Chapter 107
Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Entering the Banner
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Although he had swindled the earth vein from Ancestor Tingyou, Lu Yang had no intention of stopping there. After all, the other party still had a batch of his witch ghosts in hand.
It just so happened that the Myriad Spirits Banner was short on manpower lately.
"During this time, we've restarted the Myriad Spirits Banner's talisman production assembly line. Some banner spirits have exhausted their spirituality and self-destructed. It's about time to recruit the next batch."
In essence, they were all the same batch of witch ghosts anyway.
Rather than wasting time letting those witch ghosts whose spirituality had been overly depleted recover from their inability to work, it was better to iterate them out directly with new witch ghosts.
Moreover, the replaced witch ghosts could be fed straight to the new ones, achieving waste utilization and resource recycling. This would allow the new witch ghosts to enter work in better condition, boosting talisman production efficiency, upgrading the industrial scale, and realizing sustainable overfishing.
What followed developed much like in Lu Yang's third lifetime.
Without him, Perfected Being Yin Shan indeed selected Zhao Xuhe. After a fierce battle, the Witch Ghost Secret Realm was successfully activated by Perfected Being Yin Shan, choosing to emerge into the world.
Then, the Golden Core sword qi dissipated, and the [Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi] was taken by Perfected Being Yin Shan.
In return, Zhao Xuhe received the ascension token bestowed by Perfected Being Yin Shan and grew increasingly complacent, as if he could already see the day he would reach Foundation Establishment.
But Lu Yang paid none of this any mind.
In this lifetime, he had always stayed hidden in the shadows. Only after Perfected Being Yin Shan left did he arrive at the depths of Skull Mountain, then released the aura of the [Yama Hall].
Moments later, a black shadow quietly emerged.
"Greetings, Ancestor!"
Lu Yang wore an excited expression as he performed a grand salute, while silently sensing Ancestor Tingyou's aura, biding his time and ready to turn hostile at any moment.
"Rise."
The possessed Ancestor Tingyou appeared at first glance to be a fair-lipped, white-toothed youth of striking handsomeness. Though his tone was mature, his voice was extremely youthful.
He gazed solemnly at Lu Yang, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long while, he let out a幽 sigh. "Summon your guardian deity."
Lu Yang was momentarily stunned but didn't hesitate. He immediately took out the Myriad Spirits Banner, summoned Su Maiden, and prepared himself to act if anything seemed off.
"Hm?"
Ancestor Tingyou seemed oblivious to Lu Yang's abnormality. His gaze instantly fell on Lu Yang's Myriad Spirits Banner. After inspecting it for a moment, he couldn't help praising it. "What a remarkable treasure! Not a spirit treasure, yet better than one. It pairs perfectly with our Witch Ghost Dao lineage—like adding wings to a tiger!"
"You honor it too much, Ancestor. This item is called the Myriad Spirits Banner."
Lu Yang smiled faintly. "This junior obtained it by chance. Thanks to this treasure, I was able to pass down the sect's heritage."
Ancestor Tingyou nodded.
"Fair enough. I was originally worried about how you'd accommodate the sect's myriad witch ghosts and was thinking of lending a hand. Now it seems I don't need to trouble myself."
He then turned to Su Maiden, frowning slightly. "And this guardian deity of yours is refined quite well, but it's all craftsmanship without flexibility. In the past, the [Yama Hall] was tailor-made for me. Since you're using this guardian deity as your core, you should learn to adapt to the situation."
With that, he formed a hand seal with his right hand and silently calculated for a moment.
Soon after, Ancestor Tingyou opened his eyes again and unleashed a spell, which landed directly on Su Maiden and her [Yama Hall].
Boom!
The next second, divine ability lights rose from beneath Su Maiden's feet. Within the lights, seven seal characters of [Yama Heavenly Profound Dark Nether Capturing幽 Mansion Lord] successively emerged.
But as Ancestor Tingyou's spell shifted, the appearance of these seal characters gradually changed:
[Edict Nine幽 Pure Yin Primordial Maiden Consort]!
With the seal characters reformed, the divine ability was complete. Su Maiden's aura surged dramatically, restoring her to half her previous life's level without even the earth vein's boost!
With the earth vein added, she could even surpass her former self!
"Now it's good."
Ancestor Tingyou smiled in satisfaction. "With a Foundation Establishment guardian deity like this, you'll have better odds of advancing to Foundation Establishment and reopening the sect in the future."
