Chapter 401: Battling Ancestor Nether Whisper!
Chapter 401: Sparring with Ancestor Nether Whisper!
Lü Yang had always been quite curious about Ancestor Nether Whisper's strength.
If you were to ask if he was strong—undoubtedly, he was. His freakish comprehension granted him immense advantages in combat, and his ability to mimic divine abilities was downright terrifying.
He was the perfect sparring partner.
Not only was Ancestor Nether Whisper incredibly powerful, but he had also seen much of the world. His astonishing comprehension made him fully capable of accurately assessing Lü Yang's current strength.
"You want to fight me?"
After hearing Lü Yang's request, Ancestor Nether Whisper was momentarily stunned, but he quickly nodded in understanding. "Hmm... It's not impossible now."
He was rather curious himself.
After all, second-grade true arts were a relatively unfamiliar domain even for Ancestor Nether Whisper. Simply observing wouldn't allow him to gauge Lü Yang's current strength accurately.
Moreover, there was something even more important.
'If Lü Yang's strength is sufficient, combined with the incense offerings system... perhaps we can attempt to pass on the true method of [Yama Palace] to him.'
The False Golden Seat Method!
The lifelong masterpiece of Ancestor Nether Whisper, which had never truly shown its brilliance before being cut short halfway. Yet now, he saw hope in Lü Yang.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang rubbed his hands together eagerly, a smile on his face:
"Then, Ancestor, I won't hold back!"
With that, his blade left its sheath!
Though this was merely a spar, Lü Yang didn't hold back in the slightest. He immediately drew [Tribulation Wave], and a dazzling starlight abruptly ignited at the tip of his sword.
That single point of starlight was unassuming, revealing nothing of its depth.
Even its imagery was profoundly simple: it represented unyielding defiance—refusing to submit, refusing to break. No matter how many hardships lay ahead, it would slash through them all with a single sword strike!
"Boom!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper's figure didn't even attempt to block. He was instantly slain by Lü Yang's sword strike, yet at the moment of his death, his body transformed into an illusory afterimage.
The next second, the afterimage shattered.
Behind it, Ancestor Nether Whisper's true form reappeared, his face filled with astonishment as he sighed, "So strong... truly formidable..."
Lü Yang was momentarily speechless.
'[Mind Entrapment]!?'
One of the Sword Dao Avatar's innate divine abilities. Within its domain, it could render all unfavorable things nonexistent, utilizing only what was advantageous.
Of course, Ancestor Nether Whisper couldn't perfectly replicate its essence, but he managed to imitate a superficial version—creating a false body to bear the consequence of being slain by Lü Yang's sword strike while his true form escaped unscathed. He had even broken free from the lock of Lü Yang's [sword intent]!
"Be careful. I'm counterattacking now."
Before his words even faded, Ancestor Nether Whisper vanished from his original position.
"This is..."
The familiar sight made Lü Yang's pupils contract sharply. Though he had lost this divine ability after restarting, he wasn't so oblivious as to fail to recognize it.
'...[Tethering Closeness]!?'
The very innate divine ability Lü Yang had once relied upon most had now been replicated—albeit in a vastly weakened form—through Ancestor Nether Whisper's Daoist arts!
The next moment, Ancestor Nether Whisper had already appeared behind Lü Yang.
The true [Tethering Closeness] allowed for ultra-long-distance movement, but the weakened Daoist version Ancestor Nether Whisper employed had a limited range.
'[Minor Heavens Void-Stepping Mystic Art]!'
Ancestor Nether Whisper formed a seal with his hands, pushing forward. Lü Yang's figure instantly vanished from his original position, reappearing hundreds of meters away.
'Moving me hundreds of meters? What's the point...'
As Lü Yang pondered, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, lightning serpents intertwining within them. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a sea of thunder!
Heavenly Punishment Thunderclouds!?
The next instant, the sea of lightning crashed down, engulfing Lü Yang's figure.
Yet before Ancestor Nether Whisper could even sigh in relief, a sword light erupted from within the thunderous waves, tearing the dark clouds apart as Lü Yang stepped out, unharmed.
Despite being put on the defensive by Ancestor Nether Whisper, Lü Yang wasn't disheartened.
In fact, he was somewhat excited.
'I can fight!'
Though Ancestor Nether Whisper was currently maintaining his Foundation Establishment Perfection realm through incense offerings—likely still some distance from his peak strength—his combat prowess was undoubtedly formidable.
