Chapter 278: The Might of Ancestor Nether Whisper!
"Hiss—"
The moment Ancestor Nether Whisper's gaze fell upon him, Ye Tao from Sword Pavilion felt a chilling sensation shoot straight to the crown of his head, his eyes brimming with wariness.
Ancestor Nether Whisper!
This was precisely why Lü Yang hadn't used the slain Foundation Establishment monstrous beings to sacrifice to his sword this time, but instead chose to absorb them into the Myriad Spirits Banner, transforming them into banner spirits.
To be fair, Ancestor Nether Whisper was no longer what he once was. Having escaped from a True Lord and barely survived through five lifetimes, he had long exhausted his former reserves. Even if he wished to engage in combat now, he lacked the strength—only capable of bullying Lü Yang back when the latter was still a mere Qi Refining cultivator.
Yet this deficiency wasn't entirely irreparable.
[Yama Palace]!
This secret technique, once regarded by Lü Yang as his trump card, was the very reason he dared to enter deep meditation before everyone's eyes, wholly focused on refining the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiends!
"Lü Yang... this boy's cultivation depth still falls short."
Ancestor Nether Whisper sighed: "The most crucial aspect of [Yama Palace] is balance in cultivation levels. How did he end up with eight early-stage Foundation Establishment and one mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"
Seven early-stage Foundation Establishment monstrous beings, plus Chen Xin'an.
And Sui Ling at mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Now, these nine banner spirits stood behind Ancestor Nether Whisper, their forms gradually blurring as they transformed into a towering palace, manifesting myriad visions of the underworld.
Black and White Impermanence claiming lives, ghostly attendants seizing souls.
Judges meting out rewards and punishments, wandering deities patrolling the heavens.
"And lacking the support of a spiritual vein... never mind."
With a composed expression, Ancestor Nether Whisper pinched his fingers in calculation before shaking his head: "I'll make slight adjustments to the technique. It should suffice for now."
With this thought, the previously discordant nine banner spirits suddenly underwent a transformation. Sui Ling's mid-stage Foundation Establishment aura plummeted abruptly, while the other eight banner spirits simultaneously surged in power. This ebb and flow restored perfect equilibrium, leaving no gaps.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, the fully formed [Yama Palace] swung its gates open and shut. Immediately, everyone present felt the world spin around them.
By the time they regained their bearings, they had already fallen into the [Yama Palace]!
"Amitabha..."
Amidst the roiling yin energy, Hui Ku from the Pure Land felt not fear but joy—after all, his sect specialized in dealing with such malevolent entities. He grew even calmer.
With this in mind, he loudly chanted a Buddhist invocation: "Evil creature!"
As his voice faded, Hui Ku parted his lips and spewed forth crimson flames carrying scorching heatwaves that instantly engulfed nearly half of the [Yama Palace].
This was the [Pure World Karma Fire].
As the name suggested, it specialized in countering yin energy and karmic obstacles. Any yin-aligned entity touched by these flames would immediately become fuel, unable to extricate itself.
Yet when Ancestor Nether Whisper saw this, he merely smirked coldly. In the next moment, the pervasive yin energy abruptly transformed, revealing beams of heavenly light—righteous and majestic—shifting from yin to yang. Like Mount Tai bearing down, it effortlessly smothered the karma fire!
This sight left Hui Ku dumbfounded:
"What kind of sorcery is this!?"
How could pure yin energy suddenly transform into yang? Wasn't the dichotomy of yin and yang immutable? Even if reversal were possible, why had he never heard of it before?
Truthfully, he couldn't be blamed.
This technique was something Ancestor Nether Whisper had comprehended after personally witnessing Chong Guang's pursuit of metal and observing his reversal of the world's Chen Earth.
"A pity it's not the original."
Ancestor Nether Whisper shook his head: "Reversing yin is my limit. To invert the properties of Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiends requires a Fruit Position."
"But it's sufficient to deal with you bald donkeys."
