Chapter 472

Chapter 472: Gazing Upon the Gods!

The North Wilderness teemed with monsters and foreign races – these were the extended claws of evil gods. They formed another battlefield between the deities and the True Lords. Should the True Lords divert attention to protect the world, it would grant evil gods openings for ambushes and harassment, draining their mental strength. Yet ignoring this duty would let foreign monsters invade human territories and corrupt the world… The Heavenly Dao, being the collective will of all life, possessed boundless grandeur but no true consciousness.

If monsters gained dominance, they could perform rituals to make the Heavenly Dao accept foreign evils as part of this world. Then evil gods sharing origins with these monsters could wield the world’s own power. With humanity already lacking top-tier experts and their foundation compromised, mankind’s survival would hang by a thread.

The foreign evil gods’ schemes were clever, and their North Wilderness operations flourished – until Mu Lin arrived. With radiant light, he reduced endless monsters to ash and lowered the cultivation realms of all the foreign races in the North Wilderness by an entire level. Through his sole efforts, he crushed the evil gods’ intricate plans. His mere existence became an insurmountable obstacle to their ambitions.

Naturally, the evil gods glared at Mu Lin with venomous eyes. Their greed stemmed from believing corrupting him could create breaches in the world’s defenses. Such tempting malice drew countless evil gods’ attention!

"Hummm!"

Divine gazes carried tangible weight. As multiple evil gods focused on Mu Lin, the void around him began to crumble under their concentrated malice. Countless overlapping whispers and curses assaulted his mind:

"Holy, holy, praise the Lord of Infinite Corpses…"

"Kneel before me…"

"Wail…"

"Perish! Why won’t you perish?…"

A single whisper meant nothing, but billions merging became terrifying. Mu Lin’s spirit resembled a Small Island battered by endless tidal waves of corruption – enough to drown even an Earth Immortal’s consciousness. Many True Meaning Artists had gone mad from such divine attention.

Yet this divine assault couldn’t shake Mu Lin. Instead, the curses became kindling tempering his soul, making the Vengeful Spirit Golden Crow in his True Spirit Domain Chart blaze brighter.

"Submit? You homeless strays who lost your own worlds dare command me?"

"You should kneel to ME!"

"Death? I rule over demise. Mortals can’t kill Death itself!"

Through this storm of greed and hatred, Mu Lin honed both his spirit and inner flames.

Arrogance was an emotion that despised everything, viewing all things as beneath oneself.

Gods stood at the pinnacle of all living beings.

At this moment, Mu Lin used the malice of deities to temper his inner flames—an undeniably arrogant act. The fire of pride in his mind erupted violently once more.

"Boom!"

The blazing heartfire shielded Mu Lin from all whispers and curses.

Meanwhile, part of the malignant energy flowed into his True Spirit Domain Chart, consumed by the vengeful spirit golden crow.

Born from corpses and resentment, the creature’s innate power had shifted from solar flames to the flame of revenge.

This malicious energy became perfect fuel for such vengeful fire.

…

"Move. With your human race’s Celestial Master guarding nearby, they won’t overstep. Now’s our chance to reach the Twin Sacred Trees for safety."

Mu Lin’s god-provoking behavior surprised even Yue Ling.

The collective gaze of evil gods pressed heavily upon her.

Only because their focus centered on Mu Lin, and her status as a True God’s daughter granted protective measures, had she avoided corruption. Still, she daredn’t linger under their scrutiny.

Yet Mu Lin remained.

His tempered heartfire raged fiercely while the Flames of Revenge from the True Spirit Domain Chart kept expanding. Each Oppressive Aura from enemies doubled his gains—why abandon such rewards?

As for danger? This was merely an avatar. Though crafted with Master Meng Rui’s help using precious materials to contend for divinity, it remained ultimately a puppet. Whether a Substitute Paper Figure or costly construct, avatars couldn’t harm his true body.

Fearless toward deities and reaping benefits, Mu Lin stayed.

"Go back. I’ll identify which bastards keep staring!"

"?!!"

Yue Ling gaped at his audacity. Neither she nor the evil gods anticipated his brazen defiance—meeting their baleful gazes while hurling insults.

This provoked agitation among the evil gods surrounding the world.

Yet they did not attack. Mu Lin’s position before the world-bubble, flanked by True Lord manifestations, meant any assault would bring brutal retaliation. Only this security let Mu Lin taunt, "Who’s staring now?"

Of course, this deepened the evil gods’ hatred—not that they hadn’t already loathed him since he’d ruined their schemes. Given opportunity, they’d gladly destroy him.

Even without chances, they would create opportunities.

With hatred as deep as the sea, Mu Lin faced their curses without fear.

So there they stood in the cosmic void—Mu Lin and his foes staring each other down for what felt like ages.

Yue Ling finally broke the stalemate. She sent Information to the Twin Sacred Trees—those towering giant trees encircling the world.

A branch instantly crossed thousands of miles, materializing before Mu Lin. It twisted into a doorway, pulling them into the Spirit Flower Garden where the Heavenly Spirit Clan now dwelled.

*Hum.*

Emerging through the portal, Mu Lin first saw the towering giant trees. Then came the aloof Yue Ling clansmen.

Before he could scan his surroundings, dozens of prying eyes locked onto him from every direction.

Turning, he saw a thunder-wreathed colossus, a true dragon radiating majesty, a regal human man, and other strange beings—all watching him exit the branch-made door. Their gazes burned with suspicion and hostility.

Mu Lin felt their stares. So did Yue Ling.

"Those are your rivals," she explained calmly. "Though we invited many as safeguards, only a handful can truly claim the divine seat."

"The thunder giant Tian Yu was born as a world’s last hope—a Naturally Holy Being meant to emerge as a Titan Celestial Master. But his world fell too soon. Now he’s merely a thunder giant… who can still stand against a Celestial Master."

"The other two human candidates matter more. Ao Chang, Dragon King of the true dragon clan. And your human Fourth Prince Ji Ming—the throne’s likeliest heir."

"Fourth Prince?" Mu Lin frowned briefly. Royalty meant little in this extraordinary world where sects and powerful clans ignored imperial prestige. He felt no fear competing against princes.

"So the main players are Tian Yu, Dragon King Ao Chang, Fourth Prince Ji Ming, and me?"

Yue Ling shook her head. "Two remain. Yan Qian—a phoenix-capable fire spirit born from a dead world’s ashes. And… the taboo one from the black lotus." Her voice dipped. "A world-destroying lotus that gained sentience as a seedling, becoming its world’s protector instead. She wanders ruins now, but her potential reaches True Lord heights."

…

As Yue Ling finished, Mu Lin grasped the stakes. Every contender carried immense weight—whether through natural divinity or vast resources.

The Fourth Prince and Dragon King undoubtedly possessed hidden Taoist Treasures. The thunder giant, fire spirit, and black lotus anomaly each embodied cosmic miracles.

"Either born sacred or backed by empires," Mu Lin mused. "This divine seat truly draws legends."