Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Unmatched Power!

“Retreat, retreat quickly!”

“Help…!”

“No!”

Luo Chen was strong, truly strong. Flames, raging winds, earthquakes, thunderclaps… each disaster alone resembled a natural calamity. Combined, they turned the fighting arena into a vision of apocalyptic doom.

These disasters didn’t merely add together—they resonated and multiplied in power.

“Boom… roar…”

The amplified resonance made the fighting arena look as though tens of thousands of cannons had bombarded it. Within moments, the ground was scoured bare.

Lost in boosting the calamity’s fury, Luo Chen paid no heed to containment. Winds, thunder, flames, and quakes spilled beyond the arena’s bounds.

Though mere remnants reached the outskirts, southern cultivators still scrambled backward in panic.

As they retreated, their anxious gazes fixed on the arena’s heart—for the first time, genuine worry flickered in their eyes.

The reason was clear: Luo Chen’s cataclysmic display made even seasoned experts doubt whether any ordinary High Mastery of Transformation cultivator could survive its epicenter.

This overwhelming force inevitably drew concern for Mu Lin.

“Will Mu Lin… be alright?”

“He should survive… With over a hundred lives, he’ll endure Luo Chen’s onslaught…”

Endurance—this became the desperate hope of those watching through veils of fire and dust.

But while ordinary eyes saw only chaos, gifted cultivators surrounding the arena activated their eye techniques. Peering through the maelstrom, their faces palmed with shock.

The reason? They witnessed Mu Lin standing utterly relaxed at ground zero.

Relaxed.

World-incinerating flames, earth-rending winds, sky-shattering thunder—none breached the faint glow of his earthy-yellow misty robes.

Enveloped in that luminous haze, Mu Lin stood unmoving as an ancient mountain. Lightning strikes glanced off him. Firestorms parted around him. Hurricane winds might as well have been breezes.

This impervious defense shattered Luo Chen’s composure.

“How?! You’re supposed to rely on tricks! Since when does a paper folder have such defenses?!”

“My strikes overwhelm High Mastery experts! Why can’t I touch you?!”

Bewilderment, rage, despair—all churned within Luo Chen. He’d anticipated a battle of attrition: his disasters grinding through Mu Lin’s substitution counter-damage lives while curses flew.

Instead, Mu Lin’s defenses proved mightier than any counter-damage or Life and Death decree. This defied all logic.

“What madness is this?! Since when do Yin Eight Sect paper folders tower like unbreakable fortresses?!”

At that moment, Luo Chen couldn’t comprehend it at all.

Nor was he alone in failing to understand the unfolding scene.

"What’s happening? Mu Lin belongs to the Yin Eight Sect’s paper folders, right? His multiple Substitute Paper Figures make sense – that’s their signature technique. The Life and Death judgment technique relates to curse techniques too. Though vastly superior, that explanation barely works. But this impenetrable defense? Since when do paper folders have unbeatable defenses!"

"Don’t ask me. I thought Mu Lin might survive the calamity using Substitute Paper Figures, but tanking it directly… without a scratch… that’s illogical!"

Many southern aristocrats’ prodigies remained equally puzzled by Mu Lin’s feat.

Yet not everyone was clueless. A cultivator suddenly muttered, "I think I recognize Mu Lin’s defensive method."

All eyes immediately turned to the speaker.

"You know the origin of his technique?"

"Uh…"

Facing the crowd’s scrutiny, Chi Chengye felt nervous but maintained composure. As an experienced prodigy, he quickly shared his knowledge:

"The glow from Mu Lin’s misty robes… if I’m right, it’s Central Earth Evil. This evil possesses Unchanging properties with formidable defense. Since Mu Lin refined Central Earth Evil, this defense… sort of makes sense."

"Nonsense! Central Earth Evil’s defense can’t withstand Luo Chen’s attack that’s surpassed high-level resources and reached High Mastery of Transformation! Not even nine portions could block it!"

As nods of agreement spread through the crowd, a quiet voice interjected:

"What if Mu Lin refined more than nine portions?"

"Impossible!"

"Normally yes… but this is Mu Lin."

The mention of "Mu Lin" brought instant silence. His history of incredible deeds made any new marvel acceptable.

…

The southern prodigies’ speculation proved correct. The glow indeed came from Central Earth Evil.

Without supporting cultivation methods, even thirty-six portions couldn’t withstand Luo Chen’s thousand-meter calamity infused with top-grade essence. Luo Chen’s essence synergized with cultivation methods and talents, while Mu Lin only used raw evil energy properties.

Equal quantities left Central Earth Evil disadvantaged. But what about ninety-nine portions?

Quantity breeds quality. Mu Lin had refined not ninety-nine, but three hundred sixty-five portions – an oceanic amount of evil energy. This unimaginable absorption forged his indestructible foundation.

With a foundation so solid that its Unchanging nature alone kept him rooted.

"Thousands of years ago, the Grave Lord used Central Earth Evil in his tomb to create an earthen path. This yellow road endured through millennia under the evil gods’ corruption, just as he’d hoped."

"When we saw it, though worn and broken, its survival proved Central Earth Evil’s enduring power."

"If it withstands divine corruption, mere wind, fire, and lightning mean nothing."

Mu Lin only mentioned wind and storms because he’d already crushed the earthquake beneath his foot.

That terrifying quake and volcanic eruption caused by colliding forces? Snuffed out by Mu Lin’s casual step.

Impervious to foreign evils, Mu Lin waited calmly as the ledger of life and death revealed Luo Chen’s Information.

This composure drove Luo Chen to madness.

"I won’t lose! Can’t lose!"

"Raaaaagh!"

Blood streamed from all seven facial orifices as he poured every ounce of magical cultivation into spells and innate talents.

Yet Mu Lin’s misty robes stood firm as mountain ranges, repelling all calamity.

The sight broke Luo Chen’s spirit and shattered any thoughts of challenging Mu Lin among watching cultivators.

"Mu Lin’s gathered hundreds of essence portions recently. Now we see why – he’s Refining them all."

"Hundreds? He’ll be unstoppable! With such reserves, he could crush us through raw magical cultivation alone."

A bitter chuckle answered: "Truth. Look at Luo Chen – defeated by sheer cultivation weight already."

This world values foundation above all – the depth of one’s magical cultivation.

Refining hundreds of high-level resources gave Mu Lin peerless reserves. Against equals, he needed no tricks – just crushing pressure.

Even those at High Mastery of Transformation might pale before his depth.

Mu Lin standing idle radiated invincibility.

Some despaired. Some wavered.

But Luo Chen couldn’t retreat.

As northern scholars say: The North Wilderness cannot lose.

So despite Mu Lin’s ocean-like power, Luo Chen gambled everything on one strike.

"Starfall Calamity!"

Bloody-faced, he dragged down a blazing meteor.

BOOM!

The falling star carried apocalyptic momentum.

Past meteors ended eras, erased dinosaurs.

Though smaller, this one could flatten cities.

Mu Lin didn’t dodge. Just gazed upward.

The meteor struck his head.

……

World paused.

Then –

KABOOOOOM!

Light and heat erupted. Shockwaves raged.

"Noooo!" screamed spectators.

ZZZZZT!

Powerful beings around the fighting arena contained the blast.

Still, observers trembled. All eyes strained through the mushroom cloud rising hundreds of meters.

Dust settled after long moments.

A silhouette emerged.

Silence gripped the crowd when details became clear.