Chapter 425 – Three Months as an Earth Immortal: Divine Blessings

As a cultivator with an attribute panel, the foundation Mu Lin had forged was never a specific deity, but the True Spirit Karma Diagram—an entire system of Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy.

Therefore, the corruption of his King Yama avatar had almost no effect on Mu Lin.

However, just because he remained unaffected did not mean Chu Lingluo, Yan Yunyu, and the others were similarly immune.

“If I don’t want their consciousness to be corrupted, I can only create a blank deity to receive the faith, then let Yan Yunyu and the others indirectly manipulate the deity… But in that case, their essence cannot be altered, nor can their life rank be elevated, meaning they won’t be able to achieve longevity.”

It must be said that without sufficient Dao-heart and aptitude, even with assistance, it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to attain immortality.

Fortunately, Mu Lin soon thought of a solution.

“Deities of the Incense Offerings lineage are indeed easily corrupted by faith, transforming into what their followers expect. However, while they have this problem, Innate Deities do not share this concern.”

“Although the Yang World has long since been formed, and there are no longer any Innate Deities…”

“The Dao I follow requires me to establish the Netherworld Underworld. Once the Netherworld Palace is opened, if I record their True Names within it, their origins will shift from acquired beings to Innate Deities, allowing them to achieve longevity without being affected.”

Having found a solution, Mu Lin felt a sudden sense of relief.

With his worries eased, Mu Lin began to absorb the faith power supplied by Tianshi City on a large scale.

“Hum!”

As the faith power was refined, purified, and absorbed by the divine flame, Mu Lin noticed that his King Yama avatar was gradually becoming more solid.

Mu Lin had a feeling that once it reached a certain level, this avatar would no longer require him to infuse it with mana—it would exist independently and continue to grow.

Moreover, with over a million people contributing their faith, even though the faith power they provided was filled with impurities, the sheer volume of worship ensured that the King Yama avatar’s growth rate remained incredibly fast.

“If this continues, in less than three months, my King Yama avatar will truly advance to the Earth Immortal realm, rather than just having Earth Immortal combat strength while still being at the peak of Mortal Shedding in terms of cultivation.”

…

As he absorbed the faith power, Mu Lin’s strength steadily increased.

While refining the faith power, Mu Lin also noticed something.

A significant portion of the faith provided by the ordinary people of Tianshi City was gratitude toward Mu Lin for supplying them with food and protecting them.

As for the core doctrine of the Netherworld Palace—maintaining the balance of the Yin-Yang Realms, punishing evil and rewarding good—very few people believed in it.

Even with Mu Lin’s efforts to promote it, they still did not accept this doctrine.

In fact, even emotions of revenge provided more faith power than this core doctrine.

—Years of warfare had led to countless humans dying at the hands of demonic monsters and evil spirits.

They were dead, but their families and friends still lived.

And those who had lost children, parents, husbands, or wives—how could the survivors not harbor resentment or thoughts of revenge?

But they were weak and powerless, incapable of seeking revenge on their own.

When one is powerless, praying to the myriad deities and Buddhas for vengeance becomes a basic human instinct.

Now, Mu Lin is the only true Deity in Tianshi City, and as such, it is only natural that many people pray to him, beseeching Mu Lin to avenge them.

Some even go so far in their prayers as to vow to sacrifice everything, asking only that Mu Lin—King Yama—slay those insects, Evil Spirits, and demonic monsters.

Such vengeful desires were received by Mu Lin, and he did not refine them away as impurities.

After smelting and purifying them, Mu Lin sent all these special Incense Offerings into the black sun in the sky.

At the same time, a command was issued by Mu Lin into Wu Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.

“From now on, you shall be the God of Vengeance and the God of Destruction under my command. By absorbing the faith of others, you have taken on their karma. Henceforth, you shall assist in fulfilling their vengeance.”

“Caw! Caw!”

Having been tamed, Wu Chen regarded Mu Lin’s command as absolute.

However, formed from the convergence of millions of Resentment, its intellect remained limited.

If left to assist on its own, Mu Lin believed that while the humans’ vengeance might indeed be accomplished, they would inevitably be caught in Wu Chen’s attacks, resulting in countless casualties.

Unwilling to see this happen, Mu Lin, like a caring father, personally demonstrated to Wu Chen how to assist humans in their revenge.

His method was simple: he found several humans with unwavering resolve, willing to sacrifice everything for vengeance. Through the connection of faith, Mu Lin directly channeled Wu Chen’s power into their bodies.

“Ah!!”

Following Mu Lin’s actions, screams suddenly erupted from some houses in the mortal realm.

These humans were being scorched by flames, and this startling transformation quickly drew the attention of others.

In particular, one fortunate individual was in the barracks of the Agricultural Militia, prompting soldiers to arrive even faster.

“Pang Yang, are you alright?”

“Don’t panic, I’m coming to save you…”

The Agricultural Militia cared deeply for their comrades.

Especially since Pang Yang’s entire family had been brutally killed, everyone felt sympathy for him. Upon discovering his plight, they immediately sought to rescue him.

“Hahaha…”

But before they could act, unrestrained laughter echoed from within the flames.

At the same time, Pang Yang’s voice rang out from the fire.

“Save me? No need. I’m fine now—better than ever before!”

These words did not put the Agricultural Militia at ease; instead, they grew even more tense.