The fact that Lü Yang could spar with him meant that, even in that damned place, he wouldn't be instantly crushed by opponents of the same realm. At the very least, he had some ability to resist.
"Again!"
With a thought, Lü Yang retracted his sword intent and instead ignited the white jade halo behind him. His demeanor became solemn and dignified, like a deity, as he formed hand seals:
'[Heavenly Mandate]!'
This time, he didn't treat it as casually as when dealing with Grand Ancestor Yan and the City God. The true radiance of his divine ability expanded violently, manifesting scenes of sun, moon, and stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas wherever it passed. Like hands spreading wide before clapping together, it enveloped Ancestor Nether Whisper within its dazzling brilliance.
"What is this?"
Even the well-traveled Ancestor Nether Whisper couldn't help but show curiosity upon seeing this. Clearly, he had never encountered such a form of divine ability before.
"This is... my world."
Lü Yang grinned before raising a finger and pointing at Ancestor Nether Whisper. "Ancestor, do you see any difference between my divine ability and yours?"
With that, light erupted.
"[Tethering Closeness]!"
The next moment, Ancestor Nether Whisper's figure vanished, transported hundreds of miles away—just as Lü Yang had been—before plummeting into a boiling sea of lightning!
In that split second, Ancestor Nether Whisper laughed heartily before clapping his hands together and raising them, summoning a towering mountain shadow. With a mighty press downward, he suppressed the surrounding thunderous waves, annihilating all techniques and divine abilities, sweeping away every bolt of lightning.
'[Embrace the Mountain]?'
Lü Yang understood immediately. This was yet another Daoist art Ancestor Nether Whisper had derived from a divine ability. No matter how many times he witnessed such astonishing wisdom, it never ceased to amaze him.
Little did he know, Ancestor Nether Whisper was equally shocked on his end.
"How did you do that?"
There was no doubt—Lü Yang had just accomplished the same feat as him, somehow managing to employ an innate divine ability he should have lost!
Yet Ancestor Nether Whisper could do so because of his extraordinary comprehension.
But Lü Yang... his comprehension was something Ancestor Nether Whisper knew all too well—mediocre at best, with just a bit of talent, nothing remarkable. So how had he achieved this?
"A minor trick, that's all."
Lü Yang waved his hand modestly. "Just a small wonder of [Heavenly Mandate]. Didn't I say earlier? Right now, this is my world."
My world, my rules!
Within the miniature realm conjured by [Heavenly Mandate], Lü Yang could, to a certain extent, manifest whatever he envisioned. Mimicking divine abilities was naturally within his grasp!
Though it was merely superficial—the underlying mechanics were entirely different, and the effects were far inferior to the original divine abilities, weakened significantly—the sheer variety made it more than sufficient as a combat tool.
"Like this..."
Lü Yang changed his hand seals, conjuring a towering mountain shadow of his own that came crashing down toward Ancestor Nether Whisper—an imitation of [Embrace the Mountain]!
"Boom!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper responded in kind, summoning his own mountain shadow to collide with Lü Yang's. Both shattered upon impact, after which the two simultaneously shifted tactics, employing new divine abilities and Daoist arts!
"Die!"
Lü Yang's words carried the weight of heavenly law—clearly the "words become law" technique from the Mystic Spirit Realm.
"Live!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper was no less impressive, instantly discerning the flaw in Lü Yang's method and countering with a thunderous proclamation that dispelled the divine ability's effects.
"[Certain Death]! [Mind Entrapment]!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper struck with both hands—first conjuring a false body, then using it to unleash the [Certain Death] sword strike, slashing toward Lü Yang with overwhelming force!
Midway, he even mimicked [Knowledge-Perception Obstruction], briefly obscuring Lü Yang's perception of the incoming strike. By the time Lü Yang broke free from the effect, the sword light was already before him, piercing his flesh, shattering his bones, and reducing his entire body to a mist of blood.
Yet the next moment, the scene shifted.
The blood mist dissipated like an illusion as Lü Yang's true form retreated hundreds of meters unharmed, his brow furrowed slightly. Continuing like this would only lead to mutual exhaustion—there was no path to victory.
With this realization, Lü Yang immediately withdrew [Heavenly Mandate].
'Let's try this move...'
Five divine abilities manifested like stars behind his head, linking together into a ring that hovered there, casting down a pure white radiance like flawless jade.
[With the World]!