Chapter 411 – A Nuclear Explosion That Destroys Everything

The submission of the Chongming Bird stirred Mu Lin’s interest.

As it had said, the innate divine and extraordinary races were powerful, and their bodies held infinite mysteries. With only the Blade of Slaughter, Mu Lin could not fully absorb all the mysteries within them.

Well, to put it another way, killing just one wouldn’t be enough.

Yet such divine beasts were mostly scarce in number, leaving far too few for Mu Lin to slaughter and plunder.

Thus, subduing them instead held limitless possibilities.

Moreover, with the Vow Power Heart Flame and the True Spirit Karma Diagram, even after subduing them, Mu Lin could still utilize their Authority and ensure they could never rebel.

Having reasoned this far, Mu Lin made his decision immediately.

“I accept your submission, but you must accept my Seals, and… kill the Golden Crow.”

“…I understand.”

The Chongming Bird hesitated at Mu Lin’s command, but in the end, it agreed.

It knew this was Mu Lin’s way of making it prove its loyalty.

At the same time, it held little friendship for Golden Crow Haoyang… Previously, to force its submission, the Golden Crow had beaten it countless times.

This rescue wasn’t for the sake of friendship or racial interests either.

One of the reasons the Golden Crow attacked Mu Lin was still to make it submit.

More than that, Golden Crow Haoyang believed he could counter Mu Lin and gain great fame by defeating him.

Since it was purely a relationship of interest from the start, the Chongming Bird felt little psychological burden in betraying the Golden Crow.

Of course, as it prepared to act, Mu Lin didn’t just stand by watching.

A wisp of Vow Power Heart Flame was sent by Mu Lin into the Chongming Bird’s forehead, imprinting upon its true spirit.

From then on, the Chongming Bird’s true spirit was under Mu Lin’s control.

After gaining control, Mu Lin hesitated for a moment but still transformed the Vow Power Heart Flame into a Sky-Scraping Spell – Blank Divinity Talisman and linked this talisman to the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

In the end, he opened the True Spirit Karma Diagram to others.

“Although I can create countless Clones and handle over a hundred tasks simultaneously, my ambitions are greater—I intend to rebuild the Netherworld, maintain the order of life, death, and reincarnation for all beings across the three realms, and elevate myself above the cycle of life and death.”

“In this process, there will inevitably be countless trivial matters to trouble me. If I personally attend to every single thing myself, I will be toiling endlessly every day.”

Mu Lin cultivated the Dao not to work day in and day out; he sought transcendence and enjoyment.

Under such circumstances, recruiting for the Netherworld to share his workload became unavoidable.

And the submitted Chongming Bird, with its talents, was qualified for Mu Lin to incorporate it into the Netherworld system.

…

“Buzz!”

When connected to the True Spirit Karma Diagram, the Chongming Bird was stunned.

The vast and solemn system left it unable to react at first, and it couldn’t believe that Mu Lin, at the Mortal Shedding Stage, could create such a system.

This was already the embryo of a divine system.

Yet when it saw that the figure of King Yama, high above and wearing the twelve-beaded crown, bore Mu Lin’s face, no matter how unwilling to believe, it had no choice but to accept it.

This made it sigh in admiration.

“My defeat was not unjust, Haoyang, nor was yours unjust… To create such a vast and solemn system, Mu Lin is no mere Prodigy who appears once in a thousand years—he is a peerless monster who emerges only once in a hundred thousand years.”

Shock, and a sense of absurdity at having previously provoked Mu Lin—this was Chongming Bird’s current state of mind.

Soon, something even more astonishing and beyond words occurred.

After connecting to the True Spirit Karma Diagram, it also received Mu Lin’s gift—the various abilities of the True Spirit Karma Diagram integrated into its body, enhancing its physical form, mana, and divine soul.

Even its own innate talents underwent peculiar transformations due to the rules of the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

Combined with the abilities of the Crimson Holy Grail and Life-Death Illusion, Chongming Bird’s dual pupils, in addition to seeing through and distorting space, gained the ability to perceive the boundary between life and death.

It could detect the fatal weaknesses of living beings and use spatial distortion to directly trigger those weaknesses, dealing severe damage to enemies.

“It has a bit of the flavor of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but it’s not enough… Those who possess the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can kill enemies with a single strike by cutting along the lines of death revealed by the eyes, even if the ability is conceptual.”

“However, Chongming Bird has not yet fully matured. Combined with my abilities, it can only detect weaknesses and deal heavy damage to enemies, not achieve a one-hit kill.”

After sensing Chongming Bird’s abilities, Mu Lin shook his head and sighed… As for why Mu Lin knew about Chongming Bird’s newly acquired abilities the moment it obtained them, this was naturally because the True Spirit Karma Diagram belonged to Mu Lin, and everything within it was under his command and control.

By integrating into the True Spirit Karma Diagram, Chongming Bird gained enhancements, but its talents were also partially acquired by Mu Lin through the diagram.

Now, his eyes were also enhanced, allowing him to see dozens of miles away with the naked eye alone.

