Chapter 360 – The Power of Profound Yellow Qi: Creating the World

The desire for a Divine Position, coupled with the reluctance to distance themselves from Mu Lin, spurred the Chu Family into action.

Prince Liang also took action.

Already hesitant, witnessing Mu Lin’s performance only deepened his indecision.

It was no wonder he felt this way, as the Void-Crossing Ship was far too precious—it was one of the foundational assets of Prince Liang’s Manor.

To part with such a valuable treasure as a dowry was something Prince Liang could not easily bear.

In the end, it was Uncle Fu who intervened with a remark that finally solidified his resolve.

“Admired by the Southern Aristocracy and suppressing the Northern Aristocracy with his strength, Mu Lin can now be called the foremost of the Human Race. Such a figure emerges only once in a thousand years… not every era produces a Prodigy who dominates an entire generation.”

“This is our opportunity, and our last one. If Lingsha cannot marry him during this time, then in the future, she will never have another chance.”

“…”

Prince Liang had no rebuttal to this.

In the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, the status of a Prince’s Residence was indeed high—but this was true only for ordinary people. To true powerhouses, a prince… was merely that.

After all, across the nineteen provinces of the realm, there were over a dozen princes, and when combined with the Foreign Races and princes of different surnames, the number reached twenty or thirty.

Moreover, within the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, there were many Aristocratic Families, great sects, and major schools that were on par with or even surpassed the Prince’s Residences.

It could be said that Prince’s Residences were not truly at the pinnacle within the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty.

If Mu Lin had already fully matured, a true Celestial Master—especially a powerful one—might not even be within the reach of Prince Liang’s Manor.

“Sigh, you’re right. We truly cannot delay any longer. If we hesitate further, Mu Lin will inevitably slip through our fingers.”

…

While the Chu Family and Prince Liang’s Manor were taking action, many other Aristocratic Families also began to move.

Some offered resources, others offered women, and quite a few illegitimate sons of prominent families came personally to pledge allegiance… As a peerless Prodigy, Mu Lin enjoyed the treatment of a world where everyone seemed to be a good person.

Mu Lin had little interest in the other women, but the abundance of resources, especially Gang Qi, excited him greatly.

“Finally, I’ve gathered enough resources. Time to accelerate the refinement. My true advancement to Mortal Shedding will happen within these few days.”

With this thought, Mu Lin focused his will, allowing his consciousness to enter the depths of his heart.

There, a colossal scroll stretched across the heavens, obscuring the sky.

This was, of course, Mu Lin’s True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Unlike before, the True Spirit Karma Diagram was no longer inscribed with only text.

Beyond the characters, exquisite illustrations now adorned the diagram.

At the very center of the scroll was Yama’s Hall, where King Yama, wearing a seven-tasseled crown, sat solemnly upon his throne, exuding an aura of majesty.

On either side of King Yama stood the Civil and Military Judges, and below them were numerous Ghost Messengers and Yin Soldiers generals.

Outside Yama’s Hall lay Fengdu City.

The dark, solemn city carried an imposing and severe presence.

Within the city walls, the tens of thousands of Beiwei Army soldiers, their faces hidden behind ghostly masks, marched in silent formation, further intensifying Fengdu City’s severity and aura of solemnity.

Yet, the grand and imposing city was not the entirety of the diagram. Beyond it flowed a deep and terrifying river, resembling a moat that encircled the entirety of Fengdu City. Its numerous tributaries branched out, weaving through the entire True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Beyond the city walls lay wilderness. In some wilderness areas, a blood pool would appear, while others were filled with endless, beautiful yet bewitching Manjusaka. Still other regions were covered with continuous grave mounds.

This True Spirit Karma Diagram was the culmination of all Mu Lin’s cultivation. The various images within the diagram represented the different cultivation methods Mu Lin had mastered.

Of course, Mu Lin had not come before the True Spirit Karma Diagram in the sea of his mind merely to admire it.

With a single thought, Mu Lin’s consciousness flew toward the True Spirit Karma Diagram. Soon, his divine will merged with it, and his figure appeared within the diagram’s records.

If someone were to look around inside the diagram, they would be astonished to find that the two-dimensional scenes had transformed into three-dimensional ones.

Within the diagram, Mu Lin felt everything around him was real.

There truly was a great city, a grand hall, and thousands of Beiwei Army soldiers patrolling and moving through the town.

Standing atop the city wall and gazing outward, Mu Lin could see the distant Other Shore Flower Sea and witness Scarlet monsters and Asuras battling across the wilderness outside Fengdu City.

Such a scene was dreamlike and illusory, making everything feel unreal.

Yet all of this was real… at least, part of it was real.

This situation did not arise because Mu Lin’s cultivation method was profound or his mana boundless; it was related to the baleful qi he had refined.

—Although the types of gang qi and baleful qi Mu Lin refined were numerous, strictly speaking, all of these gang and baleful energies were of the Xuanqing Gang and Dihuang Sha varieties.

When the two converged, they could condense into Xuanhuang Qi.

