Chapter 391 – Fighting Earth Immortals Again: Round Two!

The cultivators of Skysea City were utterly convinced of the East Sea King’s victory, and the East Sea King himself… also believed he was certain to win.

However, not long after setting out, the East Sea King’s expression darkened.

Someone at the border had reported through special means—cultivators from the Southeast Region had arrived, and not just one person. The Jade Purity Sect, Prince Liang’s Manor, the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, the Yan-Chu Families, and the Northern Aristocracy had all sent people.

With so many arriving, their momentum was already no less than that of the East Sea King.

Of course, there were still differences between the two. The forces the East Sea King had gathered were all allies willing to fight alongside him.

In contrast, the helpers Mu Lin had summoned could only bolster his presence. Asking them to fight to the death was out of the question—not only would others refuse, but even the Yan-Chu Families would be unwilling.

Yet, even knowing this, the East Sea King could not ignore them. He needed to assign people to keep watch over them, and those watchers had to be of comparable strength.

While these outsiders, the Earth Immortals, would not be willing to engage in a life-and-death struggle, they might still be inclined to cause some minor disruptions.

For instance, damaging the foundations of their families, the arrays of Skysea City, or pilfering treasures from the Prince’s Residence vault… such actions were within the realm of possibility for Earth Immortals who held grudges against him.

Especially stealing from the Prince’s Residence vault—this held great allure even for Earth Immortals.

And as long as it went undetected, the East Sea King would have no choice but to accept the loss. After all, even he could not afford to offend the combined forces of the Southeast Aristocracy, the Northern Aristocracy, and the imperial family all at once.

“I cannot allow them to act freely within Skysea City…”

With this thought, the East Sea King had no choice but to summon the others and discuss the matter with them.

“Mu Lin’s reinforcements have arrived. I need to deal with them. As for dealing with Mu Lin, I leave that to you… The four of you can handle him, right?”

These words immediately sparked dissatisfaction among the group—not because they were displeased by the East Sea King’s departure, but because he seemed to think they couldn’t handle Mu Lin.

“A mere Mortal Shedding cultivator, not even an Earth Immortal—with so many of us, how could we possibly let him escape?”

The first to speak was the East Sea King’s clan uncle. After the East Sea King’s departure, he would lead the team.

And he was brimming with confidence in dealing with Mu Lin.

Nor was he alone in his confidence. The Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect, an old cultivator recently awakened by the Prince’s Residence, another rogue cultivator, and even the East Sea King himself all believed that any one of them alone could handle Mu Lin.

Those who achieved Earth Immortal status generally possessed their own pride.

The reason so many were mobilized was largely because the East Sea King wanted to intimidate others, making it clear that offending him would inevitably come at a price.

Seeing the others brimming with confidence, the East Sea King, who himself believed Mu Lin was no match for an Earth Immortal, nodded in agreement.

“Very well. I shall await your good news within Skysea City.”

With that, the East Sea King turned back toward Skysea City.

The others, led by the Prince’s clan uncle, Ji Zheng, continued their pursuit of Mu Lin.

Indeed, during the pursuit, Jin Haoran continuously used the Five Directions Divine Inquiry to search for traces of Mu Lin.

And just as they had anticipated, Mu Lin was no match for them.

Near Skysea City, several of Mu Lin’s figures were hidden. Now, these Substitute Paper Figures were all located by Jin Haoran using the Five Directions Divine Inquiry and swiftly eliminated by the four Earth Immortals with thunderous force.

The Earth Immortal’s grand and vast methods, along with the final images transmitted by the Substitute Paper Figure, all caused Mu Lin’s main body to narrow his eyes slightly.

“Even away from Blessed Lands and Fortunate Lands, Earth Immortals possess formidable power… That makes sense. If I have spells for remotely transmitting energy, Earth Immortals naturally have them too.”

“As long as the distance isn’t excessively far, Earth Immortals can unleash power surpassing Mortal Shedding.”

“However, compared to when they are within a Blessed Land, they are still somewhat weaker… about seventy to eighty percent of their power within a Blessed Land.”

While musing inwardly, Mu Lin felt no fear. Following the original plan, he directed the Substitute Paper Figures to scatter and flee.

His actions soon made Jin Haoran and Ji Zheng frown.

The East Sea Kingdom was vast, and Mu Lin had many Clones, which were distributed in all directions. If they were to search for them one by one, it would take a long time.

What made them frown even more was that through the Five Directions Divine Inquiry, everyone clearly saw that Mu Lin’s Clones far away would suddenly split from one into two, and then the two would scatter and flee.

Clearly, Mu Lin’s Clones were not limited to those present but could be continuously produced.

If they formed teams to hunt them down, for every one they eliminated, Mu Lin could replicate another, making it impossible to eradicate them all.

Seeing this, Jin Haoran, the Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect, sighed and said, “We need to split up.”

Ji Zheng replied, “Splitting up is fine. After all, Mu Lin is only at Mortal Shedding. He might have some Anomalous methods, but he is definitely no match for us Earth Immortals.”

“It’s better to be cautious,” Jin Haoran said. “Mu Lin is no fool. Since he dared to come, he must have some reliance. We must ensure we kill him.”

After suffering a significant setback from Mu Lin, Jin Haoran had already begun to take him seriously.

Ji Zheng was willing to listen to his words and give him some face.

“I understand, but there’s no need to worry too much. As long as we maintain constant communication… Even if Mu Lin can harm us with some underhanded methods, I don’t believe he can kill us quickly.”

“As long as we hold out for a while, others will come to help.”

This reasoning was sound and eased Jin Haoran’s concerns.

“You’re right. As long as we can support each other at any time, Mu Lin won’t be able to do anything to us.”

