Chapter 238
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Chapter 238: You Are the Challengers
The Servants of the gods, their mindsets shattered, desperately hoped the Crow Servant would burst from Mu Lin’s chest. This didn’t happen.
The bright red wine gourd, elevated to middle-grade treasure status through accumulated merits, proved unbreakable. Mu Lin didn’t even need to focus much on controlling it.
After devouring the Crow Servant, Zhong Kui’s manifestation turned toward the traitorous cultists. Without hesitation, the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword materialized in its grasp. Mu Lin guided the blade like a soaring dragon toward the enemies.
"Swish…"
"No! Mercy!"
"I was forced!"
"Lord, this is unfair!"
"Bastard! I’ll kill you!"
Some pleaded, some protested, others fought back – all useless. Empowered by starlight, especially the lethal constellations Po Jun, Wu Qu, and Tan Lang, the Demon-Slaying Sword became unstoppable.
Starlight flashed. Heads rolled.
Defensive spells shattered. Offensive magic disintegrated. Nothing could block the sword’s path.
"Almost like cutting through ten thousand spells with one strike," Mu Lin mused humorously. He knew the truth – this was stellar magic disguised as swordplay, not pure swordsmanship. Not that he cared.
Practicality mattered more than purity. The Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword worked. That was enough.
…
The stellar blade’s assault, combined with Zhong Kui’s proactive attacks, destroyed the Servants’ last hope. All now understood – Mu Lin had effortlessly devoured the Crow Servant.
Fear gripped the divine followers. Zhong Kui’s manifestation felt like their natural predator.
Some retreated. Others stood their ground.
Tie Xun, worshiper of the God of Crazy Hunt, stepped forward. "Human," he growled at Mu Lin and the looming Zhong Kui, "I underestimated you. But this isn’t over. I await you in the Bloodthirsty Jungle!"
"Come! Let’s see who’s prey!"
Mu Lin snorted. "Make me come to you? You’re not worthy." His gaze swept across the cowering crowd like a judge surveying insects.
“Remember one thing—you’re the challengers!”
“And your time is short. You’ve only got seven hours left to live.”
“Find and kill me within those seven hours for a sliver of hope. Fail, and you’ll die.”
As Mu Lin’s judgmental words landed, a sickening *thunk* echoed in the ears of the Servants of the gods—like nails hammering into flesh.
They shuddered as unnatural changes gripped their bodies.
“A curse?! How dare you curse us divine servants, Curse Master!”
“Why so shocked?” Mu Lin sneered. “Did you mutts think only you could curse others?”
“Fight evil with evil, violence with violence—that’s my way. Cross me, and you’ll drown in death and fear forever.”
He strode toward Yan Yunyu’s group. Passing the Lady of Pleasures, he noted her twitching face—yet she stayed rooted.
Avoiding direct fights was her style. More importantly, Zhong Kui devouring ghosts had shattered her courage. Sacrificing herself for allies? Unthinkable. Cultists thrived on selfishness and betrayal. Noble souls didn’t last three days among them.
Mu Lin knew this. The Assistant’s memories had shown most cultists were cowards—they cowered before true ruthlessness. Hence his earlier aggression.
But even his plans held surprises. When he approached, Qin Yuan, Zuo Li, and every Taoist Palace disciple recoiled in fear. His ghost-devouring act had chilled both enemies and allies. Learning he mastered curses too, their stares turned uneasy—was the King of Evil Ghosts walking among them?
They recovered quickly, though, rushing to thank him once certain of their safety. Mu Lin brushed them off.
“Move out.”
Transforming into the Ink Dragon, he summoned clouds to carry the disciples and Yan Yunyu skyward. As they rose toward the Tree of Corpses, he paused to hurl a final message at the Lady of Pleasures below.
…
Mu Lin left, but Tie Xun’s group remained grim. They’d tried every method to purge the curse—yet it clung like corpse-maggots, defying all efforts.
Mu Lin could only say that the master-level advancement of the Paper Figure Curse, Nail the Seven Spirits, was complicated and couldn’t kill enemies instantly. But its high priority through mass sacrifices made it formidable. While less effective against ordinary people, it became a sharp tool against true powerful beings. This was Mu Lin’s trump card, granting him battlefield control.
While Mu Lin felt satisfied, Tie Xun’s group suffered. The unbreakable curse left their lives like flickering candles in wind, ready to die out anytime. They couldn’t accept this. After exchanging glances, they considered teaming up – though first needed to settle one issue.
"Shu Rong, what did that human tell you?"
The Lady of Pleasures stayed silent until forced to answer: "What if I said he just pretended to whisper, trying to divide us? Would you believe?"
Tie Xun refused to believe. He knew his comrades well – they’d sell teammates without hesitation to survive. He’d do the same. Even without human interference, they’d kill each other for power. Shu Rong could manipulate fallen souls through pleasure. Mu Lin’s planted suspicion deepened their existing distrust. Was it really just acting? Did he truly promise nothing?
……
Mu Lin anticipated their troubles but didn’t care. He ignored Shu Rong’s choices and Qin Yuan/Zuo Li’s gratitude after being rescued. After calming the shaken Yan Yunyu, his focus shifted to Zhong Kui’s bright red wine gourd – not due to Crow Servant escaping, but an emerging surprise.
……
The wine gourd manifested through Zhong Kui’s Heavenly Level Formation – Cycle of Life and Death. Rooted in Heavenly Technique, its foundation was already supreme. Enhanced by Will of Humanity’s favor and merit during forging, it became middle-grade magical artifact. Its core function: obliteration via Cycle of Life and Death.
The trapped Crow Servant got shredded by the formation’s Illusion/Reality and Life/Death forces. The gourd kept working, yin and yang energies repeatedly refining Crow Servant’s power. Impurities expelled, leaving pure soul power and vitality at the gourd’s base for absorption.
This outcome matched Mu Lin’s expectations. The purified soul power didn’t excite him – though potent, his resources from Yan/Chu families and True Meaning Diagram of doppelgänger cultivation made him indifferent to Condensing Essence-level Refining the Evil materials. Crow Servant’s impurities left little after refinement.
But then came the twist. While most Crow Servant’s power crumbled under the formation’s grinding, a special force persisted and intensified – reeking of calamity and death yet radiating sacredness. This paradoxical energy made Mu Lin widen his eyes.
"What’s this…"
