Chapter 367 – Blueprint for Constructing the Wheel of Reincarnation

The Ouroboros Sword itself is nothing extraordinary—its head and tail connected, symbolizing an infinite cycle.

Of course, only a complete Ouroboros possesses such power, and at that level, the Ouroboros is at least a powerhouse on par with a Mythical True Lord.

Moreover, in many myths and legends, the head-to-tail Ouroboros even possesses world-creating abilities, further elevating its upper limit—the supreme creator deity, which is the ultimate state of the Ouroboros.

However, while the Ouroboros is powerful, the Ouroboros Sword is merely a human-made imitation Dharma Sword, crafted either by observing a faint projection of the Ouroboros or by refining a spiritual snake containing a trace of Ouroboros bloodline.

As a “budget youth edition” of the Ouroboros, the gap between the Ouroboros Sword and the true Ouroboros is like the sun compared to a flicker of light—the two are simply incomparable.

Fortunately, the Ouroboros is sufficiently powerful, and even the “youth edition” Ouroboros Sword, created using the principles it embodies, remains an excellent magical artifact, even if its power is less than a ten-thousandth of its main body’s.

Especially after falling into Mu Lin’s hands, he discovered that this Ouroboros Sword was exceptionally compatible with his True Spirit Karma Diagram.

First, there was its infinite cycle ability, akin to a Möbius strip.

In the hands of the Black-Robed Elder, he could only create an infinite cycle field to deflect most attacks.

But once in Mu Lin’s possession, fused with the True Spirit Karma Diagram, its power underwent a qualitative transformation.

—Mu Lin possessed a secret realm small world, and the infinite cycle field of the Ouroboros was inherently related to world creation.

The fusion of the two was like a long drought meeting sweet rain—a wondrous reaction unfolded within the secret realm small world Mu Lin had created.

“Hum!”

First, the defense of Mu Lin’s nascent world expanded at least tenfold—by leveraging the concept of infinite cycles, Mu Lin could transfer an enemy’s attack from a single point, cycling it across the entire world.

Thus, whether from within or without, any attack attempting to breach Mu Lin’s world barrier would face immense difficulty.

Attacking a single point is far easier to penetrate than attacking an entire world.

“The Black-Robed Elder lacked a world as a foundation, so the field he created was merely a structureless expanse.”

“But I am different. With the secret realm world as my foundation, it is like a building having load-bearing pillars—the Ouroboros Sword’s power can be fully unleashed. Now, even an Earth Immortal would find it difficult to breach my defenses in a short time.”

Such is the wonder of combining a solid foundation, a secret realm world, and the world-creating principles of the Ouroboros.

Moreover, after the fusion of the secret realm world and the Ouroboros’s principles, Mu Lin’s defenses were not merely strong—he could also protect against nearly all forms of attack.

Encased by the Ouroboros’s principles, Mu Lin’s secret realm world seemed as if it were separated from the native great world. Such defense was comparable to the ability of the legendary Avalon scabbard—the isolated utopia of fantasy.

“Because it is separated from the world, any attack incapable of breaking the world’s boundaries—whether spells, physical force, or other forms of interference—cannot reach me.”

Standing before the enemy in his true form, yet separated by worlds, Mu Lin seemed to exist in another dimension. Such defense could be called invincible.

However, soon after, Mu Lin shook his head.

“I can’t afford to be careless yet. The defense of my Ouroboros Barrier is closely tied to the growth of my world. Currently, the Hell world I created using the Profound Yellow Qi is merely the tiniest of secret realms. Although, with the mysteries of the Ouroboros, I can distribute concentrated attacks across the entire world, because the secret realm is so small, its defense is ultimately limited… It doesn’t require the power to shatter worlds or break through the void; as long as an attack can breach the secret realm, the enemy might reach me.”

“Hmm, I also can’t withstand the sustained attacks of an Earth Immortal.”

The flaw arising from the world’s small size made Mu Lin sigh a little.

But he was the only one sighing. If others learned of Mu Lin’s regret, they would surely curse him to death.

“At the Gang Sha Sorcerer realm, you can already withstand attacks from an Earth Immortal, even if only temporarily. That’s a full two major realms of difference! And with that, you’re still not satisfied? What do you want—to kill an Earth Immortal as a Gang Sha Sorcerer?”

…

Such an ambition—to confront a true Earth Immortal with Gang Sha—Mu Lin didn’t dare entertain yet.

However, after reaching Mortal Shedding, or perhaps advancing to Mortal Shedding Pinnacle, Mu Lin believed he could contend with an Earth Immortal.

Of course, that was a matter for the future.

At this moment, Mu Lin was more focused on his gains.

It must be said that the Ouroboros and the world were indeed incredibly compatible.

Its principle of infinite circulation could not only act upon the World Barrier but also operate within the world itself.

Originally, the Hell world Mu Lin created was not completely static, but it only underwent changes when he willed it.

Now, however, with the infusion of the Ouroboros mysteries, it seemed to come alive, gaining some ability to operate autonomously.

For example, without Mu Lin’s direction, the Other Shore Flower, under the influence of the infinite circulation force, began to flow, merge, and interact with other Forbidden Powers, giving birth to some subspecies.

Other abilities also fused and collided with each other, and this exchange itself constituted circulation.

At the same time, Mu Lin had an inexplicable feeling that if he fully comprehended the Primordial Chaos Yuan Gang, the forces of existence and nothingness, and the mysteries of the Ouroboros, he could create—the Wheel of Reincarnation!