He could even directly see through illusion realms, illusion arts, and spatial rifts, perceiving the essence of things.

Moreover, Chongming Bird’s ability to perceive the boundary between life and death was also acquired by Mu Lin.

Due to his profound understanding of life and death, Mu Lin’s mastery in this area surpassed even Chongming Bird’s.

“Indeed, incorporating prodigies into the True Spirit Karma Diagram is the path I should take.”

While Mu Lin was reflecting, Chongming Bird no longer harbored any resentment in its heart.

When it first submitted to Mu Lin, it felt humiliated.

Prodigies are often arrogant, and even in death, they find it difficult to accept submitting to others.

If not for Azure Finch, the likelihood of its surrender would have been very low.

But now, having sensed the vastness of the True Spirit Karma Diagram and experienced its own transformed, powerful body and talents, Chongming Bird had only one thought.

“Surrendering to Mu Lin doesn’t seem so bad… No, this was the most correct decision I’ve ever made. By following Lord Mu Lin, perhaps I too can become a True Lord.”

After wholeheartedly submitting, it no longer merely went through the motions when carrying out Mu Lin’s commands but became highly motivated.

It wanted to ascend to greater heights alongside Mu Lin.

“Haoyang, stop!”

As it spoke, Chongming Bird flapped its wings and positioned itself in front of Golden Crow Haoyang.

Its actions left Golden Crow Haoyang stunned, but soon, boundless rage filled his heart.

“Bastard! As a natural-born ruler of the Feathered Clan, you have fallen so low as to side with the Human Race. Chongming, you have tarnished the honor of the Feathered Clan… You deserve to die!”

No matter where, traitors are more detestable than enemies.

Chongming’s betrayal enraged Golden Crow Haoyang beyond measure. In this situation, it actually abandoned its destruction of the Netherworld and charged straight toward the Chongming Bird.

In response, the Chongming Bird showed not a hint of hesitation, stepping forward to clash with it.

At the same time, it refused to acknowledge its own betrayal.

“Betrayal? No, I am merely seeking a better future for the Feathered Clan. Haoyang, you should also submit to Mu Lin. The master is far greater than you imagine.”

“Cowardly bastard, do not compare yourself to me. Even in death, I would never bow to lowly humans…”

“Boom!”

In its fury, Golden Crow Haoyang, using the Rainbow Transformation technique, shot forward like a beam of light and slammed violently into the Chongming Bird. The impact sent the Chongming Bird flying.

Even though its body had been strengthened by the True Spirit Karma Diagram, it still could not match the Golden Crow in raw power.

It must be said that the Golden Crow race is truly blessed by nature. Closely connected to the sun, they possess the supremely pure and yang Solar Flame, which renders them nearly impervious to all techniques.

Tempered by this power, their physical bodies rank among the strongest in the world.

Moreover, due to their affinity with light, their innate Rainbow Transformation divine ability grants them unparalleled speed. This is a powerful race with almost no flaws, save for their scarcity in numbers.

“If you hadn’t entered willingly, I might not have been able to keep you here.”

“Thud!”

As Mu Lin sighed, the Chongming Bird was forced back in a single exchange.

Fortunately, the Chongming Bird possessed the ability to traverse space. Once repelled, it immediately teleported elsewhere via spatial shifting.

Under normal circumstances, even with spatial traversal, the Chongming Bird would find it difficult to escape Golden Crow Haoyang’s pursuit.

The Great Sun Eye Technique ensures that no creature within the light can escape its sight.

And the swiftness of the Rainbow Transformation technique allows it to catch up to the Chongming Bird even when it uses spatial displacement.

Unfortunately, this was the Netherworld—a Netherworld shrouded in endless night. For Golden Crow Haoyang, whose nature is aligned with the sun, this place was its Cycle of Despair.

The teleported Chongming Bird was shielded by the power of the night, making it undetectable to the Golden Crow.

Moreover, in the next moment, a force of spatial distortion acted upon it, extinguishing a portion of its flames.

“Haoyang, I told you, you are no match for Master Mu Lin. Submitting to Him is the best course of action.”

“Bastard, shut your mouth!”

“Boom!”

The moment it detected the attack, Golden Crow Haoyang transformed into a rainbow and charged toward the direction from which the assault came.

Unfortunately, it was futile.

After launching the attack, the Chongming Bird had already departed.

Soon, Golden Crow Haoyang realized that its troubles extended beyond the Chongming Bird alone.

A tall, burly Judge, carrying a Crimson Wine Gourd and wielding the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword on his back, was charging toward it, sword raised to strike.

Amidst the endless darkness, a scholar held the Book of Life and Death, using divine decrees to pass judgment on its crimes.

“Roar!”

A Sinful Dragon, wreathed in boundless Vengeance Flames, roared ferociously at it.

Finally, the waters of the endless Black Abyss, carrying the power to Dissolve Everything, surged toward it like a tidal wave.

“You cannot kill me!”

Facing these myriad attacks, Golden Crow Haoyang remained fearless. Transformed into a rainbow, it shot through the Netherworld like a beam of light, crashing through everything in its path.

