Chapter 397 – East Sea King: Even If I Die, I Won't Die Out There

Purifying the East Sea King’s imprint and refining the Mountain-River Cauldron—on this side, Mu Lin was thoroughly engrossed in his tasks.

Within Skysea City, the impact of the Earth Immortal’s demise gradually began to manifest.

Simultaneously, the city descended into complete chaos.

Well, to be precise, Skysea City had already fallen into disarray before the news of the Earth Immortal’s demise reached here.

The Yan-Chu Families, the North-South Clans, the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty’s court-appointed cultivators… The arrival of numerous Earth Immortals could not be concealed, nor did they have any intention of hiding it.

Consequently, it wasn’t long before the cultivators in Skysea City discovered that many Earth Immortals had arrived in the city and were confronting the East Sea King.

This extraordinary situation of Earth Immortals standing off against one another left countless people wide-eyed in astonishment. Many aristocratic families from other regions, upon hearing the news, dispatched their spies to the city. The arrival of these individuals only added to the bustling atmosphere of Skysea City.

At the same time, a flurry of speculations and rumors swept through the entire city.

“What’s happening? So many Earth Immortals have openly arrived here.”

“I know. It’s said they’ve come for Mu Lin—they intend to rescue him.”

“Huh?”

This statement left many people astonished, and some quickly spoke up:

“Wait, that doesn’t sound right. As far as I recall, Mu Lin comes from a humble background with no influential family behind him. How could he attract so many Earth Immortals to protect him?”

“What’s so strange about that? It’s true Mu Lin has no family backing, but his talent is extraordinary. He is the top Prodigy among the North-South Clans, and some even call him the Human Race’s number one Prodigy. Many factions are optimistic about his future and want to curry favor with him… If not for this incident, even our East Sea King held him in high regard and once considered marrying his daughter to him.”

“Uh…”

The cultivator’s words left many unable to refute.

At the same time, they acknowledged Mu Lin’s reputation as the Human Race’s top Prodigy—after all, he single-handedly crippled the entire Golden God Sect and struck fear into the hearts of countless aristocratic families. If someone like him couldn’t be considered the Human Race’s top Prodigy, the people of Skysea City couldn’t even imagine how powerful a true top Prodigy would need to be.

After a moment of silence, someone remarked with a complicated expression, “So, Mu Lin will leave our East Sea Kingdom unscathed?”

“Probably. With so many Earth Immortals here, even the East Sea King would have to show some respect, wouldn’t he?”

The arrival of numerous Earth Immortals led many cultivators to believe that Mu Lin would leave safely. However, more people held the opposite view.

“It’s not that simple. These people have indeed come, but if they openly clash with the East Sea King, they could perish here. I don’t think they would risk their lives for Mu Lin.”

“I share the same opinion. At most, these people are here to mediate. But if the East Sea King remains stubborn and refuses to back down, few would dare to take action… And over these past few days, Mu Lin has thoroughly trampled the East Sea King’s dignity into the mud. Our prince is unlikely to retreat…”

After much discussion, many were pessimistic about Mu Lin’s future, and their reasoning seemed quite plausible.

On the other side, the East Sea King shared the same thoughts as the many citizens of Skysea City.

He, too, believed that the numerous cultivators before him were merely there to make a show of force and would never risk their lives for Mu Lin.

“Hmph, Earth Immortals are the most esteemed group in the world today, serving as the foundation and face of the aristocratic families. With you, your families remain secure; once you perish, your clans could decline. I don’t believe such individuals would risk their lives fighting me over a mere Mu Lin.”

Holding this belief, no matter how the other side tried to persuade him, the East Sea King remained unyielding and resolute.

“Your Highness, it is better to resolve enmities than to perpetuate them. Reconciling with Mu Lin would be a great service to the state and the human race…”

East Sea King: “Enough! Impossible, absolutely impossible. Even if I were to die, die outside, I could never reconcile with Mu Lin!”

“In this world, either he goes or I do!”

“If you truly care about the world, you should help me eliminate that traitor Mu Lin. That is the best way to minimize losses for the human race!”

When the North-South Clans tried to pressure him with righteousness, the East Sea King was no pushover, turning their arguments around to serve his own interests.

At the same time, to make his stance clear, he declared his enmity toward Mu Lin with unwavering determination, leaving no room for hesitation or retreat.

However, just as his words fell, a thunderous rumble shook the Dragon Vein under the control of the East Sea King’s Manor.

The violent tremor rattled the entire manor, and a sense of foreboding gripped the East Sea King’s heart.

Despite the ominous feeling, the East Sea King showed no panic or change in expression. Instead, he snorted coldly and ordered his subordinates, “What happened?”

His inquiry was soon answered, but the steward who came to report was filled with anxiety and fear.

“Reporting, Your Highness… the Earth Veins shook because… because…”

The steward’s stammering and hesitation intensified the East Sea King’s unease, darkening his expression.

“Speak!”

“Yes… Your Highness, the Earth Veins shook because the Second Elder… has passed away.”

“?!?”

This answer completely caught the East Sea King off guard. His pupils contracted, and disbelief flooded his mind.

“How is this possible? How could Mu Lin kill an Earth Immortal?”

“He’s only at the Mortal Shedding stage. No matter how strong he is, he should only be able to contend with an Earth Immortal. Killing one is absolutely impossible.”

“Moreover, even though I left, there were still four Earth Immortals pursuing Mu Lin. With their mutual support, they could have wiped out a vassal state. How could Mu Lin have killed him?”

The death of his Second Elder left the East Sea King utterly perplexed.

Troubled and suspicious, he even cast his gaze toward the North-South Clans and the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty.

