Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Three Months to Earth Immortal, Divine Reward

As a cultivator with an Attribute Panel, Mu Lin had never built his foundation upon any specific Deity, but rather on the True Spirit Domain Chart – a complete system of righteous deities governing the Yin Court.

This meant the corruption of his Yama incarnation barely affected him.

Yet while Mu Lin remained untouched, Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu weren’t so fortunate.

"To protect their minds from corruption, I must create a blank Deity vessel to bear the faith. They could then manipulate this deity indirectly… but this would freeze their essence and life rank, preventing immortality."

It proved even with assistance, ordinary people couldn’t achieve eternal life without sufficient heart of the Dao and innate talent.

The solution came unexpectedly.

"Deities reliant on incense offerings get warped by believers’ desires, but natural-born Deities avoid this flaw."

"Though no Naturally Holy Beings remain in our long-established world of the living…"

"My path requires establishing the Underworld. Once created, inscribing their true names within would transform them from mortal beings into innate Deities – immune to corruption while gaining immortality."

Relieved by this revelation, Mu Lin began devouring Tian Shi City’s Power of Belief.

The divine flame buzzed as it Refined the energy. Mu Lin watched his Yama incarnation solidify with absorbed power.

He realized eventually this avatar would sustain itself without his energy, growing independently. Despite impurities from over a million worshippers, the sheer volume accelerated its development astonishingly.

"At this rate, my Yama incarnation will reach true Earth Immortal realm in under three months – not just Earth Immortal combat power while stuck at Transformation’s peak."

…

While absorbing belief energy, Mu Lin noticed something curious.

Most ordinary civilians’ faith stemmed from gratitude for food and protection. Few cared about the Underworld’s core tenets – balancing yin and yang realms, punishing evil. Even amplified preaching couldn’t sway them.

Vengeance outshone doctrine. Years of warfare left countless dead from monsters and evil spirits. Grieving families burned with frustration.

Powerless to act, survivors begged heavenly deities for retribution. As Tian Shi City’s sole legitimate deity, Mu Lin received countless prayers for vengeance against insects, evil spirits, and monsters. Some devotees even offered everything for this justice.

Mu Lin absorbed these vengeful wishes carefully, Refining them not as impurities but fuel.

After refining and smelting, Mu Lin sent all the special incense offerings into the black sun in the sky.

At the same moment, Mu Lin issued a command directly into Wu Chen’s sea of consciousness.

"From now on, you’ll serve as my vengeful god and god of destruction. By absorbing people’s faith, you’ve inherited their karma. Their quest for vengeance will now be aided by you."

"Caw! Caw!"

Being tamed, Wu Chen had to obey Mu Lin’s absolute command.

Yet formed from a million frustrations, his intelligence remained limited.

Mu Lin realized if left unsupervised, while humans might achieve revenge, countless would die from Wu Chen’s indiscriminate attacks.

Like a patient father, Mu Lin personally demonstrated how to properly assist in human revenge.

He simply selected several determined humans willing to sacrifice everything for vengeance. Through faith threads, Mu Lin channeled Wu Chen’s power directly inside their bodies.

"AHHH!!!"

Screams erupted from houses across the mortal world as Mu Lin worked.

People watched in horror as flames consumed these individuals’ bodies. The commotion drew crowds, especially when one affected person turned out to be in the Agricultural and Martial Corps camp, making soldiers arrive faster.

"Peng Yang! Are you hurt?"

"Hold on! We’re coming…"

The corps members cared deeply for comrades. Knowing Peng Yang’s family tragedy, they rushed to help with extra urgency.

"HAHAHA!"

Before rescuers could move, manic laughter burst from the flames.

Peng Yang’s voice roared through the fire:

"Save me? Don’t bother! I’ve never felt better!"

His words did not calm the soldiers but heightened their alarm.

Dozens surrounded Peng Yang while cultivators fetched their Captain. Someone cautiously called out:

"Brother Peng! What’s happening?"

They expected no coherent reply, but Peng Yang answered clearly:

"I prayed for power to avenge my family’s murder."

"The gods answered! They gave me this strength!"

"Caw!"

As he spoke, flames withdrew to reveal Peng Yang’s transformed figure.

His human form was gone. A crow’s head replaced his own, black wings sprouting from his back. The feathered limbs folded around him like a dark cloak, swallowing his body in shadows.

At the center of his brows lay a flame-like mark. His appearance now resembled a demonic creature more than human, radiating an aura of sheer brutality and savagery. Mu Lin could only sigh helplessly – this violent nature stemmed from Wu Chen’s origin, born from the overwhelming frustrations that shaped his essence.

Even a sliver of this power exceeded what any ordinary person could bear. Forced to intervene, Mu Lin utilized the Crimson Holy Grail to reconstruct Peng Yang’s body, infusing him with the bloodline of the Fire Crow – a descendant species of the Golden Crow. Though this transformation enabled Peng Yang to withstand the power, the inherent savagery of revenge and resentment remained unchangeable.

While Peng Yang’s temperament had altered, his personality… well, the corruption from the flame of revenge had indeed made him more violent. Thankfully, his rationality persisted. Aware that the vengeful god answered to King Yan – a deity whose doctrine emphasized punishing evil and upholding justice – Peng Yang’s brutality would only target enemies and demonic creatures, never allies.

Despite his teammates’ extreme wariness towards his transformed appearance, Peng Yang raised his hands placatingly. "Stay calm. I’m truly fine."

"You don’t look fine," someone retorted.

The standoff ended when their Agricultural and Martial Corps Captain arrived – a cultivator at the Refining the Evil stage. The Captain’s face darkened as he observed the demonic-looking Peng Yang radiating violent energy. "I warned you about trusting evil gods. They only deceive-"

"Captain, I’m no fool," Peng Yang interrupted. "I know the risks of pleading with foreign gods. But I prayed to King Yan himself. The vengeful god under His command answered me."

The Captain’s reprimand died at "King Yan" – their future military commander, recognized as a legitimate deity by the Corps leadership. Worshiping Him wasn’t just acceptable, but politically advisable. Still, the Captain prudently sent messengers to verify this with Yan Yunyu and Ji Ling Sha while keeping Peng Yang under observation.

Peng Yang remained unfazed, eager to test his new abilities. As a seasoned warrior, he understood that mastering one’s power meant survival. After conducting strength tests in the Corps training grounds, he invited a friend for sparring. But before they could begin, Captain Lin Shan intervened, volunteering as his opponent.

"Captain Lin, be cautious," Peng Yang warned. "I’m much stronger now."

Lin Shan laughed. "Come at me! You can’t hurt me in your state!"

The clash ended abruptly when the messengers returned. "Captain, it’s confirmed – King Yan does command a vengeful god."

Relieved sighs swept through the onlookers. Suddenly Peng Yang found himself surrounded by pleading comrades:

"Brother Peng! Is the vengeful god accepting followers?"

"Big brother! How did you gain divine favor? Share your secret!"

"Peng! We’re hometown brothers! Don’t abandon me!"

As Peng Yang struggled to respond, Captain Lin Shan dispersed the crowd with sharp commands. Peng Yang started to thank him, but the words died when Lin Shan turned with an uncharacteristically earnest expression.

"Brother… is there truly no vacancy under the vengeful god?"

Peng Yang stared blankly before realizing the logic. As he’d demonstrated, the vengeful god’s blessing brought tremendous power – enough to tempt even seasoned warriors. The proof echoed in his enhanced muscles and the lingering heat of divine flames beneath his skin.