At this point, Jin Haoran thought of something and quickly added, “We’ve already killed a few of Mu Lin’s Clones. How is the collection of his aura going?”

Everyone present knew that the stated purpose of this expedition—to kill Mu Lin—was merely a facade.

Their true goal was to collect Mu Lin’s aura.

After all, everyone had a premonition—the Mu Lin who came to the East Sea Kingdom was definitely not his main body. Thus, even if they killed all the Mu Lins here, it wouldn’t affect him.

Therefore, they either needed to form an expedition team to kill Mu Lin’s main body or search for his aura to remotely eliminate him using supernatural means—even to launch an expedition against Mu Lin, they needed to know his exact location. Hence, the search for Mu Lin’s aura was still crucial.

However, as soon as Jin Haoran spoke, Ji Zheng’s expression darkened.

“Very troublesome. That Mu Lin is prepared for this. All of his paper substitutes are tainted with forbidden powers—Sky Burial City, Black Abyss… The contamination from these forbidden forces makes it extremely difficult for us to track him.”

“Cough, no rush. That little fellow has sent many clones here. Even if each aura is mixed with forbidden power, as long as we capture enough of them, we will eventually find him.”

The last to speak was the hidden strength of the Prince’s Residence awakened by the East Sea King. His words made Ji Zheng nod in agreement.

“Uncle Jing is right. We will catch him.”

After some discussion, brimming with confidence, they split up, each taking a different direction to pursue Mu Lin.

This situation was also sensed by Mu Lin.

To be honest, the smoothness of his plan surprised even Mu Lin.

But he quickly understood the reason.

“Geniuses and strong cultivators are all proud, and most Earth Immortals were prodigies in their youth, which makes their pride even greater.”

“They don’t believe they are weaker than me, so naturally, they aren’t afraid of facing me alone after splitting up, especially when they have reinforcements.”

…

Meanwhile, the Earth Immortals scattered, swiftly hunting down Mu Lin’s clones.

In Skysea City, the East Sea King also led his men to block the path of the North-South Clans.

Knowing the other party had ill intentions, the East Sea King showed them no pleasant expression.

“What are you doing here?”

Everyone saw the displeasure on the East Sea King’s face, but no one cared.

A high-ranking official of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty even spoke with a smile: “Your Highness, we are here to mediate. With the Doomsday Calamity approaching and the Human Race facing great peril, this is the time for us to unite. Please prioritize the greater good and cease your pursuit of Mu Lin.”

“Yes, we must preserve the strength of the Human Race.”

“Taking a step back brings broader horizons, Your Highness. Please exercise restraint.”

In the past, it was always the East Sea King urging others to prioritize the greater good. Now, such words were directed at him.

This feeling was far from pleasant.

At this moment, the East Sea King’s face turned livid with anger.

“Get this straight—it is Mu Lin who is causing trouble in my kingdom. He is the guilty one. If you truly care about the greater good of the Human Race, you should help me kill Mu Lin!”

“No, no, Your Highness. It was your East Sea King’s Manor that broke the rules first. Mu Lin is merely carrying out proportional retaliation.”

“It’s better to resolve grievances than to prolong them, Your Highness. I believe it would be in your best interest to accept this mediation. Mu Lin is not so easy to kill…”

The cultivators from the North-South Clans who came openly urged the East Sea King to prioritize the greater good and reconcile with Mu Lin.

However, having suffered a great loss and with his pride trampled into the mud, the East Sea King was at his most furious.

He also believed he had absolute confidence in crushing Mu Lin, so the mediation from the North-South Clans was utterly unacceptable to him.

In his extreme rage, the East Sea King even made a bold declaration.

“No matter what, I will never reconcile with Mu Lin. It’s either him or me.”

“East Sea King, if you remain this stubborn, you will regret it.”

“Hah, regret? Mu Lin isn’t worthy of that!”

While the East Sea King and the North-South Clans were deadlocked and restraining each other, Mu Lin’s location in Melting Fire City was also discovered.

Leading the team was Ji Zheng, a direct descendant of the Prince’s Residence.

As he first set foot within the borders of Melting Fire City, a Soul Reflection simultaneously appeared in the Netherworld’s Melting Fire City.

And the moment the Soul Reflection took form, Mu Lin’s attack immediately followed.

However, it must be said that an Earth Immortal is indeed an Earth Immortal. Having once merged his body and mind with heaven and earth, he sensed something amiss with the world the moment he arrived in Melting Fire City. Moreover, Jin Haoran, the Sect Leader of the Golden God Sect, had warned them after joining the East Sea King’s Manor’s faction. Thus, as soon as the Soul Reflection formed, Ji Zheng detected it and immediately shifted his consciousness to the Soul Reflection in the Netherworld.

“Boom!”

With a casual gesture, a protective shield materialized around him, blocking Mu Lin’s Avici Chains attack.

After fending off the assault, he did not immediately counterattack. Instead, he looked at Mu Lin and spoke:

“To actually use the Yang World as a foundation and create its opposite… To comprehend such a divine ability during Mortal Shedding, kid, your talent is truly remarkable. I cherish talent and am willing to give you a chance.”

“Submit to me, sign a soul origin contract with me, and I am willing to spare your life.”

“Hah…”

These words made Mu Lin laugh in anger.

But before Mu Lin could utter any mocking retort, the voice from the opposite side continued.

And what he said next left even Mu Lin momentarily stunned.

“Don’t misunderstand. Having you sign a soul origin contract is not meant to humiliate you. I merely seek a guarantee… If you are willing to submit to me, I will marry my daughter to you and make you a member of my family.”

“Huh??”

(End of Chapter)