It is said that Xuanhuang Qi was the primordial gas from the creation of heaven and earth. This special spiritual energy could, when advanced, give rise to all things, and when receded, return to the primordial state and open up worlds.

Whether others could use Xuanhuang Qi to return to the primordial state, Mu Lin did not know, but he had achieved it.

The True Spirit Karma Diagram was the fusion of all Mu Lin’s methods and paths.

Naturally, the visualization method, Mindscape – Sky Burial City, was also integrated by Mu Lin into the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

This cultivation method could conjure a town within the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Of course, at that time, Mindscape – Sky Burial City was illusory, purely visualized by Mu Lin’s divine soul.

However, with the power of Life-Death Illusion from the Manjusaka, Mu Lin could draw others’ divine souls and spirits into the illusion realm, making them unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

He could even use his special power to permanently imprison others’ divine souls within the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Going further, Mu Lin could use his mana and the Life-Death Illusion power of the Manjusaka to fully unfold the True Spirit Karma Diagram externally, causing numerous illusions to appear and even envelop an entire city.

But falsehoods remained falsehoods. Such illusions were entirely sustained by Mu Lin’s divine soul and could not last long.

Whether he died, fell unconscious, or experienced mental fluctuations, the conjured scenes of hell would become unstable.

Yet the Xuanhuang Qi, born from the convergence of yin and yang and the fusion of gang and sha, changed everything.

When this special spiritual energy was infused into the True Spirit Karma Diagram, it acted like a skeletal framework, supporting the foundation within the diagram. This caused part of the illusory scenes conjured by Mindscape – Sky Burial City to transform from false to real.

Hmm, the reason only part of it became real was that Mu Lin’s gang and sha energies had not yet fully converged, unable to support an entire world.

At the same time, the birth of a secret realm world within the True Spirit Karma Diagram was not entirely the merit of the Primordial Yellow Qi.

It was indeed the most important foundation, but to construct a world, besides the base, there must also be design and numerous additional elements.

As for Mu Lin, he used the Mindscape – Sky Burial City to manifest some concepts from his previous life—this was the design.

Subsequently, the infusion of powers such as Manjusaka, Avici Chains, Crimson Holy Grail, Blade of Slaughter, Black River Water… and so on gradually perfected Mu Lin’s True Spirit Karma Diagram, making it increasingly dangerous as well.

“I can now call myself a World Lord, though it’s a crude, budget version of a world.”

The transformation from illusion to reality naturally brought Mu Lin many benefits.

First and foremost, the illusory scenes of Hell required Mu Lin to expend mana and spiritual sense to maintain.

In contrast, a real Hell secret realm could provide Mu Lin with power.

—Once the Hell secret realm was fully established, Mu Lin, carrying the True Spirit Karma Diagram, would be like carrying a secret realm world. As long as the world endured, Mu Lin’s power would be inexhaustible and unending.

Secondly, there was world suppression.

Filled with Primordial Yellow Qi, Mu Lin’s True Spirit Karma Diagram had transformed from illusion to reality and could be used like a Mystic Treasure in battle.

Under such circumstances, Mu Lin’s True Spirit Karma Diagram could, like the legendary Rivers and Mountains Divine Map, draw enemies into the True Spirit Diagram to suppress them.

“This diagram was created by me, and everything within it carries my aura. Inside the diagram, I can control everything and unleash three hundred percent of my combat power.”

  ”In contrast, once enemies enter the True Spirit Diagram, they will be affected by the Other Shore Flower Sea, eroded by the Black River Water, have their abilities sealed by the Avici Chains, and the spiritual energy here cannot be used by them… Under such unfavorable conditions, they can only exert thirty to fifty percent of their full power.”

It could be said that this diagram was extremely powerful. Using it against enemies, Mu Lin now had a chance to fight back against foes who were previously unbeatable.

However, while the rewards were high, the risks were also great.

The True Spirit Karma Diagram was the culmination of all Mu Lin’s cultivation methods. Using it against enemies meant that if it were damaged, Mu Lin’s foundation would be compromised.

And if it were completely destroyed, Mu Lin’s cultivation level would vanish overnight.

“Forget about drawing enemies into the diagram. Brother Monkey has already shown us with facts that recklessly swallowing people is not a good idea… However, while directly drawing enemies into the diagram for battle is not feasible, creating an environment favorable to me through illusory projections is possible.”

Mu Lin was extremely satisfied with the True Spirit Karma Diagram derived from the Primordial Yellow Qi, as it represented his path toward transforming into a world unto himself.

“If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the core of my future Hell.”

……

Outside the Time Realm, while admiring the True Spirit Karma Diagram with satisfaction, Mu Lin rapidly refined the Gang and Sha Qi, continuously merging them through Gang Sha Fusion, allowing Yin and Yang to converge and endlessly generate Primordial Yellow Qi, which he infused into the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

At the same time, while his main body cultivated, Mu Lin released numerous clones.

Some of these clones practiced mystical arts, while others wandered around the Time Realm, seemingly observing something.

Mu Lin was observing the laws of the Time Realm and contemplating how to integrate a part of the Time Realm’s populace into his True Spirit Karma Diagram.

