Chapter 382 – I Am the Bigger Picture: Opposing Earth Immortals!

The sudden, faint sound of weeping sent a chill through the hearts of the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader and Elders. Instinctively, they turned their heads to look.

Then, something that made their eyes nearly burst with rage occurred.

The many disciples of their Golden God Sect, over a hundred juniors, were all staring at them with a strange, eerie gaze.

Seeing those eyes devoid of any goodwill or warmth, filled only with strangeness, hatred, and killing intent, the Sect Leader and numerous Elders of the Golden God Sect understood all too well: before their arrival, their own children and juniors had already been controlled and corrupted by Mu Lin.

What enraged and drove them to madness even more was that, to avoid Mu Lin’s retaliation, the cultivators of the Golden God Sect had not only gathered the sect’s prodigy disciples together.

Their own children had also been summoned back to the sect and were under strict protection.

Hmm… To prevent information leaks, within the Golden God Sect, only cultivators at the Elder level or above were qualified to notify their families and bring them in for protection.

And then, everyone was wiped out by Mu Lin in one fell swoop.

“Guang’er…”

“No, Wen Yan…”

“How… how could you be so cruel!”

“Malevolent Ghost, do you have no conscience or righteousness as a human? Killing the prodigies of our Human Race—you are a traitor, the greatest traitor of humanity!”

The Elders of the Golden God Sect were furious, and the Sect Leader… was also stunned for a long moment by the tragic scene before him.

Mu Lin’s attack had not only affected his own family and children but had also completely wiped out the entire younger generation of prodigies in the Golden God Sect.

This meant that their Golden God Sect would face a gaping void for an entire generation.

Such a loss was too devastating, so severe that even the benefits promised by the East Sea King could not make up for it.

To be honest, the Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect was truly feeling some regret at this moment.

He had never expected Mu Lin’s methods to be so insidious, nor that he would strike first.

The overwhelming loss also filled the Sect Leader’s mind with rage, causing him, like the Elders under him, to hurl accusations at Mu Lin:

“Bastard, do you have no humanity at all? How innocent are the disciples of my Golden God Sect? If you want revenge, come for me! Bullying the weak, slaughtering the Human Race—what kind of human prodigy are you…”

The broken Elders and Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect cursed Mu Lin with venomous hatred, their eyes glaring at him as if they wanted to devour him.

However, despite their incessant accusations, Mu Lin’s emotions remained utterly calm.

“I’ve always warned you: don’t make an enemy of me, or you won’t be able to bear the consequences. But you never wanted to heed my advice. So, I said it beforehand: the deaths of your disciples and children were entirely caused by yourselves.”

“As for humanity, conscience, righteousness…”

At this point, Mu Lin chuckled softly, his gaze filled with mockery.

“You have even less right to speak of these. Bullying the weak and involving the innocent without any humanity or righteousness—isn’t that exactly what you did first?”

“The one who starts the trouble will suffer the consequences.”

“Since you dared to do it first, I naturally don’t mind doing it back… What, did you think only you could disregard the rules and bully the weak, while I had to play by the rules with you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If you dared to act first, then be prepared to accept all forms of retaliation!”

Mu Lin’s words left some of the Golden God Sect’s Elders speechless—dealing with a young Prodigy like Mu Lin, their entire sect had mobilized. In such a situation, Mu Lin’s relentless retaliation against the entire Golden God Sect was normal in this era that adhered to the principle of blood feud.

However, self-reflection is difficult for people, especially when consumed by anger over the tragic deaths of family members.

At this moment, some remained silent, while others angrily retorted, “We were indeed wrong, but are you completely blameless? Slaughtering young Prodigies—you are a Malevolent Ghost, a traitor, humanity’s greatest sinner!”

The accusing Cultivator’s eyes were bloodshot, but to their surprise, Mu Lin did not outright deny their accusations. Instead, he nodded and said, “You are right about one thing—I am indeed not a good person, nor do I wish to be a good person who is held at gunpoint.”

Shrugging, Mu Lin added indifferently:

“I follow the principle of repaying harm sevenfold. I quite like the title of ‘villain’ you gave me.”

“However, while I accept the title of villain, I reject labels like ‘disruptor of the greater good’ or ‘humanity’s sinner.’ Those apply to you. After all, my talent is far greater than anyone in your Golden God Sect, and my value to humanity surpasses all of yours. Therefore, I am the greater good—I represent humanity’s greater good.”

“Daring to oppose me makes you the sinners and traitors who stifle Human Prodigies!”

“…”

“…”

Mu Lin’s response left many of the Golden God Sect’s Elders silent.

First, they hadn’t expected Mu Lin to openly admit to being a villain and reject the notion of being a good person. This made their accusations feel like punching cotton—frustrating and futile.

—Only good people are held at gunpoint or forced to prove their innocence, but since he openly declared he wasn’t a good person, what use was further accusation?

Second, they hadn’t anticipated Mu Lin’s sheer arrogance and hubris, claiming he represented humanity’s greater good.

Soon, someone spat in disgust:

“Pah! How could you possibly represent the Human Race?”

