Chapter 362 – Prelude to Mortal Shedding: Assassination

“Thank you for the reminder, I will go and learn it.”

Cultivation methods related to emptiness, once involved, carry an extremely high probability of causing one’s own existence to vanish. This danger is unavoidable.

Fortunately, Mu Lin believed his foundation was solid enough that he wouldn’t face too great a risk.

After he nodded in agreement and settled this matter, the Northern Aristocracy visibly relaxed.

Their basic objective had been achieved.

Subsequently, they invited Mu Lin to join the North—though they knew the chances were slim, the Northern Aristocracy still made the offer, and the conditions they presented were quite favorable.

Ordinary benefits, such as priority allocation of resources and promises to support Mu Lin in competing for the position of Military Lord, need not be mentioned.

In fact, they even promised Mu Lin that if he were willing, the Northern Aristocracy could support him in becoming a king.

This was not rebellion.

In this world where great power resides within oneself, the strong were mostly highly individualistic and independent, unwilling to be constrained.

Moreover, with major sects and factions acting as checks and balances, the imperial family of Da Ling resembled more of a nominal overlord, akin to a Western-style aristocratic monarchy, rather than the centralized authority of Eastern feudal times.

Thus, in this world, kings of different surnames did exist.

“The North is vast, and there are still many unclaimed lands today. With your strength, Mu Lin, and the support of our aristocracy, you have a chance to be enfeoffed as a king…”

Such words stirred Mu Lin somewhat.

Because of the City God, Mu Lin indeed needed a territory entirely under his own control.

In the inland regions, obtaining such a territory was difficult.

Currently, Mu Lin had only secured a small area in Ping’an Ancient County.

Moreover, in that area, his City God remained semi-hidden, not daring to reveal itself openly.

But in the North, these problems would vanish entirely.

There were vast tracts of unclaimed land there; as long as Mu Lin’s strength was exceptional, he could occupy as much as he could.

Beyond being conducive to development, Mu Lin also understood the principle that “when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.”

He and the Human Race were essentially a community of shared destiny, and the Northern Aristocracy stood as the front line against the Foreign Races and demonic evils.

If he lacked the ability, it would be one thing, but with capability, if he did not help, and the northern defense line collapsed, leading to the fall of Human Race territory, Mu Lin felt his own situation would not be favorable either.

Of course, while Mu Lin wanted to contribute to humanity, he would not place himself in danger.

Thus, he planned to dispatch numerous Paper Figure Clones to the Northern Wastelands to assist in resisting demons and monsters, while his Main Body remained in the safer southeastern heartland.

Hmm… Others could hardly distinguish Mu Lin’s Clones from the real thing, so he would not mention the matter of the Clones.

…

Upon hearing that Mu Lin was going to the Northern Wastelands, Qing, Iron Tower, and Lu Hao were all extremely excited at first.

Even Luo Chen, who had once been defeated by Mu Lin, had a gleam in his eyes.

However, upon learning that Mu Lin was only going to the North to assist and did not intend to participate in the ongoing North-South conflict, they… sighed again.

It was no wonder they reacted this way, for in their view:

Mu Lin’s strength was considerable, ranking first among the young Prodigies.

His talent was even more extraordinary, with the potential to become a Celestial Master in the future.

But the future was the future, and the present was the present.

At this moment, he could only be called a young powerhouse, not a true powerhouse.

Therefore, Mu Lin’s current journey to the North would merely add one more Mortal Shedding combatant to the Northern Wastelands.

Yet, having one more such combatant would have virtually no impact on the situation in the north.

Whether it was Iron Tower, Qing, Luo Chen, or Earth Master-level Lu Hao, they all believed that Mu Lin’s greatest use now was to join them in pressuring the south, forcing the Southern Aristocracy to pay a massive price in resources.

Such an action would be more useful than having a hundred Mu Lins in the north.

Unfortunately, doing so would completely and irrevocably offend the Southern Aristocracy.

Mu Lin was no fool; he understood well that having more friends meant more paths forward. He had no intention of offending either the Northern Aristocracy or the Southern Aristocracy.

Admittedly, such behavior might seem like fence-sitting, but only those without value were labeled as such.

For those with ability, it was called playing both sides.

In the end, Lu Hao and the others failed to persuade Mu Lin.

As they left Mu Lin’s residence, they all sighed with regret.

Iron Tower said, “What a pity. We couldn’t fully pull Mu Lin into the northern camp. Even if we win now, it will only be a minor victory, far from achieving our goals.”

“Look on the bright side. At least Mu Lin has agreed not to take further action, and he plans to head north soon to help us fend off the demons and monsters.”

“What use is that? The Northern Wastelands are vast. Even an Earth Master can’t turn the tide, let alone a Mortal Shedding cultivator. To truly reverse the situation with sheer strength, you’d need at least a Celestial Master’s Cultivation Level, and a powerful one at that. Mu Lin does have the potential to become a Celestial Master—and a high probability at that—but it will take him many years to reach that level. We in the north don’t have that much time.”

“…”

At these words, the others fell silent.

Finally, Deputy Corps Commander Lu Hao spoke up.

“Alright, don’t worry. The Northern Wastelands will be fine. The Corps Commander has never put all his eggs in one basket. Since we can’t succeed, we’ll move on to the next plan.”

At this point, Lu Hao’s expression hardened. “The Southern Aristocracy has long suggested we abandon useless territories and fortify our defenses. Fine, we’ll do as they wish and give up some regions.”

“However, where we choose to fortify after abandoning those territories is not for them to decide.”

“I think the Jiangnan Region is a land of talent and spiritual energy—a fine place indeed.”

…

Mu Lin was unaware of the other schemes brewing in the Northern Wastelands, but he could sense their disappointment.

