Chapter 353

Chapter 353: The Final Battle, Mu Lin Gets Serious

Luo Chen’s declaration of “We will win” did not reach Mu Lin’s ears, but the following battles ended swiftly.

Thanks to Yan Yunyu’s groundwork, Mu Lin already knew the true names, abilities, and details of the northern prodigies beforehand.

Yan Yunyu and Si Ye had even secured samples of the magical auras emitted by some northern prodigies.

Using the Ledger of Life and Death to compile the true names, auras, and human connections, Mu Lin swiftly pieced together the remaining gaps.

“Still, this isn’t enough. The cultivators I face now are mostly at the Condensing Essence stage or Transformation Realm—their information is easy to obtain, and they don’t hide themselves. But Earth Immortals or divine-level experts? They’ve lived too long. They’ll have countless tricks and ways to cloak their secrets.”

“If I rely only on the Ledger’s deduction, I can’t uncover their powers… Should I learn a divination or reasoning cultivation method and merge it with the Ledger?”

Mu Lin wavered:

“It could work. But I’m already swamped—studying the power of existence and nothingness, refining essence… Adding another method might be too much.”

“Plus, where would I even find a Heavenly Technique for divination?”

As he debated, Mu Lin used the Ledger to pass judgment on the northern aristocrat prodigies.

He hadn’t settled on learning a new method yet, but he’d already crushed nearly every northern prodigy.

Only one remained undefeated.

When this last challenger entered the arena, Mu Lin barely glanced at him. He just wanted to finish fast, return to refining essence, or ask Si Ye’s group about divination methods.

“I’ll handle the learning part later. First, find the technique… Huh?”

But then Mu Lin’s brow twitched.

This opponent didn’t cower like the others. Instead, he attacked instantly—and in a bizarre way.

“Boom!”

Flames engulfed Mu Lin where he stood.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The inferno roared into Mu Lin’s seven orifices, charring half his body to ash.

As expected, the substitution counter-damage activated—identical wounds erupted on Luo Chen’s body.

But then something stunned Mu Lin.

The injuries didn’t harm Luo Chen.

—The moment they appeared, he absorbed them.

Worse, Luo Chen refined the counter-damage energy into a strange force that boosted his own power.

“This…”

Mu Lin’s eyes narrowed. For the first time, he focused fully.

“Whoosh!”

In an instant, Mu Lin shifted all his injuries to a distant paper figure.

Free of wounds, he finally channeled his magic to block the flames.

“Buzz!!!”

As Mu Lin stirred, a mountain-like momentum suddenly surged from him.

The thick aura formed an earthy-yellow glass shield, encasing Mu Lin within.

“Boom!”

“Bang…”

Though Mu Lin wished to avoid injury, Luo Chen had other plans. Channeling his magic power, Luo Chen unleashed his innate ability, engulfing the area in endless celestial flames.

“Boom…”

“Bang!!!”

The opponent was formidable, having reached the peak of combining Essence and Evil—mere steps away from Transformation advancement.

Beyond his cultivation level, his abilities were fearsome.

Harnessing his unique talent and robust cultivation, he summoned flames spanning eight hundred meters.

“Boom!!!”

Scorching heat warped the air, cracked the ground, and melted stone… Cultivators near the fighting arena could barely endure the inferno, retreating far back.

Blistering heat, explosions, and flames—Luo Chen’s attacks rained down like thermobaric bombs, relentlessly battering Mu Lin.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

The ceaseless detonations birthed a mushroom cloud overhead.

Had a mountain or city stood before Luo Chen, his flames would’ve reduced them to ash.

Though limited by his cultivation, Luo Chen already exuded a trace of cataclysmic might.

The northern aristocrats’ heavy investment in him was no accident.

Yet… Mu Lin blocked it all.

Previously vulnerable, Mu Lin could now repel attacks even from those at the metamorphosis stage.

His defense stemmed from one source: the Central Earth Evil.

Awakened inside his body, the Unchanging Central Earth Evil radiated brilliantly.

Its light coalesced into an earthy-yellow shield, draping Mu Lin like misty robes.

Clad in this luminous veil, Mu Lin appeared regal and unshakable.

The delicate-looking barrier stood firm as mountains, repelling every assault.

“Boom… roar!”

Luo Chen’s flames raged fiercely, yet the gossamer robes remained undisturbed.

The sight made Luo Chen and the onlookers widen their eyes in shock.

"Hiss…"

"Substitution counter-damage and the Life-and-Death Judgment were already formidable enough. Yet Mu Lin still possessed other abilities beyond those…"

"Unbelievable! He even conjured a mushroom cloud! That blast could’ve flattened a small city, yet it couldn’t touch him… How impenetrable *is* his defense?"

"Don’t ask me. All I know is that no power of mine could ever breach it."

"Honestly, I almost pity the northern aristocrats. With such superlative powers, Mu Lin isn’t human—he’s a peerless prodigy. Why provoke such a monster?"

"Don’t underestimate Luo Chen either. He straight-up *absorbed* Mu Lin’s substitution counter-damage earlier. What kind of broken skill is that?"

…

This battle marked the final showdown in the Young Group of the North-South conflict. The victor would claim untold rewards, ensuring rapt attention from all spectators.

Luo Chen had shocked everyone from the start—first neutralizing Mu Lin’s substitution counter-damage, then unleashing heavenfire capable of incinerating cities and leveling mountains. Though Mu Lin shrugged it off effortlessly, the display erased any notion of underestimating Luo Chen.

What happened next drew collective gasps.

"So you’ve still got tricks," Luo Chen growled, abandoning his fiery assault when it proved futile. With a flick of his wrist—

*Whoosh.*

A maelstrom engulfed Mu Lin, violent winds clawing at his body. Fire merged with the tempest, birthing twin sky-piercing tornadoes wreathed in flames.

*Boom… Roar…*

The two hundred-meter infernos trapped Mu Lin, grinding away at his defenses. But Luo Chen wasn’t done.

*CRACK!*

Thunderbolts hammered down from suddenly churning skies. Beneath Mu Lin’s feet, the earth heaved and buckled as subterranean fury gathered—a volcano primed to erupt.

Flame. Storm. Quake. Lightning. Cataclysms converged around Mu Lin, painting a scene of pure apocalypse.

*Boom… Roar…*

The southern cultivators paled. None doubted they’d perish within three breaths if caught in that hellscape. Yet there Mu Lin stood—untouched, unmoved.

…