Chapter 359: Borrowing a Corpse to Return the Soul
"Truly living again?"
After hearing Lü Yang's words, Ancestor Nether Whisper froze momentarily before accepting the 《Immortal Embryo Worldly Residence Secret Record》 handed to him, brows furrowed as he flipped through its pages.
After a while, he exhaled deeply.
"It is indeed possible."
Yet as soon as he spoke, he turned his gaze back to Lü Yang and asked in a low voice, "Why the sudden thought of reviving me? That True Lord hasn't perished yet."
"Does Ancestor not wish to personally exact vengeance?" Lü Yang replied solemnly. "With fifty years, if Ancestor can truly revive and return to Foundation Establishment Perfection, there may yet be hope for an attempt at Golden Core!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper grew even more puzzled, frowning as he said, "Attempting Golden Core... What hope is there? That old ghost of the Ye Family has merely gone into seclusion—he hasn't fallen. The [Wall Soil] position still has an owner. Even if I were to recover my former peak, seeking gold would remain impossible. I'd still be nothing more than dried bones in a grave."
"There is hope, Ancestor."
Lü Yang pointed to the Myriad Spirits Banner behind him. "With Ancestor's talent, if you could assimilate the embryonic fruit position within this banner, wouldn't that offer a chance?"
At these words, Ancestor Nether Whisper was stunned.
He had never once considered the embryonic fruit position within the Myriad Spirits Banner—in his eyes, it was undoubtedly Lü Yang's own trump card for seeking Golden Core.
Yet now, Lü Yang was offering it to him?
"...No!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper immediately shook his head. "Golden positions are hard to come by. This embryonic fruit position is crucial for you. If I were to use it, it would only hinder your path."
But Lü Yang waved his hand dismissively. "My decision is made—no need for further words. Ancestor, you know as well as I that within fifty years, reaching the stage where I could seek Golden Core would be exceedingly difficult for me. But you have hope. If you break through first, you can then protect and assist me in my own pursuit. That is the method that maximizes our gains."
"After all, we still have the Witch Ghost Path to revive, don't we?"
At this, Lü Yang flashed a radiant smile. "Given time, wouldn't it be exhilarating for Ancestor to personally slay that old ghost of the Ye Family?"
"This..."
Ancestor Nether Whisper held his breath. To assist someone in breaking through to Golden Core first, only for them to then aid you in turn—what immense trust did that require?
He had never even heard of such a thing!
Even among blood brothers, master and disciple, father and son—with a Golden Core path laid before them, who would willingly relinquish it? To not fight until heads were bloodied would already be a miracle!
Thinking this, Ancestor Nether Whisper was genuinely moved.
"...Very well." His expression turned solemn as he performed an ancient salute toward Lü Yang. "I promise you this—if I attain Golden Core, I will spare no effort in aiding your breakthrough."
"Ancestor flatters me."
Lü Yang returned the gesture with a disciple's salute, offering ample emotional reassurance. "This junior only wishes for Ancestor's success, so that our Witch Ghost Path may flourish once more."
Truthfully, even if Ancestor Nether Whisper hadn't made this promise, it wouldn't have mattered.
After all, the banner spirit had been tempered by the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]—Lü Yang held absolute control over it. Even if Ancestor Nether Whisper succeeded in seeking Golden Core, he would never be able to break free.
But there was no need to voice this.
It would only hurt feelings.
'Though I may not achieve Golden Core in this lifetime, if Ancestor succeeds, it won't be a loss. With a Golden Core expert by my side when I restart, wouldn't I be unstoppable?'
Of course, that was still far off.
The toll of a thousand years of clinging to existence had eroded Ancestor Nether Whisper far too severely. Even after absorbing his original body, recovery remained insufficient to fill such a gap.
'Even if revived, Ancestor won't instantly return to Foundation Establishment Perfection. He'll have to start anew from the Early Stage, gradually restoring his former divine abilities. But given his talent and aptitude, coupled with my assistance, fifty years should suffice.'
The immediate priority was revival!
Lü Yang already had a plan for this. To refine an immortal embryo, at least one superior spiritual treasure was required—and wasn't there a perfect target right before them?
Above Skeleton Mountain, myriad illusory colors merged into one.
