Chapter 87: Heaven's Collapse
The moment the sword qi appeared, Ancestor Nether Whisper also raised his head to gaze at the sword energy that had loomed over him for a thousand years—the very force that had cast him from the heavens.
In the next instant, his face twisted violently:
"True Lord... a thousand years! A full thousand years!"
"How much longer must you confine me?"
"Do you truly intend to exterminate the lineage of my Witch Ghost Path!?"
His words fell, yet the sword qi in the sky paid no heed, silently assessing something as if poised to descend at any moment.
Ancestor Nether Whisper knew this was the lingering effect of the karma he had obscured during his attempted possession a millennium ago.
But as his aura was now fully exposed, it wouldn't be long before the Golden Core sword qi recognized him and struck him down.
"I refuse to accept this!"
With this thought, Ancestor Nether Whisper whirled around to face Lü Yang: "Today, borrowing your life, I shall defy heaven itself to revive the legacy of my Witch Ghost Path!"
As he spoke, he manipulated the [Yama Palace] to come crashing down!
Lü Yang activated his formation talismans once more, channeling the power of his arrays. Yet this time, no wind, thunder, water, or fire could harm Ancestor Nether Whisper in the slightest.
Because their levels had diverged.
With the eight elders restored to their positions and the [Yama Palace] complete, Ancestor Nether Whisper's level had surpassed Lü Yang's and was rapidly approaching Foundation Establishment!
"Useless. Now that I've been forced to reveal myself and reassemble the [Yama Palace], none of your tricks matter. This supreme divine ability was jointly devised by multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators in the past. Had we nine perfected Foundation Establishment experts to anchor it, we might have even contended with a True Lord!"
Pride saturated Ancestor Nether Whisper's voice.
Which lineage in this world didn't seek eternal existence? Which didn't aspire to ascend further? The Witch Ghost Path was among them—and had nearly succeeded!
If not for the sect master of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion from that era...
That True Lord...
That sword qi...
".....DIE!!!"
With a roar, the [Yama Palace] continued its ascent, entering the transcendent state that only appeared during breakthroughs to Foundation Establishment!
"Junior, let me show you the true pinnacle of Qi Refining."
Perched atop the [Yama Palace], Ancestor Nether Whisper's aura soared as he shattered nine heavenly barriers in an instant, standing firmly within the "Foundation Establishment realm"!
In the next moment, Lü Yang's pupils contracted violently!
Having experienced it himself, he knew breaking through to Foundation Establishment occurred in two steps: first, ascending to the "Foundation Establishment realm," then constructing the immortal foundation.
Now, Ancestor Nether Whisper had completed the first step—ascending to the "Foundation Establishment realm."
Yet he chose not to construct his immortal foundation.
Instead, he began—
To descend!
Standing within the "Foundation Establishment realm," Ancestor Nether Whisper pointed downward as he began his fall. Instantly, shadows engulfed Lü Yang's entire consciousness.
Almost immediately, Lü Yang understood the technique Ancestor Nether Whisper was demonstrating—an attack launched from the level of the "Foundation Establishment realm" at the cost of a failed breakthrough! In terms of pure power, this strike might not be much weaker than a genuine Foundation Establishment True Person's attack!
This was—
"Heaven's Collapse."
The next instant, the shadows descended.
Lü Yang's figure was instantly swallowed. The ground collapsed within a hundred-mile radius, all formation talismans shattered simultaneously, and the resulting dust plume resembled an earth dragon soaring to the heavens.
The collision was like the vault of heaven pressing down, turbid waves parting the void!
For a time, boiling waves of qi and interwoven radiance persisted before gradually dissipating, finally revealing Ancestor Nether Whisper's battered form.
It must be understood that 'Heaven's Collapse' was no ordinary divine ability.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a divine ability at all, but rather a method.
Of the two steps to Foundation Establishment, failing the second meant certain death, while failing the first depended entirely on a cultivator's reserves—those with sufficient reserves could survive.
