Looking at the lifelike red wax divine statue, Lu Yang's interest grew even greater. In his previous life, he had spent a full ten years researching the souls of Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters. It was precisely because of this that he could see it.
"I wonder which senior I have the honor of meeting."
Lu Yang cupped his hands and looked directly at the divine statue before him. In his eyes, a wisp of a Foundation Establishment soul was clearly hidden within the red wax-carved statue! However, the divine statue did not respond, merely continuing on its own course, "To offend my Dao lineage is a crime that ten thousand deaths cannot redeem."
As its voice fell, it took a step forward and suddenly vanished. The distance between it and Lu Yang was crossed in a single step, and with five fingers clenched, it threw a punch! Seeing this, Lu Yang neither dodged nor evaded, but threw a punch of his own in return.
Witnessing this scene, the black-robed Daoist was instantly overjoyed. This Patriarch's divine statue was no ordinary item. It was a protective treasure that only someone like him, who held a high position within the Listening Nether Cult, could obtain.
Carrying it on his person daily could significantly slow the rate at which he was devoured by his Witch Ghost. In times of need, he could also summon the Patriarch's true spirit, just like now, to suppress his enemies.
Although it was only a body of red wax, in reality, a single punch was enough to shatter mountains and crack stones, something a mortal body could never withstand. Therefore, in his view, Lu Yang was simply seeking his own death.
Boom!
The next second, a loud bang exploded between Lu Yang and the divine statue. Roiling waves of qi swept in all directions, and then Lu Yang's body directly disintegrated.
Whoosh!
Clouds rose and fell, qi scattered and gathered. The billowing white smoke churned and seethed. After quickly pulling away from the divine statue, it swiftly re-condensed into Lu Yang's form.
"What is that thing!?"
The black-robed Daoist was dumbfounded, clearly shocked by Lu Yang's ability to disperse and reform at will. His gaze towards Lu Yang became increasingly wary. On the other side, Lu Yang's face was full of admiration.
"What a fine divine statue."
Amidst his admiration, he also became certain in his heart: this so-called Listening Nether Cult was, in all likelihood, a creation left behind by a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Witch Ghost Sect!
"I knew it. A centipede does not collapse even in death. Since the Witch Ghost Sect wasn't completely wiped out, it must have left behind some formidable contingency plans... Although based on the results I saw in my previous life, this contingency plan most likely failed. But for me now, it is still a colossus."
As Lu Yang pondered, the divine statue had already charged over again. It was still the same punch. Lu Yang responded with a punch as well, but he was still beaten back, forced to disintegrate once more and reform in the distance.
"Not its match..."
Lu Yang sighed. This Innate Primordial Qi clone of his specialized in the Martial Dao, yet its physical body was inferior to the divine statue's. With its greatest advantage gone, it was naturally difficult to win.
"... However, you can call for backup, but can't I?"
The next second, Lu Yang suddenly formed a hand seal.
Crack!
A fissure opened behind Lu Yang's head, and magnificent golden light poured out from it, ultimately transforming into a great hand as heavy as a mountain that reached out! Outside the secret realm, Lu Yang's true body had made a move! The great golden hand spread its five fingers.
In its palm was a formation densely covered in blood light. With a downward slap, it instantly swallowed the divine statue into the formation.
"Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram, rise!"
Lu Yang formed a hand seal, and a grim rain of blood immediately began to fall within the formation. Every drop of blood was like a sharp sword light, slashing down towards the divine statue.
"Insolent junior!"
The divine statue stood tall and imposing, ten thousand ghosts roaring around its body, completely unafraid. The wisp of a Foundation Establishment soul within it had also regained its clarity and immediately sent out a spiritual message: "A mere seventh-grade formation is not enough to handle me."
"Which sect or school's disciple are you? If you can rescue me, I will certainly reward you handsomely. If you are interested, come meet me at the main headquarters of the Listening Nether Cult..."
"Senior seems to have misunderstood."
Outside the secret realm, Lu Yang's true body gave a cold smile.
"The formation isn't for dealing with you, Senior. It's just to temporarily trap you to prevent your escape."
"... What?"
The next second, outside the formation, the 'Sage's Aspect' that Lu Yang's true body was displaying moved with a roar. The great golden hand clenched the grand formation, and he pushed the status of The Sage's Theft to its absolute limit.
