Chapter 394

Chapter 394: Can We Reconcile?

The vengeful evil spirit capable of confronting Ji Zheng head-on, rebellious allies, and Zhu Long who halted time by shifting day and night delivered three crushing blows that left Ji Zheng reeling. For the first time, he faced the looming threat of his own demise.

This realization drove him to utter madness.

"I won’t die! I refuse to die!"

He roared while desperately channeling his magic to break free from the Infinite Chains. Yet his efforts proved futile. This world operated on sheer power, not rage-fueled struggles. No matter how violently he thrashed, Mu Lin’s Infinite Chains held firm.

This outcome made sense. Though the Infinite Chains were originally spiritual weapons, they’d been damaged – alone, they might’ve yielded to Ji Zheng’s full strength. But the chains’ true power came from Mu Lin himself.

Three hundred sixty-five portions of Central Earth Evil granted the chains their Unchanging nature. The Divinity of Silence nullified most attacks targeting them. Root Word "Fixing" reinforced their immovability while Chaos Origin Essence absorbed external forces, even assimilating part of Ji Zheng’s own strength and hastening his weakening.

Though Mu Lin couldn’t immediately seal Ji Zheng’s magic, escape became impossible once bound.

*Clank…*

"Pull harder! Don’t let him break loose!"

"All together – one, two, HEAVE!"

After confirming the chains’ indestructibility, Mu Lin distributed their ends among Other Shore Flower-entranced High Mastery of Transformation cultivators, elite soldiers, and summoned Yin soldiers with ghost officials. Their coordinated pulling from multiple directions immobilized Ji Zheng like a chained beast.

"Hold the line!"

"For the East Sea King!"

"Don’t slacken!"

This restraint allowed the vengeful spirit to attack freely, filling Ji Zheng’s eyes with bitter frustration. "Traitorous bastards! You’ve murdered your own commander!" Mere defeat didn’t gall him – what choked his spirit was knowing his own troops had enabled his downfall.

As Ji Zheng resigned himself to death, a tremendous presence erupted through Mu Lin’s Yin Soil.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Earth Immortals might be prideful, but they weren’t complete fools.

They dared to split their forces because they had their own confidence.

One reason was their faith in their formidable strength to defeat Mu Lin. Even if they couldn’t defeat him or fell into his traps, they believed they could hold out long enough with their power.

As long as they endured, they’d survive… Earth Immortals moved swiftly, and when attacked, allies would rush to their aid once they called for help.

Thus, splitting their forces wasn’t entirely foolish.

In this situation, Ji Zheng now felt rescued.

Yet Ji Zheng actually thought the reinforcements arrived too late. When he saw it wasn’t Jin Haoran, master of Jinyin Gate, but an awakened elder from East Sea King’s manor, his face darkened.

"Uncle, why you? Jin Haoran was supposed to be nearest!"

"Unknown… No time for this now."

"Huum!"

Seeing Ji Zheng’s battered state, the arriving Earth Immortal hurled a massive archaic cauldron.

"Boom!"

The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron floated above Ji Zheng’s head, releasing tendrils of Xuan Huang’s energy that Mu Lin recognized instantly.

Next, the energy morphed into East Sea Kingdom’s mountains, rivers, aristocrats, and populace.

This manifestation blocked Mu Lin’s attacks while pressing down with suffocating weight.

"A spiritual weapon – a supreme one tied to national fortune."

Mu Lin stared hungrily at the ancient cauldron.

Meanwhile, shielded by the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, Ji Zheng finally breathed easier.

His eyes turned vicious as he glared at Mu Lin.

"You’ve humiliated me! You’re dead, Mu Lin!"

"I’ll tear your tendons and bones out! Your soul will never find peace!"

The second Earth Immortal’s arrival had restored Ji Zheng’s arrogance. Now he felt dominant again.

His fury toward Mu Lin mingled with burning hatred for Jin Haoran.

Their pact demanded the nearest ally respond immediately when attacked.

Yet after Ji Zheng’s distress call, the third-closest Ji family elder came instead of Jin Haoran. How could he not seethe?

Nearly dying moments ago only deepened his resentment.

"Had you come faster, I wouldn’t have been endangered, wounded, or shamed… Jin Haoran, you’ll pay!"

As Ji Zheng plotted vengeance against both Jin Haoran and Mu Lin, the latter spoke calmly.

The second Earth Immortal’s intervention had foiled Mu Lin’s kill, yet he remained composed – even amused.

