Chapter 190
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Chapter 190: Paper Figure Disguised as Evil! (Seeking Subscriptions)
The outsiders didn’t believe Mu Lin could escape the chase by Yuhu Academy students, and Chu Hongxuan… shared this view.
After relentless searching and pursuing, they’d nearly destroyed all the paper figures summoned by Mu Lin, making their expressions grow even more relaxed.
As the paper figures dwindled, some even began pitying Mu Lin.
"Summoning so many paper figures while casting such potent curse techniques shows decent skill. Pity his greatest mistake was arrogance in provoking us."
"Exactly! Had he stayed humble, he’d easily rank in the top five. Now? Not being first eliminated would be pure luck."
"Humility serves best. May this lesson brand itself upon him, haha…"
Their subordinates relaxed, and so did Chu Hongxuan’s group.
With victory imminent, Yan Zhanpeng even contemplated future plans.
"Mu Lin’s curse techniques make him valuable. Given his high chance of entering Yuhu Academy, perhaps I should recruit him."
Confident in his superior strength and lineage, Yan Zhanpeng saw nothing wrong with wanting to subjugate Mu Lin.
As he pondered, a "boom" echoed—Yuance had incinerated the last paper figure, leaving the streets empty.
Yuhu Academy students regrouped, using tracking arts to seek Mu Lin’s presence.
Chu Hongxuan’s subordinates worked slower this time, straining to detect faint traces.
Yet Yan Zhanpeng’s group remained calm.
"Such difficulty means it must be his true body."
"Victory nears."
Fearing his escape, they rushed toward Mu Lin’s location. Accelerating through various means, they soon reached a crimson-hued haunted theater.
"Hiding among evil spirits? Clever… but futile. Peng You! Identify his true form!"
Chu Hongxuan’s group brimmed with confidence.
Yet moments later, their smugness vanished—faces darkening.
Staring at the ominous stage, Chu Hongxuan demanded again: "You’re certain that’s Mu Lin?"
"Yes. The red-clad martial artist bears his aura… but I can’t tell if it’s a paper figure or his true body."
Silence fell.
Finally, an exhausted roar shattered the quiet:
"Damn pest! His paper figures mimic both humans and evil spirits now?"
"Why don’t the spirits attack them?!"
Failing to locate Mu Lin’s true form left them baffled and frustrated. How did his paper figures blend with evil spirits undetected? How did they coexist peacefully?
To this, Mu Lin would simply shrug: Basic instinct.
The paper figures were not human, so making them act like living humans was actually harder than disguising them as evil spirits. Without the vitality of the living, they naturally belonged to the category of evil spirits. As for energy sources… besides drawing vitality from humans, Mu Lin could channel the strange powers from the land of Heaven’s Funeral.
Currently, Mu Lin used the eerie energy from the City of Heaven’s Funeral to cover the living vitality’s presence. The reason paper figures could wander near the stage also related to Mu Lin’s exceptional painting skills. His Grandmaster-level painting allowed him to depict not just skin and bones, but also the essence of Domination. Human painters never limited themselves to portraits—they painted landscapes, spirit maps of deities, and scenes of evil ghosts. Mu Lin had once passed through this area and observed its evil spirits, enabling him to capture their bone-chilling nature with bone-deep accuracy through his extraordinary skill. This made his paper warriors appear more convincingly evil than the actual spirits onstage.
Realizing Yuhu Academy’s disciples were fully committed to destroying him while rapidly eliminating his paper figures, Mu Lin faced a clear choice. If still influenced by the Heart Lamp of Will, his pride would’ve driven him to charge out shouting, "Even with numbers, I, Mu Lin, fear nothing!" and engage in direct killing.
But Huameng’s sword strike had jolted him awake. Recognizing his flawed mindset, he reconsidered: "Yuhu’s students aren’t weak. Top-ranked Chu Hongxuan and Yan Zhanpeng each have ultimate moves and hidden cards. Charging blindly would mean defeat. Better to use hit-and-run tactics… No—with Nail the Seven Spirits, I just need to stall. Victory will come naturally."
He hid deeper while folding paper figures into evil spirit shapes. Using ink brushes infused with the City of Heaven’s Funeral’s strange powers, he transformed them into paper evil spirits—a tactic proving effective.
Chu Hongxuan’s group felt utterly lost. Though unafraid of the haunted theater (Yan Zhanpeng even boasted he could demolish it alone), their real frustration lay in being unable to locate Mu Lin’s true body. Worse, if paper figures lurked here, other monster-infested areas might too—they couldn’t fight everywhere.
Then Huameng, first to be cursed, unexpectedly answered their earlier question: "Hehe, of course evil spirits ignore them. Those paper figures aren’t alive—they’re just paper. Even spirits don’t attack rocks or walls for no reason."
While her insight impressed, it offered no solution. Her casual attitude further annoyed the group, especially since she’d caused this conflict. "How relaxed you look," Chu Hongxuan sneered.
Unbothered, Huameng grinned: "Why shouldn’t I be? My face beats your dead-eyed orphan look any day."
"You!"
"What about me? Wanna fight? Bring it on, hehe…"
"Enough! This isn’t time for internal strife. We must focus on handling Mu Lin!"
Yan Zhanpeng barked, then ordered his subordinates to cast the Calming Spell.
"Hmm…"
As the spell took effect, Yuance and Chu Hongxuan felt their agitation ease slightly.
Instead of relief, their faces darkened further.
They’d sensed something was wrong.
"This curse isn’t just marking us or hurting our hearts. It’s feeding us constant pain and irritation."
"And stealing our alertness."
Yuance added grimly: "Before, I’d get warnings before evil spirit attacks. Now? Fought three hauntings this week without a single premonition."
The others clenched their jaws.
"We must eliminate Mu Lin. Now."
"First curse took our sixth sense. What’ll the second assessment do? Cripple us completely?"
Had Mu Lin been watching, he’d have marveled at how differently his curses affected demon cultivators versus these clan heirs. He remembered using Nail the Seven Spirits on a blood mage – one coffin nail made the man’s stolen souls revolt, nearly destroying him. The second nail rotted his flesh off the bones.
Yet these privileged youths merely complained of "discomfort".
This proved the difference between stable orthodox cultivation and reckless demonic shortcuts – faster gains, but fatal flaws. Righteous cultivation was slow but steady, building foundation.
Their current safety meant nothing without a solution.
"Mu Lin’s curse technique has us cornered. Do we attack the opera puppet?"
They hesitated. Everyone knew it’d be a bandage solution.
Fate decided for them.
While they debated, the painted-stage warrior lunged. Worse, its paper figure’s magical powers now crackled with the strange powers of the entire haunted theater.
"Yiiii-yaaa!"
