Chapter 199
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Chapter 199: The Final Assessment, Bloody Moon Calamity
Yuance couldn’t tell whether the scattered-then-regathered humans remained his companions.
This climate of endless suspicion ruined any monster-human cooperation, leaving Yuance choking with frustration.
Powerless to act, he roared at the empty sky:
"Mu Lin! Face me properly if you dare!"
Mu Lin naturally ignored these shouts. He kept manipulating, luring, and driving the city’s monsters, strange evil spirits, and twisted horrors toward Chu Hongxuan’s group.
Viewed from above, a giant hand seemed to smother the Tower of Illusions’ phantom city. Countless threads dangled from it, puppeteering every monster and evil spirit below.
These thread-bound creatures gathered in designated areas to fight and kill, like marionettes controlled by invisible strings.
The endless bloodshed both tightened the noose around Chu Hongxuan’s group and thinned the monsters’ ranks.
Quick-witted observers soon grasped Mu Lin’s plan.
"The evil spirits aren’t just hunting humans – they’re killing and eating each other too. Even monsters keep bumping into natural enemies… Mu Lin’s not just eliminating Yuhu Academy students. He’s cleansing the whole city of horrors."
"What’s his goal then?"
"Clearer than daylight! His feud with Chu Hongxuan is personal, but the Tower of Illusions scores this test by monster kills. He’s aiming to wipe out every last fiend!"
This revelation drew gasps. Someone stammered:
"But… could he actually pull this off?"
"If he succeeds, it’ll shake the heavens! The monsters here outpower humans a hundredfold!"
Nods followed. "Exactly. The Taoist Palaces designed this Southeast League Examination to crush students’ arrogance – to show how terrifying monsters truly are. That’s why they always stack the odds overwhelmingly against us."
"That’s why nobody’s ever fully passed. The best record? Someone hid from monster chases for seven days using special tricks."
"If Mu Lin succeeds through any method, he’ll be Southeast Province’s greatest student in a century."
Some marveled, while others saw battlefield practicality:
"Controlling evil spirits and making monsters kill each other? This isn’t fantasy – it’s real tactics."
"Meaning Mu Lin alone could stop an actual city-wide calamity."
"Without spending a single human soldier… The boy’s worth an army!"
This brilliance stunned both commoners and elites. Even Yuhu City’s lord and Yuzhou’s governor watched Mu Lin with shining eyes.
"This youngster has wartime value. Keep him in Yuzhou at all costs."
"Understood, Governor."
But not everyone shared this awe. Yuhu Academy’s headmaster dripped cold sweat.
Mu Lin’s massacre had trampled Yuhu Academy’s reputation into mud. Worse, he only attacked Yuhu students who’d struck first. Students from Qianyang Taoist Palace, Longyou Taoist Palace, and Heshan Academy received no harm – even occasional help.
If this continued, the final rankings would show Mu Lin first, others filling next spots, with Yuhu Academy dead last.
This outcome made the Mountain Elder’s stomach churn.
With abundant resources and the top students from the Southeast Province, Yuhu Academy somehow ranked last in the Southeast League Examination. Such dismal results meant the Mountain Elder couldn’t possibly justify this outcome.
Soon, he found something that infuriated him further. Since no specific orders had been given, Mu Lin hadn’t targeted humans—nor had he bothered the visiting non-human tribes either.
Mu Lin wasn’t some blood-crazed monster or insanity-driven demon. He saw no reason to kill indiscriminately.
He knew making allies opened more paths in life.
Yet this very behavior ruined the Mountain Elder’s political mission. Previously, Yuhu Academy’s last-place finish had merely put his leadership position in jeopardy.
Now, with the political mission failing too, his downfall became certain.
Desperate, the Mountain Elder devised a plan.
“Activate the Bloody Moon early.”
“To what phase, Mountain Elder?”
“Full moon!”
As hosts of this examination, Yuhu Academy held certain controls. The Bloody Moon mechanism originally intensified challenges over time—starting with minor disturbances by monsters and evil spirits in Cloud City.
Normally, the crimson moon first appeared as a sliver, growing fuller each night. By the seventh day’s peak full moon, Cloud City would descend into hellish chaos—the examination’s ultimate trial.
To suppress Mu Lin, the Mountain Elder accelerated this process.
The Bloody Moon’s power proved immense. At midnight, crimson fog swallowed the city.
Noticing the mutation, Mu Lin instinctively looked skyward—and immediately regretted it.
The moment his eyes met the Bloody Moon, torrents of Information flooded his mind. In this world, raw Information carried corruptive force, warping wills and corroding souls.
Fortunately, Mu Lin’s spirit held strong.
*Boom!*
His Heart Lamp of Will roared to life, flames raging. While this artifact kindled by pride made him arrogant, that same arrogance became his shield.
*Let no sky blind my sight, no earth entomb my heart. Let all beings know my will, and all false gods scatter like ash!*
Mu Lin’s proud, unyielding will caused the twisted force invading his sea of consciousness – despite its higher rank – to immediately confront the flames of his Heart Lamp of Will. Even when shattered, his resolute belief refused to yield, instead growing stronger and fiercer the more he fought.
"You can’t corrupt me!"
"I’ll become the ultimate power! You’re just slightly ahead now, but I’ll surpass you soon!"
The Bloody Moon’s Information sought to warp Mu Lin’s soul into worshipping and believing in it. But how could someone convinced of his own future superiority over the Bloody Moon ever bow to another? This ironclad conviction boosted his Heart Lamp of Will’s amplification.
Ultimately, Mu Lin’s Heart Lamp withstood the soul-twisting force. Yet after blocking it, he stopped looking directly at the Bloody Moon. He wasn’t stupid – while his future might eclipse the Bloody Moon, it currently held more power. Surviving required temporary caution.
Besides, he had bigger problems. Though his resilient soul resisted the Bloody Moon’s corruption, his physical body couldn’t keep up. Already, multiple bloodshot eyeballs rolled across his skin while tentacle shapes bulged beneath his flesh.
The colossal Bloody Moon’s light bathed all of Cloud City, affecting more than just living creatures. Stones grew flesh, wood sprouted limbs, and even Mu Lin’s paper figures started becoming human. Worse, these enhanced monsters went completely berserk.
"…Plan failed." The runaway paper figures severed Mu Lin’s tactile control, preventing him from manipulating monsters to attack each other or trap Chu Hongxuan and Yuance. But soon he realized it didn’t matter – the Bloody Moon’s mutated horrors were slaughtering everyone indiscriminately, including his enemies.
"Pity. I meant to use them for cleaning up the city’s monsters."
