Chapter 411

Chapter 411: The Nuclear Explosion That Destroys Everything

Chongming Bird’s submission stirred a flicker of interest in Mu Lin.

As she had stated, the Naturally Holy Beings of extraordinary races possessed both immense power and unfathomable secrets within their bodies. Using only the Slaughtering Blade, Mu Lin couldn’t fully claim those mysteries for himself.

Or rather, killing just one wouldn’t suffice.

Yet such sacred creatures were rare, leaving few opportunities for slaughter and plunder.

Subduing them, then, offered far greater potential.

With the willing heart fire and True Spirit Domain Chart at his disposal, Mu Lin could still wield their powers while ensuring their loyalty once subdued.

After considering this, Mu Lin reached his decision.

“I accept your submission—but you’ll bear my seal. And… kill Golden Crow Haoyang.”

“…Understood.”

Though Chongming Bird hesitated, she ultimately obeyed. She recognized this as a test of loyalty.

Truthfully, she held little fondness for Golden Crow Haoyang. The solar deity had beaten her repeatedly to force her obedience. His earlier intervention hadn’t been motivated by friendship or shared interests.

Golden Crow’s attack on Mu Lin stemmed partly from wanting to reclaim Chongming Bird’s allegiance—but mostly from believing he could crush Mu Lin and boost his own prestige.

With their relationship built on cold calculation, Chongming Bird felt no guilt over this betrayal.

As she moved to act, Mu Lin didn’t remain idle. He pressed a strand of willing heart fire between her brows, branding it onto her True Spirit.

Now her very essence lay under his control.

After securing this bond, Mu Lin paused briefly before reshaping the fire into a Sky-High Technique Spell: Blank Divine Rank talisman. He linked this to the True Spirit Domain Chart, reluctantly expanding access to the system.

“Though I can split into countless avatars and manage countless tasks, my ambitions demand more. I mean to rebuild the underworld, govern the cycle of Life and Death across the three realms, and rise above mortality itself.”

“Endless trivialities would plague such an endeavor. Handling everything alone would chain me to eternal drudgery.”

Mu Lin cultivated for transcendence and pleasure, not ceaseless labor. Recruiting capable beings became unavoidable—and the subdued Chongming Bird’s talents earned her a place in his growing pantheon.

…

The moment her consciousness touched the True Spirit Domain Chart, Chongming Bird froze.

The system’s vast complexity overwhelmed her. How could a cultivator at the metamorphosis stage have forged such a framework? This wasn’t mere spiritual architecture—it was the foundation of a divine pantheon.

However, when she saw the imposing figure of the King of Hell wearing the twelve-crest crown bearing Mu Lin’s face, even unwilling to believe it, she had to acknowledge the truth.

This made her exclaim in awe.

“My defeat wasn’t unjust, Haoyang. Yours wasn’t either… To create such a grand system, Mu Lin isn’t merely a prodigy seen once in a thousand years—he’s a peerless prodigy unmatched in a hundred thousand years.”

Shocked, Chongming Bird now found her past defiance of Mu Lin utterly foolish.

Soon came an even greater shock.

After merging with the True Spirit Domain Chart, she received Mu Lin’s gift—the chart’s powers fused into her body, strengthening her physique, magic, and soul.

Even her innate talents mutated under the chart’s rules.

Combined with the Crimson Holy Grail and Life and Death Illusion, her heavy pupils gained the power to pierce life-and-death boundaries alongside spatial manipulation. She could now detect fatal weaknesses in living beings and exploit them through spatial distortion.

“Similar to Death Perception Eyes, but incomplete. True Death Perception allows killing by severing death lines—even abstract concepts. But Chongming Bird hasn’t fully matured yet. With my power, she can only exploit weaknesses, not kill instantly.”

Mu Lin mused, understanding her new abilities immediately through his dominion over the chart. By joining it, Chongming Bird gained strength—but her talents also became partially his.

His eyes now saw miles ahead, pierced illusions and spatial rifts, and even inherited her life-death perception. His grasp of life and death surpassed hers.

“Including prodigies in the chart is truly my path.”

Meanwhile, Chongming Bird’s resentment faded. Initially, submission shamed her—prodigies rarely yield. Only Qing Que had swayed her. But now, feeling the chart’s vastness and her transformed power, she thought:

“Surrendering was wise. Following Lord Mu Lin, I might become a True Lord.”

Eagerly, she embraced his commands, determined to rise higher.

“Haoyang, stop!”

She spread her wings, blocking Golden Crow Haoyang.

He froze, then erupted in fury.

“Traitor! As ruler of the Flying Feather clan, you disgrace us by serving humans! Chongming, you’ve defiled our honor—you deserve death!”

Betrayal enraged him beyond reason. Abandoning his assault on Yin Soil, he lunged at her.

In response, Chongming Bird didn’t hesitate and clashed fiercely with him.

She refused to admit her betrayal.

“Betrayal? No. I’m securing a brighter future for the Flying Feather clan. Haoyang, you should submit to Mu Lin too. He’s far greater than you imagine.”

“Spineless mongrel! Don’t lump me with you! I’d rather die than bow to filthy humans—”

CRASH!

