Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Heavens Collapse
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The very instant the sword Qi appeared, Ancestor Tingyou also looked up at the force that had pressed down on him for a thousand years, the very thing that had cast him from the clouds.
In the next second, his face twisted in a contorted mask of fury.
“True Lord… A thousand years! A full thousand years!”
“How much longer will you keep me trapped?”
“Do you truly wish to extinguish the lineage of my Witch Ghost Sect!?”
His voice fell, yet the sword Qi in the sky paid him no mind. It was merely appraising something in silence, seeming as though it could slash down at any moment.
Ancestor Tingyou knew that the karmic ties he had obscured during his possession a millennium ago were still in effect.
However, now that his aura was completely exposed, it wouldn't be long before the Golden Core sword Qi fully identified him, and then a single strike would fly forth to claim his life.
“I refuse to accept this!”
At this thought, Ancestor Tingyou abruptly spun around and faced Lu Yang. “Today, I will borrow your life to defy the heavens and continue the lineage of my Witch Ghost Sect!”
As his voice fell, Ancestor Tingyou commanded the Hall of Yama to come crashing down!
Lu Yang activated his array talismans, once again drawing upon the power of the formation to augment his own. Yet this time, no matter the wind, lightning, water, or fire, nothing could harm Ancestor Tingyou in the slightest.
Because a difference in their very standing had emerged.
With the eight elders returned to their positions, the Hall of Yama was complete. Ancestor Tingyou’s standing had already surpassed Lu Yang’s, and was even rapidly approaching the level of Foundation Establishment!
“It’s useless. Now that you’ve forced me to reveal myself and reassemble the Hall of Yama, all your tricks are worthless. This supreme divine ability was deduced through the combined efforts of us Foundation Establishment cultivators back then. If nine peak Foundation Establishment cultivators were to preside over it, we might even be able to seize a Golden Throne and battle a True Lord!”
Ancestor Tingyou’s tone was filled with pride.
Of all the sects in the world, which did not wish to endure for eternity? Which did not wish to ascend to a higher level? The Witch Ghost Sect was one of them, and it had been on the verge of success!
If not for the Sect Master of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion of that generation…
That True Lord…
That streak of sword Qi…
“…Kill!!!”
Ancestor Tingyou roared, the standing of the Hall of Yama still climbing, unexpectedly entering the ascension state that only appeared when breaking through to Foundation Establishment!
“Junior, let me show you the true peak of Qi Refining.”
Ancestor Tingyou stood high atop the Hall of Yama, his aura lofty and remote. In a single instant, he broke through nine celestial barriers and stepped into the “Foundation Establishment Realm”!
In the next second, Lu Yang’s pupils shrank!
Because he had broken through before, he knew that the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was a two-step process. The first step was ascending to the “Foundation Establishment Realm,” and the second was building the Immortal Foundation.
At this moment, Ancestor Tingyou had completed the first step, ascending into the “Foundation Establishment Realm.”
However, he did not choose to build his Immortal Foundation.
Instead, he began to—
Plummet!
Ancestor Tingyou stood within the “Foundation Establishment Realm” and pointed a finger, simultaneously beginning his descent. In an instant, a shadow enveloped Lu Yang’s entire mind and spirit.
He understood almost immediately. The technique Ancestor Tingyou was displaying was to pay the price of a “failed breakthrough” to launch an attack from the level of the “Foundation Establishment Realm”! In terms of raw power, this strike was likely not much weaker than that of a true Foundation Establishment cultivator!
This was—
“Heaven’s Collapse.”
In the next instant, the shadow fell.
Lu Yang’s figure was instantly swallowed by it. The ground for a hundred miles around caved in, and all the formation talismans shattered at once. The dust that billowed up was like an earth dragon ascending to the heavens.
The impact was like the sky itself crashing down, a maelstrom of chaotic waves!
For a moment, roiling torrents of Qi seethed and brilliant lights intertwined. The chaos persisted for a long while before gradually dissipating, finally revealing Ancestor Tingyou’s battered figure.
One must understand that ‘Heaven’s Collapse’ was no ordinary divine ability.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a divine ability at all, but rather a specific maneuver.
In the two steps of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, failing the second step meant certain death. Failing the first, however, depended entirely on the cultivator’s personal foundation; a strong foundation meant survival.
‘Heaven’s Collapse’ was a self-detonating technique created based on this principle. It was a pure contest of foundations, using the momentum of a failed ascension to attack an opponent. Although one would inevitably suffer heavy injuries from the failed breakthrough, it was worth it in exchange for a single strike at the Foundation Establishment level.
