Chapter 332 – Avici Chains: Binding Immortals and Gods

There were no major surprises when refining the Void Concealment Chains with the Vow Power Heart Flame.

Soon, Mu Lin had partially refined the chains.

Of course, Mu Lin’s current refinement was only preliminary, allowing him to barely use the chains’ extension ability. As for abilities like spatial teleportation or infinite splitting, those were completely out of the question for now.

Fortunately, Mu Lin possessed not only the Vow Power Heart Flame but also the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

The latter’s creation had actually been aided by both celestial and mortal forces, giving it an exceptionally high rank.

Once the Void Concealment Chains were integrated, they immediately triggered the characteristics of the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

“Hum…”

A blank Divine Position was quickly occupied by the Void Concealment Chains.

With a Divine Position, they naturally came under Mu Lin’s control.

At the same time, the other abilities within the True Spirit Karma Diagram began to merge with the Void Concealment Chains.

Just as Mu Lin had anticipated, the first to merge was the Soul-Reaping Chains.

Being chains themselves, the two quickly completed their exchange.

In the end, Mu Lin’s Soul-Reaping Chains were integrated into the Void Concealment Chains.

This integration meant that the Soul-Reaping Chains used by Mu Lin’s Yin Soldiers and Ghost Messengers would now be sub-bodies split from the Void Concealment Chains.

As sub-bodies, the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Messengers also gained the Void Concealment Chains’ extension ability.

As for the spatial teleportation ability, only higher-ranking Yin Soldier generals and Ghost Messenger captains could use it.

While the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Messengers gained benefits, the Void Concealment Chains themselves gained even more. After integrating the Soul-Reaping Chains, they acquired a special attack against souls.

When used in battle, a single careless moment from the enemy could result in their soul being hooked out.

The second abilities to merge were the Central Wuji Sha, Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi, Celestial Thunder Qi, Aurora Gang Qi, and so on.

The integration of Gang Sha enhanced the chains’ basic qualities and sturdiness, while also granting them the abilities of presence concealment, Purification, and Thunder.

The third to merge was Divinity: Silent.

Since all of Mu Lin’s Cultivation Methods had merged into a single True Spirit Karma Diagram, the Divinity he had refined was also integrated into this diagram.

Now, the Silent Divinity merged into the Void Concealment Chains, restoring some of their sealing capabilities—enemies bound by the chains would be “silenced,” making it difficult for them to release Spells.

Soon, the Source Rune – Stabilize also merged into the Void Concealment Chains… This integration caused ancient “Stabilize” characters to appear on the chains, preventing enemies from using any transformation or shrinking abilities.

Correspondingly, the chains’ sealing ability was further enhanced.

“This seems a bit targeted at Brother Monkey… Speaking of which, if this keeps improving, won’t my chains be able to not only hook souls but also bind immortals and capture gods?”

The integration of Silent, Soul-Binding Chains, and Source Rune – Stabilize was within Mu Lin’s expectations.

However, the merging of some other abilities that followed took Mu Lin by surprise.

The Crimson Holy Grail and Mu Lin’s Jiao Dragon Blood also merged with the Void Concealment Chains.

The result of their fusion was that the Void Concealment Chains gained the ability to become animate.

“I never thought they could be used like this…”

“Clatter…”

With a single thought from Mu Lin, several silver chains pierced through space and lunged toward Yan Yunyu to bind her.

When they appeared, there was no movement, no sound, and they were nearly impossible to sense.

Only after being bound did Yan Yunyu realize she had been attacked—Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi: Presence Concealment.

Of course, being attacked by Mu Lin did not evoke any fear in Yan Yunyu. Even after the chains coiled around her, causing the Spiritual Energy and Divine Soul within her body to fall completely silent, she still felt no fear.

She knew Mu Lin would not harm her.

However, her expression soon changed, flushing with intense embarrassment.

Using the chains, Mu Lin manipulated her into several different poses.

“Brother Mu…”

“Ahem…”

Seeing Yan Yunyu on the verge of tears from her coquettish protest, Mu Lin coughed awkwardly and released her.

This was indeed an excellent application, but not for the present moment.

Of course, Mu Lin’s earlier remark, “I never imagined it could be used like this,” did not refer to such a usage.

After setting Yan Yunyu down, Mu Lin focused his consciousness on those silver chains. With a thought from him—

“Hiss!”—the chains transformed directly from links into a multitude of dancing black serpents.

In the next moment, these black serpents (the chains) converged toward a single point, rapidly intertwining. As a hundred serpents gathered together, with a resonant “Roar!”, the chains morphed into an ink-black Jiao Dragon.

Animation!

This was the ability gained from the fusion of the Void Concealment Chains, the Crimson Holy Grail, and the Jiao Dragon Blood.

As long as Mu Lin had sufficient Mana, he could transform the Void Concealment Chains into over a hundred Jiao Dragons, or condense the chains into a single eight-hundred-meter-long colossal Jiao Dragon (achieved by entangling and layering the chains).

Of course, to accomplish the latter, Mu Lin would need to extend the chains to eighty thousand meters—a technique only an Earth Immortal could wield.

For now, he could only manifest an ink-black Jiao Dragon several dozen meters long, or a dozen or so smaller Jiao Dragons, each about ten meters long.

“But it’s still quite impressive.”