Clearly, like Jin Haoran upon first hearing of an Earth Immortal’s fall, he believed Mu Lin incapable of such a feat. The demise of his Second Elder must have involved other forces.

The North-South Clans—particularly the Southern Aristocracy—and the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty were deeply entangled with him in matters of interest. If they had sent help to Mu Lin to ambush the Earth Immortals he dispatched, it would make perfect sense.

“But how dare they? Assassinating an Earth Immortal, whether successful or not, would mean tearing all pretense with me…”

He couldn’t understand it, and neither could the Earth Immortals of the North-South Clans or the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty.

At the same time, these people also did not believe that Mu Lin alone could kill an Earth Immortal.

Therefore, everyone’s gazes shifted among each other, searching for the one who had struck.

Among them, the Yan-Chu Families, Prince Liang’s Manor, the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, and the Jade Purity Sect were scrutinized the most. Clearly, suspicion had fallen upon them.

They also had motives for such underhanded actions.

However, soon after, the envoy from the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty shook his head and said, “Don’t look at me. For the central authority to assassinate a regional prince is a taboo. Once such a thing is confirmed, it would unsettle all the princes across the land and plunge the world into chaos. That is why, before coming here, His Majesty instructed us that we are here to mediate, not to take action.”

The representative of the Jade Purity Sect added, “It wasn’t me either. Our Jade Purity Sect is a sect, not a prince… As long as our status in the Southeast Region is acknowledged, we aren’t particularly concerned about who becomes the prince.”

The Yan-Chu Families… After exchanging glances, they coughed awkwardly and spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “It wasn’t us either. After all, it was only a concubine-born daughter from our clan who formed a connection with Mu Lin… It’s not enough for us to risk our entire families.”

Prince Liang’s Manor: “It wasn’t me either, ahem. Four Earth Immortals—we don’t have that kind of strength.”

In order to avoid being targeted by the East Sea King, the Earth Immortals who had gathered all spoke up to distance themselves from the matter.

However, after clearing themselves of suspicion, everyone realized that the situation seemed even more serious.

“No way…”

“If none of us took action, then was the Earth Immortal truly killed by Mu Lin alone?”

“But how is that possible? A Mortal Shedding cultivator killing an Earth Immortal—when was the last time something like that happened, thousands of years ago?”

“And it wasn’t just any Mortal Shedding cultivator. Mu Lin had just advanced to Mortal Shedding a few days ago before coming to the East Sea Kingdom…”

The latter fact was so astonishing that it shattered their worldview. At this moment, everyone secretly hoped that someone had secretly intervened to help Mu Lin.

However, after some speculation, they realized that unless Mu Lin had secretly pledged allegiance and signed a soul contract, no one would dare to take such a huge risk. The aristocratic families that had been passed down for thousands of years were only arrogant toward those beneath them. When it came to decisions involving their peers, they acted with great caution.

…

The death of an Earth Immortal was too shocking, plunging everyone in the East Sea King’s Manor into a whirlwind of thoughts.

Just as they were deep in thought but had yet to reach any conclusions, a “rumble” echoed once more as the Dragon Vein of the East Sea Kingdom trembled again.

Two consecutive violent tremors had already begun to affect reality.

Many cities connected to the Dragon Vein experienced shaking akin to an earthquake, with countless houses collapsing.

Even in Skysea City, the ground cracked and buildings crumbled.

However, at this moment, neither the East Sea King, the North-South Clans, nor the envoy from the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty had the mind to concern themselves with such trivial matters as collapsing houses.

Watching the tremors before them and recalling the earlier events, everyone understood—another Earth Immortal had fallen.

Considering that only the Earth Immortals of princes and marquises were connected to the Dragon Vein, while others lacked such qualifications, the current shaking of the Earth Veins clearly indicated the fall of the second Earth Immortal in the East Sea King’s Manor.

Everyone also knew that the Earth Immortals sent by the East Sea King consisted of two from the East Sea King’s Manor and two recruited outsiders.

Now, with the Earth Immortals from the East Sea King’s Manor having fallen, while the two outsiders remained alive, the attitudes of the crowd underwent a subtle shift.

“Hey, do you think it’s possible that this wasn’t our covert assistance, but rather the Aristocratic Families of the East Sea Kingdom secretly taking action?”

Naturally… this was highly plausible.

The struggle between royal authority, ministerial power, and the Aristocratic Families was extremely fierce.

So many emperors of the Great Ming Dynasty had drowned—it wasn’t because they dissolved upon contact with water… Thus, it was entirely reasonable to assume that the Aristocratic Families had secretly intervened to weaken the East Sea King’s power and expand their own influence.

Of course, some were speculating about who had struck from the shadows.

Others, meanwhile, cast amused and expectant glances toward the East Sea King.

“Whoever acted is no longer important. With two Earth Immortals dead in succession, both from the East Sea King’s Manor, their control over the East Sea Kingdom’s forces is bound to decline.”

“Moreover, after this incident, few Earth Immortals would dare provoke Mu Lin. After all, as the East Sea King said earlier, an Earth Immortal is the face and pillar of a family. The fall of an Earth Immortal can lead to a family’s decline. Regardless of the Earth Immortal, even if they don’t consider themselves, they must think of their family… Their clansmen would never allow their own Earth Immortal to take such a great risk.”

“Indeed, and the weakened forces of the East Sea King’s Manor cannot compel others to act.”

“Heh, this is going to be interesting… I’m now curious how the East Sea King will enforce his decision of ‘either him or me, either me or him.'”

“I’m curious too.”

(End of Chapter)