Chapter 339 – The True Use of the True Spirit Karma Diagram

Regarding her own increase in strength, if she were a modern person, Xue Ying would only have one thought—did you cheat?

Unfortunately, Xue Ying was not a modern person and did not understand the meaning of cheating.

But her worldview, bound by common sense, made her even more astonished by her own transformation.

After closing her eyes to sense the changes within herself, she sat dazed for a long time, unable to snap out of it.

It was no wonder she reacted this way, as the effects brought about by the synergy of the Spirit Tools this time were truly too astonishing.

Even Mu Lin, who had fused and created the True Spirit Karma Diagram, was somewhat amazed.

“The Crimson Holy Grail and the Blade of Slaughter are far too compatible.”

As is well known, the Crimson Holy Grail involves concepts of blood, genes, and the creation of life. Mu Lin, who wielded the Crimson Holy Grail, could use blood to create some crimson demonic monsters.

As for the Blade of Slaughter, its primary characteristic was—plunder.

Previously, it plundered physical strength, Mana energy, or even intangible luck. These energies would then undergo a transformation, turning into a force of slaughter that filled the wielder’s body, enhancing their physical attributes.

But as the two fused, something terrifying emerged—the Blade of Slaughter now carried some of the characteristics of the Crimson Holy Grail, and because of this, it could plunder the genetic information of enemies!

Of course, mere plunder was not particularly significant, but Mu Lin still possessed the Crimson Holy Grail.

By feeding this genetic information into the Crimson Holy Grail and expending energy to transform it, Mu Lin and Xue Ying could replicate, or rather clone, a similar body.

This meant that from then on, the templates of humans or demonic monsters slain by Xue Ying with the Blade of Slaughter would be preserved, and their power could be utilized by Xue Ying.

If she wished, she could even use the synergy between the Blade of Slaughter and the Crimson Holy Grail to transform herself into a Demonic Monster and gain their power, just as she did now:

“Roar!”

“Boom!”

After some experimentation by Xue Ying, her body rapidly expanded and grew giant. Dragon scales appeared on her skin, and a horn shimmering with bloody lightning emerged from her forehead.

In an extremely short time, Xue Ying transformed from a beautiful woman into a dragon-blooded beauty standing seven meters and thirty centimeters tall, covered in fearsome dragon scales.

No, compared to beauty, the current Xue Ying gave off an aura more of dominance, majesty, authority, and terror.

“Bang!”

As Xue Ying clenched her fist, the sound of air shattering immediately erupted from within her grasp.

Feeling this power that seemed capable of destroying everything, boundless joy blossomed in Xue Ying’s heart.

“Such formidable strength. If I had possessed this power before, I would never have failed.”

“It’s not too late now. The conflict between the north and south is not yet over.”

It was Mu Lin who responded. As the dragon-blooded Xue Ying turned to look at him, he shrugged and said, “You know about my conflict with the Northern Wasteland Clans. If they make unwise choices, I may need you to take the field.”

“As you command. I will clear all enemies for you.”

The Aurora Gang Qi had purified her sister’s corruption and resolved her lingering issues.

Mu Lin had even granted her immense power. Having received so many favors, Xue Ying was now extremely respectful toward Mu Lin and naturally willing to follow his orders.

At the same time, having obtained this invincible, sweeping power, Xue Ying was also eager to test it.

“This time, I will not be defeated again.”

…

Regarding the power she had obtained, Yan Yunyu was extremely satisfied. However, upon careful observation, Mu Lin, as expected, discovered that this ability was not invincible but had some flaws.

First was the genetic lock.

Mu Lin did not know how it was in his previous life, but in this world, many extraordinary bloodlines had Seals left by their ancestors. Even though Xue Ying possessed the Blade of Slaughter, when facing some powerful bloodlines, she could not completely plunder all of the enemy’s genetic information at once.

Xue Ying’s thoughts on this were quite simple.

