Chapter 88: Heaven-Substituting Patrol Dao, External Incarnation Method
Chapter 88: The Path of Heavenly Envoys and the Method of External Avatars
The Witch-Ghost Secret Realm was empty.
Ancestor Nether Whisper had slaughtered everyone during his possession attempt, and with the descent of the Golden Core sword qi, he himself was shattered into pieces by that very energy.
Now, only Lü Yang remained in the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm.
Yet the Golden Core sword qi did not strike down again. Instead, it returned to hover above the secret realm, dormant as it absorbed and released primordial qi of heaven and earth, seemingly eternal and indestructible.
However, Lü Yang's expression showed no relief—only deepening gravity. He could distinctly feel a strand of his own karma had been locked onto by the sword qi... In other words, should the sword qi erupt, it could decapitate him with a single strike even across millions of miles!
"Is it because I took the Witch Ghost Path's inheritance?"
Lü Yang glanced at the collected soul fragments of Ancestor Nether Whisper. If he abandoned these fragments, perhaps he could sever the karmic connection with the sword qi.
"But... I refuse!"
A Foundation Establishment soul—especially that of a former demonic overlord and sect master—was incomparable to the washed-out soul of the Yun Family Patriarch from his previous life. These fragments contained a full millennium of Ancestor Nether Whisper's experiences, including divine abilities, cultivation arts, and even secrets about Foundation Establishment!
"This karma, I accept it!"
With a thought, Lü Yang summoned a streak of light and vanished from the spot. He soon carved out a simple cave dwelling nearby and immediately entered seclusion.
Several days later.
Inside the cave, Lü Yang opened his eyes. Before him lay Ancestor Nether Whisper's soul fragments, now fully refined by him.
Through this process, he had gained a deeper understanding of Ancestor Nether Whisper.
"This man truly was a prodigy among prodigies."
Lü Yang sighed, then picked up one particular fragment. Unlike the others, this one shimmered brilliantly, far more vibrant and sentient. For it did not contain Ancestor Nether Whisper's memories—it was his last testament.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Though Ancestor Nether Whisper had been confident his possession would succeed, he had still prepared contingencies. This testament was his failsafe, explicitly stating that he had preserved the complete inheritance of the Witch Ghost Path within his soul fragments. Should he perish and Lü Yang survive, this legacy would pass to Lü Yang, ensuring the Witch Ghost Path's lineage continued.
Of course, there were conditions.
To receive this inheritance, Lü Yang had to bear the Witch Ghost Path's karma—rebuilding its mountain gate in the future and nurturing a Foundation Establishment cultivator for the sect. Failing this, the soul fragments would self-destruct.
As Ancestor Nether Whisper had said earlier, his life's purpose was to ensure the Witch Ghost Path's survival. He could not let it perish under his leadership. Thus, whether alive or dead, he had planned meticulously.
He even declared within the fragment that if Lü Yang accepted the inheritance, he had a method to grant Lü Yang Foundation Establishment-level combat power in a short time!
How could Lü Yang refuse?
"Take the benefits first. Even if the Witch Ghost Path's karma is heavy, it's only for this lifetime. What does it have to do with my next life...?"
Ancestor Nether Whisper, the last sect master of the Witch Ghost Path, was also the most talented individual in its history. He achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age and, within just over two hundred years, harmonized the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends—"Upper Petition," "Kundun," "Chongguang," and "Chifenruo"—with the numbers of yin and yang, reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection and pursuing the "Wall Soil" position.
Yet heaven envied his genius.
At that very moment, a True Person from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion had preempted him, attaining the "Wall Soil" fruit position, instantly cutting off Ancestor Nether Whisper's path.
How could Ancestor Nether Whisper and the Witch Ghost Path accept this?
But Ancestor Nether Whisper, true to his prodigious talent, painstakingly forged another path—creating the [Yama Palace] method.
Eight Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators would transform into Black and White Impermanence, Civil and Military Judges, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Day and Night Wandering Gods, with him presiding. Together, they could temporarily hold a Golden Position, simulating the Golden Core fruit... A concept as fantastical as a fairy tale. Yet with the help of a third party, Ancestor Nether Whisper succeeded.
Yet this very achievement brought annihilation upon the Witch Ghost Path.
The Golden Core True Lord who had attained the "Wall Soil" position sat within the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion and, with a single sword strike from tens of thousands of miles away, eradicated the Witch Ghost Path in its entirety.
"......"
The more Lü Yang read, the more alarmed he became. Finally, he abruptly closed the memory fragment, not daring to delve further. He decisively stopped here.
Because he could clearly sense that the more he understood the details of the Witch Ghost Path's destruction a millennium ago, the sharper a strand of his karma became—one end linked to him, the other vanishing into the vast web of karma, an abyss with no end in sight...
