Chapter 268
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Chapter 268: Darkness and Light, Illusion and Reality, the Heavenly Level Formation Unleashes Its Power!
“Fools! Idiots!”
Ji Hongyu watched as nearly a thousand demon cultivators surged forward, her heart tightening with anxiety.
Like the Yin Eight Sect practitioners and other demonic forces, she believed the demon sects held overwhelming superiority and that Mu Lin stood no chance. Her mind no longer dwelled on how he might win, but rather on how to preserve his life under the combined assault and the surveillance of powerful beings from the Demon Sect.
‘That reckless fool may be arrogant and blind to the larger situation, but his talent and potential are unparalleled. He’s humanity’s rising star, crucial for resisting future calamities. We can’t let him perish here… Though once rescued, I’ll thrash him soundly!’
‘I’ll rap his skull and demand who gave him the audacity to act so boldly!’
…
While Ji Hongyu seethed, the advancing demon cultivators soon clashed with Mu Lin’s Yin soldiers and ghost officials. The result was inevitable—Mu Lin’s forces had grouped in squads of ten to dozens to maximize captures, but they were hopelessly outnumbered against a thousand foes.
At first contact, the Yin soldiers and ghost officials were shredded. The survivors immediately fell back, scrambling in disarray toward the City God Realm.
This panicked retreat emboldened the demon cultivators. Even a mob fights fiercely when victory seems assured. The faster Mu Lin’s forces fled, the wilder the pursuit grew.
“Jijiji! Where’s your earlier arrogance now that you flee?”
“Give back my brother’s life!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
“Wasn’t Ping An Ancient County under your ‘law’? Judge me now, oh mighty arbiter!”
Had Mu Lin counterattacked, the selfish demon cultivators might have faltered, fearing casualties. But his full retreat fed their bloodlust. Soon they reached the Demon Exorcism Division, where the City God Realm’s entrance was rapidly closing.
“Lin Qiu’s escaping!”
“Seal the gateway!”
“Green Ghost! Red Ghost! Force the doors!”
“Five Ghosts Lock—hurry, I can’t sustain this!”
Driven by hatred and momentum, the Ping An Ancient Street cultivators plunged through the narrowing portal. Their entry strained the gateway, granting glimpses of the City God Realm’s interior—mountains of Yin-aligned resources, wild spirit herbs, and treasures precisely matching many pursuers’ desperate needs. Greed flashed in countless eyes.
“Eyeballs of the Death Demon Bat! This actually contains such resources. I’d searched for these for seven years!”
“Ghost-Faced Toad skin? How could Lin Qiu possess such vile stuff… Ah, he looted Ping An Ancient Street’s resources. Those scum could easily raise a Ghost-Faced Toad… No matter. This skin is vital for my spell—I must obtain it.”
“The Hundred-Eyed Centipede—it’s the last ingredient I need for my cultivation advancement…”
“Yin Snake Spirit Pearl! Heaven’s blessing! My fortune has finally arrived…”
Spirit objects, artifacts, cultivation methods, spectral beings—through the City God Realm’s gateway, demon cultivators glimpsed their most coveted treasures, their faces twisting with greed.
This was Manjusaka’s new ability, awakened upon reaching the Condensing Essence level: Longing.
An extension of its Life and Death Illusion’s illusionary power, it made observers perceive not the flower’s true form, but their deepest desires.
The awakening stemmed partly from the divinity of delight.
Desire isn’t mere lust—greed, obsession, insatiable hunger all fall within its domain.
Using this understanding, Mu Lin had unlocked Manjusaka’s power.
Truthfully, casting illusions on nearly a thousand demon cultivators strained Manjusaka severely, leaving gaps in the deception.
Had the cultivators compared notes, they’d have noticed inconsistencies.
But demon cultivators thrive on selfishness. Upon discovering their heart’s desires, they hoarded the knowledge, fearing rivals might steal or sabotage their prizes.
Demon cultivators aren’t allies. Only Mu Lin’s provocations had forced this temporary alliance.
Now certain of victory, their minds turned to post-battle schemes:
“Our numbers guarantee Lin Qiu’s defeat. But the Grave Lord inheritance can’t be shared. Fewer competitors mean more loot…”
“Lin the Demon carries ghost infants I require. Let him ‘accidentally’ fall during the fight…”
“Old Ghost Zhang’s found his advancement treasure too? Can’t have that—our territories border each other. Destroy it, even if I can’t kill him…”
They understood their comrades’ nature perfectly. None would share discoveries—greed drove them forward into the City God Realm’s maw.
Yet some hung back. Either cautious or sharp-eyed, they noticed flaws in the illusion—Manjusaka’s power, though enhanced by divinity, stretched too thin against so many. Those with eye techniques or strong mental strength sensed the trap.
They stayed silent. Fewer survivors meant greater shares.
‘Too many demon cultivators exist. Limited resources demand limited claimants. Die for my benefit.’
Mu Lin wasn’t alone in valuing dead comrades—their own allies agreed wholeheartedly.
As for the possibility of failure, the demon cultivators outside never considered it.
In their eyes, Mu Lin versus the demon cultivators was like a battleship from the Lighthouse Nation facing a ragtag militia – the advantage seemed so overwhelming that defeat appeared impossible.
…
Thus, guided by Mu Lin and driven by their own selfishness, hordes of demon cultivators poured into his City God Realm.
Upon entering, their faces showed fanaticism, greed, and cruel excitement at impending revenge and killing.
But their expressions soon shifted.
Something terrifying happened in the City God Realm.
To handle the invaders, Mu Lin didn’t summon the Beiwai Army. It wasn’t necessary.
"Hummm…"
As most cultivators entered, Mu Lin willed the realm’s structures and Manjusaka flower fields to emit an eerie glow.
The lights connected, forming a faint formation.
Then the sky darkened – not ordinary night, but absolute blindness-inducing blackness.
[Gloom]
"Who’s there?"
"Ghost Light! Damn it – why won’t it work?!"
"Fire spell!"
"Bloodflame!!"
"Withering Fire!"
The sudden darkness startled the demon cultivators. They instinctively cast illumination spells, but ordinary flames couldn’t pierce the realm’s primordial dark. Even successful spells only lit three meters around them.
Before they could regroup, new horrors emerged.
"Giggle…"
"Brother, give me your head?"
"Sniff…sniff…"
"WHO’S THERE?!"
Phantom whispers, sudden weeping, chilling laughter, spectral footsteps, bloodstained swords materializing from darkness – the cultivators felt danger everywhere.
[Illusion and Reality]
"Bastard! Face me!"
"Come out, coward!"
"You want my head? DIE FIRST!"
"Stop wailing! Soul Scream spell!"
"Corrupted Palm strike!"
The ambush triggered panic. Some shouted bravado while others blindly attacked shadows.
This proved disastrous. The overcrowded space and blinding dark caused friendly fire. An organized army would’ve maintained discipline, but these were free demon cultivators – selfish and unruly.
"Bastard! Who shot me?!"
"Poison mist! Cough…whose spell?!"
"My head! Stop that wailing!"
"I’m dying! Hundred Ghosts – KILL EVERYONE!!"
Darkness and illusions bred chaos. Poison spells and curses flew indiscriminately as panicked cultivators turned on each other.
By the Other Shore Flower sea, Mu Lin watched the carnage with a faint smile.
"More fighters don’t mean better odds."
