Chapter 454 – The Terrifying Thought Imprint

Mu Lin’s arrogance was not about looking down on everyone in the world, but he firmly believed that with his Attribute Panel and the insights from his past life, he would ultimately surpass all others.

At the same time, Mu Lin held another conviction even more strongly:

Fist is power, and with strength, he would eventually possess the authority to dominate everything.

Driven by this belief, Mu Lin ignited his Vow-Power Heart Lamp, and the first trait he awakened was Domination.

He could dominate everything according to his will.

Once the Heart Lamp was ignited, the next step was to add fuel to keep it burning.

For Mu Lin, every battle and every victory since he began cultivating became fuel for his Vow-Power Heart Lamp, stoking the flames of his arrogance higher and higher.

Correspondingly, the Domination trait grew increasingly potent in his hands.

Ultimately, in Water Moon City, he fought fiercely against the world’s finest talents and emerged victorious.

After that battle, Mu Lin earned the title of the world’s number one Prodigy, a title recognized by most factions across the land.

This recognition also triggered a qualitative transformation in his Vow Power Heart Flame.

His will to dominate crystallized into a seed of Dominating Will.

At the time, Mu Lin discovered that by planting this seed in another’s heart, he could dominate them forever.

The Vengeful Wraith Golden Crow was subdued by Mu Lin in precisely this manner.

Through further study, Mu Lin uncovered even more profound mysteries of the Dominating Will seed.

—Those who fought against him, if defeated or if fear took root in their hearts, would also have the seed of Dominating Will planted in their Sea of Consciousness.

This seed operated in two ways. If Mu Lin did not activate it, the target would merely fear him, never daring to attack him again or even harbor malicious thoughts—well… admittedly, that was already quite severe.

If Mu Lin actively activated it, the Domination trait would take effect, corroding the target’s Divine Soul from within, tainting their mind with his essence and forcing them into submission.

It was akin to a mental brand, an indelible imprint of thought.

Now, Mu Lin was activating his Dominating Will, seeking to subdue Kang Yan.

Naturally, she refused.

Thus, she resisted with all her might.

However, her resistance was far from effective.

Mu Lin’s fist, capable of annihilating everything, was deeply etched into her mind, instilling genuine fear within her.

This burgeoning emotion caused her soul to actively nourish the seed of Dominating Will… Under such circumstances, how could she possibly withstand Mu Lin?

The more she feared, the clearer Mu Lin’s presence grew in her Sea of Consciousness.

And the clearer his presence became, the heavier her fear grew.

Trapped in this vicious cycle, Mu Lin’s presence swelled until it nearly blotted out everything.

At this point, if she were a resolute Sword Cultivator unafraid of life or death, a desperate struggle might have shattered this inner demon—though the chance was slim, it would have been a glimmer of hope.

But Kang Yan was not a Sword Cultivator; she was a Nightmare.

Her expertise lay in ambushes and underhanded tactics, not in life-or-death battles.

Thus, realizing she could not resist, she chose a different method: sealing and forgetting.

She sought to completely seal away Mu Lin’s presence and erase it from her memory.

Leveraging the Nightmare’s unique abilities and at the cost of severing part of her soul, she actually succeeded.

“Huff… What was I… I was just sealing away some forbidden knowledge, and I succeeded…”

Before she could finish speaking, her heart was suddenly seized with shock.

Mu Lin’s vanished figure reappeared in her mind once more.

“Why? I clearly forgot about you.”

She didn’t understand, while Mu Lin, gazing at the Source Rune – Stabilize and the Source Rune ‘∞’, smiled.

  ”Forget? With the power of Fixation and Infinity, whether it’s the wounds I inflict or the fear I instill in others, you will never be able to forget!”

……

Watching Mu Lin’s figure grow clearer and clearer in her Sea of Consciousness, Kang Yan felt utterly exhausted and filled with despair.

No matter what methods she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from being corrupted.

The fear that came from deep within her heart was something she couldn’t resist.

Sealing, forgetting—none of it worked.

Moreover, because the seed of a domineering will had taken root deep within her Divine Soul and true spirit, even if she wanted to escape, she couldn’t.

Unable to resist, unable to forget, and unable to escape—in the depths of utter despair, Kang Yan even considered giving up entirely and simply surrendering.

At this thought, her expression paused:

“Thinking about it carefully, pledging allegiance to Lord Mu Lin might actually be a good thing. My fate might not necessarily be so terrible.”

“Lord Mu Lin is exceptionally talented, the number one Prodigy of this era, surpassing Ye Huang by a thousandfold. He is destined to become a True Lord, a True God.”

“Being a slave to someone is a disgrace, but becoming a vassal of a Deity—that is a blessing.”

The more she thought about it, the more Kang Yan felt this was a good idea.

She even recalled how, in the mortal world, many scholars and Warriors, after mastering their arts, would offer their services to the imperial family, becoming generals or ministers. In a way, that too was serving the emperor as a servant.

“Becoming a general or minister is considered an honor. Attaching myself to a Deity—that is an even greater opportunity.”

With this shift in mindset, Kang Yan suddenly felt as if the world had opened up before her.

In fact, she no longer believed that pledging allegiance to Mu Lin was a betrayal of the Nightmare Clan.

“I am saving my clansmen.”

“Lord Mu Lin is so extraordinarily talented. Opposing him is a path to certain death.”

“Pledging allegiance to him, attaching myself to him—that is the wise choice.”

“Yes… pledging allegiance to Lord Mu Lin is the righteous path. Opposing him is the most foolish course of action…”

“Pledging allegiance to Lord Mu Lin is the righteous path…”

“Pledging allegiance to Lord Mu Lin…”

After murmuring these words several times in a daze, Kang Yan’s resolve to pledge allegiance to Mu Lin grew stronger and stronger.

Now, there was no trace of hesitation in her eyes—only fervor:

“Attaching myself to Lord Mu Lin will not only allow my clansmen to survive, but I too will have the chance to follow Lord Mu Lin toward eternity.”

“…No, I must find a way to earn merit for Lord Mu Lin… In the past, we opposed Lord Mu Lin many times, which must have earned us his displeasure. Although the great Lord Mu Lin is not so petty, we cannot do nothing…”

“Ah, the other villains don’t yet know that I have turned from darkness to light. This is the perfect opportunity for me to gather intelligence for Lord Mu Lin or carry out other tasks…”

With her eyes shining, Kang Yan felt she had found another path of light—one that could not only resolve her own crisis but also ensure the eternal survival of her clan.

And this… was precisely a manifestation of being corrupted.

The corruption inflicted by Mu Lin and other Deities or higher beings was not about forcing others to submit by pressing their heads down.

They twist the minds of others, making the corrupted believe that every decision they make comes from their own heart and is correct.

Just like some gods of war, those infected by them—whether humans or cultivators—will believe that killing can solve all problems, that battle and slaughter are everything.

Some followers of gods of pleasure will genuinely think that since the world is full of suffering, people should seek joy in the moment.

Mu Lin is not that extreme, but those infected by the Seed of Tyrannical Divine Sense will also subconsciously believe that Mu Lin is the greatest existence in the world, that following him is right, and that those who turn away from him will inevitably be rejected.

At this point, even if Kang Yan’s family or parents try to stop her,

she will eliminate them and genuinely believe that doing so is for their own good.

“For the continuation of the clan, sacrificing some people is worth it.”

(End of Chapter)