Chapter 358: Do You Want to Truly Live?
Boom!
Accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, the massive Witch-Ghost Secret Realm emerged from within Skeleton Mountain, unleashing endless waves of yin sha energy.
The subsequent events unfolded much as Lü Yang had anticipated.
True Person Yinshan made his move, securing the [Heavenly Corpse Sha] from the Witch Ghost Path while simultaneously luring out a group of True Persons from the Divine Martial Gate. In the end, the Saint Sect's True Persons launched a coordinated assault.
"Beasts! You vile beasts!"
The furious roar of the Divine Martial Gate's Sect Master echoed through the heavens and earth. Yet this late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand True Person found himself enveloped in an impenetrable night sky.
An even more formidable surge of magic power obscured everything.
A magnificent, illusory radiance blotted out the sun, moon, and stars. Wherever it passed, all sounds ceased, and celestial omens were concealed—clearly, this was an innate divine ability Lü Yang recognized all too well.
'[Stellar Concealment]!'
In his previous life, Lü Yang had deduced the workings of this divine ability, though he had always treated it as an assassination technique. Now, he realized how shallow his understanding had been back then. Using such an ability merely for assassination was like employing a sledgehammer to crack a nut—it was clearly a grand, heaven-shrouding technique!
In an instant, the world plunged into darkness.
'Peak Foundation Establishment!'
Lü Yang's eyes flickered. From Hong Ju, he had learned that after the True Lords went into seclusion, aside from him, the Saint Sect had another peak Foundation Establishment cultivator overseeing affairs.
His name was [Xiang Ye].
Previously, he had remained hidden because the True Lord he served, [Hanguang Foutian], had always been overshadowed by True Lord Qingcheng Feixue, forcing him to maintain a low profile.
But now, with the True Lords in seclusion...
Chongguang had ascended to True Lord status and transcended the heavens, while the Grand True Person under True Lord Zengcai Qiluo, [Jun Tong], was only at late-stage Foundation Establishment. Naturally, this man had now emerged.
'This is training for battle...'
Observing from afar, Lü Yang activated his Dharma Eye and quickly grasped the shifting situation.
The peak Foundation Establishment Grand True Person, Xiang Ye, wasn't going all out. He merely used his divine ability to seal the heavens and earth, then let the other True Persons swarm in.
No wonder the Divine Martial Gate's Sect Master felt so aggrieved.
As a Grand True Person, even with his inferior heritage, he shouldn't have been besieged by a group of mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was purely because a peak Foundation Establishment expert was suppressing him.
How the hell was he supposed to fight that?
'No saving him. He's done for.'
Lü Yang withdrew his gaze. The Divine Martial Gate's destruction was inevitable. In fact, this time was completely different from his previous life—the Saint Sect was likely going all out.
'In my previous life, with True Lords overseeing things, the Saint Sect was as stable as Mount Tai. Plus, with Uncle Chongguang deliberately creating opportunities for me to earn merits, they were willing to let a few early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators escape. But now, with the True Lords in seclusion and the Divine Martial Gate possessing a Grand True Person, they pose a genuine threat to the Saint Sect.'
How could one tolerate others sleeping soundly beside their own bed?
This time, it seemed none from the Divine Martial Gate would escape.
However, Lü Yang naturally had no intention of participating in such a large-scale battle. Concealing his aura, he stealthily made his way into Skeleton Mountain and summoned Su Nu.
"[Yama Palace]!"
Connecting with the spiritual veins and scanning the surroundings, Lü Yang soon detected anomalies within the eight-hundred-mile Skeleton Mountain's spiritual veins. In a flash, he vanished.
Almost simultaneously, deep within Skeleton Mountain.
"Who's there!?"
The moment Lü Yang arrived, a figure within the spiritual veins opened its eyes. Fluctuations of energy revealed it was at the pseudo-Foundation Establishment level.
In the next second, it attempted to sever the connection.
But the disparity in cultivation was simply too vast. Lü Yang, at mid-stage perfected Foundation Establishment, against a pseudo-Foundation Establishment cultivator, was like a mountain crushing an egg—utterly overwhelming.