Dozens of Agricultural Militia soldiers surrounded Pang Yang from all sides, while a Cultivator went to summon the battalion commander.

As they called for reinforcements, someone cautiously asked Pang Yang,

“Brother Pang, what happened to you?”

The soldier did not expect an answer, but to their surprise, Pang Yang replied, and his response was remarkably clear and coherent.

“I was in my room, praying to the Deity for the power to avenge my family’s tragic death.”

“And then, the Deity answered me, granting me immense power!”

“Caw!”

As he spoke, the flames gradually receded, and Pang Yang’s figure was revealed once more.

However, at this moment, he was no longer in a human body. His head had transformed into the shape of a crow, and a pair of black crow wings had grown from his back.

Now, these wings were folded together, resembling a black robe that enveloped Pang Yang’s body beneath them.

On his forehead, there was also a flame-like mark.

In this state, he looked more like a demonic creature than a human, and the aura he exuded was extremely cruel and violent.

Regarding this, Mu Lin had no choice. Wu Chen, born from the boundless resentment, inherently possessed such a violent nature in his power.

Moreover, even a trace of his power was something ordinary people could not withstand.

To address this, Mu Lin had to utilize the power of the Crimson Holy Grail to modify Pang Yang’s body, granting him the bloodline of the Fire Crow—a derivative of the Golden Crow.

Only after this transformation could he bear this power. However, both vengeance and resentment belong to the violent spectrum, and this temperament was something Mu Lin could not alter.

Fortunately, what changed in Pang Yang was only his temperament. As for his personality… well, due to the influence of the Flame of Retribution, it had also become cruel.

Thankfully, his rationality remained intact, and he was aware that the superior of the God of Vengeance was King Yama. The teachings of that deity advocate punishing evil and promoting good. Therefore, Pang Yang’s cruelty would only be directed at enemies and demonic creatures, not his own comrades.

At this moment, even though his teammates were extremely wary of his drastically changed appearance, Pang Yang did not act violently. Instead, he raised his hands calmly and said, “Don’t panic, I’m really fine.”

“Looking like this, you don’t seem fine at all.”

After a tense standoff, the captain of the Agricultural Militia arrived. He was a cultivator at the Sha Refinement Stage.

Seeing Pang Yang, who resembled a demonic creature, and sensing his cruel aura, the captain’s expression turned grim.

“I remember warning you not to trust any Evil Gods. They will only deceive you…”

Pang Yang: “Captain, I’m not foolish. Of course, I know that recklessly praying to foreign gods could lead me to eternal damnation.”

“If you knew, then why…”

Just as the captain was about to reprimand him, Pang Yang spoke up.

“I prayed to Lord Yama, and the one who responded to me was the God of Vengeance under His command.”

“Uh…”

Upon hearing the name “King Yama,” the captain’s reprimand immediately vanished.

This was their future military lord, a legitimate deity recognized by the higher-ups of the Agricultural Militia.

Praying to Him was indeed not wrong; in fact, it was politically correct.

However, although he saw no issue with it, the captain, out of caution, still sent someone to verify with Yan Yunyu and Ji Lingsha.

Meanwhile, he stayed behind to observe Pang Yang closely.

Pang Yang was indifferent to this. At the same time, he wanted to test his newly acquired abilities.

—As a warrior, he clearly understood that only by fully grasping his own strength could he survive longer on the battlefield.

Thus, he conducted a series of strength tests in the Agricultural Militia’s internal training ground.

Finally, he even invited a close friend to spar with him, hoping to evaluate his abilities through actual combat.

However, the two did not end up fighting. The captain, Lin Shan, who feared potential accidents, volunteered to be Pang Yang’s opponent.

Naturally, Pang Yang did not refuse. He only cautiously reminded him.

“Captain Lin, please be careful. I am very strong now.”

“Hahaha, bring it on! As you are now, you can’t hurt me!”

“Boom!”

After the battle, before Pang Yang could even rejoice in the change in his strength, the men sent out by Battalion Commander Lin Shan returned.

“Captain, I’ve inquired. Lord Yama indeed has a God of Vengeance under his command.”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

This answer made the surrounding Agricultural Militia, who had been watching, all sigh in relief.

Then, Pang Yang found himself surrounded by a crowd.

At that moment, his teammates and colleagues were all smiling apologetically as they asked one thing:

“Brother Pang, is the God of Vengeance still recruiting?”

“What brother, he’s our big brother! Big brother, how did you gain the favor of the Deity? Can you share a little trick?”

“Brother Pang, we’re from the same town. You can’t just leave me behind!”

The crowd of comrades and their incessant requests gave Pang Yang a headache.

Just as he was worrying about how to respond, Battalion Commander Lin Shan stepped forward.

“Everyone, disperse. What kind of behavior is this, crowding around like this?”

Seeing Lin Shan drive the others away, Pang Yang originally intended to thank him.

However, before he could finish speaking, he was left speechless.

After sternly dispersing the others, Lin Shan turned to him and actually wore a pleading expression.

“Brother, is our God of Vengeance really not recruiting anymore?”

“…”

Lin Shan’s request caught Pang Yang off guard, but after thinking it over carefully, he found it reasonable.

Just as he had said earlier, after receiving the God of Vengeance’s reward, his strength had increased greatly—immensely!

(End of Chapter)