Chapter 105
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Chapter 105: Stealing the Power of the City of Heaven’s Funeral
After assuming his divine office, both the little girl who sells matches and the Funeral Yasha showed clear growth in their strength as ghosts.
More importantly, their violent aura faded significantly, replaced by an air of authority that made them easier to control.
"With proper ranks, the Yin Soldiers and ghost officials no longer drain my focus to control them. Instead, they become pillars of my power, reinforcing my City God Realm within my sea of consciousness. Strengthening the City God Realm indirectly boosts my Mind Image world. So, the more Yin soldiers and ghost officials I have, the better."
With this thought, Mu Lin solidified the civil and military judges and glanced at his sparse roster of ghost officials. Feeling the emptiness, he willed a connection to the City of Heaven’s Funeral using his prior training.
A low hum echoed as a torrent of Heaven’s Funeral power cascaded downward, tainted by the Strange Powers of evil spirits.
In the past, these forces would’ve immediately flooded his Mind Image world with floating paper money and wailing cries—a visible sign of the Strange Powers corrupting his mental realm. Prolonged exposure would warp his visualized humans into grotesque, uncontrollable horrors and twist his imagined tools into cursed objects.
But now, things were different.
As the Strange Powers invaded, the Yin City God Temple in his Mind Image blazed with Divine Light.
*Boom!*
The radiance stifled both the Heaven’s Funeral power and Strange Powers, leaving his Mind Image world largely undisturbed despite the opened channel.
This wasn’t because Mu Lin’s City God power surpassed the Heaven’s Funeral or Strange Powers. His link to the land of Heaven’s Funeral remained tenuous, allowing only a trickle of corrupting energy to seep in—enough to strain him, but not overwhelm.
“Hah… still tough. Without the earth’s veins or national fortune backing me, I can’t hold out much longer…”
Gritting his teeth, he endured as the influx of Heaven’s Funeral power swelled. Over time, accumulated energy infected street objects and human figures, mutating them into cursed artifacts and evil spirits.
Driven by hatred for the living, these abominations stormed the Yin City God Temple, sensing the lone trace of living vitality inside.
*Crash!*
The temple doors burst open as evil spirits flooded in.
A thunderous roar erupted from the City God statue:
“Insolence! Kneel!”
*Boom!*
An Oppressive Aura, heavy as a prison’s weight, crushed downward. Weaker evil spirits—freshly corrupted—collapsed to their knees. Even stronger ones faltered, their menace stifled.
This was the City God Realm: part deity, part spectral authority, infused with mortal recognition. Its heavenly might inherently suppressed evil spirits.
“Outside, I lack the magic to unleash the City God’s full power. But here—my Mind Image, the Underworld City God’s domain—I wield it completely!”
“And you fools! Attacking a City God of the underworld? Heaven offered you roads, yet you barged into hell!”
Under the Realm’s suppression, the evil spirits weakened drastically. Before Mu Lin could act, the newly appointed ghost official Yellow Turban Might lashed out with Soul Binding Chains.
“Cry…”
“Ah!!!”
Whether they were whipped or captured, the remaining evil spirits that could barely hold on were bound by the Soul Binding Chains.
In the next moment, the authority of the City God activated, transforming these evil ghosts. Mu Lin was stealing power from the City of Heaven’s Funeral, turning the evil spirits corrupted by the power of Heaven’s Funeral into ghost officials and Yin soldiers.
“This is far easier than my exhausting visualization practice. Plus, these transformed ghost officials and Yin soldiers are stronger than ordinary evil spirits. After all, the power of Heaven’s Funeral is terrifyingly potent.”
Of course, while the power of Heaven’s Funeral could harm enemies, it could also backfire.
To ensure this power wouldn’t rebel, Mu Lin—while embodying the City God to transform the evil spirits—summoned the proud heart lamp from a side hall. It hovered in the City God’s hand, shining brightly.
“Boom!”
The spreading light branded the evil spirits with a flame seal of absolute control.
With the dual restraints of the City God’s transformation and the heart lamp’s suppression, Mu Lin finally felt slightly reassured.
“By stealing power from the land of Heaven’s Funeral, I can swiftly replenish the City God’s Forces.”
“The downside is that while this boosts the proficiency of the Mind Image · Heavenly Burial · City God Realm, it caps at one-third of the maximum proficiency.”
As everyone knew, stronger cultivation methods demanded greater resources and talent.