The once-majestic blood qi of the Divine Martial Gate's sect master, blazing like the rising sun, had dwindled to a flickering ember, on the verge of extinguishing at any moment.
There was no denying that the Divine Martial Gate had its merits.
Though the sect master's combat prowess might not rank among the strongest at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, his blood qi was vast as the sea, granting him incredible endurance. Even after half an hour of battle, he stubbornly clung to life.
Of course, this was also because [Xiang Ye], at Foundation Establishment Perfection, hadn't truly intervened. His focus lay more on suppressing the sect master while stabilizing spiritual currents and mitigating the aftermath of battle, lest the eight-hundred-mile Skeleton Mountain below suffer damage to its spiritual veins and provoke Heavenly Punishment.
"Boom!"
With a final deafening crash, layers of illusory colors blotted out the sky, pressing down upon a furious, wild-haired elder who still gripped a gleaming great battle-axe.
This was the Divine Martial Gate's ultimate treasure—
The [Divine Martial Dragon-Binding Axe]!
This superior spiritual treasure, specializing in slaughter, had been pushed to its limits by the sect master. The dragon engraved upon the axe seemed to have fully come to life.
In terms of momentum, the elder still appeared mighty.
Yet his back gradually hunched, his hair disheveled, eyes brimming with despair. He seemed to take a step forward—only to stagger abruptly.
The next moment, he suddenly let out a blood-streaked roar:
"The Divine Martial Gate has fallen!"
The heartrending cry resounded through the heavens—the final trace of the Divine Martial Gate in this world—yet it was mercilessly drowned out.
"Hahaha!"
"I should have known this day would come... When I received the Sword Pavilion's decree to establish a sect here, I should have realized this was inevitable..."
The sect master's voice cut off abruptly.
Before his words fully faded, he had already swung the axe with all his might!
In an instant, dragon roars and tiger growls filled the air as the axe split the heavens, truly cleaving through the curtain formed by [Stellar Concealment], streaking toward the Northern Frontier.
"Hmm?"
Witnessing this, a black-robed youth high in the sky raised his brows, his gaze sweeping downward with a trace of confusion:
"...Hong Ju?"
He knew all too well the Divine Martial Gate sect master's capabilities—there was no way he could have shattered his divine ability. Did the man truly believe in miracles born of desperation?
If such a thing existed, someone must have pulled strings behind the scenes!
After some thought, Xiang Ye concluded that only Hong Ju—another Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand True Person—could have covertly intervened. But what reason would he have?
The sect master himself hadn't escaped.
Only the [Divine Martial Dragon-Binding Axe], a superior spiritual treasure, had fled—and it was heading straight for the Divine Martial Gate's mountain gate. It was still a turtle in a jar...
"...Not good!"
The next moment, Xiang Ye's expression abruptly changed as if struck by realization. He immediately channeled his divine ability, straining his vision to peer into the distant Divine Martial Gate.
There, in the far-off Northern Frontier, within the Divine Martial Gate...
The once-towering fortune and merit of the sect had been plundered clean. The treasury, once packed with spiritual materials, was now so empty that even mice could sprint through it.
"Bastard! Daring to steal from right under my nose!?"
Xiang Ye flew into a rage. Never had he imagined someone would dare snatch prey from a tiger's jaws—while he dealt with the sect's True Person, they had ransacked the headquarters!
Then, an axe-light descended upon the Divine Martial Gate.
It was none other than the sect's superior spiritual treasure, the [Divine Martial Dragon-Binding Axe]. Lü Yang beckoned casually, effortlessly claiming it before offering Xiang Ye a faint smile.
"Seeking death!"
Xiang Ye moved to strike immediately, but a dazzling display of divine ability severed his line of sight. Lü Yang seized the chance to vanish without a trace.
"Hong Ju—it was you after all!"
Xiang Ye's brows shot up as he spotted Hong Ju standing calmly amid the radiant hues, his lantern-yellow eyes meeting his with a tinge of bitterness.
"Mission accomplished!"
Lü Yang fled swiftly, using [Tribulation Wave] to sever karma. As for the aftermath? Naturally, he left it to Hong Ju—the perfect scapegoat!