Damn it, that True Lord from a thousand years ago was still alive!
Lü Yang was absolutely certain: the other end of that karmic thread was that True Lord! The moment he learned the details, that True Lord would know of him too!
"This is utterly ridiculous. What kind of cursed place is this...?"
Only after a long while did Lü Yang calm his mind. He dared not probe further into the millennium-old troubles and instead turned his attention to the inheritance left by Ancestor Nether Whisper.
Aside from divine abilities like the "Nine Heavens Secret Demon Yin Thunder," the most crucial was the [Underworld Lord Xuanming's Ghost-Controlling Position] that Ancestor Nether Whisper had used. The Witch Ghost Path's heritage paled in comparison to the Primordial Saint Sect's, possessing only this single divine ability. Yet Ancestor Nether Whisper had refined it to its pinnacle.
After studying it, Lü Yang's astonishment grew:
"No wonder he claimed in his testament that he could help me gain Foundation Establishment combat power..."
The Underworld Lord Xuanming's Ghost-Controlling Position, if cultivated by nine Foundation Establishment Perfection practitioners together to form the [Yama Palace], could simulate a Golden Position with Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Of course, finding nine Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators was impossible.
But if one settled for nine Qi Refining Perfection cultivators practicing this divine ability and infused them with vast amounts of fate's breath, they could simulate a Foundation Establishment position!
The eight elders of the Nether Whisper Sect were exactly this. Ancestor Nether Whisper had passed down this lineage precisely to gather fellow practitioners. The eight red-clothed witch ghosts existed solely to form the [Yama Palace] with him. He had planned to use this method to achieve Foundation Establishment immediately after escaping.
Alas, heaven had other plans.
Of course, though this divine ability was astonishing, it was not without flaws—its foundation was built upon the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm.
"Simulating Foundation Establishment isn't truly breaking through to that realm."
"It's about transforming a region into an existence equivalent to 'Foundation Establishment' in rank, then governing that territory to manifest Foundation Establishment power."
This was not the path of physical ascension.
"This is actually the philosophy of the 'Path of Heavenly Envoys'..."
Lü Yang quickly recalled that when Ancestor Nether Whisper perfected this divine ability, he had received assistance from a third party, borrowing concepts from their lineage.
Its name—the Heavenly Martial Path Court.
Located in Jiangdong!
"Chen Xin'an once told me that Jiangdong's path is entirely different. Practitioners of the 'Path of Heavenly Envoys' do not ascend but instead reshape their existing environment."
"In Jiangdong, the Dao Court governs the world under the name 'Heavenly Wu,' commanding hundreds of clans and establishing twelve positions to oversee the four directions. Thus, under the Dao Court, they do not cultivate magic power or learn divine abilities. Those granted official titles naturally possess magic power and heaven-bestowed divine abilities. Those holding positions are equivalent to True Persons, while those ascending the throne are comparable to True Lords..."
The more Lü Yang pondered, the deeper his frown grew.
Different paths do not conspire together. He was already a practitioner of the physical ascension path—even if he wished to switch to the Path of Heavenly Envoys, it would be impossible.
"So if I use this divine ability to reach Foundation Establishment, my path forward would be severed."
Within Jiangdong, there was room for progress beyond Foundation Establishment. But the [Yama Palace] was merely Ancestor Nether Whisper's imitation, naturally offering no upward mobility.
And that was only one side effect.
The other was that since this method relied on a specific region to achieve Foundation Establishment, one would also be bound to it. Damage to the spiritual vein would cause a drop in cultivation.
"This method isn't for me... But there is a workaround."
Ancestor Nether Whisper had been thorough, anticipating Lü Yang's reluctance to cut off his path, and thus prepared an alternative.
"The Great Incarnation Universal Divine Method!"
Lü Yang's eyes burned with intensity. The effect of this secret method was simple: it refined a living person into a guardian deity, allowing one to borrow that person's merits, fate's breath, and even retain their thoughts—turning them into a puppet without forming karma.
"An avatar refined with this method could perfectly cultivate the [Underworld Lord Xuanming's Ghost-Controlling Position]!"
"And transfer the Witch Ghost Path's karmic burden onto it."
"Even the nine Qi Refining Perfection cultivators needed for cultivation were prepared—the eight red-clothed ghosts and myself. Everything is ready..."
All that remained was the final step: infusing vast amounts of fate's breath.
At this thought, a bold idea suddenly struck Lü Yang:
"...Yu Suzhen!"
If she could surpass Xiao Shiye in death and seize the fate's breath of that colorful merit fish for him, perhaps it would meet the requirements for constructing the [Yama Palace].
Even she herself could be refined into a guardian deity!