory of his own.

Thus, he promised that if Mu Lin were willing to join Prince Liang’s Manor, he would grant him control over a major city.

This proposal was quite enticing.

Jade Province was prosperous and subtly commanded several surrounding provinces. With the support of Prince Liang’s Manor, taking charge of a metropolis and diligently managing it, Mu Lin was confident he could gradually advance his Province City God to a Prefecture City God.

However, while Prince Liang offered many benefits, he was no philanthropist and naturally had his own demands.

The core requirement was for Mu Lin to marry into Prince Liang’s Manor, with any future children bearing the surname Ji.

Having come from the modern world, Mu Lin wasn’t overly concerned about his children’s surnames.

Yet, he could not tolerate the idea of acting under the constraints of Prince Liang’s Manor in the future.

‘If I were still struggling to rise, these conditions would be quite appealing. Unfortunately, while I still lack certain things now, they aren’t worth trading my freedom for.’

Holding this belief, Mu Lin ultimately declined Prince Liang’s proposal tactfully.

Having anticipated such a refusal, Prince Liang wasn’t overly angered.

However, after being rejected, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he began speaking ill of the East Sea King—or rather, revealing his ambitions.

“Mu Lin, I know I can’t compare to the East Sea King, and my terms aren’t as favorable as his. But I still want to remind you: his resources aren’t so easily obtained. If you join Prince Liang’s Manor, you can cultivate in peace and stability.”

“But if you join the East Sea Kingdom, you’ll be opposing the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty… No, not just the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty. The Jade Purity Sect, the Feathered Gate, the Sword Mountain, the Thunder Sound Dharma Temple, and even the aristocratic families across the land—none of them want to see the East Sea Kingdom stir up trouble during this critical time.”

“The world is in chaos, and it’s precisely when we humans should unite. The East Sea King, for the sake of his own ambitions, will destroy humanity.”

With that, he offered Mu Lin a final warning:

“Mu Lin, it’s fine if you don’t join Prince Liang’s Manor, but I don’t want to see you aiding a tyrant. Nor do I want you to be targeted, hunted, or besieged by the entire world for choosing the wrong path.”

After speaking these words sincerely, Prince Liang departed.

Not long after he left, the East Sea King arrived.

Upon entering the room, this prince, with the aura of a formidable leader, made a statement that immediately raised Mu Lin’s eyebrows.

“My seventh brother must have said quite a few bad things about me, didn’t he?”

“Uh…”

Mu Lin wasn’t sure how to respond. After a long pause, he finally said, “Prince Liang merely mentioned that Your Highness the East Sea King has some ambitions.”

“Hah, not just ‘some,’ I suppose. According to my seventh brother, I must be wildly ambitious, and he likely believes my ambitions will destroy humanity.”

“…”

This left Mu Lin speechless once more.

As he remained silent, the East Sea King gazed out the window and remarked with a sigh, “I don’t deny that I have ambitions. But my ambitions aren’t just for myself—they’re for the world, for the myriad regions of the Nine Provinces.”

“Upholding peace and preserving vitality would indeed be more beneficial for humanity to survive this calamity.”

“But that premise relies on the foundation of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty remaining intact and uncorrupted.”

“Yet what about now? The one seated high in the court, confined within the palace walls, raised by the hands of women—he lacks the courage to face the impending crisis.”

“Worse still, he has already surrendered without a fight, sending his own offspring directly to the Extraterritorial, where they become Godchildren of some Evil Gods, or delivered them to the Daoist Sect, Buddhism…”

“If the emperor cannot stand firm and prepares multiple escape routes, then those Aristocratic Families will also place bets on all sides, playing a double game.”

“Hah, such a coward, leading a flock of feeble sheep—do you think he deserves to be king, or is qualified to lead humanity to victory?”

“…”

Faced with such questioning, Mu Lin was even more at a loss for how to respond. At the same time, he did not fully believe the East Sea King’s words. This man, who sought to enter the central authority, naturally would not speak well of it.

People cannot trust one-sided accounts. In his previous life, many online narratives frequently backfired precisely because they came from a single source.

However, though not entirely convinced, Mu Lin understood the East Sea King’s meaning.

He believed that the central authority was already rotten, and only he could lead humanity through this crisis to victory.

His actions, though carving away at humanity’s flesh, were cutting out the rot.

Only by removing the decay could humanity rejuvenate.

To be honest, there was some logic to his actions, and such a resolute style had indeed attracted some followers.

If Mu Lin were a hawkish youth who grew up here with lofty ambitions, he might truly have been swayed.

At the same time, if the emperor of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty was indeed a surrenderist, then the first thing they should do was indeed to remove that emperor.

After all, the harm caused by one Zhao Gou was greater than that of ten Evil Gods.

Still, as before, Mu Lin could not trust his one-sided account.

Thus, Mu Lin ultimately chose… to politely decline.

He intended to investigate on his own. If the emperor of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty was not a surrenderist, then there was nothing more to say.

If he was, Mu Lin… still would not join the East Sea Kingdom’s faction.

‘With the True Spirit Karma Diagram in hand, why should I join another faction? I myself am a faction!’

(End of Chapter)