He then produced a transparent black orb, within which were unmistakably the myriad witch ghosts from the Witch Ghost Secret Realm. Lu Yang even spotted a sluggish, muddy stream flowing inside. As the former lord of Skull Mountain in his previous life, he immediately recognized what it was.
"[Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi]!?"
Perfected Being Yin Shan hadn't taken it—no, he had taken one strand, but there was more than one strand of Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi in Skull Mountain's earth vein!
"This baleful qi is of the阴 earth essence, positioned at the [Zhixu] earthly fiend. It can gather fire and moisten metal. If you're inclined, you can use this strand to break through to mid-Foundation Establishment later. If a powerful enemy attacks, you can detonate it, destroying Skull Mountain's eight hundred li earth vein along with the foe in mutual destruction."
Lu Yang knew all this.
It was just that in his previous life, Ancestor Tingyou had only left these words in a soul thought, whereas in this life, he explained it all in person.
'Is he... entrusting his legacy to me?'
Lu Yang felt puzzled. Truth be told, he had assumed Ancestor Tingyou wouldn't view this suddenly appearing so-called "successor" of his in a particularly favorable light.
After all, he was the sect master of the Witch Ghost Dao.
Now revived in his fifth life, with a strong chance of returning to Foundation Establishment, he should be brimming with ambition, unwilling to let anything slip from his control.
But it seemed that wasn't the case.
At that moment, Ancestor Tingyou abruptly paused and glanced at Lu Yang, then chuckled. "Whatever you want to say, just say it."
Lu Yang hurriedly denied it. "You've misunderstood, Ancestor."
Ancestor Tingyou waved it off. "You've made a name for yourself in the Primal Saint Sect—what could you possibly be thinking that I can't guess? It'd be strange if you truly trusted me!"
He shook his head with a bitter expression.
"My lifespan in this life is short. My original intent was to flee the secret realm and head overseas to find a remote island, passing down our Witch Ghost Dao lineage there."
"If I could have another Foundation Establishment cultivator presiding, that would be even better."
"Now with you, I've saved myself a lot of effort. Since you've cultivated to this level in the Primal Saint Sect without dying, I can rest easy about your abilities."
"After all, in the latter half of my life, my only pursuit is the sect's legacy."
With those words, Ancestor Tingyou's expression gradually calmed. He looked at Lu Yang and said flatly, "Alright, send me into your Myriad Spirits Banner."
Lu Yang was stunned. "Ancestor, you want to enter the banner?"
"I am the sect's sinner. If I hadn't stubbornly gone my own way back then, the sect wouldn't have suffered such calamity."
"The remainder of my life has been spent atoning for the mistakes I made in the past. So, it's only right that I contribute one last effort to the sect."
He smiled again. "Besides, this way, you'll feel more at ease."
"Then this junior will respectfully accept your offer."
Lu Yang didn't argue. He promptly activated the Myriad Spirits Banner, opening a chaotic vortex. Ancestor Tingyou nodded and stepped in without hesitation.
Whoosh—!
The next second, Lu Yang raised the banner pole and slammed it heavily into the ground. A muffled boom echoed as shadows rapidly expanded in all directions.
Thud!
Where the shadows passed, the [Yama Hall] reopened. Countless armored yin soldiers and ghost generals marched out, clustering around Lu Yang like stars around the moon.
The witch ghosts varied in strength, clearly divided from early Qi Refining to mid, late, and even Great Perfection stages. They formed orderly ranks like a true legion—not to mention the oversized banner spirits like the Heaven Mending Peak Master's divided soul, Ancestor Tingyou, and the guardian deity Su Maiden.
Without question, this spirit treasure had become even more terrifying!
And after the Book of a Hundred Lives' purification, Lu Yang didn't even need to worry about any troublesome karmic ties on it. He could use it boldly and without reservation!
"It's time."
The next moment, Lu Yang dropped all pretense. His baleful aura shot straight into the skies, instantly alarming the entire Skull Mountain!
Almost simultaneously, Perfected Being Yin Shan, who had just claimed the [Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi] and was about to depart, turned back in shock toward the soaring baleful qi.
Yet at this moment, he saw no figure.
All that met his eyes was a majestic [Yama Hall] towering like a mountain beneath the dome of heaven, devouring earthly fiends. In its center, amid the myriad witch ghosts, banners fluttered proudly!
(End of Chapter)