Chapter 453

Chapter 453: The Corrupted Holy Maiden

The endless violent power of earthquakes gathered in Mu Lin’s body, making him feel like he might burst. Yet a sense of invincibility flooded his heart.

"Now I have limitless power! I can crush anything!"

Of course, Mu Lin didn’t actually have such power. The sudden surge of strength had filled him with an arrogant delusion. For most people, this mindset would be dangerous, blinding them to reality and inviting disaster. But Mu Lin’s Heart Lamp of Will thrived on arrogance.

This limitless arrogance made the willing heart fire in his sea of consciousness blaze brighter. The flames roared, sharpening his will and spiritual thoughts until his invincible conviction burned like the great sun itself.

Then, he hurled this "sun" at Kang Yan, the holy maiden of the Nightmare clan.

"Woman, taste my will of dominance fist!"

Boom!

"No!!!"

Even before the punch landed, its oppressive Will of Dominance—radiant as the great sun—filled Kang Yan with dread.

"If this hits me, I’ll die instantly."

Terrified, she abandoned all thought of defense and fled desperately, trying to shake off the attack’s lethal lock. But escape was impossible. Mu Lin’s fist moved too fast.

Before she could retreat far, the sun-like strike overtook her, obliterating her soul with unstoppable force.

"Domain: Sorrowful Courtyard!"

Trapped, Kang Yan unleashed her ultimate skill instead of surrendering. The Sorrowful Courtyard was her domain—a secret world she crafted in dreams. By dragging souls into this realm, she could twist them like a Puppet Master, forcing them to reenact tragedies until they broke. Countless foes had died this way, their souls becoming her puppets.

But to Mu Lin, the courtyard seemed fragile and insignificant. Without sparing it a glance, he drove his will of dominance forward like a tidal wave.

Boom!

The courtyard shattered instantly under his punch. Kang Yan’s puppets fared no better, crushed like bugs beneath a boot. The unstoppable Will of Dominance surged onward, piercing straight toward Kang Yan’s soul.

"Cry!!!"

The moment they touched, Kang Yan let out a piercing scream. Her soul and True Spirit felt like bubbles under scorching sunlight, ready to burst. It wouldn’t take long before her soul completely dissolved.

Just as Mu Lin believed his will of dominance would crush Kang Yan, a spiritual weapon’s aura suddenly surged from her wounded soul. A misty veil materialized, cloaking Kang Yan’s soul. Mu Lin frowned as her presence… vanished entirely.

His unique dual pupils revealed something startling—this wasn’t mere concealment or Spatial Transfer. She’d escaped the current timeline.

“???”

“What artifact lets her hide across timelines?”

Mu Lin reacted swiftly. The instant Kang Yan disappeared, he clenched his fist and detonated his will of dominance. But the blast couldn’t reach Kang Yan, now shielded within the timeline.

After a dozen breaths, Kang Yan’s limbs reappeared far away. Her face turned deathly pale—using that power had clearly drained her. She fled without daring to face Mu Lin again.

Mu Lin snorted coldly.

“Run. Where can you hide?”

He didn’t chase her. Not out of mercy, but because… *crack, crack*… His body was breaking apart.

This Substitute Paper Figure had been cheaply made. Though Mu Lin reinforced it and redirected damage, two punches’ recoil shattered it completely. Even if intact, he’d likely not pursue.

“My will of dominance isn’t easily endured… Can you truly withstand it?”

*Crack…*

The paper figure crumbled to dust. Yet no one believed Mu Lin dead. His ferocity burned into the minds of demons and monsters, seeding deep fear.

His soldiers stayed motionless even after his departure. Over the next days, the three major legions swept through territories unopposed—demons and evil spirits fled at the mere sight of humans, terrified of provoking Mu Lin’s return.

By the third day, most lands fell under control. Only Night Demon Heaven remained—a realm swallowed by eternal night.

By now, Mu Lin and his companions were growing increasingly cautious.

This was because Mu Lin’s actions had ignited collective dread among the monsters and evil spirits of the Northern Region.

— Not just those within the three major legions, but even creatures from distant lands now feared Mu Lin.

The malevolent beings who ruled these territories weren’t foolish, merely vicious and cruel.

Days earlier, Mu Lin’s devastating punch that shattered mountains and seas had left everyone uneasy.

Upon learning his youth and brief cultivation period—merely two or three years—their wariness deepened into outright terror.

"Such power at his age, after so little training… If he keeps growing…" Hisses of dread filled shadowed halls. "We must eliminate Mu Lin before he matures further!"

These foreign monsters understood with crystal clarity—once Night Demon Heaven fell, Mu Lin wouldn’t sheathe his sword. Their forces barely matched human legions elsewhere. Mu Lin’s involvement would tip the scales, dooming them to slavery or death.

Faced with this life-and-death crisis, ancient enemies united. Powerful beings infiltrated Night Demon Heaven, lying in wait.

Mu Lin didn’t charge blindly into this trap. His foreknowledge came from a high-ranking insider…

Within Night Demon Heaven’s Dream Domain—home to the Nightmare clan who fed on nightmares and negative emotions—their alliance with the Night Demon clan flourished under eternal night.

In an ornate chamber, the Nightmare clan’s holy maiden Kang Yan lay recovering. Though she’d escaped Mu Lin’s fist, his lingering punch intent had grazed her soul. To observers, she simply needed rest.

But behind closed doors, the truth revealed itself. The maiden writhed in her bed, trapped in tortured dreams. Normally, dreams were her playground—yet now agony twisted her features. Whimpers escaped her lips: "Leave my mind’s sanctuary! I won’t yield!"

In her mental landscape, Mu Lin’s punch intent blazed like a great sun. Though its light didn’t burn, Kang Yan—a soul manipulation expert—felt horrified changes. Her spiritual essence was being reshaped, her will slowly molded to Mu Lin’s imprint. She was becoming his thrall.

"I’ll never be anyone’s slave!" The holy maiden who’d witnessed countless broken slaves shuddered. Images flashed through her fevered mind—herself kneeling before Mu Lin, enduring humiliation. Her nails drew bloody crescents on trembling palms. "Never!"