“Why not? After all, my talent surpasses your entire Golden God Sect. Moreover, I’ve defeated the younger generation of the North-South Clans. If I call myself the Human Race’s top Prodigy, do you have any objections?”

“…”

The undeniable truth left them with no rebuttal.

As they fell silent, Mu Lin suddenly turned his head toward the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader and smiled faintly, saying, “Have you finished investigating? You should have realized by now that your disciples cannot be saved.”

“…”

These words weighed heavily on the hearts of the Golden God Sect’s Elders and Sect Leader.

Earlier, they had intended to take action against Mu Lin, but now they were only engaging in verbal sparring, not directly eliminating him. This was not without reason or due to mere intimidation.

—When the first Golden God Sect disciple stepped forward, the other disciples also stood eerily before Mu Lin, forming a human wall to shield him.

Under such circumstances, if the Golden God Sect’s Elders took action, those Anomalous figures would not stand idly by. A bloody conflict would be inevitable.

However, those blocking Mu Lin’s path were all members of the Golden God Sect’s younger generation—many of them their own family members and descendants.

Under such circumstances, how could they bring themselves to strike?

Even though the bizarre behavior of the numerous disciples and their descendants weighed heavily on the hearts of the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader and Elders, and they understood what it signified, their unwillingness to accept the fate of their descendants’ demise still left a sliver of hope within them—a hope to rescue their own kin.

Thus, to avoid provoking Mu Lin, they refrained from launching a forceful assault. Instead, they stalled him with words while secretly investigating.

Mu Lin sensed all of this, but he paid it no mind. He, too, needed time.

While the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader required time to investigate, Mu Lin needed sufficient time for the Other Shore Flower to mature and to channel more power into this realm.

And now, Mu Lin’s cooldown had ended.

“Hum!”

With a single thought from Mu Lin, a vast and eerie force suddenly traversed space, descending upon Mu Lin… and the surrounding cultivators.

This force caused Mu Lin’s aura to surge rapidly. Soon, he crossed the threshold of a Gang Sha Sorcerer, reaching the level of a Mortal Shedding Adept. Moreover, within the Mortal Shedding Adept tier, Mu Lin’s cultivation level was not low.

However, this came at a cost… The prodigy disciples of the Golden God Sect around Mu Lin trembled uncontrollably, with blood streaming from their seven orifices, as if enduring immense pressure.

And indeed, they were bearing tremendous strain.

Possessing a Grandmaster-level Paper Substitute and the quantum transmission ability he had comprehended during the paper figure’s advancement, Mu Lin could not transmit all of his power to the Paper Substitute, but transmitting seventy to eighty percent was effortless.

Yet, while Mu Lin could transmit, his paper figures might not necessarily withstand such power.

After all, the paper figures of the Yin Eight Gates Paper Artisan lineage were never renowned for their sturdy materials or individual strength.

The most commendable aspects of a Paper Artisan’s paper figures were their eerie abilities and—their cheapness.

Yes, cheap.

With a single breath and a sheet of paper, one could craft a paper figure servant, making it infinitely more convenient than a Puppet Master.

But for this very reason, a single paper figure was utterly incapable of bearing Mu Lin’s immense power.

Even if he used ten-thousand-year-old Year-End Paper, it would not suffice.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had considerable insight into Arrays. If one paper figure was insufficient, he could use over a hundred paper figures to form an array to receive his power.

Now, although there were not over a hundred paper figures within the Golden God Sect, the prodigy disciples of the younger generation, who had the Other Shore Flower planted in their hearts, had become Mu Lin’s vessels.

Using them as conduits, Mu Lin’s power descended.

“Using these people’s strength can reduce the wear and tear on my paper folding… It’s just a pity that it’s somewhat costly in terms of human lives.”

In the brief moment Mu Lin sighed, some had already succumbed to the pressure of his descent, dying instantly.

This sight finally pushed the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader beyond the limits of his restraint.

“Stop!”

Naturally, Mu Lin paid no heed to such a command, which only fueled the Sect Leader’s impatience to act.

“I said stop!”

“Boom!”

Accompanied by his furious roar, an overwhelming pressure once again descended upon Mu Lin’s surroundings.

At that moment, Mu Lin felt as if the very world of the Golden God Sect had turned into amber, repelling and sealing him within.

However, what was different from before was that previously, he only had one paper figure, with weak power, and he was easily sealed away by this vast and mighty force as if he were a mere mosquito.

But now, with seventy to eighty percent of his power transferred over, Mu Lin… he already possessed the strength to contend with the Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect.

“King Yama Domain, open!”

“Old man, you’re not the only one with a domain!”

“Hum!”

As the vast and mighty force of the Golden God Sect’s Sect Leader pressed down on Mu Lin, Mu Lin’s King Yama Domain also unfolded within the Golden God Sect.

The two domains clashed in this world with the most intense and resolute confrontation.

“Boom!”

The collision of Dharma Domains caused the earth to quake and the heavens to change color.

Standing at the forefront of the confrontation, Mu Lin felt no fear, only unbridled exhilaration.

“Finally, I can fight with all my strength.”

“Let me see just how much of a gap there is between me and an Earth Immortal.”

“Hum!!”

(End of Chapter)