In the next instant, countless ferocious ghosts emerged from the [Yama Palace]. Now clad in yang energy, they resembled celestial soldiers and generals.
"Kill!"
The soldiers surged forward like a tide, instantly overwhelming Hui Ku. As he struggled to defend himself, he turned to Cheng Tinggui beside him:
"Isn't this false empowerment technique from your Dao Court?"
"Break through it already!"
"I—"
Cheng Tinggui's face flushed red. He had been trying to find flaws in the [Yama Palace], but to his dismay, despite this technique originating from their Dao Court's official position false empowerment method, he—a local Dao Court cultivator—could find no weaknesses in it!
'...How is this possible!'
Cheng Tinggui was stunned. Even when he occasionally spotted a flaw, Ancestor Nether Whisper would merely glance at him before effortlessly mending it!
'How are we supposed to fight this!?'
Just then, a sword chime rang out:
Ye Tao had made his move. With a grave expression, he stared at Ancestor Nether Whisper: "To think a remnant like you still lives. You cannot be left alive!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper raised an eyebrow at this: "...Daring to call me a remnant?"
In the next moment, his figure vanished from sight, reappearing directly before Ye Tao as a massive hand seized forward!
"Slash!"
Ye Tao immediately activated his sword pill to strike, but what happened next shocked him—Ancestor Nether Whisper caught the sword pill barehanded!
Countless sword lights erupted, yet none could tear through that palm. Instead, they were all absorbed. The supposedly indestructible sword pill rested in his grip like a harmless jade bead. With just a pinch of his fingers, cracking sounds erupted!
"Demon! What evil art is this!?"
Ye Tao's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. The sword pill was the crystallization of his cultivation and lifeblood—if destroyed, he himself would suffer significant damage!
"Wait... something's wrong!"
"I didn't activate any sword technique just now? My divine abilities went unused too?" As clarity returned, Ye Tao realized with horror what a fool he'd been.
Of course Ancestor Nether Whisper couldn't catch a sword pill barehanded.
In truth, Ye Tao had delivered it to him himself!
But how could this happen?
While Ye Tao reeled in shock, Ancestor Nether Whisper sighed:
"A pity. Even within the [Yama Palace], I can only perform simple imitations. I haven't fully comprehended its profundities—does it truly require a Fruit Position?"
What he imitated was the [Knowledge-Perception Obstruction].
As a banner spirit of the Myriad Spirits Banner, he had witnessed all of Lü Yang's experiences, granting him ample time and opportunity to study this marvelous technique.
And he'd achieved some success!
After all, the Witch Ghost Path had been a minor sect back then, possessing only a single major divine ability for Foundation Establishment breakthroughs. How had Ancestor Nether Whisper competed against Foundation Establishment cultivators?
Through sheer comprehension!
Studying others' Life Essence and innate divine abilities, mimicking them through techniques to perform miracles—this was a skill unique to Ancestor Nether Whisper!
"Crack!"
In the next instant, Ancestor Nether Whisper crushed Ye Tao's sword pill. The mid-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivator immediately vomited blood, his aura withering dramatically.
Meanwhile, Hui Ku and Cheng Tinggui fared no better.
Even merely borrowing mid-stage Foundation Establishment power through the [Yama Palace] and fighting one against three, Ancestor Nether Whisper still firmly held the upper hand!
Such combat prowess was only slightly inferior to Lü Yang's.
If Lü Yang achieved such strength through [Tribulation Wave], second-grade true arts, and the stacking of numerous accessories into formidable stats—
Ancestor Nether Whisper's approach was far simpler.
His combat skills were pure talent!
Yet just then—
"Amitabha!"
Suddenly, a thunderous Buddhist invocation echoed from outside the [Yama Palace]. Then, from the clouds, a massive hand descended.
"Boom!"
With this single strike, the [Yama Palace] that had effortlessly trapped three mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators was torn apart. Ancestor Nether Whisper narrowed his eyes at the sight:
"Grand True Person..."
The first to lose composure was, after all, the Pure Land!