“It doesn’t matter, just kill.”

“If once isn’t enough, then keep killing. Kill enough, and the enemy’s information will automatically be completed.”

“…”

This was indeed a method, and an extremely simple one at that.

But while it was convenient, it was also exceptionally difficult.

Powerful races were not easy to deal with.

Take the True Dragon, for example. If she killed dozens or even hundreds of True Dragons, Xue Ying would naturally be able to break through the genetic lock and obtain the True Dragon body.

But leaving aside whether there were even a hundred True Dragons in the world, even if there were, Xue Ying couldn’t defeat them.

Fortunately, this method was not without shortcuts.

“The bloodline purification and transformation of the Crimson Holy Grail are, strictly speaking, a form of genetic completion. As long as enough energy is expended, even incomplete templates can be completed.”

“Xue Ying’s earlier Jiao Dragon transformation was evolved from the Blackwater Profound Serpent.”

Well, there’s one thing to mention: although the Blade of Slaughter only gained the power to plunder genes after linking with the Crimson Holy Grail, and because of this, the Blade of Slaughter currently does not retain any templates.

But while the Blade of Slaughter doesn’t have them, the Crimson Holy Grail does.

Mu Lin’s Jiao Dragon Body, Yaksha body, and the power of Scarlet Son – Nest were all stored by the Crimson Holy Grail and bestowed upon Xue Ying.

Therefore, she is capable of transforming into several types of Demonic Monsters.

…

The genetic lock was the first flaw of the Blade of Slaughter. When facing powerful Foreign Races, Xue Ying couldn’t obtain a template just by killing them once.

Another flaw of gaining power through killing was that Mu Lin could only obtain genetic templates—that is, the powerful bodies and innate Spells of the Foreign Races. Their self-learned techniques and insights into Mystical Arts could not be replicated by Xue Ying or Mu Lin…

“Wait, it’s not without hope. The Other Shore Flower Sea possesses power related to memory. If the Manjusaka and Xue Ying were to merge, the enemy’s techniques and insights into Mystical Arts could also be plundered by Xue Ying through the Blade of Slaughter.”

Finding a way to complete this made Mu Lin’s eyes gradually brighten.

However, merging the Blade of Slaughter with the Other Shore Flower Sea was not something that could be done quickly. It required Mu Lin to deepen his understanding of the Blade of Slaughter or for the Other Shore Flower Sea to advance in rank.

What relieved Mu Lin was that this didn’t require him to personally labor over it.

Mu Lin didn’t recruit subordinates to serve them like a beast of burden.

On the contrary, they were the ones who had to push Mu Lin forward.

Just like now, Mu Lin instructed Xue Ying, “You’re also aware of the flaw in obtaining templates through killing. Later, spend more time with Lingluo and see if you can integrate the power of the Other Shore Flower into the Blade of Slaughter. That way, you’ll be able to gain the enemy’s memories and insights into Mystical Arts through killing.”

When he brought this up, Mu Lin didn’t expect to see results in a short time, but Xue Ying gave him a pleasant surprise.

“Communicating with Chu Lingluo and the Other Shore Flower Sea to gain memory-stealing abilities… I understand. Wait, I’ll borrow some Other Shore Flowers from Chu Lingluo and kill them.”

“Uh…”

Xue Ying’s words left Mu Lin momentarily stunned. He wanted to say that the “communication” he meant wasn’t the kind where a blade goes in white and comes out red.

What he intended was verbal communication, using philosophical discussions to complement each other’s shortcomings.

However, before he could speak, Mu Lin realized something: Xue Ying’s suggestion actually had a sliver of feasibility.

“The core ability of the Blade of Slaughter is to plunder everything from others through killing. Since it can seize the templates of demonic monsters, it seems plausible that it could also seize the genetic information of the Other Shore Flowers…”

When Mu Lin understood that Xue Ying’s idea was not only feasible but also better than his own proposal, he was momentarily taken aback.