After creating his own secret realm, Mu Lin instinctively knew that besides cultivation and growth, the secret realm could also devour bubbles from the interstices of the world and naturally occurring secret realms to expand the power of his small world.

However, devouring other realms was no easy task.

First, during the devouring process, the small world would instinctively resist.

Second, rashly devouring another realm, even if successful, would dilute his dominance over his own world.

Fearing potential issues, Mu Lin naturally dared not force the devouring process.

His current plan was to master and comprehend the laws within the Time Realm, thereby gaining partial control over it.

This way, even if he devoured it, he would remain unaffected.

“Still, the mysteries of the Time Realm are profound and elusive. Understanding them won’t happen overnight…”

…

While Mu Lin was busy cultivating, and some nobles and wealthy individuals were contemplating how to approach him, the true powerhouses from both the north and south were also deliberating.

They discussed the impact of Mu Lin’s complete victory on the situation between the two sides and pondered how to respond.

In the Southern Aristocracy, the same hall, the same group of people gathered for a meeting.

But this time, the clan heads and Elders of the influential families no longer wore worried expressions. Instead, each of them was beaming with smiles.

“Excellent. Mu Lin truly didn’t disappoint us. His complete victory has somewhat salvaged our situation. Now, even if we lose every battle hereafter, we have something to say.”

“Haha, compared to salvaging the situation, I’m even more delighted to see those crude northerners suffer a setback. They came with such overwhelming momentum, only to be suppressed by a single individual. This time, they’ve truly lost face.”

“Serves them right. Acting so arrogantly and looking down on us southerners—who else would be more deserving of misfortune?”

In their cheerful mood, they chatted casually.

Having somewhat recovered their standing, they no longer felt as distressed about potential future defeats.

Well, that was just comforting talk.

If they could win every battle, they would naturally be even happier.

However, these people were well aware that aside from Mu Lin, the other southern scholars had no advantage whatsoever when facing their northern counterparts.

With inferior strength, even if they didn’t want to lose, there was nothing they could do.

Just as some had already given up on the upcoming battles, someone suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, what do you think? Given Mu Lin’s strength, if he were to fight again, could he defeat the Mortal Shedding Prodigies from the north?”

“…”

This question brought a momentary silence to the room.

Proposing a seventeen-year-old facing off against men in their thirties or forties would have drawn furious criticism before.

But now, the group in the meeting room dared not make hasty judgments. Instead, they began considering the feasibility of such an idea.

It could only be said that Mu Lin had brought about too many unbelievable feats, making everyone reluctant to view him as weak.

After careful consideration, they felt… there was a chance.

“Mu Lin once summoned several Mortal Shedding-level combatants. Although their Cultivation Levels were only at the initial stage, none of their abilities were weak. With numbers on his side, he truly has a chance of winning.”

“Indeed, with Mu Lin’s strength, it’s impossible for him to crush the northern young prodigies as he did before. But even if he can’t dominate, he could still hold his own in an evenly matched fight.”

At this point, everyone in the meeting room brightened up.

Now, thanks to Mu Lin’s heroic efforts, they had already achieved an overwhelming advantage in the youth division.

If Mu Lin could turn the tide in a few more battles in the young adult division, then they would win this North-South rivalry.

The aggressive and arrogant Northern Aristocracy, with their opportunistic behavior, would be completely thwarted.

This situation lifted the spirits of many.

However, it wasn’t long before someone poured cold water on the excitement: “Your proposal sounds good, but you’ve overlooked one thing: Mu Lin has the ability, but he might not agree to fight.”

“Before, he wanted to stay out of it. It was only because we used some tricks to make the northerners target him that he was forced to act.”

“But after that last battle, unless the northerners are utterly brainless, they won’t provoke Mu Lin again. And if they don’t provoke him, given Mu Lin’s temperament, it’s highly unlikely he’ll take the initiative to fight…”

These words made many frown, and some even began to feel displeased with Mu Lin.

“Acting recklessly, failing to see the bigger picture… We should teach Mu Lin a lesson, make him understand his place…”

There were many who relied on their seniority to act high and mighty, and the world was complicated. Mu Lin’s close ties with the Yan Family and the Chu Family had their advantages, but they also meant that those with conflicting interests with the Yan-Chu Families had grown unfriendly toward him.

And since the Yan and Chu Families were large, there were many who opposed them.

The person speaking now was one of the Yan Family’s rivals.

His words were intended to slow down Mu Lin’s progress.

However, before he could finish, “Bang!”—the door of the conference room was suddenly flung open, and an anxious Elder from the aristocracy rushed in.

The interruption of the meeting only added to the irritation of some.

But before anyone could speak, the Elder who had barged in urgently cried out, “Clan Heads, it’s bad! The northerners have brought a large number of gifts to Mu Lin!”

“They’re trying to recruit him to the north!”

“What did you say?!”

“Clatter…”

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, everyone in the hall stood up in alarm.

How could they not be anxious? The current slight recovery in the southern situation was entirely due to Mu Lin’s efforts.

If he left, the southern situation would be reversed once again.

No, it would become even worse.

(End of Chapter)