"All here at last. Let’s see if Jinyin Gate’s master and that free cultivator still dare hunt me after I slaughter East Sea King’s entire force."

"???"

"Kill us? Are you blind? We have two Earth Immortals! We hold the advantage now!"

Ji Zheng seethed with anger as the newly arrived Earth Immortal narrowed his eyes, displeasure evident on his face.

"Hmph. After being sealed so long, my reputation in this world has clearly vanished."

The elder suddenly narrowed his gaze, unleashing a wave of Terrifying Might surpassing even Ji Zheng’s power. Locking his oppressive aura onto Mu Lin, the old man spoke coldly:

"Little one, your ignorance of me is understandable given your youth. But I remain an Earth Immortal – such disrespectful words won’t be tolerated."

Mu Lin grew solemn as he felt the overwhelming pressure and witnessed the Yin Soil quake within the Cycle of Life and Death.

"My respect for Earth Immortals remains intact. I’m fully aware I’d stand no chance against you within your spiritual grounds or secret realms. Two Earth Immortals should indeed overpower me in direct combat."

A faint smile appeared on Mu Lin’s face instead of fear.

"Yet ironically, your strength means nothing here. You’ve walked into the worst possible matchup."

"Did you truly believe Jin Haoran stayed away due to treachery?"

Ji Zheng and the East Sea King’s manor clan elder tensed at these words, urgently reinforcing their defenses. The second Earth Immortal focused most of Mountains and Rivers Cauldron’s power above himself upon realizing Mu Lin’s preparations.

His efforts proved futile.

Mu Lin’s assault targeted the most fundamental weakness – lifespan itself.

A resonant hum filled the air as Mu Lin’s Zhu Long manifestation shifted forms. The man-faced serpent transformed into a crowned King of Hell exuding overwhelming control over Life and Death. Through these mystical eyes, Mu Lin saw the Earth Immortal’s hidden frailty – immense power overshadowed by inescapable mortality.

This confirmed Mu Lin’s suspicions. Those willingly sealed as Family Resources were always life-weathered elders clinging to final usefulness. While terrifying nuclear bombs to others, such beings held no threat to the King of Hell.

"By the King’s decree," Mu Lin declared, talisman brush flashing across the ledger of life and death, "your time ends now."

The brushstroke sliced through parchment.

"Swish…"

A mournful wail echoed as ink consumed the elder’s name.

The Breath of Death resonated across Yin Soil, chilling every heart.

Like Yin Soil and Cycle of Life and Death, the Command of Death represented a divine ability Mu Lin gained through Transformation advancement – the core technique of his manifestation of Yama.

By controlling Life and Death, Mu Lin could use this command to put his enemies through death’s judgment, stripping their lifespans.

But this power couldn’t be used freely.

Learned from the Will of Humanity, Mu Lin had to maintain human order.

This technique only worked on villains with monstrous sins or those fated to die.

Though Mu Lin could drain good people’s lifespans too, doing so would cost him his own years.

"I don’t do losing deals."

As Mu Lin contemplated his power, the death command already took effect on the aging Earth Immortal.

“?!!”

“No!”

The moment the technique activated, the Earth Immortal felt his nearly exhausted lifespan slipping away.

Panicking, he desperately burned soul power, vitality, even his cultivation base to resist death.

All proved useless.

Lifespan deprivation followed fundamental laws of existence and time – no ordinary methods could stop it.

This also related to the old Earth Immortal’s circumstances. No one wants death, especially powerful figures.

This Earth Immortal from East Sea King’s manor had tried every trick to prolong life when his end neared – longevity pills, spirit herbs, merging with spiritual trees. Only when all options failed did his clan seal him away.

Now he clung to life by a thread.

Mu Lin’s decree severed that last thread.

Having exhausted all resources long ago, the spent Earth Immortal couldn’t resist the Breath of Death. His demise came without surprise.

Under Mu Lin’s death sentence, he perished instantly.

“???”

Such effortless death stunned Ji Zheng.

For three breaths after, Ji Zheng stood frozen.

“Dead?”

“How?”

“How die so easily?”

“Rise!”

Ji Zheng refused to accept this outcome.

The Earth Immortal’s death meant no reinforcements – and his own impending doom.

As Mu Lin said, no one wants death, especially the privileged.

Terror filled Ji Zheng with fury.

Desperate, he forced an obsequious smile at Mu Lin.

“Heh… could we negotiate?”