Chapter 317

Chapter 317: Ledger of Life and Death, Condensed!

Though Mu Lin claimed he hadn’t yet reached invincibility, the grin tugging at his lips betrayed his true feelings.

True, other techniques or cultivation methods could reach Grandmaster-level without being inferior to his—some might even surpass them. After all, no Grandmaster could be called weak. The saying "Grandmasters must not be disrespected" held some truth, referring to those who truly synthesized multiple schools into their own path, not mere frauds chasing fame.

But crucially, others lacked the Attribute Panel. Achieving Grandmaster status wasn’t easy for them.

"Only those at the Transformation stage—powerful beings or prodigies among them—could have even a sliver of hope to cultivate their methods to Grandmaster-level."

"As for those at the Condensing Essence stage? Unless they’ve stagnated there for centuries, mastering Grandmaster-level techniques is impossible."

"So as long as I don’t foolishly challenge those above my level, I’m invincible… and unkillable."

…

Soul refinement—infusing his will into his body—meant every drop of Mu Lin’s blood carried his consciousness. With sufficient energy, he could achieve Rebirth from a single drop.

Soon, he realized the benefits went further.

"Hiss… inhale…"

His will-infused cells awoke, hungrily devouring energy to evolve. This was undeniably advantageous. Their voracious absorption multiplied his cultivation speed.

The cells’ desperate yearning sparked an idea.

"I recall a cultivation method called Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Technique. It claims the human body contains 840 million particles. Awakened, each becomes a divine elephant—840 million elephants granting power to overturn oceans, shatter stars, even pluck moons from the sky."

The method was impressive, but Mu Lin lacked its specifics. Moreover, his path lay with the Yin Court Underworld, not Martial Arts. Still, he could borrow ideas.

"My particles needn’t become elephants. They should become Yin Court deities. But 840 million is excessive—my world’s capacity can’t sustain that. Best save that for beyond this realm. For now, I’ll focus on acupoints. The body has 365 main acupoints. Each can nurture a Yin Court deity. The spine can cradle a great dragon—Zhu Long!"

"Three hundred sixty-five righteous deities of the Yin Court within me. If achieved, my body becomes a temple, the Underworld itself—a world. The Yin Emperor’s path… Yes! When these deities fully form, I’ll ascend as Emperor of Lidu and Lord of Mount Tai."

Mu Lin’s eyes shone with fervor as he muttered, his expression both feverish and eerily detached. No wonder—though he’d long boasted of becoming Yin Emperor, Emperor of Lidu, he’d lacked any concrete plan until now.

Here was an actual path. An excruciatingly difficult one, but a path nonetheless.

His single-minded focus, oblivious to surroundings, signaled… enlightenment.

Again, Mu Lin entered that state. As his mind soared, both Great Yin Living Scripture and City of Heaven’s Funeral experienced explosive progress, nearing advancement.

Previously, he’d relied on proficiency grinding to trigger enlightenment. This time, insights from Grave Lord’s secret realm and accumulated knowledge sparked enlightenment first, driving his techniques to Master Level through sheer effort—not the Attribute Panel’s aid.

Of course, the Attribute Panel wasn’t useless—it prolonged Mu Lin’s enlightenment duration.

"Three hundred sixty-five divine positions creating an Underworld and divine domain within my body forms a heavenly path. But simply accumulating divine power feels repetitive and limits my full potential… Formations could interconnect these positions… The Cycle of Life and Death and Sky Wall Palace Formation can anchor the 365 righteous deities of Yin Court, fully constructing this divine realm inside me."

"…The Divine Lord’s Summoning of True Resolve cultivation method nurtures deities. I’ve already raised Zhong Kui, one of Yin Court’s righteous deities."

"My deities needn’t be confined within. The Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figures let me project power remotely. Leaving Marks in acupoints while nurturing deities externally accelerates growth… Thus, the 365 Yin Court deities can exist both inside and outside…"

"…Substitute Paper Figures can evolve into 365 Substitute Divine Manifestations…"

The deeper Mu Lin pondered, the more insights flooded his mind. Unbeknownst to him, his cultivation methods in the Attribute Panel began merging.

Great Yin Living Scripture, Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral, Cycle of Life and Death, Sky Wall Palace Formation, Divine Lord’s Summoning of True Resolve—these coalesced into a majestic and imposing True Spirit Domain Chart during his enlightenment.

Mu Lin remained unaware that ghostly weeping echoed through heaven and earth when the Yin Court · True Spirit Domain Chart manifested, accompanied by falling blood rain.

"Woo…"

The mournful wails spread panic. Cultivators training in the secret realm froze in fear. Clan elders and Prince Liang, who’d relaxed moments earlier, jolted upright.

"Ghostly cries! Blood rain! Are the evil gods reviving?!"

"This… this signals the evil gods’ full return!"

"We’re doomed…"

The phenomenon’s magnitude terrified Prince Liang as spectral weeping spilled beyond the secret realm. Even East Sea King emerged from his chambers, squinting at crimson skies.

"Not evil gods," he countered. "This carries taboos, but it’s not Crimson Ruler’s handiwork. Some unknown force reshapes heaven and earth… The Grave Lord lives!"

"I knew such a figure wouldn’t perish easily."

"Wise we didn’t storm Grave Lord’s secret realm…"

"What’s he conjuring? This spectacle chills the bones."

All blamed Grave Lord, none suspecting Mu Lin. The cosmic-scale event involved powers beyond a Condensing Essence cultivator’s reach—even Prince Liang and East Sea King felt unease.

Mu Lin welcomed their misattribution, avoiding unwanted attention. Oblivious to the chaos, he remained immersed in enlightenment as his techniques merged, absorbing even the Paper Figure Curse.

This fusion involved another deity position and the ledger of life and death.

"…Current deities include Zhong Kui, City God, and Ink Dragon, the River Lord—upgradable to Zhu Long…"

"…Also raised civil judge Cui Yu, Lord Cui."

Zhong Kui and Cui Yu stood as Underworld’s famed judges—martial judge known for devouring ghosts, civil judge for overseeing the ledger of life and death. Spreading Cui Yu’s legend, Mu Lin simultaneously promoted the ledger’s fame.

Though public belief held power, forging such an artifact normally required millennia. Mu Lin circumvented this by:

1. Claiming Lord Cui wielded a ledger copy, not the original.

2. Using Paper Figure Curse as foundation, enhanced by his prior enlightenment on Heaven’s killing intent and Earth-level killing intent.

Now, through technique fusion, Lord Cui Yu materialized alongside the ledger (copy). The Paper Figure Curse became its core, incorporating:

– Grandmaster-level substitution ability: "Harm me, suffer equal wounds."

– Refined Divine Death: Revealing lifespan limits and delivering death curses.

"Writing names to kill… resembles a death note. Calligraphy mastery may be needed for the ledger’s next advancement."

Root Word "Fixing" integrated, enforcing injuries and Predetermined Death unless foes break the binding character’s seal. City God’s judgment ability added severity—monstrous sins drew harsher penalties through karmic shackles.

"Predetermined Death. Injury permanence. Sin-based punishment… This ledger becomes my ultimate weapon."

*Buzz*

The Will of Humanity radiated anew—joined this time by the Will of Heaven’s fleeting gaze.