Chapter 378
by fanqienovelChapter 378: Blood-Relative Revenge, Strike Back Again!
“Boom!”
Ji Yu’s uncle exploded, but Ji Yu himself did not die.
Mu Lin wasn’t bothered by this.
With all his protective charms and defenses, Ji Yu wasn’t easy to kill.
Besides, Mu Lin didn’t plan to end him quickly.
First, death wasn’t the worst punishment—letting Ji Yu wallow in despair first suited Mu Lin better.
Second, Mu Lin knew a single ambush killing wouldn’t quell the East Sea King’s thirst for revenge.
Only by making the king bleed, to the point of unbearable agony, would Mu Lin be left alone.
“This war is just getting started.”
……
After Ji Yu vanished, Mu Lin pressed on.
Meanwhile, Advisor Xun brought Ji Yu to the East Sea King’s chambers to report on capturing Mu Lin.
Hearing Mu Lin had evaded the trap and killed two men instead, the East Sea King frowned.
But the death toll remained low, and the king still hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation.
His first reaction was rage.
“That brat! Why couldn’t he just die quietly instead of causing trouble?”
He turned to Advisor Xun and snapped, “He’s entered the East Sea Kingdom. Don’t tell me you prepared only *one* trap and no backup plans!”
Advisor Xun smiled.
“Of course there are other plans, Your Highness. We can deploy the Ten Directions Soul Search Array, the Round Moon Shadow Technique, or the Five Directions Inquiry Technique to track Mu Lin’s aura.”
The East Sea King narrowed his eyes. “Those require spells from the Wei family, Shuiyue Sect, and Jinyin Gate?”
“They do. The Five Directions Inquiry Technique uses the least resources, though its effect is weaker—”
“Forget the cost!” The king cut him off with a wave. “Anyone who defies me dies—swiftly and painfully. Wasting resources to crush him is worth it. Summon the Wei family, Shuiyue Sect, and Jinyin Gate. Use all three methods at once.”
“At once, Your Highness!”
The order was carried out before an incense stick could burn down. Representatives from the three factions arrived promptly. While the Shuiyue Sect envoy showed faint reluctance—not out of foresight, but pity for a talented youth wasted in petty strife—the others shared the king’s blind confidence.
In the end, though unwilling, they were prepared to follow East Sea King’s command.
Clearly, these people believed East Sea King would inevitably win this war without them paying any price.
Under such circumstances, they had no reason to offend East Sea King and instead sought to prove their loyalty.
"Your Highness need not worry. If Mu Lin is within three thousand miles of Tianhai City, our Wei family will certainly find him."
The Wei family declared their loyalty first, fully confident in their techniques.
Next came Jinyin Gate’s representative:
"Our sect’s Five Directions Inquiry Technique can also detect Mu Lin. In fact, if killing him is necessary, our Jinyin Gate can handle…"
"Report!"
Before the Jinyin Gate member finished speaking, a servant urgently called out from beyond the door.
The panicked tone drew everyone’s attention. East Sea King frowned at his subordinate’s lack of composure.
"Speak!"
The servant hurriedly answered: "News has arrived—Mu Lin has struck again…"
"Hahaha! Exactly as I predicted!"
Advisor Xun laughed before the servant could finish. "Your Highness, rest assured. From the last battle, I knew Mu Lin bore deep hatred for heir Ji Yu and frustration toward the Hu family. When summoning the Wei family and Jinyin Gate, I specifically warned the Hu family to prepare defenses and sent reinforcements. Mu Lin’s attack will fail."
Advisor Xun radiated confidence, proud of anticipating Mu Lin’s move. Yet he noticed the servant’s odd expression lingering.
"What now? Did the Hu family fall despite my warnings and reinforcements?"
"Not the Hu family," the servant clarified. "They remain unharmed."
Before Advisor Xun could smile, the servant added: "But the Wu, Rong, Yi families… and your own Xun family—all who attacked Mu Lin earlier—have been assaulted."
"The Wu and Rong families were nearly exterminated. Only children below cartwheel height survived."
"The powerful Xun family suffered fewer losses… but your finest prodigies, Xun Xiu and Xun Yu… both perished."
…
…
…
Silence gripped the room.
None had imagined Mu Lin’s retaliation would be this merciless.
The limit of Transformation cultivators who attacked Mu Lin burned with the fiercest rage. Hearing their families slaughtered, their eyes turned bloodshot, faces contorted.
"Filthy bastard! How dare you?!"
"My son! Tian’er! Wuwu… Mu Lin, you demon! Face me if you dare! Killing innocents isn’t heroic!"
"Impossible! This can’t be real!"
"Mu Lin! Such cruelty!"
Hatred. Fury. Despair. The failed attackers’ earlier indifference warped into anguish as they cursed Mu Lin’s brutality and immorality.
Meanwhile, the Wei family, Shuiyue Sect, and Jinyin Gate felt icy dread. Unscathed by family losses, they saw clearer:
‘Mu Lin’s methods are cruel and unethical… yet we can’t expose this for public condemnation.’
This ancient world followed eye-for-eye justice and bloodline vengeance—not modern notions of mutual fault.
True, Mu Lin acted excessively.
But East Sea King started it by breaking sacred rules: assassinating and bullying a junior prodigy—the most despised act among the human race. Only East Sea King’s power delayed his reckoning. Morally, he stood condemned.
However Mu Lin retaliated, people would cheer. Even the king’s sons dying would be called deserved.
Similarly, those century-old limit of Transformation cultivators held no moral high ground. Ganging up on a younger foe was bullying. Combined with East Sea King’s rule-breaking, spreading this news would only invite mockery:
"Serves you right for crushing talents daily!"
"Good! Such tumors should perish!"
"Expected payback! You break rules but cry when others do?"
Morally bankrupt, anything they did would be wrong. Their families, seen as accomplices, earned no pity even when massacred.
The Wei family, Shuiyue Sect, and Jinyin Gate cared nothing for others’ opinions or deaths. Only one question mattered now:
"If we move against Mu Lin… will he come for us next?"