Yet the figure's reaction speed was astonishing. Seeing Lü Yang approaching to seize it, a ruthless glint flashed in its eyes as it swiftly formed hand seals. The eight-hundred-mile Skeleton Mountain's spiritual veins beneath them violently stirred, on the verge of exploding and taking Lü Yang down with it—
"Freeze!"
Behind Lü Yang, the Myriad Spirits Banner unfurled, and Ancestor Nether Whisper emerged, forming identical hand seals to suppress the turbulent spiritual veins.
Witnessing this, the figure froze.
"How is this possible... You—"
Lü Yang gave it no chance to speak. With a single palm strike, he reduced the figure to dust, then fed it into the Myriad Spirits Banner for immediate refinement.
To him, this was merely a stranger.
The true 'Ancestor Nether Whisper' was the one who had restarted this life with him, shielded him from powerful enemies in his previous life, and ultimately fell into a deep slumber after severe injuries.
Within the Myriad Spirits Banner, Ancestor Nether Whisper took a deep breath, absorbing all the primordial qi from the refined figure. His already radiant eyes grew even brighter, dense with intricate runes that seemed to articulate the profound truths of the Dao, all converging within his gaze.
After a long while, he finally exhaled deeply.
"So a fragment of my soul had remained within the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm. Thanks to you, reclaiming it has improved my condition."
Lü Yang wasn't surprised.
After all, the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] had corrected all bugs and inconsistencies. Ancestor Nether Whisper would naturally overlook or rationalize any illogical aspects.
'This is an opportunity.'
Observing Ancestor Nether Whisper, Lü Yang noted how much better his condition was after absorbing this life's original self—no longer as frail as before.
How weak had he been initially?
A peak Foundation Establishment Grand True Person had failed to defeat him, a mere Qi Refining cultivator. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd been on the verge of soul dispersion.
In his previous life overseas, when employing the [Yama Palace], he had dared only to feign mid-stage Foundation Establishment, not the Grand True Person level. This wasn't just due to lacking enough mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators—more crucially, Ancestor Nether Whisper's own soul couldn't sustain the Grand True Person's status.
But now, things were different.
'In his current state, Ancestor should have the foundation to feign the Grand True Person level. Strictly speaking, his fifth life has only just begun.'
This was the time to strive!
After some contemplation, Lü Yang retrieved a Dao manual.
This was a manifestation of his divine sense, containing the method for crafting avatars—the 《Secret Records of Immortal Fetus Incarnation》. This esoteric technique was remarkably profound.
The avatars created through it could even become entirely new individuals.
By the same logic, it had another ingenious application.
'If I use this method to forge an immortal fetus and allow Ancestor to inhabit it... technically speaking, it should be possible to resurrect him!'
Ancestor Nether Whisper met the resurrection criteria.
Like Chen Xin'an, he hadn't entered the banner after death but had willingly done so while still alive, preserving a thread of hope for revival.
The question was whether Lü Yang, as the banner's master, was willing.
'In my previous life, I would have refused outright.'
Ancestor Nether Whisper's innate talent was simply too formidable. Resurrection could easily lead to loss of control—an unacceptable risk. Moreover, it was unpredictable.
In contrast, Lü Yang felt far more at ease with this life's Ancestor Nether Whisper. After all, the previous incarnation had proven his loyalty through actions. More importantly, this life's Ancestor had been cleansed by the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], eliminating any possibility of betrayal.
Lü Yang didn't deny his darker instincts—without them, he would have died a hundred times over.
But once decided, he wouldn't be stingy.
'Ancestor's talent would be wasted if used solely for my benefit. Converting it into combat strength will accumulate more chips for my future pursuit of the Golden Core!'
With this realization, Lü Yang cast aside all hesitation.
"Ancestor."
Turning to face Ancestor Nether Whisper, Lü Yang extended the 《Secret Records of Immortal Fetus Incarnation》 toward him and asked solemnly:
"Do you want to truly live?"