Chapter 85: Soul Seizure
Chapter 85: Body Snatching
The towering divine statue of the City of Unjust Deaths was far more than just an impressive sight.
This effigy served as the foundational pillar of the Tingyou Sect, erected at the secret realm's core and aligned with Skeleton Mountain's spiritual veins—essentially the bedrock of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm.
Construction began during Ancestor Nether Whisper's lifetime, using cultivators as laborers and mortals as materials. Only after three centuries of his rule, ending with his natural death, was the statue finally completed. Countless mystical properties were imbued within it, including one of the sect's trump cards—never to be used except in direst need.
Yet now, everything had changed.
Lü Yang sat calmly atop the statue's head. Without any deliberate action, he instantly altered the feng shui currents, displacing the divine effigy to become the new axis of this secret realm's heaven and earth!
This wasn't intentional on his part, but a natural consequence of hierarchical disparity.
Just as mortals fixate upon the world's highest peak while often ignoring the second tallest, the cosmos instinctively gravitates toward beings of superior stature.
"I have answered your summons. Where is the venerable ancestor?"
Before Lü Yang's words faded, an equally majestic Saint's Aspect manifested behind him, its lips parting to release a thunderous proclamation!
Instantly, Lü Yang's voice reverberated throughout the secret realm and beyond.
For the countless mortals within the City of Unjust Deaths, it was merely thunder from clear skies—they clutched their ears in bewilderment. But the eight Tingyou Sect Elders felt Lü Yang's voice carry tangible weight, crashing upon them like a collapsing mountain. Their escape lights scattered chaotically, nearly sending them tumbling from the sky. Gazing up at Lü Yang's manifested Saint's Aspect, terror gripped their hearts.
"The audacity of this thief... he desecrates our founder!"
"With just a voice he... could he be the founder's equal?"
"Impossible!"
The eight elders' expressions twisted violently, faces flushing crimson. Their earlier discussions about subduing Lü Yang instantly became laughable.
Yet in the next moment, their expressions brightened with sudden hope.
The towering divine statue trembled faintly beneath Lü Yang's proclamation, awakening a slumbering soul that released a long, drawn-out sigh:
"A disciple of the Primordial Saint Sect... has finally come."
As these words faded, the statue's rigid features softened—its cast-iron eyes suddenly gleaming with spiritual intelligence.
A Foundation Establishment soul had awakened!
A genuine Foundation Establishment soul, comparable to the Yun Clan Patriarch from Lü Yang's previous life—perhaps even superior, given this one's evidently deeper cultivation.
A radiant beam shot from the statue's core, coalescing into the form of a handsome Daoist with crane-white hair and youthful complexion, exuding an immortal's grace. The apparition chuckled: "Fascinating. Where has young friend's physical body gone, leaving only this soul projection?"
"The venerable ancestor flatters me."
Lü Yang smiled faintly, locking eyes with Ancestor Nether Whisper: "Though you seem no better off—this should be your fifth incarnation, correct?"
He felt certain—this was undoubtedly a remnant of the Witch Ghost Path.
Yet a millennium had passed since that sect's existence. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to survive this long required at least four reincarnations. No matter how profound his cultivation, such prolonged existence would have eroded his power.
"How did the ancestor recognize me as a Saint Sect disciple?"
Ancestor Nether Whisper shook his head: "Young friend slaughtered nearly all my followers upon arrival. Such methods could only belong to those Primordial Saint Sect madmen."
Lü Yang's brow furrowed momentarily before he declared righteously: "Your lineage herds ghosts to oppress mortals, harming all living beings. My actions serve justice!"
The ancestor laughed heartily: "Truly a Saint Sect disciple!"
Lü Yang: "......"
After a pause, Lü Yang shifted topics: "For what purpose did the ancestor summon me here?"
"To escape this prison and reestablish my Witch Ghost lineage." The ancestor smiled faintly: "Thus I must borrow something from young friend—I trust you won't refuse."
"Oh?" Lü Yang's gaze intensified: "What does the ancestor wish to borrow?"
The ancestor's expression turned eerie, his eyes gleaming unnaturally as he stared at Lü Yang like a predator eyeing prey.
Unfazed, Lü Yang met that gaze squarely.
"You already understand, don't you? To use the Primordial Saint Sect's power to shatter that Golden Core sword qi, I require a Saint Sect identity."
The ancestor bared gleaming white teeth in a chilling smile: "The Witch Ghost Path specializes in soul arts—we've some expertise in reincarnation and possession. Four incarnations have left me nearly spent, but there remain... unconventional methods."
"By borrowing young friend's body—"
"—replacing you entirely—this fifth incarnation could regain vitality. Your exceptional potential might even help me reclaim Foundation Establishment."
His calm tone belied the horror of his proposal.
"The ancestor wishes to possess me?" Lü Yang arched an eyebrow.
"This isn't my first attempt. Why do you think I alone survived when that Golden Core sword qi descended upon all other Foundation Establishment cultivators?"
The ancestor had done this before—seizing a mortal's body to conceal himself, using that vessel's destiny as camouflage against the sword qi's purge. Among Witch Ghost practitioners, only he had mastered this technique.
"So now you've chosen me?"
"I should thank you." The ancestor chuckled: "My time grows short. Without your arrival, I'd have perished soon regardless."
Lü Yang sneered: "You believe you can possess me?"
"All mortals must gamble. I cannot let the Witch Ghost Path die with me—no price is too great, not even life itself."
Despite his words, the ancestor radiated confidence—whether from certainty of victory or millennia-honed detachment, his presence flooded Lü Yang with acute danger.
Yet Lü Yang remained puzzled.
If mere possession was the goal, why had the Golden Core sword qi slaughtered the entire secret realm? Some greater purpose must remain hidden.
Naturally, Lü Yang didn't expect answers.
He trusted barely a third of the ancestor's claims—for all he knew, these were deliberate misdirections.
"It seems I'll have to capture the ancestor first for proper interrogation!"
Lü Yang's eyes flashed violently as his body vanished. His Saint's Aspect manifested fully—two golden palms clapping together like thunder.
Boom!
Blinding radiance engulfed the ancestor as Lü Yang's Aspect sought to refine him instantly.
But then—an even brighter light erupted from between the golden palms, blasting them apart. Rolling dark clouds interwove with scintillating beams, coalescing into a towering, solemn palace with jade steps and crimson platforms. Above its gates hung an inscribed plaque:
[YAMA PALACE]!
The palace doors swung wide, revealing Ancestor Nether Whisper enthroned upon jade steps, his own dharma body manifested behind him—left hand gripping a skull-topped staff, right hand holding a ledger.
This was the Aspect of the Lord of the Dark Underworld!
"Foundation Establishment requires more than mere hierarchical standing—that's merely the entry ticket." As the ancestor spoke, his aura surged explosively.
Boom!
In an instant, his hierarchical position rose to match Lü Yang's perfectly. The two forces collided titanically upon equal footing.
Before the eight Tingyou Elders could intervene—
—the collision birthed visible shockwaves that sent them hurtling backward, blood spewing from their mouths.
Amidst this clash, the radiance between the ancestor's eyebrows grew ever brighter.
"No more concealment... succeed or perish utterly!" His tone turned grimly resolute, as if committing to some final gambit.
This mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator had once evaded the Golden Core sword qi's purge through possession and destiny concealment.
But now he abandoned all subterfuge, allowing his true identity and corresponding karma to emerge fully.
Clang! Clang!—
High above the secret realm, the suspended Golden Core sword qi seemed to sense something—its metallic reverberations echoing like a divine blade rattling within its scabbard.