He wasn’t angry about it… even though he believed his presence in the north could slightly alter the situation.

Without witnessing it firsthand, it was only natural for them not to believe him.

Moreover, they had always treated him well. Even in their disappointment, they hadn’t resorted to coercion and were still willing to offer their support. For that, Mu Lin was already satisfied.

“Continue with the Gang Sha Fusion… If nothing goes wrong, in three days, my Gang and Sha Qi will completely transform into Profound Yellow Qi. That will also be the moment I advance to Mortal Shedding and fully condense my Dharma Body.”

Thinking of this, even Mu Lin felt a surge of excitement.

Condensing a Dharma Body could awaken supernatural abilities.

Take Luo Chen, for example. Although he had lost to Mu Lin, the moment he advanced to Mortal Shedding, his strength increased dozens of times, and his flesh-and-blood body transformed into a Calamity Body.

Furthermore, after advancing to Mortal Shedding, he could summon vast amounts of Calamity Qi with mere words, even shaping it into spiritual forms.

These abilities were all quite extraordinary, and Mu Lin couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

“I wonder what divine ability I’ll gain when I advance to Mortal Shedding…”

During his cultivation, Mu Lin was filled with anticipation. To his dismay, before he could cultivate for long, someone came knocking again.

This time, it was Yan Yunyu and Si Ye. They had received messages from their families and informed him about the Southern Aristocracy’s discussions in the secret chamber.

Upon hearing the Lu Family’s stance, Mu Lin felt a wave of frustration.

“As expected, no matter where you go, you can’t avoid such things.”

After sighing, Mu Lin directly said to Yan Yunyu, “Spread the word that I’ll be heading north in a while to join the war against the demons. Also, make sure to publicize the Northern Aristocracy’s invitation to me.”

The Yan-Chu Families were not swayed by moral coercion, and Mu Lin was naturally the same.

He understood even better the principle of striking first to prevent a hundred blows later.

The current situation was a test of his bottom line. Mu Lin had no doubt that if he backed down, those Aristocratic Families would not appreciate his kindness. Instead, they would see him as weak and continue to press him step by step, testing his limits further.

—Mu Lin had never harbored any illusions about the Aristocratic Families of this world. He knew all too well that their vast resources were never obtained freely but were extracted from ordinary people and common Cultivators.

Every Aristocratic Family bore original sin; not a single one was clean.

Their goodwill toward him was only because of his exceptional talent or because they believed provoking him would bring endless trouble and consequences.

Thus, Mu Lin wanted them to know that their thoughts were correct—provoking him indeed came with endless repercussions.

Only in this way could he ensure others would not harbor wild ideas about him.

…

Yan Yunyu and Si Ye easily grasped Mu Lin’s meaning.

“Make the Lu Family pay the price? I understand, but how much exactly?”

“As much as possible. If they don’t satisfy me, we’ll simply join the Northern Aristocracy.”

“Eh?!”

This statement startled both Yan Yunyu and Si Ye.

“Isn’t this a bit too impulsive?”

“Not impulsive. The south is stable, but precisely because of that stability, all the land here is already claimed, leaving no room for me to grow. In contrast, the north is embroiled in constant warfare and desperately craves combat strength. In that region, as long as you have power, there are opportunities to rise. Developing in the north is actually better for me than staying in the south.”

In simpler terms, the south was stable and suitable for early-stage development.

But once you reached a certain level of growth, further advancement became constrained by that very stability.

Originally, Mu Lin appreciated the stable environment of the south and was reluctant to cause too much loss to the region. Thus, he planned to leave quietly without getting involved in the north-south conflict.

But since an Aristocratic Family had already set their sights on him first, he wouldn’t hold back.

“…I understand.”

Both Yan Yunyu and Si Ye felt somewhat uneasy about Mu Lin’s decision.

They preferred staying in the stable south, where even if cultivation progressed slower, it was safer.

However, they were even more aware that their current status largely depended on Mu Lin.

If he left, they would have to follow.

Therefore, once Mu Lin made his decision, they dared not argue and hurried off to carry out his instructions.

With the two of them gone, Mu Lin finally felt he could resume his cultivation.

Then, before even the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed, he sighed and opened his eyes.

Someone else had come looking for him.

What made Mu Lin frown even more was that he didn’t recognize the person, and the man showed no intention of announcing himself. Instead, he barged straight in.

—Around Mu Lin’s perimeter, Yan Yunyu and Si Ye had arranged many people. This was both to serve him and to prevent idle individuals from approaching, ensuring they couldn’t disturb Mu Lin’s cultivation.

Even when the Northern Aristocracy had arrived earlier, a servant had come to announce them, giving Mu Lin time to prepare before the meeting took place.

But now, this person strode directly forward, completely ignoring the servants’ calls.

“Halt.”

“Stop.”

“Barging in like this won’t get you what you want. You’ll only offend Lord Mu Lin…”

“Bastard, stop him!”

Seeing that no amount of shouting could deter the intruder, the squad leader arranged by Yan Yunyu roared in anger and ordered the use of force to block him.

However, before they could even act—

“Boom!” A terrifying aura erupted from the newcomer.

As his presence flared, the man no longer concealed his intentions. Instead, he burst forth with incredible speed, charging straight toward Mu Lin with lethal intent.

“Brat, your life ends here, taken by this old man!”

“?!”

“An assassination attempt?”

“Is the Lu Family this decisive? Just after offending them, they already want me dead?”

The sudden assassination attempt, to be honest, caught Mu Lin off guard.

It wasn’t fear from being attacked that startled him, but rather astonishment that someone would dare to do such a thing.

(End of Chapter)