Blazing with Rage, Golden Crow Haoyang transformed into a streak of light and slammed into Chongming Bird, hurling her backward.

Even enhanced by the True Spirit Domain Chart, her strength couldn’t match the Golden Crow’s.

The Golden Crow race was truly blessed—their bond with the sun granted them the indomitable solar flames, rendering them nearly Immune to All Methods. Tempered by these flames, their bodies ranked among the world’s mightiest. Their innate rainbow-transformation ability made them unmatched in speed, a near-flawless race save for their dwindling numbers.

“If you hadn’t come here, I might’ve let you escape.”

BANG!

While Mu Lin watched, Chongming Bird was blasted away in a single strike.

But she instantly teleported elsewhere using Spatial Transfer.

Under normal circumstances, even with spatial skills, escaping Golden Crow Haoyang’s Chase would’ve been impossible. His great sun eye techniques tracked all creatures touched by light, and his rainbow speed outpaced spatial leaps.

Yet here in the Yin Soil—a realm smothered by endless night—the sun-aligned Golden Crow faced his Cycle of Life and Death. The night’s power cloaked Chongming Bird, hiding her from his senses. Then, spatial distortion gripped him, snuffing part of his flames.

“Haoyang, I warned you. You can’t defeat Lord Mu Lin. Surrender.”

“Shut your mouth, bastard!”

BOOM!

The instant he detected the attack, Haoyang surged toward its origin as a blazing rainbow.

Too late. Chongming Bird had already vanished.

Soon, Haoyang found himself besieged.

A hulking judge swung the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword, a bright red wine gourd at his hip.

In the shadows, a scholar condemned his crimes using the ledger of life and death.

ROAR!

A vengeful dragon bellowed, spewing Flames of Revenge.

Lastly, the devouring waters of the Black Abyss surged toward him like a tidal wave.

“You cannot kill me!”

Facing the onslaught, Golden Crow Haoyang remained fearless. Transformed into a rainbow, he charged like a beam of light through the Yin Soil.

His ferocious charge evaporated the waters of the Black Abyss and burned away the Flames of Revenge from the wretched dragon.

Chongming Bird was struck repeatedly, suffering severe injuries.

“Boom… roar!”

Amidst swinging sword energy, roaring water dragons, and all-consuming flames, Mu Lin’s forces clashed fiercely with Golden Crow Haoyang in the Yin Soil.

Initially, despite the hostile environment, Golden Crow Haoyang dominated the battlefield.

Yet the longer he fought, the heavier his dread grew.

The greatest threat in the Yin Soil wasn’t Mu Lin’s forces or the eerie black river water—it was the endless night devouring all light.

He felt his radiant glow weakening as the endless night absorbed his brilliance.

“At most half an hour, my light and flames will be snuffed out by this darkness… No, even sooner. Once I weaken enough, those pests will overwhelm me.”

His fears materialized swiftly. Within less than an hour of meditation, one of his solar avatars was trapped by the waters of the Black Abyss.

Though he incinerated the corrosive waters with solar flames, the drained avatar dimmed and was captured by the towering martial judge, sealed into the bright red wine gourd.

“This ends now. I won’t perish here…”

Golden Crow Haoyang ceased hesitating. Both his forms transformed into rainbows, hurtling toward the edge of the Yin Soil.

“Swish!”

They reached the boundary in moments. Without slowing, the leading avatar slammed into the barrier.

“Boom!”

The collision unleashed energy capable of flattening mountains—yet it achieved nothing.

As Golden Crow Haoyang struck the barrier, the phantom of an Ouroboros materialized, its tail coiled in its mouth.

“Buzz!”

The serpent’s rapid rotation dispersed the impact across the entire Yin Soil, causing only a faint tremor.

Instead, Golden Crow Haoyang’s avatar dimmed violently—the recoil from the strike nearly shattered his form. Only his sun-forged body prevented disintegration.

Battered and desperate, he made a ruthless choice: self-destruction.

His main body merged with the weakened avatar before exploding at the boundary.

“Boom… roar!”

Light and flames tore through the darkness, illuminating the Yin Soil once more. One of Mu Lin’s Substitute Paper Figures gaped as a mushroom cloud swelled at the edge.

“…Nuclear explosion?”

The blast rivaled a hydrogen bomb—scorching, crushing, annihilating all in its wake. Yet the Yin Soil’s barrier held.

The Ouroboros shimmered, and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron materialized at the realm’s heart, towering like a mountain to stabilize the land.

“Dong!”

The cauldron shuddered but stood firm, extinguishing the explosion’s fury.

Reborn from flames, Golden Crow Haoyang despaired. Mu Lin soon realized the phoenix-like creature could resurrect thrice. But three deaths later, the golden crow perished for good.

Chongming Bird sighed. “Haoyang, you needn’t have died. There’s no shame in losing to Lord Mu Lin.”

As she mourned, Mu Lin turned his gaze outward. “Time to harvest more chives. Nine-tailed fox Tu Su—you’re next.”

“Buzz!”

A seductive figure with nine tails materialized within the Yin Soil.