Chapter 397

Chapter 397: East Sea King: Even if I Die Outside, I’ll Never Make Peace With Mu Lin!

Mu Lin worked tirelessly to cleanse the East Sea King’s Mark and Refine the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron. Meanwhile, the consequences of an Earth Immortal’s death began manifesting in Tianhai City.

The city had already plunged into chaos before news of the Earth Immortal’s demise arrived.

The Yan and Chu families, North and South Aristocrats, and representatives from the Great Spirit Dynasty made no effort to conceal their arrival. Cultivators in Tianhai City soon noticed hordes of Earth Immortals gathering to confront the East Sea King.

This unprecedented standoff drew wide-eyed attention. Scouts from powerful clans across the land flocked to the city, intensifying the commotion. Speculation buzzed through every street:

"Why so many Earth Immortals here?"

"They came to rescue Mu Lin!"

"What? But Mu Lin’s a nobody from poor origins! How’d he get Earth Immortal protectors?"

"What’s strange about that? He’s the first among humans in talent! Even our East Sea King wanted him as son-in-law before this mess."

The crowd fell silent. None could deny Mu Lin’s reputation – the man who crippled Jinyin Gate and terrified noble families deserved the title of humanity’s greatest genius.

After heavy silence, someone ventured: "So… Mu Lin will walk free from East Sea Kingdom?"

"With this many Earth Immortals, the King must yield!"

But dissenters countered:

"Wishful thinking! These Earth Immortals won’t risk Life and Death for him. At most they’ll talk, not fight."

"Exactly! The King won’t back down after Mu Lin humiliated him…"

Most agreed Mu Lin’s prospects looked grim.

The East Sea King shared this view. He glared at the assembled Earth Immortals:

"You nobles cling to status. Die here, and your clans fall. You’d never sacrifice yourselves for some upstart!"

All pleas for reconciliation met stonewall refusal:

"Enough! I’d rather die outside than reconcile with that Traitor! It’s him or me!"

"Help me kill Mu Lin instead! That’s what’s best for the human race!"

The North and South Aristocrats pressured him with moral arguments, but the East Sea King wasn’t one to back down easily. He fought back using the same principle to gain advantages.

To make his position clear, he declared his opposition to Mu Lin in absolute terms, leaving no room for doubt or retreat.

Yet the moment his words faded, a thunderous boom shook the Dragon veins under the East Sea King’s control. The violent tremors rattled his entire manor, filling him with deep foreboding.

Though troubled, the East Sea King showed no panic. He coldly demanded from his subordinates: "Report!"

The steward who came to report was visibly anxious and terrified. "Your Highness… The earth veins are shaking because… because…"

The man’s stammering deepened the East Sea King’s dread, his face darkening like storm clouds.

"Out with it!"

"It’s… the Second Elder… he’s perished."

"?!?!"

The revelation struck like lightning. The East Sea King’s pupils constricted, disbelief warring with shock.

"Impossible! How could Mu Lin kill an Earth Immortal? He’s barely through Transformation! At best he could withstand one, never slay one!"

"Four Earth Immortals were hunting him! Working together, they could topple a kingdom! How could that whelp kill any of them?"

The mystery gnawed at him. His suspicious eyes turned toward the North and South Aristocrats and the Great Spirit Dynasty. Like Jin Haoran hearing of the Earth Immortal’s death, he refused to believe Mu Lin acted alone. This reeked of hidden intervention.

The southern aristocrats and Great Spirit Dynasty had enough motive – their complex interests with him could drive them to aid Mu Lin’s ambush.

"But daring to murder an Earth Immortal means open war…" His confusion mirrored theirs. None believed a lone youth could achieve this.

Suspicious glances crisscrossed the room. The Yan and Chu families, Prince Liang’s residence, Great Spirit Dynasty, and Yuqing Sect received the most scrutiny – all had clear motives.

The Great Spirit Dynasty’s representative shook his head first. "Don’t suspect us. Killing regional rulers breaks all taboos – it would destabilize every principality. We’re here as mediators, by imperial decree."

The Yuqing Sect delegate added: "We care not who rules, so long as our position in Southeast Province remains recognized."

The Yan and Chu families exchanged glances before coughing awkwardly. "Our only tie to Mu Lin is through a legitimate daughter. Not worth risking our clans."

Prince Liang’s envoy spread his hands: "Four Earth Immortals? Beyond our capabilities."

As denials piled up, the atmosphere grew heavier. With every faction clearing themselves, the terrifying truth loomed larger.

"This can’t be…"

“If none of us acted, was that Earth Immortal truly killed by Mu Lin alone?”

“But how? A Transformation cultivator slaying an Earth Immortal—this hasn’t happened in millennia!”

“Not just any Transformation. Mu Lin barely achieved his Transformation advancement days ago before rushing to the East Sea Kingdom…”

The sheer absurdity of this fact shattered their worldview. Secretly, they clung to the hope that someone had aided Mu Lin behind the scenes.

But after deliberation, they concluded that unless Mu Lin had sworn a soul-bound allegiance, no one would gamble so recklessly. Those powerful clans with millennia of inheritance might bully the weak, but they acted cautiously against equals.

…

The death of an Earth Immortal was too staggering, throwing everyone in the East Sea King’s manor into chaos.

As they fruitlessly pondered, a deafening *boom* shook the Dragon veins of the East Sea Kingdom once more.

Two violent tremors now rippled into reality. Cities linked to the Dragon veins quaked like during earthquakes, buildings crumbling everywhere. Even Tianhai City cracked open, structures collapsing left and right.

Yet neither the East Sea King, the North and South Aristocrats, nor the Great Spirit Dynasty’s envoys cared about mere collapsing buildings.

The tremors and recent events spelled one truth—another Earth Immortal had fallen.

Since only noble Earth Immortals tied themselves to Dragon veins, this second tremor confirmed the East Sea King’s manor had lost another Earth Immortal.

All knew the East Sea King had sent two manor-born Earth Immortals and two Outsiders. Now, with the manor’s forces dead and the Outsiders alive, mindsets shifted.

“What if… it wasn’t us helping secretly, but the East Sea Kingdom’s powerful clans?”

This seemed glaringly plausible.

The rivalry between throne, ministers, and powerful clans ran deep. Many Great Ming emperors had “drowned”—not from poor swimming. If clans weakened the East Sea King to boost their own power, no one would blink.

Some speculated the culprit. Others watched the East Sea King with mocking anticipation.

“Who did it matters less now. Two manor Earth Immortals dead—their grip on the kingdom weakens.”

“After this, few Earth Immortals will risk fighting Mu Lin. As the King said, Earth Immortals are family pillars. Their deaths ruin clans. Even if they’re reckless, their kin won’t let them gamble everything.”

“True. And the weakened manor can’t force others to act.”

“Heh, what a show. How will the King enforce his ‘him or me’ ultimatum now?”

“I’d love to see that too.”