Under its frenzied charge, the waters of the Black Abyss were evaporated, and the Vengeance Flames of the sin dragon were, in turn, completely consumed.

The Chongming Bird, too, was struck multiple times, sustaining severe injuries.

“Boom!”

Sword energy slashed, water dragons roared, and flames incinerated everything. In the Netherworld, Mu Lin’s forces engaged in a desperate struggle with Golden Crow Haoyang.

In the initial stages of the battle, even in an unfavorable environment, Golden Crow Haoyang remained invincible and unstoppable.

However, the longer the fight dragged on, the heavier his mood grew.

Within the Netherworld, the greatest threat to him was not Mu Lin’s numerous subordinates, nor the terrifying and anomalous Black River Water, but the endless night that devoured everything.

He could feel that the radiance emanating from his body was being assimilated and consumed by this boundless darkness, growing weaker by the moment.

“At most half an hour, the light and flames upon me will be completely obscured and extinguished by this night… No, not even half an hour. Once I weaken to a certain point, those worthless creatures will be able to pose a threat.”

His speculation was correct. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, something terrifying happened to Golden Crow Haoyang: one of his Sunfire Avatars was blocked by the endless Black Abyss Water.

Although, relying on the supremely yang Sunfire, he incinerated the Black Abyss Water that dissolved everything, the avatar, having dimmed due to excessive consumption, was captured by the towering and burly Martial Judge and sealed within the Crimson Wine Gourd.

“This won’t do. Continuing like this, I will die…”

Realizing this, Golden Crow Haoyang hesitated no longer. Both of his bodies transformed into rainbows, speeding toward one direction.

“Whoosh!”

Streaking at extreme speed, they soon arrived at the boundary of the Netherworld.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, the leading Golden Crow Avatar did not slow down at all and crashed directly into the Netherworld’s boundary.

“Boom!”

The impact of the rainbow transformation carried unimaginable, terrifying kinetic energy—a force capable of instantly collapsing a towering mountain.

Yet… it was futile.

The moment the Golden Crow struck the Netherworld boundary, the phantom of an Ouroboros, its head and tail connected, appeared upon the world’s barrier.

“Hum!”

As it spun rapidly, the force of the Golden Crow’s impact was distributed throughout the entire Netherworld via the Ouroboros’s rotation. Aside from causing a tremor in the Netherworld, there were no other anomalies.

Instead, that avatar of Golden Crow Haoyang dimmed abruptly—the force of action and reaction is mutual. The rainbow-impact was indeed terrifyingly powerful, but the recoil force on itself was equally immense.

It was only because the Golden Crow’s body, tempered day and night by Sunfire, was exceptionally resilient; otherwise, this single impact would have shattered its form into pieces.

However, even without breaking apart, its condition was far from good.

Seeing the dimmed avatar and realizing escape through impact alone was impossible, Golden Crow Haoyang gritted his teeth and actually made his avatar… self-destruct.

No, not just the avatar. After accelerating, his Main Body actually merged with the avatar.

Subsequently, the merged body detonated violently at the boundary of the Netherworld.

“Boom!”

The violent explosion caused endless light and flames to pierce through the veil of darkness, allowing radiance to once again fill the Netherworld.

Meanwhile, one of Mu Lin’s Paper Substitutes was astonished to see a massive mushroom cloud appear at the boundary of the Netherworld.

“…A nuclear explosion?”

Indeed, the power of the Golden Crow’s self-destruction was comparable to that of a nuclear blast.

And not just any nuclear blast—it was on the level of a hydrogen bomb. The terrifying explosion, shockwave, and scorching heat incinerated and obliterated everything in their path, leaving behind utter devastation.

Yet, even such a nuclear explosion failed to shatter the boundary barrier of the Netherworld.

The Ouroboros… well, not just the Ouroboros—a majestic Mountain River Great Cauldron appeared at the center of the Netherworld.

The cauldron stood like a towering mountain, suppressing everything within.

“Boom!”

The shockwave of the nuclear blast merely caused the great cauldron to tremble slightly, accompanied by a deafening roar, before fading into complete silence.

This extinguished any last shred of hope in Golden Crow Haoyang, who had just been reborn from the flames.

Yes, after self-destructing, the Golden Crow was reborn from the fire.

And soon, Mu Lin discovered that as a Golden Crow, it could be reborn not just once, but three times.

However, within Mu Lin’s Netherworld, even if it returned three times, it only meant Mu Lin had to kill it a few more times.

After the third time, it perished completely.

Its death drew a sigh from the Chongming Bird.

“Haoyang, you didn’t have to die. Losing to Lord Mu Lin is no disgrace.”

It lamented the fall of the Golden Crow, while Mu Lin turned his gaze to the Mortal Shedding Cultivators outside.

“Time to continue reaping the harvest. Tu Su, the nine-tailed fox, you’re next.”

“Hum!”

As Mu Lin willed it, a seductive figure with nine tails appeared within the Netherworld.

(End of Chapter)