'Heaven's Collapse' was a self-destructive technique developed from this principle, purely leveraging one's reserves to overwhelm opponents by harnessing the momentum of a failed ascension. Though the user would inevitably suffer severe injuries from the failed breakthrough, exchanging that for an attack at the Foundation Establishment level was deemed worthwhile.
"To achieve swift victory, this was the only way..."
Ancestor Nether Whisper's expression remained calm. With the eight elders restored, his [Yama Palace] gave him absolute dominance over Lü Yang—but dominance didn't equate to swift victory.
And with the Golden Core sword qi overhead, he couldn't afford to waste time.
Thus he'd chosen this extreme method to instantly reduce Lü Yang to the brink of death, enabling the final step of his plan.
".....Myriad Souls Soul-Devouring Heaven-Seizing Grand Art"
As Ancestor Nether Whisper formed hand seals, a sinister ripple spread instantly—not toward Lü Yang, but toward the City of Unjust Deaths below.
In the next moment, the city overturned!
In the blink of an eye, every living being within the City of Unjust Deaths was slaughtered by Ancestor Nether Whisper! And not just the city—bloody light erupted throughout the secret realm!
Then came streams of visible soul light surging toward Ancestor Nether Whisper, coalescing around his soul to form a streak of lightning that shot toward Lü Yang with terrifying speed, his face twisted in a triumphant snarl.
"A millennium of nurturing spirits—all for this moment!"
Yet in the next instant, his grin froze.
As the dust cleared, Lü Yang stepped forward—not grievously injured as expected, but merely bloodstained, appearing largely unharmed!
"So it wasn't the Golden Core sword qi committing mass slaughter... it was you."
Lü Yang sighed, understanding the full story.
Why were there so many people in the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm? Because Ancestor Nether Whisper's secret art required them—they were livestock raised for this purpose!
The reason the secret realm had become a land of death in his previous life was likely because Ancestor Nether Whisper had killed everyone to perform his technique, only to fail in deceiving the Golden Core sword qi and perish alongside them... Thinking this, Lü Yang couldn't help but sigh, regarding Ancestor Nether Whisper with pity.
Pity for a man who'd clung to life for a thousand years, only to achieve nothing.
"Impossible!"
Ancestor Nether Whisper's face contorted in disbelief as he stared at Lü Yang: "You clearly took my 'Heaven's Collapse' head-on! How could you emerge unscathed?"
Lü Yang smiled faintly: "To be honest, I do have some skills..."
[Purple Talent·Some Skill]
[Some Skill: No matter how terrifying the attack, as long as it's within your limits, you can effortlessly handle it twice.]
At his current cultivation level, anything within Qi Refining fell within his limits.
Even 'Heaven's Collapse' was no exception!
In that instant, despair flashed across Ancestor Nether Whisper's face. Lü Yang was no weakling—if he'd been mortally wounded, possession would have been guaranteed.
But with Lü Yang only slightly injured? The odds changed drastically.
From certain victory to fifty percent at best—perhaps even lower!
Yet with no retreat possible now, Ancestor Nether Whisper mustered all his will and, surrounded by ten thousand souls, charged into Lü Yang's sea of consciousness!
He would stake everything on this final gamble!
Destroy Lü Yang's sea of consciousness in one strike, then seize his body!
The next moment, Ancestor Nether Whisper beheld Lü Yang's sea of consciousness.
Lü Yang's soul rose calmly and, with a few effortless moves that seemed divinely inspired, casually flung Ancestor Nether Whisper straight out of his consciousness!
Ancestor Nether Whisper: "???"
Lü Yang's movements were so relaxed and natural that Ancestor Nether Whisper didn't even comprehend what had happened before being ejected.
"I told you—I have some skills."
One for 'Heaven's Collapse,' one for possession.
"NO—!!!"
The failed Ancestor Nether Whisper had only time for a final scream.
Clang! Clang!
The next instant, a majestic sword qi descended from the heavens, mercilessly shattering his soul. Countless thoughts exploded outward like a shower of stars.
Without hesitation, Lü Yang swept his sleeve, gathering all the scattered thoughts. These were fragments of divine sense from the destruction of a Foundation Establishment soul, containing most of the memories of the Witch Ghost Path's last sect master—priceless treasures by any measure!