After some experimentation, Mu Lin was very satisfied with these chains.

Spatial properties, Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi, silencing… with these various abilities combined, Mu Lin’s chains could activate silently and effortlessly bind others.

And once bound, even if the enemy surpassed Mu Lin by one stage, he could render them completely silent.

“If I wield them, even a complete Mortal Shedding Adept would struggle to break free.”

With this thought, Mu Lin willed Yan Yunyu’s name within the True Spirit Karma Diagram to be elevated above the Divine Position of the chains.

He was never one to hoard selfishly, and he understood well that balanced rewards and punishments were key to motivating those under his command.

Since Yan Yunyu had procured such a powerful chain for him, Mu Lin naturally had no qualms about granting her greater strength and sharing more of his glory with her.

“Hum!”

As Mu Lin inscribed and Yan Yunyu remained unguarded, instantly, a complex and mysterious three-dimensional Talisman imprint projected itself into the depths of Yan Yunyu’s heart.

[Sky-Scraping Spell · Divinity · Avici Chains]

Once this exquisitely beautiful and infinitely intricate ‘Talisman’ appeared, it immediately fused with Yan Yunyu’s Divine Soul.

Relying on the power of this Talisman, Yan Yunyu’s rank rapidly ascended. Soon, in terms of rank alone, she surpassed Gang Sha and reached the Mortal Shedding Stage.

However, what she possessed now was merely an exceptionally high rank; her Divine Soul power… was not exactly weak either.

With their names inscribed into the Divine Positions, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo not only shared in Mu Lin’s authority but also gained a portion of the foundational powers he had refined—the Gang Qi and Baleful Qi.

As it stood, Yan Yunyu’s Divine Soul now carried traces of the Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi and the Celestial Thunder Qi.

Of course, if the Gang Qi and Baleful Qi Mu Lin had refined were likened to ten thousand units, Yan Yunyu currently possessed only two or three ten-thousandths of that amount. Though, if Mu Lin willed it, he could continuously nourish the power of their soul spirits.

However, the upper limit of this power was merely one percent.

“This doesn’t seem too little either. If measured against the standard of ordinary geniuses, the Gang Qi I’ve refined amounts to three hundred and sixty-five units. One percent of that is still stronger than the average genius, not to mention that the Gang Qi I refine is of the highest caliber.”

It could only be said that the world indeed held the wondrous tale of one achieving enlightenment and elevating even their chickens and dogs to the heavens.

Naturally, this came at a cost.

Since most of their power and glory were shared by Mu Lin, their lives would forever be bound to him. Mu Lin could grant them life or death with a single word.

Moreover, if Mu Lin were to die or if the True Spirit Karma Diagram were shattered, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo would suffer foundational damage as well.

“Too many restrictions. Even if it meant certain death, I would never submit to another’s control.”

“Also, I can’t share all of my Gang Sha with them. Later, I’ll have Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo refine Gang Sha as well.”

“This way, it won’t just be them sharing my power—their Gang Qi and Baleful Qi will also strengthen the True Spirit Karma Diagram… If I want to elevate the three hundred and sixty-five Divine Positions in the diagram to one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred, and then to four hundred eighty million, I can’t rely on my efforts alone. Those inscribed into the diagram must contribute as well.”

Here, Mu Lin shook his head with a sigh, intending to have Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo also engage in Sha Refinement and Gang Condensation.

Meanwhile, beside him, Yan Yunyu, sensing her soaring status, the ceaseless influx of power into her Divine Soul, and the torrent of information flowing from the Talismans, gradually understood everything.

“I’ve received Brother Mu’s reward. Now, I am the master of the Avici Chains—the Empty Concealment—and can effortlessly wield most of this Spirit Tool’s abilities. Moreover, with the aid of these chains, my path to Mortal Shedding and even Earth Immortal will be completely unobstructed…”

Once she grasped everything, boundless joy and contentment filled Yan Yunyu’s heart.

Naturally, she also understood that, having accepted so much of Mu Lin’s power, she could hardly ever leave him.

But she had no intention of leaving in the first place.

She was acutely aware that with her Second-Class Spirit Root and lack of exceptional insight, without Mu Lin’s assistance, reaching Mortal Shedding in her lifetime would already be considered a stroke of immense luck.

Now, with a guaranteed path to Mortal Shedding and even Earth Immortal, she was more than satisfied.

“No, my limit isn’t just Mortal Shedding. Brother Mu is strong, incredibly strong. If Brother Mu becomes a Celestial Master, or even an immortal True Lord, by attaching myself to him, I too can attain longevity…”

At this thought, Yan Yunyu’s gaze toward Mu Lin grew as gentle as water.

And Mu Lin, too, felt a stirring within. The Avici Chains could unlock many… positions for him.

“Even in cultivation, one must balance exertion with relaxation…”

Finding a casual excuse, Mu Lin led Yan Yunyu into his courtyard.

…

Thus, time gradually slipped away amidst Mu Lin’s busy schedule, and soon, another two days had passed.

During these days, Mu Lin spent most of his time refining Gang Qi and Baleful Qi (Central Wuji Sha), quietly cultivating.

However, there is a saying: the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease.

The North-South conflict was so vast that Mu Lin, caught within it, ultimately could not avoid it.

His tranquility was shattered.

(End of Chapter)