“It’s actually better than my suggestion… But that makes sense. I’ve only been in contact with the Blade of Slaughter for a few hours, while Xue Ying has coexisted with it for a long time. In terms of understanding the Blade of Slaughter and how to advance in the path of slaughter, she’s more proficient than I am.”

Admitting that someone else was better than him in a certain aspect was nothing to Mu Lin. He had long known he wasn’t omnipotent.

However, this incident with Xue Ying made Mu Lin realize the true usage of the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

“If I want to unleash the power of this diagram, it’s not about randomly finding a few people and placing them on Divine Positions—that would only waste my own potential.”

“Even merging with Spirit Tools isn’t the best approach… Spirit Tools are ultimately inanimate objects. They may suffice for now, but in the future, I’ll need to invest time and effort into upgrading them. My energy is limited—one or two might be manageable, three to five I could still handle, and with Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figures, even a dozen or thirty to fifty might be possible.”

“But I have three hundred and sixty-five Divine Positions. That would stretch me too thin.”

“However, if I contract Prodigies, this problem disappears. They can cultivate and improve on their own.”

“Moreover, due to their differing talents and specialties, their progress might not be slower than mine, and they could even compensate for my shortcomings.”

The more Mu Lin thought about it, the more he believed this was the true purpose of the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Take sword intent, for example—something Mu Lin had long coveted, believing it would enhance his abilities in every way.

But Sword Cultivators emphasize the unity of self and sword, while Mu Lin relies more on Paper Figures. Coupled with his limited time, he had never dedicated himself to the path of the sword.

Now, however, Mu Lin saw a chance to overtake others on a different track.

He didn’t need to learn it himself. If he could bring a powerful Sword Cultivator Prodigy into the True Spirit Karma Diagram, their sword intent would become accessible and controllable to him through the diagram.

Even his Netherworld Soldiers, Civil and Military Judges, could wield this sword intent.

What’s more, with that Sword Cultivator Prodigy in place, Mu Lin wouldn’t have to manage the sword intent—it would grow naturally, like crops.

This beautiful vision made Mu Lin’s eyes gleam with excitement.

Yet, he soon sighed.

Sword Cultivators, especially Prodigies among them, were hard to find.

To keep up with his own pace, any Sword Cultivator he contracted would need to be exceptionally strong.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of a Divine Position.

However, such prodigy cultivators would never willingly give up their freedom to submit to Mu Lin’s command. He possessed no kingly aura that could naturally inspire loyalty in those around him.

“Using resources to win others over is practically impossible. The resources I have are far less than those of the aristocratic families and major sects. Aligning with them would be much more advantageous than aligning with me.”

“Subduing them by force? That’s also extremely difficult. Sword cultivators are mostly unyielding, even unto death. Defeat would only drive them to train harder and seek revenge against me.”

After much contemplation, Mu Lin frustratingly realized that the only prodigies he could possibly recruit were those like Xue Ying, who faced urgent crises.

If he could resolve their troubles, there was indeed a slim chance of winning such prodigies over.

However, situations like Xue Ying’s were rare opportunities that could be encountered but not sought. Mu Lin did not believe he could encounter another prodigy with an urgent crisis in such a short time.

“Moreover, the aristocratic families possess far greater resources and can resolve more troubles than I can…”

…

Having discovered the best way to use the True Spirit Karma Diagram but being unable to implement it immediately left Mu Lin somewhat disheartened.

Unaware of this, Xue Ying, following Mu Lin’s instructions, went to ‘communicate’ with Chu Lingluo.

Meanwhile, as Mu Lin was recruiting Xue Ying, the aristocratic prodigies who had traveled from the Northern Wastelands also gathered due to the matter of Black Wolf.

At that moment, they were engaged in heated discussions on how to deal with Mu Lin—whether to confront him or extend goodwill.

(End of Chapter)