Chapter 320

Chapter 320: I Am the Nobility!

To secure the first conversation with Mu Lin, Prince Liang sent his loyal servant Fu Bo to intercept the East Sea King.

The East Sea King did not get angry but allowed Prince Liang to act freely.

After some consideration, Mu Lin accepted the invitation. Though his potential was remarkable, his current combat strength—especially his main body’s power—remained limited. He preferred avoiding conflicts with princes unless necessary.

Prince Liang led Mu Lin to a VIP chamber. After exchanging brief pleasantries and noticing Mu Lin’s discomfort with formalities, the prince cut to the chase.

Surprisingly, before discussing serious matters, Prince Liang gifted Mu Lin a portion of Heavenly Essence, mirroring the East Sea King’s earlier gesture.

“This is Aurora Heavenly Essence, a variant of Xuan Qing’s energy. When combined with Earthly Yellow’s Evil, it forms Xuan Huang’s energy. While lacking the lightning-enhancing traits of Heavenly Thunder Essence, merging it with your soul will purify your spirit and grant abilities to dispel or cleanse abnormalities.”

Anticipating refusal, Prince Liang added firmly, “Keep it without hesitation—this is my obligation.”

“Yuzhou falls under my protection as its prince. Had the evil gods fully revived, chaos would’ve devastated my territory and assets. By suppressing their revival, you saved Yuzhou and spared me heavy losses. This Heavenly Essence is your rightful reward.”

The reasoning struck a chord with Mu Lin. Accepting gifts from the East Sea King felt unjustified since that prince held no direct stake. But Prince Liang’s case differed—he genuinely resided in Yuzhou with substantial investments there. Even a temporarily revived evil god would’ve destroyed swaths of land, including the prince’s holdings.

Mu Lin accepted the essence with a nod. “When elders bestow gifts, refusal is improper. I’ll gratefully accept this Heavenly Essence.”

“Ha! That’s how it should be!”

The atmosphere warmed after Mu Lin took the gift. Prince Liang then revealed his true purpose—recruitment. Likely provoked by the East Sea King’s earlier offer, he pulled out all stops.

For authority, he matched the East Sea King’s promise of army command—but with a caveat. Instead of offering existing troops, Mu Lin would need to build his own force from scratch. Prince Liang also couldn’t permit sect establishment in Yuzhou or promise leadership of the Demon Exorcism Division’s local forces.

‘This prince isn’t even the second-most influential in Yuzhou—maybe third or fourth,’ Mu Lin deduced. Naturally, his offers paled against the East Sea King’s.

Still, as a Great Spirit Dynasty ruler, Prince Liang had resources: access to Dragon veins for cultivation, rare treasures, pills, and more. Observing Mu Lin’s battles, he noticed the young man required territorial control to unleash higher-tier power. Thus, he proposed granting Mu Lin governance of a major city.

The offer tempted Mu Lin. Wealthy Yuzhou held sway over neighboring regions. With princely backing, managing a metropolis could let his State City God gradually achieve advancement to Governor City God status.

But Prince Liang’s generosity came with strings attached—he wasn’t running a charity.

The most crucial requirement was to enter Prince Liang’s residence through marriage, and any future children must bear the surname Ji.

Having come from the modern world, Mu Lin didn’t care much about family names.

But he couldn’t stand living under Prince Liang’s restrictions.

‘These terms might’ve been tempting before I rose to power. Though I still need certain things now, they aren’t worth trading my freedom for.’

With this mindset, Mu Lin politely declined Prince Liang’s offer.

The prince had anticipated rejection and didn’t get angry.

Yet instead of leaving, he began badmouthing the East Sea King’s ambitions.

"Mu Lin, I know my offers can’t match the East Sea King’s. But remember – his resources come at a price. Join my household and you’ll cultivate in peace."

"Choose the East Sea Kingdom, and you’ll oppose not just the Great Spirit Dynasty, but also the Yuqing Sect, Feiyu Sect, Sword Mountain, Thunder Sound Temple, and all powerful clans under heaven. None want trouble stirred up during these tribulations."

"When chaos reigns, humanity must unite. The East Sea King’s ambition will destroy us all."

He concluded solemnly:

"You needn’t join me, but don’t become a villain’s accomplice. Don’t make enemies of the world and get hunted down."

After this heartfelt warning, Prince Liang departed.

The East Sea King arrived soon after.

This ambitious ruler’s opening words made Mu Lin’s eyebrows shoot up:

"My seventh brother surely slandered me."

"Uh…"

After an awkward pause, Mu Lin answered: "He only mentioned Your Highness has… ambitions."

"More than ‘some’! He claims I’ll ruin humanity with my reckless ambition."

"…"

As Mu Lin stayed silent, the king gazed out the window:

"I won’t deny my ambitions. But they’re not just for myself – they’re for our nine provinces and all people."

"Preserving peace would help humanity survive this crisis."

"But only if the Great Spirit Dynasty’s foundation remained firm."

"Look now! Court officials hide in women’s chambers, trembling before coming storms."

"They’ve already surrendered – sending offspring beyond to become evil gods’ divine children or Daoist/Buddhist pawns!"

"The emperor prepares escape routes while powerful clans hedge their bets. Can such cowards leading sheep possibly win this war?"

"…"

Mu Lin stayed quiet, distrusting this speech. The king clearly wanted the throne himself.

Back in his modern life, Mu Lin had seen how one-sided stories often lied. Still, he grasped the king’s point:

The central government was rotten. Only by cutting out the corruption could humanity survive.

The logic held some appeal. A weak emperor like Zhao Gou could indeed be more dangerous than ten evil gods. If true, removing him made sense.

But without proof, Mu Lin wouldn’t act. After long consideration, he declined again.

He’d investigate himself. Even if the emperor really was weak, he wouldn’t join the East Sea Kingdom.

‘Why join any faction when I have the True Spirit Domain Chart? I am my own faction!’