“After advancing to the celestial grade—or even intermediate celestial—my Mind Image world grew stronger, but the requirements to improve it also skyrocketed.”
“Normally, I’d need to build temples and forge a Golden Body, becoming a true City God. Then I’d protect the land, guide lost souls, capture evil ghosts, and fulfill my duties flawlessly.”
“I’d also need humans to worship me, offering Power of Belief. Refining it would strengthen my realm. Only through persistent effort could I evolve from a County City God to a State City God, rising from a Manifesting Earl to a revered lord.”
The traditional City God path had many constraints, but its benefits were undeniable. Instant control over a region aside, immortality tied to a nation’s fortune drove countless to madness.
Some City Gods even transcended nations, surviving dynastic collapses. Yet despite these perks, Mu Lin rejected the path’s restrictions.
Luckily, his proficiency panel allowed him to enhance the Mind Image · Heavenly Burial · City God Realm without becoming a City God. Better yet, he could double his gains—cultivation and duty both boosted proficiency.
As he pondered, Mu Lin noticed his Mind Image’s proficiency rising abnormally fast—*too* fast.
Converting Heaven’s Funeral-corrupted evil ghosts into Yin Soldiers and ghost officials tripled his proficiency’s rising value.
“Why so quick? Wait… A City God’s duties include guiding souls and capturing evil ghosts. Heaven’s Funeral’s power belongs to evil spirits. So I don’t need temples or a Golden Body—just keep stealing from the City of Heaven’s Funeral to boost my City God Realm?”
The dread City of Heaven’s Funeral had become his personal energy reserve—a shocking turn.
…
Though tempted to keep draining the City of Heaven’s Funeral, Mu Lin’s endurance faltered without a nation’s fortune or earth’s veins. After an hour of meditation, exhaustion crept in.
Fearful of risks, he severed the link between his Mind Image world and the City of Heaven’s Funeral.
Even that brief effort bore fruit. The city god’s temple in his Mind Image world now bustled—civil and military judges flanked the hall, while ghost officials and Yin soldiers numbered seventeen.
The presence of numerous soldiers made the City God Realm even more solemn and fortified. This drew a satisfied nod from Mu Lin:
"A few more attempts, and my City God Realm will reach perfection…"
"They execute hook-thieves yet crown nation-stealers as lords. If I devour the entire City of Heaven’s Funeral, could my Mind Image world become Fengdu City through sheer ‘theft’?"
After pondering, Mu Lin found this possibility likely, igniting his ambition. Yet excitement didn’t erase his wariness.
"For now I’m just a petty thief beneath the land of Heaven’s Funeral’s notice. But as my power grows and I steal more, the City of Heaven’s Funeral will retaliate… Caution remains vital."
…
Following his advancement, Mu Lin spent the latter half of the night practicing the Great Yin Living Scripture alongside stealing energy from the City of Heaven’s Funeral. The Moonlight Dew slightly increased his Vitality of the Living.
Without Morning Purple Air, however, he couldn’t balance yin and yang to condense the vitality from gas to liquid. Only at dawn could he finally capture a wisp of purple air to fuse with his internal Vitality.
Within an hour of meditation, Mu Lin grasped why most paper folders embraced dark paths despite their capacity for balance – becoming twisted half-human, half-ghost abominations.
The scarcity of purple air proved key. Available only briefly at dawn, the minuscule wisp he gathered, though potent enough to refine seven portions of Vitality, proved pitiful against the ocean of Yin energy within him. Full conversion would require years – an unbearable timeline for Mu Lin and fellow paper folders. Thus most abandoned balance to focus solely on Yin energy.
Mu Lin’s advantage lay in wealth. Using Spirit Stones earned through Vajra Strength paintings, he approached Yan Yunyu about storing purple air.
"Purple air? Essence Stones can preserve it."
"Procure a batch then."
Worried about insufficient funds or half-hearted efforts, Mu Lin added incentive: "My cultivation methods have reached Level 3. With improved magical cultivation, I’ll achieve Spring Fountain advancement immediately. This purple air will catalyze my magical transformation."
"After reaching Spring Fountain, I’ll undoubtedly claim Taoist Palace supremacy."
Yan Yunyu’s eyes sparkled at this. Though she’d secured alternatives, dual victories remained preferable.
"Everything rests with me. The Essence Stones will arrive with utmost speed."