…

“The infinite circulation force of the Ouroboros can cycle souls from death back to life.”

“The Primordial Chaos Yuan Gang and the Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi (the powers of existence and nothingness) can strip away other forces from dead souls, leaving only the immortal true spirit to reincarnate… Good, I have the blueprint for constructing the Wheel of Reincarnation.”

“Wait…”

Having figured out how to construct the core of Hell—the Wheel of Reincarnation—Mu Lin was initially pleased, but he soon realized something: Why does Hell have reincarnation and rebirth?

Some say it’s the Heavenly Dao’s mercy, giving people a chance to start over.

Some say it’s the Heavenly Dao establishing an order of good and evil to maintain human stability.

Others say it’s sages, moved by the plight of wandering souls and harboring great compassion, who created the cycle of reincarnation.

But Mu Lin, after comprehending everything, found these to be lies.

The true reason for the existence of reincarnation might include these mysteries and meanings, but more than that, it was—to reap profits.

Yes, exactly like capitalists harvesting gains.

As a unique world, Hell can grow continuously by absorbing negative emotions and soul power.

As for so-called reincarnation, each cycle sees deceased souls arriving in the Netherworld laden with vast amounts of emotion, memory, and soul power.

And as is well known, in worlds of fantasy and myth, human emotions, souls, and memories all possess power.

Many Deities are sustained by human faith, their Divine Kingdoms likewise supported by human belief, enabling them to reside in the astral realms.

Understanding these principles, what follows becomes simple: death-laden soul spirits enter Hell, where through various processes they shed their “heavy burdens” and depart lightly—so lightly that only their true spirits remain for reincarnation.

And where do those burdens go—the memories of the deceased, the various emotions derived from them, and the Divine Soul power gained through growth or cultivation?

Naturally, they are absorbed and digested by Hell, becoming nourishment for its growth and expansion.

“So, humans are like leeks—each cycle of reincarnation adds fuel to Hell’s growth.”

Having grasped all this, Mu Lin remained silent for a long while.

After some time, he shook his head and sighed, “Indeed, myths may contain truth, goodness, and beauty, but more often they are entangled with interests.”

After this reflection, Mu Lin—now aware of Hell’s true meaning—had no intention of changing it.

After all, Hell was now in his hands; he was the one harvesting the leeks.

“If I’m the one benefiting? Then it’s fine.”

Moreover, having reincarnation and a chance to start anew was better than having none.

“As long as the Hell reincarnation system remains sound, refraining from arbitrarily capturing the living and instead waiting for their natural deaths before harvesting everything—this is not harmful to either the world or humanity.”

“This could even be considered a covenant: I give all beings a chance to start over, and in return, they surrender everything from their previous lives to me.”

Pondering this, Mu Lin realized something with a bitter smile:

“No wonder Hell pays little attention to the lives and deaths of the living. There really isn’t much need. Whether humans experience sorrow, suffering, joy, or happiness in life makes no difference to the Hell realm, which can absorb all negative emotions, soul spirit power, and memories.”

“Emotions of sorrow and suffering are not necessarily worse than those of happiness—they might even be better.”

“And upon death, all their ‘burdens’ are stripped away and digested by Hell, after which their true spirits are cast into the mortal world to accumulate anew.”

“Human conflicts and plagues mean a faster harvest for Hell; stable human lives mean a slower harvest for the Netherworld.”

“But regardless of life or death, humans will always pass through Hell. Thus, in most cases, the Netherworld does not interfere with human conflicts, simply awaiting their natural deaths.”

Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all beings as straw dogs.

Never before had Mu Lin understood this phrase so profoundly.

…

To be honest, this method of harvesting made Mu Lin rather envious.

Yet, in the end, he did not pursue it.

Not out of kindness or reluctance to harvest human burdens, but because he could not.

Setting aside his incomplete mastery of Primordial Chaos Yuan Gang, Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi, and the Ouroboros essence to create the Wheel of Reincarnation—

Even if he succeeded, he lacked the time to accumulate gradually.

In their previous lives, the Emperor of Fengdu and the Lord of Mount Tai were already great deities, possessing lifespans spanning hundreds of millions of years. Thus, they had ample time to cast the immortal true spirits of humanity into the mortal world, then watch as humans grew, died, and were slowly harvested.

Alternatively, they would leave behind some outstanding human heroes, allowing them to become Ghost Messengers, Yin Soldiers, Civil and Military Judges, or City Gods in the mortal world, silently accumulating the power of Hell.

But Mu Lin was different. He did not have such a long lifespan, nor did he have that much time. At present, he was still at an age where he had to seize the day.

Therefore, the matter of reincarnation and harvesting souls like crops was something Mu Lin had to set aside for now.

“What a pity.”

With a sigh, Mu Lin withdrew his consciousness from the grand narrative and returned to the present.

“The Ouroboros Sword can serve as my primary Magical Artifact. Wielding it, combined with my Hell Secret Realm, will create a chasm between me and ordinary Cultivators akin to the divide between gods and mortals.”

“From now on, ordinary means will no longer be able to harm me.”

After clarifying the state of the Ouroboros Sword, Mu Lin turned his attention to his second Source Rune.

Unsurprisingly, this rune was the symbol representing infinite meaning—the character 【∞】.

(End of Chapter)