“To achieve a swift victory, this is the only way…” Ancestor Tingyou’s expression was grim. After the eight elders returned, he held a definite advantage over Lu Yang with the Hall of Yama, but an advantage didn't guarantee a quick win.
And with the Golden Core sword Qi hanging overhead, he could not afford to waste time.
That was why he had chosen such an extreme and brutal method, to grievously injure Lu Yang and leave him on the brink of death with a single blow. Only then could he carry out the final step of his plan.
“…The Grand Art of Ten Thousand Souls Devouring the Spirit to Seize the Heavens…”
As Ancestor Tingyou formed a hand seal, a cryptic ripple instantly spread out, not targeting Lu Yang, but the City of the Unjustly Dead below.
In the next second, the City of the Unjustly Dead was overturned!
In the blink of an eye, every living being within the city was slaughtered by Ancestor Tingyou! And not just in the city; at that moment, splashes of blood erupted all across the secret realm!
Immediately after, visible lights of souls surged towards Ancestor Tingyou, finally clustering around his own soul. They transformed into a streak of light that shot forward like lightning, pouncing towards Lu Yang’s location with the speed of a thunderclap. A savage, triumphant grin was plastered on his face.
“Spirits nurtured for a thousand years, it is fitting they be used at this time!”
However, in the next second, his smile abruptly froze.
As the dust settled, Lu Yang strode out. He was not grievously wounded and on the verge of death as imagined, but merely had bloodstains on his clothes. He appeared to be largely unharmed!
“So that’s how it is. It wasn’t the Golden Core sword Qi that committed the massacre, it was you…”
Lu Yang sighed, understanding the cause and effect.
Why were there so many extra people in the Witch Ghost secret realm? Because one of Ancestor Tingyou’s secret arts required them. They were all human resources, raised like livestock!
The reason the secret realm in his previous life had become a land of death was likely because Ancestor Tingyou had killed everyone to perform his secret art. But in the end, he failed to deceive the Golden Core sword Qi and his own soul was scattered as well. Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh again, looking at Ancestor Tingyou with a hint of pity.
Pity for his thousand years of desperate survival, all of which had been for naught.
“This is impossible!”
Ancestor Tingyou’s face was ferocious as he stared at Lu Yang in disbelief. “You clearly took my ‘Heaven’s Collapse’! How could you be unharmed?”
Lu Yang gave a faint smile. “To be honest, I’ve got a couple of tricks up my sleeve…”
[Purple Talent: Got a Couple of Tricks]
[Got a Couple of Tricks: No matter how terrifying the attack, as long as it's within your limits, you can handle it with ease and grace twice.]
With his current cultivation, anything in the Qi Refining Realm was within his limits.
Even “Heaven’s Collapse” was no exception!
In an instant, a look of despair appeared on Ancestor Tingyou’s face. Lu Yang’s strength was not to be underestimated. If he were heavily injured and dying, the possession would be a hundred percent successful.
But if Lu Yang had only sustained minor injuries, the situation was completely different.
His ten-out-of-ten certainty of success immediately plummeted to five, or perhaps even lower!
Yet at this point, Ancestor Tingyou had no path of retreat. He could only rouse his entire spirit and, surrounded by ten thousand souls, charge into Lu Yang’s Sea of Consciousness!
He would stake everything on this single attempt!
One strike to destroy Lu Yang’s Sea of Consciousness, then possess his body and take his place!
The next moment, Ancestor Tingyou saw the inside of Lu Yang’s Sea of Consciousness.
Lu Yang’s soul calmly stood up. With a few casual, divinely-assisted moves, he handled the intrusion with effortless grace, nonchalantly tossing him right back out of the Sea of Consciousness!
Ancestor Tingyou: “???”
Lu Yang’s actions had been so relaxed and effortless that Ancestor Tingyou didn't even realize what had happened until after he was thrown out.
“I told you, I’ve got a couple of tricks.”
One to handle “Heaven’s Collapse,” one to handle the possession.
“No—!!!”
The failed Ancestor Tingyou only had time to let out a single wretched scream.
*Clang!*
In the next second, a magnificent streak of sword Qi descended from the sky and, without another word, pulverized his soul. Countless thoughts exploded outwards, as brilliant as a field of stars.
Seeing this, Lu Yang didn't hesitate. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he immediately gathered all the scattered thoughts. These were the remnants of a Foundation Establishment soul, fragments of spiritual sense containing most of the memories of Ancestor Tingyou, the last master of the Witch Ghost Sect. To put it bluntly, they were a priceless treasure!
(End of this chapter)