Then, he forcefully clapped his hands together, as if using an eraser to wipe a line of text from a book, instantly obliterating everything in his palm. When the great golden hand opened again, the divine statue had already been crushed to pieces. Only a residual glow remained, which was caught by Lu Yang's Innate Primordial Qi clone.
It was none other than the divine light of the divine ability, Mysterious Underworld Palace Lord Seizing the Nether Position. As for Lu Yang's true body, he simply severed his own arm. After all, his hand had already reached into the secret realm.
With the Golden Core sword qi present, he couldn't pull it out anyway. Keeping it would be a waste, and it could grow back regardless. Immediately after, Lu Yang had his clone put away the Mysterious Underworld Palace Lord Seizing the Nether Position.
After examining it carefully for a moment, he sighed with some regret, "It's still incomplete... one percent at most. That's right, this divine statue looks like a mass-produced item. It's impossible for it to be imbued with too strong of a divine ability."
While Lu Yang was sighing, the black-robed Daoist at the side had gone mad. He stared blankly at the divine statue that Lu Yang had crushed to pieces. Only after a long while did he come to his senses.
The moment he looked at Lu Yang, his eyes turned blood-red: "You dare to destroy our cult's Patriarch's divine statue?" Hearing this, Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
"So that was the Listening Nether Patriarch... A Foundation Establishment cultivator can really live on. Is this continuous reincarnation, barely surviving for over a thousand years?"
The black-robed Daoist, however, completely ignored Lu Yang's words. The Listening Nether Cult was deeply rooted in the secret realm, revered by all. Now that the Patriarch's divine statue was destroyed, it was as if his faith had been desecrated, and he instantly lost his sanity.
"For destroying the Patriarch's divine statue, our cult will never let you off in the future!"
Before his voice had even faded, he roared and pounced towards Lu Yang. Seeing this, Lu Yang gave a cold smile.
"At this point, it is I who will not let you off!"
With that said, he flicked his large sleeve. Innate True Qi formed a great hand that seized the black-robed Daoist, then slammed him onto the ground, smashing both man and ghost into dust. However, Lu Yang did not leave immediately afterward but waited patiently for a moment.
Soon, the yin qi in this place re-gathered, and a brand new black-robed ghost emerged. It was the very same Witch Ghost, the Name-Summoning Ghost, that he had just crushed! Lu Yang observed the entire process of the Witch Ghost's revival and clicked his tongue in wonder.
"Just as I thought. So this is the reason the Witch Ghost Sect has been able to cling to life until now."
Witch Ghosts could not be killed! The Witch Ghost Secret Realm was deeply rooted, almost bound to the spiritual vein beneath Skull Mountain, forming a sealed, self-contained circulatory system. When a Witch Ghost died, it turned into yin qi and merged with the spiritual vein.
Then, the yin qi in the spiritual vein would re-condense into a Witch Ghost and enter the secret realm, thereby achieving a different kind of immortality. To break this cycle, one would either have to uproot the secret realm along with the Skull Mountain spiritual vein, or make the secret realm emerge into the world on its own accord.
The latter was Daoist Master Yinshan's method, simply because no one would do the former. It wasn't that it couldn't be done, but that it wouldn't be done. Uprooting a spiritual vein was an act that severely damaged one's merit, directly affecting future reincarnation.
One must know, even Golden Core True Monarchs were not immortal. When their lifespan was up, they too had to reincarnate and cultivate anew. And if one did too many things that consumed merit, one would inevitably encounter more tribulations after reincarnation.
"So that's why this strand of Golden Core sword qi remained in the secret realm, choosing to boil the frog in lukewarm water instead of flipping the table directly."
"From this perspective, my act of taking in ghosts is actually not advisable either, as it will gradually cause the yin qi in the spiritual vein under Skull Mountain to be drained..."
"... But, so what?"
Lu Yang reached out and grabbed. The newly revived black-robed ghost was thrown into his Myriad Spirits Banner. He was completely unconcerned about whether it would affect the spiritual vein of Skull Mountain.
Merit?
If he didn't have it, then so be it. A low starting point in this life just meant more room for improvement in the next.
(End of this chapter)